Lights, Camera, Runway! Guests filled a local hotel room in honor of an admirable cause: Acceptance. They could feel the excitement in the air, all eager to celebrate a new attitude throughout the community. I was thrilled to see the turn-out from my hidden spot back stage. After all, I had organized this fashion show in less than three months and each filled seat offered encouragement. It was the first Lucy Monroe Fashion Show as well as the launch of her new non-profit fund, Hearts Unbound. Almost too much excitement for one day, but knowing my mom, there’s never too much excitement.

I glanced at the clock, five minutes till starting time. Tick tock, tick tock. It felt as though each minute got slower and slower until finally I could barely even focus on the clock at all. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. The show was about to begin! I called people to attention and everyone sat still in there seats as though someone had programmed them to a remote and simply pressed “pause.” The focus: the runway. The subject: Lucy Monroe. She delivered a beautiful speech, touching the hearts of those eagerly listening to her words. My mom welcomed them, explained the purpose of the fund and its importance to her. Lucy Monroe said, “Let the show begin!”

The music filled the room as the first model graced the runway. It was just as I had imagined, an array of colors welcoming spring! Styles included bright bathing suits, feminine skirts, frilly hems, and neon accessories. Each model was sharing the same message: It’s okay to be different! The music continued to play, setting the mood for each new set. Model after model strutted across the runway adding more and more glitter and glam to the room. The guests laughed and smiled as they watched, sitting forward in their seats in anticipation of what clothes were coming next. Soon the last set had passed and it was time for the finale! Everyone was clapping in appreciation, for the effort put in and the cause that they all contributed to.

It was truly a success from both views, in the seats and behind-the-scenes. Thank you all so much for your support! Who knows, we might even host another one next year;)

Now, It’s time for the fun part...Prizes!

In honor of Lucy Monroe’s first fashion show, we thought we would send out some fashionable prizes

Comment about the craziest fashion(s) you’ve seen and we will enter you into the drawing!

Don’t be afraid to spill the worst and HAVE FUN!!

XOX,

D.Q.

I'd like to say that I'm done with Talorc's Moon and well into my next book, but I'm not. I'm working on it though. :)

I just wanted to drop in and say, "Hey." Life around here is pretty busy, as per usual, yes? Hubcap is going to post a guest blog tomorrow and I realized how long it had been since I'd posted anything personally! Crazy making. But there it is.

Do you know how much happens around me that I don't even realize? For instance, I had no idea that Housekeeper to a Millionaire had been nominated for Romantic Time's Best Harlequin Presents of 2008 until after the winner had already been chosen (congrats to Ally Blake!). I also just realized that Valentino's Love-Child (out May 1) is my 20th full length Presents! And Watch Over Me will by my 45 original release!!! Andre and I are talking about how best to mark these occasions, to make the time special for me and for my readers because the relationship is definitely a symbiotic one! LOL

Any suggestions are welcome! Reasonable or fantastic, we can all dream. ::wink::

I just updated my page; let me know what you think. I changed my "About Me" section, sharing a little more of "me" rather than just Lucy Monroe the author. Hope you like.

I watched two great movies recently, Monsters vs. Aliens and Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom. Both were fantastic! Noah's Arc is a great romance and Monsters. Vs. Aliens is everything we've come to expect from good animation. Funny, clever and purely entertaining with a happy ending.

I'm getting my hair done tonight. My best friend since I was 12 years old does my hair. She's an area supervisor for Regis now and not a stylist, but she has pity on me and keeps me looking better than your average gila monster anyway. LOL I'll try to remember to post pictures. I still owe you some of Nev-zilla. You know, you can try hitting Hubcap up for them tomorrow on his blog 'cuz he's ever so much better at actually uploading the pics he takes to the computer.

Until next time...

Mega hugs,
Lucy

Enjoy the excerpt from Satisfaction Guaranteed!

They hit pay dirt with the bug in Preston's office two days later.

"He's planning an auction at the end of the month for controlled technology classified as un-exportable," Ethan told Beth. "He's bringing the potential buyers back for a video demonstration of a UGCV along with specs. The auction will happen two days later, but so far we don't have a line on how he intends to pass the plans on."

"You know, I think the man is arrogant enough to store the plans at his house. The security there is tight." She kitty-combed Beethoven's fur while the growing kitten lounged in her lap on the sofa.

"I agree, but I've been over the house plans until I can see them with my eyes shut and there are just too many places he could have a hidey-hole. Going in with a warrant wouldn't necessarily net the goods."

"My guess is that he's got the plans stored on a media device, maybe even his computer. He thinks its full proof."

"His security is better than most. I've been trying to hack his system and there are so many layers of ICE that my fingers are getting frostbite from the keyboard."

