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Archive for April, 2008



Thursday, April 24th, 2008
What Happens In Vegas is Shipping!

So Vegas is now shipping from both Barnes and Noble and Amazon!

Behind closed doors, the real games begin…

Winning it big.

That’s the name of the game at Las Vegas’s Liege Hotel and Casino, where the hottest fantasies hinge on a roll of the dice…and the tantalizing knowledge that anything could happen before sunrise.

Cocktail waitress Carinna wants a man to tie her up, not tie her down. Little does she know that her most willing partner yet has something else planned for this fiery Latina bombshell.

Dahlia is a burlesque dancer with a brain for business and a bod for sin. Her latest admirer may be a sweet-talking Casanova, but despite what he thinks she’s not giving anything away free.

Meanwhile, Amy has the perfect plan to rob the Liege Casino blind…until the intimidating owner catches her red-handed. Now she knows she’s going to pay… with both pleasure and pain.

Professional shill Cassidy is ready to experience a breathless rendezvous with her “friend with benefits.” But when he proposes five delicious nights of sexy blackjack, the stakes have never been so high.

My story is Stripped. I came up with the idea while, not so surprisingly, I was on a trip with my husband to Las Vegas and we went to Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce - a fabulous old style burlesque show/lounge in the Mandalay Bay. I came back, ready to write the book and my agent called and asked if I’d be interested in being part of a Vegas themed anthology pitch. I think for me, it was meant to happen and I’m glad it did.

Anyway - an excerpt of Stripped exists right behind the cut!

Read the rest of this entry ?

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
The Trip A’La Slideshow!
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
Some Of My Favorite RT Moments

Me and the ever so lovely Angie James~

Megan, Fred and me - no groping, just a hug. And hello, he’s so very pretty.

Megan, Sasha White and me - Wheeee!

Megan, Me, Kimberly Kaye Terry and Vivi Anna

Me and Megan when we sort of took over the Black Lace spotlight that no one at Black Lace actually knew about!

Maya Banks, me, Beth Williamson (I love these ladies)

I love me some Laura Bradford.

Booksigning with TWO security guards even!!

Me, Jennifer Dunne and Megan

me and Taylor Hartt

Me, Anya and her husband James

me and Ann Aguirre (LOVE HER!!)

me and the creator of my man Jed - Gennita Low

MH and LD

Reader Party!!

I’m still loading pics from my laptop to my desktop and getting pics from people so this isn’t it at all! I have one with the ever so wonderful Rhyannon Byrd and one of me and Jessie and some other readers from the bookfair so keep checking back!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
Sigh - Okay I Have to Say This…

Gracious me - I feel the need to blog about RT a bit because I must say I get so VERY TIRED of hearing people proclaim they’d never go because they’re just too classy or whatever. Like they are speshul snowflakes and everyone who does go is turning tricks in the stairwells or something.

Here’s my thing: I go to RT and I enjoy myself. Do I like everything I see? No. As a matter of fact I do not like it when people take something as horrifying as 9/11 and demean it. I don’t like to see drunk people falling over themselves in the bar either. But frankly - I’ve seen drunk people in bars at many conventions and I’m quite sure stupid stuff happens at dental hygenist conventions too.

I go to RT and I meet up with my writerly friends I see only once a year. We sit in the bar and laugh (and eat pizza and drink lots of water too), we dance at the parties (and this year I only dressed up for one, but you know what I am sick of authors sneering about people who like to dress up. I am sick of hearing “horny housewife” comments. I am sick to fucking death of this “I am too good and/or too special to go to RT” attitude.

Lots of people bitch about RT but you know? They have been really good to me. I’m not just talking about reviews but they’ve been supportive - they’ve put little bits in the magazine about my upcoming books. All my dealings with Giselle for ads have been fabulous and Jo Carol and other conference staff have been good too. Are there mistakes? Yep. Vegas wasn’t at the signing. It sucked. But - THAT IS LIFE. I’ve done enough signings to have experienced books not showing up, books I didn’t order showing up and none I did order showing. That’s how it works. Now, it may not work that way when you’re a big time author but down here many rungs on the ladder, that’s been my experience. I would have preferred Vegas been there, I was disappointed but it’s not the end of the world.

And in truth - You know what? RT isn’t for everyone. There’s not a darned thing wrong with not wanting to go to RT. It’s not RWA National or BEA or NINC or any other writer’s conference. They’re different conferences and you’ll get different things from them. I don’t think National is boring or more classy - I think National is different.

