Friday, August 31, 2007

THE PRAETORIANS: INFILTRATION

The Praetorians: Infiltration - available NOW at New Concepts Publishing:


When her brother's slip makes Kendra, a strong telepath, a target for the Praetorians, she heads for the hills to hide out in hopes of evading them.

Quinn isn't about to leave his 'little lamb' out in the cold for the Hyenas, though. He might have problems with commitment, but she's his woman, and he means to rescue her, whether she wants to be rescued or not!

~ * ~

Quinn O’Rourke paced the confines between the sofa and security monitors in the living room of the cave house in which he and his friends currently lived. While it might be a cave, it had all the modern amenities one could want. Right now, hearing moans, then curses, from one of the bedrooms, he wished they’d thought to soundproof the damned thing.

He clenched his jaw. Goddamned Foundation. They’d screwed with everyone here, from his friend Max Didion, the captain of their team, to the man currently being deprogrammed.

Sean Devane. Max’s brother-in-law.

They were all Praetorians, men who were human/animal hybrids, results of secret DNA splicing that had been going on for at least twenty-five years. Max had been one of the first soldiers to volunteer, believing that having such warriors would help maintain the peace in an ever-increasingly volatile world.

Quinn, on the other hand, hadn’t been fortunate enough to be a volunteer. He’d been forcibly changed, his DNA spliced with that of a wolf. He clenched his jaw against the memories and pushed them aside. There wasn’t time for this maudlin shit.

He looked at Max, who sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on the opposite knee. His friend had a beer bottle in one hand and a folded newspaper in the other.

More cursing came from the bedroom, and Quinn parroted the phrase he heard. “Goddamned son of a bitch. What the fuck is Shepherd doing to him?”

Max looked up and calmly took a chug of beer. “He’s helping.”

“Yeah, sounds like it to me. Fuck.” Quinn prowled the space in front of the monitors, one hand raking through his hair. When several thick strands fell over his forehead, he cursed again. He needed a damned haircut. With a glance at Max, he scowled and continued to pace. “How the hell can you wear your hair that long, letting it flop around in your face? It impedes your vision.”

For Quinn, anything that affected his ability to see or hear or smell clearly had to go. All he had were his enhanced senses. Without them, he was just plain old Quinn O’Rourke, boy born on the wrong sides of the tracks, man who had nothing to offer.

“My wife likes it longer.” Max turned the paper over in his hand. Setting down the bottle of beer, he picked up a pencil from the side table and began working on the crossword puzzle.

“And you always do what she wants?” Quinn snorted. “Didn’t take long for you to be pussy-whipped.” If having a woman made a man soft in the brain, well, count him out. Besides, they always wanted to change you, make you ... civilized. He wasn’t civilized, had no desire to be civilized.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like women. He liked them just fine wrapped around his cock. He just wasn’t interested in forming a lasting relationship with one. Well, not anymore. He’d had his chance, and he’d blown it.

Max shot him a look, one eyebrow raised. “Since when do you have a problem with my wife?”

Quinn grimaced and scrubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Dammit. Having Tynan Shepherd here was working on his nerves and turning him into an idiot. “I don’t. It’s just.... Shepherd's been here for three goddamned weeks,” Quinn muttered, throwing a glare at Max. This sudden soul-searching was Max’s fault, anyway. If the good captain hadn’t gone and fallen in love with Sean’s sister ....

Fuck. Who the hell was he kidding? It was his own goddamned fault. He was the one who’d brought her into this mess in the first place.

“Deprogramming someone who’s been brainwashed takes time, O’Rourke. You know that.” Looking up from his paper, Max frowned. “What kind of bee’s crawled up your butt, anyway?” Quinn tightened his jaw but didn’t say anything. What could he say? That seeing Tynan made him think of Tynan’s sister, Kendra? That the last time Quinn had seen her she’d been sprawled out on his bed, naked, her breasts soft and full, her sweet pussy still swollen and smeared with his come?

Yet something else he’d fucked up. He’d never have touched her if he’d known she was a virgin. Virgins always expected way too much from a man as far as he was concerned. The white picket fence, two point three kids and happily ever after.

