Been a long, long week...

Excerpt from Last Man Standing – released 20th September. It’s the sequel to Swift for Heart. Thanks to everyone who has asked about this sequel. It will be out very soon now.

The excerpt....
“My powers, as you called them, never work with people I have a deep connection with.” He watched as Amy stiffened at his words.
Amy did not want a deep connection with anyone, let alone this man. She sensed deep connections could be messy and emotionally draining. Who needed the drama?
“Why me then? We’ve only just met.” Amy had wanted to sound cool and disinterested, instead she came across as sounding alarmed. That alarm bordered on panic as Alex leaned into her and gave her such a meaningful look that she felt a definite need to flee the room. Instead she leaned back away from him. There was so much in his eyes that she did not want to acknowledge as being the truth. This man was getting to her in a big way.
Amy dropped her eyes from his to stare at the black fabric of his shirt. Yep, what she had been thinking all night was right. The man had what appeared to be a nipple ring visible under the fabric of his shirt. She had tried all night not to stare but it seemed impossible now to pull her eyes away. She hadn’t really thought of a man having a pierced nipple before. What did it look like? Of course, it was only purely for educational purposes that she wondered. What was the reason to inflict such pain on yourself? The thought of it happening to her own nipple made her wince. Yet the thought of Alex Navarro with a nipple ring made her suddenly feel hot all over.
Alex recognized her look of sudden interest and desire.
“It’s is a nipple ring. You wanna’ look?” Alex started to pull his shirt up. He would do anything to get this woman’s attention.
“No!” Okay, yeah Amy did but she wasn’t about to admit it as to do so gave him power over her.
“Liar,” Alex responded softly. He knew she did. By the look in her eyes she wanted him. He continued to pull his shirt off.
Amy grabbed Alex’s hands to stop him any pulling his shirt up any further than the sight of some mighty fine looking abs and the enticing downward spiral of hair leading to his belt buckle. She swallowed hard. No other man had this affect on her and she had only seen his abs. The sight of the nipple ring would probably have her panting. Down girl.
“No, truly, I would rather you remain a mystery to me.”
“Wanna’ see my tattoo then?” Her hands rested just above his belt buckle. Alex wondered how much further he could push her before she fell.
Amy’s knuckles brushed the warm, hair-roughened skin of his stomach. A hot flash of sensation ripped through her body. It wasn’t early onset menopause that was making her hot.
“Ah, no thanks, I have no desire to see your tattoo.” Well, she did but God knows where that was and she wasn’t feeling that adventurous.
“Scared?” Alex knew she was but that she would not admit it.
“No, it’s just weird this need you have to show me body parts.”
“I’d more than happy to look at any part of your body want to show me.”
“I’ll bet.” Amy pulled her hands from his.
And stuff happens….

When we left Emmeline on wwwkkirch.blogspot.com, Kelly had Emmeline showing Louella what she did to men who did not obey her. They got imprisoned in the dreaded purple box….
"Within its velvet encased corners cowered the three men. But if I ever need my green quills cleaned or my LC tickled, I have three reusable talents right here."

“Not any more quill girl.” Queen Zahara gazed into her crystal ball and viewed Emmeline with distaste. Rafe and Shade were her sons and the rightful heirs to the throne of the Larrissian Kingdom. To be treated by this freak of a woman in such a way was not to be tolerated.

“I told you Emmeline was a bitch.” For the moment Rinalda knew she was safe. There was no way this monarch would risk her life.

Queen Zahara looked shrewdly at the woman beside her. She did not like her but she knew she had to keep her alive. The future of the Crown depended on it.

“I must free my sons.” Zahara focused on the men, twisted the skulltop on her diamond ring and summoned the three forth through the power of her mind.

Shade crash landed in a heap with Jonas and Rafe on top of him as they were flung through space.

“Holy crap where are we?” Jonas sat up and looked around him in awe. The sheer opulence was astounding.

“Mother?” Rafe looked at the Queen with amazement.

“Hello Rafe.” Rinalda greeted him.

“Rinalda! What are you doing here?” He thought she had died.

“You cannot expect the woman who is carrying your child to stay away from you.”

“What?” Rafe jumped up in alarm. “My child?” He had sex with Rinalda? When?

“She’s no longer a virgin?” Shade was amazed at this revelation.

“You don’t remember the night you made love to me, Rafe? You’re going to be a daddy.” And I am going to get the keys to the kingdom.

What will Anny do next? Check out www.annycook.blogspot.com Saturday. Stay tuned.

www.freewebs.com/janetdavies

Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au

The big win...

