Chicks-n-Scratching

Archive for the ‘Thursday 13’ Category

Book #3 in the erotic Dirty Laundry series from Carina Press has been contracted for a late summer release. COMING CLEAN is a menage with Grant, Vivi and Cade. Here are 13 random lines to pique your interest.

~~~~~~~~COMING CLEAN~~~~~~~~~~

How do you ask your best friend to fuck your wife?

Grant scrubbed the wire brush across the still warm grill in a burst of nerves. He shouldn’t be sweating this. Cade had been his buddy since fourth grade, his college roommate, his best man when he’d married Vivi. They’d been through first beers, first girlfriends and first fuck-ups. Cade came to him when Shelly cheated. Grant went to him when his dad died. They knew far too much about each other to have secrets. But this wasn’t a secret— it was a fantasy.

Vivi’s fantasy.

Vivi wanted Cade.

Actually she wanted them both at the same time.

That and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obligatory Blurb

Coming clean never felt so good…

Grant and Vivi Michaelson share everything in their marriage; love, commitment, deep friendship – even their wildest sexual desires. Vivi’s fantasy unearths a long-time secret in her straight husband…one that involves his bi-sexual best friend, Cade Lorens. Making that ménage fantasy a reality will blur lines far beyond the bedroom, strengthening their bonds or threatening their marriage.

Cade has been secretly in love with Grant for decades. He’s willing to take a three-way-tumble, but he’ll safe-guard his heart. While there might be room for him in Grant’s bed, there is no room in his marriage for a third.

An annual vacation to the lake seems the perfect time to explore, experiment and test the sexual boundaries. But no vacation ever starts smoothly. A broken washing machine forces Grant and Cade into tight, wet quarters where more than temperatures rise. The stain of forbidden love may wash away or may be permanently set.

Research is a strange strange pastime. I love it but it does look like I am doing nothing. To prove I am in fact learning, these are random facts I have gleaned from my notes. Many find their way into stories, some in small way, some in larger ones.

1- The Peregrine Falcon can reach speed of over 200 mph making it the fastest animal on Earth.

2- The top of the Matterhorn is made of African rock. The base is formed by European. Welcome to plate tectonics 101.

3- A tasset is the ‘skirt’ part of a chain maile shirt (medieval armor) that protects the thigh.

4- Jaguars kill by biting and crushing the skull of their prey.

5- Eaglets who are fed sea snake fare better than eaglets who are fed a steady, healthy diet without.

6- Lady Jane was never officially crown Queen.

7- Dreamcatchers are traditionally made of willow and sinew. They are not meant to last forever but are intended to dry out and collapse as the child enters the age of adulthood.

8- Geology 201 – Because North America and Africa were connected, the Appalachians formed part of the same mountain chain as the Anti-Atlas in Morocco. To the northeast, the same mountain chain continued into Scotland, from the North America/Europe collision.

9- Animals have complex dreams and are able to retain and recall long sequences of events while they are asleep

10- “STATIC ELECTRICITY” is not unmoving, it technically means “HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICITY.”

11- Ponderosa Pines smell like baking cookies.

12 – No matter how distorted a quartz crystal, the long prism faces always made a perfect 60° angle

13- Some biblical scholars believe Jesus had many tattoos.

Did ya learn anything?

I ‘m back!  Didja miss me? Lie to me, okay?

Anyway, I’m back and I have a list of things to do to get settled in here. Wanna see it?

13- My office. I actually have one now! I have my desk in and my computer set up(duh) and my shelves in place but that is it. I want to paint the walls before I organize the shelves and stuff on the wall. I am open to color ideas. It is a small space, off the kitchen with hardwood floors, no window though. Hit me with your ideas.

12- Paint the entire inside of the house really. I have colors selected everywhere else though, from a toast brown to a light jalapeno jelly green (that is the actual name!!)

11- I want to finish edits on a massive contemporary that is the book of my heart to get ready for submission. I am almost there. Slow going right now, too much real life.

10- Heh, Did you know I am a mentor over on Romance Divas? Yup, I am. And my poor mentee has been drifting without anchor. until now. I finally stepped up and am doing my job and red inking all over her WIP. It has manlove in it!! I need Jake to drop trou pretty fast here. Not that I am, ya know, ANXIOUS or anything.

9- Speaking of manlove, I contracted my m/m/f menage COMING CLEAN to Carina Press as part of the Dirty Laundry series . Cade and Grant get frisky! yummo! I am looking forward to edits on them!

8- Edits, Yeah, I actually LIKE them. It means something is happening. I’m also waiting on edits for LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR, another steamy novella. Bram is just droolable, hands down.

7- I have a nice flowerbed with Crocuses here that someone let overgrow so bad it is shameful. I don’t know if I can save any or not it is so bad. But I am going to try. I want next spring to have it overflowing with daffodils!

6- I need a hair cut. I look like scary Walmart lady at 3AM. A brow wax wouldn’t be unheard of either.

5- Tweaks to the website. Have to get on those. *sigh* Anyone want to add a few hours to the day?

4- I am writing the final in the trilogy with Myla, Salome and Darach. DARACH IN DARKNESS is underway!!

3- Mail the taxes TODAY!!  MUST DO!

2- I don’t have a microwave!  Ours worked for one day at this new place then gave up the ghost. What is it with appliances and moving? They are worse than my preteen.

1-  I have somehow misplaced my vehicle keys… like during the move. I really hope they are not 600 miles away on a counter. I keep looking and using the spare set.

BONUS!! I have a cover for Salome at Sunrise! Did you see it? I have to line up some more promo before her debut in MAY but I do love this cover!

13 lines from LIPSTICK ON HIS COLLAR , coming soon from Samhain Publishing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Large, powerful and rough-skinned, his hands framed her face with a gentle touch, spiraling a jagged awareness through her. With one touch, he brought all those feelings of tenderness and promise back. Oh, I’m in major trouble here. Falling in love with Bram would be far too easy.

“Will you tell me your name?”

It sat on her tongue but she held it. The lure of still being his anonymous lover thrilled her with a secret wickedness. She pressed her breasts closer to his chest. “No…but if you guess it, I’ll admit it.”

His mouth quivered with a hidden smile. “What else do I get if I guess right?”

“What else do you want?”

He dropped his head to nibble at her jaw and devilish want dropped his tone to a husky, hungry level. “You, on your knees, in front of me, your lips around my cock.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*wink* It is a scorcher!

Whoa! Huge, major changes in my life are coming in just a few weeks. So I am scrambling with a to-do list taller than Andre the Giant (god rest his very large soul). Some of those make this list!

Also, sorry about last week. We had a family situation pop up and I was out of state for a few days, spotty internet.

With out further ado…

INEZ’S TO-DO LIST! part if it, anyway

13 – Pay taxes. I despise taxes. Personal property, real estate and State income which I ALWAYS end up owing. grrrrr

12 – Purge 3 huge walk-in closets

11 – Purge the massive collection of toy boxes. (I hope to reduce these to three smaller ones but the kids will object. Hence, I will do it while they are in school)

10 – weed out my kitchen, take any pans, dishes, etc I am not using to the 911 center as a donation (used to work there and they have crappy kitchen stuff so they will appreciate it)

9 – get my mouthy assed cat fixed. He is in major teenage mating mode.

8 – edits on two upcoming stories!!

7 – get a full length contemporary shaved down for submission

6 – I am mentoring over at Romance Divas, I need to spend some time with my poor mentee.

5 – I promised a friend I would organize her local political meet the press type deal

4 – I have got to remember to pay my kids’ lunch bill!  Gah!

3 – Pick paint colors!  Love this one! New walls!!

2 – Snow is gone mostly and it is nearly time to mow, so have to get the tractor ready.

1 – SPRING CLEAN!!!!

Thirteen randoms snippets from upcoming books…

Talk Dirty to Me…

13- “Your past lovers must all be blazing idiots who couldn’t fuck their way out of a wet dream.”

12- Nora shifted and her lab coat fell open. The dark olive sweater lent a hint of green to her eyes and offset her skin. It did a world of good for her figure, hugging the curves. He fought to keep his eyes on her face. He liked that lab coat. It was like an outer shell hiding her from the world but underneath, she was all woman.

11- “You do, you know me.” He flipped off the lamp and leaned back on the couch. The darkness intensified the rush, amplified every catch, every inflection in her tone. He licked his lips. “I’m always there, in your fantasies, doing exactly what you want. I’m the ultimate safe lover. I can’t touch you except with my voice.”

10- She thought suddenly of her conversation with James last night and wondered what [this man] was like in bed. Would he whisper sweet, pretty words? Would he growl and bite? Did that straight-laced tweed go down to his bones or was there a naughty professor lurking under that oxford shirt?

