January’s nearly gone and I’m racing toward the finish line with two projects. Which means I have little time to spend here. I write throughout the day, trying to keep my butt in the chair although I am easily distractible. I’ve been spending my evenings unwinding with my dd’s family, enjoying the new baby, and then it’s back home where I putter for an hour or two making things in my art room. Then straight to bed.

Last night was really cold, so my cat who loves being outdoors, joined me in bed. She’s a lovey. Or rather loves to bite. Little nibbles that grow harder the more you pet her. She was a feral cat I adopted a while back. I think I told you the story about her before. I’d fed her over the fence for weeks because she was too wary to come closer. Then one night, during that huge full moon on Friday the 13th, something about that moon hadn’t occurred in hundreds of years… Anyway, I was out there at 2 AM watching that pretty moon in the middle of my driveway when I felt something furry moving in figure eights around my ankles. Scared the crap out of me. Ever since, she’d been mine and stayed close to my back door. She chose me. I call her my familiar. And I named her Pumpkin because she’s the spitting image of my very first cat, Pepita (I love Mexican spiced pumpkin seeds).

And there I thought this was going to be quick. 🙂

First, let me thank you, Delilah, for letting me drag these two love birds over to your place for an interview. This is Eric De Marco and Amy Sizemore, the main characters from my latest release, Incidental Contact, a New Adult erotic romance, set on an eight-hundred-acre peach farm in Upstate South Carolina.  Although it’s the third book in my contemporary romance series, Those Devilish De Marco Men, Incidental Contact may be read as a standalone title and is approximately 93,000 words.

Eden:  What were you doing the day before your story began, Eric?
Eric:  Trying to dodge a boatload of exes, all hell-bent on helpin’ me spend an insurance settlement.
Eden: Why was that a problem?
Amy: Oh, let me take that question. He’s pollinated half the flowers in the county, if you get my drift. Not  one of those women could see past his pretty face, but they were sure ready to help drain his savings account. He is pretty, is he not?
Eden: Meh, if you like tall, dark, handsome blue-collar boys bulging with muscles earned from hard work, I guess he’ll do. What made you different? What did you see in him that no one else did, Amy?
Amy: Well, I’m short, round, and a stone-cold tomboy, so I know how it feels to be underestimated. Eric’s more than a pretty face. He’s smart. He should’ve been an engineer. I take that back, he is an engineer, he’s just self-taught.
Eden: So, how did the tomboy and the bad boy get together?
Amy: He, uh, made me an offer. I was temporarily homeless, so he said if I’d move in with him and help keep the vultures at bay, he’d teach me to feel sexy.
Eric: And I succeeded, too. Just look at her now.
Eden: Yes, she has changed quite a bit. We have time for one final question, Eric, rumor has it, you had a little trouble getting it up?
Eric: Damn small towns. Can’t keep a secret for nothin’.  Okay, if you must know, I did have some problems  keepin’ lead in my pencil, did, but not why you think. Let me explain—
Eden: I’m so sorry, Eric, Delilah’s giving me the sign that we’re out of time.

Incidental Contact (Book #3, Those Devilish De Marco Men)
What if a random kiss with the wrong woman feels like more than incidental contact? What if you sense every mistake brought you to this place, with this person? What if you know you’ll have to clean up your bad-boy past and can’t offer her much of a future, but you’re determined to win her heart? What if you’re also having…performance issues? Welcome to Eric De Marco’s world. First person to say ‘go hard or go home’ gets his ass kicked.

(excerpt)
Cold air made an icy blanket on her wet skin. Her nipples could cut diamonds. When he lowered his eyes, anticipation sent jagged heat streaking though her, leaving thunder subsiding in her core.

She had to hold onto something, so she dared to rest her hands on his shoulders. She felt awkward, unsure what to do next.

“Let’s get that tense look off your face.” She felt his muscular thighs press against her knees, moving them wider.

She stiffened. That’s not bubbles. A strong jet of water rushed against her folds. She tried to shift away from the stream, but he held her fast.

“Relax, Amy. Let it happen.”

The jet of water felt soft, yet the slender stream flayed her clit with insistent pressure. Holding her gaze, he rubbed his lips across one extended nipple. Slowly—oh God, so slowly she thought she’d die—he rasped her aching point. Raising his head a notch, he worried the peak with the stubble on his chin. Each prickling scrape sent daggers into her core. He nipped the hard bud.

