Veronica Blake's Blog, page 8

WHITE OWL

As battle brews between the Utes and the white settlers in Colorado Territory, one bronze-skinned warrior will risk his honor and his life to claim the redheaded beauty who’s captured his heart.

5.0 out of 5 stars . This review is from: White Owl (Kindle Edition)
“I could not put this book down. I never wanted it to end. The romance was exquisite and exciting. I will definitely be reading more of her books.”


Excerpt:

“This was her room,” Tate responded to White Owl’s silent plea.  “Look around.  She packed her belongings and asked our father to take her as far away from here–and you–as possible.”

As Tate’s words penetrated his mind, White Owl turned back to the room.  It was room…just a room, void of anything personal that could distinguish it as Rose’s room.  He stepped inside and took a closer look around.  It wasn’t until he noticed the shiny object laying on the bureau that he realized it was true.  There on the delicate white lace doily was the shimmering gold heart necklace he had seen her wear on several occasions when they had met in the barn or she had come to watch him at the Ute racetrack.  His insides twisted into a tight ball, and his knees felt weak as the reality settled into his aching heart.  She really was gone.

“See, I told you, Injun,” Tate spit out as White Owl remained unmoving in the middle of the room.  “Now, I want you off of our land.  I will shoot you dead if you ever come back.”

White Owl stood mute.  He couldn’t speak, but he did think about provoking the man so that he would fulfill his threat to shoot him.  Why would he want to take another breath if Rose was not here anymore?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IK92PM/ref=pe_398130_108020280_em_1p_0_ti

Wishing everyone the very best in 2014! This is the year we all SHINE!

IF I MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER

2013.  I’m very superstitious.  From the get-go I was worried about a year with the number ‘13’ in it.  In many ways, my silly superstitious nature proved to be right, but in many more ways, the dreaded ‘13’ year has been a great one.

Several outstanding events happened this year.  First, and foremost, my best friend—who is also my only daughter—married her soul-mate.  This is the girl who always said she would never get married no matter what, and waited until her mid-thirties before realizing that when she finally met the ‘right’ guy, all her preconceived notions about commitment were no longer valid.  In a magical fairytale wedding at twilight last June, my beautiful princess married her Prince Charming.  As we planned the wedding, the joy I felt for my daughter’s happiness—and the glaring realization of what was missing in my own life—were the motives behind the big changes I would finally find the courage to make this past year.

The second most amazing thing that happened in the dreaded ‘13’ year was that I finished my first Paranormal Romance.  After eleven Historical Romances, which practically wrote themselves, I thought I was ready to switch genres.  For years, I’ve wanted to write horror, and combined with my love for vampires, it seemed like the perfect way for me to go.  But to my surprise, switching genres, and trying to write in a contemporary voice, rather than an historical one, was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tried to do as a writer.  If not for the overwhelming support of several of my wonderful friends during the past two years, I’m certain I would have given up trying to write this book all together.  Unfortunately, it was also during one of the worse periods in my personal life this past year–when I desperately needed an outlet to escape from reality–that I was able to throw myself into this story and finally write ‘The End’ on this labor of love and torture a few months ago.

Another major event that occurred in the year of ‘13’ turned out to be another really good thing, even though it has also included some of the worse episodes in my life.  For nearly twenty years I had been in a very unhappy and debilitating relationship.  Over fifteen years of this co-habitation was merely a roommate situation.  But, for reasons I cannot even begin to explain, my so-called ‘boyfriend’ and I pretended to be a normal couple when we were in public.  In private, we lived totally separate lives, not even sharing meals or watching a show on television together in the same room.  As a result of this unhealthy relationship, I grew more and more depressed through the years, even though I tried really hard to convince myself that I could live the rest of my life in this weird situation.  To compensate for feeling old, ugly and unwanted, I was either stuffing my face with junk food, watching TV or sleeping my life away.  By the time of my daughter’s wedding six months ago I was to the point of wanting to pull a ‘Thelma and Louise’.  I even confided to a close friend that after the wedding I just wanted to fill my car up with gas and drive as far as the full tank would take me and then drive off a cliff.  Well, I didn’t drive off that cliff, but it has taken a Hell of a lot more courage to make the life changing decisions that I’ve made in the past few months.

