Lori Toland's Blog, page 22

So I've been asked before about my playlists for my books...

So I've been asked before about my playlists for my books.

Here is my playlist for Soul Seduction:

1) Teenage Dream Katy Perry
2) Apologize OneRepublic
3) Firework Katy Perry
4) Halcyon + On + On Orbital
5) Secrets One Republic
6) Juke-Joint Jezebel K.M.F.D.M.
7) Just the Way You Are Bruno Mars
8) Bleeding Love Leona Lewis
9) For Faith Shôji Hidenori
10 Battle Without Honor or Humanity Tomoyasu Hotei (Luke's Song)
11) Even Better Than The Real Thing U2
12) I'd Die without You           PM Dawn
13) Rockstar 101 (featuring Slash) Rihanna
14) Baba O'Riley The Who Who's Next
15) Good Life OneRepublic
16) Too Many Walls (Acappella) Cathy Dennis
17) I've Been Thinking About You (7" single) Londonbeat
18) Disturbia Rihanna
19) Take me home Phil Collins
20) Kandi (Eat More Cake Mix) One eskimO
21) What Goes Around...Comes Around (Radio Edit) Justin Timberlake
22) Airplanes [Feat. Hayley Williams Of Paramore] (Explicit Album Version) B.o.B 
23) Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band
24) Bodyrock Moby
25) Let Me Go 3 Doors Down
26) Pure Shores  All Saints
27) Angel Of The Morning The Pretenders
28) Fly Nicki Minaj & Rihanna


A Sampling of Soul Seduction's playlist

And a link to my iTunes playlist coming soon.

Spotify coming soon as well :)

Soul Seduction Soundtrack

So I've been asked before about my playlists for my books.

Here is my playlist for Soul Seduction:


Teenage Dream Katy Perry
Apologize OneRepublic
Firework Katy Perry
Halcyon + On + On Orbital
Secrets One Republic
Juke-Joint Jezebel K.M.F.D.M.
Just the Way You Are Bruno Mars
Bleeding Love Leona Lewis
For Faith Shôji Hidenori
Battle Without Honor or Humanity Tomoyasu Hotei (Luke's Song)
Even Better Than The Real Thing U2
I'd Die without You PM Dawn
Rockstar 101 (featuring Slash) Rihanna
Baba O'Riley The Who Who's Next
Good Life OneRepublic
Too Many Walls (Acappella) Cathy Dennis
I've Been Thinking About You (7" single) Londonbeat
Disturbia Rihanna
Take me home Phil Collins
Kandi (Eat More Cake Mix) One eskimO
What Goes Around...Comes Around (Radio Edit) Justin Timberlake
Airplanes [Feat. Hayley Williams Of Paramore] (Explicit Album Version) B.o.B
Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band
Bodyrock Moby
Let Me Go 3 Doors Down
Pure Shores All Saints
Angel Of The Morning The Pretenders
Fly Nicki Minaj & Rihanna


A Sampling of Soul Seduction's playlist

And a link to my iTunes playlist coming soon.

Spotify coming soon as well :)

loritoland @ 2011-12-07T14:40:00

So I've been asked before about my playlists for my books.


A Sampling of Soul Seduction's playlist

And a link to my iTunes playlist coming soon.

Spotify coming soon as well :)

Back from my weekend away.

I went away to work at trade show where we sell the products we make at my company. I really had a great time and this particular show was the one I found and nurtured into what it is today. But this year instead of working my booth, I helped out my step-mom because she was really busy.

This is how I started off my weekend:

The view from my couch:



Now, from what I heard all weekend, he was bad. Meowing his head off, running down his little sister and chasing her away from the food dish. So after a shower and following me from room to room, he has settled down.



He told his dad was lying. I don't think so, Cheddar. Mom wasn't born yesterday.

~*~

On my trip this weekend, I saw "The Magic Coke Machine" at Moe's. Now, Kele Moon loves this machine and when I tweeted a picture of it, she was sad she didn't come along this weekend. Well, even more sad than before. *sadpandaface* I took a picture so you could see it.



