January 30, 2009

Is It Real?

Have you ever heard such good news that you’re positive the message can’t be true? Reread it a zillion times and it still won’t sink in? Or been offered a tangible item that is so precious, so important you’re completely blown away?

All that happened to me Wednesday, and two days later I’m still in happy shock. This news has to be shared, then maybe I will believe it’s real.

I am ecstatic to announce AMBER QUILL PRESS has offered me a writing contract for my latest work CZECH MATE, a sexy little number that takes place in Prague. An editor is assigned and a tentative release is scheduled for this spring.

I am grateful to my critique partners, Beth Anderson, Melissa Bradley, Erica Dananay, Virginia Deweese and Dorothy Emery for whipping me into shape so this fantastic opportunity could become a reality.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will return to dancing around the room and screaming my head off at just how good 2009 will be!

Have a great weekend! I certainly will.

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell

January 26, 2009

Ask a How-to Author!

Through Margie Lawson’s High Energy Interview Series.

Don’t miss these opportunities!

– Win a how-to book from a writing expert.
– Win a Lecture Packet from Margie Lawson.
– Crawl around inside a how-to author’s brain!

Drop by Five Scribes Blogspot on the LAST WEDNESDAY of each month to learn how-to author’s factoids and funtoids – and ask questions. Each how-to author will respond to blog comments.

JANUARY 28th: James Scott Bell: Plot & Structure, Revision and Self-Editing

James Scott Bell is the award-winning author of several novels of suspense and historical intrigue. Booklist and the Los Angeles Times compared James Scott Bell to Raymond Chandler and Dasheill Hammett.

A former trial lawyer, James Scott Bell has been an Off-Broadway actor, an actor in commercials, the fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest Magazine, an adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University, and author of nineteen novels and two books on writing.

WRITE GREAT FICTION: PLOT & STRUCTURE, 2004, is one of the most popular writing books today. His 2008 how-to book, WRITE GREAT FICTION: REVISION & SELF-EDITING, is equally strong and a must-have for writers of all genres.

Upcoming Releases by James Scott Bell:

DECEIVED – a suspense thriller, will be released in March, 2009.
THE ART OF WAR FOR FICTION WRITERS – a new how-to book, will be released November, 2009.

Publishers Weekly Review:

“Former trial lawyer and Christy Award-winner Bell (Presumed Guilty) hits his stride in this twist-filled suspense thriller…Dialogue carries the book with rich characters…a fast-paced thriller with its Los Angeles music scene, creepy canyons and a slew of cons. Bell, who also writes nonfiction books on writing, is a master of the cliffhanger, creating scene after scene of mounting suspense and revelation in this heart-whamming read.”

Feb. 25th — Featured How-to Author for February: HALLIE EPHRON!

Hope to see you at the Five Scribes Blogspot on the LAST WEDNESDAY of every month!

Want to recommend a how-to author to be interviewed? E-mail Margie@MargieLawson.com

I’ll be back later this week with Lex Valentine. Until then…

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey… Hotter than Hell

January 23, 2009

Time to Say Goodbye

Authors write great prose we remember long after the book has been set on a shelf. Songwriters express the trauma with meaningful lyrics we hum for months, even years. Saying goodbye is a constant in our lives. Sometimes the end is coupled with sadness and pain. Other times it’s a euphoric feeling because the stress is gone.

It’s inevitable there will be such a moment for us all and seems to happen when least expected. Lovers part, friendships fade, our children move on, and family members leave us. Yet we hang on, not wanting to let go

Is it easier when you cut the tie? It is for me.

FRENCH TICKLER, book five and the last, in my Naughty Ladies of Nice series is now available and my heart aches for dark and brooding Cisco along with Samantha and her smart mouth. How I miss their tension dealing with a murderer and Mafia kingpin.

I think of passionate Henri and strong willed Rachel from FRENCH KISS, book four, and the fun we had on the beach when she woke in the arms of a pirate.

FRENCH TWIST, book three, brought stoic Don who realized there was much more to life than accounting when Interpol agent Claudette involved him with the Russian mob. The terror we shared on the Eiffel Tower still thrills me.

What ever happened to Paul and his magnificent striptease that had Lisette hotter than a four alarm fire in FRENCH DELIGHTS, book two?

And the book that started it all, FRENCH TART. Along with party girl Doni and buns of steel Mark, we proved that cooking class took on a whole new meaning when they discovered honey had better uses than sweetening tea.