So, as 2013 comes to an end and I reflect back on all the craziness of the past year, I realize the past twelve months have been a rollercoaster of emotions and changes—good and bad.  As I have tried to put it all into perspective, I’ve made the following observations:

I have finally found my contemporary literary voice.  My ultimate dream is that 2014 will be the year I will find real success as a Paranormal Romance writer.
I’ve been beaten up, beaten down, slandered to the point of ridiculousness, and made to feel like the worse person in the history of breakups, because of the decision I made to be happy again.  But, I don’t regret making that decision for one second.  I only wish I had found the courage to do it years ago.
Being alone (really alone) is far, far better than being ‘alone’ in an unhealthy relationship and feeling like you are so repulsive that you don’t even warrant a loving touch or kind word once in a while.
I am not an ugly and undeserving person.  I can look in the mirror and love the person I see there again.  If I have to spend the rest of my life by myself, I know I am in good company.
If I’m ever lucky enough to find love again in my future, that man will reap the endless benefits of what I have learned from my past mistakes, and he will feel like the luckiest man in the world.
I would love to write erotica, in spite of the fact of how I will be judged by some of the extremely judgmental people in my life.  I plan to work on finding more courage to pursue this goal in the future.
I’m more superstitious than I even thought I was, and I am still super worried about the final days of this year.  Hence, the title of this blog post and in the words of the great Merle Haggard…“If I (we) make it through December, everythings gonna be alright, I know.”
In spite of the bad memories from this unlucky ‘13’ year, I am still the luckiest woman in the world.  My parents are still with me and relatively healthy for being in their late eighties.  My children are happy and healthy and living their lives to the fullest, and my three grandsons make me beyond proud.  I have incredible friends, and so much to look forward to in my future.  I’m never going to stop believing in miracles or pursuing my dreams.   Great adventures await me and I know they are going to be amazing!

TEXAS ROSE

December 9 is a special date for me.  It is the anniversary of the day I sent a query letter, a synopsis and the first three chapters of my first manuscript, TEXAS ROSE, off in the mail to three publishers in New York.  I remember that day like it was yesterday, although it was twenty-six years ago.  As crazy as it sounds, I even remember what I was wearing on that day so long ago.  Nine days after mailing off those packets of precious words, I received a letter from one of those publishers; one day later, I received another letter from a second one, and few days later, I got a phone call from the third publisher.  As hard as it is to believe, all three of those publishers wanted to see my entire manuscript and all of them offered me a contract within days of reviewing my complete book.  My first venture into querying publishers for my first manuscript, and I did not receive one rejection.  It’s rare that I mention this little bit of information, because most people act like I’m making it up.  But, I swear, it’s the absolute truth.

I chose to sell my manuscript to Kensington Publishing for their Zebra Romance line of paperbacks.   December 30—just 21 days after I sent out those first queries—I was cooking French toast for my children’s breakfast when the phone rang.  A woman with a very distinct East Coast accent was on the other end, and she was telling me that she was an editor with Kensington Publishing, and they wanted to buy my book.  Holy crap!  Of course, I said YES!  The French toast was forgotten after I hung up, and while I jumped around cheering and fist-pumping the air, until the entire house began to fill with smoke and the smell of burning bread.  It’s a story my children still like to tell at gatherings.  Ha! Ha!

Now, all these years later, I’m spending this day reflecting back on all the happy moments, and less than happy moments, of my literary career.  I could write a dozen blog posts about all the mistakes I’ve made where my writing is concerned, but I want to celebrate TEXAS ROSE today.  This Historical Romance made number nine on the paperback bestseller list and the beautiful cover won an award for the cover artist.

