Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 497

Pictures from New Orleans

I thought I’d better get these pictures up. I’ve been back over a week. These are just a few of the pics I took while in New Orleans. My cousin, who lives in Seattle, decided to come south to visit, but to add a little fun, he asked if I’d join him in New Orleans, then drive up to Arkansas. I’ll jump on any excuse to go there, so I loaded up my mom and aunt and drove eight hours due south.

Eight hours is a long drive, but we took smaller highways rather than the interstate. The scenery was much more interesting. I couldn’t resist stopping to take a picture of the crimson clover blooming in the median.

That night, we didn’t have time for more than a quick stroll on Bourbon street (don’t ask me why I didn’t take any pictures there! I guess I was just tired!). However, the next morning while we waited for my aunt to get ready (she’s the slow poke), I took pics from our hotel balcony. We stayed in the St. Marie on Toulouse street. See the big white van? Well the street corner beyond that is Bourbon—so we weren’t far from all the action.

Another shot of the street below. I liked the colors.

While mom and auntie took a horse-drawn tour of the French Quarter, cuz and I took a 2-hour walking tour. Along the way to meet up with the tour, I snapped this shot on Royal.

Here I am waiting for it to begin. Our tour guide, Bill Coble, is behind me.

Cuz and I were very lucky in our choice of tours. The guide was born and raised in New Orleans. He knew its history and even told the story of one family as we navigated the Quarter that was full of romance, tragedy, family feuds and with a very nice twist at the end. Here’s one of the old houses we toured.

Of course, any tour of New Orleans must include a stop in its oldest cemetery, St. Louis Cemetery #1. It’s a little crowded.

Seems if you’re wealthy enough, you can still find space. Here’s Nic Cage’s family tomb—ready for occupancy!

This tomb is what draws me to the city. Marie Laveau, the famous voodoo queen, is still revered as you can see by the gifts and all the XXX’s scrawled on the outside by people hoping for a favor.

And just a plug, because I really, really think this man did an awesome job. If ever you go to New Orleans, look up Le Monde Creole and Insider’s French Quarter & Cemetary Tour. Bill is the owner.

We only spent a day touring, then headed out the next morning to return home to Arkansas. Just outside New Orleans, we got lost and took a wrong turn. We happened upon a large antique store and decided to stop. It was Kismet. Just inside the door, impossible to miss, was this large box. I paused to read the tag, “Anne Rice Vampire.” I glanced at the price, winced, then walked away.

My mother, who is a bargain hunter and the last person on the planet who would encourage anyone to spend big bucks on something like that, called me back. “Did you see this?”

“Yes, it’s too much.”

“Bet he’ll come down. Maybe he’ll do layaway.”

My heart started beating really fast, my skin grew flushed. And I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at.

The owner heard us talking and explained it was sold at Anne Rice’s estate sale when she moved out of her home in New Orleans. It was an antique vampire killing kit gifted to her during the time she was writing her vampire novels.

Well, Mom got him down—it still cost an arm and leg. But it’s MINE! I have it on a stool at the end of my bed. I need to make room for it on the side of desk. Then every time I run out of inspriation, I can give it a little rub.

Guest Blogger: Elle Kennedy (Contest)

Born to Be Wild

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to be blogging with Delilah today. When it comes to erotic romance, she is definitely a master. In fact, one of the very first erotic anthologies I ever read was a western that included a Delilah novella, and since then, I was hooked!

I write a variety of genres, romantic suspense being my main one, but if I’m being honest, sexy contemporaries are my absolute favorite to write because they’re always more fun. My latest release is definitely one of my hotter ones (Actually, my contemporaries only seem to get sexier and sexier with each book, but nobody seems to be complaining, so… )

Born to be Wild, my latest ebook with Samhain Publishing, centers around Jake Bishop, a bona fide bad boy who comes home looking for a distraction. And he finds one in the form of Bree Lockhart, the wealthy good girl who spent a few months in high school being very, very bad with Jake. The moment they’re reunited, it’s obvious that the flame still burns hot, and Jake, of course, is determined to lure Bree right back to the wild side.

So, here’s a little excerpt that shows exactly how persuasive Jake can be! Anyone who stops by and comments today will be entered in a draw to win a copy of BTBW, so don’t be shy! Let me know what you think of the excerpt, or your thoughts on erotic romances, or how hot is too hot (if that’s even possible), or anything else that strikes your fancy! The winner’s name will be posted in the comments section at midnight tonight (eastern time).