The gentle torture made her cry out with frustration until he took a warm, soothing lick. The entire time, that forceful jet of water danced over her clit. His licks mingled with nips until her sensation of being cold disappeared. All Amy could feel was the heat from his tongue and the strong ache coiling inside her—and that jet of water driving her mad.

Purchase Incidental Contact on:  Amazon | B&N| All Romance | iTunes

About the Author:
Eden Connor graduated from Converse College with a degree in Psychology so long ago, her sheepskin is chiseled in stone. She’s been a graphic artist, a bridal photographer and an antique restorer. Since the death of her true love, she raised two children to adulthood and now has the time to return to writing. She writes primarily contemporary erotic romances, the odd bit of erotica and an occasional paranormal piece. Most of her writing is set where she lives, in South Carolina, so expect the handsome stranger to come equipped with a slow drawl. Addicted to hazelnut creamer, baseball and cranberry glass, she likes the music of Motown and when not writing about adults behaving badly, she takes a stab at the occasional needlepoint canvas.
Find her on:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Old Habits Die Hard

I’ve been pondering some (bad) old habits lately.  Not because of any resolutions I made for the new year, because I quit making resolutions I wasn’t going to keep ages ago.  Just pondering in general.  And not just habits, but maybe things I’ve believed about myself for such a long time that they’ve become habits.  Those kinds of things don’t have to stay habits, if one really wants to change, but once a person has settled into that rut, it’s hard to get out of it. 

Like meeting new people.  Social situations where I don’t know many people make me uncomfortable to the point where I tend to stay to myself and the few people there I do know, whether it’s offline in my ‘real life’ or online in groups I’ve joined specifically to meet new people.  Silly, right?  To meet new people, you have to risk rejection, and it’s much more pleasant to avoid that altogether and just stick with people you know will treat you well, who already like you.  But how many other people are missing out on making new friends because of that same ‘habit’?  I’m fairly certain I’m not alone there.  That is one habit I’ve determined I’m going to change, difficult as it is. 

Or telling myself I’m good at last-minute desperation moments, like at work last week when we found out an unexpected delivery was coming the next day and had nowhere in the stock room to put it.  By the time my shift was over, we had plenty of room for it.  But I was beat, bruised and sore.  And I really am too old for that crap.  But other last-minute situations arise, like something for one of the kids at school, or for myself.  I have to admit, however, that some of those don’t necessarily need to be last-minute situations.  That one is a long-seated ‘habit’, too, since I used to wait till the night before a paper was due at school to write it, or the night before a test to start studying.  Then, there are so many other, more pleasant things to do, so that icky stuff like homework, well, that’ll just wait, right?  But as adults, we’re expected to make better decisions than teenagers.  I wonder if it’s possible to kick habits like that?  Maybe not for a teenager, but as an adult?  I think it can be overcome.  Eventually. 

My messy work area here in the office is another bad habit I should really kick.  I have a towering stack of books on one corner, and paper piles in several other places.  Periodically, I do clear my space, but it never lasts.  I always think I’m going to need this email, or get right back to that list, and somehow, it’s six months later and I can barely see my monitor over the mess.  Too many stories waiting to be told to bother with cleaning.  Too many family things to do to obsess over every speck of dust on my desk.  Wherever the desk is under there.  Maybe.  That habit is actually on my list for this year, as in, regularly clear off the work space.  It’s a really good thing there are eleven more months in the year, because I haven’t made much progress on this yet. 

How many other bad habits like that are there?  Probably more than I can count.  How many of them am I guilty of?  Probably far more than I want to admit to in a public venue. 

I have a heroine in a manuscript I’m working on who is having to change her mindset about some ‘habits’ of her own, which is, I suppose, why I’ve been thinking about my own bad habits.  She has gotten into a situation she never dreamed she’d be in, and her old habits are going to hold her back from getting the one thing she most wants in the world.  Unless she can change her mindset. 

So while I’m helping her change her mindset, I’ve got more work to do on my own.  How about you?  Any old habits you’re trying to break this year?  Or at least modify?  Maybe we can work on them together. 

Elizabeth Andrews

https://elizabethandrewswrites.wordpress.com
Twitter: @elizwrite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElizabethAndrewsAuthor

Hunting Medusa, 1/28/14
Samhain Publishing

A Valentine Romance — Redneck Romeo: Red Hot Valentine

Thanks for letting me take over your blog today, Delilah.

