Archive for November, 2008

Friday, November 28th, 2008
Fun Friday - You all deserve an award!

Think you know someone who deserves a special award? Today’s Fun Friday is a site that let’s you create all kinds of awards for your special friends and loved ones! Click here to visit Awardwinner.com and create an award for that someone who has done something really special.

Here’s one I created for myself:

Caridad's Award

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and hope you all have a great weekend.

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
Wicked Wednesday - Second Chances and Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving TurkeyTomorrow is a very special day for me and for many of us in the U.S. - Thanksgiving - and so I hope you’ll understand why today is a Wicked Wednesday Thoughtful Thursday kind of melange. Tomorrow I’ll be busy cooking some goodies to take to my sister’s house where we’ll gather together to celebrate. On Friday, we’ll be celebrating the special day with my hubby’s family and I’m really looking forward to being with everyone.

Family is just one of the things for which I am thankful. A great hubby and daughter who amazes me and makes me happy at every turn.

Then there are my wonderful friends, too many to mention, which is a great thing. I know that working together we will accomplish wonderful things and help each other with our love, support, wisdom and guidance.

You guys, with all your fun notes and comments. I love being able to share time with you and so I’m thankful for the technology that makes that possible.

The publishers, editors, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, readers and all the others who make it possible to keep on writing.

Lots of things for which to be thankful.

SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILDWhen I started thinking about all for which I could give thanks and it being Wicked Wednesday, it also occurred to me that the latest release, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD, is also about thankful things. Friends like Jericho who offered to be Macy’s husband to help her with her troubled son. The love between Macy and her son, TJ, which never wavers despite their problems. The return of the hero in one piece from war and the possibility of becoming a family with Macy and TJ.

Here’s some of the reviews for SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD which was also a Harlequin Top 10 “Giving” book this week.

    4 Stars from Romantic Times: More from the review to follow!

    4.5 Stars from Cataromance: “Intriguingly suspenseful plus overflowing with conflicting emotions, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD is poignantly compelling.”

And finally, because it is Wicked Wednesday, a little excerpt for you! May you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving! See you Friday!


She handed him her mug and he piled up everything from the mess kits. Balancing it all, he went to the opening of the cave and the flow of air through that gap chilled the bare skin of his legs. Lucky for them, however, since that ventilation kept the cave free of the smoke and other toxins from their fire.

Easing through the gap, he used the rain water to rinse off their plates and after, to clean the coffee pot and refill it for the morning.

His shirt was damp by the time he was done and he was shivering. At his pack, he pulled off his shirt and grabbed a dry sweatshirt, slipped it on.

Macy had also changed into a different sweatshirt and lay by the fire, watching him. Her gaze wickedly tempting as he imagined lying beside her and shedding the clothes they were both using as defenses against their emotions.

He padded back to the fire and gave it one last poke. He would have to keep an eye on it during the night to make sure it was under control. Then he slipped into the sleeping bag beside her and lay his head on one of the pillows she had inflated.

A nice comfort considering the hard ground beneath them and the tarp which crinkled noisily as they moved about. Of course, he’d slept in worse conditions.

“It’s not so bad. We’re warm and dry,” he said, striving for neutral.

“I’m still a little chilled,” she admitted.

“We could zip the bags together and share our body heat,” he said before his brain had a second to think about the consequences of those actions.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the suggestion and worry settled onto her face. She bit at her bottom lip and mulled over the suggestion before finally saying, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

He thought about lying beside her. Remembered the press of her body against his last night and the softness of her cheek beneath his hand. He imagined the softness of her in other spots and immediately answered.

“It’s probably the worst idea I’ve ever had.”

She chuckled, shook her head and toyed with one of the ties on the sleeping bag. “I always knew you were an honest man.”

Honest? An honest man might confess to what he was feeling and the conflicting emotions she roused in him. But then again, he was an honorable men and surprisingly, honor sometimes meant being less than honest.

“I guess I should be glad you feel that way about me.”

