As usual, Jinger Heaston has created another fun cover. And it is the basis of a CONTEST. Check out Phoebe's website for the entry information.



Order MUDFLAT TOY BOY from BookStrand (available Feb. 10)

Here's Claire's predictions for next week:
2/2 Monday - FEELING FRIENDLY? FEELING SMART? THIS IS THE WEEK FOR SOCIAL CONTACTS AND GOOD DECISIONS IF YOU’RE IN SYNCH WITH THE STARS. THERE IS STILL TIME TO START NEW PROJECTS. THIS COULD BE A LUCKY WEEK FOR MANY AND WOULDN’T THAT BE AN IMPROVEMENT!

Getting Over the Anxiety

I blogged about my experience at my most recent book signing.

Check it out here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=84070194&blogID=467497829

Catanetworks Award for 'A Secret Treasure'

I'm delighted to say that Ecataromance, the electronic publishing arm of Catanetworks, have given A Secret Treasure one of their Reviewers' Choice Awards for 2008. I'm really pleased with this, because A Secret Treasure is one of my quieter, sweeter stories. Details are here.

Wednesday's Words for January 28, 2009

If you are one who regularly reads my essays, you will know that I’ve always been up-front with my assertion that life is not fair. Generally speaking, I’m not one to decry the rather plentiful examples of this state, believing as I do that basic unfairness is as natural, even as necessary to life as is oxygen.

However, from time to time I encounter a situation that is more than unfair, it is unjust. One such example of injustice inspires these words today.

One of the first things I did, after having sold my first manuscript to Siren (now Siren-Bookstrand) Publishing was to join the Romance Writers of America. Nearly euphoric with that first taste of lifetime-dream-come-true, I felt on top of the world.

Until I discovered that the RWA, while happy to accept me as a member, and cash my cheque for membership dues, did not consider me a “published author”. Simply being published wasn’t good enough; I had to be published with what they considered a “recognized publisher”.

Not that much later, the RWA Board of Directors did address this seeming inequity by re-visiting their criteria for one to be considered for PAN (published author network) status. They took the emphasis off the publisher and placed it on the author, and PAN can be yours when you meet the financial threshold of dollars earned for a single title. In the mean time, those like myself, who are e-published but do not yet meet this criteria, have been given the designation of “PRO”.

So, too, has anyone who has simply finished a manuscript and pitched it once.

I can understand why, as an organization of professional career-minded individuals, they would want to maintain a minimum standard of qualification. While I don’t necessarily agree with their standard, I can and have accepted it. That’s not the injustice.

I have attended two “National Conferences” with this organization, and both times encountered individual members who looked at my status of being e-published in the same light Puritans two centuries back looked upon one bearing the scarlet letter.
I am far too reasonable and reasoning a human being to hold the national organization responsible for the ignorance of some of its members—although it might be argued that the membership takes its cue from their leaders. Regardless, I’ve met and dealt with prejudice before, and I had no problem shaking off the insults. That’s not the injustice, either.

This year has seen a change in the way the entries for the major awards for the RWA – The RITAS – are being qualified, and it is about this that I must speak up.

Last year, e-published and small press authors who had achieved PAN status, whose books could be had in print form, were able to enter this august competition. We won’t discuss whether or not any of them had any real chance of winning. We’ll just accept that they were considered as equals, because they could enter and be considered for the awards.

This year, they may not.

The RWA effectively closed the loop-hole that allowed the entry into the RITAS by these “e-pubs” by inserting into the criteria that the books that qualify for consideration be “mass produced”. The print books of e-published and small press authors are, as you may or may not know, ‘print on demand’.

So now, a member of the RWA who has achieved PAN through e-publishing or thru publication by a small press publisher may not enter the Golden Heart Competition, the other major competition open to unpublished members because they are published; and they may not enter the RITA competition because they are...e-published – or published with a small press.

If this organization wishes to continue to treat some of its members as “less than” the rest of its members, then I believe they need to give a huge discount on the membership fee. That, or come right out and create a segregated division for the e-pubbed authors. Of course, neither of those two things are going to happen. But I wonder if any of the principals involved in the ‘decision making’—and yes decisions are made by the principals and not the membership at large—I wonder if those principals have thought things through to their logical conclusion.

Because e-publishing is not going to go away. Technology never, ever back-tracks. If anything, e-publishing will flourish, as will small press publishers, the number of authors who are published in this way will abound, and any organization not savvy enough to change with the times and fully include these artists will eventually be considered redundant, and be left in the dust.

Love,
Morgan
THE LADY MAKES THREE – NOW AVAILABLE
from the Ménage Amour imprint from Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
http://www.bookstrand.com/product-theladymakesthree-13975-200.html

MUDFLAT TOY BOY scheduled for February 10

From the urban fantasy Mudflat series by Phoebe Matthews -

TARBABY TROUBLE, Mudflat bk 1

WELCOME TO MUDFLAT, BABY, Mudflat bk 2

AND NOW - ta dah!

MUDFLAT TOY BOY, Mudflat bk 3

               will be released February 10!

Another great Mudflat adventure and 

another great Jinger Heaston cover!  

And who is the guy on the cover?

Hint: No, he is not the toy boy.

If you can correctly identify him by name (the name of the character in the book), write to Phoebebks@aol.com.  The first correct answer gets a FREE ebook copy of MUDFLAT TOY BOY.

"YOU GOTTA READ REVIEWS" / "MUCHO CALIENTE!"

Hi!

I just got a fabulous new review from “YOU GOTTA READ REVIEWS”:

“Gemma Talbot is like every woman I know. From time to time she questions her judgment and her insecurities. She is forced to take a good hard look at herself and her passions when she meets Emilio, a dreamy Latino superstar. Emilio is tired of the superstar lifestyle and not knowing who cares about him just for himself or for his fame. When he meets Gemma, he finds passion and friendship in the quirky, sexy, passionate woman he comes to know.

Mucho Caliente is one of the most well written book that I have ever read. The reader is pulled into the story and you just can't help but laugh at most of the situations that come about in the book. The scene where Gemma is swimming to the boat has got to be one of my favorites. The description that went into Mucho Caliente was breathtaking. I felt like I was there with Gemma and her friends experiencing the surroundings and the actions that the characters took. At times, Francesca Prescott represented the reader so well that I felt she could have been writing about me.The passion and road to a relationship was steamy, sensual and downright funny. The characters were intoxicating, compelling and genuine.

Francesca Prescott has gone above and beyond what I expected this book to be. I was drawn in as a reader and could not put the book down. I would highly recommend this book to ANY reader. If you enjoy humorous, sensual, informative, well written books, this is the book for you. I urge you to pick up this book, you will not be disappointed. Because of Mucho Caliente, Ms. Prescott has just found herself a lifetime fan. I am honored to give this book a YOU GOTTA READ rating as it is just simply amazing!”