He didn’t do happily ever after. It wasn’t in him. The bitch scientist who’d created him had seen to that. Even if every instinct had screamed at him that Kendra was his mate, he hadn’t acted on it. She deserved better than a wolf masquerading as a man.

“You’re starting to brood.” Max’s voice was matter-of-fact as he buried his nose back into his puzzle. “You know how you get when you brood.”

“Fuck off.” Quinn paced back to the monitors and stared, not really seeing them. The skin around the piercing in his perineum tingled and he knew the feeling was psychosomatic, but it still triggered the bundle of nerves there between his scrotum and anus, and he started to get a hard-on.

This was just fucking perfect. Just what he needed to round out his day. A randy prick with nowhere to go.

A noise from behind alerted him to another’s presence, and he turned to see Tynan Shepherd walk in from the back rooms. He looked tired and discouraged. Not a good sign.

Max stood, dropping the paper onto the sofa. “Well?” he asked.

“Yeah. Well?” Quinn walked forward until he stood a few feet from Tynan. “How is he?”

The man sighed. With a weary gesture, he bent his head, rubbing the back of his neck. When he looked back up, his dark eyes appeared drained. “The brainwashing goes deep, guys. This isn’t something that I can reverse with just a few sessions.”

“You’ve had more than a few sessions,” Quinn snarled. He clenched his fists against the urge to wrap his hands around the man’s throat. It wasn’t Tynan’s fault that Sean had been indoctrinated to begin with.

And he sure as hell couldn’t help that he was Kendra’s brother. Quinn ground his jaw as his cock twitched at the thought of her.

“And it’ll take a few sessions more,” Tynan responded in a hard tone. A slash of color rode high on the dusky skin of his cheekbones. He threw up one hand and muttered, “Sorry. This is a difficult one.”

“How so?” Max walked around the sofa and headed toward the kitchen. “Sean and his men were all indoctrinated at the same time five years ago, right? You’ve already been able to successfully deprogram--what?--two of his men? Why is Sean different?”

“It’s his brain chemistry.” Tynan sighed and sat down on the sofa, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Plus, since he’s the captain of the squad, I think they spent more time on him. The conditioning went deeper.”

Max walked back into the living room with another bottle of beer in his hand. He handed it to Tynan, who immediately tilted it to his lips and took a large gulp.

“So, what now?” Quinn scowled at Max for making him fetch his own beer. He walked to the refrigerator for a bottle.

“I’m definitely getting closer,” Tynan responded. He rolled the beer bottle over his forehead. After taking another swig, he leaned forward and set it on the coffee table. “But it still may be several weeks before I make a significant breakthrough. He’s very angry.”

“He has the right to be,” Max replied. His back was to them as he stared at the security monitors nestled in the wall opposite the sofa. His hands clasped behind his back and legs slightly spread in a typical military pose, the set of his shoulders suggested he, too, was angry.

Out of habit, Quinn glanced at the monitors. They showed various areas of the cave compound. No activity, which was a good thing.

“How do you mean?” Tynan asked.

“Sean’s entire unit, including him, didn’t volunteer to be Praetorians.” Max turned toward them. His face was set in hard lines. “At some point, the powers that be decided things weren’t progressing fast enough to suit them. Where there are Chosen Ones, there are Praetorians. And a need for trackers. So military people from all around the world were forcibly enhanced.” He paused, muttering a curse. “Because it wasn’t voluntary, they were also brainwashed to believe in the doctrines of The Foundation. They were, for all intents and purposes, raped.”

Quinn’s jaw flexed. He would not think of the first six months following his own forced enhancement. Caged, drugged, used.... He dragged his attention back to Max and Tynan. It did no good to dwell on the past--he would not go there.

Tynan nodded a response to Max’s statement. Sitting forward, his elbows braced on his knees, he stared at the floor.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Max asked.

Tynan sighed. With another sigh, he pushed to his feet. “It’s Kendra.”

Quinn stiffened. Having the man here was bad enough. To have him want to talk about his sister.... God.

“A few days ago, I inadvertently told Victor Bedrosian about Kendra’s abilities.”

What the hell? Quinn stared down at Tynan, felt the man’s fingers scrabbling at his hands, heard Max’s voice as a muted rumble over the roar of blood in his ears. He didn’t remember getting up, much less attacking the other man.

“Quinn, let him go.” Max’s arms came around his chest as he tried to pull Quinn off Tynan. “Let go.”

Releasing his fingers from around the other man’s neck, Quinn jerked away from Tynan and threw his hands up. “I’m okay.” When Max didn’t immediately let him go, he muttered, “Get off. I’m okay.”

Tynan coughed and held his throat. Max touched him on the shoulder. Going into the kitchen, he turned on the tap and ran a glass of water, which he handed to the dark-skinned man.

After he took a few gulps, the deprogrammer wiped his hand over his mouth and dropped down onto the sofa again. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the back of the sofa. He grimaced. “I didn't mean to tell him. He tricked me.”

“Bullshit.” Quinn took a step forward, and Max moved in front of him, putting one hand on his chest. Quinn glared at him.

“Stand down, O’Rourke.” Max gave him a little shove, his face hard and implacable. “Now.”

Quinn scowled, but backed up a few steps. He thrust his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. Leaning his shoulder against the wall, he stared toward Tynan with rage churning in his gut. If his little lamb was in trouble because her fucking brother couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut ....

“Go on, Ty,” Max said and sat on the sofa beside the dead-man-walking.

Tynan let out a long sigh. He sat forward and stared at his hands clasped between his knees. “I still don’t know how the bastard did it. One minute he was asking me for an update on the mental stability of the latest round of recruits, the next thing I knew, I heard my voice telling him Kendra had telepathic abilities.” He surged to his feet with a curse. “God damned son of a bitch.” He looked at Max, then Quinn, bewildered fury in his eyes. “How the hell did he do it?”

Max shook his head.

Quinn wasn’t as sedate with his response. “Does it matter, Shepherd? Bottom line is you betrayed your sister to the enemy. Your sister.”

My woman. Mine.

The fear of her being in danger, the rage at his own stupidity, the fire of wanting to claim his mate roared through him, obliterating any other thought from his mind.

Find her.

Claim her.

“Well, I don’t think there’s any question about how you still feel about her.” Max’s voice came to him through the haze clouding his mind.

When he looked at his friend, the slight grin on Max’s face made him narrow his eyes. “You wanna keep that handsome face of yours, pretty boy?” Quinn asked in a growl.

The grin widened. Quinn clenched his fists against the urge to throw a punch at Max. Since they’d left The Foundation and become fugitives, there was no real chain of command anymore. They acted more as a democracy, but habit was hard to break, and Max had been his commanding officer for almost twenty years. Quinn just couldn’t go around punching his C.O. in the nose.

As much as he might want to.

“Where’s Kendra now?” Max asked, turning back to Tynan.

The deprogrammer rubbed his forehead with one hand and held the other one up in a gesture of confusion. “I’m not sure.”

Quinn trapped another growl in his throat and took a step forward. “You’ve lost her?”

“No. Yes. Maybe.” Tynan scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I think she’s camping up in Oak Creek Canyon somewhere. That’s where our folks used to take us when we were kids. She’d probably head up there and try to get lost in the wilderness.”

Quinn clenched his fists. The thought of Kendra out there, afraid and alone, made him crazy. He turned a cutting gaze on her brother. “And you just let her go?”

“You know Kendra,” Tynan responded. “What was I supposed to do, tie her to her bed?”

Heat spread through Quinn. He’d had Kendra tied to his bed before. If he had to do it again to keep her safe, he would.

He just had to find her first.

Without another word, he turned and headed toward his room.

“Where’re you going?” Max called out after him.

To get my mate. “To find Shepherd’s damned sister,” he snarled.


Infiltration - Book #2 in The Praetorians series - available NOW at New Concepts Publishing!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Stray Cat Strut by Sierra Dafoe



The world, according to Persia:

1. In the battle of the sexes, Persia always wins.
2. When in doubt of the outcome, see Rule #1.

Furious that Tori took the man she wanted, Persia is determined to find a beau who’ll turn both Tori and Lu absolutely green with envy. But finding a man who can outshine Drake Foster is no small task -- he’d have to be handsome, suave, sexy, adorable, romantic, powerful and rich…

In the meantime, there’s Billy Gruff -- young, blond, and absolutely gorgeous. A perfect consolation for her wounded pride. And when Billy takes her home to meet his brothers, Persia finds herself with an overabundance of mouthwatering choices.