Macy sensed hurt in his words and hadn’t meant to cause it. Cupping his cheek, the rough beard on his face rasped the palm of her hand. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I always admired you.”

“Did you? Lots of women thought I wasn’t a happily-ever-after kind of guy,” he said.

She thought back to those days and the women he had dated — none of them had been the kind to have lasting relationships with. Except her. Which made her wonder aloud, “Why me?”

A flush stained his face and he looked away at her perusal. “Why you? That night, you mean? Why you and not someone else?”

The words escaped her on a tortured breath. “Yes, why me?”

He met her gaze then, his resolute and hard. “I dated the kinds of girls who didn’t want commitment, but I knew you were different. I knew you and Tim . . . I had wondered for a while what it would be like if it was you and me.”

Much as she had questioned afterward what it would have been like if Fisher had been the kind of man to commit to someone. If it had been the two of them together.

“Do you ever think about it now? I mean, with the teaching offer and all . . .”

She couldn’t bear to look at him as she finished and concentrated on the ties of the sleeping bag, twirling them around and around her finger as she waited for his answer.

And then waited some more.

Finally, she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I’d like to think that maybe you had thought about it. About us,” she finally admitted, deciding that after eighteen years of doubt, it was time to put an end to it.

“I have, only now there’s TJ to consider as well. A son that I didn’t know that I had.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you before, but with Tim’s death and all that started happening afterward . . . I wasn’t sure TJ could handle that kind of revelation,” she admitted.

“And now?” Fisher asked and tipped her face up so he could search her features. “What makes now any different?”

Tears filled her eyes, but didn’t spill over as she said, “I always worried whenever you went on a mission. I prayed for you to be safe so that maybe one day you and TJ could get to know one another.”

“Did you maybe pray a little for yourself? That maybe one day you and I — ”

“Yes, I did,” she blurted out and shifted closer to him. Cupped his cheek and brought her lips close. “I prayed that one day you and I could finish what we started.”

“Then let’s finish it,” he replied. . .

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
Tuesday Tip - Coupons and Free Samples

Saving Money with CouponsMy husband is always teasing me about how frugal I am (frugal being his nice way of saying I’m inherently cheap). My theory in life is that if I take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves which means I look for sales on the items I need to purchase and also try to use coupons whenever possible.

Free samples? Love them! Especially if it’s a new product and I’m not really sure I am going to like it.

But how do you find those coupons or free samples to save you money, especially during today’s rough economic times when every penny helps?

I used to do the Sunday newspaper route, but found myself often tossing the paper because I was really only interested in the coupon section. That’s a waste of money.

So I turned to the Internet and the websites for those products that I regularly used. I know I’ve mentioned the KRAFT site several times. It’s a great source for all kinds of things, including free samples, coupons and contests for their assorted products. You can sign up to receive their quarterly magazine which is a luscious glossy magazine filled with recipes and coupons! Their electronic newsletter will also send you recipes as well as coupons and the chance to get free samples.

Also check out KRAFT First Taste to see new products and receive free samples.

Some other companies which offer product promos and coupons which you might like are:

Also, check out these Internet-based sites that let you print coupons and provide information on promotions. I prefer the sites where you don’t have to register, like coupons.com.

There are lots of other websites offering coupon pages online. Make sure your local stores take coupons printed off the internet. Also make sure that if you are asked to download software, it’s from a reliable site.

Finally, if you have favorite places to shop, Godiva, Buy.com, etc., sign up for their newsletters and announcements. They’ll send you coupons and specials that will surely save you some money!

Monday, November 24th, 2008
Guilty Pleasures Monday - David Beckham Again!

Yes, well I have to say he’s worth a second maybe even a third or fourth look. What can I say? His body was plastered all over South Beach in a new series of Emporio Armani ads. Wow, is all I can say. What a sexy beast! Check out this Youtube video with some shots of the latest ads.

