MELISSE AIRES

Where Do We go From Here?

2012-01-31T15:54:00.001-07:00

Of course I always hear the title of my blog in the music of the Buffy Musical.

I entered a pitch contest recently with a short SFR that has been languishing on my hard drive for quite awhile. I got a request for the full from Entangled, so cool beans! Story is now flitting through the interwebs to the editor, Adrien-Luc Sanders. Just a request, not a contract, but it is a step in the right direction.

Since I am finally back in writing mode following the knee surgery I hope to get a couple things sent out in the near future! Am working on Starlander 2 plot right now.

Monday Music: Paradise, John Prine

2012-01-30T00:02:00.002-07:00

On Mondays for a while I want to share songs that have made an impact on me.

John Prine is a master story teller. His songs stay in my mind for days, deceptively simple, unpretentious, and packing a punch. Like many John Prine fans this is probably my favorite. Hubby and I are hoping to see him in concert in the Denver area this summer.

'Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.'

Writing Today

2012-01-28T07:49:00.001-07:00

I've been doing the Scifi /fanatsy Saturday snippets but can't this week. Got a request from Entangled Publishing from their pitch contest on The Rockville 8 blog. I pitched an 'aliens among us' novella set in a luxurious mountain 'clinic' in contemporary time. Today I'm going through it to make sure it is clean for submission. So I'll be here on the couch, listening to old, familiar music, looking for those annoying typos Word doesn't find.

The picture is from my file--the free 'Clinic.' Looks too good to be true, doesn't it? Hmmm.

Hallelujah, The Human Condition and Bon Jovi

2012-01-23T03:04:00.001-07:00

I've always loved the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, but it is not an easy song to understand. The Bible references I get, since Hubby and I met in a Bible-literalist JezusFreak group many years ago. I know those references are to betrayal and weakness. I know each of us are a mixture of darkness and light, so perhaps that is why the song speaks to me and so many others.

Cohen is a known perfectionist and anyone who has walked that path knows it never ends.The last verse speaks to writers and artists especially, I think:

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Here is my favorite version, though I like many others, also.

SFFS ~Fantasy Snippet This Week

2012-01-21T00:04:00.041-07:00

Today I'm putting up an excerpt from a high fantasy WIP titled Bridal Faire.

One, two, three, four, five bubbles. Adler threw the icy liquid squeezed from the northern El flower into the kettle. It foamed up emitting a cloud of lilac and the perfume of El flowers filled the room.

Success, finally! His last attempt had left the distillery stained from purple ooze that also had soaked through his garments to his skin. A few of his nether feathers were still tinged.

“Ahh, good job, my boy,” Master Jojie said from the safety of the hallway. “Come to me in the garden when you have finished with your potion. You have received two missives by messenger, one from your father and one from your mother.”

You can read other Snippets by checking Link or following the twitter hashtag #sffsat.

Character Occupations

2012-01-18T20:51:00.003-07:00

I joined a Triberr tribe recently and have started meeting a whole new group of authors, all bloggers! One, Tracey H Kitts, has an interesting blog and made a post that got me thinking--What do your characters do for a living?

Hmmm.

Occupation: Overlord

In Starlander's Myth:

Jack Starlander is an asteroid miner.

Sophie Farrel is an Antiquaritan, specializing in Terran First Diaspora information.

In Refugees On Urloon:

Svana Morgass is a non military support staff supply clerk.

Captain Liam Ringel is the captain of an academy training ship and a military academy instructor.

In Galactic Game:

Kellac is a military prisoner, former guest weapon's instructor, and in line to inherit the title of Protectorate on his homeworld.

Gema O' Malley, prisoner, former undocumented housekeeper on the planet Toph.

In Cyborg Servant, Warrior Lover (to be self pubbed later this year):

Qy is a lady's servant.

Sabralia, former child queen, is now the disliked wife in the harem of a warlord.

Faunication

2012-01-15T03:36:00.003-07:00

Faunication is the first story I ever contracted! It is short, fuzzy and wild! My couple, Max and Chloe, become something other than human (though human enough!) and find shelter in a tree root home in a magic forest. Will their desire help keep them warm? Only .99 at Amazon.

LINK

Teaser:

“Fluffy, time to wake up,” a male voice said in a mocking tone into her ear. She twitched. In fact, someone was holding her ear. She fluttered her heavy eyelids open.

Sapphire blue eyes, long black lashes, black winged brows—–Mr. Wicked!

She must have said the name out loud.

His grin was just evil.

She blinked. Where was the bus? They were under some type of tree, and the sun was morning bright.

She sat up quickly and her head began to spin--a meadow with long brown and yellow grasses, and beyond it, a forest of trees, many with no leaves, but a few bright yellow and orange ones standing out—

“--What happened?” she screeched.

Then she looked at Mr. Wicked. He was nude, and had a brown sculpted chest and stomach, glossy golden brown hair below, lots of it, and—she felt her face flame—naked man parts. There was hair covering muscular legs which ended in shiny cloven hooves.

He caught the direction of her glance. “Goat’s feet, I suspect. I think I’m a faun. And look, I’m growing horny, and not in the usual way.” He touched the top of his forehead, where there were two brown bumps growing out of his golden hair, but his eyes stared suggestively at her chest.

Chloe glanced down. Her very naked chest. Hers? Her breasts seemed rounder, and whiter, her nipples pinker—she yelped and threw her arms over her chest, and then wailed again when she saw her lower parts were covered in white fluff, ending in—

“--I’m a rabbit?” she hollered.

“No, not really.” He stood back a bit and perused her form. “You’re kind of half a rabbit. All girly above—well, except for the ears—and bunny below. Like a faun, only rabbit where I’m goat.”

She abandoned her breasts to feel her face. Same face, no big teeth, her old hair. She checked a long strand of her hair, it was still light brown.

“My eyes aren’t pink, are they?”

He peered into her eyes. “Nope, a nice, smoky blue.”

“Oh my god, floppy ears,” she groaned. Then she saw where his eyes were roving, and clapped her hands back over her chest.

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday!

2012-01-14T00:00:00.017-07:00

*Blog is a work in progress--the template I like didn't work, grrr.*

This week I have another snippet from Refugees On Urloon.

“Isn’t that a First World Planet? I remember learning something about Urloon in first school,” another crew member said.

A com tech’s finger glided over the com board. “Yes. Urloon. Settled by first wave Terran settlers but was left isolated for centuries while Terra fought the Terran Civil War. Water… Wow! Water-adapted humans live in domes in the warm seas. They have developed their procedure down to the DNA level so that their young are born ready to live in the sea.”

You can read other Snippets by checking Link or following the twitter hashtag #sffsat.

Writing Right Now

2012-01-11T19:21:00.003-07:00

I've been dragging my feet on finishing Galactic Game for submission. It is not that I don't like the story--I love it. Mostly it is because I have a low energy level and final editing takes concentration! I get off work, come home, nap, do my exercises...flake out or read a book. Next week I increase my work day, so we'll see how that goes. I'm 4.5 weeks post surgery so went back to work a little early. Some days are better than others, and some nights I don't sleep well so there is no point in getting all stressed out about writing progress at this point.

I decided to give myself a break and work on my synopsis for Starlander 2. A few nights ago I had a very visual, memorable dream that added a significant amount to the story...and changed the hero. I am adding it to what I had and then see if I like it.

Dinner, a Movie, and WMD

2012-01-08T16:32:00.003-07:00

Hubby and I went to dinner and a movie last night. Red Lobster and Sherlock Holmes, nothing exotic. But while eating my shrimp I had a thought, no doubt inspired by my reading of scary survivalist blogs.

Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!

WHAT IF:

What if an electromagnetic pulse went off in the atmosphere, causing all electronics to stop working? Our cars wouldn't work. Our city has no emergency plan for such an event, I'm sure. What would we do?

While we waited for the movie to start my mind went back to this scenario. Hmm, we would have to walk home, about four miles. Not that big of deal except I had a knee replaced one month ago, so am not at my best mobility ever. Plus, it is January in Wyoming, and we didn't have hats or gloves with us.

Two kids, I knew, were safely at home watching On Demand. College daughter--with boyfriend as usual, but she could be anywhere in town or even in a small town nearby where his grandparents live, since they like to take over grandparent's basement for Netflix. So it could be a few days until we would see her.

How long would it be until the Feds mobilized and got batteries working again, power plants working again? How long until food and water distribution? Red Cross might have stock piles, but with out vehicles it would be useless. What about meds like insulin?

Our house is stuffed with food since we shop for our pantry and buy stuff in cases, so we'd be fine for awhile. Water, I'm sure, would have to be bleached or boiled. Boiling takes fuel. But we have elderly neighbors, couldn't really leave them to starve...

And how would we know anything? I don't keep a shortwave radio and batteries wrapped in foil in a galvanized garbage can. I know there are survivalists in Wyoming that have such preparations. We'd be pretty dependent on those who made plans ahead of time for any info.

Are we that vulnerable? I don't know, and I hope not. But I might pick up a radio and batteries and look for some kind of metal case... And keeping extra hats and gloves in the cars wouldn't be a bad idea...

SSFS Sci Fi Fantasy Saturday Snippet

2012-01-07T00:00:00.002-07:00

I've been planning to do this for awhile and finally got it done. Go me!

My Snippet this week is from my upcoming SFR release, Refugees On Urloon, coming April 9 from Lyrical.

Captain Liam Ringel looked up. He wore his helmet with the visor up and a bloody gash showed above one eye. “Come and assist.”

“I don’t have B Level clearance, Sir. Svana Morgas, Support Staff Supply Officer.”

Svana wasn’t military, though she’d taken training and the Oath before coming aboard the Toulouse. Support crew filled in the gaps so the actual military could do the high-tech jobs they were trained for.

“You have clearance now. All crew reports to bridge. There is a breach on Q Deck as well as the one on L Deck.”

You can read other Snippets by checking Link or following the twitter hashtag #sffsat.

Getting ready to submit Galactic Game

2012-01-03T17:58:00.003-07:00

Galactic Game is a story I've had around for years. It started as 10k short, now it is a 35k novella. While it is set in the same greater universe--The Diaspora Worlds-- as Refugees on Urloon, it is set on a wilderness planet. My H/h are prisoners who have been selected to participate in a survival game that is broadcast throughout the Confederation.

My hero Kellac is a weapon's instructor from a distant world, thrown into military prison when the son of an important official dies in a training session. His family is wealthy and working to get him released. He is a Puregen, a lab created human, and so will have the backing of the Puregen viewers, who require all their citizens to be Puregen.

Gema is not Puregen but has been stranded since childhood on a Puregen planet. Unable to be a citizen, she lived a precarious life and finally ended up in the Women's Penitentiary. She knows she's the underdog but hopes to win her freedom and enough credits to get to a world without a Puregen Constitution.

Here are some pictures from my file:

Kellac's and Gema's physical characteristics are similar to these celebrities.

The wilderness planet.

Uh oh, trouble.

Here's Hopin'

2011-12-31T11:07:00.006-07:00

That 2012 is a far better year for us all than 2011!

Plans for the New Year

2011-12-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

Artichoke dip, crab legs--Oh, wait, wrong New Year's List!

