Time Flies!

I just realized I haven't posted in over a month! I'm so bad! Not that I have a lot to report. Momma's been having some trouble with her health so I've spent a lot of time accompanying her to doctor appointments and hospital tests. The doctors finally determined that her gall bladder was bad. She had surgery yesterday. Lil Sis came up to stay with her for the weekend. Hopefully, Momma is done with doctors for now!

I received some nice reviews for HIDDEN HANDS (Ellora's Cave, April 2009)

Tina at Two Lips Review said: I loved the chemistry between David and Jeremy. I only wish this novel never had to end! Read the entire review 5 Star review here.

Elise at Ecataromance said: Hidden Hands is a captivating mix of emotions, heat and suspense, guaranteed to raise your own heat level while at the same time leaving our hearts satisfied. Read the entire 4.5 Star review here.

Sandra at Night Owl Romance said: Finally Jeremy Lawson from A Helping Hand and David March from Hidden Force get their story and what a story it is. You get lots of passion and angst. The sexy love scenes abound and create a fun and satisfying read. This is definitely a keeper. Read the entire 4.5 Star review here.

I'm still working on a WIP for Ellora's Cave. I'm almost finished. The story is a time travel to Ancient Greece. What's a guy to do when he gets stuck in Hades?

I joined the JulNoWriMo challenge. It's a take on NaNoWriMo except not as strict. I can work on more than one story to make up the 50k total. I'm woefully behind. I need to kick it in to gear. My plan is to finish the current WIP, write a submission for Samhain's Space Opera challenge and work on my scifi project from a couple of months ago!

Ideas for a non-romance gay book hit me last month. I have to put it behind all the projects listed above plus a ghost story idea. So many ideas so little time! Or sanity!

I revamped my website some. I put up an index for the different types of stories. You can choose from GLBT or Straight romance or Erotica. You can also pick Series & Related Books. I'd love some feedback if anyone has time!

Another site I'm working on setting up is at the GLBT Bookshelf. It's a wiki style site for GLBT books! I only have one page up. I haven't had time to play with it more. I plan to put up pages similar to the book pages on my website but with places readers can comment.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy July 4th holiday! I'll try to do better at blogging in the future! Have a wonderful weekend!

FIGHTING FOR ETERNITY Releases today!

FIGHTING FOR ETERNITY, Eternity series book 4, releases today at Ellora's Cave! Woo hoo! I realized this morning that I'd never posted the cover for this one. I used it in a book trailer so I guess my brain registered it as done. My brain has a mind of its own. *cackle*

Once again, Les Byerley worked is cover art magic! Thanks to Les for another great cover!

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7278-fighting-for-eternity.aspx

The blurb:

Searching for a murderous rogue vampire, Watcher Estefan Garza’s life is turned upside down by tragic loss and a surprise from his past. His bone chilling loss is warmed by fires of passion reignited by vampire Karl Brandt.

On a quest to destroy a former friend, Karl is startled by Estefan and his mysterious companions. Karl can’t understand why Estefan hasn’t aged in seventy years. Unwilling to let him leave until Karl discovers the truth, he offers Estefan and his friends refuge and assistance for their common mission.

As a bloody battle for Memphis ensues, Karl and Estefan bond between danger and destruction until all that remains separating them is a fight for eternity.

Edited for buy link. The old Ellora's Cave website hasn't been updated but the new Jasemine Jade one has!

Time Raiders Series Contest!

The Seeker
Time Raiders Book one
Silhouette Nocturne, August 2009


Lindsay McKenna, Cindy Dees, PC Cast, and Merline Lovelace are offering more than $1,000 in contest prizes to celebrate the launch of TIME RAIDERS, a series conceived by RomVets and published by Silhouette Nocturne.

Boogie on over to http://www.timeraidersseries.com right now and sign up for the Time Raiders newsletter! Rules and prizes for each contest will be published via the newsletter in conjunction with the launch of each book.

This series has a fantastic premise--a mix of scifi and fantasy with paranormal. Time travel to various ancient lands, exploring cultures. One of my fav time periods is covered! Book three was inspired by Queen Boudicca of the Iceni who fought the Romans in ancient Briton. Not many people even know who Boudicca was! But all of the books sound fabulous.

RomVets is a group of military women--former, active and retired--who write romance. I'm proud to be included in their number! For more about Romvets go to: http://www.romvets.com/.

Never Forget!

Observe a moment of silence at 3PM your local time in memory of those who gave their all.

Time to mow the grass...

