Anyone Reading This Blog Enjoy F/F Erotica?

Here's the thing, I write a lot of F/F erotica, I attribute it to being Bisexual and currently being in a marriage with a man, so I just think about women when I fantasize and not men...

A lesbian friend asked if I've always exclusively fantasized about women...
Uh, yes...
She laughed and said I was delusional if I thought I was Bi...
Whatever.

Point being, I have a LOT of F/F manuscripts that need a home, and sadly many of the e-book publishers who advertise LGBT really mean that they only take gay male cowboys and gay male vampires...so there really isn't an L, a B, or a T...unless the B is in a menage and then that would work too...

Yes, I'm venting a little.
Not a lot, but a little...because I write really hot F/F and no one is getting a chance to read it. Sad but true. Recently I selected four of my dedicated readers and sent them an ms that was F/F (one of those readers being a committed lesbian who has never been with man in her life)...and the comments I got ranged from, "I forgot I was reading F/F" to "You really challenged my boundaries but I loved it."

I know, regular dedicated, die-hard Roxy fans, family, and friends probably don't count as far as a solid critique goes, but it made me think I need to submit this one outside the box...(ie the small e-book community I've lately been hanging my hat)
So if anyone knows where I can submit F/F and not be turned down or told "change it to M/F or change it to M/M"...please let me know!

Any success stories for other F/F writers would also be quite delightful.
Thanks

Hugs
Roxy

**And please don't bother asking which publisher, cause baby, I don't kiss and tell...

Notes On A Long Day...

1. When wanting to write 20K in 3 days do not let the Universe know because the Universe will conspire against you to make it not so...

2. Appreciate every moment because time flies, as evidenced by Beautiful Girl starting her Senior Year of High School tomorrow...

3. Remember that when hubby is out of town for a month to talk faster during those ten minute a day chats because if not, you will be sitting in bed at midnight cussing because you forgot to ask about...

4. Put new vibrator on shopping list so that when you are in bed tomorrow night you won't be cussing at midnight like you will be tonight because you forgot about it today...

5. Naps are good...why didn't I take one today? It would have made the day shorter! And maybe, just maybe I would have had enough brain cells left to remember the important stuff...

Brainstorm...Brainstorm...Write.Write.Write.

Okay, so my current WIP which was supposed to be quick and easy and FUN...
has evolved...
No longer content to hold down 40K or 50K as a target, I am currently at 62K and counting. My best guess after redraft and intense brainstorm session with my critique partner puts my hopes at wrapping this thing up around 85K...whew...

Think I'll make my Friday deadline?
I'm tense...

Here's a sneak peak at the ever evolving blurb for LOVERS:

Love, hate, lust, revenge, heart-break and triumph abound for four men and four women, experiencing the joys and trials of the polyamorous lifestyle Los Angeles-style. Far from above crossing each others boundaries, wallowing in each others drama, offering unsolicited advice, swapping romantic partners, or stealing them outright...the lust is hot and the sex is hotter when everyone has a stake in who ends up sleeping with who...

As far as the kink list goes: M/M, F/F, M/F, menage, bondage, spanking, Fem Dom, D/s.
Let me know your thoughts...
Hugs
Roxy

You May Have Noticed ...

There is a link on my sidebar to FetLife, an online community that I joined when it was first started...January 2008...so it's still a baby...but wow...the excitement there! It is also getting noticed around town:

Here's what Jane’s Guide had to say about it:

"Take a moment and imagine a leather Facebook or Myspace, and then imagine it being run by and for kinky folks. That is exactly what Fetlife is! It is the coolest new community site out there for pervs, and it is absolutely 100% free.

I had been hearing the buzz about this new spot on the web from a few of my lifestyle friends, and I finally decided to go set up an account and take a look myself. Many years ago I had been on other sites that promised community and allowed free communication, but since those sites have sold to other companies their soul has left the building and communication costs money. It is also communication that is no longer under the nurturing ownership of perverts with a personal interest in our tribe. I’d lost interest, and so had most of my friends. I was hoping that this site could be some of what I was missing on the old ones.

Wow, I wasn’t disappointed! I immediately ran into some of my old friends, and then ran off to recruit new ones. It is easy to sign up. Once you have, then you set up a profile. You can add pics to it, and you’ll never run into that “you have to have such and such membership” to view pics or show them to others. There are social groups here with ongoing forum conversations, so you can sign up for topics that interest you (or create your own groups). There is a mail system that acts like a personal bulletin board for private conversations, so you don’t lose track of what has been said to anyone. You can post writing, see what your friends are doing, and a lot more. A lot of talented pervs are posting writing and engaging in conversation here. I’ve met a lot of new friends.

