So sorry to be late with today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday, only it was quite a weekend! I was busy finishing up A SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD which will be out from Silhouette Romantic Suspense very soon and getting to work on the proposal for the next book in THE CALLING series — VENGEANCE CALLS (#11 if we count the two novellas!)

Of course, doing the synopsis for that one got me thinking about the two that preceded it. You may remember that bad boy Blake will be the hero in #9 - FURY CALLS. Blake’s been in a number of books already, but had a sexy time with Stacia in DESIRE CALLS, which is still a free read at eharlequin.com.

Stacia is the heroine in #10 — ARDOR CALLS and as you can guess from her various appearances, it’s going to take quite a man to be able to stand up to her and reach her heart after the nearly two millenia that Stacia has been a vampire. The hero in ARDOR CALLS — Alex Garcia — is someone you’ve seen already in DEATH CALLS. He’s Diana ex-love and a Miami DEA Agent.

Alex is sexy and slightly exotic, much like Stacia. He’s also determined and passionate. So far, the sparks are flying in the draft I’ve done and I hope you’ll think so as well when I get the okay to post an excerpt. In the meantime, here’s my idea of what Alex might look like as he takes a dip in the South Beach waters. FYI — this novel in THE CALLING will be set in Miami and I hope you’ll enjoy the tropical change of pace.

Also, for those of you with the Kindle, Amazon has an amazing price on the entire CALLING Collection — 9.99!

Marzo e pazzo! That’s what the Italians say — March is crazy!! They are so totally right. Besides the weather, there’s March Madness and it’s especially crazy at my house this year since Villanova made it into the tournament and is now in the Sweet Sixteen.

Nova will be playing tonight at 9:40 against Kansas and it’ll be a tough one. Kansas is the #1 seed and Nova is #12. #12 seeds are 0-13 in the tournament. Of course, you can never count out Nova’s spirit. Just look at their Cinderella upset over Georgetown in 1985. I’m hoping this will be another Cinderalla season.

So you know Nova is my alma mater and they recently featured me in their Alumni magazine. You can click here to see it and head over to Page 36 for the article! I was really honored to be chosen.

Here’s one last — GO CATS!!

But March is also crazy because it’s the end of Spring Training which means that next week, the baseball season starts!! Like every year, my family’s got high hopes for our METS. We even managed to get tickets for some of the last games at Shea Stadium which will be torn down this season and replaced by Citifield.

It’ll be sad to see Shea go. History was made there with the ‘69 and ‘85 Mets. With the Beatles performing there for some of their first U.S. concerts in the early 60s.

Despite that, I’m looking forward to the new Citifield which will have more amenities and which is being built to look like the old Ebbetts Field of the Brooklyn Dodgers. It’s a way of honoring that field and the team that left NYC. One day I’ll have my daughter post all about the Mets connections to the Brooklyn Bums.

For now — GO METS. GO CATS. Hope you all have a great weekend!

I have a confession to make. I’m a science geek. Always loved messing with all those test tubes and doing experiments which is I guess why I was a science major in college.

One of the best Christmas presents I ever got was a chemistry lab and you can bet that I did every single experiment that came with that kit and proudly showed them to my mom who appreciatively murmured her approval at the bits of black gunk floating around in the test tube.

If Fate hadn’t thrown me a curve, I probably would have continued to pursue some kind of career in the sciences, but instead I ended up in law school and eventually, took up writing again.

Writing is a wondrous thing in so many ways, including allowing me to explore my inner geek again! I’m happy to say that I accepted a two book deal from Grand Central Publishing for a new paranormal romantic suspense series which relies heavily on science. TAINTED BLOOD, the first book in the series, is about a gene therapy victim who finds herself not only developing superhuman powers, but also accused of a murder she did not commit.

So the geek in me has been busy researching all kinds of things, like gene expression and splicing. Unusual diseases and using gene therapy treatments to cure them. Lots of fun stuff.

It helps that I took genetics, immunology, biochem and a bunch of other higher level science classes during college and I’ve been keeping up off and on on with what’s happening in the bio/genetic engineering world just ’cause it’s so interesting!

