eBook Talk!

I'm watching a show on French Polynesia/Tahiti and Paul Gauguin was how the show started. Even though it's a food/travel show [truly enjoy Anthony Bourdain's books and tv series No Reservations] the host talked about Gaugiun's desire to drop out of European society and submerse himself in the local life.

This immediately made me think about multicultural mixes and did you know I've written a few of those? Guess what? I have and truly enjoy doing them. Cultural differences tickle my imagination. So, let me tell you about a few of them.

I've mentioned this one before, in the tattoo/piercing blog, but in An Invitation to the World: New Zealand has Kiri Kanawa, half Maorian and half Anglo, Timu Tuhaere, a Maorian hunk of a rugby player, and Luke MacAlister, also a rugby player but an Anglo with blond hair and blue eyes. This threesome makes for a unique triumvirate.

The other story in the first book is Russia. Vasiliy Beketov, or Vasya, is a Russian and his soon to be lover is Zura Girard, a French-American.

Now, I imagine you believe the second duet in the An Invitation to the World series is also multicultural. It isn't, at least not like the first set is. India has Bodhi Burke, and English-Indian and Sati Chaudhari, pure Indian, and China has Yi Burton, a Chinese American, and Jia Li, pure Chinese.

On top of the characters in this series being a mix, the settings are as well, although they all end in the same place. New Zealand and India start in those countries, China starts in San Francisco, California, and Russia is pretty much set in the final location for all these stories. The lovers all make there home on a private island [shaped and located in the archipelago like their homeland] in The World is located in the Persian Gulf, Dubai, UAE.

An Interesting Way to Start a Day

Today I'm meeting the ladies for breakfast. We do this as often as we can, unfortunately, not as much as we'd like. The last time we gathered was Groundhog Day and it was Clarissa's first visit.

She made quite a showing at the local diner, the other patrons and paparazzi were taking her picture at every turn, and she needed to resort to sunglasses while inside. However, it was a big day for her so she put up with the intrusion to her personal space.

Hope your day is a fun one!

Something New, Again!

Okay, I enjoyed it so much the first time, I'm doing it again!

What is that, you ask?

Candles.

For the 2009 RT Convention in Tampa the Love's Immortal Pantheon anthology authors decided to have special candles created, put them together, and that was a giveaway we offered to celebrate the paperback's release. Hephaestus Lays Down the Law was handled by Jfay at Studio 3B and it has to be one of the best experiences I've had in ages. Hephaestus's scent has been called Hot Blooded and it is my very favorite - cinnamon and red wine. The candle itself is also fabulous looking, I mean, it suits the God of the Forge and Master of Fire.

A few months later and I needed to come up with a something unique as a promotional giveaway at the two conventions I'll be attending in October. Nothing was coming to mind, but each time I walked into my office and was treated to a delightful waft of Hot Blooded, it finally came to me that what I was looking for was sitting right in front of me. You see, Jfay creates these scented wax shapes called chips and, like pot pourri, throw off the chosen smell, only they remain crisp, clean and pretty in appearance.

So, after dashing off an email, it has all been handled, and now I'm even more eager to go to these events. Lucky for me, Jfay will be creating another unique candle, this time for Hamish in Highland Heat. The scent, Scottish Glen, will clearly speak of Scotland, but also perfectly frame the story.

Through this most recent partnership with Jfay, I've joined Wick'd Reads stable of authors, and am looking forward to more candles in the future.

If you can't make it to either the Ellora's Cave RomantiCon [Oct 9-11], where I'll have a basket with Hamish's Scottish Glen candle to giveaway or Authors After Dark Weekend [Oct 23-25], where I'll have a basket with both the Hephaestus Hot Blooded candle and Hamish's Scottish Glen candle to giveaway, then you should know that you can always purchase one through Wick'd Reads.

Hump Day Reflections!

Ryan Reynolds is in both The Proposal and X-Men Origins so he isn't doing too bad but he just received some great news. He has been accepted as the next big super hero, Green Lantern. And, to up the exposure, he is one of the eye candy guys on my website for July!

Check out who else is there, they are all in current flicks.

Book and eBook Talk!

I've been traveling from California to England and many points in between. Knowing me, you wouldn't be surprised that books/ebooks had their place in my travels.

The iTouch was loaded up with reads and I had a total of 3 Linda Fairstein paperbacks that went with me. I'm on my last one and it happens to be the first that hasn't immediately pulled me in. I'm sure it's me being tired of traveling that has tested my time to read. On a side note, in a previous Book Talk! I wrote about my having a problem with a statement made in one of her books and I did a little polling of friends in both countries, searching others opinions. It was unanimous and I must be biased even though I didn't think I was. Anyway, LA had the reputation of more people having guns than NY.

