Wicked Wednesday – A Return To South Beach

Click Here for more info on SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MANThe weather here is finally starting to warm, reminding me of Spring Break nights in South Beach, before the heat and humidity of a Miami summer make it unpleasant.

With such thoughts running through my brain (and me wanting to ask my boss if I can sit outside and work!), I figured it was time for a quick trip back to South Beach.

This little excerpt is about Virginia and Pablo, Sylvia’s parents who are in the throes of their own romance during the course of the SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN novel. The original version contained a lot more background about their early romance, but it was just too much to include. I am very thankful, however, that my editors loved the idea of showing a vital fortysomething woman coming to grips with a lost love.

These scene is in SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN and I hope you enjoy it!

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The night progressed leisurely, with the two of them talking, mostly about the villa and the renovations, and sharing the delicious meal and of course, Pablo’s wine. She was almost sorry when Pablo took away the dishes for the dessert, since she hated for the interlude to end.

“This has been lovely,” she said, fiddling with her napkin as it sat on the tabletop.

He covered her hand with his. “Who says the night is over?”

As he twined his fingers with hers, he stood and she went with him, following him to the lower landing of the patio near the water. She realized there was a small boombox on the side railing of the veranda.

Pablo detoured by there only long enough to turn it on and adjust the volume until the low melodious tones of the music drifted through the night. With an impatient tug on her hand, he led her to the center of the landing.

Virginia stumbled a bit on one of the slabs, but Pablo caught her in his arms.

“I must have that fixed,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close.

“Yes, of course. Fix it,” she replied, although she was grateful for the floor’s rather timely intervention since left to her own devices, she would definitely not be pressed to his hard body and that would have truly been a shame.

She laid her head against his chest and swayed with him to the nearly indistinct sounds of the music. The low bass beats carried through the night air, slightly louder. Or maybe it was the beat of her heart. Of his. Low and steady. Close against her breast.

He moved one hand up and placed it in the middle of her back. His skin hot. The roughness of it enticing.

She picked up her head and met his gaze. His eyes seemed an even darker green in the dim light, but his smile was brilliant as he asked, “Are you having a nice time?”

With a nod, she said, “Very nice. There’s only one thing that might make it even nicer.”

His smile broadened and he dipped his head until his lips were only an inch from hers. “De verdad? And what would that be?”

She raised herself on tiptoe, eliminating that final inch of distance. With a whisper against his lips, she said, “This.”

The kiss began innocently enough, with the simple meeting of their lips. Followed by another kiss and then another until they were straining toward each other, hungry for more.

“Maybe it’s time we went somewhere — ”

“More private?” she said and without missing a beat, snagged his hand and led him back toward the limo, where Pablo asked the driver to take them for a ride around town.

He helped her into the back seat, slipped in beside her and immediately put up the privacy screen. After, he reached for her and eased her onto his lap where once again, they resumed the kiss.

Virginia opened her mouth to his, accepted the thrust of his tongue. He tasted like his wine and the sweet berries they had shared for dessert. In between kisses, she said, “Sylvia warned me about this.”

“Really? But who kissed who first, amorcito?” he teased and worked his way to the edge of her mouth and then down to the crook of her neck and shoulder.

She held his head to her, shuddered as he sucked there and then soothed the spot with a kiss. “That feels good.”

“Hmm. I’d like to feel that, too,” he confessed and with clumsy fingers, she undid his tie and shirt collar, bent her head and sucked on him.

His skin was salty. Undeniably masculine. The muscles of his upper shoulder firm. She bit down and he groaned, slipped his hand to the middle of her back and urged her closer.

But the only way to accomplish that was to straddle his legs, which she did, bringing the hard length of his erection to nestle between her legs.

She paused at the pressure of him there and looked down at him. “You do have protection, don’t you? I promised Sylvia I’d be responsible.”

Pablo chuckled and laid his hands at her waist, keeping her hips immobile. “I’ve heard it said that children get in the way of romance. I just never thought it would happen quite like this.”

Virginia laughed and cradled his face in her hands. “Is this a romance or are we two sad, old people grasping at our youth?”

The mirth on Pablo’s face softened, but didn’t completely recede. With care and patience, he slipped his hand beneath the edge of her dress. Slowly moved upward until he was cupping her naked breast in his hand. Her nipple beaded immediately and he smiled at that.

“Old? I’ve always heard that a woman in her forties is at her prime sexual peak.” As if to emphasize his point, he grasped the tip of her nipple and gently caressed it, drawing a gasp from her.

“It seems that may be right,” he said . . .

Copyright 2007 Caridad Pineiro Scordato, www.caridad.com

Tuesday Tip – Making Chocolate Count!

Image courtesy of Microsoft Word Clip artOkay, it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it! Reuters is reporting that researchers in the United Kingdom “will explore whether compounds called flavonoids found in chocolate and other foods can reduce the risk of heart disease for menopausal women with type 2 diabetes. . .”

In order to conduct the studies, they need volunteers. I suspect they may find themselves with a waiting list of volunteers.

Actually, not eating the chocolate is one of the hardest things about my diet/lifestyle change. I love chocolate. Actually, who doesn’t love chocolate (although come to think of it, my daughter doesn’t like chocolate!).

So what can you do to make the chocolate count?

Well, according to some, dark chocolate can help lower high blood pressure.

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids which are anti-oxidants and can protect against free radicals which can cause heart disease. These flavonoids are present in red wine, tea, all kinds of berries, nuts and other fruits and vegetables. The flavonoids in chocolate are called flavonols and they help build nitric oxide in your body.

What does nitric oxide do? Some studies suggest that this compound helps keep blood flowing and prevents platelets from sticking together to cause clots, leading to a healthier heart.

A CNN report indicated that chocolate can also improve your skin, boost memory and attention span by increasing blood flow to the brain! Not to mention that dark chocolate has been linked to reducing bad cholesterol!

So, have a bit of chocolate (the darker the better), but remember that chocolate has lots of fat and usually sugar so moderation is key. I found some organic sugar free dark chocolate that only had about 200 calories per serving and was pretty tasty. The serving size on that bar was 9 squares of chocolate which was more than I needed for the typical craving, so I was able to keep calorie/fat down by eating less of it each time.

The Hershey’s Sugar Free chocolates are pretty good as well and according to their nutrition facts, a 16 gram bar has 80 calories (35 from fat).

Also try Almond M&Ms, which have 200 calories per serving (100 fat calories however). The Almond M&M’s have the added benefit of the almonds which are also high in antioxidants.

Want to share your love of chocolate? Check out Virtual Chocolate, on online website totally dedicated to what else — chocolate!

Hope this Tuesday Tip helps with your chocolate cravings!
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Guilty Pleasure Monday – Jesse L. Martin

Seems apropo to bring you Jesse L. Martin this Monday since last week was Martin’s final episode on the long-running Law & Order show. Always elegant and professional, Martin’s presence on the show helped soothe the loss of Jerry Orbach. Martin and Orbach were perfect together and both will be sorely missed.

As for whether Martin is hot . . . Well, I always thought he was a totally sexy man and so did many of my friends! There’s just something so silently sensual about his look and the way he moves . . .

Besides being a hottie, Martin is an accomplished actor who has been on numerous shows and was also one of the original cast members of the popular Broadway show RENT. He reprised his role in the recently released film version of that show.

Here’s a clip from that final show courtesy of the NBC website!


Fashion Friday – Must Have Denim Jackets

We’ve been teased with a bit of spring weather in New York and like most office denizens, we can’t wait to head out once the weather gets nice. I work with my sis and one of our favorite places to go for a picnic lunch is the Tudor City Greens which are about two blocks from our office.

The Tudor City Greens are these beautiful little parks and playgrounds tucked one story above 42nd Street. Quiet and serene, they’re a great place to get away from the noisy bustle of Midtown Manhattan. Another little known fact, there’s a bridge across 42nd Street that joins the two Tudor City Greens parks and if you stand smack in the middle of that bridge, you can see the East River and Long Island on one side and to the west, the Palisades and New Jersey. As far as I know, it’s the only spot on Manhattan Island where you can see from one side of the island to the other.

Of course, what do you wear when that Spring tease of weather emerges and you need a jacket in the morning and night? After seeing all the women out on the streets of New York in the past few days, the answer to this fashion question is clear — a denim jacket!

So, today’s Fashion Friday is about denim jackets!

Now, I’m inherently frugal (translation cheap) and for me the best buys on denim are generally at Old Navy, especially toward the end of season when they are busy slashing prices. But even when they are not on sale, it’s tough to get a better deal.