I know, I know. Geek. I’d be the perfect match for CHUCK or the guys from THE BIG BANG THEORY. But that’s okay.

Someone’s got to love the nerds. Of course, the hero in this book, Mick Carerra, is anything but a nerd. He’s ex-military and a man with a past who knows only one thing — he’s got a check with a lot of zeroes to compensate him for bringing in our gene-challenged heroine.

This book is slated for publication some time in 2010, so I’ll keep you posted on the progress!

On another note, I’ve got a friend, Lisa Daily — who’s a syndicated columnist, author, media personality — and she’s got a book out right now that you might like. Lisa will be visiting on April 2nd to tell us about her new release and offer up a prize to anyone who posts a comment on the blog. So please drop by then!

For information on Lisa in the meantime, you can visit www.lisadaily.com by clicking here.

Spring is here and as you know, I was complaining about the chill in NYC/NJ. My Blog Buddy Karen T. sent me this picture of how her Easter Sunday looked — CHECK OUT ALL THE SNOW! Brrr….

Way cold and so to help Karen and others still suffering from the effects of winter, this Wicked Wednesday brings a little heat from a story you’ve seen before — my urban fantasy involving a twist to the werewolf mythology, battles with vampires and a struggle for control in a werewolf pack. The tentative title is UNDEAD UPRISING and I hope you like this next free chapter that I’m offering you.

In this scene, Ramon is aware that Catalina’s father wants her to soon choose a wolf as a mate and is therefore denying Catalina’s demand that he help keep her wolf at bay by making love to her. Since pain will also restrain her transformation, Catalina has challenged him to bring her pain and Ramon is struggling with that request. For the rest of the scene, check out the free excerpt below.

For those of you who may have missed the first five chapters, you can read them here:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5

CHAPTER 6

Catalina’s words, ripe with her suffering, scourged his soul because he knew he could end her pain . . . for now. But despite knowing that she welcomed more from him, he could not give into her or to himself. Beginning something even for only the next few months would only make it harder on both of them after the Gauntlet.

She would be bound to another. No alpha wolf would tolerate his touching her. Only at the thought of someone else beside her, inside her . . .

Cold settled within him. Dead kind of cold.

But he would not love her this night or any other. He slipped the first restraint around her wrist, fastened it and said, “You know I cannot.”

“Tighter,” she commanded.

He yanked the fur-lined leather cuff just a bit more securely. Repeated the procedure with her other arm, giving one last tug to make sure the bindings were snug and then firmly chained her to the wall. The metal chain clanked noisily as she tested its strength with a pull.

“That’s it.” Her words were followed by a little mew of sheer pleasure.

He examined her face and after, her marvelous body. She was responding to the pain from the earlier whipping and from being shackled. Her nipples had remained stiff peaks and her legs shifted restlessly on the bed.

How many times had he seen her like this? How many times had he touched her? Wanted to make love with her before the moon rose and he lost her to the werewolf? Before he lost her forever?

Too many and yet, not enough. No matter how many, it could never be enough.

“Finish the job. That’s what you want since all I am to you is a duty,” she challenged, almost as if she perceived his weakness. The animal inside would recognize it. Play on it, knowing what he desired more than anything — to have her.

It wasn’t what he had wanted at first, in the days after the other wolves had saved him from a vampire attack and he had become indebted to them. It had happened slowly over the years as he had seen Catalina’s strength, goodness, and finally, her vulnerability. The last had stolen his heart despite the fact that he was human and she was wolf. Regardless of the nearly decade difference in their ages.

“What I want, amor, can never be,” he said and cradled her breast as he did as she had commanded. She gasped as he passed his thumb across her erect nipple.

“Don’t leave, Ramon. Por favor.” Catalina raised her hips in invitation.

He couldn’t refuse her plea any more than he could her command. Not when times like this were finite in number.

Slowly he inched his hand downward over her smooth skin and muscles which quivered as he got closer and closer to his destination. He met her gaze as he finally passed his hand over the dark auburn curls at the juncture of her thighs. The heat in her gold-green eyes confirmed she wanted him to touch her there again.