The amazing characters in Thief of Mine kept me engaged throughout the fast-paced story. Resident bad boy, Kit Kincaid was not humble or modest. He was a self-serving thief who could charm the draws off any woman. Getting to know him was a delicious experience and one I want to repeat over and over again. I pictured myself in Stella’s place and immediately headed for the bedroom. The woman knew what she was dealing with when she signed on for gratuitous sex involving Kit. When they first met, he was pounding a bride on her wedding day. Stella had to give in and I was right there for the mind-blowing ride. The story was sensual as well as erotic, the combination brought goose bumps to my skin. On top of the novel containing hot sex, it had a plot that kept me on edge. There was a plethora of heart stopping action scenes and several dramatic climaxes. Adrenaline swept through my veins. Thief of Mine deserved five stars and an orgasmic rating. I applaud Ms. Jones’ talent and recommend readers buy a copy right away. www.justeroticromancereviews.com - Thanks JERR

Okay, tonight I will win the $10 million Powerball. Yes, I know I have said that before but hope springs eternal and desperation and greed goes on forever. Apparently there is a one in nine million chance that any one person will win it. Who makes up these odds? Is it some mathematical boffin who comes up with them to confuse or depress us so we won't play and then they win because the odds shorten? Anyway I cannot see why I cannot be the one out of nine million others. My first action, once I am sober enough to speak clearly, will be to quit work. I don’t understand people who say they will continue to work after winning a gazillion dollars as they would be bored. Bored? How can a gazillion dollars be boring? My friend Svetlana, no, not her real name, said she wouldn’t know what to do if she stopped working. I find it sad that she has nothing else in her life to turn to. Why does work become so important to some people? Yes, I know its all about paying bills but why do we define our lives by our jobs? I deal with a woman who signs all her emails with the title “Executive Sales and Marketing Manager.” She’s not. She’s an office manager like me. But she said it sounds a more important sign off than my normal “Is it Friday yet? best wishes, Amarinda.” She is the sort that will win lots of money and then go back to work. Fate, if you are listening, let me win the money and I swear I’ll appreciate it and only do good things with the money.

Every Thursday morning the garbage bins get collected in my street. And like many Thursday mornings it is only when I hear the sounds of bins crashing against the side of the truck that I think holy snapping ducks! I haven't put the bins out. I then have to race outside in my pyjamas and look up the street to see what bin I should put out. Recycling and normal or just normal? The angst of modern life. I then drag the bin to the curb in time for the garbo(guy in the truck) to roll up to empty them. I always wave at him and he shakes his head. I think he shakes his head because he secretly thinks I am a vision of loveliness in my flannelette pj’s, bed socks and thongs (flip flops) - and not that I am like every other dumb homeowner who forgets bin day.

Anyway, today after the bins were emptied, I looked down and saw a big blue cross spray painted on the grass nature strip in front of my house (grass I don’t own that is on public property).Hmm…I looked up a bit further and saw another cross. No, it was not an alien landing or religious phenomena (I could have made money out of those) - I was going to get two trees out front of my house. I love trees. My front fence is made up of native trees and the back yard is full of them. I have so many trees it affects the reception on my mobile (cell phone). Anyway, as I headed off to work I saw the man with the trees. I stopped the car and applied some charm and got to pick the trees I wanted out front of my house - a Jacaranda (purple flowers) and a wattle (yellow flowers and Australia’s flora emblem). Hey, I pay my council rates. I own those trees and a bunch more I reckon. And what is the point of being a hormonally charged woman if you cannot put those hormones to good use?

Speaking of hormonally charged women - did you read www.kkirch.blogspot.com? Well of course you did. Did you see what Kelly has done to out blog serial? As for Anny – www.annycook.blogspot.com - the Zen queen leads Grasshopper astray and then I have to pay for it. But, never fear, I have an idea in mind.

Blue Ribbon rating – 5. Thanks Romance Junkies - This is my first book by Ms. Jones and I suspect not my last. THIEF OF MINE was a great read, well thought out with plenty of layers that kept me guessing till the end. I hope that Ms. Jones writes more stories like THIEF OF MINE it in the future. http://www.romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/contemporary/Thief_of_Mine.shtml

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au
www.freewebs.com/janetdavies
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

The Wednesday Interview

It’s Wednesday once more and I get to speak to brilliant author Sandra Cox about her latest book Boji Stones to be released on September 13. Next week Rena Marks graces us with Born Again.

