I flat-out love men, they are such exciting creatures. They are simply fun to observe and appreciate even if it’s from afar. I enjoy men more close up, of course, and if they’re good-looking, so much the better. Rather than whistle the way construction workers do, I’m discreet and barely lift a brow. A writer of romance novels has to be an expert in her subject, right?

When creating a hero, examples are good to have, whether they’re photos of models or the workingmen on the UPS Calendar. The man has to be appropriate for the book. A dark mysterious vampire hero won’t resemble a rugged cowboy. I’m particularly fond of cowboy images. The men are usually fair-haired and lanky, and who doesn’t love a man in worn Levis, gloves and scuffed boots?

Perhaps you’ve noticed that romance heroes are usually tall. Do you remember Evan Lysacek, the Gold Medalist in men’s figure skating in the 2010 Winter Olympics? You’ll find him on You Tube. He’s 6’2” and his skates add another couple of inches. When he glides onto the ice, he already looks like the winner. He’s handsome, lean and perfect hero material. He seems like a nice guy in interviews, but using him for a physical prototype, I don’t expect to ever meet or know him.

I’ve created many heroes with fair hair and blue eyes, doubles for Brad Pitt. They fit in a Viking tale. They’d have built muscles swinging a broadsword and rowing a sleek ship through the North Sea. I’ve been to Scandinavia, and the men there are some of the best looking in the world. They’re also impressively tall.  

People often say someone isn’t their type. I’ve never read any explanation of why both men and women tend to prefer one physical type over another. Tall, lanky blue-eyed blonde men appeal to me, but I’ve no idea why. I’m sure there are scores of dark-haired short men who are wonderful fun. We’ll never find each other. Do you have a type that appeals to you? More dark sexy men are on romance covers than fair-haired men. Perhaps they appear more intriguing, more romantic, and more dangerous.

 My February 26, release, FIERCE PRIDE, has a hero who is built like Evan Lysacek. He’s handsome, tall, lean, black hair, brown eyes and a popular matador. He has a matador’s remarkable grace. Many romance heroes are described as moving like panthers, but panthers have a low prowl and then spring for their prey. No heroine wants to a hero who leaps at her. At least, none of my heroines do. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

 I hope you’re spending Valentine’s Day with someone you love, or reading a great romance novel that will warm you to the tips of your toes.

Charlene entered Delilah’s Blog and tugged on Kami’s red-gloved hand to coax her along. 

“Relax, Kami. These people don’t bite, you know. They’re excited to meet the star of One for Kami. They’ll love you.”

Kami’s shoulders arched and she shook her arms, ending with a murmur. “Oh, it’s not coming to Delilah’s that has me on edge. It’s that cursed Ober.”

“Ober? The inter-dimensional transport…thing?”

“Yes.” She ran her hands down her hips and cringed as she curled into a slight bow. “All the training in the world couldn’t prepare me for what that thing does.”

Charlene quirked her brow and eyed her heroine. She definitely looked frazzled, her lush red hair frizzed to create a fluffy poof around her face and down her back. Instead of brilliant blue eyes, they look glazed, lids puffy. Certainly not the prim Villa she usually portrayed. Even in the grubbies she wore during hikes and romping with the dogs, Kami managed to look dignified.

“Ober did that to you?”

Kami huffed, irritation vivid. “Pressure, they said. It almost crushes me to death! Light headed they said. More like light everything! It turned my entire body to jelly. Have you ever tried to steady your balance with an arm that warped into goo before your eyes?”

“Um… Well, no, I…”

“And when you finally get through it all, every move you make is like an involuntary turn on.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s like a pending orgasm when a man simply touches your hand. Condrad, one of my guides, pulled that one on me and laughed when I, um…” A scowl finished her statement.

“Ah. Sorry, Kami. You must have gotten a little worked up with panic for it to make you so sensitive in that way.”

Kami heaved a sigh and folded her arms. “Well, I’ll try to be congenial while we’re here. But this really isn’t the best time to hold a blog post appearance. I thought the Ober transport would be better the second time, but apparently not.”

“Well, let’s just introduce One for Kami and invite everyone to join in the tour wide giveaway. We have some great prizes to give away and they can get all the details at Charlene Blogs.”