For weeks, my yard never dried out enough to mow. The east end, which is low, was slick with mud. Dangerous for a klutz like me. The grass on the west side was growing like a wildfire. Too thick and damp, it clogged my mower and stalled the engine. Great excuse not to mow, eh?

For the first time in months, Arkansas hasn't had rain in four consecutive days! My yard is finally dried out. But the forecast says rain on Friday. So I have no choice. Yard work is in my plans for today. I have to squeeze it in between timed writing and American Idol.

I don't watch American Idol but one of the final two is from Arkansas. His hometown, Conway, is about 20 miles from where I live. So out of a sense of support for a fellow Arkansan, I'm suspending my rule about reality shows. In spite of the reality show craze over the last half dozen years or so, I don't watch them.

Or I should say, I didn't watch them until last year. I broke down and watched Top Chef on Bravo. I still blame someone (Melissa Francis) for that. Oh, and I did watch a few episodes of Dancing With the Stars when Cloris Leachman was on. She's an unpredictable old dame with a foul vocabulary I can relate to and I just wanted to see what she'd do.

But tonight, I'll be glued to the TV to see if Kris Allen will beat Adam what's-his-name. Everyone says Adam will win because he appeals to the little fan gurls and they'll text for him over and over. But I'll still show Kris support by watching the season finale.

But in the meantime, I have a couple of yards to mow and a lot of writing to do! I stalled on a story I was working on for Ellora's Cave so I started a new one. And the characters are both having a grand time with the sex, not necessarily with each other. Good thing Ellora's Cave has the Exotica line. I'm not sure I can rein in the boys to make a believable "happily ever after". LOL We'll see how it goes! I need to get this finished and submitted so I can get back to my scifi idea.

Oh, I went to San Antonio Romance Authors conference a few weeks ago. Talked to an editor there and promised a gay ghost story that's been rolling around in my head since the DSRA group went ghost hunting last year! So I have a bunch of writing to do. And a bunch of yard to mow.

Also, it's "tiara day" on Twitter. Go check out the profile pictures... http://twitter.com/ShaylaKersten You can click the profile picture for a bigger view.

Blogging at Liquid Silver today!

Talking about all my children--the four legged kind! Stop by and leave a comment about your children, the two legged or four legged kind! http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/blog/?p=2171

Harlequin's Recession Romance!

This Nightline segment is just too cool! They did a feature on Harlequin Romance. And they had so many different people reading from some of the stories. It's both funny and informative. Check it out!

Whose Book Is It, Anyway?

Blogging two days in a row? I know something must be wrong with me! But actually, something is right. I'm always glad to end the week on a high note.

I actually made some progress on the new story for Ellora's Cave. Every book has a main character. Even if there are two main characters as in a romance, one character has more to lose or more to learn. This determines whose book it is! Simple, eh?

Not so. As in the case of my current work in progress. My story started out as Max's book. About 19k words in, I realized I was writing Troy's book. So now, for the first 19k words, I have to edit for continuity with Troy's journey rather than Max's. Sometimes this is harder than just starting a new book. But I like where it's going so I'm going to buckle down with the edits. Or I'm supposed to be. LOL This week has been a blur and I hadn't even opened the file. Today I not only opened it, I worked on it! Woo hoo, me!

I did spend part of the week being productive, just not at writing. The program chair of the Diamond State Romance Authors insisted someone teach a workshop on book trailers. Just because I'm computer savvy doesn't mean I can do trailers. She disagreed. And she can be persuasive. LOL So I started playing around with Windows Movie Maker. Since the class is in May, I did a trailer on my June Ellora's Cave release, Fighting For Eternity. The final result wasn't half bad, if I say so myself!

The cover hasn't been posted on my website yet so this is the premiere of the cover! Check it out.

Blurb:

Searching for a murderous rogue vampire, Watcher Estefan Garzas life is turned upside down by tragic loss and a surprise from his past. His bone-chilling loss is warmed by fires of passion reignited by vampire Karl Brandt.

On a quest to destroy a former friend, Karl is startled by Estefan and his mysterious companions. Karl can't understand why Estefan hasn't aged in seventy years. Unwilling to let him leave until Karl discovers the truth, he offers Estefan and his friends refuge and assistance for their common mission.

As a bloody battle for Memphis ensues, Karl and Estefan bond between danger and destruction until all that remains separating them is a fight for eternity.

Let me know what you think. Does the trailer evoke a sense of the book when paired with the blurb? I feel like the blurb is necessary somewhere with the video. Like an excerpt without a blurb, I feel like there's something left out. Doing the entire blurb in the video would make it longer. I like shorter. What do you like? I'd love some opinions on book trailers in general so I can work them into my workshop. Some people watch them, some don't like them and won't bother. Some authors think trailers boost sales, and some think it doesn't but it's part of branding. I love to hear more readers views on the subject!

