Overall society has experienced a decline in manners over the past decade. We have become downright rude! It’s true, our manners suck.

To a great deal, I believe cell phones can be blamed. Almost everyone has a cell phone, and they answer their calls no matter when or where. I’ve seen an interviewee take a cell phone call in the middle of a job interview. Of course, they didn’t get the job.

Then there are the sales clerks answering personal cell phone calls and concentrating on that instead of the job they are being paid for. And let’s not even talk about the hazards of those answering their cell phones while driving. Operating a vehicle where the slightest distraction can lead to fatality and dividing your attention to talk on the phone is irresponsible. 

Now we have these blue tooth headsets that wrap around your ear and people walking around talking. I was in the grocery store the other day when someone nearby said, “Hey, how are you doing?” I turned to see if I knew the person and said, “Fine, how are you?” Turns out they weren’t talking to me at all…lol! It was rather embarrassing. 

For some reason, society just can’t unplug or step back anymore. We are electronically wired and in-touch no matter where we go. 

It seems that no one knows the rules of the road anymore, either. Things like using the left lane for passing. Well, not anymore. Drivers get into the left lane and sit there, making faster drivers pass them on the right. And when the light turns green, don’t even think about waiting a moment to make sure no one runs it before going. You’ll have a whole line of impatient motorists honking their horns behind you.  

If they happen to be in the wrong lane and need to turn, many drivers will cut across several lanes of traffic to get where they need to be. What the heck is that?  There are other people out there on the road too. Turning left from the right hand lane is going to result in a collision. Hello! 

The whole “me” attitude has gone too far. Guess what. It’s not all about you. There are other people in the world, and we find you very irritating and rude. 

This has been my personal opinion. Whew, I feel better now. Feel free to comment, adding what you find rude with today’s society. It feels good to get it off your chest!

Fallon McGregor has one purpose, find a way to defeat the master vampire who killed her daughter and turned her into an abused, tormented blood slave. While running, Fallon struggles to learn the dark secrets which will allow her to defeat her nemesis. 

Enter a local bar at rodeo time and you’ll find it packed with gorgeous cowboys, primed and ready for some action. But there’s also another of her kind on the hunt, and Fallon just may be his prey. 

Adrian Trask is a sexier than sin cowboy vampire in tight jeans, boots and a Stetson. Add to that he’s a genuine good guy, out to protect those around him, and he’s damn near perfect. When facing dark forces in battle, you want a guy like
Adrian to have your back. 

I sense another series in Mackenzie McKade’s future. A perfect blending of cowboys and vamps, great story and hot sex, Fallon’s Revenge will leave the reader satisfied, but wanting more of the secondary characters, Cougar Tucker and Briar. This is a fast paced, action-packed story will keep you on the edge of your seat, and sharing each emotional up and down Fallon goes through.  

This book will be available on September 26, 2006 from Samhain Publishing http://www.samhainpublishing.com/mackenziemckade.shtml 

Mark the date on your calendar. You don’t want to miss this gripping tale.

Tickle Me Elmo mania has struck once again. Stay out of the stores, its not safe. You will only find grown adults clawing and fighting over the fuzzy red toy.  

Ah, but this one is special, they say. This is the tenth anniversary of the craze which swept toy stores, sending parents into battle to obtain the must have toy for their child. This Elmo laughs, sits, rolls over, and slaps his thigh. Of course, he also does the annoying laugh too. Wow, go Elmo!  

The toy retails at $39.99, but you can find them on eBay from $50 to $150. Amazingly enough, people are willing to pay. It seems this time Fisher Price is only making one million of this years “it” toy. They kept the details of the toy a secret until it was unveiled this morning. 

The whole thing reminds me of that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Jingle All the Way. In this movie the hero does things he normally would never consider, all in an attempt to get that special toy to put under the Christmas tree.

Hurry now. Drive from store to store. Search out your Elmo. And when you find one, don’t let go, not for anything. Fight, claw, scratch, but don’t let go of Elmo. Then you get to decided if you’re actually willing to hand it over to your toddler, or if you want to try your luck at making big bucks through an eBay auction. 

Congratulations to Sherry (fcammer2)! You’ve won the ARC of Mimosa Night. I hope you enjoy the book. 

Thanks to everyone who entered, and for all the cute emails. Those offering bribes, it didn’t work, sorry. My son draws the winners names, so unless you were offering Play Station 2 games or NFL game tickets, your chances were not increased…lol!

Only two more days until release day. WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!

Oh Starbucks…  

*smack* 

Ouch, what was that for?  

Oh, sorry. No, I won’t wax poetic about Starbucks, but I have to comment. In their infinite wisdom, some wonderful person opened up a drive-thru Starbucks eleven blocks from my house and right along the route I take to work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mr. or Ms. Starbucks Franchise Owner! It’s a beautiful, sunny day, and I cruise on into the drive-thru lane with the sun roof open and ZZ Top blastin’ from the speakers, extolling the virtues of Sharp Dressed Men. After placing my order for a venti (the biggest cup) white chocolate mocha, I pull up to the little window, where the twenty-something coffee barista (great god of caffeine) is checking out my car, showing extremely good taste. The young man is smart enough to notice the id badge hanging from my collar, and calls me by name, earning himself a nice tip.

When he hands over my coffee, I take a deep breath, savoring the wonderful aroma of rich coffee blended with cream and mocha flavors. Mmmmm…yeah. Relishing the moment, I draw out the anticipation, forcing myself to wait for that first sip. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Now that’s heaven. The initial burst of the smooth, creamy confection caresses my taste buds, and a wonderful jolt of caffeine blazes an exhilarating path through my body. Sweet bliss, I’ve reached my happy place! Got my coffee and chocolate together in one glorious shot.  

Only one thing would complete the utterly amazing afternoon delight, but there’s no time to engage my other senses in the perfection of the moment. After all, I owe, I owe, so off to work I go…with a wicked smile on my face. 

Yeah, it’s that good!

Yes, I know. The book doesn’t release until September 20^th, but I got to read it early. It’s good to have friends in all the right places! *g* 

Rorik acts in kindness to free a wolf and ends up bitten in return. That brief encounter brings about changes and rumors, which surround the powerful knight, giving him a powerful edge against competitors. But it’s not enough to protect his home or betrothed from a usurping baron. Out for revenge, Rorik sets his sights on Ailiss, the baron’s betrothed. When his wolf recognizes its mate, she changes his life once again. 

This is Charli’s second werewolf quickie. Both fast paced books kept me turning pages as fast as I could read. The immediate connection and sizzling heat between Rorik and Ailiss kept me on edge. I certainly hope she’s working on more wolfies! If you haven’t read her other books, be sure to check them out. I highly recommend everything Charli’s written.
 

Thanks for the sneak preview, Charli! 

This book will be available from Ellora’s Cave on September 20, 2006 http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=ChT

I’ve become addicted with the graphics program Microsoft Picture It! It’s so much fun. I’ve been making bookmarks, magnets, even temporary book covers while waiting for the artists to do their thing. Wow, do they ever have a fun job! 

So far, I’ve had only one of my projects printed up, which was this magnet I created for Teri and I. It turned out better than anything I’d imagined. Woohoo! Its a little difficult to see on this dark background though.

These other two magnets, I plan to have printed up for RT ’07 in Houston. I’m also going to make a poster of my covers.

I made the covers for my two free stories. Enough is live on my website. Restless will go up something this month. I’ve also made some temporary covers for other books.

And here’s a sneak peak at the bookmarks I’m working on. I’ll have these printed closer to RT when I have all my covers that are available at that time.

Can’t wait to hear what y’all think of my art! I’m totally addicted and can’t stop creating new projects.

That’s my idea of the perfect alpha character. What’s yours? What characteristics or actions do you dislike in the alpha hero and what’s essential?

When I first started hearing about this story, I was skeptical. Jonathan Powell was not a character to be liked in Natural Law or Holding the Cards, and I didn’t see much room for redemption. But this is a book by Joey Hill, and I read everything Joey writes. Her characters contain such depth and heart. She has a way of reaching into a character’s soul and laying them bare before the reader. Joey asks the hard questions of them, teaching the character about themselves while allowing the reader to join their incredible journey of discovery. 

Since the book had Joey’s name on it, I gave it a shot, and boy am I glad I did. This book has a different feel than most of her stories, yet still retained her very unique storytelling voice. In this amazing, heart wrenching tale, Joey will take you from the Gates of Hell to the Garden of Eden, and have you viewing Lucifer in a very different light. 

All I can really say is wow, Joey has done it again with this brilliant book. Jonathan/Nathan suffers great pain and anguish, being ripped down to blood and bone, left raw and exposed. Can he make a true change of heart, become a different man?  Can he walk through the fires of hell and retain any sanity or worth? Can Mistress Dona’s soul survive her attempt at redeeming him? 

No, I’m not going to tell you. Go and read the story to find out. The book is rated extreme and carries a warning about its “very gritty and frank journey to Hell…” and “…situation and scenes may be disturbing to readers.” Don’t let this warning scare you off. I found Joey’s vision of Hell to be fascinating and the extreme scenes were appropriate for the storyline. After all, attempting to turn around a true bad boy is going to take some extreme measures! 

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=JH

If you haven’t read any of Joey’s books before, do yourself a favor and pick up at least one of her gripping tales, which just may change your views on BDSM. You can thank me later for steering you in her direction. *g*

This hot quickie has everything—action, romance, a hunky hero, steamy sex, suspense and love. Made me want to go out and find my own dragon hero. I can’t wait to read more dragon shifters from N.J, and I highly recommend all of her books! You simply can’t go wrong when buying any book with her name on the cover.   Thanks so much for the sneak peek, N.J.! 

This book will be available from Ellora’s Cave on September 6, 2006 http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=NJW