Frissons Nocturnes

Last Saturday was one of those days with a million things to do. I had to run to JC Penney to exchange a broken curtain rod. The decorative knobs on the end were glass and one of them didn't survive shipping. I also had an appointment for a haircut and a bunch of stuff to try to get done in between. By the time I got home last in the day, I had a headache and was kind of crabby.

Then I saw a box.

I hadn't ordered anything, so I wondered what it was. Curiosity had me barely taking my jacket off before I was opening the package. This is what I found inside.

Yes, a French language edition of one of my Harlequin stories, but I didn't know which one. I don't read French, but my heroine's name was unmistakable. The novella included in this anthology collection was Phoenix Burning. This is so cool and the cover is awesome!

If you're able to read French, the story is available in France and in Canada as far as I can tell, but possibly available in any country with a lot of French speakers.

Pick a Topic, Any Topic

I'm supposed to be writing a guest blog right now, but instead, I'm working on my own blog. Why? Because it's easier to talk here. You see, when invited to guest blog around a new release, the author is supposed to talk about the new release. In theory, this should be easy. It's not.

The first problem is there's no specific topic. Just talk about your story. Anything. Well, that's like getting a paper assigned in school and being told you can write about anything you want. Instead of making it easier, that broad expanse of possibility makes it harder. Really. It was much easier in school to riff on a topic when the parameters were narrowed.

The second issue is that I've been invited to blog about my current release. I turned that in last August. Not only was that nearly 5 months ago now, but I wrote another full novella since then. Even writing about that story would be difficult because It's been about 6 weeks since I finished that one and those details are getting fuzzy, too.

Throw in the fact that I forgot all about the guest blog until late last night and that I need to turn it in tonight. Add in that I'm tired because I've been up since 4am and worked at my day job. Now I need to find a topic and be interesting in 300-400 words. Oh, and one additional handicap--I've been writing since I was 15 so I don't really know what a person who doesn't write would find interesting to hear about.

I'm not asking for suggestions. It's too late for that. I'm just kind of lamenting the task that lies ahead of me before I can go to bed. :-)

PHOENIX BURNING Available Now!

PHOENIX BURNING, my erotic paranormal romance, is now available wherever you purchase ebooks!

Phoenix Cahill is experiencing the Awakening, transforming from an asexual tantric vampire nestling to an adult who feeds on the orgasmic energy of her partners. Though any man will do, the only one she craves is her mysterious new neighbor. But feeding from the same man too many times could kill him, and Phoenix won't be satisfied by just one night.

Getting close to Phoenix was supposed to be only part of vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc's mission to find her father and bring him to justice. But the plan becomes complicated when he rescues Phoenix from an attack—and gives in to his own desire for her. Now he must choose between the woman he loves and the clan lord to whom he owes his life.

You can buy PHOENIX BURNING at:

Amazon

Apple

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Harlequin

and almost anywhere else that sells ebooks 

There isn't a excerpt on my website yet because I couldn't find something where the h/h weren't having sex or thinking about having sex. I'm trying to figure out what I want to put up and how to post it. I'll figure it out eventually, but here's a small bit that isn't too X-rated.

Phoenix grabbed her keys from the table as she got to her feet. She was halfway to her door before she stopped and checked what she was wearing—a pair of loose yoga pants that rode low on her hips and a black tank that left her midriff bare. Good enough.

She took the stairs two at a time, and as soon as she reached the bottom, headed left into the vestibule where the bank of metal mailboxes was built into the wall. She stopped short as soon as she saw him, but it wasn't quickly enough. Less than a foot separated her from the guy and Phoenix had no desire to move.

His back was to her, his head bent as he sorted through his mail, but he didn't need to turn for her to identify him. There was only one man in this apartment complex whose mere presence left her buzzing with desire. Her next-door neighbor.