Rating: YOU GOTTA READ (top rating)

Reviewer: Val

http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2009/01/review-mucho-caliente-by-francesca.html

Muchas gracias, Val! It's wonderful to hear you enjoyed it so much!

xx Francesca

Angelic Forecast ~ XXI

My head whirls, a tornadic and chaotic spin from all the stuff of my day. Indeed, any feeling of spirituality has long flown out some invisible door, and disappeared. For now. All day, the internet has been a hellacious trial. Like standing in a line at Wal-Mart with ten people ahead of you, and all of you with carts filled up the brink. Thank goodness, that type shopping experience has lessened to nearly zilch recently.
I blink and think about the Heavenly One. Will he arrive, despite my hell-rendous emotions?
“I am here, beloved one.” I hear his calming voice, see his jovial gleam of eye and smile in my mind...before I see him.
I turn. He floats, partially transparent, then lands and materializes fully.
“The Chinese Year of Earth Ox.” I say...why not in my mood? “What do you think? O Wise Cherub?”
Extending his hand, he opens his palm. A tiny black ox with dangerous-looking horns leaps into the air. Little wings form and the ox struggles to fly, his legs flailing, his neck straining. Bending over, the Cherub blows out a mist which rapidly transforms into a baby cloud. Sailing beneath the desperate-to-soar ox, the cloud begins lifting the ox upwards in a peaceful easy motion.
“Wow.” It’s all I can say as I watch the ox ascend, then gently vanish.
“Ride on the stuff of your dreams this year,” the Cherub says mystically.
“What does that mean?... Build on your dreams with the strength and stability of an ox?”
“Close...beautifully close.” He nods, his gaze beatific. “This is the time to use the cherished dreams of your heart as the focus of each step you take in your life, of each decision you make in building toward a new and sacred stability. This is a new world, vibrationally. Although, it cannot be seen by most. For the old still hides the new potential available to everyone who seeks, and opens the palm of their being to accept it.”
“Perseverance? Steady steps toward your goal?” I ask.
He nods. “Use the power of your knowledge and intuition to move through any obstacle in the steady pursuit of building your dreams.”

For the following week be very aware of anyone who enters your life, especially those who unexpectedly arrive. What they bring could be the answer to your most pressing needs ...or... the exact opposite, bringing exactly what you do not want, and should refuse. The word, no, could be your most valuable word this week. Or, the word, yes, could be your most valuable ally. It is for you to walk carefully and listen with your intellect and your intuition before making any important decision...or, before accepting what someone offers you. Also, a fun opportunity should come your way. Take advantage, despite what else plays out in your life.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Valentine’s Day, will it still be around in 2013 ~

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~
Is a stranger on a superspeed motorcycle her savior from the brutal endtimes?

Blurb: Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 – The end of the Mayan Calendar
What happens when a world weary, worn out incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human has three choices after her old van breaks down? ...more

Author Discovery by Lindsay Townsend, BookStrand author of FLAVIA’S SECRET and A SECRET TREASURE ~
http://sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com/2008/08/author-discovery-savanna-kougars-when.html ~

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS ~ adventure fantasy erotic romance ~ available from BookStrand ~
http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/savannakougar/wagaf.asp ~ http://www.bookstrand.com/ ~

