Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 516

Quick Question…

This is just a fly-by to remind you that all the contests posted this week are still running. So be sure to take a look, visit the sites I've been, and post a comment here!

I'd stick around but I ferried the older ladies around on an studio art tour this morning and am heading to my dd's now. She had surgery yesterday and needs a little TLC from mommy.

Forget about soft sounds like babbly brooks, gentle showers,

and warbling birds. What is your favorite loud sound?

~ from The Question Guys' Chat Pack

Close Enough to Touch

Hey there! I'm guesting at The Smutketeers' blog today! I have an excerpt, some fun interview questions, and a book to give away! Click here to join us: The Smutketeers

*~*~*~*~*

[image error]Did I mention my little brush with celebrity at the Akron airport?

At the end of Romanticon, my dd and I were set to fly out of Akron. We had a little time on our hands, so I suggested we hit a gift shop to purchase some last minute souvenirs. I picked out a couple of magnets and stuffed animals, and then went to the register. A man was in front of me, paying for his purchases. He seemed tall (I'm 5'4″—everyone seems tall), wore a dark leather jacket and was in pretty good shape. I was admiring that shape when he turned his head. Even in profile, I recognized him on the spot.

I elbowed my daughter. "That's Corbin Bernsen," I whispered.

"Who?"

"Corbin Bernsen…you know, Psych's dad!"

CB left the counter and walked away.

"Is he famous?"

"You didn't recognize him?"

"I wasn't really looking."

"He was right in front of you. What do you mean, you weren't looking!"

She shrugged. "He's an old guy. Who is he, anyway?"

"You mean to tell me you've never watched Psych?"

She shook her head.

"But he's been in a dozen Sci-Fi movies."

Still, she shook her head.

"He was Arnie in LA Law for chrissakes."

She patted my shoulder. "I get it, mom. You've got a crush. You've always had a thing for bald guys."

Bald guys?! That's all she noticed? Gah!

So what about you? Have you ever had a brush with the rich and famous?

BTW, CB's even hotter in person!

For the busy, busy bees… (4 prizes!)

You know you didn't have enough to do, right? Now, I'm gonna send you on a quest. Interested in winning prizes? Well, pay attention!

First, I'm the guest author at the fabulous Jasmine Hayne's website. If you head over there, you can post a comment and enter to win a prize. Plus, I'm talking about Vikings, so you won't be bored! So, get on over there: Jasmine Hayne's blog

Second, Southern Sizzle Romance posted a blog for me yesterday. If you head there and comment, you'll be entered in the contest below. In fact, if you comment at any of the three sites, you're entered in the new grab bag contest. You'll have to page down through sexy man photos at Sizzle, but you'll find me: Southern Sizzle Romance

I have two new contests running here at the moment! Be sure to check them both out!

1) Authors After Dark Grab Bag Contest

What can you win?

I'd forgotten I had a ton of swag from my trip to the Philadelphia conference. Let's see what's inside…

* Trading cards, pens, bookmarks, excerpt booklets, um, Ellora's Cave playing cards…like I said, a ton of stuff, plus the conference bag!

Then I took at look at the stack of books I have to give away—autographed books.

* Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua

* Love Me Once, Love Me Twice by Sandy Sullivan

* Rarities Incorporated by Taige Crenshaw

Ooh! And I found an autographed Missy Martine T-shirt, size large!

What do you have to do?

Post comments on my blog and or my Facebook page. Every comment you make will count as one entry. How easy is that? This contest ends next Tuesday, October 25th!

2) The Promo Ho Contest

Read how to enter to win one of two $25.00 gift certificates here: Contest Page

Ghostly Orbs in the Crescent!

The Romanticon Grab Bag #2 contest ends tonight! Be sure to post.

I'll update this evening, HERE, with the name of the winner!

Before I get to the ghosts, I wanted to share a screen shot I swiped off of Amazon last night. This was the sales ranking for A Four-Gone Conclusion. Thanks so much for making this happen!

Onto the ghosts…

By now, if you've been following my blog, you know I'm a bit of a whack-job. I admit it. I own it! One of my sincerely held beliefs is that ghosts exist, and I have a fascination with finding proof.