TEXAS ROSE, which I had originally entitled, FORBIDDEN TRAILS, was a story that was almost never told.  I had written it when my oldest son was just a baby, but I was afraid to show it to anyone because (gasp) it had some rather explicit love scenes in it, and back in the 1970′s there were not too many books with eleven sexually candid love scenes in them.  Yes, I overdosed on sex in that first book.   The entire 523 page manuscript was hidden at the back of a book shelf for nearly ten years.  Occasionally, I would get it out and read it, and dream about seeing it as a real book on a real bookshelf in a real bookstore.  But, my husband at the time told me that probably all bored housewives wrote trashy romance novels, so back into hiding it went.

One day I happened to mention my secret manuscript and writing ambitions to a close friend.  She demanded to read it.  I was nervous, but dusted it off and let her have at it.  Her reaction was more than I ever could have imagined, and it was her enthusiasm that finally gave me the courage to seek my goal of becoming a published author.

The manuscript went into the trunk of my car with the plan to revise and edit all of it at the local library where no one would know what I was up to.  This was before I even had a computer, so everything up to this point was done on a typewriter.  But, in my trunk, a full bottle of brake fluid spilt on the stack of pages and nearly all of the manuscript was close to being unreadable.  I was crushed and certain it was a sign that I shouldn’t be wasting my time with this book.  I now had three children to raise and that very unsupportive husband who would get angry every time I even mentioned my writing.  No way was I giving up, said my friend who had read the manuscript and encouraged me to find a publisher for this book.   This wonderful woman took that pile of red stained smeared mess, and with a magnifying glass, she retyped every single word of that book.  I knew her unselfish devotion to my writing was the real sign that I was not meant to give up on my dream, and I will be indebted to Roseina Whitecotton for the rest of my life.

TEXAS ROSE is a sprawling tale of love, lust and greed among the Texas cattle barons in the late 1800’s.  My heroine, Lisa Parker, is basically my alter ego.  Every emotion, desire or fantasy I’d ever had up to that time in my life was poured into her character.  Her hero, Buck Randell, was my ultimate fantasy man.  Although I feel my writing has vastly improved (I hope), Lisa and Buck will always be my most special couple, because they were my first, and you know what they say, your first will always hold a special place in your heart.

VIRTUALLY YOURS

Internet dating?  How likely do you think it is to meet someone on a social media site and develop a ‘real’ and lasting relationship with a virtual stranger?  I was curious about this subject, especially since I ended an unhappy twenty year relationship a few months earlier, and came out of it feeling ugly, rejected, and unworthy of ever finding ‘real’ love again.  An online relationship sounded appealing to me because I believed it required nothing more than sitting at home writing silly and flirting messages back and forth to some other lonely soul—stress-free, easy, and no strings attached—it would be perfect.  I could picture myself sitting in my pjs, drinking wine and chatting endlessly with some fantasy man who had no idea how I looked or sounded or anything else about me that I didn’t want him to know, because on the Internet you can be anyone you want to be, right?  Wow.  I was beyond naïve about how this whole Internet dating thing works.

In researching this subject I have had my eyes opened to an entire world I never knew existed.  There are endless sources to go to if you are looking to meet someone online, and I’m not talking about the obvious sites such as Match.com or eHarmony.com.  Those are sites you join with the hopes of actually ‘meeting’ someone to date or even marry.  But, what if you are just looking to have a casual Internet fling with no chance of any future obligation?

What if you unexpectedly fall in love with someone online?

My favorite social networking site, Facebook, is where I focused my quest to learn more about this subject.  I quickly discovered numerous places—most of them private pages you must request to join—where people are invited to post pictures of themselves.  Although most of these pages have disclaimers that they are not dating sites, it is clearly obvious that most of the members on these pages are there to ‘hook up’ with someone online.  Many of the pictures include suggestive comments like, “Send me a friend request…I’m single,” or “Want to be friends and maybe more?”  It’s fairly obvious what is being suggested.

My curiosity led me in two directions.  I befriended a couple of the men in these groups after having friendly banter with them on the group pages.  I also became friends with several of the women who belonged to these groups, and through them, I was also told to get in touch with other women who had been involved in online relationships.  Between my own brief experience and the experiences of the other women I talked to about this subject, the following is my own personal conclusion about finding love, friendship, or merely companionship online.

