The story is filled with glamour at a themed Atlantic City casino and also adventure as the sexy casino owner, Prince Alexander Ivanov, and determined FBI Agent Samantha Martinez try to discover if money laundering is going on at the casino and battle their attraction to one another.

I thought I’d share some visual inspiration for the two (who also kind of remind me of Jesus and Michaela from HONOR CALLS!)

Love that very alpha look on Alexander’s face. Also love that Samantha will surely wipe it off as their romance develops during the story!

On the eating healthier, it’s a big “yes.” So far we’ve been watching what we are eating and staying away from lots of bad things. I’ve even started cutting back on my use of artificial sweeteners and the number of diet sodas I drink.

On the exercise, another “yes!” I’ve been going to the gym every day for a combination of aerobic and strength training. I’ve also been tracking how many steps I take and have really cracked that 10K barrier every day. In fact, I’ve been over 20K every day.

On the spending I earn a maybe. I’ve been good about not only brown bagging it, but today I made my first microwaved eggs. Pretty tasty I must say. So why only a maybe? My daughter and I hit IKEA last week to buy a needed piece of furniture for her bedroom. The clothes on the floor have finally found a home! Nevertheless it was a kaching on the wallet.

Still, there are lots more days in the month to offset that one big expense.

On the writing, I’ve had to put aside BORN TO SERVE, the first Diana and Ryder book in the REBORN vampire novels to do edits on NIGHT OF THE COUGAR which is another of the Nocturne Cravings I am doing. COUGAR will be out in June of this year and here is a little teaser for it:

A year ago, Jamie Morrison found passion in the arms of Galen Hawke, but a car accident ended their relationship. Now, she is reunited with Galen and discovers that he is something other than human. With a full moon on the horizon, all hell . . . and passion . . . are about to break loose.

I’m having a blast writing these erotic CRAVINGS stories and hope you’re enjoying them as well. In fact, I wanted to share the cover for my February CRAVINGS release with you.

Whoo, that is one sexy cover for NOCTURNAL WHISPERS!

So share your thoughts on your resolutions, the cover, anything really.

Visit with me at the Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog later today as I talk about the inspiration behind AMAZON AWAKENING and share some of my “bucket list.” Leave a comment at the Harlequin blog for a chance to win.

Help a Deserving Family This Holiday Season

If you’d like to nominate a family, just send us an email at DWWSanta@aol.com telling us why and how you think we can help this family out.

We’ll pick 5 families from the entries, and randomly draw our Secret Santa recipient from those!

Entries must be received by the 14th so our recipient can be chosen in time for the holiday.

Thank you!

Putting Some Scare Into the Monster

Yes, it’s an ad for Bing.com, but I love Rudolf and this was kinda cute so I had to share! I’m hoping it’ll leave you with a smile to start this weekend.

It’s Guilty Pleasure Monday and I’ve got not one, but two Guilty Pleasures – Benjamin Bratt and Sofia Vergara.

Why these two you might wonder? Well, if I was going to cast Rey Peralta and Paola Lopes from AMAZON AWAKENING, these are the two actors I’d pick to play the leads.

I loved Benjamin in his role as Rey Curtis on LAW AND ORDER and as Sandra Bullock’s partner and romantic interest in MISS CONGENIALITY. He is sooo sexy! I can totally picture him as Rey, guiding Paola through the Amazon rainforest to the Sacred Space he is honor-bound to protect.

As for Sofia Vergara, so beautiful and so funny. I love her in MODERN FAMILY. She is such a hoot. It would be interesting to see if she could play the very serious and complex role of Paola, a woman who has family issues and is not sure if she should take up the mantle left empty by her father’s death and being passed to her by her grandmother’s illness.

Tomorrow I’ll have some pictures for you of what Rey’s luscious bedroom might look like in AMAZON AWAKENING. Take a moment to visit the photo album today. See if you can pick out which bedroom I would choose for Rey and Paola to share and let me know by posting your comment to earn some points.

On Wednesday I’ll be visiting the Romance Book Craze Blog where you can leave some more comments to earn points!

Finally, something very special is happening this Thursday 13. I will have my dear friend and fellow author Melinda Leigh here to talk about her debut bestselling romantic suspense novel, SHE CAN RUN. Melinda will also be offering up the chance to win a KINDLE!

Hope you all had a nice weekend.

Benjamin Bratt Photo Credit: Frank Kovalchek
Sofia Vergara Photo Credit: Keith Hinkle

So we’re having a party from now until midnight PST on December 7 when we are going to choose some winners for the release party giveaway.

But first, I’d thought I’d share with you 13 fun facts about the Amazon rainforest where AMAZON AWAKENING is set!

