Shayla Kersten

Feeding Time!

2011-10-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-10-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-07-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-05-22T16:19:00.001-05:00

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...

2011-05-11T05:05:00.000-05:00

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

2011-04-25T05:47:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-04-24T03:00:00.003-05:00

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!

2011-04-21T06:34:00.001-05:00

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

2011-04-20T05:25:00.000-05:00

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??

2011-04-18T04:00:00.000-05:00

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

Consensual Infidelity, now available!

2011-04-11T23:57:00.001-05:00

What if you found out your boyfriend was bisexual? Run? Watch? Join in? Well, I think you know what the heroine in my latest book does!

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?

Lots of fun in Denise and Brady's future. Check it out for yourself at Amazon.com!

Hugs!
Shayla

Music for the Writer's Soul: Raise Your Glass by Pink

2011-03-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I like the Glee version a wee bit better but it has more to do with context within Glee's storyline than a comment on Pink's talent or style.

I love the way Raise Your Glass is an anthem to freaks. I was a member of the "freak" squad in high school and still consider myself a bit of a misfit. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact I hear voices. *cackle* But then, the voices now have their own income!

Raise Your Glass by Pink

Time for an Overhaul...

2011-03-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

A lot of things in my life are in need a bit of a fixer-upper but this time I'm talking about my website. I've been working on a new format and I'm trying to find icon images for my category page. The categories are:

Gay
Bisexual
Lesbian
Straight

The pictures will be links to the books in that category. My new format is brighter than my old one. Gone will be the black background and the rust colored text. The new website will have a white background so I wanted something that would blend in a little better.

Here are the finalist. So far. I'm looking for opinions...

Gay

© Photographer: Kirza
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Bisexual

© Photographer: Anpet2000
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Lesbian

© Photographer: CandyBox
Aency: Dreamstime.com

Straight

© Photographer: Anpet2000
Agency: Dreamstime.com

Just Another Manic Monday...

2011-03-07T05:39:00.001-06:00

Wish it was Sunday. Old song but so true even today... Evil day job ahead of me. Lovely, if busy, weekend behind me. That's enough to make me manic.

Publish Post

Hope you have a happy Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAZgLcK5LzI

New Release: Free Read!

2011-03-01T21:17:00.000-06:00

And now for the rest of the story...

A number of readers didn't like the happy-for-now ending between my heroes from ICING ON THE CAKE. They wanted a little more but hey, Ollie and Jeff only knew each other for three days by the end of the story! So now, as a free read through Ellora's Cave, is the rest of the story. And don't let the generic cover fool you.

ACQUIRED TASTE

Jeff knows Ollie is the best thing to happen to him since the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Too bad Jeff’s determined to screw things up. If the thought of walking away after three months hurts this much, Jeff knows he’d never survive when things eventually did end.

Ollie refuses to let Jeff go without mixing up a batch of hot sex—his way. While bondage might be an acquired taste, Jeff’s never given it a chance. Now Ollie plans to shake and bake Jeff’s world—before kicking him to the curb.

Now available at Ellora's Cave.

Saying Goodbye To Furry Friends

2011-02-26T05:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my dog, Barney. He turned fifteen in January. I got him when he was barely weaned. Poor old boy was falling apart and I probably should have let him go months ago but I couldn't. I need to do better in the future.

I have an aging animal population. This year isn't going to be a good one. December, I lost my cat Nommy. Yesterday, Barney.

Today, Princess the cat goes back to the vet. I don't know what will happen with her. She's seventeen and has kidney failure. Doc tried a treatment two weeks ago. Not sure if it did any good.

My dog Mei Mei is older than Barney and she's failing too. Of the other five cats, at least two of them are probably older than 10 years.

I've spoiled all of them rotten so at least they've had a good life. But it's so hard to let go...

Music for the Writer's Soul: S&M by Rihanna

2011-02-23T23:22:00.000-06:00

What can I say about this song?

I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air. I don't care. I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but
Chains and whips excite me.

First time I heard it, my reaction was one of righteous indignation. Bitch stole my stuff! Well, kind of. *cackle* I'm been using the "sticks and stones" saying forever. The shock value alone makes it fun.

Whips and chains... *cackle*

Stay tuned for my free read at Ellora's Cave on February 28. A follow up story to ICING ON THE CAKE, ACQUIRED TASTE proves a little bondage is a good thing.

Blurb:

Jeff knows Ollie is the best thing to happen to him since the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Too bad Jeff’s determined to screw things up. If walking away after three months hurts this much, Jeff knows he’d never survive when things eventually did end.

Ollie refuses to let Jeff go without mixing up a batch of hot sex—his way. While bondage might be an acquired taste, Jeff’s never given it a chance. Now Ollie plans to shake and bake Jeff’s world—before Ollie kicks him to the curb.

And enjoy the video S&M by Rihanna.

Thor? Oh, Yum!

2011-02-16T05:00:00.014-06:00

Now this is a movie I really want to see!

Oy vey, that boy is built! The 16 yo niece and her friend want to go see this one with me. *cackle*

Official Site May 6th, 2011

Deja Vu MTV!

2011-02-12T20:10:00.002-06:00

Except it's name is Yahoo Music. A few weeks ago, I finally got tired of hooking and unhooking my computer to my TV to watch Netflix and Hulu. Sudden inspiration--or maybe the resparking of a few dead brain cells--reminded me of my old laptop.

I bought a new one last year because different components were messing up--keyboard due to cat claws, USB ports, CD drive. Seemed too much like a disaster waiting to happen to trust my manuscripts on it. But to hook it up to the TV to watch shows online? What's to lose? I even found a mini-wireless keyboard with a touch pad. It's the size of a remote. I can surf through the shows I want to watch without having to deal with a full sized keyboard.

The other day Brandi Evans posted Halestorm's video, A Familiar Taste of Poison, on her blog. I decided to play it on my TV--because it is an awesome video.

Then I started searching for other videos online. I found Yahoo Music. And there lies the MTV deja vu! I loved MTV back when the "M" stood for music and they played non-stop videos all day. That would be in the early 80s the young whippersnappers among you. Back then, my TV rarely had anything else on.

Good news...lots of fabulous videos and I can make my own playlists. Bad news...I can see my iTunes shopping list getting expensive because I found a lot of songs I must buy!

Currently listening/watching: Bottoms Up by Trey Songz

Even if I'm officially an old fart, I still love music of all kinds. Well, almost. I do draw the line at some things. I dread today because my evil, evil mother promised my ten year-old niece that Auntie Shayla would be happy to take her to the Justin Bieber movie.

The other day, I told Momma I was bringing earplugs to drown out the squealing screams of hyperactive tweens over a kid who seriously needs a haircut. I mean, come on. The kid's worth millions. Hire a decent barber!

But I digress... (Digress--fancy word for "saw something shiny".)

As soon as my complaint to my mother left my lips, I realized I was officially an old fart and it had nothing to do with turning 51 last week. Thirty-some-odd years ago, I was a screaming teenager at live concerts. Of course, I had better taste. I screamed for Electric Light Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult and Rush. *cackle* Keep me in your thoughts as I brave the Bieber Fever crowd. I just hope I survive.

Hey, maybe I'll plug into Yahoo Music and watch my kind of videos during the movie!

From Thirty Days to Forever is available!

2011-02-09T01:02:00.000-06:00

Yay! My novellas THIRTY DAYS and FOREVER are now available in print as FROM THIRTY DAYS TO FOREVER! The proof was gorgeous! The original cover artist, April Martinez of Graphic Fantastic, modified the cover of THIRTY DAYS to show the new title. The cover flat is fabulous!

April also formatted the book itself. Check her out if you need books formatted or covers done, she's amazing!

The backcover copy:

Thirty Days

Biton Savakis, a 42 year old wealthy lawyer in New York City, is lost without his beloved slave of ten years. Since Erik’s death from cancer three months before, the will to continue his life as a Dom slipped away. Until now. The forlorn looking redhead seems as lost as Biton feels. Maybe the young man can help ease his tension, even if only for a little while.

Cavan never chose the life of a slave, but he doesn’t clearly remember a time when he wasn’t one. Beaten close to death and thrown aside by his former Master, Cavan doesn’t know how to do anything else. When Biton offers him a temporary contract, Cavan doesn’t understand the meaning of his new Master’s words. All he knows is he has a new home and someone to serve. But what will happen to him when the contract ends... In thirty days…

Forever

In Biton Savakis’ opinion, following the advice of Cavan’s therapist isn’t working. Refraining from dominant play with an abused submissive trying to heal is one thing. Biton is willing to forgo that part of his life. However, not talking to Cavan about making their arrangement permanent doesn’t make sense.

Three months after his new master promises him forever, Cavan is afraid it won’t happen. Although the thirty day contract is long over, Biton hasn’t offered a new one. Nightmares about testifying against his former master don’t make life easier.

Just as Cavan begins to understand what he means to Biton, Cavan’s past reaches out to steal his happiness and maybe his life.

Content: M/M, bondage, Domination/submission

Thirty Days?

2011-01-31T06:46:00.000-06:00

I just realized I haven't blogged since January 1st--thirty days. What a weird coincidence. I'll get to that in a moment.

So what have I been doing instead of blogging? Some writing. Not as much as I'd like. The evil day job has been brutal. Being an accountant is bad enough this time of year. Closing the books for the year is a headache. Not that this is the first time I've done it. It is, however, the first time I've been in charge in quite a while.

I knew going back to the old day job and taking the promotion to controller would throw a monkey wrench in my writing. I just didn't realize how much. Thankfully, my friend Brandi Evans is pulling my muse out of the darkness and the numbers.

This month we've gotten back to meeting on weekends to write. Between August and December, I averaged 1500 words a month. Since Brandi's been cracking the whip, I've written nearly 6k words on my new BDSM story in January. *cackle*

Speaking of cracking the whip--and the weird coincidence of thirty days--I'm putting my Liquid Silver novellas, THIRTY DAYS and FOREVER, into print. I'm waiting now on the final proof before it goes into distribution titled FROM THIRTY DAYS TO FOREVER.

The first copy, hot off the press, will be given away in a contest on Lissa Matthew's blog celebrating her birthday. She's having a birthday blog blast for the month of February with some awesome giveaways from a bunch of authors! Check out her blog each day for more information.

January has turned out to be a pretty decent month--except for the 14-16 hour days at the EDJ. Our annual audit is in February so things should slow down after that. Hopefully.

I hope life is treating you gently.

Have a fabulous day!
Shayla

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2011!

2011-01-01T08:08:00.000-06:00

2010 has been an interesting year. Interesting isn't always a good thing. There's an old curse that says, "May you live in interesting times." But I take hope in the other saying, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

So another year gone. Another decade is history. Seems as if the last ten years flew by in a flash of streaming starfields. That'd be warp speed for the non-Trekkers among you. *cackle* I think the older I get, the faster time flies.

I don't do New Year's resolutions. I feel like I'm setting myself up to fail with over ambitious goals. However, I will be general about what I hope to see in 2011.

Get healthier. Write more. Don't let the evil day job take over my life. Spend more time with family and friends.

The last one I'm jumping into today. Taking the 16yo niece and her friend to see Tron: Legacy in 3D on the IMAX.

To all my friends, online and off, I hope you have a fabulous 2011 and life brings you everything you desire!

Hugs!
Shayla

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:07:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite Christmas songs done to perfection by the Gloucester Cathedral Choir - In the Bleak Midwinter. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Guest Blog at The Rainbow Studio!

2010-12-20T05:48:00.000-06:00

Talking about my contribution to Ellora's Cave's Naughty Nooner freebies! And there's a drawing for an AllRomanceEbook gift certificate! Check it out at http://therainbowstudio.blogspot.com/2010/12/love-at-first-sight.html.

Have a fabulous day!
Shayla

Winner of the Roses Day 8 Contest!

2010-12-13T19:57:00.000-06:00

Christine (Chirth7@), come on down! You are the winner of a $15 gift certificate to AllRomanceEbooks! I'll contact you by email for your information! Congratulations and thank you for playing!

Thanks to everyone who answered. I hope all have a fabulous and safe holiday season! And keep checking out the Roses Colored Glasses December calendar for more articles and contests!

Shayla

Music For the Writer's Soul: Marcia Ball

2010-12-07T05:00:00.060-06:00

I first heard Marcia Ball in the mid-90s. One of her songs, Blue House, was on a compilation CD called Blues Women Today. I really enjoyed the song and started keeping an eye out for her albums.

Then along came Memphis in May. Every year, the first weekend in May rocks the Mississippi River with the Beale Street Music Festival. I don't remember exactly which year--maybe 1997--my little sister, my ex-sister-in-law and I did a last minute what the heck and headed to Memphis. The big reason for the trip was to see Kenny Wayne Shepperd, an up and coming artist from Louisiana. But guess who else was on the lineup?

Marcia Ball. I fell in love with her voice, her energy and her obvious joy in her music. Wikipedia quotes the Boston Globe in describing her music as "an irresistible celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp-rock and smoldering Texas blues from a contemporary storyteller." I couldn't describe it better.

The trip that year started my love of Memphis. You can't beat the food, the fun and the music. They don't claim to be the home of the blues for nothing. Many of my novels are set in Memphis because of my infatuation with the town. And some of Marcia's music is usually ringing in my ears while I write them.

Try listening to Play With Your Poodle and not tap your toes...

Rose's Colored Glasses December Calendar Day 7 contest: For a $10 iTunes or Amazon.com gift card, post in the comments an artist who has inspired you. Winner will be announced on Saturday, December 11th.

Winner of the LLAP Contest from Roses Colored Glasses Day 3!

2010-12-07T04:30:00.000-06:00

Winner of the LLAP/Twitter contest on rosescoloredglasses.com Day 3 is Michelle L! Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who played!

Michelle, I'll contact you by email for your choice of ebook from my backlist!

Shayla

Contest Winners!

2010-11-29T19:23:00.000-06:00

So many great entries from people thankful for wonderful things. Family, friends, safety of service members--home and abroad, pets, Thanksgiving off--finally, having a job, kids leaving the nest, waking up each morning, health, happiness and a Kindle (I can relate! *cackle*).

Wonderful entries! But you really want to know who won, right? So here goes. I'm thankful for Randomizer.org for taking the choice out of my hands.

The prizes were:

Prizes

Grand Prize: $25 gift card to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

2nd Prize: Signed print copy of
Joey W. Hill's Rough Canvas
(hot m/m BDSM)

3rd Prize: Signed print copies of
THE COST OF ETERNITY
ETERNITY
(The complete Eternity Series)

Bonus Drawings: Winner's choice of one of my ebooks.

And the winners are:

Grand Prize: $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card - Brandy W.
2nd Prize: Joey W. Hill's Rough Canvas - Jean P.
3rd Prize: Shayla Kersten's Eternity series in print - Brandi M. R.
Bonus prize #1: Choice of one of my ebooks - Tara W.
Bonus prize #2: Choice of one of my ebooks -Perpetua

Congratulations, everyone! I'll email you for details of where and what to send!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:15:00.000-06:00

Wishing my fellow Americans a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving! To everyone else, I hope you have a happy, healthy and safe Thursday!

I'm off to Momma's for family time with her, the siblings and nieces.

Don't forget to enter my Thanksgiving contest for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Details on my contest page at: http://shaylakersten.com/shaylacontest2.htm.

Turkeys, Thanksgiving and a Contest!

2010-11-22T05:27:00.001-06:00

This time of is always hectic and it's even more so since I went back to work full time. As crazy as things get, I think about the things I'm thankful for.

1. As always, I'm thankful for my family. Too many people dread the holidays because of the stress of family gatherings. My mother and younger siblings, my nieces and niece-in-law, are fun and I enjoy being around them, spending time together. They make the holidays something to look forward to and not dread and I'm very thankful for that!

2. Writing. Although the return to full time work has severely cut into my writing time, I'm still thankful for my only creative outlet as well as the readers who honor me by reading my books. I'm also thankful that a lot of those readers like my books. *cackle*

3. The evil day job. Unfortunately a necessary evil. I'm thankful for my staff making the transition smooth and relatively painless. I'm grateful my Evil Boss hasn't been that evil. And I'm really thankful for the full-time paycheck and benefits!

So on to the contest...

Thanksgiving Contest!

Go to my contest page at http://shaylakersten.com/shaylacontest2.htm. Find the turkeys on my website. Tell me which pages you found the turkeys and what you're thankful for!

(Hint: There will be three turkeys.)

All responses will be entered in a random drawing for the prizes. Contest will run from Monday, November 22 to midnight US CDT Sunday, November 28.

Bonus drawing #1: Post the link to my contest page on your favorite social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc). Paste your link in the form with your answers from above.

Bonus drawing #2: Stop by the Literary Nymphs Thanksgiving Day M/M Only Weekend Chat and give me a shout out! Put my name in the subject so I find the entries.

Everyone is allowed to enter all three drawings.

Because of gift card terms of use, the grand prize is limited to US residents. All other prizes have no geographical restriction.

Prizes

Grand Prize: $25 gift card to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

2nd Prize: Signed print copy of
Joey W. Hill's Rough Canvas
(hot m/m BDSM)

3rd Prize: Signed print copies of
THE COST OF ETERNITY
ETERNITY
(The complete Eternity Series)

Bonus Drawings: Winner's choice of one of my ebooks.

Winners will be notified via the email provided on the contest entry. They will also be announced on Monday, November 29th, on my blog.

Good luck!

Time Flies!

2010-11-13T16:36:00.000-06:00

But I'm not sure it's because I'm having fun... *cackle* I just noticed I hadn't blogged in two and a half weeks. No idea where the time went. Working full time seems to have created a time warp of some kind.

However some of the time was really fun! High points of the last two and a half weeks...

My last post was about the release of RIVER OF NEED (TN Cop #4). So far, I've had some wonderful feedback from readers. Love that!

Big highlight! Wicked! The Broadway musical about the real story of the witches of Oz opened in Little Rock on November 3. My sister--who never wins stuff--won tickets to opening night and invited me to go with her. Freakin' awesome show!

The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz began airing on TV in the US before I was born and it seems I watched it every year from the cradle on. I'll never see the show in quite the same light again. The clip below is from the Tony Awards with the original Broadway cast and only shows a small part of the sheer awesome known as Wicked.

I finished and submitted my short free story to Ellora's Cave. Haven't heard anything from my editor yet. I hope it passes muster for the Naughty Nooners freebie series. It's a glimpse of ICING ON THE CAKE's Jeff and Ollie three months later tentatively titled ACQUIRED TASTE (Thanks for the title, Debbie! *cackle*)

I started a new story on November 1st as yet another attempt at the annual writer phenomenon, NaNoWriMo. NoNo is an attempt to write 50k word novel in a month. Considering today is the 13th and I'm barely 4k into the story, I'm guessing I won't make it again this year. Work has me drained in the evenings and my weekends have not gone as planned. But hey, I started a new story! This one has a BDSM theme and the idea is begging to get out. I have to make time to let it. The book is tentatively titled AFTER HOURS.

Oh, and I had an offer on another short story--my lesbian vampire one. I'll wait to go into details until the contract is signed.

So a lot of good things going on. I just wish they'd figure out how to come up with 36 hour days!

Most of today has been dedicated to resting. Guilt plagues me when I do this but sometimes it's necessary. I've been on the go and out of the house every day except one for the last three months. Hard to believe I've been back at the full time EDJ that long already. Things are going better than expected there. Me being the pessimist I am, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. LOL Kind of like I keep waiting for someone to tell me my publishing career is all a joke. *cackle*

Hope life is treating you kinder!

Hugs!
Shayla

New Release: RIVER OF NEED, TN Cop #4

2010-10-27T06:07:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! I love new release days! Too bad the evil day job beckons and I can't stay home to play on the interwebz. *slight pout* But even the EDJ can't get me down completely 'cause it's new release day!