You can get any drink Coke makes with flavoring in it. I go for boring cherry Light Lemonade. *has an addiction nao*

~*~

This weekend, I saw the shower stall that inspired some of the scenes from the current book I'm working on, a hot m/m novel called "The Long Con" and no, I didn't name it after the hero's big dick.

Here's the shower:



~*~

Last but not least, this is the view from my living room. Milly and her dad playing video games. *hearts this picture!*



I'm back on tour again starting Monday! Stay safe this holiday season and drive carefully!

Lots of Love,

Lori

M/F Master List of Books (11/29/2011)

Soul Seduction 


Publisher: Loose Id
Format: ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-61118-441-9
Purchase from Loose IdPurchase from Amazon

Soul Seduction from Loose Id (M/F Paranormal Erotic Romance)

Soul Seduction Publisher: Loose Id
Format: ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-61118-441-9
Purchase from Loose IdPurchase from Amazon






Ashlee Bennett has her priorities straight. Fighting demons is at the top of the list until she meets her sexy neighbor, Luke Byrne. Even though he is human, she can't stop dreaming about his buff body and sexy grin...until her dreams turn to nightmares.
Her world is turned upside down when Luke follows her one night, but instead of being afraid, he is only more determined to stand beside her and fight. Ashlee knows she needs to keep her distance from Luke, not just to protect her virginity but her heart as well. But Luke may be the only one who can save her from the night, and her dreams.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: violence.


Excerpt:

"Are you Ashlee Bennett?"

