How nutty are you? We authors have our share of gems!

A few weeks ago I did a luncheon talk. One of those sing-for-your-chicken events.

I wanted to do something different and not talk about my latest book, which I figured the other 3 speakers would do. (They did.)

I came up with a list of nutty traits of authors.

Bet you have one or 2 of your own. And of course, because each of us--author or tinker, tailor, solider, spy-- is goofy in our own tiny ways, I wonder if you have a trait that your family considers Ding-Dong. 

Here are mine: 

Writers are glamorous people.

We are obsessive, compulsive.

We don’t dare eat bonbons.  We’d weigh 500 pounds.

We’re lucky if we get up from our chairs to down a glass of water.

We work in our robes.

And our pjs.

(They are usually ratty. Please donate to your favorite author a new robe or set of pjs at every birthday and Christmas.)

I do love great French and Italian (expensive!) lingerie. (Pictured here from:  http://www.agentprovocateur.com )

We walk around with glazed eyes.

You can talk to us, we often don’t hear.

You know we don’t hear you. Why? You must repeat everything and ask us to regurgitate it later.

Also, please be warned: We are not neat people.

Our desks have no visible wood.

Our files are scattered everywhere.

We read so much, so often that we leave piles of TBR books everywhere. As well as on our e-readers.

Why? Because NOTHING is beyond our interest.

We can tell you at any moment any of the following:

If Napoleon died of arsenic poisoning. (He didn’t.)

Who King Tut’s father and mother were. (Aknaton and his second wife.)

Describe how a cow’s C-section is done.  It ain’t pretty.

How much an adult longhorn weighs.  1000-2500 lbs.

How to kill someone in a locked building without leaving trace evidence.

The differences between MI5 and MI6 and why exactly you should know this.

What’s more, we tell you these things often!

At dinner. At cocktail parties. During soccer or ballet class carpools.

Our children are filled with this stuff.

MY children call it: MOM”S USELESS FACTS.

Please note, all 3 of my children are writers. One was a poet. One is a filmmaker. The third writes for the corporate world’s CEOs.

All my children now spout their own interesting tidbits! Therefore, this kind of odd behavior is INFECTIOUS.

Where do we go for fun and excitement?

Authors go on great research trips…and if you belong to our families, you may come too.

What are they?

The Forensic Lab of the Texas Rangers in Austin, Texas.

Vineyards in Napa or France. Wine as education!  Where else could that be such a joy?

SHAKEPEAREAN FESTIVALs. Where one learns more going on those back stage tours than ever in a book. We learn how to make wigs and when and how period costumes are made.

We go to intriguing places.

BARCELONA and the 4 Cats where Pablo Picasso dined.

Venice and old cafes.

The creepy underbelly of rickety 12th century castles!

We authors never tire of this stuff!

What is your quirky little tendency? Any that affect your family?

Tell us!

And this is my latest release, out for Valentine's Day from Decadent Publishing with my TOYS-4-US buddies! 5000 brief words of love and scorching hot sex!

Jenny Xen - Zen Beauty

Jenny Xen comes from the hot girls Premiere Vixens, with classic Asian look and hot body. Jenny Xen doesn't have a ginormous pair of rack just like other Pinay Sexy Goddess but whatever she has, it's perfect for her curves.

Welcome to my world

Hi everyone,
Well...I’m blogging, scary really. I mean I have to have something to say. But then I’m a wordsmith, a writer whose job it is to put words to paper, or in my case to fill a blank computer screen, so it should be easy. Yeah right!

But firstly I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Jane Beckenham and I'm a romance writer from Auckland, New Zealand, where by the way it's meant to be summer and it's been raining since Christmas.

I began writing romance about 11 years ago after chatting to someone on line. With her encouragement I sat down and started writing...and I haven't stopped yet. Like most writers, I was an avid reader and particularly of romances, though I don't know anyone in my family who reads them, but since I began writing I’ve discovered that my uncle was a writer and my mother too wrote lots of short stories about her life during the war years. But why write romance?

