Eliza Lloyd's Blog, page 18

More from David Gandy

Sorry I've been slacking on David Gandy info. That doesn't mean I've forgotten him.

Just a reminder that you can follow him at Vogue.com where he blogs. Usually every three weeks or so you can find him posting interesting tidbits about fashion, travel, cars and his life.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/person/david-gandy

He also has an active presence on Facebook. You can LIKE his page at DAVID JAMES GANDY. There, he posts tons of pictures, especially recent and past photo shoots and he will often comment or answer questions. He hasn't commented on anything I've said, but I'll keep trying. Here's that link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/OfficialDavidGandy?fref=ts

And I'll leave you with a photo I recently saw, which I believe was from 2007. Don't know which campaign.

Aside from his god-like looks, I do find David to be interesting, self-depreciating and humorous.  But mostly, he's just an awesome man package!

Release Day: On Thin Ice

I love release day! It's time for Book Two, in the Cold Play series.  Keefe and Evan are back and hotter than ever.


Dr. Keefe Pearson knows what she wants. He’s hot, he’s sexy and he’s available anytime she wants sex and trouble. But what if she wants more?
When things heat up with the discovery of a rare Mayan urn, Evan Jahnning is tasked to retrieve it from the formidable Pearson Institute of Antiquities. A few dead bodies later and Evan is convinced he is doing the right thing—protecting Keefe and keeping the urn safe. Now if he can only prevent Keefe from finding out.
While Evan has Keefe hot and bothered between the sheets, she has her own plan to discover the truth of the elizurn—is it a treasure or does it portend the end of days? There is no convenient time for the truth but one  

My Writer Friends: Smuggler's Blues by Cindy Jacks

Here it is: Cindy Jacks' Smuggler's Blues, Book Two in the Pirates at Heart series. Available November 16th from Ellora's Cave and other major retailers.
The year is 2017 and all is quiet on the eastern front. Good news for the war-weary Republic of Texas…bad news for weapons smuggling–pirate Captain Brett Logan.
Logan’s been a surly handful since war’s end—not to mention a rather perfunctory lover—and his wife Kate has had about enough. When an illicit business venture falls in his lap, Logan is eager to get back to outrunning and out-gunning the enemy navy.
Kate becomes an unwilling participant in Logan’s criminal enterprise, but in his element of excitement and danger, he’s the roguish daredevil she fell in love with. Their passion for each other burns hotter than ever—spurred on by the thrill of the chase. As she learns more about Logan’s wild side, Kate finds herself craving him body and soul as love, sex and adventure finally rid Logan of those pesky smuggler’s blues. 

An Excerpt From: SMUGGLER’S BLUESCopyright © CINDY JACKS, 2012All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.The familiar ping of rain falling onto a tin roof startled her. Thunder rumbled, louder this time. The storm had begun.“What’s wrong?” He tilted her head up to look at him. His brow was furrowed, gaze studying hers. The concern in his expression disarmed her. Heavy raindrops beat a tattoo on the tin roof, adding to her fear and exhaustion.She shook her head. Everything was wrong.Seeming to read her mind, he nodded. “Stupid question, huh?”Kathryn nodded and sighed. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into his arms, to fall into a dreamless sleep until this was all over. But it was nowhere near over. This ordeal continued to get more and more complicated.Leaning her head against his chest, she listened to his strong heartbeat. “Do you—do you really think Dale killed someone because of my mistake?”“No, not if he didn’t have to. Have some faith in basic human greed.” He jostled her.The remark struck her as funny. She gave a weak smile. Maybe Brett was right. Or maybe he was trying to make her feel better.“I really screwed up.”“I screwed up. You’re only here because I… I should’ve stayed home when you asked me to pass up this deal.”Home. It was all that she longed for, but the thought only brought on another wave of anxiety. Her chest grew tight and his words from the night before flooded back. He’d stolen the comfort of home from her too. Silent tears dripped down her cheeks.“But you’re bored with me.” She huffed.Lightning flashed outside, the wind picked up force. It swept through the poorly constructed shack, the oil lamp light flickering.“Kate.” He smoothed her hair and pressed her into a hug. “Kate, I didn’t mean that you bore me.”“Don’t try to sugarcoat it now.”Tilting her chin up, he cupped her face in his hands. “I’m not. I bore me when I’m at home. This life—” He motioned to the shelter and the storm outside. “This is all I’ve ever known, and I just don’t know how to entertain myself otherwise.”“I know I’m busy with the boys.” She went on as if she hadn’t heard what he’d said. “And I’ve never been the kind of woman who gets all dolled up—”He cut her off with a kiss, his hand sliding around her waist.“Stop.” She turned away.Tangling a hand in her hair, he exposed her neck and planted a trail of kisses.“You are—” He kissed down to her cleavage. “The most exciting woman I’ve ever known.”His growing erection indicated the truth in his words.“And that’s saying a lot,” she teased, his affection chasing away her self-doubt little by little.Her pulse and respiration quickened, her sex grew warm and tight. He slipped a hand beneath her shirt, letting it roam over her bare skin as if it had a mind of its own.“It’s not every woman who’ll assault me with my own wallet.”Kathryn chuckled, holding back a squeal as he stroked the ticklish spot at the cleft of her ass.“We can’t do this here.” She tried to extricate herself from his embrace.“Why not?” Skimming his lips over her jawline, he pressed her closer.“Because we’re fugitives.”Oh God, they were fugitives. Strangers in a strange land. Well, it didn’t seem all that foreign to Brett.Hand to his chest, she stopped his advances. “I didn’t know you could speak Reformlandish.”Eyes heavy-lidded, he grinned slowly. “I speak a couple Reformlandish dialects. And Spanish. Some Cajun French.”She arched an eyebrow, shaking her head. “How is it I didn’t know that?”“Not much cause to use my language skills around the house.”“What else don’t I know about you?” She leaned forward, inhaling his musky scent and the sweet whiskey on his breath.His lips were so close that hers tingled, but he didn’t move for a kiss. Not yet. “I couldn’t say. You’ll just have to find out as we go.”Running her fingertips up his arm, she imagined the landscape beneath his clothes. Since the day they’d met she’d made a road map of his body in her mind. The tattoos and scars, each ripple of muscle, every freckle, the tantalizing trail of hair that led from his bellybutton down to his cock.Yes, she knew every inch of him. And she knew just how her body would react to his touch, his scent—her pulse pounding, her pussy swollen and wet. It was all delicious, but predictable. Even the routine they’d gotten into, making love right before bed. The song he’d sing her as she fell asleep.But here, in the one place she never wanted to find herself again, she’d learned something new about her lover. She’d gotten to see the part of him he kept separate from their comfortable life at home. And though some of it shocked her and threw her off balance, there was something intoxicating about the outlaw whose arms wrapped around her.Heat flared inside her, licking at her cheeks, her nipples, her sex. She surged forward, kissing him hard, her tongue invading his mouth. Caught off guard, he tumbled backward, chuckling, but spurred her on, his hands stripping off her sweater and shirt.The cool evening air swirled around her breasts, her nipples drawing painfully tight. He leaned forward, capturing a bud between his teeth and rolling his tongue over it.She gasped, pleasure rippling through her. Since they’d come ashore, he’d been in command of the situation, never once losing his cool. Now she wanted him in command of her body. She longed for him to tease her, overwhelm her and take her. Own her.
Buy-it link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10505-smugglers-blues.aspx

Wicked After Dark Blog Hop

Wicked.
We all want a man with the right amount of wicked.
One of my favorite wicked characters is the Merovingian from the Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. He is this interesting blend of naughty and nerve along with a good dose of humor and a whole lot of power.
So who is Merv? Well, he’s a computer program that controls other computer programs. He is the antithesis of hero – he is out to stop Neo, he is willing to seduce other women while his woman watches and he is unwilling to give up an inch of his domain.
Oh, and he has the MOST fabulous French accent.
“Okay, you have some skill.” Emphasis on “Skeel.”
When Merovingian is on the screen, he must be watched. He compels. He excites. He demands. He makes us laugh. He makes us wish for the same kind of powerful influence.
As a writer, I can only hope that my characters compel in such a way. I read two great quotes recently, one from Lambert Wilson, the actor who played the Merovingian. “He’s the personification of all forms of indulgence in the voluptuousness of life. What he lacks, and therefore what he likes to indulge in, is emotion.”
And the beautiful Monica Bellucci, the actress who played Persephone says, “The Merovingian and Persephone are like vampires in that way. They want to provoke emotion in other people so they can feed on it.”
An apt description of wicked. And if you don’t believe me, here are a few more quotes:
“I love French wine, like I love the French language. I have sampled every language, French is my favorite. Fantastic language. Especially to curse with. It’s like wiping your arse with silk. I love it.”
“What is the reason? Soon the why and the reason are gone and all that matters is the feeling. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight it; but it is of course a lie. Beneath our poised appearance we are completely out of control.”
So here you have my dream character, as wicked characters go.


A few oddities regarding the term MEROVINGIAN.
Interestingly, the true Merovingian were part of a kingdom that included some of France (Gaul.) Legends indicate they were of royal bloodline and were influential in protecting the Holy Grail. There is another persuasion that is convinced the blood-lines of the Anti-Christ will pass through the Merovingian line. Wicked indeed.
Lastly, the Merovingian Knot or as it should rightly be called, the Ediety Knot, is worn by Merv in the movie, if you were eagle-eyed enough to catch it.
Leave your comments below for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card (delivered electronically) and a digital copy of WICKED LORD. Don't forget your email address.
Your next three blog hop stops are:http://www.dcjuris.com/introhttp://amberkallyn.com/http://wideawa...
Or click the Wicked After Dark Blog Hop link at the top of the page to view all blog hoppers.

All About Wicked Affairs Four: WICKED SECRETS

I had a blog comment asking about the next in the Wicked Affairs series and promised a post regarding the plot.

For those of you who have read Book Three, Wicked Lord, you'll remember that Edward Chase, Lord Redding, has a sister Alizabet Standifer, Lady Archer. She has been married less than a year to Charles, but alas, there marriage is not made in heaven.