Shockingly enough, I came home with only one book. After a trip to Bettys, a must visit Yorkshire tea house found in Harrogate, York, Northallerton and Ilkley, my mother-in-law treated me to a copy of Hearts, Tarts, and Rascals. I can't wait to read the history of this institution that happens to be a place that shows up in The Gilded Cage [or Hot Couture]. I'm often asked if anything I do in real life shows up in my books and now you know for sure. Yes, it just so happens that hands on research is my favorite kind.

Almost three months and that has been it on the books/ebook front. There hasn't been much time for reading, even less time for writing, but I'm home now and have some great choices in my hardcover and electronic TBR piles. Sitting on the shelves in the office is a non-fiction, vampire slasher, historical, contemporary, and a suspense - I like to mix it up. On my iTouch, the TBR list has all types of romances - other than inspirational, I'll read it. However first things first. I'll finish The Deadhouse and after that, it's going to be a favorite author of mine, Selena Illyria, who has a new ebook, Ba’al & Bondage, being released on July 15th. I was lucky enough to read the opening bits to this one and must know how it ends!

There was something I noticed in the various places we visited - the smaller the library, the more it was used. Interesting. My only comment in regards to this finding, in these unusual times, is to use it or lose it.

What did I bring back with me?

A flag!

The cutie is British, English actually, but specifically a Yorkshireman! With this we'll have to add another flag pole to the front porch, one on each side of the stairs.

Another good thing to happen is that Ellora's Cave is discounting loads of paperbacks more than 20% while supplies last! Customers also receive one free paperback on each print order and two free books on print orders over $35 (free books are selected at random).

Woohoo News!

Highland Heat is now available in print and to make it even more exciting, it's on SALE! To get your 10% discount enter ECWEB2009 into the coupon field when completing your purchase.

eBook and Book Talk!

Today, doing laundry, shopping for grad gift and weeding, I got to thinking about tattoos. I'm not entirely sure why, but I was, and the subject led me to pick out stories I've written with unique ways characters have chosen to celebrate their bodies. Tattoos and piercings, I find them interesting.

So which stories are they found?

An Invitation to The World: New Zealand has Timu Tuhaere, a Maorian hunk of a rugby player who "sported a tribal tattoo that snaked from his knee around his inner upper thigh and up to finish atop a spectacularly muscular ass."

The Gilded Cage has Max Stephenson, a Brit with "four metal balls of his magic cross piercing." My editor had one comment when this piercing was later detailed: ouch and yet it offered nothing but pleasure.

The Painted Lady is a bit different in that they aren't tattoos, but Saffron Hoyt has her body painted to suit some very erotic images, like "...in the guise of a naked Princess Leia sitting before Jabba the Hut from Return of the Jedi...".

Fun times, I wonder what other areas I've touched on before?

Naughty Thought for Monday

If you've ever checked out my website's Links page, then you know that Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno on the Sundance Channel makes me laugh.

Well, get ready for more fun, season two is here!

A bit of random ridiculousness...

An interesting bit of random ridiculousness - Captain Kirk from the recently released Star Trek movie, Chris Pine, went to the University of Leeds, and so did I.









© Cliff Watts

Fabulous Fashion News and More!

© Getty Images

Carmen Dell'Orefice, fabulous supermodel at 77, is back working because of Bernie Madoff's dirty dealings, actually non-existent trading. I've always thought Carmen to be a beautiful woman who carried herself with a great deal of grace, now I know it!

Check out this candid interview with her on WOWOWOW: The Women on the Web. It's interesting and keeps the positivity going.

Hump Day Reflections!

It's June and I bet you're wondering where my head has traveled this month. Well, it is a month I think of sun, sand, and surf and this picture from Surfer Magazine made me think of one of the things I do while at the beach - check out the surfers as they're checking out the waves.

Head over to check out this months Eye Candy and be inspired by what the sun brings out.

Book Talk!

Recently I read a Linda Fairstein book [she's my current go to author for an entertaining read without having to make a major brain or time committment] and am still dwelling on something that was mentioned, probably because I wasn't buying it. It wasn't a big deal, not part of the plot or character development, just a throw away comment that was completely opposite from what I thought. After a murder, the main character [a lawyer] mentions there were more guns in LA than NYC. Not gang related guns, but your common citizen owning guns.

Ummm, no, I don't think so. Growing up in So. Cal., I never once saw a gun and knew of one person who had ever been to a shooting range [job related]. Considering I go back a few times a year, nothings changed. On the other hand, having spent ten years on the other coast, I can count on one hand and have left over fingers, the people from our little town that I know [as in have weekend bbq's with] who haven't ever touched a gun.

