Zandia by Tilly Greene [paperback release]

With trepidation, Sui Erom left Zandia for Earth in search of better choices. One day Xer Rieh and the speedball team come to town, reminding her what she’s missing from home. Will love prevail, or will Sui settle for warm memories?

Only Sui can decide.

“Zandia is a superb story that explores the complex emotions between Sui and Xer. Once I started Zandia I became so engrossed in the story, I could not put it down. Bravo Ms. Greene. I can’t recommend this book enough. Zandia is the perfect blend of story, red hot sex, and sci-fi elements.” Reviewed by Claudia, 5 stars/O heat, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Zandia is released today in paperback! You can pick up your copy at Samhain, Amazon or your local bookstore.

Today is the start of my week at...

the Samhain Spring Showers party on the Coffee Time Romance Board!

Head over and check out all the various bits of wonderfulness! There's some fabulous prizes on the table as well. All good fun.

The Bunny is here!

Phaze has let the Bunny out of the basket early! There's a sale to chomp on throughout the bookshop by using BUNNY08 now through Monday for 20% off. Woohoo, happy spring reading.

Love is in the Air!

East Coast Authors Stella Price, Cat Johnson, Allie Boniface, CH Admirand and Tilly Greene are kicking off their Spring book tour at Borders [100 Viewmont Mall, Scranton, PA]. And, drumroll please, I'm bringing advanced copies of "Zandia"! You read that right, the book isn't actually released until March 25th so this is your chance to not only get your copy early but have it signed as well :-).

Looking forward to seeing you there!

What a hoot!

The cutie wasn't feeling well on Friday so we went to the video rental shop, picked a handful each and then let the other pick one they wanted to watch. Yeah, our taste in flicks can vary that much.

Anyway, last night we watched mine: Death at a Funeral. What a hoot! There's a great twists in this one and some good laughs as well. Even the opening credits were fun. Perfect :-)

A bit of random ridiculousness...

All is going well this month of pure writing and a booksigning [on the 21st] but there's been one hiccup - September. Why? Simple really, there's too much I want to do and they are all at roughly the same time!

1. the Moveable Book Society's conference is going to be held in Washington D.C. and will be full of unexpected treasures - since I missed both San Diego and Chicago, I promised myself I'd go to this one but something else came along that was both pleasure and work,

2. the West Hollywood Book Fair - I even said yes I'd go until I remembered,

3. a friend's wedding in Cork, Ireland.

Yup, going to the latter and it's on my birthday as well.

Thursday 13 #31!

On Tuesday's Book Talk! I mentioned being knee deep in my Russian books for the 'Come' series. Because I'm still there and might be for longer than I thought, here's 13 bits and pieces about the series.

1. 'Come' is an erotic romance shape-shifter trilogy about the three Ivanovich brothers.

2. They were all born in Russia and left after Gorbachev took office.

3. There are rumors flying around their homeland about them that they will never confirm or deny.

4. They moved to New York City and have an estate in the Adirondaks that's like one of the old camps with a house for each man.

5. They brought their tradtions with them including one that belongs only to their family.

6. The eldest son is Mikhail and his story is first - "Come, Now".

7. He's a well-respected businessman who runs Ivanovich Holdings.

8. He falls for Cassie, a nurse, who may be be small but she definitely keeps this big strong man on his toes.

9. A very small peek at one of my favorite interactions between Mikhail and Cassie in "Come, Now" is:

“Back hurts from the tree.”
“Sorry.”
She was stunned he didn’t jump up and at least look at it. She stared down at him waiting for him to apologize or something. When not another word was said gave him a poke in the side.
“What?!?”
“Hello, wounded here big guy.”
“It’s the cost.”
“Cost? What cost?”
“Stripping in the woods.”

10. The middle son is Aleksandr and his story is second - "Come to Me".

11. He's a security consultant for the government on various high-profile events.

12. He falls for Alison, a paper engineer.

13. The youngest son is Stefan and his story will be last - "Come and Stay".

I'm heading back in to "Come to Me" to make some extensive changes before moving on to write the final book. The Ivanovich men are definitely inspiring me to delve ever deeper into their stories who knows what will happen along the way to their happy ever after.

Book Talk!

This month I'm knee deep in my 'Come' series and that means Russia! Where I'm double checking some of my information for the opening prologue [hmmm] just so happens to be from one of my text books and this led me to a Book Talk! on my Russian book shelves.

A History of Russia by Nicholas V. Riasanovsky is just one of the many books I kept from my time in the classroom that I enjoy rereading. Russia's history is anything but simple and boring. Through the rule of individual princes to the Tsar's and on to today where they have a prime minister/president system, there is much intrigue and behind the scene happenings that just might help you understand where this country is coming from.

One of the first books I ever read about this country and its history was Peter the Great by Robert Massie. A one of a kind man who had a vision for Russia and did it, without a care for the detractors around him and there were many. Nicholas and Alexandra also by Massie is another book that brings a great deal of insight into the man on the throne and in this case his wife who was strong enough to have some influence.

Because my studies stopped abruptly with the end of the Romanov reign I have only a dozen or so books beyond it but I did like Khrushchev by Roy A. Medvedev & Zhores A. Medvedev. He's a fascinating man in the Soviet period. Stalin is a man I'd make the time to read more about. I know he was Georgian and cruel, but really that's about it and I should know more because he was able to control this nation with an iron fist that is most likely still felt by some of the people today. One of these days I'll get to Stalin by Edvard Radzinsky which is sitting on my to be read stack.

If you're not a fan of non-fiction then I'd highly recommend these three books to give you a good taste of Russia through various stages. Eugene Onegin by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin , this is a tale before politics takes over all aspects of life. Petersburg by Andrei Biely, a story that takes place on the cusp of change. Finally, my favorite and the one that led me into the classroom for more, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - short and packs a serious punch. There's many more fictional books on my shelves that I'd recommend and think I'll have to do another Book Talk! about them in specific.