I cringed. Usually no one saw me dressed like this. Most people saw me during the day, dressed as a nurse and looking respectable in scrubs instead of garbed in black jeans, a black shirt, and my thick leather coat. Tonight I was dressed for hunting, not an impromptu meeting with my neighbor. Busy as I had been, I didn't have an extra minute in my hectic life to go over and introduce myself.
And right now wasn't the best time, anyway. I thought about walking inside and pretending I hadn't heard him. But he cleared his throat, and I realized I was just standing there, staring at my door. So much for being antisocial.
Shit. Cursing because I hardly looked presentable, I turned around and tried my hardest to become invisible. That was no easy task when the walls outside my apartment were boring beige and I looked like a Goth hobo, even if not taking into account that I appeared to have been wrestling with animals in the woods.
When the owners of my apartment had told me about their neighbor before they left, I imagined a nice older gentleman. Nothing they'd said prepared me for the hot stud standing in the doorway.
"I'm Luke Byrne," he said, holding out his hand.
His lyrical accent did odd things to me. I heard the Northern England inflection all the time since moving here, but there was something about the way he spoke that made my belly flip-flop and my toes curl.My mom had warned me that a guy as suave and good-looking as Luke would break my heart. Tall and muscled, with dark, wavy hair, he nearly made me drool. I met his gaze and watched a self-assured smile spread across his lips. As handsome as he was, I steeled myself to be indifferent to his stunning good looks. Guys who looked like him were often cocky and rarely interested in me. They usually went for slutty bimbos.
So I pasted on a smile and nodded as I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
Once I spoke, he raised his eyebrows. "I don't hear American accents all that often. Only in London from time to time," he said.
I took in a deep breath and let the intoxicating smell of him wash over me. Even though my nose was working overtime, I couldn't put my finger on what it was about him that I found so thrilling. He didn't let go of my hand, but he did pull back a little to look me up and down. I thought I saw interest in his eyes, but I was probably kidding myself.
My nipples tightened as I breathed in his musky scent mixed with cologne. I didn't recognize the brand, but it spoke to something inside me. It whispered come closer, and my heart pounded harder. 
Everything about him—his self-confident stance and the way his lips parted—excited me, even though I knew my chances with him were nil. If he was interested in me, the attraction would be bittersweet. I already knew he was human; his aura told me that.
I nodded and tore my gaze away from his hot body to look him in the eyes. They were a perfect clear and light blue, and they reminded me of the sky after a long, hard rain. "Yeah. I'm here on a nursing visa, working at Broadgreen Hospital."
He gave a short nod. "Don and Dottie left me a voice mail telling me to keep an eye on you and see if you need anything while they are away."
How about your hot body in my bed? The blood rushed to my cheeks, and my pussy started to throb. He narrowed his eyes as he checked me out, and his gaze lingered on my breasts a second too long.It wasn't just his body that caused me to respond; it was his scent too. I shook my head. I needed more than just that to clear it. I managed to pull myself together long enough to say, "Nothing right now, thank you."
"Are you sure you don't need me to take you outside for a good scrubbing?"
His comment drew my gaze down to my boots. While I had already washed them off once tonight, mud still clung to my jeans from my knees to my ankles. I was mortified, but his teasing tone took the sting out of his words.
Even though I was a mess, I didn't need any help from him. What I did need was for him to stay out of my way—for his own safety. "Don't do me any favors." I hoped the bite in my response would let us leave the conversation there.
But instead he leaned against the door frame. God, he looked sexy. "I've seen you come and go, Ashlee, and you've been dirty every time you've come back. You need a keeper."
That last word—"keeper"—put me on high alert, and my heart pounded. Did he know what I did when I was out there? I used a special, hidden entrance I'd found when I visited the catacombs to hunt, and while the church grounds weren't locked, there were signs to deter people from entering the area.
I gritted my teeth. "And you think you're just the guy for the job?" I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Because I don't think you can handle me. I'm a tough girl, Luke."
He frowned. "How do you get into so much trouble?"
I stared at him, wondering if he was being flippant. Then the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could bite my tongue. "I'm a demon slayer. I kick some serious demon ass. Are you sure you want to mess with me?"
He recoiled, and for a moment I wondered wildly if he would call someone to have me shipped off to the funny farm. But then he laughed. His whole face lit up, and he was even more beautiful than before. "That's funny. I'll keep my eye on you."
The way he said that made me shiver, and if I were a normal woman, I would have jumped at the chance to flirt with him. Sadly I didn't even know how to bat my eyelashes at a man. Not that it mattered much, though: slayers and humans didn't mix, which was too bad, because he was sinfully gorgeous. He would definitely be starring in my dreams from now on.
"Oh thanks. That's just what I need," I drawled, glaring at him as I stepped through the doorway to my apartment, wanting the solid steel door between us. I couldn't figure out why he smelled so good to me, his woodsy scent coaxing me to reach out and touch him.
He smirked before looking down at my feet. "Don't track mud through their house."
I groaned as I shut the door. I needed a long shower because I was more hot and sweaty than usual after my nights out, thanks to Luke. I usually made it to bed before the adrenaline crash, but already my vision was swimming.
Slaying the gray, slimy creatures always gave me an intense high, even if the English weather usually rained on my parade, but tonight a full moon had made my job much easier. As I sliced and diced demons, I dreamed about hopping into the shower, putting on a pair of warm, dry pj's, and drifting off to sleep. My life was all about simple pleasures.
I glanced in the mirror. At least I didn't have any leaves in my hair. I had checked on my way home. I tried not to think about bad first impressions as I took off my coat and patted it.
The hard steel of my swords beneath the thick leather was obvious to me now, and I hoped he hadn't seen the outline of my weapons. Back home in California, I'd usually throw them into the trunk of my car, but I didn't need one here, since the catacombs were so close.
I had sewn a scabbard into my coat so that when I walked along the street, I didn't look out of place. But even after taking all precautions to blend in, I still felt the stares. This girl doesn't belong here. This girl is different from us. As if they could see who I really was. I was different; ever since I hit puberty and my slayer genes matured and took over my body, my whole existence centered on killing demons.
Okay, that was a bit melodramatic, but I did kill crazy, weird creatures that had been haunting mankind for millennia. Some of the demons I slew were nightmarish, and some had become urban legends. Even though I led a dangerous life now, I grew up in an average household with a boring, normal life, or so it would seem to anyone looking in.
I took Luke's advice and stripped out of my jeans in the entryway after I kicked off my boots. I had tried to clean them off outside at my first chance, but with the rains over the past few days, the mud was insane out by the catacombs. I balled up my jeans and threw them in the washing machine before heading to my room.
The clock on my bed stand showed it was after three in the morning. It seemed awfully late for Luke to be up. On nights like this, I ran into club-goers, and I'd seen the walk of shame more times than I could count. Maybe Luke was just getting back from a rowdy night out with the boys. Not that I cared. It wasn't any business of mine.
I walked into the bathroom and pulled off my T-shirt, then took a good look in the mirror at the bruises gracing my limbs and torso. Most of the marks were from tree branches I barely felt as I ran through the forest. I took in the corded muscles of my shoulders and arms as I twisted to better study my injuries. Soon I wouldn't even remember them, because my body healed faster than a human's did.
I hopped into the shower. I wanted to be clean so I could just slide into my bed and be comfortable once again. Luke had offered to give me a good scrubbing, and my pussy grew wet as I imagined him following me into the stall. As I slid the washcloth over my body, I visualized his long fingers caressing my skin. I heard my moan echo against the tiles.
He tweaked my nipples as he kissed me, rolling the buds between his fingers while I begged for release. He listened to my moans to know exactly where to touch me. He glided his fingers down my stomach, eliciting a giggle as he ran his hand over my ticklish spot on his way to my pussy.
I was sopping wet there, my juices flowing all over my fingers. What would happen if this were the real deal? I'd want him to finger-fuck me to get me ready for his hard cock. He would push my back against the wall and lift me up to the perfect level for him to fuck me.
I slid my finger into my pussy and shuddered with pleasure. I edged closer to my peak with every stroke. Luke wouldn't need to be gentle with me. He couldn't break me. He could lose control and fuck me hard until we both came.
My orgasm rolled through me; the image of Luke taking me fast and hard had brought me to the finish line that much quicker. My body throbbed from the release, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Hopefully I wouldn't see much of Luke from here on out, lest I be reminded that I thought of him while masturbating.
Sadly I was fooling myself. Making love to Luke couldn't happen. Slayers mated for power, not for love or pleasure. To be more powerful, I had to remain a virgin until I found another slayer to mate with. Once I did, our souls would bond, and we would be nearly indestructible.
But it all came with a price. Luke wasn't a slayer, and therefore he needed to stay out of my life. He was tempting, but I couldn't afford to hook up with him. He was a threat to everything I was.
I shut off the shower and dried off. The night had taken its toll on me, and with my orgasm, I was weak with exhaustion. Once I was under the covers, I quickly slipped into a slumber. I needed my body to rest, because I had another morning shift at the hospital.




