Bliss is HERE

I love, love, love release days. It's always a mixture of scary and exciting for me, but no matter how nervous I might be, I still love having a new book out. I'm super excited about, Bliss. It's my second erotic romance and the second book in the Malone Brothers series. The Malone brothers are three totally alpha, blue collar, hard working men who know how to, and enjoy pleasuring a woman. Oh, and when they fall, they fall hard!

Ethan Malone has had his fair share of women. Life is short and he damn sure plans to enjoy it. When Lindy Bliss starts work at Malone Constructions, he never expected to want her. She’s nothing like the women he usually brings to his bed. Immediately he’s drawn by her quality work on the job, and her sharp, sarcastic tongue. Of course, the way his name hugs Lindy’s breasts in her work shirt has a whole hell of a lot to do with it too. He needs to get the tomboy, with the stripper name out of her faded jeans and tool belt, so he can play with the feminine curves beneath.

Before he loses a finger or two because he’s distracted by his perpetual hard on, Ethan propositions Lindy for a no-holds-barred weekend of sexual pleasure. Once he has her under his roof and in his bed, he isn’t sure he wants to let her out again. Having Lindy beneath him is exactly what he thought it would be…pure Bliss


Excerpt:
Lindy ordered her usual Coors Light and added an order of cheesy fries. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation for the grease and beer fest she had planned.

A few minutes later her meal arrived. She wasted no time diving in to savor the fries and cheese on her plate. Behind her, the rickety door creaked open. Loud footsteps crunched across broken peanut shells in her direction. Stuffing another gooey, clump of fries in her mouth she chewed like she hadn’t eaten in days when a familiar scent of freshly cut trees, and the musky smell of a hard-working man swirled around her.

“Been a while since someone fed ya, has it?” Ethan pulled out the bar stool next to her and sat down.

Great. Just my luck.

Lindy finished her bite. “Well, I’ve been so busy picking up the slack for all the meat-heads I work with I hardly have time to do something as trivial as eat. Not used to a woman eating in front of you? I may be thin but I’m not a dry salad kind of girl, like the ones you’re used to, I’m sure.” She pushed another bite in her mouth. This one not as big as the last though.

Rich, hearty laugher erupted from Ethan’s perfect mouth snaked around her, causing goose bumps to pebble up her arms.

“I have to give it to you for your comebacks, Bliss. That one was pretty good. A crock of shit, but funny.”

Lindy downed the rest of her beer in one gulp. “Isn’t it bad enough I have to see you all day at work? Why are you coming into Smokey’s now too?” Ethan and his younger brother Shane did come in from time to time, but they spent most of their time at The Last Chance. Smokey’s was pretty far out of town. Not that Last Chance was all that big to begin with, but she figured the guys liked to hang out closer to town since that’s where they lived.

“Free country.”

He gave her a wink and smile. His smile made all the women in town melt like warm butter. It pissed the hell out of her that it worked on her too. Not that she’d let him know it. Before she could think of something smart to say, Smokey walked up.

“I’ll have a bottle of Coors.” Ethan tilted his head toward her. “Bring another light beer out for the lady, too.”

“I can order for myself, Malone.”

“Oh, come on, Bliss. Aren’t ladies supposed to like it when a man orders a drink for them?” The right side of his mouth rose as if he tried to hide his smile.

The man took pleasure in grating on her nerves. She could see it in the light in his sparkling blue eyes. “Only a woman without a brain--like the ones you usually date.”

“Usually, huh? Does that mean we’re on a date now?”

Oh yeah. He was enjoying this. Ethan Malone was the devil himself. He didn’t even try to hide his smile this time.

“I guess I’ll leave you two alone.” Smokey looked at her and winked. She hadn’t even realized he was still there. And what the heck was the wink about? She’d known Smokey since she was ten years old and the man never winked at her.

“Please, you know we aren’t on a date as much as I do. First of all, I don’t date jerks and second, I’m so not your type.”

Ethan took a swig of the beer. “What makes you think you’re not my type?”

“I have eyes.” He licked his lips and watched her. She kind of wished she was his type, which surprised the hell out of her. Honestly, even though Ethan was the hottest thing in a pair of faded jeans and a tool belt, he wasn’t really her type either. It wasn’t too often that Lindy dated, but when she did, the men sure weren’t womanizers. Or alphas, and Ethan was both of those.

“The women I date have eyes, Bliss.”

Lindy tried to hide her smile. “Good one, Malone. You know what I meant. I’m not stacked, flirtatious, and I don’t put out to any man with a six-pack.”

Ethan set his bottle on the bar. “So you’ve noticed my six-pack, huh?”

This time she couldn’t help but laugh. Part of her knew he was serious. The man really did know how hot he was, but that wasn’t his only quality, he had a good sense of humor. Ethan joked around more than anyone she knew.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“You like me.” He leaned toward her. “Admit it, Bliss. You want me just as much as I want you. You might not be my usual type, but you’re damn sexy and I have to tell you, I’m tired of pretending I think otherwise.”

Lindy knew she stared at him open-mouthed, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Never in a million years did she expect to hear Ethan Malone come on to her. Hell, they didn’t even get along all that well. But he was right. She wanted him, but was it in her best interest to have him? Being the only woman on the site, she already had to fight for all the guys’ respect. If they found out she was sleeping with Ethan, one of the owners, she’d never live it down. “Listen, Malone.”

Ethan reached up and put a finger to her mouth. “Shh. Don’t even say it. I want you, Lindy Bliss, and when I want something, you can be damn sure I’m not going to give up until I have it.”

Available HERE

Christmas of Hope: A special book

Hi everyone,
Christmas of Hope is with the line editor, so I'll be getting the book back soon. (I hope.)
The release date is December 10.

This story is special. Why? Because the heroine has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Despite my heroine, Linnet, having a disability, she's sassy and resourceful. The novella is my take on the legend of Santa Claus.

Having been diagnosed with the disease in 1998, I have personal experience with both diseases which means I'm writing what I know.

I'm using a cane to help with my delicate balance. The day a kid ran into me at the grocery store and I nearly fell on my butt, was the day I reconsidered using my cane more. The upside to using a cane is that people give you a wider area to move and you have a weapon in your hand if implemented correctly.

My attitude is this: Each day is a precious gift and I'm going to seize the good and give over to God the things I can't deal with.
I believe I was meant to write stories to entertain and uplift people's spirits. Everyone needs a break and reading romance is a great way to end up feeling good.

Here's the blurb for Christmas of Hope from Red Rose Publishing.

Linette MacDougal is having a tough time this year--the death of her mother and now the house she grew up in may be taken away. The bright spot in her life is Hope Claus, one of her kindergarten students. When she meets Hope's father, Nick, she begins to believe in the magic of Christmas once more.


I hope you enjoy this magical story.

Hugs,
Keelia Greer

I do not write that stuff!

I do not write that stuff! by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

I just had a teeny tiny rant on my website on the subject of people who've never read my erotic romance novella, and yet are more than happy to announce in public to all and sundry that "she writes porn".

Irritating much?

Oh, yeah!

And I usually try to deal with it by courteously explaining the difference between porn, erotica and erotic romance -- which is not easy when I'm inevitably dealing with a bunch of grinning males who just want to heckle me some more and spew smart-assed comments, rather than actually listen and try to understand my point of view. And, as you can probably imagine, public places such as my dance class, or Denny's, or over the dinner table at a dinner party, are not generally the most appropriate of places to be having this conversation!

Anyway, I think I've managed to express myself adequately and explain what I believe the differences are, and why I believe I'm writing romance, not porn. What I'm hoping is that in future, if someone jokingly announces that I do write porn, I'll have the presence of mind to do one of two things:

1. Enquire very politely whether they've actually read anything I've written.
2. Hand them my business card and direct them to my website post, Porn vs erotica vs erotic romance, and tell them to get back to me if they're still unclear about what I write after reading the post. Oh, and reading my novella.
   

But the purpose of this post is not to hash out definitions.

What I'd reeeeally like to know is how you all cope with this sort of thing.

How do you respond in a way which is polite, informative and not likely to alienate the person who's asked such a provocative questions, when what you would secretly like to do is scream?

If you're a romance author, what's your response when someone smirks and refers to what you write as "that porn for women stuff"?

If you're a romance reader, what's your response when someone smirks and refers to your beloved romances as "that porn for women stuff"?

Would very much appreciate your responses so that I will have some pre-prepared ammunition up my sleeve next time it happens to me.

:-)

Maree

What I'm Thankful For

This year has flown by at lightning speed! I can't believe tomorrow is already Thanksgiving (for those of us in the States). Last night the hubby and I watched the movie Four Christmases and it reminded me of us at holidays. NOT that our families are remotely that insane, just the running around from house to house, and trying to see everyone part reminded me of our situation. The one thing that drives me a little nuts is when my cousins try to guilt us for leaving early. It's not like we have a choice. My parents are divorced and both of our families are big anyway and both my parents are incredibly understanding that we have to split our time up. If they understand, everyone else can get on board too, lol.


I don't really talk about it much, but last year around this time my husband lost his job. It was expected due to the industry he worked in at the time, but it was still a huge adjustment. He's still in school full time and he's done a bit of contract work (I've mentioned his stints overseas in other posts), but nothing steady. To say it's been frustrating would be an understatement. But, I still have a lot to be thankful for. So, when I get stressed, I have to remind myself of those things.


What I'm Thankful For

1. My hubby is home safe for the holidays (he was supposed to be gone, but his contract ended early)
   
2. My sister married the man she loves this year
3. I have great parents who never made their divorce difficult for their children
   
4. I have a roof over my head
5. Even though we didn't get to take a vacation this year, one of my best friends got to come visit me.
6. I have TWO amazing critique partners. I'd be satisfied with one, but I've got two of the best.
7. My MIL and FIL are awesome. I love the in-laws and wonder how I got so lucky.
8. I have my health
9. I'm seriously thankful for the good coffee I drink every morning.
10. I'm very thankful for all my friendships, both IRL and online.
    

I could go on, but that's my short list. What are you thankful for this year?

Finding that middle ground

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild

I was chatting with a writer friend of mine about heroes. She writes the best alpha's because these men are strong and dominant. They're blunt when it comes to sex and how much they want the heroine, which is damn hot, IMO, but they also have those sweet moments. Those moments where they can give in a little bit and be romantic and...in a way...soft. I LOVE that. I think it takes a strong writer to pull that off in a hero and to me, it's the best kind of hero. We don't want hard all the time, and if you can pull off that dominant alpha hero with a soft spot for his heroine, you've sold me!

I think that middle ground is some times hard to find. Where do you draw the line? You don't want a hero who is always dominant or hard or he can come off as a jerk. But then, we don't just want that sweetness either, at least I don't. I like my men cocky, dominant, with those hard edges, but with the ability to, at the right moment, be softer for he heroine.

What king of hero do you love? Who are some of your favorite heroes that walk that middle line?

Let Sleeping Demons Lie

The latest on Let Sleeping Demons Lie!

Hi y'all!

Since it's hot off the press -- er... make that hot off my email in-box -- I thought I'd show you the cover for my next Demons novella, Let Sleeping Demons Lie.

Ta daaaaaa!



Considering the Tall, Blond and Handsome? post I did a couple of months back, you might think it's ironic that my cover hero has longish blond hair. Well, perhaps more tawny-blond -- exactly like a lion's mane. But that's precisely the kind of hair I wanted him to have, given that he is a lion shape-shifter.

And the heroine is a stunner -- pretty much exactly how I pictured her when I wrote her. She's certainly getting high praise from the guys who've seen the cover. Hmmm. I wonder why? ;-)

Actually, she's looking pretty damn composed considering what I put her through in this particular story. She’s been stripped of everything — her memories, her demonic powers, and her clothes! — and dumped in the Lycan Realm. And those of you who’ve read the first novella will doubtless have an excellent idea of just who might be to blame for her plight, too. But shhhhhh, that’ll be our secret ;-). To add insult to injury, our Lycan lion hero nicknames her “Kitten”!

Here’s the short ‘n’ sweet teaser I provided to Red Sage for publicity purposes:

Let Sleeping Demons Lie:
Kitten is stripped of her memories and transported to the Lycan Realm. Lion shifter, Brennan, claims her body… and her heart. When they learn what kind of creature she truly is, a match made in heaven goes straight to Hell!

Meow! Kitty vs Lion — watch the fur fly! *VBG*

Me? I'm totally in love with this cover -- as you can probably tell!

This particular Angels & Demons installment is set entirely in the Lycan Realm, which is a savage, untamed place. So I love the way that's been conveyed in the cover. Likewise, with the fiery sky and the flames at the bottom, which for me harken to the Demon Realm.

And before I sign off, I've gotta thank Tuesday, my cover artist from Purple Ink Graphics and Designs for doing fabulous job on this! (She also did my cover for Even Demons Get The Blues, BTW.)

So, whaddya think?

Cheers,

Maree

Weddings

If you read my personal blog, you know that my sister is getting married very soon (this weekend)! Of all people, I never expected her to get the crazy wedding bug. Not to say I didn't expect her to get married, I knew that was coming from practically the day she started dating her soon-to-be-husband. No, I just didn't expect her to stress out about what cocktail napkins to get, or the exact wording of her and hubby's names when the DJ will announce them...but she is (and then some). Don't get me wrong, she's not a bridezilla or anything, she's just stressing about every little thing and if you knew her, it would be beyond surprising. I don't know what it is about weddings that brings out the OCD in people.


I've always loved weddings. Free drinks, good food, dancing, what's not to love. The weddings I've been involved in (including mine) have gone off w/out a hitch. Of course there was unavoidable family drama and some other unavoidable mishaps before the actual ceremony, but nothing that couldn't be handled. Sometimes I hear crazy bridezilla stories (and sometimes groomzilla) and it always makes me sad b/c I think people are missing the point of why they decided to get married in the first place.


What is the craziest wedding story you've ever heard? Or, what's the craziest thing you've ever known a bride or groom to do before the big day?

Wicked Pleasures IN PRINT

I received news that Wicked Pleasures, my humorous erotic Western romance will be coming soon in print from Red Rose Publishing.

Here's the blurb from the publisher's site:
Honey Jordan is in trouble. Her Pa is giving her one week to find another place to live. Her fiancé has not finished their house. She discovered in telling her best friend about Granny Cordella's sexual legacy, a box of wicked pleasure, she now might be a criminal.

Can she escape the clutches of the law and marry Brock?

Can she find the topaz treasure, 'The Jewel of the Nile'?

Brock Ryan is in trouble. He’s about to lose his house and land because the will his Pawpaw left him is missing. His fiancée, Honey Jordan is in possession of certain sexual illegal items. His brother-in-law congratulates him and the Sheriff is threatening to haul Honey in for breaking the law.

Can Brock keep his fiancée out of jail and save his land?

Warning this title includes explicit language and toy play. Not for the faint at heart!

Publisher's link:
http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=56&products_id=55

Wicked Pleasures is based on a Dallas, Texas law. I searched but never found where this law had been repealed.
The law: It is illegal to possess realistic dildos.
And how do you go about enforcing such a law?

I hope you'll purchase your copy of Wicked Pleasures and give it a home on your keeper shelf.

Hugs,
Tambra Kendall

A Steaming Cup of Familiarity...

I've been thinking a lot about rituals lately. No, not the religious kind. But rather the kind we rely on, almost subconsciously, to give form to our days.

My favorite part of the day is actually the end of the day. One, because that means reading time. And two, because that's when the kids are all down and I treat myself to a long shower, put on my cushiest pj's and curl up in bed with a nice cup of tea--chamomile, of course--and my Kindle. I didn't realize how important this ritual had become to me until my husband left for Afghanistan and my oldest son went into a severe autism crisis at the same time.

That's when I found out we have those rituals for a reason. They comfort us. They provide the boundaries in this strange chaos we call life. My boundaries, my family's boundaries were missing during those long weeks of my son's meltdown.

And we missed them. Ached for them some days.

That time of missing my own personal rituals along with the family ones, got me to thinking about characters. Specifically, characters and their rituals.

I remember a movie, Mercury Rising. Not so much for the plot, but for a ritual that was important to Simon, the young autistic hero in the movie. Every day when Simon, who was nonverbal, came home from school, he and his mother would go through the ritual of making hot chocolate.

Later, when Simon's parents are murdered, Bruce Willis's character, who has been assigned to protect Simon (at least that's how I remember it) takes Simon back to his home in search of clues. The first thing Simon does is go to the kitchen and begin the ritual of making hot chocolate.

In that moment, we learned so much about Simon--and how necessary familiarity and boundaries were to him. In one gesture, we realized just how broken this child's world really was. To say this was a hand-me-the-tissue moment is the most pathetic form of understatement.

Rituals humanize us. And they can humanize the characters in the books we love, too.

Have you ever written a character with a personal ritual? Read about one that you simply can't forget? What about your own personal rituals. What function do they play in your life? What do they say about you as a person?

If you're an author, think about how you'd feel if your most cherished ritual was torn away from you. Then do it to your character.

I'd love to know how it goes for you.

***

Two more days until the finalists are announced in Dorchester Publishing's America's Next Best Celler contest at Textnovel. Wish me luck, because I'm up against--no, with--some fantastic stories, and I'd hate to be the editor in the position of picking the top ten. Gulp. :)

A challenging POV rewrite!

A Challenging POV Rewrite! by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

Do you remember a while back when I was in fits because I was writing a novella and the characters just wouldn't let me to write The End? (See my July 23rd post.) A few you you -- me, included! -- came to the conclusion that my characters demanded a longer story and I was just gonna have to suck it up and play the game.

Well, I did eventually manage to find a satisfying way to wrap things up and still miraculously keep to the intended word count, but that's not the end of the story. I submitted it for an anthology and it eventually got rejected. Oh well. Them's the breaks. And because it was written specifically for that one particular market, it wasn't really suitable for submitting elsewhere.

I figured it was just one of those unfortunate set-backs and I'd move on. Except I haven't.

I decided that I really did love the characters far too much to give up on them and leave them languishing on my hard-drive. And as I'd written the original story in 1st person heroine's point of view, I figured I may as well challenge myself a bit and treat it like an official revision. By that, I mean pretend that an editor liked the concept and the plot but just couldn't find a market for a 1st person POV story. I would pretend that this fictional editor asked me to rewrite it in 3rd person and re-submit.

Nothing like playing "let's pretend".... You always suspected that I live in a fantasy world, right?

Seriously, though, I like a challenge and I haven't tried to do anything like this before with my previous manuscripts. So first things first: change every single relevant "I" and "my" and "me" (etc) to "she" and "her" and... whatever. Not as easy as it sounds because I couldn't do a global Search and Replace without screwing up all the conversation excerpts. So manually it was. And I must admit, I'm still finding the occasional "She wrinkled my nose" and other delightfully incomprehensible bits and pieces, LOL. Hopefully I'll winnow them all out when I do the final edit.

The next challenge is of course writing in the hero. I mean, he's there in part, because obviously the heroine was already interacting with and reacting to him, interpreting what he might be feeling at any given time from his words, tone of voice, facial expressions and actions. But the reader would only know him through the heroine's eyes so at this stage he's pretty flat and one-dimensional. He's not his own man--or in this case, alien!--quite yet.

So now I'm fleshing him out, giving him his own thoughts and emotions, allocating him his own scenes. And the wonderful thing about it is that I'm learning more about him with each new excerpt from his POV that I write. (Or steal from the heroine and give to him, for that matter!)

I'm not saying that I'd want to write another story this way but it's a fun process for the most part. Even more interesting, since the novella had to be pretty tightly plotted, giving the hero his own voice is adding not only a new dimension to the story, but the wordcount is now edging toward novel-length and I'm only three-quarters done with it.

Yeah, yeah, I know. You guys were right all along: seems this story really didn't want to end, LOL.

Hey, any of you done this kind of POV revision for real? Would love to know how it turned out.... And if it's something you would ever want to tackle again!

Cheers,

Maree

As a Reader...