As this is Women's History Month there's one more very interesting read is the Five Sisters by Barbara Engel. At a time when many people thought women were only for the home, here is the story of five women who took part in trying to overthrow a Tsar.

Happy Reading!

A bit of random ridiculousness...

No one will be surprised that the tears flowed freely watching Brett Farve announce his retirement...his class will be missed.

On a lighter note, I saw Vantage Point last weekend and it was good, very interesting way of looking at a single event. Love it when movies step out of the traditional box.

Speaking of, hope you have a chance to head over and listen to my interview from Thursday on Books Beyond Boundaries with Stella Price. Seriously, it was a BLAST!

Have a spectacular weekend everyone!

Thursday 13 - #30!

Since it's Read an eBook Week I think I'll give you all 13 things in this business that keep me excited about being a part of it and hopefully encourage others to buy their first or next ebook.

1. With an ebook To Be Read [tbr] pile there's no guilt in not making progress, there's no dusting and there's no need to either buy my shelves to hold them all or donate them to keep your house free of toppling piles.

2. I'm never without copious amounts of reading material on a trip because I can carry thousands of ebooks on a little card. [In fact, I was getting my car inspected the other day and pulled out my pocket pc and started reading - 25 minutes spent exactly how I wanted.]

3. Just about every day of the week there's new ebooks being released at an epublishing house somewhere on the net. I don't have to worry about driving there and the store not having them on the shelves or waiting for the UPS man to arrive with a delivery from Amazon.

4. I've discovered some new authors that I look forward to their next ebook.

5. I've discovered some new genres that I never would have delved into before.

6. I've discovered I'm a bit of a techno junkie and now ask if I can read an ebook on a gadget before I go beyond the looks stage.

7. I like the price! They can be offered anywhere from free to $24.95 [the high price would be from traditional publishers who haven't figured out that there's no printing or storage costs involved with an ebook! [In my eyes they shame the market with this but it's early days for them coming into the emarket.]

8. My favorite epublishers are of Ellora's Cave, loveyoudivine, Phaze, Samhain Publishing and Whiskey Creek Press Torrid because I've chosen to write for them, but I also shop at Loose Id and Changeling Press.

9. My favorite ebookstores are All Romance eBooks and Fictionwise. The latter has been around for ages but if I'm buying romance, which is the bulk of my ebooks, I head over to the former. I don't have a Kindle but since Amazon is such a large eretailer, this reading device is definitely one to check out - along with the WhisperNet that allows a person to purchase an ebook and start reading it within a matter of minutes - NICE!

Here are a few authors and their series that I found not through any recommendations or word of mouth but I bought them because I was intrigued by the first ebook in the series being offered.

10. Jet Mykles's Dark Elves series at Loose Id.

11. Ruth D. Kerce's Undercover series at Changeling Press

12. Morgan Hawke Interstellar Service & Discipline series at Loose Id.

Who is on my 'To Be Bought' [tbb] list for my next trip that I've never read before?

13. Red Garnier at Ellora's Cave.

I'm off to get ready for an interview over on Books Beyond Boundaries in a couple of hours - come over if you get a chance. I'll be talking ebooks, travel, booksignings and more :-)

eBook Talk!

Since this is Read an eBook Week I might as well delve in to my ebook library.

That's right, I have an extensive one of those as well as a traditional set of shelves in just about every room. Admittedly the ebook shelves grows in leaps and bounds while the other stays pretty much the same. Like I recently told Nicholas of A Gentleman's Domain - a traditional book is only bought if I have a place for it on my existing shelves or something has to go. It's brutal but I've been in the shameful abundance spot already and don't want to go back.

Last Tuesday I talked about the last ebook I bought, Emma Keatley's A Lover’s Cocktail, so this week I thought I'd tell you how I found my way to ebooks and how they've expanded my reading choices by telling you about the first one, actually three ebooks, I bought. They are all still available, with new covers for some and all three are also available in paperback. They are Saurellian Federation - Price of Pleasure by Joanna Wylde, Oath of Seduction: Seducing Sharon by Marly Chance and Trek Mi Q'an - The Empress' New Clothes by Jaid Black.

Back in the day I actually found these ebooks through a Listmania on Amazon. I'm not sture if the cyber store were selling the ebooks them or not, but they are now with their Kindle. The cutie and I were traveling every other week and I was online searching for books to look for at the local bookstore when I stumbled upon a list that noted a few of my favorite authors. I clicked to read their recommendations and the details told me they were the "owner" of Ellora's Cave, an online bookshop that sold a variety of steamy romance ebooks.

Up to this point futuristics weren't my usual taste when it came to romances and yet oddly all the ebooks I chose on that first shopping trip were just that. This platform seemed to give me permission to experiment and try new genres. Sitting in a local diner reading from my laptop I discovered I also liked how these romances didn't close the door of the bedroom as if ashamed of what happens between people who love each other. I liked the fresh voices and how these authors stepped away from the usual formula. In the end they opened a door to more choices for my love of reading.

Then and now ebooks offer me all sorts of surprises and I love how they push the boundaries traditional publishing houses are slow to accept, if they ever do. While erotic romances can now be found on the shelves of a brick and mortar shop, it's been hard work by many people to get them there.

In the end, why not celebrate this week's festivities by jumping over to one of my epublishing houses listed on the right or go to Fictionwise. Take this opportunity to step away from your usual choices and pick something new and different to read off the cyber shelves. Or rediscover an old favorite, this ebookstore has it all. They have a huge selection of ebooks, including traditional books in the ebook format, new releases, free ebooks and a some that are under a dollar!

This week presents a great excuse to find the adventure in trying something different and introduce yourself to this way of reading.

It's Read an eBook Week!

There's all sorts of good intentions involved in this week and you can find out more about how to celebrate this week here - but I think if you go out, buy an ebook and read it sounds like a great place to start!

OH WOW!

I was recently honored to be interviewed by the fabulous William S. Dean for Erotica Writers & Readers Association Erotic Hot Spots column. It's up on the EWRA website and can be found in the Smutters Lounge.

If you've never been to EWRA then take this opportunity to look around, sign up for the monthly newsletter, there are some fabulous things to be found here.

It's Party Time!

Whiskey Creek Press is celebrating their 5 year anniversary!



There's plenty of events going on, like a Scavenger Hunt, and I'm here to tell you all about one of the parties.

On Monday WCP and Torrid authors like Kristina Diesen, Linda Mooney, Michelle O'Neill, RaeLynn Blue, Margaret Blake, Mary Jean Kelso, Annette Snyder, Rayne Forrest, Paige Tyler, myself and others will get together and bring Whiskey Creek Presses 5 year celebration to you!

We'll be talking about some fabulous reading material available from both lines, hosting contests and plenty more fun for all - so consider this your invite and come enjoy yourself.

By the way, did you know March 2-8 is Read an eBook week? Well it is so let's see if we can't help you find a new treasure to kick the week off.

So the details are:

Date: Monday March 3rd
Time: 9:00am est
Place: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCPreaders/

Have a great weekend everyone and we'll see you on Monday!

Leap Day Surprise!

Leap Day only comes around once every four years, and Phaze is celebrating with a special sale and Take a Leap Giveaway, with two ways to win!

All through Leap Day, 2.29.08, you can get 29% off all eBooks in our store using the checkout code LEAP2008. When you purchase a title from the Phaze.com catalog on Leap Day you will be eligible to win one of TWO Phaze.com gift certificates valued at $29 each.

You can also enter the drawing by sending an e-mail to leapyear@phaze.com with your Name, E-Mail Address, and one sentence describing the best way to "take a leap" on this extra day.

How would spend your Leap Day: an actual "leap" with a bungee cord attached your ankles, or a metaphorical "leap" toward an exciting new job or romance? Let us know; we'll post the answers we like best on our blog.

All entries for the giveaway must be in by midnight, 2.29.08 to be eligible. No purchase necessary to win!

Until then, stay Phazed and Enthused!
http://www.phaze.com/

Thursday 13 #29!

I'm a big movie buff and I love the award season not for the awards or kudos but the fashion, now that interests me. Normally I'm not bothered by the comments made about why something had low viewership. Who cares, right? Well, I care when the excuses being given are because only foreigners won, the movies were too dark or were small budget flicks so movie goers didn't care about them.

Are you kidding me?

No, I'm not a movie snob who only watches foreign or art house flicks, like I said earlier, I love going to the movies. If the cutie has anything to say about it, we'll be in line for the next Batman when it opens. Anyway, because my blood is boiling over with this subject I thought I'd help myself to get over it by using this weeks 13 to offer up flicks I love. You may not have heard of them because they weren't blockbusters or maybe you've forgotten about them, either way, they're worth watching.

In no particular order, here are a few movies I saw last year and a few from this year that have stuck in my mind as being entertaining.

1. Letters From Iwo Jima
A neighbor lent me this one. It was a tear jerker that gives an interesting view of WWII. There's an accompany movie from the US point of view [I think it's called Flags of Our Father] but I haven't seen it - need to prepare for the floodgates to open again.

2. Pirates of the Carribean - At The World's End
Oh yes, loved me some good pirates - although I think the first one was best.

3. Surf's Up, The Game Plan, Transformers and Santa Clause 3
A few of the movies I remember seeing on various flights - entertaining.

4. Pan's Labyrinth
Rented this one and it wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be - it was much better.

5. Elizabeth and Elizabeth - The Golden Age
On the last flight home I caught The Golden Age and rented the first one because it was so interesting.

6. American Gangster
Fantastic! This was deep and thought provoking movie - especially once you find out it's real.

7. Syriana
I watched this one when it came out but wanted to catch it again...I love it when something makes you go hmmm.

8. Eastern Promises
Oh man, dark and great! Viggo in the spa...HOT and scary!

9. Stardust and Becoming Jane.
Caught both of these on a flight and was surprised by how entertaining they were, the latter I had issues with but when I ignored them it was okay.

10. The Last King of Scotland
This is one of those I missed when it first came out and finally remembered to check it out when I was at the video shop. Wow!

11. The Simpsons Movie and Ratatouille
Love me some fun animation :-).

12. Shrek the Third
Yup, I'm easy for Shrek - did you catch this past holiday's Shrek the Halls? Hilarious!

13. Goya's Ghost
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat because technically I haven't seen all of it. Caught this one on a flight and the last 10 or so minutes were cut off by the arrivals in a foreign country speel. Dang! It's driving me nuts to have missed it so I'm putting it on here. I have seen another flick with Bardem in it called No Country for Old Men, oh yes, it was definitely good.

What about you? Have you seen any flicks you think were good, entertaining, made you think twice about them?

I've been tagged!

My fellow chocoholic Selena Illyria has tagged me for 5 sordid facts so let's get to it before I chicken out.

1. I love high fashion, but I wear mostly shorts and jeans.

2. I love Coca Cola Classic, but I drink fizzy water with juice and an occassional Coke Zero.

3. I love being barefoot, but wouldn't think of walking anywhere with at least my thongs on.

4. I love going out to dinner with friends, but don't really care about the food.

5. I love being tan, but now know it's bad for me so use sunscreen and hats.

I'm not to sure who to tag so I'm putting it out there for whomever has 5 "sordid" traits to have at it :-)

Book Talk!

The week’s Book Talk! I’m going to tell you about what’s been on my ebook reader for the past week or so. Each night before heading off to bed I read a couple of poems from Emma Keatley’s A Lover’s Cocktail.

Granted I’m biased because for a couple of years there's been one thing consistent about my inbox...the pleasure of receiving a missive from the writer. But my personal relationship with her is moot from the minute I opened the ebook. Yes, she is the sweetest person around who happens to have a passion for Cowboys, but be assured she writes wonderful poetry.

Let me take a moment to give you a little history on how this ebook came about. Not too long ago Kate Hofman, an author with Romance at Heart Publications, requested Emma to write a few poems for one of her characters in A Sensual Seduction. There was a great response and Adam Tremayne’s words were placed into their own ebook. Shortly after this, the poet extraordinaire was offered a chance to release an ebook filled with her own poetry. Of course she said yes!

A Lover’s Cocktail by Emma Keatley is broken down into eight sections full of poems from sweet to erotic. “A Wounded Warrior’s Redemption” brought a sigh to my lips because of how well she painted the hero - he rang true for me as a reader of the romance genre. “A Lover’s Cocktail” was naughty fun and made even me want to dash into the kitchen to experiment with the cutie. Then there’s “His Mouth & Lips”, well, what can I say other than this was one of my favorites. The pace was perfect, word choice spot on, by the end this reader was looking to follow the poems example. With “The Sea Lover” I can almost feel the salt spray land on my face.

Ms. Keatley’s poetry runs the gambit of emotions and brought this reader right along with her. Personally, I’m looking forward to the next volume of her work.

Guest Blogging Today!

I'm over on The Romance Studio's Blog today talking about...The Joy of Hobbies! Check it out :-)

A bit of random ridiculousness...

Last night the cutie and went to the flicks to see Jumper. It was all right, interesting premise, but I came home with a bruised nose and swollen face.

Why? Well, I wear glasses and when I say I don't see well in the dark, I mean it. You see, I dropped a napkin and bent over to pick it up and nailed the empty seat in front of me. Misjugdged the distance or simply forgot it was there...both are possible. What made the price steep for making a mistake was the fact it's an old theater with wooden seats.

OUCH!

So, what's the positive here?

The nose isn't broke and I don't have black eyes :-)

Who knew going to the movies could be so dangerous!

Thursday 13 - #28!

Last week my TT was about where we stayed in Milan. It was a treat all on its own. I was on my own for most of it, cutie had to work some seriously long hours - even jetted off to Paris for a day. Today I'm going to list 13 highlights from the trip:

1.

The Duomo is the most noted of all the sights and it is impressive. There are a many many statues decorating the outside, even a few women, placed there over decades by different artists. I found the crypt - not my usual fortay - interesting. I should've realized then that the gems of Milan would be hidden.

2.

One night the cutie and I were in town and this has to be one of the most vibrant sunsets I've seen. The Duomo is at our back and were looking toward the Castle. Wow!

3.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is right off the Piazza del Duomo [think Traffalgar Square with all the bird - eek] and is full of shopping. No, I didn't take these pictures, mine were far too dark. I had to laugh when I noticed McDonalds was located across from Savini - way upmarket restaurant. Nice. No, I didn't spin on the bull for luck but did shop in one of my favoritebookshops - Rizzoli. Great selection :-) Opposite the Duomo entrance is the one from Teatro alla Scala. Didn't get a chance to go in but would've loved to have - it looks stunning!

4.

The Castello Sforzesco was much more than I'd expected. It's a Castle with a handful of museums inside, but it was the wildlife that caught my attention first. There are over 50 wild cats that have been adopted by the staff and they live in the walls of the building. If you can't see the one white cat in this first pic...



here is a close up...yup, he came out of the hole for scaffolding to sit in a sunny spot on the ledge.

5.

The various museums were a great mixture from Mummy's to musical intruments, but I had one favorite. I could take a picture - too dark - so borrowed these here and here so you guys can get a brief idea of what it looks like. Leonardo Da Vinci was painting the ceiling and walls in this room while working on The Last Supper. It's a pergola and so much more. It's been covered by paneling for decades before they discovered what was underneath. Eventually the limbs and trunks of the trees start digging in through the rock foundation. It is a powerful piece.



6.

Please forgive me for not remembering which church this one is and cobbling the picture together from two, but the beauty is in the differences. This is the backside and interesting to see how many different additions there have been. In front, there was a bride and groom out on the front steps being congratulated and an inside out collande full of young goths. I never really understood what the single row of columns and partial architrave were from, but it was an interesting mixture going on out front and in back. Oh, and the parc where the goths feeling romantic were decorating the benches used to be where they hanged people. Yup, had to laugh.

7.

Did you know there's a canal district in Milan? There is and it's a hot bed of fun! This is where the parties are at night and during the day the shopping is interesting. I forgot to take a picture but there was one guy who had a shop right on the canal and he painted the most incredible purses. Yes, purses that looked so real someone might of picked one off a counter. If he hadn't been closed I think I would've checked it out for one for myself. Fun, quirky, and fell perfectly into the Hot Couture series. Oh yeah, remember, I was in Milan doing research for "His High Stepper" - work, work, work :-)

8.

On the otherside of the canal was a crepe shop! Dang, can't remember what it was called but it was spectacular. The Italians seem to love Nutella. It isn't something I care for so went for a limone e zucchero [lemon and sugar] and it was divine. It was a great little shop, all of those brown things in the cupboard and handmade cones for the gelato, which is found under those brass bells. I did partake a couple of cups of gelato and it was lovely!

9.

I walked, lots. Each morning I'd take the bus to the Central Train Station and from there hop on the Metro and take it to the area I wanted to explore and walk. I enjoy finding the everyday life of these places I visit. Whenever I know I'm going someplace new I get 2 things: popout map and travel guide [like the DK Eyewitness Travel ones because they give you history of the place, details and more about what else there is besides what the place is known for]. Getting off the well known path is how I feel like I get to know some place.

10.

Walking off one of the pedestrian only streets in the Fashion District was a busy street and this was across the way. Really look at it. The windows are different, there's arches for structure but off from those above them, and up top is a fresco. It made me pause - I enjoy finding interesting things like this.

11.

When you see pictures of European cities, you often see these huge double wooden doors, sometimes with a small portal in them and sometimes not. I often wonder what's behind them. Some drive their cars through them for parking, some have private roads behind them, others have extensive gardens. This one had a courtyard with cannons. It was a museum so open to the public.



12.

You guys know me, what's a trip without some cioccolata and once with panna [cream]! Trust me, the cream was a distraction, the chocolate was so thick you ended up with a face full of the stuff before tasting the dark glory :-) The bottom cup won the award for the thickest cup...as it cooled I needed a spoon!

13.

I saved my favorite place for last - the Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte. This is a place you go to see for the structure as well as the art found inside. Although full of guards, it was all very relaxed with a gem around every corner. One room I walked throug had a young man with a lifesized portrait leaning against the wall and was cleaning it while a young woman was taking detailed photos of the hardwood floors - for repairing. The next room over is the one you see above. Those were the last people I saw for 3 hours when they closed for a 2 1/2 hour lunch :-) From this floor up to the attic was full to the brim of treasures.

My only disappointment, there was no guide for the Villa or any other place other than the Duomo. Such a shame really. The one book I came away from Milan with was The Sforza Castle with watercolors by Jack Tow and text by Amelie Gale.

Many people have mentioned to me that Milan is an industrial city and therefore boring - I beg to differ, I found some of my favorite places and things of all time here. So, if you're ever given an opportunity to visit this city, GO!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :-)

Who is Cupid?

In two days time it’s Valentine’s Day.

One day out of the year we dedicate to roses, chocolates and diamonds, mixed in with pink and red visisions of romance and a baby wearing wings, carrying a bow and arrow. Wait a minute, a baby with a weapon? That's right. So, what makes Cupid right for the job? I'm not so sure he is, Eros might actually be better qualified for the position.

Both Ancient Greece and Rome had their own mythology and pantheon of deities to worship. Over the centuries the two groups have been combined, separated or listed side by side for comparison. Needless to say it’s sometimes difficult to know what’s true to their mythology and what isn’t. That said we definitely know that Eros was the God of Love for the Ancient Greeks and Cupid is the God of Erotic Love and Sex for the Romans. Unfortunately, that’s where it stops being clear-cut and simple.

In Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Edith Hamilton states Eros was depicted as a “beautiful serious youth”. H.J Rose’s says in A Handbook of Greek Mythology that he was “handsome young athlete”, but before both of these characterizations were made he represented love, lust and intercourse as one of the oldest gods in Greece. Where worshipping of the god was important it’s been discovered he was the deity for attractive young men and boys. Across the Adriatic, Cupid was depicted as a child who had the same traits as those already noted. Like Janus, it was questioned whether Cupid had two distinctive sides to his persona or was actually two separate individuals.

After gaining Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty, as his mother along with three prospective fathers, Eros image of male lust and sex was further encouraged. One probable father was Hermes, a phallic god and another was Ares, God of War. It seems even in the ancient world a warrior encouraged a woman’s desire to grow exponentially. The third potential was Aphrodite’s father, Zeus. This union was viewed as sexual passion so strong and out of control it has no limitations. This association with the uncontrollable made Eros a dangerous god. The parent issue was similar for Cupid. Jupiter and Venus were also noted as his parents, as were Nyx and Erebus. Both possible couples helped define and solidify various qualities of his character.

Both Cupid and Eros seem fairly interchangeable at this stage, except for their appearances and the Ancient Greek god having elements of danger associated with him. It's at this point the two figures actually appear to swap personalities.

It wasn’t until Alexandrian times that women come into picture for Eros. This happened when the ideal relationship between men and women moved from being mere sexual desire to one of love from the heart. Because of this supposed softening to his characterization, the God of Love’s importance to men was lessened. With this change in attributes, as well as society moving away from worshipping gods and goddess, he became a chubby child with a wicked bow, seen mainly in connection with Aphrodite and subordinate to others.

Cupid gained some clout as a god of love with an appearance on the romantic stage with the Cupid and Psyche’s love story, written in the second century [A.D.] by Apuleius. The story depicted Cupid as a young man and involved very adult issues found in romance like love, jealousy, mistrust and forgiveness. Unfortunately, it seems as if it wasn’t enough to allow him to be depicted as anything but a baby for Valentine’s Day.

So, what do you think? Does it make sense for Cupid to be the image of Valentine's Day? He is a child afterall. Maybe Eros [erotic love] would be better suited for the holiday that encourages lovers to put their hearts out there for their lovers to see and experience.

Naughty Thought for Monday

Interesting. Can you guess what it's an ad for or who paid for it? It was the NHS in England promoting condom use. They have a funny 70's porno type online video here to help get their point across.

Thursday 13 - #27!

Back at the start of December the cutie went off to Milan and I went to the New York Small Press & Independent Press Book Fair. It was a wonderful fair, met some truly interesting people, but I knew I would've enjoyed a new adventure with the cutie as well. So, when he had to make the trip again, I went along and what a wonderful hotel he found - and not two blocks away from where he was working. Let me share some of my favorite bits of the Villa Torretta in Parc Nord, Milan.


No, I didn't take this picture, it was dark when I finally thought about doing it. Oh, I guess I should give you a little background on the hotel. It's a renovated 15th century villa that was going to be torn down until they decided it was a true gem inside, because under all the years of white wash and wallpaper were the original frescoes.

The cutie and I were up every morning to eat breakfast together and there were two ways down the hallways from our room to the restaurant.

1.

Downstairs, along the outside hallway and then back upstairs [this is the view of the picture above], or down the hallway from our room. This took us through:

2.

a sitting room,

3.

another sitting room,

4.

a ballroom,

5.

and another ballroom with a coffered ceiling painted with birds,

6.

and into the hallway where the buffet was set up.

7.

And of course I'd enjoy a cioccolata [I could spend another post on this alone, it was gorgeous, thick but not sweet] in one of 3 rooms.

8.

9.

10.

Other highlights in the Villa are:

11.

This is the Torretta Belevedere, which takes some interesting twists and turns to get up to, but it's worth it. I'd bring my laptop up here and get some writing done - yeah, I know, deadlines are deadlines.