Catalina spread her legs and he slipped his hand down, parted her lips and sought out the center of her. She was damp and oh so hot that he groaned at the thought of what it would be like to be inside of her. His erection swelled painfully against the denim of his jeans. Somehow he controlled himself. He couldn’t take her that way.

The way others might have it occurred to him, recalling the two guards who had been there before him. He knew they had been her lovers. But he wouldn’t take her while she was chained. While she lay defenseless.

Taking a deep breath, he bent and suckled one of her nipples, teethed it gently and then just a tad harder as she raised her hips, giving him access to the swollen bud of her clitoris. As he loved her with his mouth, he scissored her clit between his fingers, massaged it until she writhed against the pallet. She dug her heels into the thick padding to urge her hips up to his hand.

Catalina sucked in a breath as he gently bit her nipple again. She pulled at the shackles at her wrists. Even with the soft fur lining, the edges of the leather chafed her skin painfully. As her back rubbed against the sheets, the welts on her flesh protested the contact. The slight sting as his teeth caught the tip of her breast combined with all the other sensations swamped her senses.

She cried out his name as he increased the pressure at the nub between her legs and after, trailed his mouth down her body until he rested between her legs. He paused but a moment to look up at her, as if asking permission, not that she had much choice.

He could do as he wished with her shackled to a wall, and yet honorable as he was, he wouldn’t do what she didn’t desire. His integrity being the reason why he was the one she wanted the most.

In answer to his unspoken query, she parted her legs in invitation.

Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com

One of the hardest things to understand as a new (or even established writer) is POV - Point of View.

When I wrote my first novel, I didn’t even have any idea what POV was. I had been a biology major and although I’d been writing since the fifth grade, I had never had anyone talk to me about POV. The end result was that my first completed book was 1200 pages long and in a POV that pulled the reader out of the story.

So how do you know what POV you’re using and how do you keep that POV firmly focused?

I like to use a technique that I call the POV camera. What’s the POV camera? Think of the character telling the story as a cameraman focusing a camera on the scene. That character can only see what’s happening before the camera lens. Keep that in mind as you consider the three most popular POVs in fiction, namely, Omniscient Narrator, Third Person and First Person.

What are the traits of these POVs?

• Omniscient Narrator (3rd Person): An Omniscient Narrator is someone who can see everything and comment on it. Think of the Omniscient Narrator as a cameraman perched up high up on a boom crane filming everything that’s happening down below. He says everything and can skip from one person to another and tell/see everything about them.

  With an Omniscient Narrator, there isn’t anything that is unknown. The Omniscient Narrator can tell the reader everything about everyone.

  Sounds good, right? Well, the problem is that when you tell the reader about everything, you don’t let them engage in the story. You don’t trust them to figure some things out for themselves and get involved by trying to figure it out.

To do Omniscient Narrator right is a difficult task, so I would recommend you stick to the one of the other two POVs.

• Third Person: Third Person is probably the most common POV in modern fiction today. Basically, Third Person is when one of the characters in the story is telling the tale. Because of that, think of the camera that characters would be holding and what that character would see. Those are the only things that the POV character can describe. So, that character can’t describe how they look (and please, stay away from looking in the mirror shots if at all possible!).

  Also, the POV camera can’t read the other person’s mind, so the character can’t know what the other person is thinking, they can only guess at what they are thinking.

  That helps build conflict and tension. It also allows the reader to guess at it. In addition, because you are seeing things through this character’s POV camera, you are getting to know the character by how they react to what’s happening. This builds a relationship with the character.

  In romance, we do jump to the POV of other characters, usually “head-hopping” from the hero to heroine. How do you do it right? Don’t do it too often and don’t give away too much information when you do “head-hop”. And to keep things straight, remember the POV camera and what the character can see through that lens.

Last, but not least is First Person which has become quite popular in certain genres, such as chick lit and even urban fantasy (think Anita Blake). What is First Person POV?

• First Person POV: “It’s all about me.” The “I” and nothing else. First Person is when one character is telling the entire story and uses “I” (first person singular) whenever the character is describing what’s going on.