1. The Amazon rainforest is made up of almost 2.5 million square miles (1.2 billion acres) of land .
2. That represents nearly 54% of all of the rainforests in the world.
3. That much unspoiled land is the reason why over 50% of the world’s species of plants, animals and insects reside in the Amazon rainforest.
4. There are possibly dozens of tribes of natives in the Amazon that have never met anyone from the outside world.
5. One in five of all of the world’s bird species live in the rainforest.
6. The Amazon River and the surrounding rainforest are part of 9 South American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guyana and Surinam.
7. 20% of the world’s oxygen is derived from the rainforest.
8. Nearly 25% of all drugs come from rainforest ingredients.
9. 70% of drugs found to have anti-cancer properties come from the rainforest.
10. The Amazon runs over 4000 miles from its start in the Peruvian Andes to when it empties into the Atlantic.
11. Over half of the rainforest is located in Brazil.
12. The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. The longest river is the Nile.
13. There are 1800 species of butterflies in the rainforest.

The above is just the tip of the rainforest! LOL! I hope you can now understand why I would set AMAZON AWAKENING in such an unusual and exceptional place. Especially since the role of Rey and Paola is to be Guardians to a very sacred space – possibly even the Garden of Eden – deep in the heart of the Amazon.

To visit other Thursday-13 participants, please click here!

So let’s get to the giveaway! Here are the prizes:

Grand Prize: A SONY E-reader (or a $25 GC for those of you who already have e-readers) loaded with copies of AZTEC GOLD, THE FIFTH KINGDOM and ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.

2 Second chance prizes: THE LOST T-shirt and copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS

So how do you get a chance to win the above prizes? Collect 10 points between now and midnight PST on December 7 by doing the following:

1 point: Tweet or share on Facebook, Tumbler, Google+ the following (only one per day- 5 points maximum):
AMAZON AWAKENING #Erotic #Paranormal Romance Caridad Pineiro http://awe.sm/5apFk

5 points: Send me a link to your review of AMAZON AWAKENING.

1 point: Stumble, Digg, Delicious or Reddit this website or this blog post.

1 point: Follow me on Twitter or at my Facebook Fan Page (one point for each)

1 point: Leave a comment on this blog post or any other blog post up until the end of the contest (one point for each- 5 points maximum).

1 point: Share the excerpt below on your website, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Google+, etc. and send me a link to where it is on your site!

For now, here is a little teaser and excerpt for AMAZON AWAKENING.

Rey Peralta has been sent to persuade Paola Lopes to return to Brazil and take up her place as Priestess of the Guardians, protectors of the sacred realm hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. He knows Paola is the one they need to ensure their survival—but he doesn’ t expect the instant blast of desire that sparks between them. Her beauty and power call to him, enticing him to merge with her physically and spiritually; a desire that only increases when they give in to their passion and make love. Can he convince Paola to accept her destiny and stay with her people—and by his side?

WARNING

This excerpt contains mature subject matter so do not open unless you are at least 18.

If you can’t see the widget below, you can cut and paste this link:
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/72902685?access_key=key-7hf866rrigwutty0jsg

Working on a new look for THE CALLING vampire novels as you can hopefully see above. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve gone to contract with Entangled Publishing to relaunch the series as THE REBORN vampire novels starting in early 2013. I’m already hard at work on the first Diana and Ryder book and having a blast with this series of my heart.

Look for updates at THE CALLING/BE REBORN site over the next few months. Also look for some free reads as we catch up with Diana and Ryder as well as the rest of the Scooby Gang as we approach the release of the last two books in THE CALLING and the launch of the new REBORN series!

The overhaul of the site as well as work have been keeping me busy, but this weekend I somehow found time to make an old favorite – manicotti! I just love those delicate little pasta crepes filled with ricotta and baked to delicious goodness.

They are relatively easy. The clue is to have a nicely seasoned 6″ cast iron skillet, a small ladle, spatula and just the right mix for the crepes. You don’t want them to be too thick or pancakey so getting them right is the key. If the batter seems too thick, thin with more water. So here goes!

Manicotti Crepes:

1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup water
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. The mix should be like a runny pancake batter.

Oil the cast iron skillet with just a little oil smeared around the skillet with a paper towel. Non-stick works well, but to keep the crepes a uniform size, make sure there is an edge to the pan. In other words, not an omelet pan so much.

Heat the skillet until a drop of water dances on the surface. Then kick it down a notch and ladle in the batter. Give the skillet a twirl until the bottom is coated with the batter. It should be about 1/4 inch thick and not much more. I use two small ladle-fulls of batter, but make sure you use the same amount of batter for each crepe to keep them uniform.

Lay the cooked crepes on a paper plate. It’s okay to stack them up until you are done. The oil in the batter keeps them from sticking to the skillet and to each other.

You will get about 12 crepes from the above mix.