At the book signing on Saturday I met dozens of readers and book sellers and over the course of the conference I met hundreds as well as loads of authors and editors too. I LIKE that. As a conference, RT is like a working vacation for me. I do network. I do meet people and work - yes. But I also dance and I might have a few drinks (although this year the hotel was toxic and I didn’t really drink much). Our reader party was a total blast! We met lots of folks and we’ll be doing another next year too.

I laugh with the cover models (who were TOTAL gentlemen - Fred, Christopher Howell, Chris Winters, Traaavis was there to say hello, Luke - all very nice men who never did one untoward thing in my sight at all). One of the Chippendale dancers sat with us for a while on Wednesday night - Kimo - and he was very nice, answered all sorts of questions from the assembled authors at the table with humor. When I see people talking shite about these men I just want to remind folks that these guys are people. Yes, judged on their looks but when I see people who never met say Christopher Howell, talking negatively about him I want to say, “Hey, you know what? He’s a total sweetie pie, he’s got manners and a sense of humor and he’s pretty to look at. And he has feelings so you know, it’s easy to dehumanize people you see on a screen and all, but they’re real.”

I didn’t see them all. I am sure some of them were idiots - that’s a given that in any group there will be assholes. I do know of one incident where some of them jumped over a low banc of seats and if they’d fallen they could have injured a friend of mine with more than a few pins in her body holding her together. I did see some not so very lovely behavior in the bar toward the end of the con (and by the Saturday night all I want is some popcorn, some dancing and a last night of laughing with my friends - I had that and pretzels too, mmmm - and went to bed by midnight. And yes, the situation with the contestant who had to be arrested and taken to the hospital (and was let back into the conference the next day and wasn’t made to leave) was concerning to me.

I’ll never stay at the Pittsburgh Hilton again. The staff were awesome but the building was not prepared to house us all appropriately and I’m still coughing. Also, 17 dollars for a breakfast buffet? Come on! Good god, for a hotel with so many missing ceiling tiles and dust in the air, we sure did get charged a premium for everything. But again, the staff were totally awesome! From the front desk to the servers and the bartender in the lobby bar - folks were very helpful and I do appreciate that.

RT is NOT a bunch of drunken authors writhing over cover models. Does that happen? Yes. Is it even a sizable minority? No. In my personal experience, RT is fun. A bunch of women (and some men) get together away from home and they talk about books and writing and life for a week and they all schlep back to laundry and making school lunches.

Apparently there were a thousand people at RT this year. A lot of folks. And 900 of us behaved ourselves quite nicely I am sure. I can’t promise I didn’t annoy people with my calls to “bring me my hookah!” but whatever, if that’s the wildest I ever get, well that’s just fine. Most of us realize we’re in public. Most of us have a nice time without cheating on our spouses or groping anyone or even taking pictures of our naughty bits on other peoples’ cameras. It’s pretty unfair to take the behavior of those few who don’t know how to control themselves and paint an entire conference that way.

RT isn’t mandatory. It does tend to be a very high energy, fast paced experience and I am always feckign exhausted by Sunday and so ready to go home. But you know what? I love RT and I’ll be back. I always meet someone new who makes my life better (last year I met Sasha White and Kimberly Kaye Terry and Vivi Anna and I love them all to bits). It’s not for everyone and you know, that’s totally fine.

I’ll see many of you in Orlando next year!

Friday, April 18th, 2008
More RT

So on day one there was the Hollywood Glamour Party -

Megan Hart, Lauren Dane and Jennifer Dunne

The very lovely Anya Bast

Me and Gennita Low

The dress I had was really lovely. I will definitely wear it again but the pretty silver stilettos not so much. I thought my toes would fall off! After dancing we all hung out talking until very late but it was nice to catch up with people I haven’t seen since last year.

Day two was the Under the Sea party and it was SOOOO much fun! We did miss Anya and her lovely husband but it was fabulous to have dinner with them beforehand along with Gennita Low and Jeri Smith Ready.

Megan, the lovely Laura Bradford and me before the dancing started.

Me looking dorky and Ann Aguirre (have you read Grimspace yet? If not, get to it!)

The absolutely gorgeous Patrice Michelle and me

Day three:

Reader Party!!! A big thank you to all the wonderful readers who showed up and spent part of their morning with us. And even more thanks to Anya’s husband who went way above and beyond in helping us set up, stuff bags and haul huge amounts of stuff everywhere. Also to Laura Bradford who was awoken early (by me) and came to help and stayed to take pictures and hand out bags and prizes.

