Had a fabulous time!

Me and C J Hollenbach

Romanticon was a total blast!

Meeting so many of my online pals face-to-face was wonderful, and meeting a large number of the people I did interviews with on My Examiner.com column last year was loads of fun!  Of course, I could have done without the nasty cold I came home with!  Thank heavens it waited until I was on the way home.

Next year I will remember to take my trusty Airborne with me.  I left it sitting on the cabinet when I packed up my herbals.  Never again will I leave home without it!

I don't think I have ever stayed in a multi-level hotel/motel where they didn't have an elevator.  I got more exercise climbing stairs ten times a day that I have gotten in the past two years since I retired and became a computer-potato.  And the Cavemen were SO nice to me...offering to help me get up to my room when I was about to collapse.  Such sweet boys!  I wish I could have taken them home on the plane, but there is some silly law against kidnapping.  Such a waste!  Sigh.

It was wonderful fun signing print books at the Sunday book signing.  But carrying home all the books I bought was the pits.  They were about thirty pounds of heavy, heavy books!  Ah, well...they were worth the trouble.

For those who were there with me, I want to tell you how great it was to meet and talk with you.  For those who couldn't make it after trying so hard to get there, I wish you all the good luck in the world to make it there next year.  You were sorely missed!

Fran Lee

Apheli Solution now available!

When Danamara Higgins is attacked by a vampire, her life turns upside down. Vampire Bootcamp class seems to be the answer to her prayers. In her wildest dreams, she doesn’t consider meeting not just one, but two hunky vampires who take her—in the car, in the shower, in the living room, in the hot tub, in hand—as they teach her everything she’ll need to know about her new vampire life.

For centuries, Pierre has loved and pursued Julian with no success. After a hostile takeover of Julian’s financial assets, Pierre is positive Julian will have nowhere else to turn. Julian, though, chooses to teach the Vampire Bootcamp class rather than surrender to Pierre on unequal terms. When one of Julian’s students approaches him for help identifying her sire, Julian is stunned that she is his alpheli—an extremely rare mate whose blood will allow him to subsist on real food. What will that mean to his love-hate relationship with Pierre?

There are just one or two problems. Danamara is descended from Pierre’s bloodline. And she’s on someone’s hit list. Julian and Pierre find unexpected erotic rewards and eternal love when they join together in a brutal war to protect their alpheli’s life.

I'm so excited~~my first vampire novel is available today! I fell in love with Julian, Pierre and Danamara. Check it out at Resplendence Publishing.

anny

RomantiCon Two

Sophomore… Can that sophomore year or book live up to its predecessor? Or can it surpass what came before? In the case of Ellora’s Cave, its sophomore RomantiCon was a resounding success.

Held in the same motel (only the name was changed) I enjoyed the same warm and helpful motel staff and yummy food. And while the service is still a little slow (I suspect due to shortages in both kitchen and wait staff) the cheerful attitudes more than compensated.

Raelene reprised her “Act it Out” workshop to the same hilarious responses as last year. New workshops included World Building (from both a plotter and a pantser’s points of view), the advisability of using and how to select a pen name, and a no-holds-barred “Family Feud” style contest. I wish all the workshops were taped—not only because of the great information—but also because of the workshops I missed. Especially the reader input sessions.

Oh well, oh dear. Maybe next year I’ll figure out a way to clone myself so I can attend them all. (Yeah, sure. That’s gonna happen along with losing weight and exercising!)

Glad rags reigned at EC’s tenth anniversary 1920s style party. Gotta love those Cavemen, their picture-perfect chests, and their jaunty fedoras. Not to mention gyrating hips and all those other moving parts. Ymmm-Ohhh!

Saturday night found me near and in tears when Jaid Black (EC’s founder) gave her heart-wrenching speech, including thanking us for making her dreams come true. We—authors and readers alike—owe her several enormous thanks for letting us write and read the stories that touch our hearts and arouse our senses. And how great was it to meet the cover models and author of the “book that started it all”—The Empress’ New Clothes? A great, HOT read.

Two semi sad semi happy events also occurred. Martha Punches told us that our donations allowed her family to give scholarships to some deserving folks. And Jaid told us about a family being destroyed by some horrible, thus far untreatable illness. Jaid made a generous donation to research into this devastating disease.

Forgive me, Jaid and Martha, I was crying so hard I don’t remember either organization’s name.

On a much happier note…the Sunday pizza party was a return to nonsense and fun. Lots of great pizza and bingo prizes, along with constant laughter every time Ruby Storm’s sister Sue moved. (Imagine a decorated giant phallus and dangling balls atop a Stetson. That’ll give you an idea.) I hope someone posted pictures, because my poor description can’t’ even begin to tell you how funny it was. Sue won the best hat award—not that there was ever any doubt of that!

And did I mention the gorgeous Cavemen? Rodney, Jason, and Angelo stayed after the others had gone, and filled the evening with lots of eye-candy as they called the bingo games, giving out prizes and hugs.

So there we are. Another successful conference—due in no small part to Jeannia and Val and the other EC folks who put their hearts and hard work into it. And Sue said, the only problem is how to make next year even better.

I can’t wait to find out!

Dee Brice

Erotic Fantasies Where Nothing is Forbidden

Those shower scenes!

Showers. Floors. Chairs. Tables.

Places to make love abound!

Tell us your favorites.

These 3 to the left? Like poolside and angled against cars.

Some of my favorite love scenes have been against walls and on chaise longues.

I get a kick of trying to make them different each time and appropriate to the lovers and their challenges.

What are your favorite places in books or real life to make love?

And, yeah, you could throw in where you don't like.

Sandy beaches. Oh, gritty. Cement floors. Hard on elbows and knees.

Do go see how these 3 get on together October 20 over at EC. www.jasminejade.com/ps-8700-50-hat-trick.aspx

Ciao, bella!

RomantiCon 2010

Prepping for the conference was intense and started about six months ago. I made lots of goodie bags and I’m happy to say that most of them were gone by the time I left on Sunday.
RomantiCon 2010 is over, but far from forgotten. The partying went on for four days straight and let me tell you I enjoyed every last moment. I got to spend some time with Cindy Spencer Pape and Anny Cook. These two women are incredible. I had so much fun getting to know them better. They made this shy author feel right at home.
All the women of the Cougar Challenge series did the same. Hugs were plentiful over the weekend. I also had a chance to meet a new author – Shoshanna Evers. I sat down next to her in a workshop and introduced myself. She immediately said, “Oh I’ve read your work.”
I blushed, surprised that someone read my stuff. I know there are people out there buying my books, but I’ve never had someone sit next to me and tell me.
Then there was this reader, Cindy, who came up to me at the booksigning who had a star next to my name. She just had to meet me. It was so exciting to think someone wanted to seek me out. :o)
While I was a newbie when it came to conferences, the fellow readers and authors made everyone feel right at home.
Then there were the Cavemen. Oh they are hot and so very friendly. They didn’t have that I’m too sexy for you complex. They were down to earth and ready to show everyone a good time. Angelo, who is on the cover of my Dante’s Desire book, was kind enough to autograph a cover flat for me. Speaking of when he walked in to the meet and greet the DH said, “I know him. He’s all over our house!”
He is…I just love my cover.
Overall it was an amazing time and I’m really looking forward to next year.
In other news – Book Three in the Freedom Fantasies series PLAY WITH ME comes out tomorrow. :o)