HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 43

Contest Winner!

The winner of my Monthly Blog Contest for May is…Joyce Bruner (comment #3 on the May 18th blog). Congratulations!!! Email me so I can get your prize to you.

Changes

There have been some changes around here. Specifically, I revised my Bookshelf page to show connected titles and added a bit of information about sensuality level and types of books. I also added an Upcoming page (you can't see it yet on the blog, which is being fixed, but you can from every other page).

The goal was to make the information about my releases clear. I made the changes for a few reasons…

1. I looked at the websites of Meljean Brook and Jaci Burton and liked how they set up their book pages.

2. I received so many emails from readers saying that listing my releases by date of release really didn't help them when they were book buying.

3. I know as a reader I hate going to an author's website and searching around and not being able to tell what releases are related or what's coming out next, so I wanted to prevent that issue on my site.

I like the look of the pages and hope you do, too. If there is something else you'd like to see or more information that might help or make things clearer, please let me know.

Short Story!

A few months ago a group of author friends banded together and came up with a publishing co-op idea. The result of all those emails and all that chatting is Walk on the Wild Side Books. The idea was to have a place where we could share ideas and publish some short stories and novellas directly to Amazon and Barnes & Noble and a whole bunch of other digital retailers. We want to publish high quality stories at a reasonable price. I think we've done it!

Some of my fellow fabulous authors have already published stories. Today is my turn. My website's bookshelf page is being revamped right now, so I don't have a book page up yet. Here's some information for RISQUE BUSINESS, a super sexy short (one could even say erotic romance) story:

Kari Reynolds is a human resources specialist on a short-term assignment at Coleman Engineering. It's her job to lead workshops but there's one big problem – the boss, Matt Bradford.

Being near Mr. Tall, Dark and Smoking Hot brings out Kari's naughty side. One look at him makes her forget what's appropriate in the workplace, and she's smart enough to know the heated glances he's shooting her way have nothing to do with business.

Now all she has to do is convince Matt to ignore her job title and try a little office pleasure…

The book is 11,000 words (about 24 pages) and costs $.99. It will be up at Barnes & Noble and many other retailers soon. You can get it immediately for your Kindle (Amazon) or on Smashwords. I hope you'll give it a try.

Memorial Day Giveaway

Still writing but will be back tomorrow with some news about my sexy new digital short release called RISQUE BUSINESS. Until then, one of my favorite people is giving away a copy of IT'S HOTTER IN HAWAII on the SOS Aloha blog.

The owner of the blog, Kim, is a military wife, mother and romance fan. She supports romance writing and put together a speaking engagement and lunch for me when I was in Hawaii last year. She comes to conferences and is the perfect spokewoman for the bridge between the romance community and the military.

It's fitting on this Memorial Day weekend that we celebrate her family's service to this country as I thank her for the support she's shown for my writing career over the years. Thank you, Kim. I don't know where you find the time to do everything you do, but I truly appreciate it.

Nosy

I have a problem. I blame it on writing for a living. In restaurants I listen in on conversations at nearby tables. I watch people in stores and make up life stories for them. Yes, I'm nosy. It's because of the career. I swear. So, knowing this about me, here's what happened while I was walking the dog earlier this week…

My neighbor, a husband and father, came racing down the street at 3:00 in the afternoon in his truck, parked it in his driveway and ran around to the back of his house. A few seconds later he started yelling (imagine a lot of swearing here), "Get out of my house!" He said it over and over. Another man, in a much quieter voice, was telling the neighbor to calm down. The neighbor kept yelling the same thing then would say stuff like, "Don't put your hands in the air. Face me."

My writer mind decided there were a few possible reasons for this showdown:

1. The husband caught the wife doing something very naughty.

2. The husband caught a boy with his daughter and went nuts.

3. The husband broke up a robbery.

4. The husband was kicking out a relative or former friend who was no longer welcome in the house.

The potential story continues to play out in my mind. I've ruled out #3 because the police never showed up and there hasn't been any neighborhood gossip about a robbery. Also ruled out #2 because I think the man's daughter is too young for that one, like in elementary school. Haven't seen the wife since, but I'm hoping the answer is #4.

I'll let you know if I figure it out…

Checking In

I have not fallen into a deep hole. I am on deadline. Well, on two actually. I'm writing a romantic suspense for Intrigue and a Christmas novella for Carina. Both are due on June 15th. This makes for a schizophrenic author. I'm not complaining. I'm thrilled to have work. The double deadline just means things like blogging and making lunch get pushed to the side.