Kiss from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~ http://savannakougar.com ~
~~~~~~

4 Sistah Hugs for Beneath the Surface!

“In Beneath the Surface, McKeever created a passionate love story riddled with themes of redemption, forgiveness, and acceptance. With her signature touch of paranormal, characters lightly touch other world elements but maintain normalcy, an effective touch. Moving, with highly-charged, delicious sex scenes, Beneath the Surface will no doubt scratch your erotic itch . . .at least until you can fully medicate. A definite four sistah hugs for a delectable weekend read.” 4 Sistah Hugs --- Sistah Tasha. SistahFriend Book Club. To read the complete review, visit here: http://sistahfriendbookclub.blogspot.com/2009/01/beneath-surface-by-gracie-c-mckeever.html

To read excerpts and/or to purchase, visit: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/graciecmckeever/bts.asp

New G-Spot!

I’ve just sent out the latest issue of my newsletter, The G-Spot.

Highlights this issue:

-- Upcoming Author Appearances
-- What I’m Reading/Recommended Reads
-- New Reviews (Excerpts)
-- This Issue’s Novel Excerpt: REDEMPTION by E. JAMIE
-- This Issue’s Author Spotlight: EROTIC ROMANCE AUTHOR E. JAMIE
-- This Issue's Newsletter Contest—SUBSCRIBERS ONLY!
And more!

To check out the current and past issues or to subscribe, visit: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewnewsletter.asp?AuthorID=623

There'll be a party going on and you're invited!

I'd like to invite you all to attend my release party on Monday January 26th, beginning at 1 p.m at the Siren-Bookstrand readers loop.

I'm celebrating the release of my first menage [m/m/f with m/m] The Lady
Makes Three.

This novel is so hot I'm going to have a fire extinguisher on hand for
the excerpts. Plus, I am offering prizes - 1 free down load copy of The
Lady Makes Three, and a $10 gift certificate to your choice of Amazon or
Barnes & Noble.

So please join me on Monday afternoon!

Here's the address:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SirenBookstrand/

The Stunning Allure of one vampire!

The story of a vampire so beguiling that a woman is willing to submit to the allure of his dark world and become a being known as...Lady Evil!

Coming January 27th!

From out of his world of decadence, wicked pleasures and hellish desires, steps Nicollo Javonte, the famed Prince of Blood, and a woman whose venomous tongue takes her all the way to twenty-first century stardom!


Lady Evil

A Vampire Story

By
Audrey Godwin

BookStrand

EROTIC Romance Fantasy Vampires/Werewolves

Price: $4.50Available for
PreOrder


Brief Synopsis

Spoiled and rich, Kissa Deonte longs to feel a real man burning deep inside her, but her sluttish appetite for dirty sex goes unsatisfied until she sees Nicollo Javonte working in his father's field. His broad back is tanned from the sun, his muscles ripple along his large arms, and the obscene bulge she sees beneath his hip girdle has her reaching for her fan. She suddenly craves the taste of dirt in her mouth and orders him to her palace suite where she uses him sexually.

This begins a sizzling affair that results in Nicollo being caught and accused of rape. When Kissa refuses to help him, he faces death. The palace sorceress comes to his rescue and instead of death, she casts a spell on him that provides only one escape—he must travel far and wide to find his true love who will be identified by a scarlet ribbon in her hair. The next morning he wakes up on the front stoop of his father’s house wearing a magic Shen ring—and a vampire’s curse!

Now facing the world with a mad desire for blood, he goes from woman to woman, at last finding the scarlet ribbon in the hair of a royal snob with a venomous tongue. Nicollo refuses to believe this witch is his true love, and makes her his victim. Shortly after, he is forced to flee to twenty-first century New York, not aware that she is there as well. One night he finds her doing a heavy metal act under the name of Lady Evil, the name he gave her when he pressed his sizzling insignia into her breast. He also learns that her tongue, so easily cutting him down in the past, today has ushered her into stardom. As he watches her act of fiery domination, he knows she is the one, and in order for the curse to be broken he must approach her to tell her the truth, and carry her once again into the darkness. But something is wrong. He learns that she has no memory of him, or their past life together!

Read the brief excerpt below, and then read two more SIZZLING EXCERPTS ONLY ONE CLICK AWAY!

Excerpt

The trembling grip of an icy hand, the smell of dying blood, the heat and dirt of a far country, a fierce struggle to live—all these things told her that the curse was still upon him.

But why? she asked herself. If he had found his true love, why does the curse continue to hold him in its tight grip? While pondering the question, she glanced toward the stage where Surrenda was performing.

Yes, she was the one.

The two seemed to go together. A sweet burning filled her lungs. She knew the feeling, it was jealousy. She sensed their love was deep, and real, something she’d never had.

She turned back to Nicollo, her piercing gaze raking over him in brazen appraisal. She saw a man sturdily built. A handsome rogue with a look of danger. Being cloaked in mystery, he had the undeniable likeness of a romantic horror hero.

He walked in shadows, and his voice was a seductive whisper. His quiet beauty was mesmerizing as evil was mesmerizing. He appeared untouchable, aloof, that of a dream-like being. His clothes were elegant, his eyes dark and blazing, as if an electrical storm raged within their depth. His lips were lush, unusually full and had a pale cherry hue. His hair was long, and dragged along his shoulders, his sideburns stretched down beyond his lobes and curved into an evil point.

As with all vampires, he was a sexual creature, his sexuality being obsessive. He favored young virgins, but since he had found the woman he wanted, he would likely wear her out with his attentions.

Six Things That Make Me Happy

OK, so Lindsay Townsend just tagged me over at Happily Ever After Authors. I don't have my own blog, so I guess you all get to see what makes me happy

The rules are simple; Link to the person who has tagged you. Write down six things that make you happy. Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it. Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

Six Things That Make Me Happy...
1. Any day I don't have to wear hose

2. An unexpected compliment

3. Getting my hair just right

4. A warm arm around my shoulder

5. Extra chocolate syrup

6. Spooning under the covers on a snowy evening

AND

7. Not quite following the rules

Now I'm going to tag:

Kasey at Kasey’ View

Cheryl Koch at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Carolyn Jourdan

Rebecca Sinclair

Alexandra Everist

Destiny Booze

Lee

Lee Silver
"Romance with a Twist"
THE TWIST, BookStrand #1 Bestseller
www.LeeSilver.org

New Yahoo Promotion Group

Brand New yahoo group. Looks promising, also have blog spot. Will feature everything from sweet to erotic. Go join,

Well we are actively seeking more reviews since we're brand new...and we're seeking people to book our chat days at the MOW loop. No one has done that thus far and our members are few over there http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOW_Reviews/ So definately we're looking for authors for that. Spotlights are done via the loop front page, where the author submit their cover and we post the cover for a week to show it off. We don't have the man power really to do major spotlight yet. I am searching for someone to do that right now. We're still building.

From Moon Over Waters Moderator

Keta Diablo

Two Reader Reviews For Dust and Moonlight

I was pleasantly surprised to find two reader reviews on Goodreads today. It's always nice to hear what anonymous readers think about your book.

Tamela (from Goodreads) rated Dust and Moonlight 4 STARS, 01/20/09

Recommended for anyone who loves a fantastic tale of romance and magic. I have always enjoyed a good tale and Keta sweeps the boards with Dust and Moonlight. The story has everything---sorcerers,wizards and time travel, just enough of the fairytale essence to capture your attention from page 1 and hold you spell bound until the very end.

Her characters are warm, enchanting and believable. The witty and believable banter Keta employs between the characters places the reader right into the midsts of the novel. The vivid imagery makes every moment more and more vibrant and I felt as if I had been transported into a time that was magical.

My kudos to Keta Diablo for her brilliant work of art!

* * *

Leslie from Goodreads gives Dust and Moonlight 5 Stars

Leslie aka hugbandit7 said: "This is a book that combines time travel, romance and mythical lands all in one story. I have always enjoyed time travel but this was a twist where it wasn't to a time or place that we recognize (past or future) but more of an alternate world.

Kira is caught up in tracking down criminals in our world and is suddenly transported to an alternate world where her father was originally from before being transported to this world.

There is the usual twists as in a romance - boy and girl meet, fall in love after denying their feelings for one another, or at least Kira for Balion. This is definitely an e-book worth checking out. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks, Tamela and Leslie -- you made my day!
Keta Diablo
www.ketadiablo.com

Author or writer?

This subject has been on my mind a fair amount lately, well at least ever since I gave my notice at the bookstore where I work. The reason I quit a job where I have been a faithful employee for over ten years is because I have too much on my plate and its not what I wanted to "be" when I grew up (still working on that one). At first I was feeling bad about "not having a job" but then my sweet husband said, "what? You're just changing careers. You're a writer".

I thought, yeah, I'm a writer. I write. It seems silly but it was profound.
Then I started thinking again, (in a style similar to Winnie-The-Pooh), am I a writer? I write, yes, but I'm published. Specifically I write books, romance, erotica, young adult, Sci fi, paranormal, and everything in between. So when someone asks me what I do for a living, do I say I'm an author? A writer who publishes in a newspaper or magazine is a journalist. A writer who creates poems is a poet. My friend who keeps a journal under her bed writes, but she doesn't classify herself as a writer. She does it more to exercise her demons.

Perhaps "writer" is a more modest term for the job title. I'm not sure, but somehow introducing myself as an author seems more difficult.


I don't believe the title really matters. The distinction isn't really important, but it does say a lot without using a lot of words.
Author.

I like it, but I think I'll stick with writer.

Wednesday's Words for January 21, 2009

I’m a simple woman, and while I hate shopping, I love a bargain. The responsibility for this trait I lay at the feet of my parents. Frugal by nature and by necessity, they taught me how to balance need against want, and how to make a dollar stretch.

My father had a rule of thumb for any decision he might make with regard to spending money. He worked on the assembly line for Studebaker-Packard, and according to my mother, hated it. So if there was something he thought he’d want to buy, he’d calculate how many hours of his labor was needed to pay for the item. Then he’d ask himself one simple question: is that item worth that many hours on the line?

We lived out in the country, and my parents had chickens, and at one point, a pig. They had a vegetable garden, and were not above using every advantage at their finger-tips for feeding their family.

In the early summer, for example, the fields of peas that had been planted by local farmers were ready to be harvested, and trucks would come to carry the produce away into the city to be processed. My father always kept an eye out for the harvest, and when he knew those trucks would be moving, he’d send my sister and I (I would have been five or six, and she eleven or twelve) down the road, each of us carrying a big, empty bushel basket. Often, big strands of vines would fall off the trucks, and of course these vines held lots of pea-pods. But the real bounty always came from the soft hearts of the drivers who, upon seeing two sweet little girls so engaged, would stop their trucks and fill our baskets for us.

My mother taught me how to shop smart when it came to groceries, and how to do amazing things with left-overs.

I’ve carried all these lessons with me, to varying degrees of success. Once, when my oldest was just thirteen, we were driving down our country road behind a truck loaded to the top with cabbages. The truck hit a small bump, and one cabbage fell off, onto the soft grass at the side of the road. I slowed then stopped the car and said to my son, “Jump out and grab that cabbage.” He looked at me with horror-filled eyes and said, “Are you kidding? Someone might see me!” His response did surprise me as this was the same young man who, not that many years before when my beloved was out of work, would accompany me to the grounds of the local car race track in the wee hours of the morning to collect discarded beer and soda bottles that we then turned into bread and milk and other essential groceries.

I wound up getting the cabbage myself that day while my son ducked down so no one could see him.

These days I leave the empty beer bottles and fallen cabbages to those less fortunate, but I still love a bargain. So when I stop at the small grocery store in a village I pass through on my way to get my beloved from work, I always look at their meat counter. Sometimes they have amazing deals: fifty percent off stickers on meat that is reaching its best before date (note: best before means ‘best before’ and not ‘rotten after’). One day last week they had an amazing item not even marked down: an entire leg of pork for under twenty-five dollars.

No question, I grabbed it. Standing in line at the check-out, the gentleman behind me looked at this massive piece of meat, then looked at me. “Wow,” he said, “you must have a lot of people to feed.” You’ll be proud of me. For the most part, I left the sarcasm out of my voice when I replied, “Actually, I think I’ll cut it up and freeze it.”

The surgery was easier said than done. I wish I’d been older when my parents had carved their own roasts, as I know they did. Thank goodness my beloved assisted me, and I’m pleased to report that in the end we ended up with seven roasts and two lots of smaller pieces for stew.

Life is not so bad when you can feed a family of four for under five dollars for the entire meal.

Love,
Morgan
The Lady Makes Three
Available January 26 2008
Pre-order today: http://www.bookstrand.com/product-theladymakesthree-13975-200.html

Comdey Show - Booksigning 1/29/09!

R&B Entertainment Presents Comedy Explosion.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Hosted by: Rob Stapleton
Performance by: Jon Laster
Special invited comedian from HBO Comedy, Comic View and Comedy Central!!!

Free Buffet
21 & Over, ID is a must
Dress Code: Casual

Gracie C. McKeever - Cross-Genre Erotic Romance On The Edge
Ms. McKeever will be selling/signing several of her Siren book titles from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.

Doors Open 6:00pm
Showtime 8:00pm

Tickets: $15 (more at the door).

After Party by DJ Masai
At the cozy and spacious DUGOUT
880-D 161st Street River Avenue, Bronx, New York

For Ticket Info:

Ralph 646-359-1423
Steven 646-351-2166
Julius 646-269-5008
Ron 718-938-9282
Denise 917-330-5827
James 914-275-2798
Richie 646-644-0385
John (JC) 917-385-1252
Loveless 917-684-7037

Blog Talk Radio Show - 1/25/09!

I have a radio interview scheduled for Sunday, January 25, 2009, 6-7pm, EST at Blog Talk Radio.

For more information and/or the call-in number visit here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheRisqueCafe/2009/01/25/Hot-Coffee

Hope to “see” some of you there!

New Book Trailer for Zara's Bois!

Just One Night review

Just One Night has received 3 Moons in a review from MoonDanceReview.

'Just One Night is a sensual delight. The pages just sizzle!'

To read the complete 3 Moon review:

www.myspace.com/moondance_reviews

or www.debsbook.wordpress.com

Available through Siren Publications.

Angelic Forecast ~ XX

The sun’s blinding light pours through my window, as if Sol can bring light to our dimming world. Soon sunset arrives, blazing the most splendid colors high above the panoramic curving horizon. Flames and shades of pink and tangerine streak parallel to each other, in a display of beauty that transfixes the soul.
“I’ve never seen Sol this enormous and brilliant,” I say to the Heavenly One. He has appeared beside me, holding an object in one hand.
“Yes, it is one part of the Divine Design,” he tells me, then asks, “Why the heavy heart?”
“I wish I could help people.” I face him, gazing into the radiance that is his countenance. His eyes glow, a dazzling purple from on high. “I mean, I wish I could really help all the good people who are suffering for no good reason.”
He nods. “Like Robin Hood of ye olde merry days?”
“Yeah, like that. Only on a much grander scale.”
“You will. Only you won’t know you are.”
“Great. What fun is that?” I quirk a brow. “Besides, aren’t all of us doing that by living our lives the best we can?”
He nods, his smile adding joy to his luminous expression. “A gift from Sol.” The cherub holds up a strange beautiful disc. Deep burnished gold on one side, the other side is an amazing bronze, glinting with rainbows.
“Thank you,” I reverently say, although I have no idea what this gift means.
“Later, I will explain.” After a teasing smile, he vanishes, as bright as the sun.

The following week brings the opportunity for celebration and gaiety. Wherever there is happiness join in, and share in the good news. Smiles mean everything this week. Smiles for any and every reason ~ smiles for those you love ~ smiles for those you pass on the street, or as you go about your daily routine. It may be that you and your family/friends want to sit back and enjoy a movie comedy. A good laugh is what is needed now, for us all. Plus, a good laugh will reveal how to follow your dreams.