I suppose it's because you start out writing what you like to read.
But then what is romance? I wonder if that word means different things to different people, a bit like how things taste to each of us, or the way the same fragrance can smell differently from one person to another. The Oxford Dictionary online states that romance is...(paraphrased)

• a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love
• a love affair, especially one that is not very serious or long-lasting:
a holiday romance
• a book or film dealing with love in a sentimental or idealized way
• a genre of fiction dealing with love in a sentimental or idealized way
• a feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life:

This sure works for me. Excitement. Taking oneself away from every day life. Isn't that what the first flush of romance or love (heck even lust) is? That excitement of the possibility of what could be.

And I think as a writer this is what excites us each time we start a new story. The thrill of what could be, what is going to happen to these two characters who have hurdles to charge over if they are ever going to find true love.

In my book Secrets and Seduction, the heroine Leah is totally off marriage after a disastrous one which has left her crippled with debt, but also so untrusting of men and the choices she made. Then she meets her dead husband's brother. Attraction is there. So too is lust – big time. But how do you trust a man who is related to the dead husband who bullied and blackmailed you. It's a big road to cross for Leah if she is to find love again.

Then there's Taylor Sullivan in He's the One. Everyone in her family are geniuses, and they think she should be just like them. But she's not. She's a wedding planner. Taylor doesn't fit the mold, but then she's also desperate to lose her virginity. I mean who ever heard of a wedding planner who hasn't experienced what it's all about. Best business idea – hire the sexiest commitment phobe guy in town to do the deed, but then of course, romance gets in the way.

All this talk of romance got me thinking. What about my own life? I mean I write romance, so I have to have experienced it- right.

Dead right. I met my darling nearly 30 years ago on a blind date – tick that off as romantic – it wasn't a dud date. Then we married 11 months later. - that's another tick to romance.

But what happens when the flush wears off. Well, there are 2 moments I will tell you about that I think are really romantic. Let's see what you think. On my 30th birthday – unfortunately now a very long time ago – I awoke to find a lovely ruby ring on my pillow – an eternity ring – so I reckon that's pretty high up there on the romance stakes.

But wait...there's more.

We'd been married for about 13 years when we adopted our daughters from Russia. I flew off and was away for 6 weeks. Arriving home with our two little girls was so exciting, (and exhausting after a 40 hour flight), but lo and behold the next morning I awake to another ring on my pillow... This time it's four sapphires, and my darling says “there's one stone for each of us”. Now I’d say that that tops it for romance. What do you think?

I asked a few fellow writers what they think romance is – here’s their answers.

Yvonne Walus (http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/) - an award winning writer of SF, crime and romance books says: "What does romance mean to me? Married for 20 years to my childhood sweetheart, I ponder the question as I balance the laptop on my thigh in my husband's family holiday house. I've spent three weeks here, among 6 adults and 5 small children, so you will forgive me if romance is not at the forefront of my mind. Deep in the recesses, however, I'm dreaming about an island with palm fronds and white sandy beaches, a candle-lit dinner table set for two, a Jacuzzi, a chilled bottle of champagne.... Back to reality, however, my husband is shouldering the suitcase-packing chore and the children's bath, so that I can write in peace. This, on a very prosaic level, is also extremely romantic."

Abbey MacInnis (www.abbeymacinnish.com) says "I love creating flawed heroes and heroines who are perfect for each other. I love the process of discovery that each character goes through. In fiction, as in life, loving yourself is the most important thing because you can't love anyone else otherwise. I hope that perhaps I'll give a reader somewhere the courage to change their life for the better, even if just in some small way. I started writing romance because I love how reading them makes me feel. I'm happier, lighter, freer. My worries disappear for a while. And when I return to the real world, I have a different outlook on my problems/ Love can inspire hope and optimism. And sometimes, all we need is a little hope that everything will be alright."