RIVER OF NEED
Copyright © SHAYLA KERSTEN, 2010
Book four, Tennessee Cops
Ellora's Cave

BLURB:

Two years after their breakup, Detective Kyle Shelton didn’t expect to see his lying, cheating, closeted ex. Especially not behind bars for prostitution. Bailing him out is one of the stupidest things Kyle has done in a while. Although letting his ex back in his bed probably ranks higher on the dumbass scale.

Dustin Eldridge’s lying about his sexual preferences has left him with nothing. Literally. He’s lost his home, his family, his job and, worse, he’s lost Kyle. On the streets, with no one to turn to, he’s resorted to selling his body to survive. Then Kyle—of all people—comes to his rescue. Dustin can’t fix the past but maybe there’s hope for a future.

Unless Kyle really believes Dustin added serial killer to his resume along with hooker.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest also reading Hidden Force (Tony and Ryan) and Hidden Hands (David March) where these secondary characters were heroes.

EXCERPT:

“Kyle!”

Bleary-eyed from too little sleep and too many case files read, Detective Kyle Shelton looked for the source of the familiar voice. “Ryan.” He waved a hand in acknowledgement as Ryan Nilsson moved across the squad room.

Maybe the vice squad had picked up some information on the string of murders haunting the city. The humid heat of Memphis made the murder rate rise in the summer. Some people called it the killing season. The homicide division certainly stayed busy.

Ryan stopped near Kyle’s desk. “Tony said you’d probably still be here.” Homicide detective Tony Costa was Ryan’s lover and he was leading the Cross-Eyed Killer investigation.

Stupid name for a serial killer, but the press had a field day when a witness had spilled the beans on the killer’s signature—crosses painted in blood over the victim’s eyelids. Kind of like absolution or last rites.

Kyle glanced down at the files spread out over his desk. “Yeah. I keep thinking I’ve missed something. There has to be a connection somewhere between victims. They appear random, but something has to set off the killer.”

Two men, one twenty-two and one fifty; a woman in her thirties and an eighteen-year-old boy. No evidence of anything sexual, none of the victims apparently knew each other.

Not the same religion even though the killer’s signature appeared to have religious connotations. Only common factor was the location—near Union and Vance and from Third to the river—and the killer’s signature. They couldn’t rule out copycat killers either.

Kyle looked up. “Got something for me?”

“Not about the murders.” Ryan’s frown and the furtive way his gaze darted around the room made Kyle think this conversation needed a little privacy. “Got a minute?”

“Sure. Come on.” Kyle pushed away from his desk. Leading the way, he headed toward an empty interrogation room. He ducked into the observation side so no one could eavesdrop. With the door closed behind them, he leaned against the wall. “What’s up?”

“Dustin Eldridge.”

Kyle’s breath caught in his throat but he forced air into his lungs as he faked nonchalance. His breakup with Dustin had been wrought with agony and repercussions. He hadn’t talked to him or even heard his name in nearly two years.

“What about him?” An ache started in the pit of his stomach. Please don’t let him be dead… As bad as the relationship ended, Kyle still had feelings for the asshole.

“He’s been arrested.”

Not dead. Shock mixed with relief. “For what?”

“Prostitution.”

Kyle opened his mouth but nothing came out. His mouth snapped shut. After taking a deep breath, he tried again. Finally, the only thing he could think of popped out. “Are you sure it’s the same Dustin Eldridge?”

“Yes. Remember Tony and I hung out with you two a few times.”

“Right.” Of course he remembered, but his brain couldn’t conceive of his debonair, urbane lover being accused of hooking. “Any basis to the charges?”

Ryan grimaced as he half shrugged. “He propositioned an undercover. Got him on tape.”

“Fuck.” With rubbery knees, Kyle moved to the nearest chair. Dustin always did have that effect on him. Too bad he was… “Wait. Man or woman?”

“What?”

“He propositioned a man or woman?”

"Man.” Ryan’s brow crinkled in a half frown. “Why?”

Kyle had never told anyone the main reason for their breakup. “He was married. We broke up because he was married. Something he forgot to tell me.” And Dustin’s wife had caught them.

“Oh.” Ryan shook his head. “I would have never…”

“Yeah. Me either.” Kyle took a deep breath. “Well, thanks for telling me.”

“No problem. I didn’t want the name to surprise you on tomorrow’s blotter report.”

“I suppose his wife’ll have him out by tomorrow.”

“I don’t think so.” Ryan’s hesitant tone made Kyle look up at his friend. “I’m guessing they aren’t together anymore. He listed his address as none and he looks like he’s been living on the streets.”

A sudden swell of emotion nearly brought Kyle to his feet, but he forced his body to stay put. He didn’t want Ryan to notice how his words affected him.

In his dreams, Kyle wanted Dustin free of his wife, even wanted him back. But being with someone closeted and on the down low was not something Kyle could live with. Ever.

“When’s his bail hearing?”

“First offense—no hearing. He’ll be released as soon as he can cough up the standard bail. But if you get him out, I doubt you’ll ever see him again. Or the bail money.” Guess Ryan wasn’t fooled.

Ryan was probably right, but Kyle couldn’t leave Dustin in jail. His mind rushed through a million scenarios—from happy reconciliation to Dustin skipping town—but he forced his thoughts to focus on the task of getting his ex-lover out of jail.

“Thanks for letting me know.” Kyle took a deep breath. He didn’t know what to expect or how he’d react to seeing Dustin again, but he was about to find out.

POSTPONED: Self-Editing Class Now Starts 11/7/10

2010-10-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

Due to unforeseen conflicts, the class is postponed until 11/7/10!

Permission granted to forward

Self-Editing Workshop

Nov 7-13

Want to perk up the pace of your prose?

Don't know what to look for?

Contest judges getting you down?

Never learned the difference between POV and Show vs Tell?

Join two Roses of Roses Colored Glasses for the

Self-Editing Workshop

Your Instructors: Layla Chase and Shayla Kersten

This workshop will help make your writing shine! Through the use of checklists, lectures and writing exercises for each lesson, we give you tangible examples of what to look for and how to fix it. You'll get interactive assistance from freelance editor and award-winning authors, Layla Chase and Shayla Kersten.

Passive Vs Active voice, Power words & pumping up your sentences

Eliminating implied or unnecessary words

Gerunds, misplaced modifiers, dangling participles

Point Of View and Show Vs Tell

Grammar & Punctuation

Style and Voice

To enroll, send your $20 payment through Paypal from the workshop page on www.rosescoloredglasses.com. Deadline for enrollment is Oct 23rd. (early tomorrow is okay too)

Testimonials

"... even more than the wonderful tips and checklist and exercises, this workshop taught us how to discipline ourselves, which I love. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Just want to say thank you so much for all your insight and information ladies. I enjoyed the class and can definitely take the information and apply it to my writing. In fact, it's been useful already!"

"I wanted to express my appreciation for the time and assistance we have been given. I have learned so much and have so much to learn. Thanks heaps and I'll be doing this again!"

"I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for teaching the Self-Editing class on Rose's Colored Glasses. I took the class earlier this year and by applying what I learned to my manuscript, I managed to final in a RWA Chapter contest."

One Generation

2010-10-19T19:24:00.001-05:00

What if we could raise one generation free of prejudice against anyone, for any reason?

I don't like to use my blog for political or religious issues, even social issues. My beliefs are mine. Your beliefs are yours. I live in a country where that's allowed. And I'm damn proud of the freedoms I grew up believing in.

However, this is a human issue. Children. Young adults. So precious to our future. So full of potential. Lives cut short before they've had a chance to see even the edges of what might be. Of how it will get better.

Anything that creates despair so profound that a child would want to end his life is wrong. Anything! I don't care if a child is gay, straight, bi, black, white or purple. Children are meant to be cherished. Not abused. Not even by their peers.

People scoff and say "well, children can be cruel".

Bullshit.

Children learn their behavior from the adults in their lives. A baby is born innocent, free of all prejudices. The parents teach their children to be cruel, to be prejudiced, to look at others through their own distorted belief systems.

Those same adults are the ones telling children who are different that they will burn in hell because their interpretation of God is hate.

"God hates fags." The so-called preacher in Kansas who everyone claims to abhor is at least honest about his hate.

Any clergyman of any faith who gets in his pulpit and claims gays are less deserving of God's love is secretly wishing he could get away with the same bluntness. Or he might as well be.

Any politician who is against gays serving openly in the military or claims gays don't deserve the same rights the U.S. Constitution guarantees all citizens is secretly wishing he could throw out the same phrase. Or he might as well be.

American politics has become divided across religious lines in direct contradiction of our founders' belief in "separation of Church and state". No longer do our politicians talk about how they want to make life better for all Americans. They talk about how they love God and family values. Who's family values? They don't represent mine. Not if they exclude any American based on prejudice and hate.

My God created all of us, even the gay ones. My God made us the way we are in all our glory and all our differences. My God loves all of His creations.

Too many so-called Christians shout old Testament rhetoric as proof God hates fags. But my God sent his Son to announce a new way, a new path, one of faith, hope and love. If you don't believe in that kind of love, in the love Christ died for, then don't call yourself a Christian. Don't try to make people believe you are a moral person when your hateful words lead to the loss of a child's life.

Any person who preaches the idea of gays being somehow "less" than straight people is contributing to the rash of suicides among our young. Your young. You never know if the children you tuck in at night are learning to hate those you hate. Including themselves.

What if we could raise one generation free of prejudice against anyone, for any reason? That would truly be paradise on earth.

Wear purple on October 20, 2010, to show your support of our children. All of them, gay, straight, bi, black, white or purple. http://www.glaad.org/spiritday

Sunday Report Card: The Multi-Week Version

2010-10-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Well, seems I've been a little remiss in posting my weekly progress. Okay, a lot remiss!

So many things, so little time. The evil day job, a trip to Ohio and a request for chapters has made the last couple of weeks interesting. Interesting doesn't necessarily mean good. *cackle*

My last posted goals on September 26 were:

1) Work on Beloved (lesbian vampire).
2) Self-edits on Naughty Nooner.

I finished the lesbian vamp story on October 3rd. It's in the hands of my critique partner. I didn't get around to the Naughty Nooner. The evil day job is at its worst the first week of the month and I had off on the 7th and 8th for Romanticon!

Oh, and speaking of Romanticon! What a blast! The weekend was fabulous. Saw a lot of people I only knew online. Spent time with galpal Delilah Devlin. Ate too much. Ogled hot male cover models--who were so young they made me feel like a dirty old woman! *cackle*

I only had my cellphone camera so I didn't get any really great pictures. However, Delilah and I had our picture made with the cover models. See what I mean about hot! And young!

Very hot. Very young! *cackle* And very sweet.

Oh, I forgot the request for chapters! Wednesday night before leaving for RomantiCon, I received a request for chapters from one of my Harlequin proposals.

While thrilled at the request, I was also a bit freaked. I hadn't looked at the pages since I sent the query and synopsis. I knew I had changed the synopsis around some. I thought I had changed the pages. Ooops! I wouldn't have sent the chapters on Wednesday night anyway. I wanted at least a read through but I didn't expect to do revisions. Like a fool, I promised the editor the pages by October 18.

I transferred the pages to my Kindle for the flight to RomantiCon so I could read on the plane. I had a few tweaks here and there through chapter one. Then I realized the synopsis had a sex scene early in the story. Ooops. The pages didn't. Okay. I could fix that. Easy enough. A spot in chapter two almost begged for a sex scene.

Then I hit chapter three. Uh, oh. This is where the focus of the synopsis switched and the pages didn't. While I managed some editing during down time at RomantiCon, I couldn't revise chapter three there. Too many distractions or just too tired.

The EDJ was hell when I got back. No one does the boss' job when she's away. I wrote very little during the week and yesterday was my RWA chapter meeting. So most of Saturday was shot. Although I hit Starbucks after the meeting and finished up the sex scene.

Today, I hit Starbucks early and by noon had chapter three worked out to my liking. I sent the pages to a few people to read. So far, I've received two back and tweaked the story accordingly. I'm still waiting on one but expect it any minute.

I don't get my hopes up too high with requests to see pages. I've been rejected before after sending in partials. But a little bit of hope niggles in the back of my mind and won't be silenced. I'll send the pages either later tonight or early in the morning and then the waiting game begins again.

And while patience is a virtue, no one ever accused me of being virtuous!

Goals for this week:

1) Finish self-edits on Naughty Nooner
2) Plot and write a synopsis for a new EC story (BDSM series)
3) If CP returns lesbian vamp story, finish and submit

Have a fabulous week!
Shayla

New Cover: RIVER OF NEED by Shayla Kersten

2010-10-05T06:12:00.000-05:00

RIVER OF NEED not only has a release date--October 27--it has a cover! And what a hot one! The very talented artist Syneca combined hot and stark with the black and white cover of half-nekkid mens.

RIVER OF NEED

TN Cop, Book #4

BLURB:

Two years after their breakup, Detective Kyle Shelton didn’t expect to see his lying, cheating, closeted ex. Especially not behind bars for prostitution. Bailing him out is one of the stupidest things Kyle has done in a while. Although letting his ex back in his bed probably ranks higher on the dumbass scale.

Dustin Eldridge’s lying about his sexual preferences has left him with nothing. Literally. He’s lost his home, his family, his job and, worse, he’s lost Kyle. On the streets, with no one to turn to, he’s resorted to selling his body to survive. Then Kyle—of all people—comes to his rescue. Dustin can’t fix the past but maybe there’s hope for a future.

Unless Kyle really believes Dustin added serial killer to his resume along with hooker.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest also reading Hidden Force (Tony and Ryan) and Hidden Hands (David March) where these secondary characters were heroes.

For an excerpt from RIVER OF NEED, click here.

Spirit Day

2010-10-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

Originally posted by at Spirit Day

It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes at at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.

RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh (top)
RIP Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase (middle)
RIP Asher Brown and Billy Lucas. (bottom)

REBLOG to spread a message of love, unity and peace.

- May they rest in the peace they couldn't find in life...

Sunday Report Card: I Flunked This Week...

2010-09-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

The evil day job finally caught up with me. Exhaustion set in today and I slept all day. No writing, no plotting, not even housework--other than laundry so I have clothes for more EDJ this week.

A few good things happened this week, just not any writing! LOL

Edits for RIVER OF NEED, the 4th book in the Tennessee Cops series, are done and I have a release date, October 27! I found the date quite by accident. I was perusing the Coming Soon page at Ellora's Cave and there it was. They were major fast on the website because my editor turned in the final manuscript early Friday morning! I don't have a cover yet but hopefully soon.

I found a fabulous review of SHROUDED ANGEL at Literary Nymphs. Scandalous Minx gave it 4.5 Nymphs and said, "Shrouded Angel is the second story in the Virkola Dreams series. Shayla Kersten does a fantastic job of developing the storyline, thanks to her interesting characters, surprising twists, explosive action scenes and delicious erotic moments." Definitely did some Snoopy dancing over that one! *cackle* You can read the entire review here.

A new story idea struck on the way to work the other day. I recorded a bunch of notes then expanded on them at lunch. I guess that could count as writing. The short synopsis is about 700 words but has no character names. Since it's a younger man/older man story, the characters are currently named YM and OM. *cackle snort*

I put together some of my wardrobe for Ellora's Cave's RomantiCon. I still need to find some boots. And maybe another pair of pants. The conference it October 7 -10. I can't wait. Last year was a real blast. This year I'm rooming with one of my bestie galpals, Delilah Devlin, so this year should be even better!

So last week's goals were:

1) Work on Beloved (lesbian vampire).
2) Self-edits on Naughty Nooner.
3) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3.
4) Work on plot for new MedRom idea.

And nothing got done. Well, next to nothing. I did a little on BELOVED but not enough to even post a word count. Mostly tweaking. Since my life has turned out so busy I'm dropping the MedRom idea for the moment. I need to read more of the line and I just don't have time right now.

The upcoming week will be hectic. Month end close starts all over again. And since I'm taking off Oct 7-8 and 12 for RomantiCon, I'll be kicking butt getting things done at the EDJ. Plus, this weekend is an overnight get together with Cynthia D'Alba and Delilah Devlin so I won't be able to do much Saturday night and Sunday.

However impossible my goals may be, I must have them. A deadline or objective always give me a little extra oomph to get it done. So this week's goals:

1) Work on Beloved (lesbian vampire).
2) Self-edits on Naughty Nooner.

I need to put away the Kindle at lunch and work on writing projects! *cackle* And I'm really enjoying my Kindle. The book I'm reading right now is The Lute Player: A Novel of Richard the Lionhearted by Norah Lofts. I read this book years and years ago. My print copy is brittle and dry, falling apart and next to impossible to read. But the Kindle version! Woo hoo!

The Lute Player originally released in 1951 although the first one I read was a reprint from 1975. Simon and Schuster reprinted it again in 2009. I discovered it on Amazon as a Kindle book just before I ordered my Kindle. It was the first book I bought. And I'm enjoying it as much now as I did 30-something years ago.

Speaking of... I'm off to bed with my Kindle to read for a little while!

Have a fabulous week!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card: The Short of It...

2010-09-19T22:05:00.000-05:00

I am exhausted so this will be a short report. The Evil Day Job won this week but I managed to accomplish some writing too. Mostly today. And because I ignored housework and yard work in favor of Starbucks and writing. I'm afraid my dust bunnies are becoming sentient. Hopefully, they'll get along with the other critters.

The week was full of day job stuff but my Ellora's Cave editor sent back edits on the new TN Cop story, River of Need. Not much in the way of actual edits. Mostly it was the usual struggle with commas. *cackle* Plus a couple of requests to clarify or tweak awkward sentences. She really loved this one. She said it was much more raw and gritty than my usual stuff and she loved it! I did some serious Snoopy dancing over her praise! LOL

Even with minimal edits, I like to do a complete read of the manuscript so I couldn't run through the comments and be done. I managed a about a third of the book Tuesday night . I ended up working late the rest of the week. Or just too tired. Saturday evening I worked through some more but couldn't finish. I woke up around midnight last night and completed the edits.

After a late start this morning, I ended up at Starbucks. I wrote 2675 words on the Ellora's Cave Naughty Nooner submission. Finished it except for self-edits and a few tweaks. I'm a few hundred words short of 6k. I have to watch the word count or I'll end up bumping into the new shorter Quickie range and it'll no longer be a freebie! LOL

My RWA chapter, Diamond State Romance Authors, met Saturday. I was supposed to give the program but with no time to really prepare and the fact I needed to leave early, I postponed the program until next month. We did read aloud critiques before the business meeting. I read from my lesbian vamp short story. No one seemed to get the mythology behind the story. While whining...er chatting with Delilah Devlin about it today, she suggested I write an intro paragraph about the legend. Brilliant!

I played around with the story when I got home. I need to spice up the end with a little more sex then I'll send to my CPs.

My goals last week:

~~1) Finish Naughty Nooner free short story (epilogue to ICING ON THE CAKE).~~ Still need to do self-edits.
2) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3. Nada. Just not enough time.
3) Work on plot for new MedRom idea. Same as #2.

This week's goals:

1) Work on Beloved (lesbian vampire).
2) Self-edits on Naughty Nooner.
3) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3.
4) Work on plot for new MedRom idea.

Oh and my Kindle shipped on Friday with an estimated delivery date of tomorrow. I've never looked forward to a Monday like I am tomorrow! *cackle* Of course, it'll probably arrive on Tuesday.

Hope you have a fabulous week!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card: Better Late Then Never?

2010-09-13T06:09:00.000-05:00

Forgot to post my report card yesterday. The weekend just went by too fast. Friday night I met up with Cynthia D'Alba and Merlyssa Cormack for a night out. To watch bull riding. Not my usual cuppa, if ya know what I mean. But it was an interesting evening. Except for the Tea Party mentality and seriously politically incorrect jokes. But the bull riding was interesting even if it came with more than it's fair share of bullshit.

