Vivian Arend's Blog, page 89

ARC-a-thon day 2, Deadlock excerpt

Moira Rogers and I are playing all this week (see Monday's post for details), and today I get to show you an exclusive excerpt from the amazing book three in the Southern Arcana series. Deadlock

I love getting to show off shiny new things. And it's even cooler that this is from a simply awesome series- if you haven't experienced the Southern Arcana world yet, you need get going! Here's a taste…

~~~

Abandoned by her wolf shifter father and raised by her human psychic mother, Carmen Mendoza can't deny she's different. She craves things most women shy away from–and she has a trail of shapeshifting ex-boyfriends to prove it.

Working at a clinic for supernatural creatures, she's escaped the notice of her father's legacy-obsessed family. Until they need a pawn in their bid for power. Snared by a vicious spell designed to wake her inner wolf, Carmen's only hope is to trust the one man strong enough to soothe her darkest instincts.

Alec Jacobson was once the heir apparent to the wolves' ruling elite, until he walked away to marry the woman he loved. She paid with her life. He lives as a rebel, a black-sheep alpha who protects the supernatural residents of New Orleans from the wolves' barbaric class system. Too bad he can't protect himself from his need for Carmen.

Yet staking his claim on his enemy's niece will turn his city into a battleground. Unless he can find a way to stop breaking the rules–and start making them.

Warning: This book contains a renegade alpha wolf, a smart empathic doctor, very dirty sex with psychic safe-words, the occasional dominance game in and out of the bedroom, and a group of supernatural citizens ready to take on the corrupt leaders of their world.

~~~

Carmen slowed and spun, walking backwards. "How long have you lived here?"

"This house?" He slowed too, to a casual amble. "Bought it…oh, nine or ten years back."

"And do you do this often?"

"Run? Or chase women through the woods?"

"That's chivalrous of you, to keep pretending you're the one doing the chasing here."

One eyebrow quirked up. "You're right. If I were really chasing you, you'd be under me already."

"Now there's a thought." She had to get used to the blatant, idle flirtation. She couldn't get aroused every time he said something like that, or she'd be perpetually horny—and frustrated. "I meant your obvious role as protector and mentor. Do you have a lot of new wolves beating down your door?"

"A few," he acknowledged with that infuriating little smile. "Someone has to take care of them, and I'm good at it."

And he needed it. She might never hear the admission from his lips, but she felt it plainly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You're going to trip and break your neck if you keep walking backwards on this path."

She stopped. "I was trying not to be rude."

He jerked his chin toward the path. "Quarter mile, maybe a little more. There's a nice clearing. I'll give you a ten-second head start."

The predatory glint in his eyes stole her breath and kicked her heart rate into high gear. "Head start for what?"

"Before I chase you. For real."

She had to be crazy to consider it, even if the thought made her body buzz. "And then what? More dirty talk because you can't sleep with me, but you can sure the hell torture me with your eyes and muscles and ridiculously hot voice?"

He actually laughed. "Can't do much to fix any of that. I could back off, I guess, but you're not going to like that much better."

"No, I suppose I wouldn't." She didn't feel like a crazed animal, but she'd never been quite so moved by feral instinct, either. "Go easy on me, would you?"

Pacing herself wasn't a problem, not if it was only a quarter of a mile, so Carmen ran hard, pushing herself almost at a sprint. Soon, the near-echo of trampled brush drifted from behind her, and she smiled through her panting.

He let her get three long strides into the clearing before he tackled her, somehow twisting their bodies as they fell so she sprawled across his chest. His low, delighted laughter curled around her, warm as the arms that circled her waist. "Easy as I get."

Too easy. Too intimate. She wiggled out of his arms and landed on the ground beside him. "You smile like you're not used to it, did you know that?"

Laughter died, and he twisted his head to stare at her. "It's been a while. Only other person willing to poke at me until I laugh is Kat. I always figured she did it because she knows I'm not going to kill her, even if I'm glaring like I want to. An empathy thing."

"Maybe." She wanted to reassure him with her touch, but she thrummed with a sexual awareness he could surely sense. "Is everyone else so careful with you because they're scared?"

"Some of them are." He slid his fingers over hers, his hand a heavy weight. "What do you feel? Beneath the sex, what does my power feel like?"

