Blurb:

Anastasia Style, owner of Hassle-free Holidays, is having anything but a hassle-free Valentine’s Day. Her normally reliable car has a flat and she has a delivery to make for a last minute, lucrative client. And if that wasn’t enough to make a woman crazy, she still has to make it to her lawyer’s office in time to sign her divorce papers.

She just has to set the stage for her client’s romantic evening and then she’s off to her lawyer’s office to officially end her marriage to Mason Style. Except her client has other ideas about how Anastasia will be spending her evening, and he has no intention of ever letting her go. 

Often, when finished reading a short story, I feel like so much has been left out of the story and it’s not complete. That’s not the case with Anastasia’s Style. N.J. has created characters with depth and a sizzling story of real love reflecting the effort required by both parties to make a relationship work. 

You all know how I feel about books by N.J. Walters. She’s one of my favorite authors, and this story reinforced why. I highly recommend you pick up this sexy Valentine’s tale releasing from Ellora’s Cave Publishing tomorrow.

I went back to work this weekend for the first time in seven weeks. Wow, was that hard. Switching to staying up at night is not the bad part. I was falling asleep Friday and Saturday night, but both nights were very slow in the ER. At least Sunday night went fast since we were busy.  

The bad part is switching back to being a day person after the weekend. Normally, I stay on the same schedule, but my brother is still here. I took a four hour nap Monday then tried to go to sleep when the rest of the family did. It didn’t work. I’m so tired this morning. Had two huge cups of coffee and not even the caffeine is helping. The best thing will be when I get back to my normal, fully vamp schedule of being a creature of the night. 

I did manage to get some writing done this weekend. Yay! Finished working on Enough and submitted it to my editor. This was a 5,000 word free story on my website. It’s now just shy of 13,000 words, and I’m loving it. Enough was a fun story before, but now it’s got a lot more depth. 

Today I’m working on my blog entry for my upcoming day on Samhain’s blog. It’s doubtful I’ll get much done today since I’m already falling asleep. This might call for a nap.

Because I had to comment on it being so hot here, we got a “cold” front. This morning the feels-like temperature is 43. I know that’s not cold to many of you, but when two days ago the feels-like was 84, this is a huge change for us thin blooded Floridians. Makes me want to burrow under the covers with my e-book reader for the day. 

I’m going to do just that, too. Today is the end of my second medical hiatus, and I head back to work tonight. It’s going to be difficult switching to being a vamp again after seven weeks of sleeping nights. Today, I’m going to nap as much as possible and hope for the best. Maybe some other creatures of the night will be around on the loops tonight to keep me company. 

My brother is still here for another six days before he flies back to Alaska. It’s old home week for him because this is where he grew up. All his friends from high school and into his 30’s are here. That’s good. My working this weekend isn’t going to bother him at all.  

He already has tons of things planned with his friends, including the Gasparilla Pirate Fest. The event is similar to Mardi Gras (including girls flashing for beads). They sail into the port of Tampa decked out as pirates and capture the city, have a parade along with an all day street fest. Lots of beer is consumed, bands play…it’s a trip. I wish I didn’t have to work so I could go! 

Have a great weekend everyone. Stay warm!

 

My son had done his job and drawn the winner’s name. Congratulations to Shelly! You are going to love the calendar. I got my copies today, and the guys are totally H O T ! I already have mine hung next to the computer for inspiration. <g>

They really did a great job this year. There are bios on all the guys and a collage of book covers at the front and end of the calendar. My covers made it into both collages. Dreams of the Oasis, Volume I is in the first one, and The Boy Next Door is in the second. Woohoo!

If you didn’t win one, you can purchase a calendar from the Ellora’s Cave eBay store. It’s worth every penny!

Here it is January and it’s still summer here in Florida. Although a bit overcast today, the high temperatures have been in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. Ugh! I’m so sick of summer. Not that I want something radical like snow, but it would be nice to wear some of my winter clothes. Heck, I haven’t even taken my jacket out of the storage bin this year. 

We are supposedly getting a “cold wave”. That’s laughable. It’s 65 today and predicted to remain in the upper 60’s over the next week or so. Well, at least it’s a bit of a change. This freaky weather is getting on my nerves. I’m dying for an actual change of seasons instead of constant summer. 

