Out and About

Hi!

I'm on vacation for the next two weeks. If you need me...well, don't :)

Goodbye and thanks for all the fish

I've typed, deleted and retyped this blog post so many times I lost count. It keeps coming back to me though and I need to saw it.

For those of you who weren't subjected to me yelling on Twitter, I finally finished grad school. Like completely finished. PhD dissertation bound, sealed, signed, delivered and paid for (yes, apparently I pay people for the privilege of letting them have my blood, sweat and tears). The last couple weeks have been spent looking back and thinking about all the people who helped me get to this point. Most of them got nice cards and gifts. A few people deserve some other recommendation.

To the high school guidance counselor who suggested I stay away from science majors in college because the math might be too hard: 

Please stop giving out advice. This is the kind of bullshit that convinced me to give up the career path I wanted back then. It's also the kind of crap that kept me believing for years that I wasn't good at math. I'm not saying I'm a genius or anything, but the phrase "at grade level" does not mean "incapable". I won't lie, those graduate statistics courses were a bitch. There were days that I sat at my computer crying for hours trying to make it work. Nights that didn't end while I finished up assignments. Anytime I heard myself saying "I can't" it was your voice. So thanks for being the evil voice in my head that I stayed up and worked harder for just to prove wrong.

To the chair of my undergraduate major department who told me that she didn't recommend grad school for "people like me":

I'm not sure who "people like me" are, but we're doing just fine. Every moment of the last six years? Nope. Most day, weren't terrible though. There were some pretty nice highs as well.

Also? Your prize student who was perfect and went to a PhD program? Yeah, he dropped out after a year because it was too hard.

To the professor in my master's program who yelled at me when I asked for a letter of recommendation for a PhD program:

First, I'm not sure it is ever appropriate to arrange a meeting with someone you've said you'd write a letter for, bring their entire file and proceed to point out every single flaw. Second, I already know. I know all about the economics class I didn't do particularly well in. I know I got an A minus in your class. I know I don't have a strong math background. Myself, and most people I know, are already pretty good at picking out our flaws. It's a gift.

Second, about that comment where you weren't sure why any department would want me? Feel free to ask around. I'm no star, but I did well enough. I have a handful of awards, a few trinkets and they let me graduate.

Also, please stop smiling at me when you see me in the hall. We're not friends.


To all the magical people in my life who have held my hand, kicked my butt and generally not said terrible things while supporting me:

I love you. 

Love Letters Volume 3 Cover Reveal

So, you know those sexy Love Letters books? Well, the third one finally has a cover. Want to see?

Wicked Whispers come out June 17th and features a whole bunch of dirty talk. We've got phone sex operators, audiobook recording artists and authors who need to read out loud. That's a whole bunch of sexy in one little book. Here's the official details:


Verbal foreplay goes a long way in these four steamy stories in Love Letters Volume 3: Wicked Whispers.

I Is for Indecent by Christina Thacher
Annie Forrest doesn't think flirtatious Stefan Cox is seriously interested in her—until he starts describing what it will be like when they strip away their inhibitions and their clothes. But do they have anything in common besides their gift for dirty talk?

J Is for Jaded by Maggie Wells
Voice actress Julie Poplin secretly thinks about rocker-turned-sound-engineer Vaughan Hatch when she needs to make passion leap from the page while narrating a steamy audio book. But their recording session takes a seductive turn when she accidentally speaks Vaughan's name instead of the hero's…

K Is for Kick-Start by Ginny Glass
Author Sophie Maddox has a bad case of writer's block and a distractingly handsome editor clamoring for her newest sexy romance. She's tempted by Oliver's offer to use his place to write—and even more tempted to act out scenes when a typo reveals she's been using him as inspiration.

L Is for Lessons by Emily Cale
When Chloe turns to her friend Bethany for help earning some extra cash, she's shocked to discover that Bethany is a phone sex operator…and is intrigued by her offer to teach Chloe the ropes. But neither of them is prepared for the unexpected desire their lesson unleashes.

Because I know you don't like to wait, pre-order Wicked Whispers now from Amazon and B&N.

