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Special Holiday Edition - The Oberon Chronicle
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Not much to report on this month. The exciting news is that new covers (as I mentioned earlier) are currently in the works for all nine of the Oberon books—the print editions—and I think they’re sensational! Of course, I’m generally ga-ga about all my covers—and what can I say? I’ve been very, very lucky. But these are something very different indeed!

Anyway, the first three books will be out soon—I hope—no release dates, yet, but we’re aiming to have the entire series in print by July 2010.  Definitely something I’m looking forward to! So, if you belong to a book club, know the book buyers at your local libraries, or have an interest in helping set up book signings—please let me know!  I love signing books. Have pen, will travel.

In other news: This month, I’ll be hosting Dr Ava Cadell (author of the Tantric Sex Workbook) on my blogs. Here are the links:

January 19-23 at The Midnight Bell http://midnight-bell.livejournal.com The subject is Tantric Kissing

January 26-30 at Rhymes with Foreplay http://www.rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com< The subject is ‘The Big O’ Gee, wonder why I’m interested in that one? ;)

February 2-6 at The Crone’s Nest http://the-crones-nest.livejournal.com where the Oberon Book Club will be reviewing the Workbook. Should be lots of fun!

Dr Ava is also hosting a contest this month (just in time for Valentine’s Day) The ‘Search for the World’s Best Lover Contest costs nothing to enter and offers some great prizes--including a copy of 52 Sizzling Sex Secrets which you get just for entering! Write a brief essay on why the person you’re nominating should win and you’ll also receive a nice certificate for your loved one and a chance to win a free scholarship to Dr Ava’s Loveology University. For more information check out her website at: http://www.loveologyuniversity.com

I’ve also been expanding my web presence in the past few months and can now be found on Facebook and Twitter...hope to see you there!

I've been going crazy with the blog posts today. 4, count 'em, 4 posts in one day. Whew. Of course, it will now probably be another year or so before I post again, but what the hell.

I've posted two excerpts from my latest UNreleased, Uncontracted, UNedited, Urban Fantasy plus links to my two newly released novellas, plus links to excerpts from both of those, as well.

There's even info about a new contest I'm running.

So, if you wanna check 'em out, here are the links (in alphabetical order). Happy reading.

The Crone's Nest

Midnight Bell

Rhymes With Foreplay

Wicked Whispers

Or, as Ambrose Bierce would have it in his 'Devil's Dictionary': "There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know." 

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find it both ironic and amusing that February is turning into my annual month for backtracking...kind of like the groundhog taking a look and thinking, nope, not yet. This year, I've got Mars Retrograde to blame for it...or do I mean credit? Yes, definitely credit....although I suppose it could be that whole Neptune in Aquarius/Uranus in Pisces flip-flop that's making me (with my sun in Pisces and my moon in Aquarius) so annually nuts?

No, matter, I guess. The big news here is that Oberon is returning to SynergEbooks...or, has actually returned, by this point, making me both excited and relieved (and totally psyched to suddenly have an even dozen—twelve books out at one time—woo-hoo!). I love this series, I will always love this series, but other than writing new novellas, either set in Oberon or featuring Oberon characters, or possibly re-working the series material for the purposes of 'new media' marketing I need to be done with writing it. And it needs to be released (and available in some format)in its entirety—now, rather than ten years from now. 

Plus, besides being available on the SynergE website http://www.synergebooks.com  the series will also be shortly available for purchase at Fictionwise, Mobipocket and Amazon's Kindle bookstore.
So, once again it's a new year and a new beginning and thanks to all this new energy (and a terrible propensity to procrastinate on my writing) I've spent the last few days updating both of my websites. Stop by and check 'em out, if you get the chance:



The Wicked Whisper Authors are pleased to announce the return of the Hump Day Hottie contest. Check out the hotties on our blog each Wednesday and leave us a comment to be entered to win a gift certificate from one of our favorite publishers and/or book sellers.

You know what I mean by 'favorite' don't you? That means they publish and/or distribute our books.