12.

This is just one example of how interesting the structure is. The picture is looking down from the 5th floor to the 3rd where there's a glass floor, through which you can see a doorway which doesn't meet up with the current floor - which is as old as mud. These types of unique bits and pieces were all over the place, with a bricked up doorway there and a odd beam ending hanging out over there. Just great.

13.

If you go outside the Villa using the opposite side as the one shown above, then you come out onto a brick courtyard. There's a park on one side and a Chapel on the other. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go inside, we were out with associates of the cuties the night it was open for a festival. I've seen pictures though and it is as frescoed as the rest of the villa. Incredible!

The staff were very kind and gave me a copy of their guide...research guys, it's all in the name of research :-) I'm not sure how I'll use this gem in "His High Stepper", but it will definitely be there.

Next week I'll show you a few of the highlights from my various trips into the center of Milan.

Buon Giorno!

I'm HOME! Basically we've been gone since before Christmas and I fell in love with my bed all over again last night.

While I was away there was some great news on the publishing front...The Leather Bride, Taming Marie Antoinette and The Gilded Cage are going to be put together and published as Hot Couture, with a simultaneous ebook/print release! How fabulous is that! And, dare I say, what interesting timing because while in Milan I did plenty of research for the fourth book in the series.

That's right, I was in Milan and tomorrow will take the opportunity of TT to share the incredible place we stayed...let's just say Villa, frescoes and plenty of cioccolata calda! So hope to see you all tomorrow!

A bit of random ridiculousness...

Eight different hotels in ten days, what did I learn on this trip? Well, you decide. Here's what happened.

A couple of days in to the trip the cutie mentioned my carrying a Victoria Secret bag was causing interesting looks. No way, I said. That was ridiculous. The bag was full of pens and manuscripts printed out so I could work while in the car [deadlines were and still are looming]. There was also a box of nuts, girlscout cookies [thin mints] and later a license plate holder was added [visited one of my publishers - but more on that later]. Niether of us brought this up again and I kept using the bag to hold things I wanted to get to while we were driving.

Seven days later we unload the car for the latest hotel and it's freezing outside. A few guys called out and offered to hold open the side door for us so we could get inside as quick as possible. Thank you, the cutie said, as he stepped through the door. As I made it to the door, the man holding it open said I see a Victoria Secret bag and say, get those two inside.

I kid you not! It's a bag without a hint of lingerie showing, just the opposite. So what do you take away from this little happening? Me, I'm starting to think guys actually can see sex in just about anything.

Chatting at Joyfully Reviewed is about to heat up!

Today, January 24th, authors in "Coming Together: Under Fire" will be sharing excerpts,talking about their story in the erotic anthology as well as other stories and much more, will be in the Chatting at Joyfully Reviewed loop!

"Coming Together: Under Fire" has 19 stories and 18 poems, now available in both ebook and paperback, and has all proceeds going to benefit relief efforts for the victims of the 2007 Southern California wildfires.

Grab a fire extinguisher or water hose, from 12-6:00pm est the chatroom is going to be scorching hot.  Alessia Brio [co-editor], Sapphire Phelan, Jamie Hill, Nicole Gestalt, Jude Mason, Victoria Blisse, Aurora Black, Teresa Noelle Roberts, Brenna Lyons, Tilly Greene and others will all be there, keeping the blaze roaring.

See you there!

Tagged!

I have the lovely Mel - Melissa Schroeder - for this tag, thank you darlin' :-) So, here are 7 random facts about me...

1. It's freezing cold and I've had my second cup of hot chocolate in over a week. This is the downside of traveling.

2. The cup before this last one was at a great place where I also had french toast, yummy!

3. My heart hopes Brett Farve wins this next match and goes on to win the Super Bowl.

4. Then again, I won't be fussed if the Giants pull it out and come through to win either.

5. I love traveling with the cutie - we see such great things, meet interesting people and can share it together.

6. Had lunch in a cafe today and it was one of the best burgers!

7. Right now I would kill for some red vines to nibble and time to WRITE!

I'm not going to tag anyone this time around because I won't be around to read what they wrote - and that's the best part. But if you fancy taking up the challenge, go for it and leave a comment with your link!

Enjoy!

Guest Blogging Today!

Today I'm a guest blogger over on the fabulous Kerensa's Crave More Romance blog. Head over and read about who I've been spending so much time with...here's your hint: uniforms :-)

Ride 'em is OUT!

Yeehaw!

Cowboys, bondage and more, oh my! Grab your hat, boots and head out to the ranch, because here’s your chance to answer the question:

Is the dream of a white picket fence life possible for people who play kinky sex games?

Rehabilitated Hollywood bad boy Courtland Dickerson returns to the town of his childhood, the last place he was happy and felt like home. He had plans to make a go of his horse breeding business and a normal life away from the bright lights, fame and destructive influences of his past. Oh yes, and finding a woman who prefers being sexually dominated.

When the atmosphere changed, Sunflower Forever Free ran away from the commune where she was raised. A gentle soul who never chose the life in which she was born into, decides on living in a small town. She dreams of a life with white picket fences, family and a lover who isn’t intimidated by her sexual preferences.

Life on the ranch is hard work, surviving in the competitive industry is no easy task, however, there is more than farming and herding going on out there. Kinky games are being played out in barns across the nation, enter and discover exactly how interesting times are getting out in the Big Sky country.

Two-step over to Ellora’s Cave and pick your copy up today!

Book Talk!

This is the first Book Talk! of 2008 where I'm at a computer with internet so I figured why not tell you the 4 books I received for Christmas and more.

For God, Country & Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It by Mark Pendergrast. Forget your cola allegiences, promotional overload and all that muck, the company itself is an interesting institution and I'm looking to reading about it's history.

The Smithsonian Book of Books by Michael Olmert. I love books and this one details books from scrolls, through the craft of making a bound book, illustrations, the business of, and much more. I like the last line: "You are what you read. EXPLICIT."