Also, be sure to stop by my website (www.ellekennedy.com), or connect with me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AuthorElleKennedy) or Twitter (@ElleKennedy). I love chatting with fellow readers and writers!

 

Order links:

Buy at Samhain

Buy at Amazon

EXCERPT:

Jake wanted to lick every inch of Bree’s delectable body. Unfortunately, she was sitting all the way across the table, and there was all this damn food between them, acting like a barrier. He couldn’t believe how incredible she looked. And he’d forgotten how frickin’ smart she was. As she spoke in length about her latest case—a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company that had knowingly sold defective drugs—it surprised him to discover that he was actually interested in everything she had to say.

“What are you thinking about?”

Her soft voice drew him out of his thoughts. Jake met her eyes, then reached for his wine. The stem of the pansy-ass glass was too skinny, and he felt awkward holding the damn thing.

“Jake?” she prompted.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know what I’m thinking,” he finally said.

Her blue eyes flickered with irritation. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“Should I have?” He smirked. “You always seemed to like me just the way I was.”

“Rough, crude, complete lack of restraint, smartass remarks?” She tilted her head, causing her raven hair to fall over one shoulder. “It was all very exciting when I was seventeen. Not so much anymore.”

“Bullshit.” He let out a deep chuckle. “You still like it.”

Rather than answering, she pushed away her empty dinner plate and dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a linen napkin. The private room of Carlotta’s boasted a romantic candlelit atmosphere, complete with a red silk tablecloth, white roses, delicate china and expensive wine.

But Jake wasn’t looking for romance. From the second he’d seen Bree again, he’d been thinking about nothing but sex.

A wave of sexual nostalgia swept over him. “We were good together, weren’t we, sweetheart?”

A rosy flush rose on her pale cheeks. “Can’t deny that.”

Jake fingered the stem of his glass, noticing that her gaze was following the motions of his hand. “Remember the Derry Falls game?”

Her cheeks went even redder. “No, not really.”

“Sure you do.” He shifted in his chair, reaching down to subtly rearrange his growing erection. “The team stayed in the same hotel as the cheerleaders, you were on the second floor, I was on the third…we snuck away and met up in the bathroom…” He dragged his tongue over his lower lip. “I went down on you for nearly an hour in one of the stalls…ring a bell?”

Her arousal was written all over her pretty face. Oh yeah, she remembered. Jake’s cock stiffened to full mast as the wicked images flashed across his brain. Bree leaning against the stall door, one leg lifted up on the toilet paper dispenser as she exposed herself to him. The feel of the linoleum floor beneath his knees as he bent between her legs and licked her up like an ice cream cone.

“Jake, please,” Bree said, a wary expression on her face.

“That’s right—you said that exact thing, over and over again.”

She sighed. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Damn straight.”

We’ve got a winner…and a new contest!

The Winner!

The winner (by random number generator) of all this wondersome, kitscherful goodness

that is the Tater Red’s Grab Bag & Elvis Contest is…

…Fedora! Fedora, hon, congratulations!

Be sure to email me to let me know where to send your prize!

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The Texas Two-Step Grab Bag

What can you win?

The picture only shows the major prizes I nabbed at the Texas Two Step Conference I attended in Dallas last month: the conference tote bag, books by Nikki Duncan, Lorelei James and Cindy Dees.

In addition, I will fill it up with miscellaneous promo items I have stashed around my office. I’m not going to tell you what because we all like surprises, right?

How can you win it?

Post a comment on any blog posting from today until the contest ends. Each entry counts as another chance to win!

This contest ends in just one week, May 1st!!

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And here I go…

Today begins my push to finish 12 projects I’ve committed to writing between now and January 2, 2013.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? It is. It’s pure nonsense, but I’m going to give it my best try anyway. I’d love it if you could encourage me along the way. I’ll keep you posted as to my progress. So, nag me, hound me, beg me for details. I won’t mind.

You can start today by telling me one thing that will make me smile—however silly. Just post a little note to let me know you’re cheering me on while I bury myself in life on Mars as I dreamt it (Project #1).

And guess what? That silly thing is your first entry for the grab bag! ~DD

A Question…

I’m back from Memphis! Had a terrific time with the ladies from the River City romance chapter. They were warm, funny, smart—and fed my sister and I way too well! Today’s supposed to be my day to hunker down and begin writing the multitude of stories with due dates in the near future, but first, I have an appointment this morning with a judge that I can’t miss. Don’t worry, I’m not up on any indecency charges! I am going for moral support for my SIL who has a custody hearing thingie goin’ on.