Karaoke with the fabulous Carolan Ivey

More from the party!

Club RT with Megan Hart, Anya Bast and me

Lauren, Anya and her husband James at dinner (and I won’t tell you where because the place had the most atrocious service ever, I’d never go back there in a million years but the company was fabulous)

And I’m off to the vampire ball. More later!!!

Thursday, April 17th, 2008
Wee Update from RT

First - we arrived on Tuesday after a road trip in which Megan Hart and I began channeling a character we’ve been unable to stop imitating since. I’m sure to the irritation of many.

Tuesday in the bar….

A Fred sandwich… Fred is one of the Mr. Romance competetors and he’s a very good sport and not an idiot at all as well as being well, LOOK AT HIM!

Lookit who I found in the hall! Maya Banks and Beth Williamson!!

More later I must away to breakfast and then to torment Megan at her presentation…

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

author shot

Yesterday we went for a photo shoot with the fabulous Scott Church and this was the result of mine…. More later - I’m here in Pittsburgh for RT!!

Sunday, April 13th, 2008
Book Signing!

Don’t Forget - Anya Bast, Megan Hart and Lauren Dane are going to be doing a book signing at Waldenbooks at the Lebanon Valley Mall in Lebanon PA on Monday April 14th from 6 - 8 pm. If you’re in the area, please come by to say hello!

Saturday, April 12th, 2008
Reviews for Stripped!

I’ve received two reviews for Stripped in the What Happens in Vegas anthology!

Mary says in part: Ms. Dane is an author you can count on for a great read. I have read all of her books and have yet to be disappointed. Her hero’s and heroines are complex and have that “IT” factor that makes you want more.
(…)
The story is well written and flows so smoothly you hate to see it end. The depth of characters not only primary but the secondary characters as well makes this a wonderful read. I give this story my 5 of 5 Drool Cloth ratings. Run on over and pre-order this book the heat and tension are noteworthy and make this book just fun to read.

And the lovely and talented Saskia Walker said this of Stripped (and is running a contest!). She says in part: I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, but I do want to say that when I finished reading this novella I had the satisfied feeling I usually only get after reading a full-length novel. The story also features great supporting characters who are cleverly portrayed, even if they are only onstage in the story for a brief time. That takes talent.

Lauren Dane is a really good writer. If she were a wine I’d describe her work as full-bodied, :) because of the richness of the story and the depth of the characters. STRIPPED is both hot and touching, it’s a true erotic romance, and I know that readers are going to love it.

Friday, April 11th, 2008
Friday…

Heard back from our editor at Black Lace today and he said he really enjoyed TCOB. His comments made me quite happy and I’m looking forward to plotting out the next book with Megan next week!

Early tomorrow I’m off to Anya’s and then on Sunday we’re off to Megan’s! Then we have a photo shoot with the uber fabulous Scott Church on Monday the 14th. Later that evening a book signing at the Waldenbooks in the Lebanon Valley Mall from 6 - 8 pm so if you’re in the area, please do come by to say hello!

And then on Tuesday we’re off again to Pittsburgh for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. I’m all atizzy with prep today. The washing machine is going. I’m nearly totally packed but there are always last minute things and I realized Wednesday that I’ll need to take along another small suitcase for extra promotion stuff because we have 68 people and not 50 sign up for our reader party. I’ll also be able to bring back books in it so I suppose that’s a good thing too.

I have not written as much as I wanted to this last week, which sucks. But I’m still good and hopefully I’ll come back as energized to work this time as I did last year.


Cascadia Wolves: Fated

Just wrote a very emotional scene last night but I think it came out well because I cried as I wrote so apparently it translated, or it did to me anyway.

Bookwise I haven’t read much although I did get an early look at Beth Kery’s Wicked Burn and I have to tell you all, this book is freaking amazing. Dark and sharp, totally sexy with an alpha hero who reminded me a lot of Linda Howard’s early heroes. Speaking of La Linda - I read Now You See Her last week and I have to reiterate how much I love her books. I LOVE HER. I’m reading The Ruins now which is uber creepy and I don’t think I’ll be taking it with me on this trip. I did get Karen Chance’s new one and also Meredith Duran’s Duke of Shadows so we’ll see which one I pick for the plane. I may actually do some plotting out of an idea I have as well. I don’t often have large blocks of time that are solely my own so I have a plethora of choices.