So here is the blurb with which I enticed my publisher, Ellora's Cave.  The title is WICKED SECRETS.


The Earl of Archer, Charles Standifer’s infatuation with his wife has turned into the cold reality of marriage misery. Vows are not so easily broken but when he gives into temptation all the secrets of the past threaten to destroy them and their marriage. He would give anything to have his wife, but she will have none of him.
The reserved and compassionate Alizabet, Lady Archer knows she will never please her husband in ways that matter to men yet she cannot deny the love she has for him in spite of the heartbreaking betrayal.
He has never doubted her affection for him, but that has done nothing to assuage his sexual need. When Charles discovers the revelation of Alizabet’s shocking past, can he be the man and husband she needs? Or will he forever be denied his rights to the alluring yet unattainable woman he calls wife?
So I must warn you now, if you didn't pick it up in the above blurb: There is an affair - a no excuses, out in the open affair. We all now this happens but the real trick is the attempt to redeem the hero. I know some readers think that this is very unheroic to portray such an event but for those who have read the Wicked Affairs series you know that all of the books involve the troubles of marriage. And we know that institution is far from perfect. 
What do you think? Is it impossible to write a true, fulfilling romance when an affair is a large part of the story?

French Revolution: Bloody Buoy

A new TALES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. A book from 1823, Bloody Buoy, talks of the "multitude of acts of HORRID BARBARITY, such as the eye never witnessed, the tongue never expressed or the imagination conceived, until the Commencement of The French Revolution."

Vol III Page 25:
Caption Leroux attests that the murder of the ninety priests was a most wanton act of cruelty, contrary to the professions of the committee itself; for that they were only to be sent, it was said, into perpetual exile. He says he was ordered before the committee, and threatened with imprisonment for having permitted two of them to get on board his vessel.
Captain Boulet, one day, in weighing anchor, saw four or five hundred dead bodies raised up by the cables; and adds that there were on hundred and thirty women confined at Mirabeau, who disappeared all at once.

Vol III Page 113:
The same witness says, I saw a great number of persons conducted from the place of Equality, to be shot at the Mauves. There were women and children of all ages amongst them. My heart could not support this spectacle; I ran home, saddled my horse, and rode to the place of execution. When I arrived the poor creatures were all on their knee, and the soldiers were preparing to fire. I rushed through them, and had the good fortune to save eight of the children, the oldest of which was twelve years of age, the rest were shot with their fathers and mothers.

While I am posting this from the historical perspective, it is a reminder that class warfare has no good end.

New Covers

There is only one thing I like in my in box more than a contract and that is the resulting cover art for a new book.

So, folks, here is what I have coming up in the next several months. Check out these awesome covers for upcoming releases. No dates available yet so just keep a look out at the Ellora's Cave Coming Soon page. And, of course, I will post on Facebook as soon as I hear.

On Thin Ice, Book Two in the Cold Play Series

Courtesan's Passion, Book Two in the Birds of Paradise Series

Wicked Secrets, Book Four in the Wicked Affairs Series

One Last Night, the first of a new series (I hope,) but hasn't been named yet

What do you think?

And I mustn't forget to mention that these covers were all designed by Dar Albert. I LOVE the distinctiveness of themes within each series.

   

Palenque - Mexican ruins

Saw this at the Cosmic Log website and there is a nice Google map to Palenque and other ruins in Mexico.  I mention this because Palenque is featured in my upcoming book On Thin Ice.

Dr. Keefe Pearson and her team of archaeologists discover an urn at Palenque. Everyone wants it but Keefe is determined to discover the truth - before anymore people die.

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/20...

On Thin Ice

Woot! First round revisions are done and back to my editor along with the blurb and excerpt.  Yes, release day for On Thin Ice is fast approaching.  This is Book 2 in the COLD PLAY series.

Here's the great cover designed by Dar Albert.

For those of you with a sharp eye, you'll notice the Mexican ruins of Chichen Itza are in the background. In Book 1, you'll remember that Dr. Keefe Pearson is an archaeologist and director of the Pearson Institute of Antiquities.  In this book, her PIA team finds a rare Mayan urn with glyphs that portend the end of days. Trouble starts when former boyfriend Rafe Mederios shows up wanting the urn for himself.

For Evan Jahnning, what follows is a race to find the urn, protect Keefe and make sure his betrayal doesn't completely destroy their relationship.

David Gandy Genetic Perfection

David is one my favorite topics - not in the obsessive I have to have him way but in a WOW I can't take my eyes off him way. Do you feel the same? If I look at his features one at a time, I'm not overly impassioned - it just when those features are all on one face, with those blue eyes staring back at me and that brow lowered in dark contemplation that I get all...


You know. I'm a writer and I can't think of the right word. Let's just call it tingly. I wonder if I would go all stupid if I actually met him?


If you haven't had a chance, you ought to visit his blog. He writes amazingly personal accounts of his life especially as it pertains to modeling and his other passions like animals and cars. Here's the link:  http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/david-gandy/


And no blog about David is complete without a few yummy photos: