Friday, April 24, 2020

Attitude of Gratitude: COVID in Mazatlan

I don't usually talk about the value of maintaining an attitude of gratitude until November and Thanksgiving comes around. But in these strange and very trying times, I try to keep a positive outlook no matter how distressing the reality. I acknowledge what's going on while still working to find the good in any and every situation.

But there's def good stuff going on. The authorities here, while knowing they're overmatched, are taking intelligent steps.  The beaches are closed, gatherings prohibited, alcohol sales suspended. Social distancing is emphasized--grocery stores will allow only one person per family to enter. No kids and no pregnant women. The streets (at least where I go) are quiet and most people wear masks.



At this roadblock, authroties took my temperature wth a handheld device that didn't touch my skin,  and sprayed down the car with disinfectant. Also received a pamphlet about COVID-19.

There are still wonderful things here to enjoy:



Close-up of a cactus flower
Sheep or goats? I first thought goats, but a closer look revealed that
they're recently shorn sheep. I think.




My big, beautiful, empty beach, Playa Cerritos:








Pineapples growing nearby

Plants that are pathetic little houseplants 
in the USA grow to giant size here



But into each lovely life a little rain must fall. As I mentioned, alcohol sales have been suspended. Below, see my last bottle of red...opened last night (sob sob).





WISH ME LUCK!


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Vagina scented candles and other musings; Devere's Ward on sale now! (#RegencyRomance #99cents #KU)

January 2020 has brought us an increase in tensions in the Middle East,  Australia on fire, and Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina candle.  Imagine the hoohah over a hoohah scented candle!  

Amidst the kerfluffle, I read an article in The Guardian asking, 

Why is Gwyneth Paltrow selling a candle that smells like her vagina?


That's easy, you idiots. BECAUSE SHE CAN.

And it SOLD OUT in just a few days.

The Twitterverse has reacted predictably (and hilariously)--just search vagina candle on Twitter and you'll be amply rewarded. Here are a couple of the best:



~*~



~*~

It is hard to avoid concern about the decline and fall of Western Civilization.

On an completely unrelated note, my award-winning Regency romance, Lord Devere's Ward, is on sale this week. Enjoy!


Will he choose love or honor?

Orphaned Kate Scoville is trapped in a tower prison by her scheming uncle, who plans to wed her to his loathsome son in order to gain control of her fortune. Plucky and resourceful, Lady Kate escapes to London to ask for help from her guardian. She's sure the elderly Earl of Devere will help her in her plight.
Kate is astounded to find that the Earl has died, and his son has become her guardian. Quinn, the present Earl, remembers Kate from his childhood as an awkward child he loved to taunt and tease. 


But now his ward has grown into a beautiful young woman. Though honor prevents Quinn from making Kate his, their attraction is irresistible…

Will Kate tempt Quinn into abandoning honor? Will the wicked uncle trap Kate, compromise her and steal her fortune?


First published as Hopelessly Compromised by Kensington/Zebra Books. Winner of the Beacon Award for Best Historical Romance.

What readers said about previous editions

Five Stars! Regency Romance is Alive!
--B. Berry

Five Stars! Thoroughly Engaging Regency Romp
--Catherine Cavendish

Five Stars!
--Pandora

Five Stars! …so charming and lively…
--ldsfrost

Five Stars! Regency at Its Best!
--Judith Dedek


Happy reading!



Friday, December 27, 2019

Had Enough of Merriment and Good Cheer? Try a Twisted Yuletide Story! (#ChristmasRomance #TwistedChristmas)

Okay, it's the most wonderful time of the year, but by this time many of us will have had it up to our eyeballs with family, friends, and phony holiday cheer. It's time to retreat to your favorite book nook with a pet on your lap, a glass of wine by your side and a good read.

I've written three sexy shorties appropriate to the season...but with more than a few twists...or should I say kinks?

And whether you prefer historical, paranormal, contemporary or futuristic, I have something to tickle your, uh, fancy.



Genre and setting: Historical with a touch of vamp...Scotland, Yule Eve, 1260

A Viking raider with mysterious powers brings change to little Clan Kilbirnie, 
especially to the chieftain’s daughter Rhona.

Reviews include:

Five Stars! A short but delightfully sexy read.
--T.B. Cooper, Amazon

Five Stars! Interesting, fun, exciting and so much more.
--Sherry Westendorf, Amazon

Find it on Amazon for a nifty 99 cents!

~*~


Genre and setting: contemporary erotic romance,
New York, USA

Shelbie Nathanson resents Rick Saldano's ascension to C.O.O. of her family's shoe company, a job she's wanted all her life. But she can't resist his red-hot, sexy style of lovemaking--one that focuses on her passion: shoes.

What others have thought of an earlier edition:

“Deliciously hot!”
--Author Justine Elyot

“This book was great…very believable fun story…Thanks for the quick romp.”
--Black Disaster Fairy

“Five stars…brought me into a world I don’t have a clue about. Very well-written short story.”
--Kurt Wannanut

99 cents at Amazon

~*~



inside this book you'll find, not only Toe Cleavage (above) and another steamy holiday tale...

The Moon Maiden’s Mate

Genre and setting: futuristic romance, Luna, 2114 

Lunarian law requires 24-year-old Shayna Goldstein to marry before she's 25. She's dated everyone in New Brooklyn and rejected them all—Gideon Landers, the first man who kissed her, haunts her memories, preventing her from loving anyone else. Desperate, she consults a matchmaker, who sends a reluctant Shayna to Farside Colony to meet her mate.

The commander of Farside Colony, Gideon Landers has never forgotten Shayna. That he's been matched with her is a dream come true, but will she be willing to live in the remote colony?

~*~

“This was a really fun story... Read it!”
--Dana Busenbark

The six-story collection is on Amazon priced at $2.99

Enjoy a twisted Christmas!







Thursday, December 19, 2019

PAPERBACKS perfect for gift giving! (#AboutWriting #romance #homeschooling #sweetromance #sexyromance #BDSM)

My project for late this year and all next year is putting out my digital books in paperback, and I pushed myself to get four out in time for Christmas! 

Let's face it--it's not exciting to get a coupon good for a book in your stocking. You want to get something to hold, admire, love and read RIGHT NOW.

So I chose four of my best-selling books over a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for the discerning Christmas (or Chanukah) shopper.

Surprisingly, this book has done well with the homeschooling crowd.




Perfect for the advanced or aspiring author, ABOUT WRITING includes both Write This, Not That! Suz deMello's bestseller, and the newer Plotting and Planning, a primer on the basics: conflict and character, point of view, scene and sequel...plus much, much more, written in deMello's engaging style.

ABOUT WRITING: your essential writing manual!

From the many five star reviews:

--A great reference for experienced writers, an easy-reading primer for beginners.
--A small, but powerful book for beginners and experienced writers alike.

Find it on Amazon

~*~



When Linda Travers was fourteen, Dave Madsen, then age seventeen, rescued her from a snowy death. They later met at an end-of-term party at their college and lost their virginities to each other before Dave left the country.

And now...Despite spending her teenage years mooning over Dave, Linda Travers has moved on with her life. Being left pregnant and alone will force that on a gal. Age twenty-five, she lives in their hometown with their six-year-old, Mac. Then Dr. Dave Madsen reappears. He's spent the last years exploring in the Amazon, searching for new plants and medications. A vicious snakebite has left him needing rehab from the only physical therapist around—Linda.

Their college lovemaking was the first time for both, so Linda and Dave remember each other. She’s amazed to feel the same old anger, hurt, and need. Less emotional, Dave’s curious about Linda, wondering why she didn't leave her address and phone number for him when what they’d shared had been so good. Neither totally believes the explanations the other offers.

Since the rescue, Dave was always Linda’s hero, but she doesn’t know him anymore. Is he worthy of fathering their son? And what of their love? Can they create a future…together as a family?

It's on Amazon of course 

~*~

Want a sexy diversion?


Do you like sexy twins in a mistaken identity romance involving two hot brothers, sugar kink and a June wedding? If so, this is the light, funny romance for you!

For Colton Wilder, the invitation to his brother's wedding is an invitation to trouble, because Colt, having boinked the bride, knows what she's really like. He doesn't want his brother Max marrying selfish, manipulative Nicole Newcombe, a famous supermodel. In his view, Nicole stole the groom from her sister Dana.

For staid scientist Dana Newcombe, the invitation to her identical twin's wedding is an invitation to humiliation. While Nicole was conniving to steal Max away from Dana, Dana had wild monkey sex in a glass-walled elevator with his brother Colt.

When they meet again at the wedding, she doesn't want to want Colt, but she can't help remembering and re-enacting their earlier sexy tryst in oh so many different ways.


Praise for an earlier edition
Previously published as The Wilder Brother

"Enjoy a few hours with twins, hot men, steamy sex and lots of good fun!"
Long and Short Reviews, Amazon

"This is a truly fun read, Colt and Dana are a hoot."
Emily, Goodreads reviewer

~*~

Want to read about the real Fifty Shades?
Here it is:



Want to know the real deal about kink and BDSM?

You won't find it in BS like "Daddy's Little Milch Cow" or The Fifty Shades books. But you'll find it in Perilous Play, Suz deMello's memoir.


Readers said:

"Five stars! BDSM viewed from the inside out."
"Five+ smashing stars! I wish more people knew about this book."
"Five stars! A candid and page-turning account."


 Buy it here


Happy reading!

Friday, October 25, 2019

ON #SALE NOW to celebrate the Spookiest Month--Vampire Historical RAKES N TARTAN #99cents #KU


To celebrate the spookiest of months, 
I've put every one of my Highland Vampire historical romances on sale. 

So if sexy Scottish vampires are your thing, you've come to the right place.

But who are the Highland Vampires, you ask?





Rumors have followed the chieftains of Clan Kilburn for centuries. 

Said to be descended from the Viking Berserkers, they were ferocious in battle, known for 
tearing off the heads of their enemies 
and drinking their blood.

The gossip is frightening, 
but the reality is even darker.

From the elegant mansions of Mayfair to the mist-shrouded Highlands, 
the Kilburn vampires hunt, swive and kill. 

None are immune to their dangerous allure.
And who are the women who would dare to love them?

~*~

ON SALE NOW

On sale for 99 cents for just this week:



Setting: London, 1816
Full-length novel

The social season promises both love and danger for Torquil Kilburn and Andrew MacReiver, Highland heirs arrived in London to seek brides. The Scotsmen must negotiate the complicated morés of high society to woo and win an exquisite debutante and her passionate, unconventional mother while keeping their vampire heritage a secret.

But evil stalks the ballroom at Almack’s, the streets of Piccadilly, the drawing rooms of the ton. Headless bodies have been found drained of their blood, for another vampire haunts the streets of London, murdering noblemen. 

As he draws ever closer, Tor and Andrew must fight not only for love, but for their lives.

Here are snippets from a few of the great reviews this book got:

Five Stars! --Ingrid Stephanie Jordan

I was so excited to read this book – historical, paranormal, suspense and a little bit of romance all rolled in to one! The writing was superb!--Katie_83

Five Stars! I loved every page and can't wait to read more. --Petula Winmill

Five Stars! kept me glued to my kindle. 
--Avid Reader


FIND IT HERE


Happy sexy/spooky reading!





Sunday, October 20, 2019

Spooky Sale for the Spookiest Month! Highland Vampire Romances on #sale for #99cents or in #KU!

October is my favorite month. To be sure, here in Mazatlan, I don't smell a crisp autumn wind or crunch through piles of red, orange and yellow fallen leaves, but I'm looking forward to my first authentic Day of The Dead in Mexico.



To celebrate the spookiest month, all of my Highland Vampire Romances are in KU--every one that I, as an indie publisher, control. One of the HV romances is still in the capable hands of Harlequin Spice Briefs.

If you're not familiar with the series, 
here's the 4-1-1:



Who are the Highland Vampires?

Rumors have followed the chieftains of 
Clan Kilburn for centuries. 
Said to be descended from the Viking Berserkers, they were ferocious in battle, known for tearing off the heads of their enemies and drinking their blood.

The gossip is frightening, 
but the reality is even darker.
From the elegant mansions of Mayfair to the mist-shrouded Highlands, 
the Kilburn vampires hunt, swive and kill. 

None are immune to their dangerous allure.
And who are the women who would dare to love them?

~*~

On sale THIS WEEK ONLY for 99 cents 
or free with KU:



Setting: Scotland, 1759
Full-length novel

Dugald Kilburn was sure that he’d never find love. And why should he? 
‘Tis rare for vampires and their mates to reproduce successfully and Dugald kens that. He’s certain his lust caused his first wife’s death in childbed.

Innocent Alice Derwent presents Dugald with a dilemma. She’s different than any woman he’s known, different and altogether alluring. And while the lady is innocent, her feelings are anything but.

Will he bed and wed the lady, risking her life? 
Or remain celibate, sparing her?

But when threatened with death, Alice decides she doesn’t want to die without knowing Dugald’s love. Can he resist her charms?

What other readers thought:

Five stars..."Engrossing... I was grabbed from the start of the book..." 
--S.J. Foulkes (Amazon.com)

Five stars... "Super Read!!!... I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day." 
--Becca (Amazon.com)

Five stars..."Such a wonderful read!!!... Such a wonderful book... Love this series!" 
--Kimberly Jaksina (Amazon.com)


Like what you read? Buy it here!


But don't wait! 
Sale price of 99 cents is just for a few days!

Happy reading!