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valentine’s Day, will it still be around in 2013 ~

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~
Is a stranger on a superspeed motorcycle her savior from the brutal endtimes?

Blurb: Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 – The end of the Mayan Calendar
What happens when a world weary, worn out incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human has three choices after her old van breaks down? ...more

Author Discovery by Lindsay Townsend, BookStrand author of FLAVIA’S SECRET and A SECRET TREASURE ~
http://sirenbookstrand.blogspot.com/2008/08/author-discovery-savanna-kougars-when.html ~

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS ~ adventure fantasy erotic romance ~ available from BookStrand ~
http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/savannakougar/wagaf.asp ~ http://www.bookstrand.com/ ~

Kiss from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~ http://savannakougar.com ~

You only have 8 days to get that fire extinguisher!

Because in 8 days you're going to catch fire...



with hottest ménage of the year!

Colorado ranch owner Maddy Dalton knows all about being in charge. For the last ten years every decision, every burden has rested squarely on her shoulders. Sure, she's lonely, and longs to love and be loved, but she doesn't see how she can take on a man without losing control of her ranch or her life.
Lucas Calhoun has been the foreman of the Rocking D for nearly half his life, and he's had a soft spot for Maddy for nearly just as long. But he's harboring a secret: images of sexy, rugged men turn him on, too. How can he make a move on Maddy when he doesn't feel free to commit to her all the way?
Comfortable with his bi-sexuality, cowboy Chase Reynolds wants a home, but there's a catch. His ideal scenario features a wife…and a husband. Recognizing the suppressed longing in both Maddy and Lucas, Chase decides that bold action is needed. But it's not without risk. Having loved and lost badly in the past, Chase is leery losing his heart.
Can these three people learn to find themselves, trust their hearts, and make a family? And can they survive the danger that threatens them all?

PRE-ORDERING NOW AVAILABLE!

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-theladymakesthree-13975-200.html

No one can escape the Allure of the Vampire!

A darkness so beguiling that a woman is willing to submit to The Allure of the Vampire!

She learns quickly that there are no good vampires unless of course you mean...sexually!

Coming January 27th!

From out of his world of decadence, wicked pleasures and hellish desires, steps Nicollo Javonte, the famed Prince of Blood, and a woman whose venomous tongue takes her all the way to twenty-first century stardom!

Lady Evil

A Vampire Story

By
Audrey Godwin

BookStrand

EROTIC Romance Fantasy Vampires/Werewolves

Price: $4.50

Available NOW for
Pre Order


Brief Synopsis

Spoiled and rich, Kissa Deonte longs to feel a real man burning inside her, but her sluttish appetite for dirty sex goes unsatisfied until she sees Nicollo Javonte working in his father's field. His broad back is tanned from the sun, his muscles ripple along his large arms, and the obscene bulge she sees beneath his hip girdle has her reaching for her fan. She suddenly craves the taste of dirt in her mouth and orders him to her palace suite where she uses him sexually.

This begins a sizzling affair that results in Nicollo being caught and accused of rape. When Kissa refuses to help him, he faces death. The palace sorceress comes to his rescue and instead of death, she casts a spell on him that provides only one escape—he must travel far and wide to find his true love who will be identified by a scarlet ribbon in her hair. The next morning he wakes up on the front stoop of his father’s house wearing a magic Shen ring—and a vampire’s curse!

Now facing the world with a mad desire for blood, he goes from woman to woman, at last finding the scarlet ribbon in the hair of a woman with a venomous tongue. Nicollo refuses to believe this witch is his true love, and makes her his victim. Shortly after, he flees to twenty-first century New York, not aware that she is there as well. One night he finds her doing a heavy metal act under the name of Lady Evil, the name he gave her when he pressed his sizzling insignia into her breast. He also learns that her tongue, so easily cutting him down in the past, today has ushered her into stardom. As he watches her act of fiery domination, he knows in order for the curse to be broken he must approach her to tell her the truth of the curse, and carry her once again into the darkness. But something is wrong. He learns that she has no memory of him, or their past life together!


SIZZLING EXCERPT COMING SOON!

Have you felt "the Bight?" *G*

Ah, yes, corny, I know. *LOL* I think some people assume I can't spell when I tell them my book title. *LOL* "Love at First Bight" is actually both a sort of pun on the plot (you'll just have to read it, if I tell you it'll be a spoiler!) and on the name of the vessel -- the Tamora Bight.

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-loveatfirstbight-14302-200.html

[Menage Amour 34: Futuristic Menage a Quatre Romance, M/M/M/F with various combination of M/M, M/F, M/M/F, M/M/M, monogamous polyamory]

Dr. Emilia Hypatia is recently-graduated and looking for adventure. She's an Alpha-ranked healer, has a degree in psychology, and empath training. Fresh out of a bad relationship with a cheating ex, her five-year assignment to the Deep Space Mission Corps vessel, Tamora Bight, seems ideal. Especially when she meets the three handsome crewmen she'll spend her time caring for--in more ways than one.

First Officer Caphis Bates is playful and rowdy. Mate Ford Caliban is her intellectual and emotional partner. But it's Captain Aaron Lucio who is an enigma; passionate, with a deeply wounded and carefully guarded soul.

While sharing their communal bed is a scorchingly sensual experience, Emi soon learns the three men suffer a shared grief, their "crew story." She patiently works to unlock their secret past, but space exploration is cold--and cruel. Will time run out for all of them before she can heal their hearts?

---

Also, for those of you who are into solving puzzles, the four main characters' names all have something in common (excluding the heorine's last name). I have the answer on my website at: http://www.tymberdalton.com if you give up. *G*

Lesli. (aka Tymber Dalton)
http://www.tymberdalton.com
http://www.leslirichardson.com

A FIVE ANGEL REVIEW, for Love and Seduction

My Book Love and Seduction has received several favorable to glowing reviews. Here is a five star review from Falling Angels:

Love and Seduction in Las Vegas

Loretta Bishop hasn�t had a good life. Falling in love with someone who didn�t return her love, only landed her pregnant. Putting the baby up for adoption, she earned her living working as a whore; a benefit that taught her how to please a man sexually. She was not afraid of any sexual inhibitors. Bobby�s wife, Mary, left him, for his boss, leaving his ego a bit deflated. His good friend, Gary, enlist his girlfriend, Loretta, to teach Bobby some moves he can put to good use. Bobby finds Loretta nice-looking, even though she is a number of years older. He is surprised when she offers her services of lovemaking to him to help get over his hurt. She certainly is good at her trade. Loretta finds Bobby quite handsome and can�t believe any wife would leave him. Everything is great until Bobby learns about her past. He cannot believe she is nothing but a common whore, sleeping with men, and women. Hurt by Bobby�s choice of words, Loretta stops the car, leaving him stranded on the Maryland Parkway. When Bobby is able to catch a ride, the young lady is more than willing to allow Bobby to show her a good time. Loretta can�t forget Bobby. No matter how much Gary cares for her, she loves Bobby. When Mary returns to Bobby, pleading to come home, he can�t release his thoughts on Loretta. He must make a crucial choice about his career and the women in his life, especially when secrets are unraveled.

I am always amazed every time I read a book by Dee Dawning. Just when you think the next one can�t get any better, he pens a read that out tops the last. Love and Seduction in Las Vegas is more than just frolicking between the sheets. It is a story of understanding, love, and learning to accept the other, no matter what their past. The character of Loretta is convincing because there are many women caught up in the same dilemma with no where to turn. Sometimes turning to another is the only way they can find the true meaning of love and self. Yet they often pay the price by getting a bad rap. I thought it was commendable the way she shows her vulnerable side. I can understand how Bobby could react when he found out about her past. He had just been jilted by one woman, and deep down, he, too, still has a human side. The stories are believable. The sex is hotter than any sizzling skillet sitting on a hot stove. This read really leaves an impression.

Reviewed by: Linda L.

Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket

Price: $3.99

Add to my wishlist

For those of you who like trailers, here's a good one:

Love and Seduction in Las Vegas

Excerpt DUST AND MOONLIGHT

Setup: Poor Kira. She no longer resides in Providence, but realizes she’s been transported to an alien, strange world where a decadent warrior rules.

Dust and Moonlight–Keta Diablo (http://www.ketadiablo.com)

Excerpt:

The door creaked open and in walked a tall, finely-honed body. At first glance, Kira thought surely Lucifer had crafted some sort of sick joke. The man’s muscles were tightly woven, his shoulders broad, his hips narrow. The breath left her body in one enormous rush. Still clutching the weapon before her, she aimed it at his chest, intent on delivering an arrow into his heart. In that inconvenient moment, the dream came to her. A man with golden hair and eyes the color of blue gems stood at the edge of the forest. His voice hummed through the trees, low and mesmerizing. “Eros will make you burn with love for me.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re not The Scarlet Angel.”

With an amused smirk, he replied, “And I see ye are no longer ill.”

He watched her with interest, the intense eyes licking their way over her breasts and hips, settling for a moment in the cleft between her thighs. Long moments later his gaze returned to her face, and moved slowly to the weapon.

“If ye intend to kill me,” he said arrogantly, “put one leg in front for balance, hold the crossbow level with ye’re chest, and pull back on the notch.” He looked over his nose and took a step forward. “The small bronze nubbin by ye’re thumb.”

“Don’t come any closer!” she said blowing an errant lock of hair from her forehead. “I swear I’ll shoot you!”

His hands came down, palms up and he smiled, a wicked, wicked smile. With every passing moment, she found it difficult to concentrate. He could be an actor in a play, but why didn’t he just say so? He watched her with growing interest, as if reluctant to take on the weapon in her trembling hand.

A white shirt, overlaid with a leather vest, covered his torso. The pants were also leather and clung to his muscular legs like second skin. She licked her dry lips. The scent of something wild and primal drifted across the room—his clothing or him, she didn’t know which. His eyebrows were neatly arched above the mosaic blue eyes that changed in hue with every expression. His features were deftly chiseled, his mouth a tad too generous, but only slightly. His magnificent body lacked the teensiest ounce of excess fat. Images flooded her muddled thoughts of the dream warrior, God’s pure vision of man. It couldn’t be…wasn’t possible.

Her knees knocked, whether from his presence or the thought of killing him, she didn’t know. For a moment indecision reigned, and damn if he didn’t pick up on it. His confident gaze turned predatory as he advanced slowly. With every step he took, some unnamed organ between her thighs ached and hot juices came in a flood between her legs. And only after one look at that sculpted face.

The mesmerizing voice filled the warm space between their bodies. “Why don’t ye put that down and we’ll parley? If ye are done looking at me.”

She wanted to slap him, would if he came any closer. “I have no intention of putting this down,” she said more confidently than she felt. “What’s the deal? You work with The Scarlet Angel?”

He shook his head, the long, golden hair flowing languidly across his massive shoulders.

Her fingers shaking, she fumbled with the mechanism. “Tell me who you are or I’ll kill you!”

In a blur, he came at her. She drew back on the trigger and let the arrow fly. Morbid fascination gripped her when it hit him in the shoulder, and stuck. Before he leaped through the air to tackle her, his eyes gleamed hard and cold. They hit the floor hard, she, kicking, biting and screaming, he, doing his best to restrain her. His strong legs pinned the lower half of her body to the floor, his good hand locking her wrists over her head. The arrow protruded from his chest and oozed bright red blood. Thick, corded arms, level with her eyes, reminded her of his powerful strength. She screamed when his knee dug into the soft flesh between her thighs and pinned her to ground.

He shouted so loud she flinched. “Be still!”

She stopped her frantic struggle and stared at him blank-eyed. In the next moment, he reached up, broke the shaft in two and tossed it across the room. The anger left his face, replaced by confusion.

Moments later his brows grew together, the blue eyes dark and lethal. “Now, who the hell are ye?” He reached into the pocket of his vest and dangled her father’s medallion in her face. “And where did ye get this?”

Before she could answer, people scurried into the room from all directions, a woman with long, dark hair, her mouth agape, a giant of a man who smiled of all things, and another male who resembled the woman.

“I warned ye, Balion,” the giant said. “She’s small, but I saw the fight in her eyes when she opened them.”

“By the Saints, the she-cat shot me!” Balion dragged her up by the hair and dangled the medallion in her face.

“Give me that, you swine! It doesn’t belong to you!” Kira turned a pleading look to the woman. “He stole it from me, took it from my neck while I―”

The cad smiled again. “And what a lovely neck it is, one that will stretch nicely on my gallows outside.” His expression changed to one of suspicion. “The medallion doesn’t belong to ye. It belongs to The Last Sorcerer of the King.”

Kira glanced toward the window and wondered if the gallows’ comment was a joke. Unwilling to relinquish the talisman, she held her ground. “My father is The Last Sorcerer and it belongs to him.”

“Hah!” the man called Balion spat. “Ye lie! Me father, King Roldan, gave it to Nicholas.”

The floor moved beneath her. “King–King Roldan?” Kira put her hands to her temples. “Who are you then?”

The magnificent Greek God looked down his nose at her. Even angry, the man dazzled her. She could think of nothing but her need to touch him, taste him, feel him inside her. She must be ill with a bug. She melted quicker than a sex-starved nymphomaniac every time he so much as glanced at her.

“I am the King’s son,” he said. “The Light-Prince of Locke Cress.”

Keta's Author Spotlight

I'm hoping you'll go check out my interview about DUST AND MOONLIGHT today on Sherri's Fantasy blog.

Go here: http://tinyurl.com/7zte4w

Gracias, Keta

THE EROTIC GHOST is available NOW!

Hi, greetings to all BookStrand readers and authors. Below you will find a sneak peek into my latest release!

A ghost to die for!

Available NOW!

The Erotic Ghost

BookStrand

EROTIC Romantic Suspense, Gothic Fantasy

Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket

Price: $3.99
Buy Here!

A dark, twisted road, an electrical storm, and a bolt of rogue lightning leads Dana Perrin out of this world, and into another one...one that isn't anywhere on the map.
I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

These are the words of her favorite fairy tale, and mark the beginning of her plunge into a grownup fairy tale unlike anything she had ever known before!
And who knew she would meet the man of her dreams, even rush headlong into a looming death to have him? The words that described an unhappy ending to this book haunted her, but she didn't care. Out on a windy cliff, these two people confessed their undying love for each other just before Dana fell down, down, down. Not into death, but into her own beautiful fairy tale, and gave the book...its happy ending.

Excerpt

“His gift has made him scandalously rich, as you can see by all that surrounds him. However, he is a tortured soul, I’m afraid. He only comes out at night and frequently walks the cliffs until he exorcises his demons.

She looked into the butler’s dark, mysterious eyes. “Only at night? You mean like a vampire?”

“Vampires are for the addle-brained, miss. What he is, goes much deeper than that. Let me warn you not to expect much socializing while you are here. His duties are varied and very demanding, and will take most of his time. At other times, he will be keeping to himself since, as I said earlier, he is in mourning.”

“What exactly is his work?”

“Work?” Thorn scoffed. “How mundane. How very mundane.” Proud to the core, he couldn’t resist bragging just a little as he elegantly straightened his cuffs. “Let us just say, he attends the gods. They use him in battle to perform miracles.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Kidding?” the butler said while raising his eyebrows. “I do not believe I know that word.”

She chuckled. “You expect me to believe—”

“Miss Perrin,” the huffy butler said, “the Master could easily call lightning down from the heavens.”

Lightning!

She looked back up at the painting, and even though he did look impressive as he stood surrounded by a sky full of lightning, she didn’t believe a word the bragging butler said. This man was only a magician in a costume who did tricks to amaze his audience, nothing more. The fact that the butler was a proud peacock of a man who refused to allow anyone to think his master was anything except the very best at what he did, was only loyalty at work. After all, a magician wasn’t a miracle worker, and if she let him go on bragging, he would probably have the man walking on water. At that moment, his low, ominous voice reached her ears as he continued with his ridiculous dialogue.

“Power such as his frightens people, I’m afraid,” the man whispered. “As a result, he does not have many friends.”

“But why? Is he dangerous?”

“Only to himself.” His voice became deep and ominous. “No mortal man was ever meant to have such power.”

Hearing the unease in Thorn’s voice, Dana peered at him closely. The look in his eyes as he focused on the painting sent a chill slowly crawling up her spine. She could almost be convinced the old man was telling the truth. His eyes were oddly morbid, as if they could remember each and every unthinkable marvel they had witnessed.

Finally shaking himself free from his thoughts, the old man’s face became etched with concern. “You are still weak, miss. Perhaps you would like to lie down.”

“No, no, I’m fine. Tell me, who just died?”

“Died? Oh, yes. His dear mother just passed.” The man’s eyes held sadness. “Terrible tragedy.”

“Tragedy? What happened?”

Looking around to see if anyone were listening, he leaned close to her. “Drank poison.”

“Oh, my God!” When?”

"Very recently. In fact, her grave that sits on the small rise in the family graveyard is still fresh. Only a few days before she was found si—”

“Sitting at the dining room table,” Dana finished for him, and continued, “She was darkly beautiful, her delicate arm outstretched. The hand that held the glass was lying limp, the glass tilted over, the wine glowing as it spread across the table. Her blood-red nails matched the deep red of her lips. The rich burgundy liquid made a long, winding trail until it reached the edge, at which time it dripped, like blood, to the floor.”

She could see the words in her mind, written down somewhere. Dana shook her head, but the image of the darkly beautiful woman with her arm outstretched wouldn’t leave her mind. She could see the woman’s pulse slowly pumping, almost feel it, the thick red blood swirling and flowing, until suddenly, right before her eyes it stopped!

Dana gave a start, and gasped, a death-like chill crawling up her spine. The wine, it must have been.… Oh, God, the woman had drunk poisoned wine! Where had this vision of death come from? She didn’t know the woman, had never met her, yet she knew every nuance of the scene. She saw a long table, the woman’s dark red nails as she held the glass, the glow of the burgundy wine as it spilled across the dark wood grain. She could even hear the heavy strike of the glass against the table! Suddenly, she felt close to the woman, as if she’d known her. All at once something changed. Oh, God! Was it her imagination, or did she smell the pungent odor of wet grave dirt?

“That describes the scene perfectly.” The butler scowled at her. “How did you know? How could you—?”

“She must have been an actress,” Dana whispered, ignoring his unfinished question.

“Why do you say that?”

“The drama. Only an actress, or someone in show business would think up such a dramatic scene.”

“As a matter of fact, she was in a couple of plays—only small parts, of course. Her professional name was simply Sarafina. Very elegant, don’t you think? Like her son, she had great talent. The whole family, in fact, is talented beyond anything that can be imagined.”

The old man’s gaze lifted upward into the rafters, his voice taking an ominous tone. “She walks these halls, you know. At night between midnight and three, you can see her floating along the staircase, or hear her playing the grand piano in the music room.” His eyes became distant. “The music is…well, it resonates as if it were coming all the way from.…” He stopped suddenly, realizing he had forgotten himself again.

“Please go on.” Dana looked at him intently, wondering if he would say heaven or hell!

Rejection Connection

If nothing else, rejection teaches us strength and perseverance. Readers don't see rejections, but we feel them--they hurt - we should ignore them because they are, after all, one person's opinion only. And if you don't persevere you may never see THAT book get published. Thank You Siren BookStrand for publishing Spider Island - released the 13th of this month. But in case you are waiting for that acceptance, take heart - Here are 12 reasons to persevere.

CELEBRATION OF REJECTION
From the pages of, How to Get a Literary Agent by Michael Larsen

1. 112 Books Louis L’Amour though he received rejections. He received 200 rejections before he sold his first novel. During the last forty years Bantam has shipped nearly three hundred million of his one hundred twelve books, making him their biggest-selling author.
2. 600+ rejection slips wall paper Jack London’s home.
3. 774 rejection slips for John Creasy who went on to publish under 13 pseudonyms 564 books
4. 14 rejected Pearl S Buck finally published The Good Earth
5. 20 rejections didn’t stop Jonathan Livingston Seagull’s publication and you know how famous it became, written by Richard Bach
6. 40 rejections before she sold her first book didn’t stop Mary Higgins Clark
7. 200 rejections Roots by Alex Haley was published.
8. 15 publishers and 30 agents rejected John Grisham’s A Time to Kill before it was finally published.
9. 375 publishers rejected naked in Deccan over seven years before the Baltimore Sun deemed it a classic.
10. Dr Seuss – 24 in his file of rejections before his first books was published
11. 8 years after the novel Steps won the National Book Award, Jerzy Kosinski allowed it to be send out again with a name change to 13 agents and 14 publishers – all of them rejected it, including Random House, which originally published it. Proves the plight of new writers trying to get recognition or a publishing contract.
12. The New Yorker rejected a short story by Saul Bellow after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

So there you have it. Don’t let a little pile of rejections stop you from persevering in your desire to be a published author. The three P’s of getting published Polish, Persist, Persevere.

Visit Mudflat today -

You know that saying, out of the frying pan into the fire. All she wants to do is escape the crook! She does and guess what? Now she is captured by a babarian warlord's hunky son. Trouble everywhere!

Check out the VIDEO.

And then ORDER the books!

Mudflat series by Phoebe Matthews:

Tarbaby Trouble, 2009 Eppie Award finalist, fantasy category
Welcome to Mudflat, Baby, 2009 Eppie Award finalist, fantasy/paranormal romance category

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis

MURDER BY HAIR SPRAY IN GARDENIA, NEW ATLANTIS

Atlantis is Rising at Siren-BookStrand... on January 15, 2009... it’s not just a legend anymore...

MURDER BY HAIR SPRAY IN GARDENIA, NEW ATLANTIS ~ This story spun and formed in my imagination, turbulent as a sea storm ~ then sprang forth onto paper and onto my computer screen like Poseidon’s powerful emergence from the ocean, during a time lost to history when gods and goddesses ruled the world and the heavens above.

Gardenia, New Atlantis... The future begins here...

The story of beginning a new world on a legendary land...
The beginning of a love Sheriff Kalypso Sun Wing never believed was possible for her, especially not after a hundred years on Earth...
The beginning of a love Federal Agent Zryphus has arrived on Earth to find, only he didn’t plan on remaining in a land where women are in charge...

First Line:
The evil cloud of hair spray dominated the air in guest room 666 at Gardenia’s only motel, The Eternal Magnolia – so named because it was surrounded by a park-like acre of Magnolia trees, saved despite the cataclysmic weather, wars and land changes on Earth.

Heroine and Hero:
Sheriff Kalypso Sun Wing is 100 years old in the year 2051. A rebel at heart, an artist by soul, she survived the sterile fifties’ suburbs, the revolutionary turbulence of the sixties, the disco guru seventies. After the suicide of the man she loved, Kalypso barely survived the designer eighties, the fast-forward nineties. In the 21st century Mother Nature rebelled. Kalypso battled for freedom. She never knew why she survived. Until Atlantis rose. Once again.

Agent Zryphus Dolen Vasquoz chose an enforcement career on Earth for several reasons – his fascination with primitive worlds, to make his own way outside the family heritage, to keep official watch for his own Worlds – and, Zerculeon men find Earth women highly desirable, like the gods of old they rival in strength. Since there aren’t enough Zerculeon women, it’s a match made in intergalactic heaven. Especially when Zryphus gets a real eyeful of the Sheriff.
~~~~~~