I'll admit the knee surgery wrecked up some of my writing plans, since I couldn't always get comfortable to concentrate on writing. But I do have plans for the New Year. Since I work full time and have family/kids getting into college etc, I'm not keeping a strict schedule, find that too stressful. But here are some of my plans:

Submit Galactic Game(currently working on synopsis and final clean up). This is related to my currently unpublished Cybot Awakened, which I hope will one day see publication again. Hope to submit early in January.

Work on Starlander 2, which is often in my thoughts and that bodes well for a fast draft.

Work on Wilder Woman of Urloon, which has a rough synopsis and characters I like a lot. Plus, will love revisiting Urloon, which is my favorite world built setting ever.

Rewrite Tiger Juice and Demonade, perhaps into Wiccan Haus, the new paranormal series at Musa Publishing.

Decide whether to resub Her Accidental Angel or self publish??

Work on synopsis of New Project, the Bioship: New Populous

I Haz Page!

2011-12-26T13:03:00.002-07:00

Refugees On Urloon has a page on the Lyrical Website!

My Brother's Important Work

2011-12-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

My brother Ken Furrow is a wildlife biologist and a documentary film maker. He has a great idea for a new project and is looking for ways to get it off the ground in this economy. I hope there are blogger readers out there that are interested in this project!

A Mountain Grassland Journal

http://igg.me/p/48054

Mountain Grassland Journal

We are producing an important feature-length documentary designed to positively influence the future of this inter-mountain region and we need your help to do it! We're asking you to pledge your support today and help us raise $12,800 to fund this timely film.

Our documentary examines regional agrarian landscapes and food resources, biological diversity, development and climate change in the Rocky Mountain inter-mountain prairie ecosystem. These areas are not only rich in cultural history and natural beauty; they are critical regions for our own food production capabilities in the face of human population growth and the precarious condition of our national economy.

The needle on our regional self-sufficiency scale has moved from preferable to essential. Because of increasingly unpredictable weather and economic changes, we can no longer depend on traditional sources (California, Florida, Oregon, etc.) for our primary food supply. Our sustainable future lies in more regional food production and holistic resource management and we have to move forward on this together now. Our film investigates if proactive strategies are being developed and implemented for managing our own resources for the balanced benefit of people, wildlife and our native environments.

Your contributions to the production of this film will make a tremendous difference in how the public views our joint responsibility and renewed opportunity to create a mutually beneficial, sustainable future for this region.

The Tale of Two Santas

2011-12-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

My Christmas duet ebook, Christmas Magic, has two completely different Santas in the stories. I love Santa in all his different forms and had such fun writing the two Christmas romances.

In Christmas Wizardry I wrote a contemporary fantasy in which my heroine is tossed into a secret world of wizards, demons--and Santa.

Here, Santa is a recently remarried, harried, all too human character, with a new wife who is down right scary! I found him amusing and could imagine conflict in his future. Might write that story one day.

Wishing Rights is a high fantasy romance involving Mallow, a widowed dwarf herbalist, and Pascal, an apothecary elf from the North Pole. They meet at the point of a tragic accident, and Mallow saves Pascal's life. Dwarves and Elves have no contact with each other, and do not marry. In some ways this story reflects racial relations in our own past. Santa is mythic, an old god, with vast powers,wise and good. I loved writing this Santa!

Buy page and excerpt

More purchase options on sidebar.

A MEDIEVAL YULE!

2011-12-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that my friend, author Kaye Manro, has a holiday read! Perfect for stolen moments with a cup of egg nog and a sugar cookie! You can read more about it on Kaye's blog or head straight for the buy page.

Dec 19th ebook give away!

2011-12-18T10:59:00.001-07:00

I will Light Up The Holidays with a Yule diary entry--one year later-- written by my heroine Sophie from Starlander's Myth.

One commenter will receive an ebook of Starlander's Myth!

Knee surgery update

2011-12-17T09:31:00.001-07:00

I had a my left knee replaced on December 8th. Recovery is going very well. Painful, but so was the knee before replacement, and this gets better as time goes by. My Physical Therapist says I'm doing very well--can bend to the 90 degree they want, am almost able to flatten completely. One of my muscles just 'woke up' overnight and all of a sudden I could do all the exercises that the day before were impossible.

I must say, I'm glad I just had the one knee done at this time. With two I would have had to be in a rehab hospital for awhile, this way I only spent two nights. Of course, the right knee will have to be done, but maybe not for several years.

I haven't done any writing but think I am clear headed enough now to look things over. Pain pills and Melisse are an odd mix--mostly I just drowse, but sometimes I have really vivid, rather violent dreams... maybe I should write romantic suspense. In one of my dreams I did a bunch of amazing athletic climbing to get out of a building away from bad guys!

Christmas is scaled back at our place, hopefully a relaxing few days of cookie baking and fudge making. No malls, no big trips to Montana. Maybe next year, though!

Starlander's Myth is featured at The Galaxy Express!

2011-12-13T23:00:00.002-07:00

Check out Heather Massey's fun post!

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-12-11T00:20:00.002-07:00

My six sentences this week are from the short story Wishing Rights, from my Christmas Duet Christmas Magic (see sidebar).

“Oh, that is wonderful.” Her small face lit up with a smile and Pascal noticed for the first time that she was young and attractive, with even white teeth, dimples, and soft touchable skin. “Then you can have your foot healed.” Then she frowned. “But will you have to return to the North Pole first? Because by the time you can walk it will be deep winter.”

More Six Sentence Sunday!

Off to see the Doctor

2011-12-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Will be back online Sunday or Monday. Will catch up with Six Sentence Sunday then!

Geek Melisse, Extended Version

2011-12-04T00:35:00.004-07:00

Heather Massey over at The Galaxy Express and fellow SFR author Kaye Manro decided we all need to blog on our geekiness!

Geek Melisse

I grew up with two brothers, one much older, one close in age. I also have a sister, but she doesn’t count at all in the story of my geekiness. She was much younger and was busy with Barbies and horses during my geek formative years. My younger brother Ken preferred being a big kid to Barbie on the ranch, so my brothers and I became the trio of early geekery.

My oldest brother Doug was a super smart kid, though the nuns at Catholic school would never admit that. He liked to read, which my mother highly encouraged. We weren’t wealthy but we had a big house and apparently the spending money for piles and piles of books. We also had a nice county library, where Mom would take us once a week, religiously. You could only check out ten books per kid, but little sis wasn’t a big reader (she was too busy at the Ranch), so we could use her count for overflow.

The library and my mother did not censor reading, which is important. So many kid friendly books were in Adult Fiction: Zane Grey, Dickens, classic scifi. Brother Doug had a nice little nitecrawler business in the summer, and he spent his earnings on scifi paperbacks--Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, Murray Leinster, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlien, Edgar Rice Burroughs and many more. Those writers opened entire new worlds. We three devoured them.

When I was in fifth grade Sister Katrina Mary read The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis. That book was a revelation! I quickly turned my brothers onto this new thing, high fantasy, and so we were ready for The Hobbit when it hit the shelves all those years ago. Then we shared Terry Brookes and many other writers through the years.

I can’t discount the shows of my childhood. Star Trek, Lost in Space, the Jetsons, and even Jonny Quest. This was family viewing in my home.

Did I mention the Atari?

In college I dated a cute guy with bright blue eyes and wavy brown hair, but what really was exciting about that relationship was that he introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons. Also in college—Star Wars! Luke Skywalker graced the screen in Kalispell, MT, for 17 weeks, including the entire summer I was home from college. By the end you could get in for fifty cents. It just never got old…

My father was also an influence in my geekification. He was a bartender so would catch a little TV with us before dinner and leaving for work. He like Dark Shadows—how many kids had a dad who liked that? NASA also thrilled him. I remember watching the astronauts on the moon during dinner, since it was such a big deal. Many years later, Dad was the first family member to get a computer. He typed up some of my early works of fiction.

By the time was an adult I was firmly entrenched in speculative fiction and geekery. I made my husband see Terminator. I read C.S. Lewis to my daughters and we watched reruns of Lost in Space and Xenon.

They had a Space Station Toy.

My house is filled with piles of books except for the ones on zip drives. I got a word processor when the girls were little, and Thursdays were my writing days, which meant the girls could watch PBS all morning and get toys all over the living room. When my kids were teased at school as geeks and nerds I transferred them to a Classical Academy, where all the kids were geeks and nerds, and assured them that geeks rule the world now days.

My poor sister never caught onto the goodness that is geek, and instead became one of those cool kids, like Marcia Brady(plus our parents were way too lenient with her! I couldn’t date until I was 16—she got married at 18! And had a car in high school.) But I digress. My sister redeemed herself by developing into a fine romance reader and sharing books with Mom and I. Plus she gave me a Kindle for Christmas, so it’s all okay now. She’s still a cool kid and very good at managing, which the rest of us probably need. No doubt influenced by all those years she spent ranching with Barbie.

My brothers still read scifi and fantasy. My younger brother is a scientist, a wildlife biologist who makes environmental documentaries. Sadly, my older brother sustained a severe head injury in his early twenties and lives very quietly, but he still loves to read, which I am sure makes his life much the richer—he loves a big stack of used paperbacks.

SFR seems natural to me, the obvious choice. I’m thankful I live in the digital age where publishers will contract my books and readers will buy them. Plus I love the growing SFR community. Hopefully I’ll still be writing about galaxies far far away in my old age.

December News!

2011-12-02T15:22:00.002-07:00

DECEMBER 19th:

Sophie, my heroine from Starlander's Myth, will Light Up the Holidays with a diary entry. I will also be giving away an ebook of Starlander's Myth to one of the commentors.

DECEMBER ALL MONTH:

Free Ebooks on my Yahoo Loop (see sidebar)!

I am having knee replacement surgery next week so will be wandering around the internet more than usual for the rest of December (and probably half of January, too). Maybe we can chat on Facebook!

Six Sentence Sunday 11/27/11

2011-11-27T00:14:00.005-07:00

Excerpt from The Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth, a steampunk space western romance.

Quiet woke her.

Had something gone wrong? They were stopped in dead space? It was an old ship. “Mr. Starlander?” Her voice was husky with sleep and panic.

http://www.sixsunday.com/

More images from Starlander's Myth File

2011-11-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Terran settlers in my Starlander Frontier Series celebrate Old Yule.

COVER! Refugees On Urloon!

2011-11-24T22:22:00.001-07:00

Renee Rocco, Lyrical Press, created this one. I sure have been getting the blessings of cover-gods lately! Wow!

Coming April 9th from Lyrical Press

Two weary refugees, two moons and a life-changing fertility festival. Watch out for a whole lot of sensuality.

Under normal circumstances, Svana, non-military maintenance crew, and Captain Liam Ringel, a highly respected military instructor, would never have crossed paths. A sudden anomaly, however, thrusts them into deep space where they are rescued by the inhabitants of an exotic and isolated waterworld, Urloon.

With no rescue forthcoming, the refugees can choose between adapting to the sea or farming the land. Svana is saddened when her budding friendship with Liam changes due to their different choices. However, when they are invited to an alien fertility festival, the Moonfest, they are given the opportunity to create a memory that will impact and intertwine both their futures.

WARNING: Alien fertility festival, aurora lights, dancing alien
beasts, body paints and hot pheromones. M/F Sensual

May all my friends and family...

2011-11-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

...find some Peace and Joy and Thankfulness, even during difficult times. Wishing you all the best!

Melisse

Time for Cocoa and Writing Update.

2011-11-20T13:22:00.002-07:00

We got hit with frigid temperatures here in Wyoming. I'm staying home today, don't trust my cane and gimpy leg on ice. So me and Baxter are cuddled up on the loveseat. I plan to do a little reading, some crocheting and some writing.

Works In Progress:

Wilder Woman of Urloon

As a young bride, Martine underwent a Wilder Adaption that left her with a disfiguring mottling to her skin, a stillborn child and a shortened lifespan. Her young husband only survived a few years following the procedure. She lives alone on a remote island, hunting, gathering, and weaving gorgeous textiles for her annual trip to a dome marketplace. In late winter, probably the last winter she will see, one of her delphs summons her to the sea, where she rescues survivors of a spacecraft, an arrogant man with oddly streaked hair and several small children--and none are adapted to live in the seas of Urloon. Worse, the man is an Asha commander, determined to escape the prison his homeworld has become and start a better life for his child on a remote world. They strike a deal--he will help her through her final year, and she will help get him and his children adapted and settled on Urloon.

Starlander's Pirate

Jellica Rose must take her adopted child, a lab created illegal life form, on a long journey to find the lab that created her and repair her so she can grow up, since Lila is permanently halted at three years old. Jellica fears the child is set to expire after a decade of life. Captured during a pirate attack, Jellica Rose and Lila befriend an alien 'pet', who turns out to be an intelligent being, Chilt. With her help they free other prisoners, one who turns out to be Clem Starlander, scientist. Together they hide on the pirate ship and plan a takeover.

Welcome Ella Jade With A new release and Giveaway!

2011-11-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome Author Ella Jade and her sexy new romance!

Hello all! My name is Ella Jade and I'm excited to announce my new BDSM Romance The Lonely Dominant releases today! I'm so thrilled about this that I'd like to giveaway an eBook copy to one lucky commenter. Here's a little peek…

Blurb

Successful businessman Alec Carter realizes his life is less than fulfilled when he meets beautiful Princeton University senior Clara Whittaker at a local coffee shop. Alec experiments in the BDSM lifestyle but doesn't consider himself hardcore until he crosses paths with the obviously submissive Clara. The more time Alec spends with young Clara, the more his dominant tendencies push to the surface. She could be what has been missing.

After her grandmother's death, Clara ends up a guest in Alec's home until she can finish school. She quickly learns she's a natural submissive and decides she wants to explore this new side of herself with the man of house. Alec shows her a life she never knew existed as they enter into a world of role playing, fantasy, and desire. Alec may be the Master, but Clara holds the key to his heart.

As the semester comes to an end, so does their arrangement. If Alec doesn't admit his true feelings for Clara, she could walk out of his life forever. But, Alec isn’t sure which she craves more . . . his dominance . . . or his love.

Excerpt

I broke the kiss and gently stroked her hair. "Thank you for letting me be the first to bring you that pleasure. You don't know how it pleases me."

I continued to stare at her for a few moments, occasionally placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"I want to please you," she said. "I can't explain it, but I have these urges to make you happy."

"What do you mean?" I said, figuring we might as well put it all on the table.

"Ever since I met you, there's just been something about you. It's the way you act, and you always seem to have control over everything. It's really sexy."

I smirked, because she got me completely.

"When I hear you on the phone for work, you just say what needs to be done. You never ask, and you always get results. There are times when I think I want you to talk to me that way. Is there something wrong with me? I can't even believe I'm telling you this."

I laughed, because if there was something wrong with her, then I was certainly a head case.

"Clara," I picked up her shirt from the floor and handed it to her, "there's nothing wrong with you. I think there's a very specific reason we're drawn to one another."

"Why?"

"Do you know what a Dominant is?" Why waste time?

I was never the type to beat around the bush. When I wanted something, I put it out there. This was no different. She may not have realized it, but she was attracted to me because she was submissive. Exactly how submissive? I wasn't sure, but I hoped to find out.

She quickly put her blouse back on and buttoned it up. We'd have to work on her modesty, too. I planned to have her naked quite a bit.

"I think so," she said. "It's when a person takes on the dominant role in a sexual relationship."

I smiled. "Yes, that's part of it, but it's also the Dom's responsibility to teach and help his submissive reach pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. It's a mutually beneficial relationship between two consenting adults."

"Alec, are you dominant?"

"In almost every aspect of my life, especially in the bedroom."

"Oh," she said, as she adjusted her skirt.

"Does that bother you?" I'd give her the opportunity to run screaming from the house.

"Actually," she said, and the blush took over her face again. "It kind of intrigues me."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Do you know anything about that type of relationship?" I pulled her closer to me. She was so soft and warm, and I couldn't keep my hands off her. I'd touch her all day if I could.

"Not firsthand, obviously." She traced my lips with her fingertip. I liked when she touched me unprovoked. "I had a human sexuality course last semester and we discussed dominant and submissive behaviors, and I realized I could be a submissive. Not extremely submissive. I mean, I don't think I could be someone's slave, or do it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, but I found it a turn-on."

Is this really happening?

"The more I learned about the subject, the more I realized I wanted to be dominated," she said. "But, it wasn't something I thought I could explore. I wouldn't even know how to go about it."

Surreal was the only way to describe what was happening here. Anytime I'd engaged in this behavior, I'd had to seek out my subs as discreetly as possible. I would go through friends I knew in the community to find a woman who was into the same things I was. I'd always had difficulty finding someone who was only interested in light play. Most subs were looking for long-term, hard play, and as secure as I was, I just wasn't into beating or humiliating anyone. I also liked having the power of being able to play when I wanted to.

"I'm not a hard-core Dom. I've dabbled, but I've never collared a sub, and I've never been in a relationship with one before. I enjoy the lifestyle, but I did it only with a willing partner, and only for brief periods of time. We both took what we needed from the experience, and then we mutually parted ways."

She looked disappointed by my response. Maybe she thought I was more involved in the lifestyle?

"It's a very satisfying experience when both participants are open and honest about their wants and desires. The pleasures I've gained through my past experiences were like none I'd ever experienced before."

"I'd like to try it," she said. "I want to submit to you."

"You're so young." Her age didn't bother me. Rather, I knew she was so inexperienced when it came to sex and relationships. I wasn't certain she could make this kind of decision. "I'd need you to be absolutely sure."

"You said it was consensual. I wouldn't have to do anything I didn't want to, and if I remember correctly, there are safe words we could use."

"I think you know more than you're letting on." I arched a brow at her, but I was impressed by her openness. I was surprised she had the courage to press the matter.

"I may have researched the subject a couple of times."

"You're right about safe words. They are set up to protect not only your physical boundaries, but your emotional limits as well. I would push your limits, but only to show you how much pleasure you could gain. I couldn't do this 24/7 either. We'd have to come up with some sort of agreement, since we live under the same roof." Are we really entertaining this?

"Weekends?" She shrugged. "Maybe we could try it out?"

I smiled and gently kissed her lips. "Yes, I think weekends would work perfectly."

Available at https://www.nobleromance.com

***

So, what did you think? I'll choose one random commenter to win an eBook copy of The Lonely Dominant. Please leave your e-mail address in the comment so I can contact you!

I love making new friends, so please connect with me over on my blog http://ellajadeauthor.blogspot.com.

Relaxurday

2011-11-05T11:07:00.001-06:00

<-------- Melisse this week. A book release, the start of Nano, teenagers, teenagers getting locked out of car at the mall, teenagers applying for scholarships, teenagers accidentally dumping one million noodles down the drain, teenagers angsting over auditions. And wasn't Halloween on Monday? It is all a blur.

NANO: Hmmm, not so great. And Whip Cracking won't help because the whip cracker can't follow me on my crazee schedule.

But I did have a long phone chat with a dear friend from college, we must stay in touch better. And I am planning a Scavenger Hunt to celebrate my B-Day, at which time I am dropping my age by one decade.

Am also happy Starlander's Myth is already up on Amazon--thank you, Whiskey Creek Press Torrid for your organizational skills. sidebar----->

The Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth~Released!

2011-11-01T06:02:00.002-06:00

My mixed genre steampunk spacewestern novella The Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth releases today from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Being a gryphon shifter has put widow Mrs Sophie Farrel and her small daughter Flora in jeopardy. A corrupt mining official knows she can detect valuable cryst and plans to sell her to the highest bidder.

Starlander's Myth is the first in a trilogy set in the Starlander Frontier universe, a world that is reminiscent of the Old West. It is a mixed genre novella, with elements of the paranormal, and is most definitely a romance between Jack Starlander, asteroid miner, and Mrs.Sophie Farrel, a widow with a small daughter. The Farrels also happen to be gryphon shifters.

Heat level: Sensual Romance

You can read an excerpt *here*.

Happy Halloween Winners!

2011-10-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

I'm emailing winners Kathryn, Julianne and Pat!

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-10-30T00:43:00.004-06:00

My Six Sentences this week are from my Nov.1 release, Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth

Jack Starlander crept silently over the rocky outcrop to see what was happening on the other side. The newcomers hadn't been quiet at all. Of course, sounds tended to magnify and distort under the bubble. It sounded like an army of flyers descending, but it was really only four.

Now what was that? A woman and a child, both dressed in the latest frilly fashion seen dirtside, surrounded by a bunch of armed men.

To read other Six Sentence Sunday entries, click http://www.sixsunday.com/

or follow Twitter hashtag: #sixsunday .

My new steampunk Cover--Starlander's Myth!

2011-10-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

I have my new cover for Starlander's Myth! This releases on Nov 1 from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid.

Welcome Rachel Leigh!

2011-10-19T18:49:00.000-06:00

Readers often ask authors where they get their ideas from and I think I am right in answering for most of us when I say, I have absolutely no idea!

Ideas are everywhere but they start out as such a tiny nugget that by the time the finished story is done, that idea is barely recognizable. Passing conversation, TV shows, plays or movies I’ve seen trigger a lot of my ideas. I am yet to be stuck for any amount of time. In fact, I have the outlines for my next two novellas already written down and saved in a file.

My biggest tip with regard to finding new ideas is to watch TV and when you find a program or episode that you really like, ask yourself why. Then adapt it to suit what you want to say. The same is true of a program or episode you hate – why did you hate it? How would you change it to make it better? Bam, there’s you next story.

Don’t ever worry that you are stealing another writer’s idea because no two people will ever write the same story. Ask any writing tutor. They often give out a single scenario to a class of people and those students will hurriedly write something down. Each story outline will be very different. Guaranteed.

However, having said all that, the idea for my latest release “Coming Back” didn’t come from any of those sources. It came from a voice in my head, a single line of dialogue spoken by the woman who would become my heroine, Kelly Hampton.

“From now on I am going to be celibate.”

That was it. That single line and I was off and running. Why was she saying this? What brought on the decision? Would she fail or succeed? Ideas are all about having fun, playing, working things out until you have a bona fide story with a solid goal, motivation and of course, the all-important conflict.

