Six Sentence Sunday!

Woof...I missed a few weeks because I've had the 'pleasure' of having to work more hours and, honestly, I've been exhausted! The early morning shifts (anywhere from 5 to 6am) are the hardest because they completely mess up my body clock. Anyway, despite having another this morning, here I am. Thank goodness for the ability to pre-set the post time!!

I'm happy to announce that Arctic Destiny, my paranormal, multicultural novella has been accepted by Ellora's Cave for publication! So, in honor of that, here are the first, unedited, six sentences of that novella. Hope you enjoy it, and please stop by the other wonderful authors on the list at Six Sentence Sunday.

“My God, Finn…”

Her scent was what registered first. A hint of vanilla, mixed with a light floral note that always made him think of sunshine. The sound of her voice only added to the agony, and he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look, to confirm she was just another figment of his imagination.

The others’ constant, almost unintelligible chiding was bad enough. Right now the thought of seeing her, only to lose her again, was more than he could bear.

Reading, reading...loving every minute of it!

I've been blessed this past year, and one of the many great things that has happened to me is that I've found myself with the time and ability to read more. Time, because I have about an hour's commute three days a week and ability because I have an e-reader I can take with me on the bus! Unfortunately when I'm at home I find myself needed to work and sitting at my computer I feel as though I should be writing, so my e-published reading had diminished. Now, I'm buying more books and discovering a number of books and authors I'm excited about. Not to mention re-discovering favorites from before!

One of those favs is Mina Carter, who I discovered a while back but had sort of lost sight of. I liked her plotting style, character's snarky humour, kick-ass heroines, and just the flow of her work. When I saw she had a release with Samhain Publishing, Reaper, I was all over it like a cheap suit!

I was not disappointed.

It was a short book, but packed with action, heat and great characters. I really like the way she world- and character-builds. She gives enough information for you to understand what's happening without boring the socks off you with every minuscule detail. And, best of all, her heroine is the Reaper...what could be more kick-ass than Death?

I'm not a reviewer, so no rating from me. Just the honest opinion that if you like gritty, sexy reads, you may want to check this one out.

XXX Six Sentence Sunday!

This week my newest release, What the Mistress Did, came out from Samhain Publishing and I'm really excited.  I've had a couple of very nice reviews for it (one here) and am all set to work on the sequel during NaNoWriMo which both scares and excites me. It's been a few years since I participated in National Novel Writing Month and I know it's gonna be a haul. This is the busiest time of year for one of my day jobs (yeah, I have two LOL!) and I'm going to have to push to make it, but it'll be fun and productive, so I'm in. Lady Marianne Gillingham has further adventures to take part in, believe me!

This week, I'm giving you another little snippet of What the Mistress Did, and it's XXX, like most of the book. Hope you enjoy it, and please drop by some of the other participants in this week's Six Sentence Sunday.

Marianne is having an encounter with her lover, David, while his wife Annabelle watches from hiding.

Stepping to the side, I align myself so as to see his profile and tickle the crop over his arse. “Take your cock in your hand,” I command. “Stroke it. But do not spend, or I will send you away  immediately.”

David groans but does not hesitate, and as his fingers encircle the engorged flesh, I commence the flogging.

Oh, how the sheer carnality of it fires my blood.

Obsession of the worse kind

We just moved, yet again, and I just finished cleaning the old apartment. I now remember (as though I ever really forget) why I hate cleaning so much. I become completely obsessed with it. Every little spot must go. Even though I know they are going to paint before the next tenants come in, I was compelled to wipe down the walls in my son's old room because apparently he had to prove ownership every time he entered the room by marking the door and walls with his hands. Oh, and did I mention using scissors to snip out tiny blobs of grease on his carpet? All mothers of skateboarding sons, beware! Invest in an area rug for your sons' rooms. Changing the trucks is messy work!

Anyway, I spent the entire day cleaning, and honestly could have spent another couple of hours on it. Very, very strange, the change that comes over me when I'm cleaning. I'm totally invested in it. I don't think about writing. There's no plotting, day dreaming, nothing but cleaning, and planning what to clean next. I clean things that I don't even think are on the list of things they want cleaned before you leave, and that's a pretty comprehensive list. It was a long, ugly job, and I know it would have gone smoother if I was more inclined to clean that way regularly, but I'd really rather name the dust bunnies than vacuum them up. Besides, it's so much easier cleaning an empty apartment.

The only other time I become that obsessed with anything is when I'm writing, but even that isn't as single-minded. Good thing I only get like that when we're moving--on average once every two years--or I'd have no time for anything else!

Happy Sunday Six!

LOL! We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and I'm still feeling the effects! Welcome to my little corner of Six Sentence Sunday and please browse the other authors participating today by going to the list here.

Today I'm featuring a snippet from my upcoming erotica release, What the Mistress Did.

Lady Harrington has received a visit from her ex-lover's new wife, who has a--shall we say--a most unusual demand.

Love? How can she mention that word to me, wield it like a sabre to slice away my carefully constructed lies? How dare she expose my pain and shame to the open air, as though remarking on nothing more than the colour of my hair or the style of a dress?

Words of repudiation rise to my lips but find no release. I want to tell her to go, but something holds me back.

Does she know the risk she takes, coming to me, trying to put herself into my hands?

Six Sentence Sunday!

Wow, this week has flown by. I was battling the after-effects of a bad cold and fighting with the end of Arctic Destiny, which just wasn't meeting my expectations. I think I have it sorted out now, and hope to have it out the door by the end of the weekend :) In honor of that achievement, I thought I'd share a little more of this story. My CP describes Finn as one of my "tortured" heroes and one way of torturing a man is to show him the love of his life and then make her beyond his reach. I so evil...

Make sure to check out some of the other fabulous offerings through the Six Sentence Sunday website, and have a great week!

There was nothing he wanted more than to surround her, hold her as close as he could and never let her go. The enormity of those feelings, the sheer devastating power of them, made it hard to breathe.

Tasha stirred slightly. “You okay?”

He realized he had wrapped his arms around her, was squeezing far too tightly, and loosened his hold. “How could I not be, having you here like this?”

Six Sentence Sunday!

I have a horrid cold and will spend most of today sleeping, I think. But here is another tidbit from my WIP, now tentatively called Arctic Destiny...Make sure to check out all the other SSS participants, the list is here.

In this scene, my H/h are savoring being back together...

He realized he had wrapped his arms around her, was squeezing far too tightly, and loosened his hold. “How could I not be, having you here like this?”

A soft chuckle greeted his response, as though she didn’t believe he meant what he said. “It does feel good, doesn’t it?”

Good wasn’t how he’d describe it. Words like amazing, beautiful, perfect came to mind, but he didn’t contradict her, just savored the sensations, breathed in her scent as he rubbed his lips along the soft slope of her shoulder.