PSA: Retiring Titles

I published WEEKEND LOVER in 2012. That book was a fluke. As a writer I was stretching my wings and trying out new genres and erotic romance was definitely outside my comfort zone. I wrote sweet-ish romances, I thought. I would write sweet-ish romances until the day I die.

Then came along UNDER HIS KILT and that changed the course of my writing career. The past three years have been awesome and crazy. But after writing TWICE SHY, I had to admit I no longer write sweet-ish romances. And bless anyone who goes from DOUBLE TROUBLE to UNDER HIS KILT. Or a reader tries out DOUBLE TROUBLE after loving KILTED FOR PLEASURE.

Though I may be the common factor, these stories don't live in the same genre. When someone looks at my backlist, I don't want any confusion. This will only get worse as I add to my #dirtysexygeek series. So I'm retiring a couple of titles from the Melissa Blue name.

Don't freak out though. Many of these titles will be re-published under a new author name and I won't keep it a secret--PROMISE. This process will be long, but know that by 2016, you will no longer be able to purchase these titles under the Melissa Blue name.

Here's a list of titles that will be retired:

Sugar Plum Kisses
Everything You Need
Everything He Dreamed
Double Dare
Twice Smitten
Double Trouble
See Megan Run
See Lynne Chased
The One I Want

All right. Any questions don't be afraid to ask me. I don't bite unless you ask.

New Release: Devil of the Gridiron

A few months ago I decided to take a risk and write a story for submission. I wasn't going to have a release until January. I had time to write a short novella, and what could it hurt? Mind you, I haven't wrote to submission guidelines in more years than I can remember. But I heard about Kindle Worlds, in particular Bella Andre's GAME FOR LOVE series. Andre's story features a bad boy football player and a sweet heroine. Also, the book was hotter than fish grease. How could I resist?
I wrote the story, submitted it and Kindle Worlds accepted DEVIL OF THE GRIDIRON. It's out now! So exciting.

Anyway, here's an excerpt and the deets are below.

***

Six months was much, much too long to go without if a woman's back could get him revved. Some men weren't made to be monks. Adam sure as shit wasn't. What he wanted to do was cross the room, press his dick into the soft swell of her ass, and maybe nip the skin along her neck, just to claim her as his. Hell, just to taste her.

Rule. Number. Two.

No. Women.

Not even sweet ones, because once he fell off the wagon, he would binge himself into a sexually satisfied coma.

“I like to be a man of my word, so I came early.” He rasped out gruffly, much lower than he'd intended.

The basket dropped as she whirled to face him. The dress fluttered up. A flash of green satin underwear made him want to both groan and chuckle. The tease of seeing that scanty triangle over her mound would haunt his dreams. But now he knew exactly the kind of woman she was. The kind who would make sure her panties matched her dress. Knowledge that made dying seem preferable if this was the kind of torture he had to look forward to.

He strode over to Charlotte since she still stood there, eyes wide while she panted. Her heavy breathing caused her tits to jiggle. Another moment of witnessing the latter and he'd suffer from vertigo.

“Sorry if I scared you,” he mumbled.

Her hands fluttered up then down and she shook her head. “Yeah.”

He narrowed his eyes. This was not the woman he'd talked to over the phone and in email. That Charlotte had been outspoken, maybe even chatty. He stopped a foot in front of her.

“Charlotte, are you okay?”

“Fine,” she squeaked, her eyes shifty. She bent to pick up the fallen vegetables and basket. “I'm fine,” she muttered.

He grasped her shoulders and drew her up so she couldn't hide her face. She lowered her head, bringing down a soft cascade of hair. A shame because he liked her ocean-blue eyes.

“Is this going to be the next two hours of my life?” he asked. “I say something and you give me a two-word sentence, if I'm lucky?” He really didn't want to touch her any more than he had to— they could go down a bad, bad road if he did—but the action seemed necessary.

Adam cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Breath gone. She could look straight through a man and see exactly who he was. He dropped his hand and stepped back, not wanting her to see all his exposed wounds.

“Let's make a deal,” Adam said.

“What?”

Another one-word reply. He smiled. “You treat me like I'm not famous and things should go smoothly.”

“Oh, no,” she said horrified. “It's not that. It's…” She pushed out a breath, her cheeks coloring. “No. It's exactly that. Your fame blinds me, and I don't know what to do when you're around?”

Pleasure warmed his blood. So it was just him that flustered her. “That sounded like a question. Not sure if I'm the one who is supposed to answer or if you are.”

She threw her head back and laughed. Her entire body fell into the simple action, from a slight shake in her shoulders to the wide smile that went along with it. When was the last time he enjoyed the way a woman laughed—hell, wanted to join her because the sound was pure joy? Adam craved to be a part of it. A selfish need, but he'd taken away all other vices for his career. He needed new ones anyway.

Adam reached up and brushed a thumb along her cheek. The laugh, then the smile, faded. It hadn't been that long that he no longer recognized the change in her stance, the way she parted her mouth, and how she looked at him. Attraction buzzed between them in the silence.

Touching her hadn't been the mistake. Deciding to spend time alone with her had been the misstep. Why did he think he had impulse control when all of his adult life was proof that he didn't?

“Charlotte,” his voice was tight, tense. “Say something unsexy.”

The tip of her tongue feathered over her top lip. “I love Zucchini?”

Yeah. He was screwed. Adam tilted her chin up and kissed her.

***

BLURB

Six months down, six to go...

After a scandal puts his NFL career on the line, wide receiver Adam Carpenter must behave for a year. No partying. No sarcastic replies to the media. No women. He'll survive the longest year of his life if he can just keep his name out of the tabloids, and his hands off a sweet redhead who needs his help. He owes her a favor. Unlike most women he knows, she only wants him to donate his time to charity.

Charlotte West never thought she'd have to ask someone named Devil of the Gridiron for a favor, but her after-school food program is in trouble. She's desperate for donations to keep it going, and a visit from a sports star could create enough social media buzz to save it. But she knows with men like Adam one little favor may be all he'll need to seduce her. Charlotte's instinct is to run from men with wicked smiles and reckless natures, they bring nothing but trouble and heartache.

She can't seem to run from Adam, and the reformed bad boy stands to lose more than his spot on the team if he beds Charlotte—he could lose his heart.

Buy link:

Amazon

The Dirty Scot's Big Brother

Aye. The man you know as the Dirty Scot has a big brother. His name is Tristan. And his book is out!

***

Blurb

Keri Pearson is currently between jobs, so there's nothing to lose when her cousin promises her a glowing recommendation from a top expert in their field in exchange for a small favor. All she has to do is lie about who she is and pretend to be married to a charming Scot for three hours. Her sexy-as-hell pretend husband makes it too easy to play the part of newlyweds. The last thing she should do is trust him or the genuineness of his lust or adoration, but his touch ignites an unexpected desire.

Tristan Baird turned his back on his past with plenty of regrets, but when his brother blackmails him, Tristan can’t say no. Given his brother saved his neck, an afternoon doing what he does best doesn’t seem like too much to ask. And it’s for a good cause. Doing the job right guarantees his brother and new wife will have the home of their dreams. But his stunning accomplice complicates the job. She is everything he always wanted and couldn’t have. The kind of woman who is too smart to ever trust a former conman.

The three-hour commitment stretches into five sexually charged days as they fight the explosive connection. As each day passes, Keri must remind herself what is true and what is false, but the lines are blurring. Tristan can only hope his past doesn't come back to ruin their future.

Buy Links

Amazon

B&N

ARe

Smashwords

If you haven't already picked up Under His Kilt, here's some incentive. On sale! You can find the price reduced at these retailers:

Amazon
B&N
ARe

Happy reading!

Sequel Bait, ARCs and Upcoming Releases

Were you aware the Dirty Scot had a brother? Well, he does and his story is coming soon.

***

Keri Pearson is currently between jobs, so there's nothing to lose when her cousin promises her a glowing recommendation from a top expert in their field in exchange for a small favor. All she has to do is lie about who she is and pretend to be married to a charming Scot for three hours. Her sexy-as-hell pretend husband makes it too easy to play the part of newlyweds. The last thing she should do is trust him or the genuineness of his lust or adoration, but his touch ignites an unexpected desire.

Tristan Baird turned his back on his past with plenty of regrets, but when his brother blackmails him, Tristan can’t say no. Given his brother saved his neck, an afternoon doing what he does best doesn’t seem like too much to ask. And it’s for a good cause. Doing the job right guarantees his brother and new wife will have the home of their dreams. But his stunning accomplice complicates the job. She is everything he always wanted and couldn’t have. The kind of woman who is too smart to ever trust a former conman.

The three-hour commitment stretches into five sexually charged days as they fight the explosive connection. As each day passes, Keri must remind herself what is true and what is false, but the lines are blurring. Tristan can only hope his past doesn't come back to ruin their future.

***

If you're interested in receiving an ARC for this book, you can fill out a form here. I'm hoping to have this baby out on Feb. 20th. I shall keep you updated.

Homespun Cover Making: Part 4

Warning: By no means am I a professional graphic artist or a teacher.

This post is going to have a lot of print screen and I can tell you now that I probably didn't include enough. lol So strap in and get ready.

Personally, I don't like the gradient alone. So let me try some other avenues. We're about to get REALLY fancy. I'm heading to the layer list. I'm right clicking the couple. A menu pops up and I'm choosing Edit Layer Attributes. (Don't forget to click ok.) I'm picking the Fuzzy Select Tool and I'm going to get rid of that gray background. I'm clicking that gray and it's going to select a lot. Some things I don't want to get rid of. But that's okay because I haven't had coffee yet. I'm picking the Eraser and erasing everything within that Selection that I don't want to keep. I'm getting old so I'm changing the View too.

Now I'm picking that Erase tool and shall get started.

Yeah...

So now I have the couple, sans background. Let's make things interesting. I've SAVED AS. If you don't have a White Background layer, add one behind the couple. I've reordered the layers and put my title and name below the White Background Layer. As you can see this sucker is bare and needs work. This is when I just have to say I play around until I hit on something that works.

Let's go back to those gradients. 3 blendings later at 100 percent opacity in that background...

Still totally missing the mark. Let's put some in the front of the couple. I do this by picking the couple, right click, New Layer. I don't want the Opacity so strong. So let's go with 30 percent.

Not enough. Let's just duplicate the layer.

Still so bare. This is when I go to my huge file of stock photos. If you don't have one, get one. Lol I have textures, cityscapes, landscapes, etc. When things feel like this I use my rule of three: Object, background, font. In this case the object is the couple. I've cut out the background so I should replace it. If I pick the right background, all I need is to put my font back in and voila, the cover looks full and complete. I'm sure there's a technical name for this, but I don't know it because I'm not a professional graphic artist.

I have a background. I'm picking this because there's some red in it. I'm hoping they compliment each other. I don't know because I'm just playing at the moment. I'm cropping a bit of it by using the square selection tool from the toolbox. I'll copy and paste it as a layer into the cover. (Most of this stuff is pretty simple. It's exactly what you'd do if you were sticking a picture file in Word.)

Now. Don't scream. Reorder the layer so it's beneath the couple. (Click on it and drag it down.) Scale so it fits fully behind the couple.

Somehow, it works. But I don't want this to look like some Walmart picture where you can see the folks are sitting on something. Let's play with the couple a bit. Right click the couple. Edit Layer Attributes. Ok when that dialogue box pops up. 

Er. Too far down. Scaling and moving them a bit to the side.

 Ha. We're getting close.

I'm going to try to make the cover look more cogent. This is where things get tricky. I'm putting the font back where it needs to be by dragging it from the bottom to the top. I'm right clicking the couple. The menu is going to pop up. I'm going to Duplicate Layer and drag it down below the White Background Layer. I don't want to lose the original. If I mess up and the undo option is out of the picture for some reason, I have the original couple. 

Now at the top of the Layer-Gradient list will be an Opacity bar. (It's blue) I'm going to play with this. First, I'm going back to the original couple layer, right click, Edit Layer Attributes. I'm going with 92 percent.

I'm going to do something similar to the cityscape background. (Right click. Edit Attritubes. Ok.) This time I'm going with 80 percent.

Not bad, but did I mention I'm anal retentive?

Let's go back to the couple. Right click. On that menu list there's an Apply Layer Mask Option. When that dialogue button pops up, choose White (full opacity). Add it. When you look at your layers list, there should be a small box next to the couple.

Nothing has happened to the actual couple. That's a good thing, because if it had, then you should scream and undo. Choose the blending/gradient tool. Make sure the two colors are black and white. Now look at the Tool Options dialogue box and make sure the FB to BG option is picked. Blend.

The bottom half of your couple should have disappeared a little.

I sit back, look at the cover and realize I'm just doing a tutorial.

Yup. I'm done. This should be enough info to make some covers. Best of luck.

Any questions, ask them in the comments.

Homespun Cover Making: Part 3

Warning: By no means am I professional graphic artist or a teacher.

We're getting fancy. I might move too fast so ask any questions in the comments. The goal is to do the same cover just with a gradient.

First thing first? SAVE AS. Come on, you had to know that was coming. Since I don't want to redo all the font work, I'm pulling it down below the White Background Layer. That involves clicking on the various layers and dragging them down.

Next: New Layer. Right click either the image or a particular layer in your Layers-Gradients list, you get a menu. Pick New Layer. I cannot stress New Layer enough or even duplicate layer. If you're going to start changing things, don't do it to the original.

Once you click New Layer, a menu pops up. You want the last option: Transparency. It's going to look like nothing is added until you look at the Layers-Gradient list. There's just a blank layer waiting for ya.

Now to blend.

I'm going to choose the blending tool. It's highlighted in blue in the Tool Box.

The options I chose, you can see those on the right, are FB to Transparent. I'm leaving the Opacity at 100 percent.

(If you don't know the names I'm using, enlarge the pic and find it. )

I want the bottom half blended to better bring out that whatever font I use in that area.

That line you see is the direction the blending tool is going to go. If I wanted to start in the corners, then I'd hold down the left mouse button, hold until I got to the part of the cover that would have the most faded part of the gradient.

So, I did the gradient tool twice so it was really dark by their legs. 

Boom. I'm done. Let's put back my name and title.

Homespun Cover Making: Part 2

Warning: By no means am I professional graphic artist or a teacher.

This is when I take those wispy ideas of what I want and see if I can find a picture that can make it tangible.

After spending quite some time looking at feet, I decided not to go with feet. I'm going to show you two different ways to make a cover. The simple, headache free one. Or headache-ish free one. And one that's a bit more advanced.

My advice?

Find a good stock. Good stock makes your life easier, especially if you are new at this. Especially if, like me, you're not a professional and can't take a so-so stock and turn it into a masterpiece.

A few tips when you hit a stock photo site”

Read the license that way you know what you can and cannot do with the stock.

Have a criteria. Full body, only the torso, dark background, white background, indoors, outdoors, etc. If you know you want a woman's legs and she's wearing heels, it helps if you know you need stock with her either standing up or sitting down.

Know when to give yourself a break. Looking for stock can be overwhelming.

Lightbox or save stock. You never know when you might need it or if that one pic you hated somehow because wonderful.

So, I picked this stock for this blog:

http://depositphotos.com/30461599/stock-photo-Sexy-kissing-couple-in-bed.html

I can look at it and know I can keep it as is and slap some font on it and it'll look fine. I'm not working with print, I'm doing digital. Right now, the biggest you can upload to Amazon is XXXX by 2500. Since I'm not making this part of a series, I'm just going to go ahead and scale the image down to 2500.

(I'm using GIMP. If you have Photoshop or something else, I'm not sure how much this will help you. But I will say there's a lot of crossover in all these programs. You just have to find the right tool.)

Now. SAVE AS. Not, SAVE, but SAVE AS. You want to keep the original pic as is. Do all your dirty work on a copy.

* Did I mention I'm anal retentive? Well, I am. So what I'm going to do is crop the stock. I personally don't like all that space around them. I want to focus on the couple. Copy, paste as new image. SAVE AS.

* Tip: If you're finding you have to do any scaling make sure you keep the same proportions. Otherwise your couple or stock is going to start to look funky. Or, rather it's going to have that fun house mirror look.

So, I've cropped and dropped them into a new file. I'm basing this new file dimensions from Under His Kilt, which I know is 1740 X 2500. I've pasted, now I need to scoot them over to the middle.

All right. No bells or whistles, I'm slapping on font. I need something contemporary and clear. And so it begins...

And just when you think you have something great, change the View to thumbnail, which is about 6 percent.

Thus, my rant about font. And then you find something that doesn't make you scream and that you can see at thumbnail. If it passes those tests,  find a font for your name. It shouldn't clash with your title. If you're going in knowing the font for your name, then it's the other way around.

Since this is a tutorial, in a sense, I can live with this. I added something to the name and title to make it pop. Some folks hate drop shadow. I'm personally addicted to it. If you hate it, then you can definitely just duplicated the text layer. (Right click the Text Layer [the little box right next to the Text Layer], menu pops up and there's a duplicate option.)

All right. That's the slap on version. See what I mean about good stock?

Homespun Cover Making: Part One

Warning: By no means am I professional graphic artist or a teacher.

The first step to cover making for me is to figure out what the hell I want. In part, it's looking at what other books in my genre look like. If you're following along, I cannot stress enough, don't skip this step. It's not enough to make a cover. The point of the cover is to sell your book.

I repeat. Don't skip this step.

Why?

