Moulin Rougelette

These are a blurry cuz, well, Sunny was probably drunk. I wasn't, of course. Well, maybe a little buzzed...

Here's me with that slightly pained expression on my face. I think I was trying to breathe. Alexis Fleming had to brace her knee against my back to yank the laces on this contraption. After two glasses of water at the party--yes, water only--it was about to bust open. My jiggly bits woulda broken the sound barrier had that happened. Thankfully, it didn't.

Gotta say this is one of the best conferences evah! I've spent most of my days chatting with readers and have napkins full of story ideas for later. Readers love to tell you stuff. Do they do it with the hopes of ending up in a book? Maybe. Maybe not. But hell, it works!

Tonight is the cowboy/vampire ball. Yeeeha!

Greetings From Houston!

A special hello to my family from Lyn Cash!


Me, Lyn Cash and Alexis Fleming. This pic will actually appear in a future issue of Playgirl and was taken by none other than the great Kate Duffy of Kensington Publishing. Yes, we're gettin' primed already! Watch for more...

Gone to RT!

If you're in the Houston area, stop in and see me! I'm signing books on Saturday, April 28th at the book fair. If you can't find me there, check the bar.

If you can't check the bar, check the post below for my substitute.

Have a great week!

Howard Ashman

Howard Ashman was one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Since you can't have me this week, you'll just have to make do.

What?

Of his many songs, these are my favorites.

Be Our Guest


Prince Ali


Part of Your World


*sigh*

Now that's entertainment!

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Blue Banana?

Child number one was IMing with a friend I consider another daughter. This friend wanted the name of an online boutique where I bought a certain pair of jeans several months ago. I couldn't recall the name of the store, but as I searched the mental archives, the inside of my head turned orange. So orange, in fact, I couldn't see through it.

I know. It's so weird. You think it's easy being me?

Anyway, through the wonder that is Google, I finally remembered the name of the store. Child number one IMed it and The Friend said, "Ah. I was going to say something clementine."

The name of the store? Shop Tangerine.

Please tell me there are others like us out there.

The Sexiest Cast

So those loveable folks from Gray's Anatomy have been voted the sexiest cast. The children and I agreed wholeheartedly with this assessment and then, as is our wont, analyzed the reason.

They look normal.

Here, at last, are TV people who look grubby, tired, puffy, unwashed. With dark roots, smudged makeup, chapped lips, globs of fat under-the-chin and all. Sometimes they look downright awful. Often, their behavior matches their looks.

Just like us!

Flaws are the new pink. But even better, flaws are sexy.

Yeah!

Sneak Preview!

Okay, ya'll gave me tons of helpful input on my blurb for A Lick and A Promise. For your amusement, here's the final version I intend sending in and below it is the original, clunkier version YOU helped edit. I think some free copies will be hitting some inboxes by way of thanks...

Final Version:

And the Earthlings thought their sexual activity carried health risks…

Inappropriate lust for a sexy, recovering addict makes Dove Hansen wonder about her choices in men. Maybe she'll stick with her anonymous dream lover after all. He might not exist but at least he's sober and their ethereal couplings leave her panting. Still, she's gonna lose it if she doesn't get some with a human.

Mark Arianos isn't a junkie. He's a fugitive alien strung out on Earth air. In his world, sex is a capital crime and his uncontrollable passion for Dove could turn lethal. So their out-of-body trysts keep insanity at bay while he fulfills a critical mission.

But the longer Mark dallies with Dove, the deeper their attachment grows. Soon he must choose between betraying her or risking his civilization, and his life, to give her more than a lick and a promise.

Original clunker:

And the humans thought their sexual activity carried health risks…

When Dove Hansen meets a sexy, recovering drug addict, she wonders if her dream lover isn’t so bad after all. He might not exist but he’s passionate, hot and sober. Their frantic couplings in the ether leave her panting. Still, she’s going to lose it if she doesn’t get some in real life. Hence her carnal interest in the dark, dangerous Mark Arianos.

Probabilist Anthros, AKA Mark Arianos, isn't a junkie. He's a fugitive alien who looks that way. Earth air is corroding his brain and while he acclimates, he’s not only vulnerable, he’s in trouble. If he has sex his people will execute him.

Out-of-body trysts work wonders while fulfilling his mission--reclaim a half-breed child and regenerate his nation’s gene pool--until he meets Dove. And she’s not only his dream lover, she’s the uber protective nanny of said child.

The longer Anthros dallies with Dove, the deeper his attachment grows. Soon he must decide whether to solve his problems by betraying her. Or risk his world and his life, to have more than a lick and a promise.