Billy is just as sweet and luscious as any girl could ever want. His brother Alec may think he’s bad, but Persia knows exactly how to get his goat -- and nobody, but nobody ties this keyboard-playing kitty down!

But when big brother Ben appears on the scene, Persia discovers to her chagrin that she’s well and truly fucked. Or at least, she’s about to be…

When in doubt of the outcome, see Rule #1. Welcome to the world of Persia.

~ * ~

As soon as he opened the apartment door, Persia’s nose wrinkled. The place smelled nothing like Billy’s clean, tangy scent -- it smelled of cleansers, potpourri and air fresheners. In other words, of female.

She narrowed her eyes, looking about suspiciously. From her vantage point on his shoulders, she could see the neatly arrayed tins on the kitchen counter, ranked according to size, the ceramic knick-knacks spaced along the mantel with an almost military precision, the ironing board jutting like an accusation in front of the TV.

And she could feel the way Billy’s shoulders tensed beneath her as he practically tiptoed into the apartment.

“Han? Hannah, honey?”

Persia snorted to herself. Honey? Not this woman, whoever she was. For all its color, the place still managed to look cold and forbidding. They both breathed a sigh of relief when Billy’s soft query brought no answer.

He picked up a note from the counter. Tilting her head, Persia scanned it.

Gone for coffee. Back by nine. Put your goddamn laundry in the hamper this time.

Yeah. Quite the love note.

Billy sighed and, wadding up the note, chucked it at the trash can. He missed. Shrugging, he lifted Persia off his shoulders and set her on the couch. “All right, cat. I gotta take a shower. Don’t make yourself too much at home, okay?”

Not hardly. This wouldn’t do, at all! Only what was she going to do now?

The question faded from her mind, though, as Billy peeled off his shirt, leaving it draped over the back of the couch as he ambled toward the bedroom. Persia promptly followed.

Oh, yeah. Muscles rippled beneath his tawny skin, leading from those warm, solid shoulders down his back to where his work pants hung loose around his lean hips. Jumping onto the bed, she watched eagerly as she kneaded the coverlet, purring.

He sat beside her to pull off his sneakers (dropping his dirty socks, Persia noticed, onto the floor where they lay like two deflated cotton balloons) and then unbuttoned his pants and stood.

He wasn’t particularly tall, actually, only five-ten or so. But he was built like a young god -- all warm, flowing muscle and soft, velvety skin. His shaggy, honey-blond hair hung in his face as he bent to slide his pants off, revealing a gorgeous ass encased in white cotton briefs.

Da-yum!

She arched her back in sensual delight, feeling horniness pulse along her frame. Jumping back down, she twined around his feet, rubbing herself against those luscious bronzed calves. Billy reached down to stroke her, and she purred in delight at the feel of those strong, work-roughened fingers sliding through her fur.

Hell with Hannah, whoever she was. This tasty little morsel was hers.

Get your copy of Shifter Sisters: Stray Cat Strut today!

Taking Some Time Off

I've been battling a virus (or something) for the past week that has just about whipped me. So I'm going to spend the next couple of days sleeping and just generally being lazy.

I'll check back in on Tuesday. For all the Americans visiting me here, have a terrific Labor Day weekend. Everyone else--have a great few days, too!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Tuesday Treat

This is one of my favorites pics. Just couldn't resist posting it again:


Growwwwwwwf!

Monday, August 27, 2007

I've Been Tagged

Shara Lanel, one of my Brazen Hussy friends, tagged me yesterday on her blog. So, here goes:

Four jobs I’ve had or currently have in my life:
1. author (current)
2. Human Resources professional (alas, also current)
3. administrative assistant
4. cashier/shoe salesperson

Four countries I’ve been to:
1. The Bahamas
2. Canada
3. USA
4. Er, still trying to get out of the U.S...

Four places I’d rather be right now:
1. Ireland
2. England
3. Greece
4. Oh, who am I kidding? I'd settle for a massage!

Four foods I like to eat:
1. Fried chicken
2. Pizza
3. Steak
4. Caramel Praline Pecan ice cream

Four personal heroes, past or present:
1. My mom. One of the strongest people I know.
2. Mary Janice Davidson for being true to who she is, no matter what anyone else thinks.
3. Tina Engler, for being brave enough to write what she liked to read and make a place for other authors to do the same.
4. Nora Roberts. Because she's the Queen.

Four books you’ve read or are currently reading:
1. Mercenaries by Angela Knight. Again. :)
2. Passionate Ink by Angela Knight
3. Wicked Fantasy by Nina Bangs
4. The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman

Four words or phrases you would like to see used more often:
1. "It's no big deal.” (Because we all take ourselves way too seriously.)
2. “It's free!”
3. “Look how thin you are!”
4. (stealing this from Shara, who stole it from Bridget…) New York Times bestselling author Sherrill Quinn

Four reasons for ending a friendship:
1. Too much of a user
2. Doesn't support your dreams
3. Never takes the initiative to make contact--always has to be called (see #1)
4. Undermines your self-esteem (stole this one from Shara, too)

Four smells that make you feel good about the world:
1. cinnamon apple--like warm apple pie fresh out of the oven
2. baking turkey at Thanksgiving
3. lavender
4. Drakkar Noir

Four favorite cartoons from your childhood:
1. Scooby Doo
2. Tom & Jerry
3. Bugs Bunny
4. The Banana Splits (not really a cartoon, but a favorite Saturday morning show)

Four fave TV shows from your teen years:
1. Starsky & Hutch
2. The Hardy Boys Mysteries
3. Simon & Simon
4. Hart to Hart

Okay, that's it for me. And because I don't particularly enjoy being tagged (sorry, Shara), I'm not going to foist this on anyone else. :)

But, tell me--that last question. What are some of your favorite shows from your teenage years?

Friday, August 24, 2007

Friday's Treat


Growwwwwwwf!

Yay! It's Friday!! Have a great day!



I like a man who's good, but not too good - for the good die young, and I hate a dead one." ~Mae West

Thursday, August 23, 2007

A Couple Of Books From A Couple Of Friends

Deliciously Naughty Writers have had some recent releases that I want to share here. The most recent one is the latest offering from Anna J. Evans in her Perfectly Wicked Series:



Some women are misunderstood, others are a misdemeanor waiting to happen…

Katarina was a very bad girl, but she spent five years in the dungeon paying for her crimes and made a vow to leave her wicked ways behind her. She's praying a makeover and a stint on Kingdom City's newest reality show, Real-Life Ways to Catch a King, will help her get back on her feet. Unfortunately the show's producer, notorious bad boy Serge, is making it hard for her to resist giving in to her naughtier nature…

Serge is looking to turn his life around. He wants a wife and a family and a place in respectable society. Taking up with a former wicked queen with a penchant for poison apples isn't on his agenda. But Kat quickly proves to be irresistible, and when a mutual affection for public passion turns into something more, he has to make a decision. Break the heart of the only woman he's ever loved or risk forever being known as a "bad apple".

Bad Apple - available at Ellora's Cave now!


Also available is December Quinn's first Ellora's Cave book:



Dr. Cecelia Barnes' research on blood diseases made vampire Julian Mansfield want to watch her. Her intelligence and spirit, not to mention the sparkle in her eyes, made him want to help her.

Julian planned to seduce her work — which endangers all vampires — out of her, but her strength and wit seduce him right back. Before he knows it he's changing his plans and starting a bloody, violent war against his old master in a desperate bid to save the life of the woman he's quickly realizing he can't live without.

As their passionate meeting turns into a full-blown love affair more intense than either of them expected, Julian is tortured by the knowledge that he must admit to Cecelia that he is a vampire, or lose her…but when she finds out he's been lying, will she want to stay?

Blood Will Tell - available at Ellora's Cave!


Sierra Dafoe has a new hot read:



Emotionally scarred by an abusive lover, Mia has vowed that no man will ever have power over her again -- indeed, it is now she who has power over them as a wealthy and highly sought after dominatrix. But when she hears about a strange nightclub called Dominion, run by a mysterious figure who’s rumored to be a vampire, Mia begins hungering for the absolute power of immortality.

In return for fulfilling her wish, though, Fyodor demands that for one night she submit herself utterly to him, servicing not only him but the five other vampires of his clave as well! And now Mia must face the emotions she’s been running from for so long -- her terror of being hurt again, and her deeply buried desire to be mastered.

Trapped at the mercy of six overpoweringly handsome vampires, can Mia find the courage to let down her guard and discover the ecstasy of submitting herself completely to their sexual demands?

All Wrapped Up 2: Absolute Power - available at Changeling Press


And, finally, Kelly Maher has a re-release of her short story Bound to Love:


Kelly says about the book: "I originally wrote Bound to Love as a submission for a now-defunct e-zine's Valentine's Day issue. I set the story in London because I had spent a semester in college in Norwich, England. While there, I learned first hand about a fun little custom for Valentine's Day. You have to figure out who your secret admirer is based on clues they leave in any present or card they give you. I knew I had to figure out a way to slip that into a story one day, and I finally got the chance to with Bound to Love. [It] was originally published by a small electronic press. After that business relationship ended, Alessia Brio accepted it for part of the Coming Together: For the Cure anthology. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be given to the Susan G. Komen fund. What better way to support breast cancer research, than buying an anthology of lusciously hot stories?"

Bound to Love, part of Coming Together: For the Cure - available at Phaze



"A woman in love can't be reasonable - or she probably wouldn't be in love." ~Mae West

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Romance Versus Reality

Most of what I write takes place in the future and/or on other worlds and/or with otherworldly creatures. So sometimes in my sex scenes the hero doesn't use a condom because a) he's a vampire and either can't transmit (or contract) diseases and/or get the heroine pregnant, or b) it's futuristic and STDs have been eradicated and injections keep those randy little sperm under control.

Another Ellora's Cave author, Lorie O'Clare, asked the question on her blog (check it out here) "What's the most unrealistic scene you've read in a book?" I checked out the reader responses, and quite a few seemed to have a problem with the non-use of condoms. Which I understand--it's too risky these days to have unprotected sex unless you know--and I mean absolutely, positively, chiseled-in-stone, saw-the-original-blood-test-results KNOW--that your partner is clean. (By the way, my current work in progress is a contemporary menage. One of the heroes just had sex with the heroine and, by golly, he wore a condom.)

So here's my question. How realistic should romance be? Where does the line between squick and still hot land?



"A little bad test is like a nice dash of paprika." ~Dorothy Parker

Monday, August 20, 2007

Deliciously Naughty Monday


Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog and chat with me about pet projects we just can't seem to finish--or let go of. And say hi while you're there! :)

See you at DNW!



"The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there... and still on your feet." ~Stephen King

Friday, August 17, 2007

Friday's Treat



*Yawn!* Hmmm. Think maybe I'll crawl back in bed...



"A man in the house is worth two in the street." ~Mae West

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should

I think I've blogged about this before, but since it's come back into the news, I feel the need to give my 2 cents' worth.

"If I Did It" by OJ Simpson is again going to be published. Bookstores are still coming to decisions about whether they'll carry the book. Some have said they won't because they know their customers will be offended. Others have said they don't believe in censorship of any kind and so will carry the book, and let customers' wallets make a statement.

When this book was first announced, both the Goldman and Brown families were outraged and up in arms. Now, with the proceeds of the book basically going to the Goldmans as part of the civil settlement they won against Simpson, they've put their support behind the book. The Browns, especially Nicole's sister Denise, are, to put it mildly, upset. For anyone to profit from Ron and Nicole's deaths is unconscionable. But from what I've read, Mr. Goldman has suggested that Simpson indicts himself in the book.

Not that anything can be done about it now.

