Vivian Arend's Blog, page 66

Happy Anniversary WOLF SIGNS

Yes, little Wolf Signs is all grown up and legal everywhere–at least in dog years. That means, of course, Happy Anniversary to me!

It's been three years since my first book was published. There have been ups and downs along the way, but mostly ups. Lots of ups. Lots and lots and LOTS of ups. Climbing to 5000m on Cotapaxi mountain in Ecuador was breathtaking. So has been the publishing adventure.

And it's been full of people. Of family and friends, authors and editors, publishers and promotors, readers and bloggers. To try to name everyone all would be impossible, because there's been long discussions by the IM firelight. Jokes (that were very NSFW) on twitter. Emails that were long and heartfelt, or short and full of *smack* some sense into me. Laughter filled 'business discussions' at conference bars, sometimes involving martini glasses, broken or unbroken. Intimate looooong, earnest advice given while standing in quiet hotel hallways (you know who you are.) Cowboy hats, stuffed wolves, and brainstorming seasons over the phone and IM. Tearily read emails from readers who have been touched by a story. Or who touched me with THEIR story.

You all make this so damn awesome.

When we traveled the USA last year we were down in San Antonio and ran into this lovely store on the riverwalk. I couldn't believe it. It was called "Life is Good." I had heard about the place before, but thought it was just a joke, albeit one that made me smile. But no, there it was. A place filled with what has basically been my life motto for a long time now.

Do what you like. Like what you do.

Rock it hard, Life is Good! Lol!

So on my celebration day I've got a few things to give away. For a chance to win, just leave a comment. Winners will be randomly selected and awarded one of these gifts on Friday, March 30. International if legal, and if I can ship direct from the store to you. Yada yada yada on other rules.

Thanks for being a part of the adventure, whether you've been around for 3 days, 3 months, or 3 years. Looking forward to the next 30!

Life Is Good Monkey. Because I like to hang out with friends

This 'ThinkGeek' glass that Bree (Moira Rogers) said was very me

A cute little wolfie keychain, and also a sweet turtle I brought back from the Galapagos Islands. Because we all need a close friend.

It holds coffee. Do I need to say more?

**insert loud party noises**

Just got word that ROCKY MOUNTAIN DESIRE has hit the USA Today and New York Times lists. I am thrilled, and excited, and everything else that comes along with excitement.

I love all the steps it takes from beginning to write a book to putting together the final package, but how well a book does is up to you, the readers. Thank you for taking the Colemans into your hearts. Thanks for wanting to read about a group of slightly wild but always family focused red-necks.

I love writing them, and if you keep reading them, we're going to get along fine.

Thank you. Just…thanks.

#14 NYT ebooks

#24 NYT ebook/print

#60 USA today

 

Shhhhh…

I'm hiding out for a couple days to try and get a whole bunch of words done on my current project. Disconnecting the internet and just getting it done. Or at least that's the plan!

What am I working on? **whistles** This is what I picture Gabe looks like, except a little blonder. Rocky Mountain Angel, coming in December.

*I can't find the information regarding the photo/model. If anyone knows who this is, let me know so I can post the info. I don't even remember how this picture got on my computer, but he's been waiting for a longtime for his story.

Book signing in Vegas

It's today! If you are in the Vegas area you can find me and six incredible authors at the Chapel of the Flowers. 9 pm.

Chapel of the Flowers

1717 Las Vegas Blvd. So.

Las Vegas:  Party starts at 9 pm.

For everyone not going, I thought I'd pop up what I'm planning on reading at the signing. Yes. I have to read. Outloud. Which means I had to find a part that I can actually make it through without blushing or wanting to skip words. **shy** I don't mind swearing, and for many of my characters, it's a part of them–I don't know many ranchers who don't drop the F-bomb now and again. But -I- don't swear, cuss or use explicit words very often outloud. Yeah, picking a scene snippet to read is challenging! Lol.