So I guess I'll keep on dreaming of knights on white chargers (or at least a white Mustang) and happy endings. Because that's what we all want, right? If you want to check out my latest romance - Secrets and Seduction - go to www.janebeckenham.com

Happy reading
Jane Beckenham

Gwen Garci - Viva Hot Babe

Gwen Garci is an actress and sexy model, proud member of Viva Hot Babes. With her great pair of racks and a sexy curves Gwen Garci appeared on numerous TV shows and movies. Gwen also posed on FHM. I recommend you to see Viva Hot Babes Gone Wild and watch how Gwen Garci do her thing.

Revisions Rock

Well, sometimes they do. I'm doing major revisions to a time travel novel that's under contract and--believe it or not, I'm having fun. Being a pantser I truly enjoy the unexpected situations my characters lead me into. But my biggest problem with the story is the historical settings. Since I write historical fantasy, I can get away with some things that aren't true of the era, but I like to keep the clothing semi-accurate.

Which brings me to an unexpected resource. Paper dolls. Yep! Those cutout dolls and dresses some of us used to play with before there were Barbies. What I've discovered is a wonderful source of what things were called in say 1200 AD. I do sometimes wish, however, that the authors would put in a figure with arrows pointing at the item. If you need help in this area, costuming, try Dover Publications/paper dolls.

Well, I'm back to revisions. But I'll leave you with a blurb from my Valentine's Day release--His Virtual Gift from eXtasy Books.

February 14, 3000: The destruction of the universe is at hand, unless their burning passion can grow into trust␣and love.

Traveling through space to a secret rendezvous point, Venusian Princess Jynx can␣t help but dream of the sexy prince she has been ordered to negotiate a treaty with and to marry. The Triangulum Prince Kemen is fascinated by the beautiful princess, but he is keeping a secret that threatens their galaxies␣ existence.

Their negotiations with each other and with the third galaxy believed to be a threat don␣t seem to be going anywhere, but Jynx and Kemen␣s passion builds to peaks of ecstasy in dreams and in person. But their shared nightmares portend complete annihilation.

Even with destruction looming, on the most romantic day in the universe, what can a man give a woman who has everything?

So long for now,

Dee Brice

Erotic Fantasies Where Nothing is Forbidden

deebrice.com

Top Ten Things You Never Knew....

....About Your Newest Diva....Liz!

I am very possibly the least organized person who can make myself look organized you will ever encounter. Between running marketing and promotions for my business, writing, editing, handling kid schedules and a busy executive spouse, I fake it well.

I have a ginormous, possibly unhealthy obsession with .... no, not vamps, nor weres, nor dudes who play them but SOCCER and the men who play it!  My favs mostly play in the Spanish League but let's just say a huge portion of my cable bill is dedicated to all the soccer channels I get.  I like it and them so much I wrote a book! It's what we do, no?  "Caught Offside" is part of the Decadent Publishing 1NightStand series and there is a sequel in the works.

I have lived in three different countries, even birthed my third kid in one, and have travelled extensively. My ex-pat life in Istanbul Turkey inspired a series of additional 1NightStand stories: Turkish Delights. All three of them (Turkish Delights, Blue Cruise and Tulip Princess) have gotten great reviews and generated both a prequel (The Diplomat's Daughter) and a follow up (Flower Passage: Tarkan's Story) both novellas coming soon from Decadent. 

My muse's name is Hans. He is six feet four inches of blonde haired blue eyed irresistible heat whom I dress in lederhosen....and nothing else.  Currently, he is whispering in my ear about that follow up soccer story: Man. On.  But I must smack him away as I have way too many editing and promotions projects on my plate right now.

