The Lure Of the Flesh

CONTEST!!

2009-12-23T17:29:27Z

Don't Forget to head over to my blog and Anya Bast's blog to enter our Curl Up With A Book...And a Nook contest. Between us, we're giving away 26 books between December 21 and January 5 and the grand prize is a Nook ebook reader!

Curl up with a Book and a Nook! Contest

2009-12-21T17:20:03Z

Excerpt: COMING UNDONE

2009-12-20T03:58:55Z

COUNTDOWN TO COMING UNDONE – WHEEEEE!! Just a little over two weeks to go! How about an excerpt?

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

Brody Brown has always been responsible for others. After his parents’ death, he gave up a promising artistic career to care for his younger brother and sister. Now, with his siblings grown, Brody owns his own business, has a nice house, makes a nice living, and for the first time in years he’s on his own.

Elise Sorenson has come to Seattle with her young daughter to find peace. After years as a world-famous ballerina—(and just as many years in a marriage-gone-bad)—she’s looking for neither love nor attention. But she finds both in the handsome, honest man who befriends her with no strings attached.

More than friends, Brody and Elise discover in each other what they need—wild, physical passion without commitment. But it’ll take a shadow from Elise’s past to make them look beyond what they need—to what they truly desire.

COMING UNDONE was given a TOP PICK by RT Booklover’s Magazine! Dane revisits the Brown family from LAID BARE in this knockout erotic tale. This is a major “feel good” book about two people rebounding from hard knocks without bitterness. It also comes with emotionally mature characters, palpable love and caring among family and friends, an adorable child and suspense. It that’s not enough, this is also passionate fun and intense sex. Hero Brody is a winner — sensitive and sexy.

COMING UNDONE by LAUREN DANE

Copyright 2010, Lauren Dane

All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Publishing Group

She laughed. “Well, we dancers don’t like to just walk away if we don’t have to. I don’t want to stop dancing. I just can’t do it at the level I had before. So this is a wonderful opportunity for me. And yes, it helps that I was at the level I was when I . . . retired.”

The weight of all they left unsaid hung between them. “Will you dance for me? I’ve only seen The Nutcracker. My mom, she took us every year. I didn’t see much of you when I came in.”

“I’m not . . . not what I was in those pictures. My right leg was broken in two places. I’m older now. I’m not her anymore.”

He stepped closer, so close she scented the soap he’d used that morning. “You’re you. Please. I’d very much like to see you dance.”

She paused, taking his measure. “All right. You can sit over there if you like. How about something a little nontraditional? Before I left, one of the choreographers did something for me. It’s one of my favorite pieces.”

“I’d like that.”

She moved away and he settled into a nearby chair. She bent in half, and he had a brief but very vivid image of bending her over just that way and sliding his cock into her from behind. Christ, the woman did things to his mind.

But when she hit the remote and moved into position, and a few moments later Tito Puente came through the speakers, he was a goner.

Shoulders rolling, she moved slowly, sensuously, across the hardwood floors. She opened herself up to the music, to the movements, until it was all one thing. Like breathing. She was the dance. The beat was cha-cha, so the choreography was all about sensuality, grace, balance and movements from the toes up. So many times every day she failed to find the words, but when she moved she didn’t need words, she spoke with her body.

His eyes on her were a brand. The tension between them was taut, exciting. She felt him watch her, his gaze a heated caress of her neck, her arms. In his eyes, she felt beautiful and sexy. Elise was, right then, a siren, a seductress with her body and her grace. It was rare to feel that anymore, and the confidence of it roared through her. She knew her leaps were beautiful, her grand jetés precise and her pirouettes spot-on. Part of her wanted him to see how good she was, wanted him to realize she was more than a broken dancer who’d run from the spotlight, but a dancer who’d held it for good reason for many years.

It burned within her, that recognition, that beauty, until she stepped back on her left foot, rolling her shoulders to set her head when the music died.

Time slid by as she stood tall and met his gaze. Silence, thick, charged, hung between them. Everything unsaid, everything said and done, it was all there in his gaze, in the one she returned. Oh, how she wanted this man. He simply continued to watch her without speaking. He stared for so long, she wondered if she’d misinterpreted those looks from him as she danced.

“I’ve never seen anything like you before.” He moved to her slowly, not gracefully; he was too big for that. But enough to let her step back or run. The heat in his eyes, the memory of his lips on her wrist, of his taste on her tongue, held here there, rooted to the spot.

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

“To be honest with you, Elise, I don’t know. Here’s what I do know. I can’t stop thinking about you. Thinking about those kisses we shared, about the way your pulse at your wrist beat against my lips. The hollow of your throat.” He drew a fingertip over that very sensitive skin and she drew in a shaky breath. “The way you smell. Christ, so feminine. Not flowery, not vanilla, but so female. Drives me crazy.” He leaned in and took a deep breath, his lips hovering just above her shoulder.

“I probably smell like female sweat just now.” She tried to joke, but his nearness put her on edge. Not with fear but with desire, with wanting things she’d never imagined she’d want. Of wanting him to give her exactly what he said he wanted to deliver. Of wanting him to take.

“You smell so fucking good, I want to take a big bite. I want to lick you from the tips of your toes to the tops of your ears.”

His words left her gaping like a goldfish in a bowl. She gave in to the feelings, let go and let her fingers thread through that thick hair of his. It was softer than she’d imagined. The strength of him under her hands, as he bent to her, sent a tremor through her. Oh, she wanted this, wanted the power of his body against hers, sliding skin to skin.

“I want you, Elise, and I think you want me too. No. I know you do. I can see it there in your eyes. I tasted it on your skin.”

Guesting at the ROMCOM blog!

2009-12-17T15:41:20Z

I'm guesting over at the ROMCOM blog today talking about heroines, COMING UNDONE and ballet! Come say hello (enter for a chance to win a copy of Laid Bare at the same time!)

Wheee! RT Reviewer's Choice Noms!

2009-12-09T00:23:12Z

Today I woke up to news that Laid Bare and Taking Care of Business have been nominated for RT Reviewer’s Choice Awards! With this news I also learned many of my friends and favorite authors have also been nominated in various categories!

Congratulations to Erotic Romance lifetime achievement nominees Joey Hill and Beth Williamson! To other RT Reviewer’s Choice award noms I know – Maya Banks (twice!), Larissa Ione, Megan Hart, Vivi Anna, Kimberly Kaye Terry, Joey Hill, Alison Kent, Kate Davies, Allyson James, Kate Pearce, Charlene Teglia, Lili Feisty, Livia Dare (otherwise known as Sylvia Day), Victoria Janssen, Shiloh Walker (twice!), Alyssa Day, Nalini Singh, Lorelei James, – and to ALL the nominees – YAY! See you all in April at RT.