I Never Knew That About England by Christoper Winn. "The term Thankful Village was first used by Arthur Mee in the 1930s and refers to those villages whose men and women all came home safely from the First World War. They were distinctive in having no war memorials, although some had monuments, usually in the curch, in gratitude for their good fortune. Among the thousands of vilalges in England, Arthur Mee reckoned there were, at most, 31 Thankful Villages, although he could only positively identify 24." The book is broken down into counties and is full of little gems like this one.

Olivia Helps With Christmas by Ian Falconer [the cutie snuck this one in thinking I'd been so busy I'd missed it's release - only I hadn't missed it - is he not the sweetest thing around!?!]

I'm sill working through Entombed by Linda Fairstein - will most like leave it on the next flight for someone else to enjoy. As for ebooks, I've started A Slave's Way Out by C.A. Salo from over at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and am really enjoying it. This weekend I'm going to get to take with me on the next couple of trips, they are The Angelini: Mystic's Run by Jory Strong at Ellora's Cave and Dark Elves IV: Dissent by Jet Mykles at Loose Id. Both are the latest installments in series I've enjoyed reading.

Yup, I have varied tastes for my reading material - how about you? What books did you get for Christmas, are reading right now, or are going to get?

OohRah! is OUT!

There's nothing easy or comfortable about warfare. In fact, it's difficult for all involved, be it for the one on the frontlines or those keeping the home fires burning. That said, there are a few things that are pretty damn good - like the homecoming!

The Marines are some of the toughest, best trained, fearless warriors around and they, like everyone else, deserve a chance at love. But, what happens when communication breaks down between the home front and the battlefield? Read on and see how one Marine finds his happy ever after and keeps it.

Tasha Ruskya has a fulfilling life, except the man she loves has gone off to war and then, suddenly, stopped talking to her. Distraught, she finally figures out he's gone back to his old ways and must come to terms with her broken heart before finding the strength to move on. She's far too young to settle back into a spinster's life.

While in Afghanistan, Warrant Officer Dale Smythe and his team were sent out on a mission. It wasn't supposed to last this long but they were on a hot trail so stayed on. Once success was theirs he needs to reconnect with his lover for a dose of humanity but finds more drastic measures are needed than a phone call.

What have a couple of reviewers said:

“Ooh Rah! by Tilly Green is a wonderful short, yet intense story…”
Stephanie B., 5 angels, Fallen Angel Reviews

“...story full of passion, scorching hot sex and memorable characters…”
Chrissy B., 5 blue ribbons, Romance Junkies


Now get over to Phaze and pick up your copy today!

Thursday 13 - #26!

I'm Back! Okay, we returned sometime on New Years Eve and am slowly getting back into the swing of things - very slowly and with a few really stupid mistakes along the way. With very short notice as in the day after we had all their pressies shipped to the right of us, we decided to spend the holidays to the right of us - I know, but we wouldn't have carried them over with us anyway. We shopped and posted pressies to the left, wrote this sides cards and posted, packed, left SideShow Bob [prelit palm "christmas" tree], and flew away. So how did it go:

1. Hassle free getting to the airport, checking in, and made it to the lounge where we sat down with a glass of champagne and wrote the cards out for the right of us with plans to post from the airport when we landed. See we were thinking ahead! The flight was slightly delayed, but by the time we pulled away from the gate there were 50 planes ahead of us - GASP! Yes, I counted the planes waiting behind us as we rushed down the runway and hit 38 by the time we pulled up. Most of the flight was full of turbulence so sleeping was tricky - and I missed the hot fudge sundae I'd been looking forward to.

2. Despite the delay, we were only about an hour late. Luggage was there so we went up to the cafe, put stamps on our cards and posted them, then the in-laws arrived and the rush rush began. After flying 6+ hours, we drove 4 [okay I slept most of the way] to the brother-in-laws and were thrilled we had the attic room with our own bathroom and a tv. It was deliciously quiet up there - and with 3 kids under 10, that was really nice. One problem, it was flippin' frigid!

3. The next day, we went into town and did a little shopping and narked everyone off by stopping by the pub on the walk home :-) Yup, roped the sister-in-law onto the dark side. Christmas Eve we hung out at home and played with the kids - eating and drinking, you know, the usual. Later, we wrapped up pressies that had arrived before us unwrapped and then the cutie put together a medieval castle, my part was the battering ram.

4. We actually woke up early - or early for us considering our bodies thought it was about 3am. The house was quiet so I took a shower, pushed the cutie in to take one and went downstairs only to find the kiddos had dashed through their pressies from Santa. Niece #4 had been happily snoozing and the other two waiting patiently for her to wake up. BIL and SIL finally took pity on the boys and woke up sleeping beauty. It was a blast watching them play with their pressies - until the cutie showed the youngest, wildest, nephew #3 how to fling the army out of the castle via slapping the drawbridge down to the ground. Yes, someone is not in the brothers good graces but what can I say, the cutie is a genius :-)

5. Did I just call him a genius? My mistake, because the man found in town a hot pink cowboy hat with a tiara that lit up for me me. Of course I wore it, anything is better than those found in the crackers. Oh, yes, we did the christmas cracker thing, ate turkey, the cutie bbq'd a slab of beef, and enjoyed my favorite bad for you sausage wrapped in bacon. There were roasted potatoes, parsnips and more, as well as mashed potatoes that made it on to my plate - all lovely!

6. Boxing day was more of the same, only I od'd on fabulous cheese :-) What can I say, I'm easy for a nice creamy brie on crackers. The BIL was kind enough to buy in a couple of different dark beers - I know, who'd of thunk it, a girl from the left of us who never liked beer, moves to the land of ale and falls in love with it. So, yes, I had some Black Sheep - the Emmerdale special edition was all right - and a few others.