Boji Stones – the Excerpt

His trembling fingers rested on the keyboard as he leaned toward the monitor, an uncontrollable twitch running through his misshapen body as he devoured the article with the greedy need of a child offered chocolate.
Legend has it that out of all the mortals on earth five women found favor with the gods—
Sophia whose face was pitted and ravaged by pox,
Zoe a young queen whose village was razed and plundered and she herself taken as slave,
Pelagia who had the body of a woman and the mind of a child,
Olympia a poor widow with children to feed,
and
Helen, who’d lost four children to the plague and begged the gods to spare her remaining child.
Moved, the gods created five special amulets.
To Sophia they gave an amulet forged with beauty and creativity.
To Zoe an amulet forged with power.
To Pelagia an amulet forged with knowledge.
To Olympia an amulet forged with wealth.
And for Helen they forged a copper amulet with a beautiful amethyst at its center. Two plain stones the size of small coins flanked the amethyst. The female stone smooth, the male stone’s texture rough. Then they fused the amulet with healing.
Or so legend has it…

The Interview

1. How hard is it to write romance and make it convincing?

I think it all depends on how caught up you are in the moment. If you are having a 'mechanical writing day' there’s no point in even trying to write romance because it's going to show in your writing. But if you are caught up in the moment, feeling everything your characters are, it’s no problem at all.

2. Do you rely on physical attraction to build the romance or are personal dynamics more important?

I don't think you can have one without the other. You can have physical attraction and not have a romance. Or you can have personal dynamics and not have a romance. But when you meld the two you’ve got a love affair.

3. Do you think romance just happens or do you make your characters work for it?

My characters always have to work for it. They always have roadblocks standing in their way.

4. What is it about your hero that makes him irresistible to women?

My heroes are all different. In the Boji Stones, Jack Wolfe is a gentle scholar with a hard body that belies his quiet demeanor. He’s soft spoken, sexy as sin, and knows how to fight when his back is to the wall. Plus, he loves his horse.

5. Do you think readers want to escape or do they want to identify with a character?

For the most part I believe readers read for escapism. But I also believe that when they read, they see a piece of themselves in the heroine that is hidden away just waiting to come out, a woman bold and beautiful who can bring men to their knees or save the world.

6. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when writing romance?

That writing romance is about emotion and believable characters: a hero that we as readers can fall in love with and a heroine that we can strongly identify with.

7. What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on the third book in the amulet series. It’s a book about a modern woman with an ancient secret. The first in the series, Boji Stones, will be released September 13th.
carry around inside that play on our fears and insecurities.

Thanks for having me on your blog, Amarinda.

**Amarinda - Always a pleasure to talk to you Sandra

**Click on the cover and buy the book!**

Last weeks brilliant author – Rita Sable and Family Jewels

So, what about Anny's instalment in the what the hell is Emmeline doing back blog serial on www.annycook.blogspot.com. Nothing stumps that woman. I know Kelly will come up with some wild response on www.kkirch.blogspot.com on Thursday that will have me shaking my head in despair.

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au
www.freewebs.com/janetdavies

Hello Emmeline...fancy meeting you again...

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." -- Confucius Damn straight Confucius - Amarinda

I decided to go back to the future with the blog serial…what do I mean? If you recall Grasshopper had the purple box coming to life in Louella’s hands on www.kkirch.blogspot.com yesterday. Now please read on and see what happens next…

“Holy crap where am I?” One minute Louella was in a generic motel room and now she was…where? In the middle of a forest?

“Who the hell are you?” Asked a tall, warrior-like female.

Louella stared at the woman in amazement “You’re…you’re Emmeline…from the television show.” What the? Louella looked at her with goggled eyed amazement.

“No I’m Emmeline from Gamma Seven.” She levelled her peeler at the suspicious looking woman. “And what is that in your hand?”

“I’m Louella Hawkins and this is a purple box.” She knew the box was special but she had not expected transportation into a fantasy world.

“I can bloody see it’s a purple box, blondie.”

That was such an Emmeline thing to say. “I can’t believe you’re real.”

“Are you on drugs?” That was all Emmeline needed. She already had to put up with the Bobbsey twins and the virgin assassin- and now there was some blonde with a purple box adding to her problems.

“No.” Louella looked around her. Where were Sam and Jonas? “Um, where are we?”

Emmeline flipped the switch on the peeler to stun. “Only a spy would act so dumb. You know exactly where.”

“Oz?” Was there a wizard?

“Who are you working for? Queen Zahara?”

Okay, who was she again? She thought back through the previous TV episodes.
Oh, the nympho queen. “No I’m by myself.”

“Then no one will miss you if you die.”

Oh frig! What to do? She thought rapidly. “If you kill me you will never know the truth about…er…” What could she say to save her arse?

Tomorrow Anny will up ante on www.annycook.blogspot.com as only the Zen queen can. And Molly? See I told you I would bring Queen Zahara back.

