And I’m making remarkable progress, but this is what I really miss!

Karin*

I have been meaning to blog, seriously. There is so much going on in my life right now and I want to share it all but there just hasn’t been much time.  Baby G has become a serious addiction.  I just can’t keep my hands off that baby!  She is sugar and spice and everything perfect.  From the picture you can see my dilemma.  How can I not eat her up?

I’m heading south Sunday and meeting up with my gf’s Sylvia Day and Maya Banks to spend a week sequestered on Catalina Island and write my fingers to bloody nubs.

We plan a writing retreat every year and we actually get a lot done.  And even though we go to gorgeous destinations, we pretty much spend the entire trip writing.  Yes, we drink, plot, gossip and gab until our throats are raw, but we write.  My writing goal for the trip is 35,000 words. 

I’ll return the day before Easter and jump right into prepping for the Sunday crowd that is converging.  I ordered two cheesecakes from Juniors in New York!  One traditional and one devil’s food cheesecake.  Slurp.

I’m also cooking a spiral ham and making Maryland crab cakes supported by cheesy mashed potatoes, garlic green beans and a few other yummies. 

I’ve been watching AI, and think my faves are Casey, Big Mike and Siobahn (spelling). Crystal is good, really good, but she kind of icks me out.  I’m thinking Paige is history tonight

I watched DWTS the other night and cringed when Kate G took the floor.  I was really hoping she’d do better.  The Pussy Cat Doll chicky did fab.  Sadly, I don’t remember any of the other performances.  How is that for memorable?

Anyone else watching either show?

Whose going to Nashville??

Karin*

Isn’t she adorable????

Happy Friday!

Karin*

I’m still here.  Just trying like mad to catch up.  So much to do, so little time.  I have so much going on in my life these days on top of all of the regular day-to-day stuff, I bought a crock-pot hoping to make my life easier.  Yanno, plop the meat in, toss a few herbs and spices on top, cover and forgetaboutit for ten hours.  Easy peasy!  Not!  You still have to prep everything as if you were going to cook it regularly, and, there is skill involved in crock-pot cooking.  A skill I am learning.  Last night we had pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw and baked beans.  It was good. 

The baby is getting big and dare I say, cuter by the moment?  Her uncle and soon to be Godfather spent the night Saturday night and when he was getting ready for work Sunday morning he didn’t want to leave her.  She just smiles all of the time.  She is such a good baby, and her smile is contagious. 

Howz, everyone else?  Watching AI?  Is it me or is Kara getting on everyone’s nerves?  And what’s up with Simon?  Oh, that’s right, he’s in love, so now we get the softer gentler version. Dancing with the Stars is gearing up to begin soon. I’m looking forward to it.  I’m actually going to cheer for Kate Gosslin.  Oh, and who watches Wives of the OC?  I can honestly say, I do not, but hubby does.  He’s watched for years, and so, I watch by osmosis.  I shake my head constantly.  I am amazed there are people like that in this world.  I don’t know why I’m so shocked, I mean there are those kind of chicks in the writing biz, in my own neighborhood, and sadly to say, in a few branches of the family, but I distance myself from them.

I’m so not into drama.  Altho we had some this weekend.  Trying to do what is right, or what we think is right at the time, doesn’t make it easier, especially when it upsets someone you love very much.  Sigh.

Anyhoo, I’m working hard, just about wrapped up a bunch of time sensitive stuff and am back to writing BLOOD LAW.  I’m really enjoying the raw emotions of this book.  I’m letting it all hang out. 

What’s up with you all?  Read any good books lately?

 Karin*

Is my guest over at Murder She Writes, today.  C”mon over and say hello.  She is in my top ten list of bestest people I know. 

Karin*

Is she too freaking cute for words or what? She has the sweetest disposition to go along with her cuteness. I love my new role in life. Grandchildren are true blessings. 

Have a great rest of the week!

Karin*

Oh, PS, Alyssa Day is guest blogging over at Murder She Writes today, and she’s giving away books!

My friend, Shayla Black, has a sizzling new release, DELICIOUS, out this week! See below for details and a steamy excerpt(and I mean steamy, so be warned!). Feel free to chat. Shayla will be popping in throughout the day to chat as well.  Enjoy!