Here’s what Old Navy is offering this season:

Click here for more info on OLD NAVY Denim Jacket Click here for more info on OLD NAVY Plus Size Denim Jacket

The jacket on the left is your traditional slightly distressed denim jacket while the one on the right is Old Navy’s Plus Size version. Both are nice and fairly affordable so you can add them to your collection. Best thing is, get a classically-styled jacket and it only gets better with age as the denim fades and softens with wear (dare we say how sexy men look in a nicely aged denim jacket that hugs those broad shoulders and lean waists?)

You can pair a denim jacket with dress pants and a nice top for a slightly casual look or of course, with jeans and a simple top for a totally casual look. Just make sure the denim on the jacket doesn’t clash with the denim in the pants. The color and texture of the denim should be close.

You may also find sometimes that too much denim doesn’t work, making you look way too big. Depending on your body type, opt for a darker color to slim down problem areas and leave the denim for your better half.

Hope today’s Fashion Friday tip helped!

Have a great weekend.

Thoughtful Thursday – Earth Day

The future of the Earth is in our handsThere’s a Native American proverb that says that we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but rather borrow it from our children.

With Earth day just having passed, it made me think not only about the environment today, but what steps we are taking for the future and how that will impact on things. I know the things that I try to do and maybe you can do them as well.

As a writer, I tend to use a lot of paper, but I’ve tried to cut back on that by doing more editing on my laptop and using both sides of the paper when I do have to print. Also, I try to do submissions electronically and if people ask me for reviews, I ask them to send their ARCs electronically. No sense losing a tree for a review.

Will I ever give up books in print for just e-books? I’m not sure I can do that since I love the feel of a book in my hands and there’s just too many e-book formats running around for me to plunk down major money on what might be the next Betamax or HD-DVD.

I recycle bottles and cans, although I’m a little worse at recycling the latter. The problem is that I usually drink soda out of cans in my office and I don’t have a separate recycle wastebasket there, so I plan on being better about that so that next Earth Day, I can say I took a positive step toward preserving the earth for my munchkin.

I drive green, meaning I try to watch my speed and not do jack rabbit starts or other things that unnecessarily eat up gas. My cars are relatively fuel efficient, but I’d definitely go to an American-made Hybrid if I could get the fuel in my area. Why American-made? Well, that’s a topic for a whole ‘nother discussion.

Why not hybrid now? Well, I noticed a Flex-Fuel SUV the other day while I was in Philly and thought, why not get one when I need a new car? Of course, I looked up where I could get Ethanol 85 in my area and the closest filling station was 45 miles away! So I’d waste fuel to get fuel and that makes absolutely no sense.

What else do I do? I try to shut off any lights I’m not using and chase after my husband and daughter who leave lights on all over the house. Also try to conserve water when I can, although it’s tough to cut back on that long morning shower that gets me going every day.

Finally, I love plants as you may have guessed from the shots of my garden last year! I plant trees and other things when I can and try to conserve those trees that I have in my yard. Plus, I’ve been active in trying to save/perserve our local wetlands, farm lands and a pond. Not an easy thing, but the combined efforts of many managed to preserve many acres of wetlands, a small hardwood forest and a pond. These efforts also helped raise money for a local horse ranch that conservationists are trying to keep in its natural state.

So, ask yourself what you can do while you’re borrowing this Earth from your children. Every little bit does help in keeping the Earth healthy so that our children and their children may enjoy it.

Wicked Wednesday – Crazy for the Cat!

MOON FEVER Anthology - NY Times and USA TODAY Bestseller - Clilck here for more infoToday’s Wicked Wednesday is a little treat from my NY Times and USA Today Bestseller MOON FEVER, an anthology with the amazing Maggie Shayne, Susan Sizemore and Lori Handeland. I loved creating a mythology based on shapeshifters and setting it in the Amazon. My hope was that you’d not only enjoy seeing a different kind of creature, but that you’d take away some of the concerns about human encroachment and destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Today’s tidbit comes after the heroine, Jessica, is attacked outside her hut and the hero, Javier, comes to her rescue — not that she needs rescuing!

Also, my friend LA Banks sent a link to some pictures from RT, so click here to check them out!

Warning - Possible Spoilers up ahead!

Jessica took hold of his hand and led him into the hut.

She flipped on a battery-powered lantern she had brought with her and quickly pulled a small first aid kit from her supplies. Placing the kit on the desk to one side of the hut, she removed what she would need to dress the wound.

As she turned, she realized Javier had come to stand close and her elbow brushed across the hard muscles of his midsection, reminding her of all his blatant masculinity.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, but then laid a hand against the taut muscles at his waist to urge him to toward the light so she could examine the nature of the wound.