Here's from TURN IT UP that released this past January.

~~~**~~~

She'd leaned back in the oversized chair, head resting against the side wing. In contrast to her dark hair, her skin was pale, and she must have had a headache the size of California. But he wasn't about to let this chance slip away. For the past four years he'd been biding his time. He recognized an opportunity when he saw one, and this was it—Natasha Bellingham was going to be his. Enough of her running, and if he had to take advantage of the moment, so be it.

Her nose twitched when he placed the cup in front of her and he laughed. "I don't understand how you think you're going to survive without coffee. You're pretty near addicted to the stuff."

She narrowed her eyes, the dark brown irises locking on him. "That's the second time you mentioned that, about me giving up coffee. How do you know what I've got planned?"

"You told me." He gave her a serious nod, keeping all traces of amusement hidden. "Last night, when I helped you up to your apartment."

"You helped me…" Her eyes clouded over for a moment. She shook her head, then cringed. She sucked back more of her coffee and he let his smile escape.

"There were a number of interesting revelations last night. How you weren't embarrassed about having a good time with your friends because it was your last time drinking for as long as it takes. And then there's the coffee you're giving up—as well as any kind of tea but herbal."

Two red circles appeared on her cheeks and she stuttered. One deep breath later, Max watched in amazement as she turned calm and cool before him, the embarrassed, hungover woman vanishing beneath a perfectly in-control persona.

"Well, it appears you've found out about my new health régime. Part of getting older. Time to take care of the body a little better."

Damn, she was good. If he didn't know her so well, he would have fallen for the cool, collected and put-together routine she displayed.

She leaned forward and stared at him intently. "Was there something specific you wanted? The message on my answering machine mentioned a business proposal."

"That's right."

He tipped back a hit of his coffee, trying to waste a few minutes. Fortunately, last night the calm woman before him had been far more hot-blooded and emotional. He wouldn't hold it over her head, but he would capitalize on what she'd let slip.

As he waited for her breathing to fall back into a steady pattern, he pulled out the file folder he'd prepared after tucking her into bed last night—and he wasn't about to tell her that part either. Not yet. Even though the memory of her soft skin made him instantly aching and hard, he had forced himself to not take advantage of the opportunity.

It had nearly killed him to slip her under her quilt and not crawl in with her. Especially after listening to her confess what she wanted, what he was more than willing to provide. If he hadn't been raised to be a gentleman, it would have made life so much easier. Giving in and having sex with her while she was drunk was no way to start a lasting relationship.

He handed over the portfolio.

Tasha accepted it with reluctance, pulling it toward her. "What's this? I'm not up for any games today, okay?"

He shook his head. "No games. Take your time, read it through."

She rubbed her eyes for a moment then opened the file with a deep sigh. Humoring him no doubt. Her gaze darted over the page and slowly her brow furrowed.

"Maxwell, I think you gave me the wrong papers. These are your health records."

He smiled. "That's right. I had a full physical last month and all the paper work is up to date. I thought you'd appreciate that."

She snorted. "Oh yeah. Thank you. Exactly what I need to see the night after I drink myself blind. Good for you." She scrolled down the page with a finger. "Gee, nice blood pressure. And your BMI is amazing. You should be proud."

Max chuckled. "Ahh, I love your sense of humor."

Tasha leaned back and sighed. "Look, I don't feel well. Get to the point. I know you're smarter than anyone else, so use small words and I'll try to understand."

"Turn the page. I think you'll get the picture."

She rolled her eyes then winced in pain, and he wiped his mouth to hide his grin. While he felt for her, he was grateful the liquor last night had been enough to loosen her lips. At least enough to make her spill the beans in regards to her plan to get pregnant.

Which fit his agenda just fine.

She turned the page and froze, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the open file before her. The twin spots of color on her cheeks spread to flush her entire face, and she slammed her lips together.

He waited. He was good at waiting.

"Maxwell Dale Turner, what the hell is this?"

Tasha flipped the portfolio around to display the ring he'd taped to the page below the note written in all capital letters.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Thursday Travels

Since I'm actually traveling today I thought some pictures of my destination, Las Vegas, would be appropriate.

You know, I'd never thought of Vegas as a getaway spot I'd enjoy. The entire family is much more into the wilderness and roughing it, and what I'd seen in movies and TV didn't thrill me.