Since I have to run out the door in a little bit, here’s a question to keep you all busy (like you all don’t have a million things to do already on a pretty Monday morning!)…

What is one item you own that has virtually no monetary value but has such sentimental value that you would not sell it for $1000.00?

I’ll talk with you later! DD

Guest Blogger: Anya Richards

With a Twist, Please

My husband constantly complains at the twistiness of my brain, usually as I try to explain my latest plot and the elements I’m combining to create the story. At times like that I put my nose in the air and remind him how much more difficult his life would be if I focused those particular talents on him, rather than use them in my books! But that slightly unscrupulous willingness to cause drama and turn the well-known on its head, while a pain in the butt in real life, is a good gift for an author.

Honest, honey. It is… *shifty eyes*

Recently I started branching out from historical romances and took on the world of fantasy/paranormal, but I couldn’t leave my love of history and myth behind and had to add my own twist to some familiar concepts.

It started simply enough with reading about Churchill, Manitoba, the Polar Bear Capital of the world, on the internet. Of course, I clicked on link after link, going from sites about modern-day Churchill to Inuit culture and myths, and so on. Before you could say, “Get back to work” I had the outline for Arctic Destiny, which was released by Ellora’s Cave Publishing earlier this year. In this book a sexy Polar bear shifter and the tenacious lover he had to leave behind collide with erotic, soul-stirring and potentially heartbreaking results.

Next came the idea for a series of stories centered on a group of friends working in a tattoo parlor. Sounds simple enough, until I started working on the plots and deciding on the characters. Somehow I ended up researching the mythology of the Kingdom of Dahomey, a part of what is now Benin, in West Africa, and no, PLEASE don’t ask me how I found myself doing that…I have no clue. Then suddenly I was browsing Scottish sites, then Norse, then… You get the idea!

The end result is two books being released by Ellora’s Cave in July as part of their Pricked series, the first of which is now available for pre-order (WOOT!) and is slated to be released on July 7, 2012. In Fleeing Fate, the first in my Unveiled Seductions series, the banshee heroine needs the help of a delicious, banished West African storm god who isn’t sure he’s the right man for the job. But Jakuta recognizes a gathering storm when he sees one, and he knows Gràinne will blow through his life with all the force of a sensual, emotional hurricane.

In book two, Stone-Hard Passion, Jasmina Elalmadhoun is a jinn on a mission—to seduce her client and friend Vidar Jarlsen, a troll. I know, I know. You’re all out there thinking I’ve truly lost my mind this time, just like Jasmina’s friends think she’s sprung a brain leak for being attracted to a troll. But even if no one else can appreciate him, Jasmina sees how yummy he is, and I hope you’ll all agree when the book is released on July 27.

And the characters keep coming, so this is a world I hope to continue exploring for a long time. After all, a girl’s got to keep her twisty brain occupied and herself out of trouble.

Sorta…

Cheers!

Anya Richards

Journeys Through Seduction

Guest Blogger: Mychael Black

Beware the Bunnies!

Authors are a bizarre breed. We can get away with talking to invisible people, arguing with them, and threatening them with grave bodily harm (or worse) when they get too cocky. (Of course, we rarely ever win said arguments.) And to think: no one comes along with friends in pretty white coats! (Well, they haven’t found me yet, anyway.)

Then…there are the plot bunnies: those evil, twisted, corrupted, insidious, little nuggets of “Ooooo….” that plant themselves in our poor, overworked brains. Is it any wonder why we talk to invisible people?

You see, most folks would think such things would be wonderful and lovely, that it would be marvelous to have these seemingly-nonstop ideas just flowing carefree through their minds. *snorts* Have you wondered why these things are called plot “bunnies”?

One idea is not enough. Oh, no.

The plot vermin (think: Night of the Lepus, people–seriously) breed uncontrolled, unchecked. We (the vic–er, authors) are powerless to stop them. So we eventually give in and listen. We make notes, research, might even start writing. Then… BAM! Another evil hare is born! This new one is sparkly and pretty and, ohhh… it would be amazing if we…

Do you see where this is going? It’s terrifying, I tell you.

Facebook has become a prime breeding ground for these things. Friends post pics (usually of hot, sexy men–you folks know who you are!), then the bunnies start humping each other like mad. Nevermind that there are deadlines and sequels and stories already set to go. The bunnies? They don’t care! They fuck like…well…bunnies, and before I know it, I’ve got a folder full of pretty men waiting for *their* story.

Why anyone would name such devious things after cute, cuddly creatures is beyond me.