Do you love Valentine’s Day, or hate it? When ten other authors and I decided to combine our Valentine’s short stories into a collection of books, I was surprised by how many authors chose to write characters that disliked the holiday.

I’ve always loved the day, and hubby and I still try to get a little time alone to celebrate it. But so many people don’t enjoy it, or call it crass commercialization at its finest. True, restaurants are overbooked and packed tight on the big day. And card stores and candy shops post giant reminder signs to lure in customers who do not want to forget their loved one on that day.

When my hubby, Kick, and I were newly married and on a tight budget, our evening out on Valentine’s Day consisted of heading to a card shop, picking out cards for each other, and exchanging them – unpurchased – in the store, then placing them back in the rack. I smile now because we must have looked like the nuttiest couple on Earth.

Then we went to a takeout restaurant and grabbed one meal to share, took it home, and stretched it into a multi-course dinner with an appetizer, salad, and dessert. While the supper with candles and cloth napkins was lovely, the time we spent together planning and shopping and cooking became the best part of the day.

How about you? What’s your favorite Valentine’s memory? Or are you a non-Valentines person? Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of another of my books, Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine’s Day.

When Genevieve Riley sneaks onto the O’Bannon Ranch to return a stolen heirloom, the boy she’d fallen in love with as a teenager, Nick O’Bannon, catches her before she can slip away. The problem is, he’s now a big, rugged cowboy, and those feelings from a decade ago resurface. She can’t concentrate on anything but picking up where they left off.

Nick can’t believe what his dogs cornered. Beautiful ‘Jellybean’ Riley, all grown up and sexier than sin. He never knew what tore her from his life when they were teens, just as their relationship was starting. With the heat radiating between them, he knows he can seduce her, but can he make her stay this time?

Here’s a sexy scene to tempt you:

“You’re not a very patient man, are you.” Genny’s hands rested on his thighs as she looked up at Nick.

“Eleven years is a goddamn long time to wait.”

She laughed, then took pity on him and sucked his head into her hot mouth.

As electric shocks skittered from his cock to his balls and along his backbone, he threaded his fingers in her hair. “Feels good. Don’t stop yet.”

She backed away and let his cock drop from her lips. “Yet?” Thankfully, she came forward again and drew him into her mouth. Her tongue licked a circle around his head, teasing and pushing him closer to climax.

“I don’t want to come yet. I want to make love to you.”

With a sexy hum, she sent vibrations through his cock.

Nick’s brain clicked off and his head dropped forward. “No.” He had to be inside her sweet pussy. Using every last functioning brain cell, he eased his cock out of her mouth and knelt in front of her. “Let me love you, Genevieve.”

The soft smile that curved her lips and the mellow expression in her eyes told him he’d said the right thing.

Wrapping his arms around her, he slid a hand down to the curve of her ass, then lower, cupping the firm globe.

She surprised him by doing the same to him. “Your ass is the sexiest cowboy butt I’ve ever seen.”

He resisted the jealous urge to ask her how many cowboy asses she’d seen. “You’ve got the sweetest tush in Texas.”

Her head dropped back with her laughter. “And knowing Texas the way I do, there’s probably a contest for that, too. Miss Sweet Tush.”

Nick’s heart thudded at her laughter. He hadn’t heard it in so damn long, and now he had her here in his home. “Ain’t no one going to be judging this beauty, but me.” He squeezed both her ass cheeks in his hands, pulling her bare mound onto his turgid cock.

“No.” Her smile left her face. “There’s no one else.”

Her words shot through him like a stray bullet. No one else. He’d like to keep it that way, even if he had to beg.

In one swift movement, he stood, picked her up, and laid her on the bed. “You’re beautiful.” He grabbed a condom packet from the nightstand drawer then lay next to her, caressing her thigh, feeling goosebumps pebble on her skin.

She cupped his cheek. “You’re beautiful.” Her brows drew together as she looked into his eyes. “You’ve become a kind, honest, thoughtful man.” She drew in a shaky breath. “The way you handled the home intrusion earlier, like a gentleman.” She grinned. “You didn’t sic the dogs on me.”

He would have handled it a hell of a lot differently if it had been a man in his house, instead of a gorgeous blonde. “You could’ve just shipped it here. The gun.” Yet, she’d shown up here on Valentine’s Day. “Sent it by courier, or something.” He pushed a lock of her hair from her cheek. “Why did you bring it yourself?”

Glancing away, she shrugged one shoulder. “I think I hoped to run into you.” Her gaze met his. “Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wanted to see you again.” A tiny wrinkle formed between her brows. “Even if it meant you’d see exactly how unscrupulous my father was.”

That was a lot of deep psychology for two naked people to be diving into. “I’m just glad you’re here.” He rolled her onto her side so her breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples poking sensually into his skin. “Let’s save the talking part for later.”

Her hand skimmed along his side to rest on his hip. “Best idea I’ve ever heard.”

Nick’s cock filled with blood, flying full mast again. Leaning forward, he touched his lips to hers. “I have to feel you under me, to hold you here.”

With a soft moan, she returned the kiss, her tongue tracing the curve of his upper lip. “I want that. Want you to make me yours.”

*~*~*~*~*

Redneck Romeo: Red Hot Valentine, is only $.99 and available now! Read the first chapter on my website or pick up your copy at any of these places:

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU
BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO | ARe | SMASHWORDS

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance at an e-copy of Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine’s Day.

Thanks!

Randi
“Rode Hard and Put Up Satisfied”
RandiAlexander.com
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My Books – read the first chapters and find buy links:
–A Naughty Little Christmas available for a limited time
–Chase and Seduction
–Double Her Fantasy
–Double Her Pleasure
–Cowboy 6 Pack only $.99
–Cowboy Jackpot: Christmas
–Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine’s Day
–Cowboy Jackpot: St. Patrick’s Day
–Her Cowboy Stud
–Turn Up the Heat
–Cowboy Bad Boys
–Cowboy Lust

–Free Read! A Gentleman and a Cowboy is available at Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Diesel Ebook Store, Barnes and Noble

The Sexy Ghost

Happy Medium, the third book in my Ramos Family trilogy, was released by Berkley Intermix on January 21. All three books are ghost stories, and they feature a family of reluctant mediums who only discover their powers when they’re confronted by some nasty ghosts who need to be eliminated.

When I started working on Happy Medium, I’d already used ghosts who wanted someone to avenge their deaths (the traditional ghostly function) in Medium Well and with ghosts who wanted to increase their power by sucking vitality from humans (a slightly less traditional ghostly function) in Medium Rare. So I’d dealt with ghosts seeking justice and seeking power—what else could they be looking for? Sex, maybe?

Succubi (and incubi, the male version), are spirits who get off on sex with humans. This idea has been around for a long, long time—Lilith, Adam’s first wife, is supposed to be a succubus in Jewish mythology, and succubi show up in folklore in a variety of cultures. Succubi are seductresses, who prey on unsuspecting men with their sexual skills. And they’re also shape-shifters, which allows them to assume the form of loved ones, or someone you truly covet.

My hero, Ray Ramos, has to contend with this seductive ghost, but he’s more repulsed than attracted. This particular succubus haunts the house he’s trying to renovate, and she’s set free when he takes part in a séance that was supposed to be fake. Unfortunately, when Ray, a hereditary medium, takes part in the séance, it becomes the real thing. Leaving Ray with a sexy ghost who has definite boundary problems.

But I along with Ray’s difficulties, I wanted to do something slightly different with my particular succubus. She also haunts my heroine, Emma Shea, who has a few self esteem problems. As it turns out, my sexy ghost finds female victims by convincing them her skills can bring them the man of their dreams. It’s a very seductive promise—let me use your body, and he’ll never leave you. My heroine knows better than most that that promise is fatal, but even she finds herself tempted.

In the end, Ray and Emma have to find a way to destroy the succubus without being destroyed themselves, all the while working around Emma’s employer, a phony television medium who has no idea what she’s up against—or even that she’s up against anything at all.

Here’s a little taste of what Emma’s up against:

She closed her eyes. If this room wasn’t safe, what room was?

You’re nothing. You’re less than nothing, the voice whispered. He’ll leave you soon.

Emma stiffened. “I know it’s you,” she muttered. “This won’t work.”

He’ll leave you because you’re nothing, the voice hissed viciously. You’re pitiful. Look at yourself. A fat frump. He doesn’t want you.

Emma’s shoulders tightened. She shook her head.

He’ll leave you. Why would he stay? What could possibly make him want you?

Her breath rattled in her throat, her hands fisting at her  sides.

I could help you. I could make him want you. The voice was smoother now. Almost seductive. Once he’d experienced what I can do, he’d never leave.

Emma shook her head, her heart hammering almost painfully. “Like you helped Amina? No thanks.”

