Out with the old...

Out with the old...and in with the new!

I finished up a manuscript today and sent it off to my editor. Now the waiting begins. But I don't sit around and do nothing while I'm waiting. I get right to work on my next project.

But first...I clean!

After I send off a manuscript, I get out the dustcloth and dig out my desk. I file my notes and research material, garbage anything that needs to go and clear away the space. That way, I feel like I'm truly finished and am ready to begin a new project. It's just a ritual I do and I find it works for me.

So, my desk is clean. There are no notecards propped up against my keyboard, no filecards piled to one side of my monitor and no scribbled notes propped up on my paper stand. It's all clear and ready for the next mess...I mean creative endeavour.

Now I just need to figure out what that project is.

Have a great Monday!

Flashback Friday

This is the third Flashback Friday, so I thought I'd finish the Summersville Secrets series with a look at Lily Blossoms. This is an older woman/younger man romance. It's part of the series, but can be read as a stand alone book.

BLURB: Lily Blossoms

“What do you say?” Carson, the man she’s lusted over for the past five years, is standing in her kitchen, offering himself up for research.

Lily isn’t convinced she hasn’t fallen asleep at her keyboard and is now having the most amazing dream. No one in the town of Summersville knows she writes erotic romance under a pseudonym. Everyone knows her as the quiet, conservative woman who owns and operates the local flower shop, Lily’s Blossoms. She’s rarely dated and certainly not a man eight years younger.

But Carson is resolute. He’s wanted Lily for years and when he stumbles onto her secret, he seizes the opportunity to get closer to her. Lily has a list of erotic fantasies she wants to research including sex in public, roses, whipped cream and a striptease. Carson has a few ideas of his own and he’s determined to be the man she experiences each and every item with. What she doesn’t know is that he has an agenda of his own—one that ends with them together forever.

Purchase Lily Blossoms

Check out my Website

The Romance Studio--Book-a-Day Giveaway

I'm part of The Romance Studio Book-a-Day Giveaway today.

If you'd like a chance to win a download copy of my latest Samhain Publishing release, Past Promises, just click the link above to enter.

BLURB: PAST PROMISES

For Linda Fletcher, the sign in front of her new business says it all. Past Promises Antiques is her declaration of independence from her powerful and manipulative family—and a vow to herself that her future will be different.

She never considered herself the no-strings-affair type, but the chemistry between her and her newly hired handyman is too intense to ignore. Moving to Jamesville was a bold step, so what’s the harm in taking one more—into his arms?

Levi Mann’s shadowed past keeps his bags packed light and his feet on the move. But one look at Linda, and he finds himself willing to hang around—just long enough to figure out what it is that triggers their explosive passion.


Purchase Past Promises

Two Great Reads!

I recently discovered two new authors...at least new to me...and I thought I'd pass along their names in case anyone is looking for a great read.


The first is Jennifer Haymore. A Hint of Wicked is a historical romance that I found to be original and totally engaging. I honestly wasn't certain how the author was going to resolve the conflicts, but she did so skillfully. I was totally satisfied and look forward to her next book!


The next book was by Carolyn Jewel. My Wicked Enemy was a totally captivating paranormal romance. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.


If you're looking for a new author, why not give one of these ladies a try.



Blurb:

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his cousin and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.

TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and


introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love . . . but life and death.



Blurb:

A desire that can't be controlled...Carson Philips is a witch on the run. For years, the notorious mage, Alvaro Magellan, has held her as his psychological prisoner. But once Carson gets a glimpse of the true extent of his evil, she flees Magellan's mansion--stealing a stone talisman of unimaginable power on the way. Her only hope for survival is a demon who ignites a voracious hunger in her she can't deny, a longing she can't resist...


A hunger that can't be sated...Nikodemus is a warlord with a mission: Kill Magellan and his green-eyed witch at any cost. But when he meets the desperate Carson, the pull of her magic takes his breathe away. He's not sure he can trust this tantalizing woman--she is his enemy--and less sure he can keep his hands off her. But Magellan will stop at nothing to reclaim what belongs to him. Can Nikodemus stop him before his desire for Carson destroys them both?

Happy Solstice!

Today marks the Summer Solstice--the longest day/shortest night of the year.

This is also known as Midsummer and is celebrated by many cultures, both past and present. Do something special today to mark the longest day of the year!

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice

Flashback Friday

What do you get when you combine a sexy guy, a sensible career woman and a hot summer day...a HEAT WAVE!

BLURB: Heat Wave
Book 2 Summersville Secrets (But can be read as a stand alone book)

Emma Howard has been sensible her entire life, focusing all her time and energy on her career. In fact, Emma doubts that there is much passion inside her, at least until Tucker Martin moves into her apartment building. Their immediate reaction to one another is explosive and she grabs the opportunity to explore her awakening sexuality. But after a heated encounter, Emma backs away from their growing relationship, unwilling to trust the passion flaring between them.

Tucker’s wanted Emma since the first moment he laid eyes on her. When a blackout traps them in an elevator, it’s not just the heat wave that makes Emma feel hot. Determined to convince her that they are made for each other, he’s more than willing to take advantage of the circumstances that have trapped them alone together.

But Emma’s fears go deeper than either of them realizes, and she will have to face her past before she can claim a future with Tucker.