Bull riders are some seriously crazy mo-fos. I mean, these bulls weigh between 1500 and 2000 pounds. And they are seriously unhappy about having that puny cowpoke on their backs. Even crazier are the dudes known as "bull fighters". These crazy SOBs distract the bulls when the rider comes off so the rider can get away. Unfortunately, one of the bull fighters on Friday night didn't get out of the way. It looked like he got trampled in the torso. He was taken away in an ambulance.

The bull fighters are the guys in the lower right corner of the picture. Their outfits are a mix of cowboy and football player. They wear pads similar to a football player but I don't imagine it's much help when a 2000 pound bull stomps on you.

I haven't been able to find out the status of the injured bull fighter. Hopefully he wasn't too badly hurt.

While I probably won't become a buckle bunny, the evening was interesting and set some story ideas marching through my brain. Especially about the bull fighters... *grin*

As far as writing progress, well, not much but better than expected? Seems a familiar phrase for me lately. The evil day job was a total bear last week. Only a four day week and I put in more that 44 hours. Wednesday was a twelve and a half hour day. But most of closing is done. Our cost accountant has to do his thing with overhead clearing today then I can start reviewing financials. We're only a day behind schedule at this point, which I consider good since we're short the former controller. Most of her job was diverting people from interfering with the rest of us doing our jobs. Since I'm doing my old job plus playing interceptor, I feel pretty good about our status at the moment.

So writing, well, I wrote a little bit here and there during the week. Never more than a few hundred words but it adds up. By Friday, I was up 400 words. Saturday I did grocery shopping, haircut, nails and a little writing. Sunday, I hit Starbucks and finished my short story submission for Girls Who Bite (Cleis-editor Delilah Devlin) and 1700 words to my Ellora's Cave short story for the freebie Naughty Nooners line. The story is a follow-up to ICING ON THE CAKE. It's fun playing with these guys again. Although I need to watch the word count. Freebies have to be less than 7k. I'm already pushing 4k and not anywhere near finished!

Sunday's final total: 2099. Week's combined total: 2804. So not phenomenal but considering the EDJ last week, pretty good. And I didn't include last Monday's writing because I cheated and counted it on last week's report. *cackle*

To sum up, last week's goals were:

1) Finish BELOVED (lesbian vamp short story). DONE!
2) Work on Naughty Nooner free short story (epilogue to ICING ON THE CAKE). WROTE 1700 words.
3) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3.
4) Work on plot for new MedRom idea.

This week's goals:

1) Finish Naughty Nooner free short story (epilogue to ICING ON THE CAKE).
2) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3.
3) Work on plot for new MedRom idea.

Oh, and I found out my Kindle will ship on the 22nd. I ordered it on September 1st. I received the cover last week. What a tease! LOL But I'm excited! Can't wait to get it!

Hope ya'll have a fabulous week! I'm off to get ready for the EDJ!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card: Er...on Monday?

2010-09-06T22:31:00.001-05:00

Okay, so the long weekend confuzzled me. I really thought yesterday was Saturday. *shrugs*

The past week--last week--was a bitch. No nice way to put it. First full week of full time work and it was month end closing to boot. Hectic, crazy, long hours and long commute conspired together to kick my butt. I'll need more time to get back into the swing of things. It probably won't happen this week. I'll still be working on month end and short weeks tend to be the longest in the history of time. *cackle*

The long weekend sped by. Saturday and Sunday I spent at Momma's with Sister, Lil Bro, the 15 yo and 10 yo nieces. We had fun for the most part, always do. But Momma had a "honey-do" list. I put up the new shutters before it got too hot (read: before Lil Bro got there) then Lil Bro chainsawed a bunch of limbs that had fallen over the last month or so. Two of which were big enough for some serious firewood! I stacked while he cut. Totally exhausting work, especially after all the ladder climbing while putting up the shutters. Oy, my aching hip!

On the writing front, not much to report but better than expected. Except it would have really sucked if I had reported my progress yesterday. My muse was on a shiny binge. I couldn't concentrate on the same story two days in a row--when I was able to open a file after a long day of work.

Progress was sporadic. I worked on a plotting synopsis for the third Angel Moon book (tentatively titled Avenging Angel), a plotting synopsis for another Harlequin Medical Romance idea and a short story for submission to Delilah Devlin's lesbian vampire anthology, Girls Who Bite. Total as of yesterday was 1015. Today, I escaped familial responsibilities and met Cynthia D'Alba at Starbucks to write. Knocked out another 350 or so words on the MedRom synopsis and 1561 on the lesbian vampire short story, titled BELOVED. Woo hoo! Not my best total for a day but it's something!

So my grand total for the week was 2881! Of course, my week was one day longer than normal. Since one of my goals was to force the bitchy muse into the mood to write regardless of her mood, I think I did pretty good!

I also Snoopy danced on Friday when SHROUDED ANGEL released. Very early Friday and very briefly. The EDJ pretty much killed the rest of the day.

I did go crazy waiting on the MedRom response to my first proposal. I didn't get one until Tuesday, the last day of the fast track and it was a rejection with very nice feedback. No request for revisions but they liked my writing style and suggested I send another proposal through the regular submissions guideline. Not great but not bad for a rejection. Definitely more personable than some I've received lately. *cackle*

Oh, I also broke down and found a special ring for the new boss (the old boss' boss). On my last phone, I had the theme from the Exorcist but I couldn't transfer the ringtone when I changed phones. But I didn't have a lot of direct interaction with him because the bestest boss in the world handled his direct requests. So I wavered between getting the old ring tone for old times sake and the theme from Jaws. The Exorcist won. *cackle*

Well, I'm off to bed. Short week with lots to do! My goals for this week are pretty mild. Write something! Actually, the list goes like this:

1) Finish BELOVED (lesbian vamp short story).
2) Work on Naughty Nooner free short story (epilogue to ICING ON THE CAKE).
3) Work on synopsis for Angel Moon book 3.
4) Work on plot for new MedRom idea.

I'm keeping my options open with what to work on since the muse seems to like bouncing around lately. I also have drive time again with my commute and I tend to plot well in the car with a voice recorder. However, BELOVED is almost done. The minimum length in the call is 2k and I've just passed that. I need to wrap up the end and send it to my critique partners.

And I splurged in celebrating the new full time status at work, and the pay that comes with full time. I ordered a Kindle. Probably won't ship for another two weeks though. I'm beside myself just thinking about it. Of course, I'm trying to control my book buying until I get it. Driving me crazy because I'm an impulse buyer when it comes to books. Oh, yeah, I didn't get the 3G version because I'm an impulse buyer when it comes to books. LOL That would end up costing me way more than the $50 difference in the ereaders!

I hope ya'll had a fabulous week, wonderful and safe weekend and look forward to a great week ahead!

Hugs!
Shayla

Happy Release Day! SHROUDED ANGEL at Ellora's Cave!

2010-09-03T06:03:00.001-05:00

SHROUDED ANGEL, the second book in the Angel Moon Trilogy, releases today, September 3rd. I've also included an excerpt below of ANGEL MOON as well. I'm stuck at the evil day job. The bestest boss in the world left for greener pastures now I'm back full-time and in charge! Great for the paycheck, not so good for playing online on release day!Ya'll have a fabulous Friday!

*insert Snoopy dance here* I love release days. Even after twenty one books and short stories, it still doesn't get old. I hope it never does. If I ever lose the joy of being published, I might as well stop writing. But for today, I'm Snoopy dancing!

SHROUDED ANGEL
By Shayla Kersten
Copyright © SHAYLA KERSTEN, 2010
Coming soon at Ellora's Cave
http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8600-50-shrouded-angel.aspx

BLURB:

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can't stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he's able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

Publisher’s Note: While a standalone, for maximum reader enjoyment, we recommend reading Angel Moon first.

EXCERPT:

Unease shuddered down Patrea's spine. No sign of danger. Just his close-cousin Koris draining a gasa into a pitcher. The succulent promise of fresh blood after rationing should distract him. But this sense of danger wouldn't let him be.

He'd felt it before, although this time was different. Like a slight variation in tint to a familiar color. The first time, he hadn't recognized the feeling. Now he'd never forget it, different or not. His memory flashed to the sight of white Angellum feathers splattered with the spray of Virkolan blood. His clan's blood. His family's blood.

As the mealhall erupted with voices and footsteps, he shook his head clear of the vision.

Hadreal poked his head around the doorframe to the galley. "Where's the feast?"

His gaze fastened on a clear vessel full of crimson liquid. "Man, that smells good!" His mouth drooped open and his tongue swiped against an extended fang.

Even Patrea's unease couldn't stop him from smiling. Five years as Hadreal's bunkmate, Patrea had come to regard him as a friend, although he'd like to be more.

"Here." Koris handed the pitcher to Hadreal. "Take it out to the table while I put the other bird on to roast.

Hadreal wrapped both hands around the pitcher as if it were more precious than all the credit in the galaxy. His face dipped over the opening then he inhaled deep. With a sharp grunt, he left Patrea alone with Koris.

Patrea's discomfort grew until fear mixed with adrenaline. Angels couldn't be on board. Something else was setting off his internal warning system. The new captain? Maybe the old one? The Terran--Jenkins--had admitted to colluding with angels. The new captain--his name was Teo--should have killed Jenkins right then and there. Maybe the Terran had sent a signal. His angel friends could be following them right now.

Then again, the feeling had been just as strong--if not stronger--on Captain Teo's old ship. Patrea chalked it up to Jenkins' insistence that Teo was harboring an angel.

A round of cheers came from the mealhall.

Koris, his hands full of feathers and fowl, shouldered Patrea toward the door. "No sense in missing out on the fresh stuff."

Nodding, Patrea wandered into the room where part of the small crew toasted with fresh blood. Snagging a cup, he almost drooled at the sweet aroma.

Since Jenkins had taken over the Avere, they'd had few opportunities for celebration or even a decent meal. Now Patrea understood Jenkins' reluctance at allowing blooding for meals. Terrans had an aversion to drinking blood.

Captain Teo stood in the middle of the room with his cup raised. "To a profitable venture and a victorious fight!" The toast was familiar. While most smugglers--freighters of any kind--were in the business for the money, they also dedicated their lives to fighting the Angellum whenever the opportunity arose.

The other two crewmen, Hadreal and Narndo, echoed his words. Missing was Sorin, the captain's mate. Strange he wasn't there to celebrate his lover's acquisition of a new ship.

As he tried to drain the cup, Patrea's uneasiness thickened, clogging his throat. He fought against choking on his drink.

The captain drained his cup then set it on the table. He sucked his top lip under the bottom then released it with a smack. "I hate to put a damper on a good celebration but I have some serious issues to discuss."

The hair on Patrea's neck rose. A flush of heat washed over him. One hand clenched into a fist. The other wrapped tightly around the metal cup. Irrational hate threatened his control.

"I have information about an Angellum project that bodes very ill for our people." Teo motioned toward the seats around the table, but no one moved to sit. "A couple of weeks ago, my mate Sorin was kidnapped by angels."

Patrea sucked in a sharp breath. His nails cut into the palm of his hand. Knuckles whitened on his other hand as he gripped his cup harder.

"He doesn't seem injured." Hadreal echoed Patrea's thoughts.

Teo shook his head. "He was captured. The angel Jenkins was looking for was part of a group of Angellum rebels. They were trying to stop Angellum scientists from experimenting with Virkolan DNA. She was mortally injured defending my mate."

Trembling shook Patrea's arms. He planted one fist against his thigh to hide his shaking. Pressing the cup against his stomach, he pushed hard to stop the roiling unease. Grateful his voice didn't crack, he asked, "Why would they do that?"

Teo's gaze flitted from man to man before locking with Patrea's. "They were trying to design an angel who could inhabit the lowlands."

A collective gasp rocked the room. Voices cried out in various stages of indignation and disbelief.

Angels couldn't survive at lower altitudes for more than short periods of time. They lived on mountain peaks or floating cities hovering over Virkolan territories, dropping to the lowlands only to torment or kill Virkolans and their food beasts.

"They failed." Teo's voice rose above the din as he signaled for silence with an upraised fist. "Mostly."

"What the fuck does ‘mostly' mean?" Hadreal's voice growled as he took a step forward.

"They created a hybrid creature, but the Virkolan DNA was evidently dominant. He is loyal to us, not the Angellum."

"You let it live." Patrea's voice wasn't so steady this time. His nails bit harder as warm liquid seeped into his palm.

Voices rose in fury, each clamoring louder than the next. Questions, accusations belted out like projectiles from a weapon.

"What the fuck…" "Angels…" "Didn't sign on…"

Teo's bellow reached above the fray. "Silence!" His dark gaze glittered with a hint of steel. "He's harmless. He's newly hatched and his loyalty's imprinted on Sorin."

"He's here. On board." Patrea wasn't really asking a question. He knew the answer as his tension ratcheted up to a feverish pitch.

"Yes." Teo planted his fists on his hips. "As Sorin's offspring, he's a member of my family and therefore a member of this crew. You've sworn loyalty."

Hadreal shook his head. "Under false pretense."

"How so?" Teo's hard gaze landed on Hadreal.

Some of Patrea's admiration for his older crewmate seeped out from under his anger.

Hadreal stood his ground and didn't flinch under the intense scrutiny. "We didn't know you had an angel in your ranks."

"He's more Virkolan than angel. And he's still young. Mentally anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Koris sounded more curious than upset.

"He hatched full grown. Maybe all angels do or it had something to do with being a hybrid. He doesn't talk much. Though he's learning fast."

"I heard something like that." Narndo had kept his mouth until now. "About angels hatching grown or nearly so."

"Where is it?" Hadreal asked."In the corridor with Sorin, waiting to meet the rest of my crew."

ANGEL MOON
By Shayla Kersten
Copyright © SHAYLA KERSTEN, 2010
Ellora's Cave, Available now!
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8078-angel-moon.aspx

BLURB:

Terra offers sanctuary to Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the natives, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth...

Sorin thought sanctuary was the answer to their problems. Terra with its plentiful creatures, full of fresh blood and off limits to the millennia long war with the Angellum--who wouldn't think it paradise? Except paradise comes at a high price. Claiming a bounty on a renegade angel hasn't ended up the way he planned.

Teo loves his ship, his life in space, but he loves Sorin more. The plan seems sound but the bounty is a fraud and now the price is on him and Sorin. He'll make the best of the rest of his life with Sorin, even if it were only a few weeks.

But when hope appears from an unexpected source, both men grab chance by the wings.

EXCERPT:

"You and your fucking bright ideas!" Teo dodged behind a stack of crates as heat sizzled past his leg. The acrid smell of ozone raised the hair on his neck. Popping out from behind his cover, he squeezed off a burst of return fire. Sweat matted his hair and kept trickling down his forehead and into his eyes. The thin atmosphere made every breath a chore. He rubbed his coat sleeve across his face but the water-resistant material just moved the sweat around and added grit to the mix.

Sorin rested his ass against the wall. The heavy bundle draped over his shoulder forced him to lean forward. His ragged breathing spaced out his words. "If you...would have landed...closer we'd be in flight by now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... We've had this argument already." Thin air and hard exercise was a bad combination. "Sensor blind spot here...other side not. Almost there." Teo didn't bother to look for a target. Sticking his hand around the corner, he fired a fast volley. He jerked back as another blast from their pursuers smoked the corner of the crate. "Move!"

With a deep breath, Sorin pushed away from the wall. He resettled the burden on his shoulder then took off at a fast trot. Even as big as he was, Sorin struggled with their prize.

"Better him than me." With a final random blast toward the men chasing them, Teo followed his shipmate.

Even if this crazy idea weren't Sorin's, he'd be doing the muscle work. Sorin was taller than Teo by at least six inches and his body broader. He was bigger than any Virkolan Teo had ever met. Almost considered a giant, Sorin brought a certain amount of prestige to the ship, and to Teo.

Heat singed Teo's right arm. Gritting his teeth against a yell, he switched his blaster to his left hand and returned fire. No sense in giving their pursuers the satisfaction of knowing they'd hit something.

As they rounded a corner, the warehouse door gaped open like a giant mouth. Dawn lightened the darkness to a heavy gray.

"Damn..." Teo wanted to be off planet before first light. Less likely for the angry mob behind him to see any identifiable markings on his ship. The entire mission was gone to hell. He should have known better.

The small smuggling and cargo jobs they'd scrounged up lately had barely paid enough for provisions, but at least they hadn't had anyone shooting at them.

"Move it!" Teo stopped at the corner. Sorin would need at least a few seconds lead to get the ship's hatch open. Firing off a couple of shots, Teo chanced a quick peek around the corner.

Even in the dim lights of the warehouse, the Angellum were easy to see. Their milky skin almost glowed. With no room for lift, they'd furled their wings, leaving a small vee of white feathers jutting skyward to frame their heads.

A shudder sped down Teo's spine. He'd never been so close to the Angellum before. His war efforts were spent on the Compensa. While it looked like a small trader, he'd retrofitted it with weapons. He laid claim to bringing down an enemy troop transport. A small one but it counted. He'd also taken out three of their long-range scouts. Although those were mostly self-defense. Smuggling decent weapons to Vikola was his most valuable contribution to the eons-old war.

Teo fired another volley, scattering the creatures. A flurry of return fire slammed into the wall. Wood splintered under the impact. Scorched wood added to the odor of burning air.

The low-charge warning on his blaster beeped. "Fuck!" Ready or not... Teo squeezed off one final shot then sprinted toward the warehouse door. His lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Muscles all over his body screamed for more. He darted through the door then made a sharp left. Blaster fire peppered the wall near the opening.

The Compensa squatted thirty-something feet away. The ungainly ship looked like a fat-bottomed gasa squatting on a nest. The wide bottom normally held cargo. Today, the door gaped open to an empty hold.

Another few yards... Lightheaded, Teo stumbled, feet dragging. Sorin...love you...

"Come on, asshole. Don't you dare quit on me now!"

Who you calling asshole? Indignation increased his resolve. Kick your ass... Gasping for air, Teo dove for the open hatch.

Blaster fire flew over his head in both directions. Sorin stood over him with a long gun, returning cover fire as the hatch slid closed. Thuds marked the Angellum's continued volley. Sorin kicked an oxygen tank toward Teo.

Grabbing the mask, Teo inhaled deep for the first time since they left the ship over an hour ago.

"Come on, flyboy. Let's get this bitch out of here." Sorin grabbed him by the arm, almost dragging him toward the door.

"Where's your load?" He'd be pissed if Sorin lost it after all. Teo glanced around. The heavy canvas bag was stuffed into the open enviro-suit closet.

A secondary hatch slid open. Teo ran into the corridor. "You get that secured." Reenergized by the oxygen-rich mix in the main part of the ship, Teo climbed the short ladder to the helm right above them. "I'll get us out of here."

Slamming into his seat, he grabbed the flight yoke. His left thumb hit the standby button on the left control, freeing the yoke and the engines. His right thumb pressed the comm control. "Hang on!" He took a deep breath. Yanking hard on the yoke, Teo took the ship straight up. The back blast from the engines pointing down on full thrust should take care of anyone too close.

Acceleration sucked him back in his seat. High gravity forced the air from his lungs.

"Fuck!" Sorin's yell echoed through the comm, making Teo smile.

Serves him right after this mission. Then again, if his mate was correct, this could be their last mission. Once they delivered their booty, they'd have enough credits to retire to Terra.

As the atmosphere thinned, the welcome sight of black space greeted him. Teo wasn't sure he wanted to retire. He knew he'd miss this. He'd been reared on a ship, with nomadic mothers seeking solace from the war in the quiet of space. And what about the war? Running off to the sanctuary of Terra made him feel like a traitor.

However, Sorin was a dirtsider. He still had bouts of space sickness on occasion, but at least here he was safe from slavery--or worse--by the Angellum.

