Monday’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure. I *love* this picture – a fitting image to end 2007, dontcha think?

I’m just here for a moment or two to say howdy – I’m still in the writing cave and it’s going okay, not as good as I’d like (or as far as I want to be), but I’m pleased with my progress.

I’m over at the Samhain blog today talking about the print release of The Tribute (which hit #6 on the Amazon best seller list in Romance>Western!!). I’m going to check coments later, but if you have a moment, stop on by!

*back to the writing cave*

Okay I admit it. Until yesterday, I hadn’t written a word during my vacation. My plan was (and still is) to finish Hell for Leather, Kincaid’s story. I’m so behind now, I need to clone myself to finish by next Tuesday (the end of my twelve day vacation).

*sigh*

So I’ve strapped myself to my laptop, closed the writing cave off (i.e., put away the books and the tv remote), and settled in. Daily writing goal is astronomical but I’ve made my bed (so to speak), now I must lie in it.

On a lighter note, I got some good stuff for Christmas. DH got me a cool neoprene holder for my Treo and a cradle to hook it to the laptop, some nice leather gloves, two CDs, the set of Romancing the Stone/Jewel of the Nile on DVD (sooooo hard to resist watching), and he made me another bracelet and necklace. Gorgeous!

My mom gave me the most beautiful purple suede jacket I’ve ever seen. It’s so pretty I keep petting it, while my MIL gave me some nice new clothes. My sis gave me some Palm software and a hard case for my Treo.

I’m blessed – I know it and I embrace it. Hope everyone else had a good Christmas. I’m rolling the boulder into place in front of the cave noe.

Game. Face. On.

I’m excited to announce The Tribute is now available in print. Book 6 of the Malloy family series features Brett, the quiet, uncommunicative and intense brother along with the love of his life, Dr. Alexandra Brighton.

Can a man who lives in the shadows and a woman who lives in the light find a place to belong together?

Book Six of the Malloy family series

Brett Malloy has always been considered a loner, a man apart from the Malloy clan. Quiet, reserved and intense, Brett hides from the world on his new ranch with only an ex-gunslinger and a runaway boy for company. When circumstances put him flat on his back, his childhood crush, Doctor Alexandra Brighton arrives to nurse him back to health.

Alex has always loved Brett despite the fact that a more difficult man couldn’t be found on the face of the earth. A woman who firmly believes everyone should live life to the fullest, Alex takes Brett’s quiet surliness as a mission. She’s going to teach him what it means to live, and how to find love and passion in the most unexpected places.

When rancher King Dawson claims Alex as his own, Brett has to choose between the darkness of his shadows and the light of Alex’s love.

Excerpt:

When Kincaid had brought Brett in, and she’d taken off his shirt, she didn’t pay attention to anything else. It was too important to focus on the wound and saving his life. Being alone with him now was quite different, especially after the kiss.

“I want to recheck it before you leave, just to be sure you didn’t re-injure yourself.” She walked into the examining room with Brett on her heels.

He sat on the examining table and Alex had difficulty swallowing when he removed his shirt. The expanse of flesh and muscle was a banquet of beauty. She drank it in like a starving woman. The boy’s body she had known evolved into an amazingly sexy man. Perfectly formed shoulders, lightly furred chest with whorls of brown hair tapering down toward his belly. She felt embarrassed to note that his bellybutton pressed inward instead of outward. Her finger itched to touch it.

The white bandage on his right shoulder stood out in contrast to the beautiful skin that covered him. She concentrated on untying the bandage without hurting him, twitching when her hands brushed against the hair on his chest.

What was wrong with her? She’d had hundreds and hundreds of patients, probably a thousand in the last ten years. Here she was acting like a complete idiot because it was Brett Malloy on her table. She didn’t ever remember having him as a patient before, several of the other Malloys for certain, but never him.

Alex wasn’t sure if he noticed her perusal and even if he did, he was too polite to mention it, though he probably should have. A doctor shouldn’t be lusting after her patient. She recognized it for what it was—lust. Her past transgressions, or possibly mistakes, catching up with her.

She finally fumbled around enough to get the bandage undone.

“How does it look?” Brett asked.

Alex examined the wound carefully, surprised and pleased at how good it looked. “It looks wonderful, with no sign of infection. You’re an amazing healer, Brett.”

Her fingertips lightly skimmed his skin. He sucked in a breath. Alex’s skin tingled from the contact.

“How long do I keep the bandage on?”

Alex started, a bit chagrined that she’d been daydreaming as she touched his shoulder. “Keep the bandage on a few more days to keep the dirt out. I’ll give you more.”

“You don’t have to do that. We’ve still got plenty at the ranch.”

“I don’t want you to use up your supply. You need to have some on hand for anything else that happens.” Her mouth twitched, wanting to tease him just a bit. “After all, the roof might attack you again.”

“I plan to look up next time.”

As Alex wrapped the bandage around his shoulder, she couldn’t help but ask, “How is it that you came to be under the wood as it fell off the roof? Mr. Kincaid said he warned you but apparently you didn’t hear him.”

“Ah.” Brett cleared his throat and fidgeted a bit with the shirt in his left hand. “I don’t remember. It all happened so fast.”

