Happy New Year!

I don't make New Years resolutions. Too much pressure and I usually crack within a month. Oh, there are a lot of things I could list--stop smoking, lose weight, exercise, get more sleep...even keep a cleaner house! LOL (I hate housework and it shows.) I could add write more, be more displined with my writing, submit more proposals to NY print pubs...lots of things about my writing career I'd like to do.

I understand the desire to make resolutions...new beginnings, fresh resolve...but why set myself up for a fall. So the only resolution I make is to live life to the fullest, love my family and friends with all my heart and try to be a better person tomorrow than I was today.

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe New Year and may all your dreams come true!

Hugs,
Shayla

Chat Day, Sunday, December 30th!

Tomorrow, I'll be playing on the Ellora's Cave's reader loop with Delilah Devlin. Stop by and read some hot excerpts, play a few games and maybe win some prizes! You can join the insanity at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ellorascavechat. Hope to see you there!

A *headdesk* Moment

The past week has been very busy. Lots of stuff going on at the dratted day job, craziness with the family and the upcoming holiday... Just busy in general plus I've not been feeling up to par. I think I'm fighting off the "crud going around". I haven't had more than a few minutes to work on my new story. The ideas are there but the time to sit in front of the computer and actually write hasn't been. So tonight, I was thrilled to be able to spend some time actually writing!

Until Rusty, my orange striped cat, decided the power cord to the laptop was something fun to play with. At first, I thought he'd just pulled it free of the connector. Nah, wasn't that easy. The little pain in the posterior actually bit into the cord! A tiny pin hole but enough for the laptop to go to battery power. There was much cursing and yelling in the Kersten household.

I have a Dell computer so I know I can order a new one. Of course, with it being nearly 11 PM on a Sunday night, I couldn't expect a new cord to ship tonight. Even if it shipped tomorrow, with next day air, it wouldn't arrive until Wednesday because of the Christmas holiday on Tuesday. So I searched Walmart.com and BestBuy.com to see if either showed a compatible power cord. Nope, couldn't be that easy. So I order the cord from Dell with next day air, almost $90, and after I place the order it shows an expected ship date of 12/26. More screaming in the Kersten household.

My next thought is to use duct tape on the cord. Maybe if I seal the puncture, the cord will work, at least until I get the new one. No duct tape, only Scotch tape. So I try it. No such luck. Not a good seal.

Okay... I pull out the old laptop and check the power cord. Not the same. Okay. I start up the old laptop. I figure I can email my WIP to myself and work on the old lappy. While it's booting up, my gaze fell on the clear fingernail polish sitting on my night stand. Hmmmm.....

So the new lappy is charging with a jury rigged patch on the cord. The old lappy is charging in case the new one stops. And I'm going to run my backup on the new lappy just in case fingernail polish isn't compatible with electrical cords.This is a true *headdesk* moment.

If I don't make it back online tomorrow, Merry Christmas to all! I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Hugs,
Shayla

With tomorrow comes Forever!

My latest book, Forever, releases tomorrow, December 17th, at Liquid Silver Books! This story continues the relationship of Cavan and Biton from Thirty Days.

Forever took long enough to write. I went through several false starts but it finally jelled and everything fell into place. The date is the anniversary of Thirty Days' release. I can't wait! I hope others are as excited to see the rest of the story.

Hugs!

Past Lies is done...

Well, I think it's finished. The NaNoWriMo novel, Past Lies, has been through two passes of edits plus a little tweaking in places and I think it's done. It's off to one of my crit partners anyway. I'll see if she thinks it's done.

My other crit partner is AWOL. She went home to the Mothership for regeneration. *cackle* Megan Kerans is a Disney World freak. The girl has to get her Mickey fix on a regular basis.

Next, I'm going to work on the blurb and the synopsis for Past Lies. I hope I can get it submitted to my Ellora's Cave editor by the end of the month.

Blogging at Silver Expressions December 5th!

Stop by tomorrow, December 5th, and check out the story behind the story Forever!

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/blog/

Flash Fiction Sunday at Liquid Silver!

I'm posting flash fiction--100 word drabbles--at Liquid Silver's Sex Blog! Stop by and post your own flash or a comment for a chance to win an ebook download of any of my backlist!

http://liquidsilver books.com/ blog/

Hope to see you there!

Hugs,
Shayla

A Happy Thanksgiving Indeed!

I had wonderful food, the company of my siblings and their children and my mother. What more can I ask for this Thanksgiving? But there's more! I bought a new car last night, nothing special but it's bright and shiny and new. Could there be more? Yes, there is!

I popped over to Amazon as I do every few days, partially to check for reviews, partially to convince myself it's true! *cackle* Tonight, I find The Cost of Eternity is #17on the Erotica Bestseller list! Woo hoo! First time I've seen it on the first page!

Could there be more? Yes! The Cost of Eternity is #2 on the Erotica Gay bestseller list!