One place that has cemented my belief is the Crescent in Eureka Springs. This past weekend, I made a second trip there. This time with friends, and although I didn't have quite the scary experience I had back during the summer (you can read about it here: Haunting at the Crescent Inn Hotel), there was still plenty of creep factor to enjoy!

[image error]

A ghost hunter's first and foremost piece of equipment (beside an open mind), is a camera. And as always, it wasn't until I got home and blew up the photos I had that I saw just how much "proof" I had. In particular, I had tons of ghostly orbs. Some skeptics say it's dust, but I can promise you, I don't get these little glowing circles anywhere but inside creepy, haunted places. Take a look!

You saw one round, glowy circle, right? And what's up with the wide-angle view of the picture? I promise, I did not change a single setting on my camera, but that's how all the pictures came out. See this next orb? Keep watching.

Same shot, same orb, only it's getting closer.

And I wish you could see this in the original photo. It's almost impossible to make out the outline with the graininess of the image when I uploaded it here, but that brighter spot on the carpet, right in front of me, is the orb. Someone was checking me out.

After that, things went nuts. In this pic, you will see maybe four orbs, but in the original, I can count six.

How many can you see here?

And here? It's harder to make out because it's lighter, but look again!

If you've followed the Ghosthunters on TV, you might remember an episode they shot at the Crescent. In the old morgue area in the basement, they caught the full shadow of a ghost on their infra-red standing beside this locker. In my previous Crescent posting, I explain more of the history of the place and why it's completely appropriate to find ghosts here. Last time, I got nada so far as ghostly images or orbs. This time? We shut off the lights here to get more shadows to see the orbs.

Same view—with the lights on. Persistent little suckers, aren't they? You can almost feel them buzzing, "See me! See me!"

Last one, there are a couple in this shot, but I liked that one of them was right on top of me.

There is more to the Crescent than ghosts. If you ever make it to northern Arkansas, the view is fabulous. This is right at sunrise. (Yeah, I really was up that early. )

And a few moments later, same spot.

There's so much color! Hope you enjoyed the pics!

A Question…

I'm back from my latest trip, and I'm diving into work today. I'll share pictures of the trip this week, and I'll put up a poll for the best titles for the The Cowboy anthology you all provided a couple of weeks ago. I have tons to share, but you'll have to be patient. Deadlines!

Remember that today is the last day to enter the Romaticon Grab Bag #2 contest—gotta post to win!

If you had the ability to compete in any Olympic even,

which one would you choose to enter?

Sunday Report Card

Not a whole lot of progress to report on works that are overdue. Bad author me! However, I have just returned from two back-to-back trips that have served to refill my very dry well.

From ranchy, fun Romanticon in Ohio (think sexy cover models and face time with one of my publishers), to my trip to Eurkeka Springs (haunted house, wildlife refuge and meeting Rambo's daddy), I have motivation now to get my ass in gear, and more new stories stirring inside my head.

Today, I'm making the five-hour trip back home. I'll be doing something productive with that long drive—listening to Tony Robbins' tapes to keep my mind in the right place. Come tomorrow, it'll be head down as I wrap up the old stuff and push forward with the new.

In the refuge…

I'm just posting a quick photo. There are several of us from the Diamond State Romance Authors RWA chapter who are attending the Ozark Writers Conference. We decided to skip the conference accomodations in favor of something more adventurous. We're staying at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. They take in large cats, mostly, from around the country who have been raised by stupid owners who thought having a tiger or lion in their back yard was a good idea.

These cats aren't suitable for zoos, or for being rehabilitated for return to the wild, and a place like this is their last hope before extermination. We're so impressed with what the refuge is doing, that our group is planning something to support their efforts—but more about that later.

I took tons of pictures and will share more once I get home. Here's one for now.

Note: Check out Shayla Kersten's blog today. She has more photos posted!

Eureka!

I'm here in Eureka Springs for the Ozark Writers Conference. Sis and I arrived last night and stayed in the Crescent Hotel. Two other friends, Brinda B. and Cyndi d'Alba were there as well. We had a formal five-course meal in the dining room—Lord, I'd forgotten how fabulous foie gras tastes! Anyway, we went on the ghost tour. I took tons of pictures, plenty with orbs and a few suspicious shadows, but nothing as creepy as my first visit here in June. I really think the ghosts were attracted to the 7-year-old then.

