Before we talk, I want to remind you that two contests will be ending on this coming Thursday…

First, I’m giving away a pendant on the Smokin’ Hot Firemen website. There are two things you have to do to be eligible for the drawing. (Both are easy and painless!). Don’t miss out!

Second, my Two Signed Books Contest I’m hosting on this site also ends. And all you have to do to be eligible is post comments on blogs.

Okay, so back to our little chat. I’m up to my ears as usual. So many projects in so many differing stages. My mother asked me what I was working on, and by the time I finished listing them her eyes glazed over. It’s that bad. I did finish one little project on Sunday. Whew. So glad to mark another done! Have I shown you my work chart lately? It lists everything due January through June. Keep in mind it’s what I HOPE to accomplish.

It’s completely ridiculous, right? But some of these are very short. One is something I parcelled out, because the publisher wants it parcelled out. But still… And I’ve started the Smokin’ Hot Firemen blog. Another blog for the High Octane Heroes will be coming shortly. And three different book campaigns will begin.

I’m tired just thinkin’ about it. And now you know why I have so many guests lately. So if you see me screwing around, remind me about priorities. I don’t mind nagging. I respond very well to the crack of a whip. 😉

So here’s the question for you…

If you could build a recreation area atop a penthouse rooftop of a 20-story building, what would be the theme of your elevated playground? Would you open it to the public? Or would you keep it for yourself and your besties?

Collaboration and a Strip Club

Thank you for having me on your blog today, Delilah!

Recently, I’d been asked to join a brand new blog, along with nine other authors. Being a relative newbie to the industry, I was honored by the request and jumped at the chance to be a part of this talented group. This was the opportunity to interact and collaborate with other writers that I’d been looking for.

The idea of writing an anthology started with a chain of e-mails that was mostly kidding around. The discussion started with a note about Valentine’s Day and progressed to the topic of St. Patrick’s Day. Of course (we are romance writers, after all), the discussion then shifted to a sexy leprechaun and the “treasure” at the end of his rainbow, to which the response was “Lucky Charms!” It was mentioned that Lucky’s would make a great name for a strip club…with its strippers called Lucky’s Charms. Then, someone said, “Hey! We should write that!”

See, folks? This is one way plot bunnies are born. Collaboration, even when unintended, can be magical.

After the initial shock of agreeing to write an anthology wore off, we got to work. With four weeks to go until St. Patrick’s Day, the clock was ticking. Unlike other anthologies, our stories are connected to each other through common theme. All of the stories are set in or around Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. We were able to quickly hash out the details and interworkings of the club. Our resident attorney checked into the laws that govern strip clubs in NYC. Not that some of our guys didn’t (accidentally) break them, but it’s always good to know the rules.

We utilized Dropbox as a way to share documents. This is an invaluable tool for long-distance collaboration. It gave us a central location to store things such as marketing materials and cover art. It also helped to keep things on track as we went through the editing process. And it reduced the number of “Lucky’s Charms” titled emails in my inbox. 🙂

Have you ever wondered how things can come together so perfectly, despite writers block, time constraints, surgeries, illnesses and general life stuff? Because all of these things occurred during the process of creating Lucky’s Charms.

Synergy.

We came together as women. As writers, sisters, and friends. We worked together and got the job done. Through collaboration, we’ve created a blog and an anthology I am very proud to be a part of.  I can’t wait until we do this again!

A Love, Lust and Laptops Publication:

From the ladies of Love, Lust and Laptops comes a special anthology filled with sexy tales of the men and women of Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club.

Anything could happen at Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. Underneath the neon lights, the loud music, and the tear-away costumes, new lovers meet for the first time and old flames ignite anew. Shifters claim their mates, and leprechauns pay unusual gambling debts. Undercover operative solving crime? Advertising executive seducing the boss? All business as usual at Lucky O’Reilly’s.
Have you gotten lucky tonight?

Currently available for FREE at Smashwords.

Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Sex and the Strong Woman 

I’ve never cared for stories that feature mistreated women waiting to be rescued. I prefer books where the victim turns around and bites her abuser. I guess that’s why when I started writing my own heroines they all kick butt and resist taking orders.  🙂

In my recently released Eclipse Heat series title, Wolf’s Tender, Naomi Parker, my heroine, is a school teacher who uses her wits and limited powers of seduction to save her kidnapped students. Do I think such a scenario is possible? Yes. I think history proves that women have always used seduction as a means of survival.

Do I think Naomi chooses well when she picks Charlie Wolf McCallister to seduce? Double yes. Naomi finds the best tracker in Texas and uses sex to persuade him to help her. Why? Because we all know that saving her students is a lot more important than saving her virginity. (And besides, Charlie Wolf is a half-Kiowa hunk who makes her blood sizzle.)