I'm sure someone's done the actual math, but I'd say you have less three seconds to tell someone what the book is about with your cover. (Don't believe me, go to your favorite place to buy books and see how fast you scroll through those covers until you stop. And take a minute to study the cover you stopped on.) I personally like to brand my series. In all honesty, I should do a complete overhaul of all my covers and brand all my books. But hindsight is 20/20 and right now my time is limited. That's neither here or there. Before my time runs out I want folks to be able to guess the genre. If I've done my job, I should be able to convey the heat level.

So, when I'm looking for what I want, I hit Amazon. They have an incredible search engine. I write contemporaries so I type in “contemporary romance.” I even cheat a little and go to the top 100 bestseller lists sometimes.

http://www.amazon.com/Scorched-Book-Surrender-Melody-Anne-ebook/dp/B00EV8ETK4

I like the look of this. It says erotic to me. So I have the option of picking just the hero or the heroine to be on the cover.

http://www.amazon.com/Take-Me-Stark-Novella-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00FO60CH6

Again, I like this. I've seen something similar so I know it's likely a romance. I'm picking up these cues from the way the material is swirled. The font of the title. You likely won't see that font on Of Mice and Men.

To couple or not to couple?

http://www.amazon.com/Lovers-Heart-Love-Bloom-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00G0ZRN18

Modern clothes on a couple in a heated embrace. Clean fonts that you can see in thumbnail. A script that's bigger than the rest of the words.

http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Nothings-Sugar-Springs-Novel-ebook/dp/B00CH37JBG

There's a couple with inanimate objects and vectors. Very bright colors so I'm guessing this is going to be a light and fun contemporary. With the above, there's a banner. I'm not a fan of them. Until I hit a snag and then all can be solved with a banner. The kind of snags I'm talking about has everything to do with font. I might set aside a whole post about font, because it can make or break your cover.

So even though I'm not a fan of banners, I'm keeping them in mind. Matter of fact, I'm totally in love with Farrah Rochon's Moments in Mapeville covers. She could, conceivable use every color of the rainbow and still you'd know it's a series because of the banners used, the inanimate objects, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Little-Taste-Moments-Maplesville-ebook/dp/B00HMYIRFC

This is important and smart because font is a very important factor.

http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Me-Still-Caisey-Quinn-ebook/dp/B00E9PJOXQ/

A gradient is definitely a good replacement for a banner. So I could put my name and the title at the bottom or top of a cover. Hell, if I'm feeling fancy, on the side.

Even though I like this cover, it's just too dark for what I write:

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Breath-Breathing-Rebecca-Donovan-ebook/dp/B00B52IQSA

And speaking of landscapes.

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Groom-Place-Called-ebook/dp/B00457VKJY

A couple, just their feet:

http://www.amazon.com/PERFECT-Romantic-Comedy-Autumn-Jordon-ebook/dp/B00A3VTVDS

Hands instead of feet.

http://www.amazon.com/Remember-When-Finale-Trilogy-ebook

Just by doing this I'm getting a better picture of what I want. I'd rather use a gradient than a banner. I don't want couples unless it's something like their hands or feet. If I do find some hands and feet, it'll be “sweet-ish” instead of “erotic-ish” because that's the tone of my story. I want a light color scheme. Because I've done this cover making before, I want to steer clear of scripts for the fonts, along with black and white stock photos.

The next part is likely going to be the most time consuming. I'm heading to stock photo sites. Blergh.

Double Trouble: Out Now

It's out! (Finally!!!) I really hope y'all enjoy Sasha and Warren. Anyway, happy reading!

***

Sasha McCormick, part-time artist and full-time art professor, has decided to mend her flighty, commitment-adverse ways. She's already taken on a mortgage that forces her to pick up as many side jobs she can. When her well of contacts dries up, she may have to resort to something desperate. Or boring. Whichever pays better.

Warren Tennison isn't fond of anything that's not nailed down with logic. Raised by a troupe rather than a family, he comes by his bias honestly. He does his best to avoid Sasha's type—unreliable, emotionally unstable, selfish—because they're nothing but ten pounds of drama in a five pound bag. Unfortunately, he needs help with some art research for the book he's writing. He's over deadline and out of time, so hiring Sasha to be his on-call muse is his best bet.

Sasha knows Warren should be Mr. Perfect: steady and smart, but unfortunately also sexy as sin. Being around him makes her forget that she's determined to be a staid, responsible woman from now on. The passion is insanely explosive, and makes them both do reckless things that only proves they're doomed to keep falling for the Wrong One.