 

Well, it's not exactly new, but for those of you who don't know it, I now have three books out with Liquid Silver Books, including the latest:



http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&cart_id=3641886.54538&product_name=Let+Me+Count+The+Ways&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

"As the owner of The Body Electric, LA's hottest new exercise studio, sexy, former film star Claire Calhoun has her pick of studly young men eager to do her bidding. Small wonder she's used to calling the shots, both in and out of bed. But everything changes the night the actress-turned-entrepreneur has one mojito too many at a party and decides it would be fun to pick up her accountant, Mike Sherman. She's thinking fling. He's thinking forever.

Claire has been Mike's fantasy since the first time he saw her bare it all for the camera. Now, she's in his bed and he'll do whatever's necessary to keep her there. But he's not a stalker, right? He's just a devoted fan."

And for more on the awesomely good reading front do yourselves a favor and check out the following fabulous new releases:



http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Sea+Of+Dreams&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

"Fiona Neal is tired of shuffling between one crappy job and the next, and the same goes when it comes to relationships. But when a stranger at a wedding lights her fires, she succumbs to a few moments of stolen passion before beginning a new life.

Mike Alvarez gets just what he's looking for when a beautiful waitress satisfies his carnal cravings ... giving him everything but her name. When he moves a thousand miles away to begin a new job, he's shocked to meet her again ... and just as hungry for her.

Fiona swore her job as a naturalist was a new beginning, but when she encounters Mike again, it's hard to ignore the swirling passion between them. But their budding relationship will be tested by ghosts from not only Mike's past, but Fiona's as well. For there's more to her than meets the eye. She's a prodigal daughter, and the only one who can heal the mystical world of the Fae ... or tear them apart forever."

Sea of Dreams is the third interlude in the marvelous Ms. Keira Ramsay's ultra-fantastic RuneQuest series (Liquid silver Books).  For more about this series (including interlude 4—Breath of Heaven)  check out her website at: http://www.keiraramsay.com   And if you—like me—think four books is far too few  for this fantastic series by all means drop her a line and say so—loudly, repetitively, dare I say...annoyingly? Tell her I sent you. She can beat me up (er, I mean thank me) for it later.

And from the endlessly entertaining Ms. Jodi Lynn Copeland comes Handyman (Kensington Aphrodisia) Three very hot inter-linking stories about the men of Loose Screws...gotta love that name. And the cover—mmm. If you like that as much as I do, be sure to visit her website for printable postcards of it to download. http://www.jodilynncopeland.com 




 "He's every woman's secret fantasy, the handyman who can service her every need and bring her to ultimate sexual satisfaction."

 

"Former film star Claire Calhoun has her pick of studly young men who vie for her attention. Her accountant Mike Sherman is not as studly or as young as many of her men, but he has been fascinated by her ever since he saw her first movie. Having one too many drinks at a gallery opening, Claire seduces Mike and finds out that he is a wonderful bed partner. Claire is jaded from her life on the silver screen and almost doesn't believe that Mike can honestly be for her. What will he do if he finds out her secret? Will she lose him as she has lost so many other men before?

Let Me Count The Ways was written in the first person, alternating between Mike and Claire. Although I often have trouble with first person novels, Ms. Forte did an admirable job. Mike and Claire were surprisingly well-written, with their various secrets coming to light as necessary. Claire did her best to keep Mike as a "friend with benefits" but Mike was unwilling to stay in the slot in which she put him. I thought that Mike in particular was an amazing character. Almost middle-aged, he nonetheless made erotic and delicious love to Claire. He was a surprise to both me and Claire. Claire came off at the beginning as a self-centered woman, but as I got to know her I liked her more and more. I suggest that you have a toy handy-I certainly needed one. Their lovemaking was graphic and fun. An instance of phone sex had me squirming in my seat! There were a number of interesting twists in this book, but Ms. Forte never lost control of her plot. I expect that you will love Let Me Count The Ways."

Marcy Arbitman
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Heat level: O
 


Mike appeared to be absorbed in his work when I breezed into my office, vigorously fanning my face with one hand. "Whew, that was fun." I was glad I could blame the flush on my cheeks and the breathlessness in my voice on the exercise. When Mike's eyes met mine, I was even more glad he was too far away to notice the pounding of my heart.

Then he dropped his gaze and refocused on the papers in front of him, without so much as a single word.