Over the past two weeks I've run across a lot of questions that start like this 'Can I do (insert whatever here) in writing?' There are obviously some basics, like grammar, spelling, and a strong grasp of the English language that are needed if you want to sell your book. That aside, as a writer, I worry about telling an entertaining, engaging, and hopefully sensual story that sticks with the reader once they've put the book down. Why? Because as a reader, that's what I want. When I read romance, I want to be entertained and forget about bills and other crap in my real life. I read to escape. When I'm reading, I'm not worried about if the first page says Prologue or Chapter One. I just want the story to suck me in, I want to care about the characters, and I want my HEA.


When I was 'simply' a reader, I didn't know what POV or head hopping was. Of course, I actually knew what point of view meant, I just didn't know that writers weren't supposed to switch too often. Now, I absolutely hate that I notice POV switches. There's one author I can't read anymore b/c my 'training' as a writer pulls me out of her stories. Luckily, that author isn't Nora Roberts b/c even though she head-hops, I still LOVE her :) As far as prologues, writers are the only people I've ever heard say they don't like them. This, I don't understand. As a reader, I start on page one and hope I love the story enough to keep reading. Sometimes prologues probably could have been woven in later, but who cares? If it sucks me in and entertains me, then the author has done her job. I totally get that there are some guidelines (I don't like the word 'rules') that should be followed if you want to land an agent or editor, but I find it odd when people use words such as NEVER or ALWAYS when it concerns writing. What works for one person, doesn't work for another. Writers are artists and to try and pigeonhole an entire group of people is crazy.


Look at Sherrilyn Kenyon. She breaks all sorts of 'rules', and with all her elaborate world-building, she doesn't confuse the reader and her writing is practically seamless. She's one of my favorite authors and she pretty much has a cult following so obviously she's doing something right. As a reader (not a writer) what do you want in your stories?

Blog Talk Radio

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild

I'm doing something a little different this week. On Thursday, November 12 at 9:00 PM Eastern I will be on Blog Talk Radio along with authors Anne Rainey and Regina Carlysle. I'm a little nervous....I've never done anything like this before, but excited too!

I know we have a whole bunch of questions to answer and readers will be able to call in and ask some of their own. That's the part I'm really excited about. I'm really looking forward to chatting with readers so I hope some of you will stop by!

Gimme Some Strange, Baby!

Books and shoes.

Honestly, can a girl ever have too many of either?

Although my TBR stack could easily warrant its own zip code, and I have enough shoes to shod the Rockettes--twice, I'm making like a man and looking for something new. Something sexy. Fun.

But I'm finding that my TBR pile and my shoe rack have something in common. They're lovely to look at, delightful tempations, but chances are, many of them may go unread/unworn for some time.


Because lately, I'm wanting something that's not in either.

Comfort.

Granted, I'm a paranormal girl through and through, but also I'm longing to read a bit more about home-grown heroines than the kick-ass, demon chasing, vampire slaying bad girls I've leaned toward in recent years.

The magic I'm longing for right now is simpler, more heart felt. Kitchen magic, like that in Tracey Madison's Taste of Magic and the homespun magic protrayed in ensuing novels in the series. I like this series because while there's yummy romance involved, her books have the flavor of good women's fiction. Large stories with heart, if you will. Ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances. Women like you and me.

I also want to laugh. A lot. So I'm captivated with Dakota Cassidy's books right now for all the aforementioned reasons combined with Dakota's ability to make me giggle-snort until my Kindle shorts out from all the tears falling on it.

So comfort, laughter, and of course, magic. :) That's what I'm looking for. With that in mind, help me go shopping.

Who else should I add to my TBR pile?

My kick-ass heroines and uber-alpha heroes will stay with me. But for right now, I want simpler. Quieter. Bigger stories that feel like home. That and a really comfy, yet sexy, pair of shoes that I might actually wear.

Are you finding your reading tastes changing? Is it a sign of the times, or is it just that my feet are killing me? ;)

***

On an aside, I am officially in the semifinals for Dorchester's America's Next Best Celler contest at textnovel. Thanks to everyone for their reads, reviews, comments and votes. MUSE STRUCK would not be the book it is today without all the amazing reader input.

Here's hoping I make the top ten finalist list on or around Nov. 16. All of the top twenty stories are simply amazing. Ya ought go check 'em out.

Is He Really That Into You?

Is He Really That Into You? by Maree Anderson, for Writers Gone Wild

Okay, so I don't usually talk about books that I've recently read on Writers Gone Wild -- usually leave that for a monthly post on my own website. But this book kinda cries out to be talked about.

It's "He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, a "no-excuses truth to understanding guys".

I had my doubts when a Ceroc dance friend of mind lent it to me last week. Oh noes, I thought. Another "dating" book to teach women how to understand men -- and co-written by a guy? Hah! How lame is this gonna be?

But I flipped through it and it was like, "Oh my God, that is soooo true!" and, "Crap! This guy is right on the money!" and, "Sheesh. How could I not have picked up on that???"

And then I read the book in one sitting. Afterward, I wiped tears of laughter and commiseration and sympathy from my cheeks, read a few excerpts to my husband.... And knew just what this week's post was gonna be about.

First, some info about the male co-author, Greg Behrendt. Aside from his obvious qualification -- duh, he's male! -- he was a consultant on the popular tv series, Sex and the City, for three consecutive seasons. And in a nutshell, or in this case right at the end of the book, he has this to say to all women in his closing remarks:

"Why do I care about you? Because I have a sister and many women friends whom I love dearly, despite their unwillingness to hear the clanging bells of a crappy relationship. Because I have a wonderful sister and so many amazing women friends who still don't have the confidence to believe that they deserve better and will only find someone better after they unload the deadweight of an inadequate suitor. Because I have an incredible sister and so many brilliant women friends who don't yet truly accept that profound love is uplifting, joyous, inspiring and intoxicating, and that they should never settle for anything less. Shitty relationships make you feel shitty, and that's not what you were put on this earth for."

So after reading that, you get that I do truly believe this guy has our best interests at heart, right? Anyway, let's get to the interesting stuff. For example, this chapter:

"He's just not that into you if he's not having sex with you: When men like you, they want to touch you, always."

Oh yeah. Amen to that! Hmmm. Just like the gorgeous heroes we all love to write or read about, eh, girls? Our heroes want the heroines.... bad. And even if our fictional guys haven't quite yet figured that she is The One, then there's all that lovely sexual tension between the two of them that we can lap up on every page. Which generally includes touching, in one form or another. Sigh.....

How about:

"He's just not that into you if he's married (and other insane variations of being unavailable): If you're not able to love freely then it's not really love."

Whether or not you agree with that statement at face value (i.e. without reading the whole chapter), I really liked the "Super-Good Really Helpful Workbook" at the end of this particular chapter. Readers are asked to list all the things that they want or have ever wanted in a man. Now comes the smack upside the head -- just in case you haven't "got it" yet after reading the chapter:

"Now look at your list. Did 'married' or 'emotionally unavailable' make that list? Yeah, we didn't think so. You're far to classy and smart for that."

Riiiight. Kinda says it all, doesn't it? And I have to admit, I don't think I would want to read a book where the hero and heroine can't ever truly be together because of one or both of these issues. Dammit, I want -- no, insist! -- on my Happily Ever After when I'm reading. And writing, for that matter!

And this:

"He's just not that into you if he's a selfish jerk, a bully, or a really big freak: If you really love someone, you want to do things to make that person happy."

Whoa! Sure not pulling any punches here. And at the end of each chapter there's a summary of what you should have learned, so here's a few of my favorite summary points for this particular one:

• Life is hard enough as it is without choosing someone difficult to share it with.
• You deserve to be with someone who is nice to you all the time. (You have to be nice to them, too)
• You already have one asshole. You don't need another.
• Make a space in your life for the glorious things you deserve.
• Have faith. What other choice is there?

That's sooo very true. Hands up who's been with a guy who puts you down -- either overtly or subtly, privately or publicly? It's soul-destroying. Who wants that kind of man in your life? Why do we put up with it?

