Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Contributors wanted....


So, this new blog is called RANDOM ACTS OF SEX AND ROMANCE, and it's a short story/flash fiction kind of blog. All the posts will be short pieces of fiction, the kind that you can enjoy over your morning coffee. Word count is listed at a flexible 500-2000 words, and it's open to anyone. Content can be sweet and romantic or erotic and sexy....

The blog is here: Random Acts of Sex and Romance

Contact mail is: RAOSARblog@gmail.com

Looks like fun!! So, spread the word.... I'm guessing first story will be posted by end of day today. Also, it's on Networked Blogs here at Facebook for anyone who wants to follow via that network.As this blog gets a little more notice, it's a nice way to show readers a sampling of your work and style, and links to your sites will be included on your contributions.

All contributors will be given a listing in the links section.

Cool, huh???

Monday, April 26, 2010

In one month....

Sometimes, without really being aware of it, you create something that is very special. For me, this story is one of those things... Chatting with someone that I feel is one of the best men I have ever known, a day after Christmas - he was studying in Italy, and I was working in Canada, and we chatted via email while we did our work... I proposed a game, one where I would seduce him with words.... and so this story was born and it became my Christmas gift to him. There are two more pieces to be written to finish it... and who knows, maybe the game will have a happy ending for read one day??? Enjoy this early peek at the whole idea....

Games of Seduction
Publisher: Moongypsy Press
Genre: Erotic romance
Available: May 25th, 2010
Cover Art: Dawné Dominique

Blurb:

What begins as a game between two people from opposite sides of the world quickly becomes an intense and all-consuming need to discover if the passion inspired by words can fuel a fire that will span an ocean and ignite a love unlike anything either of them have experienced before.... Discover what happens when the Game of Seduction is taken to the final play - and two lovers unite on New Year's Eve for the first time....

Read an excerpt:

This story is for Emanuele,
who really is my fantasy and my sexiest dream…


Why are the words I write so easy, but putting them onto the screen for someone who is watching me – someone who is the answer to those very questions – why is that so impossible to do? I know why. I want him already. I want to be possessed by him in a way no other man has ever known me. The enormity of it makes me want to run, but I have no idea if the answer is to run toward him, or run away? I wonder if I should ask? I want a stranger to own me because I know he’s got the strength to do it, that’s very frightening.

So, how do I tell this handsome and passionate man that if he wants my fantasy, he has to tie my hands and blindfold me, then talk to me as he does whatever he wants with me to make me his? That in return, I want to do the same thing to him, and leave him breathless and aching as I decide how best to tease his lust? What goes on in a mind that wants to know what it is to belong to the man she wants, to be his and only his? Other men have tried to make me bend, and failed. I know this one could make me beg, and leave me more fulfilled than I’ve ever been… More alive than I thought was possible, even in my romantic dreams.

I want the touch of his hands and the whisper of his words, while he holds me captive to his desire. I stare and my heart is pounding a wild timpani in my ears, but still the words will not come forth.

I discovered that I know nothing about a man’s idea of beauty, that I see myself in a very different way than he does. He sees more deeply than I believed was possible, even through the fear that kept me struggling to play my part of the game, knowing I was failing badly.

He upped the stakes when he told me he wanted to see me… really see me… naked, in all ways. It was easy for him, he’s had more lovers than I want to think about. I’ve had few real moments of passion in my life. And I was a different person then, a woman barely aware of what desire was, and playing at being in love. I looked different then, but even knowing that time had not so much aged me as improved me, I was desperately afraid to let him see me. My first glimpse of him is burned into my mind. Beautiful as only a strong man can be, vital and vibrant, at ease with his sensuality and his potent sexuality.

“I’ve been told I am not the kind of woman who inspires passion.”

When I admitted that, how deeply it made me fear, he asked me why I would believe such a thing from a man who clearly wanted to cause me pain. Once again, he reminded me that I did not appear to be a stupid woman, yet I persisted in the belief that words intended to hurt could be true in any way. He does not hold back his truths, nor does he make them gentle when he forces me to see them. I took a leap of trust, and I did what he asked… each step into his vision was rewarded by an equal exposing of his body. I wonder if he saw how badly my knees were shaking when he looked at me – how much my heart leapt when his response was a simple, but appreciative “wow” when faced with me? I still shake, inside and out, when I permit my mind to relive that moment.