  So, the POV camera is much like Third Person, but everything is filtered much more personally by the cameraman. Every piece of information, even that of other characters, is touched by/colored by the First Person cameraman.

  What does that create? Sometimes a greater sense of intimacy since you get to know the character very well. It can also be misleading if the First Person cameraman isn’t dealing with reality (think about using a soft focus lens on an older woman at a minimum or totally choppy and jumpy like someone wired on drugs).

  Done well, First Person can be very very effective. Done poorly, you get tired of hearing “all about me” all the time.

Personally, I really struggle with First Person. I find it very difficult to always be working in the “I” and prefer third person. I think the important thing to consider when deciding what POV to use is, which do you feel most comfortable in? You need to find you voice and what POV works best with that voice. Then you can start writing and remember — Put yourself behind the camera so you can be sure that what you’re doing is right for the POV you’ve chosen.

Good writing to you all!

Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com

It’s supposed to be spring, but here in the NY/NJ area, it’s still way too cold. However, the crocuses and daffodils are up and so I have to assume spring is really on the way, although it can’t come soon enough for me.

Because of the cold, I was thinking this morning, what would drive away my chill and so today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday is Josh Holloway from LOST. He would absolutely keep my warm on the coldest winter night. There’s something about that whole bad boy thing and his dimples which is totally hot.

So who would keep you warm on a cold winter night? Inquiring minds would like to know your all time favorite guilty pleasure.

Speaking of LOST, I’m a little upset now that we know who are the Oceanic Six. SPOILER ALERT- don’t keep on reading if you don’t want to know more.

Okay — so I’m so upset I lost two of my favorite guys in the real future world, Sawyer and Jin. What’s with that?

And finally, a little overdue, the last b’day blog winner is Earlene Gillespie! Please e-mail me with your postal address so I can send the prizes. As for all the other winners, I’ll be following up if I haven’t heard from you and also, sending out the prizes in the next week.

Thank you all for sharing my b’day week and visiting the blog!

Today is a special day for a friend, Barbara Vey, who is celebrating the one year Anniversary of her wonderful BEYOND HER BOOK blog at Publishers Weekly!

Barbara is an amazing supporter of fiction for women and of romance! She was nice enough to read HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE and include it with her Christmas selections.

Please drop by on this Fun Friday and wish Barbara a Happy Anniversary. You can click here to visit her blog.

And now — drum roll please — for the winner of Thursday’s B’Day Blog Contest — G. Kelly! Please send me your postal address so I can get your prizes out to you!

I’ll be posting the winner of Today’s contest on Monday, but also, starting on Monday I’ll be taking a week off! I need to finish up some writing projects and also, recharge the creative batteries, but I’ll be back on March 24th to share some fun new things with you!

I hope you all have a great weekend and St. Patty’s day on Monday! ttys.

Only some short thoughts today since I’m off in Milwaukee for some business. A really nice city Milwaukee, but way cold. Last time I was here it was -20. Today is supposed to be positively balmy at 40 degrees!

I love traveling and seeing all these different places. As a writer, it really helps to experience new people and places. Real life knowledge of the area, foods, language, etc. help to create realistic scenes for readers.

Will I set a book in Milwaukee soon? Maybe. But for sure I’ll be setting my next paranormal romantic suspense series in the Philadelphia and Jersey Shore areas. I’ve been busy visiting those locales to get info for the new books.

New books, you ask? Yep, some new books I’m working on and I’ll be spilling the beans about those soon!

And now . . . the drum roll again . . .

The winner of Wednesday’s B’Day Blog is Jeanne, my Cat Lady! Congrats Jeanne! Please send me your postal address.

Today’s Wicked Wednesday is what I’m calling FRESH BLOOD, namely, a free read that you won’t find in any of THE CALLING vampire novels.

This FRESH BLOOD free read occurs in the months after the conclusion of DEVOTION CALLS. I’ll be posting more FRESH BLOOD shortly to add some behind the scenes action for you to enjoy until the release of the next three THE CALLING novels in late Spring 2009. You should be seeing FURY CALLS, ARDOR CALLS and VENGEANCE CALLS by the middle of 2009!