A spark lit in Kami’s dull eyes and a genuine smile touched her lips. “Yes, we do! A One for Kami SWAG package, Juicy Fruit prize package—There’s got to be a way for me to nab that one—, a $10 Amazon gift card…”

“And your red gloves! We can’t forget the best part. KnitWit’s Knits & Crochet is making a special pair for this tour and offering One for Kami fans a 20% discount if they order something from their Etsy Shop by using the coupon code One4Kami! So cool!”

“I can’t wait to see my gloves with the Hearts on Her Sleeve pattern on them.”

“I ordered a pair for myself. That prize alone is a $20 value!”

Sighing, Kami’s posture relaxed to match the new glow in her countenance. “I love my story.”

Charlene leaned her head, pride seeping through her chest. “And so will everybody else, sweetie.”  She takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. “I know they will.”

Thank you for having us here today, Delilah. It’s a real treat! Have your readers get those Kindles ready, because One for Kami will be FREE to download at Amazon tomorrow (Feb 14^th)! It’s a Sweet Sci-Fi Romance, the perfect “lunch-time” read. There’s also a Rafflecopter contest going on. Just follow this link for the list of prizes and for your chance to enter! And if you follow Charlene’s blog, you can earn more chances to win!

Can love be true if shared with more than one?  Kami doesn’t think so when she finds Ian is an elite and required to take three wives to eliminate the poverty-stricken population.  Why can’t he be poor the way she thought he was when she fell in love with him?

Determined to find a realm that doesn’t have such dictates, she travels to dimension Three-Two-Three to begin her search.  But is love truer in a place that only allows one spouse than it is in Ian’s heart?

What they’re saying

“Sweet, romantic, and heartfelt.  A great introduction to the author’s world.”—J.D. Brown Book Club

“One for Kami is a story that will have you willing to give up everything for your one true love.”—Annette, Gothic Mom’s Book Reviews

“[Wilson] spins a tale of true love spanning time and dimensions that will inspire the reader to sacrifice everything to find their soul mate.”—Debbie, Read2Review

Voices surged and Kami clung to the illegible sounds.  A low groan rode alongside them.  The vocals ebbed from her mind.  Mute gray light drifted before her eyes, a flash of white, and then a haze.  Darkness covered her vision.  A sour pang caused her to lurch and she heaved, the voices clambering from a distance.  The back of her skull thudded against a hard surface.  Words broke between melodic and static riffs. 

“Kami, breathe.” Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday’s winner is Toni Whitmire! Toni, congrats!
Email me to arrange delivery of your prize! ~DD

* * * * *

If I should die… The truth about research

If I should die before I wake, I pray hide my laptop before the FBI can take…

Ask any author and she’ll agree, there are some interesting, and often frightening items in our search histories. Things that probably wouldn’t look so good to an outside observer who doesn’t realize we’re really only researching a book. Mostly, anyway. LOL

What do authors go through when researching a book? Personally, I do anything and everything I can to get what I need. At times, I basically turn into an internet stalker.

For instance, right now I’m writing Three Weeks with a Bull Rider (Oklahoma Nights, Book 3). It’s a contemporary western romance and the hero is, you guessed it, a bull rider, and the heroine is studying to work in sports medicine.

I’ll admit I do have some interesting search histories thanks to this book, but that is par for the course when writing. In just the past week, I’ve searched the following things online…and yes, for dramatic effect I’m drawing a comparison between points one and two in the book.

Size and dimensions of an average grave

• Dimensions of a bucking chute
• Degrees in Sports Medicine
• Map of Oklahoma
• SEBRA (Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association)

Probably nothing there that could get me in trouble with the FBI, unlike in the past. If my online searches while writing my military scenes for A Prince Among Men (Red, Hot & Blue series) that encompassed 1980s Soviet weapons available to insurgents in Afghanistan today didn’t land me on the Homeland Security watch list, nothing will. The clit piercing research I did for Flanked (Studs in Spurs series) was also pretty eyebrow-raising.

But Google can only get a girl so far, and that’s when the stalking begins. Do you know that the Canadian Pro Rodeo Sports Medicine Team has a Twitter account? Guess who I’m following now? I also recently added a bunch more bull riders and bull fighters to my Twitter list.