There is a small amount of advertising, but it is done really tastefully and never gets in the way. You can write to the folks that run the site, and they will actually write you back. I’ve been in love with this place and raving about it for the last several weeks. This is one of the few sites that didn’t ask for review. I sought out the owner and asked him if I could post one. It is that good. I feel like I’m giving you guys an early Christmas gift. Go check it out! This is the next big kinky community site! They are going to be huge, and they will stay huge as long as they keep the spirit that they have now. - Vamp"

Stop The insanity

Does anyone remember Susan Powter besides me?
STOP THE INSANITY!
God, I loved this woman...she changed my thought process...with more than just her diet and excercise advice...I soaked in her life advice. What an amazing, powerful, empowering woman...

I opened my first martial arts school because of this woman's inspiration...
Whew...flashback of memories...total mindfuck there...

Anyway,
I caught up with her at her blog, here's her today's episode:

Still an amazing, sexy woman.
If a bit of a tease...I mean, really, I was all set to order pizza...and wash and peel back layers and dry and...
WHAT?
Sex with denied climax...that's how I felt this morning...
Oh well...I can wait for the next installment and I have at least 5 pizza delivery places on speed dial so it's okay.

I still love her...
...love her, lust for her...
...same, same:)

I feel empowered all over again...
Okay, enough about me...who inspired you to be the powerful, beautiful, sexy, intelligent, outspoken woman that you are today?

I'm going to begin the Sunday Funnies by saying that I am really, really looking forward to Twilight The Movie...and that I am a big fan of the Stephenie Meyers series (although I honestly believe she could have expanded by another book instead of calling the series "done"...whatever...that's my hang-up)...

The point is, I was thoroughly disgusted when Xandra told me that there was a parody floating around. I couldn't believe that someone would spoof the soon to be released Twilight...a little angry even (but then, three weeks into the eight week sojourn of Sir Hotness being on the road I'm a little cranky...ask the nearby drivers who have experienced my road rage of late and they might say a lot cranky...whatever...five more weeks until I'm happy again, get over it)...

I keep digressing...

Anyway, I watched the spoof...
Watched it again...
Watched with Beautiful Girl (cause I was forcing her to watch it)...
Watched while she forced her boyfriend to watch it...

I'll admit it. I laughed every single time. that is why I am posting as today's Sunday Funny...because out of an entire week of not laughing...really grinding teeth not happy, not laughing...two guys and a girl made me bust...and I wanted to thank them...so this is my way of doing that...by passing this one on.

Here is the original trailer (in case you missed it)and FYI the spoof actually a smashing of two trailers...so I'll post both before the spoof...
And following will be the spoofed version.
original trailer 1:

original trailer 2:

spoof:

Brainstorming Genius or Critique Partner Goddess?

Last night I brain-storm chatted with Xandra and it was deemed that I was the Goddess of Brainstorming...eh...I'll take the compliment but really, it's just a matter of perspective.

I can spend hours hitting my head against the table and not figure out what I hate...what is making me insane...about a chapter. I can send it to her and BAM she doesn't pull any punches. She'll call shit shit and if it's good she'll tell me to stop being critical. And I think when she gives me a dilemma summary, I know her WIP well enough to give her solid advice.

Isn't it funny how a writer can be too attached to their own work to see what is right in front of them?

News From A Friend...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I Need A Widget...

I've gone to some other author sites and some of them have widgets...word count trackers...and I need one of those. It would be nice to see an actual visual of this is where I've been and this is how far I have to go...

I may have to do some widget research...
In the meantime, I've written 2K this a.m. on the WIP and have no intention of stopping before midnight...

A Little Light Entertainment...

Today is...was(gotta keep it in positive mode)... verging on wasted day status...struggled over five hundred words for about three hours...why am I suddenly stalled mid book? Am I thinking too hard? Maybe. Am I worried that I will never measure up to the greatness of Stephen King or Stephenie Meyers? Nah, though reading them simutaneously has been an amazing brain jolt...

My brain is bored...
Is my writing boring?
I reread...I may need a third opinion...third because my second opinion got my reader, my regular critique partner, so worked up that she had this to say in her comments:
"Jameson needs to die in fire. Emma needs hit with a frying pan and to
meet a man who's a grown-up. Bianca needs to quit being a damn
doormat. I love Toby. The little boy thing creeps me out but not as
much as I thought it would, because it's pretty clear that it's a
gender role-playing thing not motivated by either abuse or that wrong
kind of fetish that will no doubt get this email read by the gubmint.
Adrian--meh. He's kind of a dork. Bishop, I like. Lose the wife and
kids, that train pulled out of the station with Emma and Jameson.
Phelps--who the hell is he and where the fuck did he come from,
anyway?"

I've decided that if this WIP can evoke such strong emotion in its very rough draft state...I must be onto something...

Sigh...
Eatting shrimp, drinking beer and gonna take a break from the keyboard to go watch Beautiful Girl's soccer game.

