Oh yeah, y’all, it’s release day for Leather & Lace!! Yahoooooooooooooo!!

If you haven’t read the three novellas in this fantastic anthology, let me tell ya, you’re missing out. My good friends Melissa and Rebecca have got it going on. This is a great read for anyone who loves cowboys and romance.

My story, Branded, won the 2007 CAPA for Best Erotic Historical. I’m thrilled to pieces to see it in print with my pals’ stories.

Melissa made a wonderful trailer for the book – you can view it on YouTube here. I love the music she chose – makes me think of westerns, and then well, I think about cowboys. ;)

If you want to pick up a copy, you can order from Amazon here.

Here’s the official blurbs with a nice review quote for each:

Branded by Beth Williamson:
A clause in his grandfathers will forces Rafe to marry or else lose his ranch. He sets his sights on what he thinks is a safe choice. His neighbor Emma. But Emma’s anything but safe. They say oil and water don’t mix, but in their case, it does and the result is fire.

“This fast-paced, sometimes funny, often poignant story was so addictive that it was impossible to put down.” — The Romance Studio,

High Noon by Rebecca Goings:
When a full-blooded Comanche risks everything for the honor of a white woman the woman he loves its a safe bet there’ll a showdown at high noon. And winner takes all!

“Ms. Rebecca Goings has created another book with in-depth characters that literally leapt off the pages of her novel.”— The Romance Studio

The Seduction of Widow McEwan by Melissa Schroeder:

Jamie was once in a loveless marriage, and has no desire to enter into another. Then Seth ties her up in knots of desire literally and she begins to think things could be different. But someone’s out to make sure neither of them ever find happiness.

“The Seduction of Widow McEwan was a delight to read. From the beginning until the end, I was caught up in the spell-bounding rapture that Melissa Schroeder had created….” — Fallen Angel Reviews

Monday’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

The lovely Cynthia Eden (fellow Brava author) pointed out that my very first Brava book, The Education of Madeline, is now on preorder on Amazon!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

OMG, it’s the perfect way to start the weekend, isn’t it? I am doing the happy dance of joy right now.

I am looking forward to a fabulous day tomorrow at the Speaking of Women’s Health conference in Raleigh with a few friends. It’s my third year and I absolutely, emphatically recommend it to all you ladies out there! Check here to see if it’s coming to a city near you.

And, I’m almost done with my snarly edits (woo!) and can dive back into my third Brava book, The Salvation of Sarah.

Have an amazing weekend y’all!

Y’all know I love to read the news while I eat lunch – it’s a daily ritual of mine. When I came across this news story, I was at once furious and deeply saddened for these children.

11 kids, including family of 9, abandoned

Basically Nebraska has a law that allows parents to drop off children (i.e., abandon them) at hospitals, police stations and firestations. North Carolina has a similar law. However, apparently Nebraska is not limiting it to babies.

Nine of these eleven children that were discarded by their father, were brothers and sisters. The other two were teenagers.

How can people do this?

You don’t become a parent to throw your children away when they get too much to handle. These children are people – can you imagine how they’re feeling? To just be kicked to the curb and left to grow up without parents?

It brought tears to my eyes, y’all, and it’s just absolutely unforgivable. Even if I wasn’t a parent, I would still find this abandonment to be shocking and cruel.

Take a moment to send some good vibes to these poor children. I think they’ll need all the love they can get.

It’s my week for new book covers! I just got approval for my gorgeous new cover for Devils on Horseback: Zeke.

This cowboy has eyes I absolutely fell into – the tortured gaze of my hero, Zeke. Eerily accurate, and another winner from the faboo Scott Carpenter.

It also has a coming soon page on the Samhain website, woot!!

Here is Zeke’s blurb, and let me tell y’all, he’s been a tough hero to write. I’d say he’s the most damaged of the Devils and my heart aches for him.

A cool man, a fiery woman, a love destined to ignite.

Book 3 of the Devils on Horseback series

Intense, reserved and known for his strategic thinking, Zeke Blackwood has struggled to find his place in the post-war world. After the violent death of the first woman to capture his heart, Zeke retreats into a whisky bottle—until he’s handed the position of town sheriff.

Zeke sobers up and tries his damnedest to be the best lawman he can be. He hadn’t counted on the tempting new saloon girl to jeopardize his cold, unhappy existence.

Naomi Tucker is a survivor, a woman who made it through the war on her own wit and strength. She hoped moving to Tanger, Texas would bring her the peace and stability she yearns to find. Instead she runs head-on into a cool-eyed sheriff who welcomes her to his bed, only to push her away.

The wildness of the West is far from tamed. It threatens the town’s efforts to rebuild, Zeke’s bond with the Devils—and his fragile relationship with Naomi. As Zeke’s hold on sobriety slips, he and Naomi must choose between settling for half a life apart, or embracing all they could be. Together.

Check it out, y’all. I’ve got my final cover for The Education of Madeline, my very first Brava release. I posted this yesterday on the Brava authors blog, but I had to show off on my blog too. :)

I love his eyes, they kind of suck you right in. *sigh*

I also love the torn paper with the title along with the font. It’s just so purty. What do ya think?

Here is yon blurb…

Plum Creek, Colorado 1872

The Right Man Comes Along

Madeline Brewster practically owns Plum City, Colorado. But at thirty-two, she knows she has missed any chance for happiness. Until she finds a tall, strong, handsome Irishman on the wrong end of the hangman’s noose. Suddenly this unconventional woman comes up with an outrageous idea . . .

Teague O’Neal has rugged cheekbones, tousled black curls, and eyes as blue as the sky, even if he is caked in Colorado mud. The men insist they caught him horse-thieving, and there’s something desperate about him that says he’d do anything for a buck.

Maybe it was pure chance, or maybe it was something more that brought Madeline and Teague together. But one thing’s clear, between a woman who has just about everything she could ever want, and a man who’s lost that and more, they might find something in between worth living for . . .

Monday’s eye candy for your viewing pleasure.

Woohoo! It’s here again – Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008! Avast, me hearties, I hope yar talkin’ like a pirate today.

The website has some way cool stuff for TLAPD – including my favorite section…

Top Ten Pickup Lines for the Lady Pirates

By popular demand …

10. What are YOU doing here?

9. Is that a belayin’ pin in yer britches, or are ye … (this one is never completed)

8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!

7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, “Cap’n Feathersword?”

6. That’s quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!

5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I’ve had a twenty percent decrease in me “lice ratio!”

4. I’ve crushed seventeen men’s skulls between me thighs!

3. C’mon, lad, shiver me timbers!

2. RAMMING SPEED!

…and the number one Female Pirate Pick-up Line:

1. You. Pants Off. Now!

This morning did not start off well – not only did my alarm not go off but my son either slept through his or it didn’t go off either.

So I woke up at 6:15, 25 minutes after he was supposed to be on the bus. *sigh*

Mad scramble, dash, run around like a maniac, take a 3 1/2 minute shower, etc., etc. I got him to school with five minutes to spare (whew) and got to work 1/2 an hour late. Blech.

I hate days when you start off in a tizzy, discombobulated and confused. Routine is what keeps me on track, unlike many of the rest of the world who thrive on the thrill of not knowing what’s coming next. I am a list maker and not a risk taker.

Ha, that would be a funny rhyme if I wasn’t in such a funk. It’s going to be one of those days where I never quite click in the groove of things. Any suggestions on how to get my funk back in the groove?

So Stephenie Meyer is a bit of a wunderkind, and has seen remarkable success with her books beginning with Twilight. I haven’t read them, mostly because the marketing was aimed at young adults, but my book club is due to read Twilight for October’s meeting.

I heard a few weeks ago that some part of her manuscript for the fifth book ended up on the Internet. Bogus deal, y’all. I just read that she’s stopped writing it in protest.

All I can say is, you go, Stephenie. It takes a lot of balls to do that.

Many authors use readers to give us ideas and help keep the story fresher. We trust these individuals and I think 99.9% of them are worthy of that trust. However, there’s always the .1%.

This person, whoever it is, betrayed her trust and posted the draft on the Internet. It’s too bad that the actions of one selfish individual have affected every one of her readers.

What do y’all think about what she decided? For or against? Selfish or justified?