Tuesday Treat

Just makes you want to strip off those wet clothes and wrap him up in a towel, eh?

Well, maybe just strip off those wet clothes...

Deliciously Naughty Writers

Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog for the latest review on Claiming Hannah.

See you at DNW!

New Cover - To The Victor Go The Spoils

Check this out--the cover for my November Ellora's Cave release:


Devon Maertissa is on the run. Her abbreviated time as a resistance fighter resulted in a botched hijacking of an arms shipment in which the arms dealer died. Unjustly accused of being the direct cause of his death, she takes a chance to attend her sister's wedding, even knowing bounty hunters are after her. The one man she's most concerned about is a cyborg named Bane Carradoc.

Bane's determined to do his job and bring in another fugitive. He's not prepared for Devon . The longer he's with her, the more he begins to believe she may not be guilty of the charges. When another bounty hunter shows up, Bane has to save her and then make a decision.

Does he complete the mission as he always has? Or does he let his conscience be his guide? And...what then?



To the Victor Go the Spoils - coming November 23rd to Ellora's Cave!

Friday Treat

I haven't shared a cowboy with y'all in a while, so...



Yeehaw! Y'all can move that hat any time now...

Double Post Day - Post 1: Win A Book

I'm over at Simply Ali's place this week, talking about my newest Ellora's Cave release, Demon of Her Dreams (which came out yesterday--yippee!!). For a chance to win a free book of mine, stop by and comment. Check Ali's post from Tuesday for details.

Make sure you scroll down--there's another contest going on that I've posted a reminder for.

Reminder: October Scavenger Hunt

Dozens of authors, including me, are participating in the Raven Halloween Hunt this month:

All month long, search the participating authors' websites to find this graphic:



Follow the instructions on the contest page (linked to the first, larger graphic above) for your chance to win a prize!

You have until 11 p.m. EST October 31st to play--just 6 more days. Good luck!

Release Day - Demon of Her Dreams

Available today!!

Urian Vakidis settled into a seat in the back and watched as beings of every description filed into the room. This was the meeting of the Brotherhood where the assignments would be handed out--he hoped someone would make mention of the top dog who was doing the handing. After all, that was what he was here to discover.

He straightened his legs, crossing his ankles under the row in front of him, and stretched his arms across the backs of the chairs on either side of him. Maintaining an air of nonchalance, he gazed out over the crowded meeting room, making mental notes of which divisions of Sassy Devils were represented.

There were two werewolves over in a corner eyeing a leprechaun, who edged away from them nervously. A hairy, grayish-green chupacabra sat a few seats away from the wolves, chewing on what looked like a rib bone. Urian peered a little closer… Yep. Rib bone. Probably from some homeless guy no one would miss.

At the front of the room, just taking her seat, was a harpy, wearing some sort of diaphanous purple thing that barely covered…anything. When a sasquatch leaned toward her, a leer on its face, she snarled, showing two-inch canines. To drive home her point, she curled her claws toward the Bigfoot, showing off nails as sharp and pointed as ice picks. The sasquatch backed off and, after fluffing her feathers a bit, the harpy settled into her seat.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Urian glanced toward the right. Just coming into the room was a violet-haired pixie trailing glittering faerie dust in her wake. Her skin had that translucent quality many of the older faes had, indicating this one had probably been around a very long time, indeed.

A lone vampire sat three chairs down and, as if feeling Urian's gaze on him, he turned his head.

Urian tilted his chin in greeting and looked away. Vampires were ordinarily solitary creatures, and for one of them to be a member of the Brotherhood--mingling with all these other beings--meant he had some major anger issues.

Issues Urian didn't have time to get tangled up with. All he wanted to do was prove to his father he could carry out this assignment successfully so he could go back to his real job as a sex demon.

There was nothing like it--easing into women's dreams, arousing them, feeding on that arousal. The psychic energy generated from sex was spectacular and he missed it. With one woman in particular.

Hailey. He remembered her clearly--sea blue eyes, high cheekbones and a dimple in her chin, all framed by short, dark hair. She'd been a sophomore in college when he'd first visited her dreams and he'd watched her grow into a lovely young woman over the years.