Alex knew a fib when she heard one, but didn’t call him on it. He must have had his reasons. As she tied off the bandage, she asked, “Do you need some help putting your shirt on?”

Normally saying that wouldn’t have been any kind of issue, but when one brown eyebrow arched at the question, Alex’s body heated.

“I think I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?” Alex almost didn’t recognize her voice, low, a little raspy, and dammit, needy.

Suddenly the urge to feel him, to feel alive, overwhelmed her. At that moment, all she wanted to do was feel something good, no matter if it was right or wrong. Alex decided it was time to start living for herself and her needs. She followed the urge to simply feel. Later she’d talk to herself about falling for the same man twice in a lifetime and whether or not it was a good idea. With a deep breath, she threw caution to the wind and jumped in with both feet.

Alex took his face in her hands and lowered her mouth to his. Soft kisses, her lips gently moved against his. Once. Twice. He felt rigid against her, unyielding.

Alex had other ideas. Her tongue swiped his lips, tickling until he opened his mouth. The hot, delicious feeling of kissing him deeply swept through her, raising goose bumps and nipples harder than diamonds.

“Alex,” he gasped out between kisses. “What are you doing?”

“Shut up, Malloy.” She kissed her way across his jaw to his neck. A moan rose up in her throat as she sucked the salty skin, the arousal building inside her like steam. It needed an escape, a release. It had been so long since she’d had one.

“Make love to me, Brett.” It wasn’t a question. Before he could protest, she unbuttoned her shirt and took it off, followed quickly by her skirt and chemise. As she stood in her stockings, his eyes drank her in, feasting on her flesh. Alex felt her cheeks redden, but she didn’t dare cover herself. This is what she wanted, come hell or high water.

***

Woohoo!! You can pick up a copy in print at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or My Bookstore and More.

I’m off enjoying Christmas with my family, but I wanted to tell all my online friends, buddies, peeps and everyone else, Merry Christmas!!

Monday’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure. Love me some David Beckham. And with that, I wish you all a fabulous Christmas Eve!!

Finally! I’m feeling better today. Yay! I’m two days behind in my writing goals (dammit) but at least the evil virus is starting to fade. I hope everyone is having a good weekend – two days until Christmas.

My conversation yesterday with the 15 YO:

Him: Can I open a present?
Me: No.
Him: (holds up a small gift from his grandmother) How about a small one?
Me: No. Good things come in small packages you know.
Him: (points at a large gift) Then how about a big one?

My conversation today with the 15 YO:

Him: Can I open a present tomorrow?
Me: No.
Him: (sticks out bottom lip)

Note the 11 YO has not asked me to open a gift, however, he does consistently tell me how many days until Christmas.

I’m sick. Feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller. No witty posts this weekend, hopefully I’ll feel better in a couple of days.

Hope everyone is doing well and has a good weekend. Catch you on Monday, k?

I got the first ten of these from the amazing Ciar Cullen – I added three more. It made me LOL when I read it. :)

Thirteen Dieting Tips for the Holiday Season

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-oholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello????

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, you have to have some standards.

10. Mixed drinks – it’s that time of year isn’t it? When you pull off the dainty “I’ll have a Cosmo” gloves and get some real drinks? Have a Black Russian (the drink, not the man, but hey, you pick), a Long Island iced tea (top shelf of course) or maybe even a Kamikaze. Whatever you prefer, just as long as there is at least two hard liquors in there and plenty of calories and buzz power.

11. Two words – Candy Canes. They’re only around for about a month so eat as many as you can while you can. They come in all kinds of designer flavors too, although peppermint helps clear the sinuses after all that fruicake.

12. If you have occasion to get homemade bread of any time, be sure to slather on the butter. I mean, what’s fresh bread for anyway except to load it down with delicious, salty butter. Yum.

13. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by: Have a great holiday season!
‘Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘WOO HOO what a ride!

You know, sometimes I just shouldn’t Google myself. We writers tend to get a little obsessive with checking on things like reviews, Amazon rankings and best sellers lists, so we Google ourselves like I did last night.

*sigh*

I found several hits on some forms and let me tell y’all, they weren’t good (insert negative description of choice). You see, I write in varying heat levels and some folks are expecting the same amount of sex/kink/heat in every book I write. Honestly, the story tells itself in terms of how far it will go. I’ve been dinged a few times on Amazon reviews by people expecting more erotica than sensual romance – I have to put a warning that says “explicit sex” because there is explicit language and sex in my books.

That doesn’t mean kink/bondage/MM/gratuitous humping. Apparently it’s pissed some readers off and they have no qualms about telling people to avoid my writing or slamming me silly.

*double sigh*

I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and preferences but to completely dismiss my writing just plain hurts. Yes, I agree that my earlier books (from 2005 and 2006) do not have the maturity level in terms of writing that my newer books have. Absolutely true – every writer should grow and hone their craft the more they’ve been at it. But please, y’all, remember that writers are people too and if you didn’t like the book you read, let people know. However, it’s not okay to bash the writer to pieces – a person is much different than a book.

Pity party over. Back to your regular scheduled programming.