Hopefully when I get home, it will all make sense.
Watched a dvd to get out of my funk...
here's my thoughts about Walk All Over Me:
I'm a sucker for cute girls in latex...and Tricia Helfer wielding a whip? Yeah, I can totally get into that too...add a little ditziness from Leelee Sobieski and you have Walk All Over Me.

The DVD jacket promises, "A dangerously deviant ride that will leave you begging for more." And "Latex meets larceny in this sexy thriller."

Trust me, it isn't a thriller, but for a little comedic relief while Sir Hotness is away...definitely...plus I have a great imagination so I can fill in the gaps that the story didn't.

I've been told it is a Blockbuster Exclusive...but I found it at Netflix...and also at Netflix?..The Pet...and The Secretary. I may have to give my brain a little more light entertainment before this day is through.

Also...got my contract for Living Vicariously in the mail today from Loose-ID...YAY

Stop Pretending

"Start with the ending, stop pretending." That's the chorus of a song by David Wilcox that I was listening to on the radio this morning...and if you ever get a chance to give it a listen, it really is a pretty profound song...

and part of the message is to go into relationships without the lies...

you know what I'm talking about. The lie where you pretend you aren't very sexually experienced...because if you admitted the real number of (people) you had sex with you might scare the guy off...and who knows what the guy's scare off number is...maybe it's 30...maybe it's 300...maybe it's 3. So we don't take the chance...we lie...and then the truth comes out...and it's BAD.

"Relationships work when there is honest communication from the first hello. Stop pretending to be who you think they want you to be..."
That's what I recently told a girl friend when she called with that very problem...out of of relationship and looking...but every guy always throws out the how sexually active have you been question...
the last date really pissed her off and her comment to me was, "I'm twenty-nine years old, do I look like a virgin to you?"
Since she is too hot for mere words I can only say I snorted and tucked my x-rated fantasy back in the safe tidy box in my head...
then she asked "how did you know Sir Hotness was the one?" (valid question, we got married three months after we met)...
next question...
"how long did you wait to have sex? because I think I ruin my relationships before they have a chance to start because I jump into bed too fast."
(another good question)

But how could I answer? And why in the hell was she asking me? I mean...REALLY?
Her answer? Because SirHotness and I are the most happy, most relaxed, most real couple she knows. Because I can tell Sir Hotness anything...and because she wants a relationship like that.

Sorry, kiddo, I think ours is a one of a kind relationship that probably has its roots safely planted about three incarnations back...but here's what I said:

I knew I wasn't willing to ever settle for less than "perfect for me" again. I defined what I was looking for and decided that I would grow old alone before I would venture into another wrong relationship...and part of defining Mr Perfect for became figuring out who the fuck I was first...

She looked like a deer caught in headlights...
She really doesn't want to face who she really is because she is still waiting for someone to define her...big mistake. "Stop it!"

I decided to tackle her easy questions...
how long til sex? (btw if you are a close friend or relative you may want to stop reading because maybe you don't want to know me or Sir Hotness this well...)
actually we had phone sex...before we even dated...of course first we talked about honesty, communication, and you got it...sexual expectations...because I'm that girl...I was tired of being in relationships where I had to pretend to be someone I'm not...I can be crude, vulgar even, in everyday conversation, just ask any of my daughters and they will tell you, no topic is sacred...would any man really think I was something other in the bedroom? Yeah, they have...and I've paid for it dearly by keeping my wants and needs in check so I wouldn't scare them off. So with SirHotness, I broke the too early for sex taboo by initiating phone sex with him on our third telephone conversation. Did I take a chance? Maybe...but I was comfortable enough talking to him to think that we were on the same wavelength...so by the time we actually went on a date...we'd already been intimate and he already knew some pretty scary secrets to boot. No hiding, no pretending.

will that work for my friend...the phone sex? not a chance...but the honest communication and hopefully in depth chatter about expectations will be a better start than what she's experienced before...it's all about finding the person who "get's you"

so then I back-tracked...to the first question because that is exactly how I knew I'd finally found the right one...
He "got me"...I didn't have to dumb it down for him...we were and are on the same wavelength mentally, physically, emotionally, and most days intellectually...although he is by far the smarter guy (maybe he dumbs it down for me).

Last night he called from his hotel room and shared a story about one of the conversations he had with a co-worker...the co-worker had told a third that SH had the best wife ever (The part where I watch a lot of porn for 'research' being only one of the contributing factors to that statement)

I went to sleep smiling...because SH is the true hero to this story because "he gets me" and that makes him the best husband ever.

Could You Sleep In A Penis Bed?

As Hurricane Faye is down graded to a tropical storm, I am certain that Florida residents are breathing a sigh of relief. I love Florida...had my dream house built in Tampa Bay a few years ago(that's another story)...and I especially have a fondness for Miami which is the home of the Erotic Museum. http://www.weam.com/

I'd really like to schedule a little field trip...if only for one reason...I want to see the penis bed up close and personal...