* * * *
The day after demon-hunting was always a bitch. Not only was I still exhausted, but my body ached too. With just a couple of hours' sleep and a coffee from a local shop—an awful-tasting coffee, at that—I was able to muscle through my early shift, then head back to my apartment, where I wanted to sleep through the remainder of the afternoon.
I had battled being a night owl my whole life, trying to change my genetic makeup. When I reached puberty and found out I was a slayer, I understood I wasn't supposed to be awake during the day. Slayers needed to be out at night. Demons didn't come out in the sunlight to follow people around. They preyed on their victims in the darkness, snatching them from wherever they could—if I didn't catch them first.
Because I was born to be a slayer, I was born to live in the darkness. My pupils opened wider than normal, and bright lights hurt my eyes, which was why I had jumped at the opportunity to live in England. Cloud-filled days made my life easier. With only sixty sunny days a year, this country was perfect for me.
Though nighttime was my favorite time to work, I took any shift I could get. Sucking up to my supervisor would help me out when I needed to take extra time off to slay demons. But this week, nearly everyone had the flu. Since my handy-dandy slayer genes made me immune to any bug humans carried, I was the one picking up the slack.
On top of that, my senses were more acute, and my reaction times were lightning fast. But life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It was lonely work, consisting of hours spent at the catacombs.My gorgeous sublet was perfect for two reasons. It was cheap, for one. Babysitting cats was almost yawn-worthy, but the owners were a little OCD about their fur-children, and I got to live there for free if I took care of them. But the real plus was easy access to the catacombs, an ancient graveyard with tunnels and gardens.
Every night I could, I visited the catacombs, where demons were drawn for reasons I'd never understood. Usually I could feel the tide of demons building. I would feel restless, like I couldn't get comfortable in my own skin. If I let them be for too long, they would overrun the catacombs, and that meant danger for me and anyone else who happened along.
On the average night, I'd listen for the howl of the latest demon I needed to kill. Most people, if standing at the edge of the forest, would think the noise was a wild dog. If the humans were smart, they'd turn and leave. If they didn't, it was survival of the fittest out there, and only my swords were a match for the demon's claws.
My bed called to me as I walked home from work. The muscles in my thighs burned from chasing the stupid monsters through the catacombs the previous night. I was frazzled and exhausted, and now wasn't the time to be running into gorgeous Luke from across the hall. Apparently he hadn't gotten the memo the other night to stay inside his apartment, because he walked out with his just-as-beautiful guy friend.
He held my attention, shooting me a sexy glance. "Hi, Ash," he said, shortening my name, which was something no one outside my family had done before. Nobody ever talked to me long enough to find out I liked the nickname Ash, but he did it naturally.
My heart began to beat faster, and my pupils widened to take in every little detail about him. I couldn't get over how yummy he smelled.
I watched him lock and check his front door, which gave me a good look at the way his shirt spread across his shoulders and conformed to his muscles. His designer jeans cupped his ass perfectly, looking like they were tailored fit to accentuate his long, lean legs.
He turned back to me and nudged his friend. "This is Ashlee, my new neighbor. I told you she's a demon slayer, right?"
Turning invisible would have been handy right about then. My cheeks burned. I cursed myself for being so flippant the night before. I met his gaze, ready to give him a sound tongue-lashing for making fun of me, going on the offense so I wouldn't have to defend myself.
But Luke's gentle smile made me melt into a little puddle. As he turned to leave, our shoulders brushed, and I felt the heat from his body through my scrubs. "Have a good night, Ash." His huskily spoken words went straight to my clit, as if he'd kissed me there.
Damn him for looking so cool and sexy when I was the one all hot and bothered. Once he was gone, I shut the door behind me and sighed. I needed to forget him. Luke was a distraction, and I had to concentrate on work and slaying.