She took the opportunity to gawk at him while he was oblivious to her presence. His brown hair was cut short, leaving his nape exposed and Phoenix curled her fingers to stop herself from tracing that bare skin. His navy T-shirt was pulled taut across his broad shoulders and his jeans were faded enough to mold his gorgeous ass. The urge to caress him had her taking a step closer before she stopped herself. It had been drilled into her head not to touch without an invitation and telling herself he wouldn't mind wasn't the same thing as consent.

Without warning, he straightened, and before she could move aside, he pivoted and walked into her. Phoenix staggered, not only from the impact, but also from the feel of his hard muscled body pressing against hers. The mail hit the floor and his arms went around her, helping her keep her physical balance, but knocking her control askew. Her nipples peaked and she shimmied, rubbing her breasts against his chest.

His grip tightened, stilling her. There was heat in his eyes, but there was reserve as well, and though he appeared reluctant, he put her away from him and stepped back. "Sorry about that," he said. "I didn't hear you come up behind me."

Phoenix had to clear her throat in order to speak. "Not a problem," she assured him. She thought about apologizing herself, but didn't. What would she say? Sorry, I was so busy trying not to run my hand over your ass that I didn't realize you were done looking at your mail?

Phoenix Burning Cover Copy

Phoenix Burning, my January 1, 2014 release from Nocturne Cravings, finally has official cover copy posted! I had my own version up on my website for a while, but I like what Harlequin came up with better than mine. So website is all updated with the new copy and I'm posting it here, too.

Phoenix Cahill is experiencing the Awakening, transforming from an asexual tantric vampire nestling to an adult who feeds on the orgasmic energy of her partners. Though any man will do, the only one she craves is her mysterious new neighbor. But feeding from the same man too many times could kill him, and Phoenix won't be satisfied by just one night.

Getting close to Phoenix was supposed to be only part of vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc's mission to find her father and bring him to justice. But the plan becomes complicated when he rescues Phoenix from an attack—and gives in to his own desire for her. Now he must choose between the woman he loves and the clan lord to whom he owes his life….

As I've mentioned, Cravings is an erotic romance line and the language and situations in this story reflect this. If you like steamy sex and harder language, though, I hope you'll pick up Phoenix Burning when it comes out.

Phoenix Burning Cover Reveal

Okay, so maybe it isn't a earth-shaking, top secret cover reveal. I found it on Amazon and anyone who was looking at Phoenix Burning would have seen it. I'm thinking of it more like the big Apple announcement today. All those photos of the new iPad have already leaked out and the show is more of a show and tell.

If you'd like to see how I envisioned the hero and heroine as well as some other pictures I worked with as I was writing, visit my Phoenix Burning board on Pinterest.

Vampire Hunter: UK Readers

For those of you in the UK, Vampire Hunter should now be available!  The link goes to the book on the Mills & Boon site.

Vampire Hunter features one of my Nocturne Bites stories--Shadow's Caress--and includes stories by two other authors. It's also available in paperback as well and electronic formats. Shadow's Caress was previously only in ebook format.

And for all my readers, especially fans of the Blood Feud World stories, Phoenix Burning, my January 2014 release, is now up for preorder at Amazon. I haven't spotted it anywhere else yet, but keep your eyes peeled--it should be showing up everywhere ebooks are sold.

Phoenix Burning is a novella-length story that I wrote for Nocturne Cravings which is an erotic romance line from Harlequin. Still no cover or official blurb, but here's how I'm describing the story:

When vampire enforcer Ivar LeBlanc is assigned to bring in a murderer, he stakes out the man's daughter, waiting for the father to appear. Ivar's wild attraction to Phoenix throws his entire scheme into chaos.

Phoenix Cahill came to Los Angles to be a screenwriter, instead she's reached Awakening, where she transforms from Nestling to adult vampire. She's been taught the rules: Don't feed too close to home. Don't feed from the same prey multiple times. But Phoenix wants Ivar and once isn't going to be nearly enough.