My big brother spent more than thirteen hours traveling here from Alaska via three different planes. He’s happy to be out of the sub-zero temps and actually see the sun, but he’s totally melting. LOL! He’s recovered from his travels and planning on dragging us to all sorts of touristy things. Thankfully, he has no desire to do the theme park stuff. 

Be careful out there, everyone! I’ve seen some scary news clips of cars sliding around on the ice. Someone make a snowman for me!

Both of my free stories, Restless and Enough, have been taken down from my website. Both are being substantially expanded and revised for submission to my publisher. I will be working on new free stories, and will keep you updated on my progress.

Blurb:

Gracie Evans wants a Valentines she won’t forget. Luke Forsythe plans to give her exactly what she wants. 

Gracie Evans is a woman tired of the men in her life not satisfying her in bed. She’s had a string of boyfriends, but none of them have come close to satisfying the vivid fantasies she has. Two weeks before Valentine’s Day, she breaks up with her latest boyfriend after a night of lackluster sex. 

When her good friend, Luke Forsythe, overhears her talking to their friend Shelly about what she really wants, he’s stunned. And very turned on. Gracie thinks there isn’t a man alive who can satisfy her in bed. Luke aims to prove her wrong. 

IMHO:

Luke and Wes are great friends for a girl to have. They’re great buddies not afraid to tease Gracie, but also protective and caring. Oh, and what these friends will do to satisfy her fantasies. Wow! Overheard is scorching hot even before the ménage. This is a fast paced read with a great cast of characters. I sure hope Maya is working on Wes’ story!

This great story is available from Samhain Publishing

The last few days have been pure insanity in my house. Tax time is rapidly approaching and unfortunately, I’m not the most organized person in the world. I spent two days going through all the different little places I tend to tuck receipts into for “safe keeping”, then categorizing them. What a mess. It’s kind of scary to find out how much money I spend. Ack! 

Of course, getting my tax stuff organized led to organizing my other files. This turned into a major paper shredding party. Ended up with two tall trash bags full of paper strips by the time I was done. Got a bit shred happy…LOL! Hopefully, I didn’t shred something I actually need. 

I’ve also started learning to make book trailers. Most of the software out there for videos is complicated and practically requires a computer programming degree to even get started. Add in trying to find just the right pictures and music on the royalty-free stock sites and it’s some scary stuff. A guardian angel pointed me in the direction of a free program I could handle. Doesn’t make the fanciest trailers around, but the one for Passionate Realities turned out pretty good, if I do so say myself.  

Hmm…might take me a few days to recover before I attempt working on another one though. Whew! <wiping brow>

She didn’t know what she wanted until he made her beg for it…

Morgan O’Malley has seen a lot of kinky things as the hostess of a cable sex talk show. But she’s never met a man like Jack Cole before. A self-proclaimed dominant, he’s as alpha as a male can get–and good for Morgan to have around when an obsessed stalker ratchets up his attempts to get to her.

Though Jack is a bodyguard, Morgan feels anything but safe in his presence. Because slowly and seductively, Jack is bringing her deepest fantasies to the surface. And when he bends her to his will, what’s more shocking than her surrender is how much she enjoys it–and starts to crave his masterful touch. A willing player in Jack’s games, Morgan knows that his motives aren’t pure, but she has no idea how personal they are…

This wicked tale will capture your attention from the first page and keep you enthralled through the last. It’s a fast thrill ride that will keep you on edge. Sparks start flying the moment Morgan and Jack meet, and the scorching heat between them grows through the book. The secondary characters are full of life. I can’t wait to read Deke’s story, Decadent. My only complaint…the story ended.

 I highly recommend this exciting, sizzling, emotional tale of revenge, discovery and thrills. You can find Wicked Ties at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Ellora’s Cavemen calendar for 2007 is now available, and in my opinion, the guys are hotter than ever. Wowza! Never pulled out my credit card so fast before in my life. LOL! The calendars are available at the Ellora’s Cave eBay store. 

 I want the job of photographing those hotties. Or better yet, I want the job of rubbing their hard bodies down with oil so they’re nice and shiny. Yeah, that’s what I want to do. I’d certainly go to work with a smile on my face every day! <g>   

Want a calendar? I bought extra and I’m giving one away. It’s simple to win. Send me an email with “calendar” in the subject line to nicoleaustin1@hotmail.com My son will draw a winner’s name on January 25th so you’ll have to enter by the 24th to be eligible.

Good luck!