Mrs Giggles gave me a 75 out of 100 for The Goddess Within. I can’t remember exactly what that means in her ratings but it’s something like does not suck too badly. Thank you Mrs G. I was disappointed she did not spell the hero’s name correctly but then as we all know, no one is perfect. However I still want to interview you on the blog Mrs G – so drop me a line. I don’t bite…much.
Herbert Jones died. Who was he? Apparently he was a very old and wealthy man. How do I know this? Well I received an email today from a man with an unpronounceable African name in my amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au inbox. It seems I am some long lost relative of Herb’s and the only beneficiary to his vast estate. Well, what do you know? Mr What’s-his-name was emailing me in great urgency to tell me of my good fortune and to ask for my bank account number and PIN number so he could transfer the vast sums of money. Well gee, as much as I would like to give those incredibly personal details. I do not have sucker written on my forehead. I did email back to advise I could provide my shoe size if that helped him any. No reply as yet. I filed the email under ‘b’ for bin. I then flicked through to read that I had been offered vast of quantities of Viagra at varying prices. One hundred tablets can start from $39.95 and go to $69.95. You learn something new every day. And no, I did not take up those offers either for it seemed all too hard…Next – Congratulations Amarinda Jones! You have won the UK Sweepstakes! How lucky am I am the moment? Both money and sex everywhere. I told my best friend Ethel. She said go with the money and decline the sex as it involved too much effort and who had the time? Words of wisdom there.

Excerpt from Song of a Druid Princess - Book 3 in the Garland of Druids series -by Jean Hart Stewart out now through Cerridwen Press. It is a must read.

http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419909764

The next day Gabriel sought out Kate. He found her in the practice room. He stood in the shadows outside the door, listening as she played Brahms First Concerto. He’d give a part of his soul to accompany her on the soaring score. He’d never be a concert pianist again, but he’d find great pleasure playing with Kate. His hand might permit him, but not his conscience.
With a groan, he forced himself forward. Best to get his disagreeable errand completed. He must find the courage to alienate her. Just as he took his first step, she turned away from him and shrieked with seeming delight.
“Vivie! You’re back. Don’t ever, ever do that to me again.”
She evidently heard something he could not, as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
She listened, saying nothing herself, nodding her head at times. She finally buried her face in her hands. Gabe could no more stop himself than he could a surging wave.
He went to her, his hands outstretched.
“Princess! What’s wrong? Can I do anything to help you?”
Once again his stupid arms went around her, and she accepted his hard body pressing against hers.
“Oh, I’m so glad it’s you.” She lifted her face and her spontaneous smile lit his heart. “Everything’s wonderful. I was so startled I think I answered Kate aloud, as well as in my mind. You must think I’m insane.”
She threw her head back and her emerald eyes searched his own. Her long brown lashes were matted with tears, although he could see her face was shining with joy. Her beautiful face, surely one deserving to be painted by a master artist or sculpted by the foremost craftsman of the ages, smiled with joy.
He thumbed some tears off her cheeks with a tenderness he did not try to conceal. He’d break with her later.
“My dear girl, you’d better explain. I have no idea what you mean.”
Kate gave a shaky laugh, but made no attempt to move from his embrace. Suddenly realizing how his arms so sweetly enclosed her, he dropped them and stepped back. She fit against him as if she’d been made for just this one purpose.
She looked puzzled, but used her fingers to comb her auburn hair from her face.
“It’s hard to explain to a non-Druid, but Vivie and I talk a lot in our minds. She’s my twin and we’ve always done this. For the last few weeks Vivie has shut me out, for the first time in our lives. I felt so lost without her. I was overjoyed when I felt her mind opening to me just now I must have called out. Usually our communications are silent.”
Her adorable face looked so anxious and yet so delighted he could say nothing for a long moment. Truth was he didn’t know how to approach this ridiculous statement. She obviously believed in the nonsense she spouted.
“You’re telling me you were having a conversation with your twin and it took place in your minds?
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“And where is your twin right now?”
“At the clinic in London, of course.”
Her face started to shadow as she saw the pity in his face.
“You don’t believe me. Oh dear, I should have known. Wait. How can I explain. What’s today, August 19th, right?”
As Gabriel nodded his head she exclaimed. “I’ll ask Vivie if anything happened today in London which would soon be in the papers here.”
He watched, but although she closed her expressive eyes she made no motion of her lips. Very soon however, she opened her lids with a look of triumph.
”Vivie says our father just stopped by and told her Afghanistan was granted its independence today from the United Kingdom. Will newspaper confirmation convince you?”

www.freewebs.com/janetdavies

Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

A look at Total-E-Bound....

I annoyed Claire Siemaszkiewicz, the Publisher from Total-E-Bound, for an interview. She eventually gave in....

The interview

1. What does Total-e-Bound have to offer the book lover that makes it unique from other companies?
TEB is a reader friendly site. We’ve designed it so that it provides a comfortable environment where readers can download books from their favourite authors, with access through their own VIP account. In the VIP area, they can download their books—which remain available at all times, see their invoices/payment history, create wish lists and share them with friends, save lists and join the newsletter. We have more new and exciting features coming soon in the VIP section too.
We are also starting an author spotlight, where we will talk to one TEB author per month and put it all out there for the readers: pictures, background, bio, news on what the author is up to, questions that the readers can ask in advance, competitions and prize giveaways, links to their current releases (regardless of who they are released with). We’ll be talking to a different author each month and readers can request who they’d like to hear about.
Authors are given a full profile page too, which enables the readers to see their biography, news items so that they can keep up to speed with the authors new books and projects, and we even link to the authors books with other publishers. The idea is to make life easy for the readers. It can be frustrating for a reader to jump around looking for books from their fave authors – so we’re taking that pain away.
Now, when it comes to the books…we’re all about quality and we’d hope that shows in the quality of the books, standard of editing, the established and loved authors that we work with, the wonderful covers that grace the books, and the website itself. We only work with the best authors, and we only publish exceptionally good erotic romance that readers will love.
TEB is also dedicated to customer and author support. The way we see it we have two sets of customers – the readers and the authors, without either we wouldn’t have a business so it’s important to us to get it right and keep them all happy.

2. What do you look for when it comes to authors?
Well so far we’ve approached mostly well established authors that we were keen to work with, and we’ve been lucky enough to have established authors come to us too to submit manuscripts. We are keen to promote new talent too though, so we always encourage new writers to erotic romance to knock on our door and send in their manuscripts for submission. We currently have a very wide-spread mix of authors from all different countries, and we like it that way. We look for authors who write well structured, creative stories with an original style. We like authors who push the boundaries too. We like authors to weave tales of erotic romance – any genre or heat rating. TEB likes stories that are plot driven, with strong relationships between the key characters. We do like to see a happy ending (who doesn’t!) but if it’s not sailing off into the sunset with a kiss and handcuffs, then it should at least end giving the reader a the promise of a happy ever after. And of course – we want plenty of sexual dalliances along the way! We accept stories from sensual to erotica and make no mistake, you will get hot, hot, hot! *g*
At TEB we do a lot of advertising, promotion and marketing on behalf of the authors, which we are happy to do, and we do like to work with authors that are pro-active in that area too.

3. What is the hottest selling genre at Total-E-Bound at the moment?

At the moment I would have to say m/m and contemporary is selling really well. So are paranormal and BDSM. But it’s early days for TEB. We’ve only had two full months since we launched, and there are quite a number of the genres that we have yet to release. So I guess if you asked me in six months it could be a different story.

4. How soon will people be able to buy a print copy of their favourite Total-e-Bound book?
Well, actually, there’s some really good news right there! We have got to that point much faster than we initially anticipated. We’ve set up a deal that should mean that we’ll have paperbacks available to buy and on the shelves within the next few months.

5. Who do you think your average reader is? Do you think men read romance novels?
I don’t think there is an average. We have readers from countries all over the world buying from us –USA, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, even as far as China, Japan, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur! I think it’s all ages too – men and women. The majority of our customer base is women, but we do have quite a number of men buying from our site, so I know that men do read erotic romance too (or maybe their wives are just using their credit cards!! LOL … *Shhhhh*)

6. How important is reader feedback to Total-e-Bound?
Exceptionally important. The only way we will know if we’re doing our job right is if we get regular feedback, and it’s how we know if our customers are happy, or if they’ve enjoyed a book that they’ve purchased from us. Of course, that comes in the form of review sites reading and reviewing the books too – and we’ve been getting some wonderful reviews for the books released in the first two months.

7. As a consumer, not a publisher, what is your favourite type of book to read? Care to share?
Oh, wow! You know you’ve opened up a whole can ‘o worms here don’t you?! You are soooo going to regret asking that one! I can talk avidly about authors and the books they’ve written for hours!! LOL
I have so many genres and authors in Erotic Romance that I love to read. I must say I’m partial to a bit of sci-fi, paranormal, shapeshifters/vamps, m/f/m ménage and BDSM/bondage stories. Some of my fave authors to read in my leisure time (hah! What leisure time?) are Sherrilyn Kenyon – oh, those Dark Hunters, who wouldn’t love ‘em? JR Ward *sigh* Black Dagger Brotherhood, Karen Marie Moning Highlander Series, Sonny’s Monére series, and there are some wonderful authors that I followed while they were writing eBooks, who now mostly release books in paperback. There are also some wonderful newer authors releasing eBooks – I have literally thousands of eBooks, and so many authors that I follow, it really would be impossible to name them all… But a snippet of them…
Angela Knight
Kaitlyn O’Connor
Kimberly Zant
Jory Strong
Jaci Burton
Jan Springer
Morgan Hawke
Lorie O’Clare
Maya Banks
Mary Wine
Portia Da Costa
Mandy Roth
Michelle Pillow
Shelly Laurenston
Shiloh Walker
Denise Rossetti
Charlotte Featherstone
KS Augustin
Lauren Dane
M A Everaux
C.S. Chatterly
Sierra Cartwright… want me to go on? LMAO! There really are so many more! So you can see, I am very passionate about what I do. I think you could safely say that it’s a good thing that most of my books in my eBookshelf are on my laptop or e-reader, because I just know that I wouldn’t have enough room for them on the bookshelves dotted around my home. I love what I do. I think I’m a very lucky lady to work with great authors who have the skills to put a sprinkle of their own brand of magic down for people like me to read.

Have you checked out the latest in out Louella and what is in the purple box serial? If not go immediately to www.kkirch.blogspot.com. For the previous espisode check www.annycook.blogspot.com. And tomorrow is my turn again. I have something a little bit different planned by my blog mates.

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au

www.freewebs.com/janetdavies

Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

Test me not…

As you know we rest the Louella, Jonas and what the heck is happening to Sam blog serial on a Sunday. But you can reflect on the past episode on www.annycook.blogspot.com. And despite her disappointment over Daren, Kelly will soldier on and have, no doubt, an orange nippled, or equivalent, episode for us on www.kkirch.blogspot.com on Monday.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I am going for a couple of job interviews. Yes, I have a job but I like to keep my options open and see what’s around. Translation:-same money, better hours and less drama. Anyway as part of the testing process I got sent an online quiz thing that measures how well you perform in word, excel, data input, typing speed, congeniality and attention to detail. It’s sort of a standard thing you get nowadays in Oz when it comes to jobs. I think it keeps someone employed making these tests up. Anyway I did the test today so they have it all ready to go on Monday.

I know that when it comes to word and excel I know all the shortcuts. The test required the proper non shortcut way - well crap. Why invent shortcuts then? As for data entry – boring. I say this for anything I am no good at. It's not that I am inadequate - its boring. I think that’s a reasonable approach don’t you? Typing speed for me depends on what mood I am in. I also can never follow the passage of writing they want you to follow as I always end up changing the words and making the text tighter and more interesting than it is. Attention to detail was a bad thing to attempt today as I was more interested in getting my next book finished so I did not realize the test had downloaded until I flicked over to find it was half through the four minutes allocated to it. Bugger.

The part of these tests I like best is the congeniality bit because you can cheat. Example – you are given questions such as “Do you like working in a team?” Well of course I am going to say yes as how dopey would I be telling the truth? I don’t do team things unless it suits me. “Are you happy to follow company rules?” Well no, not all the time beacuse thet are usually stupid – but I ticked yes. “Does direct supervision make your job easier or harder?” Well duh? Harder of course for how I am to get any writing done? But I said easier because that’s want they want to hear. They don’t want a bolshie, rule breaking woman who is really only just putting in what hours she has to to get paid. But let’s be honest. In the end you can run all the bloody tests you like but it all comes down to the interview and two things. One - how sincere you sound. I have sincerity down to an art form. And two – confidence. Nothing beats it.

Sandra Cox has kindly given me a excerpt from her book The Crystal – out now through Cerridwen Press.
"Only the chosen ones or their mates will ever be able to see the magic contained in the Globe."Caught in a downpour, Gabriella Bell enters a trendy little shop and discovers a crystal ball in which she sees the face of a hard-eyed stranger. Drawn by a force she doesn't understand she buys the crystal, unaware she is purchasing stolen property that belongs to the aunt of a premiere cat burglar known to polite society as Christopher Saint and to the underworld as The Tiger.

She soon discovers that not only does the handsome, hard-eyed stranger want the mysterious globe but so does a beautiful ruthless jewel thief who will stop at nothing, including murder, to possess Christopher and the crystal ball…and Gabriella is standing in her way. Gabriella discovers the road to true love isn't just rocky, it's downright dangerous.
The Excerpt
The wind keened and rain blew down in liquid sheets. Gabriella Bell clapped her hands over her ears and blinked as thunder boomed and lightning lit the sky.
She had forgotten her umbrella, again. Head down, she turned the corner and ran full tilt into the arms of a stranger.
“I’m sorry,” Gabby mumbled into an expensive, camel-colored raincoat, her nose pressed against a hard chest.
She felt long arms wrap around her, steadying her. For a brief moment the clean smell of rain mingled with the scent of expensive aftershave and crisp cotton, before the man gripped Gabby’s upper arms and thrust her away, holding her at arm’s length.
Icy green eyes, colder than the wind whipping her hair about, stared into her own. His rain-darkened hair was drawn back in a ponytail and beads of water glistened on his coat.
“May I suggest you watch where you are going?” The stranger stared down his nose at her, his voice brusque, his manner arrogant. Letting her go, he walked away.
Gabby stared after him, as he wove through the throng of pedestrians with the lithe grace of a cat. Still feeling the heat of his hands, Gabby rubbed her forearms as she watched him disappear into a sea of umbrellas.
Determined to forget the whole unsettling encounter, she wiped the rain out of her eyes and looked around. A small store with a purple awning was just a few yards away.
Seeking shelter, she made a dash for it.
Reaching the awning, Gabby pushed past a couple standing under it waiting out the storm. She grasped the cool brass door handle and stepped inside.
As she took a step forward, her sandals squished. Gabby grimaced at the puddle forming at her feet, stepped back onto a black mat and shook one foot then the other as she glanced around. She’d stepped into one of the popular little novelty shops that lined Main Street. Crystals glittered and winked. Pewter moons hung from the ceiling on silver chains.
Bags of dried plants and herbs lined one wall. She picked up a little plastic bag and sniffed…lavender. Gabby put it back and glanced at the jewelry counter. Stars and pentagrams gleamed against black velvet.
Starting toward the counter to get a closer look at the jewelry, Gabby paused as she caught a glint of color out of the corner of her eye. Shifting, she craned her neck to see, but the shimmer of color disappeared. Curious, she walked in the direction the flash of green came from.
A row of black capes blocked her view. She pushed them aside and stared into the shadowy corner. Hidden in the gloom, was a sea-green crystal ball. It stood in solitary splendor on an antique claw-footed stand.
She took a step forward and ran her index finger along its smooth surface. The globe felt toasty warm against her damp skin.
Drawn, she splayed her fingers until her palms nestled around it. A delicious wave of heat ran through her, like sitting in front of a crackling fire on a cold winter night. Ecstasy coursed through her body.
Transfixed, she watched the glowing green crystal change to blue, its hues dancing and sparking like moonbeams on the water.
The crystal pulsed beneath her hand.
By degrees, the feeling of warmth disappeared…and fear crept in.
Her breath hitched in her throat as the color in the crystal fell away and a face formed. Its blurred outline moved back and forth, wraithlike and then sprang into sharp focus.
She felt the color drain from her face, as her nerveless fingers dropped from the ball. The face in the globe belonged to the hard-eyed stranger she’d bumped into outside the shop, only moments before.
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419908118

Remember Monday I ask the hard questions of Total-E-Bound Publisher Claire Siemaszkiewicz

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au
www.freewebs.com/janetdavies
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

When vacuum cleaners attack…

I bought a new vacuum cleaner. I have discovered it is the devil’s spawn of vacuum cleaners. Why? Have you seen those ads on television where they show you how powerful the suction is on the vacuum cleaner by picking up a bowling ball? Well my new vacuum cleaner could suck up a small car. It’s scary. It caused so much chaos in a fifteen minute period today that if I have a glass or seven of plonk tonight it will not be my fault. How can a vacuum cleaner go into destructo mode in the hands of one domestically challenged woman? It sucks and it sucks hard.

I started vacuuming a small mat. It sucked it right inside. Bugger, I thought. Once I freed it I started on a large shaggy mat. It sucked that down like spaghetti while shrieking like a strangled banshee. After much pulling and swearing I got the mat free but the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner flew out of my hands and suctioned itself to curtains. Bugger again. I wrenched it free from the curtains and the curtain rail came crashing down to land on my foot. Much swearing ensued as I dropped the vacuum cleaner to grab my foot. As I did this I tripped over the vacuum cleaner cord and collected a vase of sunflowers with my elbow and water went everywhere. Moral of the story? Cleaning sucks, literally.