Then we took a trip to all the National Parks in Utah (pictures another time) and since we were close, we extended the holiday and pulled the camper into Vegas for a couple nights. We parked at Circus Circus then walked the strip.

Seriously? It was SO MUCH FUN. Because while I love the wilderness, I also love people watching, and oh boy, can you ever people watch in Vegas!

Also, while there are ton of ways to spend money, Vegas can be very inexpensive. The amount of free entertainment was incredible, and just walking through hotels like the Venitian and see the gondolas, or the wonderful gardens in the Bellagio added such fun to the entire event. So much fun that the next year hubby and I popped on a plane and did a return trip. And now I'm off to meet my friends for a couple days of R&R and to participate in  the book signing  on Saturday night.

One fun story about Vegas–neither my hubby or I are much of gamblers. We work hard for our money and we like to make sure we squeeze every bit of fun from it possible, and simply tossing it away grambling didn't strike us as 'fun.' But we did figure out that if you play the slots, and use the penny machines, and only one of us played and the other watched, we could spend a little money and have fun for a decent amount of time.

Plus, we're competitive. **rubs hands together** What can I say? We both like to win! So the deal was we each got $10 to spend in the casino. The goal was to be the one who managed to make it last the longest. Also, because of our tightwad tendencies, we decided that if the amount on the machine doubled? We had to cash out and let the other person take over wherever they wanted to play.

We found a machine called Wolf Run, which made both us laugh since the wolfies are such a big part of my writing career, so it was deemed fate and I HAD to play it. To make a long story shorter–I had that sucker up to $20 in no time. Hubby took over and did the same.

Our winnings weren't tons, but we played for a few hours, used the extra cash to buy dinner–the entire night was a blast. I think we're the only people I know who left Vegas dead even.

 

 

New Release- Rocky Mountain Desire

It's here! It's here!

I figure you all know what I'm talking about, so instead of the cover and blurb AGAIN, here's a little fun item related to Rocky Mountain Desire. A colouring page!

Hope is a quilter, so I've made a little quilt design based on the book. A lot of quilters will make something like this up before officially starting on a quilt–it's a chance to colour in the squares and try different combinations to see what works best. If any of you do colour one up, make sure you let me see your finished project! The link below is to a PDF of the page so you can print it off big.

What? I love stuff like this!

RMDesireQuilt2012

Back to reality for  minute, I really do hope you enjoy Matt and Hope's story. It was a lot of fun to write, and getting to visit with the rest of the Colemans was lovely as always.

Happy release day! Wheeeeee!!!

~~**~~

Rocky Mountain Desire now available:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

 

Winner for Thea Harrison giveaway

No, you can't actually have THEA. *clings*

Winner of last Tuesday's giveaway blog is: Colleen! Use the contact to tell me which one of Thea's books you want in what format, and I'll get that out to you!

And for further entertainment–this? This is how my brain works. Me and Snoopy have a lot in common.

 

 

 

Snippet- Rocky Mountain Desire

This coming Tuesday is the day. Book three, which is Matt's story, has been a long time coming.

For those of you who discovered the Coleman's this past November  it's been a quick trip, but for the people who purchased Blake and Jaxi's story back in August of 2009, and then Daniel and Beth's original version in March of 2010–they've been waiting a long time for the next part of the story. I'm so pleased to be able to finally have more for you about the Coleman clan.

And good news–I've got the release date for book 4, ROCKY MOUNTAIN ANGEL will be out December 11 of 2012. It's 9 months away, I know, a lot longer than 2 months, but hopefully I'll be able to start a nice routine and have new Six Pack Ranch stories on a regular basis after that.

In the meantime, a hot scene for you. If you want more snippets I've been posting at my Facebook page all week.

~~**~~

"Damn it, don't you leave right now."

Matt spun. "You're swearing at me? Fuck that. If I want to leave, I'll leave. That's what you said, isn't it? That if it's something I really want to do, then I can do it. And right now I want to go. In fact I want to go and get a stiff drink, and since I'm too fucking responsible to get shit-faced except when I'm safely at home, I'm gone."

She grabbed his collar, one side in each hand. "Fine. Go drink yourself into a bloody stupor. But this goes two ways. There's something I want before you run."

Logic flew out the window. It was the last thing she should do and yet it had to be done. She yanked him forward.

He was an unmovable wall, but she was strong enough the frantic jerk brought her to the mountain of his body. She lifted her chin and slammed her mouth against his, kissing fiercely. His hands hovered in midair for a moment, visible in her peripheral vision before she closed her eyes and simply took what she wanted.

His hands didn't stay unoccupied for long. She was lifted off her feet. The bulk of his muscular body shoved her backward as his tongue thrust between her lips. Her back hit the wall the same moment he switched from accepting her kisses to consuming her. She couldn't groan, couldn't let out anything but a brief gasp when he ripped his lips from hers and bit her neck, the entire front of his body rammed against hers, pinning her in place.

Hope raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips, squeezing as tight as she could with her still relatively strong dancer's muscles. If she didn't get her point across one way, he was going to hear it loud and clear another.

Oh God, he thrust his hips forward, making contact with her core, and his name burst from her, exploding like a cry for help. She clutched his head, jerking his hair to drag his mouth back into range so she could kiss him again. Excitement simmered in her core, tingles of pleasure radiating out from where he rubbed insistently against her, the solid ridge in the front of his jeans a magnet she was determined to stay connected with.

And his kisses? She melted under his assault. Heated, wicked, violent even. Burning and stripping away some of the pain, some of her lingering frustrations.

He slowed as she did, one hand cradling her head, lifting her chin higher to allow him to cover her mouth more easily. His tongue swept smoothly over her lips, hot breath flashing over her cheek and neck as his left hand cupped her ass and pulsed her against his groin slower and slower.

He eased away until her feet reluctantly hit the floor. Hope savoured the last touches of his mouth against hers, the smooth slide of their tongues as she withdrew, sucking in air. The final squeeze of his hand on her ass, the fleeting brush of her fingers escaping from his hair. Matt backed up, leaving her leaning on the wall for support.

His eyes were open wide, hands dropping to his chest as if checking to see if he was still in one piece.

~~**~~

Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

 

Thursday Travels

Last December my husband and I took off for Ecuador with our 16 year old daughter. We had plans to see various parts of the country, and one area in particular we wanted to see was the Galapagos Islands. It was incredible.

It wasn't always sunshine and bright– but there was enough sun for us to enjoy snorkling and seeing the wildlife. On one of the higher points of San Cristobal Island, though, we found ourselves buried in the fog for a while.

There really are incredible things to see on the islands. We did an island hopper tour, which meant instead of sleeping on a boat and visiting the more remote islands, we were based in hotels on the three main islands, and then did day tours. After eight days exploring we were ready to head back to the mainland of Ecuador. The next time we go back we plan on scuba diving.

In the list of animals including giant land tortoises and sea-lions with pups, the giant marine iguanas were very entertaining. There were literally thousands of them scattered all over the place, and we were there as they were reaching the mating season. The brightest and biggest of the males become the king of the hill, so to speak, and dip their heads aggressively as you approach. One day as we walked through the observation area we noticed the biggest fellow yet acting very agitated. That's when we noticed that one of our group was wearing a bright green and blue sarong cover up that she'd pulled on after we'd finished snorkeling. The iguana was pissed off that he wasn't the brightest and most dominant in the area!

More next time, but to finish? I couldn't resist. It's only funny in English.

Cool new books- ORACLE'S MOON by Thea Harrison

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Thea Harrison for the first time last year at the National Romance Writer's convention (RWA), and I fell in love. She's the most amazing lady, and I'm so pleased to be able to introduce you to her latest release. This is book 4 in the Elder Races series, and I think it's my favorite so far. I love how the hero has to learn about humans!

As a second daughter, Grace Andreas never had to worry about the intrigues of the Elder Races. But when her sister, Petra, and Petra's husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister's two young children – neither of which she is prepared for.

Yet, she is not alone. Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn prince of House Marid – driven by his genuine caring for the children – has decided to make himself a part of the household both as their guardian and as an exasperating counterpoint to Grace's impudence toward the Elder Races.

But when an attempt is made on Grace's life, she realizes that Khalil is the only one who can protect her – and offer her more than a mortal man…

Amazon | Barne's & Noble | Indiebound

~~**~~

In honour of this new release, I'm going to give away a copy of one of the first books in the series (if any of you haven't read them yet!) Winner can pick print or digital of DRAGON BOUND, STORM'S HEART, SERPENT'S KISS or the novella from Samhain, TRUE COLORS (which is only available in ebook) You can find out more about the books at Thea's website.

To be eligible to win, leave a comment and tell me if you could travel in a magical fashion, what would you choose? A magic carpet? Pixie dust? Or something else? I'll announce the winner next Monday.