Saturday Snark... It's all about tea.

I'm here because I love some happy snark :) Being in a big family of Brits and being a coffee drinker, no one understands my habit of drinking coffee. So here is a line I hear all the time.


~*~

His smiled faded when he realized I wasn't here for a social call. He sighed and crossed his arms. "I know why you're here."

I cocked my head. "You do?" I asked, unable to contain my surprise.

"I felt it too, almost like I had a cold this morning when I woke up. George said I must be coming down with something, but I'm not snotty or anything. Let me put the kettle on, and George can watch the shop."

"I drink coffee," I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Such an adorable American habit. I'll make us some tea."






Check out more Saturday Snark here.

New York Blue - I'm welcoming an old friend RJ Scott to my blog today..

For a special thanksgiving treat, we have RJ Scott visiting my blog with her serial story!


For previous Chapters please visit the story Master Post here



A good luck muffin and an interview

Daniel's first day back at his desk was the very same day as the first interview Chris had attended since Ellenden.

"You'll do great," Dan said softly as he adjusted Chris's tie and smiled down at him.

"What if Ellenden gave me a bad reference?"

"They promised they wouldn't. You don't need to give them the power to worry you like this. Say after me, 'I am a great teacher'."

"I am a good teacher," Chris dutifully responded.

"Great teacher," Daniel frowned as he corrected Chris's words.

"A great teacher." He said the words but he wasn't entirely convinced that what he was saying was true. Daniel was looking at him with a familiar exasperated expression. Chris loved teaching. It was what shaped his life and it had been since Peggy McGuire needed help with history when they were in fifth grade. "And look at you," he said to change the direction of the conversation, "all muffined up?"

Daniel smirked. When Ame had knocked on their door this morning she had in her hands two boxes of muffins. A large one for Daniel to take to work with the words 'go catch bad guys' scrawled on the lid. And a smaller box holding a single muffin; this box had a simple message and was for Chris - 'good luck'.

Daniel looked down at the muffins and then back at Chris through narrowed eyes.

"Don't change the subject," he said firmly.

Chris sighed and laid a hand flat on his lover's chest. Dan was wearing his uniform, all pressed and neat and he even had his hair in some semblance of order.

"I'm not changing it, just consciously avoiding thinking about how easy it would be to fuck this up."

"Chris—"

"I'm scared Dan. What if I get the freaking job and they find out? Should I have put it on the application form."

Daniel looked confused for a moment. "You mean that you left Ellenden?"