"Ouch."

"You're telling me. The intrusion countermeasure engineering Preston's invested in is the best. There are several signatures, as if he's got graduating as well as same-level layers of security from different sources."

"You'll get through."

"Maybe we should call Bennett in on this. This is really his thing."

"But you're no slouch at it, Ethan. Besides, he's on assignment in the Middle East. He left three days ago." The cat jumped off her lap and Beth dropped the special brush down on the coffee table.

"You been checking up on the other agents, Beth?"

"I can't help myself. Maude and I talk daily."

"She handling things okay?"

"Of course. The woman is a miracle worker."

"We all feel that way about you."

Beth smiled, clearly pleased. "I'll remind you of that the next time you give me a hard time about turning in your expense reports."

"I never forget it, baby, but I still don't like doing expense reports. I think miracle workers should be able to generate them without any help."

She launched herself toward him as the phone rang.

Ethan grabbed it and her at the same time. He pressed the button to talk while pulling Beth into his lap. "Ethan here."

She gave him a friendly elbow to the ribs before settling against his chest.

"Ethan, it's Hotwire."

"Any word for me?"

"Officially? No. But ten months ago, a young woman in Oregon killed herself. She was attending a community college not far from Preston's home when they met. They started dating and she stopped attending classes. She'd lost her job for not showing up and had a miscarriage due to drug usage and possible sexual trauma the week before she killed herself."

Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I didn't find anything about this during my investigation into him."

"Your perp did a good job of hushing his connection to the girl up."

"But you found it." It irked Ethan that he hadn't.

"Her parents died when she was fifteen. Her older sister finished raising her and was helping her through college. The sister is a DEA agent by the name of Rachel Gannon. She confided her fears for her sister and then about the suicide to a friend of mine."

"And let me guess, the DEA agent has taken a leave of absence, her whereabouts unknown."

"Yes. My friend's worried about her, but he hasn't said a thing to their superiors. She's a hell of a sniper and she's more lethal with a knife than Wolf."

"This doesn't feel good."

"I concur."

"Damn. You think Rachel Gannon is planning personal revenge."

"If you can stop her, you'll be saving a life worth preserving." They both knew Hotwire didn't mean Preston.

"She could have killed him at the party the other night."

"If she was the one that was there. Yes. I'll send you a picture for verification of her identity. But personal revenge plans aside...she's still her country's servant."

"You think she wants to stop the plans for the UGCV getting into enemy hands before she offs Preston."

"That's my guess."

"Whit is going to lose his mind if I pull her into our investigation."

"You don't have to pull her in to stop her, but if you don't, you'll be robbing her of the closure she needs."

"I'll talk to Beth about it."

He got a kiss on his cheek for that and couldn't help taking her lips.

Hotwire was laughing and calling his name when Ethan remembered he was still on the phone. "Save it for when I'm not on the other end of the line. You're making me miss Claire."

"Where is she?"

"She went shopping for the baby with Josie. She and Nitro are staying for a few days before she goes back to classes."

"Where's Nitro?"

"Outside scaring the wildlife."

"I heard that," came from the other side of the room. "I'm going to tell Claire that our Medicine Men believe a woman should stop having sex the last three months of her pregnancy for the safety of the baby."

"The man is getting serious," Hotwire said, sounding far from worried. "I think I need to go kill him."

Lucy is still hard at work on the new releases. She was glad to hear that everyone is enjoying all of the excerpts. I thought I'd give yet another sneak peak at Lucy's newest release, Forbidden: The Billionaire's Virgin Princess.