Vicious creatures, the Angellum had occupied parts of the Virkolan homeworld for nearly two millennium. Pockets of Virkola stayed, fighting a war of resistance or just eking out an existence in hiding. Others fled for the stars, entire families stuffed into ships too small with nowhere to go or cold space stations--living off dried provisions or meager prey. A few other planets had outposts where Virkolans were able to live, but they existed because the Angellum let them. Most assumed it was because there was no room for angels to fly.

Virkolans were a peaceful people, they didn't have many weapons to fight off invaders. Since they hunted with the intention of taking their prey alive, most of their weapons were nonlethal.

Teo had done his part by smuggling real weapons to the resistance. He'd met Sorin on one of those trips. It had taken a lot of convincing to get him to leave with Teo. And Sorin's clan wasn't happy losing the gentle giant.

He grinned as he set the heading for the rendezvous. The convincing had been a lot of fun. Finally Sorin had agreed. Now they were bonded, living apart wasn't something they'd even consider. And Teo liked making Sorin happy.

For whatever reason, the Angellum ignored Terra. The few who lived there stayed hidden, living as legends and myths. Since Terrans had very short lifespans, beings like the Angellum and Virkola were easy to believe as folklore.

As the ship's sublight engines kicked in, a noise from below warned Teo of a visitor. Flipping the ship on auto, he pulled his weapon from the holster. Pain screamed through his wounded arm.

"Sorin?"

"Yes." Sorin's voice floated through the open flood hatch. "You were expecting someone else." Sorin's head popped up. "I brought you something to eat. Plus, I need to treat your arm." He shoved his medkit across the floor then came up the ladder to the helm.

Teo's good luck had someone with a healer's skill fall in love with him.

One hand carried a small, heavy plas-board box. Scratches and small growls indicated the occupant's irritation. "Here." Sorin held out the cage.

"I don't need that." Even though it would help healing. "We don't have many live ones left."

"I know, but once we're finished with this job, we won't have to worry about it. We'll have plenty."

If they finished this job. A sense of foreboding had hung around since Sorin first got word about it. Supplying arms to the resistance was one thing. Quite another to deal with the Angellum themselves.

While the creatures displayed a pale, ethereal beauty, their souls were as dark as space. And twice as cold. They'd invaded Virkola without any provocation. Even now, no one knew for sure why. Envoys sent to talk were returned dead, shredded into pieces by vicious claws. Virkolan slaves might have an answer, but no one ever escaped captivity.

The Angellum ruled Virkola from the highest mountains or sky cities. Not easy places to escape. Or attack. Of course the height wasn't a problem for the winged angels.

"Just take it. You need the strength. I can't keep this bucket of bolts flying with you laid up in the infirmary."

"Well, that's not exactly true."

While Sorin knew the basics of flying the Compensa, he wasn't very good at it. Taking off and flying straight were about his limits. Landings had been...interesting.

"Ha, ha. Drink."

Teo took the offered meal. Maybe it would get rid of the rest of his lightheadedness.

"Let me see that arm."

"I can't do both at the same time. Make up your mind which."

Sorin's left eyebrow rose in a delicate arch. Sure sign of the beginning of an argument. "Eat first."

"Thanks." Arguments could be fun because they were usually settled in bed. Then again, between his aching muscles and the searing pain from the blaster, he didn't know if he'd be up to sex. Best not to irritate his mate when he was in no shape to distract his ire.

Teo opened the cage. The small, ugly creature protested with a flurry of squeals and squeaks. Teo wrapped his fingers around the dark brown rodent then lifted it to his mouth. Teo's fangs slid free. A quick bite on the soft underbelly filled his mouth with blood. Sucking hard, he drained the rat. He slipped the carcass back into the box. He and Sorin would eat the meat later when they were settled in flight.

Rats were never enough to sate a Virkolan but it helped stave off a range of illnesses brought on by lack of fresh blood. The jolt would help Teo heal but not much more than that.

If this deal went down the way it was supposed to, they'd be able to retire on Terra...called Earth by the local population. It was said that Terran blood was almost intoxicating. And some people were pleased to let them feed. Although Teo couldn't think of the specifics, humans had another name for Virkolans. Even had legends about them and their origins--all of them so far from the truth it was funny.

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Music For The Writer's Soul: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

2010-08-31T20:48:00.000-05:00

I love Starbucks. Anyone who follows my blog or my Twitter/Facebook accounts will know I spend a lot of time writing in Starbucks. So much so that two stores in Little Rock know my drink. Sunday, the barista had my cinnamon dolche soy latte (no whip) ready when I walked in the door. She saw me drive up.

Starbucks gets me away from the distractions (cats/dogs) and temptations (nap/TV) of home. I put on my iPod and I can block out the world while I pound out the words. Plus there's coffee. And these little cards called "Pick of the Week". Starbucks and iTunes teamed up to introduce people to new musicians by giving away select music. I grab a new card each time I'm in a Sbux. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up one by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Or just Gurrumul. I've seen it both ways.

Okay, I have no idea how to pronounce his name past Geoffrey. I can't even understand his lyrics but his music is melodious and relaxing. Sometimes lyrics get in the way of the muse. I usually treat music like white noise, just something to drown out unwanted distractions. Gurrumul's song would seem to be perfect for that but the first time it played on my iPod, I had to stop and listen.

Music truly soothes the savage breast. Gurrumul's tender vocals and the slow melodious guitar accompaniment made me smile. But at the same time, my throat tightened as my eyes filled with a hint of tears. I didn't have a clue as to the meaning of the song. The emotion of his voice touched me. And that's what I call music for the writer's soul.

Next payday, my iPod will be enriched by more of his amazing music.

Sunday Report Card: EDJ-1; Shayla-0.

2010-08-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

So the Evil Day Job won this week. I'm officially back at work full time. Yeah for the increased bank account. Boo for the decreased writing time. As I expected, I didn't get much done in the way of writing.

My day job involves a daily commute of 110 miles round trip. Take a nine to ten hour day at work, add two hours of commuting, and Shayla is one tired girl when she gets home. The plan was to write at lunch since the bestest boss in the world was also my lunch buddy. Monday was her last official day so of course, we lunched! *cackle* And Friday she came back to the office to finish up some stuff. Her new job works "four tens" (Monday-Thursday, ten hours a day). Lucky her, she has a three day weekend every week! But she agreed to be available to us on Fridays for transitional stuff for a little while. So we lunched on Friday!

Reality hit and I only managed to write at lunch on Wednesday and not much. Too many interruptions. There's a little coffee shop not far from the office. I might have to retreat there to get anything done.

Saturday was spent with Momma and Lil Sis. We did a shopping and sushi day. Haven't done that in a really long time. We had fun. I needed fun after the last week!

Today, I hit Starbucks to get some writing done. I'm 5k into a new TN cop story but I just couldn't concentrate on it. I haven't heard anything from Harlequin Medical Romance on my proposal so I didn't want to work on that one. I ended up starting a short freebie story for Ellora's Cave's Naughty Nooners. I decided to do an epilogue of sorts for Icing On The Cake. A lot of readers wanted a more concrete "happily ever after" than the original ending. Not that I could have had an HEA when the two characters only knew each other for three days. The short story will be set about three months later and show how the relationship has progressed. Or not. *cackle* I actually managed nearly 1200 words.

So it looks like weekends will be the bulk of my writing time until I get used to the long days of a full work week. But that's okay. I just need to be more disciplined on the weekends.

This week's goals:

1) Try not to make myself insane waiting to hear from Harlequin Medical Romance. They are supposed to respond by the end of the month, which is Tuesday. So what if everyone I know heard back in two or three days and I've been waiting over a week. Okay, I'll shut up now. *cackle* Patience isn't a virtue I've ever learned to embrace!

2) Write something. Force the bitchy little muse into the mood regardless of what she wants to do!

3) Snoopy dance on Friday with the release of SHROUDED ANGEL, book two in the Angel Moon Trilogy!

SHROUDED ANGEL
Available at Ellora's Cave, September 3, 2010

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can’t stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he’s able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

More info and an excerpt here.

Sunday Report Card: Mission Accomplished...

2010-08-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

Kind of... I thought this week would be a complete non-writing one. Being sick really puts the muse in a bad mood. Not to mention the writer. But evidently the meds kicked in better than I expected. I actually made it to work most of the week. My only day off was Thursday and it was planned. Plus I used it to meet Cynthia D'Alba and Brandi Evans to write!

I pretty much gave up on the Harlequin Medical Fast Track Submission because I wasn't happy with the synopsis and I only had 800 words on the chapter. And I was sick. *insert whine* Enter my friend, Elle James. She scolded me in the worst way about not stepping up to the challenge. So I shrugged off the sickness blues and left the pity party behind.

Thursday afternoon and evening I firmed up the synopsis. Friday, I managed a few hundred words on the chapter after work. Saturday was my DSRA meeting which ended up lasting all day. I got home around five. Took a nap, then wrote until midnight. Knocked out about 1600 words. Getting the rest done was looking good because today was a designated writing day.

Since I was out of coffee creamer and the nearest store with my favorite kind is in Little Rock, I scooted out of the house this morning and hit the coffee shop. Nearly 1700 words later, I was more or less finished with my one chapter proposal. Well, except for self-edits. I ran to the grocery store--still needed creamer--then headed to the house.

I spent the evening running through self-edits and comments from Elle's emergency read. Hey, she nagged me into getting it done, she can at least read it! *cackle*

At 7:55PM, we had lift off. Or send off. I hit send on the query, synopsis and chapter. And immediately felt the usual nausea. LOL Seems I'm not the only one who experiences the "OMG I just submitted something" trauma. A few people on Tweeter confirmed it as a common ailment among writers.

So for better or worse, the Medical Romance submission is gone. The fast track deadline is Tuesday so I'm in well under the wire.

My goals this week will be low. Things are changing at the evil day job. The most bestest boss in the world has found a betterer job and is leaving us. *sob* She's not only my boss, she's my friend and one of the biggest supporters of my writing career. I will miss her terribly. I don't know what will happen long term, but I may end up back to work full-time for at least a little while. That leaves me very little time in the evening and weekends to write.

Not that I'm complaining. Full-time at the day job will bring a welcome increase in my regular take-home pay. Royalties are too unpredictable for a writer to count on a set amount. It's always nice to know the bills will get paid on time.

My goals for this week:

1) Get back to work on my next TN cop story. Shooting for 2k
2) Try not to get an ulcer waiting to hear from Medical Romance. We're supposed to hear something by the end of August if we made the deadline of the 24th! Some people have had answers in as little as two days. I won't be that lucky! *cackle*

Have a fabulous week, folks!
Shayla

Blogging at The Rainbow Studio!

2010-08-19T05:59:00.000-05:00

Talking about my upcoming release, SHROUDED ANGEL--book two in the Angel Moon trilogy!

http://therainbowstudio.blogspot.com/2010/08/countdown-to-shrouded-angel-angel-moon.html

Stop by and say hi!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card--the Sickbed Edition...

2010-08-15T20:48:00.000-05:00

Well, this week didn't go so good. I didn't feel well most of the week. I blamed it on a hectic schedule at the evil day job, helping Granny with grocery shopping and doc appointments and taking Momma to a doctor appointment. During the week, I might have managed a couple hundred words but I had high hopes for the weekend.

Then Thursday came along. The tiredness I'd been feeling became almost unbearable as I took Momma to the doctor Thursday afternoon. I tried to tell myself it was the high heat--yet another week of 100+ temperatures--and not much sleep. I tried to ignore the scratchy throat and slight cough.

Friday was miserable at the evil day job so Saturday I headed to my doctor's office for clinic walk-in hours. I really didn't need the doctor to tell me I had bronchitis. Ugh... I just needed him to supply the drugs. *cackle* And he did. The most expensive cough medicine ever. Half of the prescription was nearly $60! But what the hey, it's laden with hydrocodone and I slept like a baby Saturday night. And all day Sunday. Strong stuff. I'm scared to take it tonight. *cackle*

I feel a ton better. Just sleepy all the time. I plan to go to work tomorrow but we'll see if I last all day.

So needless to say, this week was a bust on the writing front. I don't have a lot of hope for this week either. Bronchitis tends to drag me down so progress on anything this week will be slow.

I still need to write a couple of blog posts. I'm guesting at Liquid Silver tomorrow and at the Rainbow Studio on Thursday. I'll post links here later.

Hope ya'll had a great week without illness or injury! Have a fab week!
Shayla

Music for the Writer's Soul: Dean Martin

2010-08-12T07:31:00.001-05:00

Yes, my musical taste are rather varied. *cackle* My momma loves Dean Martin. Always has. I remember his music streaming from the stereo from the time I was very young. And today, I have many of his songs in my collection.

Music can be such an inspiration for my stories. It doesn't have to be much. A mood, a phrase, a tempo...

A few weeks ago I was listening to one of my favorite songs by Dean Martin. Sway is the English version of the Spanish song ¿Quién será? written by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. ¿Quién será? was originally written as a dance song and even if you can't dance--like me--it has you to swaying to the music. With Dino's melodious voice, he makes the lyrics about as sexy as airplay would allow in 1954.

And the rhythm sent a plot bunny running all over my brain. Gay dance club, hard bodies... You'll have to wait for more. The project is down the list of things to write but it's there.

Buy at Amazon

Sunday Report Card...Ooo! Shiny!

2010-08-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

A running joke between my mother and me is "shiny". We both distract easily. We aren't sure if it's a sign of age or if it's just part of our nature. We see something "shiny" and we forget what we started out to do and go off on a tangent.

Well, I did a "shiny" this week. I made progress but on a completely new project and in a different direction.

Harlequin Medical Romance is fast tracking new submissions. Senior Editor Sheila Hodgson had announced it on the Harlequin blog on July 26th. I heard about it early this past week. It seems their slush pile dried up and they need submissions and fast. They've set up a special email address and guidelines for fast tracking submissions from new authors.

The evil day job kept me busy all week, as normal for the first week of the month, but my weekend was devoted to writing! All things writing! Yay!

I met with Cynthia D'Alba on Saturday to brainstorm story ideas for the Medical Romance line. Since I hadn't read any from the line in a while, I bought a couple of ebooks off eHarlequin's website and read them Friday and Saturday night, just to see if they've changed since I read them. The answer is not much. I'll probably get several more over the next week.

Medical Romance is short--50-55k--so they don't take much time to read. Unfortunately, they aren't sold in stores in the US so it's ebook or wait for the mail. I love ebooks but I don't have an ereader. Since I've gone back to work, it's not easy to read them on my computer. I sit in front of a computer all day for work. Trying to do it in the evening as well doesn't work.

Cyndi and I spent a good part of Saturday brainstorming two stories then Heather, a book reviewer we know, stopped by to say hi. We had a great chat then all headed our separate ways.

I spent the evening expanding on the basic idea for my book. Today, I tightened up the storyline in a loose synopsis and started working on chapter one. Between the two days, I ended up with almost 1600 words. I probably wrote more like 3k but I delete and revise a lot when plotting a new story. But 1600 words is 600 more than my 1k goal! Yay! Progress!

I don't know if I'll make the fast track deadline of August 24. The guidelines request a synopsis and first chapter of a completed manuscript. Although Ms. Hodgson did make a comment later indicating the manuscript didn't have to be finished. But I don't know if she was speaking directly to the person she was answering. I'd rather go by the official guidelines. However, I can always send something to the slush pile after that date. Can't be any worse than sitting in Intrigue's slush pile! LOL

Oh, speaking of Intrigue... The proposal I submitted four months ago must have gone astray. A friend of mine put me in contact with her editor to inquire on the status. The editor was a doll and had me email her the proposal. So now I know it's in the system. More waiting time.

Unfortunately, some of my waiting time ended in a rejection from Carina Press. Although I didn't receive any editorial feedback, I want to read through it before I submit it elsewhere. It's been four months since I submitted it. A fresh look might reveal issues I need to correct. I'll probably leave it on the back burner until I finish with the Medical Romance idea.

So this week's goals?

1) Finish chapter one at least. I have a couple of people available to critique it. I'll be looking at theirs as well.
2) Read entries in a contest I'm judging.
3) Survive the heat... Although we're only supposed to kiss the 100 degree mark this week. Not run all over it like last week. One day we hit 107F. Absolutely nuts...

That's a lot of goals for the week considering my two days off this week are already scheduled with Momma and Granny stuff. Tomorrow is Granny stuff. Probably won't get home til late afternoon so I doubt I'll get much done. Thursday, Momma has a doc appointment in the afternoon so I should be able to get some writing done in the morning. But anything is progress! Just gotta keep pushin'!

Have a fab week and stay cool!
Shayla

Music for the Writer's Soul: Meatloaf

2010-08-05T19:39:00.002-05:00

Meatloaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, on first look doesn't seem the type to inspire romance. Heavyset, long scraggly hair are the first physical impressions. But then he sings. He doesn't have a perfect voice but the passion is unmistakable. And that's sexy as hell.

While working on Rocky Horror Picture Show, Meatloaf began collaborating with songwriter, Jim Steinman, on the album Bat Out of Hell. Jim Steinman's lyrics are amazing. I suffer from jealousy at his ability to craft a phrase every time I hear his songs. Add Meatloaf's intense vocals and no wonder Bat Out of Hell became a huge success.

It released in 1977. I was seventeen and fascinated by the music. Especially--like all teenagers at the time--with Paradise By The Dashboard Lights. *cackle* Who expected the twist at the end of the song?

The album wasn't an overnight success. Probably because the songs were so long. Unusual in a world where most songs were cut to 3-4 minutes of radio play. And in the dark ages before MTV, radio play meant success. But the album has stood the test of time, becoming one of the most sold albums in the world.

When I returned to the States from duty in Germany in 1982, MTV had been out maybe a year or two. In the beginning, MTV was all videos, all the time. No reality shows, no talk shows. Just videos. And I loved it! Any time I was home, MTV was on. And Meatloaf's videos hooked me even more. His videos weren't just watching a performance of a song. They were mini-movies with a fabulous sound track.

While Meatloaf's career had plenty of ups and downs--addiction, ill health, family problems--his music continues. His varied career includes movie and television credits as well.

One of my favorite videos--and songs--is Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are. The song is about loss of a friend, loss of youth and even loss of virginity. The story is haunting, the video is beautiful and Meatloaf's performance is sexy. Now that's romantic inspiration.

Sunday Report Card...zzzzzzzzz

2010-08-02T00:32:00.000-05:00

I'm running a little late posting my report card tonight. Mainly because I passed out earlier. Almost ready to pass out again now. Long, hot--very hot--day. And not hot in a good way!

The temperature around here has gone ballistic. Today's high was 104F with heat indexes as high as 121F. Not a day to spend in the heat. Or without air conditioning. But I'll get to that in a minute.

My week ended up devoted to all things NOT writing. My two days off during the week were spent on doctor appointments and Granny stuff. I knew that going into the week. The weekend was supposed to be devoted to all things writing!

Yesterday I did critiques for two different friends. In between, I took the time to watch A Single Man with Colin Firth. I admit. I have a thing for Colin Firth. Yes, like so many others, it started with A&E's version of Pride & Prejudice.

A Single Man was a bit slow moving in the beginning but it picked up and kept me watching. Although I guessed the ending about ten minutes in, I wanted to watch the rest of it just in case they pulled a twist on me. They didn't. But it was still an interesting movie. But depressing. And I didn't want to end my only DVD watching in months with depressing!

So I put on Mama Mia. I just love that movie. You can't feel depressed after all that insanity and fabulous music. Yes, I was an ABBA fan way back when. You wanna make something of it? *cackle*

So I finished my DVD watching for the next couple of months then did the second critique. Pretty much finished my Saturday. Except when I talked to Momma that evening, she mentioned Granny needed groceries. Since I was going to LR today to write, I volunteered to pick up groceries and drop them off. Oh, and since I was going to LR anyway, I volunteered to take the stuff my mother put together for Niece and her girlfriend for their new digs.

Car loaded, grocery list in hand, I headed to LR. I called Niece on the way to ask directions to the new place. She was at Burger King hanging out. Seems the air conditioner in the trailer wasn't working. The single little window unit in the bedroom wasn't working. They hadn't slept all night because of the heat. The 100+ degree heat...