Hope you all had a nice week. My conference went well and I was able to have a day free to enjoy the sun and finish up the first draft of the next novel - SINS OF THE FLESH. Still have fixing to do on it, but I’m really happy with how it turned out so far. SINS will be released by Grand Central Publishing in November 2009.

My free time also gave me an opportunity to scope out what South Beach is like now so I can include that in my 2010 release ARDOR CALLS for THE CALLING. That one is going to feature outrageous vampire elder Stacia, so I thought it was time for a change of pace and set the story in South Beach.

South Beach was much improved from my last visit. Much cleaner, although there seemed to be a number of places that were empty and for sale/lease. Plus, way expensive and coming from someone who works in Manhattan, that means it was really really pricey. Could explain why it seemed a little more empty, but of course, it also wasn’t peak season, although the weather was great. Mornings were a little cold thanks to a cold snap, but wonderful by NY/NJ standards - in the 50s in the morning.

I uploaded some photos from the trip and you can check them out by clicking here!

Monday, November 17th, 2008
Totally Guilty that I can’t blog this week!

I’m down in South Beach at a legal conference, plus juggling two writing deadlines. Not complaining about either because the weather and conference are great and it’s always good to have writing deadlines.

But it’s one of those crush moments where finding WIFI in the hotel is iffy and also, the time to connect.

My apologies to you, but I’m going to have to take the week off. I hope to have some fun stuff to share with you next week!!

Friday, November 14th, 2008
Fun Friday - Boys will be Boys!

Good morning on this Fun Friday! I hope you are all ready for an awesome weekend. Today’s post will hopefully bring a smile as boys will be boys!

The first video is from a soccer match between Tonga and New Zealand.

This second video is the imagined Scottish reply to such a challenge courtesy of William Lawson’s Scotch Whiskey!

By the way, I’m told that in Braveheart, this ritual of exposing yourself to an opponent was changed to a “moon” because Americans would understand that insult, but not the other. Interesting.

Thanks to fellow author Jacquie Rogers for discovering these gems!

Thursday, November 13th, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday - The Generation Gap

My mom and I had a great relationship. She was a mentor, my mom and a friend. I was blessed to be able to work with her for a year before she passed. We had a great time bonding that year and I learned just what an amazing woman she was.

I made a point of trying to create the same relationship with my daughter — mentor, mom and friend. It’s not an easy balance, but the one thing that I’ve noticed is that there seems to be less of a generation gap between my daughter and me than there was with my mom and me.

We like the same movies, books and music. I can look at the guys she thinks are hot and for the most part, they are (except for that too skinny guy from THE ACADEMY IS. . .).

We share a lot of similar interests. For example, my daughter recently attended a writers conference with me. For years she’d been going and helping out as a gofer, but this year she announced that she loved creative writing so much that she wanted to go to the workshops and learn about writing. She did and we were able to share time as fellow writers and social time with a wide range of women.

Women who had a lot in common despite some pretty wide differences in age.

I remember that as much as I loved my mom, I always knew she was “way” older. There really was a generation gap between us.

Not so much with this generation it seems to me. Or maybe what my husband says is true — I never grew up!

Well, if the price of being a Peter Pan is sharing some great times with my wonderful daughter, someone get me that funky green suit and hat really quick.

What’s it like with you and your parents? Do you feel as if there’s a generation gap between you?

Mother and Daughter - Two Peas in a Pod

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Wicked Wednesday - A Little Sex in South Beach

SEX AND THE SOUTH BACH CHICASI’m off to South Beach next week for a legal conference and since the weather is turning cold here in NYC, I’m very happy about the trip!

I wish I could pack you all up and take you with me, but all I can do is offer up this sexy little excerpt from SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICASto warm you up! I loved writing Tori and Gil’s story in this book, but I also had a hard time controllling Sylvia as you’ll see from this Wicked Wednesday excerpt.

A little bit of trivia for you — the original title of the book was TORI GOT LUCKY. The GOT LUCKY part is something that happens at the very end of the book and it’s likely not what you expect. LOL!

