NIGHT OF THE COUGAR Erotic Paranormal Romance June 2012

It’s Wicked Wednesday and that means it’s time for a little sexy teaser! Today I’m sharing something from NIGHT OF THE COUGAR, my June erotic paranormal romance novella for the Nocturne Cravings line.

This is a story of reunited lovers and I just love that kind of story line. I always wonder what made it not work the first time around and how this time things will be different, especially when the heroine, Jamie Morrison, is facing a very different man from the man with whom she first fell in love.

Here’s a little teaser for the story:

Reporter Jamie Morrison got the scoop of a lifetime when she snagged a meeting with bestselling author Galen Hawke, but their rendezvous didn’t end with an interview. Their immediate attraction led to a wicked night together and a plan to meet again—until an accident left Galen changed forever….

Now, one year later, Jamie is sent to interview Galen once more. When a snowstorm strands them together in his remote mountain lodge, they are both eager to explore their reawakened passion. But will Jamie stay by Galen’s side when she discovers what he’s become?

Also a little behind the scenes: Jamie was the original name of the heroine from THE CLAIMED. However, since there was already another woman with a man’s name – Sammie – there was some concern that readers might be confused. Sammie had appeared in earlier books in the series and so I couldn’t change her name. Instead, I changed the heroine’s name to Victoria. But I still loved the Jamie name and since NIGHT OF THE COUGAR is very much about a man and a woman, I decide to use that name for the heroine!

If you can’t see the excerpt below, you can click here to read the excerpt.

NIGHT OF THE COUGAR Erotic Paranormal Romance Novella

Video Premiere & Guest Blog & #Giveaway!

Today I’m at the wonderful Martha’s Bookshelf sharing all kinds of things and a giveaway! Please drop by to find out more about THE CLAIMED and see how you can maybe win a copy!

And now we have the video premiere for THE CLAIMED. I bet you can’t get guess what my favorite scene is and hint – it’s not the Man Candy!

If you can’t see the video below, you can click here or cut and paste this link:

http://youtu.be/tlC6PVkqQSU

Feel free to share this around!

Adventures with Spottie & #Giveaway

On this Fun Friday, take a moment to visit with me at the Romance Author Hotspot! I’ll be sharing some fun stuff with you and we’ll pick someone from all the comments to win copies of NOCTURNAL WHISPERS and A VAMPIRE’S CONSORT erotic paranormal romance novella e-books!

But first . . . The winner of the Tuesday’s What’s Hot and What’s Not Giveaway is: Fannie! Please drop me a line and let me know which e-novella you’d like to receive.

Adventures with Spottie

My dear friend Michele knows that when I get good news I do the “Happy Dance” and so when I got the RITA Nomination for THE LOST, she got me this adorable beagle! It seems apropos not only because of the Happy Dance, but because the hero’s dog in THE LOST is named Spottie. Why Spottie? Well, my hubby’s childhood dog was a beagle named Spotty. Of course, by the time I got to know Spotty, he looked more like a big ol’ bassett hound than a beagle. LOL! Anyway, my new Spottie is going to accompany me for the next two months until the night of the RITA ceremony! Look for some fun posts and things with Spottie in the coming months.

Actually, look for Spottie Does Bamboozle in the next few days!

Spottie Beagle

My husband dug out a photo of Spotty and I scanned it. It’s a little grainy due to age. You can see Spotty’s a beagle even though he’d put on some weight. He was a funny dog. Spotty ate pasta every night and would rub his ears in it if you did not put parmesan cheese on the pasta.

Spotty the Beagle

May you all have a blessed Memorial Day weekend and to all our miltary men, women and families, thank you for your service and your sacrifices.

Behind the Scenes of THE CLAIMED in Asbury Park

I had to make a choice of location for the final battle scenes in THE CLAIMED. As I thought about it, it occurred to me I needed a place that spoke to the past that the Light and Shadow Hunters had to embrace, but also had to speak to the future that was possible for them. I also needed a place that was in the public eye, but could be made “private” with the use of Hunter power. Add to that the fact that it had to be somewhere that would be a logical place for one of the characters – Samantha aka Sammie – to be as she would be pivotal in that scene.

As all those needs came together, I realized there was only one place where that very important scene could be located – the Casino in Asbury Park.
Casino in Asbury Park New Jersey

There is no doubt in mind that the Casino is a link to the past glory that was Asbury Park, much like the past of the Hunters. But the Casino also stands poised at the edge of the future for Asbury Park. A future that can be seen in the wonderfully renovated Paramount Theater, the Convention Center (where the early roller derby scenes in and THE CLAIMED take place), and the boardwalk that is once again brimming with life!

The Casino is a very public place for sure. It’s the gateway between Ocean Grove and Asbury Park and people pass through the shell on a daily basis. Surely Sammie would on her way to her shop on the Asbury Park boardwalk. Here’s a picture of what it looked like in its heydey!


Photo Credit: National Park Service

Here’s another photo of the Casino from afar. The Casino was built in 1929 and designed by the same architects that designed Grand Central Terminal.