But do they ever think of me? Do they care that I miss them? Want them to at least acknowledge I was once a part of their lives? Probably not now that they’re out in the world, out amongst readers who laugh and cry as their stories unfold. I am forgotten, deleted from their minds faster than an unwanted computer virus.

Of the nine books I’ve written and had published, not one of my babies, my children I slaved to create, ever thanked me.

But I really can’t complain. I did recently receive an email from a lady who said God had sent me to her. Perhaps I’m confusing her with the Foreign Princess who emailed that her royal family had perished and she needed my help. All I had to do was give her my bank account number along with a few other pertinent facts and she would deposit thousands of dollars in my account so she could safely come to America. Of course she would split the funds with me for making it all possible.

What could I say to these people I couldn’t say to the characters who stole my heart? For once it was easy. Goodbye!

I’ll be back next week with Lex Valentine. Until then…

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell
www.sloanetaylor.com
Teddi Turns On 2009 EPPIE Finalist – Erotica www.aspenmountianpressc.om
French Tickler www.eternalpress.ca

January 22, 2009

Valentine Scavanger Hunt

Valentines Day Scavenger Hunt with

Mary Martinez

Rita Karnopp

Sloane Taylor

How It Works:

Each author has five questions. Travel to their site for the answers. Email your entry to Sloane Taylor, sloanetaylor@comcast.net.

Only one entry per person. All players will be placed in a drawing for one grand prize and three runners up prizes.

MARY MARTINEZ
1 – Where did Mary tie the knot with the love of her life?
2 – Who savesd Jenny and makes her fall in love with him?
3 – Who is Rissa meeting in Fantasyland?
4 – Who does Molly Anderson want to sue in Breach of Contract?
5 – What sexy handy man bears a striking resemblance to the man in Cassie’s dreams?

RITA KARNOPP
1 – What does In’is’kim get from Skyler to help unravel the clues left by a murderer? (Hint: Read my book blurbs.)
2 – How many suspense books have I written?
3 – Who gave Wind Song ‘five red roses’?
4 – Which of my books does Leota, a psychic Blackfoot woman, struggle to stop the Treaty of 1855 from being signed?
5 – What Montana scene have I shared with you on my ‘about me’ tab?

Sloane Taylor
1 – Who is the April 2008 guest check on my What’s Cooking page with a tempting meal to serve on Valentine’s Day or any holiday?
2 – What is the easiest way to peel a banana? (Hint – click on my Cooking Tips page.)
3 – Name Sloane’s favorite book by Thom King and Debra Peterson. (Hint – click on my About page.)
4 – From my book French Tart - What has better uses than sweetening tea? (Hint – click on my Now Available page.)
5 – Who is the guest author on my January 12, 2009 blog to Warm Up Winter?

Deadline for entries February 14 Midnight MST.

Have Fun!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey… Hotter than Hell

January 21, 2009

Enter the Unique World of Emma Ray Garrett

“…and I — I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

-The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

The last line from award-winning author Emma Ray Garrett’s favorite poem pretty much sums up her life. Her tendency to do her own thing is what her friends and family love best, and least, about her. Chaos is a constant in the Garrett home, which currently houses three intelligent, energetic children, a devoted husband, and a very large, very lazy, white tom-cat.

No matter how busy, Emma Ray writes every day. If she didn’t, she says they’d put her in a white coat with buckles. Which is how Emma Ray has completed 15 Paranormal Erotica novels, achieving stellar reviews and a worldwide fan base. Be sure to check her out at either WEBSITE or BLOG.

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

I thought I’d make a little introduction for those of you who may not be familiar with me, Emma Ray Garrett, the woman, the mother, the legend…

You know, I like long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, soft music….

AHHHHHH!!!!

Let’s see, I like loud, metal music. And sometimes hard rock, country, techno, house, jazz, blues, oldies – we’re talking before the nineteen sixties, peeps- R&B, and classical.

I’ll read just about anything. I know, I said that. What I didn’t say is that does occasionally include the toilet paper package and the back of the Lysol can. Did you know that Cottonelle is both soft and strong, LOL?

