Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 529

Winner…and new contest(s)!

I had tons of entries for this one, mostly from Facebook. Woohoo! It appears you all love fairies, which is a good thing, since next week's prize features another lovely fairy gift!

I do have a winner for the journal, but she'll be named at the bottom of this post. In the meantime, I have TWO contests to announce.

One's more of a reminder. We'll start there.

Contest #1—or, the Promo Whore Contest

Myla and I would appreciate your help getting the word out about our two recent self-published books, Sex Ed and Moonstruck.

What we'd love you to do for us is:

1) Tag, Star, and "Like" wherever you buy the books!

2) Review it! Please, please, please!

3) Post the cover/blurb on your blog (Ask! One of us will send you a jpeg!)

4) Most importantly, BUY them!

For our contest, we're offering two $25 gift certificates to two lucky winners for the MOONSTRUCK blurbs and links, and a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner for pimping SEX ED. So that's THREE winners—and a total of $75 up for grabs!

Te be entered, you have to send us a link to where you talked about the book, posted a review, posted the cover and the blurb—BY APRIL 30th!! And you can enter multiple times, so if you're smart, send a link for each individual posting to this address: Myla Jackson [mylajackson@earthlink.net]

Winners will be announced in Myla's and Delilah's May Newsletters!

Contest #2—Queen of the Kitchen Contest

I don't cook, but I saw these and had to buy them. It's a compulsion, I know. A mental disorder, I'm sure. But hey, you get the benefit of my illness!

I took lousy pictures, but these two pictures are of a set of measuring spoons. The handles are topped by a crown that says "Queen of the kitchen" and they have decorations all the way down. You can certainly put them to use, but you also might like to hang them from a hook in your kitchen for decoration. To win them, all you have to do is post a comment. As many as you like over the next week, on my blog and on facebook. Every entry increases your chance of winning!

Okay, back to the winner of the very pretty fairy journal… She's Betty Lewis! Betty, email me with your snail mail address. Congratulations!

Three books coming May 1st!

First, the genre poll is closed (see Thursday's post)! I might do one or two more polls to get some clarification of your favorite reads, but I'll be paying attention to what you told me. And today is the last day you have to enter the fairy journal contest (see last Tuesday's post)! The winner will be announced tomorrow! ~DD

In just a few days, three new books will be out—one a novella, the other two collections of erotic short stories. I thought I'd give you a chance to sample them, and if you wanted, put them on pre-order so you'll have them to enjoy as soon as possible.

You can pre-order this story today! Just click on the cover to head over the Amazon! I'll admit, I wasn't sure I could pull off a story that sends a couple back in time to meet the Amazons, but I surprised myself. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did writing it! I'd love for this one to succeed so I can write more Bites!

Lieutenant Farideh Kalani expected her time-traveling assignment in ancient Scythia to be difficult, but fitting in with Amazon warriors is easy compared to being partnered with Sergeant First Class Caleb MacAvoy. The Texan soldier is infuriatingly smug and undeniably sexy. Then with one kiss, he awakens all Farideh's desires. Now she'll have to keep an eye on her mission and try to resist her attraction to Caleb. Because he's the one man who might be able to breach the walls she's built around her heart….

Read an excerpt from The Warrior's Touch

* * * * *

The same editor who brought you Fairy Tale Lust is at it again! For Dream Lover, I tried something I haven't done before—write about creatures from the sea. You'll have to judge whether it's a place I should go again.

Supernaturally sensual and captivating, Dream Lover is a feast of fanciful delights. Kristina Wright, editor of the popular Fairy Tale Lust presents a potent potion of fun and sexy tales filled with male fairies and clairvoyant scientists, as well as darkly erotica tales of ghosts, shapeshifters and possession. Dream Lover asks the reader to explore the realm of the otherworldly and answer the question… who is your dream lover?

Read an excerpt from my contribution, Dreaming by the Sea

* * * * *

This book's been on Amazon for a couple of weeks now, but May 1st is its official release date—the day you should be able to find it on your bookstore shelves. This one's erotica, very inventive erotica.

The rich and slightly decadent visuals of the steam age lend themselves perfectly to the new carnality of post-punk era. And, of course, what is repressed will be even more exciting once the corset is unlaced. Steampunk, even without sex, is erotic; with sex, it's over-the-top hot. There are brothels, flying machines, steam-powered conveyances, manor houses, spiritualist societies. The following stories afford intelligently written, beautifully crafted glimpses into other worlds, where the Carnal Machines won't fail to seduce you, get you wet or make you hard so, lie back, relax; a happy ending is guaranteed.

Read an excerpt from my contribution, Dr. Mullaley's Cure

New Call for Submissions!

I'll close the genre poll (see Thursday's post) out later today, so there's still time to cast your vote! And the fairy journal contest (see Tuesday) continues! ~DD

Girls Who Bite was my first anthology for Cleis Press. I had so much fun reading the many entries and working with the authors that I sent in a proposal for another! On Thursday, I got the email saying they wanted it! So, here are the details for any authors or aspiring authors out there! I can't wait to read your stories!

Beastly Babes

Editor: Delilah Devlin

Publisher: Cleis Press

Deadline: July 29, 2011

Beastly Babes is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for lesbian shapeshifter stories for a romantic erotica anthology entitled Beastly Babes.

The concept of shapeshifters—beings both human and animal—ignites our imaginations with visions of primal passions and insatiable hungers. Most commonly seen as dark, masculine demons, shapeshifters are in need of a metaphysical overhaul—a new feminine/Sapphic blending of physical power and inescapable desires.

Beastly Babes will re-envision common and not-so-common myths and deliver a fresh perspective from the storytellers. Traditional lycanthropes and feline familiars are welcome, if told with a fresh twist, but writers are encouraged to imagine greater, and perhaps explore more obscure, lesser-known mythologies from around the world to create inventive tales celebrating feminine power, lust, and erotic love. Concentration primarily focuses on the lesbian relationship, although ménage and secondary m/f depictions will be permitted. Published authors with an established shapeshifter world may use that setting for their original short story.

The stories may be as kinky or vanilla as the writer wants—but a deep sensuality should linger in every word. Exotic locations and scenarios are welcome. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. We are seeking original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of th epage, include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 word or less bio in the third person to cleisbeastlybabe@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you'd like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond to you in October 2011. The publisher has final approval over the manuscript.

Payment will be $50.00 USD and two copies of the published book upon publication.

About the editor: Ms. Devlin has published over eighty erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. Her published print titles include Into the Darkness, Seduced by Darkness, Darkness Captured, Down in Texas, Texas Men and Ravished by a Viking. Her short stories are featured in Zane's Purple Panties, and Cleis Press's Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Carnal Machines, and Dream Lovers. She is published by Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. In Fall 2011, she debuts her first anthology with Cleis Press, Girls Who Bite.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at cleisbeastlybabe@gmail.com.

NOTE: If I receive the submission early enough and like it but it's not quite right, there may be a chance to revise and resubmit. The key is to get the story in early!! DD

Snippet Saturday: Humor

The genre poll ends tomorrow (see Thursday's post for details). And the fairy journal contest (Tuesday's entry) continues, so be sure to post today!

Humor's always tough to write. It's all the pacing of the scene. Also, humor doesn't translate across cultures very well. So what's funny to one person won't be to another. I don't worry about all that crap and usually just let go. The last time I wrote something that left me giggling hysterically was this little scene. Hope you enjoy it half as much. ~DD

"Ms. Devlin will have readers laughing one minute and screaming the next… Bad, Bad Girlfriend is a witty, heart pounding smoking hot read that is a must have." 5 Angels, Fallen Angels

"Bad, Bad Girlfriend is just plain fun!… A great quickie from a great author." 5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance

"My emotions ran wild while reading Bad, Bad Girlfriend… Don't miss this mischievous woman's attempts to secure her man's love. I had a fantastic time reading Jolie and Gabe's story." 5 Silver Dragons, Veiled Secrets Reviews

Expect magic when one determined woman dons a legendary pair of red stilettos and bares body and heart to get her man's attention…

Jolene's a big, beautiful woman with an even bigger heart. But she's become her police officer boyfriend's favorite doormat and that's so not working for her. It's time for a little conversation, time to tell Mr. Happy Pants to "pee or get off the pot".

Gabriel has seen what his profession does to marriages. He's not willing to risk that kind of heartbreak. Besides, he likes what he has with Jolene. The woman is sex personified. So when Jolie tells him she won't see him anymore if he's not willing to commit, he's shocked and angry.

With a girlfriend's encouragement and the added confidence a certain pair of red stilettos gives her, Jolene arranges a special show at a strip club to prove to Gabe once and for all that she's more woman than any man can handle, and if he doesn't want the job, then she'll find another lover who does.

Jolie heard the music, tried to catch the beat, but she'd never been so scared, so embarrassed in her life.

She knew she'd made a huge mistake the minute she'd entered the stripper's dressing room. Lexie had ushered her in after Guppy, the skinny, bespectacled manager of the strip club, let them in the back door and showed them to the women's dressing room. She already wore her costume under a tightly belted trench coat, but getting her first up-close look at the other women awaiting their turns on the stage made her lose her nerve.

She turned back toward the exit.

Lexie stood behind her, her arms crossed over her chest. "No you don't. Not after I paid him a hundred dollars to let you do this!"

"You paid him?"

Lexie shrugged. "He prefers professionals, but he's not above a bribe."

"Great. You had to pay him to let me take off my clothes. Get out of my way."



Lexie's chin firmed, and her eyes narrowed into the meanest look her friend could manage. "You talked me into this. You convinced me this was a good idea. No way are you going to chicken out now."

"They'll laugh at me," Jolie whispered furiously.

The other women, even the curvier ones, weren't as well-padded.

One the women nearest them, eyed Jolie in the glass as she applied a wide streak of eyeliner. "We've had big girls before. Some of the men prefer 'em. Give it a go, hon."

Jolie didn't appreciate the advice and straightened her spine, ready to walk right through Lexie if she didn't get the hell out of her way.

Lexie lifted her chin. "You want a ring, remember? A commitment. You want him to notice you, know you're desirable for more than your cupcakes."

Jolie swallowed, her eyes filling. "I'm scared."

Lexie's militant expression softened. "You'll do fine. In ten minutes, it'll all be over. And you'll know whether the shoes were meant for him."

Jolie nodded slowly. "I couldn't get the pasties to stick, the adhesive didn't work on top of the body lotion I applied."

The stripper eyeing her in the mirror turned and held out her hand. "Give 'em to me. I'll show you my little trick. Works every time."

Reluctantly, Jolie pulled the little gold-glittered pasties from the pocket of her coat and handed them to the woman who towered on a pair of platform PVC boots.

"Get out of that coat. Have to show your boobs. It's just us girls here."

The other girls laughed, but their smiles seemed friendly enough. Jolie didn't like being the center of attention and especially didn't like the fact her "girls" were everyone's focus, but she opened her coat and let Lexie slide it off her shoulders.

"The bra too. Can't paste 'em on top of those cones. Nice bra by the way."

"Thanks," she said faintly. "The Whip and Tickle had a sale."

"Name's Angie," the redhead said, grinning, "since we're about to get friendly."

Jolie's eyes widened. The woman took a small bottle of glue sitting beside her open makeup case, circled the pasty then twisted it onto Jolie's boob.

Jolie held her breath, shocked to her core. Her nipple beaded beneath the little circle and the pasty began to fall away.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Angie said. "Happens all the time to me. It's cold out there." Angie peeled the pasty off the rest of the way, carried it to her mouth and licked it then twisted it back onto Jolie's nipple.

Jolie knew she must have earned a ton of bad karma as the women laughed around her.

"They're just laughing at your expression," Angie said. "We all have our little tricks for keeping these things hiding the pearlies."

Jolie suffered through Angie twisting on the second one, and didn't even blanch when she licked it.

But she didn't dare give Lexie a glance. She could feel her shaking beside her, clinging to her arm as she got ready to let loose with howls of laughter.

"Just remember," Jolie clipped, "I know where you live, Lexie Burns."

"Sorry," Lexie gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "You should have seen your face."

"Yeah, it was pretty funny," Angie said, her smile stretching. "You're ready. Get that bra closed. You're up next. Give that boyfriend hell."

Lexie tossed Jolie's coat over the back of a chair and grabbed Jolie's waist, pushing her out the door and down the corridor toward the side of the stage. The curtains were closed.

Guppy signaled to her from the far side. "Get in the middle and I'll open 'em up."

Jolie dug in her heels. Lexie pushed harder, and Jolie couldn't get the traction she needed with the tiny stiletto tips scraping across the wooden floor. When she was behind the curtain, Guppy gave her a thumbs-up, and Lexie darted back.

The curtains started to open, but Jolie grabbed both sides and held them closed. "Oh hell no." She'd gotten a glimpse of the crowd when the curtain waved.

The bar was packed. A dozen or more heads and shoulders peering above the edge of the stage. They'd be looking up her ass.

"Let go of the curtain," Guppy yelled.

Jolie shook her head. "No way in hell."

Hands slipped over hers. "Let go, Jolie," Lexie bit out, trying to peel back her fingers. "I paid for ten minutes but you can do five and I won't even make you pay me back."

She squeezed Jolie's hands, but Jolie gripped the fabric tighter.

They stumbled against the curtain, and she felt the curtain give a little from the top.

"You girls tear it down, you're payin' for it!" Guppy yelled. "Still got your credit card, missie."

"Let go!" Lexie growled.

"I changed my mind. Musta lost it. No man's worth the humiliation."

"Give…the shoes…a chance." Lexie dug her fingers under the waistband of Jolie's shorts in the back and tugged.

"You tryin' to give me a wedgie?"

"Worked in high school."

The elastic at the back of her thong popped and Jolie let go to give Lexie a glare when the curtains swished open.

Lexie hid behind the edge as it retreated, leaving Jolie in the center of the stage, pushing the remnants of her thong down her crack. The movement thrust out her chest and the men around the stage began to howl.

Jolie crossed her arms in front to hide herself, but only managed to press more of her boobs over the top of the shiny cups.

"Bump and grind! Bump and grind!" Lexie shouted from the side.

Well, she was already out there in her underwear. What the hell? Jolie closed her eyes and listened for the music again, this time she felt it and took a couple of shaky steps forward. The stage narrowed to a catwalk, lights trimming the edge. Hands reached high, shaking dollar bills. One grabbed her ankle, but she shook him off and continued forward.

She caught a glimpse of two figures closing in from the front of the club, two tall, broad figures wearing dark uniforms.

Dear God, they were here. Gabe's face was tight, hard. His fists curled. And he was coming fast.

The look on his face shouldn't have excited her, but it did. She shook back her hair, turned on her heel and shook her ass for the crowd.

"Jolie!"

She heard his shout, but it only served to spur her on. She turned, squatting near a handsome dude whose eyes ate her up as she bounced and leaned forward.

His fingers slid under the edge of her bra and stuffed a dollar in her cleavage. She gave him a wink and glided up, turning to bend over and stare at him between her legs before easing up again, and rolling her hips, popping them to the music.

"Take a twenty!" another man shouted.

She strolled like a runway model, putting a finger in her mouth and standing in front of him to trace a wet path down her belly to the snap of her shorts.

"Show us some more skin!" he shouted, waving that bill.

Jolie gave him a wink, feeling more assured of her attraction, squatted in front of him and leaned forward to get the money. However, he grabbed for her boob, nearly pulling her from the stage.

A bouncer ran up and pulled him back.

Jolie gave Gabe a sideways glance. You see that, baby? Your precious milk-and-cookies mama is gonna start a riot.

She bent toward the man seated next to the one who'd been hauled backward from the stage. He stuffed a cool, crisp twenty into her shorts. She went to her knees and opened the top toggle of her bra.

Shouts and whistles started and she leaned back, smoothing a hand down her belly and back up then opening another latch. One more to go. Would she have the nerve?

"Jolie, don't do it," Gabe shouted.

But Gabe didn't own her ass. Didn't own her boobs. He hadn't claimed an inch of her skin.

She opened the last clasp and held the edges closed over her breasts, and slowly rose, walking to the end of the stage right in front of Gabe. With his hot, angry stare locking with hers, she opened her bra wide, flashing the crowd and shaking her glitter-topped tits. Take that, Gabe Devine.

A hand reached up and grabbed for her ankle.

Jolie tried to kick it loose, but the man was rising from his seat. "Come here, baby. Rub those titties on my face."

She teetered and let out choked scream, falling toward the man. But he flew backward and another set of arms caught her.

A shoulder hit her belly and she folded over a wide, muscular frame. Gabe's butt flexed beneath her gaze as he stomped toward the doors.

The doors whooshed open and he carried outside and down the steps. Cool, wintery air prickled her skin, drying her sweat immediately.

"Put me down," she said. "It's cold!"

But he didn't slow his pace, not until he reached the squad car and opened the back door and flung her inside.

Jolie landed in a sprawl of legs and arms and climbed up from the floorboard to kneel on the seat, staring back at Gabe who hunched over to glare inside the car.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he blasted.

Jolie shoved both hands on her hips and yelled back, "That it was about damn time I started looking for another man."

"In that place? Did you want to get raped?"

"I wanted someone to notice me."

His eyes narrowed to angry slits. "All you have to do is breathe deep to get a man's attention."

Jolie realized her bra still gaped open and that Tyler was walking up behind Gabe.

"Gonna ride in the back?" he asked Gabe. "Or are we gonna book her?"

"For what?" Jolie said, lifting her chin to dare Tyler to stare. "I didn't break any laws."

"Gimme a minute," Tyler drawled, his gaze sweeping over her chest. "I can start with inciting a riot."

"Indecent exposure," Gabe bit out. He slipped into the back seat and slammed the door closed.

Tyler spoke into the mike up front, telling dispatch they were taking a break. Then he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Wait!" Jolie said as they entered the road. "Lexie's still back there."

"Lexie knows she's in a heap of shit," Tyler said over his shoulder. "She's on her way to her car. If she doesn't pass me in three, we'll go back for her."

A car pulled up alongside them, and Jolie stared at Lexie who gave her a cheerful wave and passed them.

She gulped down several deep breaths and slowly turned back to Gabe. His gaze was glued to her nipples. He lifted a finger and traced the edge of the pasty.

His movement was slow. Too slow. And then she saw his hand was shaking.

She raised her head slowly and locked glances with him.

His face was still tight, his lips pressed into a straight, narrow line. His eyes bored into her, his body radiated hot fury. "You did this on purpose. You knew I'd be there."

She raised her chin. He'd have to drag the details out of her only if he tortured her. Unfortunately, she had a very low pain threshold.

"Almost there," Tyler called over his shoulder.

A muscle alongside Gabe's jaw flexed. When the car slid into her apartment parking lot, he held perfectly still, waiting as Tyler got out and opened the trunk of the car. The door beside her opened and Tyler handed her a blanket, which she wrapped gratefully around her shoulders.

She'd forgotten how cold it was. The air stung her naked breasts.

Tyler opened Gabe's door, and Jolie decided to make a dash for it, running on the stilettos toward the door, trying to beat him to it. But boots slapped the pavement behind her, closing in.

Gabe grabbed her hand, swung her toward him, ducked, and once again she was reeling as he upended her and carried her toward the door.

"How'd you think you'd get inside?" he growled. "Have a key stashed in your underwear?"

She didn't like the nasty edge of his voice, but she opted on the side of caution and kept silent. Besides she could barely catch her breath because she bounced on his hard shoulder as he stomped across the foyer, passed the elevators and stalked up the three flights of stairs.

Jolie was staggered by his strength. He wasn't out of breath. She couldn't help it, but the caveman act was doing it for her.

Moisture flooded her channel but didn't wet a thing because gravity was holding the warm liquid inside her.

Her breasts scraped against the itchy woolen blanket and she prayed they'd get there soon because she was ready to explode. Ready to go wild.

At last he pushed through the door that opened onto her floor and strode toward her apartment. But he didn't put her down; he unlocked the apartment and hurried inside, kicking the door closed behind them.

Then she was sliding downward. He caught her between the door and his large body. He shoved her upward as soon as her heels hit the floor and from the rustling below, she knew what was coming next.

Her shorts opened and he shoved them down. His pants opened and then his cock was pressing at her portal, ramming past her entrance, stretching upward as he brought her down his shaft.

"What the fuck were you doing?" he whispered, leaning into her, his hips beginning to hammer against her, his mouth just above hers, still tight, his teeth bared.

Jolie quivered against him and lifted her legs, clinging to his hips and pressing her chest against his to force him back and give her room to move, but he wasn't having it.

He jerked and tunneled, so close she couldn't drag in enough air. Her head swam, her eyes filled, and only when the tears streaked down her cheeks did he lower his head and cover her mouth.

But he didn't deepen the kiss. His eyes were open, those blue orbs glaring.

She blinked to meet that stare, but couldn't stay stubborn for long because she was coming—fast, hard, her body vibrating and writhing against his in the shallow space between him and door.

The sound of her thrashing, knocking against the door, was overloud, masking her gasps and whimpers.

When she finally hung limp against him, he came out of her and let her slide down to the floor.

He stepped back, stuffed his swollen cock into his pants and zipped up. "Don't go out tonight. You be here. We're not done."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Be sure to check out the snippets on these other authors' blogs:

Mari Carr

Taige Crenshaw

Lauren Dane

HelenKay Dimon

McKenna Jeffries

Lissa Matthews

TJ Michaels

Emma Petersen

Shelli Stevens

Jody Wallace

TGIF!

The fairy journal contest continues. See Tuesday's post for details. But be sure to post a comment here today for another chance to win! ~DD

Just a little inspiration to get you through the day. Sometimes, the eyes have it.

Very interesting poll results…. Does it mean you don't want more cowboys from me? Darn. But yay, for historical with paranormal aspects. I'd like to write more stories in the vein of First Knight. However, the poll doesn't close for several more days. Things may change.

After being smothered in kids and dogs for days, I have a bit of room this morning to CLEAN HOUSE. It smells funky. Wet dog, mildew—we've had a very stormy week. More coming tonight as well. But I can't wait until tomorrow to tackle some chores. Or maybe my anxiety is due to the fact I've found another way NOT to write.

Anyway, rejoice! The weekend's almost here.

Just taking a poll…

We had another round of severe weather last night. The power popped off and on. Internet was hosed for hours! So I'm preposting this late Wednesday night so that there's something there for you today (Thursday!). Remember! The contest for the journal continues. If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, check out the post from two days ago.

I'll be away until this afternoon. I'm hoping those flash flood warnings are more of a guideline than actual fact. I have to get to Little Rock for a doctor's appointment. Ugh. I'm hoping it's just a listen to my heart and any complaints I have. Maybe she'll give me some kick-ass antibiotics to get rid of this respiratory infection I've had since the RT convention.

Maybe it's me being lazy, but I'm going to make you do the thinking today. I'm running an unofficial poll, something I might use for my own project planning purposes. You may vote for two answers, and the poll closes Sunday!

Be sure to post a comment to let me know that you were here so that you'll be entered in the contest for the fairy journal!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Coming May 1st!

The contest for the pretty journal continues. See yesterday's post for details! ~DD

Last night was exciting—wind causing the trees to bend and crack, thunder and lightning, tornado warnings… You get the picture. I had the red-headed hellion, the six-year-old and the two-year-old camped out in my basement as we listened to the weather radio. Then the power goes out. Luckily, I have a thing for candles too. They climbed into the bed down here and went to sleep. I stepped outside under the covered deck to watch. Mother Nature gave me quite a show. No funnel clouds, but lots of jagged lights.

So, not much sleep. I'm on my third cup of coffee and starting to feel alive again.

Today, what I'd like to do is tell you about a story that's releasing in a little over a week. It's my first Nocturne Bite for Harlequin. I'd love for it to be a success, because I'd like to do more of them.

The story isn't one I would have conceived on my own. The concept was already born as part of Nocturne's Time Raiders series. I was invited to write a Bite to continue the series and given a premise to work with. Or at least a historical/mythological figure to build a story around. I'm flexible like that. You know that about me if you've roamed my site before. I have little control over the direction of Bad Moon Rising, which is the story my readers have helped me plot every step of the way. Anyway, the figure I was given was Queen Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons! Fun, right?

If the premise and the excerpt from The Warrior's Touch intrigue you, click on the cover and head over to Amazon.com right now to pre-order this story! And I don't have to tell you, you're gonna love the hero, melt over the sex, and have a spanking good time.

Lieutenant Farideh Kalani expected her time-traveling assignment in ancient Scythia to be difficult, but fitting in with Amazon warriors is easy compared to being partnered with Sergeant First Class Caleb MacAvoy. The Texan soldier is infuriatingly smug and undeniably sexy. Then with one kiss, he awakens all Farideh's desires. Now she'll have to keep an eye on her mission and try to resist her attraction to Caleb. Because he's the one man who might be able to breach the walls she's built around her heart….

Farideh Kalani gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering as she felt herself being pulled one way and then another while spiraling downward. She arrived with a jolt, her thighs spread over the back of a large black stallion, her body bent over his neck as the two of them thundered across rolling hills, the horse's hooves cutting into grass and stone. Which would have been a problem before the time jump, because she'd never ridden anything larger than a pony at the county fair. However, now she reached down to catch the trailing reins, and forced herself back, pulling at the stone bit in her mount's mouth.

The horse gave a shrill whinny and a little buck, but Fari pressed her knees into his sides, and gradually he gentled, easing into a trot.

She grinned, then raised her head and breathed the clean, brisk air of ancient Scythia. Heavy gray storm clouds were rolling in from the south, whipping up a wind that carried the scent of the sea, and salt she could taste.

Glancing down, she noted she sat atop her horse with only a padded saddlecloth between her dark wool trousers and the animal's warm back. Her boots were stuck in leather stirrups sewn to the saddlecloth. She wore an embroidered jacket trimmed in fur around the cuffs and neck, with a row of gold appliqués embossed with gryphons and lions along the hem. She slipped a gloved hand under her sleeve to check for the silver ESC cuff, her ticket home, and breathed a sigh of relief to feel its warmth against her skin.

Grasping the reins with confidence, she trusted the skill that had been implanted in her mind, along with her new knowledge of the geography around her.

If she didn't make the fortress city of Tanais by nightfall, she'd be pitching a tent, of sorts, in the rain, tying together two cushioned saddlecloths with those leather stirrups.

Although she had the knowledge to construct the tent, she wasn't eager to lie on the hard ground within the tiny shelter, huddled for warmth against her current companion.

Sergeant First Class Caleb McAvoy was already too smug and too sexy for her peace of mind.

Speaking of the devil… The pounding of a second set of hooves approached at a fast clip behind her.

"Darlin', you're pullin' too hard on the reins." As usual, the lazy Texas drawl managed to melt her and to irritate the hell out of her at the same time. He skillfully slowed his own roan gelding beside her.

Fari gritted her teeth again, then aimed a cool smile over her shoulder. "Cowboy, I don't need your advice. I'm now an accomplished horsewoman."

"Havin' it in your head doesn't necessarily mean you'll instantly have all the confidence you need to use it—ma'am."

"Sergeant, you're my support for this mission, not the other way around."

"Just sayin'…" The glint in his blue eyes revealed how much he enjoyed yanking her chain.

Still, she was the ranking member of this two-man team. "I sincerely hope you can manage to censor your advice once we're inside. Even if they don't know what you're talking about, that smart-ass grin you're wearing will look strange."

"Babe, don't worry about me. I'm all about the mission."

"That's 'lieutenant' to you."

"Yes, ma'am."

He said the right words, but the wink he added…

From day one, when they'd reported to the top-secret laboratory at Flagstaff, he'd been on her case.

There hadn't been much opportunity to train, only a short week. After they'd both been left drop-jawed at the news that they'd be making a jump back in time to ancient Scythia to retrieve an artifact, they'd been assigned rooms within the facility and put on lockdown. General Ashton wasn't taking any chances that word of this new mission might leak out. Rumors had it they weren't the only ones heading to Scythia, so the mission timetable had been pushed up to make sure they arrived first.

Alien creatures, the Centaurians, were eager to prevent humans from securing all the pieces of the Pleiadian medallion, to keep earthlings from fulfilling the goal of completing the medallion and opening up a channel to an intergalactic council.

Fari had wondered what military brass she'd pissed off, to get such a farcical assignment, until she'd seen for herself that the claims Professor Carswell made were true. The laboratory really did have a time machine and several missions had already recovered pieces of a powerful alien medallion.

Once convinced, she'd been eager to be on board. Excited as never before. Feeling like Neil Armstrong stepping out into a new frontier.

Caleb, on the other hand, had sunk deeper into sarcasm.

Fari shook her head. She'd been warned he was stubborn to a fault. Hell, he'd even refused Professor Carswell's offer to heal his shoulder with a piece of the medallion that had proved to have medicinal properties. He'd insisted he didn't need any woo-woo medicine to "fix what wasn't broke anymore."

Hopefully, he wouldn't need to use the damaged muscle. And there appeared to be plenty to spare beyond the shoulder that had suffered a gunshot wound.

The fact that her teammate had a physical flaw to match his less-than-perfect attitude were pluses in Fari's book. Otherwise, he might have proved a major distraction. She could well imagine the handsome Texan in a pair of faded Wranglers and a cowboy hat. And certainly, his estimation of his own worth would fill a ten-gallon hat.

Not that he hadn't earned his swagger. The number of al Qaeda terrorists he'd successfully hunted down to kill or capture in Iraq had made him a legend among the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division.

His uncanny tracking ability didn't have a thing to do with luck, and was why he'd been paired with her for this mission.

However, he thought all she brought were her Persian heritage, which would allow her to blend with the natives, a single silver bar on her collar, and a chest full of commendations for work she could never talk about to anyone outside her tight circle.

Fari couldn't wait for a chance to knock him sideways with what she could do, and she had no doubt the opportunity would come. All six feet four inches of SFC McAvoy would make for a spectacular fall.

They crested the ridge, to find the Sea of Azov stretching to the horizon, its white-edged waves slamming the coast. The tall wooden palisade surrounding the city of Tanais was tucked along its shore at the mouth of the river by the same name.

She gave her horse a nudge. "For once, stow the banter. And it's strictly Scythian from this point forward. We can't be heard talking a language no one understands. If Centaurians are already among them, they'll make us in a heartbeat."