He can't find a logical way to justify his behavior, and she can't see beyond her wild past that keeps getting in her way. They both know this can only end in angst-riddled tragedy. All they want is a nice, normal romance, but lust keeps waylaying their road to reform.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

ARe

Smashwords

Excerpt:

Sasha's gaze, once again, sought out Warren. His lips were moving as he focused on the laptop. Lost in his own world, he hadn't noticed it'd taken much longer than necessary to order their pastries. Warren needed a keeper. It had taken him five minutes to find his keys—they had been in his pocket. The way he had patted his laptop bag and then his jeans until he found them had been cute.

No matter how many times Sasha gazed at him, he wouldn't suddenly turn into a man ruled by passion. Hell, he didn't even believe in fate, and fate couldn't have handed her someone more perfect.

Resolute, she paid for their desserts and slid into the booth. He didn't glance up. Sasha placed the box with his pastry and a fork in his line of sight and then dug into her croissant.

“What'd you get me?” He continued to type.

“Oh, um,” Sasha said, caught off guard.

Her tongue flicked out to catch the stray crust of the croissant. Warren looked up at the same time. She had no intentions in making the motion provocative, but the way his nostrils flared and how those damnable irises became richer, darker and more decadent than the chocolate drizzled over her croissant proved intent didn't matter.

His gaze narrowed, and she felt wanton. Heat prickled along Sasha's skin, and she had the sudden urge to lick the corner of her mouth again just to see what he'd do next.

His eyes lighted with a sudden awareness she hadn't known he could possess. “Must be delicious.” His voice had deepened.

She tried to remember how adorably geeky he was, but simply couldn't recall any examples of him being cute, or nice. The man who continued to hold her gaze in challenge didn't need a keeper. He needed his shirt ripped off so she could lick him. This man looked like he wouldn't whisper sweet nothings in her ear, but dirty ones that would make her wet. Her reaction started setting off alarm bells because this feeling she knew.

“Strawberry tart,” she eked out a dry throat.

She won the staring contest by default when he opened the box and picked up the fork. He closed his eyes and hummed after the first bite. “I see the appeal.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

She got her heartbeat under control with the next breath. The look had been a fluke. He was adorable, borderline friend-zone material. That heated reaction had everything to do with her overactive imagination.

“If that's your reaction, I must have made a poor choice.” Still, her voice sounded husky.

He sampled another bite, eyes closed, and it wasn't wrong to detail his features in her mind. Strawberry syrup glazed his bottom lip and he scraped his teeth over the lush flesh. He tilted his head and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

She wanted to nip at the masculine skin, swipe her tongue over it to see if he would make the same humming noise as he did now.

“Second thoughts?” she asked. 'Cause boy, she was having some about him being the perfect guy to not tempt her.

***

Need to catch up on the series? Here's some handy info to find out all about Double Dare and Twice Smitten.

Excerpt: Under His Kilt

If you haven't caught my Tasty Blurb Tour, check it out. I'm giving away an $25 gift card. But you're here for an excerpt, right?

NSFW, but then again my hero, Ian, isn't ever safe for work.

****

“So, I've ruined you?”

Jocelyn didn't have to turn around to see the pleased smile. She couldn't let the egotistical comment stand. “Less you and more me, because all the stuff I've asked for were things I already fantasized about. I'll have to find someone else to do them with after you go. Teach someone else what I've learned about myself.” She grinned, practically seeing his annoyed expression. “You know, since the student has surpassed the teacher.”

“I can't have that then. I've got a reputation.”

She stilled at the low tone and closed her eyes. His voice was husky and a little bit raw. Ian only ever talked to her like that when they were naked. Hearing him now, like that, at work, felt like she'd brushed up against a live wire. Within seconds her panties were damp and her mouth dry. Damn.

It was inappropriate and grounds for firing to screw at work, but it was barely ten in the morning and waiting until five felt impossible. What had she turned into letting him have her in every way, in any way she asked for? A nympho, apparently. She tried to breathe through it and didn't turn around to him just yet. If she did and he looked like he was one swallow away from devouring her, all bets were off.

She handled the antique like a good curator was supposed to and let the quiet eat away at the anticipatory tension in the air. Jocelyn counted her steps back to the mannequin and knelt in front of it. Sucking in another breath, she placed the shoes on the stiff and lifeless feet. Shoes that cost way more than when they were made.

Her skin prickled. Ian was watching her progress or just watching her. In order to get through the ordeal and keep her hands steady, she told herself it was in a professional way. Professional curiosity. He just wanted to see how someone else in their field used ingrained techniques to dress inanimate objects with priceless and irreplaceable pieces of history.