In the end, he told me to write. To do what I do best. So, I have made a beginning, and now I will allow him to see the truth his eyes have already told him… To give him this whisper of my honest secrets, and ignore the fear it creates in me to think that I could never be enough for him. He said the Game never ends… and I wonder if my inability to open my soul to him has already ended it? I want to see what the second play brings… but will there be a second chance?

That was months ago, and we have grown to know each other in surprising ways…

TODAY:

She faced the screen, smiling as she considered what she was about to write. Their Game had grown into a challenge over the months, each new seduction charged with eroticism that left her gaping in shock at the things she now casually gave voice to–and the things she never imagined before him. Today, she had chosen to change the rules, and now it was time to tease passion in a slightly different way.

And how do I tell you what seemed so easy when I proposed this new game? We will do this for the next three days, and then, on day four, it will conclude in a way that you are not expecting. This year will end, and a new one will begin–with new possibilities and more exciting games to discover.

The thought was threaded with uncertainty, and she forced herself to ignore it…

Fantasy… erotic whispers… banish fear and speak with total honesty… and trust. It was a simple answer…

Banish fear…

DAY ONE:


In my mind, I see you as you step into the shower… the water is pouring over your body, caressing your beautiful contours like the hands of a lover… and I want to be the water… close your eyes, let the heat of desire go deep into your heart… let your imagination create this fantasy with me…


COMING SOON

Candlelit Seduction
There Is Only You

Watch the Trailer

Friday, April 23, 2010

Vampyre Blood - Eight Pints of Trouble!

So, first let me introduce you briefly to this delightful novel that is wickedly funny, and VERY entertaining... This a vampyre novel that is contemporary, and poignantly on themark with its observations about human nature, as well as other things - like vampires and our perceptions of them!

The Book:

Vampyre Blood - Eight Pints of Trouble

When young New Orleans lawyer Bradley Harrington Chester the third lies dying in the street after being hit by a speeding car, it seems that his life is over. But as his spirit drifts away toward a distant light he is approached by an exotic fellow who claims to be both the Count Dracula of legend, and a violin player for The Techno Zombies, a Goth rock band on a world tour.

The Count explains that with the aid of a wizard he has abandoned his dark legacy, and now finds himself in need of a legal representative. So he offers Brad a deal, he can shuffle off into the light wherever it may lead, or he can become his lawyer, and be revived by a transfusion of Vampyre Blood.

The very last thing the young lawyer remembers before dying was his wife asking for a divorce, and prior to that he remembered being handed the prosecution of a mafia kingpin on his first day at the district attorney’s office. He wondered why the DA was so friendly to him, and so nasty to his star attorney Richard Bleddon, and he wondered why Bleddon had arranged a champagne supper at a fancy restaurant for him and his wife. After which, a speedy midget had snatched his wife’s purse and led him out into the street to die.

Becoming impatient the Count presses for an answer to his offer, and after being assured that he won’t become a Vampyre himself Brad accepts, hoping to go back and make sense of the madness that brought him to the brink of death. Populated by loveable rogues, scheming lawyers, and thieving gypsies, Vampyre Blood—Eight Pints Of Trouble, is an insane romp through the human desire to get what you want at any cost, and the strange places that desire can lead to.

Review:

VAMPYRE BLOOD is one of those novels that hooks you from the first word, because for a few minutes, you really don't know what the hell is going on and curiosity is a strong lure for any novel! The flashback to Transylvania that makes the opening sequence clear sets the tone, you meet Count Dracula, tortured, persecuted, and quite humanly attached to his faithful servant Igor. Igor, brave and loyal to the end, makes the Count promise to repent of his evil ways, and once he's assured that's what Dracula has in mind, too - he gives his master some direction.

Off goes the good Count, and falls into a sleep that lasts over a century. When he wakes, as confused as the reader, all soon becomes clear - and he's recruited to join the biggest Goth band in the world - The Techno Zombies. (His name is Drac now, and he's headed for America, as he'd promised Igor.)

Once the vampyre Count joins the band, things get quite amusing, but Parker's wit and humour are a perfect foil for what could be just another weird vampire tale. Through the count's eyes, we are forced to look at human nature with a slightly different skew. He lands in New Orleans before long, and we then meet Bradley Harrington Chester III. Bradley has troubles of his own, a pending divorce, a messy mafia case assigned to him, and the fact that he's dying after being run down by a speeding car.

Out of the shadows steps Drac - and he's looking for a lawyer he can trust. Given his somewhat limited options, Bradley agrees to the terms, and becomes Dracula's representative. So begins a strange relationship between vampyre and servant.

This book really is a non-stop observation of human weaknesses, strengths and the thirst for more, always more. It's populated with dark human characters, Goth musicians, villains that make you really want to see them brought down - and struggling in the midst of it all, a vampyre that is legendary for dark and evil trying to change what he is, and in the end makes a choice that some might find surprising. You also meet fascianting gypsies, a wizard who appears both seer and magician, he is the one responsible for the sleep into the 21st century.

While the book is riddled with humour, the real core of it for me, the thing that makes it a novel I will read again, is the sharp edge with which the author draws his characters. It is not a predicable novel, therefore a rarity in this genre. The statements it makes are sometimes blatant and unavoidable, other times you have to read a little deeper and find the less overt observations. Through it all, you are entertained and intrigued. At the end you want to start over and enjoy it all again, with a better understanding.

I highly recommend VAMPYRE BLOOD: EIGHT PINTS OF TROUBLE! It's edgy, compelling, and funny! You don't get that combination often, and rarely is it so well balanced with a core character who is an icon. So, congratulations to George Earl Parker on a novel well worth reading!! I can't wait to see what he creates next!

You can visit Mr. Parker on the web, at his site: http://www.georgeearlparker.com/

To sample a piece of this wickedly good novel, check here:

Read an Excerpt

Buy Vampyre Blood - Eight Pints of Trouble now!

At BookLocker
On Amazon
On Amazon's Kindle
At Barnes & Noble

Monday, April 19, 2010

NEW RELEASE TODAY!!

I'm really excited about this one - it's a hot thriller, with a very sexy hero..... my debut with Noble Romance Publishing, so I hope you'll drop by and check it out! Here's an excerpt.... not erotic, but there's plenty of sexy action in the story, believe me!!! I have posted a hot excerpt over at my Facebook Fan Page, though.... ;) Check the sidebar for the link.


RETRIBUTION: Silent Death
Genre: Action/Thriller/Erotic
Publisher: Noble Romance
Cover: Fiona Jayde

BLURB:

Adam Walker is one of the Company’s best field agents, a highly trained, well-honed killing machine when that’s what’s needed. But, he’s also a man of many secrets, and one of them is that he’s a ninja, one of Japan’s mythical death warriors. When another of Adam’s secrets, his lover Kiku, is killed, he turns to the one person he trusts, fellow agent Shainna Barton. While Shainna covers for him on a mission, Adam metes out his revenge, and discovers that his friendship with Shainna has a much deeper meaning that either of them ever realized…

EXCERPT:

Adam's steps were sure and silent as he made his way to the rear of the small theater. Exhaustion consumed him, but the residue of rushing adrenaline afforded his body a moment of false energy. Successful in yet another assignment—when the body turned up with the stolen files, there'd be no questions asked. Business as usual.

Still, the timing had been off, and there'd been no time to warn Kiku to stay at home. Uneasiness whispered inside him again, as it had for most of the past hour. Not for the first time during recent weeks, though . . . . He wondered if it had been wise to reject her desire to take their relationship to a more intimate involvement. Loving Kiku was as natural to him as breathing. But being her lover was something he hadn't honestly considered. Not until she'd brought it to his attention.

Why he hadn't noticed her love changing to passion baffled him now, as he thought about it. He'd told her intimacy of that kind would create distractions within his mind—the kind that might one day get them both killed. She'd been skeptical, though uncharacteristically reticent about explaining why, when he questioned her quick acceptance of his decision.

He thrust the doubts aside as he reached her office and entered. As always, the closet-like room appeared in complete chaos. An organized mess, she called it. He crossed the short space and picked up the phone as he settled on the edge of her desk. He was about to dial her home number when a flicker of movement drew his attention to the small, private parking lot separating the theater from a large apartment building next door. Adam slipped the receiver into its cradle and moved to stand in the shadows next to the small window behind her desk.

He spotted Kiku's nearly naked body and he froze. Instinct guided him as fear and rage surged through him. Reaching beyond the haze of tumultuous emotions, he drew on his training. A careful look at Kiku told him she was dead . . . her neck broken. Again, the flicker of shadows betrayed a presence. He waited. Seconds passed, so drawn out by tension they felt like hours, but one-by-one he saw each figure with striking clarity. And in that brief instant, each of the five faces was burned indelibly into his memory. He knew one of them by name, and recognized the others as students of Caisson's dojo. The heavy weight of the gun under his left arm all but spoke to him the alluring suggestion to pull the weapon and use it was so tempting. Adam had to force himself to resist using his weapon, a task made all the more difficult when Caisson bent over Kiku and placed a mocking kiss on her forehead.

He tore his gaze away, no longer trusting his ability to control his grief-enhanced rage. As he leaned against the wall, he realized he'd been holding his breath. Slowly, he exhaled, shaking uncontrollably despite his imposed strength of will.

When the wracking spasms of anguish subsided, he emerged from the theater's office and left without looking back.

* * * * *

Less than half an hour later, Adam slipped into Kiku's small flat. Like her office, it was in disarray, although not to the same exaggerated extent. He did a thorough, systematic search of the entire four rooms, removing every trace of his presence in her life. The items were few, for he seldom left even the smallest of articles behind. No photographs of them to be found, together or individually, a house rule they'd agreed to years earlier.

Hovering in the doorway, he took one final look at the place. It was so much like her, he thought, inhaling the light residue of sandalwood incense in the air. Books on every subject to satisfy her insatiable thirst for knowledge were strewn about, along with old theater posters, exotically painted masques, and cassettes and CDs in various languages. Despite his protestations, a map hung on the wall, dotted with postcards from the countries they'd traveled together. He hesitated for a moment then decided to collect the cards and destroy the map.

When he finished, he locked the door and turned his back on this place, too. Kiku would have expected nothing less from him.

* * * * *

Shainna Barton sighed in weariness as she kicked open the door to her apartment to drag her luggage inside. She'd been out of the country for over a month this time, and home seemed more appealing than she would have thought possible. She was growing tired in more ways than one.

A quick slam and the door shut firmly, leaving her in the silent, air-conditioned sanctuary she'd bought only a year before, a purchase she'd recognized as the first step toward her accepting pending retirement from the field.

She'd called home the night before, and her oldest and dearest friend had opened the apartment and stocked the cupboards for her. DeeDee Caulwell was one of the few constants in Shainna's life. She honestly didn't know what she'd do without her.

The phone rang. She stole a glance at the caller ID. Dee. Shainna dropped her shoulder bag and flopped into a chair as she grabbed the phone. The worry in DeeDee's voice hit before the actual words, and Shainna automatically reached for the TV remote control to turn on the news report her friend was going on about with such dread. The reporter's words ran together as Shainna's world twisted wildly on its axis. Her pulse roared so loud in her ears she barely heard DeeDee say she was on her way over.

* * * * *

From her window seat, Shainna looked out at the night sky. Her chill had very little to do with the air-conditioned air. The ice reached into her soul and expanded outward to her quivering limbs. She wasn't prone to infatuation, never had been, but there was something almost obsessive in her passion for Adam Walker. They were friends; the relationship worked for them. But Shainna had realized, long ago, the hunger she felt in Adam's company had precious little to do with being friends. If she'd been less honest, she would have hated Kiku Shimoda, simply for being the love in Walker's life. But Shainna was too much a realist to pretend the other woman was the reason Adam didn't love her.

She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her head thump gently against the wall at her back. Adam's amazing topaz eyes came into focus so quickly she was startled to discover he wasn't next to her. She could feel him, though. All around her. Inside her heart. His pain was agonizing—and total. He was out there, and by now, he knew.

"What are you going to do, Adam?" She asked the question aloud, as was her custom when working possible angles to a puzzle. She shivered when the answer, like a cold caress, brushed her consciousness—a promise of mayhem and death—as if Adam had spoken directly into her mind. They'd been connected on some level for what felt like forever. And in that moment, she wondered if he'd actually heard her and responded.

Before the odd thought could create another conundrum for her to ponder, she was distracted by a knock at the door. She crossed the room and opened the door, breathing a thankful sigh at the sight of her friend.

"Are you all right?"

She shut the door as DeeDee glided past, shedding her coat and tossing it into a chair before she turned to Shainna.

"I'm still trying to take in what's happened." Shainna confessed. "This is going to destroy Adam. Especially when he finds out what the press is reporting. I don't even know where to find him, Dee!"

"Maybe that's for the best." DeeDee's features showed visible concern.

Adam Walker was always a touchy subject between them, and the gentle censure in her friend's voice made Shainna's temper flare.

"Okay, Shain." DeeDee held up her hands in a gesture of surrender before Shainna had time to snap. "Truce. Back off. What are you planning, anyway?"

"If I know Adam, he's going to find who did this." She paced, chewed her thumbnail, and tried to make her brain function past her fear for the man. Kiku was the world to Adam, and Shainna knew—via the Division grapevine—the two had been a solid couple for some time. Whether or not the rumors were based on truth wasn't relevant to her heart. She'd tried not to resent Kiku for Adam's lack of interest, but it hadn't been easy when every part of her spirit and body cried for the man in ways she wished rather to never have experienced.

"And . . . ." She finally added. "He's going to make them pay for what they did to her—in blood."

"That sounds like Adam," DeeDee agreed, her tone reflecting her dislike and her near contempt for the man they discussed.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

Startled, DeeDee didn't answer for a moment, then she laughed. "I hate what he does to you. Adam himself means nothing to me. I know you'd walk through hell for him, and he wouldn't have to ask you to do it. What would he do for you, Shain?"

"The same thing if I needed him."

"You're so certain of that. Why?"

"Because he's Adam. Because what exists between us is a lot deeper than simply trusting another agent with your back."

"What happened in Italy last year?" DeeDee asked. "You've never said much, but something changed between you and Adam on that mission."

"Yeah, we took our last day and went sight-seeing like normal people. I got drunk and told him I loved him. We blamed the wine the next day, and pretended it never happened."

"What did he say?"

"I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies."

DeeDee's frown of confusion made Shainna laugh. "It's a quote we found earlier that day, a 15th century Italian poet called Pietro Aretino wrote it. Adam told me we were friends, there was no room for anything else between us."

"But he's always willing to ask you to risk your life for him!"

"It's my job, Dee. And his!"

"Not this time. This time it's personal, so you should stay out of it."

"How am I supposed to do that? He's going to need backup, and if I know Adam, he's going to make it clear he wants me."

"Doesn't mean Michael will agree." DeeDee reasoned. She'd been fidgeting and tidying up the apartment from the moment she'd started the conversation. Now, she stopped moving. "He does have some control over Adam."

Shainna laughed at DeeDee's careful words, barely recognizing the shrill, hysterical edge that turned the sound brittle. "No one controls Adam," she said, barely above a whisper. "Michael knows that better than anyone."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Shainna trembled. "Wait." She returned to the window and stared into the night once again. "I'm going to wait for him. What else can I do?"



BUY IT HERE

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Available April 19th - RETRIBUTION

For the first time in ages, I'm really looking forward to a new release. This is my first book with NOBLE ROMANCE, and with their fabulous editors, it's going to prove to be one of my best books - I hope you'll check it out when it's released on the 19th!! It's erotic, and a bit James Bond thriller - with a hero who is rather unique, but lethal... Have a look, and please DO let me know what you think!! Love and Blessings to all.... always!

RETRIBUTION:
Silent Death
Previously published by New Concepts Publishing
Revised and expanded
From NOBLE ROMANCE
Cover by: Fiona Jayde

Blurb:

Adam Walker is one of the Company’s best field agents, a highly trained, well-honed killing machine when that’s what’s needed. But, he’s also a man of many secrets, and one of them is that he’s a ninja, one of Japan’s mythical death warriors. When another of Adam’s secrets, his lover Kiku, is killed, he turns to the one person he trusts, fellow agent Shainna Barton. While Shainna covers for him on a mission, Adam metes out his revenge, and discovers that his friendship with Shainna has a much deeper meaning that either of them ever realized…

Excerpt:

"We have a rogue agent. He's not that good, so neutralizing him won't be too difficult. Besides, Jamil will be on hand." She shrugged with feigned lightness.

"How much do you trust Jamil?"

"Enough." She resisted the step she longed to make toward him, astounded the imposed distance caused her something very similar to real pain. She pushed the unwanted feeling away and focused on why she was in Morocco, why she was here at his request.

"How much time do you need?" she asked after a reluctant pause. Her tone failed to entirely mask her worry. She watched as he reconsidered the request he hadn't actually made yet, but the one she knew was coming. She had no illusions about why he'd asked for her to be sent to Tangier.

"They're saying I killed her." His admission sounded distracted and distant.

That's not all they're saying, Adam. Shainna recalled the newspaper she'd read, as well as the initial report that had sent DeeDee running to her the first night she'd been back in London. Kiku had been beaten and raped, her neck broken. The police had one suspect, a mysterious drifter nobody knew anything about. There were rumors of a blond stranger, a man who appeared and disappeared like a ghost in the pretty woman's life.

"You know who's responsible." She'd surmised as much last night, after adding together what little she knew of the incident and the greater understanding she had of Adam and his methods.

"Yeah," he said in a whisper. "I need cover for seventy-two hours."

She considered his words, calculating the best strategy to allow him the time he needed. His intense gaze captured her attention, and she stared for what seemed like an eternity before taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"Just be sure you make it back to Tangier before the bodies turn up."

"I owe you one." He smiled very slightly.

"So far." She observed him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to get a look at the Palace before it opens. Enjoy the room—we don't often get first class accommodations."

She tossed him a grin, but when she attempted to rise from the bed, he stopped her with a quiet, "Shain?"

The soft utterance of her name contained a thousand subtle questions—and answers. Sizzling chemistry, never openly acknowledged by either of them, flared to life in the space of a heartbeat then quickly grew into a raging inferno demanding attention, recognition, and satiation.

With an inaudible, fearful intake of breath, she turned her gaze upward to meet his. He brushed aside a straying wisp of her hair as he drew her toward him, his mouth seeking hers. The contact was electric. She raised her hands to his shoulders, intending to push him away. She didn't want to be a diversion for his grief. He twisted enough to lean her back onto the bed, and she shuddered when his weight shifted, covered her, and his tongue grew ever more evocative as he deepened their kiss.

"Adam." It was a gasp of sound in the space between them when he pulled away and began to unbutton her pants. She heard the zipper dragged down and forced herself to watch, to meet his gaze as he stared at her, the topaz light of his eyes blazing fire back at her.

"If you don't want this, Shainna," he said, voice a rasp of excitement, "tell me now."

"I don't want this to be about your grief for another woman." She finally found her voice, frightened to death he'd leave the bed—just as frightened he'd stay. One moment, he was pulling her pants the length of her legs; a moment later, she forgot everything except the sensations he created when he touched her skin.


"The only woman I'm thinking about right now is the one I'm looking at." He assured her.

"What if this changes everything? I don't want to lose you, Adam. Not to a memory. And not to a mistake."

He smiled, tossed aside her pants, and then bent over her. His mouth moved gently from one leg to the other as he trailed kisses upward from her ankles to the smooth, muscular flesh of her legs. His tongue and wet lips left a glistening track along her inner thighs, and he wondered for a moment if he was using Shainna to forget the numbness created by Kiku's absence.

"Don't stop, Adam." Shainna begged softly. "God... don't stop, now."


AVAILABLE APRIL 19th from
NOBLE ROMANCE PUBLISHING

Sunday, April 11, 2010

A Cowboy's Headstone

This was a real cowboy.
Headstone of Russell J. Larsen in The Logan City Cemetery,
Logan, Utah
I wonder if he died knowing he would win the
Coolest Headstone contest?



Click the image to see the full-size view,
it's easier to read the inscription!

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Beautiful Blog Award


WOW - imagine my surprise when this appeared in my mailbox? My thanks to A.F. Stewart for the honour.... If you click on the image you will be taken to the original post.... and another very cool blog!