I Love Commercials...

I'm beginning to think my love of commercials is a fetish...but when a commercial makes me chuckle and has a BDSM theme...I gotta share:

Sunday Funnies

Sir Hotness is back on a plane...will be gone another two weeks...so I'm not feeling very sunny...or funny...but this joke in my email at least made me smile.

Hope you enjoy it!

John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said, 'Here's to spending the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!'

That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night!

He went home and told his wife, Mary, 'I won the prize for the Best toast of the night'
She said, 'Aye, did ye now. And what was your toast?'
John said, 'Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife.'
'Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!' Mary said.

The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, 'John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary.'

She said, 'Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You know, he's only been there twice in the last four years. Once he fell asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come.'

Sir Hotness is Home!!

After cancelled flights, and an entire day delay...Sir Hotness is finally home from two weeks of business trip...he's home for approximately 48 hours...

THE QUESTION is how many orgasms can be fit into 48 hours?
I am on a quest to find out...

And mid-quest, I was laughing hysterically remembering this...

Another Loose-Id Contract!

So, I've been working furiously on several WIP this week (even with grandbabies in the house...whew...I really give credit to all writers with small children in the house...crazy days indeed!)

I sent out WIP Living Vicariously last week to Loose-Id and am going over the contract now to mail tomorrow! I really enjoyed writing Living Vicariously because it is a really fun voyeuristic romp through the countryside...

I submitted a WIP to Samhain Publishing Ltd, which, if it is accepted, will be my first Samhain publication:)

And as far as what I'm working on now?
Lovers, Prime, Submissive's Journey, and Prodigal...
Hoping to have all four of them wrapped up and sent out by the end of September...

So that the first of October I can start on Vow of Silence: Book 4 of the Chronicles of Surrender...

For all of the Chronicles readers who were intrigued by Doctor Psycho...this is his story...so get your padded room ready...the doctor is soon to be in session;)

And as a fun share...this image is what I keep in my head while writing Dr. Psycho's parts...

Hugs and Kisses

Roxy

First Unholy Promises Review!

From Mrs. Giggles...who btw does not like BDSM...who knew? She scored Unholy Promises with a 78 I think based on that distaste...but said something that I thought was very nice, "I find myself very riveted by the first few chapters, drawn into them by the emotional intensity of the very damaged antiheroes narrating these chapters." and this, "At the end of the day, I am not the right audience for Unholy Promises. Still, the parts about Thomas and Eva really intrigue me and leave me yearning for more of them so Ms Harte can get me reeled into her story should she come up with something more to my liking one of these days."

I don't know why, but Mrs. giggles left me smiling...maybe it's that part of me that makes me tick, makes me want to write. I love challenging peoples boundaries, but even more I love for readers to fall in love with my characters even though they challenge a boundary or a conception or a prejudice. So, I think all in all this was an outstanding review because it made me fell good and happy inside.

Someone else who made me feel good and happy inside? Rosemary, one of my readers who wrote:(I've cut off the end of her email because it held "spoilers")...
"I LOVED the book. I think what I enjoyed most about it is the way you poignantly showed that love is messy, raw, at times painful, and never fits into a compartmental box tied up with a neat bow. Some times it doesn't even match the ideals we've put around it, like in Thomas' case. But that being said, just because it isn't "neat" and "orderly", it doesn't make it less real, less grand, or perfect in its imperfection..."

Have I mentioned I LOVE HEARING FROM MY READERS??? I do!
So thank you for the email R!

Dear Ex...

I ran across a story on CarolineDivine this morning (written by Freya Linden), one woman's letters to her exes...and it made me smile, because really, don't we all have such a stack of letters lying around our minds? Or is it just me?

Apropos following my evening last night and several random text messages from one of my own exes...I would have accused him of drunken texting...but while we were dating...he didn't drink. Although I've heard from other sources that the woman he dated after me cured him of his aversion to the stuff. From what I've heard...that particular woman would have driven any man to drink...but that is not my story to tell...

So what is it about the ex that makes them so fond in our mind...after we dump them? (I'm sorry that was a cold way of putting it...but true)

I mean the writer of the article went all the way back to third grade...come on...I mean sure I remember Sean, we climbed trees together...he was my first kiss...but did he affect who I am today? Shrug.

There was the girl in junior high who was the first to ever let me see her naked...sigh.

No, the first ex that really helped mold and shape me would come years later...junior year...and the only reason he made an imprint on my life at all was because he introduced me to my body and together we discovered that pain did it for me...smile.

And that's the end of my list that makes me feel anything even slightly resembling sweet thoughts that could potentially go into a thank you note to an ex.

After that?
The guy who dumped me for a stripper named Candy...absolutely nothing nice in my thoughts about him because even though he was my first love, I obviously wasn't his...
The first ex-husband...and honestly during my own drunken moments I can wallow through the emotional overload of merely remembering him to find the happy places we once shared and if I could stop crying long enough there might be a letter.
The second ex-husband...nope nada...no happy letter for him.
The first guy after the second ex husband...hmmm...yep...I actually physically sent him a letter...
The second guy after the second ex husband...and the drunken dialer last night...I really can't think of a single thing I'd put in a letter except maybe to reiterate all of the information that led to him being the ex in the hopes that he could actually find and keep a girl at some point in his future...but not holding my breath on that any longer than the time I spent thinking he might change for me.

Which brings me to my current husband...and to thank him for everything I could possibly thank him for to date would take volumes...which is why I have no intention of ever letting him become an ex...I need to save my writing skills for the super hot erotica my readers expect...
Like the Chronicles of Surrender.
or Dom/sub.
or Control.

Morning After At Sexpressions

Today I am blogging at Liquid Silver Sexpressions at the celebration party following the release of Unholy Promises yesterday. There is included an excerpt so join me there...leave comments...I love comments:)

Hugs
Roxy

Unholy Promises is Now Available!

Buy It Link $5.95

Chapter One Excerpt

UNHOLY PROMISES RELEASE DAY!

Whew...it's finally here:)
And am I ever impatient....

Here is the link to Liquid Silver Book's New Release page and I know it should be listed by 7pm EST...which is (for me right this second) a distant 12 hours away...but today is the day and so I will sit anxiously anticipating the moment it hits...as I hope...are you.

As promised I will be putting up Lord Fyre excerpts...throughout the day...starting now with this excerpt that shows the day Garrett met Thomas:

I was still new to San Francisco then, but had managed to get myself invited to a munch: a chance for sadomasochists to chat, snack, meet like minded individuals, and in some cases, link up to play.

We’d congregated at a Malibu beach house that seemed destined to topple with the first drop of rain. But it was a big, sprawling ranch that offered both mingling areas and private rooms. I had just arrived when he introduced himself as Thomas, a rarity at such meetings where stage names are more often used, and I responded, “Garrett.” That I, too, had used my birth name seemed to please him. He smiled. A good-natured, candid smile. I would later find out that such a smile rarely ever surfaces.

“Well, Garrett, are you here to eat—or play?”

There was something about his manner. He was a leader among men, not a bystander in any sense of the word. He had olive skin, shoulder-length dark hair and he sported a goatee. Tufts of thick dark hair poked out from beneath the rounded edge of his t-shirt collar, leading me to believe he had an abundance of chest hair. His eyes held intelligence and perhaps a bit of unholiness, sparking a primal lust in me stronger even than the lust prompted by Tony; but Tony wasn’t there, not physically, though always lingering somewhere in the back of my brain.
Young, horny, daring...I was more than ready for an adventure, and if Thomas promised nothing else, he would prove to be an adventure.

Since he had taken the lead, I assumed he would Top. It never occurred to me that he might be a gay basher, or a threat of any kind, even though I had at first figured him for straight, perhaps bi. At that point, it didn’t matter because he had all the right attributes to inspire my baser instincts—bulging muscles, audacity, arrogance, and an unnamable sensuality, a charisma that one doesn’t find everyday.

I am tall, six foot, maybe a little more. He stood a head taller than I and it didn’t seem to bother him in the least that I had rocked back on my heels, sizing him up. His self-confidence in itself was erotic.

I leaned forward then and whispered, “Let’s play.”

He nodded at that and, matching my mannerisms, leaned forward before saying, “Then let’s rock. But not here. Does that make you nervous, Garrett?”

“Not really. Do you have someplace special in mind?” I answered with a nonchalant shrug that made him chuckle.

“Definitely.”

So we left the munch in separate cars and I followed his roaring black Firebird in my staid blue Honda to a deserted stretch of beach. Even if I was concerned at this point, I maintained my stance of bored indulgence. This seemed to only amuse him more. I crossed my arms and watched him pull what appeared to be a small suitcase from the trunk of his Firebird.

“Toys,” he offered before leading me into the darkness. A rolling fog engulfed us in her embrace. We resurfaced beside some battered wood pilings, the remains of a long-gone pier. He set down his case of toys and opened it. Now, I have to admit, at this point my blood must have thinned, because I know I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to my brain. And before this moment, I had never thought a mere mortal man could scare me—and maybe fear at this point was too harsh a term, even though my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. I will say I was definitely nervous. Okay, okay, scared shitless to be exact.

“Strip for me, Garrett.”

The command was sudden, no small talk about the gray clouds or swirling tide, and I was just as instantly mesmerized by the sensual charisma of his voice.

It Just Goes To Show...

For the record, if you are going to handcuff a Mormon Missionary to your bed and keep him as a sex slave...get it in writing that you have permission to do so...

Thirty years ago a woman was accused of stalking, kidnapping, and sexually assaulting a man. She escaped prosecution (the details are a bit blurry)...Thirty years later she is back in the news...but that damn BDSM story just won't stop hounding her (that's a pun related to the story...haha...I know, I was never meant to be a comedian)

So, it just goes to show that if you are going to be in a relationship that includes...say handcuffs and forced orgasms...and that is not to say that this particular woman wasn't guilty of crimes...it is only saying that it is human nature to lie your way out of shameful situations...be prepared to be represented by the press as being a fiend.
* * * * *
On to cheerier news...
Sir Hotness called from his business trip and told me he would be coming home a day earlier than expected...which means we will have 48hrs together instead of 24 before he flies out for another two weeks...YAY!
* * * * *
I am writing...double yay...WIP is currently at 8K, hoping for 15K by night's end...
* * * * *
Lord Fyre is coming! Woot!
Monday! Monday! Monday!

And in celebration I am posting a few excerpts throughout the day tomorrow...first glimpses of Lord Fyre through the eyes of Sacred Secrets...

And today?
The very first mention of Lord Fyre, seen as Thomas, Garrett Lawrence's best friend and business partner...from Garrett's POV:

I check my hand for steadiness as I lift the glass of Scotch to my lips.

From the shadows, Thomas grabs my hand and reprimands me soundly. “Dead brain cells don’t feel. Life is about feeling.”

I had forgotten he was in the room with us. I think he does it on purpose, blending in with the furniture, not moving, waiting until he’s forgotten, so that when he pounces it is a shock. I glare at him impatiently until he releases my wrist so that I can take a long swallow.

a page later they are in the conference room, meeting with the head of security...going through the file documenting Tony's death...and studying the latest death threat aimed at Garrett:

From the corner of my eye, I see Thomas slide off the table. A razor blade flashes across one of the photos of Tony before any of us can react. And then another. An expensive butane lighter arcs brilliant blue in Thomas’ hand. He holds the four-inch flame against the photo halves that contain the heads. Tony’s face. His eyes are glazed; his mouth is grimaced until, with quick ignition, they turn to ash...“He wants you to see this,” Thomas hisses, ignoring George and waving one of the mutilated body images before my nose. “Forget the who. Look at what he wants you to see.”

Acid erupts from my stomach, searing the back of my throat. I jerk my face away, forcing myself to not vomit.

“Look, all I’m saying is that he wants you to see something specific.” His words are mumbled, distracted. I glance toward him and see that he is sitting on the edge of the table again, eating the remaining half of the club sandwich he didn’t finish before the meeting. He gulps Pepsi from a can. The pictures don’t affect him in the least and I am continually amazed by his ability to divide his mind. Emotion. No emotion.

I think there was a time when I could do that, but it is so far away right now, it is only a distant memory of who I might have been.

George fidgets then sits. “So, Lord Fyre, are you going to keep us in fucking suspense all night? Or are you going to reveal your thoughts?”

Okay, so it’s going to get ugly now. There is no longer time for niceties and birth names. It’s time to cut the crap. Thomas ignores George and stalks over to me. “See it for what it is.”

I see the blue flame, feel its heat along my jawbone, but it is quick, too quick to do damage; yet, he has my undivided attention. I stare at the blue flame still so near my face as he hisses, “Whatever happened to Ice? Whatever happened to that man who was one of us? Lewd is soft. Lewd couldn’t control Beast. Beast wouldn’t even recognize Lewd.”

I flinch at the sound of Tony’s slave name. It’s been a long time since any of us have used it. The flame is drawn along the underside of my jaw again. This time the heat is close enough to sear hair. I wait for the burn but it doesn’t come. I hope my disappointment doesn’t show.

“You were the best student I ever had, Ice. You were more like me than any of the others...”
He talks and I am mesmerized, transported back into time, once more Ice, if only just for a moment. Fyre lifts his palm, stiff and ready. The other hand shoots the blue flame into his waiting flesh. His palm burns mere inches from my face, I can smell the burning flesh, but he doesn’t even flinch.

“Ice, see what I see.” The flame vanishes and screaming scarlet skin glares at me. I blink and turn to the pictures.

My Readers Keep Me Writing

I have several devoted readers who write to me on a regular basis...and they really do keep me motivated to keep telling stories. I treasure my readers...I am thankful for every single one of them...the ones who write me and the ones who don't write to me. Every once in a while, someone pokes their head in...by email or by comment...just to let me know they exist...and every once in awhile one of them leaves me choked up.

A comment left last night was one of the latter and I am reprinting it here (without her permission to bring it from the shadows only because I don't have an email to contact her...but if she asks me to remove it I will)...

"I fell in love with Lord Fyre in Sacred Secrets. The scene where he grabs Kitten by the throat and pulled her from the pantry where she was hiding to make a phone call gave me chills. At the time I read it I thought, wow, what wasted potential. This man should be the lead character. For me, even though he only had a few descriptive sentences though the entire story and a couple dozen lines of dialogue, he stole the show.

Now, he has his own book? An entire book? I'm giddy with anticipation and over the weekend, I am rereading both Sacred Secrets and Sacred Revelations.

If I had a single wish, it would be to have this series in print so that I could put it with my collection of other favorite writers on my bookshelf because as far as I'm concerned you really do deserve equal billing with my other favorite series writers, including Laurell K Hamilton, Diana Gabaldon, and Kim Harrison.

Good Luck to you and your career Roxy Harte and I hope the projects you started on 8-8-8 take you to stardom."
-S.M.

And a comment left at LSB's Forum made me smile...
"Please, Please, Please let me know when u have a date. I was so desperate for my Kitten, Lord Fyre, & Lord Ice fix I had to re-read the frist 2 books for the 3rd time."
-J

Wow. What else can I say, except...You don't have much longer to wait...Y, Rosemary, Sandra, Hookah Girl., and Janell...because Monday is Unholy Promises Day!

Eight, Eight, of Eight

Today is supposed to be a day of great financial prosperity for projects set into motion today...so I'm going for the overachiever world record...

1. Started redesign of website
2. Queried an editor for a lesbian/chick lit...
3. Draft of WIP...When Lightning Strikes
4. Reworked a second WIP...Submissive Journey
5. Started on a completely new WIP...Prime
6. Outlined WIP...Recovered Property

Also took Beautiful Girl to college to consult with her advisor and register for classes...an all morning nightmare which included fighting traffic downtown...long waits, delays, miscommunication...and finally a return home to register online which was not easy...it took over two hours to register for three classes. But it is done now and we are all much happier tonight knowing it is one less stress to be faced. I will have to tell her before bed what an auspicious day today is and that alone should bade well for a good year...

Did anyone join me in watching the opening of the Olympics?
Wow...

Maybe it's my sport's background, my love for diverse cultures, geography...or choreography...I am in love with the Olympics...and as such I am a believer that political disagreements must be put aside for the sake of the athletes and the games.

And the countdown continues...
Unholy Promises day is coming!

COUNTDOWN to UNHOLINESS

Friday, Saturday, Sunday...Unholy Day...Mark your calendars!!

If you are new to the Chronicles of Surrender, you should know that Unholy Promises is Book Three of the Chronicles of Surrender...which means you officially have three days to get caught up on the story line...because it really is an ongoing saga.

Yes, you can start with Book 3...because it is a stand alone...
But...

You will miss how it all began in Sacred Secrets when journalist Celia Brentwood went undercover and was auctioned as a sex slave at Lewd Larry's BDSM Nightclub....and was purchased by club owner Garrett Lawrence. She came to be called Kitten...she became obsessed with Garrett...and the journey began.

I remember the day author Darragha Foster sent me an email, madder than hell because Garrett had treated Celia inhumanely by denying her coffee...she'd stopped reading mid-chapter...and I emailed her back saying, shouldn't you reserve judgment at least until you finish the book? I think I can safely say that Darragha is now a fan in addition to a friend...

You will miss how Celia found her "Darkness" in Sacred Revelations with Lord Fyre.

How many emails did I receive after the first readers read chapter one? Poor Kitten...Poor, poor Kitten. So many readers hated Lord Fyre after chapter one...and by the end of Revelations...they wrote begging for more of him!

And now with Unholy Promises, officially Lord Fyre's book, the requests for More...More...More... will be answered.

What is it about Lord Fyre?
You tell me!

Any one who comments about their love/hate relationship with Lord Fyre will be entered to win a copy of Unholy Promises as soon as it is released!

Unholy Promises Release Date Announced!

Yippie, Hooray!!
Unholy Promises is coming next week!
It will officially be available after 7pm on
Monday July 11th.

This link should take you to the buy site...

Blurb:

Lord Fyre has a secret.
His lovers, Garrett Lawrence and Celia Brentwood, know him by the name Thomas Stephanopolis, but that is just one of his many aliases. Lord Fyre is an international agent, wanted in as many countries dead, as alive, and hiding from his many enemies behind the cloistered walls of Lewd Larry’s BDSM Fetish Fantasy Night Club has kept him safe…

Lord Fyre’s past has just caught up with him.
His twin brother is in danger and returning to Paris to save him is his only choice, but more awaits him in Paris than the cat and mouse intrigue that he left behind…her name is Eva—and she may be the greatest danger he has ever faced.

I absolutely LOVE commercials...you will hear me make this statement repeatedly...
and to share with you another case of censorship...
The Calvin Klein Obsession ad...

I think it was an amazing marketing maneuver for Calvin Klein to keep the unedited version of this commercial on their website...I know that for me...I immediately went to see it. As will no doubt other admitted voyeurs. It is a chance to see Eva Mendes rolling around naked in the sheets after all...
* * * *

And as an update to those of you who expressed concern and encouragement...thank you...and maybe because of yesterday's spew...I think the ideas are starting to flow again. I have a very rough idea (1 paragraph) and a very rough synopsis (2 pages) of new stuff that woke me up about midnight and that I was thankfully consious enough to write down. So probabbly won't be hitting it hard for a few days but my notebook iis in hand to catch wisps of ideas...

Happy Tuesday!

Not Writing...

Every once in a while my brain takes a creativity hiatus...leaving me with a blank page...I don't like it...as a matter of fact it sucks a lot.

I think most writers deal with writer's block. After all it's in the dictionary...
Main Entry: writer's block
Function: noun
: a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece

hmmm...not just a vacation but a psychological inhibition?
yikes...
I am officially the most uninhibited person I know, so I'm not buying it.

The psych part...maybe.
I am under a little stress. Hubby is on a business trip and will be away A LONG TIME.
Officially 12 nights ... home one night ...gone another 12 nights ...home one night ... gone...a week? Not sure...it seems like a ridiculously long time that ends up taking most of August, September...and some of October...before he is home for any real amount of time. A week. Because he took vacation to make sure that he would be home for the anniversary of our first date and Samhain.

Sigh.

A little more stress...
Friday night our main car...yep, the dependable one...blew a head gasket. Oh joy.
Which means the second car...prone to flat tires and unexplainable other irritations is now the main car and so Beautiful Girl and I are sharing it...between her schedule and my schedule it is working...or is going to work...because it has to at least through August, maybe into September. I hate our dependency on cars for travel...I mean, we all have bikes but for most of our travel...it just isn't feasible to ride a bike. For instance, I could go to the grocery and pharmacy without too much trouble because both are less than five miles away. But for Beautiful Girl to get to work...treacherous roads and 14mi one way...not going to happen.

And a little more stress...
I have the grandbabies for the next two weeks and their attention span is shorter than mine. Now that's scary. I'm blogging now while the two year old naps and the four year old is entertained with my bird call book that actually has the recordings for each bird. Her favorite one is the red tail hawk and she is currently driving the neighborhood hawk insane by playing the call over, and over, and over....and before anyone yells at me for allowing the four year old to taunt a bird...I promise to make her quit as soon as I type the last word of this blog. Her least favorite s the loon. She covers her ears because it is scary. I agree. If I was camping and didn't know the sound was a loon I would take cover. It sounds like a really irritated ghost...or maybe a banshee...

Just a wee bit more stress...
The brother I hadn't seen for years until a few weeks ago when I learned he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer had his first surgery Friday...he's home and managed to email me...a huge relief. So he is now the owner of a feeding tube and a refuge removal tube. The bigger of the two surgeries is the 19th and will remove his larynx, part of his tongue and soft palate and lower jaw. My heart sinks every time I think about the time we've missed out on by being mostly estranged for 30 years. He really is a cool guy...

Oh hell...a little more stress...
The sister I haven't seen as often as my brother left a message on my voice mail. It said she loves me. Okay. I love her too. I think that's a requirement of siblings. She said she's had issues...I take that as the acceptable excuse for not maintaining a relationship all of these years. Whatever. I have issues. Everyone has issues.

I didn't really count this one as stress because I LOVE WRITING...but it is on my mind that my brain and fingers better start coordinating their day soon...I have at least 3 editors all expecting something that I've promised them...in a reasonable amount of time...so I hope enlightened or at least entertaining prose starts spewing soon...

So, I'm not writing.
My brain refuses to process any thought greater than what's for lunch...

Gas Prices Dropped

I never thought I'd see the day when I would blog about the price of gas...but gas dropped 70 cents a gallon and that seemed pretty freakin' spectacular...

So, how has the price of gas affected your ROMANCE?

For me, it has meant no more romantic drives in the country...and our hikes have been forced to the few trails that aren't a long drive away...and of course the most romantic (read isolated) trails are more than an hour drive a way...

I miss the days when gas was $1.25...and well, $2.50 didn't last long enough to even blink an eye at, let alone get excited over...$3.49 that's when the gas price really started to change the way we do things...and that's exactly what it was priced tonight when I filled up. I hope it isn't a fluke because $4.19 was totally unacceptable and if it goes higher than that, I'm becoming a recluse.

Hugs and Kisses and a wonderful week to you wish...

Lughnasadh Blessings

Blessings on you and yours as We Celebrate the First Harvest