If you like this FRESH BLOOD, also check out the DELETED BITS which are scenes that either totally ended up on the cutting room floor or have new sections you might not have seen in the original THE CALLING vampire novels.

Don’t forget that you can still read the free e-novella DESIRE CALLS at Eharlequin.com. You can click here to read it!

AND NOW — The winner of Tuesday’s B’Day Blog Contest is LISA R.! Please e-mail me your postal address so that I can get those goodies out to you.

Without further ado, here’s today’s Wicked Wednesday FRESH BLOOD!

**SPOILER ALERT**This may reveal
some information from the conclusion of DEVOTION CALLS.**

Diana Reyes stared at the pile of files precariously stacked on the side of her desk. Earlier that night she had just finished the last of the paperwork from the day before when an apologetic clerk had dropped this fresh load in her office.

Anger surged through her at the thought of another day at her desk, checking references and other information so that the subjects of the files would receive their proper security clearances. This wasn’t why she had joined the FBI, but then again, there had to be some kind of punishment for failing to prevent the deaths of so many agents during her last real assignment.

Those deaths and the nearly crippling injuries to her partner David Harris weighed heavily on her mind as did the personal aftermath from the night of the failed raid.

The santero’s words to her from months earlier still troubled her.

I can’t heal what you have.

What she had, Diana thought, laying her hands out before her and staring at them hard.

Human hands. Warm and filled with life. But within that life was something new. Different than before. And something that worried her still.

Deciding that she couldn’t linger a moment longer, she escaped the confines of her office, racing past David’s empty one and onto the elevator.

Out on the street before Federal Plaza, she stopped and breathed in the warm summer air. Thick and humid. The faint scent of garlic wafted from the Italian restaurant a few doors down. Her stomach growled with hunger.

She hadn’t eaten dinner that night, but she’d grab a bite later with Ryder.

Right now, she had something else to do. Something that called to her more than the physical demands of her body.

With a blast of inhuman speed, she surged to the nearby subway entrance. She stopped to catch a breath and still the wild beating of her heart. A wave of weakness ripped across her body, reminding her that all was not right.

The superhuman healing and powers that had taken over her body after her injuries during the raid were slowly leaving her. Worse, even her everyday tasks seemed to take more of her energy than before.

She worried that soon she might not have the strength left for even the every day things and after that . . .

Diana drove that thought away and headed for the subway for the trip up to Spanish Harlem.

Ricardo may have told her that he couldn’t heal what she had, but she had never asked him just what that was.

She intended to do so that night.

Have you seen that new Propel commercial telling you how many sit-ups/walking/jump roping you have to do to make up for drinking that other exercise water?

It says something like “492 situps to burn off this water”? I thought 492 situps to burn off 100-something calories? Wow, like can that be right? Do you wonder sometimes how many calories something is or how long it takes to burn it off?

Well, here’s some good tools for you from Kraft Foods (yes, I do love that site. Lots of great stuff!)

You can click here for all their calculators! Some of the ones you might want to use:

Calorie Burn: Find out how long you need to exercise to burn off that donut.

Food analyzer: Not sure how many calories in something? Check it out here.

So — how long would it take to burn off those 100 calorie packs? Here goes:

30 minutes of slow walking
20 minutes of fast walking
10 minutes on an elliptical trainer

Hope these calculators help you when you’re stumped!

But now for the fun part!

WOW — what a lot of March b’days in all the comments yesterday! Hubby and I had a great time down the shore. Although it was wet and windy, it was lots of fun.

I’ll be writing to each and every one of you who left a comment, it just may take a few days since I’m also trying to put the finishing touches on my next romantic suspense book — A SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD — which will be out this August!

And now . . . drum roll please . . .

The winner of Monday’s B’day Blog Contest is Stacia H. Wow — a real person named Stacia like from DESIRE CALLS and the upcoming ARDOR CALLS. Too cool.

FYI — word is that the next 3 in THE CALLING will probably hit the shelves in late Spring 2009. Sorry for the wait, but I’ll try to offer you some free reads in the meantime!

I must confess I heard mixed buzz about TROY, but finally gave in and bought the DVD. I so hated Brad Pitt’s role in this movie and nothing about the incredibly buffed bod could make up for it, except . . .

Today’s Guilty Pleasure Eric Bana. He just stole the show! Totally heroic and sexy. I was like WOW! This is a man!!

You can catch Eric now in THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen.

What else is up for today? The first winner of this week’s B’day Blog celebration: Alyssa! Happy belated b’day to you as well and I’ll be emailing you to get your book selection and address.

WHOA! It’s my b’day and also, happy b’day to my hubby, nephew, best friend’s daughter, colleague’s wife, hubby’s aunt, Rita’s niece and a whole mess of other people born on my b’day.

Well, can I still call it my b’day since I share it with so many other people? LOL! Since I’m about 12 hours older than hubby — a fact he never lets me forget — I guess I can!!

So, we’re starting a celebration today that’s going to run all the way to next Friday! Anyone who leaves any kind of comment on the blog will be eligible to win a copy of SOUTH BEACH CHICAS and your choice of either HOLIDAY WITH A VAMPIRE or MOON FEVER or SECRET AGENT REUNION along with a t-shirt and some other goodies.

If you’re also a member of my newsletter/contest loop and are the daily winner, you’ll get an extra special treat — a copy of one of the out-of-print CALLING vampire novels as well as another special treat. If you haven’t already signed up, it’s not too late to do so. Just click here to get to the contest page and sign up.

Sis and I played hooky yesterday and went to the Philly Flower show. We had a blast and I’ll be posting photos from this year’s show soon for you to check them out!

Have a great day and a great weekend! Good luck with the contest. Remember, just leave a comment on the blog any day from today to next Friday and you could be a winner.

It’s been interesting watching all the primaries and caucuses and seeing what’s happening with the nomination process for both the Democrats and Republicans. The ups and downs of the various candidates has been fascinating.

What’s also fascinated me is the all too common comment I hear from many people. What comment?

I’m voting for (fill in the blank) because he/she is black/a woman/a Republican/a Democrat.

You may have guessed from prior comments that I tend to be conservative by nature, especially fiscally. But I’m liberal in lots of other ways and because of that, I generally try to listen to what each of the candidates is saying before making up my mind.

I don’t normally do the “just because” vote. I won’t vote for someone just because they are female/black/Latino/Democrat/Republican/ex-Met/writer/TV star/author/from New Jersey/New York/green-eyed/brown-haired/ . . .

You get it. So in 2008, I’m going to listen carefully, read even more carefully and vote for someone because of what they stand for and what plans they have in place for this country. I’m not going to vote for anyone, whether it’s Clinton/Obama/McCain just because . . .

Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com

This Wicked Wednesday brings a little more of a story you’ve seen before — my urban fantasy involving a twist to the werewolf mythology, battles with vampires and a struggle for control in a werewolf pack. The tentative title is UNDEAD UPRISING and I hope you like this next free chapter that I’m offering you.

In this scene, Ramon has found Catalina training her younger sister on the cusp of the full moon. As is the norm, Ramon has come to help Catalina deal with the emergence of her wolf since this is not something she handles well. Unlike the other werewolves, Catalina is stronger as a human and loses control when the uber-powerful wolf emerges.

For those of you who may have missed the first three chapters, you can read them here:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4

CHAPTER 5

Ramon had no doubt that despite Rafael’s abandonment of her, Marina had never stopped loving Catalina’s father.

He stiffly nodded his goodbye and once they were gone, rose and approached Catalina where she stood in the center of the mat.

“How was work today?” she questioned, as if it was just another day and they were just a regular human couple.

“Nothing new at the hospital. No calls for the pack either. How was your day?” he said, playing along with her. Sensing she needed the touch of normalcy.

“Just another boring day of protecting the rich, famous and assorted suits from the evils of the world,” she teased.

“So I guess that means you’re ready for a good workout?” he said with a smile.

“What do you think?” she replied, tossing him a devilish grin and raising her sword.

Ramon took a step toward her, but the look on his face went from one of humor to a mix of confusion and longing. When he stood before her, he cupped her cheek. “I think, suddenly, that this time together isn’t wise.”

Catalina covered his hand with hers, perplexed by his sudden change of mood. “I know the full moon is near –”

“It’s not that, Cat,” he said and rubbed his thumb across her lips.

The Gauntlet, she thought. Throughout the day, those who were aware of her father’s intentions had avoided facing her directly. When they did, their looks had alternated between interest and pity.

Pity because they knew that whoever won would not be her choice. She had already made that selection. He stood before her now, ready to leave her. She wanted to understand, but couldn’t. She would fight for him while he was ready to desert her.

Unwilling to make it easy for him, she stalked to the far wall and the alcove where she spent so many nights during the lunar cycle. On the wall were an assortment of cuffs and shackles along with her weapons. As she reached for the leather cuffs and shackles that would restrain her during the change, she noticed the whip.

If Ramon wouldn’t give her passion that night to keep the wolf at bay, then let him give her pain, she thought, ripped the whip from the wall and walked back across the room toward Ramon.

A puzzled look flashed across his features before she held up the whip. Then the look on his face turned to one of dread. “You can’t expect me — “

“I can. And you will.” She pressed the whip into his hand and he gripped it uneasily, but that didn’t dissuade her.

She ripped open the practice jerkin she wore and tossed it aside. The rest of her clothes followed quickly until she stood naked before him.

Tilting her chin up at a rebellious angle, she instructed, “Strike me.”

He raised the whip, but stopped mid-way. “I can’t.”

In a tone that brooked no disobedience she said, “I command you.”

“I — “

“You know the penalty for refusing me.”

Ramon knew the penalty — death. And yet, death might be easier to bear than whipping her. “Por favor, Catalina.”

“You beg? What if I beg, Ramon? Would you do it then?” she said and as if relenting a bit, turned and presented her back to him. In a softer, almost pacifying tone, she said, “If you cannot give me love to keep the beast away, then give me pain.”

It was almost like someone else moved his hand. Raised the whip and brought it slashing down across her back, yanking a surprised gasp from her and causing her to jerk from the blow.

But he had put little strength behind the lash, unable to truly hurt her. As he raised his arm for the second blow, he tightened his fingers on the thick handle of the whip. Imagined how the strands of hard leather at the other end would rake across her back again and hesitated.

Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Again. Harder.”

He lowered his arm to his side, battling with himself. His life or causing her injury? He would rather die, he realized, until his gaze locked with hers and he noted her anguish. The despair that came each month as the wolf emerged.

With a rush of speed, he raised his hand and brought the whip slashing down against her back a second time and then a third, his body jumping in sympathy with each stroke of the whip. But he couldn’t find the strength to raise his arm a fourth time. Walking to her, he laid a hand on her shoulder and the welts left behind by the whip were hard beneath his palm. The blows had left bright trails of pink against her creamy skin.

“Catalina,” he said and encircled her in his arms, unable to continue the punishment. Ready to give her the passion she demanded instead, even though it might bring greater torment.

He picked up one hand and cupped her breast. Bent and kissed the welts on her shoulder while he caressed her. Her gasp this time was one of pleasure and her hands came up to urge both his hands to her breasts.

“As you command,” he whispered as he nuzzled the side of her face and she leaned her head back against him.

He held the weight of her full breasts in her hands, brought his fingers to tweak the tight peaks of her nipples, her hands covering his. But then he reversed the position of their hands at one breast, softly said, “Touch yourself.”

She protested, but he instructed her more firmly. “Touch yourself, querida.” When she did, he moved his now free hand down her body and slipped between her legs, found the center of her. He parted the silky nest of curls and stroked the swollen nub there, drawing a moan from her.

He continued fondling her and kissing the marks he had placed on her with the whip. Her knees weakened and he scooped her up, brought her to the edge of the alcove, let her slip down.

Catalina faced him and noted the mixture of emotions on his face. The pain and passion that were irrevocably entwined in her life.

She kissed him, opening her mouth on him as she moved her hand to his erection, stroking him through the denim of his jeans. He grabbed her hand and eased it away.