I think one of the greatest compliments I’ve received for Wolf’s Tender was from a reviewer who said “…This entire book has a gentle message of female empowerment that appealed to me greatly, [a surprise] since it was in a historical Western that normally features damsels in distress…” [Book Vixen: Reviewer: J9]

About the Author

Gem Sivad is an award-winning author with a reputation for creating multi-faceted characters simmering with passion in the Old West. Dubbed by many reviewers as the “Queen of Historical Naughty Romance” Gem loves turning up the heat.

Preceded by Quincy’s Woman, Perfect Strangers, and Five Card Stud—Wolf’s Tender is the fourth book in Gem’s Eclipse Heat series published by Ellora’s Cave. Trouble In Disguise, the next Eclipse Heat book, will release in summer, 2013.

Subscribe to Gem’s monthly Dreamcatcher Newsletter
Visit Gem’s website
Like her Face Book Author Page
Follow her on Twitter
Find her @ Amazon

A book in the Eclipse Heat Series

Charlie Wolf is half Kiowa, all bounty hunter and a no-nonsense man—until he meets a schoolteacher with cornflower-blue eyes. After marauding outlaws attack Naomi’s school and kidnap her students, she’s desperate and will do anything to rescue them, even seduce the best tracker in Texas to secure his help.

Naomi offers one night of sexual favors, underestimating the power of Charlie’s predatory charm and his determination to claim her as his mate. She’s impatient with his decisions, questions his authority and generally ignores his warnings. But she melts in Charlie’s arms when he makes love to her.

Blood is spilled, past murder avenged, desperadoes captured and lust assuaged as the two set out to rescue Naomi’s young ladies.

A Romantica® historical Western erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Wolf’s Tender Buy Links:

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/wolf-s-tender.html

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Wolfs-Tender-Eclipse-Heat-ebook/dp/B00BR070N2/

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-tender-gem-sivad/1102940087?ean=9781419938061

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wolf039stender-1114154-340.html?referrer=203d1555227662f5a48dc2e310466f41

The winner (chosen by random number generator) of the free download
of Laying Down the Law is Chris Bails! Chris, congrats! And send me an email
so I’ll know where to send your story! ~DD

* * * * *

This week’s snippet theme is all about the heartbreak of breaking up. Zuri and Colt from Laying Down the Law had a parting that haunted them for years. In this scene, you’ll meet both stubborn souls still too proud to admit they’ve never been able to forget their youthful romance and move on. Enjoy!

“With amazing suspense, and hot, dominant lovin’ this cowboy and his high school sweetheart take the reader on an amazing emotional journey. Mixed with a bit of humor, sizzling bedroom scenes, and cowboys that steal your heart, Ms. Devlin has created a beyond 5 Book worthy start of an incredible new series.” ~ 5/5 Books, Reviews by Molly

Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.

The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1

A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.

Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.

Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out what Zuri’s running from, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.

Product Warnings: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts…

The Grand Adventure Continues for Sabrina York. Also, Win A Tiara.

Long ago, in a time shrouded in myth and mystery (circa April 4^th, 2012), a virgin author, a tender soul, ventured out into the cold, hard world, unsure of what she would find. Would there be slavering wolves with long glistening fangs? Hideous trolls? Wicked witches cackling with glee at every misstep?

Oh, sure. There were a couple of those.

But to our heroine’s delight, she met come champions along the way, valiant souls who became companions, and then friends.

And Delilah Devlin is one of those souls.

Okay. Yeah. I am waxing poetic. But I’m in a poetic mood, damn it all.

It’s been a year since the release of my first book (Adam’s Obsession). A year since I dipped my toe into the publishing pond. A year since I wrote my very first blog (for one Delilah Devlin, in fact).

As I reflect on all the other firsts of the past year—the glorious triumphs as well as the…ickier moments—I can’t help but smile. It has been a rollercoaster ride, for sure—but a grand adventure. Now I have nearly a dozen titles with many more in the wings and, I am delighted to report, fans all over the world.

Who knew?

I wanted to thank you, Delilah, for welcoming me into your welkin, for embracing my work and encouraging me giving me opportunities to succeed. You are a champion. An inspiration.

And because of your encouragement, and that of many others, I am about to embark on another adventure (one that has me nibbling my fingernails to the nub).

I am releasing my first self-pubbed book.

There were a lot of reasons for trying this—not the least of which is the ability to offer a book for free once in a while to THANK MY READERS for their loyalty. But to be perfectly honest, my secret motivation is to prove to myself that I can.

Yep. Yet another grand adventure for a girl who always dreamed of being a writer but was told she was far too dyslexic to try.

There are always people willing to tell you reasons you shouldn’t take a dare.