"No, that I'm gay."

"Was that a question on the application form?" Daniel asked patiently.

Chris blinked. "No. Of course not."

"There you go then. Not a consideration." Daniel dismissed his fears with a snap of his fingers. Jeez, why couldn't Dan see how this situation may go? With a hard kiss and a quick hug Dan left for day one back as a City cop and finally Chris was stood alone in the middle of their room clutching the small muffin box and wishing he could go back to bed. Being gay had been more than a consideration at his old school; he'd lost his job because of it. Well being gay and sleeping with that asshole Whitman.

Fuck. This could go so many wrong ways today that he couldn't even keep hold of all the threads.

oOo


The Principal was a mid forties guy with a huge smile and steel gray hair. He was interested in what Chris had to say and he answered questions thoughtfully about curriculum and assessment. Chris couldn't help but notice it appeared he had the weight of his school based world on his shoulders.

"Funding is non existent, some of the kids don't care, hell, some of the parents don't care. The English rooms are in desperate need of a makeover and our pass rate on Lit is appallingly low."

"Okay—"

"You taught at Ellenden; funding out of its ears, pushy parents, clever exam pass kids, with a pass rate of one hundred percent on all levels. " The principal was looking at his paperwork and it gave Chris time to gather his thoughts. On paper he was so not a good fit here. Coming from some pansy-ass full-service blueblood school to this one in a poor to middling suburb probably implied a step downwards.

"I didn't…I wasn't…" he stopped talking as soon as he realized that the Principal hadn't actually asked him a question outright simply stated the obvious from his application. There had been no censure in the statement.

"Your references are impeccable." He added and Chris nodded helplessly. He searched his head for something to say and cursed the tension that gripped his throat. What would Daniel do in this situation?

"I'm a good teacher," Chris blurted out, "I love English, I love teaching. I want to make a difference." He groaned inwardly as the cliché pushed its way out of his mouth. Who the hell said they wanted to make a difference in an interview? The Principal merely looked at him with that same soft and understanding smile.

"There is no reason on here for leaving your last job. No words like furthering career, or personality clash, just an empty space and a one year space in work."

Again he didn't ask a question just poked Chris in the right direction.

"I wasn't a good fit for the school." Chris said miserably

"What was it? Too poor for the pushy parents? Too young—"

"Too gay." There. He said it. The statement was out there now. Fuck. Daniel was going to kill him.

The principal nodded and made a mark on the application. He then replaced the pen in its pot, pushed the paperwork to one side and steepled his fingers. He looked thoughtful.

"I want to say that Grange Heights is a fully inclusive faculty where every teacher is given one hundred percent support irrespective of gender or life choice. But I can't."

Chris didn't have to hear any more. His heart sunk and his mouth felt dry. Pushing himself to stand he extended a hand. He may have fucked this interview up but he was least leaving with dignity.

"Thank for taking the time to consider me," Chris said simply. The Principal didn't take the hand. Instead he gestured for Chris to sit which Chris did immediately. Clearly this wasn't finished.

"I don't give a rat's ass who you love or how you spend your time outside the school gates. What I want from my teachers is respect. Respect for themselves, for the school, for their colleagues and for the kids."

"Okay," now Chris was really confused.

The kids'll tear you to shreds if they find out you're different—simple classroom politics. Are you strong enough to push past that and teach them well enough to learn to love what you are teaching them?"

"I think so—"

"Think?"

"No, sir. I know so."

"Then Mr Matthews, the position is yours. When could you start?"

"Uhmmm…?" Coherent. Not.

"Could you start next Monday?"

Four days? Four. Freaking. Days.

"Monday? I can do Monday."

Jeez holy shit on a stick. Four days.


To Be Continued on by Diane Adams next week… Watch www.rjscott.co.uk for new links…


Don't forget to stop by the new Silver Publishing Reader's Forum to check out the other authors, get updates, or hear about contests or general news.

Coming soon! My Virtual Blog Tour for Soul Seduction.

Come along for the ride as I visit sites and share my journey of Soul Seduction.

Each day when the blog post goes live, I will update with a link. Comment for a chance to win the winner's choice of a $25 GC to either Amazon, AllRomanceEbooks or Loose Id. You may just be the one randomly drawn commenter!

November 28: AsianCocoa's Secret Garden
November 29: Riverina Romantics
November 30: The Wytch's Mirror
December 1: Me Want Food
December 2: Reading Romances
December 5: Rachel Leigh - Erotic Romance
December 6: Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to Make Your Heart Race
December 7: Christine Young Romance Writer
December 8: Reader Girls
December 9: Urban Girl Reader
December 12: Among the Muses
December 13: Author Roz Lee
December 14: D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters
December 15:
December 16: Sexy Lady

Yaoi-con! The Conclusion. And a parting comment.

And for the final episode:



The next morning I woke up and Hubby's lip is somehow cut open and swollen. I head to Walgreens and buy some ointment but holy hell, it's far away!

I get back and give hubby his medicated lip ointment. By now, I'm sporting a bitching slipper tan line. Check it out:



But I missed Amy Lane :( (See you next year!) but I do get to meet Isabelle Rowan. I also get a commission done for my latest novel Soul Seduction. And wow, this is amazing! I took a picture of it and I was blown away by the artist's talent. (Oh yeah, that's a chick there.)



What's really weird is as I was picking up the drawing, I received my preliminary cover art. And it is bad-ass. I can't wait to post it. Here is a link and soon it will be showing up magically. (Hopefully)



Back to the con, I help pack up (not really that much help) the DSP Booth and the cases get checked at the bellhop and I'm suddenly sad because it's all over. And tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane. :( So I hug and kiss everyone good-bye and go upstairs to pack.

One last trip to In-And-Out (by now, I'm sick of it) and packing is my friend. If you don't know me, I'm a scary talented packer. We bought a lot of stuff and without an extra suitcase, it's going to be a tight fit. So I take a shower and when my hubby comes back, every last thing has it's place, including his Spice and Wolf body pillow.

I held my breath until the next morning, because I was sure that my suitcase was going to be over 50 lbs but no joke, it's at 49. :O while dancing to the groovy music at the Virgin America check-in counter, we managed to get an upgrade to first class and then we are all set to go through security.

Now, take note TSA. You should all model yourselves after the SFO airport security. Everything is orderly. There are mailers available if you get to security and realize you left your gardening clippers in your hand bag. Oh, did you forget a quart clear bag for your liquids? That's okay. You can have one that says SFO on it, FOR FREE. Do you have a bottle of water? It's okay, don't hurt yourself drinking it before security so you'll wet your pants in line. Just dump it out and refill your bottle once you're past security with our filtered water. Don't forget to recycle your bottle when you're done! :D *groovy*

Oh yeah. Did I forget to mention YOU HAVE A FUCKING PINKBERRY past security?!?! My breakfast was a Pinkberry. My trip is now complete.



But it's time to leave. And I already hate I have to leave the state I was born in and 35 years ago, I was barely a few days old. I'll always be a California girl.

But I'm glad we got the upgrade because holy shit, these seats are nice. I acted stupid and flailed in my seat like a dork. Hubby could actually stretch his legs all the way out and not hit the seat in front of him.



But then we have to watch a safety video. And it's worth it to watch for the LULZ!!! :D



I watched Bad Teacher (ehh) and Source Code (WOW! Highly recced) but then we're back home and it's time to pick up the kids! I walk into the cattery and I speak and the babies wake up and start meowing for me. And I start to cry because I missed them so much.

Only one more load of laundry to go and I'm done.
This week was amazing. I was worried because while I'm very much a go-getter, I tend to be very shy about my writing. I have a hard time accepting compliments about it. Now as a CEO, I get compliments all the time about our products, our marketing strategy and our contractors and employees and I take those well.

I'm proud of both areas but the writing, I'm very on display here. I never feel like I'm in control when writing and that's hard to accept. I also hate to say this, but there are some mean people in this industry who are just looking to hurt writers. I haven't made sense of it and I don't think I ever will but having thicker skin may be for the best.

But this weekend, there were a few kind people, who treated me with the utmost respect. To those people, you have my greatest thanks from the bottom of my heart. To be next to you, as a fellow writer, just blows my mind.

So I'm signing off to get ready for my book tour. Soul Seduction's cover is on its way!