DELICIOUS
Berkley Heat
ISBN: 978-0425232422
Release Date: March 2
LINK to cover: http://www.shaylablack.com/wp-content/delicious.jpg
BUY LINK: Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Delicious-Shayla-Black/dp/0425232425/, B&N – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Delicious/Shayla-Black/e/9780425232422/?itm=13
BLURB:
He can’t control his desire.

 Luc Traverson’s entire future is planned out—but there is one very sexy obstacle in his path: Alyssa Devereaux . She’s a former exotic dancer turned strip club owner and restaurateur. Recently, Alyssa and Luc shared one night of wild abandon that left Luc terrified by his loss of self-control—and Alyssa desperate for more.

 And that’s just the way she wants it.

 Fulfilling a promise, Luc is the guest chef for Alyssa’s restaurant debut. The sight of her makes Luc wild, so how can he survive a week without letting loose and ravaging her—especially when she’s begging for it? Luc’s desire for her explodes when he realizes he isn’t the only man desperate to have her. But one of the others is deadly. And that’s not the end of Alyssa’s secrets…which are as dark and mysterious and enticing as her fantasies.

Excerpt:

Until Alyssa Devereaux, had he ever gotten stone hard just by looking at a woman from across a room? Luc didn’t like the answer.

He didn’t have to wonder what was under that little skirt; he knew. Sleek thighs surrounded by garters in some color designed to drive a man wild. A lacy thong that would reveal far more of her assets than it concealed. And under that . . . The feel and taste of her slick, swollen folds dive-bombed his memory and revved him up, as if he’d injected rocket fuel in his bloodstream.

And he had to work beside her for a week. Hell. How was he going to prevent a recurrence of the event he wanted to forget—yet couldn’t?

You’re a professional. Cook and keep your hands to yourself. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had nothing else to think about. Negotiations for his cable TV show were nearly at an end. He had a bit of editing to do on his latest cookbook. There wouldn’t be that much downtime this week, but what little there’d be, he would fill.

Clearly, Alyssa had a way to fill her time as well. The huge slab of man at her side whose cheek she’d kissed a moment ago wore a Sexy Sirens T-shirt stretched across his enormous chest. A bartender? A bouncer? Whoever he was, the guy slanted a possessive glance at Alyssa that Luc couldn’t miss, then glared at him.

Tamping down his irrational anger, Luc reminded himself that if Alyssa wanted to fuck her hired help, that was her business.

The violent urge to dismember her employee would pass.

Alyssa took a step toward Luc, then another.

“Mistress Alyssa,” a female called over the speakers in a saucy vamp voice. “Your turn!”

She stopped. Closed her eyes. Sighed. Bracing herself?

Then, as if the hesitation had never been, she flashed him a cool blue gaze, pointed at a chair in front of the stage, then turned away and strode backstage. Luc couldn’t help himself. He watched her walk away, the sway of those curvy hips a siren call. Damn.

If they had been alone, there was no way Luc could have prevented himself from touching her. Period.

Unless he wanted another brush with his uncontrollable wild side, he needed to forget his reckless promise to her and get out of this job. Now.

Reluctantly, Luc sauntered to the front of the stage and sat in the chair Alyssa had indicated. As soon as she finished whatever the hell she was doing and talked to him, he’d tell her all bets were off. Hell, he’d pay her for her inconvenience.

Because if he stayed, his dick would get him into trouble. He’d have her naked and be between her legs in two minutes. Or less. And that would be bad. He was looking for Mrs. Right, someone uncomplicated who wanted children as much as he did and would help him keep his beast at bay. Alyssa Devereaux, stripper divine, was definitely not that woman.

Suddenly, music pounded through the speakers, blaring with a naughty beat, a wicked slide of horn. Every note suggested sex—the hot, sweaty, no-boundaries variety.

The type he’d had with her and wanted again.

Pulling his loose shirt over his lap to cover his erection, Luc watched as Alyssa strutted onto the stage. She’d piled her straight platinum hair into some wild arrangement on top of her head and donned a sequined bolero jacket in red. He was dying to see what she wore underneath. The way she moved was an invitation . . . and a promise.