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was a happy as mine!

Hugs!
Shayla

Double Deutsch Releases Today!

Double Deutsch, book 6 in the Destination Pleasure series, is up at the
Wilder Rose section of the garden! http://thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php. This is my first published foray into straight sex! If you can call a menage straight sex!

Sensual Reads & REviews said "Double Deutsch is a sexy read from start to finish. Shayla Kersten does a wonderful job of setting the scene and putting the reader in the room with the action. Anyone who enjoys reading ménage trios is sure to love this book."

Double Deutsch

Blurb:

Needing a fresh start after her husband divorces her for a younger woman, advertising exec, Catherine Lakeland, takes a position in Germany. Curious about sex with a man other than her husband but wary of the complications of a relationship, Cat trades places with her new friend, a sex worker at a brothel, for one night of pleasure but double the fun.

Excerpt:

Catherine Lakeland stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The sheer red flowing robe didn't leave much to the imagination. Neither did the matching silk push-up bra or the tiny thong. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can, Cat." Geli's amusement flowed with her musical German accent. Her sure hands stroked a hairbrush through Cat's long auburn hair.

"This isn't me." Cat shook her head at the two women in the mirror.

"It can be." Geli rested her chin on Cat's shoulder.

Their eyes met in the reflection. "Look at you. If I had your face and figure, I could make a fortune."

Cat tried to see herself without her natural humility. She did have nice hair. Long, thick, dark with hints of red, she'd always considered it her best feature. Her face was round with regular features, although her hazel eyes often garnered compliments. Her body, on the other hand, she couldn't get past the excess of curves around her stomach and hips. Her ex-husband made it perfectly clear she was overweight. Of course, the skinny bitch he'd left her for showed exactly what he thought of her body.

"I'm fat." Cat shook her head. "And too short."

"You are sexy with pleasing curves. Trust me-men will be flocking to your window tonight."

Her window. Geli's window in the Hamburg Laufhaus. What the hell was a nice American divorcee doing in a brothel in Germany?

"Just think of it as acting a role, my friend. One you've wanted to play for years." The mirror reflected Geli's Teutonic fair-haired blue-eyed good looks.

Cat snorted laughter. "I don't remember dreaming about being a sex worker."

"Ah, but you dreamed about a man other than your husband. Tonight, you will have one." Her smile widened to a grin. "Or more."

A shiver shook Cat's body. An ache started deep in her pussy. She missed sex. Her ex-husband had made her feel wonderful in bed. Unfortunately, outside the bedroom, he was a total shit.

After eight years of marriage to her high school sweetheart and only lover, she wanted to know sex with someone other than him. Except she wasn't ready for a relationship. The ink was barely dry on her divorce decree.

Geli gave her a quick hug then moved away. "Now, everything you need is here." She walked over to the nightstand next to the bed and opened a drawer. "Condoms, lube, toys..." Holding up a long, thick dildo, she wagged it at Cat. "All sterilized after each use." She dropped it back in the drawer but left the condoms and lube on the nightstand. "There are restraints in the bathroom closet if you are so inclined, or your customer is."

Shaking her head, Cat laughed. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach while tingles of a different nature swept through her body. "I think not."

"Then I'll leave you to get on with it. Have fun." With a wave of her hand and a grin, Geli left the tiny room.

Turning in a circle, Cat surveyed her surroundings. The wide bed was the centerpiece of the room. Covered by a black satin comforter, Cat tried to imagine herself splayed out, legs open, a strange man between her thighs. Her pussy walls clenched, and warm cream dampened her panties.

The only other furniture was the infamous nightstand, complete with supplies. Two pale wood doors led from the room, one to the hallway and one to the bathroom. Paintings of flowers graced two walls, one a vase of wildflowers and one of roses. Nothing about the room indicated its true
purpose, sex for sale.

This was Geli's "office." Her strange friendship with the German sex worker was little more than a month old. Cat moved to Germany after her divorce was final three months ago. The advertising company she worked for had a position open, and Cat needed a fresh start. A match made in heaven.

At lunch one day in a crowded restaurant, Geli had asked to share her table. They struck up a conversation and now, Cat was in Geli's room at a brothel about to sell herself for the experience of being with a man other than her ex-husband.

She could hear voices through the open window. All she had to do was draw back the curtains and her adventure would begin.

"I can do this. I want to do this." From the first time Geli talked about her work, Cat had been fascinated. Fantasies of strange men plowing her aching center with long hard cocks filled her dreams, no strings, no risk of emotional ties. Her constant stream of questions ended with Geli issuing a challenge.

Cat threw back her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I will do this."

Great New Cover!

Check out my latest cover from April Martinez at Liquid Silver Books! She's an awesome cover artist! FOREVER, the sequel to THIRTY DAYS, will be released December 17th.



Blurb:

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 doesn’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.