Yup, that one statement jarred me enough to even ask others which place they thought had more guns. Half a dozen people asked [we were Indiana at the time so, other than me, neither coasts inhabitants were involved] and all agreed on NYC.

Did it ruin the story for me? No, but it sat in my mind as being off kilter.

This happened with another author I enjoyed reading only I couldn't let their throwaway comment pass so easily. My hometown was the setting and the heroine drove "the coastal route" down to San Diego, enjoying the view of the ocean and beaches along the way. Ummm, no, can't be done. Camp Pendleton doesn't open its gates to anyone to drive through. Besides that, the author mentioned the drive took an hour and a half, double no. Speed limit, no traffic, it's more like 45 minutes. I couldn't let this pass - if you're going to be specific, then be right. Anyway, I might pick up a random book by this author, although that's about it, no more automatic buys.

I'm not sure why I didn't react as harshly to Fairstein as I did with the other author. Maybe because I don't write mysteries that I'm more tolerant, maybe, although I don't think so. How about you? Have you not only been pulled out of a story, but also pulled away from an author?

Fabulous Advice!

Recently, the blog "How Publishing Really Works" posted a guest review on Elizabeth George's book "Write Away". In the review, it is noted that George offers some great advice on the first day to students in her creative writing course and it struck a cord with me.

The review is interesting, I've just bought a copy of the book for myself, but if you can't make it over there or read the book, then here it is:

"You will be published if you possess three qualities; talent, passion and discipline.

You will probably be published if you possess two of these three qualities: either a combination of talent and discipline or a combination of passion and discipline.

You will likely be published if you possess neither talent nor passion but still have discipline."

Fabulous advice for all writers!

Naughty Thought for Monday

Milk does a body good - right?

Andrey Razumovsky's Racy Liquid Fashiontography definitely makes me look at the carton of milk in a different way.

A Chance to Kill Two Birds!

Brenda Novack's Annual Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research is going on right now. There are some great things on offer, but there's only one where you get:

1. Admission to RomantiCon 2009, Ellora's Cave's first ever convention devoted to our exciting trademark brand of Erotic Romance called Romantica. Be there for this historic (and rowdy) event, including three days of parties, workshops, photo shoots, cover models

2. Food, Hotel Accomodations, and Roundtrip Airfare (Continental United States only!)

AND, BEST OF ALL!!

3. Your photo with the Ellora's Caveman cover model of your choice, featured on the book cover of your choice and 10 free copies of the book.

WOW! Head over and place your bid. Help kick diabetes booty and become a cover model!

Come one, come all!

Sorry, have the c-word on my mind - writing about a couple of cowboys and their chick...see, I have c's on my mind. Anyway, tomorrow I'll step out from under the laptop!

A group of authors [Jacquelyn Frank, Stella Price, Cat Johnson, Bianca D'Arc, Allie Boniface, Philippa Grey-Gerou and myself] will be visiting the Borders at 1 North Galleria Drive, Middletown, NY talking and signing books from 2-6:00pm.

Shall be a blast, so come visit!

Oops, there's that c-word again :-)

Fabulous and Funky Fashion News!

This past Tuesday was The Costume Institute's Gala event held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. There's an exhibition on now until August 9 and I know I'll be attending.

If you're into fashion, then this is the event for you. The gowns are always top-notch, from the fabulous to the funky. This year, I liked a few dresses, but wasn't wowed by any of them.

However, what did catch my attention was Melania Trump.

Now, I admit that when I write about a female character wearing an evening gown, it's often with her nipples being barely covered. Hey, I write EROTIC ROMANCES and feel comfortable dressing them in this extremely sexy way, but here, it looks to me like an act of desperation for attention - not so sexy. I think Trump must have been worried if his wife took too deep of a breath, there'd be some serious flesh flashing.

Hump Day Reflections!

It's been a rough couple of days and I know exactly who to blame - pirates! So, to turn my attention in a new direction, I found one heck of a sexy hunk who sails around the world and could easily play a gorgeous pirate that I wouldn't mind spending time with, although I'd hate it just as much if he was robbing me blind as well!

Anyway, Errol Flynn, remember him? He was a film star who is best known for playing a swashbuckler type [like Robin Hood] and led a wildly exciting life off screen. The expression "In like Flynn" supposedly comes from his ladies man reputation.

Well, get this, he has a grandson, Luke Flynn, who just so happens to be representing Nautica cologne. Nice! Now that is a pirate I can deal with and remain happy.

Happy Kinko de Mayo!

Love that play on words and it's all for the readers!

Now through May 6th, get 15% off your next order at Phaze! Use the code KINKODEMAYO for the discount.

Also, they have CINCO free reads for you today - hot shorts by Jude Mason, Leigh Ellwood, Becca Dale, and Nona Wesley. Download them today!