Feeding Time!

Zeus is one of the white Siberian tigers at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. He's enjoying a bit of a nosh at the moment. A great weekend spent with old friends and making new ones! Check out the wonderful work at the Refuge and see how you can help.

Lions and tigers and bears...oh my!

I'm writing this from the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. I'm on the deck at their Zulu lodge with my coffee. Across the outdoor fireplace is Delilah Devlin. Behind me is Cynthia D'Alba We're supposed to be attending the Ozark Writers Conference. Instead, Delilah, Cyndi and I are playing hooky to write for the day.

What a glorious place! Besides the fact that the view is of the turning fall foliage of the Ozark Mountains, there really are lions and tigers and bears. Turpentine Creek is home to rescued exotic animals. They have a variety of big cats from lions to white Siberian tigers. I missed feeding time yesterday but Delilah took some great pictures. Check out her blog!

Check out the real lions and tigers and bears! Beautiful creatures rescued from people who thought owning a wild animal would be cool. Now they are too tame for the wild and not suitable for a zoo. Turpentine Creek offers them a home for life. Sponsors like Walmart and Tyson Foods help keep them fed but donations are always welcome. Check out their website for ways to help.

Several of the members of the Diamond State Romance authors are here this weekend. We are all so impressed with Turpentine Creek that we are exploring options on how to help them. More on that later.




For now, I'm going to work on...wait for it...a story! Work is still crazy but I'm taking today off. And the evil day job is getting much better. I hired an accountant to help. In just two weeks, she's taken on a number of things allowing me a little peace of mind. I can't wait to see where she's at in a month! I might actually get to start writing soon. On a regular basis, even!

Off to write. Love saying that. Have a great weekend!


Hugz,
Shayla

Long time, no post!

Time has a way of getting away from me lately. I just realized I returned to full-time work a year ago next month. A year. And my writing has dwindled to nothing. Which I already knew, of course. LOL

A week ago, I seriously considered giving up writing. Tired of trying to find time to write, I thought it would be so much easier if I packed up the muse, retired the website and blog and just resigned myself to life as an accountant.

Then I pulled myself out of the waking nightmare. The idea of ignoring the voices? Sacrilege! Besides, they'd never leave me alone. So I'm back to trying to at least get a few hundred words a week. I'm on schedule for month end closing this month. I'm pushing myself to get prelims done by Friday so I can spend the weekend writing. Wish me luck.

Today was one of those days where I want to go home and try again tomorrow. I overslept. Running late. Dressed in a hurry. Scrambled out of the house. Buzzing down the highway about three miles from home, I felt a bump inside the toe of my show.

"Oh, please let the cat's have left me a furball."

Then the bump moved.

I have to say I'm very proud of myself for not panicking. I waited until I had enough room to pull off the road instead of slamming the brakes in the middle of the highway. I opened the car door then removed my shoe. A quick tap on the car door and Mr. Bump fell to the ground. And I proceeded to have a panic attack.

Mr. Bump

A hyperventilating, heart stopping, blood pressure raising, panic attack. Mr. Bump was still alive. He settled on the gravel where he fell, eyeing me with righteous indignation. Or maybe he was laughing at me. Either way, he won.

I slammed the car door and left him stranded on the side of the highway. Does that mean I had the last laugh? Probably not. As I couldn't laugh and hyperventilate at the same time.

I hope your week is going much better than mine! I'm off to do evil day job work so I can have this weekend free!

Hugz!
Shayla

What's In A Name...

I suck at titles. Most of my books ended up renamed because the working title just didn't cut it. Or someone else already had first dibs. Or marketing objected.

For instance, the first book in my vampire series, The Cost of Eternity. The original title was Eternal Darkness. The main reason for the change was the publisher had too many titles with Eternal or Darkness. Smart marketing attempts to keep the titles from being too similar or readers may see something that looks familiar and assume they've already read it when they hadn't.

The change was good on another front as well. Someone had kindly pointed out that in the promo world, authors often abbreviate their titles to the initials. Eternal Darkness = ED. Back in 2006/2007, the phrase erectile dysfunction was all over the airwaves and it too had been shortened to "ED". An erotic romance really doesn't need that kind of association. *cackle*

My first Tennessee Cop story, Hidden Force, ended up with the same marketing issues. The original title--which I loved--was Hidden Heat. So many things about the book played into the title. Things hidden--a closeted cop, an undercover operation. Heat--a lot of the theme circled around hot and cold. The relationship between the two heroes was hot; the one guy's inability to commit was cold. I thought I'd really come up with the perfect title. Except once again, the word Heat had been overused. Hence the final name of Hidden Force.

The second TN Cop story, A Helping Hand, ended up with it's original working title. I actually submitted it under Secret Needs because one of my critique partners didn't think the working title was sexy enough. Unfortunately, Secret was an overused word. So I tossed the original title out to my editor and she really liked it. Go figure... *cackle*

With my latest book, Consensual Infidelity, the title came before the book. Very unusual for me. My friend, Delilah Devlin, amazes me with her ability to take a title and write an entire story around it. I usually can't think of one until the story is finished. For example, the WIP I'm working on today is titled "SK New MM Short". *cackle*

Consensual Infidelity was born from a conversation thread on one of my RWA loops. The topic of the definition of a romance reared its head for the gazillionth time. It usually comes up once or twice a year. Someone said they didn't classify a menage a trois as a romance because--to them--infidelity, even if consensual, wasn't romantic. I disagree but everyone is allowed their opinion. And I got a rather cool title out of it! LOL

CONSENSUAL INFIDELITY

BLURB:

Denise Wilder never thought the idea of a man having sex with a man would be so intriguing but when her hot hunk of a Memphis cop boyfriend admits he’d do a guy, her mind and body go into lust-filled overdrive.

When Brady Jameson reveals his attraction to men, his girlfriend proposes a deal. She’ll help him make his fantasy come true. A night with her and her gay best friend Jay sounds like a serious slice of heaven.

But will consensual infidelity take their budding romance to new heights or end it completely?

Now available! 

Amazon.com	Amazon UK	Amazon DE
AllRomanceEbooks	Barnes and Noble	Smashwords

Long Time, No Blogging...

The last few weeks have been exhausting. The evil day job has consumed me--body and soul. But I have a plan! I'm back to full staff so I can start moving some job duties around. Except I need to catch up first! It's a vicious cycle that has had me working the last eighteen days straight. Fortunately, I can work from home on nights and weekends!

I shouldn't complain. The crazy weather has made life much more difficult for so many across the South. At least I have a place to live and work. There but for the grace of God... Tornadoes came close but thankfully, I had no damage and none of my friends or relatives have had serious losses or injuries. So many lost so much. And still will with the rising floodwaters.

Writing has taken a backseat to everything else. Unfortunately. I have several stories in process but nothing close to finishing. Well, maybe a short story I might could finish if I had a little bit of time. I'm hoping to get some writing in this weekend. If I get the EDJ caught up. *crosses fingers*

I really should have gone back to bed instead of blogging. I was rudely awakened at 4AM by the cats having a hissy fit. Literally. Evidently, a strange cat came in the cat door and invited himself to an early breakfast. Rusty and TomTom banded together to run the poor thing off. Not often those two cooperate on anything.

I think it was the same cat who came in a couple of weeks ago. He ended up in my bedroom in the bottom shelf of a book case. Scared to death! You'd think he'd have learned the natives aren't friendly. LOL Then again, he may be hungry enough to brave the wrath of my critters. The dog just lay there watching the fun.

My first experiment in self-publishing has been interesting. CONSENSUAL INFIDELITY is selling pretty good for the first month. It available at multiple distributors and that seems to help. I blogged about my experience at Passionate Reads a couple of weeks ago. I haven't decided if I'll self-publish again. I thought about doing some short stories because I just don't have time to write much. At least keep my name out there so ya'll don't think I feel off the face of the earth! *cackle*

CONSENSUAL INFIDELITY

Blurb:

Denise Wilder never thought the idea of a man having sex with a man would be so intriguing but when her hot hunk of a Memphis cop boyfriend admits he’d do a guy, her mind and body go into lust-filled overdrive.

When Brady Jameson reveals his attraction to men, his girlfriend proposes a deal. She’ll help him make his fantasy come true. A night with her and her gay best friend Jay sounds like a serious slice of heaven.

But will consensual infidelity take their budding romance to new heights or end it completely?

Available at:

Amazon.com	Amazon UK	Amazon DE
AllRomanceEbooks	Barnes & Noble	Smashwords

Manic Monday: Comfort Reads

Most people think of comfort reads as a book they enjoy reading over and over again. And that definition works for me. But I also consider a comfort read as something I can spend ten or fifteen minutes eithand don't have to think too hard about where I left off.

For instance, I worked in the Little Rock office on Friday and Sister was supposed to meet me for lunch. Well, she stood me up. So I grabbed a bite to eat with my Kindle keeping me company. Because I decided to run some errands as well, I didn't plan to spend long at lunch. I hit the Chinese buffet for a quick meal.

I didn't want to start my next must read, MOONSTRUCK by Delilah Devlin and Myla Jackson. I'd never want to leave! So I pulled out an old standard and one of my favorite comfort reads, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. The original Jane Austen one. P&P is also a book I almost know by heart. I can start reading anywhere in the book and still know what's going on. It's great for when I just want a few minutes break.

Good thing. The waitress was fascinated by my Kindle and kept reading over my shoulder. Wonder if she'd have been as interested if I'd been reading MOONSTRUCK. *cackle* Maybe...

What's some of your favorite comfort reads?

Hope you have a fabulous Monday! Isn't that an oxymoron?

Shayla

Desiree Holt's Downstroke Contest!

DOWNSTROKE marks award winning author Desiree Holt's 100th published book. One hundred books!

What can you say about Desiree? She's one of the kindest, sweetest, giving people I know. She looks like someone's adorable grandmother. And she writes books so hot, you might melt your e-reader!

I've known Desiree for five years. She was one of the people I credit with mentoring me when I started out. I consider her a friend and I'm honored to know her.

She's lived an interesting life. Her bio reads like an adventure novel--band manager, ski competitions and public relations. Now she spends her time writing about the relations of her characters!

DOWNSTROKE is now available at Ellora's Cave.

Blurb:

It’s been twenty years since Charley Roper and Dallas Creed parted with great bitterness. In that time she’s made a career for herself with the FBI and private security and he’s been a country rock music icon…tumbled to the bottom and risen again. Now someone’s trying to kill him and Morgan Creed wants Charley to protect his brother and find out who’s after him.

When they meet again after all this time it’s obvious the chemistry is still there, stronger than ever. They’re older but are they wiser? Caught up in the bitter wash of memories and the tension of a killer in stalking mode, Charley and Dallas begin a roller coaster ride that is emotional erotic and suspenseful. Is their love strong enough after twenty years to pull them back together?

Also check out the fabulous video for DOWNSTROKE!




CONTEST!

Leave a comment here for Desiree. I will pick a name from the commenters for a winner of a choice from Desiree's backlist. Then, after you comment, go to www.desireeholt.com and enter the contest for the refurbished Acer netbook. You will also find a list there of all the other blogs participating in this celebration. Be sure to visit them and comment for more chances to win.

And while you're over at Desiree's blog, check out another fabulous book of hers, PARTY OF THREE from the THREEFOLD anthology. Hot stuff!

PARTY OF THREE

Blurb:

Carolina “Carrie” Derosa had the hots for her boss, Drew Magellan, from the first day she went to work for him. Little did she know that Drew wanted her just as badly, but the same thing was holding them back—taboo on sex in the workplace.

When Drew’s friend, Linc Conover, drops into the office to see him after hours and they bump into Carrie on her way out, the sparks that fly from all three light up the hallway. It doesn’t take long before they adjourn to Drew’s condo and fall into a whirlpool of eroticism.

But no one expects jealousy to rear its ugly head. Who will come out on top in this ménage—so to speak?

Excerpt:

He wanted her. There was absolutely no question about it. Wanted her the way he’d never wanted another woman before. With such an intensity that at times it threatened to burn him alive.

Drew Magellan could have everything and anything he wanted. Any woman he wanted. But he didn’t want to settle for just any woman, and he’d had plenty to choose from. No, he wanted Carolina Derosa, the gorgeous blonde client manager who was the hottest ticket on his staff and didn’t seem to see him as anything but her boss. Remote. The man who paid her.

And why should she? There were rules about things like that. If he made a move on her while she worked for him, she could sue him for sexual harassment. If he fired her, he’d be getting rid of his most valuable human asset.

He groaned as his cock hardened and pressed against his zipper, threatening to break through the fabric. He needed a hook but damned if he could think of one.

“I’d love to meet the woman who put that look in your eyes.” Linc Conover’s voice was amused as he lounged in one of the big chairs in the office. Just back from two years as a civilian contractor in the Middle East, he’d dropped in to see Drew and catch up on things.

“What makes you think it’s a woman?” Drew asked defensively.

“Hey, how long have I known you? I can tell when it’s a business look or a woman look. We’ve shared enough women so I can tell the signs. So give it up. Who is she?”

“No one you know. Just…someone.” He pushed himself away from his desk. “Let’s go downstairs to Mike’s and get a drink, then we’ll head out and find a good place for a steak.”

“Sounds good to me.” Linc unfolded from his chair. “Maybe we’ll run into this mystery woman of yours.”

“Hardly likely. Let’s go.”

Hanging out at The Romance Studio!

Stop by and check out all the authors partying today! And look for a special deal in my posts today. For Romance Studio release day only! http://bit.ly/hpqM3s

I'll be sneaking in again from the evil day job around noon! Have a fabulous day!

Shayla

Over the Hump: Oldies But Goodies Music

I'm about to admit just how old I am... And one of my guilty little secrets. The first concert I ever attended was...Sonny and Cher. Yep. In 1972, maybe 1971, my mother took me and my little sister to see Sonny and Cher. I was already addicted to the Sonny and Cher show and I loved every song Cher sang. I could do without Sonny. Even back then, I knew she was a solo act waiting to happen. *cackle* And I still love her music.

Lately, I've been pulling oldies out of my collection or buying certain songs I don't have on CD. Some of them have been Cher. One of them is her iconic Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves. For the 70s, I'm surprised the song got as much airplay. Especially on their prime time television show. Even I knew what was meant by the line, "the men would come around and lay their money down" and I was 11 or 12 years old.

For today's over the hump, an old video from the Sonny and Cher show with Cher's Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves in her best Bob Mackie style!

Manic Monday: Already??

And another weekend bites the dust. I swear the speed of time passing triples on the weekend. My list of must-do ended with only a couple of things accomplished.

Housework and yard work were once again pushed to the bottom. However, my car is finally clean. Inside and out. I paid dearly for it but I had a bit of a mess happen on Friday so it was worth it. I'm always on the run and I practically live out of my car. Friday on the way to work, I had a plastic cup of dry granola and a bottle of water in the little car caddy I keep on the passenger seat. Jackass cut me off and I had to hit the brakes.

The caddy and my purse went flying into the floorboard. Granola and water mixed to make a sticky mess all over the floor mat. By the time I could pull over and pick up stuff, the situation was hopeless. I didn't have time to really clean the mat. I was already late for work. So by the end of the day, granola was glued to the mat, the carpet, everything...

So I paid dearly but my car hasn't been that clean since I drove it off the lot in 2007!

I made it through the Diamond State Romance Authors presentation with Delilah Devlin and Elle James. Those two are great at winging it. I wasn't as sure about the situation but I think we did pretty good. The library's programs dude really liked it and plans to tell the other program directors about us.

One of the didn't-get-dones was read the new straight to Kindle stories by Delilah Devlin and Myla Jackson. Hot Jimmy Thomas cover is enough to want the book. Check it out. Looks good enough to eat... *cackle*

Moonstruck is on my Kindle just waiting for me. Taunting. Teasing. *sigh* Maybe I can read a little during lunch this week. Bwahahahahahahaaa... Like that'll happen. But it's at the top of my new to-do list. If you want to put it on the top of yours, you can find it at Amazon.com.

Blurb:

Two sizzling tales by two very twisted sisters…

Heart of the Jaguar by Myla Jackson

When jaguar shifter Reme Denux stumbles into his ex-girlfriend's palm reading parlor in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he's fuzzy about how he got there. The last thing he remembered was a drink at a bar and having another man's dark, sensuous dream.

As soon as Reme enters her building, Sybille can sense the black magic haze hanging over the man she still loves. With the full moon on the rise, she has to do something to save him from a death-swapping hex or lose him forever. With the help of a voodoo priestess, Sybille and Reme weather the moon's supremacy and the soul-stealing storm, forging a bond of lust and love, neither has the strength to resist.

She’s All That by Delilah Devlin

Librarian by day, Melanie Bradshaw, is driven to desperation by her torrid dreams. However, when she acts on her desires, things go horribly wrong and she witnesses the murder of an overly amorous lounge lizard. With the body disintegrating before her eyes, who’s going to believe her?

When Detective Moses Brown gets the latest Full Moon case, he’s hoping it’s no more than another crazy looking for attention—until he meets the delectable Melanie Bradshaw. Melanie took a walk on the wild side straight into vampire territory. They know her and now she’s not safe. Until he can find out why, he’s going to stick to her like glue. If his own attraction gets between him and his good intentions, he’ll just grit his teeth and do his best to ignore it.

But pretty little Melanie has designs on his body. How’s a brother to resist?

And while you're over on Amazon, check out my first self-pubbed novella, Consensual Infidelity, a hot m/m/f BDSM menage.

Have a great Monday. As if that's possible.

Shayla