Yes, today I’ll name two winners, but just not yet. Don’t you know patience is a virtue?

I had some very nice news on Christmas day, an extra present I didn’t expect. Ravished is nominated for The Romance Studio’s CAPA awards for best historical novel… Okay, so any of you who have read that particular book know it’s “Vikings in Space”, not historical, but I’m okay with that. A nom is a nom! Squee!

Since two contests are winding down, I have to get something else off my hoarding shelf. (See that, sis? Can too bear to part with treasures!)

The Fairy Trinket Box Contest

What do you have to do to win?
Post a comment—here or on my Facebook FAN page. And post every day the contest runs for additional chances to win!

This contest lasts until January 3rd, so there are plenty of chances to enter!

For those of you who will no doubt ask, the box comes from Christi’s Gifts & Consignments, 870-230-1877. And yes, she can order more!

How about a question to start you off?

What DON’T women want?

So back to those winners…

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in both contests.
The winner of the Baby Dragon Incense Burner is…Julie Swaney!
The winner of the Promo Ho contest and the $25.00 gift certificate is…Michelle Bauer!
Congratulations, ladies! Thanks for playing. Be sure to send me an email
to arrange delivery of your prizes.

Please remember, two contests end tomorrow. Check here for details:
*Win The Baby Dragon Incense Burner Contest (ends Dec 27th)
*Win a $25.00 Amazon.com certificate (ends Dec 27th)

Getting Graded

Having my book reviewed reminds me of my school days and getting graded by my teacher. The educator reads your paper, evaluates it and gives it a mark.

Reviewers do the same for books, but most of the reviewers for romance websites don’t get paid. They’re book lovers who give their precious time to read my book and write up an opinion.

I love getting reviews of my books. Reviewers tell me what they liked about the characters and plot and sometimes they tell me what they dislike. I see reviews as validation that I wrote a good book and as a critique. If reviewers are willing to give their time to publish their comments, I need to pay attention. I can learn and I can improve.

Electronic publishing has increased the numbers of publishers, writers and books on the market and the choices for readers are ever expanding. Given this explosion of available books, I feel fortunate to receive a review. I have books that never been reviewed and that disappointments me. I really like the feedback.

I’d like to share a couple of comments that a reviewer wrote about one of my werewolf tales, Mark of the Moon.

“Occasionally the sentences were a bit stilted.”

“Mark of the Moon is a page turner, gripping the reader from the first page and not letting go.”

I love this kind of feedback, and if I could I’d ask that reviewer to point out every sentence she found stilted. That isn’t possible, but I’ve written a few more books since Mark of the Moon and her comment has stayed with me.

This year I was very fortunate. My book, Mirror Mirror: Nightwing was nominated by The Romance Reviews (TRR) for Best Erotic Paranormal Angels and Demons book for 2011. I was stunned. Short books like Nightwing are rarely nominated for awards. The nominees are selected by the TRR reviewers. I didn’t win, but I was thrilled that my book was remembered and nominated.

So whether the reviewers grade with stars, tombstones, lips or hearts I’m want to thank these wonderful people for all the reviews I have received over the years and the ones I hope to receive in 2012.

I’m looking forward to a great new year and getting good grades.

Did you find one of these under the Christmas tree? Me neither. 🙁

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful day, spent with family. The Devlin house opened the adults’ gifts last night. This morning, the children come over for theirs. Then there will be Christmas dinner—ham and smoked turkey. All in all, a lovely lazy day.

If you are totally bored during a lull of activities, share your best and worst Christmas presents! Later!

I announced the winner of the free download on my Facebook Fan Page!

An author strives to foreshadow the tone and theme of a story from the very first words. When it’s done well, a reader who sees that opening scene knows exactly the kind of ride she’s in for. Enjoy the opening of Four Sworn, the third story in my Lone Star Lovers series. I’m still very, very fond of Bo and Shanna. I think you’ll see why.

Happy Holidays to everyone! Enjoy time with friends and family.
I know I will! 🙂

“…what you get is explosive, emotional and endearing, something Delilah Devlin does better than anyone…”
4 Cherries, Whipped Cream

There’s a wild child trapped inside her, and they’re hell-bent on unleashing it…

As the pretty daughter of the town whore, Shanna Davies has always tried hard to toe the line. But she just can’t help it. Her boyfriend, Bo Crenshaw, has lured her untamed spirit out to play once too often. It’s time to get the hell out of Dodge and make a new start where no one knows her past. After she fulfills one last, wicked fantasy.

Shanna is Bo’s first everything. First kiss, first sexual playmate, first love. Yet he’s never managed to convince her that he accepts her—good girl and bad—just as she is. So, she wants a memorable send off? No problem. He’ll give her one that’ll make her think twice about leaving.

On the appointed night, Shanna expects nerves. Yet once she crosses the threshold, the prospect of surrendering to a night of unrestrained passion with Bo and the three Kinzie brothers makes her mouth water—and her courage dry up.

But she asked for it, and now she’s not about to blink first in this game of sexual chicken…

Warning: Four lusty cowboys prove a little domination goes a long way in breaking a stubborn woman to saddle. Lots of spanking, binding, flogging, and double-dipping can keep a girl on her toes, her back, her belly, her knees…

“Dance with me, cowboy.”

Bo Crenshaw didn’t know what surprised him more. Her wanting to dance—or her asking him. She always cringed over her inability to master a simple two-step, and she usually avoided him like the plague in public.

But he wasn’t arguing. It was Friday night after a long week of wrangling cattle. He wanted to replace the musky smell in his nostrils with something a whole lot sweeter. Giving his drinking buddy a shrug, he let Shanna Davies tug his hand and lead him onto the dance floor, pretending a reluctance he didn’t feel.

Not that dancing with Shanna wasn’t pleasurable—if a little painful. She danced the same way she lived—a little too fast and completely out of synch with everyone around her. Read the rest of this entry »

I am in dire need of a cup of coffee. A soon-to-be three-year-old woke me because her diaper needed changing. Yeah, three-year-old! And she knew where they were, which side faced front, then adjusted hers so it fit the way she liked. Does this girl need to be using the potty, or what? She’s been very stubborn.

And why am I the one changing her? Her mommy’s sick, so I spent the night. Strange bed + kitties purring and meowing in it = no sleep. Coffee.

I’m not very verbal first thing in the morning. So I will leave you with a question.

Have you left your Christmas/Holiday shopping ’til the last minute?
If so, what do you have left to buy?

Please remember, there are three contests ongoing at the moment. Check here for details:
*Win a copy of Best Erotic Romance (ends Dec 23rd)
*Win The Baby Dragon Incense Burner Contest (ends Dec 27th)
*Win a $25.00 Amazon.com certificate (ends Dec 27th)

My friend Lisa Renee Jones has the next Alluring Tales: Night Moves story ready for you to enjoy!

A witch after his secret. A wolf after her pleasure.

Nico Moore is the leader of of The Werewolf Society’s elite Royal Guard. Aylia Richardson is the witch who calls to the beast in Nico, but destiny has also made her the keeper of a gift that threatens the very existence of his race. To destroy this gift will destroy this woman…the only one he has ever dared to call ‘mate’.

Smashwords * Kindle * All Romance eBooks

Aylia was standing outside Nico’s hotel room, willing herself to knock, when Nico opened the door and pulled her inside. Suddenly, she was against the wall, and he was pressed against her, his fingers threading through her hair, dragging her mouth to his.

“Now we talk,” he said, his breath warm on her lips.

“This isn’t talking,” she panted, telling herself to push him away, but melting into him instead.

“Foreplay to conversation,” he said, closing his mouth over hers.

Aylia moaned as his tongue stroked hers, as a year of needing him and missing him tore through her. She couldn’t fight this, didn’t even try. She wrapped her arms around his neck, arching into him, craving the feel of his hard body against hers; the sanctuary he’d always been to her.

He growled low in his throat, deepening the kiss, the taste of him – spicy, male, erotic – driving her wild.

His hands slid down her waist, one shoving her skirt up, caressing her backside and then cupping it, pulling her against the hard ridge of his erection.

She pressed her hands under his shirt, seeking skin, seeking that ultimate connection, the freedom of barriers, the escape from everything that had gone wrong between them, everything that still could. She just needed him.

Thanks so much, Delilah, for letting me take over your blog today. I’m Randi Alexander, I write cowboy erotic romances, and I’m a co-blogger with Delilah at Wild and Wicked Cowboys. We will also be published together in the Cowboy Lust anthology coming from Cleis Press in fall, 2012.

One of my readers sent me this story, and asked me to pass it along. It’s about a young man named Matt whose Christmas story gives us a picture of life on a ranch in 1881. I loved the story, and I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn’t been enough money to buy me the rifle that I’d wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn’t in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn’t get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn’t figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn’t worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. “Come on, Matt,” he said. “Bundle up good, it’s cold out tonight.” I was really upset then. Not only wasn’t I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We’d already done all the chores, and I couldn’t think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one’s feet when he’d told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn’t know what. Read the rest of this entry »