Dominant. Implacable. "You're strong, and you're intense." All things so wound up in her attraction to him that there could be no separation.

"And I'm a little crazy. Or I act that way enough that everyone thinks it's true. Better if most of the scary people in town are wary of pissing me off."

"Makes sense." His hand was huge, warm and a bit rough. She wanted to feel it on her body, sliding down her back and curling around her hip to hold her still for a hard, demanding thrust.

The mental image formed so quickly that all she could do was bite her lip as she blinked and willed it away.

His fingers tightened around hers. "I hate not knowing what to do. If I'll hurt you more leaving you alone, or by giving you what you crave. I don't want to hurt you at all. Do you have any fucking idea how long it's been since I didn't know what to do?"

"You're too hard on yourself," she admonished. "It isn't your job to keep me from hurting, and no one knows everything all the time."

"It's my job to keep from hurting you." He lifted his hand and hers with it, sliding it up until they pressed into the grass over her head. Then he released her and rolled to his side, propped up on his elbow so the bulk of his body loomed above her. "It's all a damn excuse. It's my job, and I'd be doing it anyway…but that's not why I'm doing it now."

It was the most nonsensical thing she'd heard in a while. "Are you saying you want to protect me?"

"I'm saying I want to protect you." His free hand landed on her stomach, skimming up to skip over her breasts and land on her collarbone. "You're not scared of me. Even when I'm acting crazy."

"Because you're not crazy." She caught his hand and held it still. "Don't do this just because you think I need it. It's not worth it."

His eyes looked so dark they might as well have been black. "Honey, I thought you were an empath."

"You know what I mean. If you still think I'm not in my right mind, the guilt would kill you, and I only want you to feel good about this."

He considered that for a moment, then guided her other hand up above her head. "I'm going to kiss you. Deep. Hard. You okay with that?"

He'd urged her into a position of submission—both hands over her head, her body stretched out beneath his—and it made her shake with anticipation. "More than okay."

"You want me to stop, you say stop." One hand curled around both of her wrists, gentle but unyielding. "You want more, ask for it. Okay?"

Carmen pulled against his grasp, not to free herself but to test his strength. He held tight, her eyes fluttered shut under a wave of need. "Yes."

His free hand settled at her hip in a possessive grip. Power built in the space between them, a slow, steady rise that mirrored the dark heat in his eyes as he lowered his mouth, lips barely touching hers. "Let me in."

The command released something inside her, a tension she hadn't noticed before he eased it, and she closed her eyes again. Honesty was one thing, even a kiss…

Don't think, Carmen. Feel.

She obeyed, loosening her tight hold on control, gasping when the first waves of empathic feedback echoed off him to heat her own body.

His beard scraped her chin as he closed the distance between them with a shuddering groan. He kissed the way she'd seen him live, reckless arrogance and power and an intensity that bordered on intimidating. Lips and teeth and his tongue stroking her mouth until she parted her lips, then surging forward to taste and take, his hunger and satisfaction twisting between them on the threads of her empathy.

She wasn't prepared for the depth of her reaction to his satisfaction. Beyond the undeniable physical pleasure of the kiss was a whole world of intimacy, a power she'd flirted with but never really embraced.

She could give him everything.

More, he'd take it. There could be no doubt of that, not with his desires laid bare before her, the hot need for her pleasure dwarfed by the steely craving to be the only one who provided it. Nothing tentative there. Nothing tentative about the way he teased his tongue against hers, his pleasure spiking every time she moaned and arched closer.

