Hey there! I’ll be in Little Rock today to attend my monthly RWA chapter’s meeting. So, no writing—no hanging out online. While I’m away, I have a question for you to ponder…

If all drinking fountains could dispense another liquid in addition to water, what would you want it to be?

Personally, I’d want it to dispense Bellinis. Prosecco, peaches, organge peel… Mmmm…

If you’re checking for the winner of the countdown contest, scroll to the end! ~DD

Whew! So the book’s finally out. And several of you already wrote or posted a comment on my blog to let me know you loved it. Thanks so much! I always bite my nails until I hear back.

While I was being a promo whore trying to get the word out about the book, I was also busy writing. I’m making great progress on the big book, although past chapter eight it’s very, very messy. I also realized last night while I was watching NCIS (watching TV gives my subconscious time to mull over my stories) that I don’t have any reason for the brothel scene on the outcast’s planet, so I have to go back and layer in some plot. I had way too much fun with the sex, which meant I lost sight of what the hero and heroine needed to learn while they were gettin’ busy.

I have started a new quickie-length cowboy story for Samhain, but I want to start something for Ellora’s Cave too. I just need the right idea. Something sexy and fun to follow Dick and Jayne and Bad, Bad Girlfriend. Writing funny is a lot less stressful than writing the darker stuff! Will have to think harder and quickly because I don’t want large gaps between releases.

Here’s a list of what’s coming for the rest of the year. It may change as I finish up novellas for ebook release. You can always check for changes on my Coming Soon page.

03/24/10 – BAD, BAD GIRLFRIEND (Ellora’s Cave)
April-May/10 – MISS ADDIE’S GARDEN, New Love Stories Magazine
Summer?/10 – WARLORD’S DESTINY, a re-release (Ellora’s Cave)
Summer?/10 – FIRST KNIGHT (Ellora’s Cave)
05/01/10 – STONE’S EMBRACE, Captive Souls print anthology (Samhain)
06/01/10 – THE OUT-OF-TOWNER, Girl Crush anthology (Cleis Press)
07/01/10 – THE OBEDIENT WIFE, Fairy Tale Lust anthology (Cleis Press)
08/01/10 – THE WEEKEND, Lesbian Lust anthology (Cleis Press)
10/1/10 – COWBOY FEVER print anthology (Samhain)
11/01/10 – DARKNESS CAPTURED (Avon Red)

So, back to that contest. I used my random number generator and have a name. But before I announce it, thanks again for playing and saying so many nice things. I work in a cave and don’t stir from it for long periods of time. My online friends are my lights flickering at the end of the cave. Too cheesy and purple prosey? Yeah, but it’s true.

The lucky winner of the countdown contest from among the 100+ entries is…Terry W! Terry—email me!

I’m sleepy this morning. The five-year-old came for an overnight and shared my king-sized bed. How can it be that I only had a foot width of mattress to sleep on?

All I can say is it’s a good thing I made great progress this week. Whatever I do today will be gravy. I wrote 53 pages on the big book (and passed the halfway mark!) and have sketched out ideas for three short projects. I started work yesterday on a quickie-length story. Thanks go out to the ladies who attended my Friday night chat. As always, they had ideas for what they wanted to see next, and that set the spark to my brain.

This week will be another 50 page push. I want to have the pages done by Saturday because I will be heading to Little Rock for an RWA chapter meeting.

My sister and I received word that a workshop proposal we submitted for the RWA National conference in Nashville was accepted. We will be presenting “Seriously…a series?“.

That’s all the news/progress to report. Remember that tomorrow I’ll start a short countdown to the release of Fun With Dick and Jayne. ~DD

Just a couple quick notes before the really, really important question of the day.

He didn’t know the nightly peepshow was just a naughty invitation…

Monday, I’ll start a mini-countdown contest to celebrate the release of Fun With Dick and Jayne. The book releases next week, February 17th, and you can read a short excerpt by clicking on the link. Be sure to stop by Monday and see what I’m up to. If you loved Jane’s Wild Weekend or Raw Silk, and like your heroes to come in pairs, you will love this one too!

Expect magic when one determined woman dons a legendary pair of red stilettos and bares body and heart to get her man’s attention…

I have a release date now for Bad, Bad Girlfriend—March 24th! You’re going to love the book. The hero’s a wounded, clueless (when it comes to women) cop. The heroine is sassy, larger than life and courageous. And the book has one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever written. I can’t wait for you to read it!

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So now to the question. You know I love to do these. Not only because I can’t think of anything witty to say of my own today, but because your answers reveal a little bit of yourselves to me. So have fun with this.

If you could have the original of anything in the world, what would you want it to be? (Assume that you would never be allowed to sell it for money; you must simply enjoy it for what it is.)

Quick note: Join me tonight at 9 PM ET for a live chat at Fallen Angels Reviews.

Snow began falling right around dusk last night, so I had to get my camera. Remember, I live in Central Arkansas and we don’t get this kind of weather often, so it was a treat. This first picture was taken from my front door. That’s Yoshi, my little Scion. And all those shiny spots aren’t ghost orbs or the moon and stars—they are snowflakes!

Here’s the view from my back door. The pond in the back is a view I’ve shared a few times, so I thought you might like to see it surrounded by a thin blanket of white.

And this is just to tantalize you. I’m loving this new cover!

Yeah, the Matchbox Twenty song is playing on my iPod and I couldn’t help but laugh. It’s 3:39 in the morning and I can’t sleep. So I decided to go ahead and work on today’s blog, and maybe by the time I’m through I’ll be more relaxed. I haven’t been troubled with insomnia for a while, but I never worry too much about it. It’s not like I have a regular day job where I have to keep to a schedule anyway. Just another reason I really love my job.

Work’s been going well on the big book. Or at least the page count is steadily rising. There are some rough spots I have to go back and fix, but that happens. I just have to think on how for a while. I have other works I need to begin soon, but I haven’t been able to settle on plots. Maybe you can make some suggestions…

First is a short story I want to submit for consideration for a romantica collection. If you can think of a premise for a short, romantic hot-as-hell story—fire away! I also have to settle on an idea for the next couple of cowboy novellas for Samhain. I loved writing Unbridled and Unforgiven and having them so closely interwoven. I’d like to do that again.

Oh hell. Falling in Love at a Coffeeshop is playing now.

I never knew,
just what is was
about this old coffeeshop I love so much.
All of the while I never knew,
all of the while it was you…

I really, really didn’t need that song in my head before I crawl back into bed. I’ll be dreaming about being naked in coffeeshops or about aliens cutting in line ahead of me in the line at Starbucks ordering mocha cappucinos. Oh, okay. V is for Vampire by Powerman 5000 just started. Should have more interesting dreams now.

V is for vampire
V is for blood
So give me your money
I’ll give you my love.

Later! ~DD

Yesterday’s winner is announced at the bottom of this post! ~DD

Note from Jen, half of Ashleigh Raine:

(Just a note from DD: If you’ve never been to Ashleigh’s website, there is a very cool page dedicated to half of the writing duo’s adventures as a walk-on actress in Hollywood movies and TV shows.)

Nationally bestselling author, Anya Bast, gave us a great cover quote for this book, and I can’t thank her enough for it: “Forsaken Talisman is a romantic, action-packed adventure you won’t want to miss, filled with characters the reader will care about from the first paragraph. Ashleigh Raine delivers a thrilling story that will have you turning pages well into the morning hours.”

Forsaken Talisman, book two in the Talisman Bay series, is Dusty and Skylar’s love story, but you also get to spend time with many other characters you met in book one of the series, Lover’s Talisman, as well. More mysteries are unveiled, surprise relationships are evolving. If you haven’t read the series yet and you enjoy paranormal romantic thrillers with hot sex, we hope you’ll give this series a try.

Forsaken Talisman by Ashleigh Raine

Is she a victim of a madman’s agenda, or a willing player in his demonic games?

Book two in the Talisman Bay series.

Kidnapped and mind-wiped by the Shadow Walkers’ greatest nemesis, Skylar has no memories of her own, except for her name. All she knows is what memories she does possess belong to someone else—as does her face—and that she can’t trust anyone, including herself.
Shadow Walker Dusty Clements goes against direct orders to rescue Skylar and take her into hiding. It’s the only way to get to the truth, and keep her out of the hands of an enemy who could use her to wipe out the entire organization. The last complication Dusty needs is to fall for her.

As Dusty and Skylar work to uncover the secrets of her past, they discover a mystery more than twenty years in the making, and a love they can’t deny.

The enemy has one more trick up his sleeve though—a magical kiss capable of probing the deepest secrets of the mind. All he needs to bring the Shadow Walkers down is to get his lips on Skylar one more time…

This book was previously published but has been completely revised, rewritten, re-edited, with an addition of more than 20,000 words.

Warning, this title contains the following: Sex in an interdimensional cave. Hot men ripping demons apart bare-handed. Liberal use of the f-word as verb, adjective, threat and sexual promise. Oh, and wet and soapy sex in the shower followed by warm bodies sliding between cool sheets—yes, sex in a bed. It’s almost normal!

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An excerpt from Forsaken Talisman

2009 (c) Copyright Ashleigh Raine

For the past couple hours, Dusty had made Skylar feel good with the tenderness and strength behind his words, his caring, gentle touch.
Once his lips got involved, whoa boy, “good” was no longer an accurate description. Phenomenal. Mind-blowing. Awesome. None of those quite described the sheer joy blossoming within her.

This man, this handsome, sweet, strong and sexy warrior, was kissing her. His lips, warm and soft, brushing against hers, felt like the most natural, the most innately right thing in her world. As though the integral part of who Skylar was, her being, her id, her psyche, recognized and rejoiced in the connection.

He was holding back though, keeping his mouth closed, being as careful with her as he’d been all night. Maybe he just needed to know exactly how he made her feel.
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