Today, we're representing our RWA chapter and Rose's Colored Glasses. When we arrived, they didn't have a table for our stuff. My karma is just shit lately. Any suggesions from y'all for how to scrub it clean?

This morning David Morell (the Rambo creator) spoke. He had some very good advice, first and foremost being, "Become a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else." That's so freaking true.

Remember, I have two contests running. Be sure to check out yesterday's post for details!

While I'm away… TWO NEW CONTESTS!

I'm out the door again. This time, I'm heading to the Ozark Writers Conference in Eureka Springs. And you know me, it's a mash-up of work and play. Tonight, I'll hang out with friends at The Crescent Hotel. It's that haunted hotel I had so much fun at when I visited in June. Then Friday, we all move to a B&B inside a big cat refuge. Nothing like sitting in a hot tub while listening to the lions roar. I know I'll be thinking that I'm sitting in a slow-cooker and I'll be nice and tender when Leo the Lion breaks through the fence. Anyway, I'll post while I'm gone—I hope. Depends on Internet connection. With my luck lately, I'll have to drive to a McDonald's to get connection. Anyway, here's the crass author promo…

I have two new contests!

1) Romanticon Grab Bag #2 Contest

What can you win?

A prize pack of signed cover flats, pens, bookmarks, trading cards, pens, etc. Plus, I'll be sure to send along some of my own "stuff"!

What do you have to do?

Post comments on my blog and or my Facebook page. Every comment you make will count as one entry. How easy is that? This contest ends next Tuesday, October 11th!

2) The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win?

I'm giving away two $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificates.

What do you have to do to enter?

See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by readers. So I'm offering a tempting bribe. You know there won't be as many entries for this contest as for the Grab Bag contest, so you stand a better chance of winning! And wouldn't you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give an honest review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn't matter if the review is on Samhain's or Ellora's Cave's website, Amazon or Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that. And if you've already posted a review, it counts too. Send me the link! This contest ends October 25th!

Review at Barnes & Noble

Review at Amazon

Guest Blogger: Jodi Redford

The winner of the first grab bag of prizes from Romanticon is… Okay, so let me tell you what's in the bag first. Or maybe, I should start by telling you that the bag itself is quite a prize. Because I didn't get to sign books at Romanticon, I spent my time getting signatures from every single author there. Yup, the bag is cram-packed with signatures from the wonderful authors at Ellora's Cave. Inside the bag, there are signed cover flats, pens, bookmarks, a trading card storage box, trading cards, pens, etc. Plus, I'll be sure to send along some of my own "stuff". The winner will enjoy combing through this big bag of cool junk and maybe be inspired to check out authors like Ann Jacobs, Koko Brown, Desiree Holt, Kaily Hart, Kathy Kulig, Kimberly Killion, Cerise DeLand, Delphine Dryden, Christine d'Abo, and many more. Okay, no more teasing. The winner of this grab bag of prizes is…Wendy Gregory! Wendy, congrats and email me!

Back to Jodi Redford…

First of all, I want to thank the fabulous Delilah for letting me come on her blog today. Seeing how she's one of my fave authors, this is a major fan-girl moment for me. Once I got over the exuberant squee-fest going on in my head, I realized I actually had to decide on a subject for my post. So with no hesitation, my mind automatically veered toward my favorite topic—shape-shifters. Or more to the point, super sexy shape-shifters. It's no secret that I have a love affair with paranormal romances, and the primal and often lusty shifter heroes—and heroines—who populate these magical, fantastical worlds. But what exactly is it about these characters that I and others find so appealing? Is it the wild, animalistic traits that encompass a shape-shifter's persona that we're drawn to? I can't speak for everyone, but I find that whole growly, alpha thing immensely sexy, be it a werewolf, were-tiger, or dragon.

It was my quest to find the ultimate of alpha shape-shifters that led me to my most recent hero, Max Truitt, from Maximum Witch. When I first told friends and family I was going to write a shark hero, they thought I'd finally, officially lost it. A shark…hero? It was crazy. Insane. Even for me. Who in their right mind would think a shark could be heroic, much less sexy? Well, me, for one. Although the being in my right mind part might be debatable. Regardless, the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea of Max. There's something incredibly sexy and dangerous about a hero who could eat you for dinner—pun intended. The fun part about writing his character was taking his inner shark traits and twisting them for a sexier purpose than hunting down swimmers for an afternoon snack. For instance, Max shows an equal determination to make a meal out of the heroine, Willa, in this little snippet.