She planted her stiletto-clad feet in front of him with a decisive step, then swung her hips, making a sensual circle. She flattened her palm across the bare skin of her tanned abdomen—and began lowering it. She reached down . . . so damn slowly. Luc’s breath caught in his chest until, finally, she touched herself. Oh, hell.

Her fingers glided between her legs, and she tossed her head back as if she was in utter ecstasy.

Luc swallowed. And started to sweat.

With a jerk of her head, Alyssa snapped her gaze back to him, her eyes like focused blue lasers jolting him to his toes.

Damn it, his nine weeks of dating church secretaries, interior decorators, and elementary school teachers showed. Not one of them had incited an erection. During that time, he’d awakened in the middle of the night more than once, sweating, his dick in his hand and Alyssa’s name on his lips. Now, after less than five minutes in her presence, he felt ready to explode.

He had to think about the right F words—future and family. Unfortunately, with Alyssa near, the urge to fuck her again kept killing his good intentions.

In the next moment, she released the soft strands of her hair, which hugged her shoulders, clung to her breasts, flirted with her waist. Then she peeled off the little jacket and left it carelessly on the floor, exposing a tiny half top Luc could swear showed the shadows of her areolas. She stepped over the jacket and strutted toward the pole in the center of the stage. When she gripped it with both hands and undulated against it, pressing it to the juncture of her thighs, Luc damn near choked.

And still she continued to stare as if she danced just for him.

The music swelled, wailing with sensuality and suggestion. Alyssa upped her game, sticking a finger into the wet cavern of her mouth and sucking. More blood rushed to Luc’s cock at the memory of her mouth around him, her tongue slick across the head, inciting a sizzle that burned his whole body. Even months later, he could feel the lash of her tongue, the hot silk of her mouth. He shuddered.

With a kittenish smile, Alyssa popped her finger from her mouth and drew the damp fingertip down her cleavage. Then her palm took over, smoothing her right breast with an invitation to pure sin on her gorgeous face.

Dear God, no wonder she’d built herself a little empire here in Lafayette. The woman was a walking wet dream and did her job well. No red-blooded, heterosexual male could withstand such intense teasing and stay sane.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luc saw Alyssa’s employee, the one she’d touched earlier, sidle closer to the stage. With a quick turn of his head, Luc quickly saw that the mountain in the tight black T-shirt was tense, panting, and sporting a bulge that said he wanted to get busy.

Luc wished he could say that didn’t piss him off. But he’d be lying.

Then, as Luc’s stare returned to the stage, he damn near forgot his own name.

Alyssa turned her back on him and bent at the waist, staring at him over one mostly bare shoulder with a fuck-me look that stunned him. Luc gripped the arms of his chair, willing himself to stay in it, not charge up on the stage, lay her flat, and get inside her again this instant.

The spaghetti strap of her little top was falling down her arm. And that indecent skirt . . . With her bent over, the hint of the bare ass cheeks flashed from beneath the black silk. Her garters were a come-hither red. Her thong—he could see only a scrap of it—matched.

Soft fingers teased their way up her shin, her thigh, and disappeared under that little skirt. Her eyes half-closed, her sultry mouth parted on a silent moan of seeming self-pleasure. His entire body tensed.

He had to get the hell out of there.

Her hands swept up her undulating hips, gathering the skirt with them. She tugged at the little black garment, and it fluttered to the floor. The tanned halves of her backside, bisected by a bit of red lace, crashed fresh lust into his chest, making it damn hard to breathe.

Alyssa had a gorgeous ass. But he’d known that. Luc squeezed his eyes shut so the visual temptation of her bare flesh didn’t taunt him. Memories of tunneling into her ass pounded him instead. Her perfect willingness to take him any way he’d wanted. The tightness of her damp, musky body clasping him. The sweat dripping off of them as he’d thrust deep. Her moans.

Christ, the burning lust had to stop—at least long enough to tell her that he wouldn’t be staying.

Praying the torture would end soon, Luc opened his eyes. And sucked in a breath.

Alyssa flashed him a naughty smile of invitation as she ripped her small top right down the front to reveal a red demi bra that barely covered her nipples. Hard nipples. Pink, melt-in-his-mouth nipples he remembered all too well.

Luc squirmed in his chair—and nearly went off like a teenage boy. Beyond aroused, his cock was so sensitive, the feel of denim sliding against the head nearly had him coming.

He had to leave. Forget the polite conversation; he’d send her an e-mail with an explanation. Because if he stayed, he would shove his long-term goals aside and fuck her senseless.

As he stood, Luc mentally reviewed a list of chefs—female ones—he could pay to assist Alyssa this week. A short list, but a few durable names. He’d send idiotproof recipes . . .

The red bra dropped to the ground at Alyssa’s feet.

Her large breasts were as golden as the rest of her body and swayed gracefully with her every undulation, every step. Those nipples he remembered so damn well beckoned, Taste me.

Turn away! he demanded of himself.

His legs didn’t move.

Alyssa danced her way down the stairs, holding her breasts up in offering. She pranced past her aroused employee and shot the man a mirthful smile as she caressed the side of his face. Luc tensed when the beefy guy tried to snatch her up in his arms. But Alyssa was too fast and spun out of his grip, toward Luc.

The damp spot at the front of her thong kicked him in the gut. He clenched his fists as she danced closer, closer . . .

She dropped to her knees before him and looked up. Their gazes locked. She panted. Hard. Despite his jeans, her hot breaths caressed his cock. Release broiled in his balls, and he hadn’t touched her once.

There was no way he could stop himself from reaching out to tangle his fingers into her hair and bringing her mouth closer.

Shayla Black
DELICIOUS – 3/10 * Berkley Heat
SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW – 10/09 | POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT – 11/09 * Pocket Books
www.ShaylaBlack.com | www.DoomsdayBrethren.com

This past Friday I headed up to Sac to spend the day wine tasting at the delta river road wineries with my friends, Allison Brennan, Virna DePaul, Eileen Rendahl and Alyssa Day.  I spent the night at Allison’s and Saturday morning we headed to the Sacramento Valley Rose RWA meeting where Alyssa gave a great workshop on heroines.  After lunch and goodbyes, I headed out. I could not wait to get home!  I mean it had been more than 24 hours and I hadn’t had a granddaughter fix!  That baby is worse than a crack addiction.  And I’m not the only one. My oldest son came over yesterday, he was not happy to find his niece not home. The minute she came home, she was in his arms. When my in-laws came over later for dinner everyone was vying for Baby G.  She really is too damn cute!  She smiles each time I hold her, and in return, I can’t stop smiling.

Speaking of smiling, we saw The Blind Side.  Great movie.  While I doubt Sandra Bullock will win the Oscar, I loved her as Leigh Anne Tuohy.  I was reminded by several family members during the movie that there wasn’t much separation between me and Miz. Tuohy.  We’re both mama bears and are not afraid to get in anyone’s face when it comes to doing the right thing or protecting our families.  I just wish I had her money.  The people I could help! Which brings me to a story I saw on NBC during the Olympic coverage the other day.  Tom Brokaw was talking about how close we and the Canadian people were, and not just sharing a border close but there for each other close.  Then he told the story of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.  Gander was there for us on 9-11.  It was where something like 200 jumbo jets landed when the U.S. shut down its airspace.  The town of 10,000 swelled to a town of 16,000 in one day.  And they stepped up.  They stepped up big time. Because these folks who opened their homes, businesses and hearts to 6,000 strangers would not take any compensation, many of the 6,000 started a scholarship fund for the high school.  If you can find the story on uTube find it and watch it.  You’ll find it as amazing and heartwarming as I did.

It got me to thinking, if I had the kind of money the Tuohy’s had, or the resources the town of Gander had, what would I do with it?  I know I’d set up college scholarships.  I’d build a refuge for battered women and their children, and I’d buy a gazillion acres, create a sanctuary then rescue every fur, feathered and scaly creature that needed a home.  

What would you do if you could?  Or if you already are doing, inspire us with your story!

 Karin*