Silence filled the room. Feigning indifference, I hopped on my desk, uncapped the bottle of water I'd taken from the refrigerator downstairs and gulped half of it down. I was now annoyed as well as disappointed. If I had any sense at all, Mike's present disinterest would have had a chilling effect on my libido, but, apparently, I'd learned nothing from my last marriage.

"Have you ever tried Capoeria, Mike?" I asked when I could think of nothing else to say. I was just trying to make conversation although, given Mike's wide range of interests, I wouldn't have been surprised to learn he used to teach it.

"No," he answered shortly.

"Oh, you should. It's so much fun."

"So you've said."

More silence. Dead air. God damn it. Why should I even bother? If Mike was no longer interested, I should just find someone who was. How hard could it be? He wasn't all that, after all. He was older, mostly bald, hardly in the best of shape. And, at the moment, he was as cranky and out of sorts as an entire cast of sleep-deprived, PMS-positive Divas in the midst of a chocolate famine. Never a good look for a man. And, yet... it was still all I could do to keep from launching an ambush, shoving his chair away from the desk, straddling his lap, unzipping his fly...

Maybe he wouldn't be ready for me, but so what? I knew how to get him there quick.

But was it worth it? Did I want to have to work that hard for any man's attention?

Well, maybe. Just remembering how hot we'd been together was enough to start me creaming. One night wasn't enough. I wanted more of what we'd had. I wanted to be naked under him now. And, like a moth drawn to his particular brand of fire, no other candle was going to do it for me.

Groaning in disgust at my own weakness, I let my head fall back and slowly trailed the cool plastic cylinder down my throat, hoping it would slow my racing pulse. Capoeria might be great exercise, but it had obviously done nothing to diminish the horniness I was feeling. I was tempted to slide the bottle between my thighs, to rub its frigid surface against my heated flesh and maybe ease the fluttering pressure in my sex. Would Mike even notice if I did? I raised my head and caught him staring, eyes dark with what could only be lust. Oh, yeah, he'd notice. Good. I felt my mood lift. So much for disinterest.

Bracing my hands on the edge of the desk, I leaned forward. "So what's going on here, Mike? I don't even get a greeting now? What's up with that?"

He frowned, the heat in his gaze diminishing as his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about when you first got here today. I said hi and you totally blew me off."

"Claire, I did not blow you off."

"You did. You completely ignored me."

"How? I said hello, didn't I?"

I snorted. "Barely."

"Well, you were occupied."

"Oh, please. What kind of excuse is that?"

"I didn't want to interrupt."

"Hmph." I thought about that as Mike once again focused on his work. It was plausible, I supposed. And really very considerate, if looked at in just the right way. I still felt slighted. "Very thoughtful. But hardly necessary. We were just fooling around."

"Yes, that would have been my impression too. It's a mystery to me why you do it."

"What does that mean?"

Mike sighed. "It means I don't understand why you waste your time with these... with these young guys in their... beachwear."

Beachwear? "This is about clothing? What's wrong with the way they were dressed?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

Damien and Raul had been dressed appropriately, I'd thought, in white tanks, bearing the studio's logo, over black Lycra shorts. It was a look that was only slightly more casual than my own apparel, a lime colored, cap sleeve, scoop neck T and matching yoga pants. Mike, in comparison, was almost overdressed in khaki pants and a sage-green linen shirt. The stud I'd admired last time was once again glittering in his ear and a two-toned Rolex Oyster was clasped around his wrist. I had to admit he looked good. Attractive. Moderately affluent. Mature. Respectable. And angry.

But why? "What are you so angry about?"

"I'm not angry."

Right. Not much. Once again, I considered Mike's appearance, contrasting it with that of Damien and Raul. I recalled their hard sculpted bodies, their gleaming, oiled muscles, their... Oh. The corners of my mouth quirked upward. "Mike... are you jealous?"

"No." He continued to work steadily, but the heightened color in his cheeks and the grim set of his jaw gave him away. "Of course not."

"Mike..."

When he glanced up again, the scowl on his face wiped the smile from mine in a hurry. "Is that what you wanted Claire? Were you hoping I'd make a scene in front of your boys? Sorry to disappoint you."

I could feel my cheeks flaming. "No, that's not what I..."

"Excuse me. I have a lot of work to do."

"Mike!"

