I’m in the middle (*snort* I wish, more like the beginning) of a hand to hand combat course (workshop) that is *literally* kicking my butt, but in a good way…My bruises make my husband cringe and he mutters under his breath a lot about me being crazy or something. He’s so sweet about it, though. Gets me ice packs for my knee and shoulder, forces ibuprofen down my throat so I can walk throughout the day, and makes sure I’m well fed and rested by convincing me that watching this *one* show will be great (and RIGHT after dinner)…knowing full well I’ll pass right out within five minutes. I shoulda seen that one coming.

I’m on day three of a three week course. It starts at 4am and lasts two hours Monday through Friday. See? Crazy. I get home, shower and get dressed, heading to work less than an hour after I get home. Then it’s a 9 hour work day…see? Crazy.

Two weeks ago it was training on a 9mm Baretta (standard issue, I’m told, for a large number of law enforcement agencies. 56 out of 60 shots in my practical…not bad for a first time huh!).

In three weeks I perform a practical and written exam for the combat workshop…Three weeks? Wow.

The only writing I’m getting done right now involves writing down how I feel afterward so I can remember for later usage. ROFL.

So I’ll be out of here for a bit. I love you guys and wish me LUCK!

Dawn

http://www.dawnmontgomery.com/

Sunday brunch in Sausilito with a beautiful view of the bay–and Alcatraz.  That afternoon we went to Muir Woods and saw the redwood trees.  Breathtaking!  That evening, dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Monday we drove to Napa Valley.  Wine Country.  Oh yeah, baby.  We had a tour of the Korbel champagne winery.  Of course we got to taste test lots of products and buy some to take home.  They never made it this far, though.  We finished them the last night in San Fran.  LOL.

Tuesday we drove to Monterey and saw the seals sunning themselves on the rocks so close to shore we could have waded in and patted them!  Then we drove up the coast on the return trip.  Beautiful.

I’ll have lots of pictures and will post them on my blog–which I vowed to be better about keeping after going to a workshop on blogging.  Therefore, very soon I’ll be posting a column, nightly (I hope) called, “And how was your day, honey?”  It’ll be a recap of a day in the life of a writer…me!  And I’ll be happy to hear about your days too!

–And stay tuned to this spot.  I’ll be telling you all about my TWO releases in September next!

Ash

The Boys Down Under anthology has a new lease of life!

Aspen Mountain Press has contracted the whole anthology featuring fellow Aussie authors Kate Murphy, Jess Dee, Angela Verdenius and Sarah Dickson.

My story “The Executioner” had been revised and extended and is sexier with more thrills than ever!

The release date is still to be announced, but I will let you know as soon as I do!

Here’s the Blurb for The Executioner:

A team building exercise at a remote location reignites the heat between former lovers Madeleine Smith and Nicholas Garabaldi .When team members start dying they must learn to trust again so they can outwit whoever is killing off the group one by one. Is this the Executioner from the indigenous Dream Time legend of the local Bilbulmun tribe? Or is someone closer to home responsible?

Maggie Nash
www.maggienash.com
www.maggienash.blogspot.com/
www.australianromancereaders.blogspot.com/

Did I make this secondary character’s eyes blue? Did I even mention eyes? Forget it, I’m cutting this character s/he doesn’t do anything really.

OMG, please tell me that you did not just go on for a whole page about some piece of history that has nothing to do with anything!

Um, you do realize that it’s been a few chapters since there’s been any sex whatsoever? You do recall that this is “erotic” romance, yes?

**points at a particular character** don’t you EVEN start with me!

You got it, folks, I’m heading into the home stretch on DE5. This is an accomplishment, surely, but now I have to put it in front of people. And you know what that means?

FRICKIN’ DETAILS!!

Hey Jet, did you know that he started out the scene sitting and then he sits down?

I don’t get why this guy is so bad/good. This is the first time I saw him (well, yeah, duh! I cut the scene that set that up **rolls eyes**)

You do realize it’d take longer to travel from point A to point B, right? And how did they do it?

Can’t we know more about this person?

But, that doesn’t make sense? How could he…? When this other guy…? And didn’t you say in some obscure passage back in book one that…?