Have a great Wicked Wednesday.

For Mature Audiences Only

He was standing by the bar, elegant in a light grey Helmut Lang suit and what appeared to be a Galliano shirt. The dark maroon shirt was open down to mid-chest, exposing muscles sculpted by . . .

Not just a gym, Sylvia thought to herself as she examined him once more. There was something a little rough beneath his understated elegance. She had thought that the first night she’d seen him a couple of months ago. He had caught her eye and that of about a dozen other women as he’d walked into the club.

She’d have to have been dead to not notice him. Tall, dark, handsome and dangerous, he was a Latino Bad Boy who had made heads turn at every event at which she’d seen him since that first night. Initially, her interest had been purely physical.

She had been wondering about the possibility that he would be as hot between the sheets as he was in the latest designer clothes. Busy imagining whether if she peeled off that Galliano shirt, the rest of his chest would be more interesting than the little slice of beef visible from the open gap.

Then had come the realization that he wasn’t just at the social gatherings for a good time. There was the very real possibility he was a drug dealer. And if not a dealer, he was well-connected enough to those with the drugs to be a person who could provide her the kind of information she needed for her investigative report.

Her investigative report. Finally.

She had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time and was pleased she had finally been able to make it happen.

Which was so totally a positive thing considering all the negatives that had piled up during the past week. First, Tori’s totally aberrant behavior and unexpected marriage. Not that Sylvia wasn’t happy for her, because she was. Then, Adriana’s total loss of control, from her reaction about Riley to her current frenzied planning to provide Tori a Very Special Night. Which had somehow spilled over to normally contemplative Juliana who was busy stirring up some super sexy sustenance for that night like one of the witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

With all that upheaval with her friends to worry about, it was nice to know work had taken a turn for the better. It made for one less thing to worry about.

And one possibly enjoyable thing to look forward to, she thought while she sashayed toward her Latino Bad Boy where he sat at the bar, nursing a martini. No reason why she couldn’t mix business and pleasure, was there?

She smiled, pleased with herself when heads turned her way on the walk to the bar. Kismet was on her side. The man next to her target stepped away, leaving an empty stool with her name on it.

Slipping onto the seat, she motioned to the bartender who shot her a smile and removed the dirty glass from before her. “Evening, Sylvia. The usual?”

“Cosmopolitan,” she answered and glanced at her target out of the corner of her eye. “What about you? Can I get you a refill?”

“No,” her Bad Boy replied and in one gulp, downed the remains of his martini.

“What?” Sylvia turned to face him, incredulous at his refusal.

He eyed her directly. Definitely a dangerous thing. His eyes were a dark blue flecked with bits of teal and green. Not what she had expected. Nor did she expect what he did next as he leaned close to her, his big body barely inches from hers. The rasp of his evening beard teased the side of her face when he whispered into her ear, “You strike me as the kind of woman interested in one of two things.”

Sweet Jesus but his voice was enticing. His tones rich and warm and slightly husky. “And what would they be, Mr. . . .”

“Carlos,” he filled in for her. Reaching up with his hand, he laid it in the Vee of skin exposed by the neckline of her silk Dolce & Gabbana dress. The pads of his fingers snagged her skin when he slowly trailed them up and down her body. Definitely the hands of a man who worked hard for his money.

Then Carlos continued with his assessment of her interests. “Women like you either want a fast fuck out in the alley or something pharmaceutical to make their pleasure just a little bit more intense.”

“Carlos, let me clue you in on something.” Sylvia mimicked his actions, slipping her hand beneath the fabric of his shirt and onto his chest. It was smooth, hard and oh so warm, but she didn’t let that distract her. Picking up her head, she raised it until her mouth was close to his ear. “I have no need for the latter and as for the former . . .” She paused, lowered the tone of her voice just one sexy notch and said, “When I fuck you, it will be so painfully and delectably slow that you will beg for the pleasure to end and when it does, you’ll start begging me for more.”

