So, what are you doing in June?

'Cause I'm going to a bitchin' party!

Along with JA Saare and Madelyn Ford, I'll be attending the Lori Foster Reader and Author Get Together! This will be my first convention of any sort, and seriously, time could not move fast enough. By then, I'm hoping Lost Wages of Sin will be available. In the meantime, I will post some excerpts and interludes. Check back soon!

Today, I'm visiting Scarlett Parrish's blog and discussing OCD. If you get a chance, drop on by.

Lost Wages of Sin - Excerpt

As promised, I come bearing an excerpt from Lost Wages of Sin. It's short and sweet, but hopefully gives you an idea of the tone and a decent grasp of the characters. I'm already 10k into the next installment of this series, and I do plan on writing a few Dante/Ava snippets detailing their relationship up to the opening of this story.

Hope you enjoy!

From Sinners and Saints Book I: Lost Wages of Sin

Dante had always seemed a bit too perfect when it came to the male form, but then again, Ava knew half a million demons who would disagree with her. She supposed it was a matter of personal taste. Her sister had an insatiable appetite for…well, men, women, and what-have-you, but Luxi was most prone to men built like football players. Ava was just the opposite; her poison was a man who wouldn’t tower over her and likewise not make her feel too butch at the same time. Dante fit the bill. He was only a few inches taller than she and had a body built for debauchery, complete with strong arms and a marble-carved chest. Tonight, he was wrapped in a snug pair of jeans and a form-fitting navy tee, which made his pale skin seem paler. His hair was coal black and his eyes sparkled blue. Ava had always loved his eyes.

Not that she’d ever tell him any of that.

“Look,” she said at last, biting her thoughts back with a healthy helping of anger. Dante might be a friend—a fucking gorgeous friend at that—but she wasn’t in the mood to trade barbs or entertain his cocky ass. Not at the moment, at least. “Are you just gonna small-talk me to death or did you just want a good seat?”

Demon One stopped in defeat and held up his cloven hands. “Hey, are we keeping you from something? 'Cause we could totally reschedule the...you know, killing you.”

“Whoa! Do you two, like, know each other?” Demon Two asked, blinking dumbly.

Dante snickered and ignored them. “You sure do attract the thick ones.”

“You're one to talk,” Ava spat.

“Look, vamp,” Demon One said in defeat. “You gonna help or not? We are kinda busy here.”

“Right,” Dante replied. “Three on one and not a single one of you has managed to slow her down.” He rolled his eyes. “Wannabes.”

It was very obviously the wrong time to crack a grin, but for whatever reason, she couldn't help herself.

“Vamps are so fucking useless,” Demon One snarled.

Demon Three, the only one in the group not versed in English, gurgled something sounding like an agreement.

Ava met Dante’s eyes. “Hear that? You’re useless.”

“Figures. Mom always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything.” Dante sighed heavily and hopped off the mausoleum. “Want a hand?”

She shook her head, landing a hard punch against Demon Two’s puss-oozing eye before elbowing Demon Three. “I got it.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Dante huffed. “Right,” he said. “Every party needs a pooper.”

“That’s why you invited me.”

“You play with them too much,” he complained, stepping forward. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

Then he was everywhere. A blur of motion against a dark silhouette, moving with superhuman speed. Demon One collapsed before she could blink, gurgling and holding his sliced throat, a glossy look of surprise forever trapped on his face. Next went Demon Three, howling in his native tongue as his guts toppled out his split torso.

A hot flash of anger raced down Ava’s spine. This was so like him. Show up, distract her, and ruin the one solace the night had given her. Glad as she might be to see a familiar face, her frustration needed a channel, and he’d just stolen the only one in sight. “Dante!”

He tossed her a cocky grin. “Snooze you lose, darling.”

Love it? Hate it? Either way, I'd love to know!

I'm a nominated author!

I learned yesterday that Ripples Through Time was nominated at LR Cafe's Best of 2010. I was also nominated in the best paranormal author category! I won't win - up against JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon - but this has made the start of the year absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much to whoever nominated me.

I'll be back later today with an excerpt from my upcoming release, Lost Wages of Sin.

I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!

My erotic paranormal romance, Lost Wages of Sin, has been offered a contract through Liquid Silver Books, and I tell you, I'm this close to dancing in the streets. I've wanted to be with LSB for a long time now, especially considering their 100% author satisfaction (as reported by veinglory) and being recommended by Pred & Editors. I couldn't hope for a better home for the first of my Sinners and Saints series.

Here is the working blurb:

Sin's work is never done...

Ava should know. For nearly two thousand years, she’s worked for Lucifer himself, infecting the heart of man with greed wherever she goes. She wasn't prepared to fall in love, certainly not with an angel. And she definitely wasn't ready to experience her first broken heart after her angel breaks things off in the form of a Dear Jane letter.

Now Ava has a problem. Lucifer believes she might have shared some of Hell’s secrets with her former lover, and her siblings face the possibility of being out of a job due to her indiscretion. Ava flees to the American South, hoping to slip off the radar and is met by a longtime friend, a vampire named Dante. Granted, Ava doesn’t know Dante has been in love with her for centuries, and doesn’t understand why he won’t leave her alone no matter what comes after her.

With Hell on her trail, Ava’s running short on friends. Meanwhile, she can’t ignore the suggestive gazes Dante keeps sending her way. Something tells her it doesn’t take Hell to get things hot…

Since LSB no longer offers a print feature for their books, I am free to pursue POD options for those who might want Lost Wages of Sin in hard-copy form. Anyone in the blogosphere have any suggestions on companies or outlets I might research for this option?

Over the coming months as I work toward preparing the manuscript for publication, I plan on writing a few 500-750 word snippets featuring scenes from Dante and Ava's past. Check back for some free writing snippets!

Baby, it's cold outside!

The wind-chill is something like -12. Needless to say, we’re freezing our nips off. It does make for slower traffic where I work, however, and more time to pretend like I’m actually contributing around here. The fact the boss is out of town helps as well; his daughter, my BFF of 10 years, and I pretty much checkout when he’s not here.

I wrote around 5k on a WIP that quickly lost steam, but I haven’t given up on it. At the moment, I’m applying focus on two WIPs: the same paranormal romance I’ve been talking about for over a year (progress, baby!) and the second installment in a new series. I’m still making a decision on LWoS. As I said in my last update, I really, really, really love the pub that offered to contract it and the other one is fantastic as well. I’m taking advice on all sides and should (hopefully) know something certain in about a week.

In the meantime, I’m working edits for the press for which I line edit. And on that topic, I blogged at Romancing the Muses about writing do’s-and-don’ts.

I also have an introduction to make. The BFF I mentioned earlier is (at last) dipping her toes into the writing pool. She’s established a blog and plans to write under the name Nikki London. She’s been a dear friend of mine since high school, the closest thing to a sister I’ve ever had. With a degree in politics and government and a resume full of volunteerism for local and national candidates, you’ll likely notice a common theme in her works, and she writes her topics with knowledge and experience. Her writing is genuine and funny, and I can’t wait to see her take the literary world by storm. If you get a chance, drop by and say hello. You’ll be glad you did.

Reviews, updates, fiction, and publication.

So, I've been buried in edits. This doesn't look to change anytime soon, but I'm doing my best to get some writing done. On a the extreme plus side, LWoS was offered a contract from one of my dream pubs. It's still being considered by one of the other pubs (they wanted an additional two weeks) so I don't know its fate yet. I will know soon; by Jan 20th, I should have an answer.

In other news, I've received several fantastic reviews for Dark Solace. Check out my Goodreads page; I also got a Romance Reviews Top Pick review. For such a short story, I'm very excited about the reception. If you haven't yet, check it out! It's only $1.50.

I'll hopefully have another update on LWoS this week. Wish me luck!