As the title of this post suggests, just because there's a story to write doesn't mean it should be written. There wouldn't be this furor I'm sure there will be people who'll buy the book for the morbid fascination of it. I won't be one of them.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Another Great Review For CLAIMING HANNAH





4 Hearts!

From Dawn at Love Romances & More: "Claiming Hannah is a masterful storytelling of author Sherrill Quinn and her delightfully sexy heroes are more than this reviewer can handle. With each page, she delves deeper into the world she created in the book, The Claiming. This is truly one hot read so make sure you keep a cold towel handy... Claiming Hannah is a true gem in Science Fiction/BDSM Erotica and will tempt and dazzle the reader with its passionate sex scenes and exquisite writing. It is definitely one of those you want to read with your significant other. Run to grab Claiming Hannah and be transported to another world that the wonderful Sherrill Quinn has created and explored."

One thing Dawn did say, too, was that she hoped one of the characters from this story, Ian Hunter, would have a story of his own. Don't worry, m'dear. He will. :)

You can read the full review here.

You can read an excerpt and buy Claiming Hannah here.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Deliciously Naughty Monday


Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog and chat with me about where I get my ideas--or, at least, my most current one for my work-in-progress. And say hi while you're there! :)

See you at DNW!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Another Messin' With Sasquatch

I don't know what it is about these commercials that I find so funny...maybe it's just that they're so silly.




Today's object lesson: Don't make an 8-foot tall 300 pound hairy thing angry...



"It's not the men in my life that count, it's the life in my men." ~Mae West

Friday, August 10, 2007

Friday Fever



I'm home today with a bum back. Not sure how much I'll get done, as my back seems to prefer me being flat on it with a heating pad. But, in the meantime, enjoy the pic!


"I speak two languages: Body and English." ~Mae West

Thursday, August 09, 2007

First Review For CLAIMING HANNAH

Available at Amber Heat:


Anita at Romance Junkies gave Claiming Hannah 4 Blue Ribbons and had this to say: " Two gorgeous, but lonely men, on a planet where woman are few, and a woman that loves to be dominated, make Claiming Hannah one hot and sexy adventure. Exciting action and plenty of out of control passion quickly captured this reader's attention making for one wildly entertaining read... This is one wickedly erotic read sure to get the pulse racing. Plenty of exciting action and emotional ups and downs make Claiming Hannah by Sherrill Quinn a story everyone will enjoy."

You can read the full review here.

You can purchase Claiming Hannah here.




"I like restraint, if it doesn't go too far." ~Mae West

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Gen Y's Way To Buy Books

My nieces, twenty-one and twenty-four respectively, are on their cell phones all the time. They're either talking or texting a good amount of their lives. So to find out that they now can buy books by sending a text message is just the next phase in technology.

Publisher's Weekly yesterday wrote about a Manhattan company named ShopText. The company was founded in 2006 and allows people to purchase items using SMS (Short Message Service). They've just begun to sell books.

And I know this isn't just for folks of Generation Y. All of us baby boomers who love our toys will, I'm sure, take advantage of this, too.

According to PW: Here’s how it works: a person registers at the ShopText site and provides his or her name, shipping address, credit card information, e-mail address and cell phone number. ShopText then sends the person a receipt via e-mail and text. It includes a short password, necessary to avoid ordering fraud. Then, the person sends a text with a keyword—e.g., "HARRY" for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—in the message body to ShopText. ShopText sends a message confirming the product’s price and requesting the security password. The person approves this, ShopText sends the product to the customer and the transaction is complete.

The article goes on to quote Mark Kaplan, ShopText founder and chief marketing officer: Kaplan said ShopText is looking to partner with bookstores, but has not done so yet. Ideally, a bookstore would run ShopText codes in its book advertisements, and either ShopText or the bookstore would fulfill the order. Kaplan also said he is interested in partnering with book publishers on co-op advertising. He declined to say how many copies ShopText has sold of any of book so far.

Text messaging is a wildly popular form of communication; according to the technology consultancy Forrester Research, some 35% of cellphone users send or receive text messages, and three-quarters of 18- to 24-year olds text. SMS has made its way into major enterprises; more than 63 million viewers voted for their favorite American Idol via text; and the analyst firm Gartner estimates that by 2010, the volume of text messaging will reach an estimated 2.3 trillion, which certainly puts sales of the latest Potter book into perspective.