**For those of you new to the blog, A Lick and A Promise is a sequel to Out of This World. It carries on with Probabilist Anthros (AKA Mark Arianos)--the omnipresent alien who got the whole story started.

Thirteen Links in my Favorites List 1) Diethyl Ether--Wikipedia. It features in the turning point for A Lick and A Promise. My chemical romance? 2) eBay - bag, bag airlines. Whenever I fly with mine, airline crews gather to reminisce. Most cool. 3) Malik. The little Killer Whale who took a shine to me in Marineland. I didn't do it. I swear! But I still miss her. 4) How Far Is It?. I use this more than I thought I would! 5) Snugglepuss - G-spot vibrator. Gotta love research! 6) Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding. Haven't made this yet, but plan to. 7) Urban Dictionary. What every girl needs. 8) Makeup, Anti Aging Skincare. What every woman needs. 9) Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from the Seventies. The slideshow contains some of the cleverest comedy I've ever read. 10) The Blue Banana. Shop here whenever budget allows, even though the model makes me want to slink into my hole and cry. 11) Fall Out Boy!. Love reading the journal and the Q&A. Pete Wentz can be scathingly funny. 12) I Saw You. Talk about a story minefield! 13) SheepskinShoes. I'm lusting after these goofy slippers. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)


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The Hap-Happiest Season of All

It's blurb time again. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate writing them? They can only, oh, make or break my book. So, in order to have some fun at RT I'm tackling it this week. See youse when my brain stops bleeding.

Tagged By The Unknown

Unk tagged me to spill five things you might not know about me. Bastard.

Here goes:

1) I speak Teenese. Yes. I know. Hold the applause. Like puppies and pussies love Unk (see, I got my dirty comment in) teens love me. Even my own!

2) I collect vintage airline memorabilia. I have silverware from the 40s-60s, tote bags from the 40s-80s, and various assorted glassware, blankets, doodads and gagas. Love the stuff. Use it too!

3) Back around 1970 I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska with my dad. He was a Pan American pilot. In those days PAA wasn't allowed to transport passengers within the continental US, so I had the entire 707 to myself. We followed the sun across the sky and the stewardesses treated me like a goddess. It was great.

4) I have degrees in Anthropology, Museum Studies and Hydrology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones, but wound up writing erotic romance novels. Go figure.

5) I gave birth to child number two at home, with a midwife. No drugs. No hope of drugs. Went into hard backlabor at midnight and stayed there for twelve frickin' hours. Got down on all fours, rocked like a wild animal, and pushed her out while kneeling beside my bed--nine pounds, four ounces. Hurt like the dickens. But, it was the most empowering event of my life. I am now one kick-ass muthah.

Later, I delivered the placenta into a Farberware skillet, proving women can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.

I'm not tagging anyone cuz, well, I like my friends.

Countdown To RT Houston!

Achtung friends, fans and romance readers! The countdown to RT 2007 has begun!

Amongst the special guests attending you might find Renaissance Man Mark Johnson and Romance Author Beth Ciotta! Beth and I booked the same flights, so our party's beginning at the gate! Hope she wears those knee socks again *gg*


EC Authors Me, Ashleigh Raine, Arianna Hart--and way too many more to name!
(Ashleigh better not wear the same necklace as me again this year. Bitch.)


And, get the drool towel ready--The Ellora's Cavemen! Hot-cha-cha-cha.


Due to circumstances beyond our control, the above cavemen won't be attending. Standing in are these poor, pathetic excuses for manflesh:

*martyred sigh* Guess we'll just have to make do.

Hey Brooks, how's about another piggy-back ride this year? No? Ok then Devin, Billy, C.J.... I'm not choosy.

Who's going? When are you arriving? I'll be there Tuesday and can't WAIT to see everyone!

Ann's Top Ten Romance Heroes of all Time--Number Five B

On a recent transatlantic flight, a plane passes through a severe storm..The turbulence is awful, and things go from bad to worse when one wing is struck by lightning. One woman in particular loses it.

Screaming, she stands up in the front of the plane. "I'm too young to die!"

Then she yells, "Well, if I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable! Is there ANYONE on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?"

For a moment there is silence. Everyone has forgotten their own peril.

They all stare, riveted, at the desperate woman. Then a man stands up in the rear of the plane.

He is gorgeous: tall, well built, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He starts to walk slowly up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time.

No one moves.

He removes his shirt. Muscles ripple across his chest.

She gasps...

He whispers, "Iron this, and get me something to eat.."

What? I missed April Fool. So sue me.

Your Lips Move But I Can't Hear What You're Saying

Is there anybody out there...

with 750 words I can borrow? Preferably naughty ones.

Word count is gonna be the death of me someday.

*whine*