{EXCERPT}
She looked around her, seeing the opulent room with new eyes. The recessed spa bubbled gently in one corner and the smooth as glass water of the indoor-outdoor pool glistened in the other. Now that the outer doors had been opened, she'd been able to open the divider that made the pool accessible to the outside and she could even hear the fall of the oversized fountain in the center of the outdoor portion.
"If you want me to cool down a little, maybe we should go in the pool rather than the spa," she said.
Sebastian's smile was so sexy, it undid the last few seconds of her calming down process. "Good idea, beautiful."
"So, you're going to take off your pants?" she asked with undisguised interest.
"After you get in the water."
She pouted.
He laughed. "Do you have any idea how adorable you are when you do that?"
She shook her head. She never pouted, so how could she? Did he really think she was adorable? But his continued smile said he did indeed. Wow.
"So, you want me to get in the water?"
"Yes."
"And you are going to join me, right?" She had no desire to "cool down" alone.
"Of course, princess. What would be the fun otherwise?"
"Okay then." She turned and walked to the steps the led down into the water. Though she knew it was heated and had dunked her hand in it earlier to test the temperature, finding it perfect, it now felt chilly against her overheated skin.
She forced herself to descend into the pool until the sound of fabric sliding against skin arrested her. She spun to face him, barely keeping her balance on the bottom step. Sure enough, his pants were already in a puddle of expensive fabric on the floor of the room. He pushed his boxers down past his hard-on and it bobbed up toward his belly. Was it bigger than it had been that morning?
She gulped. It certainly looked like it.
He started walking toward her and she nearly choked on her own breath. Still, his body was amazing. In motion, it was a work of art. A masterpiece at that.
"You're watching me like you want to devour me."
"Maybe I do."
His body jerked and he stopped. "Don't say things like that with that beautiful as sin mouth. You are going to give me ideas you are not ready for."
And it was then that she realized how her words could be taken. Oh. "Who says I'm not ready? You think I don't want that?"
He groaned. "Please, princess...be quiet, for just a minute."
She shrugged in acquiescence, but then turned and dove into the water, swimming to the end of the indoor section of the pool. It wasn't very long, but it was long enough...to give him a glimpse of her body in motion. If it affected him like it had affected her to see him then her silence wasn't going to have the impact on his escalating libido that he wanted.
Some part of her insisted she push his limits. She was aching to consummate their relationship...uh...deal. It was a deal, not a relationship and she so had to remember that, but the internal reminder sent a pang of pain through her heart.
Strong hands grasped her around the waist and she went swishing backwards through the water until her body landed against his. "There are consequences for teasing a hawk, princess."
"Are there?" she gasped out.
"Yes."
"What are they?"
"Hawk's are predators, what does that make someone they catch?"
"Prey?" she asked in a whisper.
"Exactly."

Flash Movie for Ready!!!

{EXCERPT}
She squinted at a street sign as she passed it and realized she'd gone the wrong way for the grocery store. She was on a curving road that overlooked the sound in West Seattle. Trying to remember if there was a convenient turn-off coming up, she debated between doing that, or simply taking the scenic route around the point and doubling back.
When she tried to weigh the alternatives, she had to focus on remembering why it was a choice. A yawn surprised her and she raised her hand to cover her mouth instinctively, swerving a little toward the median. She quickly corrected for it.
Making love instead of sleeping might be more fun, but it was wreaking havoc with her energy level and thinking processes.
The road ahead of her started to blur slightly and she turned on the windshield wipers. They squeaked against the dry window and she fumbled to turn them off again. Maybe she needed the defrost on. She flipped the switch to high and blinked, trying to clear the fog from her eyes.
The car swerved toward the other side of the road.
Was something wrong with her power steering? She'd have to get that checked the next time she had her oil changed. Or did that kind of thing require a specialist mechanic?
My, it was hard to breathe, like the air was too cold or something. She turned the heat on high, blasting her face with warm air, but it didn't make it any easier to get a breath.
An annoying beeping penetrated her thoughts about the car. She pounded on the button for the radio, but all that did was elicit blaring noise. She fumbled to flip it off again, before she realized the beeping was her cell phone. She made it a habit not to talk on the phone when she was driving. Whoever was calling would have to leave a message.
But the beeping wouldn't stop. Had she turned off her voicemail, or was someone calling her over and over again?
The car weaved again as she grabbed the phone and flipped it open.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded slurred to her. Weird.
"Lise, pull over, right now."
"Joshua?" He sounded angry. "What's the matter?"
"Pull your fricken car to the side of the road. Now, Lise."
"You don't have to shout at me."
"Do it."
"Why?" A car honked at her as they came within inches of touching each other.
She glared at the other driver. "Stay on your own side of the road!"
"Stop your car!" He sounded frantic now, not just mad.
She couldn't think why, but maybe he needed her for something. Maybe they'd caught Nemesis. She turned on her blinker, somehow engaging the windshield wipers again.
What was she doing?
"Lise!"
Oh, yes, pulling over.
She dropped the phone, not liking the loud shouting so close to her ear. Then she guided her car to the side of the road, but misjudged the distance and her bumper grazed the guardrail as she came to a stop.
Oh no, she would have to have bodywork done. She was sure of it. She put the car in park and then turned it off. No use wasting gas while she and Joshua talked, but why hadn't he just told her on the phone?
Told her what, she tried to remember.
Her head fell back against the seat before her extreme tiredness caught up to her.
***
Joshua's heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest as he brought his car to screeching halt behind Lise's Explorer.
She'd almost gone through the guardrail. Did she realize that? She'd been driving like she was drunk or high on something.
What in the hell had happened?
Lise hadn't gotten out of the Explorer and her head was resting against her seat at an angle. He slammed out of his car, his adrenalin pumping double-time, and sprinted to hers. He tried to yank the door open, but it was locked.
He pounded on the window, shouting at her to unlock the car, but she didn't respond.

