Just a reminder that I’m still accepting entries to the win breakfast with me at the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference.

I’ll be picking 5 lucky readers to have breakfast with me on March 17 as part of the conference. How can you enter? just e-mail your registration confirmation with the subject BKFST WITH CARIDAD to cpsromance at att dot net before February 1.

But wait there’s more good things happening at this conference for readers! If you register before February 1, you are automatically entered for a chance to win a Sony E-reader. In addition, Secret Cravings Publishing is donating a gift basket with a Kindle and assorted offerings from their publishing house. All registrants receive free raffle tickets for an assortment of gift baskets.

But wait, there is more! We have free books for all attendees from Avon, Grand Central Publishing and others. Plus, readers can take part in a number of genre panel discussions with bestselling authors such as Larissa Ione, Jonathan Maberry, and Virginia Kantra just to name a few and attend a wonderful welcome dessert reception at a very special Lady Jane’s Salon as well as a book fair and hot hors d’oeuvre and dancing at the end of conference party.

You must be thinking, what will all that cost me? How about $40? Yep, $40 for a fabulous one day reader’s event. If you’re a writer, take advantage of all of the above plus a wealth of writer-oriented panels and a luncheon with keynote speaker Larissa Ione. Cost for writers is $120 for non-members.

To register for the conference or get more details, please click here!

Hugs go out to Caridad for sharing her space with me today! Let’s get right to it—do you believe in ghosts? I’m asked this question a lot since my latest release is a ghost romance. Here’s what I have to say to that:

Do I believe? Yes.

Have I ever seen a ghost? No.

Do I want to? Heck no!

Well, let me rephrase, if the ghost was Kipp McGowen—a sexy cop who wanted to seduce me—then maybe.

Truth be told, I’m a total scaredy-cat when it comes to things that go bump in the night. I find the idea of ghosts thrilling and interesting, but I prefer to enjoy ghosts by sitting on my couch and watching others walk around in the dark calling to spirits.

I’m completely addicted to the television shows, Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State. I’ll tell you this, though, no amount of money could lure me to walk into a graveyard or an old building to invite ghosts to talk to me.

Now just the other day I saw a movie trailer for Paranormal Activity. Needless to say, I shut my eyes and covered my head with the blanket. Amusing, right? I write about ghosts so why am I afraid? Well, I don’t write about those ghosts. I like to believe that ghosts are friendly, happy people looking for help to crossover.

Isn’t that what’s great about being a fantasy author? I can choose which type of ghosts I get my characters involved with. They’re definitely not the scary ones who will force poor Tess to need an exorcism. I’ll leave those terrifying spirits to the experts that are crazy enough to want to find them.

So tell me, are you a natural born ghost hunter? Would you be out in that graveyard, or would you be like me hiding in the car?

In thanks for stopping by and chatting today, I’m offering up one copy of the ebook Supernaturally Kissed (international). Leave your email address with your comment to be entered. Don’t forget to come find me on Facebook and Twitter. I love to chat!!

Ghosts harass and annoy Tess Jennings to save their souls. Sometimes she helps them. Other times she ignores them. But one ghost will give her no choice.

Kipp McGowen, a cop with the Memphis Police Department, will stop at nothing to gain her help, including using his ghostly charms to seduce her.

Tess must help solve the five year old cold case of Hannah Reid, because solving the case will save Kipp. But a bigger problem presents itself. Tess is falling in love with a ghost. Now she must decide. Keep Kipp forever or find the killer…

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EXCERPT

Copyright © STACEY KENNEDY, 2011
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

An icy wisp of air swept in behind me, causing my heel to twist as I stumbled. To the other pedestrians striding along the downtown Memphis street, the sensation would be brushed off as a cold breeze.

They were wrong. A spirit lingered here.

“Can you hear me?”

From the intrigue rolling in his voice, he hadn’t expected me to acknowledge him. Shit! I’d already given myself away. A mistake I’d rectify.

Without hesitation, I righted my stance and strode forward with purpose, forcing myself to remain deaf to the voice. If I ignored ghosts long enough, they moved on and searched out someone else who held the same irritating ability, whom I had yet to meet.

Much to my annoyance, the ghost stayed right on my heels and his presence remained strong behind me. The cold air at my back remained a contrast to the warm morning air in front of me. Every hair on my neck stood up and goose bumps pimpled a trail along my skin. If only I could rub them away, but I didn’t dare. Ignoring him would make him go away.

“You can hear me, can’t you?” the ghost asked again.

Spirits were typically harmless, but annoying. I’m dead, what’s going on, why am I a ghost—yada, yada, yada. I quickened my steps and made my way down Peabody Place in hopes he’d leave me alone.

“Wait.”

He sounded desperate, which meant a big headache for me. If I hadn’t worn my damn slingbacks, I would’ve tried to run and hide. But the three-inch Manolos and the tight, tailored gray skirt restrained my movements.