He ignored me. Frustrated, I blew out an exasperated breath. I tried hard to hold on to my sense of outrage, he was acting like an ass. But it was impossible for me to stay angry with him. There was an odd tightness in my chest that wouldn't allow it. I couldn't help but recall my own reaction, two weeks ago, to Derek and his class full of pretzels.

How welcome Mike's admiration had been to me then.

I cleared my throat. "For what it's worth, I was not trying to make you jealous."

Mike nodded. "Glad to hear it."

"But, just in case you are feeling that way—"

"I'm not," he growled through clenched teeth. "I told you that already."

"Right. But if you were ever to, there's something you should know."

He was quiet for an instant and then, "What's that?"

"The truth is I find you maddeningly attractive."

He said nothing. If I didn't know better I might have thought he wasn't listening. But the slight trembling in his fingers gave him away.

"And very sexy."

Still nothing.

"In fact it's really quite distracting."

He continued working.

"Mike?"

"Thank you," he murmured, his voice subdued.

"Do you know you're blushing?"

"I'm not... blushing," he muttered, even more quietly.

But he was. To the tips of his ears he'd gone completely pink. I think even the top of his bald head was rosier than usual.

"Mike?"

Another silence. Then, finally, "Yes?"

"Would you like to kiss and make up now?"

His hand clenched hard on the pen he was holding. Any harder, and I think it might have snapped in two. He raised his eyes to mine.

I smiled and batted my eyes a time or two. "Unless you're too busy working?"

I'd forgotten how quickly he could move. I'd almost forgotten how well he could kiss. But the moment he clasped my face in his hands, the moment his lips touched mine, it all came rushing back. Oh, yes. I locked my hands behind his head and fell into his kiss. My only regret was that he couldn't talk and kiss at the same time. There aren't many ways in which fantasy is superior to reality, but that's definitely one of them.

When he finally raised his head, I locked eyes with him and smiled. "God, I've missed your mouth."

"Claire." Mike groaned in response. He pulled me close once more, muttering between kisses, "You don't know what it does when you say those things. These last weeks have been hell. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't think straight."

Huh? Bracing my hands against his chest, I pushed him away a little. "Why's that?"

"Because! I didn't know where I stood with you, or what you wanted. You were so vague when I asked about seeing you again. And you left so quickly."

What the hell? "Mike, I was perfectly clear. I said it would be nice, didn't I? Or something to that effect."

He groaned again. "That's just what I mean. Too vague. Too polite. I wanted a simple yes or no."

Amused now, I couldn't help but murmur, "Really? You'd rather I'd said no?"

Mike frowned. "Don't play with me, Claire. You know how I feel. I've always been honest about my feelings for you."

"And I haven't been? I was not vague!"

"Maybe not intentionally," Mike conceded. "But it felt vague to me. And then when you didn't call..."

I held my tongue. It would have been easy to say, well, you didn't call me, either, but would that accomplish? All this conversation was taking us into murky territory. I didn't want a relationship with him. Not the kind where feelings could be hurt if someone didn't call. "Why are we talking about this now? Don't we have better things we could be doing?"

"Wh—what?" A frown furrowed Mike's brow as he glanced around the room, his expression stuck somewhere between eager and doubtful. "D'you mean here?"

I felt my eyes widen as his meaning hit home. No, that was not what I meant."

Or was it?

After all, it wouldn't be the first time. I'd seduced Derek in this room once, although it hadn't been easy. If there's one thing that man prides himself on it's his iron self-control. Something told me Mike would be a whole lot easier to bend.

I smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, sure. Why not? Unless you'd rather wait for some other time?"

"No." Mike's voice was flat and final. "That's one mistake I'll never make again."

I'm at Chitchat and All That today. So please stop by and say hello.


Love From A to Z
PG Forte
Erotic Romance
Virtual Book Tour
Liquid Silver Books

...is at http://bookmarketingbuzz.wordpress.com where I'm talking about virtual book marketing. What else? I mean this is a virtual book tour for a virtual book, isn't it?

Cheryl has already left a comment and she made a really good point. Definitely one downside of ebooks is the difficulty of reading them in the bathtub. Which got me to thinking. What would be some cool ebook accessories you'd all like to see? Me, I'd like a soundtrack. Yeah, I know--no big surprise there, huh?

What about the rest of you? Ideas anyone? I'd love to hear 'em!!