Carlos gave a strangled cough. His hand shuddered before he yanked it away from her.

Sylvia eased from the stool and met his stunned gaze. “Buenas noches, Carlos.”

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Tuesday Tip - Helping our Heroes

Remember our Vets and those who serveIt’s Veteran’s Day today and so this Tuesday Tip is about how you can make a difference and help the real heroes, those who make our liberty and our safety possible — the men and women of the military who serve and sacrifice for this Nation. It doesn’t take much. In fact, the smallest of acts does more good than the most grandiose thought not put into action.

A small shoebox filled with essentials. An old DVD sent on to be viewed by our soldiers. A walk through the local veteran’s cemetary to place a flag on the graves. It doesn’t take much, but it makes a huge difference. Here’s a list of places where you can find out more about how to help our military men and women and their families, as well as the vets who have served us in years past.

Just click on one of these links to help out.

America Supports You
Cell Phones for Soldiers
Operation Shoebox
SOS America
Tunes for the Troops
USO
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Welcome Back Veterans

These are just a few of the many organizations. You may know others in your local area.

I leave you now with this amazing tribute to our military men, women and families. God Bless Them All.


Monday, November 10th, 2008
Guilty Pleasures Monday - Robert Pattinson

Our Wedding Photo!Today’s Guilty Pleasure Monday is for my daughter! This is a picture of the two of us at the wedding on Friday. We had a blast and she looked lovely as a bridesmaid. The bride - my niece - was absolutely gorgeous and a good time was had by all!

Anyway - the current hottie of interest is Robert Pattinson, star of the upcoming TWILIGHT movie. You may also recognize him as the young man who played Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies. I thought he was handsome then, but he’s grown up some as you will see from this video.

Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday - Brides to Be!

Bride to be!If my thoughts are a little scattered today, it’s because I’ve got a pile of work to do at the office so I can take off tomorrow (and also from the blog!) for a very special event!

My niece is getting married! Woo hoo! I’m so excited for her and her parents. This is such a big event in your life and such a happy one.

I don’t know about you, but I still remember my wedding day as if it were yesterday. Everyone asking me if I was nervous until I really was a nervous wreck by the time the limo arrived to pick me up. My one-in-a-million mother-in-law helping sew buttons and sleeves on my sis’s bridesmaid dress because the dry cleaner had ruined a bunch of them!

It was a Friday night and it was raining a little. I got to the church on time and there was my hubby-to-be, hanging with the best man by the steps of the church. Waiting and waiting and waiting because the priest was nowhere to be found!!

The priest finally showed up half an hour later, winded and flushed. He had been playing in a basketball game for the parochial school.

Whew — I had been worried he wouldn’t show up.

From there on, it went great and we had a wonderful time. Flew to Hawaii the next morning and we’ve been together ever since.

I hope that tomorrow my niece will add more wonderful memories of the time she has shared with her hubby-to-be. I hope it will be a glorious day for her and an even more wonderful honeymoon so they can start their married life with joy, happiness and the promise of many more wonderful days to come!

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Wicked Wednesday - SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD is now available!

SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILD by Caridad Pineiro, part of the COLTONS:  FAMILY FIRST series from Silhouette Romantic SuspenseGood news! SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD is now available at Eharlequin.com and even better — it’s a special offer! You can get SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD for $3.99 while the special offer lasts.

Just click here to visit Eharlequin for this special offer.

This was a really compelling story for me. Single Mom. Troubled Teen. Sexy Soldier. It was a challenge to combine all three into a heart warming and emotionally charged story that was realistic in its depiction of how a single mom handles problems while also dealing with her attraction to a former love. I hope you’ll find that I was able to do that in a way that was realistic, sexy and romantic.

Without further ado . . . A Wicked Wednesday excerpt from SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD!

Deputy Rawlings stepped from one of the back rooms. He grimaced when he noticed them standing by the front desk, but swaggered over, his shoulders thrown back. Hands cocked on his hips.