How about an excerpt then? To celebrate? A snippet of Brody and Elise’s first kiss in COMING UNDONE, the follow up to LAID BARE

COMING UNDONE by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2010, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Group
Releasing January 5, 2010!

Her smile melted as she cocked her head. “Aren’t a whole lot of men like you. Too bad.”

“All the more of me to share.” He grinned and shrugged.

She laughed, the sound delightful. He liked her. His other neighbors he enjoyed, some he tolerated, some he disliked, but he didn’t really seek out any of them to hang with. It didn’t hurt that she wasn’t a chore to look at either.

He and Adrian hung out for another hour or so before standing to leave. Rennie had gone upstairs, and Adrian scampered quickly back to Brody’s place, leaving Elise alone with Brody on her porch.

“Thank you for dinner.”

She smiled up at him. “Thank you for coming to dinner. It was nice, having company. Rennie had a great time too.”
He stepped closer as they stood in the shadows, a broad column near the steps shrouding them from the street. “Elise, I think I’m going to have to kiss you because I can’t stop thinking about it.”

She blinked up at him and nodded. “I think you should.”

He wanted to lay her out on the grass, the stars above, the scent of lilacs heavy around them. Wanted to kiss her long and slow for hours, until he could do nothing more but slide into her body as she welcomed him.

But that was not going to happen. Not that night, at least. Instead, he bent his knees as she tiptoed up. With no more than fingertips cupping her chin, he leaned down those last glorious inches and took her lips with his own. He’d meant to slide into it, to take it slow and give her a sweet smooch.

Instead, the moment her taste met his lips, a fire banked within him. He needed more and settled in, coaxing her mouth open, sliding his tongue along hers, only barely resisting his desire to cup one of her breasts, though his palm felt the phantom press of a wanton nipple.

Her breath chased her tongue into his mouth, her hands, small and soft, lay palm open on his chest. So fucking good, the kiss was so good he wanted to do it for hours and hours. Instead, he heard Rennie call her mother’s name and she stiffened.

He stepped back with great regret. “Thank you again, Elise. Good night.”

She nodded, looking sort of stunned. Which was good, because it meant he wasn’t the only one feeling totally punched in the gut by desire. He walked down her steps and waved, catching her eye as she went back inside. She smiled, returning the wave, and then closed the door.

I Need A Little Help

2009-11-29T17:55:15Z

For some reason, Trinity is showing up at Amazon in the Kindle store, but it says it’s not available for users in the US. Which means you can’t buy it. I’ve been getting some mail about this and I’ve written to Amazon a few times over the last 10 days or so asking them to fix it, but nothing has happened yet.
So, I’m appealing to all of you to help me. If you go to the Trinity Page at Amazon at the bottom of the page there’s a “Feedback” box where you can email Amazon. If you have a moment, I’d love you all forever if you went over there and wrote to Amazon, asking them to fix the error so the book can be purchased.
Until then, if you’re a Kindle owner – you can buy the book in Kindle format directly from MBAM
Thank you all in advance!

Some of my Books On Sale!

2009-11-28T16:48:02Z

Hey folks, thanks to Michelle Pillow for the hot tip that some of my books are on sale at a great price at EC:

Crown and Blade - a two novella anthology with my Sword and Crown and Anya Bast's Whisper of the Blade

And ENFORCER, the first in the Cascadia Wolves series.

Both are $3.50!

Undercover is also on sale at Amazon -$4.62!

INSIDE OUT - Back Cover Copy!

2009-11-27T17:03:24Z

WORTH THE WAIT

Ella Tipton is a survivor. In the wake of an attack that left her nearly dead, she’s spent each day putting her life back together. Once vibrant and outgoing, she’s needed to reclaim the best parts of who she was while retaining the hard won lessons. There hasn’t been room for any romantic entanglements, even if she were ready. Still, it didn’t mean she had to stop sneaking looks at Mister Tall, Dark and Tattooed himself.
Security professional Andrew Copeland isn’t quite sure when his jones for the lovely and decidedly skittish Ella developed. He’s known her for years, has watched her triumph over the pain she’d been dealt. Cope is no stranger to women, but he knows the nervous flush he gets every time he talks to her is different than any attraction he’s had in the past. Determined to get Ella to let him in, Andy does the one thing he can think of to get close: he offers her hands-on training in self-defense.
While Ella’s sure he’s just being nice, the prospect of being able to touch him and gain the tools to push away the last vestiges of her fear is more than she can resist. Soon enough, Cope shows Ella his feelings are far more than friendly and re-ignites something deep inside her. Before long desire and love turn them both inside out.

Writerly Wednesday - Finding Time

2009-11-25T17:04:29Z

Today’s guest blogger is the fabulous Angela James! I’m sure many of you don’t need me to tell you how wonderful and talented Angie is – but you can look below at her bio and see for yourself!

In addition to a more than full time job, I have a number of hobbies and interests like reading, crafting, blogging (and I just added a new craft/cooking blog!) so it’s quite common for me to hear people say, “where do you find the time?” And so often, I also see authors saying, about promotion, writing and editing, “I just don’t have the time!”

The truth is, for me and everyone out there reading this, we have time because we make time for what we want, what is easiest for us or most fun. Let me give you an example. I enjoy sewing, and I find shopping with coupons very rewarding (holy cats, you can save a boatload of money shopping the sales with coupons!) but though both are things I’ve done in the past, I’ve done neither recently. When asked why, I always say “I don’t have time” but that’s not really true. What I really mean is, “I’m not making time in my schedule for that because there are other things I’ve made time for instead.”

For one thing, I probably spend far too much time working (according to my husband I do, anyway). If I put aside work at a reasonable hour (instead of writing blog posts like this at 9:15pm at night), I would have time for sewing for at least an hour each evening. If, instead of surfing blogs, chatting on forums and nattering away on Twitter, I shut off my computer at 9:30p every night, I’d get far more books read for pleasure. But I make my choices of doing one thing instead of making time for others.

For authors, the same holds true for the questions of “when do I find time to write/when do I find time to promote?” The answer is: if you want it bad enough, you’ll find the time. I’m sure we’ve all heard from authors who get up an hour earlier in the morning to utilize that peaceful time to write. And how about novelist Peter Brett who says he wrote his novel with his thumbs (on his smartphone) during his daily commute? Those writers wanted to write and they found the time to do it.

Don’t have time to promote? If you’re an author, it’s a bit like saying you don’t have time for your job. More and more in these days of publishing, marketing and promotion is a much a part of an author’s job as writing—no matter which publisher, following whichever business model you publish with.

So how does a busy writer find time for these activities of writing and promoting? Evaluate your schedule. Make sacrifices. Be ruthless with yourself. Live for your dream, not just for the moment.

So when you evaluate your schedule, look at what you’re spending time on and where you’re spending time. Could you get up a half hour earlier and write? Write on your phone or a notepad during your commute or lunch break? Give up watching on reality TV show (or five) so you have an extra hour a night to write or spend on promotion.

Evaluate your time spent on the computer (this is a big one for me). Where is your time being spent? 45 minutes on IMs and forums chatting with friends? 2 hours reading blogs, commenting on the latest drama and chasing it around the internet? An hour on Zappos shopping for shoes? Keep in mind, marketing is part of my job. I know how much time marketing and promotion can take (hi, see me here? The one writing a blog post at…now 9:30 at night?) and what a time suck social media can be. When I evaluate my schedule, I tend to look at much of my time spent on writers’ forums, blogs and Twitter as a form of marketing and promotion, so part of work, but I also recognize there are days when I need to skip this so I can focus on other, more important things. Authors need to do the same.

Make sacrifices. Finding time to do these things is not always going to be easy, and don’t think that’s what I’m saying. Sometimes you’ll give up something that will hurt (like an hour of sleep), but will your sacrifice be worth it in the end? In the long term, what will have a more lasting impact on your life—watching Dancing with the Stars or getting an hour of writing done?

Be ruthless with yourself. No one else is going to monitor what you’re doing (though your editor and publisher might be interested in your marketing and promotional efforts—and subsequent sales numbers). But in the long run, writing is largely a solitary pursuit and you’re mostly answerable to only yourself. So you have to be ruthless with yourself. Allow yourself a few minutes of whining, grumbling and self-pity. Then remind yourself why you’re doing it.

Because you’re living for the dream, not for the moment. Living for the moment is indulging in sixty minutes of mindless browsing on Amazon. Living for the dream is spending those sixty minutes writing the best damn dialogue you’ve ever written—or even the worst damn dialogue you’ve ever written—or sixty minutes of promotional effort or developing a marketing plan. Whichever it is, every word is one more word towards polishing your craft, every promotion is one more reader who recognizes your name, buys your book, tells a friend. Every minute you invest in the business of being a writer is a minute closer to reaching your dream, whatever it may be.

Executive editor of Carina Press, Harlequin’s digital-only press, and veteran of the digital publishing industry, Angela James is a well-known advocate for digital publishing. James has enjoyed a long and varied publishing career that has included ownership of an independent editorial services business, work as a copy editor for electronic book and small press publisher, Ellora’s Cave, and executive editor for Samhain Publishing. James frequently travels to regional, national and international writing conferences to meet with authors and readers, and present workshops on digital publishing for both authors and readers of all genres of fiction.

You can follow Angela on her blog, Nice Mommy, Evil Editor www.nicemommy-evileditor.com/blog or on Twitter http://twitter.com/angelajames

Words

2009-11-24T19:23:58Z

When I was a kid parents were really fond of the saying, “Words can never hurt you.” As an adult I can say what I thought as a kid – words are important. They can hurt, lift up, tear apart, rationalize, give comfort, joy, kindness and surety.

I like words. This isn’t much of a surprise to people who know me, of course. I like to talk as well as write. Words frame things, they create a feeling, a lack of feeling, they cast a light onto things simply by their selection and use.

In erotic romance, or any kind of writing where sex and sexuality are part of the story, words are equally important and sometimes the search for the right words to set a mood gets forgotten in the never-ending quest to be a dirty as possible. Sadly in doing so, I think the book becomes *less* sexy/dirty and more checklisty “Page 56, time for anal!”

I know I use words some people don’t like. And that’s okay, we all have our own filters and perceptions. We like what we like! But I use the word “cunt” and I use the word “pussy” and I use the word “cock” – when a character would say so. Writing sex is complicated by how people think about sex. Some readers cannot read words on the page and feel comfortable. I’m totally fine with that – we all have our hot buttons.

However, I totally must object to the comment (and I’ve seen it several times) that women who ARE comfortable with the use of harder edged words for sex are somehow trying be men or are dirty and disgusting locker room whores. I call bullshit on that and it’s the kind of nasty crap that always keeps women down.

If *you* don’t like those terms, more power to you! But many women do, many women would say pussy and cock and it doesn’t make her a whore for saying so. This attitude really galls me, I have to say. It’s one thing to dislike a term and to not want it in your romance, but it is another to proclaim any book with these words is not a romance simply because these words exist on the page.

The solution is simple – put the book down. All books are not for all people. Personal taste rules reading choices, just like everything else. So stop being such a judgy grumpypants because others do like those words. Stop it with the gender slurs against other women whose tastes are different. I’m not calling you a prude, I’m totally supporting your right to be revolted by some words and to toss a book across the room. Even to say so in a review! I draw the line at being okay with women who aren’t revolted being referred to as whores or wannabe men.

I see this a lot with many things – people seem to think *their* opinions are general feelings. This is not so. If you don’t like a book, movie, pizza, song, whatever, that’s what YOUR opinion is. You have a right to that opinion, absolutely, but what you don’t have is a general statement of belief (for everyone) on the issue and any other belief is wrong or biased or whatever.

If you don’t like to see the word pussy on the page so much you can’t get past it, my erotic romances are not for you. And that’s totally fine – preferences make the world go around. I hate to see “slash” on the page and it may very well mean I put the book down. But that’s me and my preferences.

If I put a word in a scene, I’m doing it on purpose. No because I’m a whore, or want to be a man, but because I’m using words to paint a feeling on the page. It won’t work for every reader, or every scene, or taste. But really, it’s fine to understand words have impact and how they impact you may or may not be how they impact others.

Novelists Inc Responds

2009-11-22T17:02:02Z

NINC members received this by mail this morning. It will be posted at their site and members were encouraged to share it:

Novelists, Inc. Responds to Disturbing Developments in Publishing:

Vanity publishing is not new, although the Internet has become a lucrative feeding ground for vanity publishers. Presented with enough enthusiastic jargon and color graphics, a hopeful author might well be convinced that he has stumbled upon a fantastic new way of bringing his stories, his voice, to the reading public.

Alas, the truth is that vanity publishing is still the same old opportunistic hag dressed up in new clothing, with the added flash and dash of savvy marketing. It still exists to part dreamers from their money, with very little hope of return. The dangled bait never changes, the creatively couched language suggesting that all these good things "could, may, might possibly, perhaps" happen for you if you choose one from column A and two from Column B on their à la carte menu of pricey services.

There is now a new, deeply disturbing twist being applied to this age-old money grab. Publishers with brand names, currently enjoying respectable reputations within the industry and with the reading public, are putting both on the chopping block in order to get a share of the vanity publishing market.

It takes years to build a respected name and reputation in this industry. Losing that respect happens much more quickly, sometimes overnight.

No authors' organization can prevent a publisher from setting up a vanity publishing division. Writers' organizations can, however, speak firmly and clearly about the sort of egregious business practices that reflect badly on our entire industry.