An image flashed through her mind—Ray naked beneath her, staring up with glazed, adoring eyes. He’d never leave. She’d never have to worry. She’d have him always, all hers. No matter how fat she was. No matter how ugly.

All hers. Until the succubus consumed them both.

Emma closed her eyes. “No. I won’t. No.”

You’re nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

She turned toward the door, running, half-blind with tears.

The blurb for Happy Medium:

 

Love is good for the soul… unless it’s one that you’re trying to exorcise.

Ray Ramos has a problem–the King William District mansion he and his business partner purchased for a fast renovation needs more work than expected. Ray could use a quick infusion of cash. Enter Emma Shea, assistant to Gabrielle DeVere, the star of American Medium. Gabrielle is looking for San Antonio houses to use for her televised séances, and Ray’s fixer upper seems to fit.

When Gabrielle does a sample séance, Ray and Emma become the target of a touchy ghost with no respect for boundaries. After Ray learns his family has a special affinity for ghosts, the two decide to investigate the haunted house. It doesn’t hurt that Emma is immediately attracted to the laconic Ray or that Ray is intrigued by the buttoned-down beauty who seems determined to hide her considerable assets behind sober business suits. But can the two of them fight off a vengeful succubus bound to the house while getting a lot closer than either of them planned?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

A Sexy Soldier

Is there anything better? What about two? That’s better right?

A couple of months ago I was talking to my critique partner over coffee about the next story I was going to write for the Universal Defiance series. I wanted to write something that was darker and scarier than anything I’d ever written before. And I wanted to write more about the genetically enhanced soldiers I’d introduced in Shared Objectives. Only, this time, I wanted to focus on the soldiers still serving the government.

She listened to me as I gave a rough sketch of what I envisioned the story to become. I’m a pantser, so that’s pretty much all I ever have when I start a story. And then she said the words that would change the course of the story forever. “So, you’re going to write an m/m (male/male) story? I mean—they’re a group of enhanced soldiers on a mission, right? There aren’t any women.”

Oh. I hadn’t thought about that. I’d actually never thought about writing m/m. Sure, I’d read and loved it. But I’d just never seen myself as an m/m author. But she was right. There was no reason for a woman to be on this mission. And if I put one there just to make the story m/f (male/female), her character would feel contrived. There’s nothing worse than a contrived character.

So Julian and Gates were born, in my head at least. And the more I wrote them, the more I loved them. Julian with his domineering and controlling father and Gates with his drive to overcome all the obstacles of his disadvantaged childhood—they came to life with each word and each action of the story. They became my two super sexy soldiers.

Want to know more about them? Here’s the blurb for their story, Extreme Circumstances:

Universal Defiance, Book Three

Julian hadn’t wanted to become a genetically enhanced soldier. His father, the colonel, expected it. But when he sees his commanding officer for his first mission, he admits there might be some perks. Commander Gates is a wet dream wrapped up in a standard-issue military uniform.

He knows better than to screw around with an officer though. The last thing he wants is the complication of a relationship. But when the mission goes sideways and soldiers start dying, he realizes sex might be the best way to simplify things, especially given the scorching encounters Gates provides. A relationship though? They’ll have to survive the mission before they can worry about that.

Inside Scoop: Gates and Julian share some super-hot male/male action on a planet where gruesome monsters deal out grisly death.

A Romantica® sci-fi erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

And you can find an excerpt for Extreme Circumstances on the Ellora’s Cave website:
https://www.ellorascave.com/extreme-circumstances.html

Author links:
Website: www.ChandraRyan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan
Twitter: @ChandraRyan

I’m back from my trip to the DC area. I stayed in a lovely, bucolic area just outside DC in Virginia with my ex and his girlfriend. I know that sounds really odd, but it works for us! I accompanied my dd and the three little ones, and of course, we shopped all along the way back—an outlet mall, two flea markets… Yes, bargain-hunting equals bliss for us.

Now, I have a Mount Everest-sized pile of work to catch up on. You won’t see me much for the next couple of weeks, and if you do, spank me, because I don’t have time to chat!

I say that and tonight is the After Midnight Fantasies authors’ quarterly chat at Writerspace. Come join the fun at 8 PM CST/9 PM ET. There are always prizes, and you can ask us anything your heart desires. I don’t know for sure who plans to be there, but you’re sure to have a good time! Anyone here plan to attend?

One more announcement before I dodge out of here and straight to work—if you are one of those folks who prefers to listen to their stories rather than read them, Crescent Moon releases in audio format today!