It’s my opinion that all of us joined these private pages with the hopes of making some sort of connection with the opposite sex…whether romantic or just to make friends.  It’s easy enough to find plenty of casual friendships where you might send a few private messages to get to know one another, and comment on one another’s personal pages as you would any other Facebook friend.  But, to my surprise, it is also amazingly easy to find hardcore porn on Facebook if that is what you are looking for.  I’ve been told sites like Tumblr are even more graphic, but I was too scared to go there for further research. And, when online, you can never forget that there are some serious weirdos lurking around, so safety must always be foremost when you are putting yourself out there in the cyber world.

A ‘real’ relationship, however, is not so easy to find online if you discover you want more than porn or just basic friendship.  Falling in love, even on a social media site such as Facebook can be as beautiful and special as falling in love with the guy next door.  The thrill of getting to know one another and discovering that you have so much in common can be much the same online as it is in ‘real’ life.  It appears that once an online relationship reaches the point of developing emotional needs for both parties involved, the idea of actually seeing and hearing that other special person far outweighs the insecurities that first entice people to seek out the obscurity of having a social life on the Internet.  If it’s a ‘real’ connection of two hearts, there are ways to communicate far beyond Facebook messaging, such as Skype, video chat and the old standby…the telephone.  But, as exciting as it can be, what if the online lovers are across the country from one another, or even oceans apart?  What if there is no way to ever have anything more than just an online relationship with that special person?

Falling in love with someone in a faraway or exotic locale can be a very lonely venture.  Everyone has busy lives outside of the time they spend on the computer.  So, waiting for hours on end for the other person to come online, and always wondering if what they have told you about their ‘real’ life is the actual truth, can make a normally reasonable person very insecure and paranoid.  One thing for certain, if your online love interest doesn’t want you commenting on their posts on their personal page, you can rest assured it’s because they have not been honest, and a ‘real’ significant other is in the picture.

Then, there is the issue of never being able to actually touch the person you believe you are so head-over-heels in love with, and not ever touching the person you love is huge as far as I’m concerned.  How can you have a ‘real’ relationship if there is no hope of ever holding hands, or kissing, not to mention not being able to have a physical love affair?  Still, in spite of not having any physical contact with your online lover, all the other intense emotions involved in close relationships come into play, such as jealousy, possessiveness and the need for reassurance that you are, indeed, loved and desired.  It was amazing to me to learn about how all of these profound feelings surface even though the person you are feeling them for is someone you have never met, or even touched, and basically know nothing about other than whatever they have told you about themselves online.

Now, I’m coming to the part that is probably going to make me very unpopular with the male gender.  But, of all the online relationships I researched, almost all of them, except for one, has ended in heartbreak for the women, because the men involved had to be with a ‘real’ woman regardless of the emotional bond they had with their online love.  This is not to say that there are not women who also have the need to have ‘real’ contact with another man, but among the women I spoke to about this subject all but one of them had their cyber men lose interest in the online affair and move on to be with ‘real’ women.  Although, I believe this is completely understandable, because we all crave ‘real’ intimacy in our lives, the rejection from their online lovers was as devastating for these women as it would have been if they were having a ‘real’ love affair and they had been dumped for another woman who lived down the street.

So, what about that one couple I mentioned above who met online and weren’t affected by infidelity?   Although they lived thousands of miles apart when they met on a social media site, they have traveled across the country to meet one another, and have discovered they are as much in love in person as they were online.  They are trying to figure out a way to eventually be together for ‘real’.  If things work out as they hope, this couple will be a rare exception to the normal outcome of online relationships.

My personal belief is that it’s possible to meet your soul mate online, and if it is meant to be, then you will find a way to make it ‘real’.  But, the odds of that happening are slim-to-none, and the reality of getting your heart broken is so much higher.  For me, the jury is still out on whether or not it is worth the risk.  I do not want to prowl the local bars and single hangouts looking for male companionship in my small town.  And, the hopeless romantic in me sometimes imagines that there is a perfect man out there in cyber land that I will connect with on a meaningful and emotional level, and he will come cruising into my ‘real’ life to sweep me off my feet, and we will live happily ever after.  But, the realist in me knows this is only a beautiful fairytale.