Asbury Park Casino

In this shot you can see more of the buildings. In the past, those to the left as well as the middle section hosted a series of amusement park games and a carousel. At one time there was another piece to the building that jutted out to the right on stilts onto the beach. This section had a skating rink inside. Sadly that part of the building suffered major damage and was torn down in 2006, but the rest of the Casino remains, now used for a variety of things like flea markets and a theater company.

The Casino was therefore the perfect place for my Hunters to have a final battle and also be the kickoff to the next book in the series, THE SHATTERED, but I won’t spill about that right now.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek into Asbury Park and the Casino. It’s one of my favorite sites along the boardwalk. As I mentioned before, there used to be a carousel in one section of the building and here’s a video clip shot on October 28, 1990, the last day the carousel was open for business. Thanks to cflynn1979 for this clip.

If you can’t see the clip of the carousel below, you can click here!

You can also read more about the Casino by clicking here.

#Giveaway and some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED

First of all, don’t forget that you have until Friday to leave a comment on Dorothy’s Virtual Blog Tour Blog to possibly win a free Blog Tour!

But now, how about some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED!

This is a snippet from the book at a restaurant in Avon-by-Sea. The restaurant is a real place and you can visit it here: http://www.columnsnj.net/

The Columns was a perfect choice, Victoria thought as she sat across the intimate width of the table opposite Christopher. The summer sun had begun to set, creating rosy pink and blue cotton candy clouds along the beachfront. The golden hues cast by the lights along the edges of the veranda and the votive candle in the middle of the table bathed Christopher’s face. Thanks to the dimness of the light, she could detect the thin aura surrounding him. Too weak to be full Hunter power, which relieved her somewhat, but not entirely, since Shadows could hide their energy fields also.

Here’s a picture of The Columns. Can’t you just picture Victoria and Christopher sitting there, dusk settling in, the two of them cozy at a small table? Sigh. Can’t wait to go eat there again!

Here’s another little teaser for you down below! This scene takes place in the Shark River and yes, in part it is named for the sharks in the area. Fresh water sharks you may be wondering? Actually, there are fresh water sharks in some parts of the world, but the Shark River is filled with salt water for the most part. In fact, some consider that this area is actually a tidal basin since it’s fed by four small streams that provide little fresh water and the Shark River Inlet provides large amounts of salt water into the bay area. This is a picture of the Shark River Inlet and the Shark River Bridge which is a drawbridge that allows larger boats to come and go.

In this scene deep in the Shark River, Shadow Hunter Christopher is playing around with his energy and shapeshifting abilities. Moments later, Christopher will meet Light Huntress Victoria face-to-face for the first time!

He swam out until he was in about thirty feet of water, released the diving flag, and then sank below the surface. As luck would have it, a small school of brown-green weakfish were spawning along the estuary floor. With a gush of energy, he formed a vortex and directed it downward. It acted like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up a large fish and bringing it up to his grasp through the swirling tunnel of water.


Two feet of angry fish squirmed and flailed in his hands until he sucked in a bit of its life force and it weakened. Focusing his gathering, he took only a smidgen of the fish’s vitality within him. He needed the weakfish’s energy to partially shapeshift so he could stay below the surface long enough to do the exchange needed to rein in the demands of his Equinox.


He forced the fish’s life force through his body, and his power drained while he directed it toward his throat. He gritted his teeth and battled the pain as his skin tore open and the muscles beneath the surface reformed, developing gills. Blood vessels rerouted themselves to those new organs, creating an avenue for the oxygen to flow from the gills throughout his body. He grew lightheaded for a moment, but then the outpouring of oxygen flooded through his gills and revitalized him.


With the skill of a surgeon, he dissected a piece of the power he had absorbed and directed it to his eyes. He created a thin membrane with the life force to protect them against the salt water.


Satisfied with the adaptations to his eyes and lungs, Christopher stopped his shapeshifting. He released the fish and expelled as much air as he could from his lungs. With nothing to keep him buoyant, he easily drifted down to the sandy bottom, scattering the swarm of fish when he settled in the midst of their school. Crossing his legs, he assumed a traditional Lotus position and opened his eyes.


I hope you enjoyed these Behind the Scenes moments from THE CLAIMED

#ManCandyMonday Jeffrey Dean Morgan & a Guest Blog & #giveaway

Every time I see the ads for MAGIC CITY and Jeffrey Dean Morgan walks out in that cream-colored dinner jacket and shades, my heart goes pitter patter! LOL! He is ALL sexy beast in that 1950s attire.

Yes, I know many of you have loved him since SUPERNATURAL, but there is just something about him now. WOW!

If you’ve had a chance to watch MAGIC CITY, I’d love to hear what you think about it. If you haven’t you can click here to watch the first three episodes online!

I hope you enjoyed today’s Man Candy Monday and I also hope you’ll drop by and visit my guest blogs at Literal Addiction and Book Monster Reviews where I am chatting about THE CLAIMED which releases TOMORROW! OMG! I can’t believe the release day is finally here! There is also a little giveaway going on at the sites, so please drop by.

Photo Credit: Ian Smith from London, England