“Macy. Fisher,” he said with a curt nod.

“Evening, Adam. I came to see when I could take TJ home,” she said, bracing her hands along the edge of the front desk.

Adam looped his thumbs through his pants loops and swayed side to side on his feet for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I’ve decided to keep TJ overnight while we continue our investigations.”

The other deputy rose from the desk, wisely making himself absent for the discussion that would follow.

“Excuse me,” Macy said, her voice rising with each syllable, prompting Fisher to reach over and place his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her.

“We need to be sure there’s no foul play,” the deputy said and beneath his hand, the tension escalated in Macy’s body.

“Come on now, Adam. There’s no reason — ”

“A young girl is missing. We have a witness who claims to have seen your son with her on the night she disappeared.”

Macy inched up on her toes, ready to erupt, but he applied gentle pressure to keep her in control. Macy didn’t normally have a temper, but when it involved her family, he didn’t doubt that she would tenaciously defend her son.

“You know Jericho wouldn’t do this,” she urged and he had no doubt about that. Jericho would not be handling this situation as badly as Deputy Rawlings, but he could see that the man was not responding well to being challenged.

He opted for a different approach, hoping that he could calm the deputy until his brother returned in a day or two. “No one doubts your concerns, deputy, but wouldn’t it be possible to release TJ into his mother’s custody? I’m sure she can — ”

“Handle him?” The deputy chuckled harshly and shook his head. “Mrs. Ward hasn’t done a very good job of controlling TJ so far. Until we know that there’s been no foul play, I’m going to hold TJ overnight. Maybe even longer.”

Macy’s body trembled beneath his hand, but she somehow kept her cool. “Please don’t do this, Adam. I promise to bring TJ back in the morning — ”

“I don’t think so,” the deputy said and Fisher was about to jump in and offer his assurances, but bit the words back. He knew little about TJ other than that both his brother and dad believed he was good, but confused. Worse yet, he knew nothing about how to deal with the boy and even if he did . . .

He would be gone in another couple of weeks.

Becoming involved in their lives not only made little sense, it would be cruel since he could promise nothing of permanence. But he needed to help Macy now.

“Let’s go, Macy. We’ll come back in the morning.”

Macy shot a worried look at him and while glancing her way, he said, “The deputy knows what he needs to do. He’ll take good care of TJ.”

He faced the other man and left no doubt about his words. “You will take good care, right?”

Adam stalked the remaining distance to the front desk and leaned over the barrier toward him. “That’s not a threat is it?”

“Just a reminder,” he said, dipped his head and smiled, making sure that the other man understood it was a promise of what might happen if TJ wasn’t cared for. Then he urged Macy back from the desk while he said, “We’ll see you bright and early, Adam. Have a nice night.”

Slipping his arm completely around Macy’s shoulders, he steered her out the door of the station and onto the steps, where she shrugged off his touch and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Jericho wouldn’t do this. He would know that TJ could never hurt that girl,” she said.

“But is TJ involved in her disappearance?” Fisher asked, but as Macy’s face paled at his words, he cursed beneath his breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said and took her into his arms. She was tense at first, but then she slowly relaxed and embraced him. Laid the side of her face on his chest as she said, “Thank you. I was a little tired of going it alone.”

He suspected that up until her cockamamie idea to marry Jericho, she had been going it alone ever since Tim’s death nearly six years earlier.

As she raised her face and her brown eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, met his, he wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to go it alone any more. That he would be there for her, but he couldn’t. But he also couldn’t resist the pull of that emotional gaze or the desire to soothe the spot on her lower lip that she was worrying with her teeth.

He bent his head as she rose up on tiptoe. Licked the abused spot on her lower lip before covering her mouth with his.

She pressed into him, cupping the back of his head with her hand and he dug his fingers into the silky lushness of her shoulder length brown hair.

