One thing that gets an author excited (or makes us cringe with dread) is an email that has something to do with a cover.

Lauren has got some of the coolest covers.

Like this one…

And then there’s this one.

Other covers that make me want to weep? This one…Marjorie M Liu’s upcoming.

Or these…(love the series)

But really…when it comes to cover, I can’t complain because Berkley’s done a pretty good job with me.

See?

And since I’ve got a book out this week, and I’m guest blogging to promote it… *G*, I’m going to through out the blurb for that book…BROKEN.

Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s tempted by her beauty—but he knows from experience that anyone desperate enough to live in his building is damaged goods. Besides, he has his own soul to mend before he can worry about anyone else.

Sara Davis is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She’s not an abused wife, and she’s not a criminal. But she does have a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. There’s just too much at stake.

But Quinn must get closer to Sara when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and he discovers that there is something more complex and dangerous to her than he thought. Now, both Quinn and Sara will have to expose their true feelings—as well as their fragile hearts—if they hope their love will survive…

If you’d like to read more about my work, you can read an excerpt of BROKEN here at my site…and right now, if you buy BROKEN during release week, you can be entered to win a NOOK, the new ebook reader from Barnes and Noble.

Any of you have covers you absolutely love? Ones that made you just grab the book?

Thanks to Lauren for letting me drop by.

Shiloh Walker
http://shilohwalker.com
http://shilohwalker.wordpress.com

Interesting question, no? And one my heroine in Black Legacy deals with on a daily basis. How cool…to be able to travel either forward or backward in time. For Frankie Black it’s pretty much a family business. They are the time police! She and her sisters are the only thing standing between rogue jumpers, people like The New Order, who would manipulate time for their own evil purposes!

I had so much fun writing this short for Samhain and am totally pumped that it releases today! I’ve always been fascinated by time travel. The very possibility of it is intriguing and amazing to me. .

In this first installment in this series, Frankie has been ordered back 300 years, to present day earth in order to make sure that Dekkar James survives the night. He’s been targeted for assassination by The New Order. Little does Frankie know she’s about to meet the man of her dreams….a man who is perfectly, imperfect.

Here is an excerpt of their first meeting:

“Don’t say I didn’t bring you anything for your birthday. You owe me one, Dekkar.”

Frankie’s eyes shot up until they were caught, held in place with an invisible rope by the greenest, sexiest eyes she’d ever seen on a man.

Dekkar James stood a few inches from her, hands loose at his side, shirtless and ripped. His incredible torso was covered in an elaborate array of colorful tattoos that snaked up, caressing the hard abs.

Seconds turned into a long, slow silence, broken by the most devastating smile imaginable.

He didn’t speak, just held out his hand.

Frankie’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt as if she were coming apart, so intense was her body’s reaction.

She hesitated for one moment, and then her hand reached for his, a feeling of fire racing over her flesh as she made contact.

Everything faded away, and she let him lead her out the door, down yet another hallway, until the only sound was their heavy breathing. The air felt thick and it clung to her skin, like a soft caress. She glanced down to her timepiece. She had a little over an hour before the operatives from the New Order were scheduled to arrive.

She wanted to look up, but couldn’t meet his eyes. Her own pale blue orbs had stopped at the sight of the huge bulge that strained against the black of his leather.

When she did manage to raise her eyes higher, his mouth was descending, and she felt her own lips tremble in anticipation.

What the hell was wrong with her? She was on assignment for Christ sakes, and was about to break one of the most vehemently enforced rules of a Black Opal.

No fucking with a target.

His lips were firm, with just a hint of softness that gripped the edges as he opened his mouth wide, and plundered her warm wetness with his tongue. Fire erupted, hot and raging; it was immediate and all consuming.

Frankie had never in her life experienced such a kiss. It was both passionate and brutal in its intensity. She knew she was lost. There would never again be such a first kiss.

Not ever.

Sigh…I love first kisses especially when they lead to one helluva a hot encounter!

I will give away a free copy of this book, but you must comment with an answer to this question…If you had the ability to time travel where would you go? To what time and place? I’ll check back tomorrow and announce a winner!

