Everything that can go wrong…will…and a winner

Friday, June 26, 2009

Sorry to disappear again, but the Internet has been down for the last week or so…

Anyway, the winner of the Red Sage giveaway is:  Booklover1335

Please e-mail me to claim your prize!

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My apologies to everyone who checks the blog and who I had scheduled over the last week…I cannot not apologize enough.
This has been a rough few months for me healthwise and computerwise and I appreciate your patience.

I hope you can understand.

I am hopeful that things will improve soon…and I’ll get caught up with everything.

Hope everyone has had a great week!


Red Sage Celebration comes to a close…here

Friday, June 19, 2009

So today is the last day of the Red Sage celebration here on my blog…and my final feature for the week is: Catherine Berlin’s The Doctor Next Door

Doctor Next Door“Fantasy”

Even an innovative company must never forget its roots. Red Sage stories may be erotic romance, but they were borne from romance novels. Romance, at its core, is about emotion and fantasy. Shy librarians, bored dukes, and exotic foreigners tap into those universal fantasies that explore different bits of our romantic selves.

Catherine Berlin takes this to a whole new level in her popular story, The Doctor Next Door. Brandon is the boy next door, sweetly appealing. And he’s the doctor, in command of his world. But best of all, he’s a man who will do anything to appeal to the woman he loves, including dressing up as her favorite romance hero, a Scottish warrior, and enacting a scene of seduction!

On sale until June 20 for just $1.50!  Click here to purchase!

 Now a Special Note from Catherine Berlin:

Where did my story come from?

THE DOCTOR NEXT DOOR came from a dream, as most of my stories do. The basic plot emerges, and as I fall asleep, I play out the story in my head– it just sort of continues through the night.

I knew when I started writing The Doctor Next Door that it would be a novella, rather than a full-length novel, and since it is pretty steamy, I had my fingers crossed that Red Sage would like it enough to buy it. I was introduced to Secrets by Leigh Wyndfield, and have been hooked ever since. I love the tight writing, the gorgeous heroes, and of course the happy endings (pun intended, haha).

I named my heroine Gen after my grandmother, Genevieve. She’s always been very supportive of my writing and brags to all her pals about my books. It’s only fair that I tossed her name into one.

Parts of The Doctor Next Door were inspired by real life, as parts of any story usually are. Like Gen, I have a group of writer friends, known as the Bats, who would all rally on-line for a critique or a brainstorming session without any hesitation. I think quite a few Bats will see themselves in the members of the critique group, and I think they’ll laugh their heads off about it! The Bats are a great group of people– you couldn’t ask for better– but don’t tell them that!

As to the fact that Gen writes Scottish historicals, well, I love Scottish historicals. Have even written a few. And for those of you who’ve been hearing about the infamous “kilt scene,” I’ve gotta share: my husband gave me a teddy bear for Valentines Day this year- dressed in a Highlander outfit complete with a kilt! He does know me!

I love the concept of finding the perfect person for you right under your nose. I like to think it’s more reality than fantasy. Whether it’s best friends who click or finally meeting that stranger you pass every day, the idea of finding true love in a world constantly getting bigger, is incredible to me. We have far too many choices, and too many mistakes to make. How wonderful that someone could be lurking this close, waiting to fulfill our dreams.

My shy heroine Gen is living out her fantasies on the page too– only her real fantasy is right next door!

Catherine Berlin

 Doesn’t this book sound good?  Remember, today’s the last day to leave a comment to win a download of this book as well as the others featured this week…details can be found in Monday’s post.

 I want to thank Red Sage for allowing me to help them celebrate their anniversary.  While the celebration may be over here, it’s going on all month for Red Sage so be sure to check out their website and blog for more.

So my last question of the week is…have you ever had a fantasy come true?  And what is the sweetest or craziest thing someone has ever done to win you over (or that you have done)?


The Celebration Continues…

Thursday, June 18, 2009

We are still celebrating Red Sage’s 15th Anniversary and today I am featuring another fascinating story…Kitsune by Lila Dubois.

Kitsune“Magic”

There’s a special kind of magic in being swept away by passion. Time hangs suspended as every nerve ending, every pulse of our hearts, every indrawn breath becomes supercharged with erotic and emotional nuance. For fifteen years, Red Sage has been recreating that magic between the covers of its books.

But there’s a second kind of magic in Kitsune. As paranormal romance stormed the reading scene, Kitsune delivered a magical, mythical heroine. She’s part fox and part immortal, and she alone can help the hero cope with his own dual identity. And her power to fill suitcases with designer clothes just with the wave of her magical hand? That’s a happy bonus.

On sale here!

 And here’s an exclusive excerpt…Keep Reading if you are 18 and over only please!

Sakura perched on the ledge of the roof, vibrating with excite­ment. It was her first time on this side of the gate, and her mission was a great one, and an honorable one. Her excitement weakened her control and around her short bursts of fire popped, a physical manifestation of her excitement.

Throwing her arms wide she leaped, falling, falling, before taking the form of mist, rising and swirling in the air. She could feel the human. The spirits had touched him, and the spirits’ signa­ture guided her forward through the air to swirl against one of the seemingly endless panes of glass.

There were no cracks or breaks. She couldn’t get in. Panic rose, but Inari reached out, like a father gently showing a child how to slide open a door, and urged her on. She became one with the glass to pass through and re-form as mist on the other side.

Inari’s touch left her, and she was alone once more. Curious, she looked around, identifying it as a bedroom. She wasn’t entirely ignorant of the ways of this side of the torii gate. Like the others of her kind, she’d watched them in the reflecting pools and learned their history. Learned the aching sadness and great pride of the humans.

It was night, when the humans slept, and if this was a bedroom he would be in the bed. Sakura reformed her human body. On bare feet she padded to the bed, which looked soft and squishy with mounds of dark fabric.

She crept closer and, gasping in delight, saw him for the first time. He was young and very beautiful. His lay on his side so she could only see half his face, but his slanted jaw, high cheekbones and thin lids were the epitome of male beauty. She stood over him, filled with pleasure at having been sent to serve one so beautiful.

Inari said once she saw him she would know how to help him, how to restore him.

Sakura knew exactly how she wanted to help him. She grabbed the blanket and tugged, pulling it down and off. He turned and his eyes opened for a moment. Sakura squeaked in alarm and passed her hand over his face, sending him deep into sleep.

She threw the heavy comforter off the end of the bed. In his sleep he shivered and Sakura cocked her head, examining the air temperature in the room. It was cool, and when she looked down, her nipples were drawn tight. She lifted her hand to her lips and blew across her skin. A small fire crackled to life in her palm. She tipped her hand and let the fire spill to the floor, where it hovered an inch above the wood. The fire grew in long lines, spreading like a spider’s web, bringing heat and light to the room. He stopped shivering.

He was cold so she warmed him. Already she was taking good care of him. Sakura smiled.

By the light of the fire lines, she could see him better, and she took her time pursuing his form. He was slender but muscled, his hairless chest smooth and golden with small, taut, brown nipples. His torso tapered from wide shoulders to a narrow waist. A small garment like tiny pants covered his hips. Sakura briefly touched his sleeping mind, pulling the definition for the article of clothing from his memory. In this way, Sakura learned that the top stretched.

Delighted with the newest development she poked at the waist­band, running her fingers over the fabric casing, feeling for the stretchy thing within. Elastic. She slipped one fingertip under the edge and tugged, feeling the resistance. She pulled and let go, yelp­ing as it snapped back against his belly and caused him to jerk even in the deep magic-sleep.

Sakura curled her fingertips under the waistband once more and started pulling it down. Because it was caught under him, Sakura couldn’t easily slide them off, and brief glimpses of curling dark hair seemed to taunt her.

Slipping her hands to his hips, Sakura gave one good tug and pulled the garment to his knees. Excited, she worked the, um, box­ers down over his calves, ankles, and then pulled them free, drop­ping them over the edge of the bed with the comforter.

Sakura danced around to the other side of the bed and climbed on, prowling across the surface until she knelt by his hip, her thigh length hair spilling around her and onto the ivory sheets.

Now the powerful line of shoulder to waist was unbroken and flowed down to his hip and thigh. His cock lay still and soft amid tight dark curls. She reached out to touch but pulled back, knowing she should not fondle without permission.

Sakura raised her hand, palm to the ceiling, and then curled her fingers, dousing the fire. The bright orange light faded, and the room was once more lit by the white glow of the city’s lights. She scooted away from him to the center of the bed and knelt upright, long locks of hair slithering forward to cover her breasts and pool down over her thighs.

He’d turned away from the world of the kami, closed one side of his heart so that the other side began to whither and die. This prob­ably meant that he wouldn’t accept that the rice god Inari had sent one of the creatures of the kami, a servant of the gods, to aid him.

Sakura reached into his mind and smoothed it, subduing, if only for the night, the logic he used as weapon and shield. Her heart ached as she touched the loneliness in the center of his belly. She chanted silently, her lips moving but no sound escaping, as she worked her influence over him.

His brow furrowed, and then smoothed once more, as she com­pleted the enchantment.

“Wake now.”

 Wow!  Readers, be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win this ebook as well as the other’s featured this week…details can be found in Monday’s post.

And check back tomorrow for our final Red Sage feature this week:
The Doctor Next Door by Catherine Berlin

So have you felt the magic of being swept away by passion…either in real life or when you read?  And what about that second kind of magic mentioned above…do you enjoy magical stories?