My keeper shelf has morphed since I became a full-time writer. Now, amid those classic romances I can’t part with are little non-fiction gems such as War by Sebastian Junger. Also a memoir about a woman who spent time in a real life modern-day harem, a book that follows the lives of pro bull riders, and one written by a homicide reporter about the rash of murders of Army wives in Fayetteville, NC in the early 2000s. Right now, I have a browser open to the Journal of Neurosurgery page for a study on concussion rates in sports. Tantalizing stuff, huh? But necessary to add those layers to a story that make my fiction, resonate as real with readers.

I’ve found research helps me in the creative process as well. Sometimes searches will lead to plot ideas, or fun scenes—such as the fried bologna sandwich on the menu at Joseph’s Fine Foods in Drumright, OK that inspired a sexy scene in One Night with a Cowboy (Oklahoma Nights, Book 1) and has led to a great friendship with the restaurant’s owners. You can read all about that strange collaboration on my blog at http://catjohnson.net/2012/10/17/the-infamous-fried-bologna-scene/ .

Nope, you never know where our internet travels might lead. I guess you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride!

Cat Johnson
www.catjohnson.net

Look for ONE NIGHT WITH A COWBOY from Kensington Brava on preorder now for a February 26 release in both paperback and eBook!

ONE NIGHT WITH A COWBOY

An Oklahoma Nights Romance, Book 1

One Sweet Ride…

Oh yeah. A single look at the leggy blonde in the stands and Tucker Jenkins is
ready to buck all night long. It’s time to forget all about his cheating ex and his usual hands off policy.

One Hot Night…

Becca Hart is an East Coast professor. Not a buckle bunny.  But no degree can prepare her for the moves of the sexy bull rider she hooks up with at her first rodeo … Or the shock of finding him at her first Oklahoma State University staff meeting.

One Happy Ending…

Tuck knows it’s all about holding on, no matter how wild the ride. Now he just has to convince Becca that a rough start out of the chute doesn’t mean they aren’t a smokin’ combination …

“…a sweet and hot hero you’ll want to keep around for longer than one night! Cat Johnson knows cowboys and the Oklahoma Nights series is a must read for fans of western romance.” ~ Lorelei James, NY Times Best Selling author

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

And many more places!

I have to start this by saying I’m a “wierd” magnet—one of those people that Ripley’s could include in their Believe It Or Not fact books for the sheer number of wierd happenings that occur around them.

Let me tell you about the wierd thing that happened today.

My office is maybe 12’x12′ and cram-jam-packed with a corner desk, three bookcases and a tall file cabinet which sits to the right of my big desk. Atop the file cabinet is my 18″-tall James Brown doll that sings “I Feel Good,” a Russian pencil holder with some of my stranger, collectible pens, a clay figurine of a shark with a man’s hand reaching out from inside its belly, and my little betta fish Titan’s bowl.

Today, I left to run errands in town while the lady who helps me by cleaning and organizing my “stuff” worked. When I returned, she was already gone, so I went to make a cup of hot chocolate before beginning my day’s work. I reach for the fish food to feed little Titan and I don’t see him in the bowl.

WTF? 😯

So, I got to thinking. My little fish took a turn for the worse about ten days ago, and I Facebooked the fact he looked like his health was heading south. But in recent days, he’s been looking more active, more like his spunky self. I thought maybe I’d been fooling myself that he was doing better and someone in the family found him floating while I was gone. Maybe they took care of his remains, knowing how upset I’d be if I’d been the one to find him. I canvassed everyone. No one was in my room today. Except my friend, the organizer whiz.

I called her, and she told me that when she cleaned the top of the file cabinet she noted that Titan was missing and assumed he’d died since the last time she’d been here. So no one who had access to my room knows anything about his disappearance.

I began to worry that he channeled his inner dolphin and leapt out of his bowl. I inched close to the wall behind the cabinet to search for his little body, searching the coffee cups on the table beside the cabinet in case he’d flopped there, and then looked everywhere else I could think that he might have wound up.

No Titan. I’m flummoxed. But now, I’m so intrigued I’m not grieving much for my little companion.

Fireworks…in the Bedroom?

I have a confession to make—I have a thing about fireworks. Okay, so that might seem obvious considering I write erotic romance! But I don’t just mean of the bedroom kind—I also love professional pyrotechnical displays, so much so that I made the hero of my latest friends-to-lovers romance, Mr. Insatiable, a pyrotechnician.

