Busy busy busy

Since April, my husband and I have been casually looking for a new place to live. Our apartment is sizable, but the neighbors are crackheads and the landlord is an asshole. Since our lease renewed in August automatically, we went month-to-month and began the search…which came to an end just over a week ago. We found a duplex for just $25 more in rent per month on a quiet street not too far from the apartment. Over the course of last week, we signed a lease, paid the deposit and prorated rent, boxed up all our stuff, and moved. My anxiety levels spiked a bit and I had a rough few days, but considering the place was discovered and the move was initiated in a matter of one week, we did a heck of a good job getting it complete.

This obviously means I’ve accomplished nothing in terms of writing. There are still boxes to unpack, but I finally feel like I can work on fiction rather than worry about the next stage, and the timing couldn’t be better. Know Thine Enemy debuts in less than a month from Noble Romance Publishing. I have edits on Sinfully Scandalous to look forward to, and Original Sin, a Sinners and Saints story featuring Lucifer, is a contender in ARe’s Just One Bite contest (voting to begin October 1). Also, Forbidden Fruit has been a #1 Best Seller at Noble Romance Publishing for two straight weeks now. All this to say, it’s not the best time to be away from the Interwebs, so I’ll try not to take a lengthy sabbatical. I like staying busy.

I like having projects.

On my to-read list is Aline Hunter’s latest release. As her CP, I have read Omega Mine, but it’s been a while. I do remember the story is amazing, so make sure you have it on your to-read list, as well.

That’s all from me for the time being. Easing back into my routine. It hasn’t been all that long, but with as busy as the past two weeks have been, it feels frantic.

Just One Bite Finalist! Read the stories today, vote on October 1!

Voting at All Romance E-Books' Just One Bite Contest commences on October 1, 2011. In the meantime, you can read the entries by the 32 Finalists. Including Original Sin, a Sinners and Saints Lucifer-centric short. See how it began for our favorite devil! And don't forget to vote on October 1!

Original Sin

A Sinners and Saints Story

“You smell fantastic,” she purred, thrusting her pelvis against mine. I was naked; clothing had not yet become a necessity. We were on the ground, Lilith in my lap, her fingers searching, seeking, feeling me all over. Then her teeth pierced the skin at my neck, biting down hard enough for me to experience my very first shard of pain. Blood I hadn’t known I owned poured freely from the wound, and she drank it like the elixir of life itself.

Granted, it was that for her. When human blood mingled with whatever the hell I was, it changed the human into something else entirely. The transformation was damn near instantaneous. Gone was the desperate abandon in her eyes and the war-torn state of her flesh. Her hair spun wildly out of her head, ribbons of black waterfalling over her shoulders and down her back. The skin clinging to bone grew soft and fat, plumping her out nicely. My hands cradled her breasts the second I remembered how to work them, and her red, healthy mouth crashed upon mine in a hungry first kiss.

Read more....

#1 Best Seller

For the time being, at least, Forbidden Fruit, my naughty, kinky short with Noble Romance, is the #1 best seller! And my other short with Noble, Dark Solace, made the top 10!

This is the first time I've been able to call myself a best-selling author. It feels pretty kickin'.

In the meantime, I'm in the process of packing up my earthly belongings to move them about a mile north. I might be scarce on the interwebs for about a week.

Winner!

Congratulations to Sonya Clark! Check your inbox, 'cause you have a helping of Forbidden Fruit!

Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway!

Forbidden Fruit release! + Giveaway

Apparently, I got my release date confused with someone else's. Forbidden Fruit is NOW AVAILABLE from Noble Romance!

CLICK ME! CLICK ME! CLICK ME!



Blurb:

Ashlynn Sweeney has been in love with Reese for ten years, which would be no problem were he not her stepbrother. Being near him is unbearable, but Ashlynn likes to think she plays it cool, and his living on campus definitely makes life easier.

When Reese comes home for spring break, Ashlynn does her best to avoid him. Yet temptation’s hard to resist, and discovering the object of her affections masturbating to pornography is about as tempting as it gets. Though she flees before they can lock eyes, Reese isn’t about to let Ashlynn off that easily. Instead, he suggests they watch the rest together.

Ashlynn’s low on options. She can either face the forbidden with her head held high or brace herself for uncomfortable family gatherings. Either way, her life’s about to change...she just doesn’t know how much.


Excerpt

First official day of spring break. Ostensibly, nothing had changed in the house, but the air felt different. Alive. Electric. Ashlynn likened it to the sensation she experienced before giving an interview, or facing a class full of students during oral presentation week.

Granted, the world seemed different whenever Reese was around. Her stepbrother normally left within five seconds of walking through the front door, but he'd come home from the dorms on Friday and spent the night. If that weren't enough, he'd then shocked the crap out of her by staying through the weekend. Usually, he hit the road with his friends for excitement, alcohol, and scantily clad women. But for whatever reason, he hadn't followed his usual script.

Reese--even his name tasted delicious--was home.

Home, rather than anywhere else. Home, where Ashlynn, two years his junior, still lived with her mom and Reese's dad. Where she spent most of her free time trying to keep her thoughts as far from Reese as possible. Right now, sharing a roof with him again for however long, she couldn't shake the fantasies so easily.

Perhaps he would stay throughout the entire break. Here. Alone with her.

How should she feel if he decided to stay? She loved having him home almost as much as she dreaded it. People said girls matured faster than boys did, but Ashlynn didn't think that meant crushing hard at age nine, from the moment she laid eyes on him. Childhood crushes were supposed to have an expiration date; they weren't supposed to grow into an unhealthy obsession of catastrophic proportions.

His absence had made the past two years more tolerable. Although she missed him, Ashlynn had an easier time focusing on her own college preparations and social life with Reese away at school. She could pretend to show mild interest whenever someone asked her out, which happened often. Ashlynn Sweeney had been blessed with classic girl-next door looks--strawberry-blonde hair, a curvy hourglass figure, dimples and a winning smileóand she appeared invisible to no one except the one person whose attention she most craved.

But that craving was wrong. Reese had been her brother for over a decade now, and lusting after someone the law declared "family" violated all kinds of social norms.

Still, she missed him when he was gone, even if she had no idea what to do with herself when he came home. For the last few days, she'd wandered around in a stupor, trying to come up with something dazzling to say to him, and feeling lame whenever he asked her a question and she had to struggle for a coherent thought.

Today, the folks had vacated the premises; Ashlynn and Reese were alone.

Well, Ashlynn wandered the house alone. Feeling lame. Reese remained in his bedroom. Avoiding her. Being cool Mr. College and likely chatting up some skanky sorority bitch.

Ashlynn sighed, pausing in her trek down the hallway to cast a forlorn glance at Reese's bedroom door. Not a morning guy, he'd stay in there until at least three o'clock. She'd better find something to do. Something beyond wishing Reese would look at her and see anything but his annoying brat sister.

And God, she hated the word "sister." She and Reese shared zero strands of DNA. Their parents had married one another: end of story. Granted, Ashlynn hadn't minded. She'd loved Reese immediately, just for the wrong reasons. Reasons that would never cross Reese's mind.

Ashlynn turned to continue downstairs, but something caught her ear. She paused once more. A voice? A nearly indiscernible sound, so soft she thought she'd imagined it. The sound came again.

A very womanly moan.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," she muttered, turning on her heel. If Reese had brought a date into the house right under her nose . . . .

Though, she reminded herself, Reese had every right to his personal life. He couldn't know his stepsister secretly pined after him. His high school parade of girlfriends had all seen his room at one point or another. Ashlynn had endured more than one tearfully sleepless night, imagining him with other girls. Really, her stepbrother had every right to bring someone over. Hell, Ashlynn could bring home someone, too. They were both legally adults, after all. The time for sneaking around had officially passed.

On closer inspection, though, Ashlynn noted a definite absence of real-life girly sighs coming from Reese's room. The womanly sound she'd heard came from the television, which shouldn't surprise her. Reese was a healthy, red-blooded male and she knew he had a penchant for jerking it whenever the mood took him. When they had actively shared a roof, she had lurked outside his bedroom during his private time. Listening in was a sick fetish, she knew, but nothing got her hotter than hearing his faint whimper and moan, her mind conjuring images of what her eyes couldn't see.

Apparently, old habits die hard.

"I'm sick," Ashlynn murmured, wandering toward her stepbrother's door. "I need help, because I'm sick."

As she drifted closer, the sounds on the television became more prominent, and the cheesy music and the heavy moans left little room for mystery.

Porn. She'd never watched porn, but she had enough street knowledge to know what it sounded like. Plus, and more to the point, her eavesdropping had long ago revealed Reese loved porn, although she'd never caught him actually watching any. Perhaps he kept the sound muted to spare the folks' sensibilities. He had not muted it today.

He also hadn't closed the door all the way.

Just walk away. Turn around and walk away.

But she couldn't walk away.

In addition to this, I am doing a giveaway that will end tomorrow night at midnight. To enter the giveaway, just respond to this post with your name and email address. Good ole fashioned drawing. How's that sound?

Coming Sept 16

Forbidden Fruit, my erotic contemporary romance, is slated for release next week. I received the cover art today.



Blurb:

Ashlynn Sweeney has been in love with Reese for ten years, which would be no problem were he not her stepbrother. Being near him is unbearable, but Ashlynn likes to think she plays it cool, and his living on campus definitely makes life easier.

When Reese comes home for spring break, Ashlynn does her best to avoid him. Yet temptation’s hard to resist, and discovering the object of her affections masturbating to pornography is about as tempting as it gets. Though she flees before they can lock eyes, Reese isn’t about to let Ashlynn off that easily. Instead, he suggests they watch the rest together.

Ashlynn’s low on options. She can either face the forbidden with her head held high or brace herself for uncomfortable family gatherings. Either way, her life’s about to change...she just doesn’t know how much.


Excerpt

Ashlynn turned to continue downstairs, but something caught her ear. She paused once more. The sound was nearly indiscernible, so soft she thought she’d imagined it until it came again.

A very womanly moan.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," she muttered, turning on her heel. If Reese had brought a date into the house right under her nose . . . .

Though, she reminded herself, Reese had every right to his personal life. It wasn't as though he knew his stepsister secretly pined after him. In high school, Reese had entertained a parade of girlfriends, all of whom had seen his room at one point or another. Ashlynn hadn't subjected herself to much emotional torment then, but she had endured more than one tearfully sleepless night imagining him with other girls. On the surface, her stepbrother had every right to bring over a girlfriend. Hell, Ashlynn could bring home someone, too. They were both legally adults, after all. The time for sneaking around had officially passed.

On closer inspection, though, Ashlynn noted a definite absence of real-life girly sighs coming from Reese's room. The womanly sound she'd heard came from the television, which shouldn't surprise her. Reese was a healthy, red-blooded male and she knew he had a penchant for jerking it whenever the mood took him. Considering he’d recently turned twenty-one, the mood likely struck quite often. When they had actively shared a roof, she had lurked outside his bedroom during his private time. Listening in was a sick fetish, she knew, but nothing got her hotter than hearing his voice whimper and moan as her mind filled in the blanks of what her eyes couldn't see.

Apparently, old habits die hard.

"I'm sick," Ashlynn murmured, wandering toward her stepbrother's door. "I need help because I'm sick."

As she drifted closer, the sounds on the television became more prominent, and the cheesy music and the heavy moans left little room for mystery.

Porn. She'd never watched porn, but she had enough street knowledge to know what it sounded like. Plus, and more to the point, Reese was a confessed porn aficionado, though she'd never caught him in the act. Perhaps he watched it muted whenever the folks were around. If that was the case, he had not muted it today.

And for whatever reason, he also hadn’t closed the door all the way.

Just walk away. Turn around and walk away.

But she couldn't just walk away.

Also, I received word today that Original Sin has been selected as a finalist for the ARe Just One Bite contest! The story will be made available on October 1st as a FREE READ, and best of all, readers will be able to vote for their favorite among the 32 finalists.

This short is a Lucifer-centered backstory to the Sinners and Saints series. It's around 3k in length. The second book in the series, Sinfully Scandalous, is slated for release soon from LSB. Book One, Lost Wages of Sin, is currently available here.

Once the story is made available, I'll post a link to it and to the other 31 finalists.