Happy New Year!

It hardly seems possible but yet another year has flown by! I'm looking forward to 2012 and although I don't make resolutions I do like to reassess where I am and what I hope to achieve in the coming twelve months. So, urged on by fabulous Carina Press author Rachael Johns, I'm making a list of my goals. The reasoning behind this is if they're out there, then I'm accountable!

So here we go:

Finish the revisions on the first book in my new Berkley series (I have an end of January deadline for this one)

Edit and polish my Highland Warrior book

Finish writing book 2 in my new series (I have about 25k left to go on this one)

Finish writing book 3 in the Forbidden series (I've only written 30k on this one, so have a long way to go!!)

Either - start the second book in my Highland Warrior series ~or~ start book 3 in my new series. 

Keep the mess on my desk under control. Not at ALL sure about this goal, sounds like an impossible ask! Because once I start on my desk it shows up how untidy my bookshelves are, which in turn makes me realise how cluttered the entire floor is as well!!!

Now for the dreams, because we all need to have our dreams!

Would love to make the Gold Coast conference in 2012 *keeping every available digit crossed* I couldn't make the conference this year, although it was huge fun texting with the gorgeous Alli Sinclair from Novel Adventurers on Awards Night!

Attend a weekend writers retreat with my awesome CPs, Amanda Ashby and Sara Hantz.. I'm not convinced we'd get a great deal of writing done but we'd certainly knock back a lot of bubbly and... brainstorm! (because that sounds more writerly than gossiping, heh heh)

What are your goals/resolutions and/or dreams for 2012?

New Look for the New Year

I know I'm a couple of weeks early for celebrating the arrival of 2012 but I thought I'd do a bit of spring cleaning on my blog (despite it being summer here in Oz and winter in my mind!) I'd had the old template for a while and thought it was time for a change.

And I'm so happy that two of my writer friends have releases this week! First of all congrats to fellow West Australian, Rachael Johns, whose debut romance from Carina Press, One Perfect Night is out now!

 
Here's the blurb!

Peppa Grant's fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she's also heard that he's aloof and distant. Cameron McCormac certainly seems cold toward Christmas when she meets him at the company's annual party...but he's also the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family's holiday get-together, she agrees.

Cameron needs a date to the family party to get his matchmaking relatives off his back. Their chemistry is instant and undeniable, leading to an incredible one-night stand. But Peppa wants love and family, while Cameron's only interested in temporary pleasure. When their relationship takes an unexpectedly serious turn, will he run the other way—or will he give love a second chance?

And also big congrats to Kaye Manro who has a Medieval Christmas story out with Red Rose Publishing!

Here's the blurb!

A fortnight ago she left him.

Marcus of Windom stood alone in an empty castle without Lady Liana by his side. The frigid winds brought forth by the Yule Season pressed upon him. He pulled the parchment from whence he carried it and read her chilling parting words once again. I can no longer live as your lady-wife… If ever she returned would her sensual warmth be enough to melt the ice she had caused to form around his broken heart?

Deep in the Revision Cave

Things have been a tad frantic here over the last few weeks, and show no sign of letting up anytime soon - and I'm not complaining!!! It's all good and I hope to be able to share soon :-)

The revisions for my next book landed over the weekend and all I can say is my editor is a goddess. She pointed out things that had completely escaped me but which are vital to understanding the world. All I can put forward in my defense is that I've lived in this world, to a greater and lesser degree, for almost five years and what seemed clear to me in my head absolutely wasn't once it hit the screen. The revs are pretty intense and will keep me well and truly glued to the computer for the next month but I know they're going to make the book so much stronger. I'll be able to share more details about this book very soon, so stay tuned!!!

Behind the Scenes Insights & Giveaways!!

Today I'm over at Magical Musings with my good friend, historical author Michelle Diener. Michelle is another ex-pat Brit who lives in WA and when deadlines and school terms and the planets align we love meeting up for a lovely gossipy lunch!!

Michelle and I are discussing scenes from our books where our heroine first admits her deep attraction to her hero. I chose a scene from Captive and Michelle picked at scene from her paranormal short story, BREAKING OUT, which is included in the charity anthology, Entangled, for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. There are giveaways!! Love to see you over there!!

YES! Party on Now!

Don't forget to pop over to the Romance Reviews and join in the fabulous Year End Splash (YES) party! Today there's a copy of Forbidden up for grabs. All you have to do to enter the contest is answer a simple question - the answer can be found on my website the world of Forbidden (that was an extra clue right there!!)

Good luck!

A Kitty-fest of Cuteness

 Theo is two weeks old today, so I thought I'd share some new photos of him. Last Wednesday he started to open his eyes and by Friday they were fully open and he looked so adorable!

Here he is with mum Ava. She'd just washed him (again! Seriously, she is a very dedicated mama when it comes to cleanliness!) and was giving him a cuddle as he nodded off to sleep.

 Ava doing her top model pose and Theo doing his very best... ah... adorable pose!

I took a quick pic while Ava was prowling. I'd love to get a photo of Theo with his eyes wide open but I'm afraid of the flash damaging him! Paranoid grandma here or what, ha ha! He is truly distracting and I have to say my writing output has plummeted over the last couple of weeks. But then again I'm not on a deadline at the moment and he's growing so fast it would be a shame to miss anything!

Dark Siders First Birthday & Massive Halloween Bash!

An update on the fantastical Halloween party being held over on the Dark Side Downunder blog tomorrow! Here's the full list of fabulous giveaways on offer, taken directly from the blog (because it's awesome just the way it is!!!)

The DarkSiders have gathered and have got a

scarily amazing grand prize, followed by a couple of runner up prizes.

Spookily Fantastic Grand Prize....

• A copy of Rogue Gadda AND a t-shirt by Nicole Murphy
• A copy of Captive AND a bookmark by Christina Phillips 
• Either a print copy of The Goblin King or an e-copy from backlist by Shona Husk
• Love Bites Anthology volumes 2 AND 3 featuring Alexis Fleming
• How Do I Love Thee? edited by Valerie Parv (featuring Alexis Fleming)
• Emerald Ice by Alexis Fleming
• Scent of A Man (ebook) by Maree Anderson
• Vengeance Born tote bag from Kylie Griffin 
• A choice of one ebook by  Cathleen Ross
• A copy of the King Rolen's Kin Trilogy by Rowena Cory Daniells
• Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator AND South of Salem (ebooks) by Janni Nell
• Darkness Rising AND Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur
• Death’s Sweet Embrace by Tracey O’Hara
• Winged and Dangerous series (three ebooks) by Mel Teshco
• A Song and Fire and Ice calendar from Eleni Konstantine

Runner ups....

One

Heart & Craft includes chapters by Alexis Fleming and Kelly Ethan. 

The Crystal Warrior by Maree Anderson

Guilty as Sin by Denise Rossetti

Project Man by Alexis Fleming

A bookmark from Christina Phillips

Who's Your Daddy? anthology featuring Alexis Fleming

Two

Heart & Craft includes chapters by Alexis Fleming and Kelly Ethan

Poisoned Kiss AND Blood Cursed by Erica Hayes.

Passionate Peridot anthology featuring Alexis Fleming

A bookmark from Christina Phillips

Three Wishes (ebook) by Jenny Schwartz

What do you have to do to win?

Come along and comment during our blog bash during 

Monday October 31st, and answer the question.

Food for the Muse

I was talking about hero inspiration with my CP Amanda Ashby the other day, as my editor wanted ideas for the cover conference for my next book *cue much excitement my end!* I've always thought Henri Castelli was a great model for the hero of that book because of his absolutely mesmerizing eyes (OK the rest of him isn't half bad either!!) I've had a bit of a crush on Henri for a few years now (in between my long time crush on Clive Owen!) and totally blame the lovely Cari Quinn for introducing me to his gorgeousness! As it's been a while since I showcased the perfection that is Henri I thought I'd remedy that today, seeing as it's a public holiday here in WA due to the Queen being in Perth!

Sophie's Magical Covers!

My good friend and CP, Amanda Ashby, has just unveiled the covers for her upcoming MG series, Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic - and they totally rock!!! The model is exactly how we imagined Sophie looks and the little details on each cover, that tie in with each book, are just super cool.

The first two books, Wishful Thinking and Under a Spell are out in June 2012 and the third book, Out of Sight will be out a few months later.

And here is the unofficial blurb (culled directly from Amanda's blog!!)

The day before sixth grade Sophie Campbell accidentally gets turned into a djinn and then has to learn how to control her powers and hide it all from her mom (who is still super stressed since Sophie's dad walked out on them four years earlier). She also has to stop her new, recently-deceased djinn guide, Malik from ruining her life. Let's just say that chaos ensues!

Behind the Scenes of Creating a Cover

If you've ever wondered about the process that goes on behind the scenes to create a book cover, then hop on over to fellow Berkley author Kylie Griffin's blog. Not only is she showcasing the stunning new cover for the second book in her forthcoming Light Blade series, Alliance Forged, but she also has Part One of a fascinating interview with the artist who created both covers.

And here's the captivating lowdown on book 2!

(Book #2 in the Light Blade series)

Berkley Sensation

Release date JULY 2012

There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not purebred is virtually powerless. Until a blind priestess lays claim to a half-breed warrior, body and soul…

Hunted and marked for death by Na’Reish demons for their half-blood heritage, the Na’Chi are searching for a new home—something an alliance offered by the human leader could provide. With both races divided by prejudice, when Light Blade rebels brutally attack the Na’Chi, the alliance seems doomed to fail.

Varian, leader of the Na’Chi, a hybrid race of gifted warriors, is cursed with the darker impulses of his demon heritage. Controlling the part of himself that craves the high of the battle is a struggle he’s afraid he’ll lose—until he meets Kymora Tayn, a priestess driven to serve her deity. While he’s unwilling to trust anyone outside his people, he finds himself drawn to Kymora’s strength and passionate nature, and discovers she has the power to calm the darkness inside him.

When the Na’Reish raid human territory for blood-slaves and kickstart a war, the key to the survival of both races—Na’Chi and human— is an alliance. However, when Kymora is kidnapped, pitting human against human, Varian realizes he must embrace his darker half, not only to save the alliance…but also the woman he loves.

Welcome to the world!

On Tuesday our gorgeous Ava gave birth to her kittens! There were some complications and we had to rush her to the vet's for an emergency Caeserean. Luckily they managed to save two of her four kittens, and here she is with her two little sons, Theodore and Bartimaeus.








Theodore is the darker one, and spends all his time either nursing or sleeping. Bartimaeus, on the other hand, spends half his time on his back waving his legs around and somehow manages to maneuver himself all over the box using this method! He also makes a lot of noise and I think he might well live up to his mischievous namesake!!!

Halloween Birthday Bash

The fabulous Dark Side Downunder blog is one year old on 31st October! And to celebrate we're having a Halloween party and birthday bash with giveaways! There's a grand prize plus prizes for two other lucky people.

Some of the giveaways on offer include:

Dark Angels books 1 and 2 by Keri Arthur

Scent of a Man by Maree Anderson

King Rolen's Kin trilogy by Rowena Cory Daniells

Rogue by Nicole Murphy


Captive by Christina Phillips

... and more!

Going to be heaps of fun - more details nearer the time!!

Super Amazon Sale on Forbidden & Captive

Just did a fly-by at Amazon and discovered that both Forbidden and Captive are on sale at bargain prices! Forbidden is only $2.53 or buy both books together for just $8.37. And the Kindle edition is only $2.40!

Yes! A Splash Party is on the Horizon!

It's hard to believe, but the end of 2011 is rapidly approaching. And to help with the celebrations The Romance Review is holding a mega party throughout the month of November. It's going to be huge and fabulous with lots of games and masses of prizes, including a copy of Forbidden up for grabs! So don't forget to mark your diaries (but don't worry I'll remind you nearer the time!!)

Hot Romans, Magical Druids & a Paranoid Emperor

Today I'm blogging over at Historical Hearts on What is an Ancient Historical Romance, Anyway? There's a little bit of background to the world that my Roman/Druid books are set in and I also explain how the Emperor Claudius's paranoia when it came to Druids dovetailed so beautifully with my plot for Forbidden!

Spot the Difference

I had to share this funny that I stumbled across this morning. It's on USA Today bestselling author Jo Goodman's site and concerns the cover for her book Kissing Comfort. She has the ARC cover and the final cover up on display and I challenge you to spot the difference between them! Look at the covers before you read the explanation underneath. Trust me, if you have a naughty sense of humour it's well worth your time!!!

Fab Interview with Jeannie Lin

Oops, I've been a very bad blogger again. In my defence I have been busy over at the Historical Hearts launch party. It was a terrific week and I'd like to thank everybody who took the time to pop over join in the fun! The list of winners will be going up on the HH blog later this week, so don't forget to pop back and have a look!

There's a really fascinating interview with historical author Jeannie Lin over on the Historical Hearts today. Jeannie writes historical romance for Harlequin set during the Tang Dynasty and she is generously offering a giveaway of her latest release The Dragon and the Pearl to one lucky commenter who answers her question.

Isn't this a gorgeous cover?

Party Time with the Historical Hearts!

Join me today over at the Historical Hearts blog as we continue our week long launch party! There are lots more gorgeous gifts to be won, including a copy of Captive (and I'll pop some extra goodies in the envelope too!) All you have to do is hop over to HH and leave a comment and you're in the draw!

And if you tell me who your fantasy warrior is (over at the HH blog) then you will make me very happy!!!

Blog Bite Guinea Pig

Today I'm over at the Romance Writers of Australia's blog where I'm in the Blog Bite hot seat! You can discover all sorts of odd things about me but mainly we're having a discussion of the 80s - what's your fave *anything* from that era? I'd love to know!

Friday LOLKitty

How cute is this kitty! Thanks again to Eleni for the gorgeous pic!!!

I now have the date when I'll be blogging over at Historical Hearts - Tuesday 13th September. There will be a giveaway so don't forget to pop over and say hi!

I'm also doing a 30k in 30 day challenge, organized by Carina Press author, Rachael Johns  We're being held accountable over at Twitter with the hashtag #30kinSept so that should be fun. My aim is to hit at least 60k on my current book - hopefully will be nearer 70k.

I'll let you know how that goes!

Gearing Up for the Historical Hearts Launch Party

Oh yes, doesn't the sight of the delicious Henry in Immortals warm the cockles of your heart? And now I have your attention with a bit of gratuitous gorgeousness I'm going to announce some exciting news!

A group of Australian and New Zealand authors who write historical romance have got together, and we're launching a new blog next week - Historical Hearts We write across the spectrum, from ancient Roman times (that would me!), through to Scottish Highlanders, Regency, Victorian and up to World War II. Sizzling, sweet, fantasy and paranormal, there's something for everyone! There's going to be lots of fabulous giveaways throughout next week, so don't forget to pop on over and say hello!

Cathryn Hein - Promises

Huge congratulations to my good friend Cathryn Hein, whose debut with Penguin Australia hits the shelves today! Isn't that a beautiful cover? I've known Cathryn for a few years but we only met for real at the RWA conference last year. Fingers crossed we'll get to meet up again next year!

And here's the enticing blurb:

A father with something to hide, a jockey with a taste for blackmail, a man with an agonising secret... and a young woman in love, defying them all.

Sophie Dixon is determined to leave her tragic past behind and forge a bright future on her beloved farm. While looking to buy a new horse, she is drawn into her neighbour Aaron Laidlaw’s orbit, despite the bad blood between their families. As the racing season unfolds, Sophie and Aaron’s feelings for each other deepen. But Aaron is torn, haunted by a dark secret he fears can never be forgiven – especially by Sophie.

Sophie believes herself strong, but the truth behind her mother’s death will test her strength, and her love, to the limit. She’s been broken once. No one wants to see her broken again. Least of all the man who has grown to love her.

Captive - 20 Years of Romance Covers

I haven't forgotten today is Friday, but am going to put off the LOL kitty until after the weekend because today I received my certificate from the Romance Writers of Australia for the 20 Years of Romance Covers. Isn't it completely gorgeous! I've put the frame up in the dining room so everyone can admire it!!!

Huge thank you to the organizers of the contest and to everyone who voted and I'm just really sorry that I wasn't there at the conference to collect this in person.

If you love the Captive cover then you might want to check out other work by the artist, Tony Mauro. Totally awesome!

LOL-Oops

Yes, I managed to forget the Friday LOLcats after only three weeks. Oops! I only remembered last night so without further flaffing about, here is this week's adorable kitty (with thanks as always to the talented Eleni!!)

OMG how cute is this? Look at that little face!

Captive Ties 1st Place in the Romance Writers of Australia's 20 Years of Romance Covers!

On Saturday night I logged into Twitter so I could follow the award ceremony for the Romance Writers of Australia's 20th conference. And nearly fell off my chair when I saw that the cover of Captive tied for first place in the Historical Section along with my lovely writing friend Tamara Gill's A Captain's Order, A Duke's Command! Thank you to everyone who voted :-)

Stunning covers!! The full line up of finalists can be found here and details of the winners of the RWA 2011 Awards Night can be found here along with a couple of pics.

LOLCATS Friday #3

It's the 20th annual Romance Writers of Australia's conference this weekend, being held in Melbourne - and I'm not there!! I feel like Cinderella only this time there's no glass slipper or fairy godmother. *sigh* However, I have to say HM&B author Nikki Logan is doing an amazing job over at Twitter giving us the highlights and sound bites of Bob Mayer's Warrior Writer workshop, so big thanks Nikki!

And here is the adorable kitty for today. What a very lovely dream!!!

Doctor Who?

 I'm a bit of a David Tennant as Doctor Who fan, so had to post this YouTube of him with Catherine Tate. It's for Comic Relief Red Nose Day and is a few years old now, but I've only just discovered it and it's hilarious!

Enjoy!

Writerly Update

It's been a while since I did an update-on-my-writing post, so here goes!!

I heard back from my agent over the weekend and she loves the last book I handed in *phew* what a relief. It's like a weight off my mind. Now everything's crossed that my editor likes the revised version too :-)

I'm 15k into my next book, and the hero and heroine can hardly keep their hands off each other. I've already split them up once just as they were enjoying themselves, so I guess I'd better let them have some fun soon before I tear their world apart!

Boomerang Bride

Very excited for my good friend Fiona Lowe, multi-pubbed Mills and Boon author in their Medical line, who's celebrating the release of her debut single title from Carina Press today - Boomerang Bride! Huge congrats, Fiona :-)

And here's the tantalizing blurb!

Matilda Geoffrey risked it all for love. She left Australia to be with Barry—the man who had swept her off her virtual feet. Now, wearing a wedding dress, she's alone on Main Street in small-town Wisconsin, and things aren't working out exactly as planned...

In town for his annual family visit, Marc Olsen had never seen a bride quite like Matilda—staring into a storefront window, holding a tottering wedding cake, and looking desperately in need of a groom. He may not have any warm feelings for his hometown,but meeting Matilda just as she discovers she's been scammed by her online "fiancé" stirs something in him.

Matilda is not the kind of woman Marc imagined himself with, and Marc is anything but the romantic hero that Matilda has always dreamed of. But as unlikely circumstances throw them together, can they let go of their misconceptions and risk their hearts for love?

LOLPUPPY Friday

Here's the second LOLCATS Friday. But because we're all about equal opportunity here, we can't leave out the adorable puppies! So with thanks to Eleni, here's the first LOLPUPPY (hope you enjoy this one, Cathryn!!)

The answer to this question is... ummm, no not yet...

DarkSiders Unleashed

 Check out these sizzling covers on fellow DarkSide Down Under authors whose books are releasing this week! Super hotness guaranteed!!!

Enter the fierce, fantastical world of the Shadowfae, where blood is a drug, magic is a crime, and love is the most dangerous weapon of all...

 
To a vampire, nothing is sweeter than bloodfairy essence -- and Ember is the most sought-after fairy on the underworld circuit. Selling her blood to the highest bidder -- and robbing her clients in the process -- Ember has unwittingly become a target of dark and dangerous forces. Her enemies are everywhere. And if she hopes to survive, she needs protection...

Diamond is a glassfairy who, for better or worse, knows his way around the vampire underworld. Smooth as silk and tougher than trolls, Diamond is Ember’s only chance to keep her magical blood inside her body, where it belongs. But he also poses a threat to Ember, a strange kind of danger she’s never experienced before: She’s falling in love with him... 

Michael’s bad, bad, bad—all the way to the bone. A single heated encounter with the master thief and level-headed Liseriel the Gray has never been so furious—so intrigued—in her life. Neither has Michael. Danger’s always been his drug of choice.   

With his huge bronze wings and sweet, serious smile, Daxariel the Burnished is everything the thief is not—a generous shining spirit, an honest loving soul—and a virgin.

   It's going to take two Aetherii to catch a thief. Lise and Dax are both so godsbedamned good, Michael can’t wait to debauch and defile, to make his Aetherii beg for dark erotic pleasures. It’s the only way he knows to win—and win he must, because there’s something about wings and tails and trust freely given that has him reeling.

   Exquisitely trapped between Michael’s intoxicating wickedness and Dax’s steadfast love, everything Lise believes about duty is dust on the wind. How can she crave both these men, different as night and day?

Every fairy tale has to have some basis in fact, right? That's what Eliza thought as she made a desperate plea to the legendary Goblin King. If he could grant her wish, she'd finally be safe. He would protect her. But what would he ask in return...?

Enjoy this short prequel and a sneak peek of The Goblin King, the first of a highly imaginative new paranormal series by Shona Husk.

Kat Meyer sleepwalks–buck naked sleepwalking, just to make it even more humiliating–and she goes to great lengths to lock herself in her house at night so she doesn’t inadvertently entertain the neighbors. She’s been there, done that, and she’s never quite gotten over it! Adding to the stress, her lazy cat, Cupcake, seems bound and determined to be a cat-burglar extraordinaire. But instead of just leaving “gifts” like house keys and trinkets on her pillow, Kat’s pet has now gravitated to stealing rings. Specifically, Jace Burton’s ring. And Jace just happens to be the big-shot architect she’s vying with the other designers to work with.

When Jace wakes in the middle of the night to find a naked and highly distraught Kat in his living room, he’s inclined to believe her bizarre tale of sleepwalking and cat-burglars-of-the-feline-persuasion. He is a red-blooded male, after all. And did he mention she was gorgeous? And naked? As an added bonus, he’s beyond grateful to learn that Kat’s found his grandfather’s missing ring.

Jace is appalled to think of what harm might have befallen Kat while she prowled the streets naked at night. She’s gotten right under his skin and all his protective instincts kick in with a vengeance. It’s sure no hardship to escort her safely home–nor to offer to help her find out how’n the heck she’s getting out of her deadlocked house at night. But Kat’s the unwitting victim of a zodiac curse, and when the unbelievable truth smacks him right between the eyes, Jace doesn’t know what the hell to think. Should he hide what he’s seen from the woman he’s fallen head over heels in love with? Or should he tell her the truth and risk losing her forever?

LOLCATS Friday

When I was a member of the editorial team for the Romance Writers of Australia's monthly newsletter, the very wonderful Eleni Konstantine use to send me the best lolcats to add to my page of writerly snippets. I loved those pics so much! I really miss not using them. And since I have a few spare I thought I'd post them over the next few Fridays. Just so everyone can see how clever Eleni is!!!

RWAus Top 15 Favourite Covers

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Romance Writers of Australia. To help celebrate, the RWA held a 20 Years of Romance Covers contest, where authors submitted their fave book cover from the last 20 years. There were so many gorgeous covers! The results have just come through and I'm delighted that Captive made the top 15!! The full list of finalists can be found here. The winner will be announced at the RWA conference in August.

Go Bren and Morwyn!!

Hot Doctors & Fever Cure

All this week my good friend Phillipa Ashley has been chatting about hot doctors over on her blog to help celebrate the release of Fever Cure from Samhain. Today I'm partying with Phillipa and sharing one of my fave movie doctors - can you guess who I chose?! Pop on over and join in the fun, we even have photos!!!

Phillipa will be popping over here some time next week but to whet your appetite here's the blurb for FC!

The road to heartbreak is paved with honorable intentions…

After a year dealing with her mum’s health scare and the end of a bad relationship, Keira Grayson was looking forward to kicking up her heels at her best friend’s wedding. Until she kicks off her (spare) knickers in front of the trifecta of perfection. Tom Carew. Son of an earl, honorable doctor and possibly the hottest man on the planet.

One look at Keira’s delightful embarrassment, and Tom’s hormone meter spins off the charts. Trouble is, his bags are already packed to return to the jungles of Papua New Guinea. He has patients waiting—and amends to make for a terrible choice that left devastation in its wake.

They both reason that indulging in a one-time dinner date won’t hurt…until their inhibitions melt away in the heat of their lethal sexual chemistry. Leaving Keira wondering if a sizzling fling is just what the doctor ordered, or another prescription for relationship disaster. And Tom fighting a battle against inner demons that could shatter both their hearts.

A Cucumber Break

I made the deadline for my latest book and sent it to my lovely editor at 5 pm last Wednesday (deadline day!). Talk about cutting it fine. That's the one good thing about the 12 hour time difference between here and New York!! It's just as well I had no choice but to hit Send since otherwise I would've gone through the entire book yet again.

So, after crashing for a couple of days and using up an entire cucumber on my poor sore eyes, I thought I'd have a week or so to tidy up the house and clear my desk. But by Friday afternoon I started getting that twitchy feeling. The one that's a prelude to me sliding into a grumpy, cantankerous witch (because in real life I'm not like that at all!!) It's like a mild anxiety attack hovering beneath the surface and it always hits me when I'm not in the middle of writing something.

Despite not having the faintest clue last Wednesday on what I should write next, by Sunday a heroine had taken up residence in my mind and refused to leave. Unfortunately, considering the hero who's her perfect match, it's impossible for her to be in the next book. Not that this fact shut her up, incidentally. So I've spent the last few days frantically trying to coax my next hero's soul mate into revealing herself. I hope she doesn't take too long because I'm itching to start writing again!

I never did get around to clearing off my desk either!!!

Ancient Historical Summer Beach Reads

My lovely writing friend, Alli Sinclair, has listed her top ancient historical Summer Beach Reads over at her blog, Novel Adventurers and I'm completely thrilled that she's included both Forbidden and Captive! If you love ancient historicals then pop on over and check out her fabulous list!

Galactic Burn

Congratulations to my good writing buddy Mel Teshco on the release of Galactic Burn today! Can't wait to read it :-) Check out this scorching blurb:

Humans have been almost wiped out. Only a few females are recovering from the devastation. The same deadly virus annihilated the female population of a mighty alien nation and their three kings—Dar, Ezra and Maddox—are looking for one special female, Lillian, to capture and seduce.

 

Though Lillian survived, she has no memory and struggles with the fact that three alien men have become her lovers. One by one, they take her, make her burn for release and satisfy her every sexual need. She craves their touches, their kisses, their comforting embraces while forming strong emotional bonds with each. Lillian is falling for her sexy aliens and agrees to become their life mate in a special ceremony—her three males will make love to Lillian as all the surviving alien males watch.

But, as the ceremony nears, Lillian begins to remember. The aliens lied and covered up the horrible truth. Their happy, new life together might not be possible after all.

Forbidden at Sizzling Summer Reads

The contest to win a copy of Forbidden is up on The Romance Review site now if you want to join in - you have to scroll down a little way to get to my question. The answer is up on my website in the excerpt for Forbidden - and here's an additional hint, it can be found on the second page of the excerpt!

Still love this cover to bits!!!

Two Wonderful Little Words: The End!

Today, about five minutes ago in fact, I type THE END on my current book. Hooray! what a relief. I feel like I've been writing this book all year! (probably because I have, more or less!!) Now it just needs a good polish and as it came in at almost 103,500 words I need to cut back to 100k, so that should be fun. Ha ha, or not!

But although it feels like I've been writing this book forever, when I checked my diary I realised it's been five months and two weeks. Considering this includes a complete rewrite of 70k I guess this isn't too bad after all. On the downside I suppose this also means I have no more excuses not to clear the mess that is my desk!

Sizzling Summer Reads!

Here in Australia we're in the depths of winter (it's cold and wet as I write this!!!) but happily I'm joining in a sizzling summer party over at The Romance Reviews during the month of July!

All month there's going to be fab contests with awesome prizes and the chance to chat with amazing authors. I'm over there on 11th July with an easy-peasy question to be in with the chance of winning a copy of Forbidden. The answer to the question (you'll have to pop over to TRR on 11th to discover what it is!!!) can be found by reading the excerpt of Forbidden on my website (told you it was easy!)

All you need to do to join in the summer fun is register at TRR and that's it! I hope to see you over there on Monday 11th July!!

Vengeance Born - Stunning Cover!!

My good friend Kylie Griffin has just unveiled the cover for her debut fantasy romance from Berkley Sensation - isn't it completely gorgeous? It hits the shelves on 7th February 2012. I'm so looking forward to reading this series. Congratulations, Kylie!!

VENGEANCE BORN: A Novel of the Light Blade
There is no mercy in the demon realm. No escape. In this place of desperation and conflict, anyone who is not pure bred is virtually powerless. Until an unlikely champion is born…

Annika, half-blood daughter of the Na’Reish King, longs for more than her tormented life among her father’s people. Conceived in hatred and bred as a tool of retribution, she’s gifted with a special talent that can heal as well as destroy.

With the Na’Reish vastly outnumbering them, Kalan, a Light Blade warrior, knows the future of humankind depends on him alone. Incursions into human territory and raids for blood-slaves by the Na’Reish Horde have increased. As Chosen-leader, he faces the task of stopping the demons—and convincing the Council of aging Light Blade warriors that change is necessary for survival.

When Annika learns Kalan is a prisoner in her father’s dungeon, her dream of escape seems within reach. She agrees to free him in exchange for his protection once they reach human territory. Now, marked for death for helping him, Annika must learn to trust Kalan as they face not only the perilous journey to the border but enemies within the Council—and discover a shocking truth that could throw the human race into civil war…

Halo - Reloaded

A lot of authors are now self-publishing their out of print backlist titles, and I'm very excited that my friend, Amanda Ashby, has just made her debut romance, You Had Me at Halo, available on Kindle! How cute is that cover? And at $2.99 it's a bargain! Here's the blurb:

 When Holly Evans wakes up dead at the tender age of twenty-two, she's pretty sure things can't get any worse (especially since her boyfriend was about to propose to her with a diamond ring the size of her knuckle). But Holly's wrong and it turns out that she's still got some mortal baggage to unload before she can walk through the pearly gates, which is why she's being sent back to earth to get things sorted out.

Problem is that when she lands in the body of computer geek, Vince Murphy, she discovers that instead of having left the building, Vince is still very much alive (and remarkably unimpressed at the idea of sharing with a dead girl). So now Holly has to sort out her unresolved baggage in the next forty-eight hours while stuck in the body of a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. And if she doesn't? Well, let's just say that she's probably not going to like the alternative.

And here's the cover to Michelle's In a Treacherous Court - I meant to post it up yesterday and completely forgot. Seriously, this head cold has a lot to answer for!!

Juicy Bits

Eleni Konstontine had her short story, Dragon's Quest, published on the Antipodean SF site, in issue 156. I love the dragon!! And if that isn't enough juicy goodness, recently, Eleni also voiced the podcast for Dragon's Quest and you can listen to it here Antipodean SF Yay, Eleni, you clever girl!!

More goodness comes in the form of a great Goodreads contest from my friend, Michelle Diener. Michelle's debut historical novel, In A Treacherous Court set in the court of Henry VIII comes out in August, but if you're in the US you can enter the GR contest here to be in with a chance of winning one of 10 copies that are up for grabs. The contest runs until 11th July. Good luck!!

Skittles and a Fairy Bad Day

Huge congratulations to my dear friend, Amanda Ashby, as her fabulous YA Fairy Bad Day hits the shelves today!

Here's the blurb to whet your appetite:

First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under me by Curtis Green. Sure, he’s really cute, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.

 On top of that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you’re thinking—how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won’t STOP!

  But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be the GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately…it’s Curtis. 

And here's the excerpt Enjoy! (and if you're wondering what the Skittles reference is all about, they play a Very Important role in the book!!!)

New Website

After months of putting it off I finally bit the bullet and redid my website. It took about five days to build and then another five days to upload it to the web (seriously! It was Very Confusing) And then another couple to fix all the glitches which hadn't shown up beforehand. So hopefully *fingers crossed* everything is working the way it should be now, but it's a bit like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge!!

Here's the link if you want to have a quick squizz!

And here is a gratuitous picture of Henry Cavill, just because I felt like posting it!! 

The Immortal... Henry!

I'm a bit of a fan of Henry Cavill (Sussex in The Tudors. Need I say more?!) so I was thrilled when my friend, Eleni Konstantine, posted a YouTube clip for his next movie, The Immortals. He looks pretty damn hot in a skirt, that's all I can say!! And his weapons are impressive. I will definitely be checking it out, purely for research purposes you understand because Henry - especially in this gear - is a dead ringer for the hero of my next ancient historical romance!


And here's the trailer. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day & Killing Your Darlings

Happy Mother's Day! I hope you all had a wonderful day with your human and/or fur babies. My lovely children framed the cover of Captive for me and it is completely awesome :-) unfortunately my photo skills are such that I can't enlarge it to show all the details!