It had to stop, even if depriving herself of his touch drove her mad. Carmen turned her head to break the kiss. "Oh God."

~~~

Wasn't that good? Take a look around the blog, write yourself a note to come back tomorrow, and then pop over to Moira Roger's blog for a chance to win an ARC of my November 30th release, Falling, Freestyle.

WHeee! It's an ARC-a-thon!! Freeze Line

Okay peeps, hold onto your ebook readers and laptops. Moira Rogers and I have come up with some mischief to make this Thanksgiving week.

We're thankful for many things- I'm glad I've got a couple of cool buds to hang out with on the internetz. We're VERY thankful for the awesomesauce editor at Samhain we share, Anne Scott, who makes us behave–most of the time–and kicks my little comma hating manuscripts away from the dark side.

And we're happy and thankful **tossing turkeys in the air** for the fact we can write, enjoy ourselves (even though it's hard work) and do this full time.

SOOOOOO….this week, we're going to give away some presents, and show some sneakie peaks. We've each got three books releasing in the next few months, and we'll be giving out an Advanced Reader Copy of them AND letting you see some exclusive excerpts from the stories. And in a fun twist, I'm going to be showing you hers, and she's showing you mine.

Wait…that doesn't sound right…

Ready for some fun? Wheeee!!!!

(All contests are open internationally–these are ebook ARCs. You have to follow the entry rules for the individual contests, and please don't be silly and try to enter the same contest more than once– and have fun. Winners will be posted for all contests on Saturday. Elephants wearing baggy parachute pants prohibited, unless they have notes from their grandmas.)

***

I'm going to start today right off with a contest. Freeze Line is an apocalyptic paranormal (with witches and werewolves, natch). It's releasing December 6 from Carina Press, and the extra cool thing about this story is that it's going to be out as well with one of my books (Tangled Tinsel) and Vivi Andrew's No Angel- once again proving that Vivi and I ARE different people.

~~~



A twenty-first century ice age dulls the magic that emanates from the earth. Shane Sullivan is a lone wolf above the freeze line; He has no desire to join the packs that range closer to the border, where feral instincts can turn a man into a monster. Not until the winter solstice, when he stumbles across a dying witch who needs his help to get back to her people–and her magic–in the south.

Nadia is a powerful woman in her own world, but drained by her escape from captivity in a northern lab. She knows it's foolhardy to trust a werewolf, but he's her only chance to survive the vast white wilderness. The farther south they travel, the harder it is for Shane to keep the beast within under control, and as their mutual attraction intensifies, Nadia's no longer sure she wants him to.

~~~

Snippet of a sneaky peek: (**gloats** I got to read the whole thing.

His own fever washed over him in a wave of heat, and he knew he had to lock it down. Now. "Nadia."

The tip of her tongue dragged over her full lower lip again, and her gaze fixed on his throat. "I think I'm ready to leave."

She'd have to be, whether she liked it or not. "We've got a lot of miles to cover."

Nadia closed her eyes and slipped from the tailgate with a grace he hadn't seen in her before. "I'm feeling much better…but not very like myself."

"Everything's waking up."

"Yes, it is." She stretched, arching up on her toes with her head thrown back, the early morning sun bright on her face in spite of the biting cold. "I know I should conserve my energy. I know I'll need it to survive before we reach the border. But I'm so full. I want to do something."

She was beautiful like this, free and primal, almost wild. "Like what?"

Laughter filled the space between them, warm and low, the sound its own caress. "I could show you fireworks."

It sounded too much like an invitation, especially with the fever simmering in his blood. "Fireworks?"

Nadia brought her hands together in front of her. A whispered word, and the currents around them began to spin in a wide, lazy arc, as if she was drawing the earth into her. A brilliant light kindled above her palms, a flame that twisted into a perfect sphere refracting hundreds of colors.

It hung, suspended above her mittens, and her sudden smile was brilliant. "Sometimes, at home, I throw these into the air for the children. They're so beautiful when they explode."

Shane found himself laughing, charmed as much by her smile as by the disarmingly frivolous display of power. "I thought you said you were a warrior."

Her smile faded. "If I threw this into a person, it would explode then, too. And it wouldn't be beautiful at all."

A harsh reminder, one he shouldn't have needed. Shane poured another cup of coffee and held it out. "We've got to get moving."

Digital Versions

Pre-order: Amazon, Carina Press

~~~

CONTEST TODAY:

To enter to win an ARC of Freeze Line, leave a comment and tell me your favorite type of fireworks to enjoy. Then you can pop over to Moira's Blog and read an exclusive (shhhhh-sekrits!!!) excerpt from Falling, Freestyle.