Writing is fun – enjoy every part of it! I do J

Rachel’s latest release “Coming Back” is available now from The Wild Rose Press. Here’s the blurb:

Kelly Hampton loved once...and lost. After two years of looking for Sean MacKenzie in other men--and failing miserably--she takes a vow of celibacy. No sex until she finds love. Then Sean strolls back into her bar, reigniting old flames. No one has come close to understanding or satisfying her like he did. Her body burns for the passion they once shared, but her heart still remembers the pain.

Sean escaped Jessop Hill and his father's fists in the middle of the night without a word--even to his love, Kelly--to protect his battered mother, but he never forgot the explosively erotic relationship he left behind. Now his father is dead and Sean is back for the only woman he's ever wanted. Their reunion is full of fire – but can sexual attraction and noble intentions overcome years of heartache or will Kelly walk away to protect her heart this time.

Buy Link:

http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=86&products_id=837

Rachel can be found here:

www.rachelleigh.co.uk

www.rachelleighromance.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rachelwriter.

Bio:

Rachel Leigh lives in the UK and is married to her own sexy hero. With two erotic romance novellas published and numerous short stories in UK national magazines, Rachel loves her job. Her next novella is about two Brits living in Greece…where things get hot, hot, hot!

When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, watching American TV dramas. running around after her two daughters….or playing with her husband.

Aspen Mountain Press: I Haz A Sad

2011-10-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

Once again, I have a publisher who has imploded. Aspen Mountain Press, with my Del Fantasma titles: Tiger Juice and Demonade, and Her Accidental Angel has breached all contracts and hope of recovery is nil. The best hope would be for the company to be purchased by another e-publisher, but the owner is not considering viable offers. So my certified letter for reversal of rights is going out this week.

I so enjoyed AMP when I first contracted with them, but much has happened since then. I'm sure you will see the sad story smeared all over the net. I just don't have the heart to write out the whole thing.

Because the Del Fantasmas are a publisher generated series, I would have to do extensive rewriting to either self publish or republish and I have my writing plate full with my Urloon and Starlander series. I am currently doing content edits on Refugees on Urloon, and the cover art is in the works for Starlanders Frontier: Starlander's Myth

I doubt I will ever get another dime from the publisher, and am missing 90% of statements so have no idea what is owed me. So many AMP authors require an accounting of sales, going back two years, I doubt the publisher will ever get this straightened out. I am still having a 3 copy give away on Oct 31st of my AMP titles.

So on to the next. I'll post the gorgeous cover of my Nov 1 steampunk release,

Starlanders Frontier Series:

Starlander's Myth

this week.

Fall!

2011-10-09T09:25:00.001-06:00

I love fall--the crisp cool weather, the colors of the changing leaves, fall foods. I am inspired to bake--squash, pumpkin goodies, apple crisps... Soon it will be Halloween, which is so fun at my day job. I dress like a giant pumpkin. My daughters are excited about a costume mystery party. Then Thanksgiving--I am hoping we can get together with my sister for that, but we'll see. Thanksgiving in NW Montana is pretty much winter weather. Montana does a good job keeping the passes open--it is the road from here to Billings, MT, with all the white-out wind conditions-- that is the bugaboo for winter driving.

I am busy editing Urloon for its April release and polishing Galactic Game for submission.

For Nano I have a SFR story that is not connected to any series...a present day alien abduction story(but not an 'all our women died so we need mates' story). Yes, I have been lurking on alien conspiracy websites again. I've been writing the synopsis/ character background as I get inspiration.

Who is doing Nano?

2011-10-01T09:09:00.000-06:00

I am a Nano Rebel, I confess. But I will be writing during the month of November on new content. October will be an editing month for me--Urloon edits will arrive, and am finishing up a couple stories for submission.

My nano name is Melisse.

Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth comes out November 1st and I'll also be guest blogging and doing other online fun stuff, too.

2011-10-01T02:51:00.002-06:00

Bewitched Authors

To Celebrate Halloween we are having a Huge Blog Tour! Click the link to find the many authors and prizes involved!

On Oct. 31st~Halloween three October commentors on my blog will receive one of my paranormal ebook, free!

*Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice, Del Fantasma: Demonade or Her Accidental Angel.

Just One Bite Contest--Free Reads!

2011-09-23T13:25:00.003-06:00

The stories in the Just One Bite Competition are up! I am happy to have made the cut and my story will be in a free anthology! My story, Inhuman Resources, is in Pair 6. The story in each pair that gets the most votes will move up to the next round. Theses are very short stories, 3k maximum, and they are up before voting starts so you can have time to read them all. I had a lot of fun writing Inhuman Resources and hope I get enough votes to move into the next round.

Voting starts October 1st for the first round.

Out of This World Blog Tour--Gary Starta

2011-09-18T12:30:00.001-06:00

Please Welcome Gary Starta! Mr. Starta will be giving away three ebooks so make a comment!

My inspiration to write the novel, Gods of the Machines, basically comes down to one word of inspiration: sentient. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sentient as ‘feeling or sensation as distinguished from perception or thought.” The ability to feel defines our consciousness as humans. It is what distinguishes us from other devices capable of thought or calculation i.e. computers. And although that line of separation, the inability of your laptop to feel emotion, is pretty thick at the moment, there may come a time when that line will either be blurred or crossed. Maybe you are skeptical that robots or perhaps, androids – beings that resemble humans – will ever exist in the way we see them in movies such as I Robot. But there are signs that technology is advancing and that robotics is becoming more and integrated into our everyday life.

The latest cutting edge cell phone operating system is called Android or Droid for short. Although a phone is a long way from a walking, talking android, it seems to show the very idea of such technology is seeping into the consumer consciousness. In Japan, actual android/robots have been created! They have skin made of silicon, and sensors allow them to react. They appear to blink and even breathe! But what they don’t possess is sentience. And because they don’t, I believe these creations will be ripe for exploitation. Robots are already in use in battlefields. Androids such as the life-like creations in Japan may be used for servitude as well, perhaps as nursing aides.

So the idea of robots is really not that extreme or fantastical. For the most part, they are here. Will it be all right to use them for servitude? Most every science fiction story of the last half century portrays them in that manner. Think of Bicentennial Man. But in that movie, there is a difference because that robot evolves, so much, that it actually becomes human. Still, the robot is portrayed as a servant, although its owner treats it with respect.

Will humanity treat robots with respect once they grow in number? People who perceive them as mere machines such as a computer will probably dismiss the idea of expending emotion on objects. But others may feel compelled to interact with androids as if they were human, even if they don’t possess self awareness or are unable to feel genuine emotion.

In Gods of the Machines, the androids James Starkman and Juanita Lopez will find love. Each sympathetic to the other’s plight, neither find themselves totally accepted, and worse for Starkman, he is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. In this future, robots have yet to attain the full rights of humans. But as they inch closer to this goal, the idea that androids can love each other and that humans have had sexual relations with them almost makes it absurd that these beings aren’t considered humans. They are just another kind of human; instead of biological, they are artificial. But both can love.

Find more about Gods of the Machines at www.garystarta.net

Sexy SFR from Kim Knox ~ Current

2011-09-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

Book 3 in the Planetary Bodies series.

Alexandra Syato has complete control of her life.

She's rich and has Captain Rhearden Lawe as a delicious friend with benefits. Her life couldn't be more perfect. Until the mysterious force known as sheen turns her world upside down.

It changes Lawe in a way she doesn't expect and now her easy-going friend has become a dark and brooding stranger, determined to take her control. She can't fight their new, blistering attraction. But the price for having him may break her. Completely.

Buy here from Ellora's Cave

You can also read an excerpt here

At my website there's a little sneak peek behind the series, Planetary Bodies

Current is part of a linked series. Books 1 and 2, Magnetism and Friction, can be found here.

New Look For Blog

2011-09-17T11:34:00.000-06:00

I was in the mood for warm colors! Plus I have a steampunk story coming out soon, and the warm tones just seem to reflect steampunk...and it is fun to change the blog layout!

Penny Pinching Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-09-10T09:15:00.003-06:00

This makes a ton of soup--about 3 dinnersize servings for our family of five(1.5 gallon or so), so it is very inexpensive--especially if whole chickens are on sale! You could use chicken breasts and canned broth, too--but stewing the chicken really brings down the cost. Also, you can add more beans and turn it into chicken chili.

Being big Mexican food eaters, my family can eat this once a week without getting tired of it.

1 whole chicken, stewed in crockpot with celery, onions and garlic. Save broth and shred chicken meat. (I did this the day before.)

In large stock pot add:

Shredded chicken, broth

1 large can crushed tomatoes, plus 1 can of water

1 can red beans, drained

1 pkg taco seasoning (You can sub your own mexican spices/chili powder and cilantro)

Lots of corn(I used about 4 cans corn)

1 small can mild green chillies

Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer

Add 3 TBL corn meal(masa) mixed into a hot water slurry at least 30 minutes before serving for a thickener.

To Serve:

Slice corn tortillas into strips, place in bowl of hot soup. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream if desired. Black olives would be good, too.

Spike and Angel Approve of this Blog Post

2011-09-08T15:21:00.000-06:00

I just found out that my short story, Inhuman Resources, made the top 32 in the ARe contest! Voting will begin October 1st for fabulous prizes. But getting into the top 32 means my story will be in the free download anthology, along with links to my other works, which is pretty cool just in itself! I love having a freebie to give away!

Inhuman Resources is a light vampire office romance.

Guest Blogging: Top Ten Reasons to Try Streampunk Romance

2011-09-05T01:19:00.003-06:00

You can find it here:

http://sayssara.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/mondays-friend-melisse-aires/

Paige Tyler has a new Sci Fi Erotic Romance!

2011-08-31T17:34:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited to announce I have a brand "spankin'" new smokin' hot sci-fi full-length erotic romance out with Ellora's Cave called CINDRA'S BOUNTY HUNTER!

Whenever I have a new release, I like to share how I came up with the story, but this time I'm going to do a something a little different. I'm going to let the hero Bladen Sloan (yes, the sex-on-a-stick yummy guy on the cover perfectly portrayed by EC Caveman Angelo!) take over and tell you a little bit about himself instead.

Anytime you're ready, Bladen...

My name is Bladen Sloan and I’m an interplanetary bounty hunter. A damn good bounty hunter at that. There’s not a star system I won’t go to get my man. Or woman, for that matter. I’ve gone up against some of the biggest, baddest, nastiest criminals in the galaxy, and I always capture any bounty I go after.

But then Cindra Mallory walked into my office and life got a a hell of a lot more complicated. I'd distanced myself from women a long time ago, and for good reason. What I do is dangerous, and people get hurt. Sometimes, they even get killed. One look at Cindra with her long, tempting legs, big blue eyes and full, pouty lips and I immediately felt the wall I'd built around me start to crumble. Then she'd made me an offer no man could refuse - ten mind-blowing sexual encounters in exchange for tracking down the man who killed her father.

But it was just sex, right? I could stick to the deal - my help for some mind-blowing sex. What could go wrong?