It’s a good thing I never listen.

(Pssst! I had to include this screen shot! ~DD)

Sabrina’s First Novel-Without-A-Net…

Rebound is Book One of the Tryst Island Series—following the romantic adventures of a group of friends sharing a vacation house on the fictional Trystacomseh Island in Washington State’s San Juan archipelago. The series was inspired by my visits to a family cabin on the coast. I’ll share a picture of the view, so you get an idea why I couldn’t stop myself from writing these stories.

Sigh. I know. Right?

Here’s a taste of Rebound. It’s scheduled to come out April 4^th on Amazon. I hope you check it out.

Rebound by Sabrina York

A Tryst Island Erotic Romance

Kristi Cross has had the hots for her friend, Cameron Jackson as long as she could remember, but she knows she’s not his type. She’s nothing like the women he dates. So when he suggests they play for a kiss over a game of Hearts, Kristi can’t resist. Even if she loses, she wins. Because she’s finally going to taste him.

Of course, one kiss can quickly become something altogether steamier, especially when both parties are on the rebound…

An Excerpt of Rebound

Cam nodded and dealt the cards. They were halfway through the first hand when he broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we played?”

“You had to teach me.”

“Took me all night.”

“That was hardly my fault.” She rearranged her cards. “You kept pouring me shots.”

“You’re the one who kept drinking them.” Read the rest of this entry »

I loved that movie! And I’ve always wanted to steal that title. But I’ll commit only a misdemeanor today…

I’m blogging in two places, and at both, you have a chance to win something. So don’t be lazy. Click on the links below. And remember, next Tuesday will be the end of the Two Signed Books Contest here. Every comment on THIS blog earns you another chance to win!

Today, you can find me at:

Wild and Wicked Cowboys

Smokin’ Hot Firemen 

Writing a Series

A friend recently suggested I read FOREIGNER by C.J. Cherryh, a popular sci/fi writer. It’s the first book in a series and has a fascinating premise. A spaceship from Earth has gone off course into an alien universe. A colony is sent down to live on a planet populated by the atevi, an intelligent group that resembles humans, but are taller, stronger, and have black skin and yellow eyes. The hero, Bren Cameron, is a human translator who has learned the atevi language and culture. He wants desperately to maintain the peace between the two diverse groups, but things never run smoothly. By the end of the book, he’s so badly injured he’s on his way to the hospital for surgery, but for the moment, he’s out of danger. The second book, INVADER, begins with Bren leaving the hospital and right back into deep trouble. I don’t usually read sci/fi, but this series is so fast-paced and exciting, it drew me right in. Bren is such a sympathetic character, I couldn’t stop after the first book!

Having one continuing character works well not only in sci/fi, but also in mysteries and thrillers. Sue Grafton has pushed Kinsey Millhone through the alphabet. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum humorous mystery series is on NOTORIOUS NINETEEN. Fans know they won’t be disappointed when they read the next book in a popular series.

When a family friend married a bullfighter’s daughter, I thought it a great premise for a book, but I hadn’t anticipated a series when I began. Wealthy men often have multiple wives and create new families, and a matador was a perfect fit for the role. My goal in FIERCE LOVE was to tell the story of Magdalena Aragon, a young woman in her twenties who’s meeting her famous father for the first time. She’s the daughter born of his brief marriage to an American woman, and this is her first visit to Spain. That she has half brothers and half sisters she’d also never met added near endless complications to her reunion with her father. When she falls for a matador herself, he’s the very last man she wants to love. The story is set in Barcelona, a city I love, and the book was a joy to write.

When I sent the finished the book to my editor at Samhain, it proved impossible to leave Maggie’s eldest brother, Santos, behind. He’s the bullfighter’s son, and deserved a book of his own. FIERCE PRIDE is an entirely different story. He’s a matador himself and someone wants him dead. That he falls for Maggie’s half sister, Libby, strengthens the ties created in the first book and gives characters I’d grown to love a chance to come back for an encore.

You can probably see this coming, but Maggie’s father had a mistress, a super-model with an independent spirit, who demanded a book of her own, FIERCE PASSION. This series grew from the characters and their complicated relationships, and I had to run to keep up with them. I do believe the FIERCE series is complete as a trilogy, but Maggie has twin half sisters who may someday get a book of their own.

Do you love to read books in a series? I’ll be happy to send pdf copies of FIERCE LOVE and FIERCE PRIDE to someone who comments.

FIERCE LOVE is available in both ebook and print from Samhain. FIERCE PRIDE, a February 2013 ebook, and will be in print in February 2014. The beautiful mistress’s story, FIERCE PASSION will be a November 2013 release. Rest assured, no bulls were harmed in any way in the writing of these books.