I don’t really like little dogs. I know, I’m horrible. It’s not that they are bad or anything like that, it’s just that if I want something to wind about my legs and get underfoot, I’d rather it hiss and spit and not yip. I love all dogs, but having a small one as the family pet just wouldn’t work out. Especially not when my tom-cat weighs in at a hefty twenty-six pounds and is more than three feet long from nose to the base of his tail. That’s not the tip, but the part where his tail attaches to his body.

So, we have a Greater Swiss Mountain dog mix. She’s cute as a button, fantastic with the kids, and is at least fifteen pounds heavier than the cat. LOL, no worries that I’ll accidentally break one of her legs if I trip over her. I’ll add a pic of her. The kids named her Daisy and it fits. The cat is Shadow, after the character from “Bear in the Big Blue House”, which my oldest girls loved as toddlers.

I love old muscle cars over any of the pregnant rollerskates that are popular nowadays. Despite that, it sure would be nice to have a muscle car with the mentality of a rollerskate – it’d be better for the environment and my pocketbook. Since that’s the case, I drive a car that is made to run on ethanol mix, which works out for both my economy and the air I like breathing. I’d still love a hemi with four on the floor, though…

I’m not a morning person, I don’t fuss in the mirror, I can talk for hours on the phone or spend it almost completely in silence with someone just sharing breathing time, LOL. I have gray hair, I won’t lie, but I do have nice, long, natural fingernails. I’m a bit of a control freak, and I tend to procrastinate when I’m really stressed out… Which of course only increases my stress levels, LMAO!!!

Okay, I can’t think of anything else. Lucky you, huh?

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

PRET OPS: IDENTITY
Emma Ray Garrett
Changeling Press

BLURB:
After thirty years on the job, Lucia Malholland’s retiring. She loves the Corp, but even a Selkie’s biological clock gets to ticking. Lucia’s ready to find the man of her dreams. Problem is, there’s a man stalking her whose dreams are about to put Lucia’s in jeopardy.

After building the newest branch of the Corp, Cyber Operations, John and Cole Marshall are ready for a real test of their new unit’s skills. Being called in to track down a stalker turned murderer targeting one of their own sounds right up Cy Ops’ alley.

All the danger isn’t from cyberspace, as Cole finds out when he meets Lucia for the first time. He’s torn between eating her and… eating her. Not good. Add to that John’s insistence they renew their prior intimate relationship – and suddenly finding a homicidal human suitor, bent on ripping Lucia’s pelt and magic from her, doesn’t seem quite so difficult.

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

5 Stars! from eCata Romance Sensial Reviews

“Emma Ray Garrett’s Pret Ops Series is one of the best erotic paranormals this reviewer has encountered.” – Annie

Thanks for taking the time to learn a little about me!

Emma Ray
WEBSITE
BLOG

January 20, 2009

And the Decision Is…

Isn’t this the most beautiful icon you’ve ever seen? It sure is to me!

This coveted award signifies that two of my Aspen Mountain Press books have been honored by Love Romances Cafe in two separate categories.

Best Book All Around 2008
TEDDI TURNS ON

Best Contemporary Book 2008
LONNIE HEATS UP

Both came in as Honorable Mention and I couldn’t be more proud or happy.

Congratulations to all the Winners, other Honorable Mentions, and Runner Ups! You all are amazing talents.

I’ll be back later in the week after the glow dims a bit.:) Until then…

Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell

January 15, 2009

Into Pimping?

Hey Everyone,

My good friend Clare London, a phenominal M/M author, has pimped me on her website. Check it out at and let me know what you think.

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell

January 14, 2009

Party Time!

Today,Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Jennifer Loy and a host of authors will bring in the New Year with some great books! Go to JLo’s loop to play.

Did I mention prizes? Of course we’ll be giving away neat stuff. Jennifer is offering a $10 gift card to Starbucks and a $10 gift card to Borders. All you have to do is post that day your “new years resolution” and you’ll be entered into her contest.

Be sure to check out her new release THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD at Red Rose Publishing.

See you there!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell

January 12, 2009

Warm Up Winter

With a new hot novel by E. Jamie, an erotica author living in Toronto, Canada.

Her latest release REDEMPTION is a terrific read that will hook you in. Recently it ranked #3 at Amira Press’s Top Ten Bestsellers! Check out the trailer here.

REDEMPTION
E. Jamie
Amira Press

Blurb:
On the run from a murderous uncle, Katie married outlaw Ben Cready the day before he was supposed to hang. They shared one night of explosive passion and for six months, she’d believed herself a widow. Now Ben is back to claim what’s his, and that includes the sweet bride he’s never been able to forget.

