Busy as a Bee

Hiya! I've been very busy this month of January, and gladly so. What have I been up to? Cover art, an art design job, a bit of writing, and creating a newsletter. Today I'll be diving into my Victorian, trying to get at least a chapter down in between catching up on my housework. Oh, I've tidied every day, but I haven't done the big clean. You know the one, where the cobwebs are removed, complete with grotty little spiders, and the dust bunnies are chased out from under the bed. And you think I'm joking? Sadly, I'm not. While in bed the other night, I looked at the ceiling and saw an array of--okay, a SWATHE--of cobwebs dangling from every corner. They weren't there last week, I swear it, or if they were they had disguised themselves ACROSS the ceiling, but having got too weighty, I suspect, they've fallen down in long, wool-like strands.

Appalling. I am a dirty bitch. I need to clean.

So, here are a few of the covers I've created this month, and once I've posted them, I'm off to attack the grey wool in my bedroom. I figured that by me shaming myself mentioning them here, I will deffo go and get rid of them.

If you fancy some eye candy this bright and sunny Monday morning, nip on over to Lily Harlem's blog. She's got one of my fave guys on show in all his glory. Well, not all of it, but enough to get the imagination going. LOL! http://www.lilyharlem.blogspot.com/

Competition and Lily Harlem

Hey, folks! Today I have Lily Harlem here, a really lovely woman who writes superbly and wants to let you know about a competition, but you've got to be quick if you want to enter! Take it away, Lily!

Thanks so much for having me at your blog today, Natalie, it is always great to hang out here. For those of you who don’t know me I’m an author of contemporary erotic romance writing for Ellora’s Cave, Total-e-Bound and Xcite as well as featuring in numerous UK and US anthologies. I got my big break into writing by entering an erotic fiction contest with the first steamy story I’d ever written titled Madam President. Much to my delight I won first place which gave me the confidence and the enthusiasm to continue with my naughty stories. So, with that in mind, I just want to tell any aspiring writers about the Love Honey/Filament Magazine’s latest competition, but you’ll have to be quick – closing is Monday 31st Jan. Hey, you probably weren’t doing anything over the weekend anyway!

Submissions can be sent by email and will be judged by Violet Blue, Sex Educator, Blogger, Author and Editor of erotic anthologies. Not only could you win (first prize is £100 with two runner-up prizes of £50 each) you could also get published in one of her anthologies due for release later this year.

Basically you just need to write the most fantastic, filthy, luscious, dripping, delightful piece of fiction ever. Of course your story needs to meet competition guidelines and ideally suggest the theme water and/or be inspired by one of the photographs on their website.

Then once your sexy words are down send your entry in the body of an email (not as an attachment) to fiction@filamentmagazine.com by 31 January 2011, 5pm GMT, subject line Filament fiction competition.

Be sure to check out all the official details by following the link below and while you’re there sit back for half an hour and listen to a FREE podcast of ‘A Classic Wedding Night’ - written by myself and read by Love Honey’s Alice – ever wondered what Mr and Mrs Darcy got up to on their wedding night after their carriage slipped from view? Wonder no more…phew, its steamy stuff! Or if you prefer just download it for FREE in pdf version. It might give you some naughty inspiration.

http://lilyharlem.weebly.com/awesome-contest.html

Good luck and don’t forget to spell check!

Lily Harlem x

Winner of the 2009 Love Honey Award for Erotic Fiction

New Cave Release - Lily Harlem

As Robbie Harding belts out hit song Jenny to a packed Wembley Stadium, my heart tears, my mind fudges and my insides heat to a lusty, pulsing boiling point.

Why me more than the other 90,000 screaming fans?

Because I’m Jenny—he’s singing about me.

The guy is sex on legs with a voice to match and has starred in all my hot dreams since the day boys became interesting. For three precious years, it was more than hot dreams. Turns out he wants me back in his life and his bed. How can I resist?

So with lots of naked, sweaty and downright dirty time to make up for, I wield my backstage pass, hunt him down and refuse to be starstruck by the boy next door. Seems Robbie agrees, as he insists on tuning in to my needs and rediscovering our rhythm before we even reach a bedroom.

BUY NOW!

Out Today! Black Cougar Curse

What kind of couple do you prefer reading about? Do you want them both to be strong, to possibly clash a little with their ideas—which makes for some good sexual tension—or do you like the male strong and the woman less so?

When Tess MacKall and I began writing Black Cougar Curse, we knew Sam, our hero, had to be strong. Of course he did. After all, he’d been cursed and had carried the burden of that curse for too many years to count. He’d endured more years on this earth than anyone, roaming the mountains, waiting for his one true love to come along and break the curse. He longed for love, to be released, yet I have to wonder…wouldn’t that be scary? You’ve lived for a long time, mainly alone, and the prospect of your life changing drastically upon the appearance of your soul mate must be a daunting thing.

Sam copes with it beautifully, embracing the changes Lucia brings. He’s an adorable man who helps Lucia with her grief and also in telling her something about herself—something of which she had no clue before she arrived at his mountains.

So then we come to Lucia. Did we want a woman equally as strong as Sam, or did we want her to defer to him for the most part? No, we wanted a strong woman, someone to match Sam in every way—the perfect combination that was right for those characters.

I suppose each book demands different personalities. What works in one book with one h/h may not work in another when you take into account their lives, what they’re doing, and where they are headed. Toss in their personalities, and you’re left with deciding which one should be the stronger character, or whether they should be of equal strength.

That’s the beauty of writing, though, isn’t it? You get to choose, and sometimes your characters choose for you. For me, that’s always the best way. When characters appear already formed, their personalities and idiosyncrasies built in before I’ve even typed the first word…ah, the exquisite life of a writer!

Blurb: Deep in the mountain wilderness, Lucia Chavez searches for closure to her father’s death, and the mythical black cougar he sought. Drop-dead sexy Cherokee Indian guide Sam Starr knows more than he’s telling. After he saves Lucia from being swept away in a mudslide, the bath they both need turns steamy indeed. Sam and Lucia are living proof that near-death experiences can bring two people closer together—they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Amidst danger and mystery, Sam and Lucia explore the lust that burns between them. If their desire gets any stronger it could bring down the mountains. Ancient secrets hold the key to their unbridled sexual need. Was their passion written in the stars?

One man. One woman. A curse that binds them—and could tear them apart.

Get your sexy on and read an excerpt here:

http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419931062.htm

Subscribe to Risqué! the hottest newsletter around featuring once-a-month news from erotic romance authors Natalie Dae, Regina Carlysle, and Tess MacKall. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/risquenewsletter

New Cave Release - Olivia Brynn

In what’s become her favorite class, Jaycee Hanson sits behind Tyler Johnson, ROTC captain and star of most of her erotic fantasies. She doesn’t think he’d ever be interested in her, because in all the time she’s been watching him, she’s never seen him in the company of a white woman. She resigns herself to her thrice-weekly fantasy session during Psych 301.

But when an accidental touch near the end of class turns into an impromptu foot rub, Jaycee is more than willing to follow Tyler wherever he might lead. She doesn’t expect the stairwell.

Tyler isn’t sure what to make of the woman in his arms. She’s smart as well as beautiful. If he’d had any idea before today that she was interested in him, he would have made a move, but each time he looked her way in the past, she avoided his gaze.

Objections to their relationship come from an unexpected source, causing Jaycee to second-guess herself. She and Tyler have more than sexual chemistry, but will it be enough?

New Cave Release - Cari Quinn

Alana MacGregor craves excitement, but when her sometimes lover dumps her at a popular sex club, she wonders if she’s outgrown her live-fast-and-recover-later lifestyle. The last thing she expects is to run into the nerdy guy she rebuffed in high school—or for him to rock her world in ways no other man ever has.

Hot on the trail of a story, Carter Nicholas can’t believe his luck at encountering the one woman he’s never forgotten. He’s come a long way from being a wall-hugging geek. Now he gets all A’s between the sheets. But can he convince Alana he’s her sure ticket to an unforgettable night—and maybe much more?

Busy Bee

Oh my LORD, have I been busy. Since Friday last week I’ve been working on cover art. I like to get them done for the month so I haven’t got anything on my mind waiting to be created. A quirk of mine, because I hate to-do lists. I have a to-do list now, but it’s all writing related and nothing is pressing or has a deadline. Phew! I have the urge to write, to get a couple of books finished, but to be honest, the urge isn’t so bad that I’m at the grumpy stage. I also revamped a couple of blogs. Both turned out well, so that’s cool.

I’m behind on writing a couple of reviews, so I must get to that too. My first writing job on the list is getting my two chapters written in the new book with Jaime Samms. The Dreaming currently sits at nearly 68K, and I think we’ll reach our prediction of 80. I love that book. It’s full of weirdness and has a baddie or two, the lovers, Barry and Tag, and an abducted woman whose life changes beyond her imagining. I also need to finish my lion shifter as Sarah Masters—I think I left them hiding from the baddies outside London Zoo. The Victorian het needs finishing, and they were left in a saucy situation. My vampires were left getting ready for a fight scene. In The Dreaming, the woman now needs to act well out of character and do something she would never have contemplated before—but if she doesn’t, there are grave consequences. All such different scenarios. Only The Dreaming appeals at the moment, so tomorrow I’ll start on that.

I got a contract for a short story and saw the mock cover today, which is absolutely LUSH! Dara, the artist at Decadent is a marvel. I wrote a short story for their 1Nightstand anthology, and each book will also be sold as a standalone. Fab!

Me, Tess MacKall and Regina Carlysle have started up a newsletter. It’ll go out around the first of each month, starting February. If you’d like the scoop on what we’re up to, you can join HERE.

Well, I’m off to finish a cover today and then spend the day reading. Have a great day, loves!

Latest News

Ok, what’s been digging on down in the past week in ND’s life?

Well, last week I had a writing frenzy and wrote a chunk on a new WIP and also penned two short stories. I’ve subbed both the shorts and must get back to the longer book. I know where I want it to go, so that’s cool, it’s just that I have some WIPs on my mind. I know I must finish them but, you know what? I just don’t want to. I’ve not been in the mood to write them for a long time. Every so often I’ll add a few hundred words, but beyond that...meh, they’re just not doing it for me at the moment. So, they can stay in a file until the urge to write them comes back—if it ever does.

I was 38 yesterday. I don’t usually mention my birthday, but this year I decided to stop being such a pleb and smile on the day I was born. I let Facebook pronounce the day I arrived in this world and was staggered by the amount of birthday greetings I received. Amazing. I spent the day writing one of those shorts I mentioned. I was going to read, but I did that today instead. I’ve been reading a couple of series for the Miz Love site and I’m loving them both. Anny Cook’s Mystic Valley Series and Lynne Connolly’s Richard and Rose series. Both amazing sets of books, and once I come to the end of these sets I’m going to be lost.

I went on a raid-the-sales spree with my eldest daughter on Friday. We had much fun in town pretending we were rich and only looking at the sales racks to pass the time, when really we were rooting around for lots of bargains. We found some, oh yes indeed, and had a great time.

And that’s about it, really. What have you been up to?

New Cave Release - Cindy Jacks

Battling housework, Sandi wonders if the spark in her marriage has disappeared. When her husband interrupts their hot-shower lovin’ to take a call from work, she’s positive the magic is gone.

In an attempt to spice things up, she gets a makeover and sets a date with her hubby for a night of passion and romance. There’s only one problem—Roberto doesn’t show. But all is not lost. Alejandro, a silver-tongued Latin loverboy wrapped in an expensive suit, volunteers to keep her company for the evening. He says all the right—and deliciously wrong—things, leaving Sandi no choice but to see him again…and again and again.

One by one, Alejandro strips away her inhibitions, pushing her to act out her darkest fantasies, desires so private she’s never mentioned them to anyone, not even her husband. Blindfolds, bondage with silk ropes, sex on the roof—nothing is off limits. But everything is not as it seems. The game’s afoot—a love game—rekindling the scorching-hot passion in Sandi and Roberto’s marriage.

Goals for 2011

Finish current manuscripts by the end of January.

Write a detective thriller novel by the end of April.

Write Frost’s novel and Croft’s novel (characters from Scared/Grave Findings) by this time next year.

Complete three books with Jaime Samms by this time next year (yes, we can do this, Jaime!).

Lose 26 pounds by June.