*****

What do online gaming, Spongebob, cooking, writing, and an unnatural addiction to Mountain Dew all have in common?

Not a damn thing, which is what makes Mychael Black an interesting bird indeed.

Born in north Alabama, Mychael now resides on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Having run the gamut of labels in regard to gender and sexuality, Mychael now shuns society’s views on normality and embraces a poly-everything attitude. Call Mychael her or him—it doesn’t matter. Just keep reading the books.

http://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/

Guest Blogger: M.K. Elliott

Venus versus Mars

That women and men are different isn’t a new idea.

Not only are we physically different, our minds work in different ways as well. Men and women often have a difference in sexual attitudes—though there are always exceptions to the rule! Men are more physical and are stimulated by things they can see and touch, whereas women rely on their emotions and a sense of connection with another person to turn them on (though a great body always helps!). The male and female brain even react differently to different erotic situations, with a man’s brain reacting more to visual stimuli and a woman’s brain reacts more to psychological simulation.

When writing erotic fiction, it’s important to consider who I’m writing that fiction for. Predominantly, I write fiction for women, but when I’m writing for a male audience, I approach things differently. When I write for men, I spend less time trying to create a connection that is any more than sexual, and more time on description. When I write erotica for women, for the most part I like to have a connection on another level between the male and female character (or even the male, male, and female, or female, female and male, and any other combinations you can think of!). I also like to have a ‘happy ever after’ or at least a ‘happy for now’ ending. For men, a chance encounter on purely a physical level is enough.

Recently, I received a review which made me smile. The reader actually questioned whether or not I was female because she’d read my short story collection Some Love it Hot! When I sat down to write this collection, it was alongside my first title Rescued. In my head, I knew I wanted to write one collection for female readers and another for men. Some Love it Hot! was my “male” collection and it was this title where someone had questioned my sex. That was a huge compliment to me. It meant I’d done my job right and achieved what I intended.

Strangely enough, even though I write predominantly for a female audience, Some Love it Hot is still one of my best-sellers.

My latest collection, Down in the Sand, although has some stories from a male view point, is definitely written for women. There have been few times in my life where I’ve felt sexier than when I’m on holiday. All that tanned skin, hot sun, and a couple of cocktails beside the pool. What in life could be better? It was this feeling of sexy relaxation that got me writing this collection. Keep reading for an excerpt of one of the stories, “Stopover.”

Cool lotion trickled onto her upper back, making her squirm. Moments later, his warm hands made contact with her skin, smoothing out the creamy fluid, rubbing the muscles of her shoulders and the back of her neck with firm strokes. The massage eased away the last of the tension from the long flight and Zara couldn’t help her whole body relaxing under his attention.

His strong fingers worked their way down, rubbing the muscles along either side of her spine, down to the dip of her lower back. He skirted the curve of her ass, his fingers going lower, slipping beneath the edge of her bikini bottoms.

Would he do it? She wondered. Would he have the nerve to try to go further, right here where numerous other people sunbathed and splashed in the pool? His body hid her mid-section from one side and there were only rocks on the other. While people might be able to see her head and shoulders, to anyone who might catch a glimpse of them, they simply looked like a guy applying sun lotion to a girl’s back.

Zara wiggled beneath his hands, lifting her ass slightly, hoping he’d get the message that she was giving him the green light. A heavy sigh that was almost a moan got him moving. His contact had already left her bikini bottoms damp with her desire. His hand slid right beneath the fabric, cupping the whole of her pussy from behind with one large palm. Zara drew a sharp intake of breath, shocked at his blatant audacity, but her body responded to his caress. Her cunt pulsed, cream flooding her channel, moistening his hand.

He lifted his hand back up again and trailed his fingers down the crack of her ass, before reaching back down and using one finger to open the lips of her swollen pussy. From behind, he pushed a finger insider her, dipping into her wetness.

Pleasure rippled in waves through her body, tightness building at the center of her core. He fingered her as she lay on her stomach, her face buried in the crook of her arms.

His thumb circled the tight star of her ass, using her own moisture and his slick fingers to lubricate the area. He didn’t penetrate her ass, just stimulated the area, making the whole of her nether region hypersensitive.

He slipped his free hand beneath her body, cupping her mound, his middle finger locating the swollen nub of her clit. Pressure on her clit sparked fireworks within her, making her eyes roll, and she ground down on his hand.

His movement grew faster, tight little circles on her clit, the fingers of his other hand hard and deep within her. She felt like she was pushing down hard enough for him to fist her, and she almost wished he would, just to experience that total fullness.

But in the end his words, not his fingers, tipped her over the edge.

He leaned in toward her and spoke in her ear, “I’m going to fuck you so hard when I get you up to our room.”

 

Down in the Sand is available to buy for only $0.99 from Amazon and Smashwords.

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M.K. Elliott is the author of the bestselling short story collection, Rescued. A British author, she was born in Devon, England, where she now lives with her husband, two young daughters, a crazy Spanish rescue dog and four hens. Though she has a degree in Zoology, her true love has always been writing and she now works as a full time author.

Since Rescued hit the number one spot, she’s also had several other titles hit the bestseller list, including another short story collection, Some Love it Hot, and her erotic vampire novella, Deadly Beauty.

M.K. writes everything from contemporary romance to steaming hot erotica, and her love of travel and adventure is her main influence in her stories.

If you would like to know more about M.K. then please visit her Facebook Page.

 

A Question…

Remember that the Tater Red’s Grab Bag & Elvis Contest continues!

Post a comment here for another chance to win!

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I’m preparing for another weekend away—the last in a long, long while. While I’m gone, I have friends coming to entertain you. Please be sure to stop by and say hello—and yes, those comments count in the grab bag giveaway too!

Here’s a question for you now. Have fun!

If you could take any job for just one month (assuming you have the skills and knowledge), what job would you like to have?

Guest Blogger: Margery Scott

Hi there! My name is Margery Scott and I write…pretty much everything. Historical western romances, time travels, contemporary romances, mainstream suspense, etc. The list goes on. I’ve even tried writing erotica, but it’s not my thing. I’d like to be able to write HOT, because I’d love to get a bit more steam into my books, but it comes off sounding more like an episode of I Love Lucy or The Three Stooges—not exactly the reaction I’m going for. My books do have sexual tension and chemistry between the hero and heroine, though, although the fantasies my characters have aren’t exactly XXX-rated.

Fantasies. Everybody has them, right? They don’t have to be sexual, they just have to be make-believe scenarios about situations and people that are so far removed from our real lives that the chances of them actually happening are a million to one—daydreams about what could be, what life would be like if…

Fantasies are perfectly normal and healthy. In the bedroom, as long as both partners are in agreement, anything goes. Outside the bedroom, in your own mind, whatever you want to dream up is perfectly okay.

In my latest release, The Next Victim, small-town reporter Shannon has a fantasy—she’s living in New York, she’s bigger than Barbara Walters, and she’s making a kazillion dollars every week. It’s her only fantasy—until Ben Carver, the new police chief, shows up. They lock horns, but even though she fights it, her fantasy is changing—and suddenly, Ben is the star.

Workaholic detective Ben Carver is convinced the next target of a serial killer is Shannon Ames, the sexy reporter who lives in his apartment complex. As he works to prevent her from becoming the next victim, he starts to feel emotions he’d long thought dead. But the secret Shannon carries could destroy any hope of a future together—and might even get her killed.

It’s not erotica, it’s not even particularly steamy, but although both Ben and Shannon have their reasons for fighting their attraction to each other, hormones and chemistry win out—and eventually give them their happy ending where their fantasies become reality.

Margery

Visit my website!

Am I the only one who wants to see this movie? (Plus contest updates, news…)

It’s such an odd idea—Abraham Lincoln killing vampires. I want to know if they weave in real history with the story, or if they ignore it and write their own. Of course, I want to see The Avengers much, much more, but this one appeals to my sense of humor. What about you? Will you watch it in theaters? Wait for it to come out on DVD? Or will you give it a skip altogether?

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Contest Updates

Don’t forget! The Tater Red’s Grab Bag & Elvis Contest continues! All you have to do to enter is post a comment. Check the link for a picture of this great prize!

The winner of the free download from Saturday’s post is Kathleen Charles! Kathleen, congrats, and be sure to email me with your choice of downloadable book (check my Samhain and Ellora’s Cave titles).

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News, kinda…

I can’t give you the details because they aren’t set in stone just yet, but I have two book deals in the making right now. I have an offer from one major publisher to write the first two books in a series set in southern Louisiana where some kinky shit happens and some extremely heavy duty kinds of guys like to play. And I have a two-book offer from a newer major publisher to write the first two books in an ongoing paranormal series that features a heroine with a drinking problem and her cop ex-husband. I know, that’s all so vague, but until the contracts are signed, I’d like to keep it that way. Just know they are full-length novels, so you’ll hear a lot of whining from me for over the next months.