I've written about a guy like that -- didn't actually intend to write the character quite so nasty, but hey, he just wanted to be a complete asshole, so I let him go for it. And every single reader whose read that manuscript hated that character (with a vengeance!) for what he put the heroine through, and how he made her feel about herself. I reckon if they could have brought him to life, they would have skewered him and done things to him I can't write about here, LOL. Biiiig emotional response about that character. Go figure.

Anyway, although this book gave me many, many laughs because of the up-front and witty way that the topics are dealt with, it doesn't treat the subject lightly. It was also a very sober read, which truly made me think and count my lucky stars that I'm happily married.

Bottom line? We're all looking for The One. And often we're so desperate not to be alone that we'll grasp onto something that doesn't truly give us what we need, and hold onto it with all our might. We'll make excuses for our partners -- let them get away with all sorts of hurtful behavior. Perhaps we'll settle for someone because we're afraid that the soul-mate who will truly fulfill us a myth. He or she doesn't exist.... And we just don't want to be alone.

I'm not making any judgements. But I would recommend that you read the book, because at the very least, it'll prove to you that you're worthy of love, worthy of being happy -- hell, to paraphrase that cosmetic company ad, just "because you're worth it"!

As Greg says in his final word:

"We think all people -- men, women, gay, straight, or otherwise -- are entitled to aswesome relationships while they are enjoying their here on Earth. And we hope that this book was helpful, but if not, take what you need, leave the rest, and go find a way that works, so you too can have what you so richly deserve -- love."

Thanks, Greg. I couldn't say it better myself.

:-)

M

Eye Candy for You

I'm grossly unprepared to blog today so I'm taking the easy way out and posting pictures of Ryan Reynolds. Despite his lighter hair color, he's been the inspiration for my current WIP. I swear, God created this man as a gift to women. *Sigh*







Enjoy!! I'll be back next Wednesday with an insightful or at least entertaining blog :)

Celebrate good times, come on!

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild.....

I have big reason to celebrate. I just finished a book! I love this feeling with each and every books. It's such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment to write 'The End' on a book that you've put your sweat, tears, and heart into. This one is especially great for me for a number of reasons. First of all, this book as plagued me for a year! LOL. Seriously, I never thought I would finish. I started it and then hit brick wall after brick wall before putting it aside to start something different. Then, when the time was running out to finish by my deadline, I picked it up again. I still struggled. I don't know what it was about the book, but I just didn't feel like I was getting it right. After read throughs, changes, more changes, and more read throughs I think I FINALLY got it right. At least I hope so. LOL. It's still with my beta reader so finger are crossed she doesn't tell me it bites.

The next reason finishing this book was such a big milestone for me is because its the third and final book in a series. This is the first series I've finished off. It was bittersweet for me. Part of me jumped for joy because I'd struggled so much with this book, but the other part of me was a little sad because I will never be visiting these characters any more. They became like friends to me and now its like I closed the door on that chapter of my life.

So, I broke out a bottle of champagne and celebrated what to me felt like a huge accomplishment. Then ran a hot bath, lit some candles and relaxed by reading a good book. To, that's the perfect way to celebrate.

What do you do to celebrate a big accomplishment?

Votes Needed and Holiday Survivial Tips

Hi everyone,

I'm blogging today due to my spotty internet from the heavy rains Texas had a few days ago.

Cowboy of the Night has been nominated in the best erotic paranormal romance category at REC-Romance Erotic Connection.

I'd love your vote.
Here's the link: http://recconnection.webs.com/vote.htm

Tips for surviving the month of November:

1. You can't do it all, so delegate.
2. Give little ones easy things to do so they can feel more involved with the holiday season. Example: Let them design placement cards for the table.
3. Use your kid's art for your holiday cards to family and friends.
4. Add a new holiday dish or tradition.
5. Remember those in your circle of friends without family close or have no family at all.
6. Don't forget to stock up on freezer bags.
7. Consider ordering the meal ready made. Just heat and eat.
8. Take your vitamins, especially Vitamin C. The extra stress and all the people may wear your system down.
9. Do something just for yourself.
10. Be thankful and grateful for whatever you have.

Hugs,
Tambra