Salome at Sunrise…

9- She brought his other hand up, molded them both to her breasts. Beneath her skin, her heartbeat pummeled with an echo to his. “Can you feel it, Bryton, the force that grows between us? It rolls like thunder, scorches like lightning, churns with the power of storm clouds. Can you sense it?” Her hands moved his, down her ribcage to her waist, to her hips, lower. “The winds caress us, the air sizzles on our skin, the rains make us wet.” Her fingers drew his down to slick hot flesh and a groan peeled from his throat.

8- Cottony fog clung to the ground, swirled around the trees and wrapped the last breaths of night in softness. Salome let her gaze drift to the shifting skies. The sun rose beyond the mountain ridge, spilling pale gold light into the fading gray. Streaks of red lined the sky, birthing blood of a new day. She drew the cool air deep into her lungs and relished the crisp tingle.

7- He opened his fist. The ivory rook stood tall in his palm. “He sent a cryptic message that isn’t so cryptic. ‘The rook falls and the king stands alone’.”

She took the chess piece as her gaze shifted to unfocused. “Fear not, husband. Bryton made a grave error.”

“What’s that?”

A wide feline grin bowed her pomegranate mouth. “He forgot about the almighty queen.”

6- His touch wasn’t gentle, wasn’t pawing, but somewhere in between, the perfect balance of a coarse caress. Those battle-hewn hands cradled her breasts, peaked crests digging into his palms. Each breath she drew him further into her soul, sucking in the scent of masculine surrender and famished need.

5- Lips curled back, hot breath soaring passed his teeth, Bryton’s every muscle quivered in agony, in betrayal. How could Taric do such evil? Heartbreak collided with treachery and sliced his soul to ribbons. A tiger’s growl powered through him. He slammed Taric harder against the stone.

Lipstick On His Collar…

4- Her braid must be too tight. And the broken ventilation system had baked her brain. And maybe the bagel she had for lunch was past its due date. That was why her head was throbbing. It had nothing to do with the Jerry Springer-esque turn of her life.

3- A fractured hum vibrated her throat. Shit, that felt good. So close to what she craved, but so far from what she needed, like smelling fresh coffee but drinking Earl Grey.

2- His tie hung crooked over an opened collar and he shook like a cat wrapped in barbed wire. Snowflakes swirled around his red flushed face, his lips curling into an angry snarl. “Where’d you pick him up? It wasn’t some bar. He’s never called you. What’d you do, place an ad on Craigslist for a fucktoy?”

1- Jason took a step back and swallowed. He stared at her in horror. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Gotten into me? Gotten into—? Okay, know what? Fuck you. No, on second thought, don’t fuck you because you suck in bed. You couldn’t make a dog come with a leash and a Milkbone.”

Little known fact about Inez:

I have a degree in Creative Advertising. Most people despise commercials but I love them, or at least, I like the good ones.  A good advertising jingle or slogan can catapult a product into an American Icon. I mean, think about it. Had you ever even heard of Aflac Supplemental Insurance BEFORE that damn duck? Probably not.

Some of the most memorable slogans have lasted longer then the products themselves or evolved into the common language of society. Put that slogan to music and it becomes a jingle, an earworm that works for you and gets stuck in people’s heads. Here are just a few examples

“Breakfast of champions” -Wheaties

“Ring around the collar”- WISK detergent

“Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman”  -Secret Deodorant

So when I was thinking of today’s list of 13, I wondered what famous advertising slogans could be used for romance titles. Some may be geared to erotic romances, others toward …okay, most of these lean toward erotic but work with me.

Let’s see what I found:

13- “M’m! M’m! Good!” – Campbell’s Soup or a naughty little cooking story?

12- “Does she or doesn’t she?” – Clairol or a Question about whether she puts out?

11- “The quick picker upper.” – Bounty or a Romantic Comedy

10- “Reach out and touch someone.” – AT&T or erotic?

9- “Finger lickin’ good.” -  KFC or  a pianist with magic fingers?

8- “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” M&Ms or .. yeah, don’t go there

7- “Just do it.”- Nike or advice from the best friend?

6- “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”- Peter Paul Mounds or is it Butterfly Tattoo all over again?

5- “Where’s the beef?” – Wendy’s or what the heroine says about her first lover, the one BEFORE the hero?

4- “Let your fingers do the walking.”- Yellow Pages or a masseuse love story?

3- “We’re Looking For a Few Good Men” – U. S. Marine Corps or prostitute heroine?

2- “His master’s voice” – Victor Talking Machine Co. or M/M BDSM??

1- “You’ve come a long way, baby!”-   Virginia Slims Cigarettes or the Romance industry as a whole?
**I’m sorry, Louisa, Lilli, Deidre, Eden and Claire. I loved the books and it is late, and these struck me as funny