7. Because it was raining on Christmas day, we took the kids out on their toys this day and it didn't turn out so good for everyone. Niece #4 [who is 7] on her roller blades was wonderful, only going downhill gave her a few nerves. Nephew #3 [who is 3] pushed his scooter and was happy doing that - I think he'll be a demon once on the driveway and flat road. Newphew #2 [who is 9] wiped out on the skateboard and wouldn't carry it back home, in fact he put some serious distance between him and it, so the cutie and I took turns. I forgot how much balance it takes to ride one of those things.

8. The next day we made the drive north. I have always disliked this drive and it wasn't any better this time, in fact it was really bad! The FIL had to drive [and he sucks big time, the cuties hand was my saving grace] and there was traffic so a usually 4 hour drive took over 7. I admit to falling asleep at one time and woke up on screaming - no one said anything, but later I asked the cutie and he admitted his father had been speeding then slamming on his brakes. Yeah, I figured it was something like that because I can sleep like the dead if I'm tired. Somewhere along the way we stopped at an "american diner". Yup, I'm always dubious of these things, especially since a beefburger is not a hamburger. But they sold "burgers" and it was actually ok, as were the fries

9. Once we made it up to the north, we went to the chippie [fish & chip shop] and I had a sausage and chips with scraps. No, this is not a healthy meal, it is all fried, the scraps are bits of fried batter that fall off, but so good with vinegar, salt and a bun with butter, mmmm. Later we walked down to the local pub to see if the cutie had any friends in and there was the best man from our wedding, propping up the bar doing the quiz. We joined him and lost, dang, but I love the quizzes. Once that was finished we sat in a booth and were joined by another friend who was up from London for the hols.

10. This day should have been relaxing, but the FIL got us in the car again. He likes to go around roudabout on two reals and floor it to the next one. What does this do to someone who has a dubious stomach - that's right, I was ready to throw-up. We made it to the seaside in less than a half hour and I never thought the north sea looked so welcoming and that's saying alot. We stopped at a pub, I had water instead of what I would've liked to have. We walked along the front and out onto the pier before heading back to town for dinner.

11. That night we met up with best man and friend at the pub for a crawl, but because it was raining we stayed there, ready to take a taxi to the next where we'd set up to meet up with another friend later on. But we pleasantly surprised when another friend and his wife showed up. The last time I saw the wife, she wasn't doing so well. They'd done an around the world trip and caught up with us after having come up through south america [yes, she had the water]. She looks great and I was thrilled to catch up with her. All six of us grabbed a taxi to the next pub and met up with the other friend. The pub had late hours so we closed it down and they kicked us out at about 1 and walked home.

12. This day we took the in-laws out for lunch and shopping. It was an easy day mainly because I think the cutie and I were feeling a little worse for wear. Who wouldn't when one round had been a pint with shots dropped inside it. Later we went to the bowling club to watch the cuties team play away. Now, get your head around this, we were watching the game taking place a few hours drive through Al Jazerra with a turkish commentator. Yup, my head is spinning as well. They won so all was good and we headed home to pack, have an early dinner before heading off to another set of friends. They couldn't make it out the night before - no one to leave the kiddies with - so we went to them. It was great to catch up with them, they bought in bottles of coke for me and yes, I partook. In fact, everywhere I went they kindly had cokes for me - so thoughtful!

13. It was another late night - not bad for us because we thought we were still on the time here - silly us. Next morning we went drove to the airport and stayed at a hotel for the early morning flight. We watched another footie game in the bar before heading up to take a relaxing bath and sleep. Everything went well on this leg of the journey, and I enjoyed the hot fudge sundae :-) The only bad part was they screwed up the customs video thing and I missed the end of the movie I was watching, so if anyone knows how Goya's Ghost ends please let me know.

Get this, an hour and 10 minutes after landing, we'd made it through immigration, luggage collection, customs [without any questions about the duffel bag full of smokey bacon, worcester sauce, and prawn cocktail bags of crisps, oh and some chocolate as well], driving what would normally be about a 45 minute drive, and we were home! No snow to shovel, no more ice skating rink, it was all good. We dashed next door to wish the neighbors a happy new year and then we were home. It was a lovely trip, lots of time with family and friends, just what we needed to end the year on a good note and we needed that.

So, happy new year everyone, may this one be a great one for us all.

Drive-In is OUT!

Life as a firefighter is hard work, long hours, dangerous, and Mark Taylor accepts it all. Thankfully, he has a lover who brings balance and makes everyday a great day. Hana, a busty beauty, is smart, beautiful, and sexually adventurous, his perfect match.

There is, however, one thing keeping him on edge, and it's time to fix it. Tonight, while they're at the Drive-In, he'll play with her mind and body until she tells him what he needs to hear. That she loves him, as he does her, heart, body, and soul.

So, the question is: do firefighters get kinky with as much passion, dedication, and single-minded focus, as they do when running toward a fire?

Drive-In has the answer and you'll have to pick up a copy of Coming Together: Under Fire to find out. Released in both ebook and paperback formats, this anthology is packed full of fantastic stories and poetry, with all the proceeds going to benefit relief efforts for the victims of the 2007 Southern California wildfires.

The authors taking part are: Will Belegon, Alessia Brio, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Shanna Germain, Brenna Lyons, Lefty McGee, Stephanie Vaughan, Teresa Noelle Roberts, Sommer Marsden, Michelle Houston, Jeremy Edwards, Mari Freeman, Laurence Doyen, Lisabet Sarai, Vana Lafayette, Jamie Hill, Rachelle Le-Monnier, Vincent Diamond, Justanne Farrow, Jude Mason, Dr. Mabeuse, Nicole Gestalt, Selena Kitt, Sapphire Phelan, Victoria Blisse, Aurora Black, Skylar Sinclair, Rebecca Leah, Samantha Sommersby, Gabrielle Miel, James Buchanan, Lefty McGee, Gwen Masters, and Tilly Greene.

And, if you buy your copy today [January 2nd 2008], you'll get 25% off if you use the OHOHOH coupon code - in fact, all paperbacks are being offered at this discount!

Now get shopping over on Phaze!