What do you think?  Would you take the chance of trying to find ‘real’ love online?  Or, are the odds against it too high to make it worth the time and effort?

50 SHADES OF COWBOY

Those dark shades don’t even begin to conceal your naughty thoughts, Cowboy. Behind those Ray Bans are the eyes of a man who is stripping me naked with his wicked stare. I have no doubt it’s the same way your insatiable blue gaze raked over my body last night as you wrapped the lasso around my wrists and tied that rope loosely around my ankles. “Let’s play rough tonight, darlin’, you said in a suggestive whisper.” I melted into a hot puddle at your feet.

Eager to learn how to play this exciting new game, I was such an enthusiastic student. And, I must say…Cowboy, you do know how to ride.

Now, there’s no hiding your darkest desires, or denying the sinfully delicious cravings you’ve awakened in me. My impatient fingers reach up and slide those sunglasses from your face. Smoldering flames linger from our adventurous escapades last night, and still flicker in those cobalt-hued eyes hooded beneath the wide brim of your felt hat. A seductive smirk curls your lips as the rising smoke of the impending rematch ignites a deep raging hunger in our shameless bodies. Winner takes all? This time, I’ve brought some toys of my own.

Saddle up, Cowboy, now you’re in for the ride of your life….

50 SHADES OF COWBOY … Verotica’s Fantasies

Those dark shades don’t even begin to conceal your naughty thoughts, Cowboy. Behind those Ray Bans are the eyes of a man who is stripping me naked with his wicked stare. I have no doubt it’s the same way your insatiable blue gaze raked over my body last night as you wrapped the lasso around my wrists and tied that rope loosely around my ankles. “Let’s play rough tonight, darlin’, you said in a suggestive whisper.” I melted into a hot puddle at your feet.

Eager to learn how to play this exciting new game, I was such an enthusiastic student. And, I must say…Cowboy, you do know how to ride.

Now, there’s no hiding your darkest desires, or denying the sinfully delicious cravings you’ve awakened in me. My impatient fingers reach up and slide those sunglasses from your face. Smoldering flames linger from our adventurous escapades last night, and still flicker in those cobalt-hued eyes hooded beneath the wide brim of your felt hat. A seductive smirk curls your lips as the rising smoke of the impending rematch ignites a deep raging hunger in our shameless bodies. Winner takes all? This time, I’ve brought some toys of my own.

Saddle up, Cowboy, now you’re in for the ride of your life….

WET DREAMS … Verotica’s Fantasies

Long dark hair tumbles over your shoulders, still damp from your recent shower. One loose rebellious strand hangs teasingly over your eye. Tiny droplets of water trail down your chest from the tips of your thick tresses.

Turning slowly, you glimpse me standing in the doorway. A white towel hangs in a low and seductive manner on your narrow hips, barely concealing your immediate desire for me.

You hadn’t expected to see me tonight, but the slight curve of your lips tells me you had been waiting, hoping and dreaming, that I would come. Our gazes hold one another captive.

The air in the room is filled with an electrifying sense of building anticipation. You know why I’m here and words are not necessary.

You hold your open hand out toward me and I slip my own hand into yours without hesitation.  Gently, you pull me up against your moist body.  We cave into one another like a tight fitting glove.  I feel the wetness from your skin soaking through my thin shirt and the ridge of your erection pressing into my abdomen.  My own body responds on its own accord by grinding up against you.  The towel falls unnoticed in a discarded wad at our feet.

Your lips descend on my waiting mouth.  It’s the kiss I’ve been so hungry for…soft and tender for a moment, and then urgent and demanding.  My fingers rake into your damp hair and become entangled in the long mass.   Melded together as one, you step backwards into the large walk-in shower from where you had just emerged, but now you are taking me with you.  The glass enclosure is filled with hot water and steam after you reach back and turn on the water again; your lips are still claiming my mouth with hot devouring kisses.