“You can command me only so far, mi amor.”

Both admiring and resenting his show of strength, she knew nevertheless that she would not force him further. When he motioned for her to slip onto the oversized pallet that served as her wolfen bed, she did, settling herself in the center and raising her arms upright so that Ramon could shackle her to the wall. She lay there, waiting for him. When he hesitated, she met his gaze.

“Finish it, amor. Before the wolf steals me away.”

***
Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com

First of all, I want to thank Erin D. Galloway, who is the Marketing and Publicity Coordinator for Dorchester Publishing, and Lisa Renee Jones, a fellow author and friend, for the help with my PROMO OR PERISH workshop. This Tuesday’s Tip is a just a small part of a workshop on promotion tips for writers and I hope it helps any of the published authors out there with their promotional plan.

Here’s some things to think about when deciding how to market your book and when to think about them:

12 months prior to publication:

You know the publication date of your book and should already be brainstorming ideas for your marketing campaign. Do you have any useful contacts in publishing or outside of it? What authors could you approach for cover quotes? What are you willing to do to make your book a success—send galleys, get a Web site, finance a small or large contest? Will you be doing book signings or running ads?

Make a list of all of these things and plan ahead to avoid a last minute rush. It’s always more expensive to do things at the last minute and what you do may be less effective if you don’t get the word out in time.

9-10 months prior to publication:

Before doing anything, discuss your marketing plan with your editor. Editors present upcoming titles to our promotions/sales staff generally nine months prior to your book’s publication, and it is at this point that your editor should be able to relay what you have planned and what you’re willing to do to promote your title. This way, your marketing department will know what support you will require and can plan accordingly.

Also, your editor can let you know what they’ve got planned for pubilicity so that you don’t duplicate what’s already being done.

7 months prior to publication:

Your plans of whether to embark on a sizable promotion or book signing or to place advertising should be finalized. In addition, your editor and publicity department should be fully aware of those plans so that your company’s sales staff has the tools necessary to present your book to their accounts. If you intend to send advance galleys to booksellers, you should do so now.

3-4 months prior to publication:

Send ARCs or galleys to reviewers. If you don’t have bound advanced reading copies, a photocopy of your author galley plus a cover flat and a short letter is sufficient. Also remember that the reviewers can be very busy and may not get to reading your book right away. Patience. They will get to it, but if you’re writing a category book, you may want to send the ARCs even further ahead so that the reviews will be available before your book is off the shelves.

Last but not least, remember to keep your publisher’s publicity department informed of your promotion efforts, whether big or small. The publicity department can take what you’re doing and help get the word out. Also, you can avoid duplicating efforts and save money by keeping them informed.

Hope this was a helpful Tuesday Tip!

Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com

Being a comic book fan, there was no doubt in my mind I’d head to the movies to see the latest reincarnation of the BATMAN franchise. I’d heard about Christian Bale before, but hadn’t really seen him in anything. I wasn’t even sure at first that he was attractive, but by the end of the movie both my daughter and I were like . . . He’s hot.

Christian also did a great job of being Batman. He’s the best Batman so far in the franchise and I’m really looking forward to the next movie.

Bale has also apparently signed on to play John Connor in Terminator 4 and one of his latest releases is RESCUE DAWN, an interesting movie about a Vietnam POW that is based on a true story. Hubby and I saw it and were truly impressed with how Bale handled the difficult role.

Having enjoyed Bale so much, I’ve put him on my must watch list and suggest you catch THE PRESTIGE and if you can stomach it, AMERICAN PSYCHO. The latter is quite gruesome and is based on the Brett Easton Ellis novel that stirred up so much controversy. The novel had originally been bought by Simon & Schuster who decided not to publish it. It was eventually released by Vintage, but controversy continued.

The novel was attacked by feminists and sometimes banned for its violence. In the movie, Bale portrays a narcissistic serial killer who primps and preens while eliminating an assortment of people. He looks spectacular in the designer suits, but even better without them! Is it worth the violence to see him? For a little bit at least. The best scenes with him are at the beginning of the movie before he starts acting out and killing people.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Guilty Pleasure.