Excerpt:
The first time she’d lain in this bed, it had smelled like him. Ben had told her it had been his mother’s house, a small cottage hidden in the mountains. The perfect hideout for Ben Cready and his gang. The perfect place for Katie to disappear.
Katie had lain there, staring up at the wooden beams above and closed her eyes, letting his warm, musky scent transport her back to the night before when he’d moved over her, doing things to her that had made her body greedy, open, wet and wanting things she had no understanding of.

And oh he’d given. He’d given hard and deep, plunging his cock into her again and again, but she could feel the restraint there in his muscles, saw it in his face.
He had held back, for her. It made Katie want it all the more. Want him.

Playing that night over in her mind, Katie had stared up at the ceiling, feeling her most intimate place grow damp. She reached down tentatively under her night gown and jumped at the first touch. She’d let her eyes drift closed and remembered the heavy warmth of his body and his strong, rough fingers stroking her gently, then harder as her passion grew. Katie followed his movements, trying to mimic them with her own fingers. She pushed her fingers into her body. Surely it wasn’t shameful now that she was a married woman.

They weren’t the same as his cock. There wasn’t that deep full thick feeling of being possessed, claimed, taken. He moved slowly, gently with her and Katie realized with a burst of shame that she had bitten into his shoulder once. The memory of his cock hitting a particularly sweet spot made her whimper and gush a little. The broad tanned muscle of his shoulder was there, beckoning her mouth and Katie had only meant to run her lips along the tight skin, but then he’d angled his hips and hit that sweet spot and the sweet burst of sensation had been too much to bear and she’d sunk her teeth into the muscle. He’d groaned above her, pumping a little bit harder.
Reliving that moment, Katie had angled her fingers trying to mimic the movement and while the sensation wasn’t quite the same, Katie had bit into her pillow as she felt the funny climbing sensation begin to tug deep in her belly.

With her other hand, she’d tried to copy how he had stroked that swollen bundle of nerves right above her opening. Here the sensations grew sharper and Katie barely had time to breathe before her body arched upwards, the heels of her feet digging into the mattress and the intense feeling of release seemed to explode through her blood.

“What was that?” she had asked him when it first happened.

“You came, honey,” he hissed through his teeth as he pushed his cock into her.

‘Came’. Such a simple unassuming word to describe the most exquisite feeling Katie had ever experienced.

E. Jamie also has two steamy tales with Amira Press, TO LOVE A KNIGHT and FORBIDDEN that you should put on your To Buy List.

Be sure to check out her fabulous Balsamic Chicken Wing recipe here on my site. Click Fun Stuff, then What’s Cooking. You’ll be glad you did.

I’ll be back later in the week. Until then…Happy Writing!

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell

January 7, 2009

AVAILABLE TODAY!!

The Naughty Ladies of Nice
Book Five
FRENCH TICKLER
Eternal Press

Blurb:

Lingerie designer Samantha Bradley is on the brink of major success. While having the time of her life in Nice she meets sexy Cisco Bernier, a man who turns her heart inside out and makes her body sizzle.

Despite being France’s key criminal prosecutor, Cisco’s success in relationships has been less than zero. When he meets Sam, his staid world goes up in flames.

Their happiness is short lived as their pasts collide. His underhanded mother and her mob-connected father resurface to threaten their future.

Excerpt:

“Do you not think her nipples are larger?” Cisco pointed to the charcoal nude on the young woman’s sketch pad. He looked across the coastline toward the subject in question as the middle-aged woman stooped and spread a towel across the pebbles.

“Perhaps, but it’s really hard to tell at this angle.” The artist swiped a thumb along a black line, softening the bold stroke, and laughed. “Besides, she won’t sit still long enough to get it right.”

She tossed her long black hair across her bare shoulders, and a light scent of honey drifted up to him, clouding his mind.

Cisco yanked his tie from around his neck, grateful for the light breeze off the Mediterranean that cooled his hot skin.

“Maybe if you…” He slipped the thin stick from her long fingers, then squiggled a larger, more intricate circle on the wheat colored paper. “Something like that.”

“Are you an artist?” She glanced up. Her large green eyes reminded him of polished emerald, sharp and clear, and just as exciting. At that moment he would be anything the beautiful American wanted him to be.

Sloane Taylor
Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell