After Thursday, it ceased to be a productive week for me—blown mind and all. And no, I still can’t tell you.

But before that, I did complete that short free read for Samhain (it wasn’t as short as it should have been, because I couldn’t leave the story!). I did plot out in rough notes a novella I want to finish by the end of the month, but I might not make it if I can’t get my head back in the game soon. Same with the quickie—I only have a chapter to go on it. But if what I hope happens does this week, then I may throw in the towel and head straight to a bigger project.

Not that I haven’t been busy this week with other things. Mainly the plotting bootcamp. I’m having fun so far reading through the author’s exercises and comments. They’ve had it easy and remain blissfully cheerful, but wait until I have them work on conflict for their characters. Ha!

My newsletter isn’t ready to go yet, so I don’t know if you are all aware of the fact the next chapter for Bad Moon Rising is up!

If you haven’t checked it out, you must, because very, very soon I will be asking you to help me figure out what DiDi will be up to next!

But you are probably here because you want to know who won yesterday’s prize, right? The winner, chosen by a random number generator, is…Becky Ward! Congratulations, Becky, and be sure to send me an email with the email address where you want me to send your story!

I’m taking a break from the travelogue. It’s a lot of work getting those pictures posted! Besides I like my little routines.

Sundays are for reflection. Some of you may go to church to clear your head and heart. I prefer a different sort of internal process. I like to take stock of what I’ve accomplished and set plans for the next week—after giving myself a break for being less than perfect. Plus, a little meditation or a lot of affirmations helps get my head in the right place if I’ve suffered any disappointments (a rejection, a less than stellar review, a son who hasn’t called!).

Since I haven’t posted an SRP since before my trip, I thankfully have a little more to report than I would otherwise. You know December was all about the cruise—the first vacation that wasn’t centered around a writer’s conference since I became a writer. Not that I wasn’t being one aboard ship. I slammed some pages, interviewed travelers and crew (not that they knew it), and drank in setting details so that I could describe them later in a story. The cruise was lovely and just the right way to end a very strange year.

I haven’t finished anything so far this month. I am working on the last scene of Bad Moon Rising. I’m determined to get it out to you before the end of the month, but you all gave me a very difficult problem to overcome. How do I get a woman who has just met two very scrumptious men in the open and readied to have sex with them both?

I am halfway through a short story called Textile Free that I have to finish before the end of the month for another Cleis collection. By the way, I love writing those. Someday, I may just write a whole book’s worth of short stories of my own. There’s nothing more satisfying than wrapping up a story, and with shorts it doesn’t take weeks to get there.

My novella for Ellora’s Cave is giving me fits. It had such a cute opening, but the closer I get to the end, the more I know I didn’t get the conflict right. So, I’ve pushed it aside to give myself some think time. That one I’ll have to finish next month because I’ve dawdled over it so long.

I guess I’m having a crisis of confidence. I’m not the sort to sit around and cry when things don’t go exactly the way I want. Instead, I revise my plans. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I can’t stand it when I’m a crybaby, so instead, I have to get up, dust myself off, figure out what hasn’t worked, and change my course.

And with the new year just around the corner, I’m determined to step out on the right foot. I’m listing my resolutions. Have you started yours? Care to share?

BTW—I’ll be hosting the Ellora’s Cave chat loop this afternoon, 4 PM-8PM CST. Email me if you need the link!

I swear it’s been a busy week, but the wordcount sure doesn’t reflect it. I did finish up NaNoWriMo, second year in a row, with over 50,000 words. However, a buddy of mine managed 100,000 words so I’m feeling like an underachiever! 🙄

I had another release this week—Raw Silk. I can’t wait to hear from readers to see how they liked my sexy firemen and the foursome they manage to seduce two very lucky women into joining.

But that’s the only writing-related news I have. The rest of the week was consumed by shopping, cleaning out closets and drawers looking for more things to wear, and making lists—packing list, guest blog list, and cruise To Do list. Can you tell I’m excited?

I found a lovely silver cuff and a silver and onyx ring for my trip, but also couldn’t resist putting a yellow gold and smoky topaz ring on layaway. If I actually have money left after the cruise (yeah, right), it’s my Christmas present to myself.

This next week I’m putting myself on no mail for the loops (except mine!) and packing. I’ll be gone twelve whole days so I do have to plan mix and match pieces to keep my suitcase under fifty pounds. I’ll also be preposting blogs for when I’m gone, because I’m letting my friends take over to give you something fun to read.

But I guess what you really want to know is who won yesterday’s little contest. By random number generator, the winner is…Jane!

Quick NaNoWriMo update: I’m at 46,055 words. I’m slamming words now. It’s ugly, but I am determined to hit 50,000 tomorrow!

This afternoon from 4-8 PM CST, I’ll be hosting the Ellora’s Cave loop. I’ll be posting sexy excerpts, running scavenger hunts, awarding prizes and answering any questions you may have. Join me if you can! If you aren’t already a member of that loop, subscribe here: EC Chat loop

This past week I accomplished a lot.

I wrapped up a partial for an erotic novel and shipped it to my agent. The editor at the house I’m targeting asked for something “hawt”. I couldn’t resist calling my book “Hot Enough”. Cross your fingers for me that she likes it.

I finished chapters 2-4 of a fun erotic novella for Ellora’s Cave. Three more to go. I want to have this sucker shipped by mid-week.

That’s the update. But I want to get a plug in for my Wednesday release, Raw Silk.

A wicked, no-strings one-night stand turns unexpectedly complicated when three lonely hearts collide…

Camille sacrificed romance for success long ago. Now that the lingerie company she and her best friend built is hugely successful, she has a few regrets. Wanting to let down her hair and explore the possibilities, she agrees to meet a man at a bar for drinks only to wind up needing help when she rebuffs his sexual overtures.

Jake and Daniel are two firefighters hitting the bar for a quick drink after a long shift when they see a classy beauty fending off an overzealous boyfriend. With a flex of biceps they chase him off then settle in to seduce the lovely woman whose eyes reflect a hunger they understand all too well.

What starts as a simple, pleasurable one-night stand, quickly burns up the sheets. While Jake knows he can’t let Camille crush their relationship because of age differences, Daniel still thinks he can walk—until he gets a whiff of Camille’s best friend Lacey. Suddenly three isn’t enough.

Read an excerpt here: Raw Silk

Also, I have a new free series that just started up. You’ll want to read the chapter, because later this week, I’ll be giving you a chance to vote on what happens next!

On a whim, romance author DiDi Devereaux decides to travel to remote Louisiana bayou country to take possession of a house she inherited from a reclusive relative. But before she reaches her destination, she drives her car into a ditch to avoid a large animal that leaps into her path. Rescue comes in the form of a sexy sheriff, whose gruff demeanor seems to hide a feral attraction. As DiDi settles into her new home she finds herself torn between her attraction to the sheriff and the raw, handsome bad boy whose offer to help her renovate her home is a little too convenient and tempting.

Nothing in Bayou Noir is what it seems. When strange things begin to happen, her natural curiosity leads her into danger…

Read Chapter One

Quick NaNoWriMo Update: I’m at 36,632 words.

Another productive week, even with all the travel. I finished chapters 1-3 of my erotic proposal, and I’m almost done editing it. I also finished the first chapters of an erotic novella and a paranormal novella.

Bad, Bad Girlfriend was accepted, although I do have to go back for a final runthrough of edits before I return it to my editor. And that’s everything I accomplished for the week.

This week, I’ll have the 5-year-old underfoot for the first couple of days, so I expect dismal progress. But since it’s been so long since she visited, I don’t care. The rest of the week will be nose to the grindstone. I want to finish SOW, but I don’t yet have a firm grasp of the story. I hope it comes.

The big news? UNBRIDLED releases on Tuesday! So if you’re ready for a sexy menage—this is it! And seriously, can you resist a warning that reads like this one?

Warning: Hold on for the rodeo of your life with rough ridin’ male on male action; blazing hot m/m/f scenes; and melt-your-panties lovin’ as each of these sexy cowboys gives it the way they know best to turn their woman inside out.

Quick NaNoWriMo update: No progress at all to report. But I had a great excuse!

(Don’t miss my pool story at the bottom!)

I’m at the midpoint of the annual NaNoWriMo challenge. The challenge is to hit 50,000 words by the end of the month. I’m on track at 25,880.

With that 25k words, I’ve finished a novella for Ellora’s Cave—Bad, Bad Girlfriend—which I love because I let me comedic muse loose for that story. One of the people who read one particular scene between the heroine and her girlfriend said it was like a Lucy and Ethel scene and kept her laughing. Since, the girls were getting themselves deep into trouble, that comparison fit!

I’ve also finished the first chapter of the free read that will be sent out with my next newsletter shortly. Thanks again to everyone who voted for the story elements they wanted to see. You made it a breeze to write!

I’ve also started on two new projects. I’m in the opening pages, and it’s hard to make huge progress when I’m still feeling my way through the characters and dreaming up the plot, but it will come.

One of my great excuses for not writing yesterday was a booksigning I went to in Little Rock. I’ll post pictures tomorrow and tell you all about it then. I had a wonderful time with my fellow DSRA authors.

The other great reason I didn’t make progress last night, and probably won’t today, is because I have contest entries to judge that have to go out the door! And tonight, I have critiques to wrap up for the Rose’s Colored Glasses critique loop. Okay, I’m a procrastinator, but there is a method to my madness. I didn’t want to pull away from the writing and waited until I had one day where I could devote my time to reading through everything. So today will be another loss.

And I have to fit it all around a trip I’m making to meet with a man who casts runes and a witch.

Non-writing related, but did I mention my venture into the pool? Recently, we had days and days of heavy rain which produced yellow algae in our pool, turning the water slime green. We’ve tried every chemical under the sun to clean it out. The other day, I had the pool brush out, scrubbing at the bottom to get the scum loose. I opened up the telescoping pole to reach the bottom of the deep end and the brush and six feet of pole dropped into the water.

Well, I couldn’t leave it there. But damn, the water’s cold! So I suited up in my wetsuit (picture sausage stuffed into a casing) and waddled out to the pool. I dove and dove, but could only dart down and up because it was so dang cold I was gasping. At last, I got my hands around that sucker and brought it up. I am sooooo glad the pool is a couple hundred yards off the road.

But I feel heroic. I love it when I rise to a physical challenge, even if it’s only swimming through green sludge in a cold-ass pool.

You do know I’m going to make you wait until the end
to name the winners, so read on!

Thanks, everyone, for your enthusiastic response to the Cat Tails polls. Several of you went even farther and offered suggestions regarding the stories that are helpful. I can plot the first one now. I may come back after I’ve started to get your suggestions for possible titles, so be looking for another contest!

What did we wind up with?
Setting: Louisiana Bayou
Scenario: Innocent stranger enters a small, secretive town where shifters rule
Hero #1: Local sheriff in Louisiana parish who protects the secret of his pride’s existence
Hero #2: Bad boy shifter whose job it is to “distract” the human who entered their midst
Heroine: Reclusive author who inherits property from a distant relative and wrecks her car before getting to town

What did I accomplish writing-related this week?
1) I completed first round edits of Raw Silk.
2) I wrote the blurb for Raw Silk and completed the cover art sheet.
3) I completed first round edits of Unbridled.
4) I worked on website updates.

That last one reminds me, you have to go to my Coming Soon page. I have new entries there with links to excerpts for the books that are coming this month as well as blurbs for those coming very soon after that! You’ll want to sample them. And could anything be sexier than the cover for my upcoming release Unforgiven?

They’re nekkid, he hasn’t shaved—can’t you already feel the scrape of those bristles? And they look dirty, don’t they? Makes me think they’ve already been doing it for a while.
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