Blurb:

Cindra Mallory strikes a bargain with sexy bounty hunter Bladen Sloan — in exchange for ten mind-blowing sexual encounters, he’ll track down the man who killed her father. But it’s hard to concentrate on the hunt when every touch from Bladen drives Cindra to new heights of daring and pleasure.

As they travel from planet to planet visiting sex clubs and raves, Bladen finds himself addicted to the fearless, sexual Cindra. Whether she’s begging him to spank her or seducing him in front of a roomful of people, the woman knows what she wants—and Bladen is determined to fulfill all her needs.

Excerpt:

Cindra caught her lower lip between her teeth again. What was she going to do? She needed Sloan’s help to find out where DelCour was hiding or she could kiss the idea of bringing him to justice goodbye. But there was no way in hell she was giving the bounty hunter forty-nine percent. She’d spent practically every credit to her name plus what money her father had left to her hunting DelCour. She needed the bounty so she could finish her graduate program. It was the one thing her father had wanted and she wasn’t going to let him down. But she wasn’t going to let his murderer get away, either. She’d simply have to convince Sloan to take less, or offer him something else instead. But what?

Her body.

She wasn’t as shocked by the answer as she should have been. She’d never been a prude, but she didn’t make a habit of indiscriminately sleeping with guys, either. Her father had always said a bounty hunter did whatever it took to get the job done. She needed to decide right now if she was willing to sleep with Bladen Sloan if it meant bringing down DelCour. Back at the restaurant, she as much as admitted to herself she thought the other bounty hunter was hot. If he was half as good in bed as she thought he might be, having sex with him wouldn’t be an arduous task, that was for sure. Heat was already pooling between her thighs at the delicious prospect. Still, this was one hell of a big step. She didn’t normally proposition men quite this blatantly. Heck, she was practically prostituting herself. Was she really willing to go there? The answer to that was a resounding yes. She would do whatever it took to catch her father’s murderer, and that included sleeping with Bladen Sloan.

She wet her lips. “If we can’t agree on splitting the bounty, perhaps we could work something else out.”

He arched a questioning brow. “What are you suggesting?”

Cindra lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “If you help me track down DelCour, I’ll sleep with you.”

A mix of surprise and intrigue appeared in his amber eyes. She had him, she could tell.

“You’ll sleep with me?”

She gave him her sexiest smile. “That’s what I said.”

He was silent as he considered her words. “While the offer is extremely tempting, Ms. Mallory, I’m afraid I have to refuse.”

She frowned, taken aback. From the way he’d looked at her when she came into the office, she’d been sure he would go for it. “Why?”

Most men wouldn’t turn down an offer like that unless they were gay, married or in a committed relationship, and she wasn’t convinced guys in the last two categories would refuse even then. Intuition told her Sloan wasn’t gay, and since she didn’t see a ring on his finger she assumed he wasn’t married. Which left only one other explanation. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable with something mighty damn close to prostitution.

Damn, she hadn’t considered he might have a problem with that. She’d thought he would be…well…a typical guy.

He gave her a rueful smile. “Because if I took you up on it, I’d feel like I was taking advantage of you.”

Okay, so she had been right about the reason behind his refusal. Great. Not only was Sloan sinfully gorgeous, but he had a conscience, too. Normally, that would have been an attractive quality in a man, but right now it was annoying as hell. She needed help and the only thing she had to offer was her body. She was going to have to convince him to have sex with her. What was the galaxy coming to?

She smiled. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me, I assure you. I know exactly what I’m offering you and I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to get you to help me.”

“So I gather.” He was silent for so long she thought she might have to repeat her offer, but then he spoke. “While I appreciate your tenacity, I’m still going to have to decline.”

Cindra ground her jaw. Damn him, and his conscience.

“Fine,” she snapped, getting to her feet. “I’ll track down DelCour myself.”
Head high, she turned and headed for the door. Behind her, Sloan cursed under his breath.

“Wait a minute,” he ordered.

She hesitated, her hand on the knob, then took a deep breath and turned to face him.

He was standing behind his desk, a look that could almost be called concern in his eyes.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you.”

Her pulse quickened. “Then you’ll accept my offer?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I didn’t say that. Please don’t take this the wrong way. While you’re extremely beautiful, I don’t think a single night of sex would be a fair trade for the nineteen percent difference in the bounty, do you? I mean, we’re talking at least ten-thousand credits I’d be giving up.”

Cindra felt color rush to her cheeks. While she knew she should be insulted, she couldn’t help but admire his negotiating skills. Luckily, hers weren’t too shabby either. Especially in conjunction with the feminine wiles in her arsenal.

She crossed the room to stand in front of his desk, adding a little extra sway to her hips. “Then I’ll sleep with you more than once.” She looked at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Is there a particular number you have in mind?”

She could tell from the way his eyes went wide that she’d caught him off guard. Good. That put her firmly back in charge of the negotiations.

“I don’t want to offend you any more by trying to figure out what your going rate would be,” he said. “But even if I give you the benefit of the doubt and say a single night of sex with you is worth a thousand credits, that would still mean you’d owe me…”

“Ten nights of unbelievable sex,” she finished for him. “Deal.”

Sloan’s eyes narrowed. Clearly, he hadn’t expected her to call his bluff. “Let me make sure I understand this. In exchange for my help, you’re agreeing to provide me with ten nights of sex, of my design, and at the time of my choosing?”

Cindra was a little worried by the way he’d worded it, but she gave him a sultry smile anyway. “That’s exactly what I’m agreeing to.”

Sloan didn’t answer, but she could see the battle raging in his eyes. Finally, he inclined his head. “I’ll draw up a contract and we can make it official.”
She found it hard to believe he was going to put something like that into writing, but she said nothing as he typed the terms of their agreement into the computer. She could only hope he was as thorough when it came to looking for DelCour.

Once Sloan printed the contract, he came around the desk and held it out for her signature. She quickly read it and saw he had simply put their agreement into words. There was something about seeing it on paper that made her blush, and her hand trembled a bit as she signed her name. It wasn’t as if the contract would hold up in any council of law in the galaxy anyway. At least she didn’t think it would.

“So, what do we do first?” she asked, handing the signed contract back to him.

He set the contract on the desk then turned to give her a grin. “You.”

Cindra looked up at him in confusion. “Me?”

Taking her hand, he pulled her gently to her feet. She’d known the other bounty hunter was tall, but now that he was standing so close, she realized how tall he really was. The top of her head didn’t come to his chin. That made him at least six-four. Maybe six-five.

“I think it would only be fair for me to get a partial payment up front, don’t you?” he said softly.

Her pulse quickened as she realized what the bounty hunter meant. He wanted to have sex with her. Right now.

“Here?” she asked, looking around the office. Her pussy purred. The unique situation she found herself in was turning her on like crazy. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

Bladen released her hand to lightly run the tips of his fingers along her bare arm. The touch of his fingers gliding along her skin sent the most delicious shivers up and down her back. “Why not?”

His nearness made it difficult to think. Or speak, for that matter. Damn, he smelled good. Not like cologne either. Just pure, unadulterated masculinity.

“B-but anyone could walk in,” she stammered.

He reached behind him to press a button on his computer. A moment later, a lilting female voice confirmed that the doors had been locked and the office was now secure.

“Not anymore,” he told her.

Cindra chewed on her lower lip, trying to come up with some excuse she could use to avoid having sex with him right that minute, but for some reason nothing would come to mind. Maybe it was because she was flustered. She could never think when she was flustered. Then again, maybe it had nothing to with being off her game at all. Maybe it was because at that moment Bladen lowered his head to cover her mouth with his.

Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfLnViR3JI

Buy it at Ellora's Cave!
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9547-cindras-bounty-hunter.aspx

Happy Reading!

*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com
http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Starlander's Myth release date NOV 1!

2011-08-23T17:58:00.001-06:00

Very cool Artist link

Starlander Frontier: Starlander's Myth

Release date Nov1, 2011

WCP Torrid

Finished cover art form and am working on edits!

Spent some time googling steampunk art for inspiration.

SIx Sentence Sunday

2011-08-21T02:00:00.002-06:00

This week's entry is from Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice

The paw gently rolled her over as if she weighed nothing.

The white tiger with sky blue eyes stood over her, one paw still on her shoulder. Then the shape blurred, and a man crouched over her.

Jagger Kirillov.

“Don’t- Ever- Run- From- A-Tiger.” His voice was harsh.

You can find more Six Sentence Sunday entries at: http://sixsunday.com/

The buy link to Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice (not in a bundle) is on my sidebar.

Surgery Tomorrow

2011-08-17T16:55:00.000-06:00

A scope repair on my 'good' knee. Should make a BIG difference. I am ready for the change!

Have been plotting out another story in my SFR Universe. While I have down time I plan to get a story ready to submit and clean up a short for a contest. Then I'll play with new WIPs.

Busy Daze

2011-08-11T19:08:00.001-06:00

August is always such a busy month because of school starting. My oldest starts college and will be moving into the dorms next weekend! My twins will be seniors in HS, they recently got their driver's licenses, which is good considering the number of before and after school activities they are in.

I got a new diagnosis on my knee. Knee replacement isn't needed at this time(YAY!). Instead I will have scope surgery to repair a torn ligament and clean out floating stuff. Normal life, coming soon!

I'm working on two more novellas in my Starlander Frontier steampunk series. Right now I'm thinking a trilogy. Those are in the rough draft fun stage.

I am in final edits on Galactic Game, which is in the same universe as Urloon, but is a stand alone story and doesn't take place on Urloon. I do have beginning to a new Urloon story, but it is just one scene, the rest of the plot hasn't resolved yet.

I bought an Alphasmart Dana from ebay, very cheap. It seems to be in great shape and I had cords to fit it, since I never throw away a cord! I can use it at work on my lunch hour. The keyboard has a more normal feel than my old stiff Alphie, and it has two SD card slots for extra storage. Wifi and a touch screen, too. I think I will be more productive and no longer have to shut down for lightening. Am just not a paper/pen kinda gal.

THE WINNER

2011-08-08T06:28:00.001-06:00

Of my lighthouse necklace! Or ebooks if you are out of North America).

flchen1!

Sending email.

Aspen Mountain Press Anniversary Bash-- Contests!

2011-07-31T09:07:00.002-06:00

Enter to Win a Kindle!

MY OWN CONTEST!

I'm having my own drawing on Aug 8th so please comment to enter! I chose a lighthouse necklace for the Del Fantasma series, which takes place on a Southern California beach.

Victorian Sea Life Chic Glass Lighthouse Necklace

Long Antiqued Brass link chain

Antiqued Brass bezel with Glass Lighthouse Cameo

faux pearl dangle

Commentors outside north America-- I will substitute two e-books--one currently for sale and on backlist-- for necklace to avoid shipping charges.

AND THERE'S MORE!

Two of my AMP books have been bundled into an exclusive Del Fantasma M/F bundle along with two of author Selena Illyria's! This bundle is a great value and only available at http://aspenmountainpress.com

M/F Del Fantasma

Demonade Melisse Aires

Tiger Juice Melisse Aires

White Russian Selena Illyria

Choc Snake Bite -Selena Illyria

Total 13.99

20% 2.80

Bundle price—11.00

Del Fantasma M/F tales to keep your summer nights hot.

When Melisse Aires and Selena Illyria spin tales of hot magic in the Del Fantasma bar, the temperature heats up all over the world. Belly up to the bar with Demonade, Tiger Juice, White Russian and Chocolate Snake Bite from our fans' favorite line.
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/book-bundles/del-fantasma-mf-bundle/prod_439.html

Next Stop On The Tour:Aura Blog http://auraspecfic.blogspot.com/

Six Sentence Sunday: Demonade

2011-07-31T03:00:00.009-06:00

This week my six sentences are from Del Fantasma: Demonade, part of the multi-author Del Fantasma series from Aspen Mountain Press

“You agree to no kills?”

“Not a problem.”

Trudy knew he didn't mean gone from his bar, but something more permanent.

He could do it, too. Power exuded from him.

As sorry as her life generally was, she didn't want to lose it.

Check out more Six Sentence entries at: http://sixsunday.com/

Goals

2011-07-26T18:26:00.004-06:00

Since I've been a teacher of one kind or another all my adult life, I start thinking about yearly goals around this time of year. I can't break the school calendar habit!

Real life goals:

I will be having bilateral knee replacement surgery before the end of the year. I want to have normal mobility, be able to work full time, do normal activities around the home, go for walks, shop. Really not looking forward to surgery though. But some things just have to be done.

Oldest daughter starts college, twin daughters will be seniors in HS. So my mom job will involve lots of college stuff!

Hubby and I are playing with the idea of moving south when the girls are out of school, so we might be looking at a move, researching etc. We'll see. I'm not really comfortable with being far from the girls, but the Denver area might be workable.

Writing Goals

This is going to be a SFR (scifi romance) year for me. I'm getting a project ready to submit right now, and then I have two stories that are part of the two series I contracted this summer. I hope to have both of the new novellas submitted by Christmas. After the holidays I will start new projects, probably related to the series and submit at least one next spring. Then there are all the promo activities I need to schedule. I think those are reasonable goals at this point.

SIx Sentence Sunday ~ Her Accidental Angel

2011-07-24T03:00:00.005-06:00

I'm participating in Six Sentence Sunday

Here are six sentences from

Her Accidental Angel:

“The skeleton thing was real?”

“Yes, a famine demon. Very deadly. No one has summoned him in years. He would have killed you, you know. Many years ago, he was responsible for entire tribes dying of starvation.”

More Six Sentence participants can be found here:

http://www.sixsunday.com/

Currently Reading:

2011-07-17T18:09:00.000-06:00

I've been rereading old favs with a couple new books. For some reason I've been hankering to reread old favorites, which is great for the budget!

Contract! Starlander's Myth--steampunk/spacewestern

2011-07-15T19:31:00.005-06:00

Contracted a steampunk, space western romance novella to Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
(sensual heat level ) STARLANDER'S MYTH. This is the first of a series (a trilogy), Starlander Frontier.

Asteroid miner Jack Starlander stumbles upon the illegal sale of a woman and child with unusual abilities. In the ensuing shoot out, two important men die. Jack, Sophie and her daughter and Jack's close neighbors are forced to flee to safety. Their journey takes them into deadly danger. Sophie is a creature from myth and she recognizes the mythic thread in Starlander's family myth. Perhaps his family myth can save them.

Some pics from my file:

My heroine, Sophie(pic is 'Melanie' Days of Our Lives)

Jack Starlander, asteroid miner.

A gryphon.

My Hero Jack--a big, rangy red head. (pic is Prince Harry)

Deadly gas cloud

Sophie has a small daughterw/ringlets, Flora.(pic is Shirley Temple in The Little Princess.)

Neighbor ladies have an illegal life form child.

Guest Author Elaine Lowe!

2011-07-12T20:03:00.001-06:00

Please welcome Author Elaine Lowe!

Bio:

Elaine Lowe is a work-at-home mom in Silicon Valley California. Of her many part-time jobs, her favorite one by far is writing. She has a background in biotech, but she has branched out into the demanding world of home management, toddler entertainment, transcription, envelope stuffing, and of course, writing romantic and erotic fiction.

A love of history, magic and romance combines to inspire a lot of her writing. That and her wonderful husband, who is a fantastic sounding board, support system, and research consultant. He really enjoys research. And so does she.

Elaine is the author of 17 romance novels, including the award nominated Scandalous Profession, Don't Wait, and Command the Wind. From science fiction romance to paranormal, historical to contemporary, her writing covers a broad spectrum of styles and interests.

Visit her at www.elainelowenovels.com or on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/elainelowe

BLURB:

A casual wish by a frustratingly horny wife results in a most unexpected bit of magic… Susanna walks into her kitchen to see two copies of her husband of eight years, William. When they both seduce her, she’s helpless to resist. Who would want to? When another copy walks in and makes love to her, and another, she ceases to ask why, only, how much can she take?

Seven copies, one original, and all of them want to push her to the very brink. Can she handle them all? Sinful satisfaction is the best anniversary present, and eight is Susanna’s lucky number.

Excerpt is at: http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419934971.htm

Elaine Lowe - Love is the Ultimate Magic - www.elainelowenovels.com

I bought another cheap pda--even though I own a Kindle

2011-07-10T12:47:00.001-06:00

I just have this thing about carrying the Kindle around in my purse. The Kindle is for reading at home, on the couch! Plus half the time one of my daughters or my husband is reading it. We set categories up for each family member. The twins like it for games.

Oldest daughter is thinking of getting a Literari ereader for $50 from ebay--new. She is tech savvy so would have no problem with it, and she would like the back light.

I just bought a super cheap dell axim and set it up to read mobi, so I can haul it around to work. It has a backlight, too, so I read in bed.

My Kindle is just too precious, I guess!

I return to Urloon

2011-07-07T16:40:00.003-06:00

Urloon is a waterworld planet, quite remote. It was settled in the First Diaspora by Terran settlers and developed in isolation for a long time. The people of Urloon have adapted to life in the warm seas using dna adaption science. Now most children are born with gills and fins and off worlders can choose an adaption procedure to live in the domed cities in the sea.

Refugees on Urloon tells the story of a couple who are part of a Center Worlds military ship, stranded on far away Urloon. It will release in April 2012 from Lyrical Press.

My heroine in Refugees has a grown daughter, mentioned but never seen in the story. In my plans I wanted to tell her story as she leaves the high tech Center World planet and travels to Urloon, but I had not really started plotting--thought I would wait until fall or winter.

This weekend I took a bubble bath and semi drowsed instead of reading(my daughter had my Kindle, she is reading a ginormous fantasy series so I may not have it for awhile!) and the battery was out on my pda. So I snoozed--and up popped a great idea.

On Urloon there is a group of people called Wilders. They believe the Urloon should live on the land, outside of the domes, and are a little like survivalists/homesteaders in our present day. Very self sufficient. This group has its extreme fringe, a group of Wilders, Jakkon's Followers, who undergo an additional adaption procedure. The procedure mottles their skin in shades of blue and green, it gives them superior strength, and increases their diving depth and ability to stay in cold water. It also shortens their lifespan, generally to ten years following the procedure. Women who undergo the procedure have miscarriages or still births.

Martine had this additional procedure when she was nineteen. The following year she gave birth to a still born daughter, and soon after that her husband died. She moved to a remote northern island and lives simply as a weaver, trading goods each summer, avoiding the extreme Wilders and also her family in the domes. It has been eight years since she had the procedure. She feels different now and knows her life is coming to an end. She doesn't want to die alone, leaving her flock of dye producing hens called fuzzies to die, too

Lord Voltair of Tuma, of the Asha High Command, is done with war. After the battle of Adrazine, where his entire tier was destroyed, he resigns his commission, turns his estate over to a cousin, and manages to slip away from Asha as the Center Worlds military starts the process of taking over the planet. He follows a rumor that his wife gave birth to a son years ago on a space station, a hub for ships traveling through a jump stream. He finds his child, a small boy, living in an orphanage run by Star Women, a religious order that has spread through the galaxy. The kindly sisters insist he take another child with him, they have been like siblings.

He has a small ship, docked inside a larger jump ship, heading out to the rim worlds. He doesn't trust the crew and looks forward to getting to his destination. Toward the end of the journey, the ship they travel on joins several other ships, turns aggressive and is shot down and crashes in the sea of Urloon.

Martine rescues Voltair and his children from the sea. She can turn her northern island home, livestock and weaving business to the Stranger,if he will care for her through these next difficult months. Volt has nowhere else to go. The Asha are not welcome anywhere. This might be the best chance for his children.

Where I was then--memories of a book

2011-07-04T04:00:00.002-06:00

I am rereading an old favorite, Anne Stuart's Cinderman.

I remember the first time I read it. It came out in 1994 but I bought it used a year or so later. My twins were born in August of 1994, and soon after that we moved to Wichita from a tiny Kansas town. I was ready for the change--I was lonely, home all day alone with my older daughter, who was twenty two months when the twins arrived.

We moved(a horror I can't really remember--my memories of those first few months after the twins were born are sketchy) right into a neighborhood in the middle of town. I could walk my double stroller--twins together in the larger back seat, oldest in the front-- to Wal Mart or to an early morning yard sale in our neighborhood by the Arkansas River. I could get to a branch library just a few blocks away or to the big library downtown.

I loved to read, a lifelong bookworm from a family of bookworms. At that time, hubby and I were stuck in a strict fundamentalist church that frowned on romance novels and fiction in general, though mysteries were maybe ok... Movies were always okay. I never figured that out, but it was probably because High Mucky Muck Rev So-n-So liked movies. (Do I sound cynical?) Anyway, I tried to comply by reading mysteries, when what I really liked were romances--historicals, gothics, Harlequins. And the budget was tight, so I wasn't buying books.

Then I found a used book store, Book-a-Holic. What a delight! I decided to heck with the ban on romance books and bought dozens, which I read in the privacy of my own home and I never once was tempted to go cheat on my husband! Hundreds of romance novels later, I still haven't stepped out with a fancy man.

Cinderman was part of my freedom to read Romance Fiction decision.

Funny how this book stuck in my memory--I remembered the names of the characters. It was so different from other Harlequins, much closer to scifi. A few years ago I bought a bundle of Anne Stuart's older books as ebooks. I was delighted to have Cinderman in e!

Fourth of July And Possibilities

2011-07-02T08:59:00.001-06:00

I was thinking about how much life has changed in the past few years. Even five years ago I would spend at least one day of a long weekend at the lake so the girls could splash and swim. A few years before that they'd take those ugly Brats dolls with them and play with them in the sand while I read a book or typed on my old Alpha Smart.

This Fourth my twins, who will be seniors in high school, will spend two days in Cody, Wyoming, with the marching band. My oldest, who works at the library, has a few days off and will spend all her time with her boyfriend and other friends.

School starts in a month. My oldest will move into the dorms at Casper College, a very nice school right here in town--beautiful campus, too. She is thinking of an environmental science major, watershed management, which will require math. So I am glad she'll be at Casper College where they teach the basic classes well. You hear about the poor quality of college math classes all the time, taught by disinterested junior staff. How frustrating!