The knife had caught him across a rib, preventing the blade from biting too deeply, but the long cut would need to be closed somehow. “This may hurt,” she said as she wet a piece of gauze with some antiseptic.

“I think I can handle it,” he replied, but he flinched and his muscles jumped as she applied the gauze to his side. He muttered a curse beneath his breath even though her touch was gentle as she cleansed the area.

She told herself not to appreciate his amazing body as she worked, but it was nearly impossible with so much lean muscle and creamy skin so enticingly close. She hurried as much as she could, using the various butterfly bandages in her kit to close the gaping edges of the wound before taping a piece of gauze over the injury.

Lightly she smoothed the tape around the edges of the gauze, trying to ignore his physical presence. Trying not to see how the reddish rosette patterns played across his skin and the palm bands hugged an impossibly lean waist and thick-muscled chest.

As she shot a glance up at him, she realized that he was as affected as she, no matter their earlier enmity. His breath was ragged, but not with pain.

With desire.

He bent from his greater height until the edge of his jaw brushed the side of her forehead. His breath was warm against the sweat-damp skin there.

She stroked her hand over the gauze covering the wound, but he laid his hand there and stilled the motion.

His hand was hot. His palm deliciously rough and the pull came between her legs again as she imagined him touching her. Her nipples tightened in anticipation and to battle that feeling she asked, “Who was that man who attacked us?”

Javier stroked her hand lightly. Slowly shifted his hand upward to caress her forearm. “One of Armando’s goons.”

Needing to touch him as he caressed her, she picked up her other hand and mimicked his action, laying her hand on the sculpted biceps of his arm. As she stroked the hard moist flesh there, she asked, “Is the timber valuable enough — ”

“To kill for? No. Armando has other reasons for hurting the tribe,” he said, moving his hand upward to cup the top of her arm, where he lightly caressed her skin with the pad of his thumb.

Her gaze locked with his, searching the strange gold-green gaze which revealed nothing but desire.

“What kinds of reasons?” she asked as she shifted her hand to his chest and traced the edge of the palm band encircling it. As she did, she fingered the hard nub of his nipple, dragging a ragged breath from him.

“Isn’t it enough for you to know you need to watch yourself?” Even as he said it, he cradled her breast and tweaked her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, causing a shudder to rip through her body.

“Well?” he challenged as he snaked his hand upward, slipped it beneath the edge of her tank top and drew down both the shirt and her bra to reveal her breast.

“Do you think you’re owed this little look because you came to my rescue?” she asked, but didn’t stop him as he lowered his head to taste the nipple he had exposed. If anything, she held him close, cradling the back of his head with her hand as she said, “Or do you think this is how to say thanks for my tending to you?”

He chuckled against her breast and gave an enticing lick with a cat-rough tongue before pulling away.

“You’re quite different from what I expected,” he said, stepping back to break contact with her as she rearranged her clothing, suddenly embarrassed by the unexpected interlude. It had to be the alcohol and guarana she told herself, denying her attraction to him was based on anything else.

“Why’s that?” she said, crossing her arms before her as if to provide some defense against his still hungry gaze.

“Because you’ve got more balls than most men I’ve met. Regardless, remember to be careful in the jungle tomorrow.”

With that he turned and walked out of the hut, leaving her to ponder just what had gone so wrong that she already had someone after her ass.

As she recalled Javier’s gifted mouth, she amended that thought with a smile.

Make that two people after her ass because she had no doubt that she and Javier would eventually finish what they had started tonight, although part of her was annoyed that he had managed to deflect her questions by arousing her passions.

She had come here in part for answers. To find out about the plant with the healing powers. To learn more about where Victor had died and possibly the why of it.

After today’s run-ins with Armando and his goons, she was wondering if they had anything to do with her friend’s death and vowed to find out.

Romantic Times Convention Pittsburgh

As promised, here’s some photos from this year’s RT Convention in Pittsburgh! I had a great time with my friends and meeting lots of interesting new people. The panels were great and very exciting. We had standing room only for a number of them! Met lots of booksellers, readers and other authors not to mention the cover models.

If you’re not seeing the file below, try clicking on this link to view the file (FLASH is required)(and it may take a little bit for it to load since there’s lots of photos!): Romantic Times Photos

To advance through the photos, click on one of the blue arrows at the bottom left hand side of the slides.

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