I passed Miss Polly’s Soul Food Café, and the delicious aroma of bacon and eggs drifted along the air. My empty stomach complained. My only thought after I woke had been caffeine. Now I wished I’d grabbed a muffin with my latté at Starbucks. With ten minutes to get to my desk, I couldn’t worry about such things.

My boss, Event Manager Dylan Cobb, would hand me my ass if I stepped into the office a minute late. Sadly, there’d never been a day I didn’t cater to his every need.

I approached Beale Street and sighed in relief, relishing the warmth surrounding me. Not only from the sun above—the spirit’s cold presence at my back had vanished. Pleased my dodge of him had worked, I took a sip of my energy in a cup and smiled. Coffee’s fantastic, the ghost is gone—life is good.

Another block passed under my heels before I reached the historical red-brick building. Randall Marketing, written in black block letters, decorated the striped green-and-white awning.

I opened the door to the office and strode in, greeted by a bubbly voice. “Good morning, Tess.”

“Mornin’.”

“Give me a moment here.” Doris shuffled paperwork around her desk, her auburn curls bouncing on her shoulders. The receptionist had always been messy, yet somehow organized. “There were a few messages on the voicemail for you.” She raised her head and held out the pink slips of paper. “A lovely day today, is it not?”

“Sure is.” So I lied. The ghost hadn’t kicked off my day on a high note. Not as if I’d tell her about my interaction with spirits. My ability to converse with spirits remained on a need-to-know basis, and as far as it concerned me, no one needed to know. I grabbed the messages from her hand. “Did your weekend treat you good?”

“I spent the entire weekend knee-deep in my garden.” Her cocoa-colored eyes lit up. “My best year ever, I’m hoping. You’ll have to come out and have a look-see.”

“I’d love to.” Doris treasured her gardens, so I tried to appear interested, even though my green thumb looked black.

Her smile brightened, but when the phone rang, she waved a goodbye and answered the call. “It’s another beautiful day here at Randall Marketing, how may I direct your call?”

Leaving her behind, I strode down the hall toward my office and sipped my coffee. The warmth slid down my throat and provided an immediate rush to my energy levels. At the third door on the right, I entered my bleak workspace with its pale-blue walls, closed the door behind me and approached the desk. I dropped down into the black leather chair and flipped through the messages. None were urgent enough to worry about now.

I powered up my computer, but a knock at the door had me glancing up. Before I got a word out, the door swished open and I cringed, fully aware of the looming trouble.

Caley, the officer manager and my best friend since the age of four, looked like a typical Barbie. Perfect skin, long flowing blonde hair and a body men drooled over. I might have been jealous of her perfection since I couldn’t pull off her looks even with a makeover—so maybe a little envious—but her appearance had always been a front. She was the devil in disguise.

She scowled, shutting the door behind her with a slam. “Do you mind explaining where you were all weekend?”

“At home.” I batted my lashes. “Why? Did you try to call me?”

She pointed her finger, narrowing her eyes at me. “Don’t you try that shit on me. I called you all weekend and your phone went straight to voicemail.”

“Hmm…” I pretended to ponder. “The battery must have died.” She had enough gall to just come over, but the little hint had been a subtle way of telling Caley to leave me alone.

“Liar.” She plopped down in the seat across from my desk. “Where were you? I wanted to go out.”

“Nowhere. Honestly, I vegged on the couch.”

Caley snorted. “You lead such an exciting life.”

My mouth parted to offer a snappy retort, but a cold wisp of air brushed across my skin, causing my lips to snap shut. Damn! I thought I’d got rid of him.

“Hello.” Caley snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Leave the aliens behind and return to Mother Earth.”

I blinked, trying to force my attention back to her, yet failing. The ghost knelt right beside Caley—not kneeling, of course; more like floating, since ghosts were never able to obtain physical contact with the world around them—and my focus held strong on him, unable to stop myself from ogling. He stared intently, with one crystal-blue eye, while the other was a chocolate color. His strong jaw, the muscles clenching along his cheeks, all spoke of power. But as he ran his hand through his untidy sandy-colored hair, his expression showed playfulness. His black tank top left his arms exposed and muscles upon muscles layered those arms.

“Anyways,” she said, dragging my gaze back to her. “I had to go out with Susanne because you left me high and dry.”

I laughed. Caley’s horny, twenty-year-old stepsister had the body that men chased after. “You did have the option to stay home, you know.”

Her eyes widened. “On a Saturday night?”

“Yeah, you know, get some popcorn, watch a movie and relax.”

She frowned. “If you don’t stop your grandma behavior, your va-jay-jay is going to shrivel up and die.”

The ghost chuckled.

His smooth laugh hit me like a cup of warm cocoa, causing my insides to melt. Nothing amused me. First off, Caley had been so wrong—maybe a little right—but I’d never admit to her accuracy aloud. Second, reacting in such a heated way to a ghost definitely didn’t hit my to-do list today.

“Excuse me.” I spoke not only to Caley, but also to the irritating ghost. “My va-jay-jay is just fine.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you’ve still got some spunk.” She stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Because we’ve got a double date tonight.”

“A what?” Dear God!

She grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, my dearest Grammy, we’re going out.”

“With who?”

“Two guys I met on Saturday night. You’re coming with me, either willingly or unwillingly, so suck up your hesitations, babe, because saying no isn’t an option.”

“But it’s a Monday night.” Not saying a date didn’t sound like fun. A month had passed since my last attempt at dating—which failed miserably—but a man Caley chose while drunk? No thanks. My sex life might have been as dead as the sexy ghost in front of me, but I’d still search for a way out. “I have to work tomorrow.”

She wagged her finger in classic Caley fashion. “You’re a grandma.”

Most times, I respected her persistent personality. She never backed down, always dreamed big and went for the gold, but her grit hadn’t been all rays of sunshine. Her determination made her annoyingly tenacious. I had to agree or she’d never give up, and getting her out of my office sounded all too good. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

“Oh, stop looking so pissy. We’ll have fun. Promise. I’ll come to your place at eight.” She opened the door, glanced over her shoulder and winked. “Leave the granny panties at home.”

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and they even give you a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments and a big bad villain who needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance eBooks bestseller lists.

Stacey welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at www.staceykennedy.com.

It’s Wicked Wednesday so I’m teasing you today with a little excerpt from my upcoming February release from Nocturne Cravings. NOCTURNAL WHISPERS is another erotic paranormal romance. It’s set in New York City, but the story begins long before that during an 1800s expedition to Egypt. Here is a little blurb about it:

For over a century, Lord Alec Wright has been condemned to wander the Earth searching for a mummy he stole from an Egyptian tomb. Cursed to see all his loved ones die, he also must endure the spirit that tortures him with unrelenting arousal every night until he atones for his crime.

After years of searching, Alec has finally found what he seeks—but museum curator Kate Morton stands his way. The mummy’s spirit is affecting her as well, driving her wild with desire. It is the perfect opportunity for Alec to seduce Kate and obtain the artifact. But in his quest to end his torment, will Alec wind up losing his heart?

Also for you this morning, an excerpt, but big warning, it’s for adults only!

If you are not over 18 or object to adult content, DO NOT PROCEED ANY FURTHER

In case you can’t see the excerpt below, you can cut and past this link:
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/77896155?access_key=key-weo9sowk2o2b574axao

Nocturnal Whispers Erotic Paranormal Romance Excerpt

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Look for a newsletter in the mail soon filling you in on all that’s happening in the coming months, including the release of my second erotic paranormal romance, NOCTURNAL WHISPERS. We’ll be having a release party come February 1 where you have a chance to win copies of AZTEC GOLD, THE FIFTH KINGDOM, a LOST T-shirt and a $25 gift card. I’ll post details on how to win on February 1 and in the newsletter.

Want to possibly have breakfast with me? I’ll be picking 5 lucky readers to have breakfast with me on March 17 as part of the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference. How can you enter? just e-mail your registration confirmation with the subject BKFST WITH CARIDAD to cpsromance at att dot net before February 1.

But wait there’s more good things happening at this conference for readers! If you register before February 1, you are automatically entered for a chance to win a Sony E-reader. In addition, Secret Cravings Publishing is donating a gift basket with a Kindle and assorted offerings from their publishing house. All registrants receive free raffle tickets for an assortment of gift baskets.

But wait, there is more! We have free books for all attendees from Avon, Grand Central Publishing and others. Plus, readers can take part in a number of genre panel discussions with bestselling authors such as Larissa Ione, Jonathan Maberry, and Virginia Kantra just to name a few and attend a wonderful welcome dessert reception at a very special Lady Jane’s Salon as well as a book fair and hot hors d’oeuvre and dancing at the end of conference party.

You must be thinking, what will all that cost me? How about $40? Yep, $40 for a fabulous one day reader’s event. If you’re a writer, take advantage of all of the above plus a wealth of writer-oriented panels and a luncheon with keynote speaker Larissa Ione. Cost for writers is $120 for non-members.

To register for the conference or get more details, please click here!

I have to confess that lately I’ve had a fascination with reddish-haired men. Maybe because sidekick and possible future hero Ryan from THE CLAIMED stole my heart.

The hero in NOCTURNAL WHISPERS is strawberry-blonde as well. I kind of pictured him like this guy here. Sexy if you ask me.

Then of course there is probably the most well-known ginger: Prince Harry. My daughter absolutely loves him and I must say, he is growing up nicely!

What about you? Do you like reddish-haired men?

Photo Credit: Photo: Billpolo@en.wikipedia.com
derivative work: Maximus0970@en.wikipedia.com