LOVE AT FIRST SHOT, Fringe, and New Books!

Have you ever had something that rattled in the back of your head and just wouldn't go away? A character, an idea, a little nagging voice?

Most of the writers out there will raise their hand with a roll of the eyes. Of course we have! Well, one of those little nagging stories finally came out of the closet this week.

My Paranormal Romance Novella, LOVE AT FIRST SHOT, released from The Wild Rose Press on Wednesday. This spicy little number spent years smoldering in the back of my mind before I finally sat down and wrote it. TJ Jackson is a doctor who works hard when no one's looking, approaches the world with the type of enthusiasm usually reserved for small children, and believes there's no time like the present to have a little fun.

Emma Feltman takes the world entirely too seriously. Of course, when you're a master mage in training, very few people take you seriously no matter how innately powerful you might be. Since her latest relationship broke up because her lover was a cheating dog, she's been on a sexual hiatus. Unfortunately for everyone around her, the higher her frustration mounts, the more unpredictable her magic becomes.

Now, we learned in elementary science class that opposites attract as long as they're in the immediate vicinity. Ordinarily, these two would probably never be close enough to let the magnetics do the work. So, what brings them together? A dead werewolf, of course.

Here's the blurb:

What do a dead werewolf, a kidnapped coroner, and an inept witch have in common? LOVE AT FIRST SHOT. Emma Feltman is a master mage in training with one minor problem: sexual frustration has twisted her ordinarily powerful magic into an unpredictable force of chaos. Her current job assignment is the Supernatural Clean-up Crew.

When a werewolf is unlucky enough to get hit by a car, Emma's crew is sent in to retrieve the body. Dr. TJ Jackson happens to be the coroner on duty. When it's discovered his mind is immune to magic so they can't erase the incident from his memory, they do the next best thing. They take him with them.

Stashed in a cabin miles from anywhere, Emma and TJ start things off with a bang. Literally. But can a relationship built under extreme circumstances really work?

Interested? Click HERE to skip over to The Wild Rose Press bookstore to check the excerpt out.

Now, you may be wondering what Fringe has to do with the LOVE AT FIRST SHOT. Well, TJ and Emma have a decidedly personal connection to Thursday night television.

While TJ's character may have originated in my imagination, his face looks decidedly like Joshua Jackson all the way down to his signature quirky grin. And watching Fringe really brings TJ to life for me. Curiously enough, Emma's avatar face in my notebook was Emily Deschanel AKA Bones.

Last night, I curled up with a mug of hot tea and thoroughly enjoyed that HD TV I bought my husband for Christmas. *sigh*

Okay, let me pull my mind back on business. If you're looking for some weekend reading, I hope you give LOVE AT FIRST SHOT a glance. There's also another novella that released this week from Samhain that you might want to check out since we're talking about magnetic attraction: SERENGETI STORM by Vivi Andrews.

This is the second Serengeti Shifters book. We're all familiar with the "bad boy" books. But...how about a "Bad Girl" book? Vivi writes a powerful story of love and redemption in her return to the Serengeti world. I couldn't put this story down. Here's the blurb:

The bitch is back, and nothing gets in her way. Except her own heart...

Serengeti Shifters, Book 2

Shana Delray is hissing mad. The pride's Alpha has chosen a mate - and it's not her. Bred to be his consort, she's not going to let some runt of the litter take her destined place - no matter how much ass she has to kick in the process.

Her way back into the pride is Caleb Minor - her former lover, the Alpha's loyal enforcer...and the runt's brother. And if she has to go through Caleb to get what she wants, so be it. She'll do whatever it takes to pry the little usurper out of her way.

Caleb's familiarity with Shana's manipulative ways serves him well when he's assigned to keep the seething she-cat in line. A nearly impossible task, as he's forced to use his body - in more ways than one - to save her from herself. Now if only he can save his battered heart from the explosive desire that isn't as dormant as he'd thought.

Caleb's stronger now. Tougher and harder. And, to Shana's fury, he won't be used. The harder she pushes, the more she finds her heart yielding...and suddenly she wonders if she can somehow win back the man she spent a decade trying to destroy...

Interested? Click HERE to link over to My Bookstore and More for an excerpt.

Now, I'm off to do a little light reading of my own...unfortunately, my own work. :) It's print galley time for ANGELIC AVENGER!,

Love is in the air...or is it? Valentine Pros and Cons

“Love is in the air…”

*dashes to turn off bad elevator music*

Or is it?

Today is Friday the 13th…and the legacy of the Templars still carries on. So, in honor of Valentine’s Day and Friday the 13th, I decided to make a list. The Pros and Cons of Valentine’s Day. For the sake of argument, let’s start with the Cons:

1) Have you ever had a guy you were sure could be the one dump you in January just to avoid the stigma of that awful Valentine’s Day appointment? Why? My guy friends assure me it’s not us, but it’s the expectations brought on by the highly commercial and materialistic interpretation of the LOVE day.

2) For all of us married folk, have you ever checked your husband’s credit cards, debit accounts, or bank statements in March? And the realization that the beautiful bling you showed off to all your friends cost half your savings that could have gone on that car repair that showed up at the most inopportune time?

3) Worse, for all of us who have abandoned corporate America for the joy of jeans and pajamas as daily wear leaving hubby to make all the money, have you ever had him say, “You know I love you, but can we just get a bottle of wine and have some time together after the kids go to bed?” Now, for me? That’s something special since our children and the demands of daily living mean we don’t have those moments anymore. But it’s not the traditional extravagance a lot of women want.

4) Now, have you ever had a Valentine’s gift that just wasn’t right? Something totally not something that you’d ever wear or to your taste? But he had to go get you something, so he walked into a store and let the Salesperson come up with it? Sometimes, that can be worse than not getting a gift at all.

5) And what about the men who just thumb their nose at it? Who refuse to acknowledge the day at all because they don’t want to be forced into gift giving mode? As much as the most forgiving of us can be, the hurt feelings are there even if you understand the rationale.


Pros of Valentine’s Day:


1) It’s a day where your significant other makes you feel special. Now, as a tip for the guys out there (you can link them here), it doesn’t have to break the bank. Get a bottle of wine and write a personal note – or just arrange for a sitter and take your wife for a walk!

2) It’s a day for you to do fun things for the people in your life! For me, part of the fun of Valentine’s Day is planning fun things for the kids to do.

3) Date night. For those of us with families, that’s something we’ve very nearly forgotten existed!

4) Memories. The Mastercard commercial says it best: Some things are priceless.

5) Sex. There, I said it. It’s one of the few nights a year where you set the stage to get lucky…and you’re both obligated to put out. *grins*

So, light a few candles and enjoy the day – and if it’s a bust, there are some really great books coming out with Samhain Publishing this month!

The Tickle My Fantasy books are popping on the stage one at a time (Carolina Wolf and Paramatch.com are already available) – with my personal favorite, The Ghost Shrink, The Accidental Gigolo, and the Poltergeist Accountant, coming out on the 17th! Witches Anonymous closes out the month on the 24th. All of these books are a wonderful read.


The Samhellion has free reads up in honor of the day, too. Shorts that are guaranteed to make you feel better.


And if print books are your thing, my novella Tiger by the Tail, releases in the ON THE PROWL anthology on the 24th. My author copies are in hand and I’m seriously excited about being able to go down to my local bookstore to buy it! AND...I just found out some Barnes and Noble stores have it on the shelf a little early...can we say ROAD TRIP?


And…in case you’re curious…my husband and I have banned the holiday. We have no plans by mutual agreement…and I’m okay with that. Really.

Do you have plans? Or want to share your best Valentine's Day memory? Or worst?

The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo & the Poltergeist Accountant

The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo, & the Poltergeist Accountant.

Is that a brilliant title or what?

For those of you who follow Samhain releases, I hope you are watching the calendar because the Tickle My Fantasy releases are coming. This one releases on February 17th, so I thought I’d take a moment to put it on your To BUY list.

Why? Because it’s a riot. I mean, come on…how many books do you know with Gigolo in the title?

But that’s not what makes it a wonderful book. It’s a grand story for a novella. Vivi Andrews writes it with such humor that it’ll make you think even while you’re reaching for your inhaler because you’ve laughed to the point you can’t breathe. Yes, I know this from experience.

When she first showed this to me, I literally choked on my coffee as I sat down to read it. The sheer brilliance of the premise combined with her humorous style had me in stitches from the very first line. I lusted after the hero, related to the heroine to the point I wanted to be her, and found myself cheering for the plot.

When I flipped the last page, I was smiling with a lighter heart than when I started. Why? Because there’s nothing like a great story and honest laughter to lighten the soul.

Lucy is a Ghost Shrink who helps wayward ghosts release their worldly cares and transcend into the great beyond. Unfortunately, a dry spell has put her a little on edge and created a situation where she’s attracting sexually repressed ghosts who just can’t get over the fact they died before they could live out some of their sexual fantasies. In walks Jake Cox, who is thankfully not a ghost. He’s a private investigator bent on talking to a specific ghost that he’s been tipped off will come to Lucy to work through his issues binding him to the world.

The problem? Lucy and Jake have an instant connection and he has to keep his hands off her or the ghost won’t come. Tie in a poltergeist account who thinks Lucy is his destiny and you’ve got a plot fit for Comedy Central.

This is Vivi Andrews first publication; however, it is not the end to her brilliance. Her Single Titles are just as fabulous.

If you’re interested in a closer look at Vivi’s perspective, she’s the feature author on my website until the end of February where she talks about writing and how she came upon this story.

And for a teaser, why not skip over and read the official blurb and the sample from Samhain Publishing?