Mrs Giggles reviewed Lust In Time. She hated it. She gave it 66 out of 100. But that’s okay. Unlike many authors Mrs G’s opinions do not upset me as I believe people should have opinions – good or bad – otherwise nothing changes and everything remains static and boring. I have opinions and I expect others to give theirs truthfully. What is the sake of saying you like something just so you don’t hurt someone’s feelings? You have to remain truthful to yourself. I have invited Mrs G to chat on the Amarinda Blog as I think she is an interesting woman. I hope she accepts. You have my email address Mrs G.

“He’s naked and can’t move – the possibilities are endless. If you can’t change his mind, you’re not the woman I know you to be.”
Quote from Dancers Delight – by Anny Cook.
http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419909566

Quote from Amarinda - a fascinating, funny and sexy book.

Warning Will Robinson…the excerpt below is very hot and very much adult so skip over it if you do not want to read about hot, sensual sex.

Excerpt from Everything Lovers Can Know by Anny Cook released Sept 26 from Ellora’s Cave – be second in line (after me) to snap it up.

Abruptly, she started laughing and couldn’t stop.
“What’s so funny?”
“You!” She buried her face against his neck and giggled. “I had such a romantic idea of what sex would be like. And when you came all over me, all I could think was ‘God, was it messy’!”
“Oh, yeah? No wonder you shut me out. I guess I have a lot to make up for, huh?”
She sat back and plucked at his t-shirt. “Take off your shirt. I want to see you and touch you.”
Baron stood up and lifted her in his arms. When she would have pulled her sweater down to cover her breasts, he shook his head and nudged it back up with his nose. “Leave it. Which bedroom are we in?”
Her heart turned over and she replied, “The master bedroom, of course. It has the biggest bed.”
“You’re a girl after my own heart.” He deposited her on the soft bed and leaned over her, pinning her to the bed. “You are my heart, Jade. Always.”
“As you are mine,” she whispered against his jaw. She feathered kisses along the hard line until she reached his ear. Her tongue slithered around the whorls, investigating the curves. Then she nipped his ear lobe. Can we get naked now? The question whispered in his mind.
“I don’t know, baby. Have you been a good girl?”
“Oh, yeah,” she moaned as he slipped her sweater over her head and proceeded to feast on her nipples. “I’ve been real good. I visited the doctor and had him put me on the pill.”
He dropped his head between her breasts and groaned. “You are a naughty, naughty girl. I may have to spank you for teasing me like that.”
“Take your pants off. I want to see your cock.”
“Jade,” he groaned. “I’m trying to take this slowly. I want to make love to you.”
“Baron,” she mimicked. “I don’t want to go slowly. I want you to fuck me until I go blind with it. I want to feel you buried so deeply that I can’t tell where I end and you begin.”
He stood up and pulled her over to the edge of the bed. Within moments, he had efficiently stripped her bare. She rolled onto her side, propped her head on one hand and waved for him to continue. “Skin! I want to see those clothes come off right away!”
“What? Aren’t you going to return the favor? I undressed you,” he pointed out. Then with an exaggerated sway, he sashayed over to the door, planted his hands on his hips and batted his eyelashes. “Boys like to play, too,” he pouted.
Her jaw dropped for a moment in shock. Then she bounced off the bed and rushed over to him. “Mm-mm-mm. Don’t move, you bad boy or I’ll have to give you a licking.” He helped her strip off his t-shirt, but after that, she was on her own.
She unfastened his belt, nudging and fondling his cock through his soft faded jeans as she worked. Then she dropped down to her knees and grasped his zipper tab in her teeth.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
He watched a slow, naughty smile creep across her face as she clenched her teeth around the zipper tab. Something I read in a book.
Grasping his ass in her hands so she could hold him still, she slowly pulled the zipper tab down all the way. With fascination, he noticed that she spent a lot of time rubbing against the hard ridge of his cock with her chin. By the time, she had his jeans open, his legs were trembling. She ran her tongue down the fine line of hair that ran from his belly button to the soft curls around his cock. “Hmmm. No underwear. Were you dressing for me?” she asked as she slipped her hands inside his jeans and worked them down over his tight ass until they pooled around his knees.
“Yeah,” he growled around the knot in his throat. “I took ’em off the last place I stopped for gas.”

Have you read Anny’s instalment in the Louella and The Purple Box epic? If not go immediately to www.annycook.blogspot.com. Then on Monday, as usual, Kelly will inject the correct note of insanity into her instalment on www.kkirch.blogspot.com.

Reminder – I have the interview with Claire Siemaszkiewicz – the publisher of Total-E-Bound on Monday and maybe theMonday after it will be Mrs Giggles…who knows? Who would you like to see interviewed? Drop me a line.

amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au

www.freewebs.com/janetdavies
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?