More with Red Sage…

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The celebration continues and today I am featuring Rose Middleton’s Payback

Payback“Rogue”

Women love a bad boy! Tall, dark, and dangerous, with a cool glint in his eye and an uncontrollable edge — the Romantic Rogue reminds us why we love men in the first place. They’re daring. They’re governed by a personal moral (or immoral!) code. And they’re very, very sexy.

For fifteen years, Red Sage fans have savored stories about rule-breaking men and the women who tame them. What could be better than a charming devil? Try a charming devil who’s also a jewel thief! Described by one reviewer as “a fast ride on the not-so-legal side,” Payback continues the tradition of sexy, dangerous, and deliciously wicked Red Sage Rogues.

On sale here!

 Here’s a little more about this story:

Alexis Benedict is a woman on a mission. A secret and very dangerous mission. Her goals?

First, steal a magnificent sapphire from on board a private cruise ship.

Second, get revenge on Lorenzo DeLuca, her former lover and partner-in-crime who dared to abandon her several years ago.

Her plan is perfect. She’s spent hours, weeks, months, poring over every detail.

But she forgot to factor in one little scientific fact…

Chemistry. As in her chemistry with Lorenzo, which is still explosive and all-consuming, and which threatens not just her mission, but her heart.

 Doesn’t that sound good?  Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment to enter to win a download of this story along with the other books featured this week…details can be found in Monday’s post.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for another feature:
Kitsune by Lila Dubois

So tell me, do you love a bad boy?  If so, do you prefer to just read about them or do you love them in real life as well?


Red Sage Celebration continues…

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

So as I mentioned, I’ll be featuring Red Sage books all week to help celebrate their 15th anniversary…

Up first is Calista Fox’s High Voltage

HighVoltage“Electric”

Passion is electrifying. We feel it in our skin, in our bellies, in that flutter of excitement when we hear our beloved’s voice murmur tender words of love. The electrical charge builds until until it breaks over our bodies at that crucial moment. No wonder we call it a climax.

Calista Fox writes electrifying stories, and not just in the sex scenes. High Voltage begins with an electrical storm on a secluded country road. The heroine, alone and terrified, manages to dodge these bolts of lightning, but then when she finds the hero, naked in the back of her truck — direct hit! And does this werewolf story crackle with energy!

On sale until June 20 for just $1.50!  Click here to purchase!

 Here’s an excerpt from High Voltage:

“You’re still cold,” he said in a low voice.

She shook her head. “Actually, I’m not.”

In fact, her sweatshirt and pants suddenly felt as confining as a heavy ski suit. The material touching her skin was smothering her. What Serena really wanted was to shed every article of clothing and bask in the warmth radiating from the fire and the man standing next to her. She felt as though she was suffocating in the thick material that covered her.

Without thinking twice about it, Serena reached for the hem of the sweatshirt and yanked it over her head. Tossing the shirt toward the chair sitting adjacent to the sofa, she let out a sigh of relief. Although she now only wore a clingy camisole with her bottoms, she felt freed of the confines that had gripped her so fiercely.

“Much better,” she mumbled.

The man next to her eyed her with a wicked glint. As though he’d just realized what that earlier shiver stemmed from. Anticipation. Exhilaration. He knew her internal, innate response to him. And clearly, he liked it.

Slowly, his hand lifted and he brushed away strands of damp hair from her face. Serena sucked in a shaky breath as his warm fingers grazed her cheek. She wasn’t one for reckless abandon, yet somehow, all caution had just been thrown to the wind. Serena couldn’t say for sure why she suddenly felt so bold and daring, but she did. Nor could she stop herself from reaching out to the beautiful man who’d literally appeared out of nowhere this evening.

As her fingertips pressed to the bare skin at his waist, just above the white towel he wore, she forgot her fear and her uncertainty. All the unanswered questions slipped from her mind, no longer holding weight or bearing significance. Serena didn’t care about the odd occurrences that had led to this moment. She didn’t even question why he was here. All that mattered was that he was, indeed, here. With her.

Gliding her fingers upward in a light, feathery movement, she reveled at the way his muscles responded to her. They tightened under her touch, quivering oh-so-slightly. Serena had never felt the surge of feminine power evoked by Garrett’s involuntary reaction to her. Her breathing quickened and her heart thumped a bit stronger in her chest.

Garrett’s eyelids dipped as her hand splayed across one well-defined pectoral muscle. That he didn’t stop her or move away told her all she needed to know. He felt the pull, too.

“I still need you to explain everything,” she whispered. Her body gravitated toward his until her skin brushed his warm flesh. One large hand skimmed her thigh before rising higher, to her waist. It then slipped around to the small of her back and he pulled her body against his, causing an internal reaction that stole Serena’s breath. Her insides clenched tightly, and that intense throbbing she’d felt earlier between her legs suddenly returned.

“I will explain,” he assured her, “I want you to understand who I am. I want you to know everything, Serena. But right now…” His head dipped and his lips brushed her temple. “All I want is you.”

Serena had never been so swept away. As Garrett’s arms tightened around her, holding her close to him, his lips moved from her temple to her cheek, then lower to her mouth. His warm lips just barely grazed hers. A whisper of a kiss that left her dying for more.

Now a special Note From Calista Fox:

Object of Desire Contests!!!

Visit my revamped website for two great contests this month!! One is a VERY SPECIAL bonus contest for my July release, OBJECT OF DESIRE! Stop by and check out all the fun!!
So much fun!!! Hope to “see” you this month!!!

Best,
Calista

 Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered to win a download of High Voltage as well as the other books featured this week…details can be found in yesterday’s post.

 And be sure to come back tomorrow when I feature:
Payback by Rose Middleton

So the above description aptly describes passion as electrifying…what other words can you use to define passion?  How do you define it?


Happy Anniversary Red Sage!

Monday, June 15, 2009

As I mentioned yesterday, Red Sage is celebrating their 15th anniversary and they are having a mini-party here with us.

 To kick things off here is a little something special they are doing this month to celebrate…

 Kidnap This Logo!

Red Sage Official Logo medium 

And You Could Win!

 To celebrate its Fifteenth Anniversary, Red Sage is throwing a party! Every party needs presents, and here’s a gift that might help you win the July Secrets anthology and Calista Fox’s new novel, Object of Desire!

 Here’s how to play the party game:

 Anyone can play! All you have to do is “kidnap” this logo and post it on your blog or website. Copy and paste the jpg image of the anniversary gift to your own blog or website to kidnap it. Be sure to include these instructions so people know how to play!

 Invite your readers and friends to send an email with the subject line “Ransom Note” to eRedSage@gmail.com. Inside this email, they must include a link back to your kidnapped logo.

Then you and your friend will both be entered into a drawing to win free trade paperbacks! Every time one of your readers sends a ransom note with a link, you will be entered again! Each Ransom Note is worth two entries in the drawing — one for the person who sends the Ransom Note, and one for the linked blog or website. And you both can win!

 Want more chances to win? Invite your readers and friends to kidnap this logo, and then you can enter again by sending a Ransom Note linking to your friend’s blog or website!

The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win!  But get your entries in by June 30. Winners will be drawn July 1!

Group blog or website? No problem! Just be sure to sign your post so we know who the winner should be!

Good luck, and have fun!

Okay, readers, if you’d like to enter (and help me enter):
 Send an email with the subject line “Ransom Note” to
eRedSage@gmail.com. Inside this email, you need to include a link back to this post!!!

You can also post the logo on your own site along with the instructions (if you can’t copy and paste them, e-mail me and I’ll send them to you).

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In addition to the above contest, there is also another great giveaway this week just for my blog readers!

 Each day this week will feature a different eBook from Red Sage and you have the chance to win all FOUR of the featured eBooks.

HighVoltagePaybackKitsuneDoctor Next Door 

 

 

 

 

All you have to do is leave a comment this week on any of the Red Sage posts and you’ll be entered to win.
Every comment counts as an entry so don’t be shy!

ONE winner will be randomly selected from all the comments and announced on Saturday, June 20.
Be sure to return to see if you won and to leave a valid e-mail addy so we’ll know where to send the prize.

 Happy Anniversary Red Sage and thanks for allowing me and my blog readers to help you celebrate!

To learn more about Red Sage visit:  http://www.eredsage.com/

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the first Red Sage feature:  High Voltage by Calista Fox


Announcements…

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sorry this is getting posted late today…had a rough day.

Anyway…

I am a bit late in announcing the winners of June’s Book-of-the-Month and eBook-of-the-Month, but savvy readers may have seen the results in the sidebar…

The June Book-of-the-Month is:
In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell
in over her head

And the June eBook-of-the-Month is:
It’s Raining Men by Crystal Jordan
it's raining men

I am not sure yet what dates I’ll be discussing them, but I’ll be sure to let you know and update the sidebar with the details soon.

Also, look for more info on July’s selections soon.

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I also have a winner to announce.  Before I left for my trip and disappeared on y’all, I asked for book suggestions and offered a surprise prize to one lucky person…

And the winner is:  Caffey

Please e-mail me to claim your prize!

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Also, starting tomorrow authors from Red Sage will be here all week to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Red Sage…more details will be posted tomorrow…be sure to come back…there is a great giveaway!