Ninc strongly advocates that any and all publishing houses that now operate or are in the planning stages of creating vanity publishing arms do so ethically and responsibly, while adhering to accepted standards of full disclosure. This includes not using the same or a similar name for the vanity division of their royalty-paying publishing house.

Ninc further strongly advocates that these houses either cease and desist or do not institute the practice of steering hopeful writers who are rejected by the royalty-paying divisions of their companies into the open arms of their vanity publishing offshoot.

To do otherwise demeans the publisher's brand and robs credibility from every one of its conventional, contracted authors.

For Those Considering Vanity Publishing

Novelists, Inc. (Ninc) is an international organization devoted to the needs of multi-published authors of novel-length popular fiction. Ninc has no unpublished members; all are experienced, savvy, and educated in the various perils and pitfalls that await the unwary writer in search of an audience.

So why is Ninc addressing the subject of vanity publishing? That's simple. We care about writers. All writers. And we care equally for their audiences, the book buying public.

Vanity publishing, by definition, involves bringing together a writer eager to have his work in print and a company eager to charge that writer for printing the copies. Vanity publishers don't care if the book is good or bad. Vanity publishers will print anything the writer will pay them to print. Quality and sales potential of the work are not priorities; in fact, they aren't considered at all.

Ninc's advice to hopeful authors remains what it has always been: work hard, learn your craft, and network with other writers to share knowledge and information. And remember, if an offer to publish your previously rejected novel and thus become a "real author" by handing over a check sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.

NOTE:

As long as there are people desperate to be published, vanity publishers will exist, and profit-motive companies, no matter the size or prior reputation, may at some point decide that if a starry-eyed dreamer and his money are soon to be parted, why not hold out a hand for their share. All Ninc and other professional writers' organizations and consumer advocates can do, and thankfully are doing, is to educate people on the subject of vanity publishing. Please, before you open your wallet, take some time to open your eyes. Here are some places to begin educating yourself:

http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/vanity/

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22

http://www.writing-world.com/publish/vanity.shtml

http://www.panmacmillan.com/Authors Illustrators/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=An Easy Way to Lose Money

http://www.sff.net/people/lucy-snyder/brain/2005/05/is-publisher-just-middleman.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Publishing-Scams:-Six-Red-Flags-That-Scream-Rip-Off&id=81336

TGIF

2009-11-21T00:36:04Z

Not a lot of reading this week I’m sorry to say. I’ve been working on Inside Out, my next contemporary for Berkley and finishing up an extended partial for my agent on an older project that I had to back burner until I had the time to get back to it again.
I realize I’ve neglected to share some good news!

COMING UNDONE received a TOP PICK from RT Booklovers Magazine!

Dane revisits the Brown family from Laid Bare in this knockout erotic tale. This is a major “feel good” book about two people rebounding from hard knocks without bitterness. It also comes with emotionally mature characters, palpable love and caring among family and friends, an adorable child and suspense. If that’s not enough, there is also passionate fun and intense sex. Hero Brody is a winner — sensitive and sexy.

Thank you RT Magazine and Joyce Morgan for this wonderful review!

I’ve also signed on to be part of the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance along with some of the best hot romance writers around (Charlene Teglia, Shiloh Walker, Sasha White, and Michelle Pillow to just name a few)

This has been a very long week. Lots of stuff going on, lots of stuff to think about as things develop. I am really looking forward to this weekend to chill out a bit.

If you’d like to relax and you love well written, hot romance - Alison Kent’s With Extreme Pleasure is a FREEEE download at Amazon!

Have a great Friday, everyone.

Mediocrity Should Not Be Our Goal

2009-11-21T00:35:38Z

Today I read in utter horror, a woman attempt to take Nora Roberts to task for being: Old, too successful, stupid, bitter and a host of other things. You know what? That pisses me off and here is my response to the line of argument that getting published is hard and how dare authors take this “opportunity” away from unpublished authors:

For heaven’s sake – is it news that things are hard? Is it news that it takes a lot of time, effort and perseverance to make it in ANY profession?

Anything worth having is worth working for.

There are no magic beans. Even for a few grand, you still don’t have what you think you do. There are no shortcuts. There is only how hard you work and how much time and commitment you put into it.

I find the “well you’re Nora and no one else is so why talk about it” stuff to be disturbingly lazy. Yes. LAZY. We should all strive to be the best we can, not hold up the highest levels of success as something unachievable and therefore not worth the time. I get this same line of whining when I talk about digital publishing – that since I make a good living at it, I’m not a good spokesperson since many don’t. Bullshit. So we should what? Aspire to being meh? Do I think I’m Nora? Heck no. Does that mean I’m going to give up? Pfft.

We should admire and aspire to be like the best in our chosen professions, not just settle for mediocrity because it’s hard to be a success.

Stop your whining and write the best book you can. And if Nora Roberts, a success story not just in our genre but in general, can’t weigh in on a topic about the profession she’s so very successful at, who can? The bitters?

I’d rather take advice from a success than a bitter.

Pay to get a book photocopied or not, but don’t pretend it’s not vanity publishing and stop pretending it’s somehow because you’re too edgy for NY or everyone is too old or too stodgy or you know, just works harder than you do.

A Shout Out to Gratitude

2009-11-20T00:40:03Z

I was thinking last night about the authors I admire so much. I’ve wanted to write on this and I’ve mentioned them many times here before, but it’s hard because I don’t want to forget anyone or leave anyone out or make anyone feel bad.
But in truth – romance more than a lot of other genres is about mentoring and relationships. I did not get where I am today without help and support. I believe in the power of connection and relationships and I think it deserves a space. So I wanted to say thank you to a few people today and every Thursday -
Jennifer Cruisie – I don’t know her, but I do know that when I read Welcome To Temptation I realized romance could be so much more than the stereotype. It could be witty and filled with flawed people doing flawed stuff and you still want them to have their HEA.
Nora Roberts – every time I read one of her books there’s at least one moment when I think, “wow, that is so clever and subtle!” with her characters. She’s one of my idols when it comes to characterization.
Anne Stuart – she’s one of the reasons I write romance because her books break rules and flout convention and they work. Her heroes are dark and twisty and she’s got a magic touch. If I can have a career even half as varied and impressive as hers, I’d die a happy woman.
On to people I know:
Jaci Burton – when I first started out, I watched people to see how they behaved, how they promoted and carried themselves. Jaci has always been an author I’ve admired because she’s professional and yet straightforward, warm, beyond helpful and supportive and she’s a great writer. (edited to add – she also just announced a fabulous two book romantic suspense deal with MIRA! YAY!!)
Alison Kent – I’m sure I’ve scared her a time or two with my fangirl gushing, but she’s up there with Stuart when it comes to unconventional characters doing unexpected things. I remember picking up a Blaze and thinking, “WOW, she totally went there and back!” and she does it with humor and lots of sexy chemistry. She’s also never stingy with her advice and support. She does so much for authors and she’s one of my idols.
(There are more – but I’m gonna let these five ladies have the spotlight today. Next Thursday I’ll be back with more!

