Since she could pick up a pencil, Belle Taylor has used lists and charts to map out her life. When she achieves a goal, she marks it off her to do list. Simple. But now, just steps away from her corner-office, name-on-the-letterhead goal, she realizes that the life she thought she wanted may come at too high a price.

Exhausted, she retreats home for Christmas vacation to rethink her life, complete with all-new lists. What she hadn’t expected is Rafe Bettencourt, her brother’s best friend, the man who she thought only saw her as a pesky younger sister. But when he kisses her under the mistletoe, Belle finds herself with a whole new set of goals to balance with what she thought she always wanted.

Rafe knows Belle is trying to figure out what to do with her life. He also knows he’s done loving her from afar, and he’s not beneath making it as hard as possible for her to choose to return to San Francisco.

Because Rafe can make to-do lists too—and his plan is to seduce Belle back home where she belongs. At his side. And in his bed.

moar funny pictures

Angie sent me a link to something she created, which made me giggle. She took this pic of me, or someone at Samhain did, at the RT booksigning in April. Anyway, I made the one above of Megan and I last night because she and I sold a book. A book we came up with at RT while standing in line as a matter of fact. I comes out in October of 08, which is verrrrry fast and very exciting. I can’t say for who yet, there’s one last detail to get in place but we have a title and we have a pub date and an editor and it’s all very cool.

moar funny pictures

Also, did you know the amazingly fabulous Anya Bast has a shiny new website? She totally does and it’s gorgeous! Go and oooh and aaah over it! She’s also running a contest at the Maverick author blog to win some fab books so get on over there to check it out!

Speaking of contests… head on over to the Bradford Bunch Blog – I’m doing round two of the To Do List contest!

And last but not least at all – the pub date for Battlefront is December 08! I’m so thrilled! WHHEEE! It’s not going to be called Battlefront (and in all honesty, I didn’t expect it to be, I rarely get to keep my titles, LOL) so I’ll get you the final title soon along with the back cover copy that is so made of awesome I actually squeed with joy when I read it. Leis Pederson, my editor, is so shiny with the blurbage, I’m totally happy with it!

That’s about it for now. I haven’t done much reading this last week to be honest. But I did reac 80K in notBattlefront last night and I’m heading into the home stretch. Whooo.

Congrats, Karen. Just email me your format choice and I’ll get it your way!

I got my author copies so wheee! This one comes out December 11 and it’s a holiday themed red hot. Wanna win an ARC? Easy enough – just reply to me with your favorite type of romance set up – this one is friends to lovers with that hot guy crush you’ve had since you were twelve for instance. I’ll choose a winner at random on Tuesday the 4th at noon pacific!

Blurb:
Since she could pick up a pencil, Belle Taylor has used lists and charts to map out her life. When she achieves a goal, she marks it off her to do list. Simple. But now, just steps away from her corner-office, name-on-the-letterhead goal, she realizes that the life she thought she wanted may come at too high a price.

Exhausted, she retreats home for Christmas vacation to rethink her life, complete with all-new lists. What she hadn’t expected is Rafe Bettencourt, her brother’s best friend, the man who she thought only saw her as a pesky younger sister. But when he kisses her under the mistletoe, Belle finds herself with a whole new set of goals to balance with what she thought she always wanted.

Rafe knows Belle is trying to figure out what to do with her life. He also knows he’s done loving her from afar, and he’s not beneath making it as hard as possible for her to choose to return to San Francisco.

Because Rafe can make to-do lists too—and his plan is to seduce Belle back home where she belongs. At his side. And in his bed.

TO DO LIST BY LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2007, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Samhain Publishing
Releasing December 11~

He heard her muttering and tapped on her door. When she opened it, she stood there tousled and holding a legal pad and three different colored pens.

“Hi.”

“Hi there. You want to come in?” She stood back and he took the bottle of tequila and the shot glasses in with him.

“You look stressed. I say we do a few shots, make out a lot, you let me get to, oh say third base and we call it a night.”

Her brow furrowed and the cutest little line etched between her eyes. “Really?”

“Belle Taylor, I know you’re not offended. You get a totally different look on your face when you’re offended. Why are you confused?” He put the bottle and glasses down before tossing himself on the bed.

She put the pad on the desk on the far side of the room and lined her pens up, horizontally, one by one, in a neat and orderly row. Then she exhaled and pursed the lips he knew tasted like heaven.

“I’m confused because you’ve always treated me like Brian’s pesky little sister and tonight out of the blue you kiss me and then tease me and talk about sex and show up in my room and suggest third base!”

“I did indeed. I’d suggest more but I want to drag that out. At least for another day or so.” He laughed, loving the way she snorted at him.

“I could use a drink. Move over. Jeez, you’re a bed hog.” She smoothed out the blankets before she sat. “What? No salt or lime?”

“If I had it, you could lick it off my belly.” Wait, that wasn’t a tease, that sounded just fine to him as a matter of fact.

“Well do you?” One of her regal eyebrows slid upward and her mouth struggled against a smile.

He sat up and filled both glasses with the tawny liquid. “Go on, you first. God knows you look like you could use it.” He could too after her little tease.

She took the glass and drained it, her eyes watering a bit as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand very characteristically.

“Belle Taylor, did you just wipe tequila off your mouth with the back of your hand like, oh I don’t know, like me?” He laughed before doing the same thing and refilling their glasses.

“When does the kissing start?” Her eyes widened and she quickly drained the next shot. “Crap, I can’t even blame that on the alcohol yet.”

“You want another?”

“Why not?”