He was not watching her because she was practically kneeling at his feet and he liked her in that position. Her kneeling would feed his desire to see her bend on his command. Ian wouldn't get off on the feeling of authority or power, but in her supplication. Nothing drove him over the edge faster than when she gave him permission to let go and do what he wanted. The whole exploration in his bedroom was about her and he never let her forget it.

Even though she told herself not to think about it, because fanning the flames only made the heat building at her core hotter, Jocelyn's imagination snagged on how she wanted him to do things she hadn't thought of yet. She was wet, already from the flirting with the thought of him being aroused. None of this would be an issue if he'd kept that tone under lock and key while they were at work. She finished dressing the shoes on the model, braced herself and stood to face him.

Damn.

****

And Then There Was Three

Yes! More Nicole and Sebastian!

This new release is only .99 cents for a limited time.
Their final chapter...

Nicole Harrison has spent the last six months doubting her relationship with Sebastian. Between work and their sexual encounters, she's kept too busy to entertain insecurities. If her lover wanted to declare them a forever kind of couple, he would have. Anxiety over his feelings leads to one mistake that could unravel their professional life and, possibly, their relationship.

Sebastian Clark has always demanded what he wants. Nicole has become his partner in more than just work, and that doesn't sit well with him. For half a year she's held all the cards in their relationship, and he plans to take them back, leaving no doubt where they stand. Somehow he'll have to convince her that a ruthless, ambitious man like himself can change.

It's time to put all their cards on the table, but a PR crisis sends Nicole and Sebastian from San Francisco to Vegas, on a job that forces them to question their next step as business partners and ultimately lovers.

Will they bet it all and win?

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The One I Want: Out Now (Mostly)

It's out! (For the most part.) (You can also check out the Pinterest board for this story. It has Idris. Yum.)

When Farrah Kane comes home from New York she doesn't plan to fall into bed with Micah Stamps. He's demanding, stubborn, her boss and...her best friend. Except she makes the mistake of agreeing to be his roommate as well as his co-worker for the next three months. It's not long before their days are filled with work and their nights filled with passion. The question is whether their friendship will survive the heat and his stubborn ways. She wants to take her time getting settled into home and their new relationship. He seems to have other plans in mind...

There's no getting around the fact that Micah's best friend makes his blood run hot. Their platonic relationship could die a slow death as far as he's concerned. The year she spent in New York made him realize two things: He missed his best friend more than he should have and he never wanted to live without her again. Now that she is in his grasp—in his home—for three months, there's no sense in waiting to take the next step. Micah only has to convince his impulsive friend to settle down with him.

Their work and home life brings out all the differences between them and drags them to the forefront. Their hearts get in the way of their their well-laid plans. Now, they have to figure out if it's possible to be friends now that they've become lovers.

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Confessions of a Romance Author: Loving in 2013

AND THE WINNER IS....

Laurie!

Thank you everyone who commented!


It's been too long since I last confessed...

I'm going to be honest. It never really crossed my mind to write MC or IR romances. Let me rephrase, I never really thought of my books as IR/MC romance until it came time to market them. It has a lot to do with I grew up mainly in CA. For the most part it's one big ol' melting pot of folks of differences, backgrounds and lifestyles. I wrote what I saw. The things that shaped me, the things that shaped my family members. I took from the books I loved and read and tried to write the same kind of stories. That lasted until I found my own voice through humor.

So, for the most part, none of these things had anything to do with race. It was a non-issue unless we were smacked in the face with the differences. I'd always walk away from those situations knowing it was an injustice and the other person was pretty much clueless Jim Crow and such laws had happened eons ago.

Mind you, I was nineteen when I first started to write and I can attest it's a completely different generation. And then I spent two years of my life studying the law. I fell in love with employment law. Surprise, surprise majority of the cases revolved around discrimination in some form or fashion. Very little involved an employer just not following their own procedures.

So...why, when I'm keenly aware race and racism do I choose to make it a non-issue in my romances? My answer is simple: I write contemporary romances. My characters are of many shades of color. The prevailing problem is that they've made mistakes in their life that they need to recover from. Who hasn't? People of color don't love differently. Interracial couples don't love differently. Their family, friends, and mistakes they've made are what I'm interested in. I choose to write romance first and last. If someone makes a different chose I don't begrudge them. That in and of itself is the freedom we've fought for. To be who we want to be with. Do what we want to do. It's an honor and privilege to be able to write a romance where the hero is white and the heroine is black, or vice versa, and race is a non-issue.

Plus, I'd rather have my heroine too distracted with his humor and rock hard abs to dwell on much else. Folks, really, it's the little things that make me happy.

To find out more about me and the books I write you can check out this blog or my website and Facebook page:

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Hey, wait! Don't click out yet. There's also a giveaway. I'm leaving the choice up to you. You can win my latest release, Bad Boy Next Door (Bad Boy Shorts series), or one of the books in my Modern Fairy Tale series, Double Dare or Twice Smitten. Leave a comment with your email addy to win.

Check out the next blog hop author KoboBrown for another chance to win.

Blurb for Bad Boy Next Door:

After a lifetime of dating too many Mr. Nice Guys, Penelope Copeland is ready to shed her good girl persona. She's looking for a little adventure, with a sprinkle of fun and whole lot of naughty. Unfortunately, most bad boys won’t give her the time of day. They only see her as a sweet kindergarten teacher. Now, all she has to do is convince Ryan Pollard, her self-proclaimed bad-boy neighbor, that she's not as sweet as she looks.

Ryan Pollard is not one to follow conventional rules. His job as a crime reporter doesn't leave him with much use for them. Yet, he's managed to keep his relationship with Penelope platonic with just a hint of flirtation—until tonight. She says she wants an adventure, a walk on the dark side, and he's more than eager to give her one.

When their adventure takes a turn from playful to serious, Ryan and Penelope must choose between pretending the night never happened or embarking on the greatest adventure of all—love.

Excerpt

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Just A Normal Writerly Day On Facebook

Lately things have been crazy. Haven't had time to do a real post so this place looks like promo-central blew up and scattered its remains all over my blog. So, this is a slighted edited transcript of the craziness that goes down on my Facebook page.

I've edited the hell out of this so that it actually fits in one blog post. Maybe, one day, I'll show you the rest. So, this is where we are semi-focused on the task, but we're writers. All things devolve at some point.

The FB Status That Started It All:

Sidenote: I need blog material. Calling all writers to tell me Shit Your Characters Say. Jennifer McKenzie/Jennifer Leeland, and T. Sue VerSteeg report for duty. And by duty I mean trouble making.

T. Sue VerSteeg: To me or what I actually allow them to say in my books?

Melissa Blue: Oh, of course what they say to you. What ends up in the books are not trouble-making.

Melissa Blue: Unless, they're Jennifer Leeland characters. They have no filter.

T. Sue VerSteeg: Jennifer Leeland has no filter. It's one of the many reasons I lubs her so very much!

Jennifer McKenzie: LOL! What the hell is a filter?

Jennifer McKenzie: Okay okay. Shit my characters say. 1. But I want to have sex noooooooooooow!!!"

Melissa Blue: Believe it or not, she (Jennifer Mckenzie) does (have a filter.) Trust me, we have phone conversations.

Jennifer McKenzie: 2. No, it totally happened like that. All the other characters and the theory of relativity is full of shit.

Melissa Blue: 3. I know. I know. We just had a sex scene, but we haven't tried this yet.

Melissa Blue: 4. I don't have a deep, dark past. I'm peachy fucking keen.

Jennifer McKenzie: 5. Swearsies! This will work! You just have to rewrite the whole fucking book!!!

Jennifer McKenzie: 6. I'm a short story. Honest!

Melissa Blue: No. No. Jen. Number 5 happens when you find out the truth.

Melissa Blue: 7. Wrong heroine/hero.

Jennifer McKenzie: 8. What's wrong with her? She's boring! Don't you have anyone who's a little more.....damaged?

Melissa Blue: 9. We're going to have sex right now even though it's totally inconvenient and it might break my character. I'm sure you can make it work.

T. Sue VerSteeg: 10. I'll behave if you just write my story right now. Liars. All of them.

Jennifer McKenzie: 11. Of course we can have sex when we're in mortal danger! What do you mean?

Melissa Blue: 12. I'm just a secondary character. I won't want my own story. Swears.

Jennifer McKenzie: 13. I have a name but I'm not telling you.

Jennifer McKenzie: 14. I'm not a dirty story. Not at all.

Melissa Blue: 15. I'll never love again.

Melissa Blue: 16. This is the fourteenth scene with us around the kitchen just talking. That's not boring at all.

* To Be Continued...Maybe. One day. This is what writers talk about when readers aren't watching.  

To find out more about T. Sue Versteeg you can click here. To find out more about Jennifer Leeland/The Real and First Jennifer Mckenzie you can click here.