Who says getting eaten by a shark is a bad thing?

That Old Black Magic, Book 3

Willa Jameson is having one whopper of an identity crisis. Odd memory flashes that aren't hers. A sultry voice in her head that's obsessed with sex. Even weirder, she finds herself in the jaws of a rogue leviathan, dragged to the bottom of the ocean—and rescued by a hunky…shark?

The last thing Sheriff Max Truitt expects to find on his daily, deep-Atlantic patrol is a human—especially one who breathes underwater. Compelled to take her home, he waits for the beauty to wake up and reveal her name. Instead he's treated to a punch in the nose, then a sexy romp hot enough to boil water.

The next morning, embarrassed by the sizzling, scandalous things the voice in her head drove her to do, Willa slips away. But if there's one thing a determined shark excels at, it's tracking his favorite meal.

Solving the mystery that is Willa is no simple task. When they finally unlock a dangerous secret hidden deep in her subconscious, it drives a wedge between them…and puts them in a desperate race against an evil that seeks to rain down a watery Armageddon on all mankind.

Product Warnings: This book does not contain sex with a puffer fish. There's not even sex with a seahorse. However, there's plenty of smoking-hot lovin' with a shark. And even a steamy M/F/M threesome. So slap on your snorkels and swim fins, things are about to get wet and wild.

Max released his belt and lowered the volume on the radio before turning toward her. She figured her face must have displayed her sizable panic as he leaned close, invading her personal space. His nearness forced her to tip her head sideways, making her glasses slip. He removed them and set them on the front dash. A purposeful gleam lit his eyes as his focus dipped to her mouth. She swallowed. "Max—"

His hand cupped the nape of her neck, lightly stroking. "There's no way you didn't think I was going to kiss you."

"B-but you already did."

"That was nothing. This time it's serious." And with that preemptive warning, he claimed her mouth, his tongue easily coaxing past the barrier of her lips and meeting hers in a hot glide. There was no hesitation or fumbling in his kiss. Only the skilled determination of a male intent on making her melt into a quivering puddle of desperation. He sucked on her bottom lip, his teeth scraping gently.

Panting, she sank her nails into the softness of Max's T-shirt, fascinated by the marked contrast to the hard muscles hidden beneath. "I—I meant it when I said I'm not falling into your bed."

"Then take me home to yours." His bristly jaw scuffed softly along her chin as he dipped his head and sucked the side of her neck. Sharp, pleasurable tingles burst beneath her skin, pebbling her nipples and throbbing within her clit. She squirmed and trembled, her body pulling tight. It was no mystery to her that the sensitive area Max had zeroed in on happened to be one of the most erogenous zones of her body, but how the hell did he know it?

"I…I—" She almost passed out from the devastating pleasure of Max's mouth when his suction intensified. Her aching clit felt like it was going to explode. "Oh goddess."

His thumb flicked over her distended nipple, using the friction of her blouse and bra to drive her higher. He lifted his head. "I want to make you come. Over and over. With my tongue, fingers, my cock. Until you lose count of the number of orgasms you've had. Say you want that too."

"Max…" Her plea turned into an embarrassing mewl as he rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger. She grabbed onto him, trying to drag him closer and increase the teasingly light pressure on her breast, but the bastard refused to budge.

"If you don't tell me now, Willa, so help me I'll stop. It's all of you or nothing."

Jodi's Bio

At the ripe age of seven, Jodi Redford penned her first epic, complete with stick figure illustrations. Sadly, her drawing skills haven't improved much, but her love of fantasy worlds never went away. These days she writes about fairies, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures, only with considerably more heat.

She has won numerous contests, including The Golden Pen and Launching a Star. When not writing or working the day job, she enjoys gardening and way too many reality television shows.

Currently residing in Michigan with her husband and overgrown lapdog, she is a member of RWA national and Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America.

She loves to hear from readers. You can email her at jodiredford@jodiredford.com and visit her online at www.jodiredford.com.