Faithful Beginnings

I was thinking of giving you a glimpse of my new series with Total E Bound Publishing. It is titled The Debtor's Daughters. The first book is Faithful Beginnings and introduces the story. The second story will be in the Legend anthology that releases in June. Then there is the story in the Brit Pary anthololgy that released in May. And!!!!!!!! Faithful Beginnings will be released in print soon in the first volume of Lust Bites stories from Total E Bound. Yeah! I'm really excited about that. So here is a look at the book that starts it all.
Faithful Beginnings
By Lacey Thorn
Faith has spent her life since the age of nine playing the role of mother to her four younger sisters. Now as her twenty first birthday approaches she knows that all of that is about to change. Her father never wanted girls and when her mother died during the birth of yet another daughter, he made a vow. If he had to have daughters then he would use them to get what he wanted most…sons. So on their twenty first birthdays they are to be married off to the man of his choice, whether they like it or not.
But Faith has bigger dreams than spending her life living in the small town community that sees nothing wrong with her father’s dictates. So leaving her sisters behind, she heads down the road, for once more afraid to stay than to face the unknown.
When a thunderstorm sends her into the woods outside town looking for shelter she finds herself in the arms of Jake Daniels. She’s seen him in town a time or two but never really spoken with him. But Jake has been waiting to get her out from under her father’s eyes for years and he is determined to use this chance to show her just how good things could be between them. With a little faith, they can both have everything they want.
Excerpt: Adult
Jake Daniels stood in the shadows at the back of the cabin, partially hidden by the armoire that stood next to the office he had just finished working in. He had requested this cabin specifically for the office. He loved the way that the door blended into the wall. If you didn’t know that it was there then you wouldn’t even see it. He’d never been so happy about that before today.
He’d had to blink his eyes several times to make sure that he wasn’t imagining the blonde haired beauty that walked into the cabin. He knew from the immediate hardening of his dick that it was none other than little Faith Coulter. He’d been coming here for years just to get a glimpse of her, which was all that her father allowed. He could understand. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and Jake had seen plenty of women during his travels. But Faith was definitely one of a kind. She was a small woman, standing only five foot one or two, making her at least a foot shorter than his six foot two inch frame. But she had lush curves in all the right places, long blonde curls that swung most often in a ponytail that hung to her perfectly rounded bottom. It was her eyes that got him most. She had the biggest, deepest green eyes he had ever seen. Eyes filled with secrets, fears and, he was damn sure, passion. She was just waiting for the right man to initiate her and Jake had long ago planned to make sure that he was that man. Hell, that was why he was here now.
He had heard through his contact in town that she was to be married soon and that was one thing that he wouldn’t let happen unless he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was what she wanted. Then he had met her fiancé, a man old enough to be her father. The very thought of such a man touching her face, much less her body had set his gut to churning in anger. He almost laughed at the way that fate sometimes delivered what you desired most into your hands.
He had been in the office for the last few hours trying to figure out how to put a plan into motion to kidnap Faith before her wedding. Now he didn’t have to. No, the woman who was constantly on his mind had delivered herself right into his hands. And if his ears didn’t deceive him she was naked in the shower at this moment. He groaned and ran a hand along the rigid length of his denim covered cock. He had exactly one night to convince her that he was the man for her. One night to make sure that she was willing to leave this small town behind and explore the world with him on his boat. All he needed was a little faith. Then nothing else would ever do.
He crept stealthily on bare feet to the door of the bathroom and managed to snag her wet clothes without alerting her to his presence. He took them and her backpack into the office for safe keeping. He didn’t plan on her wearing anything but him for the next few hours. He couldn’t resist the impulse to raise her damp panties to his nose and inhale the scent of her sex. A groan tore from his throat though he tried hard to stifle it. She smelled sweet and hot, like warmed syrup on a cold morning. He planned to sate his hunger for her by eating that tasty pussy until she begged for him to stop. Then he would fuck her until they both screamed from the pleasure. By the time he was done with her she would be more than willing to follow him anywhere. Lord knew he already felt that way about her.
He placed the panties on the top of her pile of clothes and slipped back out of the office making sure to close the door behind him. She’d never find it, or her clothes, until he was ready for her to. The shower was still running and he smiled at how good she would look naked and dripping with water. He’d waited a long time to have his way with Faith and if he was lucky she’d have her way with him as well. If they were both lucky tonight would be only the beginning of the rest of their lives.
He moved one of the chairs from the dining table to the darkest part of the room, blocking the front door and leaving her no where to go but where he wanted her most, the bed. Any minute now his lush angel would walk out that door wondering where her clothes were. And then she’d be his.
Remember that this one will be out in print soon!
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced.

Friday again!

Thanks for dropping in on the Goddess blog. You will find lots to interest you when you read romance. Guaranteed happy endings to make you feel good. With so much tragedy striking thousands of people around the world it's relaxing to pick up a romance and lose yourself in the lives of the characters brilliantly created by our Goddess authors. Today I am announcing a Five Heart review from The Romance Studio for my romantic suspense Too Young To Die, published by Cerridwen Press. Release date, June 5. Here's a little burb.

When Ellie Paxton accepted the position of Nanny with Computer Skills to care for three month old, Nicki Blesnicoff she cheerfully moved to her employer's mansion located deep in the Cascade Mountains in Washington. She'd save money, rescue her sinking bank balance and revive her credit cards. Private re-hab to treat her shop-a-holic problem.
What she hadn't factored into her new job were threats of rape, torture and death by armed thugs who invaded the mansion during the absence of Nicki's parents. A city girl not given to feats of derring-do, Ellie wrapped Nicki in a soft blanket and escaped with him into a dense, terrifying forest. At midnight.
As dawn light filtered through the trees, Jack Merano and his two tracking dogs found Ellie huddling with the baby. A nanny and a baby. What could be more innocently appealing? Rescuing her and the baby from the dangerous forest was the easy part but Jack soon learned there was a price on Ellie's head and a master criminal stalking her.

And there I must leave you. My work in progress is calling me. It's a historical romance, Regency period, but the action takes place in the English countryside.

Drop by my web site: www.anitabirt.com and read about my other books, all published by Cerridwen Pfress.

Anita

Book Expo America - Los Angeles - Here I Come

This weekend I'm off to the huge book expo convention in LA. Awesome! Books and people who love books - I can't wait. If you're going to be there, be sure to stop by the Jasmine Jade booth to check out the latest from Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, and The Lotus Circle. I'll be signing on Saturday, May 31st from 11-1, but there will be authors signing at the booth most all day Friday and Saturday.

While I'm in LA I plan to do at least a couple fun touristy things. Last time I was there I went to Paramount Studios and took the lot tour. One of my favorites stops was the prop room. Remember the picture that hung above Lucy's fireplace? How about the Adams family chair? We saw them-I loved it. Okay, maybe it doesn't take me a lot to get excited. I know this because someone else did a write up about their tour experinces which weren't nearly as good as mine. Either I am easy to impress or lucky.

Hopefully I'm lucky. And that something lucky happens to me while I'm in LA.

Coming this Summer:

Here's three summer releases to warm your heart...and maybe more.

June 13, 2008: Always A Cowboy from The Wild Rose Press. The third and final book in the Love at the Crazy H Trilogy features youngest brother, Trip Hall. Trip had a nice career going in Los Angeles until a car-crash gone wrong destroyed his future as a stuntman. Now he’s back in Shirley learning how to walk again and learning to be a single dad to baby Trevor. He doesn’t have time in his life for a woman, especially one with a three-year-old daughter. Beth learned her lesson back in high school about Trip’s playboy ways, and she knows better than to give her heart to him again. But when a stalker targets Beth and her daughter, will Trip be able to save them in time? When old friends reunite, danger threatens and sparks fly.

July 7, 2008: Heart of the Bear from Total-E Bound. Detective and psychic Hannah Lightfoot heads to her family’s mountain cabin to make some hard decisions about the future of her career. When she reaches the cabin she finds it already occupied—by a handsome naked stranger. Shape-shifter Evan Maddox is her brother’s friend and partner. After a night of unbelievable passion, they work together to rescue a kidnapped child. He believes in Hannah’s gifts, but can he trust her with his deepest secrets? Maybe even with his heart?

August 8, 2008: Stone and Sea, from Ellora's Cave. Sent to Atlantic City to retrieve an ancient artifact vital to the future of his clan, gargoyle Remy Rocher meets sexy selkie Marina Bell and ends up getting shot for his efforts. Now he has to find the chalice and keep Marina and himself alive—all while dealing with the hottest sex of his life and emotions that scare him more than evil wizards or mobsters with guns.

Check out these along with my current releases and more upcoming stories on my website, and have a wonderful summer!

Happy Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those brave men and women who have died preserving this nation’s freedom as well as assisting those countries around the world who have thrown off the yoke of oppression. It’s hard to prove the actual origin of Memorial Day, because so many groups have laid claim to it, harking all the way back to the Civil War. The likelihood is that, rather than beginning with an official declaration, it arose through spontaneous events in separate towns to honor the dead after the 1860s.
It was officially proclaimed on May 6, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The origin is not important. What is important is that this day is about reconciliation. It is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.
In 1915 , inspired buy the Poem “In Flanders Fields, Moina Michaels replied with her own poem:
“We cherish too the poppy red that grows on field where valor led
It seems to signal to the skies that blood of heroes never dies.”
It was she who conceived of the idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during any war or conflict.
Sad to say, many Americans these days have forgotten the meaning and tradition of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored and neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
So whether you agree with a particular war or conflict or not, whether you think we should be fighting in a particular place or not, whether you agree or disagree with this countries stance on war and conflict, remember this. In ever one of these conflicts, brave men and women have left their homes and families to fight for freedom’s cause. To preserve freedom and keep oppression from spreading to our very shores. To save the way of life that our ancestors suffered hardships to establish and maintain.
Today, while enjoying friends and family, take a moment out to observe in silence, the recognition of those who have died so that we may all continue to live free.
Happy Memorial Day.

Devotion

She spent her life devoted to her husband and children. She stayed strong when her husband died and devoted herself to what she had left...her children. But sometimes fate has more in store for us. Sometimes we are blessed with two great loves. All we have to do is be willing to grab with both hands and let nothing...and no one keep us from life.

Bare Devotion
Lacey Thorn

Bare Love 4

Fire...unquenchable...unstoppable
Ally wants one thing, to stop the man who killed her mother from killing anyone else. What she finds is more than she ever imagined. Blake, the fire marshal in Legacy, has finally met his match in the woman he mistakes for a pyro-maniac. But the fire they ignite together is sure to burn them both in the flames of passion.
Catherine Daniels is fighting flames of her own. The time has come for her to decide what she wants...Life with the man she is coming to love? Or letting him walk away because of her fears and uncertainties? It is a decision that she struggles with every moment…Until the night she may lose the ability to choose at all.


BARE DEVOTION
LACEY THORN

He watched the shadow ease closer to the side of the house edging around to the back door he assumed. Blake didn’t know what had made him come back by the house tonight but was glad that he had. He may have just caught the man they were looking for. He eased his cell phone out and called the cell number he had for Detective Gil Daniels.
“Gil, it’s Blake,” he replied as soon as he heard the voice on the other end of the line. “I’m here at the last house and there’s someone trying to sneak in.”
“So our guy came back,” Gil exclaimed. “I’ll call Ben on the way. Don’t do anything stupid Blake. This guy has killed six people so far. Don’t take any chances.”
Blake ignored Gil’s warning as he hung the phone up with a snap. There was something wrong here. The shadow was too small, too petite to be a man. And if what he was thinking was correct then what the hell was a woman doing here at this time of night? What did she have to do with this investigation?
“Shit” Blake muttered and headed at a slow run to the side of the house where the shadow was already disappearing around the corner. No matter what he had to stop her from getting into the house. He was hoping to take a fresh look at the scene in the morning and didn’t want to lose any trace evidence he might find.
Blake took a running leap planning to tackle the small figure in the soft grass just off the back porch.
Ally heard a noise and turned to peer behind her. She had time for a startled squeal before the large figure took her tumbling to the ground finally landing with him on top of her, his big body sprawled between her spread legs. Ally gave a soft gasp at the sparks that flowed through her at his touch.
He was big but then most people were when compared to her five foot height. People constantly referred to her as a fairy with her diminutive height, long black hair and green eyes.
Blake leaned his full weight on the woman beneath him. And he could tell that she was all woman. He could easily feel the shape of her full and obviously unconfined breasts, the heat of her sex against his growing erection. Shit, he thought trying to adjust his position between her thighs. He had obviously been way to long without a woman. He needed to get laid and soon.
“Get off of me,” the woman gasped doing her own wiggling that only brought her flush against his full blown erection. They both stilled at the delicious sensations that coursed through their bodies. It felt good. It felt right.
“Not yet sweetheart,” Blake told her giving up all pretenses and relaxing his body down over hers. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He could see the wheels spinning behind her eyes and wanted to laugh when she replied with a shrug. “I’m looking for my aunt’s house. Obviously I’ve got the wrong address.”
“Am I interrupting something?” Gil asked from behind them causing two sets of startled eyes to glance his way.
“Just getting to know the lady better,” Blake said as he lumbered to his feet. “How did you get here so fast?”
“I was just around the corner when you called,” Gil murmured a smile tugging at his lips.
Ally’s eyes widened as she took in the sheer size of the men in front of her looking even bigger from her reclined position on the ground. The one who had interrupted them was long and lean but she could easily see that he would be a force to be reckoned with. But it was the other man, the one who had held her so intimately on the ground that her gaze kept returning to as she slowly came to her feet before them.
The moon was finally out of hiding and she could get a good look at him. He was gorgeous. He had to be well over six feet, at least an inch taller than the lean guy, with wide shoulders bulging with muscles. Thick wavy brown hair settled around his shoulders and it was all she could do not to moan her pleasure at finally seeing him. He was sex personified. Rough, dirty, raunchy sex. And the bulge straining against his zipper was impressive.
“Uh…umm,” Blake cleared his throat as he caught her eyeing the straining length of his erection. Yeah, his cock was hungry for her and the blush that stained her cheeks assured him that she knew it. “You want to try again to tell us what the hell you’re doing here?”

If you missed this fourth book in the Bare Love series then hurry and get it now! Not only does it introduce the characters of Ally and Blake but it finally tells the hidden story of matriarch Catherine Daniels and just who the mystery man is that she's been seeing. Will she choose to come out to her children about this man? Or will she lose her second chance at love?

Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced.

Black Opal

She stared intently at the computer screen. She’d broken the code and figured out her father’s password. It’d been easy. The warden said her father had written her name and the word amulets in his own blood before he died.

Scanning the screen, she read:

’Legend has it that out of all the mortals on earth five women found favor with the gods:

Sophia whose face was pitted and ravaged by pox,

Pelagia who had the body of a woman and the mind of a child,

Olympia a poor widow with children to feed,

Helen, who lost four of her children to the plague and begged the gods to spare her remaining child, and

Zoe, a young queen whose village was razed and plundered and, she herself taken as a slave.

Moved, the gods created five special amulets in the form of armbands for the women to wear on their forearms.

For Sophia an amulet forged with beauty and creativity.

For Pelagia an amulet forged with knowledge.

For Olympia an amulet forged with wealth.

For Helen an amulet forged with healing and

For Zoe a golden amulet, with a black opal at its center, forged with power.’

The air conditioning in the room was cold enough to leave goose bumps but Victoria Price didn’t notice. The black leather chair creaked in protest as she leaned back, her breath leaving her lungs in a hiss.

The pain in her hands made her glance down. They were fisted so tight the moon-shaped crescents in her palms, where her nails dug in, were filling with warm red blood.

Shame on me.

I should have blogged on Friday. So what else is new? Like a bad penny I eventually turn up. I remain, I hope, a Goddess of Storytelling. And what is my story to-day? I have Googled and Googles to find the words to a little poem I used to recite when I was a kid. My Scottish mother had a wealth of poems and stories in her memory bank. Stories of living in Trinidad as a child. Ghostly tales. Skipping poems from her Scottish childhood. But the poem I am searching for isn't Scottish but it's one my mother could recite and did, so I learned it.

Goddesses, do any of you or your far flung relatives know all the verses to this little poem that starts like this: "Little cherry blossom lived up in a tree, And a very happy little thing was she, Clad all through the winter in a dress of brown, Warm she was though living in a northern town..."

Cherry blossom saw the sunshine, felt its warmth and against the sage advice of the south wind cast off her brown coat to flaunt her pink blossoms. Unfortunately, the north wind blew and poor blossom "took a cold and died." Then a moral lesson ends the poem, warning little children to beware of the "sin of pride."

You may well ask, why do I want this poem? Because it has been running around inside my head and I can't remember all of it. Do any of you have songs, music, poems, lines from Shakespeare elbowing into your consciousness? Sometimes I have to shoo them away when they become a nuisance. Mark Twain penned a very funny little essay about a catchy phrase bouncing around inside his head. I should look it up but I'd have to go look and I haven't got time!

And having caught your attention here's the cover of my romantic suspense, Too Young To Die. It will be released on JUNE 5! Yeh. My fifth book with Cerridwen Press. Check my web site for information about my books. Read excerpts. Reviews. And find out who I really am.

Anita

www.anitabirt.com

What's Next?

The good news is that I have a release date for my next book - September 11. September will be a busy month for me; I'll have two releases - Cowboy for Hire from Cerridwen Press and Nectar of the Gods from Total E Bound. That's awesome!

But now that I'm through those edits and have my release dates - what next? Hmmm...

Of course I have a couple ideas rolling around in my head, but which set of characters need to the page now? Fortunately, I have a system for resolving this dilemma. Here are the things I do to sort myself out and get started on my next project.

1. Clean my office. This includes *dusting*
2. Watch a couple movies. During the day.
3. Ride my bike.
4. Have lunch with friends I haven't seen in too long.
5. Do some online shopping.
6. Sit on the couch, stare out the window.
7. Bake brownies.

I don't believe in writers block, because I don't want to believe it exists. Because if it does exist, I might - the horror - get it. So, I figure as long as I keep denying the existence of writers block, I'll keep avoiding it.

A Serial Story

I am writing a serialized novel. You can catch the serial at http://www.charleneleatherman.blogspot.com/

Here is the first installment. For the rest of the story, stop by my blog or stop by www.myspace.com/charleneleatherman

Title

A Rose By Any Other Name

“I hear you. I hear you,” Zna slammed her hand onto the annoying alarm.
“Zna Menita, hunt commences in 45 ticks. Report to hunt initiation site in 45 ticks.”
Zna grit her teeth against a growl rising in her throat. She hated the mechanical voice that naggedat her every time she was scheduled for a hunt.

And she was scheduled almost every day. By her choice. But still, it was tiring and irritating to hear the computerized voice call out her name.
Zna stepped from her bed and into the shower. Water was scarce on Dyad. Zna couldn’t remember when she last had a water bath. Pressing the button to start the cleansing cycle, Zna let the sonic pulses tap over her body. The sound waves were at a range she could not hear. The waves pushed dirt, sweat, dead skin off her body and left her fur silky smooth and shining. She twitched her ears and wiggled her whiskers. The sonic pulses tickled. She heard the computerized voice calling her again. Flicking her tail, Zna punched the off switch and went to her closet. She pulled out a skin-tight jumpsuit. It fit her like a glove, and moved with her. It did not hinder her in any way. It was the perfect outfit to wear for a hunt.
She liked at her image in the mirror. She was desired in the hunt. Her curvaceous body was covered with the tawny colored fur of the lionesses. Her hip-length red hair framed her face and the pert ears that sat on top of her head. Her whiskers were sensitive and strong. The claws on her hands were sharp and retractable. Likewise she had human feet instead of the clawed feet of the less desirable lionesses.
Zna slipped the tools of the hunt into specially made pockets in her suit. A small compact phaser. It was set always on stun. It was the desire of the Ministry that lionesses have an equal chance against the hunters, not kill them. A knife that would slice through metal. Her claws were effective against cloth, flesh, wood, and most other substances other than metal. Some hunters used metal nets to trap lionesses. The knife gave the lionesses equal footing. The whole idea of the hunt was not only to give the hunters access to the best of the lionesses as mates, but to give the Viewers a show.
Zna sighed. She had run and won seventeen hunts. Each hunt she won gave her greater prestige, kept her out of the mating market, and kept her daughter safe. She had to win. If she lost her daughter would lose her life. She only had to complete three more hunts to win her daughter’s freedom.
“Zna Menita, please report to the hunt staging area,” the mechanical voice intoned.
Zna took another deep breath.
Only three more.

Charlene Leatherman

Author of Adventurous Romances

If you would prefer your picture is not posted on this blog, please contact me at http://www.disonij@aol.com/ and I will take the picture down.

Guest Author Marianne LaCroix Talks About Her Writing

Guest Author Marianne LaCroix

Marianne LaCroix is an Author who writes Award Winning Action, Adventure Novels about yummy swashbuckling heroes.

Marianne LaCroix has had a passion for romance since reading Gone With the Wind when she was a high school sophomore. Voracious reading eventually spawned another passion—writing.

Mari is an active member in Romance Writers of America and holds a B.A. in English Literature. She lives in southwest Georgia with her husband, their twin daughters, two rascally dogs, a noisy cockatiel, and one demanding cat.

Thanks for dropping by to do an interview.

I know readers want to know more about you and your writing.Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a long time. Even as a kid, I wanted to create stories to entertain people. In fourth grade I wrote a children’s book about a Christmas celebration under the sea with an eel, whale and octopus. It was really cute. I got to read it for the first graders and they loved it. Since then, I wanted to write. I didn’t seriously think about making it a career until I was pregnant with my twin girls. I would sit in my recliner with a word processor on my tummy. (The whirr of the machine calmed them from the constant turning.) It wasn’t until the daze of their first year was over that I went ahead and completed my first novella.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?

I think my favorite was Fredrick from Crossed Swords. I fell a little in love with him as I wrote that book. Big hunk of a blond man with a commanding stature and a heart of gold...what’s not to love?

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?Hmmm...either Gerard Butler or Hugh Jackman. Of course, I would HAVE to be on set too!

What would you want readers to take away from your books?To be entertained. I don’t go for teaching a lesson. I like the action and romance of a satisfying tale.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?Write what you read. And read a lot!

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Rita Herron’s In the Flesh, a Harlequin Intrigue. I liked it until she introduced a character the reader never heard of for the entire book until the very end—and make him the killer. I hate that. If you write a romantic suspense with a mysterious killer on the loose, don’t bring in a brand new character into the mix at the last possible moment. I liked the story until that point. I felt jipped...

Describe a time when you had to sacrifice quality for a deadline, or visa versa. Would you try to extend a deadline to stay true to the quality of writing you aspire to?I do not want to think I sacrifice quality for a deadline. I have asked for extensions in the past. In fact, Crossed Swords was 2 weeks late, but I was given an extension. I don’t think a book is worth writing unless you devote yourself to writing quality—even if it means asking for more time.

Tell me about a project you have been working on and how you organize your paperwork, chapters, writing goals, etc.Right now I am working on a novel I plan on submitting to agents and Harlequin Blaze. All I will say is it is 1) hopefully the beginning to a series, and 2) features a sexy cowboy.To organize I use WriteWayPro (http://www.writewaypro.com/) I like the storyboard feature. I have a basic outline of plot points I need listed like “Turning Point” or “Dark Moment”. I also use Deb Dixon’s Goal, Motivation, Conflict to map out my characters. (There is a character building feature in WriteWay as well.)I do get suggestions along the way from my writing pals at Romance Writers Unlimited. (http://www.rwunlimted.org/) Those ladies rock!

What aspect of your past books did you enjoy the most?I like the romance intertwined with action and adventure. I love action movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Ladyhawke, or Pirates of the Caribbean. I try to infuse that love into the books I write. I noticed if my book doesn’t have someone wielding a gun or sword, I get bored. Something about a man with some sort of weapon...I love it. Must be some sort of psychological thing on my part. LOL!

Now that we know you better, how can we by your books Royal Bondage and Pirate’s Mistress?

Royal Bondage is in bookstores everywhere right now. It is also available on the Simon & Schuster website, Amazon.com and B&N, etc. Pirate’s Mistress is available for order through EC’s print store, Jasmine-Jade at http://www.jasminejade.com/p-3944-pirates-mistress.aspx

Marianne LaCroix

http://www.mariannelacroix.com/

Seduction....

Is the art of seduction lost? What is your definition of seduction? Does it include every aspect of the body? The skin, the hair, the tongue? What about the mind? If I'm turned on in my mind then my body is as well. Are you the same? What does it take to put you in the mood?

My third Bare Love book is titled Bare Seduction and it is all about the art of seducing. Let's take a look and see if I can show you what I mean.

Imprint: Ellora's Cave
Bare Seduction by Lacey Thorn
Release date: 7/18/07
Genre: Contemporary / Ménage
Rating: E
ISBN: 9781419910272
Price: $5.95







Bare Seduction
Lacey Thorn

Bare Love 3
After her mother’s funeral Cass returns to Legacy for Moira’s wedding to Detective Gil Daniels. First on her list of things to do is Moira’s bachelorette party. Cass is having a great time and is talked into demonstrating walking on her hands, a feat she can only do if she discards her dress which she willingly does. That’s when the fun begins. Walking down the large hallway on her hands in nothing but her red lacy underwear and high heels Cass smacks into two very big, very sexy men and turns her whole life upside down.
Doug and Damon are enthralled by Cass. They want her, in their bed, in their lives, in their future. She is the perfect balance of strong and submissive and both men will do anything to convince her that she belongs with them.
But someone doesn’t agree. Someone wants Cass gone and is willing to do anything to see that she stays away from Doug and Damon, commit any act to scare her into walking away. Even murder.



Bare Seduction by Lacey Thorn
Excerpt

They sat in silence for a moment before Katie asked, “So can you walk on your hands?”
Cass laughed. “Piece of cake.”
Katie shook her head. “I never could do that. I could do all the flips and tumbles you wanted but I could not stay on my head.”
Cass bounced up. “It’s all about hand placement and body control. Wait, I’ll show you.” She stood up and looked down at the short red dress she was wearing. “Well, not in this.” She pulled the dress over her head and threw it on the futon behind her. She was gorgeous in a silk and lace red bra and panty set with red high heels. She moved to the roomy hall that led from the front door to the living room.
Cass bent over and braced her hands on the floor. When she found her balance she eased her body over and up until she was in a handstand position. Slowly she made her way down the hall toward the front door with Moira, Katie and Catherine crowded into the living room doorway behind her watching with avid eyes. Cass heard Moira mutter “Shit!” before she realized the front door had opened and closed. The next thing she knew two hands wrapped around each of her legs and when she looked up her now braced body she saw two men standing over her.
They were each holding one of her legs against their far shoulders forcing her legs into a wide ‘v’ shape. Cass caught her breath as she felt a hard sexual pull deep in her belly when she looked up at them and from the way they were looking down at her, the way their fingers were caressing her calves, they were feeling something similar. She wanted them both could see them all entwined on a big bed naked as the day they were born, flesh to flesh to flesh. It was the most erotic fantasy she had ever had and she might have just acted on it if Catherine Daniels hadn’t stepped into the hall just then and shattered the sexual spell.
“Doug, Damon, perhaps you should let go now so Cass can get dressed before anyone else comes in and joins us.”
The two men helped her flip back over and gain her feet their hands running over her thighs and ass as they “helped”. Cass tried to step away but the dark haired one who looked a little like Gil and must be the middle brother Doug she had heard about held her arm and kept her beside him.
“The others are right behind us,” Doug told the beautiful woman that he refused to let go of. “I’ll show you to another room you can use to catch your breath and redress while Damon grabs your clothes.”
Moira threw Cass’ dress at the blond that must be Damon and he caught it in one hand while Doug pulled her down the hallway, past the living room where the women all stood and watched until he opened another door. He pulled her inside with him and Damon stepped through after them and shut the door. Cass was immediately caught between the two men’s bodies so tightly that she could feel their large erections against her. She tilted her head back on Damon’s shoulder allowing Doug better access to her throat which he was nipping and sucking at. Damon leaned down and took her mouth with a kiss so carnal she felt singed by it. Cass had often fantasized about two men at once and she would definitely like to be the filling in this sandwich. But there were people in the other room and no matter how drunk she was she didn’t sleep with men she didn’t know.
Finding strength she didn’t know she had she pushed away and walked further into the room away from where they both stood watching her.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“But you want to,” Damon stated. It was not a question as they all knew the answer to that.
Cass looked up and was snagged by the two sets of blue eyes that met hers. “Yes, I want to but I won’t.”
“Then what’s stopping you?” Doug demanded.
“I don’t know you.” Cass whispered.
“Then when everyone leaves we’ll remedy that,” Damon stated before picking up her dress from where he had dropped it on the floor and tossing it to her. “Go ahead and get dressed for now.”
“We’ll wait for you out in the living room,” Doug told her reaching behind him and tugging the door open. “Don’t take too long.”
With that the two men left her alone and Cass took a breath to clear her head clamping her dress tight against her chest while she struggled to breathe much less think. What in the world had she got herself into? And more importantly how did she get herself out of it?


Would you give in? Would you walk away? I know exactly what I would do...but then again I did create Cass, Doug and Damon...

Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced.

A funny thing happened ...

Yep, I missed blogging on Friday. Why? No particular reason. Oh, I have a reason! Friday was our first really, really warm day. Spring spread its wings over Vancouver Island and the change in the weather did me in. Lackadaisical is how I felt. Spring fever or something. It affects other members of the animal kingdom as well as we humans.

The bears are out of their dens, hungry and grumpy. Avoid them!

The red-sided garter snakes have come out of their winter dens in Narcisse, Manitoba to mate. Tens of thousands perform their frenzied mating ritual before dispersing to nearby marshes. The picture in the Globe and Mail shows a mass of writhing snakes having at it. I don't know how they figure who is doing what to whom but it seems to work. They are not poisonous.

In other news reported in The National Post. Work on a new road in England was halted for three months at a cost of $2-million because the site was thought to be home to a colony of great crested newts, the BBC reported. Leicestershire County Council had to install protection fences and traps - to no avail not a single red crested newt was found. Only in England! Where they have tunneled under roads to make it safe for toads to cross to the other side without being squashed.

So there are my spring stories. One more. This morning I planted pink and white impatients in the big flower pot on our front porch. I have made a neat barricade around the pot with thin sticks so the man/woman who delivers are our newspapers in the middle of the night won't bash my flowers to pieces - as happened to some of my winter pansies. The papers are tossed, not carefully, from an idling car.

Do drop by - www.mycharacters.blogpspot.com and read my interview with Alan Tremaine, my hero in Ring Around The Moon, my time travel romance.

It's a holiday week-end in Canada. Victoria Day, named after Queen Victoria who reigned for 61 years in the nineteenth century.

Thanks for coming by. Whatever you are doing, enjoy.

Anita

Have a Great Weekend!

A Serial Story

I blog sporadically. You've probably noticed.
I am always at a loss of what to blog about. So I end up blogging about Invisible Space Alien Vampires (see yesterday).
I decided to start a Serial. Whenever I blog I will write the next installment. This serial will be written off the cuff, so I have no idea where it will go. You will find out as I do. I will let the Characters write the story.

Now, since I wrote about cats yesterday, I decided to develop a story about a moon in the thirteen planet system called Dyad. If you have read Prophecy of Vithan and/or Stone of Cruento you know that there is a Twin Planet System in which there is two planets Dkr and Sonij encircled with thirteen moons. Each moon has its own ecosystem, its own type of inhabitant based on different animals and mythic creatures.

Dyad is a moon based on the lion. The Spirit is named Leana. She is a lion-headed woman holding an onyx staff. The heroine's name is Zna Menita. The hero's name is Lovac.
That is all I am going to tell you tonight. Stop by for the next installment tomorrow.


By the way, Lise Fuller of the DangerZoneAuthors.com blogged about
Guatemala - Land of Volcanoes. She says "“Sweat beaded my brow, but when the afternoon came, the torrents of rain chilled me to the bone…”
~ Lise Fuller, her journal of Guatemala Stop by and read the full blog.

If you haven't read Prophecy of Vithan or Stone of Cruento you can go here to purchase your copy. Simply click on the cover picture of the book you want to purchase.

Invisible Space Alien Vampires

Many, many moons ago, about 20 years worth, the Inquirer wrote about fun things like INVISIBLE SPACE ALIEN VAMPIRES.
The premise of the story was this:
Cats are not really furry, four-legged mammals with a penchant for milk. Oh no, not at all. In reality Cats are a type of police from outer space. They have come to the world to save us. They see on a spectrum that we can not see. Therefore, only they can see the INVISIBLE SPACE ALIEN VAMPIRES that have come to attack and conquer Earth. So the next time your "Cat" is running around the house in a crazy manner, climbing up the curtains after something you can't see, dashing from here to there pell mell and running up your bare legs with claws out, don't scream and toss Kitty out on her ear. Thank her for keeping you safe.

I mention this cause my new "Kitty" SAVED me from a fate worse than death. She captured the INVISIBLE SPACE ALIEN VAMPIRE that was directly under my feet. She defeated the one that was on my leg. And most importantly, she demolished the INVISIBLE SPACE ALIEN VAMPIRE that was poisoning my ham sandwich during lunch.

THANK YOU KITTY!

PS. If you want real action and adventure drop by DangerZoneAuthors.com And if you are interested in reading an adventurous erotic romance about vampires, centaurs, and ogre stop by CerridwenPress.com and pick up a copy of Stone of Cruento.
Charlene

Desiree Holt invites you to a party.

The Brits are having a party.

But who's invited?

Celebrate the release of Total-E-Bound's new anthology Brit Party with our "The Brits are having a party. But who's invited?" contest.

Total-E-Bound is celebrating the release of Brit Party, a sizzling anthology of stories celebrating polyamorous encounters. Some tales feature three lovers, some four, some, perhaps, more. The possibilities are mind-boggling! You can win a free copy of Brit Party! Tell us who's coming to each author's party. On June 15th, we'll randomly choose two winners from all correct entries. The first prize winner will receive the print version of the book, while the runner up will get the eBook version. Good luck!
To enter this contest go to http://www.total-e-bound.com/

Bare Love: Bare Confessions

Imprint: Ellora's Cave
Bare Confessions by Lacey Thorn
Release date: 5/2/07
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: E
ISBN: 9781419909924
Price: $5.95

Bare Confessions
Lacey Thorn
Sequel to His Bare Obsession
“Secrets and lies… Everyone in the world deals with these every day of their lives. To protect themselves. To protect someone else. It is all in the way that you look at the situation.”
Katie Daniels is struggling to deal with all that surrounds her, losing her teaching position and the tiny fact that she shot and killed a man. Katie finds solace at Knowledge Is Power, the health club owned by her brother’s fiancée Moira Madigan, and with her brother’s best friend Detective Ben Marcum. Katie has been in love with Ben for years a secret she has kept quietly hidden until now. Secrets and lies are all around her but the one Ben is keeping may just be the biggest of all. Detective Marcum is hiding more than anyone knows, even his best-friend and partner Detective Gil Daniels. Will Ben trust Katie with the truth? More importantly will he trust her with his heart? Can Katie break down the walls of protection Ben has erected? Will their bare confessions stir the fires burning inside them or blow them out for good?

Excerpt 1 from Bare Confessions (PG 13)

It was dark outside the window of Gil’s old apartment. Katie lived there alone now that Gil had moved in permanently with Moira. But when the knock came at the door Katie was anything but surprised. It seemed like someone was always stopping by with one excuse or another but Katie knew they were checking to make sure she was all right.
Expecting it to be one of her brothers she left her robe folded on the end of the couch hoping that when they saw her in the short blue nightie they would prefer not to stay. But she was the one surprised when she opened the door to none other than Ben Marcum.
He took her in from head to toe before moving past her into the apartment. “Expecting someone?” He asked with a touch of anger in his voice.
Interesting, Katie thought. Could it possibly be that he was a little upset at the thought of her with another guy. Maybe she could use that to get him right were she wanted him—in her bed.
“No, I’m just getting ready for bed and since I wasn’t expecting anyone, I just figured you were one of my well-meaning brothers. Which I guess that you could be—a brother I mean.” Katie said the last just to see what his reaction would be. She almost laughed when she saw the scowl on his face.
“I just wanted to check on you. I hear that you start your first day of work at Moira’s gym tomorrow. Are you sure that you’re up to it?”
“If I had been teaching I would have already started so, yeah, I’m sure. Besides, I’m just going to be leading some group therapy sessions for those who are interested in it. I do have a degree in psychology, Ben.”
“I know that. It’s just that some of the things those women have been through are pretty serious. I hate for you to have to listen to it.”
“I’m not some little doll who needs to be sheltered and protected. I wish you and my brothers would get over that idea.” Katie turned and stomped over to the window. “I shot and killed a man Ben. Just how innocent do you think that leaves me?”
Ben stepped up behind her and pulled her back against his body being careful to keep enough distance between them so that she wouldn’t feel the pulsing hardness of his straining cock. That little blue number she was almost wearing was hell on his libido. He wanted her so badly and had to keep reminding himself that Gil would likely kill him if he touched his baby sister.

Want a little spicier look? Keep reading!

Excerpt 2 from Bare Confessions (Adult, unedited)
Katie burrowed closer to him. Close enough that there was no mistaking what that rigid length straining his zipper was. Without thinking she began rubbing her stomach against it. They both moaned at the same time. “I know that you want me, Ben. Why won’t you do anything about it?”
Ben groaned again as he held her hips to try and get her to stop rubbing so wantonly against him. “Gil would kill me if he knew that I touched you.”
“Why does Gil have to know anything about it then?” Katie was feeling reckless. The only thing that she knew for sure was that she wanted him between her thighs right now.
“What are you saying, Katie? That we should just have sex and not let anyone know?”
“Why not? I’m sure that you’ve had one night stands before. This shouldn’t be new to you. We could just scratch this itch we have for each other and move on.”
Ben wasn’t sure that he could do that. He was afraid that once he had Katie he would never be able to let her go. “I don’t think that it such a good idea. Secrets always have a way of getting out and I’m not so sure that I could lie to Gil.”
“Who says you have to lie, Ben?” She moved her hand down to squeeze him through his jeans making him groan. “Besides if you’re not interested I’ll just go find someone who is. So really you’ll be doing Gil a favor by making sure my first time is with someone who will make it really good for me.”
Ben gulped and moved away. “Your first time? Shit, Katie, I’ve never been with a virgin.”
Katie smiled at him as she began working the ties open on her nightie. “I promise that I won’t hurt you. I’ll make it really good for you baby.” On the last word her nightie fell completely open exposing her high firm breasts. She wasn’t as well endowed as her soon to be sister-in-law who was an impressive thirty-six D-cup. Katie was on the smaller side at a thirty-two C-cup but what she had was round and firm and her nipples were a dark cherry red. She could tell by the look on Ben’s face that he liked what he saw and that there was no way that he would be able to walk away from her.
“What do you say, Ben? Will it be you or should I look elsewhere?”
Ben seemed to come out of a fog. He stalked toward her and scooped her up into his arms striding to where he knew that bedroom she used was. “I’ll kill anyone else who even tries to!”
With long strides he carried her to the bed and placed her on her knees on the mattress. Then he bent down and took her mouth in an incredible kiss. Katie had been kissed before but never like this. This was no quick kiss. No, Ben thrust his tongue in her mouth and explored before pulling her tongue into his mouth and sucking it firmly. She could already feel her panties growing wetter.
Still kissing her he shoved her nightie off her shoulders and down and off her arms leaving her in nothing but the boy cut lace panties that matched it. Then it was her turn to groan when he took both of her nipples in his fingers and began pulling and softly pinching them. She pulled her mouth away and arched her back thrusting her breasts more fully into his hands. Ben followed the line of her neck with his mouth, nipping and licking his way down to her chest. Once there he licked all around her breasts but ignored her engorged nipples.
Katie fisted her hands in his hair and tried to force him to her nipple but he wouldn’t move.
“What do you want me to do, Katie? Tell me what you want.”


Wet your appetite? Get to know the Daniels family and all their friends in Legacy at www.lacythorn.com or www.ellorascave.com

Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced

Mother's Day

Where has the week gone? Here it is Friday and my day to blog. About what you may ask. Oh hot damn. My new laptop has French as well as English - a Canadian keyboard - and for no reason at all the French is popping up instead of a question mark I am getting this É I do not have a clue how to fix it.

It is Mother`Day on Sunday. Our son lives in the Toronto area so my husband is taking me out to dinner to celebrate. Please excuse the strange marks for this and that. French!

When do wives and mothers get to quit and start to take life easy - I have a very painful stressed left shoulder and nothing seems to help so I am a goddess who wants to quit this vale

of tears temporarilyand check into a spa for a week doing nothing but having someone look after me. Like a big baby floating in warm water, patted with hot rocks, massaged with warm fragrant oil and so on until I arise at the end of the week a NEW WOMAN. I live in hope. In meantime life goes on apace.

I have four books with Cerridwen Press. I haven`t featured my first novel for weeks so here is the cover for my historical romance, A VERY DIFFICULT MAN.

My hero was badly injured in the Crimean War and came home a bitter man. Incompetent generals sent hundreds of men to their deaths. It should not have happened and Douglas suffered from what we now call, post traumatic sense disorder. How he recovered and found a new love makes for a wonderful read. It has had excellent reviews. Check my web site, www.anitabirt.com to read an excerpt.

Thanks for stopping by. Anita

mental vacation...

Brain is fried with revisions today...so here's some wisdom as found on bumper stickers:

• Impotence...Nature's way of saying "No hard feelings,"


• The proctologist called ...they found your head.


• Everyone has a photographic memory ...some just don't have any film.


• Save your breath...You'll need it to blow up your date.


• Your ridiculous, meaningless, little opinion has been noted.


• I used to have a handle on life...but it broke off.


• WANTED: Meaningful overnight relationship.


• Guys...just because you have one, doesn't mean you have to be one.


• Some people just don't know how to drive... I call these people "Everybody But Me,"


• Don't like my driving? Then quit watching me.


• If you can read this...I can slam on my brakes and sue you.


• Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them.


• Try not to let your mind wander...It is too small and fragile to be out by itself.

Destination:Pleasure now in print at Amazon

Want some erotic adventures in exotic places. Nine writers give you a taste of erotic love in nine different corners of the world. DESTINATION PLEASURE is now available in print at Amazon.com!

Ever fantasize about going somewhere exotic? Want to make a memory that burns long after the trip is over? Nine women. Nine countries. Nine erotic adventures. Join them as each embarks on the trip of a lifetime. Sometimes it's the journey. This time it's the destination. Destination Pleasure Erotic moments in exotic places.

MADE IN MEXICO by Desiree HoltGabrielle, a former DEA agent, has safely retreated from the world, living in a tiny room in the Yucatan and making her living as a guide for tourists in the Quintana Roo jungle. Then her old boss asks her to find an agent stranded in the jungle with no way to contact anyone, and help effect his retrieval. Luis Aguilar is her former lover, a man who ignited her passion and stole her heart, yet she ran from the lifestyle he offered. What will happen when she sees him again after a year has passed?

DOUBLE DEUTSCH by Shayla KerstenNeeding a fresh start after her husband divorces her for a younger woman, advertising exec, Catherine Lakeland, takes a position in Germany. Curious about sex with a man other than her husband but wary of the complications of a relationship, Cat trades places with her new friend, a sex worker at a brothel, for one night of pleasure but double the fun.

WICKED IN WALES by Eve SavageEver had one of those days? First a train strands hotel manager Leia Weisman in a Welsh town with a 54 letter name, her best friend won’t get off the “you need to get laid” wagon, and she practically attacks the zipper of the sexiest man she’s ever seen. Lucky for her, Maddock Cyndyn has the cure. Him.

DEEP DOWN UNDER by Myla JacksonOn vacation to Australia, Lucy is left with a bad taste in her mouth when her boyfriend dumps her because she won't go down. A twist of fate, a kamikaze kangaroo, and Lucy is on an outback adventure she'll never forget when she lands in the arms of sexy Aussie cowboy, Jack Kenner, where she learns the magic of going Deep Down Under.SULTRY

SAUDI NIGHTS by Allie StandiferThe past is supposed to stay in the past, right? Tell that to Sheik Damon E’Darvue. He showed up in Ariel Lake’s life after a one night mistake three years ago. With amazing amounts of bad luck and bad timing, Ariel finds herself married to a man she’s never been able to forget. But this time will she find the courage to stick around and find out what happens once passion is satiated?

TAKE ME AGAIN SAM by Megan KeransBelly dancer Dove Rickland travels to Casablanca to improve her dancing. But she never expects to receive hands-on lessons from sexy restaurant owner Samir Macias, or that they’d be so pleasurable.

NAUGHTY IN NORWAY by Layla ChaseA job promotion temporarily relocates Texan Dissa Booth to Oslo, Norway where she treats herself to a weekend mountain trip. The athletic moves of her blond, blue-eyed Viking of a ski instructor, Rolf Torger, set her lustful thoughts racing. Dissa cuts loose and lets him know she’s interested in any moves he might make besides on the slopes. Will one night of sexy naughtiness be enough? Or does a chance exist for more?

NAKED BLUFF by Betty HanawaThe friendship with privileges relationship of American professional poker player Clarisse Jones and Prince Makis has bloomed into a love as beautiful as the roses his small country exports. His parents, the Prince and Princess of the island Principality of Renoun, have come to Monaco to pressure him into marrying. The American professional gambler is not what they wanted to be the new princess.

MI TORO by Brenna ZinnIn Seville, Spain for what should be an easy shoot for the final pictures of her Men of the World – Revealed photo book, Diana Walters quickly discovers her model is not the usual pushover. But if she hands over control to matador Philippe Cordova, will she leave with Spain with more than what she came for?

Its amazing what you can find on the Internet

I am writing my third novel. Vials of Aquilonia. My heroine is a mermaid that has never been kissed. So, on a lark, I decided to see what I could find on the Internet on kissing.

I only did two searches.

The first search was "How to Kiss"

I got 3,220,000 hits.

I even found a WikiHow with pictures on how to kiss.

The second search was "Perfect Kiss"

There was only 332,000 hits on that search.

There was even a book for sale that taught Teens how to Kiss. (I thought they learned by experience?)

If I simply looked at every site that offered me information about kissing, I would never get any writing done. So I stopped searching. I figured I will do some research on my own and simply describe what I feel when I find the Perfect Kiss.

By the way, if you like hot reading adventure, you should check out my latest book Stone of Cruento. You can find it on Cerridwen Press.

Charlene

Stone of Cruento Excerpt Rated PG13

Here's a book you might like.

You can check out Stone of Cruento at Cerridwen Press.

Here’s a excerpt from Stone of Cruento available May 1 from Cerridwen Press.


Blurb:
Claren Maxwell felt like she was misplaced, like she belonged somewhere else. Even as a vampire she was not like the others.
Claren didn’t like to kill. She avoided intimacy with human men. It was too dangerous. So she dreamed, but the dreams were becoming too real. Claren wanted to fit in. She wanted to be loved and protected.
She dreams of three men. In real life she would have to choose one, right?
The three men in her dreams materialize. Belgretor is a giant of a man from Cruento who protects her. Daniel is a vampire from Earth who desires her. Jamros is a centaur from Cruento who is drawn to her by destiny. Together the four of them must find a way to stop the destruction of Earth and Cruento.
Can Claren choose between the three men she loves while saving the worlds she inadvertently put in jeopardy?

Reader Advisory: Stone of Cruento contains graphic sex that includes ménage à trois

Excerpt: Rated PG -13

Excerpt:
Claren wanted to leave. The chanting and the color shining from the stone made her uncomfortable. Yet, something deep in the stone called to her. Deep within her belly, the place that held her sex drive and her instinctive drive to exist, to stay alive, ached and yearned for whatever the stone offered. She pushed the curtain aside and stepped toward the stone.
“Claren,” Belgretor and Daniel both said her name at the same time. She jumped as though she was shocked.
“Sorry. Let’s get the stone and get out of here. All of this is creeping me out.”
“Agreed,” Daniel said. “Belgretor, I owe you an apology. Geoffrey is indeed a stupid king.” He turned to Claren. “Geoffrey has evidently succumbed to insanity. He believes that if he opens the stone he will achieve power over all vampires here and throughout the galaxies available thru the portal.”
“Me get stone,” Bel said, pushing the drape out of his way.
Claren inhaled raggedly, expecting the shades to attack. They didn’t move. Neither did the king.
Belgretor stepped past Claren and Daniel.
The portal shimmered as though a stone had been tossed into a pool of water. Circles rippled from the center out. Belgretor, Claren and Daniel turned to the unexpected disturbance.
“Ah, all three of you are together.”
Belgretor turned at the voice. It was a language he knew from long ago. Something familiar about the words. He turned to see a man step through the portal. The ogre was torn between desire to go to the stone and the need to keep Claren from harm. He paused a moment too long.
Jamros read the DNA signatures on the KumPl bands. He tossed the metal mesh into the air. Tiny whirling self-propelled spinners[HW1] darted through the air. Claren held up her arm in defense. The KumPl struck her wrist. Instead of bouncing off, it wrapped around and locked.
Claren heard foreign words then felt a mist fall over her mind as the mesh seemed to penetrate her skin. There was no pain, only a fog that separated her from reality. She watched as the metal straps attached themselves to Daniel’s neck and to Belgretor’s ankle. She observed, detached as though she watched a movie. The man who came through the portal was dark and tall. His black hair was curly and long, with touches of red that caught the light. His eyes were dark and strangely shaped. He was naked and beautifully formed. Claren wanted to go to him and wrap herself around him. She wanted him to be inside her. She wanted to have his babies. He was meant for her and her alone.
This is insane.
She couldn’t move. Strangely, this feels like a good thing. That I can’t move I can’t do what my body tells me to do with that man.
The man uttered words, sounds that Claren did not understand. Yet, she knew what they meant. She had to move. She had to follow the man through the portal.
Claren began moving past the hypnotized vampires. Her body moved of its own accord, following commands she did not understand. She couldn’t turn her head but she could hear the footsteps of Belgretor and Daniel. They too were following the commands. Moving slowly, she and the other two made their way to the portal. Claren left the banquet hall. She faced the portal. Belgretor and Daniel stood beside her facing the portal as well.
The chanting stopped.
Claren felt rather than heard the electric snap. The air shivered.
She heard a moan and a sigh. Then she heard screams. She wanted to run. She couldn’t move. Neither Belgretor nor Daniel moved. Claren could see Daniel’s eyes from where she stood. His eyes shouted with fear, frustration and anger. His eyes screamed at the stranger. Claren couldn’t see Bel’s face or eyes. He stood an inch or two behind her. She guessed his situation was the same. He wore the same weird thing she and Daniel wore. At least that is what she assumed. If he was free, he would have attacked the strange man by now.
Claren studied the dark man who had control of her body. Something familiar. The horse-man in her dream. The chest, the arms look so much like him. Could her dream have been a warning? Claren’s eyes wandered further down. Or a promise?
The man looked over Claren’s shoulder. His eyes widened in terror. He glanced at the ogre then at Claren and Daniel. Taking one more frightened glance at the scene behind them, the man stepped toward the portal.
“By the shield,” Jamros cursed as the screams got louder. “I will not stay in this two-legged hell any longer. Earth will have to take care of itself. Crudak can deal with you three.”

Bel wanted to talk to the stranger, tell the man that preventing him from taking care of the stone and the power that came from it was the worst mistake of the stranger’s life. Bel knew that he could stop the creature of the stone. He could prevent the disaster that hung in the air like spider webs. But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.
Belgretor understood the words the man said. He knew the name Crudak. The man from the portal gave a command to follow him. Try as he might, Bel could not resist the command. He watched as his feet walked into the portal behind Claren and Daniel. Bel’s mind screamed that he belonged where he could stop the stone. He wanted to make sure Claren was safe and if the stone remained where it was, no one would be safe.
As Belgretor put one foot into the swirling portal, a singsong voice touched his ears. The voice sent chills down his spine.
“My beloved, don’t go. I’ve only just begun to play.”


“Get your copy of Stone of Cruento at http://www.cerridwenpress.com/ On May 1, 2008!

Charlene Leatherman

Defeating the villain, destroying the monster, delivering the hero, and never breaking a nail

My Kingdom for a fan continued

Like Richard III who wanted to give his kingdom for a horse, all I want is a fan or two or three. No kingdom to give away but you may buy my books!
I have returned to post an excerpt of TOO YOUNG TO DIE, my romantic suspense novel. It will be released on May 6 by Cerridwen Press. Order on line. Very easy. Enjoy the read.

God willing, here is the blurb. Yeh, it worked on this computer.

"For the first time since she graduated from college, Ellie Paxton is unemployed and broke. She accepts the position of "nanny with computer skills" to care for a three month old baby boy and agrees to live in her employer's mansion located deep in the Cascade Mountains north of Seattle

Dying young isn't on Ellie's personal time line and her contract doesn't call for heroics on a grand scale but when the mansion is invaded by armed gunmen threatening to kill her and the baby if she doesn't reveal the passwords protecting her employer's files, she has to choose. Co-operate. Abandon the baby and escape. Or take him with her." What would you do?

Here is the cover. Check my website for more information about me and my books.www.anitabirt.com

Thanks for coming by.

Anita

My kingdom for a fan!

A fan, a fan, my kingdom for a fan. There must be someone out there who checks out the Goddess blog. I don't really have a kingdom to offer for a fan/reader to say "hi" but I am very good at saying "thank you." Having caught your attention I am promoting my next release from Cerridwen Press. TOO YOUNG TO DIE, is a romantic suspense. It can be ordered on line from Cerridwen Press on and after May 6. That's next week! And to whet your reading appetite, here is a little blurb. Nope. It didn't copy. I'll have to do it from my other computer. It's upstairs so I shall make my way there shortly and continue.

In the meantime, here is the cover. Curses. I can't transfer the image. Sorry, folks. I'm batting 000 on this one. You can go to my web site www.anitabirt.com and find the cover and an excerp- I hope. Why is life so difficult at times? Testing my character? Probably and I may be found wanting.

Anita

Am I Home Already?

RT '08 was awesome!

As always everything zipped by in a blur - signings, lunches, parties... I had a great time - even though our (ECs) cover model pick for Mr. Romance didn't win. If you haven't seen John Fish, you might want to check him out. To me he looks like a really, really big guy next door. I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but I know ALOT of readers and authors did - and they all said he was sweet and very down to earth.

Some highlights of RT '08
1.Met many readers face to face!
2. Ate a Philly Steak Sandwich (5:30 pm some restaurant near the hotel that is famous, I just can't remember the name)
3. Met Mean Joe Green (1:30 am hotel bar)
4. Hung out with Mr. Romance '07 Jason Santiago (1:30 hotel bar, do you think he noticed Mean Joe Green?)
5. Hotel under construction = constructor workers (need I say more?)

Already looking forward to next year - RT '09, Orlando, FL