Damn, but he wanted to be back in her dreams, bringing her to a fever pitch, drawing out her arousal until she begged him to take her. It had been months. When he had allegedly defected to the Brotherhood, he'd heard that someone else had been assigned to her, a nightmare that had begun to terrorize her.

As soon as he'd heard it, he'd wondered if the nightmare was secretly working for the Brotherhood. Like vampires, nightmares were beings that preferred to be left alone, but could prove to be valuable allies. Or formidable enemies.

And so here he was, sitting on this damned uncomfortable chair like a bump on an ogre's nose, playing at being a spy.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to unobtrusively ease the numbness out of his ass. A muscle flexed in his jaw. Lucifer was just trying to get back at him for his continued refusal to take on management responsibilities. The old devil just wouldn't accept that Urian liked his job. He had no desire to sit behind a desk.

He needed to be out in the field. Back in Hailey's dreams.

Get the job done and you're there, he reminded himself. Just get the fucking job done.

His gaze roamed over a group standing near the doorway. He raised his eyebrows as he realized one of them was a guardian angel. Well, he supposed the being was a former guardian angel, since he was part of this disenfranchised group of misfits.

Urian shook his head. When he'd woken up this morning, he sure didn't think he'd be in a room later on where a goody-two-shoes angel talked amiably with a satyr.

Copyright ©2007 Sherrill Quinn. All Rights Reserved.


Demon of Her Dreams - available today at Ellora's Cave!

Deliciously Naughty Writers

Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog for an excerpt of my Wednesday release at Ellora's Cave--Demon of Her Dreams.

See you at DNW!

Deliciously Naughty Delurk

If you're not a member of Club Naughty yet, you should be! Tomorrow we're having another of our monthly delurks, where we chat with readers, share excerpts and give away prizes. But you have to play with us for your chance to win!

Here's the link to join:




Hope to see you on Sunday!

New Releases From Deliciously Naughty Writers

Two of my gal pals have had books released from Ellora's Cave in the last couple of weeks. Check 'em out:

All her life, Larissa's motto has been "Make me". But none of the men she dates seem to grasp that she means it. Successful and self-confident, Larissa wants a man strong enough to overpower her — and doesn't believe she'll ever find him. That is, until she meets Adrian Dane. But Larissa doesn't sleep with clients. Not even when the client's a gorgeous, green-eyed vampire.

Adrian knows immediately that Larissa's the soul mate he's spent centuries searching for — and he's determined to claim her. She's strong. He's stronger. She's stubborn. He's determined. He can make her succumb to him. He can drive her to erotic heights she's only dreamed of. The only thing he can't do is force her to turn vampire and join him forever.

You can read an excerpt or buy here.




The tarot card Prudence finds at a Wiccan Beltane festival promises passion, travel, and the end of a stagnant, dull situation. She has no idea that the card's prediction is about to come true in the form of Royd, a warrior of the Fae on Earth to retrieve the eighth wand of his people's lands, stolen from them by Prudence's grandmother.

Royd wants only to take the wand back home, until he sees Prudence and is instantly captivated by her vibrancy and life. Together they must fight to send him safely back with his prize, but perhaps in Prudence he's found something just as valuable…and just as hard to lose.

You can read an excerpt or buy here.


Both of these are excellent reads!

Thursday Treat

Boy. You got that right. Smokin'!

Age Activated AD&D

A.A.A.D.D. - - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decided to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take out my checkbook that is on the table, and see that there is only there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the den, so I go to my desk where I find the bottle of soda that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the soda aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the soda is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the soda, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the soda down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm bottle of soda sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

Boy it's tough getting old...

Deliciously Naughty Writers

Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog for Writers 101. Or at least pop over and say hi! :)

See you at DNW!

Man Meat Saturday

Enjoy your weekend! See you back here on Monday.

Most Excellent News!

My authors group, Deliciously Naughty Writers, proposed a shared world series called Dark Pantheon to (and it was accepted by) Ellora's Cave. Three of us who have submitted novellas found out yesterday that our stories have been accepted. Wahoo!

My novella is tentatively titled Wicked Omen (still waiting on title approval) and takes place in 623 B.C. My hero is a vampire descendant of the Greek god Aries (god of war). Zarek is a Spartan--I made sure I wrote the novella *without* watching the movie 300. (I still haven't seen the movie, although my critique group and I are having a Girls Night In tomorrow night and are going to make it a Gerard night--300 and Phantom of the Opera. Can't wait!)

Anyway, stay tuned for more details.

A Poem By Maya Angelou

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a youth she's content to leave behind.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a feeling of control over her destiny.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

how to fall in love without losing herself.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

when to try harder, and WHEN TO WALK AWAY.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

that her childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

how to live alone, even if she doesn't like it.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

where to go, be it to her best friend's kitchen table, or a charming inn in the woods, when her soul needs soothing.


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, and a year.

Man On A Plane

A man boarded an airplane and took his seat.

As he settled in, he glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman boarding the plane. He soon realized she was heading straight towards his seat. As fate would have it, she took the seat right beside his. Eager to strike up a conversation he blurted out, "Business trip or pleasure?"

She turned, smiled and said, "Business. I'm going to the Annual Nymphomaniacs of America Convention in Boston."

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever Seen sitting next to him, and she was going to a meeting of nymphomaniacs. Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "What's your business role at this convention?"

"Lecturer," she responded. "I use information that I have learned From my personal experiences to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."

"Really?" he said. "And what kind of myths are there?"

"Well," she explained, "one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well-endowed of all men, when in fact it is the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another popular myth is that Frenchmen are the best lovers when actually it is men of Jewish descent who are the best. I have also discovered that the lover with absolutely the best stamina is the Southern Redneck."

Suddenly the woman became a little uncomfortable and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't really be discussing all of this with you. I don't even know your name."

"Tonto," the man said, "Tonto Goldstein, but my woman friends call me Bubba."

Deliciously Naughty Writers

Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog for Writers 101. Or at least pop over and say hi! :)

See you at DNW!

Reaper

I found a TV show that I really enjoyed. Reaper--on Tuesday night. I missed the premier episode last week, but found I could still follow along without much problem.

Here's the premise:

On his 21st birthday, Sam Oliver wakes up to find that the world is going weird on him. Black hounds follow him menacingly, and he seems to have telekinetic powers: he moves a falling air-conditioner out of the way just as it is about to crush the skull of a co-worker, Andi (Missy Peregrym).

When Sam gets home, his parents give him the bad news. Before he was born, they sold his soul to the Devil. (They had their reasons.) The Devil (Ray Wise) shows up to collect and turns out to be suave, even oily, and not without a sense of humor. He informs Sam that he must work as the Devil’s bounty hunter, tracking down and capturing fugitives from hell — of which there are many, due to netherworld overcrowding. “We were underprepared for the influx,” Satan says. “I blame myself.”

Maybe the reason this appeals to me, on one level, is that I wrote a short novella with this sort of humor--Lucifer, making a deal with a vampire to keep him out of hell because, well, vampires take up so much more room than an ordinary human and hell has, after all, limited space.

The big bonus for me? Ray Wise, playing the devil. It was...priceless.



The dialogue was witty, and the premise just quirky enough to tickle my funny bone. I'll definitely be watching this show again.

(P.S. I'll be away this weekend at a writers' retreat. See you Monday!)

Demon of Her Dreams

Here's my newest cover from Ellora's Cave, for my October 24th release:



Isn't it gorgeous?!?

Book 1 in the Sassy Devils series:

Urian Vakidis loves his job. Not many demons get to make their living--and gain their strength--by invoking sex dreams in women. Well, there were quite a few incubus around, but with all the other demons, relatively speaking he was in a minority. One woman in particular has touched him in ways he'd never dreamed--Hailey Kovac.

But she's off limits. Until she's made a target by the Brotherhood of the Red Claw. It's up to Urian to protect her and find out who's behind the Brotherhood. Because if the delicate balance of good versus evil is upset, chaos would reign. With a little help from his father, the Prince of Darkness himself, he might just be able to save the day.