"Then I can't keep callin' you lieutenant, ma'am."

"True. I'll address you as Caleb."

"And what will I call you?"

"Mistress," she said, smiling sweetly.

His gaze narrowed, dropping to her mouth, then shifted over her shoulder. "Hey, sugar, we've got company." He tipped his chin to the next ridge, where two lone figures on horseback watched. Females dressed as men.

Fari pulled the battle-ax from her belt, nudged her horse in the ribs and tugged on the reins, causing the animal to rise on his hind legs. Raising the ax into the air, she gave an ululating cry.

"Didn't know I was gonna be ridin' with Xena," Caleb muttered.

When the horse's forelegs landed again, Fari cocked an eyebrow at her companion. "Remember, we were given all the knowledge we need to complete this mission when we made the jump. Even if you don't like this woo-woo stuff, trust it."

She nudged her horse again and bent low over his neck, letting the wind catch her hair as she raced toward the palisade, leaving Caleb cursing behind her.

Brand New Contest!

I love to shop. Not for clothes or shoes or groceries. My thrills come from acquiring jewelry (junky and fine), office supplies (I know there's a fetish in there somewhere), and anything of a medieval or paranormal bent. Which is precisely why I own two large jewelry boxes, why one wall of my office is crammed floor-to-ceiling with every imaginable office machine, stacks of notebooks and Post-its, and why the rest of my office has figurines and pictures of dragons, fairies, and knights cluttering up every surface.

My obsession has led to my friendship with a woman who owns a tiny specialty shop in town. She keeps an eye out for things she knows I'll dig. This week, I came home with a grocery bag full of things I bought just to share with you. I had to have them all, but I have no where to store them. So I figure that if I offer one contest a week for some really random prizes that you might poke your head in the door pretty often to see what's up, and I'll have found a use for SOMETHING I've bought!

Here's this week's prize:

The journal is covered in a short velveteen; the pages are a nice thick stock; and the image is one of two female fairies, one light and one dark, the tips of their wings interwoven. Very pretty. And very, very hard for me give up because I want it!

What do you have to do to win? Just post comments wherever I am blogging—this includes my daily blogposts that show up on Facebook. The more times you post, the better your chances to walk away with this lovely journal.

So, post a comment here and you're entered. Come visit me at Everything Erotic where I've posted a short story and you have a second chance! This contest will end next Tuesday when I'll reach into my bag for the next random prize. Good luck!

A Cluttered Mind

Today, I'm hoping that I can unclutter my office and my mind.

I have a housekeeper coming to clean my place. Does that sound like the height of decadence? It is. But she's inexpensive and a lot more thorough than I am, and when she's done, somehow, it feels cleaner than if I did the work myself. While she runs the Hoover and mops, I'll be decluttering my desk.

Not that I'll give up a single dragon or fairy figurine, or King Kong hugging his NY skyscraper, or my Cinderalla and Sleeping Beauty Pez dispensers. Those aren't clutter. They're friends. Along with the small stuffed unicorn and carved stone alligator, frog, bear, wolf and elephant, they are things I can hold in my palm and caress when I'm running into trouble with my WIP (Work in Progress). When I stroke a thumb across their surfaces, they unlock dreams like a genie's lamp.

The decluttering has to do with the stacks of papers I have laying on every surface—on the desk, the file cabinet, the printer—yes, even on the floor. I've been sick and have let more stack up than usual because I haven't been able to concentrate. But no more excuses. I have to attack the stacks, then settle down to write some pages. I have books due. I'm late. Feel free to nag!

And woot! Riding a little high this morning. A reader plopped a brand new review up on Amazon for Pleasing Sir. "…It's not Romance, though you will feel the pinch of love and desire found in some of the best of contemporary romances. This is erotica at it's finest. There is a difference, and Delilah is the master and making that clear.

And if you're inclined to hop to another blog today, I have a post on another site about my two April releases, Handy Men and Moonstruck. I'd love a comment or two or even just a wave so I don't look like a loser.

Hop on over to After Midnight Fantasies.

Sunday Report Card

It was a very sad week for me. Not a single word was written. After arriving back home from LA on Sunday with a cough, I suffered a full-blown upper respiratory thing all week accompanied by horrible fatigue. I can work with a cough; I can't create when I'm wrung out. End of story. Needless to say, I'm woefully behind on all my goals. I need to rethink my plans, which makes this my shortest report card ever.