Well, that ain't gonna work.

Her mother had agreed to buy an air conditioner but the trailer really needs two--one for the main part of the house and one for the bedroom. I got online and found the best buys in the area (Sears) and ordered a 12k BTU for the main part of the house and a 5k BTU for the bedroom. Sister paid for the big one and I for the small one.

Niece and I picked them up, then picked up her girlfriend at work. By the time we got back to the trailer, the temperature was over 100F. The heat index in central Arkansas ranged from 115-121F. The trailer was probably more like 130F. Ugh. Their poor dogs were so hot! And they have a passel of 3-4 week old puppies!

With the girls help, I installed the air conditioners. We had to do a little creative thinking because the bedroom window was non-standard but we managed with the help of a 2x4, strategically placed nails and a towel stuffed in the major crack left behind! LOL The big unit was much easier to install.

Last I heard from the girls, the dogs were all passed out in the nice cold air. And the girls weren't far behind. I told Niece she owed me big time. As in take-care-of-me-when-I'm-old,-feeble-and-need-my-diapers-changed owe me!

I came home, showered and passed out. So much for writing. I woke up a little while ago to check email and post this blog.

I might have managed a couple hundred words this week. I'm not even going to look it up. Not worth the trouble.

This week's goals:

1) Survive heat... (Tomorrow is supposed to hit 105F.)
2) Write something. I'll be happy with 1k words... The evil day job will be all week this week. End of month closing. Blah.

Hope your week was fabulously cool--in all the definitions of cool! I'm headed back to bed.

Shayla

From the Family Files...

2010-07-30T18:41:00.002-05:00

Well, Sister is still on her quest to find a suitable mate in the world of online dating. She's not having much luck but she refuses to give up just yet. She's having too much fun with her advice line on What Not To Put In Your Profile!

From the Family Files presents... Online Dating Faux Pas by Shayla's Sister.

‎1) Don't have a picture of you licking a cat on your profile. Gee, gonna need the secret decoder ring to crack that code, Skippy.

2) Don't list that you are 72 years old and under 'children' you checked the box for 'yes, living at home with me.' Why, so they can change your... depends, Pappy? Stop winking at me.

3) Don't say you are over 50 with hair past your shoulders. Unless it is to hide your ear hair, then it is ok. But stop winking at me, Shaggy.

4) Don't post a picture of Mr Happy, one Mr. Cowboy of Benton, AR. Now you are banned from the site and will never meet Miss Right! On the bright side, I showed your Lil Cowboy to my lesbian daughter and got to say in my best pre-k teacher voice, "that's a penis". *

More later... I feel I must continue my quest if only for the sake of you, my dear fans.

*The lesbian daughter's response..."It looked weird!"

Yes, my family is crazy but we have much more fun that way. Sister and I have long planned to end our days like the Baldwin Sisters on the Waltons--living together and drinking lots of the recipe! *cackle*

(Anyone who can explain that reference will be entered in a drawing for a choice of ebook download.)

TGIF!

2010-07-30T06:05:00.002-05:00

Although I'm headed to the EDJ after two days off, I almost welcome it! The two days off were a flurry of doctor appointments (Momma's and mine) and helping Granny with some stuff. I need to go to work to rest. But the weekend is mine. Saturday will be dedicated to a critique I owe Brandi Evans and Sunday is write, write, write... Which I really need to do if I'm going to make my goal this week!

Have a fabulous Friday!
Shayla

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Music for the Writer's Soul - Melissa Etheridge

2010-07-29T16:47:00.002-05:00

What can you say about Melissa Etheridge? She's an amazing vocalist. Her music is rock and roll instrumentals with pop/folk lyrics. You can jam to her songs and actually understand what she's singing. *cackle*

She's also a champion of gay rights. When she came out in 1993, coming out wasn't easy. She risked alienating fans and her tenuous rise to stardom. But she survived. Her 1993 album "Yes I Am" put her on the charts.

She's also a survivor of breast cancer. She appeared at the 2005 Grammy Awards with her head bald from chemotherapy, proving bald can be truly beautiful as well as brave.

The first time I heard her music was in 1992, maybe a little earlier. I'd stopped at the video store on my way home from work. I was rather late, as usual in those days, and the more popular videos had already been scarfed up. I kept browsing until I came across a movie I'd never heard of starring Winona Ryder. I remembered her from Beetlejuice and Heathers. Both very dark comedies that I really liked so I thought I'd check out Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael.

The movie was cute. A coming of age story with a twist and Winona once again played a dark, angsty teenage heroine. But the soundtrack! O.M.G! One song I went crazy for was called "In Roxy's Eyes" in the movie. I must have played the end credits over a dozen times trying to make out the tiny print for the soundtrack. I looked at everything I could find at the music store. Keep in mind, this was way before the internet was common. I didn't have a way to look up Melissa Etheridge's entire musical history!

Well, I gave up looking for "In Roxy's Eyes" and bought Melissa's next album, "Yes I Am". Much to my surprise, the CD included a song called "I Will Never Be the Same". Yes, you guessed it. It was the same song as "In Roxy's Eyes". Much later, I found out the original title was just for the movie.

Since then, I've snagged all of Melissa's CDs and continue to adore her work. My latest favorite is called "I Want To Be In Love". A great song for a romance. And a theme I plan to use in the near future. Here's the YouTube video from Melissa's channel. You can subscribe here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaEtheridgeVEVO. Watch the woman in the club scene. It's Jennifer Aniston.

Enjoy!
Shayla

Sunday Report Card - And No Whining!

2010-07-25T19:24:00.002-05:00

No whining because I actually accomplished a lot this week! And I made my writing goal of 3k. Okay, barely. 3075 words but what the hey, it's progress!

Plus, I received not one but two critiques back this weekend. Friday night and Saturday, I reviewed the comments on book four in the Tennessee Cops series. And I subbed it to my Ellora's Cave editor Saturday night! One down. For now!

Late Saturday night, I received comments on the revise and resubmit I was working on. I worked through them today and another submission away! Woo hoo!

Also, I received the cover for the second book in the Angel Moon Trilogy, SHROUDED ANGEL. I have a release date of September 3rd!

Le blurb:

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can’t stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he’s able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

So goals for this week? Well, I'm not getting too confident with one victory! I've had too many failures on my goals lately. So I'm going to try it again...

Goal for this week:

1) 3k words.

I have the EDJ at least three days but the other two are taken up with Momma stuff on Wednesday and Granny stuff on Thursday. I might get some writing done after my duties are done. However, I might need to work from home on EDJ stuff. I'll have to wait and see.

Next weekend will be my main writing days. I don't know if it's the new desk being more comfortable or the fact I'm sleeping more but I've been able to stay at the computer longer this past week. This gives me hope for writing in the evenings but I can't count on it.

Yes, the CPAP machine seems to be doing the trick. I'm even dreaming almost every night. Woo hoo! Although I feel like Darth Shayla... Check out the getup... Now if that doesn't give you nightmares, I don't know what will! *cackle*

Have a fabulous week!
Shayla

Music for the Writer's Soul - Patty Griffin

2010-07-23T06:14:00.008-05:00

My younger brother introduced me to Patty Griffin's music. And I thank him for it! If you haven't heard of her, she's an amazing artist. A singer/songwriter, her music is Americana with a touch of soul. As well as singing her own songs, a lot of well known artists have recorded her music.

And some of her lyrics can be haunting. What more could a writer ask for when needing inspiration for the muse?

On the long drive to the evil day job, I plug my iPod into my car speakers. Driving is usually the only time I pay attention to lyrics. Most of the time, music is white noise to combat distractions while writing or at work.

I commute on a very curvy backwoods state highway. Lots of critters pass through the route. I've seen at least ten deer in the last few days and a dozen smaller creatures who didn't survive the crossing. I can't exactly take my eyes off the road to check the iPod and see which song is playing.

The highway is also very narrow. And there's not a shoulder to pull off on. More like--white line, dirt. Not that I haven't hit the dirt when avoiding a log truck on the wrong side of a yellow line! But to check the iPod for a song title...well, I do have some sense! *cackle*

But one line of lyric in particular caught my attention one day.

Blew out the light in my soul

There it is... "Blew out the light in my soul".

O.M.G.! The muse took off and had me reaching for the voice recorder. Took me two days to find the song again on my iPod but the refrain is even more inspirational. That's what I get for having way too many songs loaded!

Cold As It Gets

I know a cold as cold as it gets
I know a darkness that's darker than coal
A wind that blows as cold as it gets
Blew out the light in my soul
Blew out the light in my soul

Someday, I'll have time to write the story this song inspired. I wonder if it's appropriate to thank a songwriter in a book's acknowledgments?

Here's a really great profile on Patty Griffin. The song she's singing in the beginning is Cold As It Gets. A song later in the piece is called Mother of God and is another of my favorites.

Sunday Report Card on a Monday...

2010-07-19T06:17:00.002-05:00

I suck. My goal of 4500 words? Ha! Like that would actually happen. My three days of writing didn't materialize. I did a whole 235 words on my new romsus.

My first alleged writing day--Tuesday--fell to Granny's "honey-do" list. Wednesday, I received the edits for Shrouded Angel and completed them. YAY! At least it was writing related work. No release date but I hope to hear something soon. Sunday--Momma and I took back the shutters I'd ordered her from Home Depot. They weren't the right size. I won't let Momma measure anything again. Ever again. The shutters were about a foot short.

The rest of Sunday afternoon I procrastinated by putting together a new writing desk. I've been looking for just the right desk for ages! Nothing fancy. Something not too big so it would fit in my little corner. Something not so high--no keyboard drawer! Hate those. If I want to use an external keyboard, I'll put it in front of the laptop. And I finally found it yesterday! And it's long enough to accommodate my printer too.

Then last night I mowed the front yard. Oy vey!

Between the day job and other duties--not to mention the heat, mowing has been neglected for two weeks. Since our dry spell ended, my grass has sprouted like the true weeds they are! Unfortunately, the heat hasn't abated. I usually mow early in the morning to avoid the worst of it. I should have waited but the grass was out of control. The back yard can wait because the privacy fence hides the worst of it.

So I mowed. I waited until about 6:30. Not late enough. The temp was 94 and the heat index 104F. Writing while recovering from minor heat stroke wasn't possible. I couldn't even write this blog last night.

This weeks goals... I'm going to be easy on myself.

I should have two days off from the evil day job but Granny already has a new "honey-do" list so I won't get anything done tomorrow, I'm sure. My other day off will probably be Friday plus I have nothing scheduled for the weekend. I plan to be selfish about those three days. They are mine! ALL MINE! Yeah. Like that'll happen if Momma or Granny need something.

However, the goal this week. 1k for each of the MINE days. So 3k. Surely I can manage that much. At my new writing desk. Or the coffee shop. LOL So why DID I want a new writing desk when I write so much at the coffee shop?

Oh, and I had an idea for a Naughty Nooner story for Ellora's Cave. NN is the freebies EC uses for promo. Everyone wants to know what happened to the guys from Icing On The Cake. Thinking about doing a short followup. Kind of like an epilogue story. Still mulling the idea over. Of course, Naughty Nooners are less than 7k and I have trouble writing short. So we'll see. And I can't start it until I finish the current WIP.

Now I have to get ready for the evil day job!

Have a fabulous week, everyone!
Shayla

Great new review for ANGEL MOON!

2010-07-18T06:48:00.001-05:00

From Kimberley Spinney at Sensual Reads!

"The future has never looked spicier than it does in Angel Moon. Shayla Kersten creates a universe that is both unique and dangerous. Filled with eroticism and suspense, this novel will grab the imagination and leave the reader wanting more. With every twist and turn, we get more sexiness and sensuality, perfectly in tune with the story line and the characters created. This is definitely a hot read and I can not wait to read more from this amazingly talented author."

*insert Snoopy dance here*

The second book in the trilogy, SHROUDED ANGEL, is awaiting a release date. Hopefully soon!

SHROUDED ANGEL

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Because of the Angellum, Patrea, a Virkolan, has spent his life afraid of loss. When darkness descends on his ship in the form of a strange angel, Patrea feels he can’t stay on the Avere. But departing would mean leaving behind the only light in his life—his bunkmate Hadreal. He needs to find the courage to tell Hadreal how he feels.

Hadreal has always felt more than friendship for his younger bunkmate, but bitter past experience keeps him from acting on his feelings. When a new danger brings them closer, he decides it might be time to live again. But now his chance at happiness may end before he’s able to sample it.

Sometimes it takes a brush with death to make life worth living.

From the Family Files...

2010-07-17T18:21:00.002-05:00

My younger sister has a wicked wit. Whenever we get together, she has me in stitches with her stories and sharp quips. Recently, she decided to try out Zoosk dating website. The Zoosk commercial almost tempted me into signing up. I mean, as a romance writer, I really appreciate the reality of the romance in the commercial. *cackle*

So Lil Sis signs up. After a browsing the site for a while, she posted the following advice on her Facebook:

A few tips for men wanting to put a profile on online dating sites.....

1. I don't care what year you were born, do not put '69' any where in your profile name.
2. Do not hold handcuffs in your teeth in your profile picture.
3. Even if they are yours, and we know they aren't, do not put a picture of 6-pack abs on your profile. You are in your 40's... if those are yours, you probably mistakenly checked the 'seeking women' box.
4. Do not put 'lick, spank, or hot4u' in your profile name.
5. Please put on a shirt for all posted pics. Unless you checked the wrong box, you probably should have someone fall for you before unveiling all that.
6. Ask someone's opinion on the picture you select; what you may think is sexy, may look like a serial killer's mug shot to the rest of us.
7. For goodness sakes would the poor slob who calls himself 'IsItInYet' just give up...

Blogging at Romance Lives Forever!

2010-07-13T05:35:00.002-05:00

I'm hanging out at Kayelle Allen's Romance Lives Forever blog. Talking about science fiction, world building and fickle muses. Stop by and comment for a chance to win an ebook.

http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com/2010/07/way-back-when.html

Have a great day!
Shayla

Sunday Blog Post: To sleep perchance to dream...

2010-07-11T21:18:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I missed last week's post. My excuse...due to the holiday weekend, I forgot it was Sunday. Hey, I'm old. I forget things! *cackle* Not to mention I really didn't feel as if I made much progress the week before. I did add a little over 1700 words that week but I still didn't finish the revise and resub. It was beginning to feel like the never ending revision! ARGH! The ideas were there, I just couldn't find time to get it done. Frustration doesn't make for a great post...

The evil day job took up a lot of my time both weeks. Not that I'm complaining. A regular paycheck is a great thing. I needed one! Not to mention I'm back on benefits (YAY health insurance!). But I have to relearn the balance between the EDJ and my writing time. I'm not sure how I wrote so much when I was working full time. Hopefully, I'll find my way again.

So this week's progress was actually less but more. I added just under 1700 words but I finished the revise/resub. I talked my galpal Delilah Devlin into reading it for me. She's one busy lady so I hope she'll be able to get it back to me by the end of the week.

My Tennessee Cop story #4 (still no title) is in the hands of my critique partner, Brandi Evans. Another busy lady. Between her writing, her two adorable children--who think I'm another grandmother--and her National Guard duties, I don't expect that one back until later in the week. She had weekend drill this weekend and she's barely back from her two week AT.

I need to write the blurb and synopsis but it helps to have a title. Maybe I'll write a blurb then have a contest for a title...

Oh, and my editor said to expect edits on Shrouded Angel--the sequel to Angel Moon--sometime this week. That's a big yay! I want to scratch this one off my list.

I started the fifth story in my Tennessee Cop series today almost immediately after I finished the revise/resub. I'm about 700 words in. Hopefully this one will come together fast. The story has been mulling around in my brain for a while.

On a more personal note, my sleep study revealed over a 5.7 hour period--which I was awake at least three or four times--I made it into REM sleep for a total of 25 minutes. And that was three different times after 3AM, the longest being 15 minutes. People can't survive without REM sleep. I had all the symptoms, crankiness--although my family says I'm that way when I get sleep--distracted, forgetful, can't concentrate...

Well, I received my CPAP machine on Tuesday. The first night, I felt as if I were suffocating with the mask on. I woke up a number of times, pulling it off or having pulled it off in my sleep. I kept putting it back on, determined to make it work because I paid too much for the damn thing!

The second night, I fared better. I actually slept for five straight hours. And toward morning, I actually dreamed. Vivid color-filled dreams. Although the idea of me taking care of a baby should have been a nightmare. *cackle* But dreams mean REM sleep. I haven't dreamed in ages...

The third night I went back to the suffocating feeling. Actually, I think I was having hot flashes because the mask felt super hot, giving me the feeling of unable to breathe.

So while I'm still getting accustomed to the CPAP machine, it looks like it will be the answer. Maybe once my sleep patterns are reestablished, my writing habits will balance out with my evil day job. It's amazing what sleep will do for you!

And having a little oxygen on the brain is a good thing, as the cat in the above picture will agree!

I should have two days off from the EDJ plus Sunday. My RWA chapter, Diamond State Romance Authors, meets on Saturday so I won't have much in the way of writing time that day.

My goals for this week must be fluid. If I get back any story from anyone--Delilah, Brandi or my EC editor--it will take priority. Otherwise, my goals will be as follows:

1) Write 4500 words on TnC#5.

That's 1500 per day for the three days available. If my sleep patterns improve, I might be able to manage some writing after work. Usually I'm so tired I can't sit at the computer long enough to concentrate.

Hope ya'll have a fabulous week!

Shayla

Sunday Report Card Or Can We Try Again Next Week?

2010-06-27T22:52:00.003-05:00

Last week's goals seemed so simple...

1) Revise!
2) Resubmit!

Well... Most of this week was a serious washout. Or a pain in the ass. Or some combination of both...

I did a home sleep study test on Monday night hoping for answers to my inability to sleep more than an hour at a time. Forked over $350 for the test because it's cheaper than the overnight lab study. The doctor received the results on Wednesday. Yes, I have sleep apnea. Yes, I need a CPAP machine. Hey, I'll try anything at this point. The doctor's office said someone will call me about the machine.

Wednesday afternoon, I get a call but the little girl on the other end of the line seems to be talking at cross odds with me. Finally, I realize she's trying to set me up with another sleep study and not just an appointment for a CPAP machine. For another $500. Uh, no. Already took the test at home. But she keeps insisting this is the only way they can get the pressure readings needed for the machine. Uh, still no. Already did that.

I called my doctor--by now it's already five o'clock--and left a message. The nurse calls back at 7:45 the next morning. Her answer was the same as mine. Uh, no, already took the test. She gives the the number to a medical supply place. She'll fax an order in to them. Great! Finally getting somewhere.

But then when I get in touch with them, they try to tell me a CPAP machine will be $1600. Again, that would be a no. I don't have $1600 to lay out especially when I know where I can get them cheaper.The girl on the other end seems stunned at my "just say no" attitude. Get real, chickie. You're talking to a menopausal woman who hasn't had a good night's sleep in at least six months. You people are lucky I don't lunge through the phone and take a pound of flesh from your ass!

She insisted on trying to see what they could do but she'd have to talk to her supervisor. And she'd call me back. Famous last words. That was Thursday morning. No call back.

Tomorrow, I'm calling my doctor. I want a prescription for a CPAP machine and a copy of the test results. I'll find my own damn machine. I also want a prescription for sleeping pills in the meantime. I should get what I want. He, of all people, understand how cranky I am. And how hormonal.

Oh, and instead of working three days last week, I had to work four. And I wrapped up Friday with a deer trying to hit me. I outran it but it banged against the back of my car. Thank goodness, no visible damage.

Oh, and the revise and resubmit. I'm still working on it, however, I received unofficial but very reliable word that the editor who requested it is no longer with that publisher. ARGH!!!!

So you see why I want to try again?

The good parts to last week? Yes, there were some...

I came up with a great way to strengthen the story I'm revising. And I will continue to revise even though I'm not sure what to do about the resubmitting. Now that the ideas are in my head, I need to incorporate them into the story. I added 2100 words, mostly on Tuesday and today. Although I spent a lot of today napping. I have to play catchup at some point in my sleep or I'm liable to snap. I'm off tomorrow and Tuesday. Hopefully I can wrap up the changes by then.

My writing buddy, Brandi Evans, has my 4th Tennessee cop story for critique. Hopefully, I'll get the revisions back before she gets finished with the crit. I still need a title as well as blurb/synopsis for the submission packet.

Saturday, Delilah Devlin, her daughter and granddaughter plus Brandi Evans and I went to the Arkansas Arts Center exhibit, World of the Pharaohs. Fabulous exhibit. I wrote for a little while at Starbucks while I waited on them. We all went to lunch then the exhibit. Afterward, Brandi and I had coffee at Starbucks and talked through a story idea of hers. Sounds great and I can't wait to read it.

While most of the week sucked, the weekend made up for some of it.

I I'm doing the 50k words-in-a-month challenge of JulNoWriMo-a play on the November Novel Writing Month. I need something to force me to focus. I plan to write two novellas--Angel Moon 3 and Tn Cop #5. I have both plotted. I just need to get past the revisions so I can move on to something new and shiny!

So the goals for this week:

1) Finish revising.
2) Figure out what to do about the resubmitting... *le sigh*
3) Start Angel Moon 3.

Hope ya'll have a fantastic week!
Shayla

iTunes/iPod Shuffle

2010-06-26T08:19:00.001-05:00

Snatched from Barbara Caridad Ferrer on LiveJournal.

What happens when I put my iPod on shuffle. First twenty songs. Weird mix for a weird person? LOL

1) When She's Gone by Mary Chapin Carpenter
2) Ruins by Melissa Etheridge
3) Tender When I Want To Be By Mary Chapin Carpenter
4) Tears and Laughter by Tall Tree 6ft Man
5) Truth Is by Sister Hazel
6) Paradise by the Dashboard Lights by Meatloaf
7) One Less Bell to Answer/A House Is Not a Home by Glee Cast
8) Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson
9) You Win Again by Mary Chapin Carpenter
10) Let Me Play With Your Poodle by Marcia Ball
11) I Want To Be In Love by Melissa Etheridge
12) Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
13) Private Dancer by Tina Turner
14) Home Again by Carole King
15) One Man Guy by Rufus Wainwright
16) Survivor by Destiny's Child
17) No Envy No Fear by Joshua Radin
18) Everything Else Disappears by Sister Hazel
19) Nights In White Satin by the Moody Blues
20) Crash This Train by Joshua James

Headed out to write in Little Rock before I meet Delilah Devlin and her family to go to the World of Pharaohs at the Arkansas Arts Center. Last days of the exhibit! Check it out if you're in the area before July 5th closing.

Okay... This should prove interesting...

2010-06-21T19:50:00.001-05:00

So I picked up the home sleep study thingy this afternoon. Doesn't look too bad. A thingy across the forehead with a headband. Not happy about the cannula thingy. Allergies have my nose itching already, thank you very much. But I'm desperate. I rarely sleep more than an hour and a half at a time.

When I was working only a few days a month, it wasn't so bad. I could take a nap during the day if I got too sleepy. Now, driving at least three days a week, unable to stay awake is really not good!

Back to the thingy... The instructions seem fairly simple. Put on the headband with the device over the forehead. Put the cannula tips inside the nostrils, tighten. Then turn the thing on. And turn everything else off.

Off? Fans? TV? OFF??? Oh, shit. I haven't slept without a fan going in years. Plus, the temperature 100F here. My A/C is struggling to keep up. I'll be lucky if the house is down to 75F by bedtime.

But the stupid device has a recording device to listen for snoring, breathing, stopping breathing... Damn. This should prove interesting.

Sunday Report Card--To revise or not to revise!

2010-06-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

Plus a kitty update. DC is doing much better. I found the stinkiest canned cat food ever--9 Lives Super Supper--and DC loves it! Even with the pink stuff in it so medicating is much easier! LOL

Well, ye old goals for last week were:

1) Self-edits
2) Synopsis/Blurb
3) Title
4) Live life to the fullest!

What I managed to get done... Self-edits! And the living life stuff. *cackle*

Yes, I finished self-edits for the latest Tn Cop story. Still don't have a blurb/synopsis or title. As with life, writing goals must be fluid. In other words, shit happens. *grins* Plus my critique partner is out of pocket until this week so I haven't had it critiqued yet. So the plan was to start on something new. Not...

Tuesday night, I received a revise and resubmit from a publisher with whom I'd like to become better acquainted. I wasn't particularly sure how to make the requested adjustments. She didn't give me more than general comments. However, she offered to look at again so I was determined to figure out how to make it work!

To revise or not to revise! A lot of authors ask themselves--and others--that question. I've seen some people, especially new authors, claim they won't change anything. It goes against their "artistic integrity". Well, I'm a pragmatist as well as an artist. My "artistic integrity" doesn't pay the mortgage. A book contract does.

Granted, I submitted a short story of 15k words. Had I written a 100k word novel and the editor wanted me to change major points, rewrite massive parts of the plot, I might think twice. Or I might negotiate a contract before I made the changes. However, my little short story shouldn't be that difficult to adjust. No major plot points are at issue. The editor wants me to strengthen the goals, motivation and conflict between the two main characters.

But how to do? I haven't read the story since I submitted it. I have a strict policy of not thinking about a story once it's submitted. I don't even open the file. All my documents are filed in a submissions folder under the publisher's name and forgotten. If I make a sale, I might never open that folder again. The editor will send me a copy of my story with her comments. I don't need the other files.

When I received the R&R, I moved the folder back into my WIP folder on my flash drive. Friday, after a doctor appointment in Little Rock, I went to Starbucks and read through the story for the first time in months. Not a bad story if I do say so myself. *cackle* But I could see the editor's point so I didn't get my hackles up. A few ideas wormed their way into my brain but sudden inspiration didn't strike so I needed to think about it some more.

Saturday while driving to my Diamond State Romance Authors meeting, lightning lit the way! All of a sudden, ideas began rolling. With voice recorder in hand, I worked through some more backstory on my characters. Backstory can help push conflict and conflict is usually centered around individual character's goals that don't meld.

Since I was very early--insomnia issues--I was the first to reach the library. For about an hour, I transcribed my notes and expanded on them. When Delilah Devlin showed up, I ran the ideas by her. She's fabulous at brainstorming. She thinks it'll work. I think it'll work. Now to implement the revisions.

Except today I woke up with a back ache. I managed about 800 words of additional material off and on during the day. Mostly off. I took a muscle relaxer and caught up on my sleep.

I have evil day job three days this week but I hope to finish the revisions by the end of next weekend. Saturday will be a wash because Delilah and I are going to see the World of the Pharaoh's at the Arkansas Arts Center. The exhibit is closing in July and we've almost waited too long! Procrastination is my middle name. *cackle*

Oh, and the doctor appointment was to address my insomnia issues. I'm doing a sleep study Monday night to see if I have sleep apnea. It's a take home test, which is good because I never sleep well in a strange bed. Especially if I know people were watching! LOL Maybe I'll have some good news this week. I'd kill to be able to sleep for two hours straight! Not to mention, sleep would probably help my concentration and memory.

So goals for this week:

1) Revise!
2) Resubmit!

Have a fabulous week!
Shayla

Critters...

2010-06-17T08:25:00.000-05:00

Why is it as soon as you manage to get a few bucks ahead of the game, critters get hurt or sick. *headdesk*

Early Tuesday morning I went outside to mow before the heat hit. DC has taken to sleeping in my wheelbarrow. I keep it up on its front end to keep rain from sitting in it. She sleeps on the front end. Nothing unusual. But if you look real close at the left side of her face, you can see the swelling.

Lovely. Trip to the vet on the horizon.

By nine, I had her at the Cat Vet. They ended up keeping her so they could surgically lance and drain the abscess. I know she was confused about staying overnight away from home but so was I.

I'm a terrible insomniac. I don't have trouble going to sleep but I wake up several times a night. It's not unusual for me to see every hour on the clock as the night passes slowly into dawn. And each time I wake, I check on the critters. Count heads actually. LOL Several times Tuesday night, I forgot DC was at the vet and was scared when I couldn't find her.

Since the evil day job beckoned yesterday, I left my mother DC's carrier and a check. She picked her up yesterday morning and dropped her off at the house before I arrived home.

She also dropped off the "pink stuff". Amoxicillin. A thick pink liquid antibiotic that my cats hate. Every last one of them. No matter how sick, how injured, how much pain, will fight me to the death to avoid a dose of the "pink stuff". Joy, joy. So far, two doses later, I have had pink stuff all over the bathroom, all over me, in my hair, all over DC.

And I'm terrified I'll hurt her neck if I try to hold her too hard while I squirt the meds in her mouth. The next few days will be fun but we'll get it done. Have to. She's one of my babies.

Oh, and I'm being paranoid and calling the vet when they open. Her neck looks a little swollen. We may have another vet visit in the near future...

Sunday Report Card!

2010-06-13T19:38:00.002-05:00

Princess found a new toy. At least she can't drag this one in through the pet door like she did a dead chipmunk the other day.

My cats are crazy. And distracting. But they weren't the reason for my lack of words this week.

Once again, I spent the entire week at the evil day job. I'm officially up to 30 hours a week except when I'm needed for more. This week I was needed more. *shrugs* But I'll average it out so I'll probably have some extra days off at the end of the month.

My official goals for the week were:

1) Finish TnC#4.
2) Come up with a title for TnC#4.
3) Write synopsis/blurb for TnC#4.

And I did finish! Yay! But today. All my writing this week was accomplished yesterday and today. So there's no synopsis/blurb yet. No title either. I wanted to start self-edits this afternoon but yard work has once again worn me out. My EDJ schedule this week is Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully, I'll get through a couple of passes on self-edits Tuesday. Right after I mow the yard.

I cut low hanging tree limbs and ones too close to the roof, planted my big flowerbed in front and watered this weekend but just didn't get around to mowing.

I need more plants in the flowerbed. I'll have to see what's on sale this week.

Lots of sad stuff happened this week. Not to me personally, but a flash flood killed 19 people camping in Arkansas. Most people around here are in a state of shock. There but for the grace of God...

Also associate editor Alyssa Smith of Hearst Books lost her beloved birds and her home to a devastating fire on Tuesday. The writing community has come together rendering aid and comfort where they can. Every little bit adds up. More information on the fire and what people can do to help is located here: http://tinyurl.com/helpalyssa. Once again, there but for the grace...

We never know when or where tragedy will strike. All we can do is live each day as if it were our last and make sure it was a truly great day!

My goals for this week:

1) Self-edits
2) Synopsis/Blurb
3) Title
4) Live life to the fullest!

Have a great week, folks! And remember, life is a journey not a destination!

HUGS!
Shayla

Funny!

2010-06-07T20:10:00.001-05:00

Can we say "awkward"!? This commercial cracks me up every time!

Sunday Report Card!

2010-06-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

Too bad my kitties can't be trained for yard work...

I've been a bad girl. My only goal this week was to finish TnCop#4 and...*hangs head in shame*...I'm not finished. Busy week and a serious case of WADD (Writers Attention Deficit Disorder) derailed my best laid plans.

Monday started out pretty good. I finished the yard work I'd started on Sunday evening. I even wrote 2300 words on TnC#4. Close to the end but not there. And I knew the rest of the week was a waste.

The evil day job had me in its clutches Tuesday through Friday. Seriously in its clutches. I put in 40 hours in 4 days. Plus I have a two hour commute. Definitely no writing when I got home. It was all I could do to eat dinner and fall into bed. But that's okay. My boss was out of town and we managed to hold down the fort admirably. Didn't burn down anything, or blow up anything. I also have concrete proof that my boss is Superwoman in disguise. I always knew the EDJ revolved around her but now the evidence is in. And she's not allowed to leave for a whole week ever again! *cackle*

By the time Friday rolled around, I had a number of notes on my voice recorder. The long commute is actually good for something. However, due to the previously mentioned WADD, most of my notes were on the new story my Lil Sis helped me cook up last weekend. Great ideas! Plot developing nicely. But I need to finish the other story first!

Early Saturday morning (aka the buttcrack of dawn), I thought I'd get some writing in before I picked up Momma to go to Little Rock. Lil Sis was meeting us for a Girls' Day Out. Instead of working on TnC#4, the new story demanded I write some of the synopsis.

So after a brief outline of the prologue and the first chapter, I managed to tear myself away to go get Momma. By the time we returned home, I was too tired. I decided I'd just get up early on Sunday and work on TnC#4.

But I'm old. And I distract easily. My morning went like this...

5AM CDT

*zombie walk to kitchen* Mmmm, need coffee.
*looks around kitchen while coffee brews* Oh, pets need water.
*pouring water in bowl* Rats, I forgot to water flowers out front.
*pouring water in pots* Wow! The little trees sprouting in my front flower bed are getting out of control.
*sawing trees down* Wow! My jasmine bush is getting unruly.
*pruning back bush* Wow! The grass in the front yard is getting high!
*mowing yard* Wow! Those tree limbs are awfully low! Keeps whacking me in the head!
*cutting tree limbs* That dead jasmine on the end of the house looks awful.
*pulling down dead vines* I might as well take down the old aerial antenna while I'm over here.
*pulls down antenna* Damn, the back yard needs mowing too!
*mows back yard* Hungry. Ugh, coffee is old and cold.
*makes lunch and fresh pot of coffee*

1PM CDT

I think I need a nap... I'll work on TnC#4 later.

So let's just call Sunday a day of rest...well, from writing, anyway. I don't know how many days I'll work for the EDJ this week. I'm going to be working regular hours for a while. Hopefully for a long while. Guaranteed positive cash flow is always good! *cackle* At 30 hours a week, I can also go back on benefits and that's a wonderful thing! However, I'm hoping I'll have a couple of free days this week so I can finish TnC#4. And maybe work on the synopsis for the new idea.

Plus I had another plot bunny about a couple of guys dealing with the fallout of an ex's stupidity. *cackle* More on that another time!

So this week's goal is the same as last week's.

1) Finish TnC#4.
2) Come up with a title for TnC#4.
3) Write synopsis/blurb for TnC#4.

Hope you had and will have a productive week!

Shayla

Sunday Report Card

2010-05-30T21:42:00.001-05:00

I didn't really set a goal for the past week. Between the evil day job and the holiday weekend, I knew I wouldn't get much done. However, I did a little more than I thought!

I had one morning to devote to writing. Tuesday I met Brandi Evans at Starbucks. I posted a long story about how the day went at the Liquid Silver Blog in a blog titled Life, Critters and Getting Older. I also posted some pictures of some of those critters. But the short version is, after a rocky start, I wrote 2207 words on the Tennessee Cop story. Woo hoo!

The rest of the week was not so good on the writing front. Monday then Wednesday through Friday, I worked at the EDJ between 9-10 hours a day. Add the two hour commute and I was wiped out. Early Saturday and Sunday before I went to Momma's house, I managed another 600 words. I know where I'm going and how to get there but just haven't had time to write.

I did plot out a couple of quickie ideas during the commutes with my voice recorder--one for EC's new shorter quickie and one for a Cleis anthology call. Saturday, Lil Sis helped me plot part of a new Harlequin Intrigue idea. I still haven't heard about the last proposal. Neither have I heard from Samhain or Carina Press about two other stories. I have, on the other hand, heard from my Ellora's Cave editor. Looks like the sequel to ANGEL MOON is a go for launch! I'll spill more about it once the contract is final.

Saturday was fun with Lil Sis and Momma because we made sushi for the first time. We couldn't find sushi grade fish in Little Rock so we went with cooked fish. The picture above is mussels, shrimp and scallops poaching in white wine with lots of fragrant seasoning! The one to the right is the sticky rice. Lil Sis did the seafood, Momma and I did the sticky rice. Both came out excellent!

The actual rolling process was interesting but we managed. Of course, our rolls weren't exactly uniform. *cackle* Once we used up all the nori to wrap the rolls, Lil Sis made a tempura batter and we deep fried the rolls. They were quite yummy, if not as pretty as our favorite Japanese restaurant presents them.

We also had two kinds of sangria, one made with muskadine wine and one made with pomegranate wine, various beers and sweets. Today Lil Sis grilled lamb, Italian sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob. Lil Bro came up today sans his girl children. Not his weekend for the two little ones and the 15 year old had better things to do than spend the day with her family. Teenagers. Can't live with them, can't lock 'em in a closet until they're twenty. Or at least I've been told you can't. *cackle*

I topped off the weekend by trying to kill myself mowing. I did the entire back yard--which hasn't been completely done this year. Too many branches to clean up but it's done now. Plus I mowed part of the front. I'll have to finish it tomorrow. After I write. I'm staying home to make a concerted effort to finish TnC#4. If I can get out of bed after overdoing the yard work!

I don't expect a lot of writing time this week. The evil day job will have me Tuesday through Friday. My boss is out of town so I'll need to do some of her stuff as well as help take up the slack for the customer service person who quit last week. Good thing I can do every job in that place. Makes for extra hours and lots of good will with the higher ups. LOL

Next weekend has no plans except some tree trimming and yard work so I hope, between tomorrow and next weekend, I can finish this book. And hopefully I'll have edits for the ANGEL MOON sequel! Yay!

Goals for the week:

1) Finish TnC#4.
2) Come up with a title for TnC#4.
3) Write synopsis/blurb for TnC#4.

That should be more than enough!

I hope you had a fabulous week and a great one ahead of you.

Don't forget to take some time on Monday to remember the veterans who made and keep America free. To those who gave a little and to those who gave their all, you made a difference in our lives.

Shayla

Sunday Report Card!

2010-05-23T20:30:00.001-05:00

This week blasted past me but in a good way. I accomplished a lot! My only goal this week was:

1) ~~Write 10k on TnC#4.~~

And that puppy not only got done, I exceeded it. Grand total on TnC#4 is 11,343 words. The total doesn't include about 1k in notes. I hit the middle and went...uh, where the heck am I going? Ah, the life of a pantser! *cackle* But now I know where I'm going although I think I'll get there too soon. The story was projected to be 25k words. I'm at 18k and "the end" is in sight. Of course, I tend to add words when I start self-edits. Sometimes my first drafts are a little bare of description and deeper emotions. We'll see.

Today has been a very long day. I wrote 4460 of the 11k today. LOL I hit Starbucks and glued my ass to the chair. Well, except for the three venti coffees--one per thousand words. When I hit 4k, I met Lil Sis for a late lunch. Once I arrived home, I did three critiques for the Roses Colored Glasses Critique Group. Busy, busy day!

Saturday was a wash out. I tried writing at home and I kept getting distracted. Mainly by my bed! I hadn't slept well all week and the lure of a nap turned into a marathon five hours of sleep. I don't sleep that much at night!

Boss lady called me on Friday. She needs me in the office most of this week--tomorrow and Wednesday through Friday. So this week's word count will be practically nil. Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and the family or at least part of it, will circle the wagon's at Momma's. I have to show up at least a couple of days. Plus the first week of the month I'll always have to work the entire week so the following week will be tight on word count.

I love the idea of extra money but hate losing the writing time. LOL

Since I'm so close to the end of TnC#4, I'm going to try hard to write at night. Plus I have half of Tuesday to write. I'm meeting Brandi Evans at Starbucks Tuesday morning but I have to take my grandmother to a doctor appointment Tuesday afternoon. Another 3-4k and I should be able to start self-edits.

Oh, and as I was driving to Little Rock today, a short story idea hit me. I think I might try my hand at one of Ellora's Caves' new shorter Quickies. It involves the bathhouses in Hot Springs, which are nothing like the gay bathhouses. The ones in Hot Springs are really meant for bathing and massage. But whose to say there can't be a little hanky panky!

We'll see. I made some voice notes on the drive and a few written ones when I arrived at Starbucks before I started work on TnC#4.

I hope everyone had a wonderfully productive week and a great one ahead of you!

Shayla

2010-05-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

Another week has rushed past me! Sometimes it feels like I turn around and another year is gone. I've heard that's what happens when you get older. *cackle*

So last week's goals were:

1) Work Monday at the evil day job.
2) Work through edits/critiques of Angel Moon 2.
3) Come up with a title for Angel Moon 2.
4) Write 4k on TnC #4.
5) Attend DSRA meeting on Saturday.

The evil day job required an extra day so I worked there on Wednesday as well. Sometimes I'm torn between "damned EDJ" and "ooo, goody, extra money!". LOL

I finally finished working through the edits for the sequel to ANGEL MOON. It is now tentatively titled BLOOD ANGEL. I ended up adding nearly 1900 words to the manuscript. The synopsis and blurb were about 2k words. So my 4k goal was achieved, just on the wrong manuscript! I submitted BLOOD ANGEL to my Ellora's Cave editor tonight. I'll be nail biting until I hear from her.

And I attended my DSRA meeting! I love getting together with other writers. Such rejuvenation for my creative side!

So all in all, this was a good week!

For next week, my goals are simple. Write! Write! Write! On the new Tennessee Cop story. Still no title there either but I'm 6690 words in so I have a good start. I don't have the EDJ until closer to the end of the month. I'll be writing with my friend, Cynthia D'Alba, in Hot Springs tomorrow. She's good at cracking the whip so I should get a lot done!

1) Write 10k on TnC#4.

I hope you had a fabulous week and look forward to another great one!
HUGS!
Shayla

New Rose's Colored Glasses Newsletter!

2010-05-16T11:11:00.001-05:00

Check it out, it's up on Roses Colored Glasses!

Rose's Colored Glasses

Spring Cleaning
Your Writing

May 2010 Newsletter

click here

Announcements!
Query & Synopsis: Stick to the Facts
Proper Care and Feeding of Your Muse
Time for Weeding
Spreading the Love Around
Why I'd Rather Do Anything than Write
Stop and Feed the Muse!
Dear Rose

http://rosescoloredglasses.com/NewsMay10.htm

Reviews!

2010-05-15T06:24:00.001-05:00

Some people say reviews don't make a difference to sales, but what a difference it makes to a writer's ego! *cackle* Maybe not ego so much as confidence...

Writers are fragile in some ways. We're in a profession where we can be praised and reviled over the same book. Reviews, comments, even emails can range from "You're are the most wonderful writer!" to "You suck and are the worst ever!" Sometimes those comments come from a publisher! Well, not quite that explicit but we can read between the lines... LOL

So when great reviews come along, it's time to rejoice! And I've received a few really great reviews lately!

ANGEL MOON
Available at Ellora's Cave

BLURB:

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Sorin thought sanctuary was the answer to their problems. Terra with its plentiful creatures, full of fresh blood and off limits to the millennia-long war with the Angellum—who wouldn’t think it paradise? Except paradise comes at a high price. Claiming a bounty on a renegade angel hasn’t ended up the way he planned at all.

Teo loves his ship, his life in space, but he loves Sorin more. The plan seemed sound, but the bounty is a fraud and now the price is on him and Sorin. He’ll make the best of the rest of his life with Sorin, even if it’s only for a few weeks.

But when hope appears from an unexpected source, both men grab chance by her wings.

An excerpt from the latest review from The Long and Short of It/Whipped Cream Reviews:

Peppermint at Whipped Cream Reviews said, "Shayla Kersten gave me just enough information in this story that I could see the world she was trying to create, yet had enough space to add my own mental imagery to it as well. I just hope that the author will continue Teo and Sorin’s story, because I am sure it will be flying off the shelves. ...do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Angel Moon". It's a keeper."

And since ANGEL MOON received 5 Cherries, it's up for book of the week! You can vote at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/recentrev.htm. I appreciate your support!

* * * * * *

My other more recent release, ICING ON THE CAKE, seems to have struck gold in the review department!

ICING ON THE CAKE
Available at 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.

Excerpts of the reviews:

Romance Reader at Seriously Reviewed said, "Wow. This story was perfect. The sex, the men, the setting. I couldn’t read fast enough yet I wanted the pages to go on forever. ... I have a sweet tooth for men and Icing on the Cake satisfied me on every level." -- Score: 18.5 out of 20

Eyre at A Reader's Journey said, "This is a short, hot read. It's only 47 pages, but I really enjoyed it. Let's just say that the cake isn't the only thing that has icing on it." -- 4 Stars

Wave at Reviews by Jessewave said, " I definitely recommend Icing on the Cake and I think you will enjoy it and the characters." -- 4.25 Stars

Scandalous Minx at Literary Nymphs said, "Passion and food take center stage in Icing on the Cake. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and I recommend it to those who enjoy the genre." -- 5 Nymphs

Shayna at Joyfully Reviewed said, "Icing on the Cake is as delicious as the culinary confection the title references. It's decadent good fun with two sinfully sexy heroes."

2010-05-10T06:13:00.000-05:00

My laptop spent much of the week as DC's napping spot. I, on the other hand, spent most of my time at the evil day job or at Momma's house. My goals for this week--4k on TnC#4 (formerly known as #6)--came up a little short. Okay, a lot short at 1817 words.

I also joined the Roses Colored Glasses critique this week with the first 15 pages of the new story. The Roses' crit group is open to anyone and run two weekends a month. I woke up early Saturday and managed to get through my crits before heading to Momma's. I received some great feedback on my pages too. I really should join in more often!

Brandi Evans sent back her critique of the second Angel Moon book. I read a little bit of it last night but was too tired to keep going. So far, all good feed back.

The evil day job calls today so I won't get much done today but I'm meeting Brandi at Starbucks tomorrow for a write-in.

So for this week's goals...

1) Work Monday at the evil day job.
2) Work through edits/critiques of Angel Moon 2.
3) Come up with a title for Angel Moon 2.
4) Write 4k on TnC #4.
5) Attend DSRA meeting on Saturday.

Hope you put a great week behind you and have a fabulous one ahead!

Sunday Report Card

2010-05-02T21:44:00.001-05:00

My goals for last week were:

1) Finish Angel Moon 2! (I need about 4-5k words to finish. The end is in sight!)
2) Start book #4 of TN Cops.
3) Work one day for the part-time evil day job.

And they are all crossed off! Woo hoo! I had a good week writing-wise!

I finished Angel Moon 2 on Wednesday. The word count for the week on it was 4341. I wrote at the coffee shop--or a coffee shop--most of the week. The critters decided last week was going to be the official "Drive Mommy Crazy" week. I hit the Beanery a few times and Starbucks a couple. Tuesday was a write in with Brandi Evans and Cynthia D'Alba. We ended up going to lunch with Brandi's kids. Her baby kept calling me Grandma. Too funny. Kind of. I can't decide if I liked being called Grandma or just couldn't be mad at the baby. She was sooo cute!

Thursday I was at the Evil Day Job. I hadn't been down there since the 8th of the month. Had fun catching up with my most wonderful boss in the world at lunch. I miss daily interaction with her. She's a hoot to be around. I'll have lots of interaction this week. It's the first of the month so I'll be there all week. Thursday night I had plot inspiration plus a read a synopsis for Delilah Devlin. She has such a wicked mind!

Friday I started what was supposed to be Tennessee Cops book #6. Yes, I know I haven't written #4 and #5 yet. The plot for six hit me the other night and just wanted to be written. So I guess #6 becomes #4. The new math... The story is a reunion story and one of the heroes has a lot to make up for!

Between Friday and Sunday, I wrote 4819 words. Don't have a title yet. Need one. Just don't have one. *cackle* I suck at titles. I probably could have written more but Arkansas was hit with some heavy duty storms Friday night and Saturday night. I spent most of both nights tracking tornadoes. My family was fortunate. Others weren't so much. One fatality from a tornado and one from flash flooding. May they rest in peace.

Saturday before the next round of storms blew in, I critiqued a story for Brandi Evans. Really kewl story about a fallen angel.

So all in all, a very productive week with 9160 words written, two critiques done plus some day job! Goals for next week have to be scaled back because of the EDJ but the story is really popping so I should get something done. Unless the voices are really talking to me, writing when I get home from work isn't very easy. Next weekend is Mother's Day so I'll probably spend most of it with Momma and the siblings.

So this week's goals are:

1) 4k on TnC#4 (formerly known as #6)

I hope everyone had a great week behind them and a fantabulous one in front of them.

Sunday Report Card!

2010-04-25T21:22:00.002-05:00

I'm a little late tonight. Mainly because I was actually writing!

So my goals for this past week were:

1) 8k on Angel Moon 2

And I wrote 5346 words. I know. Not 8k but better than I expected with interruptions to my plans. I was shooting for a total of 6k but I distracted myself with browsing online job ads tonight.

I really need to find a full-time day job. Either I suck as a writer or the asshole book pirates have taken a bigger bite out of my royalties than I thought. Going back to work full time appears to be inevitable. If I can find a job. Not many out there. I'm trying to get as much writing done as possible so if I go back, I'll have a few things in the pipeline since my writing time will be seriously curtailed.

Book pirates might not care that what they do is illegal but if they really want to read my books, they have to stop stealing my royalties so I can afford to write. At some point, I might as well quit and concentrate on a day job or two so I can keep paying my bills.

Okay, forget the bummer stuff and back to the report card...

I ended up in Little Rock running errands for Granny one day and in Conway with errands of my own on another. I managed to write a little both days but not as much as I needed. And Friday was almost a complete washout because I tried to give myself a heart attack doing yard work at warp speed. A massive storm moved across the state on Friday and I tried to get everything done before it hit! Dumb! The pain killers make me too drowsy to write! *cackle*

Saturday ended up a day of rest. My little sister came up to Momma's for the weekend. I spent the day there relaxing, laughing and eating too much.

My best writing day was Tuesday. I met Brandi Evans at Starbucks for a morning write-in! I wrote nearly 2k plus figured out the plot to Angel Moon 3! Which I needed to do because I needed to know it so because I need to foreshadow some stuff in Angel Moon 3! LOL

Still 5300 words is pretty good. Plus I did a quick sketch of the plot of one of the next Tennessee Cop stories. I had TnC #4 & #5 lined out already. Now I have #6. After I finish AM2, I'll be working on TnC #4.

This week's goals:

1) Finish Angel Moon 2! (I need about 4-5k words to finish. The end is in sight!)
2) Start book #4 of TN Cops.
3) Work one day for the part-time evil day job.

We'll see how this week goes. I already have to take Granny to the eye doc and the ear doc tomorrow afternoon. I plan to go to the coffee shop early and write until time for her first appointment. I'm meeting Brandi again on Tuesday so my target is to finish AM2 then and do self-edits on Wednesday.

First week of May will be mostly evil day job stuff. I work more hours during the first week of the month than I do the rest of the time. Whatever progress I make this week will need to last me for a while!

Hope ya'll had brilliant progress last week and have a fabulous week this week!

HUGS!

Momma's discovered texting...

2010-04-23T08:04:00.002-05:00

This morning's conversation.

Me (with picture attached): I have berries! Only 4 but I have berries! (I planted strawberries this year in one of those upside down planters.)
Momma: Great! Will you share?
Me: Share four berries? LOL Maybe...
Momma: Be nice. Bad a.m. Dog pushed off bed and spilled a big cup of coffee.
Me: Did you bury him in the back yard yet? (Her usual threat when her dog does something bad.)
Momma: Digging.

Man's Inhumanity...

2010-04-19T12:10:00.003-05:00

Literary agent Colleen Lindsay posted an article on her blog about an elderly gay couple who were separated by a hospital in Sonoma County. In spite of having all the legal paperwork completed so they could have visitation, medical directives, etc. for each other, the county kept them apart, placing them in separate nursing homes and confiscating and selling all their joint property. One of the men died without his partner by his side. The other lost being part of the last few months of his lover's life.

Horrifying the extent of man's inhumanity to man...

Read the full excerpt of the article on Colleen's blog at http://bit.ly/92SImc.

Sunday Report Card

2010-04-18T18:13:00.001-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I've been a bad girl... My goals for this past week were:

1) ~~OOC to crit.~~ (Kind of...)
2) ~~OOC synopsis and blurb.~~
3) Write 8k words on AM2
4) ~~Oh, and mow the back yard. Need something easy so I can actually accomplish something.~~

Well. The week started off pretty damn good. Kind of. *cackle* I finished OOC, wrote the synopsis, blurb and query letter. My CP was out of pocket and since this was a revision of an already critiqued story, I got impatient. Yes, I know patience is a virtue but no one ever accused me of being virtuous!

I submitted the story without having it critiqued again. I usually don't do that. I'm a really insecure writer. I need the reassurance of another set of eyes on the story before I submit. My CP is one of the best. She sees things I don't even think of but her life has become extremely busy. I hate to bug her when I know she's knocking up against deadlines of her own. Hopefully after RWA National, her life will resume some modicum of normality and I won't need to skip what I consider a vital part of the process.

Of course, this isn't my first manuscript. It's somewhere up in the high twenties or low thirties as far as completed--I have twenty stories sold. I know what to look for and the questions to ask myself but sometimes I get lazy. Without my CP, I just need to be more careful and not get impatient in my self-edits.

So about the one that's not crossed off... Write 8k on AM2. The word count was a bit ambitious but I thought I could do it. I didn't, however, take into account reality. *cackle* I finished up OOC on Tuesday. Wednesday, I read what I'd already written on Angel Moon book 2. I hadn't even opened the file since the end of February. I have 14k words done so I took most of Wednesday to read plus I tweaked a little as I went along.

Thursday, I had to take my Granny to the eye doc. She's having trouble seeing things, like cars. Oy vey. My mother went with me. I had to drop off a couple of tax returns then Momma wanted to check out plant sales at Lowe's and Walmart. Of course, Granny's eye appointment took longer than expected. As far as writing, the day was a write off! LOL I didn't get home until after 5PM. And I had all kinds of plants too!

So Friday morning, I had to plant stuff. I ended up with tomato plants, eggplant, green and yellow peppers, strawberries, blueberries and a Meyer lemon tree. The lemon tree was on clearance at Lowe's for $1.68. Momma and I found the last two decent looking plants. If it dies, oh, well. If it doesn't? I go through a lot of lemons in my cooking. Especially on grilled asparagus! If I get a few lemons, I've made back my money. And it's a mini plant in a planter. If it thrives, I can bring it in over the winter.

I did get a few petunias. I'm not doing much in the way of decorative this year. If I can't eat it, I'm pretty much avoiding it. Walmart had some overgrown plants in half-gallon pots for $2.50. Out of three pots, I filled my two window boxes out front and two hanging baskets.

By the time, I finished with the planting, combined with being on my feet too much on Thursday, I was in pain. Friday afternoon didn't see any writing. I couldn't sit in front of the computer for more than a few minutes.

Saturday was the monthly meeting of the Diamond State Romance Authors. We had a lot of people show up! Best turnout ever for our small group! We had a couple of guests and some new members! Most of us went to lunch after the meeting. Full day of writerly camaraderie but no actual writing. LOL

And today...I made a few revisions I thought about over the last few days but I didn't actually net a word gain. As busy as the week was, it wasn't with writing. Hopefully I can do better this week. Tomorrow, I plan to kick it into gear. Hopefully my hip will let me sit at my desk! *cackle* Tuesday, I'm meeting Brandi Evans for a morning write-in at Starbucks.

Goals for this week:

1) 8k on AM2

That's it. Just write. I need to get this book finished no later than early May. Must write! All kicks in the posterior/whip cracking is appreciated!

Sunday Report Card

2010-04-11T15:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm a little early posting today. SyFy Channel is being a big distraction. They are running a bunch of disaster b-movies and I'm a sucker for a cheesy disaster movie! *cackle*

So my goals for the week were:

1) ~~Finish revisions on OOC and send to CP.~~
2) ~~Sub CI to Samhain. (If CP finishes.)~~
3) ~~Blog at the Rainbow Studio on Wednesday.~~
4) ~~Snoopy dance on Friday when ICING ON THE CAKE releases at Ellora's Cave!~~

And looky! They're all crossed off! *insert Snoopy dance* Plus I worked three days at the evil day job. And mowed the front yard! I have to do the back yard today.

I'll probably do a little more tweaking on OOC but it's essentially finished. I still have to write the synopsis and blurb. Once I've put OOC to bed, next up is finishing the sequel to Angel Moon. I'm almost halfway through the story. I just need to get back to it! 30k is just an estimate. It might go longer. It's hard to judge when I plot out a story just how long it'll actually be.

Since I'm off from the evil day job this week, I hope to make good progress. I plan to flog the whip on myself to finish Angel Moon 2--which needs a real title at some point.

A little future planning--I want to start the next story in my Tennessee Cops series soon. First I have to finish AM2 and revise a three chapter proposal just in case Harlequin Intrigue likes my proposal and actually wants to see them.

So this week's goals:

1) OOC to crit.
2) OOC synopsis and blurb.
3) Write 8k words on AM2
4) Oh, and mow the back yard. Need something easy so I can actually accomplish something.

Hope you have a fabulous week!
Shayla

New Release!

2010-04-09T08:35:00.005-05:00

ICING ON THE CAKE
By Shayla Kersten
Available now at Ellora's Cave
http://www.jasminej ade.com/p- 8289-icing- on-the-cake. aspx
Copyright © SHAYLA KERSTEN, 2010

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.

EXCERPT:

Jeff Morgan stared at Clarissa as if she’d grown two heads.

“You have got to be kidding. You know how I feel about weddings.” She might as well have asked him to be the groom.

“It’s not as if you have to plan the entire wedding. Just order the cake.” Clarissa grinned. “You’re my maid of honor. It’s your duty to help me.”

“You have to stop calling me that.” Not that he really minded. In spite of his negative feelings about marriage, he’d been honored when Clarissa asked him to stand up with her. He didn’t have many close friends. Well, any who he allowed to get close. Clarissa managed to push through barriers most people didn’t know were there.

But wedding plans? He’d barely managed to pull off the bridal shower at the office. “Why don’t you ask Randa? She helped me with the shower that almost wasn’t.”

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Because Randa would pick out some hideous pink-flowered cake with silver bells and cherubs all over it. I still have nightmares of the fourteen shades of pink at the shower. You know my taste.” Clarissa reached over his desk then grabbed his hand. “Please. You’re my only hope.”

“You don’t do damsel in distress that well.” He shook her grip free. “You could postpone.”

“No way. Larry finally asked and I’m not giving him a chance to second-guess himself.”

Jeff returned her grin.

Larry wasn’t the hold up on the marriage. Clarissa had turned him down a half-dozen times. When she finally said “yes”, she’d slammed together a wedding in less than two weeks. Well, almost slammed together.

A last-minute snafu with a client’s computer system had Clarissa flying to Denver this afternoon. The client specifically demanded Clarissa’s presence. Considering the size of the retainer, what he wanted, he got. Employee personal lives didn’t matter.

Now she wanted Jeff to pick out a cake. By himself. Him, the Scrooge of wedding festivities.

“Come on, Jeff. You’re the only one I trust to take care of this.”

“Fine. But I don’t want to hear one cross word about the cake you get.”

“Thank you!” Clarissa blew him a kiss. “And make sure you go to Cranford Designs on Tremont. They’re the best in town.”

“And probably the hardest to get an order in at the last minute.”

Clarissa lifted one side of her lip in a mock snarl. “Turn on the charm. I’m sure you can get results.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” Jeff flapped his hand at her. “Get out of here or you’ll miss your flight.” He tapped a few keys to save his file then shut down his computer. “I’ll head over there now. The sooner I get there, the sooner I’ll get this over with.” As if he had time for this. He’d been running at warp speed for the last two months, thanks to his schedule. Exhaustion had already pushed him to the edge, but the work just wouldn’t stop.