When she opened her mouth to his, he pressed on, sliding his tongue along the perfect edge of her teeth before dancing it against her tongue. He wrapped his one arm beneath her buttocks and brought her full against him and with that dangerous full body contact, sanity returned.

They pulled apart abruptly, both of them breathing hard and obviously shocked by the intensity of the emotion they had unleashed with one simple embrace.

“Macy, I’m –”

She raised her hands to stop him. “Please don’t say you’re sorry because I’m not. There’s no need for apologies or regrets. All I want to say is thank you for being here for me.”

He dragged a hand through the short cropped strands of his hair and held back on telling her what he wanted — that he wanted her again. Wanted her next to him. Wanted her lips beneath his, opening to his invasion. Inviting him to take it further.

Instead, he took a deep breath and stuffed the tips of his fingers into the pockets of his snug jeans to keep from reaching for her again.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you home.”

She wrapped her arms around herself once more and shook her head roughly, sending her hair into movement with the action. “You don’t need to do that — ”

“I do. Until Jericho is home, I want to make sure you’re okay.”

She looked away then, but he couldn’t fail to see the tear as it slipped down her face and she said, “I understand, Fisher. I won’t mistake what just happened for anything else.”

He longed to take her into his arms and shake her until she did understand only he wasn’t sure he knew why they were both standing there, shaking with desire. Hungry for another taste, but fighting it.

Because of that confusion, he said, “How about I just watch you walk to your car. If you need me in the morning — ”

“I’ll call,” she said, but as she walked away, he understood that she wouldn’t.


Just click here to visit Eharlequin for this special offer.

Click here to purchase SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILD

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Tuesday Tip - Using Google and Yahoo Alerts

Clip Art Courtesy of Microsoft Office Clip ArtWhen other writers ask me what’s the single most important thing they can do to grow a career, I always say, “Have a web presence.” Dollar for dollar, being on the Internet is one of the most effective forms of advertising that you can do.

You can accomplish that in a number of ways. A website. Blog. Social Networking page. I always tell people to keep those Internet sites as current as you can.

I also tell them to balance the work involved in all of these things with the singlemost important thing — writing a good book.

But once you’re on the web, what can you do that will help grow that web presence. Lots of things that we’ve discussed before and one that we haven’t — using Google and Yahoo alerts.

“Huh?” you may say as you shake your head in wonder.

It’s simple really. Both Google and Yahoo (as well as other search engines) have what are known as “alerts”. Plug in the keywords of interest and ask them to notify you whenever one of those keywords is found by one of the search engine spiders.

I do it at work all the time to keep track of what clients are doing.

Authors can do it to see who is talkingabout/blogging about/reviewing them. More importantly, it’s always good to acknowledge when someone has done so and leave a comment or message for them to say “Thanks!”

Call it Politeness on the Web. Politeness is always a good virtue to foster.

So with that in mind — thank you all for dropping by today and remember — GO VOTE!!

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
Guilty Pleasures Monday - Twin Cutie Monday!

I’m in hyper-writing mode since one of my books got moved up, always a good thing! TAINTED BLOOD — now retitled SINS OF THE FLESH — will be out in November of 2009 from Grand Central Publishing.

That means that I spent hours and hours and hours sitting at my laptop, working on this novel which in turn means I spent hours and hour and hours watching television while I wrote.

Well, the bad news is that there’s over 100 channels and little to watch most times. The good news is I ran across THE JANE AUSTIN BOOK CLUB which turned out to be a fairly nice romantic drama with TWO TWO TWO cuties who are this Monday’s Guilty Pleasures!

The first cutie (on the right in the Burberry Ad) is Hugh Dancy who has been in a number of other movies such as ELLA ENCHANTED and the Elizabeth mini-series on TV. The second cutie (on the left) is Kevin Zegers who has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in quite a number of movies, including AIR BUD and TRANSAMERICA.

Kevin Zegers Hugh Dancy in Burberry Ad

To check out the trailer for THE JANE AUSTIN BOOK CLUB, read on . . . Read the rest of this entry…