Writerly Wednesday - Hodgepodge

2009-11-18T23:47:38Z

Wow, I go offline for a few days and holy crap the world just tips on its axis. Rather than ignore it - I thought I'd touch on two recent issues - both via Harlequin - Carina Press, the new digital publishing line and Horizons, a vanity press. The usual goes here: I am not an expert other than on the things I've experienced. What I say here is my opinion. But it's at my blog and if anyone brings nasty here, I will smack you down. Disagreement makes the world go round, but nasty is for the weak minded. Don't go there in my living room.

Digital Publishing: Though for some reason this is being connected to Horizons - digital publishing is not vanity publishing. There are many reasons to choose digital - for me, the timelines are shorter, which keeps my books coming out regularly and to an established readership. I like the immediacy of purchase for my readers. I like that digital publishing takes some chances that traditional publishing can't. Readers see a lot of things in NY now that digital broke for them. This is a plus to all of us.

I like getting paid monthly and the ability to see how my books are doing (with NY, it's six months out). I like the smaller nature of it. Shrug. If you choose correctly, an author can have a great, long term career in digital publishing.

However, authors have a responsibility to do their homework and yes, to not just sell to some house because they wanted you and you kept subbing to smaller and smaller houses instead of perhaps revising or trying another book. The better the house the better the distribution and editing you'll receive, the better marketing they'll have, the better the covers and in the end, the better your bottom line. If you sell to monkey butt press don't show up on an author loop and whine that you only sold 3 books.

Choose carefully. Look at the website - is it easy to navigate? Who are the authors? If it's the same four - red flag and they're probably all pen names for the same person - the owner, or the owner and their bff. How easy is it to buy the books? Do they have some jury rigged system where you can only pay via pay pal? Are the books downloadable instantly? Read some of them. Are they good? Solidly plotted? What's the editing like? What are the covers like?

Contact some of their authors to see what their experience has been like. I did this back when Samhain first came about and it really helped me make my choice. What is their response time like? Do they state their expectations clearly? When you contact them, how do they respond? Do they promise pie in the sky (warning sign, there is no pie in the sky, which makes me so sad, because who doesn't love pie?).

What are their contracts like? Personally? I'd never sign a contract with an option clause if I wasn't getting an advance. I also HATE giving away print rights if they won't be used. I learned the hard way on this and regret trusting the system in place when I signed, because that system went to hell shortly after and now I'm stuck. What are the royalties? I'd be suspicious at very low ones as digital publishing has a different sort of structure which means traditional publishing rates of 10% and under seem, to me, untenable.

Don't send them the crap you can't sell anywhere else. Approach this like you would anything else you take seriously. Do your best work, let that be your calling card. Even if the editor doesn't like that piece, if you're good, if you're professional they will remember that. I've had that experience in traditional and digital publishing. It means a lot and it will serve you in the end.

I'm a huge proponent of digital publishing. I would NOT send my work to the majority of digital publishers in existence right now due to several of the things I mention above. But it can be done right and it can be done well and I think it's a viable way for authors to get their work out in front of readers with a vibrant horizon of possibilities.

Self Publishing/Vanity Publishing: I am not opposed to vanity publishing in all circumstances. Some people use a vanity press to put out family histories, cookbooks for friends and family, etc. This is a smart thing in those cases since your audience is clear and small and your distribution is very specific.

However, I have not seen any evidence that would convince me that good fiction comes out of vanity presses on anything near a regular basis. The two people who got attention and sold to a traditional publisher do not make up a big enough sample to create anything but an exception to the rule.

Obviously if you, as an author, wish to make that choice, you go on ahead. I respect that some people simply don't want to go the traditional route, or they're just done with it. But self publishing, while it does, by definition, make one a published author, does not make one an author on par with one who did the work, tried an tried some more and sold to a publisher. Not in and of itself. You will always be fighting against the perception that you are not a real writer (and hey, I write erotic romance, I get this all the time) Then went through revisions and edits and had the book published and distributed by your publisher - all without YOU paying a cent to your publisher.

Many successful authors have gone the "don't touch" route in their contracts and I can tell. I can see it on the page when the book is about 100 pages too long, has loads of hanging threads, plot holes and storylines that go nowhere. Everyone needs an editor. EVERYONE needs an editor. And while I can see the appeal and reason behind hiring a private editing service to help you polish a book before you submit it - I cannot say I find paying a service of an established publisher to put your book out and then KEEP 50% of your royalties to be fair, equitable or a choice a "career focused" author should make.

Distribution is huge. HUGE. This is what people really don't understand when they think about self publishing or signing on with a very small house. If your books don't get on shelves or out to readers, who will buy them? Without some publicity how will readers know you're out there? I've seen, first hand how important distribution is. The amount of exposure for an author when she writes for a house with great distribution is mind boggling. Self published books quite often will not get stocked in chain stores, though you can put them at amazon, how will readers know to look for them? Moreover, where my publishers have catalogs to send out to libraries and bookstores, will your vanity press have that? Will it cost you even more money for that?

Publishing at any cost is not a laudable goal, IMO. This is not to say it's an invalid goal for other people, each of us makes our own choices. But if you pay several thousand dollars to get your book out there, why on earth would you let your printing press keep 50%? Aren't you worth more than that?

The money should flow TO the author. Period.

Most of the time a book gets rejected because it's not right for that editor at that house at that time. It does not mean the book is awful. It might mean you put it aside and keep trying with another book. However, it also does not mean your words are precious and if only you pay several thousand dollars to a vanity press AND give your royalties up that people will see how awesome you are. This business is hard, it takes perseverance and a thick skin and a lot of energy.

I absolutely understand what it feels like to think you're never going to sell. I know what that sadness is. I cannot tell you how distressed it makes me that any writer, at the moment she gets a rejection would be offered this other choice - a choice that takes away a lot from the author. And in the end, you're only published by definition so what have you gained? Sometimes it's more painful to mimic something and know it's just a mimic than to just keep at it and try again and again.

EDITED TO ADD: RWA HAS REVOKED RECOGNITION STATUS FOR HARLEQUIN. I'm going to write more on this later this week.