I recently heard back from my editor on my current book. She had read the proposal - the first four chapters and synopsis (my chapters are quite short!) and had some excellent insights on the plot based on the synopsis I'd given her. Now, synopsis writing is not my strong point, especially when I haven't even written the book yet. I have enough trouble writing the thing after the book's finished! I don't even look at the synopsis after it's done so the book rarely follows my original ideas. However in this case, although I'd wandered away from the synopsis, the issues my editor pointed out were things I'd intended keeping.

After a mild panic attack (and a late night brainstorming session with the amazing Amanda!) I realized that no only was it all doable, but by doing it would clarify all the sticky bits at the beginning of the book that I'd earmarked as needing to be sorted out. Once again I'm amazed at just how much can be slashed and burned without making the entire plot disintegrate. It's hard to kill your darlings but sometimes it just has to be done!

Happy Firsts at Strange Candy!

Today I'm over at Strange Candy Reviews to help celebrate her first year blogoversary! So in keeping with the theme of 'firsts' I'm chatting about how I felt when I first held my very first copy of Forbidden in my hot little hands! Strange Candy has a fab contest going on from 22nd April to 6th May where one commenter can win a $50 gift card to the Book Depository so if you get a moment pop on over and say hi. I'd love to see you!

Happy Easter and the Great.... What If?

Well, I'm looking forward to the long Easter break coming up! Hopefully the weather will stay fine and my husband can finish off his latest project. Which is... enclosing half of our back garden so the kitties don't go wandering! When we were first married we had two little kittens and one was run over and killed when she was only nine months old. I don't think we've ever got over it. So this way we hope to give them freedom but also ensure their safety. And that's not all, cats go missing on a regular basis round here and I do NOT think it has anything to do with the cats themselves running away.

And in other news, I'm over at Magical Musings today with my good friend Michelle Diener (who writes historical fiction for Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books) In both Forbidden and Captive my heroines have to make life-changing decisions and take a leap of faith. Today over at MM I chat about my own leap of faith in embracing a new beginning in a new land. Would love to see you over there!

Plus - my blogger has changed! It's been upgraded in my absence. Or did I upgrade and just forget?! Wouldn't surprise me!

The Making of a Cover

Tony Mauro, the fabulous artist who illustrated the cover for Captive, is being interviewed today over at Book Lovers Inc where he gives fascinating insights into the whole process from the model shoots to digital artwork. Well worth checking out if you have a moment!

Hot Demons!

I'm thrilled that my fabulous CP, fellow Tiara Girl Amanda Ashby, has sold her next book to Puffin! Here's the scoop from Publishers Marketplace:

Amanda Ashby's DEMONOSITY, in which a sixteen year old girl's life is
turned upside down when she has to protect an ancient alchemist's
relic from two demonknight brothers, one of whom is good and one of
them bad: the problem is she has no idea which is which, to Puffin, in
a nice deal, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (World English).

Forbidden & Captive Land in Oz!

So, while I was supposed to be writing this afternoon I decided to have a little wander around the Internet (as you do!) Wow am I glad I did! I discovered that both Forbidden and Captive are now for sale in Australia as from 7th April! The last time I looked both were slated for a 2nd May release. I'm almost beside myself with excitement at the thought of seeing my books on local bookshelves - although given the fact they are erotic romances, perhaps they won't be in Big W or Kmart? But still!!

It's doubly exciting as this month is Aussie Author Appreciation April over at Fangbooks where heaps of fantastic paranormal, fantasy, UF and sci-fi Aussie authors are being showcased.

Time for a celebratory glass of wine, I think!!!

Captive Kitties

Today I'm over at fellow Berkley author, Kylie Griffin's blog, chatting about my writing procedure and my kittens (oops, I mean my daughter's kittens. But, details...) There's a signed copy of Captive up for grabs or, if the winner lives internationally, an Amazon gift card. And while you're over at Kylie's, check out her upcoming debut romance! Vengeance Born is due out in February 2012 and it looks totally awesome!!

Computer Woes and Historical Inspirations

Argh! My computer is driving me mad. It's always been very slow but since installing the new anti virus software last week it's gone completely ridiculous on me. Now I'm being spammed by my own emails which is very annoying!!! I hope it fixes itself soon before I rip all the hair out of my head!! But in happier news... Today I'm over at Unusual Historicals, where I'm chatting about the historical background to Captive, including the real-life historical character who inspired a cruicial plot thread in the book. Would love to see you over there!

NOR - Top Pick for CAPTIVE!

My lovely editor just sent through this review from Night Owl Reviews for Captive - 41/2 star Top Pick! Here's a snippet:

I loved how Bren and Morwyn were able to move into a relationship, with so much against them. There was little reason for them to trust each other, yet they found themselves wanting to believe the best in each other. I found it interesting how Morwyn twisted her desire into an acceptable penalty to her shaken faith, while she tried to keep her heart out of it, she didn't quite succeed. But then again, neither did Bren, who fought a guilt as strong as hers. The passion between them was scorching hot, and I felt Ms. Phillips did a great job creating sizzling scenes that never seemed to get lost in over-the-top prose.

Thank you Aemelia for the fabulous review!