Yikes. After I got rid of my Blackberry from the last job, I decided I didn't want to have all the bells and whistles--it's too distracting. I have a phone that's just a phone, although I guess I could text if I wanted to.

Don't want to.

What about this? Would you send a quick text message in order to make purchases?



"I wrote the story myself. It's about a girl who lost her reputation and never missed it." ~Mae West

Monday, August 06, 2007

Deliciously Naughty Monday


Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog and chat with me about the writing process--or lack thereof. And say hi while you're there! :)

See you at DNW!




"I only have 'yes' men around me. Who needs 'no' men?" ~Mae West

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Saturday Sweets


Have a great weekend!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Harlequin and E-Pubbing

According to the most recent edition of Publisher's Weekly:

Harlequin posted modest gains in the second quarter ended June 30, with total revenue up 1.2%, to £$116 million ($110.2 million). Operating income, however, jumped 22%, to £$12.5 million ($11.9 million). The improvement in earnings was attributed in part to last year’s restructuring, which eliminated about 40 positions; parent company Torstar said the reorganization resulted in cost savings of £$900,000 in the second quarter and £$1.8 million for the first half of the year. Revenue in the first six months rose 3.1%, to £$240.4 million, and operating profit increased to £$31.6 million from £$25.3 million.

In the second quarter, Harlequin said sales were flat in its North American retail division, with the number of series books sold offset by a decline in single title sales. Direct-to-consumer sales continued their downward trend in the quarter. Harlequin head Donna Hayes said series units were off slightly due to a change in timing of promotions, but that dollar sales were up. Two titles by Debbie Macomber were among Harlequin’s top single title sellers, while the company’s paranormal series had a strong quarter, and a new African-American series, Kimani, also gained traction in the period. Unlike more general interest trade houses, Hayes said sales through retailers have been solid, with several accounts reporting that romance in general has been a good category.
(An aside from me: romance books account for over 50% of all mass market book sales. So while other genres may not be seeing strong sales, it looks like we're still going strong. That says something...) Sales through online retailers have grown by double digits.

E-book sales also rose in the period, albeit from a small base.
(Another aside from me: Heads up, all you print authors who are so disdainful of those of us who are published electronically. Look at this:) Still, Harlequin has seen enough growth in the format to introduce a new line. Spice Briefs will be original erotic e-books in the 5,000- to 15,000-word range. The price will be $2.99, although the company is offering the titles at 99 cents until Aug. 15. Two titles will be published per month and will be available in all e-book formats. Hayes said that beginning this month, Harlequin will create an e-book edition of every new book it releases, a total of 1,300 books a year.

Yep. Harlequin, the largest publisher of romantic fiction, has entered the e-pubbing world. Unfortunately, they're not paying e-pub royalties like the rest of electronic publishers. Ostensibly because they still have all the overhead with putting a book in print. But that would explain to me why a print royalty might be, say, 6-8% of the price of the book. But that same overhead is *not* associated with electronic publishing--there's no paper to buy, no warehouse shelves to fill. There are editor costs and artist costs, the cost of maintaining the website and the salaries associated there, but that's about it. So while electronic publishers generally pay 35-40% royalty on the price of the book, I'm hearing that Harlequin will continue to pay the 6-8% royalty.

I have a couple of friends who have encouraged me to submit something for this new Spice Briefs line. I'll admit I'm torn. On one hand, it's Harlequin, so the potential audience is much wider than what I'm exposed to now. Having a Brief accepted gets my foot in the door at Harlequin, too.

But...to only pay 6-8% (and as a new Harlequin author, it's very probable I'd get the lower end of that range) on something that otherwise I would make 35-40% on... It bites, big time.

But, long-term, which is better? That's the question.



"Romance has been elegantly defined as the offspring of fiction and love." ~Benjamin Disraeli

Thursday, August 02, 2007

If I Had My Life To Live Over

It's said that Erma Bombeck wrote this after she found out she was dying from cancer. It's very sound advice from a very wise woman:


If I Had My Life To Live Over

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's" More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it .. . live it and never give it back... STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.



"In doing your work in the world, it is a safe plan to follow a rule I heard on the football field. Don't flinch, don't fall, hit the line hard." ~Theodore Roosevelt