My twins will be busy with band, jazz band, classes and stagecraft. This year the high school is doing the musical Les Misérables, which is a really big deal for a high school. Rehearsals will start in October, and they will have two weekends of performances. All life stops for an ordinary musical, so I am preparing myself for Les Misérables! Twin A is playing in the pit, a pretty big honor for a highschool kid since most of the musicians will have to be adults( band teachers etc) from the community. Twin B might be in the pit or the stage manager. Decisions decisions! So many possibilities!

I love the wide range of possibilities my girls have for college majors! When I went to college most women were in teaching, nursing or medical related. My girls are considering majors like architecture or accounting degrees, math heavy stuff. I did not enter college with that level of math ability and am glad my daughters are competent in that area. I think their middle school math teacher was one of the best and that has helped them all through high school. My twins even like math and think it is easy(honors classes, too.) Exceptional math teachers like that should receive bonuses and honors!

What would I do if I didn't have my writing? I'm pretty obsessive so I'll spend the weekend typing and thinking about my writing, not so much missing the years when the 4th meant child centered fun, though those memories are special to me. I already have a list of what I want to accomplish this weekend--pre-edits on Urloon, finish a short story --Inhuman Resources--for a contest, and work on the ending of Galactic Game. My writing opens doors to all kinds of possibilities, I feel. I can make so many decisions and go in so many directions. Happily, Hubby is equally involved in his wood work, so he'll be in the shop. What a pair! We'll cook a yummy dinner for the Fourth with some type of red white and blue fruit thingy for dessert.

Her Accidental Angel Now On Amazon!

2011-06-26T09:42:00.003-06:00

Now on Kindle!

http://amzn.to/lvsjl8

Kari thinks a weight loss spell in an old book is worth a try. Unfortunately, while it does make her thin, the spell is a trick that unleashes a centuries old famine demon.

Fallen Guardian Angel Rahmiel once defeated the famine demon and was bound to it so he could fight it if it ever descended to the earth again. But there is the little problem of his imprisonment in ice. While the demons reappearance gets him back to Earth, what he needs to stay out of prison is a bonding ceremony with a human woman--like Kari.

Saturday Night, a quiet evening at home

2011-06-18T20:13:00.002-06:00

WHAT I'M READING:

I'm rereading the Amelia Peabody mysteries--haven't read the two most recent ones so will get on that!

A single mom romance.

Always good to try and learn something!

Contracted with Lyrical Press!

2011-06-10T15:10:00.000-06:00

My exotic water world SFR, Refugees on Urloon, has been contracted by Lyrical Press. I am excited to work with Lyrical and thrilled Urloon will make it out into the digital world. Now looking forward to a release time line and cover goodness!

Dream On...by Steven Tyler, Aerosmith

2011-06-08T21:52:00.004-06:00

This is an old song. It came out when I was in my teens. I wonder how many times I've heard it? I no longer own the album(or cassette or 8 track--I had a great 8 track player in the seventies.)

It's a ballad about dreams--paying your dues, learning . It moves along, mellow, thoughtful-

--and then it changes. Tyler drags it up an octave and suddenly the mellow dream on becomes intense, urgent. A desperate, hard rocking wail--this is important, take notice, get committed!

Because that is what it takes to see a dream come true. It won't happen with 'merrily we roll along...' Those of us who are writers, or artists--we know this. Others might think we are nuts for all the hours we put in, for what seems to be small reward. But we are seeing the future, the path, a vision.

I'm not a huge Aerosmith fan, I was more into Tom Petty, John Mellancamp and Fleetwood Mac back in the day. But this song is pretty much my favorite rock ballad. It was written by an artist, and performed by one. Nothing pisses me off more on American Idol than to hear someone sing it as a straight ballad, with out the octave higher intensity. I was on pins and needles during Steven Tyler's AI performance. I feared--he's old, he won't be able to do it. So relieved and thrilled when he sang it the way it should be sung. Thank you, Mr Tyler.

Every time that I look in the mirror,
All these lines on my face gettin' clearer
The past is gone,
It went by like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way,
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay
I know,
Nobody knows,
The way it comes and the way it goes
I know that everybody's sinned,
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life's in books' written pages,
Lived and learned from fools and from sages
You know it's true - all the feelings come back to you

Sing with me,
Sing for the year,
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Sing with me,
If just for today,
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord'll take you away

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord'll take you away

Dream on,
Dream on,
Dream on,
Dream on 'til your dream comes true
Dream on,
Dream on,
Dream on,
Dream on 'til your dream comes true

Dream on,,Dream on, Dream on, Dream on, Dream on, Dream on, Dream on

Sing with me,
Sing for the year,
Sing for the loved and sing for the tears
Sing with me,
If just for today,
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord'll take you away

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord'll take you away

Lovely Review--Her Accidental Angel!

2011-05-29T22:34:00.000-06:00

What an absolutely wonderful surprise this book was.

~ Wendy Mitchell

*link*

Reading today

2011-05-20T17:46:00.000-06:00

I had knee shots (yowch!) so am a little more tender than usual and also have a HUGE awful cold so stayed home from work today. Did some napping, some indoor ball playing (raining again in the desert), looked at my WIP, and read.

When it comes to category romances I often pick by setting. The Mountain West and swamps (even though I've never been to a swamp) are my fav. I also buy books with twins because I have the twins. My sister buys books set in Wyoming or Montana!

Latest ebook reads pictured here. Also have a hankering to reread some Susan Grant...

The Zombies are Coming!

2011-05-18T21:38:00.000-06:00

The Center for Disease Control Recommendations:

Taking a break

2011-05-15T10:12:00.000-06:00

I submitted two items in the past month and now I am going to spend some time reading and regrouping. Also spring cleaning!

I am reading a wide range of books in the next couple weeks--cozy mysteries, some hard scifi, category romances and a couple steampunk romances from Carina Press.

As far as writing, I need to finish editing Galactic Game, which follows the SFR I just submitted. And I'm still working on the rough draft of my high fantasy romance with not-quite-humans.

Notification concerning Cybot Awakened and Shadow Rescue

2011-05-08T11:14:00.000-06:00

I now have the rights back to Cybot Awakened and Shadow Rescue. They are down from most 3rd party sites. I will eventually be self publishing or republishing these novellas with a new publisher.

Del Fantasma: Demonade

2011-05-07T09:24:00.000-06:00

Now for sale on ARe!

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-delfantasmademonade-546426-139.html

Her Accidental Angel Drawing WINNER!

2011-05-01T20:13:00.000-06:00

Karen Michelle Nutt is the winner of the necklace and a free pdf download of Her Accidental Angel!

It's the Weekend!

2011-04-29T17:25:00.003-06:00

I actually like my day job, but right now with the state of my knees I'm really ready for the weekend by Friday. The weeks are longer now than they were back before the knees went to heck.

I plan to spend the weekend sitting on my couch, typing. I might do a tiny amount of housekeeping but nothing that keeps me on my feet for long.

We are having a spring sleet storm so the wood stove is burning. Two of my teens are with a school group in Colorado, the other kindly made me a pot of coffee and has no plans for the night that require the mom taxi. I'm already wearing my (so sexy!) navy sweats, long sleeved T shirt and baggy cardigan. My cute mop dog Baxter is sitting next to me on the couch--he likes to snuggle. We just finished a vigorous game of tug rope so now it's time for a rest. Supper is an easy fix--brats, sauerkraut, good rolls and chips.

Plus, I'm on schedule for an anthology I want to submit to. Hopefully I will make 1500 words minimum tonight. Things are looking good.

In other good news, my rights have been returned on two ebooks. I'll be getting those up on Smashwords and Amazon soon! And there is a new Dr. Who tomorrow!

How I read EBooks

2011-04-25T10:48:00.002-06:00

I love ebooks and read them almost exclusively. I'll even read an ebook that is free but waaaay out of my genre of choice before I'll consider a hardback from the library or a paperback.

This is a cheap tungsten pda ($40 on ebay). I have mobipocket loaded, it holds an sd card that can store hundreds of books. This is what I carry around in my purse--perfect for waiting in the car at night for a teenager to finish up a school activity because it has a backlight. Also has a car power cord so I can read without draining my power. I pop it into a ziplock for bath time reading--if it should drown it wouldn't be that tragic.

Next I have a little netbook. I use it for writing first drafts when I'm away from my Mac desktop. On the few occasions I've bought an e-magazine with pictures, this works the best--the pda is too small and the kindle is black and white.

Then there is the wunderbar Kindle with one click purchase power! If I want to relax in my living room with a book, this is what I pick--if I can wrest it from my husband who has about a dozen books loaded onto it. Because it was the most expensive and more delicate that the netbook or pda, it stays safely at home.

Dog Help Needed(Location Salina, KS)

2011-04-24T08:57:00.004-06:00

My sis in law passed away last week and my husband is next of kin. In addition to settling her estate--house, home upholstery business, vehicles etc, my sis in law has two dogs, a 12 year old Shepherd/retriever cross and a 10 yr old peke/pug/shi zu? Anyway, someone told her they would take her dogs but now has backed out. I think I will be driving the 10 hr. drive from my home in WY to Salina, KS, to get these dogs in a couple weeks. I already have a very territorial and spoiled Morkie dog and 4 cats(already over the city limit per #), and live in a small house. The orphan dogs are good dogs,.and we won't consider having them put to sleep or taken to the animal shelter. They are in good health and the little one may have many years left.

So--anyone near Kansas want some dogs? Know someone who wants some dogs? Know a rescue group?

And may I add: MAKE.A.WIL L.

Fantasy Romance

2011-04-16T08:48:00.001-06:00

My first sale was a fantasy romance, with a faun, a 'buntaur' (like a faun only bunny), a magic tree root home and hot lurve. I have a couple others started in the same 'world', a kind of Narnia/middle earth place. I'm thinking about getting one up for submission, though I have no idea if anyone would publish it OR buy it!

That fantasy romance is now a free read on Smashwords, or it can be purchased as a Kindle and other formats.

While I'm editing my SFR I like to switch off now and then to something different. My fantasy romance hero is another made-up-by-me creature. He is a wizardry student but his father demands he find a bride at a big bridal faire. Chaos ensues.

Guest Blogging today!

2011-04-11T14:35:00.001-06:00

I'm blogging today at fellow SFR writer A.R.Norris' Blog.

http://sci-fiadventures.blogspot.com/2011/04/melisse-aires-confessions-of.html

Come visit! If you comment, leave your email addy so I can put you in my Accidental Angel Drawing!

Finally. The end of Urloon is in sight!

2011-04-10T08:19:00.002-06:00

Refugees on Urloon, a scifi romance set on a waterworld planet.

It started as an 8k short but is now a 36k novella. I took time to make a detailed 'world bible' for Urloon and edited another story, Galactic Game, to set it in the same greater world.

I sent Urloon for beta reads, I rewrote the beginning. Then I rewrote the ending--not all of it but a good portion of it.

Now I just need to go over the new content and clean up little stuff, then it is off to my trusted-really-smart-scifi-rom beta reader. I'll rewrite the synopsis and cover letter and send for submission. Yay! Gulp!

Guest Blogging--and there is a chance to win BIG!

2011-04-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

http://wcguest.blogspot.com/2011/04/spring-is-bustin-out-all-over-melisse.html

A Drawing to Celebrate HER ACCIDENTAL ANGEL!