O_O!

I mean, really, O_O!! And people tell me these books should be longer so I can include–you guessed it–more detail. ACK! That’d kill me!!

****Please ignore the above. Author is suffering from DIP and inferiority complex and brain overload. She’ll be fine once she  writes those virtual words “the end”****

Let me share a bit of Twin Flames of Imbolc with you all. I hope you enjoy the story as much as we had writing it. *grins*

Information: http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=145&products_id=186

Blurb: The Twins, Synthia and Sharyn Tremayne are forced to tell a story from each of their past lives before an audience at Ambrosia Tavern. For each of them, they tell a story of love and passion that ended.

However, what they speak offends many, and gets many thinking about what could be if given the chance.

For Synthia, it means one night with a heartmate that she thought was gone. For Sharyn, it means a night with two men who attract her thoughts and attentions.

Excerpt: http://www.redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/excerpts/TwinFlamesImbolc__excerpt.html

Well last November I did and now 8 months later I am wondering what the heck was I thinking!

You see, I opened my mouth with the infamous line “How’s this for an idea?” A few of us on a romance readers group were lamenting how we couldn’t afford to go to RT or to RWA nationals since it is so expensive to get there from Australia, so I threw out the idea of having a readers event in Australia instead. And yes, you guessed it, the others thought it was a brilliant idea and promptly made me chairperson of a new organisation and the Australian Romance Readers Convention was born!

It’s been quite the roller coaster ride for us all. A lot of work but I have made some really close and lifelong friends along the way and the event itself promises to be amazing! It is scheduled for 20 - 22 Feb 2009 in Melbourne Australia and work is constantly on the go to make sure the best possible event happens.

We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from Authors and publishers. We know it is a long and expensive way to travel and are constantly amazed at how generous people are. We also have a big supply of free books and promo items generously posted to us from those who can’t come.

The line up is spectacular, if I say so myself We have Sherrilyn Kenyon, MaryJanice Davidson, Stephanie Laurens, Dianna Love, Liz Maverick, Keri Arthur, newcomer Bronwyn Parry, Ally Blake, Nicola Marsh, Paula Roe, Denise Rossetti, Jess Dee, Helen Woodall (EC editor), Carol Marinelli, Annie West, Anna Campbell, Jordana Ryan, and many more yet to confirm….phew! What a party!

We have support from our confirmed wonderful sponsors Avon/Harper Collins, All Romance ebooks, Harlequin Australia, Intrigue Romance Books, Torquere Press and more are signing up every day. (Contact Natasha at arrc.sponsorship@gmail.com)

So if you would would like more details about the event send an email to ARRC09@gmail.com and join our mailing list.

Registration opens soon!

And what have I learned from this experience?

Sometimes we put our feet in our mouth for a reason.

Although it’s a hard slog, I wouldn’t have missed this opportunity for the world.

Maggie

www.australianromancereaders.com.au

Death by Delilah

Ashlyn Chase

Delilah Mills, a navy enlistee, is on the verge of finding true love. All she needs is a little push or so her grandmother believes. The elder Delilah can’t resist the urge to meddle with her namesake—even if she’s a ghost and her influence is limited.

Joshua Sparks, a naval officer attracted to Delilah since their teens, discovers the crush has been mutual all these years. Back then, he let her mixed race and his parents stop him.  Now, the Navy says they can’t date.  One night they throw caution to the winds and not only can’t undo what they did, but don’t want to.

Can two Navy lovers, equal in resolve but not in rank, secretly live together off base, without discovery getting one of them transferred to the Middle East? 

<i>Publisher Note: A shorter version of this book was previously published elsewhere under the same title.</i>

R Excerpt:  To clear up any confusion—the ghosts do NOT observe the couple having sex.  The elder Delilah (ghost) just loves to tease her husband.  Here’s the clip where that happens.

“For heaven’s sake, Delilah. They’re about to grind their coffee.”

“I still don’t know what—”

“Roll in the hay, bury the bone, shake the sheets, ride the rocket, sink the soldier,

dance on the mattress, knock boots… You know damn well what I mean.”

