Vixenwriter

Still moving. It occurs to me that moving is all shiny until you actually, you know, have to do it. And then it becomes this horrifying list of things you have to do that are more tedious than the last. Around three kids. And now I remember why we lived in a house that is far too small for the 5 of us for so long, LOL.

My husband is rocking this (as he usually does, he’s that kind of person). He’s the point man over at the new house as I drop off, pick up, run to new schools, fill out paperwork, run back, pick up, oversee homework, pack boxes, oh and yep, write that book I have due on Monday. So of course – we needed to add sick kiddos to the mix. My sweet middle kiddo has picked up a stomach thing, now mini-me has it. It appears to be moving away from us though, thank goodness, and boy the oldest has as yet been untouched as he eats his way through my kitchen like a locust.

Anyhoodle, around carting boxes and kids all over creation – I haven’t been blogging and have missed a goodly portion of a week celebrating digital books and I feel terrible because I love digital books.

Before I get back to work I’m going to do two things – post a snippet of Revelation, the next de La Vega Cats book (starts immediately after Trinity ends) and have a contest!

It’s rough, I’m still working on it – but how about a tiny taste of Max and Kendra?

de La Vega Cats: REVELATION by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2010, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, Samhain Publishing
Releasing in July!

Max barreled into the room, barely leashing his fury as he saw her, pale and sweating, on her knees. The scent of her magick painted the air, heady, sticky sweet. His cat relaxed a tiny bit, but the man felt the bite of the claws reminding him to stay vigilant. The cat didn’t give a fuck about anyone but her.

“You mind telling me what the hell just happened?”

“She’s been working a spell. It took a lot out of her. But she drew on you. Took that spell farther than I could have and I’ve got thirty years on her.” Rosemary pushed the hair from Kendra’s face and man and cat had had enough.

“All this time? One spell?”

Renee nodded. “She was amazing,” she said to Galen as he edged into the room, Jack on his heels. “I just was the back up, she did this thing, this sort of dance and she spoke in a beautiful language.”
“She’s bleeding.” He stood at the edge of the circle. “Can I touch her?”

Mary stood, brushing her hand over the edges of the two circles. “Broken.” She looked to Max. “Touch her.”

He did more than that. He picked her up, cradled her against his body and only barely leashed his need to run out of there with her. She turned into him, snuggled against his chest and he gave her touch. Gave her affection and strength. And she received.

“Here, let me get at her cut.” Renee knelt, Jack touching her shoulder, Galen watching over the room, his thigh against Jack.

Kendra took a deep breath and sighed, some of her bonelessness was gone.

Renee looked up at him from where she cleaned the slice he’d cleaned only the day before. “Touch. It helps her too. Don’t need to be a shifter to let yourself be comforted by the ones you love.”

And now the contest! This one is a grab bag of sorts. Reply to this post with a genre preference (paranormal, contemporary whatever and you can put other details if you like – shifters, small towns, outer space, etc). I’ll choose two winners by noon pacific tomorrow. Winners will receive an ebook from that genre. Might be mine, might be from another author, heck, might be both!

Good luck!

Not ignoring you all, I promise! I’m in the middle of closing on a house so it’s crazy chaos – if I owe you an email, I’ll be getting to it all hopefully this weekend.

On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards hits bookstores today!

She’s Never Met A Man So Mouth-Watering

When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses . . .

And He Can’t Resist Her Down-Home Spice

Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he left his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food . . . and turning up the heat.

This is the second Recipe for Love novel, and it’s packed with just as much delicious food, restaurant drama, and hot chefs as my debut culinary romance, Can’t Stand the Heat!
Here’s a little taste to get your mouth watering for more.

Now available at Amazon, Borders, B&N, BooksAMillion, Indiebound, and Target!

The most fabulous Shayla Black (also the fabulous Shelley Bradley) is here today with a fabulous excerpt of her brand new release from Berkley Heat – DELICIOUS

BLURB:

He can’t control his desire.

Luc Traverson’s entire future is planned out—but there is one very sexy obstacle in his path: Alyssa Devereaux . She’s a former exotic dancer turned strip club owner and restaurateur. Recently, Alyssa and Luc shared one night of wild abandon that left Luc terrified by his loss of self-control—and Alyssa desperate for more.

And that’s just the way she wants it.

Fulfilling a promise, Luc is the guest chef for Alyssa’s restaurant debut. The sight of her makes Luc wild, so how can he survive a week without letting loose and ravaging her—especially when she’s begging for it? Luc’s desire for her explodes when he realizes he isn’t the only man desperate to have her. But one of the others is deadly. And that’s not the end of Alyssa’s secrets…which are as dark and mysterious and enticing as her fantasies.

Want more? Follow the jump for a scorching hot excerpt!
Read the rest of this entry ?

via random.org:

Comment 33 – Beth – you win a copy of HelenKay’s book!

Comment 37 – Miranda – you win a copy of Jaci’s book!

Comment 63 – Lynnette – you win Mark’s book!

Everyone, please email me your mailing address and I’ll get the books sent directly from Amazon!

Sunday and it’s into evening now. This weekend went by very fast. Probably because I’ve got a book due in a few weeks, LOL.

I did get some lovely news last week – the sale to Sensation, which I’m still giddy over. This new series should be a lot of fun to write. I’ve been making some story and series notes already so when I sit down to write it later this year, I’ll be ready. Or um, as ready as I can be in any case.

Also learned the Australian Romance Readers Association has nominated LAID BARE for “Favourite Erotic Romance” I’m in a category with some amazing authors and I’m thrilled and honored to be in their company! Thank you, ARRA for the nomination!

Hughies! Via Patti OShea and an email from Judy at the RBL Romantica boards – LAID BARE has been nominated for Hottest Book and I’ve been nominated as Favorite New To You Author – Thank you to all the fine ladies of the RBL Boards!

Thank you all for the congratulations – it means a lot to me when you send letters and notes, when you comment and take the time to let me know you’ve enjoyed one of my books or what have you.

How about a scene from Undercover? Sera is playing shallow and silly to get information from her new found companions…

FEDERATION CHRONICLES: UNDERCOVER by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2008, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Publishing Group

Sera wanted to die. These women would be the death of her. How they could stand themselves she didn’t know. But one thing she did know was that among Rina’s little group was Giles Standers’ alpha concubine, Delia. Sera figured it would be so and had taken a calculated risk in accepting this particular invitation. Rina’s keeper was a powerful man, not the most obviously so, but the one with the most financial power based on gaming and other gray market areas not so closely regulated by the Federation. They’d move in the same circles and Stander would want his females moving with ones like Rina.

“You are quite fortunate to have two such gloriously masculine protectors,” Delia said as she tossed an obscenely expensive gown at the clerk.

Sera smiled serenely as she fingered the undergarments, selecting several things to entice her men with.

“News travels so fast in Nondal,” Rina said in a voice so low and sensual Sera figured had to be enhanced.

“They are very fine looking men. I hear you had a run-in with Walker’s former wife last evening.”

“News does travel fast.” Sera offered nothing else. She wanted to know what else they’d heard and how.

“Giles is close with Perry and the she-demon. When they’re together, it’s the only time Giles’ wife ever has the nerve to say anything about all his women on the side.” Delia sniffed as if offended by that. Sera thought Giles’ wife would make a better point with a large, blunt object while her wayward husband slept. Still, Sera did quite enjoy the characterization of Kira as a she-demon.

“Have you met her?” Sera asked nonchalantly.

“Of course not. Do you think she’d lower herself to speak to one of us? Is it true they introduced you to her? I would have loved to have seen it with my own eyes.” Delia laughed.

“She gasped as if she’d been injured and stepped back, hand over her heart when Brandt introduced me. As if being a concubine would be something she could catch.” Venomous, evil, horrid woman.

“Not so perfect herself. Her or her precious Family.”

Really now? What did that mean? “This is lovely but this,” Sera held up another gown in a deeper color, “would suit your coloring so much better.”

Flattered, Delia took it, and in the middle of the boutique, stripped out of the gown she wore and tried on the delicate one Sera had handed her. “You’re right. I’ll wear it tonight I think.”

Sera waited until they’d entered yet another shop to hedge around the topic again. “I’m just relieved she won’t be at the party this evening.”

“Perry will be. She doesn’t know what a beast he is when she’s not around. Wouldn’t be so superior-like if she knew. All she cares about is credits anyway.”

“I’ve seen Perry. A girl has to get something out of a relationship and since Ash is in my bed, I think credits must mean more to her than sex.” Whoo, way to channel Sela.

Delia and Rina laughed. “I’ve seen Perry’s cock, it’s nothing to put on a vid and report over. But as long as he’s willing to keep certain people happy and doesn’t have the morals of a speck, she’ll stay with him and the Walkers will be happy.” Delia put yet another pair of shoes on the teetering stack she’d already created. Stander must be operating in the gray in a major way to finance this woman’s shoes alone.

“Certain people? Should I be worried about Ash ending up in some off ‘Verse brig for dealing with the criminal element?” she asked as she handed a pair of shoes to the clerk with a smile.

“Doesn’t seem the type to play on the wrong side of the fence,” Rina said. “Oh, I love that bag!”

Sera let it go for the time being, she couldn’t push too hard about it. Sela wouldn’t care overly much anyway. She’d find ways to bring it up at the party later that evening and whenever she could without looking suspicious. Certainly the comments Delia made didn’t cast Stander in a very good light and the stuff about Perry was worrisome.

One thing that did bother her was the possible involvement of Kira in the dealings with the Imperialists. Not that she gave a purri seed one way or another about the stupid woman. But she worried for Brandt and Ash, for their feelings and their Families. Sera hoped the things they’d said about credits and that sort of thing just indicated Kira’s nature and not any sort of knowledge of what was going on between Stander and the Imperialists.

By the time the afternoon was over, she entered the quiet guest house, the shops had sent over her packages and she was halfway to drunk from all the liquor they’d imbibed at each boutique.
As Ash and Brandt were both gone, she stripped down, got in the large bath and soaked while she tried to figure out just what the hell Kira and Perry had to do with Giles Stander and what she could do to protect her men from whatever trouble might arise

Don’t Forget to Visit Today’s Other Snippeters!
Shelli Stevens
Lissa Matthews
Ashley Ladd
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Vivian Arend
Mari Carr
Lauren Dane
Shelley Munro
TJ Michaels

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve sold to Berkley Sensation! A brand new paranormal romance series based on the world in Sensual Magic (novella in the Vegas After Dark antho)! The first book, Bound By Magic, will be out sometime around the end of next year.

More details as I get them

A new week begins and my kids are going back to school today (thank god). We had such great weather last week it wasn’t so bad to have them home because they weren’t stuck inside.

Finished INSIDE OUT and got working on REVELATION, the next book in the de La Vega Cats series and yes, all loose ends from TRINITY will be tied up. This one centers on Kendra (Renee’s sister) and Max (Galen’s brother) and it picks up just as Trinity ends.

Other than working on books and dealing with kiddos, it’s all about our upcoming move. Why on earth I thought it would be awesome to move in the middle of a school year while I had books due I don’t know. I must have hit my head when I was sleeping. On the plus side, I’ve culled a lot of stuff as I’ve been packing. Then again, crap, we have a lot of stuff.

Catching some of the Olympics, but I find the randomness of coverage annoying. I shouldn’t have to hunt around through tv and cable to find an hour here or there. Oy I could go on and on with the when I was a kid references, but hello, when I was a kid the Olympics were on all day long on the same channel. All this lock out this and blocked reception that – is friggin annoying.

Oh and I know some people don’t like Victoria Beckham, but I love her. I didn’t expect to, but every time I hear her talk or see her with her kids I realize she’s way less stick up her butt than she appears. I love how she is as a mom – I love it that her boys wear costumes out just because. She appears (appears because I don’t know her obvs) to be a funny person who doesn’t take herself too seriously. I dig that.

No love for you John Mayer. No. Love. Jeebus man, STFU about your ex girlfriends. Your nasty self serving comments about J. Simpson and J Aniston were without class or tact. Also, your entire interview in Playboy, including the comments you’ve apologized for, sort of, makes you look like a dong. Shhhh. *Puts finger over your lips* Stop overcompensating. Seriously. Just shut up about your penis and sing.

Ah well, now back to work for me!

When the clock radio went off before six am (poor dude had to get up extra early) it was the beginning of a radio lab story – a story about Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan and the day she fell in love with him. Naturally, we stayed beneath the blankets, snuggled against each other to listen because both of us share a deep love of Sagan.

When I was a kid, there was a show on television called Cosmos. Cosmos was created and hosted by Carl Sagan (and Ann Druyan along with Stephen Soter). Sagan was an astrophysicist and an author and it was a look into well, essentially everything – stars, planets, black holes, the earth – everything. And he presented this information, which until then had been heady and out of reach of most people, and made it not only understandable, but fascinating.

Anyway, before Cosmos, NASA asked him to work on a project to be included in two Voyager spacecraft that were set for deep space – essentially, these craft were going to be flung outward into the universe in hopes that sometime in the future, another race would find them and use the gold records Sagan had created to understand what humanity was.

Imagine that job! So Ann was part of the project with him as they pulled together the sounds of whale song, of music across cultures, of a mother’s first words to a child after birth, essentially everything they could think up that was in fact, sewn into our consciousness as humans.

Ann and Carl had been friends and co-workers until one phone call where Carl made a move, a silly, sweet offhand comment, and Ann caught it and ran. They married two days after the launch and were together until he died in 1997.

Hearing Ann tell the story of the project, of Carl’s love for it and of her love for him left me deeply moved. It’s a simple story at its heart (even with spacecraft) about two people finding each other after they were with each other all along. It’s why I write romance. It’s why I love my husband – and it was the best Valentine’s radio story I’ve ever heard

This is the link and I encourage you all to listen to her tell the story (though I encourage you to have tissues handy because by the end, I was fully crying)