2011-04-03T20:00:00.001-06:00

Enter to Win a Victorian Angel Key necklace and a download of HER ACCIDENTAL ANGEL!

Winner will be chosen from those who post on my blog from Now until April 30th. Winner announced on May 1st!

Her Accidental Angel is for Sale!

2011-04-02T18:25:00.002-06:00

http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-releases/her-accidental-angel/prod_306.html

Follow Link to Excerpt and Sale Page!

Blurb

Kari thinks a weight loss spell is worth a try. Unfortunately, the spell is a trick that unleashes a centuries old famine demon.

Fallen Guardian Angel Rahmiel once defeated the demon and was bound so he could fight it if it ever descended to the earth again. But there is the little problem of his imprisonment in an ice prison. What he needs is a bonding ceremony with a human woman--like Kari.

I am inspired--Futuristic Folk Song

2011-03-27T15:20:00.001-06:00

Hubby and I trekked down to Denver to hear John Prine in concert. The concert was fabulous! John has a super guitarist/harmonica player, Jason Wilber and the opening act was a young lady mandolin player and singer, Sarah Jarosz. A lot of talent on that stage.

I was thinking about how songs can spark emotions in so many people. I still remember 'Four dead in Ohio' with that funeral dirge beat even though I was just a little girl at the time.

I was so inspired I wrote a Futuristic Folk Song(just the chorus) for an SFR story just getting plotted out:

Imagine futuristic mandolin accompaniment.

We're jumping off to a new sun where children can play

No longer have to stay inside, bunkered all day...bunkered all day

They say the war's over they say the war's done

Let's find a jumpship 'fore they start a new one...start a new one

Supermoon March 19th!

2011-03-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

NASA Supermoon

Isn't that cool? I will have to carve out some time to enjoy it.

A Chance to Win!

2011-03-15T20:54:00.000-06:00

I'm guest blogging over at Lizzie T. Leaf's blog about Her Accidental Angel. There will be a drawing from the comments for an E-book!

http://lizzietleaf.blogspot.com/2011/03/melisse-aires-brings-us-her-accidental.html

I Blame Heather Massey

2011-03-13T08:37:00.002-06:00

I got nothing done yesterday because I was reading her book!

Her hero Nick is a BLOND and I love blond heroes. Not to mention the rest of the book is full of sci fi action and hot love. I couldn't put it down.

Buy Link

Cyborg Melisse

2011-03-12T10:12:00.001-07:00

I may soon be joining the ranks of the cyborg. Sad, I know. I won't have super human powers, sigh. But I will be able to walk up a flight of stairs. Or get off the couch.

I see the doc soon to discuss options for my knees. The non-surgical options have not helped this time around, so now we will look at titanium parts.

If I do have knee replacement I plan to get a lot of writing done while sitting around with my icepacks.

Moms in Space

2011-03-05T18:32:00.002-07:00

Becoming a mother was a life changing experience for me. My life focus changed dramatically, far more than it did when I got married, or when I graduated from college or any other life passage. Life centered around the Child. Yes I have a budding writing career, yes I have a husband, yes I have a day job. Despite having all those other things in life, my children are still my focus. Other women I know well have this same reaction to motherhood. It seems common. I suspect it was just as common in 11 BC as it is in our time.

What about 4011? What will life be like for families, for children, for mothers? I doubt that a two year old will be any different in the distant future than a two year old is right now, or that child development will change any any significant way. I doubt children will potty train upon walking with no muss, fuss or accidents, or that adolescents with be mood-swing free. Culture, marriage and family structure might change--but a two year old will still need constant interaction and oversight. Children will still need years of care and will never be conveniently hidden away until the day they are mature adults.

I find the topic of child rearing in the future fascinating. In popular television we have glimpses of child rearing aboard the Enterprise. In classic scifi fiction, Robert Heinlein's Lazarus Long is part of a group marriage, where children are welcome and child care is shared. There are also planet pioneers with family structure similar to what we experience. Podkayne's life is disrupted by the early arrival of twins--though hers did not come from Mother's womb.

Although she is not actually scifi, Buffy is a good example of a kick ass heroine with parenting responsibilities She becomes responsible for the rearing of her younger sister Dawn after the death of their mother. Lucky for them both, Buffy was not a loner and developed a loyal group of Scoobies, who helped her fight the evils from the Hellmouth and also made pancakes for her sister Dawn. Even Spike the vampire did babysitting duty.

That is part of what I find fascinating about the topic of children in the future. It is hard to raise a child all alone, isolated. Western homesteaders developed schools and social events so their isolated families could be together. Children encourage community, people bonding together to make a safe environment for families.

In Refugees On Urloon, the SFR I'm currently getting ready to sub, my heroine Svana is an older woman, and a mother. Her daughter is grown and they are separated by a huge distance. As if life is not complicated enough planning a future on an isolated, strange world, Svana experiences an unplanned pregnancy. She now has far more to worry about.

While romances with children and babies do not appeal to every reader, they do have their readers. I think there is room in science fiction romance for romances that include mother, children, fathers and the chaos of family life.

HAVE COVER!

2011-03-04T16:26:00.002-07:00

RELEASE DATE APRIL 4

Kari thinks a weight loss spell is worth a try. Unfortunately, the spell is a trick that unleashes a centuries old famine demon.

New release from Romance Diva Tatiana Caldwell!

2011-02-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

NEW RELEASE: The Summoning by Tatiana Caldwell, from Liquid Silver Books.

Everything comes with a price …

Gailyn Bridges is a psychic who is ready to end her troublesome career as a private investigator. For the last time, she summons a powerful spirit to help her close a final case.

However, the mysterious entity who answers, Malak, is no ordinary spirit. He’s more than willing to help Gailyn save the would-be victim of a violent crime.

But who’s going to save Gailyn when Malak returns to collect payment for lending her his power?

Read a free excerpt and buy the book here.

Calm...

2011-02-27T09:28:00.001-07:00

Things are calming down at our house--the big musical finished this weekend so my teens are not busy every night of the week. The school semester ends next week so all the big projects will be over. The schools here have spring break but my oldest will be busy with work and with district and state debate meets. One twin has two college classes since it is not the college spring break and both twins need to make some progress on their 50 hours of supervised driving so they can take their driving test!

Deep Breaths!

Release Date Changed for her Accidental Angel~April 4th

2011-02-26T20:53:00.001-07:00

Release day is now April 4th. I have fingers crossed for a great cover, stay tuned! I did find a cool Celtic Angel pendant for a contest prize. More info coming on the contest when it gets closer to the release day.

There are eight angels. Thought you might enjoy this link on the symbolism of the number eight.

Number Eight

Busy Busy Busy

2011-02-22T18:39:00.001-07:00

Not me, so much. I'm actually trying to take it easy. But this is the final week of my three teen daughters' schedules from hell! One is flying this way, two are zooming thata way, then all three of them are shoveling Hot Pockets into their pie holes and I'm trying to remember if I pick one up at 8 or 9. Cell phones are so handy.

Still plugging along on my edits but I am making good progress, mostly on the weekends though. I'm on schedule to submit in March.

The Browncoats are Coming!

2011-02-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been over at the Sci fi Brigade has heard the news. Firefly is coming back to basic cable! Whoohoo!

Firefly News

Decided on a name for series

2011-02-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Diaspora World's Series.

Tada! Not that it means that much since this is all unpublished!

It was suggested by more than one commenter but I googled it to see if anyone else had used it. All the stories do take place in a different location, with ties to other places in the Diaspora world's systems. So far two are done, I'm waiting for them to get 'cold' so I can edit one more time with a fresh eye. I'm excited at the scope of stories I can write in this universe!

While these are resting and some going out to beta readers I'm working on a couple fantasy romance rough drafts for the change of pace and freshness. I also thought I would go through my paranormal WIPs to see if there is something I might like to pull up for the new Nocturne Craving line.

Need Free Reads?

2011-02-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

There's a blog for that!

http://trulymadlydeeplyromanceauthors.blogspot.com/

Some background on my still unnamed series.

2011-02-10T22:54:00.004-07:00

My series needs a name. Thinking: Chronicles of the Diaspora. Hmmm. Maybe not...

First Worlds ~
The original system, including Earth and the Krzsh worlds(lizard humanoids that can breed with humans.) Worn out, crowded, and, poor. Gema, the heroine from Galactic Game was born on a poor First World planet.

Hogtie~

First colony outside the First Worlds, connected by a jumpstream to First World endpoint. Alric, the hero in Galactic Game, comes from Hogtie. A mining center surrounded by cryst(fuel) rich asteroids. Gilded age type economy.

THE DIASPORA WORLDS~

The jumpstream to Hogtie opened up a number of close planetary systems, and the overcrowded First Worlds flooded the new worlds with colonists. All with similar flora and fauna, these new worlds have evidence that they were developed by the Seeders, a mysterious race of spacefarers that developed planets suitable for humans, of which Earth is one, in the distant past.

~*The Thirty Worlds Confederation~ Diaspora worlds that formed a Confederation. The Center World and political and cultural heart is Adrazine. They have been involved in civil war with Asha, a powerful militaristic planet, for thirty years. Captain Liam Ringel, hero of Refugees on Urloon is from Adrazine. Svana, heroine in same book, also is from Adrazine but originally came from a low tech agriculture world.

~*The Gen Worlds~ Three Confederation planets whose citizens are conceived and perfected in lab procedures. Non-lab generated humans cannot have citizenship on the Gen Worlds. Gema, heroine in Galactic Game, was stranded on the Gen World Toph as a child and eventually ended up in the Toph Women’s penitentiary. Alric, though from Hogtie, is a lab generated human.

~*Asha~ a powerful, militaristic high tech world. They do not want to give control of their jumpstream to the Rim worlds to the Confederation, as Confederation law demands. Also in dispute is the Asha use of lab gen technology to develop mechs-mechanized human soldiers with no will or personality.

The Rim Worlds ~ Not Confederation worlds. Sparsely populated. End point of a jumpstream from Asha is near El Tango.

~*Urloon~ Colonized by Terra before jumpstream technology. Isolated for centuries, it can now be reached by a jumpstream from Asha to the Rim worlds, then by fast ships, still a journey of several years. During the centuries of isolation, Urloon populations developed a water adaption dna procedure and surgical procedures so the people can live in the warm, hospitable Urloon seas.

The Pulse weapon, used by Adrazine to destroy the Asha armada at the battle of Adrazine, created a jumpstream which may not be stable, with endpoint near Urloon, through which the Adrazine communication vessel Toulous was thrown. The crew members are now Refugees on Urloon. Not determined if this was a Seeder world, evidence either way.

~*The future Gen World colonies~ Three Seeder planets claimed by the Gen Worlds. Gema and Alric are on one in Galactic Games.

~*El Tango~ was used as a prison planet long ago. It was a Seeder planet but had huge climate changes due to a large comet collision and is a harsh living environment. Lawless and dangerous.

~*Yonder~ Isolated, not a Seeder world but humans can live there. Confederation ships are forbidden from carrying any goods from Yonder for fear of alien flora and fauna contaminating Confederation Worlds. Krzsh-human crossbreed colonists have braved the strange planet.