You can check out Heat Wave or any of my other Ellora's Cave books at Ellora’s Cave

Discover New Authors Feature...

The Samhellion, the newsletter of Samhain Publishing, has a wonderful feature--Discover New Authors.
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Readers can download the first half of the book for free. That allows them to get a sense of the author's writing style and to see if they might enjoy the book. If they want to finish the book, they can purchase it. If not, they're not out any money.



This month, I'm one of the featured authors.
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You can download the first half of my Jamesville book, The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke. Just go to the Discover New Authors page of The Samhellion.

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Happy Reading!

Message from Ellora's Cave Management

As many EC readers have noticed, we've recently had a number of issues with the
Ellorascave.com website. This past week has seen us enter the final stages of
transferring our site to bigger and better web servers to meet the demands of our ever growing family of customers, resulting in some interruption of ourservices. We have a dedicated team of developers at work resolving our web-related dysfunctions and expect to have things once again running along smoothly very soon.

To thank you for your infinite patience during this transitory period JasmineJade is offering all of our treasured readers 10% off their entire orderin the JasmineJade.com store for the rest of June. That includes Ellora's Cave ebooks and print books (even the ones on sale)!

To get your 10% discount enter ECWEB2009 into the coupon field when completing
your purchase at http://www.jasminejade.com./

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Happy reading!

Summer is finally here! To celebrate, I’m giving away 5 PRINT Books between June 1st and July 31st—Summersville Heat, Overtime, Under Him, Candy Caresses, Ellora’s Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction III, and Feral Fixation.

The copy of Summersville Heat has been given away. The next drawing--on June 15th--is for Overtime, Under Him.

June 30th--Candy Caresses

July 15th--Ellora's Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction III

July 30th--Feral Fixation.

To enter, just go to my website and click on the “contests” page for details. You only have to enter once to be eligible for all the drawings.

Flashback Friday

I thought it would be fun to take a peek back at some of my books over the summer months. I'm calling this new feature...Flashback Friday. To start Flashback Friday is Annabelle Lee.

Annabelle Lee was my very first published book...the one that started my career.

BLURB:

Annabelle Lee
Book 1 Summersville Secrets

By day Annabelle Lee is a perfect small town librarian with loose-fitting dresses and hair scrunched up in a tight bun. But at night, lying in her lonely bed, her sensuality emerges in scorching, erotic dreams about Mike Sloan.

Annabelle’s not the only one with a few fantasies, Mike has been dreaming of stripping her out of her prim clothing and into his bed, and when the opportunity arises, he grabs at the chance. Soon they’re heating up the sheets, and each other, with steamy sexual interludes.

While Annabelle is luxuriating in their no-strings, secret affair, Mike is longing for something more permanent—like exploring the exhilarating heights of passion as man and wife.

Read an Excerpt

You can purchase Annabelle Lee

Guest Blogging at the Samhain Publishing Blog!

Where We Live--it influences what an author writes, for better or worse. That's what I'm discussing today over at the Samhain Publishing Blog. See how where I've lived has influenced my writing.

Check it out!

Review for Threads of Destiny

Threads of Destiny just received a glowing review from Paranormal Romance Reviews. Here's a snippet of what reviewer, Stephanie Q. McGrath had to say:

"What a wonderful way to weave a tale for a character that so many of us loved. N.J. Walters has given us a fantastic and unique way to revisit a character that I personally had hoped would find happiness. I highly recommend you read this if you are one of the many fans of N.J. that wished to see Marc's story revisited. Heck, I recommend the whole series! Twists, turns, excitement and totally hot alpha male warriors...is there anything better?"

To read the entire review, click HERE

Beach and Brunch

Yesterday morning, hubby and I went to the beach. It was a cold, rainy morning, which wasn't so bad. It meant we were the only folks actually on the beach. Almost everyone else stayed in their cars. Since I was dressed warm and don't mind getting wet, we wandered up and down the beach together with the waves crashing onto the shore next to us. It was very nice.

Then it was off to brunch with the family. My brother cooked tons of food. We all ate way too much good food and generally had a wonderful time.

Hope you had just as good a time this past weekend as I did.

Welcome to Monday!

Endless Chase gets 5 Stars!

Just Erotic Romance Reviews has given Endless Chase 5 Stars!

Here's a snippet of what reviewer, LT Blue, had to say:

"As a fan of the Dalakis Passion series I was ecstatic to see Ms. Walters has created Endless Chase as the fifth book...There are plenty of secondary characters in the story, including all of the stars from the previous books. I enjoyed that they didn’t take away from Chase’s story but they enhanced it. The sexual acts were as hot as I expected from the initial meeting of Chase and Katya. All fans of the Dalakis Passion series will be very happy with this story. Newcomers to the series will also enjoy this stand-alone read."

~LT Blue-Just Erotic Romance Reviews (JERR)

Thank you JERR and LT Blue!

Guest Blogging...

I'm guest blogging at The Raven Happy Hour Blog today.

I'm chatting about the Carpathian Mountains and how they inspired my Dalakis Passion vampire series. Check it out!

Featured Author at TRS for June!

I'm a featured author over at The Romance Studio for the month of June. I'm talking about my latest Samhain book, Past Promises. Check it out.