Writerly Wednesday - Do It Right

2009-11-11T17:20:20Z

No matter where you are in your writing career there’s pressure. First you have pressure to complete the book. Pressure to sell it. Pressure to market it. Pressure to do well. Pressure to follow up with another winner. Pressure to make that sell and market, etc. If you get rejected there’s pressure to follow up with something else – what to write, where to send it – it goes on and on. Agents, editors, covers, marketing, should you do conferences, should you rush out to write something when you see a call, do you want to branch out, what happens if you take some time off, will readers forget about you – blah blah blah

Carina Press announced its opening this week. This directly from their website:

Carina Press is a new digital-only publisher that combines editorial and marketing expertise with the freedom of digital publishing. With a long history of digital marketing and editorial experience, the Carina Press team is committed to bringing readers fresh voices and new, unique editorial.

So of course people, writers, have been discussing the pros and cons all over the place. Sharing thoughts and concerns. Loops and boards can be pretty helpful this way, though they can also be peppered with things I personally get annoyed about – the willfully blind, the chip on the shoulder, the spurned ex whatever.

One thing I saw a few people bring up, the thing that bugged me most was the suggestion that authors should just you know, “look for whatever crap they got rejected on with other epublishers and send that in”

Authors should always strive to submit their best work. You’re really going to knock on the door of a new line at the largest romance publisher with crap that got rejected from poodlebutt press? Don’t you think you’re selling yourself short? Don’t you think you’re selling the publisher you’re submitting to short?

We all have books that have been rejected for reasons other than quality. Marketing looked at it and was like, “what the heck are we supposed to do with this?” for instance. Now, see, THAT might be a manuscript to take a chance on subbing because it’s not that hamster, cow, pig menage shifter no one wanted – in fact the example I gave is precisely why digital publishing is attractive to me. They can take chances because the structure of a digital press is such that they can take chances on things traditional publishing may not be able to.

Not every book an author writes will be the very best book they ever wrote. It’s not possible and all of us have our favorites (mine are never the books that sell the best, either, LOL). But I can’t express how sad it makes me to see people just phoning it in, or worse, encouraging others to just find stuff no one wants to toss it at an editor.

Remember – editors are gatekeepers to publishing for goodness sake! Do you want editor A to think you’re only capable of that half assed piece of crap you sent because someone on a loop urged you to? Do you want industry professionals, even those you don’t write for, to see you as a competent and professional person or one who digs out that questionable manuscript and lobs it at them just because?

If you’re going to do this – for god’s sake do it right. Put your best foot forward each and every time. That’s the point.

If it’s not the point, what the hell are you doing?

NO RESERVATIONS IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

2009-11-10T14:59:06Z

Four days in Vegas. Two sexy and determined men. One penthouse suite… And No Reservations.

Christmas isn’t so merry for Kate and Leah. Kate’s romantic winter holiday is destroyed by the sudden and uninvited presence of Dix’s annoying ex-wife while Brandon’s super-perfect family and a diamond ring sends Leah running for the refuge of a girl’s holiday in Sin City with Kate in tow.

Dix and Brandon both know what they want. Hopping a plane in hot pursuit, the men show up in Vegas, ready to use every sensual trick they have to convince Kate and Leah to take a gamble on forever.

This is a follow up to last year’s Taking Care of Business and a continuation of the story between Leah and Brandon and Kate and Dix. Megan and I had a blast writing this book and I think it’s my favorite of the two just because I got to watch Kate and Dix grow stronger – oh and I laughed a lot when we wrote it.

lauren_dane @ 2009-11-06T10:24:00

2009-11-06T18:25:31Z

If you want to head on over to my blog I'm running a contest to win a copy of Skin Tight!

Skin Game is out!

2009-11-03T17:48:12Z

Today is the release day for Ava Gray’s Skin Game! I must tell you all, this is a must read book, probably my favorite of Ann’s so far (Ann Aguirre writing as Ava Gray). I absolutely adore this hero, she knows this because I’ve gushed about it, but Reyes and Kyra are great together, the story is tightly plotted, quick moving and totally engrossing. You’ll need to set aside some uninterrupted time because once you start reading, you won’t be able to put the book down.

Blurb: A beautiful fugitive—wanted dead or alive.
Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A hit man who never misses the mark.
Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

Writerly Wednesday - Just Get it Done

2009-10-28T14:38:46Z

Writing is hard. Oh sure some days it’s wonderful and fun. You sell books, you get great covers or reviews, this is awesome. But very often, people don’t realize that making the commitment to write daily is damned hard work. Writing a book takes time. It takes your time and it takes you saying, “not gonna watch television this week until I get my words for the day done.” It means you get up an hour earlier to finish if you didn’t the day before, or that you stay up later.

I get a lot of letters asking about my secret. I don’t have a secret. I work hard. There are no shortcuts. No magic beans. No secret formulas or guarantees. I sit my ass down and I write. That’s what I do and that’s what other authors do.

Talking about writing isn’t writing. I know a thousand people who talk about writing, have talked about writing for years and yet, they have no completed projects. They work on the first fifty pages of a story they’ve been writing for five years but have yet to finish a single book. They go to conferences and sometimes even get themselves a request for a full from an editor. But they don’t have a full because they talk about writing instead of actually writing.

Yes, this sounds harsh. I’m not trying to kill anyone’s dream. But writing is a job. A job. If you want it to be a hobby (and there’s not a damned thing wrong with that either, not everyone wants to be a professional author) then it doesn’t matter. But if you want to be a writer you have to actually write. You have to put it first when it’s supposed to be first. Whining to me or to your friends about how such and such has it so much easier because they don’t have a day job or whatever is worse than useless, it’s negative. You will never have any schedule but your own. Period. It doesn’t matter that author x has all day to write in a swanky office with assistants and snacks delivered every two hours. You’re not author x and you’re never going to be an author of any kind unless you stop making excuses and finish the damned book.

Sit. Your. Ass. Down. Write. There’s the secret.

I don’t have a muse. I’m too busy for one. But if you do, make sure it’s a muse that supports your writing on a regular basis. There are very few perfect writing moments, most of the time you make do, as you do with just about everything else in the world. If you have a muse, makes sure you never use that as an excuse to not write. I’m pretty over seeing people complain that they took the whole week off to play video games because their muse wasn’t cooperating. That’s not a muse to blame, that’s you. Write the damned book.

People get rejected every day. Established authors get rejected. It’s a fact of this business. But they’re established because they write the damned book. People sell books every day too. It can happen. It does happen – Ann Aguirre just sold her first YA yesterday. A book she wrote in two weeks, LOL. This happens because she sat down, turned off the internet and wrote. And then wrote some more. And some more after that. I look at the successful authors and one thing runs between them – they do the work. I’ve never heard Megan Hart complain about the muse (and believe me, we’ve talked about everything under the sun, LOL). I’ve never heard Anya Bast or Cynthia Eden complain about anyone else’s schedule or timeline. Jaci Burton? She’s a machine. She writes because it’s her job and she does a great one.