Did you know that the Chinese invented fireworks back in the 7th century? Fireworks continue to play an important part in Chinese culture, which also features in the book as some of is it set in the magical city of Beijing. Do you know your Chinese zodiac sign? Click here if you don’t: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

If you’re having a baby this year, the Chinese New Year beginning 23-24 February 2013 is the Year of the Snake and people born under this sign tend to be attractive, graceful, private and sometimes unemotional, exciting and dark at the same time.

In England, fireworks are mostly used on Guy Fawkes Night, which is a celebration of the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot—the attempt to kill King James Ion November 5, 1605, and here in New Zealand we tend to use them mainly on November 5 too. Currently, the largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America is Thunder Over Louisville which kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival.

I love the names of fireworks—many are named after flowers or plants, such as peony, chrysanthemum, dahlia and willow. Others have equally evocative names such as spider, hearts, diadem, horsetail and time rains. I adore these names and so does Kit, my hero—so much so that he writes a poem for a best friend who’s getting married. This is one of the verses from it:

The diadem of stars frames her pale face
The spider spins fragile gold like lace
Time rains silver, dazzling their embrace.

Yeah, it’s a bit soppy, but then Kit’s a romantic soul. He’s also sex on legs, and here’s another snippet that’s a bit racier…

She rested her palms on his chest, surprised at the firmness of his muscles beneath her fingers. She’d seen him shirtless in the summer, hugged him and given him teasing pushes a gazillion times, but she’d never touched him. With his lips still slowly brushing hers, and her heart thudding, she moved her hands up and traced his collarbone beneath the white shirt, and then lifted her hands up over his shoulders and around his neck, expecting him to draw back, laughing.

Instead of pulling away, Kit’s arms came around her, strong and tight, his hands sliding down her back to her hips. He pulled her against him, and to her complete and utter shock, pressed the hard length of his erection against her, obvious proof he didn’t feel as if he were kissing a sibling either.

Enya’s mouth opened and she gasped, inhaling sharply when his warm tongue brushed hers. For a second she froze, completely taken aback by his reaction, as confused as she had been in her dream by what he was doing and her reaction to him. He stilled, but before he pulled away, desire shot through her, and her instincts took over. Plunging her tongue into his mouth, she threaded her hands through his hair, pressing herself against him, molding her body to his.

Kit groaned, his hands tight on her butt. Unfamiliar yearning swept through her, and she tightened her hands in his hair, grazing her teeth against his bottom lip, pleasure mounting as he deepened the kiss.

She’d forgotten about the heels. She didn’t wear them very often, and when she lifted herself on tiptoe to press her breasts against his chest, she lost her balance. His weight pushed her back the six inches to the wall behind her, and she hit it with a jolt hard enough to make her gasp and break the kiss.

Kit stepped back. “Shit.” He ran both hands through his hair and then surveyed her, hands on hips, apparently lost for words.

Enya pressed shaking fingers to her lips, her head spinning.

I kissed Kit Fawkes!

Buy now from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

 Click here to read more about me or my books: http://www.serenitywoodsromance.com

 If you like fireworks, have a weakness for friends-to-lovers stories, and/or adore sexy love scenes, then maybe Mr. Insatiable is your kind of book! For a chance to win a copy, leave a comment below and tell me about fireworks where you live – do you have fireworks at home, or do you attend professional displays? What time of year do you celebrate with them?

Serenity x

My Name is Sharon and I’m Addicted to SEALs

I admit it. I am addicted to the US Navy’s finest, the SEALs. Ever since I began writing these luscious characters, after a steady diet of dark angels, angels or golden and dark vamps, I knew I had found my groove. I knew I could spend the rest of my writing career telling their stories without running dry.

I find it easier to get into the “zone” when I write about them. The pages fly by, the stories bloom and intensify. Their love life is hotter than hot and their character only questioned by those who don’t know them. Just something about a man with bulging arms covered in tats, who wears Superman or Batman underwear, and who can roll around on the ground with his dog, or one of his kids. And he likes to sleep commando-style. He is the perfect hero, a soft-spoken guy who doesn’t much like getting public attention, but is confident and knows that he will do what others won’t or can’t. And he loves his fellow warriors as true brothers in a bond that is perhaps stronger than kin.

Book 2 of my SEAL Brotherhood series, Fallen SEAL Legacy, was released in December. It tells the story of Calvin Cooper, the “gadget guy” on SEAL Team 3 who “knows where to put the oil and where things need greasing.” He’s spent his early life under pickups and tractors on his daddy’s farm in Nebraska. Falling hard for the daughter of a prominent San Diego psychiatrist, he finds in Libby that missing piece, especially after the tragic death of his own family back home on the farm.

Upon graduation, every SEAL is given a KA-BAR knife inscribed with the name of a fallen SEAL who came before, usually in their chosen field. It is a solemn ceremony not attended by family or friends, as it demonstrates the path laid down by others who have made the ultimate sacrifice, in an unbroken chain from fallen to the living. No SEAL will ever forget whose name he is entrusted to stand remembrance for. In my story, Coop will fall in love with the niece of the man whose name he carries.

I am working on Book 3 now, Armando’s story, which should be out before the summer. Book 1, Accidental SEAL, came out last June.

I find inspiration in several musical artists when I write SEAL romance. Two Steps from Hell is a group I love listening to when I write. Here is a YouTube of one of the pieces I listened to almost one entire day while I was writing. With song titles like “Invincible” and “Protectors of the Earth” this music is perfect background for my characters, who workout to this music.

http://youtu.be/GLqiQWAXQh8

What about you? What do you love about the military hero, especially the SEALs?

 Excerpt, Fallen SEAL Legacy:

Libby turned to go and Coop grabbed her arm. “Sorry.” He dropped his grip. “Stay for a bit. Then you can go.”

The two stood close enough that he could feel the heat from her body. She was a lethal, complicated, combination of spirit and emotion. Cooper liked girls who were easier to figure out. Though it wasn’t wise, he found himself making nice.

“I’d invite you in, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Besides, the housekeeper has the day off. And Bay has had his way with the decorating and all.” His little smile was returned. Her eyes softened. Even in the dim light he could see her full lips, painted a deep pink, pucker as she formed her careful words.

“No problem.” She searched his face. He wanted to step to her, see if she would shrink if he slipped his hand up under her cotton top. But he held firm.

“You cold?” he asked.  Read the rest of this entry »

Programmed For Pleasure

Authors (both traditionally published, and new Indie or self-published authors) know that the cover of your book is one of your biggest marketing tools. It’s your calling card, your chance to catch the attention of a potential reader and entice them to take a moment read the story blurb and then hopefully to buy your book. So I worked very hard on the cover of Programmed For Pleasure. It’s my third title, but my first full-length book. Programmed For Pleasure is a slightly futuristic erotic romance. Does my cover convey that other-worldly feeling as well as the sexual element? 

The title of any book is also important. A reader should be able to tell just from the title what the book will be about. My title may convey erotica, but it’s actually an erotic romance. And the story, pardon the pun, is more than skin deep…

Here’s the premise:

Tau Cetus police agent Jai Turner is being sent undercover as a Beautiful Dolls sex robot in order to bring down the planet’s most notorious arms dealer, Marque Callex. The police have never been able to get close to Callex, and Jai’s assignment is to use her sexual skills to satisfy Marque, and to coax information out of him on his illicit weapons dealings—information that will lead to his conviction.

Notoriously reclusive arms dealer Marque Callex only accepted an invitation from Beautiful Dolls because he needs a little stress relief. With his deadly line of work—and the dangerous secrets he’s keeping—he rarely lets anyone into his life. That’s why a week of free, no-commitment, no-holds-barred sex—in return for giving Beautiful Dolls owner Anson Carron feedback on how his newest model of sexbot performs—is perfect for him.

But neither Jai nor Marque are what they seem, and their week together has consequences neither expect.

What do you think? Have I created an attention-grabbing cover with my heroine’s starburst blue eyes and too-perfect robotic face? Does the title convey what the book is about? Is my premise interesting enough to entice a reader to want to buy the story? And do you agree that these elements are important in marketing a book?

Let me know what you think! I’ll be giving away a free copy of Programmed For Pleasure to one commenter chosen at random. 🙂

Jenna
www.jennaives.com