“You mean they want to have sex now?”

“Genius!”

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?”

“I did. About a dozen times.”

“Yeah, in some kind of World War II code. How the heck was I supposed to figure

that out?”

“Do I really have to keep telling you to give the kids their privacy?”

“I turned my back five minutes ago. I knew they wanted to have sex.”

“You what?”

“I knew they wanted to have sex, not doodle their canoodle or whatever the heck

you said.”

“You’re killin’ me, Delilah.”

“And I keep telling you—”

“I know, I know. I’m already dead but if I was alive again, you’d be killin’ me.”

“If we were both alive again, I’d be doodling your canoodle right now.”

“Now you’re talking! Let’s get to the second part of that continuing education class

on out-of-body sex.”

“Sure. What’s it called, ‘Knocking Boots When You Don’t Have Feet’? Or might it

be something like ‘Burying the Boneless Ham’?”

“It’s called ‘Making Love in the Astral Realm, Part Two’.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No. Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“We can learn to have sex but you leave my astral realm alone.”

* * * * *

“Are you feeling what I’m feeling?”

“If you’re horny, then, yes.” Delilah wrapped her arms around Josh’s neck and

pulled him down close enough to nip his earlobe.

They groped and wriggled to loosen and shed their clothes as fast as possible.

Delilah, caught in her pantyhose, toppled off the bed and onto the rug. “Oomph.”

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Josh extended his hand, ready to help her up.

Instead she yanked him toward her and said in her sexiest voice, “Why don’t you

come and see?”

He grinned and kneeled beside her. “Let me take a good look.” He ran his hand

from her ankle, up one leg to her knee, kissing it and then caressed his way to her thigh.

“This leg seems all right. I’d better check the other one.”

She leaned back on her hands and stretched out both her legs. Josh rubbed teasingly

in circles from her other foot to her other thigh. He avoided the spot in between and

continued up her sides with both hands.

As he reached her breasts, he cupped them and rubbed her nipples with his

thumbs. She closed her eyes, arched and moaned.

“Ah, there seems to be a couple of sensitive spots here. I think I should kiss them

and make them better.”

“Oh, yes. I want to feel your mouth on my breasts, Josh. Please.” Delilah arched,

thrusting her breasts forward.

He dipped low, drew one nipple into his mouth and ran his hot tongue around the

sensitive pebble. Sucking gently, he massaged the other breast. When he released it, he

asked, “Better?”

“Ohhh… Yes, that’s beginning to feel better.”

Available now from Loose Id

Pairing: m/f, m/f/m+

Buy it here

This one is a fun (I hope) romp, pure and simple. I had the idea and much of it written pre-Dark Elves I: Taken and thought it was a neat enough idea to resurrect.

Sorry, no m/m in this one. But… the cps saw a possible connection so maybe there’ll be a follow up story.

BLURB:

Alex dumped her and Jen’s not sure why. Okay, he’d been her first, but she thought she’d done rather well, sexually speaking. Why did he all of a sudden tell her that it wasn’t working out? What was wrong with her?

Ken, Bart, Davey and Jason—her best friends—all try to convince her there’s nothing wrong with her. In fact they seek to prove it to her… by first-hand example. That’s all well and good until Jen starts to freak about that. She’s sleeping with her best friends. What’s up with that?

****************************

© 2008 Jet Mykles, all rights reserved

We were laughing when we got back to my place.

I wore a terribly feminine flowered dress with a full skirt and a low neckline. Strangely, I actually liked the damn thing. It was long enough that I didn’t have to wear pantyhose — ugh, I never did get those things! — and it set off my new sandals nicely.

“I’m telling you, we should have gone in,” said Bart again, carrying bags toward my room.

I laughed harder. The whole day, Bart had been intent on playing my doting boyfriend. He’d gone to extremes, insisting on feeling me up in every dress that I tried on, much to the amazement of the wide-eyed store clerks. When he’d first cupped my ass in his large hand, I’d almost decked him, but I let it go. What the hell? We were having fun, right? And besides, it felt good. When I’d played along, he’d only gone further until, at the last shop, he wanted to follow me into the dressing room to see me try on the garters and stockings he’d insisted that I needed.