The looming deadlines also mean I tend to get annoyed easier. Like, when I read twitter conversations where people who are not authors make grand statements and big judgments about why authors make the decisions they do – to take pseudonyms, to change genres, etc. Addmittedly, these conversations drive me crazy. My advice? Don't assume to know what's happening in someone else's career.

Later this week I'll post about a short story I've written and an amazing group of authors I've bonded with in this adventure. So, stay tuned…

New Cover

My cover for LOCKED AND LOADED is up on Amazon. I think it's pretty cool. Take a look:

Feel free to follow the link and pre-order the book while you're there.

Congrats!!!

Today my oldest niece, my godchild, graduates from college. I'm so happy for her and so impressed with the smart, dedicated, caring, beautiful woman she's become. Good job, Jen.

Info on Intrigues

Some lovely readers have emailed asking about the final two books in my Mystery Men miniseries for Intrigue. Thought I'd go ahead and give a little teaser for each one.

LOCKED AND LOADED (August 2011)

Maddie Timmons turned over in bed for what felt like the fiftieth time. It had to be past two by now. She refused to look at the clock and check. Not again.

The room had plunged into darkness hours ago when the sun ducked behind the mountains outlining the side of her cabin. The cool late spring air couldn't penetrate the thick windows near her head. She knew because she'd installed the laminated safety glass herself and then made sure the potential entrances stayed locked at all times. A blaring alarm took care of the rest.

She kicked off the covers and stared at the ceiling. Despite all the precautions, something made her restless. She couldn't put a reason to the feeling. She just knew her insides kept jumping around, pressing down on her chest and forcing her eyes open ever time they tried to drift shut.

THE BIG GUNS (September 2011)

Sela Andrews was five minutes away from walking into an ambush. Slumped down in his Jeep on the street outside her apartment, Zach Bachman watched the set-up unfold.

The small split screen monitor on his watch showed Sela approaching the elevator on the floor five stories above. That wasn't the problem, except for how clueless she appeared to be to the danger around her. The other shot centered on the building's underground garage. There, in stall seventeen, not far from where Zach sat, a man fiddled with something under the hood of her car.

And not just any man. A guy dressed in black, his gaze skipping around the garage as if looking for witnesses. He'd even taken the time to disable the security camera. He just didn't know he'd missed one – Zach's.

Sneak Peek

Thought I'd give a little look at an upcoming release. This one comes out in December. It's called Agony/Ecstasy. It's a collection of super sexy/erotic short stories. Mine is called Just Say Yes and it's a workplace romance.

For my readers who like my less sexually descriptive books…well, this might not be the one for you. The story is about 6,000 words and Colin and Allie are all over each other for most of that time. There is a plot. This is about two people who are attracted to each other and have to wade through their feelings, but it is not a sweet romance. You've been warned…

Her back slammed against the door. Firm hands slid up to cradle her head as his mouth crossed over hers. Again and again, the slant of his lips and sweep of his tongue burned through her.

She craved this. Day after day, sitting in boring conference rooms and never-ending staff meetings, watching him explain and negotiate, she wanted him.

At home, or in any safe place where she could close her eyes and steal a moment, she imagined the broad slope of his shoulders and the pleasures promised by those lean fingers. At the office she lived for the peppery ginger scent that tickled her senses during those dangerous times when she got close enough to smell him.

Colin Banks. Brown hair bordering on black, soft gray eyes and a voice so deep it vibrated down to her toes with every syllable. He was completely off-limits. And he was seconds away from being inside her.

"God, yes." He whispered his plea against her lips when her fingers found the flat stomach under his shirt.

Heavy breathing mixed with the rustle of clothing and shuffling of feet. One hand reached down to catch her thigh and pull it high on his hip. The seductive dance inched her slim skirt straight into danger territory.

Ignoring common sense and every rule she'd ever set for her life, she dove in. She grabbed for his suit jacket. Clawing and pushing, she worked the material down his arms, letting him leave her only long enough to shrug it to the carpet.

Then he was back. Warm air blew across her bare skin the second before his mouth closed over the vein thumping hard at the base of her neck.

The pressure of his lips, the sucking and coaxing, sent a rush of blood to her head. She slid her fingers beneath the collar of his dress shirt and lifted his face. No more than a shimmer of air passed between them before her mouth found his again, making her wonder how she went eight months without kissing him long and deep.