Authors after Dark Polling begins

I mentioned back in October that two of my books had been nominated for Bookie Awards through the Authors after Dark:

Paranormal Menage:

Vampire Mistress, Joey W. Hill

Vampire Trinity by Joey W. Hill

Fearless Desire by Stacey Espino

Embraced By Passion Diana DeRicci

Perfection by Kris Cook

Moonlight Menage, Stephanie Julian

Whirlpool by Vivian Arend

Werewolf Novel:

Sin Undone by Larissa Ione

A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare

Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Kresley Cole

Styx's Storm – Lora Leigh

Alpha Awakening by Diana DeRicci

Wolf Signs – Vivian Arend

Dark Succession, by Teresa D'Amario

Blameless by Gail Carriger

Moon Sworn, Particia Briggs

If you're interested in voting for any of the categories, the voting is here:

COME BACK TOMORROW!! Big things happening this coming week

Snippet Saturday- Happy Birthday!

My birthday snippet comes from a coming soon release–Turn It Up, out February 8. It's the start of the story, and the morning after Tasha tied one on a little too hard for her birthday…

She wants it. He's got it…and a whole lot more.

Coming February 8, 2011

Turner Twins, Book Two

Maxwell Turner considers his stubborn and resourceful attitude a plus. After all, it usually gets him what he wants—except for Natasha Bellingham. The long-time family friend may be ten years older than he, but so what? He's plenty old enough to know they belong together. Now all he has to do is convince her.

Over the past few years Natasha's love life has degenerated into a series of bad clichés. Her biological clock is ticking—loudly. As a proven architect with her own house-design company, she's financially ready for a baby. Who says she needs a permanent man in her life for that? She just needs a "donation".

When Max discovers Natasha's future plans include artificial insemination, he's outraged. She wants to get pregnant? No problem. He's more than willing to volunteer—no turkey basters involved .

But there's one non-negotiable clause: He wants forever. And he intends to do everything in his power—fair and unfair—to make it happen.

Warning: This title contains one younger man ready, aimed and hell bent on giving one woman everything she wants. Includes interludes against the wall, in a Jacuzzi, on a car hood and even—shockingly enough—on a bed or two. Oh, and about that porch swing? Yup…

—-

"Good to know you're a little more with it than you were last night."

She stared at him in confusion. "Last night? You weren't there."

"Sure I was. I was the DD for the evening. Or don't you remember Lila calling me? By the time you'd all done a round or four of tequila shooters, you'd talked her into drinking as well, and there was no one left sober enough to get behind the wheel."

"You drove us home?"

"Every last one of you."

Natasha drained her mug and stared at the bottom, wondering if she dared have another. She needed to be alert to keep up with Max. She had no recollection of him driving her anywhere. There had been lots of singing, that she remembered, but him?

The tease of another cup of the Sugar Shack's high-test java tempted her. If she stuck to her schedule, this was her last day for coffee as well.

Max held out his hand. "A dying man's final requests are always honored. You're going to feel like hell for a few days anyway, you may as well enjoy the buzz while you can."

She handed over her cup reluctantly. He seemed to know way too much about what she had planned.

He strolled back to the counter and got her a refill while she racked her brains for an inkling of what had happened last night. She remembered hitting the bar with her friend Maxilila and a few other girls. Her birthday was as good a time as any for one last hurrah before cleaning up her act and going dry for as long as it took.

Operation Baby—before that magic number of thirty-five hit and she turned into a pumpkin or something.

She'd always hated the cliché of the damn clock ticking, but over the past couple of years that was exactly what she'd heard. Every month as the dream of starting a family seemed to grow more distant, the timer counting down got louder and louder.

Sunlight flashed off the tabletop and she groaned in pain as her temples throbbed in response. Of course, right now the thought of being responsible for anyone other than herself scared her silly. She should crawl back into bed and sleep until Monday.

It was a brilliant plan, and one she was going to put into action as soon as possible. But first, she had to ditch Maxwell.

***

Max added extra cream and sugar to Tasha's coffee cup. It was unlikely she would be eating anything soon, and at least this way she'd consume a few calories. He nodded at the barista and picked up their cups, balancing them easily as he returned to the table.

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 fucking her while she was drunk was no way to start a lasting relationship.

~~~

If you'd like information regarding this book, make sure you're signed up for my newsletter-I'll report when the pre-order links go live.

~~~

Head out for a few other Birthday adventures:

Lissa Matthews, Mari Carr, McKenna Jeffries, Taige Crenshaw, Ashley Ladd, Shelley Munro, Leah Braemel

Mid-month update

Here's the current working list:

Waiting for:

•  Final cover for Stormy Seduction

•  Edits for Stormy Seduction

Working on:

•  Promo for Falling, Freestyle and Tangled Tinsel (ready for some fun?  I'll be posting some news in the next couple days)

Writing:

•  Writing the rest of Rising, Freestyle. I love writing these Xtreme Adventure books. (and yes, that's the new series title for the Falling books. Like it? I love it!)

•  Finishing writing my sekrit project. OH BOY OH BOY it's a hawt one!!

So, what do you think? 

Want to see what I see?

Here's something new- since we're traveling I no longer have a pretty office to play in. I have a lot of coffee shops, libraries and other wonderful locations to savour as I write.

Want to see? I thought I'd pop up a few pictures every now and then. Enjoy!

Spokane, Washington

Manzanita, Oregon

Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon

Snippet Saturday-Make me Laugh

It's not always easy to leap into a scene and make you laugh. Great humour, like great sex, involves a lot of foreplay. It's not simply the punch line that makes it funny.

But let's try anyway. I'm going to hit you with a sneak peek snippet from my upcoming Carina release, Tangled Tinsel, available December 6th. Enjoy, and then hit the other Snippet participants for more opportunities to make you smile.

~~~

Shopping was domestic and non-exciting and…he loved every minute of it. At least until he had to make a pit stop. The restroom doors were wrapped in shiny paper and ribbons, with the words "Elves" and "Pixies" to choose from. He actually had to peek in to discover which one had the urinals.

When he finally returned to where he'd left El, she wasn't alone.

She was nose to nose with a hulking dark-skinned giant. Loosely congregated around them, a half dozen other shaggy-haired men casually loitered, and Kyle increased his pace, ducking through the milling crowds. The scent on the air screamed wolf.

Then the giant grabbed El and planted his lips on hers, and Kyle's vision got a trifle hazy. He snarled out a warning and the path cleared, humans between him and his prey falling aside like fir trees in a Christmas tree lot in November. One of the pack stepped in his way, and he simply pressed the man to the floor with a hand, using his forward momentum to fly over top of a display unit and tackle the guy mauling El to the ground. Unfortunately, that meant El went as well, but Kyle twisted them as they fell, ensuring the lupine ended up on the bottom. A rattling gasp escaped the wolf as the full weight of their two bodies slammed into him hard.

El threw out a hand toward the rest of the pack that instantly surrounded them. "Wait. Don't do anything stupid. Sam is fine. No need to rip out any throats." She peeled herself off the pile of bodies and scrambled to her feet. The next thing he knew she smacked his shoulder. Hard.

"Kyle, what the hell are you doing?"

Kyle thought for a moment. "Is this some kind of a trick question? Christmas shopping." Her gaze narrowed and she knelt beside him, pointing to his hand. Kyle gasped in mock surprise. "My goodness, what am I doing?"

The wolf's eyes bulged, the whites showing red-tinged. Kyle had his hand wrapped around the shifter's throat, pinning him effortlessly to the ground. Of course, part of the effortlessness was because Kyle still sat on the beast, all his weight centered directly over the wolf's gut. Any energy his target had went into breathing and not into trying to escape.

Sudden pain gripped Kyle. He meekly let his quarry free, attempting to stay as close as possible to El and the death grip she had on his ear. She tugged again, peeling him off the wolf, who instantly rolled to this belly and dragged in a huge gasp of air.

El yanked one last time to get Kyle to face her before releasing his aching ear.

"What happened to staying quiet as a kitten? You dumb-ass," she hissed at him sotto voce.

"He was touching you." The words leapt from his lips before his brain engaged.

She rolled her eyes and buried her fingers in her hair, tugging the locks into an unruly mess. "Great. More macho shit, just what we needed." She leaned closer. "You will not say another word while I try to fix this, got it?"

He batted his eyes innocently and then folded in two to cradle his belly. Fuck, her right hook was getting stronger, and she was deadly accurate when it came to hitting his solar plexus. "Got it," he squeezed out.

El stepped around him. "Hey, Samuel, sorry about that. My friend's a little shaky from all the sugar—you know, cats on a holiday high and all that."

The wolf had gotten to his feet and now glared in Kyle's direction. "Sure. We'll accept that as an excuse this time." The rest of his boys circled in behind him. "I'm serious, El, it's good to see you again. You're looking mighty fine."

You're looking mighty fine. Blah, blah, blah. The "I want to get into your pants" tone of the wolf's voice was all too familiar. Kyle had used it too many times himself not to recognize it.

El folded her arms in front of her. "Thanks, but like I said before, I don't think you should be kissing me. We're not a couple anymore."

"We could be," Samuel growled, his voice low and dripping with intention. Kyle's fingers itched to return to the man's neck. His own grumble of dissatisfaction escaped, and El butted him with her hip.

"But we're not. And haven't been for a long time." She raised her gaze and nodded to the rest of them. "Hey, guys. How's it going? Y'all coming out to the party this weekend?"

A pack of animated wolves in a toy store was a scary sight. Grown men though they were, they almost vibrated with excitement. "You bet, Eloise," one piped up. "Your family makes the best damn hooch—"

An elbow in the ribs cut him short. "Ix-nay on the ooch-hay in ublic-pay"

"Oh, right."

The rumble of voices as the pack chatted excitedly at El smeared together into white noise. Kyle had his eyes locked on the leader, Samuel, and the man was equally focused on him. The wolf's gaze darted between him and El, suspicion and jealousy on his face. Kyle snuck out a hand to cup her waist, just to yank the other guy's chain. El didn't even realize that as she spoke, she settled unconsciously against Kyle's body, her long frame nestled intimately close.

Samuel looked as if Kyle had stolen his favorite bone.

Kyle wondered for a second what the freak was going on. He wasn't supposed to feel protective toward El. Cats didn't. Not this cat anyway. Prowl, howl and get the hell out—that had always been his motto when it came to relationships. But somewhere along the long bike ride to the land of endless Christmas carols, he seemed to have lost his mind.

He was dragged from his internal debating by El's firm grip, and brought back into the December sunshine, his arms piled high with bags from their purchases. He glanced around to spot the wolves, but they were long gone.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" El shook her head in disappointment.

"I have a few suggestions—"

She stomped on his foot. "Don't even start with me, bucko. It was bad enough I had to issue a personal invitation to Ranger Bob and his posse to the Christmas party to make sure things didn't get out of hand after your little display of uber Alphahood. Don't push your luck."

Christmas party. He'd heard those words an awful lot lately, yet only now did they register. "Christmas party?"

She piled the bags from his arms into the back of the truck they'd borrowed to come to town. "Party. As in the yearly Scotts' booze-it-up-and-get-down Christmas bash. It's a tradition around here. The whole town is usually invited." She tossed him the keys and he couldn't stop the grin that burst to his face. "I can hardly wait to find out how nicely in control you're going to be at that event."