My drenched clothes stick like transparent tape against my fevered body as you press me back against the tiled wall.  Yes, you do know why I’m here, and the only thing we need to do now is to fulfill this sweet wet fantasy…

Like

ROCK ‘SEX’ GOD … Verotica’s Fantasies

I love to sit quietly at the back of the club or off to the side of whatever music venue you are playing so that I can watch how other women react to your bigger-than-life presence up on that stage. The bad boy persona flashes from those azure eyes as you let your mischievous gaze rake over the crowd in wicked appraisal. The women go wild. But, I know how the fire of raw passion lights up those luminous blue eyes when you are looking at me as I come to you in the private of our room after the show. I know the tenderness they can hold in their sapphire depths when your look of love reaches out and touches me with unspoken desires.

Standing at the edge of the stage, you lean over and let those beautiful dark locks of long hair fall over your shoulders; they cover your dangerously handsome face and flow like gossamer threads with the rhythm of your magical guitar chords. The women at the base of the stage scream in frenzied excitement. They each harbor a fantasy that they will be the one you will take to your bed tonight. But, I know the feel of those luxurious waist-length strands of hair entangled in my fingers, and the way they teasingly tickle my bare skin as the long tips brush ever so lightly over my fevered body when we are in the throes of impassioned love-making.

The leather vest you wear without a shirt caresses your broad shoulders and sways with your sensual movements on stage. It exposes the smooth expanse of your chest and abdomen. My tongue traces along my trembling lips with the knowledge of how I will push your long hair back over your shoulder and kiss a heated trail from the side of your neck and down that sexy chest and stomach, stopping only long enough to undo the snap on your leather jeans.

Oh, those tight leather jeans. They appear to hide nothing, but only I know what treasure is truly concealed within. I can see the way the women’s hungry eyes focus on that inviting bulge at the front of those jeans. They can only begin to imagine what I already know. My entire body grows weak and shaky with just the thought of how I will undo the zipper of those leather pants and slip my eager hand into the warmth where I know my own personal instrument awaits to take me to an enraptured paradise where the music you will play is only for me and no other.

Sometimes, it’s a little hard to share you with so many other women; to sit quietly and watch you induce your sexual charisma on that stage when all I want to do is take my Rock ‘Sex’ God back to our room where I can seduce you in ways all those others can only begin to dream of doing to you in their groupie fantasies. But, other times, it’s the highest euphoria to know that so many other women want what I already know is all mine once you step off of that stage and into my waiting arms. I know that the ‘real’ magic will begin when the show ends.

BLONDE MOMENTS

There are three amazing, selfless, friends who have taken time out of their crazy busy lives recently to read my new manuscript with a discriminating eye.   Then, they have spent even more time hashing out the good and the bad with me. I’ve never felt the need to do this with any of my past eleven books.  But, since I’m changing genres, and this book has been such a labor of love and agony for so long, I have been paranoid about my new writing style using a contemporary voice rather than an historical one.  I felt a desperate need for outside opinions before I could push my creation from the safety of the nest and allow it to soar out into the scary literary world.

All three readers absolutely loved my vampire hero.  But, only one liked my heroine and felt like they could identify with her in any way.  One of my awesome readers had a really difficult time getting to know her; and last night, my third reader told me she couldn’t stand my beautiful heroine, Dawn, at all.  Not even a little bit?  Gasp!  She said she was a ‘ditzy blonde’ and sexy Mateo Two Moons deserved so much better.  O.M.G.

Now, I don’t know about other writers, but I have really appreciated this honest criticism.  Since I haven’t submitted the manuscript to a publisher or agent, yet, hopefully there is still time to fix the big issues.   Like a very unpopular heroine.  Wow.   Although, it can be a bitter pill to swallow, I know that if the majority of people (two out of three) who read my draft don’t like something, then I’m thinking the big guns are not going to like it very much either.  My marvelous friends aren’t professional editors or agents, but their opinions count just as much, because all of them are readers, just at different levels.  I have no doubt the way the words I’ve written touches those select few will be similar to the way they affect the all-important readers who sit in those agencies and publishing offices.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for this battered manuscript…again.  I only have four hundred and fifty-three pages to revise so that my poor ostracized Dawn can be the woman every woman dreams of being, and the goddess in every man’s fantasies.   No more ‘blonde moments’ for this girl.