I get asked for advice a lot – there’s no one true way. Some people outline, some don’t. Some do timed bursts of writing, some don’t. Some take the weekends off, some write three days a week, some use storyboarding, you get the idea. But the one thing successful authors have in common is that they write the book. It’s their job and they treat it like one. It can be a fun job, a job you love more than anything, but if you can’t give it priority when it needs priority, you’re not doing yourself any favors.

Have ten minutes a day? Use it to write. Have to sit in the carpool line? Bring a notebook or a notebook computer. I have a comp book I carry with me all the time. I buy comp books in bulk because they’re easy to carry, small enough to tuck into a bag and cheap. This is just me, you may need cards or time to plot or whatever. The point is, sometimes when life crowds in, you must push back, even if it’s ten minutes a day. Ten minutes a day will get the book finished. Stop worrying that your buddy in your local chapter writes 3k a day. If you write slower, own it.

Own it. Own the very true fact that finishing a book is one of the best feelings on earth. Selling it is even better, LOL. But you can’t sell it if you don’t finish it. Contests are fine and good if you have the extra time. But winning the XYZ chapter’s best opening scene won’t finish your book. If you do NaNo this year, don’t quit after the first week. Don’t quit after the challenge ends either. Now you have to edit (and remember that most books that sell to NY are longer than 50K so you may have to expand). Use NaNo or whatever challenge you enter to get in the habit of writing regularly. Keep that habit.

Writing isn’t a competition, it’s a job. Use the challenges to hone your skills, not as an excuse not to finish, not as an excuse not to write until the start date, and not as a way to compare yourself to anyone else and use that as a reason to quit. You can’t finish if you quit. Power through. Finish the book and let that be your award. Then open a new document and start the next project. And so on.

To everyone entering contests and challenges, I wish you all good luck and look forward to congratulating you all when you finish successfully!

The Futility of Negativity and Bitterness

2009-10-26T16:03:51Z

(If you're reading this at Facebook - you can see the entire post at: http://www.laurendane.com/blog)

Sometimes as a writer, it’s easy to be negative. It’s easy to let the tide of bad news, of rejection, of endless wait times to hear back on projects you or your agent has pitched – all that stuff, get to you. There are days when I read a review that can make me totally miserable, even when I get two really good ones the same day. There are times I wonder why the heck I’ve chosen a path that involves so much exposure to criticism, LOL. It can get you down, no matter how positive a person you are – everyone has a limit to what they can take.

I’ve noticed, over the years, that some can shake it after allowing for a brief wallow, while others wear negativity and bitterness like a scarf or piece of jewelry.

I’m not pollyanna, I promise. This business gets me down too. Earlier this year I was incredibly unhappy and frustrated with the pace of progress with my writing. It’s easy to let that affect your writing, your pace, your schedule.

At the same time, it’s like the flu – when you wear your bitterness like skin, you infect everyone you touch. Bitterness and negativity do not solve anything. They don’t make things better, in fact, they make them worse not only for you, but for everyone around you.

For instance, on a loop I used to enjoy quite a bit, there’s now a group of authors who simply hate everything. One hates agents, one hates ebooks, one hates the biz in general. So when any negative spin on any subject come up, they’re on it, responding to it one by one until the entire loop drips with negativity. It’s turned a pretty interesting discussion loop into a loop I avoid because I can’t take hearing Author A complain bitterly about agents one more second. I don’t want to infect my day when Author B starts to complain that digital publishing is the reason for piracy. I don’t want a snootfull of toxic, nasty complaints every damned time I turn the computer on.

In the end, if you hate agents, don’t have one. But please don’t assume your perspective is the only one. Also, please don’t assume that spilling the poisonous hate you feel for agents all over everyone else actually *solves* anything. It does not. In the end, if you hate digital publishing, good luck on that – it’s unavoidable, even for NY these days, but you know, if you feel that strongly, I do wish you and your agent luck on keeping it out of your contract. If you hate Facebook, stay off it. If you hate Twitter, stay off it. If you hate blogs, don’t have one, etc.

Bitterness and Negativity are absolutely useless – in an active sense. It travels from your mouth or keyboard to everyone in your vicinity until it totally turns a group toxic and that’s fucked up and selfish. Deal with your shit, but don’t fling it all over the rest of us.

Negativity will not make you a better writer. It won’t make you more friends. It won’t help your career. There is nothing positive about it (pun intended). Shake it off. Make that choice to reject it. Have your wallow and move on. Because if you were so happy with your choices, as you tell everyone every three posts, with your choice not to do XYZ, you don’t have to repeat it in such a negative way. Over and over.

Today is a very good day...

2009-10-21T01:38:02Z

Holy crapdoodle – this is my new cover! It’s for Insatiable, which will be out in July of 2010. I may have swallowed my tongue (you may have to try a diff browser if you get the red x)

Trinity Is Now Available!!!

2009-10-20T03:35:39Z

One witch, one cat shifter. Add one wolf. Blend. Safety glasses recommended.

Renee Parcell loves her life. Her smoothie/coffee cart business is successful, and she’s deeply in love with her boyfriend, Galen. He makes her laugh, he’s gainfully employed, and he satisfies her as only a sexy cat shifter can. He even puts the toilet seat down.

Yet they both sense something in the air. An anticipation that leaves them both unsettled.

Tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Meyers, Enforcer of National Pack and one of the most beautiful men Renee and Galen have ever seen, stumbles into Renee’s life and the riddle of their expectation is solved—Renee is Jack’s mate. What surprises them all is when the three of them touch, magick creates an unexpected triple bond of witch, cat and wolf.

Even as they learn to navigate the steamy intricacies of their bond, a threat looms over Renee. First in the form of resurrected memories, then in the shape of darker magicks someone is aiming at her. Set on stealing her inherent powers—even her life.

Renee can stand to lose almost anything, except her mates. But there seems to be no talking them out of laying everything on the line for her…

Catch it at My Bookstore And More and Books On Board as well as other digital publishing outlets like the Sony store and soon, Amazon’s Kindle store.

Monday Again?

2009-10-19T19:25:28Z

Jeebus, already again? The weekend went by really fast but I wrote on my secret project and also on Hunted, the follow up to Trinity so I feel pretty accomplished!

Since Trinity is out tomorrow, I thought I’d post some excerpts of the books that came before – starting with Enforcer!

As dawn broke, Nina’s internal alarm clock woke her for the first time since she’d moved into werewolf mansion. She got out of bed and jumped into the shower quietly. She had to get back to work. She’d managed to get out of Lex that they’d at least called the shop and arranged for her manager to take over while she was gone, but enough was enough. It had been a week and that was too damned long.

She did enjoy the fact that the master closet was off the bathroom and got dressed, dabbed on a bit of makeup and twisted her hair up. She decided to forego the glasses and the prim clothes. They’d burned anyway. What was the point now that she not only had a man but a big bad werewolf who carried a .357 Magnum?

She left Lex sleeping and headed down and thankfully smelled coffee and saw Dave and Megan there in the kitchen, reading the paper.

The truth was, she understood better than Lex thought she would. She understood the importance of sticking to rules to be safe. Understood the cost of taking care of a larger goal—sometimes at the expense of the weakest person.

At the same time, she wasn’t sure how she felt about the rest of the wolves who stood there and watched while she was nearly killed. Her logical mind understood it—certainly understood the compulsion of Pack now that it coursed through her veins. It was like an odd sort of hive-mind, or was that Pack-mind? connection. Still, the feelings of betrayal were still there like a bitter taste on her tongue and weighed heavy on her heart.

But she lived there and now she was one of them in more than just marriage. And she couldn’t avoid them all forever.

Sighing, she walked into the kitchen and headed for the cabinet to grab a mug.

Dave jumped up and opened the door, pulling a cup out and handing it to her. “Here, let me help you with that.”

Nina took it from him. “Thanks.” She turned and got milk from the fridge and made her cup of coffee.
She popped a bagel in the toaster, rustled through the refrigerator and pulled out a tomato and some cheese and set to slicing them.

“Nina, I’m sorry. I know you probably can’t understand why no one helped you and I…I’m so terribly sorry,” Megan said softly.

Nina turned and looked into her sister-in-law’s eyes and she felt the pain there. Felt the conflict between her loyalty to the Pack, to her Alpha and to doing the right thing and protecting Nina.

But as Nina stood there, remembering that night she had a flash of something. The guards all carried weapons, yes. But they also carried them strapped in thigh holsters, at the small of their backs or underarm holsters. Nina looked down and saw that Megan’s gun was not on her thigh.

“Megan, where do you carry?”

Her sister-in-law moved her jacket back and showed Nina the underarm rig. “Here. Sometimes on the thigh but not most of the time.”

“Not most of the time.” Nina said this quietly and Megan made a barely perceptible nod. Nina closed her eyes for a moment. Certainly not that night at the Pack house. Nina remembered Megan adjusting herself as they got out of the cars before they’d walked into the house.

Megan had handed her that gun. Had used that moment of confusion when Nina had been thrown into her to get that gun into her hand.

Nina reached up and touched Megan’s face gently. “Thank you.” Understanding passed between them.

“I wish you’d gotten my gun. I was carrying silver ammo and you would have killed that bastard, Carter.” Dave’s voice was vehement.

Nina turned to Dave with a shrug. Dave looked miserable, guilty and red-faced.

“I’m sorry, too. I’m glad you shot his ass. I hope it hurt like a motherfucker to get those slugs out of him. I hope Doc Molinari dug in extra hard to get them all. Can you forgive us all?”

“I’m working on it. It’ll be a while before I’ll be ready to deal with the Pack as a whole again.”

Her bagel popped up and she turned, piled it with tomato slices and cheese and took it to the table.

“You’re going to need some more protein to go with it,” Cade said as he came into the room and went to the fridge. He pulled out some roast beef, put it on the table in front of her and went to get himself some coffee.

Suddenly Megan and Dave found that they had things to do in the other room as Cade sat at the table across from Nina.

She said nothing as she put meat on the bagel but she could feel his anguish. And his irritation and confusion at wanting her approval and forgiveness. She softened a bit, but not much. She’d wager that he’d never actually had to work for anyone’s approval before as he’d been groomed to be Alpha from the womb and all.

“So. Am I still Mr. Warden?” Cade asked, watching her as she sipped her coffee.

“I don’t know. Are you?”

“What kind of woman answer is that?”

“What kind of stupid-assed question is that?”

“Did you just call me stupid?”

“No, I called your question stupid. But upon reflection, I should have included you, too. But, as you’re the supreme poobah, you can be the most stupid.”

“Look, I don’t apologize for doing what was necessary to keep Pack order.”

“How furry of you to say so.” She got up and went back to the fridge. Annoyed, she pulled out eggs and milk, placing them on the counter.

Nina could feel Cade glaring at her back as she pulled out a bowl and a whisk and set about making scrambled eggs. She took her time just to fuck with him.

“We can’t just keep being mad at each other, Nina. You’re my sister-in-law and I’m your anchor bond as well as your Alpha.”

She turned on the gas below the skillet and put a pat of butter in to melt. “Hmm. Is that an official pronouncement?”

She tipped the bowl, pouring the mixture into the skillet, and put it in the sink before moving back to the stove where she stirred the eggs.

He fumed as the food cooked. Finally she pulled out two plates and halved the eggs and put one plate in front of Cade and sat down with hers.

“Oh. Thanks.”

Nina hid a smirk at his confusion. Cade Warden might be her Alpha and the big cheese, but he and his tool of a brother had to be properly trained as to how to treat a woman. This He-Man routine of theirs had to stop. If she was going to live there, it would be on her terms, too, or not at all.

They ate in silence until she stood up and put her plate in the sink.

“So are we okay or what?” Cade asked.

She turned to him. “Eventually I think we will be. On one level, I trust you. As a member of your Pack, I trust you’ll enforce the rules that keep werewolves safe. But that doesn’t mean I trust you, Cade, to protect me, Nina. I would have given my life for you or Lex. But you don’t feel the same and that’s taking some getting used to.”

He stood and went to her. Taking her hands in his, he searched her face as he tried to think of the words to say. “Nina, you can trust me. There is no one more important to me in the world than you and Lex. I love my family but you two are my tri-bond. In many ways, you’re my mate too. It nearly killed me to watch you being attacked. I tried to find you a way out. And no, I don’t think it was your fault. But I also knew that a werewolf could easily kill a human. I had to make the choice that was best for the Pack. But that doesn’t mean you can’t trust me.”

“You can’t have it both ways, Cade.” She gently took her hands back and kissed his cheek. “I’ll get over it in time. But I don’t think things between us will ever be the same and maybe that’s a good thing anyway.”

Announcements, Interviews and Stuff

2009-10-17T17:10:29Z

Yesterday, Nick from Bookswim was kind enough to interview me. He’s posted it if you care to read…

The announcement part: A few years back, totally frustrated by yahoo and the constant outages, I moved the group from yahoo to a messageboard system. I love the messageboard, but the truth is, people forget about it, forget to visit, or where it is, etc. A yahoogroup is easier to manage because the messages come directly to everyone, etc.

SO…I’ve decided to bring this back to a regular discussion loop the way it was before. Starting today.

Clicky to visit!

Please everyone, come on back over and thank you in advance for your patience in getting this all situated again! It's already hopping, so please do come by.

I’m not doing Snippet Saturday today, but many others are – check em out!

Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Jaci Burton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Jody Wallace
Ashley Ladd
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro