I had a very productive week until I hit Thursday, about which I’ve talked enough, right? Up to that point, I slammed through the first four and a half chapters of a very sexy novella. I reviewed half the galley for Darkness Captured. I contacted a publisher I love and asked for advice on how to submit an anthology project to them. And I have completed research and dreamed up the premise for a short story project.

This next week, I have to complete reviewing and editing the galley for Darkness Captured and I plan to complete the sexy novella—hopefully by Tuesday. I’ll start writing the short story and draft the description for my anthology proposal. A little ambitious, but I want to make up lost ground. Also, next Saturday, I have to teach a class to my RWA chapter, which reminds me I actually have to come up with content to teach. Oy!

I found out today that a story I wrote a while back for an anthology, Warlord’s Destiny, will be reissued on its own June 14, 2010. If you haven’t read it yet, June will be a good time to pick it up. It’s one of my favorite stories—a futuristic with a medeival flavor to it—another of those wonderfully manly men… Okay, now I’m wanting to go back and read that opening scene again when the hero strides into the heroine’s hall. Mmm-mm.

I believe really good drugs made me temporarily psychic.

I had surgery on Thursday. They used some sort of anesthesia that allowed me to drift in and out while the doctor removed a very ugly under skin lump from my shoulder. When I drifted in, I’d feel something of what they were doing and an “Ow!” would elicit another dose of whatever it was they pumped into me.

I remember telling the doctor they’d removed an alien implant. When I got home, my sister called me and asked if I thought I’d ever write again now that the alien inhabiting my skin was gone. Hmmm….

Coincidence? I think not!

On the way home, my mother, who drove me to and from the hospital, decided to stop at the store for milk. While she was gone, I remember distinctly wanting to call her back and tell her to get some white powdered doughnuts—something I only crave once or twice a year, and something I never buy.

I didn’t see what she bought, but later that day when I stumbled into the kitchen for something to drink, there sat a box of powdered doughnuts on the counter.

See where I’m going? I’m still on drugs and feeling a little goofy. So that’s all I’m saying. I’m hoping today when the drugs wear off and I’m finally parked in front of my keyboard for the long haul that I don’t find out that the alien they removed was indeed my muse.

The winner (by random number generator) of yesterday’s contest is….Valerie! Congratulations, Valerie. Be sure to email me and let me know which of the MIK eBooks you’d like sent.

Catch me today at Access Romance’s All-A-Blog. Leave a comment there, and you’ll be eligible for a prize!

BTW, surgery went well. I have great pain-killers, and I’m going to take one now and crawl back into bed! Later! ~DD

That sounded dramatic, didn’t it? No biggie. Having a lump removed, is all. But I won’t be here for most of the day, and when I get home I probably still won’t be all here for a while. I’ll leave you with a question so I can enjoy the answers when the painkillers wear off.

If you could wake up every morning, open your bedroom blinds, and look out a huge glass window at the perfect view, what would that view be?

For me, it would be the mountain ranges of Antartica. I’m very into Antarctica after watching Whiteout.
Later, gators! ~DD

No light without darkness…no love without danger…

From Fallen Angels Reviews: “…STONE’S EMBRACE is a wonderfully descriptive story…The mix of Greek mythology with Christian elements is intriguing and adds to the subtle layering of eroticism and exoticism…this story is fantastic and a super-hot read!”

From Just Erotic Romances: “…The sex in the book was off the charts hot!…It was a wonderfully different story with a strong characters and a fun plot that left this reviewer breathless!”

For those of you who prefer to hold a paperback book in your hand, here’s a new release for you to enjoy!

“…STONE’S EMBRACE is a wonderfully descriptive story…The mix of Greek mythology with Christian elements is intriguing and adds to the subtle layering of eroticism and exoticism…this story is fantastic and a super-hot read!”
5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews on STONE’S EMBRACE

“…The sex in the book was off the charts hot!…It was a wonderfully different story with a strong characters and a fun plot that left this reviewer breathless!”
5 Stars, Just Erotic Romances on STONE’S EMBRACE

No light without darkness…no love without danger…

Dominique’s Release by Kimberly Kaye Terry
Dominique leaves her coven to find out why she must be “protected” from her dark side. Once inside a house as mysterious as her past, she accidentally releases a larger-than-life creature that leaves her weak, satiated—and deathly afraid. Bacclum wants to use her power to reclaim his rightful heritage. Inside her sinfully sweet body, however, he’s bound by a magic far stronger than any spell.

Stone’s Embrace by Delilah Devlin
Petra’s inherited power to incite lust with just a touch forces her to live apart from her people. A stone gargoyle seems “safe”…until her sensual caress brings it to life. Freed from his prison, Octavius doesn’t hesitate to unleash his pent-up rage and desire. Once the haze clears, he discovers he isn’t really free…

Demon Dreamer by Vivi Anna
Tired of the transient Irish gypsy life, Kiara jumps at the chance to put down roots at her ancestral Louisiana mansion. She finds herself haunted by a sexy demon who entices her on a carnal journey of extreme pleasure—and pain. Her wanton response opens Malvo’s eyes to the possibility she could be his salvation. If she remains captive to his every sinful desire—forever.

Read an excerpt
Buy the book

Welcome my good friend, Cathryn Fox, as I help her celebrate her latest sexy release! ~DD

Impulsive: An Eternal Pleasure Novel
NAL Heat (May 10, 2009)
Eternal Pleasure, Book 2
ISBN-10: 0451229967
ISBN-13: 978-0451229960
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Borders | IndieBound

“This dark paranormal novel is the latest in Fox’s Eternal Pleasure series about shapeshifters. Fox brings together two unforgettable characters, transformed after one devastating night, adds plenty of erotic tension and draws readers irresistibly into their world. It¹s all about second chances in this sexy, suspenseful and satisfying read.” — 4 Stars, RT Book Reviews

He is the hunter.

She’s fled her alpha wolf—and the entire paranormal community of Serene. Now a free woman—wolf, Sunray returns to Chicago, full of bittersweet memories. The last thing she expects to find there is her reincarnated lover, who died at her feet the night she was changed into a lycan a century ago. Still, Sunray knows they can never revive their intense passion. Because now he’s a lycan hunter—and she is his prey…

She is the hunted.

Not for a minute does Kane believe this beautiful lycan’s story, that they were once lovers. Still, he recognizes Sunray as the woman who’s been seducing him in his dreams. For now, prey and predator have forged an uneasy, temporary truce as they join forces to capture a rogue shifter. But after their work is done, will either of them be able to resist a passion that could be dangerously all-consuming?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chicago: A Century Ago
October

Hurried steps carried Ray Bartlett across town; his dark clothes and the black sky masked his foolhardy presence. As he approached the train tracks, the silhouette of the old abandoned building on the other side of the railroad came into view, prompting him to reach into his pocket and pull out the heavy tin can he always brought with him—a familiar beacon in a dark, eerie night.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” he called out as he gently shook the scratched and dented container of sardines, letting the thick oil inside slosh about in an effort to herald his approach. He pitched his voice low, knowing the sound would carry in the breeze and alert the lone occupant of the building to his presence, and signal her to free the latch. His glance darted around, and he hoped like hell he’d gone undetected by any resident gangs, should they be lurking about. After all, he was a far cry from his elite Gold Coast neighborhood and was now stepping foot into Chicago’s seedy south side—a testament to his foolhardiness, for sure.

As he took note of his shaking fingers, he slid the can back into his breeches and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets to still his rather unusual jitters. His discomposure was partly because he’d snuck out of his dorm (and should he get caught, the consequences doled out by the headmaster would be most severe), and partly due to his excitement at seeing the girl waiting for him on the side of town he had no business frequenting—the side of town the folks in his social circle avoided like a diseased wharf rat. But, unlike him, they didn’t have Sunni Matthews waiting for them.

Sunni…

God, his heart raced and his body grew needy just thinking about her. She had a certain energy: a light in the darkness that filled him with a deep warmth and unearthed things he’d never felt before.

Everything from the way her golden hair framed her porcelain skin and the way her beautiful blue eyes sparkled with love and laughter to the way she trusted him completely and thoroughly with her body, heart, and soul rattled his emotions and rendered him practically senseless. Ribbons of want—no, need—worked their way through his veins because he knew he was only minutes from gathering her into his arms, pressing his mouth to hers and paying homage to her lush body until the early hours of the morning.

As he took in the shape of the slumbering structure tucked just inside the woods, a mixture of joy and sadness invaded his thoughts. He was thrilled to spend a few stolen moments with Sunni—he ached to embrace her, to feel her naked body against his skin—but it pained him to know that he’d wake up tomorrow between a set of starched white sheets, and she in a dusty cot. His heart twisted and his stomach clenched. He halted his forward momentum and fought down the feeling of helplessness, as well as the pang of loneliness that ate at his guts like a thousand hungry cockroaches.

Soon, he reminded himself. Soon they’d be together forever, and he’d make things better for her. It was a promise he’d made to her a long time ago, and a promise he intended to keep.
Read the rest of this entry »