“You are such a ray of sunshine.” Sarcasm roiled through her words. “Stop being a bitch.” Her tone warmed back to normal. “You’re my best friend and the only one who can do it right.”

“Insults followed by flattery. You sure know how to charm a guy. And I didn’t say I wouldn’t find you a cake. I’m just not happy about it.”

* * * * *

Jeff couldn’t help staring. The tiny table in the corner of the back office of Cranford Designs barely separated him from the beefcake of a baker. The building didn’t look like the fancy bakery he expected. The way Clarissa gushed over the place, he expected better than an old brick building with etched metal signage.

Bulging muscles, shaved head, tattoos, open rings in his ears—gauged ears. The name of the piercing style popped into his mind. A hint of rings showed through his shirt near his nipples. Other piercings too? So normally not Jeff’s type, but damn, the man should come with a drool alert.

Something about Ollie Cranford in baker’s whites splattered with a rainbow of colored icing… The shirt was just a little tight around the chest and arms, showing off really nice biceps and pecs.

Jeff suppressed a shudder of desire, but he couldn’t stop the growing tightness in his slacks. Maybe exhaustion from the last two months of eighteen-hour workdays was catching up with him. Weakening his control.

And the man’s voice—deep with a little rasp of a growl—was enough to drive need pulsing through Jeff’s veins.

“The wedding is when?”

“Saturday.” Jeff’s cock interpreted the simple question as “Wanna fuck?”. Desire curled through his body. It had been awhile since lust hit him with such ferocity.

“This Saturday?” An arched eyebrow accompanied the question.

“Yes. My friends decided last week to get married before they went on vacation next week.”

“My waiting list is usually a little longer than three days.” A slight frown creased Ollie’s brow.

“I’m sure it is, but I promised I’d see what I could do.” What Jeff really wanted to know was the wait time on Ollie’s social calendar. He forced his gaze back to the man’s face. He didn’t even know if the baker was gay and already his imagination had him pushed over the small table separating them. Or Jeff on his knees. His libido couldn’t make up its mind.

“I’m surprised the bride didn’t send her maid of honor for this chore.” His left eyebrow arched just slightly. A hint of a curl dimpled beside his lips.

A flush of embarrassment crept up Jeff’s neck and face. “She did.”

Ollie’s face split with a wide grin as he chuckled. “Sorry. You’re the first.”

“Male maid of honor?” His half smile widened to match Ollie’s grin.

“Nope. The first one who would admit it.”

Ollie’s knee brushed Jeff’s under the table. A rush of a different kind of warmth shot up to his groin.

Jeff jumped as the door burst open.

A young man stuck his head into the small office. “Hey, boss, you need me to stay and frost that last cake?”

“No, you can go. We can finish it up tomorrow.”

“I’ll lock up the front then.” He flashed a grin and a half wink before he disappeared through the door.

“Thank you, Ricky.” Ollie’s gaze stayed fixed on Jeff, almost as if he was waiting for a reaction.

The warmth of Ollie’s knee pressed against Jeff’s again. This time, the contact was a few seconds longer than just an accidental brushing.

“Okay.” Ollie twirled a bound notebook around on the table so it was right side up to Jeff.
“Here’s a catalog of a few of the simpler designs. We won’t have time to do anything really complicated but we might be able to work something out.”

Jeff drew a slow, deep breath. “I hope we can.” He hoped the double meaning wasn’t lost on the luscious baker. Moving his leg slightly, he met Ollie’s. He bit back a grin as Ollie increased pressure.

Sunday Report Card

2010-04-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

What I should have done... My goals from last week's post.

~~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~~. (Progress just not finished and I'll probably sub to Carina Press.)
~~4) Work the evil day job 16-24 hours.~~
5) Snoopy dance some more about the Bean Pot Award. *cackle*

Well, this week was a lazy one. Kind of. The evil day job snared me on Monday and Friday. Monday was the third annual Bowling & Burritos outing at the EDJ. The admin staff split up into teams and each team comes up with a team name with appropriate costumes. I was one of the Alley Cats. I really wasn't happy about wearing the ears and tail but at least I wasn't with the pimps and hookers. The other team name was the Pickups. Let's just say the looks we got were interesting. Especially at the Mexican restaurant. I think bowling alleys are better about weird costumes. *cackle* After several beers while bowling and lots of Mexican food, I wasn't worth a dime by the time I got home after 8PM. So no writing on Monday!

Tuesday was another wash out. Kind of. Momma had her last appointment with the cataract surgeon. So long, doctor cutie! LOL Momma's eye healed beautifully. We stopped by her regular eye doc to order new glasses after we ate breakfast at IHOP. By the time we did a little grocery shopping, I didn't get home until late afternoon. However, I was a good girl. I finished up the TDDYP proposal and packaged it up for the mail.

I headed to Little Rock Wednesday and my fav coffee shop. On the way, I dropped the TDDYP proposal in the mail. The temptation to stick my hand in the mailbox to retrieve it was damped by the memory of a stuck hand. We won't go there again. LOL

I worked through revisions on OCC again and kind of finished it. However, I felt like I was lacking something. The story is a menage a quatre (m/m/m/f). On the way home, I figured out there wasn't enough emotion in it. I worked on it once I got home but didn't finish.

The rest of the week went to heck in an Easter basket! LOL Wednesday night, Lil Sis came up to Momma's. I ended up over there on Thursday. Spent the day playing Wii, sitting on the back porch, gabbing and chilling. It was a wonderful lazy day. Some guilt over lack of progress on OOC but I don't get to spend downtime with Momma and Lil Sis much. We're usually out and about.

Friday was the EDJ once again. Saturday, we had Easter dinner early because my youngest brother and his girls couldn't be there on Sunday. Then Sunday, I spent some more time with Momma and Lil Sis and got lazy. Well, not really lazy. My hip was bothering me and I can't type lying down. *shrugs*

So while I didn't make much progress, I did get some done.

Mission accomplished:

1) Mailed off the Harlequin Intrigue proposal.
2) Worked on revisions for OCC
3) Worked evil day job 16 hours.

This week's goals are slim. I'll be at the EDJ most of the week.

1) Finish revisions on OOC and send to CP.
2) Sub CI to Samhain. (If CP finishes.)
3) Blog at the Rainbow Studio on Wednesday.
4) Snoopy dance on Friday when ICING ON THE CAKE releases at Ellora's Cave!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter, or Sunday, if you don't celebrate! Have a fabulous week and may you meet all your goals!

Lazy Day & Laid Back Music...

2010-04-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those lazy days I'll regret by the weekend when I look at my progress for the week. I didn't do a damn thing but hang out at Momma's with her and Lil Sis. We had pizza for lunch, played Wii bowling and sat on the back porch watching the ripples in the lake. Several times a big fish jumped near the dock. We were too lazy to go find a fishing pole so he lived to jump another day.

A lazy day deserves some laid back music. One of my favorites is Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. Enjoy!

Sunday Report Card!

2010-03-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

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!

2010-03-27T23:28:00.001-05:00

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!

2010-03-12T14:37:00.005-06:00

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!

2010-03-09T20:57:00.002-06:00

Contest: Sexy Side Dish!

2010-03-06T20:09:00.003-06:00

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

2010-03-02T06:41:00.003-06:00

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.

Sister, Sister...

2010-02-28T07:59:00.004-06:00

The other day I had a chance to have lunch with my Lil Sis. We met at a local Chinese food restaurant, had a great lunch and a lot of laughs. At the end of the meal, we opened our fortune cookies. She saved me the need to find my reading glasses and read mine.

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

Lame. Yes. Most fortunes are. But Lil Sis didn't stop there. She added, "In bed," explaining that even a lame fortune can be made fun if you add "in bed".

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. In bed."

Yeah. That really does change the fortune to something much more interesting!

Her fortune read: "You mind is filled with new ideas. In bed." *cackle*

Being around her is always a laugh. Now. Wasn't always.

My little sister is six years younger than I am. When we were kids, she was a massive pain in my ass. We shared a room from the time she was about three. A six year age difference is almost forever when you're nine. It's even worse when you're a teenager.

Yes, I was mean to her. *hangs head in shame* Something she still uses against me to this day. *cackle* I moved out right before I turned eighteen. At twenty, I joined the Army and left the state.

For the next fifteen years, in my mind's eye Lil Sis was still just a kid, the fourteen year old she was when I left. I only saw her on short visits home. Forget the fact she'd grown up, married, had a kid. She was just my little sister.

Then I moved back to Arkansas. The difference between thirty-five and twenty-nine isn't near as vast as nine and three... *cackle*

Turns out, Lil Sis was funny. I mean, dry, droll and wicked sense of humor. She can deliver a comedic line with aplomb, never batting an eye or cracking a smile, but killing everyone in hearing range.

Turns out, she's also a good friend.

Valentine's Day? Bah humbug!

2010-02-14T08:58:00.001-06:00

As a romance writer, you'd think I'd be jumping up and down on the bandwagon of the paragon of all romantic days, Valentine's Day. Well, I'm not. Not because I'm not a romantic but because I am!

Why wait until one particular day of the year to buy flowers for someone you love? Why wait until chilly February to offer your sweet something sweet? Life's too short. Who is to say you'll be together come February 14th? Who is to say you'll still be here?

If you love someone, don't forget to show it every day. Don't wait until one Hallmark created holiday to prove your love and affection. How about flowers on April 2nd or September 28th? Chocolate on May 12th or November 1st?

Love the one you're with now because next February 14th might never come.

Cats for Sale! Cheap!

2010-02-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Funny picture, huh? Not so funny when it's true. I love my cats. I really do. But sometimes I feel out numbered and out gunned!

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep last night. Too much time in front of the computer makes my hip hurt and yesterday was a long day. So it took a while to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Then the alarm goes off. Wow! I'm thinking I actually slept through the night. Something I just don't do! Until I realize the alarm going off had been reset. Not the first time. Probably not the last.

I really need to get new alarm clocks. Yes, plural. I'm not a morning person and I normally have trouble getting out of bed so I have two alarm clocks. But they're old. The kind where the buttons are all on top. Itty bitty kitty paws can change the time with little to no effort.

So my alarm went off at 1AM, shortly after I finally fell asleep. Times like those, I'm ready to get rid of my cats--lock, stock and puddy tat!

Inconvenient Timing...

2010-02-06T07:15:00.002-06:00

I hate it when ideas hit at just the wrong time--like in the shower, or a meeting at the day job. Or when I'm with my mother. She knows what I write. She's actually read some of my books. But I still don't want to reveal just how kinky my thought process is by brainstorming aloud!

A short story idea hit me while driving my mother to the eye doc the other day. *cackle* Since the story is a menage, I can't exactly use the voice recorder. Especially with the details that kept flashing through my brain. And because we didn't want to be late to the appointment, I couldn't pull over and make notes. *headdesk*

I don't have the greatest memory anymore. I like to believe it's because I have so many fabulous ideas but I think getting older is the real culprit. So I'm driving along, running the ideas over and over in my head so I can remember them while trying to listen to my mother. ARGH!

We arrived at the eye doc and I whip out the mini-computer. Fingers flying, I'm writing a short synopsis, hitting the high points of my idea. Except we're seeing a new eye doc. Why? The one who will be doing Momma's cataract surgery. She has bunches of new paperwork to fill out. And she has cataracts. Duh! She can't read the paperwork. So I put away the computer to help her.

Oh, and she wants me in the exam room so I can listen to the doctor-speak. So no joy on getting the story idea down. But I had a little bit. By the time I got home, I didn 't have time to work on it. The next day, I had to work the evil day job. I tried to write some when I got home but after spending all day in front of a computer, I couldn't do more than 500 words. Ditto for the next couple of days.

So in the meantime, this story is dying to get out. At least the idea is sticking around in my airheaded brain! *cackle* Yesterday, I'm free from the day job. I headed to my favorite coffee shop and hallelujah, the story is still there! 3500 words later plus the 500 from Tuesday, I'm nearly a quarter of the way through the minimum length. Still not sure how long it will be.

After I got home, I managed to review and edit what I'd written. They were good words! YES! *pumps fist in the air* Sometimes words can flow like water only to find later that the words sucked. *cackle* I'm adding a little layering this morning. Details about the characters, the setting. Later, I'm headed back to the coffee shop. If I keep up the pace, I might have the bulk of the story done before I have to return to the day job on Monday!

Woo hoo! I love the smell of a new story! Especially one that's flowing so well!

Happy Birthday to Me?

2010-02-04T06:28:00.002-06:00

I'm older today. Don't feel older. Why doesn't fifty feel inherently different than thirty? Well, it does some. I have aches and pains I didn't have when I was thirty. Arthritis, a bum knee and a cantankerous hip make life more painful than at thirty. Then again, I still had migraines back then. I seem to have outgrown those. Might be a fair trade off.

Still, I don't feel fifty.

My sister is in shock I'm even admitting to a birthday, much less my age. *cackle* Members of our family usually ignore birthdays and do serious injury to those who might remind us of the significance of the day.

I had trouble accepting thirty. Couldn't say the word for months before and after the event. Forty was actually easier although I didn't admit to having a birthday. And now fifty... Well, I don't look at the numbers as much as I do where I am in my life.

At thirty, I was in a marriage with real problems. I was going to night school working on my accounting degree, working long hours at a new job. I didn't have much of a personal life. Most of my friends were tied up in my marriage and they were starting to drift away. Married friends don't like watching someone else's marriage implode. Makes them examine their own and if it wasn't strong... Well, it is uncomfortable.

At forty, I already had moved back to Arkansas, leaving the bad marriage behind five years before. I was in a job I enjoyed. My degree was FINALLY done and I was making a salary commensurate with my experience AND my degree! Things were good. Life was good.

At fifty? Hmmm... You'd think being only part-time employed, living from hand to mouth off royalty checks, would make me ignore fifty even more than thirty, wouldn't you? But while things are difficult, I've found what I want to do when I grow up. I want to write! So far from that accounting degree that took me forever to get! *cackle* But I never felt joy working as an accountant. I took pride in my work. I enjoyed the people I worked with. But who gets a rush of joy so strong it can bring you to tears over financial statements?

So while I'm older, mostly unemployed and always broke these days, I'm happy. I'm really happy. So much so not even fifty can dampen my enthusiasm!

Feature at The Rainbow Studio!

2010-02-01T08:46:00.001-06:00

I'm featured at the Rainbow Studio, talking about my new gay scifi book ANGEL MOON. Think space cowboys with fangs! The article also includes a link to the super secret contest for a $25 gift certificate!

Stop by and check it out!

http://theromancestudio.com/rainbow/who8.php

Trapped by ice!

2010-01-31T08:26:00.002-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I'm the first to admit that I don't get out much. I'm a writer. When I'm not working the parttime evil day job, I hole up in my writing cave and write. I can go days without traveling farther than the patio or the mailbox. But it's my choice.

Thursday night, bad weather moved into this part of the country. Freezing rain, sleet then snow. Not tons. But this is Arkansas. We don't get a lot of snow and ice so we don't have the equipment to clear streets. I started to go to the coffee shop on Thursday but the weather people were iffy on when the actual crap would hit the fan. I didn't want to get stuck in Little Rock.

Hindsight and all that stuff, I should have gone. I'm now officially going stir crazy. I want out of this house! I can't stand it anymore! The cats are driving me nuts. My dog, MeiMei, won't stay in the house if I'm in the living room or kitchen so I'm more or less confined to the bedroom or I have to let her freeze. Or lock the pet door and be at the beck and whim of nine animals.

I had plans today to have lunch with my sister, my mother and a friend. It was to be an early birthday celebration. Now, I'm not sure if I can get to Little Rock. Add the possibility of an unfulfilled promise of sushi to my bad mood.

Iz need sum wun to terrorize... *pouts* I keep trying to tell myself that at least I have power. It helps a little but not much. And yes, I have a new online name--Little Miss Cranky Pants!

How is your weather treating you?

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!

2010-01-24T19:01:00.004-06:00

This Sears Optical commercial just cracks me up. I can't help it. I was once blind as a bat so it could have been me without glasses. Best thing I ever did for myself was Lasik surgery. I went from being legally blind without my glasses to being able to see 20/15 distance. I still need reading glasses because I was already in bi-focals before the surgery. Lasik can't fix both near and far sight but my distance vision was awful! I love technology! Just wish Lasik had been around all those years ago when I wanted to fly helicopters in the Army. LOL

The things we take for granted...

2010-01-20T20:53:00.000-06:00

This afternoon my mother and I took my grandmother to see her pacemaker doc. She had a new pacemaker installed? Inserted? Implanted? whatever...in December. Last Thursday, I wrote a blog over at Delilah Devlin's talking about watching the Apollo moon landing as a nine year old child. Amazing technological advances over the last fifty years.

But today, watching my frail eighty-nine year old grandmother, I realized that I've seen nothing compared to her. She grew up with no electricity, no phone, no running water, no indoor plumbing. One of her chores was to pull water up from the well with a bucket. Her mean spirited male cousin enjoyed spiting in the bucket after she hauled it out of the well. She'd have to pour out the water and wash the bucket before hauling up more.

She remembers when people supposedly died of heartburn because they didn't understand heart attacks. Her own mother died at the age of forty-nine due to complications from gall bladder surgery. Gall bladder surgery! My mother had her gall bladder removed as an outpatient last summer. The difference between medicine in 1946 and in 2009.

And today, the doctor showed us the monitor for Granny's pacemaker. Her pacemaker has gone wireless! The box hooks up to the phone line. There's a splitter so you can still connect a phone. You place the monitor near the bed. During the night, the monitor will run a scan of Granny's pacemaker without her ever knowing. If there's a problem, the monitor can send an alert to the doctor's office.

When she was born, the technology we take for granted wasn't even dreamed of. Today, she walks around with a phone in her purse, a tiny device implanted under her skin to regulate her heart and a monitor doing things I thought only Star Trek could do.

What a world we live in and take for granted. Even now, I'm writing on a laptop with more computing power than rooms full of computers when man walked on the moon. I'll click on a button and send the post out into the ether where anyone can read it, anywhere in the world. How cool is that. Wonderous times we live in.

Diet...er...Lifestyle Change

2010-01-17T18:12:00.007-06:00

Okay, I'm the first person to admit I'm overweight and it's messing with my health. But I'm of the Garfield persuasion--diet is 'die' with a 't'. So everyone tells me I need to make a "lifestyle" change. Ugh.

The problem is I've never met a food I didn't like. That's saying a lot since I've lived in Europe and New York--two places known for an amazing variety of food. And while I love to eat, I'm not big on cooking. Most of my family and friends think I can't cook. Not the case. I can cook I just don't like to! LOL

However, as I rapidly approach the "big 5-0" I really need to take better care of myself. Which means pulling out skills I haven't used in years and backing away from the nuke'em frozen foods and easily slapped together sandwiches I've subsisted on for years.

I spent some time over the last month looking at different "philosophies" regarding dieting...er...lifestyle changes. I've settled on a cross between low carb and Alton Brown. *cackle* Fresh veggies, low fat meats (fish & chicken), minimal pasta and breads but plenty of fruits! I saw Alton Brown's Good Eats episode about how he lost weight. Love the fruit smoothie idea for breakfast. Can't go wrong with fruit! But while I do like sardines, I'm not too sure about his sardine and avocado toast.

So dinner tonight? Grilled skinless chicken breast, grilled asparagus, grilled cherry tomatoes and half a baked sweet potato. Seasoning? Kosher salt, pepper and, on the asparagus, lemon juice. All the grilling was in my stove top grill pan and everything cooked together. The sweet potato was nuked. I'll still get some use out of the microwave! Minimal fuss, muss and clean up. Just the way I like it. And while it did take longer to make than a sandwich, this dinner tasted a lot better too!

So what kind of food lifestyle do you live by?