~~~

And here you go for more fun and frolics…

Leah Braemel, Mari Carr, McKenna Jeffries, Taige Crenshaw, Ashley Ladd, Delilah Devlin, HelenKay Dimon, Lauren Dane , Sasha White, Shelley Munro, TJ Michaels, Shelli Stevens, Jody Wallace

Slowly finding our way

This traveling thing is a ton of fun, but it's taking a little time to get used to. Eventually I think I'll be back to not only getting my writing done, but also blogging with consistency.

Snippet Saturdays are a go though, and I'm also planning on posting some pic of where I'm sitting as I work…which today was in the camper at Newport, because after our morning at the Tilamook cheese factory, work was during the rainy afternoon!

Two fun things to note: I got my sekrit project subbed this week, so fingers crossed. And two, writing on the iPad is making me lol as the autocorrect kicks in and makes my horrendous typing even funnier with it's strange word corrections. Example? It somehow turned the word writing into erupt, and just now made turned into turnout and many many more.

Yes, small things amuse… :p

Snippet Saturday- Wahhhhh!!!!

I have my favorite 'make me cry moment', but it's in Turn It Up, not out until February, and I decided to not tease that hard. So a moment of tears from Wolf Flight, book two in the Granite Lake Wolves.

~~~

She trembled in his arms and Tad came close to losing control. He looked into her eyes, checking to see if she was afraid. Fuck. He must have done something, moved too fast, not shown how much she meant to him. Pain, deep and sharp, thrust into him and he sucked in a breath.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Tad tried to untangle their limbs, he tried, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Leaving the heat of her touch would wrench his heart from his body.

"Nothing's wrong, everything's right." She cupped his face in her hands again, the softness of her touch washing over him with equal parts of desire and peace. There was something so right about Missy, so far beyond mere sex that his mind grew foggy and it was hard to concentrate on her words. "Can you feel it? This isn't just FirstMate, it's more. You and I, we're mates."

Tad froze. It wasn't possible. She'd had a mate, yet for some reason she was getting the message they belonged together forever. Oh bloody hell, it was the frickin' werewolf hormones again. Somehow she was getting a false positive.

How could this happen? How could it happen without them having sex? She was going to think she was in love with him for the rest of her life and it would just be pheromones controlling her. He couldn't do that, couldn't treat someone he cared about in such a cold, heartless manner, especially Missy. Tad summoned strength he didn't know he had from within and dragged himself away.

They both cried with low moans as he stumbled across the room to put distance between them. The physical pain that shot through his body was unexpected and nearly drove him to his knees. His eyes blurred for a moment and the room spun as he grew light-headed.

"I'm so sorry, I really am." He would do anything to stop from hurting her. His limbs shook as he leaned on the doorframe. His body was on fire, even more than when he was touching her.

She was pale, confusion written all over her face, and he ached for her. The situation was beyond her control and entirely his fault. "I thought, I mean…" She hesitated before closing her tear-filled eyes and starting to shake. "Don't you want me?"

A sound of agony ripped from his throat at the thought of denying his need for her. Bloody werewolf genes had messed up his life and now Missy's. All he wanted was to hold her and make it all better, but it wasn't possible. Everything he'd been told over the years meant she had to be mistaken and unless he stopped now she would suffer forever. He softened his voice and let his caring come through as he spoke. "Hell, it's not you, it's me. Don't you see? I'm not triggered. We can't be mates, it's the pheromones blinding you. You just think I'm your mate. Oh, sweetheart, I wish it was true." He wished it with everything he had.

"It is!" Missy cried. She was on her knees now, her sweater askew, hair tousled everywhere.

He'd never seen anything as beautiful. It was sheer torture to drop his gaze from her, his heart pounding fast, his ears ringing as blood roared through his head. He forced down his lust to try and reason with her. "I can't be. You have a mate." It never happened twice. A once-in-a-lifetime event and when they died, a piece of you died.

"I had a husband, Tad. Not a mate. We were married but it was a political thing forced upon me." She rose and reached for him.

Tad held out a hand to stop her, his mind spinning. She'd never had a mate. She'd said they were mates. Could she be right? He sniffed hard. The only aroma that reached him was the faint scent of wood smoke. His sinus passages were plugged, his forehead felt hot. His body ached.

Did he want her? Hell yeah, but there didn't seem to be the irresistible connection that he'd been warned occurred when true mates met. He wanted to bury himself in her and protect her, but he'd felt that way since they were kids back in high school. The connection, the pull, he felt equally strongly with his human side. How could this possibly be a true mating if he wasn't sure? The trickle of doubt that remained tied his hands.

Tied his heart.

~~~

Ebook available: Amazon | MB&M | Books on Board | Sony | Borders

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More people setting out to jerk your heartstrings. Have fun

Delilah Devlin, HelenKay Dimon , Lauren Dane , Sasha White, Shelley Munro, TJ Michaels, Leah Braemel, Lissa Matthews, Mari Carr, McKenna Jeffries, Taige Crenshaw, Ashley Ladd

The adventure begins

Okay folks- I'm in the first days of this being a gypsy thing, and the dust is still swirling. We've crossed into the United States, and I've found a 3G card for my iPad so I have Internet. But not on my computer yet, so I apologize for being slow to respond to comments and/ or emails you send through the contact button.

I promise to get all the prizes out I owe, and any questions answered asap–I'm not ignoring you, just adjusting to the learning curve. In a few weeks I'll be in a better routine, and hopefully ready for a few coffee shops.

Thanks for hanging in there and looking around the place while I settle into the routine of being homeless