Excerpt ~ Kalypso and Zryphus meet ~

“Sheriff.” The man’s voice commanded first, and announced his presence second. “Sheriff Kalypso Sun Wing.”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Turning, Kalypso’s gaze gave no quarter, hard as diamonds on the outsider. “Agent...?” Dang it to hang, he was a tall and broad drink of water. She’d expected the usual tight-ass wimp, with grim lips and eyes that were mirrors, reflecting nothing but the orders they’d been given. No, this man burned with sheer vitality. His gaze assessed, a damn force of nature. She’d bet if she struck a match and tossed it toward his eyes, they would sizzle like her birthday candles, then explode at his will. Yep, he was definitely a whole load of nano dynamite, unlit.
“Agent Zryphus Dolen Vasquoz,” he answered. “Give me your evidence retrieval. I’ll take over from here.”
Audible gasps burst from Anna and Dr. Victoria at the man’s patriarchal and patronizing tone.
“No, you won’t, Agent Vasquoz. You’re here at my invitation. Only. You follow my rules or you don’t get to play ‘Find the Hair Spray Killer’. Do you understand?”
“Wowzi Powzie,” Deputy Anna whispered, watching her vid screen light up with the sparks flying between the Sheriff and the outsider Agent.
“It’s a Federal Union case, Sheriff. I have priority investigation.” The Agent’s gravelly deep voice filled the entire room.
“You have nothing, Agent. Unless I say so. You can turn around, hit the portal. Or you can cooperate. You’ll have full access. Anna will give you all she’s retrieved so far. If you want, I’ll even act friendly, let you ‘analyze’ this bag more closely.” Sheriff Kalypso approached, a lioness with no fear. “I’ll even sweeten the pot, Agent Vasquoz—let you do a quick exam of the body before we save the fetus. As they used to say, deal or no deal?”
“Whirlwind in the room,” Deputy Anna whispered to Victoria, who still watched her vid screen.
“Deal. For now, Sheriff.” Focusing his gaze like a cannon laser, the Agent straightened his over-large shoulders, his latent power obvious.
“Pull anything against my authority, Agent Vasquoz, and I guarantee you won’t like the results. Deputy, feed your vid evidence to the Agent’s data base, will you, please?”
Once Anna stood, he handed his data vid to her without looking. His gaze relentless, Agent Vasquez followed the Sheriff’s arm wave to the corpse. Moving easily in the small confines of the room, despite his size, he knelt with deliberate care, scrutinizing every detail of the body.
Sheriff Kalypso couldn’t deny his concentration was impressive. She watched him turn the victim over with gentle precision.
Awed, her heart tripping rapidly, Sheriff Kalypso moved closer. “Even her face resembles Jackie O.”
“How do you know?” Agent Vasquoz demanded, not looking up.
“I was born in 1951. Check out your history data base, Agent.”
“Call me Zryphus.”
~~~~~~

Savanna

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~ http://savannakougar.com ~

~~~ Kalypso & Zryphus invite you to read their love story ~ a match made in intergalactic heaven ~~~

MURDER BY HAIR SPRAY IN GARDENIA, NEW ATLANTIS ~ 2051 suspense futuristic, erotic romance ~ American Title IV finalist ~ sizzling and rising from Siren-BookStrand on January 15, 2009 ~ the future begins here...
~ http://bookstrand.com/authors/savannakougar ~ http://www.sirenpublishing.com/savannakougar/mbhsigna.asp ~
~~~~~~