Not the sexy post you expected from the title, huh? (I have dibs on that title BTW!!)

And it took me two days to post the pics, so sue me! I’m entitled to be grumpy today—it’s my birthday, and don’t bother asking how many candles will be on my cake (let’s just divide a century into two parts and assume the first half has some meaning to me!!!).

On a happier note, I have pictures I took of a recent excursion on Lake Hamilton with some writer friends of mine. Here’s Captain Cyndi, who invited us to stay at her house which sits at the edge of the lake.

Can you tell if Shayla’s having fun yet? She’s as grumpy as I am about having my picture taken.

“The Shade” was dutifully taking notes as we careened around the lake.

Lake Hamilton is in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Probably the greatest concentration of wealth in our poor state lies at its edges. The houses are amazing. This is the one I want to buy when one of my books gets picked up by Playgirl and is made into a series of naughty movies, all artfully done, that cross over to mainstream DVD buyers as the “smut you must have!”

Since I was the one carrying the camera, I have the power of THE CROP! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me…

My daughter asked me yesterday what I would have been if I hadn’t chosen to be a writer. Now, keep in mind that I’ve already been an Army officer, an accountant, a project manager, a teacher…what else would I want to be?

If I were younger, I might love a chance at being a war correspondent. Put me where the action is, and while I might be scared (I was scared spitless a time or two during Desert Storm!), the adrenaline rush would keep be trucking. It’s the only thing I can imagine would give me more satisfaction than what I’m doing now.

Are there any things as a writer I still want to try? Well, of course I want to make a bestseller list, but I enjoy writing exactly what I’m writing now. But I would like to try my hand at writing a screenplay. So why not go for it? I want to take a class first to learn how to put one together (and I know me–if I shell out $ for a class, I’m damned well going to finish!). So, maybe that should be my next stretch goal–by next summer enroll in a screenwriting class and finish a screenplay! I’d also like to try my hand at travel writing, so maybe I’ll look for opportunities that aren’t terribly far afield and see what it leads to!

What about you? What secret ambitions do you have?

Here’s a poll for you. I just heard Moonlight was cancelled and I’m pissed. Paranormal shows just can’t catch a break! Vote for your favorite, and let me know if I missed one you loved.

What is your favorite cancelled paranormal show? Results
The Dresden Files– 11 votes
Blood Ties– 4 votes
Moonlight – 8 votes
Wolf Creek – 1

…with Vincent D’Onofrio.

I’ve been on a jag of late, recording old episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It’s the only cop drama I watch, and I wouldn’t watch it at all…except for Vincent. I’d loved him in Full Metal Jacket (even though war pics aren’t my thing), The Cell (ONLY because he was in it, the rest was crap), and Men in Black (remember the bug-man?), but never fully appreciated him until he became Detective Goren.

He’s not classicly handsome. He’s large, lumbering, but oddly graceful. He’s moody, dark, a little scary, very unhinged. But I love the way his character thinks, and I wonder how much of his own personality has been imprinted in the character by the writers. He seems so complex, so intelligent, so goddamn intense…I find him very sexy.

I just watched another episode, and it was so good it won’t leave me. He empathized with a killer who was patterned after Jeffrey Dahmer, no doubt. He’d drilled holes in his victim’s heads to make companions for himself. Vincent’s character understood he wasn’t really a monster when everyone around him thought the opposite. His compassion was strange, given the grisly nature of the man’s crimes, but Goren’s compassion opens another little doorway to clue us in on what makes him tick.

I don’t know if he’s won any awards for his acting, but he should (Cool! Just checked the link I posted and he’s won four Emmys). Goren’s not wrapped too tight himself, and it’s his unraveling, one episode at a time, that’s so fascinating to watch. Of course, I may just have proven I’m just as wierd as he is. 🙂

Thanks to everyone who visited me yesterday at Access Romance’s All-A-Blog! Our conversation over the day was very enjoyable, and I think we all got to know each other a little better. LOL

Icia, if you’re reading this now, I’ll be sending you a copy of Sin’s Gift when it releases as your prize!

Be sure to join me today at Access Romance’s All-A-Blog, where I talk about my summertime gripes and my new EC book, Sin’s Gift! And ya know…I do offer bribes for you to post!

And before you go, take a look at the cover for Alluring Tales: Hot Holiday Nights, coming in November!

Progress so far on Texas Men for Kensington

*sigh*

My “progress” doesn’t even rate a single percentage point. Don’t get me wrong. I love new starts. At this point, the book’s wide-open for sexy possibilities. I have the opening scene in my mind, and it pulls heavily from my recent adventure at the Bachelor Auction (see previous posts)—all the funny things I saw, all the slavering women, the sexy and not-so-sexy men who strutted their stuff for a good cause. Can’t wait to get that down.

What always intimidates me is getting past the opening and plowing into the no-man’s land of the saggy middle of the book. Beginnings and endings are soooooo easy! Keeping it fun in the middle is the true test of a writer. And this book will have three tests because it’s a collection of novellas, interrelated, but all written by me.

To keep it interesting for me, I’m throwing in a topic I’ve never fully explored—namely BDSM. Sure, I’ve done plenty of spankings and some light bondage in my stories before, but this time, I have a Dom who will be featured in two of the stories and plenty of “equipment.” So, I’m doing some reading, visiting some BDSM blogs, and asking for lots of advice. Y’all have any good resources? If so, please share ’em!

For those of you who have been waiting a really long time for me to unleash a new series…well, you still have little while to wait. On June 25th the first in my “Shadowlands” demon series will be out. In the meantime, you can drool over the cover and whet your appetite with an excerpt.