Sunday Report Card!

I read a lot of author blogs and a number of them are doing Sunday Report Cards. Evidently accountability combats procrastination. *cackle* Considering I'm the Queen of Procrastination, maybe a Sunday Report Card would be a good thing. Of course, I might not get the post done until Monday or Tuesday!

Since all my titles are tentative--I suck at titles and give my editors the final say there--I'll post abbreviations instead.

1) Completed TDDYP (HQ Intrigue) synopsis and query letter.
2) Submitted TDDYP synopsis to Roses' Colored Glasses critique group.
3) Finished CI (Samhain) revisions--after CP's first read. Added net 850 words this week plus edits. Sent back to CP.
4) Did three critiques for the Roses' Colored Glasses critique group.
5) Worked on plotting synopsis for STNQ (HQ SR).
6) Began revisions on OOC (not sure who yet). Story written two years ago and rejected by Spice Brief.
7) Worked 10 hours for the evil day job.
8) Snoopy danced about the Bean Pot Award. *cackle*

So I did a lot more than I thought I had! Nice!

Next week's goals? Well, some of it depends on when my extra busy CP gets back to me. Poor woman is running herself ragged!

1) Mail TDDYP proposal to HQ Intrigue.
2) Sub CI to Samhain. (If CP finishes.)
3) Finish revisions on OOC, send to CP and figure out where to sub.
4) Work the evil day job 16-24 hours.
5) Snoopy dance some more about the Bean Pot Award. *cackle*

I'm not sure of my EDJ schedule. I know I have to work Mon & Fri. Plus next weekend is Easter and the sibs will be at Momma's. I might be a little too ambitious with my goals. *cackle* Hopefully, I'll at least get 1-3 done.

So we'll see next Sunday if I can manage this goal thingy! LOL

PAST LIES won!

Color me startled! *cackle*

PAST LIES won first place in the erotic category in the New England Chapter RWA Bean Pot Awards! I don't win stuff. Definitely not very often. So color me startled. Especially when you consider the competition--Tina Donahue, Desiree Holt, Dalton Diaz and Samantha Cayto!

When the contest coordinator sent the email, my jaw hit the floor and I had to re-read the list several times. When I emailed her to thank her and the judges, she responded with the information that my score was nearly perfect and the second highest out of all of this year's categories. Color me shocked! But the Snoopy dancin' commenced!

And I get to use the line "won in the NEC RWA Bean Pot Awards" in every query letter from now to eternity. *cackle*

PAST LIES
Available at Ellora's Cave

Two opposite men, two different lives, two sets of past lies.

With his twenty-year high-school reunion looming, Paul Loughton dreads seeing the one person who could tempt him to stray from his path. Small-town mayor, lawyer and budding politician, Paul can’t—won’t—admit he’s gay, even to himself. Years of denial and lies are now threatened by an inevitable encounter. With his denial slipping, he has to come face-to-face with temptation.

Randy Martin left his small-town roots behind before the ink on his diploma was dry. The cliquish world of his childhood didn’t have room for the weird kid from the wrong side of the tracks. Rumors of his sexual preferences made life that much more difficult. Now, twenty years later, he should be anxious to rub his wealth and success in the faces of his former classmates. Except with one of them, the urge to rub something else hasn’t diminished over the years.

New Cover - ICING ON THE CAKE!

And what a hot cover! Yummy! Thanks to artist Dar Albert for an amazing cover!


ICING ON THE CAKE
Coming soon to Ellora's Cave

Blurb:

Jeff Morgan’s life is all about career. Relationships aren’t on his radar. His friendships are limited to a very few and his sex life consists of wham-bam-thank-you-man sexual encounters. He doesn’t do long term. He doesn’t even do breakfast.

Then the fate of a cake brings Ollie Cranford into his life. Shaved head, tats and piercings, the baker is far from Jeff’s type but Ollie is as luscious as the icing he whips up in his bakery.

Now if only Jeff can relax long enough to enjoy the icing on the beefcake.

A truly joyous occasion!

Contest: Sexy Side Dish!

An impromptu contest! The story I'm writing demands a sexy side dish! I already have asparagus-can't go wrong with an aphrodisiac vegetable that's also a phallic symbol. *cackle* But I need one more. Something else phallic or something where finger sucking...er, licking is involved. The main course is set as is the dessert but I need one more side dish to round out the meal. Before the other main course kicks in... *wink*

Contest prize! You get credit in the acknowledgements for the recipe suggestion and a copy of the ebook when it comes out! Post your suggestions in the comments to enter.

Fair warning--of course it's a gay romance! *cackle*

I need the recipes by Monday night (8PM Central).

2010 New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award Finalists

Lots of Snoopy dancing yesterday! My gay romance, PAST LIES, finaled in the Bean Pot Awards! *insert more Snoopy dancing here* PAST LIES is the first gay romance to final in the Bean Pot and I'm thrilled!

For more info on PAST LIES, click here: http://shaylakersten.com/pastlies.htm

The official list:

Finalists are listed in alphabetical order.
***NEC Member

Short Contemporary Finalists
Colorado Christmas – CC Coburn - Harlequin
Healing the Boss’s Heart – Valerie Hansen - Steeple Hill
Meant To Be – Donna Marie Rogers - The Wild Rose Press

Long Contemporary Finalists
Hope Street – Judith Arnold*** - Harlequin
Hot Flash – Kathy Carmichael - Medallion Press
Spinning Forward – Terri DuLong - Kensington

Historical Finalists
If He’s Sinful – Hannah Howell*** - Zebra
Confederate Rose – Susan Macatee - The Wild Rose Press
Wickedly Ever After – Michelle Marcos - St. Martin's True Crime

Romantic Suspense Finalists
Operation Sheba – Misty Evans - Samhain Publishing
No Alibi – Valerie Hansen - Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
More Than Great Riches – Jan Washburn - White Rose Publishing

Erotica Finalists – (this category had a tie in one of placements – hence the four finalists)
Illegal Moves – Dalton Diaz***/Samantha Cayto*** - Ellora's Cave
Adored – Tina Donahue - Ellora's Cave
Do You Trust Me – Desiree Holt - The Wild Rose Press
Past Lies – Shayla Kersten - Ellora's Cave

Future/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal Finalists
A Highlander of Her Own – Melissa Mayhue - Pocket
Desire Untamed – Pamela Palmer - Harper Collins
Ghost of A Chance – Judi Phillips*** - The Wild Rose Press

Winners and the second and third place entries will be announced and awards presented at our 2010 Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference on March 26-27,2010. So be sure to join us at the conference to congratulate the winners.