Well, I'm starving so I'm off to fix food. I really wish I could afford a cook. And a maid. Definitely a maid because housework sucks. *cackle*

Never lose sight of your dreams!

Every time I see this, it brings me to tears. A woman most people wouldn't look twice at, hit the British airways then through the internet has stormed the world. Her dream to be a professional singer was a long time coming but I have no doubt she will not fade back into the obscurity of her little village. Just goes to show you should never give up on a dream.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Speaking of dreams, my long time galpal Elle James reached the Walden Borders best seller list with her newest Harlequin Intrigue, Baby Bling! Pick up a copy today and keep her climbing the ranks to one of her dreams come true! I bought my copy yesterday! Elle said to not let the cover or title fool you. She said, "I blow up a ship, crash a helicopter, burn a house, and lots more fun stuff in it! ... so if you’re so inclined toward action-adventure-mystery-suspense-romance, check it out soon!" I love it when Elle gets destructive! Makes for some fabulous reading! *cackle* Get a copy today at eharlequin.com or your local bookstore. Remember, Harlequin books are only on the shelf for a month so get out there and see how much Elle has tormented her lastest hero and heroine!

And a couple more dreams come true! Running Press released two new historical romances this week. Transgressions by Erastes and False Colors by Alex Beecroft are being shelved in the regular romance sections of major bookstores. Why the big deal? Both novels are gay romances! Instead of relegating them to the GLBT section of the bookstore to be mixed in with fiction and non-fiction of all types, Transgressions and False Colors are out there in the romance section!

And I have proof! In Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Barnes & Noble on Financial Parkway, I found the books and took pictures! Then bought a copy of each. My book bill was a little high yesterday! *cackle*

Click on the pictures for a larger view! I love seeing a gay romance sitting next to Janet Evanovich and Shayla Black! It's a fabulous step forward for the genre and these two wonderful authors. And the good news is, there will be more! The back inside cover of both books announced the fall releases of Tangled Web by Lee Rowen and Lovers' Knot by Donald L Hardy.

Pick up both books at your local bookstore today! Snap a picture for Erastes' contest (http://erastes.livejournal.com/375556.html).

I also drove the poor folks at B&N a little crazy yesterday. Part of my shopping list--besides the three books above--was Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels. Sarah Wendall and Candy Tan of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have taken their collective knowledge and formed the ultimate guide to romance novels! With chapters names like Cleavage, Petticoat, Corset and Codpiece, you know their wonderfully irreverent humor marks this book as a must have for anyone who loves romance enough to laugh at the stereotyping surrounding the genre!

I didn't get a picture on the shelf because this wonderful guide released yesterday and the poor folks at B&N hadn't gotten the new releases shelved. The poor gentleman who first assisted me didn't seem to understand what I was saying and kept asking me to spell "bosoms". I would say he was an older man but he was probably my age and I don't like to call myself old. The younger man--whose name I should know since I've talked to him a dozen times at least--was able to find the book on the carts in the back waiting to be shelved. Then I made him crazy looking for one more book. Mine!

Or the one with one of my short stories, The Shopping List! The Black Lace anthology, Seduction, released yesterday! I had given away my only author's copy for a Roses Colored Glasses basket to be raffled at the Merritt conference in San Antonio, Texas. (I'll be there May 2nd!) I wanted to pick up another copy but once again, the book wasn't on the shelf. While the computer said it was there, the poor customer service dude couldn't find it anywhere. I told him I'd be back on Saturday so maybe I could pick it up then. He promised to figure out where it was shelved by then. *cackle* Poor dude.

Writing for Black Lace has been a dream of mine for several years. Even if it's only a short story, it's a start. Pick up Seduction at your local bookstore and check out The Shopping List along with a dozen other stories by fabulous erotica authors like Shada Royce, Katrina Wright and Portia Da Costa.

HIDDEN HANDS Released today!

Hidden Hands is out at Ellora's Cave today!

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7115-hidden-hands.aspx

Detective Jeremy Lawson doesn’t expect anything from his one night stand except sex. What he gets is a shooting, a mystery plus some of the best sex he’s had in a long time. Somewhere along the way, he also finds some tenderness for a lost soul in need of rescuing.

David March has let his troubled past blind him to any kind of happy future. But when a one night stand turns out to be a cop in shining armor, David begins to think differently about his life. As in, he wants one. But to have one, he has to stay alive.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest reading Hidden Force (David) and A Helping Hand (Jeremy) where our two heroes were secondary characters.