Several years ago, I proposed an anthology featuring military men to Ellora’s Cave. Within a short time I came together with Kate Hill and Arianna Hart to write the BY HONOR BOUND anthology. To make these stories even more interesting, we linked them together with family ties. The first story His Sister’s Kiss by Kate Hill features Vietnam veteran Master Sergeant Abraham Forbes. Major Pleasure, my story, features the son of Abraham, Major Blayne Forbes, Army Special Forces. The third story, Charming Annie features Major Annie Forbes, Blayne’s cousin. I’m very happy to say that MAJOR PLEASURE will be released again January 27 as an ebook only at Ellora’s Cave www.jasminejade.com. MAJOR PLEASURE features a theme I continued to touch on in my HOT ZONE series at Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com of a soldier coming home from war and how he handles the challenge of returning to civilian life and the woman that helps him find that courage.

I’ve always enjoyed series or linked stories, just as many other readers do. I believe authors can write a series to death, and I’ve stopped reading a series if I feel the stories are starting to sound all the same. It takes considerable work for an author to write a series and keep it fresh. Do you like series and if so, why? If not, why?

Click the “more” jump to read an excerpt to spark your appetite for more major pleasure.

He’s got the military command…

Army Special Forces Major Blayne Forbes has always desired Jemma Teagan, but knows she’s off limits for a casual relationship. The last thing he wants is involvement with a forever kind of woman. Jemma’s desire for the diamond-in-the-rough soldier has never faded, and when he tumbles into her arms, the tough guy sends her heart rate into orbit. She doesn’t want to love a man destined for danger, until he challenges her to a display of hardware she can’t resist.

**
Jemma saw the big man walking toward her with confident strides. Her heart leapt in surprise and happiness, then thundered with excitement.

She couldn’t restrain how her breath quickened and her body hummed whenever she saw him. It didn’t matter that months of separation parted them, or that he traveled the world keeping freedom, hope, and democracy intact. No, she responded to him with unadulterated pleasure and a full-on lust she couldn’t control.

Then reality intruded. What was Blayne doing home? She almost called out to him in greeting, until she saw his slight limp and the tired expression on his face. Pale, with five o’clock shadow and a haunted look in his eye, he didn’t appear like the tough, indomitable soldier she’d known for almost two years. He caught sight of her and his trademark sultry smile started, then came to a dead stop. His mouth opened but instead of greeting her, he put one hand out to prop against the doorframe.

“Damn,” he muttered as his eyelids started to flutter.

Worried, she reached up to cup his face in one hand. “Blayne, are you all right?”

The dazed look in his eyes retreated. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

With instincts honed by years of growing up with brothers who didn’t see the doctor unless their parents hogtied them, she shifted her touch to his forehead. “You’re feverish. What’s wrong?”

He blinked as if someone had just told him he’d jumped out of a plane without a parachute. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m good.”

A little surprised by his gruff tone, she withdrew her hand. His stubble-roughened jaw scratched against her palm, and though he looked tired, he could still make the molecules in her body come to a standstill and take notice. No doubt about it, in her personal dictionary under the word hunk, the description said Blayne Forbes. From the first time Graham introduced them, she had a gut-level reaction to the man. Blayne’s unique combination of gallantry combined with a dangerous edge intrigued her. So did the soulful, sexually charged nuance in his thickly lashed dark eyes. A short, military cut restrained the curls in his lustrous, thick ash-colored hair. His somewhat crooked nose and strong jaw line added to the craggy image. His incredible, conditioned body spelled sin. In the recipe book of life under delicious there should be a picture of Major Blayne William Forbes.

For too long, steamy, sexy dreams of being with him haunted her. It didn’t help he looked delicious enough to eat.

Swirling heat filled her loins and mixed with her extreme pleasure at seeing him. God, the man is gorgeous.

Today he wore a black leather bomber jacket, thick red turtleneck sweater, and butt-loving jeans showcasing his long, muscular legs. But it didn’t matter what he wore because every time she saw him, her libido caught on fire whether she liked it or not.
More often not.

After all, getting involved with a footloose, rough-and-tumble Special Forces officer didn’t define her idea of safe and secure. He had a risky job. Chances are one of these days he’d come back from a mission in a flag-draped coffin.

Right now, though, he looked anything but tough and it worried her.

He kept his hand on the doorjamb. “Sorry, Sweets. It’s been a long day.”