I was a licensed Realtor in Ann Arbor for many years, and made very good money at it even during the downturn. I have channeled it into a new novel series releasing in the consecutive next 3 months from a new publisher, Tri Destiny to launch their erotic line: Sizzlin Books.  The Realtors: Life in the House Lane consists of three novels, sort of epic style following the life of 2 people who seemed destined to hate each other, but who end up together.  (Blurbs below....naturally)

I have 2 standard poodles, Roxie and Layla who serve as my alternative muses while I'm stuck. A nice long walk with those 2 usually clears my head and I've come up with some of my best plot lines and/or twists that way.

I am a Southerner by birth (Nashville, Tennessee) and a Louisville Cardinal by the Grace of God. Speaking of His Grace, I am also a preacher's kid, bona fide with all the attached urban legends fully intact.  

Not only does soccer hold my fancy (mmmm.......soccer players....) I am a rabid sports fan generally, although I never played a single one. I was in the band in high school and spent many hours in bleachers for football and basketball, dated of few players and learned to love both of those games. The love for "footie" (European football) came to me late in life as it has with most Americans, as a direct result of living in Europe.  Really the only sports I won't watch/enjoy/use as a distraction are: Golf and auto racing.  

I am a dyed-in-the-wool, card carrying member of that group that thinks politics and religion are best left to face to face discussions and off blogs and facebook. That includes opinions about the death of famous football coaches vis a vis horrific scandals within his coaching staff, the upcoming presidential stuff and what Bill Maher said last night on Real Time. Don't get me wrong. I am a political and news junkie. But engaging in "discussions" online about it are a waste of everyone's time In My Honest and Heartfelt Opinion. I WILL arm rassle ya over who has the best defensive line in the Big Ten, or who the best goalie in the English Premiere league is....no problem. (This is my way of telling you I won't be engaging in this forum about anything relative to politics including your thoughts on the now dead SOPA thing or Mitt Romney's Special Underwear)

ME and my biz partner (left) and brewer at our One Year Anniversary party this past November.  This is my way of warning you now: I have the proven ability to teach you everything you want to know about beer and/or bore you silly with same.

OH! and the Best/ coolest thing about me? I own a brewery and call myself The Beer Wench for real. I even have tee shirts.  Using my background in the craft micro brewing world I created a series of short stories and a "choose your romance novel" with Breathless Press. The Brewing Passion series is a lot of fun. The Tap Room is the one where YOU get to pick my heroine's hero from a fairly robust line up of options.


My Official Bio:

Microbrewery owner, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great middle west, in a Major College Town.  Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped her for life as erotic romance author.  When she isn't sweating beer inventory, sales figures or promotional efforts for her latest publication, doing pounds of laundry for her sweaty athletic children, watching La Liga on the Fox Soccer Channel, or trying to figure out what to order in for dinner, she can be found walking her standard poodles or doing Bikram Yoga.  Liz loves her Foo Fighters Pandora station, and watching reruns of Deadwood, when there isn't any decent European football on the telly.  If you want a beer education follow her: www.a2beerwench.com.  For writing related stuff, including her backlist, go to: www.brewingpassion.com.

An coming this year from Decadent Publishing, CHEEKY BLONDE!  Cover Reveal Big Moment....
It's a brewery based novel of intrigue, mystery and romance.




















As promised, The Realtors: Life in the House Lane.
I'll be excerpting this each month....both in PG and HOLY CRAP CAN YOU SAY THAT ON THE INTERNET? versions....

The Realtors:  Life in the House Lane

Love is an easy word to use, a hard one to demonstrate, and sometimes impossible to trust. 

                   The Realtors is a sweeping epic, encompassing over ten years in the lives of two people who know how to love with their bodies, how to please and get pleasure, to control and be controlled.  When it comes to the deeper meaning of the one word they both need, backgrounds and personalities get in the way and while their physical connection sizzles they continue to disappoint one another emotionally.

                   Jack Gordon has it all--money, success, a string of women--but with a deep longing for something more. When he thinks he finds it with Sara Jane Thornton, his world is never the same again.  Sara releases his natural Dom, a side of him he'd thought buried out of frustration and unhappiness. Sara knows a true submissive must trust implicitly, something she cannot associate with him, no matter how many times she tries, and he fails.

                   With a rich cast of secondary characters, including a young man who presents a near-perfect foil to Jack's intensity, and who falls hard for Sara; The Realtors series is a romantic saga with an emphasis contemporary life and love, with a healthy dose of white-hot eroticism. Modern, busy, driven characters living lives of purpose and real-time stress, seek the ever-elusive and highly coveted combination --a friend, lover and trusted advisor who will be there for the long haul.

Floor Time (The Realtors – Book 1) releasing Jan. 30:

Jack Gordon is Ann Arbor's most delectable bachelor.  At age thirty-five, he's made millions as a top-selling Ann Arbor real estate broker and has the right connections to close a deal by any means necessary. With his rugged good looks and compelling personality, he has a virtual black book most men would kill for and he uses it often, never settling for one woman for very long. 

While his D/s past remains buried, exactly where he wants it, an undercurrent of boredom and dissatisfaction runs through his life now.  Disastrous experience years earlier made him swear off the whole scene, but the more Jack suppresses his natural Dom, the more his frustration grows.   

Sara Thornton, just a rookie in the field, has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor real estate market. Her life evolves into a disciplined and focused routine, exactly what she wants.  However, as her career takes off, the fulfillment she seeks remains inexplicably out of reach.  The one thing she knows for sure, she will not join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting that might seem.

A chance encounter, then a difficult transaction, throw Jack and Sara together and the sparks fly high and hot and often. Forced to confront the compulsions that gain momentum with each sizzling encounter, their relationship seems to spiral out of control until Jack finally admits what he needs, and shows Sara what she's been missing.

Sweat Equity (The Realtors – Book 2) releasing Feb. 14: 

Jack Gordon thought he’d finally made it.  He had a wildly successful career, money in the bank and even returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he's made the ultimate commitment to Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in their world. However, a series of misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront lingering misgivings about marriage and trust.  Could those be the only two things he can never achieve? 

Sara struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in her busy life, two goals which appear to be mutually exclusive. Although willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara’s history, easing back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy her the way only Jack can? Is her "war" one that comes from without or within?

Buffeted by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara’s tenuous relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever elusive: trust, love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate has other plans. This leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their destiny.

Closing Costs (The Realtors – Book 3) releasing March 10: 

Love conquers all? Not likely, according to Sara Thornton. She's spent eight years coming to terms with the new parameters of her life while resigning herself to the idea that “happily ever afters” are best left to fairytales.  Sales manager for her successful real estate office and juggling an added element of responsibility she never thought she'd face, Sara continues to struggle with the men in her life.  Love, for her, has only meant hurt, broken trust and anger; all of which she’s completely banished from her life, so she claims.

                   Jack Gordon has come a long way since his earlier days of obsession with Sara.  As the general manager of Stewart Realty, his own level of responsibility for the well-being of others has ramped up. He’s even honed his caretaking skills, now that he has someone who loves him unconditionally. 

                   Continuing to invest effort and rebuild their relationship, he and Sara grow close as friends. Despite this, his ultimate question remains unanswered; the one he keeps asking, no matter how many times she says no. Sara isn't prepared for the keen focus of his need--to have her back, once and for all. Her stubborn resistance nearly rips both lives apart

The epic conclusion to The Realtors series, Closing Costs brings Jack and Sara truly full circle. Proving that the heat of lust and obsession; the need for control and to be mastered in many areas of life can lead to love —surprising you when you least expect it – if you will only allow it.                 

Riza Santos - Sweet and Seductive

Riza Santos joined both Ms. Earth and recently Ms. World 2011 and represent Canada, but we all know that Riza Santos has Filipino blood. She was a housemate on Pinoy Big Brother, Riza Santos sweet and seductive smile and beautiful face help her to last on the show.