What Men Can Learn from Romance Writers

Dear Lavender,

The strangest thing happened to me last Friday night, and I don’t know what to do.

I fell in lust with the most amazing man.

I don’t know how it happened. I mean, I’ve been married for twelve years and have two children. I love my family and my life, so this turn of events was a shock. Totally unexpected. And I don’t know how to handle it.

I left my office like always on Friday and when I approached my car, I discovered a tall man in a suit leaning against the driver-side door, the stem of a single pink rose in his hand. He brushed the flower down my cheek and did that thing men do with their eyes, checking me out from head to toe, and then he leaned in and kissed me full on the lips in broad daylight.

Needless to say, I was stunned. I hadn’t kissed a man in public in at least ten years, and here was this handsome man with his mouth on mine. Before I could say anything, he took my arm and led me to his car, going so far as to buckle me into the passenger seat.

He finally spoke as the engine rumbled. “I’m going to take care of you tonight.”

He took me to a restaurant I’d heard great things about but hadn’t had time to visit. It had a reputation, and well deserved, as a romantic spot, mood lighting and sumptuous intimate booths. One hand on my knee, his other on the menu, he ordered for both of us.

When the waiter left, this handsome man revealed his true intent, describing my body intimately, using words designed to bind me to him without a physical touch. A quiver began in my belly as I listened, and an erotic haze settled around me as if I were expecting to be caressed and kissed and loved in the next few moments.

His eyes. Oh, yes. His eyes burned with a deep and abiding affinity and I knew this man would change the way I thought about the male/female relationship.

The interruption from the waiter did little to abate the sexual tension and the sense of the inevitable lingered while we ate. Afterward, he stood and took my hand, drawing me to him and hugging me close to his side until he put me in the car. My body twitched, eager to know more of this familiar stranger and my brain, the most erotic part of me, longed for a permanent connection with the new man beside me.

When he parked in my driveway, I worried that the magic of the night would be lost, but when he helped me from the car his mouth came down hard on mine in a drugging kiss full of promise and passion.

I don’t know where this new man came from or how he came to be in my bed. I’m not sure I want to ask him for the details of his metamorphosis. I only know I want him to stay with me.

So, Lavender, this is where I need your help. Should I ask my husband what happened to enhance the way he loves me? Or should I simply enjoy him?

 

Lavender’s reply:

Men, smart men, often fall into ruts like we women do. Recognizing the slump and working to change it for the better is a wonderful thing. Enjoy.

Maybe, just maybe, he read a romance novel and gleaned a little insight into what women want in a lover.

Until next time-

Lavender

 

Find Lavender:
www.LavenderDaye.com
www.facebook.com/LavenderDaye
www.LavenderDaye.Blogspot.com

 

Lavender’s Latest Release-

Take a Chance

Steve Gladston is a security specialist, a Dom, and part owner of the new BDSM club opening south of Dallas. He and his two business partners refurbished an old country club into a state of the art fetish club. All three are looking forward to the upcoming opening of Private Delights while they finish the remodel and work at their various careers in the community.

Dena Lindsay is the office manager at her family’s firm, and with three overprotective brothers, dating is difficult. She dreams of a sensual adventure and Steve’s appearance in her life gives her hope. Discovering his penchant for BDSM is a shock, and then stimulating.

When danger intrudes in her life, she turns to Steve for protection. Proximity makes her both apprehensive and aroused. At some point, she’ll have to decide what she wants from her man. Protection or Passion?

UPDATE: The winner (chosen by a random number generator) of the free download is
Lori Meehan! Congrats, Lori. I’ll be in touch shortly to arrange delivery of your prize!

* * * * *

Are you still feeling the “Christmas Hangover”? I’m back on track today, and I’m busy finalizing my 2014 plans.

Today’s flashback is my very first Western with Samhain, which went on to become their bestselling book of 2009. Who knew readers would love my two lonesome cowboys coming to the rescue of one lucky woman… Click on the cover if you’d like to learn more about the book!

Post a comment today and you’ll be entered to win a free download of this story! And if you already have this one, pick another from my list of Western novellas published through Samhain! 

“…I couldn’t put this story down! It was danger, betrayal, sexy and fun all rolled together into the perfect erotic romance. The plot was brilliant, and the characters unique…The sexual scenes will make you clamp your knees together and dream of a sexy cowboy or two of your own…” ~5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance

“…What starts out as an innocent effort to warm Kate up turns into some of the most erotic sex I have ever read along with some of the best dialog I have seen in a book so far this year…The chemistry and interaction between the three of them is well written and keeps you chuckling and turns you on. The characters themselves are so well written you feel for them and you want them to make their alternative relationship work….SADDLED is heart-stopping and fascinating!!!!!!!…” ~5 Stars, Vixen Reviews

“…Delilah Devlin’s storylines never fail to pull readers into the story and SADDLED is no exception…Of course the sex scenes are scorching and adventurous with the perfect blend of emotional turmoil to ensure readers keep Ms. Devlin’s name at the top of their ‘must read’ list.” ~4.5 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

Slippery when naked…

When Bobby Blackhawk and Cale Yancey see a car slide off the highway and into an icy creek, they’ve got only minutes to get the beautiful driver out alive. And only one way to save her from hypothermia: take her to their isolated cabin, get naked…and hope like hell that when she wakes up, she doesn’t scream the place down.

Katherine Duvall opens her eyes in a strange bed, and the tingles flooding her body aren’t entirely due to restored circulation. She’s snuggled between two handsome men, one a gruff, gentle giant, the other a sexy, playful Native American. Having just left her fiancé romping with another woman, she’s not quite as shocked as she might have been.

In fact, these two lonesome cowboys could be the perfect bookends to satisfy her hunger for revenge and bolster her dented self esteem. It’s not long before their raging hormones are melting the snow on the cabin roof.

To their surprise, they find something else is melting, too. Their hearts…

Katherine Duvall awoke as sensation flooded her feet and hands—sharp prickling pinches that made her moan.

“Yeah, it’s gonna hurt. But it’s a good sign sweetheart,” a man whispered against her hair. “And there’s no frostbite. I checked.”

He’d checked? One fact penetrated her pain-filled fog. He’d done a lot more than checked. She was naked. And his bare-naked body was pressed up against her back, a penis nudging her bottom.

“Where are my clothes?” she gasped, choking on outrage and fear.

“Had to shuck ‘em. They were soaked.”

She remembered the car sliding into the water. But why wasn’t she in a hospital? “Where am I?”

“In my cabin. Couldn’t chance taking you back to Wellesley. Snow’s comin’ down too hard.”

Her fingers stung, and she pulled her hands from under the covers to peer at them in the inky darkness. “How long have I been here?”

“Maybe an hour. Was worried about you two. You both passed out.”

“Both?”

“Bobby went into the creek after you. He’s not in much better shape.”

She edged carefully away from his body, instantly missing the warmth and rolled onto her back to get her first view of her “rescuer”. What she saw didn’t do a whole lot to alleviate her fears.

The man lying beside her was enormous—a broad-shouldered shadow. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest as her alarm grew, and she wondered what else he might have done while she’d been out.

“Let me get the lamp. You sound like you’re about to freak out.”

About to? Read the rest of this entry »

So, every year as I approach New Year’s day, I put together my list of resolutions. I start with my writing wishes. I don’t call them goals anymore, because the darn list I come up with changes so much due to unexpected things, like contracts, invitations, etc. But I do like to layer in all my wishes in pretty blocks on a spreadsheet so I have some sort of picture of what my year could be like—if I could manage to keep focused!

It’s the rest of my life I’m not so sure about. Yes, every year I have some health goal (which gets dropped like a hot potato before the end of the first week!). But what else should be in there?

I’d love your thoughts. What do you include in your New Year resolutions? What would you like to see ME include? 

Josephine Young is a petite Asian woman in her early twenties with delicate bone structure and startling blue eyes. She possesses cat-like grace and is capable of staring without blinking for extended periods of time. Although she appears fully human, one still receives the distinct impression that her tail is twitching.

Interviewer: Ms. Young, welcome to the Daily Show.

Josephine (smiles): Hello! And thank you. Please, my name is Josephine. My friends call me Josie. I’d like to thank Delilah Devlin for having me as her guest today.

Interviewer: I understand that you’re the heroine of A Cat’s Tale? Please tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Josephine:  Well, I’m a pure bred seal point Siamese. I’m also a shapechanger. I was  born in Florida and used to live with a little old lady from Pensacola before a vampire catnapped me.

Interviewer: Goodness that sounds terrible. Was it traumatic?

Josephine:  Oh, absolutely! That leech held me captive for three years as a blood pet. I suffered an awful amount of torment.

Interviewer: But you’re free now.

Josephine:  Well, the vamp met with a dusty fate so I’m on my own for the first time in my life.  Independence is a little bit scary but I’m enjoying it.

Interviewer: That’s wonderful. Now, let’s take a moment and talk about your story—A CAT’S TALE. I understand that the hero isn’t exactly the same… Erm, what’s the best way to put this?

Josephine:  Creature?

Interviewer: Yes, that’s it!

Josephine (sniffs): Jared is a werewolf.

Interviewer: So yours is a cross-species romance?

Josephine: I suppose you could say that.

Interviewer: How did you and Jared meet?

Josephine: In a bar. He was very attracted to me—naturally. At the time, I thought he was sorta cute but nothing to write home about. Anyway, I slipped a horse tranquilizer into his drink and abducted him.

Interviewer:  Good grief!

Josephine (innocent look): What?

Interview: You must be kidding?

Josephine (blank stare)

Interviewer: I can see you’re not kidding. Well, Jared must have been upset.

Josephine (grins): Yes, he was furious.

Interviewer: So, when you fight—it’s like cats and dogs?

Josephine (huffs in obvious irritation): Look, I understand where you’re going with this but I’m not interested in labels. Jared and I may not be a conventional couple, but that doesn’t mean we should be treated like a spectacle.

Interviewer (clears throat): Let’s try a less inflammatory topic. Josie, what is that you enjoy doing in your free time.

Josephine: I enjoy all the things other girls do: endless hours grooming, long naps in the sun, a little bit of nip now and then.

Interviewer: Uh, yes. I can see how that makes you just like other girls. Tell me, do you embrace your uniqueness, or have you always just wanted to fit in?

Josephine (brow lifts): Fit into what? I’m extremely limber. I can squeeze my body through any opening my head fits through, and as a cat, I’m not very large. So sure, I guess you could say that I can fit into almost anything… I’m very talented at getting into trouble too or so Jared says.

Interviewer:  Uh, so you’re just a conventional cat-girl.

Josephine: Exactly!

Interviewer:  Is Jared as unconventional as you? 

Josephine:  My man is a werewolf, but he’s not all that different from other wolves, at least not that I’ve noticed. I wouldn’t call him unconventional. Snarky and something of a smart ass, maybe…  Jared is also a firefighter which resulted in unfortunate and really bad jokes when we first met. I won’t go into details, but I’m sure you can imagine.

Interviewer: Yes, I can imagine. Unfortunately, our time is running out. Josie, do you have anything else you’d like to share with our readers. Any dark secrets? 

Josephine (unblinking):  I can’t tell you or I’d have to kill you.

Interviewer: I can’t tell if you’re kidding. That’s really disturbing. Er, one last question.  If you could do anything without concern for consequences, what would it be?

Josephine (smirks):  Give a werewolf a hot foot.

Interviewer: And that’s all the time we have today! Everyone, please give Josephine Young a hand!

 

***

 

ISBN 978-1-61217-215-6
Amazon
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The Wild Rose Press

About A CAT’S TALE:

4 Hearts From Sizzling Hot Book Reviews:
“A Cat’s Tale was an exciting tale of lust and trust as Josephine must learn to accept that Jared isn’t like other men. He is willing to do anything to protect and keep Josephine safe, including submit to the vampire. Jared is a hot sexy werewolf with more power than anyone expects. His sexual energy would drive a vampire wild but he only has eyes for his kitten.”

4-1/2 Stars from Just Erotic Romance Reviews:
“With a starting phrase ‘somewhere between Virginia and California,’ you know you are in for a treat with A Cat’s Tale. Jared is so much fun, a true Alpha male who knows when to keep his Alpha tendencies down and hidden. I love how Jared plays the vampire Evangeline, yet stays honest with Josephine. The sexual chemistry between Josephine and Jared is obvious from the first meeting, but distrust keeps the chemistry at a simmer. The dialogue between the werewolf and werecat will keep you entertained hours after finishing the story. Even though Josephine is in a bad situation, she is determined to do whatever it takes to stay alive and fight another day. Once Jared and Josephine finally have sex,  it is hot and raunchy, with the needed animalistic mating that you expect from an Alpha. There are plenty of secondary characters in the story that move the plot along though never taking away from the main characters. While there wasn’t as much sex in the story as I would have liked, I did have a great time reading A Cat’s Tale and can’t wait to read more from Ms. Snark.”

Alpha werewolf, Jared Kohl, wakes up in a vampire’s dungeon, swearing revenge upon the wily Siamese werecat who lured him there with her sultry lips and the sweetest tail. To escape his undead captor, all he has to do is seduce the skittish puss and show her that trust is often a hot and hard lesson to learn.

Enslaved feline shifter, Josephine Young, has learned the hard way not to believe in anything or anyone—not men, not love, and certainly not the blood-sucking mistress who tossed her into the cage with the hungry beast she’d betrayed. But Josephine does what she must to survive, including tempting the dominant werewolf to give her more than promises.

Imprisoned for their blood, Jared and Josephine fight for survival and discover a passion that neither can walk away from. Can these two predators survive long enough to prove that cats and dogs can be more than enemies?

Jared’s voice dropped in a ploy designed to tempt her cat curiosity. He leaned in and whispered, “Want to know another secret?”

Her ears shot forward, tall and erect, and her tail lifted. “What?” Josephine asked in spite of herself.

Jared smiled and eased closer to her. He brought his lips to her ear and resumed his former position between her thighs. Despite her better judgment, Josephine opened for him, welcoming the return of those lean hips and the button fly straining against his erection.

He waited. He pressed against her, stroking his hands over the soft fur of her haunches, teasing her nipples with his chest hair. Josephine’s breath hitched more than once, coming faster until she felt lightheaded. Her tail crept around his thigh, twining there.

“What secret?” Josephine demanded, ever impatient.

Jared nuzzled her cheek, his lips lingering in a long kiss, and the tip of his tongue tasted her flesh. The gentle caresses were a bright promise and so very tempting, because Josephine craved intimacy more than anything. Too long denied a kind word or a caring touch. At the same time, he frightened her because if she let her guard down, he’d possess the means to destroy her more thoroughly than killing her.

“Jared?” Josephine grasped his face and pulled his lips from her skin to stare up at him. “What secret?”

He gave new meaning to wolf smile. He had such big teeth. “I’m not the only one aroused, little cat.”

Mouth open in shock and attempted denial, Josephine stared as he walked away.

 

 Author Bio:

A friend asked me once how I chose my pen name. I told her the following: “Melissa, because when people mix up my first name, it’s the most common goof up. Snark, because it amuses me. A) I love the word ‘snarky’ and B)  I love Lewis Carroll.”

As an individual, I’m sarcastic, stubborn and blunt to a fault. I have a strange sense of humor and I like to laugh (usually at my husband or children), but also at myself. I’m not particularly extroverted, although I do enjoy time with my family and close friends a great deal.

At the moment, I’m a stay at home mom who writes in my spare time. I’ve got a B.S. from Arizona State University in Business, and I’ve worked a variety of different jobs, including as a medical device documentation specialist, a technical writer, and an auto liability adjuster. I live in the San Francisco East Bay of Northern California with my husband, three kids, and three cats.  My hobbies include roleplaying, cooking and reading.

I maintain an author blog called The Snarkology.

Where to find Melissa on the Internet:
Website
Blog
Email: melissasnark at gmail dot com
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Twitter

Here’s wishing you a very happy holiday! ~DD

The Christmas Monster…

Have you ever heard of the Christmas monster?

In my world, Christmas has always been about all things positive…Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Rudolph with his red nose, snow, caroling, hot chocolate. On a religious level—it’s about the Star of Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. Sure, I know about Scrooge and The Grinch, but something much darker lurks in the shadows.

I spent almost a decade living in German-speaking countries in Europe. I was even married to a German for eighteen years and had a mother-in-law who spoke no English. I’m ashamed to say that until a few days ago, I had never heard of the Krampus, nor seen one. Now I’m obsessed with him and what he represents.

Wikipedia describes him as, “a beast like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries…” There is a morbidly fascinating 8-minute video of a Krampus festival held annually at Graz, Austria where people dress up as the Krampus every year. If you have 8 minutes to spare, I encourage you to scroll down that page and watch it. Talk about high quality costumes and make-up—this parade of Christmastime devils makes our yuckiest zombies and ghouls of Halloween look like wimps!

Lumps of coal? Forget it, you naughty children! Things can get a lot worse than that! Krampus was the devil-like monster who terrified bad children and took them away to his cave. Their best possible fate was to be locked up and starved. Worst case scenario: they became a meal for the Krampus.

How was it that in all these years I had never heard of the Krampus? It occurs to me that this is yet another display of the theme darkness and light. Since St. Nicholas/Santa Claus is a benevolent being of light, are we surprised there is an equal and opposite being of darkness? Since Christmas falls so close to the Solstice which is the longest night of the year and the shortest day, it stands to reason there is a “dark” character involved in countries where adults would go to any length to make children be obedient and well-behaved. Krampus may be tied in with ancient pagan rituals.

There has been a general tendency toward darkness and monsters in recent years, especially around Halloween. Apparently new Krampus parades are popping up around the USA now. Just google ‘krampus parade’ to find one near you!

As a writer who enjoys sprinkling paranormal spice on my stories, my mind is already at work… how I can incorporate Krampus into an upcoming novella?

There’s no such character to be found in my two holiday novellas—Autumn Masquerade and Christmas Spirits. In both stories, the only paranormal characters readers must contend with are ghosts.

How about you—if you knew about the Krampus, please share what you know!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

GEMMA JULIANA is a multi-published author who lives in an enchanted cottage in north Texas with her handsome hero, teen son and a comical dog. She loves making new friends and hearing from readers. Exotic coffee and chocolate fuel her creativity.
Buy Gemma’s books on Amazon.

Connect with Gemma
GemmaJuliana.com | Twitter | Facebook

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SmashWords

Tis The Season

I just love this time of year! One of the reasons is watching and reading old Christmas movies and books. I am very into traditions, so even though my ‘kids’ are now eighteen and twenty, they fully expect to watch each and every one of our favorite Christmas classics. Although the selection has changed through the years as they’ve gotten older, there is still a handful they know we will watch no matter what the age.

Here are a few you may not have heard of or forgot about: The Bishop’s Wife starring Cary Grant, an angel who helps the bishop’s wife raise money for their church. Another is A Midnight Clear set in 1944 staring Gary Sinise about an American Intelligence and reconnaissance unit sent out on a reckless mission on Christmas. The story is even more meaningful with the thought of our troops overseas. Some of the oldies are forgotten, such as Holiday Inn starring Fred Astaire. Another oldie but goodie is White Christmas Starring Bing Crosby.

The movies and books my kids grew up with are becoming outdated with new stories, but we stick to our regulars such as, Charlie Brown is my daughter’s favorite and Elf is my son’s. A Christmas Story is my dad’s first choice, reminding him of a time when he was a boy. My husband counts Die Hard and Trading Places as Christmas movies but I beg-to-differ. My two favorites are It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol staring Alistair Sim. And I like to watch them both in black and white although I have the color versions. It feels more real to see movies set back in the day to be the color they were originally. There is no better Scrooge than Alistair and who can top Jimmy Stewart? But then I’m partial as Jimmy is my favorite all time actor.

The book How The Grinch stole Christmas is an all time fav. The Night Before Christmas is one I still like but my teens lost interest awhile ago. I’ll have to wait for grandchildren to read that one again. Some count The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and I am one of them, only because I liked the book so much:) I went to The Nutcracker play which is popular on stage this time of year but wasn’t crazy about it, and have never wanted to read the book. The Polar Express was popular but it didn’t grab me either.

The Greatest Story Ever Told was a book that I started but didn’t finish. Not because it wasn’t good, because I got distracted and need to finish it one of these days (maybe this Christmas?). The same goes for The Christmas Box but I finally finished that one.

It’s fun to find out likes and dislikes and maybe something new! So…what are your favorites?

Beth Shriver, Author of inspirational fiction Find me on my web page, Facebook, and Twitter. www.bethshriver.com

Latest release:

Can Abby overcome the pain caused by her father and find acceptance among the Amish?

Abigail Barker is a young woman struggling to keep the family horse farm afloat in Texas. When one of her horses is injured in an accident, Mose Fisher arrives on the scene wanting to help.   As she struggles with the faith she left behind after the death of her mother, Abby finds more than love and safety with Mose and the Amish community. After time spent with Mose and his family, she knows she has to make a choice. Will Abby stay with Mose or go back to her sick father who needs her?

Buy Link