Sweets. Only Blayne could get away with calling her something like that. And she’d been too damn chicken to ask him why he’d pinned her with the nickname not long after they’d met. He never said it in an insulting manner, but always in a warm, teasing tone.

“I didn’t know you were coming home,” she said. “I figured Graham would have mentioned that your unit was back.”

A grim, almost sarcastic smile spread over his face. “Graham may not have heard. I’m back alone.”

“Why?”

Clutching at the doorjamb, he shrugged those mile-wide shoulders. “Long story.”

Her eyes narrowed as she frowned. “I saw you limping. Is that why you’re back?”

His mouth thinned, his gaze sharpening. “Among other things. Is Graham here?”

“I stopped by to see if he wanted to go out to lunch, but he apparently ran out to do some errands.”

“I should have called first.” He released the doorjamb gingerly, as if unsure he could stand without the support. “It doesn’t matter. I needed to come on post anyway.”

His gaze centered on Jemma again and this time the way he looked at her brought wild, rushing feelings back to her. Warm and appreciative, his attention caressed her face. Her cheeks flushed under his unbridled interest. As her nipples tingled in response, she wanted to reach up and hug him. Every so often she thought she caught two emotions running across his expression and it always caught her off guard.

Lust and tenderness.

Tingling built in her belly, moistening forbidden areas deep between her legs in a shocking rush.
The man knows how to turn me into mush every time.

“You look good, Jemma.” His smile went brilliant, a touch of the old Blayne in his grin. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” Before she could thank him, he closed his eyes a second and winced. That did it. She clasped his arm. “I think you should sit down a minute.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“Right. You almost fainted in my arms a moment ago and you look like the semi from hell plowed over you and then backed up and did it again.”

He placed his palm over her hand, effectively trapping her fingers against his arm. Big and well-shaped, his hands always inspired some pretty interesting fantasies for her.

He resurrected a wolfish grin. “Big, bad Special Forces officers don’t faint.”

She rolled her gaze to the sky a moment, then sighed. “Oh, excuse me. You don’t faint, you pass out.” She tugged on his arm and started to pull him along. “Well, Major Forbes, what am I going to do with you if you fall flat on your face right here? I’ll have to call for EMS and that would embarrass you, big bad Special Forces officer or not. Why don’t you sit in my car a minute and take it easy.”

To her surprise he allowed her to guide him to her Taurus. She opened the door and he slid into the passenger seat. She got into the driver’s seat.

When he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, she asked, “So what’s wrong? Why did you come back early? Were you injured during the mission?”

The thought of him hurt at any time made her heart drop into her shoes.

He opened his eyes but kept his head back on the seat. “Maybe I should have taken a nap before I drove straight to the post.”

“You just got back? No wonder you’re out on your feet.”

“I changed clothes and came right over. I need to talk with Graham.”

“Well, in lieu of my big brother, I can be a pretty good listener.”

He shook his head.

She grinned and crossed her arms. “Oh, is this one of those I’d-love-to-tell-you-but- then-I’d-have-to-kill-you things?”

“Yeah, some of it is.”

She sensed an undertone in Blayne’s voice, something dark and serious beneath the evasiveness.
Go for it, Jemma. “Since my dear brother stood me up for lunch, maybe you could have lunch with me.”

He looked at his watch. “You don’t have to go back to work?”

“I’m on two weeks’ vacation.”

He grunted. “You know, I think I’m going to go home and crash.” He flicked a warm, almost sensual look her way before opening the door and starting to get out. “Good to see you, Jemma. I’ll talk to you later.”

Fine. Be that way. She didn’t care if she had lunch with him anyway. He probably has a girlfriend waiting for him at home. The thought made unwelcome jealousy rise inside her.

Instead of leaving the car, he came to a stop and put his head in his hands. She reached out to touch his broad shoulder. “That’s it, Forbes. You’re telling me what’s wrong. If you’re ill, you’re going to the doctor.”

He removed his hands from his head and managed a crooked grin. “Forbes?”

“Okay, Major Forbes.” She blushed. “Blame it on my brother. He calls you that.”

Although he looked weary, he smiled. “I figured that’s where you got it.” He shook his head. “I’ve told you to call me Blayne.”

Resistance to the idea remained steady in her psyche. “Tell me what’s wrong. You’re not healthy. I can see that.”

He rubbed his hand over his chin. “I’m getting over the flu.”

“I think you should see a doctor,” she said. “Then I’ll take you home.”

His gaze cleared long enough to rake over her with a sudden, blazing energy. Flickering with sensual awareness, his gaze locked with hers, then drifted to her lips.

“Yeah.” His voice came soft and sensual. “Maybe I need some nursing.”

Jemma’s belly fluttered and tingled. My, oh my. She couldn’t deny the innuendo, and she knew he realized what he’d said. She dared search his eyes, probing for his intentions and enjoying the heated way his gaze moved over her. With any other man, the blatant once-over might have seemed insulting. When Blayne looked at her like this she felt uninhibited and willing to take a dare. Hell, she felt devoured.

When I wrote to Lauren to ask if she had a topic of the month/week or something that she’d like me to write to (or “to which she would like me to write” for you language purists), I got back a note that said I could write anything I want, but that “Readers like to get to know authors, what makes them tick, who their characters are, whatever.” So if this wanders… blame her!

With a book coming out (today!), I’ve been doing a lot of interviews for different websites, and the question that appears in every single one is “where did the idea for the Immortal Brotherhood” series come from?” I’ve been giving the direct—and true—answer of “from a dream” and telling about the tortured, thousand year-old warrior who lingered in my brain one morning a couple of years back. But you Lauren Dane fans are going to get the truth:

The real genesis of the Brotherhood is my long history as a TV junky.

I’ve been one ever since my Grammie got her first black and white TV in the late 50s (clearly, I have pre-birth memories, ’cause no way am I that old). And yes, I watched I Love Lucy and You Bet Your Life (Groucho Marx) and Queen for a Day and pro-wrestling with Gorgeous George. Grammie loved her pro wrestling. And her Roller Derby.

But it was the Saturday morning kids shows and afternoon reruns of the early 60s that most informed my world view and ultimately my writing. Those shows were full of honorable heroes and bits of magic and lots of costume drama wonderfulness, and I watched them so much that I can still sing the theme songs, or hum the ones without words. (Really. Every show in the following list. And a lot of the commercials that were on the shows, too. Pepsodent, anyone? Want to see the USA in a Chevrolet?)

Here are some of the critical influences:

Have Gun — Will Travel (Richard Boone as Paladin) He may have worn a cowboy hat, but he was really a knight. The theme song even said so: “Have gun, Will travel, reads the card of a man. A knight without armor in a savage land.” (And no, I didn’t have to look that up.) Dressed all in black, he lived a nobleman’s lifestyle in San Francisco and attended the opera, and he preferred to settle problems peaceably, but carried a Derringer, just in case. He was a chivalrous champion-for-hire, and of course, the name, Paladin, referenced the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne’s court.

Pip the Piper (Jack Spear as Pip). A flute-playing first cousin to Peter Pan (he flew!) and half-brother to the Pied Piper. Music, a city in the clouds, and a weekly pledge to stand up straight and do the right thing. Yep, that goes in the mix along side the TV Musical version of Peter Pan with Mary Martin (she flew!). Magic.

Sherry Lewis Show. Talking animals. Okay, so my guys don’t talk when they’re in beast form, but it’s all about the animal thing. And friendship and loyalty.

Fury and My Friend Flicka — Horses. Horses! (I just escorted my daughter through the most serious part of her horse phase.) My were-stallion’s name is Torvald, and you’ll find him making his first appearance as a secondary character in IMMORTAL OUTLAW. He’ll have his own book down the road. [And here's some Synchronicity for you: I just stopped to changed channels—it's 2:30 am—and lo' and behold, the movie version of My Friend Flicka with Roddy McDowell is on AMC! And boy, had I forgotten what a jerk the father was in the beginning.]

Maverick. (OMG. James Garner.) My personal prototype of the bad-boy hero who is willing to take risks. I knew Garner was sexy even when I was four.

Bat Masterson (Gene Barry as the cane-wielding “Bat”) Tongue in cheek, elegant, terrible womanizer. Hmm. Maverick again, except Barry went on to play playboy millionaire police detective Amos Burke, while Garner moved on to play down on his luck, blue-collar private-eye Jim Rockford. I still like Garner better.

Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn) Terminally cool private eye who loved jazz. [More Trivial Pursuit-style synchronicity -- Peter Gunn was created by Blake Edwards, Julie Andrews' husband, who also created The Pink Panther. The famous Peter Gunn theme was composed by Henry Mancini, who also wrote the theme to The Pink Panther. My cat is named Clouseau, after Peter Sellars character in The Pink Panther. And finally, in the Manicini orchestra was John Williams, who wrote the theme for...everything that Mancini didn't. I warned you this would wander.]

The Rebel (Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma) and Branded (Chuck Conners as Jason McCord). Branded came a little later (1965) but they’re both about men who are former warriors and outsiders, looking to redeem themselves and find a new life. They both (like Connors’ earlier Lucas McCain in The Rifleman) had a strong sense of justice. Bonus influence-credit goes to The Rebel because Johnny Yuma was a writer. (And I just confirmed by singing them aloud that I still remember both themes. Does that make me a nerd, or a wonk?)

Ivanhoe (Roger Moore as Wilfred of Ivanhoe) Real knights, this time, and set in 1194, just 2 years before the first book in the series, IMMORTAL WARRIOR. And of course, Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel set the stage for medieval romances by popularizing the era. But really, a hero named Wilfred? What was the man thinking?

The Witching Hour (Nora Denney as Marilyn the Witch). A local horror show in Kansas City. Marilyn terrified the little me so much that I couldn’t even go near the TV to turn it off and would stand behind the sofa or my Grammie’s rocking chair screaming hysterically for someone to come change channels. Stirred well with a measure of the Evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty, Marilyn is a clear source for the character of Cwen. (More trivia: Nora Denney, credited as Dodo Denney, went on to play Mike TeeVee’s mom in the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.)

And then there’s the biggie, the one from which you can trace IMMORTAL OUTLAW directly:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Richard Greene as Robin, Bernadette O’Farrell and Patricia Driscoll as Lady Marian). I knew and loved Greene’s avuncular Robin long before I met Erroll Flynn’s swashbuckler. The series was a ITT production, and some of the outdoor scenes were shot in the Meadow of Runnymede, where King John signed the Magna Carta (side note: Eustace de Vesci, a descendant of the real-life Ivo and Alaida from IMMORTAL WARRIOR was one of the 25 Surety Barons for Magna Carta)

One of the best things about the show was the active role Marian took in fighting Prince John and the Sheriff. Like Olivia de Haviland’s version, she spied for the band, but TV’s Marian was also a capable archer in her own right (as good as Robin, it was often said), and she frequently hung out in camp wearing a tunic and hose similar to Robin’s so that she was ready to ride and fight with the men. It turns out that the series had a female executive producer (Hannah Weinstein) and at least one female writer (Anne Rodney), who wrote Marian’s origin story and made her into this exceptionally independent character. Remember, this was 1959, when Donna Reed was the model of womanhood. Marian rocked.

This version of the tale, like that in the Flynn movie, was set in 1190s, during the years Richard Lionheart was absent from England on Crusade (and being held hostage in Germany). Historians debate when the real Robin (if there was one) actually, lived, and if so, when, but the first stories appear in the mid-1300s. IMMORTAL OUTLAW is set in 1290, in the time of Edward II, and it tells an entirely different story, but in the end, explains how the legend of Robin and Marian might have come to be. I don’t want to give away anything, so I’ll stop now, but you can find more info and a link to the entire first chapter HERE .

So, there you have it, the story how assorted old B&W TV shows, filtered through an eclectic brain, turned into a paranormal historical romance series about a crew of Vikings cursed to be immortal were-beasts. Strange but true.

Do you remember any of these shows? If you’re a writer, are you influenced by your childhood TV habit?

For those of you who would like to get their copy of IMMORTAL OUTLAW autographed, but don’t live in the Seattle or Portland OR areas where it could feasibly happen in person: I’m hosting a “Virtual Booksigning” by mail. Just send me an SASE and I’ll return a signed adhesive bookplate you can put in your book (archival quality, so it won’t harm the book). You’ll find my address, plus contests, extras, and additional information, including interactive maps of the locations in each book, at my website:

http://lisahendrix.com

Many thanks to Lauren for hosting me today. I had a fun time strolling down memory lane. Hope you did, too.