“It would have been great. Think of their reaction.”

My laughter subsided, but I was still amused. It would have been funny, but I’d stopped him. Dresses were one thing. Garters were another thing entirely. I didn’t think I was ready to go that far. Besides, even if I’d been laughing, it had been kind of embarrassing to be watched like that. It was probably normal for Bart, but I wasn’t used to being the object of attention, as I’d been all afternoon. It was exhausting!

We took the bags into my room. Despite it all, half of the purchases were actually made by me. I hadn’t let him buy me that much, against his protests.

He set the paper and plastic down on the floor by the closet. “Y’know, Jen, that really does look good on you.”

I smiled, examining my reflection in the large mirror above my dresser, smoothing my hands over the red and white roses that twined with green vines, lingering just seconds on my breasts. The scoop neck did terrific things for my cleavage, and the new push-up bra didn’t hurt any. “Thanks. I guess there’s something for dresses after all. Sometimes. But not the makeup!” I shuddered dramatically, reaching up to toss my loose hair back.

“Why not?” He laughed. “I’m told it can do wonders for your self-esteem.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, well, it’s nasty. Besides, it’s too much work to learn to do it right.” A part of me envied women who could, but it just wasn’t for me.

He stepped into view in the mirror, right behind me. He put his hands on my hips. Then his eyes met mine in the mirror.

I froze.

He didn’t. “Care to let me show you how much a man can appreciate a figure like this?” Oh, man, had his voice ever sounded that sexy before? If so, I’d missed it.

Whoa, wait! “What are you offering?” I asked, grinning feebly, trying to make light of this. I started to twist away from him.

He didn’t let me, holding firm on my hips, reflected eyes locked on mine. “I’m not joking, Jen. You look incredible.”

My smile died. “Bart, stop,” I said, trying to sound cold. The tremor in my voice ruined the effect.

“Can’t.” His fingers gently kneaded the flesh at my waist, reminding me they were there. Yeah, like I needed a reminder. “I know you don’t think of me like a boyfriend. I know we’d be awful as a couple, but” — one hand slid up to spread flat just under my navel — “I’d dearly love to make love to you.”

Ah, shit, he’d said the words. He’d said them softly. He hadn’t been joking. He hadn’t cursed. He hadn’t done any of the things that I knew to be safe between a man and a woman who were just friends.
And, damn it, his eyes and hands were burning me. Squirming worms manifested in my belly as he looked for permission to go on.

“We’re friends,” I said, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. The fabric of the dress was too sheer. I could feel the heat of his palm just inches above my sex. I should move that. Yeah. I’d do that in a second…

“Nothing needs to change, sweets,” he assured me softly, leaning in to brush the lightest of kisses on my shoulder, almost where it met my neck. Sweets. I recognized that. That’s what he called his girls. “We’ll still be friends.” Another kiss, a little more pressure. “But we could have a hell of a time this afternoon.”

The kiss felt too good. My head tipped to the side, giving him room to trail more of them up my neck. I’ll confess, I had sometimes wondered what it was like to sleep with the big man. Not seriously, but it had occurred to me in isolated moments. His bevy of girlfriends had seemed to enjoy him, after all.

“Fuck,” I muttered, closing my eyes.

Now available from Loose Id

My silly romp story is now available. Hope you enjoy!

BLURB:

Alex dumped her and Jen’s not sure why. Okay, he’d been her first, but she thought she’d done rather well, sexually speaking. Why did he all of a sudden tell her that it wasn’t working out? What was wrong with her?

Ken, Bart, Davey and Jason—her best friends—all try to convince her there’s nothing wrong with her. In fact they seek to prove it to her… by first-hand example. That’s all well and good until Jen starts freaking out. She’s sleeping with her best friends. All of them.

What’s up with that?

Read an excerpt

Take a trip on over to Fiction with Friction to read my fireworks post “Glory Boy” for the Fiction with Friction fireworks week.

Pairing: m/m

Eric’s ready for a typical, boring town picnic for the 4th of July. He’s not prepared when the town’s glory boy starts to talk to him.