Good afternoon ladies and gents. Andre here! It's a pretty relaxed day outside in sunny Oregon but inside things are really shakin' up! The releases, contests, and new stuff are creating a great deal of excitement! As always, today is Teaser Tuesday and I've got a few goodies from Lucy's new book Forbidden: The Billionaire's Virgin Princess. Also, remember to post your comments in a chance at winning Lucy's super amazing and totally cool WEEKLY PRIZE!!!

..

EXCERPT

Over the next week, Hawk learned that, though Lina could be described as nothing less than involved, she had no friends that knew the truth about her. In fact, while she had many people she spent time with, she had none Hawk would classify as close friends period. At least the report about her he had received had been correct in that regard. Even if it had been wrong about so much else.
And nothing in the report had prepared him for the growing attraction between them. He had thought it would be something he could use to stay close to her, but discovered quickly that it was far more a detriment than a benefit in regard to doing his job.
How could he protect her when he was distracted by how her ebony hair shone in the sunlight? His fascination with her waist length hair had been born the first time he saw her wear it down. It looked and felt like silk. And how did he know how it felt?
He couldn't stop himself from touching it. And Lina didn't seem to mind. While she shied away from a lot of physical touch from others, keeping hugs short and one-armed with even her female acquaintances, she leaned into Hawk's touch. Not that he had touched her…that way. But he wanted to. Badly. His fingers actually ached to brush against the luscious curves hidden under her clothing.
It wasn't that she wore anything overtly sexy, but it was the way she moved, with an innate sensuality he was certain she had no idea she possessed.
Like right now, she was sitting across from him at the Starbucks her friend Bob had first mentioned. The way she held her head in attention while Hawk spoke highlighted the delicate curve of her neck and drew his gaze down to breasts that were molded lovingly by the cotton of her t-shirt. He was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a bra. Or the one she had on was so thin she might as well not be wearing it, because for the last several minutes her nipples had been hard. His mouth was watering for a taste of the sweet flesh.
"Sebastian?" she asked in a soft…almost uncertain voice.
His gaze shot from her breasts to her face and he felt himself going red. When was the last time that happened? He was a twenty-seven year old millionaire in his own right. He'd left blushing boyhood behind too long ago to remember it, if indeed it had ever been a phase for him. "Yes?"
"I…uh…I wondered if you wanted…um…"
"Yes?"
She was silent for several seconds, chewing on her bottom lip, looking too damn delectable. Then she said all in a rush, "Maybe we could go for a walk down State Street."
"Sure. If you've got the time." Once again, her regular bodyguard believed that she was studying. This time, at home.
When Hawk had learned Lina knew how to by-pass the security and leave the apartment she shared with a chaperone next to the one that housed her security detail, he'd been ready to strangle somebody. Her bodyguards were at the top of Hawk's list. How many times had the princess left her home unprotected? Hawk had not revealed the security breach to the family retainers though.
He was operating under the assumption that the threat to her family could be from within and he wasn't taking any risks. He would give a full report with detailed suggestions for improving security for the princess when this situation was over. He had another operative from his staff at Hawk Investigations watching Lina's building when he slept. And she was supposed to be sleeping. With the feisty princess one could never be sure.
Normally, he would have the entire case assigned to his operatives, but Hawk had made his investigative agency an international contender and multi-million dollar company by knowing when it was prudent to take a personal interest in a client's needs. He'd certainly made the right call this time.
Lina moved close to him as they walked along the tree-lined street near the capitol building and, of its own volition, his arm snaked around her petite waist.
It was only natural considering his role, but it felt too good. Not only was she a client (even if she didn't know he was her paid protector), but Hawk didn't do affectionate gestures and warm fuzzy feelings. His liaisons with women were just that. Commitment free, exchanges of pleasure without any false protestations of emotion. He didn't even have female friends. He had no interest in getting serious with a woman. In any guise. Ever.

Well, today brings yet another exciting announcement. The mass market release of Ready is OUT NOW!!! As mentioned before, all kinds of amazing things are going on around the site. Be sure to check out the contests and all of the new updates for the summer releases. In the meantime, get comfortable and read a brand new excerpt from Ready.

I love summer. My kids are out of school. It's warm enough to take the Dana outside to write and I have plenty summer releases to keep readers happy. The eagerly anticipated (according to readers) continuation of my personal mini-series from Harlequin Presents, the Royal Brides, happens this July and August. Look for "Forbidden: the Billionaire's Virgin Princess" in book stores now and "Hired: the Sheikh's Secretary Mistress" August 1st.