~ * ~
Urian Vakidis settled into a seat in the back and watched as beings of every description filed into the room. This was the meeting of the Brotherhood where the assignments would be handed out--he hoped someone would make mention of the top dog who was doing the handing. After all, that was what he was here to discover.

He straightened his legs, crossing his ankles under the row in front of him, and stretched his arms across the backs of the chairs on either side of him. Maintaining an air of nonchalance, he gazed out over the crowded meeting room, making mental notes of which divisions of Sassy Devils were represented.

There were two werewolves over in a corner eyeing a leprechaun, who edged away from them nervously. A hairy, grayish-green chupacabra sat a few seats away from the wolves, chewing on what looked like a rib bone. Urian peered a little closer... Yep. Rib bone. Probably from some homeless guy no one would miss.

At the front of the room, just taking her seat, was a harpy, wearing some sort of diaphanous purple thing that barely covered…anything. When a sasquatch leaned toward her, a leer on its face, she snarled, showing two-inch canines. To drive home her point, she curled her claws toward the Bigfoot, showing off nails as sharp and pointed as ice picks. The sasquatch backed off and, after fluffing her feathers a bit, the harpy settled into her seat.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Urian glanced toward the right. Just coming into the room was a violet-haired pixie trailing glittering faerie dust in her wake. Her skin had that translucent quality many of the older faes had, indicating this one had probably been around a very long time, indeed.

A lone vampire sat three chairs down and, as if feeling Urian's gaze on him, he turned his head.

Urian tilted his chin in greeting and looked away. Vampires were ordinarily solitary creatures, and for one of them to be a member of the Brotherhood--mingling with all these other beings--meant he had some major anger issues.

Issues Urian didn't have time to get tangled up with. All he wanted to do was prove to his father he could carry out this assignment successfully so he could go back to his real job as a sex demon.

There was nothing like it--easing into women's dreams, arousing them, feeding on that arousal. The psychic energy generated from sex was spectacular and he missed it. With one woman in particular.

Hailey. He remembered her clearly--sea blue eyes, high cheekbones and a dimple in her chin, all framed by short, dark hair. She'd been a sophomore in college when he'd first visited her dreams and he'd watched her grow into a lovely young woman over the years.

Damn, but he wanted to be back in her dreams, bringing her to a fever pitch, drawing out her arousal until she begged him to take her. It had been months. When he had allegedly defected to the Brotherhood, he'd heard that someone else had been assigned to her, a nightmare that had begun to terrorize her.

As soon as he'd heard it, he'd wondered if the nightmare was secretly working for the Brotherhood. Like vampires, nightmares were beings that preferred to be left alone, but could prove to be valuable allies. Or formidable enemies.

And so here he was, sitting on this damned uncomfortable chair like a bump on an ogre's nose, playing at being a spy.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he tried to unobtrusively ease the numbness out of his ass. A muscle flexed in his jaw. Lucifer was just trying to get back at him for his continued refusal to take on management responsibilities. The old devil just wouldn't accept that Urian liked his job. He had no desire to sit behind a desk.

He needed to be out in the field. Back in Hailey's dreams.

Get the job done and you're there, he reminded himself. Just get the fucking job done.

His gaze roamed over a group standing near the doorway. He raised his eyebrows as he realized one of them was a guardian angel. Well, he supposed the being was a former guardian angel, since he was part of this disenfranchised group of misfits.

Urian shook his head. When he'd woken up this morning, he sure didn't think he'd be in a room later on where a goody-two-shoes angel talked amiably with a satyr.

Nearly every subdivision in the Other realm was represented. This just might be worse than they'd thought--and they'd thought it was plenty bad.

Copyright ©2007 Sherrill Quinn. All Rights Reserved.

October Contest

Dozens of authors, including me, are participating in the Raven Halloween Hunt:

All month long, search the participating authors' websites to find this graphic:



Follow the instructions on the contest page (linked to the first, larger graphic above) for your chance to win a prize!

You have until 11 p.m. EST October 31st to play. Have fun!

Deliciously Naughty Writers

Come on over to the Deliciously Naughty Writers' blog for Writers 101. Or at least pop over and say hi! :)

See you at DNW!