Ricotta Filling for the Manicotti

2 eggs
2 pounds Ricotta (Drain it for a few hours to get rid of the excess liquid)
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
Chopped fresh parsley if you have it, if not a little dried (but it’s not an essential)
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Beat the eggs and then add everything else (but leave a handful or two of mozzarella for a topping). Mix it all up and put about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture toward one end of the crepe. Roll the crepe to cover the cheese mixture. Lay the crepe with the rolled edge down on a greased pan with a little bit of red sauce.

Roll all the crepes and lay them side by side. A 9×13 pan should allow for all twelve crepes to go there side by side. Cover with a little red sauce and top with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes and then serve!

For a change of pace, cook up some spinach, squeeze out the extra liquid, chop and mix it into the cheese mixture. It’s quite tasty that way also.

This is a good recipe if you need a Thanksgiving side dish for those who don’t like turkey. Me, I love all the traditional Thanksgiving foods and can’t wait to be with family for the holiday!

With that, here is a little blurb for you about AMAZON AWAKENING as well as a sexy excerpt!

Rey Peralta has been sent to persuade Paola Lopes to return to Brazil and take up her place as Priestess of the Guardians, protectors of the sacred realm hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. He knows Paola is the one they need to ensure their survival—but he doesn’ t expect the instant blast of desire that sparks between them. Her beauty and power call to him, enticing him to merge with her physically and spiritually; a desire that only increases when they give in to their passion and make love. Can he convince Paola to accept her destiny and stay with her people—and by his side?

WARNING

This excerpt contains mature subject matter so do not open unless you are at least 18.

If you can’t see the widget below, you can cut and paste this link:
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/72902685?access_key=key-7hf866rrigwutty0jsg

For me, the start of the fall season always gets me into vampire mode and today I’m going to try to share 13 reasons why, although I may digress with some news…

1. It’s dark when I head to the office.
2. It’s dark when I leave the office.
3. There’s a chill in the air, kind of like the temperature of a vampire’s undead skin.
4. Graveyard dampness in the mornings.
5. Fog. Today in particular, big, fat patches of it hugging the ground. Swallowing you up.
6. The leaves are getting wet and stuff is growing, giving the air that faint hint of death and decay.
7. Halloween. What better time for a vamp to go out and party?
8. Harvest moons. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see one of these, I get a chill up and down my spine.

9. The skitter and rustle of animals in the brush. Maybe it’s just a squirrel getting ready for the winter, but heck, I’m such a scaredy cat.

10. This is where I may digress. I’m writing the next Diana and Ryder book.

11. Yes, you read that right. Diana and Ryder from THE CALLING vampire novels will be back in late 2012 because…

12. I’ve signed a contract with Entangled Publishing to relaunch the series with my original vision for THE CALLING vampire novels! Woo Hoo!

13. The revamped series (BIG pun intended) will be called the REBORN series and Diana and Ryder’s first book is BORN TO SERVE.

I’m soooo excited! You may be wondering, why Entangled Publishing? Well, I’ve been hearing lots of good things about them and the books will be released in both print and e-book at the same time. I know many of you love your print books, much like I do, so I wanted to be able to go with a publisher who would do that for you!

I want to thank you all for the many years of supporting THE CALLING vampire novel series and for asking about Diana and Ryder. They are characters of my heart and I am so happy to be writing about them again. It’s wonderful to explore where their relationship is now and where it’s going to go bit by bit as they face a number of momentous life choices. I don’t want to say too much now and spoil it though!

For those who haven’t read THE CALLING vampire novels, there’s a great e-book collection with the first 6 books and the DESIRE CALLS novella. At just over $10, it’s a steal.

Thank you all for stopping by to share this Thursday 13 with me and the joy in my heart over Diana and Ryder. To visit more Thursday 13 participants, you can click here!

Mark of the Sylph is Book Two in Rosalie’s Demons of Infernum series and here is a little taste of what the novel is about:

Half-demon Taeg is desperate to free his pregnant sister-in-law, who is spellbound to an indestructible book that will create an army of the undead. He is convinced that an ancient sword can destroy the book and the spell forever, but this relic has been hidden for a millennia by a powerful glamour. The clock begins to run out on his search when an old rival goes after the book and Taeg’s family in his quest for revenge.

Librarian Maya Flores has a secret: she’s immune to magic and is well aware of the supernatural beings prowling the streets of New York City. Haunted by a brutal demon attack that took her family, she is on a one-woman mission to destroy the evil demons who did it—and any others who get in her way.


Maya is Taeg’s best hope for uncovering the sword. Unfortunately, she wants nothing more than to kill him. As he fights for her trust and to save his family, she is forced to face the truth that not all demons are evil. And the worst part? She might be falling in love with one, too.

Here to tell us a little more about Mark of the Sylph is Rosalie!

I admit, I’m a huge fan of mythology. Whether it’s Greek, Egyptian, or Welsh, I love reading the myths of other cultures. In fact, one of my undergraduate majors was Classical Studies, i.e. the study of Ancient Greece and Rome. So when I started writing my paranormal romance series, I knew I had to throw a little bit of mythology in there. Just cause it’s fun.

The DEMONS OF INFERNUM features four half-demon brothers who work as interdimensional bounty hunters. My latest release, Mark of the Sylph (#2 in the series), follows Taeg, the second oldest brother. He’s on a mission to find an object that will destroy The Book of the Dead, an ancient book made of indestructible material which contains a spell for resurrection of the dead. His pregnant sister-in-law is bound to the Book, which puts her life in danger from those who seek to wield its power. So when Taeg discovers that Excalibur, the sword of Merlin, not only exists, but also has the power to destroy any object, he can’t wait to get his hands on it. The problem is the sword is hidden by a glamour rendering it invisible. Lucky for him, he’s discovered a rare human who is immune to all forms of magic. But as he’s about to find out, she’s not too fond of demons. He’ll have a hell of a time convincing her to help him find the sword.

Here’s an excerpt, which takes place after Taeg learns about Maya’s ability and tracks her down. Suffice it to say, she’s not happy to see him :

Taeg tightened his hold on her wrist until she dropped the dagger. He grabbed her other wrist and pinned it back. “Look at me.”

Yeah, apparently she wasn’t in an accommodating mood. Because instead of listening she jerked her knee up, catching him square in the junk.

“Ooof.” That freaking hurt.

He let go, hands automatically lowering to protect his goods, and she shoved hard on his chest. As he staggered several feet back, she spun and delivered a stunning roundhouse kick that almost had him admiring her form, right before it caught him in the side and sent him sprawling.

“What’s the deal, lady?”

She grabbed the knife and flew at him faster than he would’ve expected from a human.
Taeg shoved off the ground and sidestepped her attack, and recaptured her wrist. He yanked her arm up behind her as he maneuvered behind her back.

“Shit,” Maya cried. The knife clanged to the ground, and he loosened his hold a fraction.

“Stop. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yeah. Right.” Her tone made it clear what she thought of that.

Pushing her to the nearest wall, Taeg turned her to face him. He kept one hand on her shoulder and the other on her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Calm down, Maya.” The familiar hum of energy in his ears told him his charm was doing its thing. “I’m not going to hurt you. I only want to ask you a few questions.”

Her scowl softened long enough for him to assume his power had worked. He let her go and backed up a few steps. “How do you know what I am? Can you see the real me?”

Rather than answering, she lifted a knee and slid one of her dainty hands into her boot. When she withdrew it, she clutched another dagger, a match to the one on the ground. Suddenly the reason for her boots became quite clear. The woman was a freakin’ walking arsenal.

“Oh, shit.”

She kicked off the wall and leapt into the air in a flying move that Jackie Chan would have envied, adjusting the grip on her dagger. Hand high in the air, she aimed for his neck. The woman was clearly determined to remove his head from the rest of his body. Taeg dropped his legs out from under him, hitting the ground hard.

Maya’s legs struck his back as she flew over him. He untangled himself and whirled around, but damn she recovered fast. She tossed her dagger to the side to avoid jabbing herself as she tucked and rolled. Then she jumped to her feet and faced him with both fists up. Her face was almost expressionless, her heavy panting the only indicator she was battling to the death. Damned if his interest wasn’t drawn to her ample chest beneath that tight black top.

She smiled, almost as if she were enjoying herself, and came at him with another kick.

He leapt back to avoid being hit. “Damn it, I’m trying to talk to you, lady.”

Maya sounds like my kind of kick-ass heroine! Thank you so much for sharing this with us today, Rosalie. To find out more about Mark of the Sylph, please visit http://www.entangledpublishing.com/mark-of-the-sylph/or Rosalie’s website at www.rosalielario.com.

Rosalie would love to know, do you enjoy reading stories that contain some sort of mythology within them? Read any good ones lately?

I didn’t want you to miss our Guilty Pleasures Monday, so here is a belated edition with a little man candy that inspired the hero in Amazon Awakening.

The sexy hero in this erotic paranormal romance novella (yes, you read that – erotic) is Rey Peralta and here’s a little teaser about this December release:

Rey Peralta has been sent to persuade Paola Lopes to return to Brazil and take up her place as Priestess of the Guardians, protectors of the sacred realm hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. He knows Paola is the one they need to ensure their survival—but he doesn’ t expect the instant blast of desire that sparks between them. Her beauty and power call to him, enticing him to merge with her physically and spiritually; a desire that only increases when they give in to their passion and make love. Can he convince Paola to accept her destiny and stay with her people—and by his side?