RomCon Tax Day Relief Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to my stop on the RomCon Tax Day Relief Blog Hop! I'm so glad you joined me.

Early in 2012 myself and three friends embarked on a crazy journey through the alphabet. Back in January of that year we had no ideas where it was going to lead us, but we knew we were excited. Ginny Glass proposed the idea of taking an erotic journey through the alphabet, complete with themes and a story to go with each sexy letter.

Well, I'm happy to say that the four of us have managed to actually make it to the end. I'm currently doing edits on Z, so I know we must really be done.

But our end means the beginning of readers being able to see what we've been doing for so long. Last week, the first volume, Obeying Desire, was released by Carina Press. Over the next several months, the other 5 volumes (each one contains 4-5 stories) will also be available. I know you'll find learning the alphabet a lot more fun this way then you did with those "A is for apple, B is for bear..." posters you find in elementary schools. Mostly because this series is in no way intended for children. No, this is the adult alphabet and it contains handcuff, blindfolds, helicopter pilots, hunky cowboys and a whole lot of kinky action.

So, here is the really fun part. I'll randomly choose one person who leaves a comment on my blog to win a copy of Obeying Desire. Just tell me what sexy word you would have chosen for this book (can be any word that starts with A, B, C or D)!

Don't forget to visit the RomCon site to enter the big giveaway. They are giving away coupons for 50% off admission to the RomCon Convention in this summer. There's also links there to all the other blogs participating.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here are the letters we chose:


Love Letters Volume 1 contains four hot novellas that will tempt you to submit to desire:

A Is for Assignment by Ginny Glass
Lane Heywood is the last person Cameron Isley wanted as his partner in an undercover investigation at a sex club. But with the sexy psychiatrist masquerading as his Domme, he'll have to submit to her erotic torment--and try to control his all-too-real lust.

B Is for Bondage by Christina Thacher
When Rachel Cooper begins BDSM lessons, she soon starts fantasizing about her instructor, Marc Thibaud. They're not supposed to have sex--until one lesson crosses the line...

C Is for Curious by Emily Cale
Mistress Rebecca Greer has had her eye on The Black Rose BDSM club's shy receptionist, so when Hilary "accidentally" interrupts one of her sessions, Rebecca decides to give her a taste to satisfy her curiosity.

D Is for Detained by Maggie Wells
He was the preacher's son; her parents owned the local sex shop. Sherry Adams and Tyler Prescott's attraction was forbidden when they were teenagers, but years later Deputy Tyler takes out his trusty handcuffs to show her just how good they could be together.

Available now from Carina Press, Amazon and other e-book outlets.
P.S. I'm also over on the Java Karma website today and giving away another goody!

Current Obsessions: April 14, 2013

I'm trying something new. I thought I would share some of my current internet obsession.

Neil Patrick Harris and Neil's Puppet Dreams. If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend checking them out. I found them searching for something Nathan Fillion to send Ginny Glass one day and have sense fallen completely in love. The one with Nathan Fillion is still a favorite (Doctor's Office), but I also love the one where Neil gets abducted by aliens (Alien Abduction)

Wil Whedon and the TableTop show from Geek and Sundry. Who thought watching other people play board games could be fun? Not me. But I followed a link to this site and immediately fell in love. Some of the games are better than others for the audience (as are the people playing them), but I've found some great games to add to my wishlist.

This T-shirt. I want it so much. I'm trying to convince myself that is a worthwhile purchase. Someone push me over the edge.

Available at SnorgTees.com

Baseball and Summertime

I'm over on Romancing the Jock today talking about opening day, baseball, and summer. Come visit me.

Release Week Round Up

Woo! Got an email this morning from awesome co-author Ginny Glass that Love Letters Volume 1: Obeying Desire was one of USA Today's Happily Ever After blog's hot new erotic romances.

I love seeing our cover up there!

If you missed it, we managed to take over the internet this week with a post on Harlequin's blog and Carina Press's blog where we recreated some hilarious Skype calls.

Maggie and Chris are back on the Carina Press blog talking about how the characters from their stories relax. Check it out!