I apologize for the lack of posting. I have been busy the past few days, as I knew I would. Getting ready for school to start Monday and trying to keep cool in this horrid heat. Add in that I came up with an idea for a holiday Quickie for Ellora’s Cave–2 days before the synopsis is due–and working like mad to have a grasp on the story to get a proposal together. I hope they haven’t gotten this idea yet for the Merry Kinkmas stories. I have the story outlined, but no title. Ugh!

Think. Think. Think.

Yesterday evening I wrote on my Marine novel in a Moleskine, and then I was jotting down ideas for future projects. I have a trilogy of BDSM novellas I am planning for Ellora’s Cave, a novella for Imajinn for an anthology with MA DuBarry (contracted!), and Captain Mendoza’s story. I also have a series in the works with Samara King and an anthology with Annmarie, both paranormal.

Black Heart’s Bride got a title change to Black Heart’s Prize, which I totally love! I wanted to put out a new pirate book because of the upcoming POTC movie. New pirate movie+renewed interest in pirates=good time to have a pirate romance! Anyway, Captain Mendoza will meet his destined love, but there will be definite barriers… I’m taking a classic theme involving a pirate….no, I don’t think I will tell more. I’d originally intended it to be historical, but since Sea Hawk’s Mistress was paranormal, that will continue into BHP. I want to write an additional book to follow BHP…no title as of yet.

Honestly, the idea book is filling up fast. I may need to get a bigger book!

Had a productive day today. Went down to Tallahassee and wrote. I am happy with the scene so far. I love it when a scene comes together. The banter between my hero and heroine is fun to write. Honestly, I wonder if can keep up with them as they go at it with their Battle of Wills. (hint: she will lose…LOL!)

Two words: ONE WEEK. One week until the kids go back to school. Not sure if I will do the Snoopy dance or fall to my knees in the school courtyard and say “Thank you, God.” I have a few “end of summer break” activities to do with my kids this week, like shopping for new shoes, school supplies, etc. Joy. I am also taking them to the pool and another trip to Wild Adventures. We went to WA about every week this summer. The girls will remember it for the rest of their lives–the summer with mommy at Wild Adventures. *grin* I have several memories from the summer I will cherish…like when my one daughter met a boy…she claims “he picked her up”. He was an older man (11) and quite smitten. Very cute.

I hope things go smoother this year with the girls and their classes. I think they are ready to be separated. They’ve been together in their main class up until now. It is time. Also, I hope the little boy that made crude suggestions to them last year is NOT in their classes. Ever since I had to go to the principal about his inappropriate behavior, he’s tried to get them in trouble–because he got in trouble. Kids…

(I considered putting a picture from Braveheart on the post, but MG makes me ill.)

I wrote today… Tomorrow, I’m going to try and write more. I may do exactly what I did last week–take a shower, dress, and announce I am going out for the afternoon. I did go out a little while today with my mom. We had a talk…I had issues on my mind and I needed to bitch to someone…and I volunteered her. LOL

I decided not to go to Moonlight & Magnolias conference (Georgia RWA) this October. Finances are the reason…as in I ain’t got any to spare.

I really hope this economic nightmare ends soon. As it is I will be completing my nursing classes for my Florida license soon. I hope to find something in Tallahassee part time, like two 12 hr shifts at the hospital. (In nursing, that is typical…and better as 8 hours is never long enough to get everything done, especially on a busy weekday. Many times 8 hr shifts are actually longer as you have to stay to finish–or end up being asked to stay. I can’t do double shifts anymore.) There’s nothing here locally, and if there is, it doesn’t pay well. I also really can’t go full time. I am still needed at home for my kids. I just need to make some extra so we can get by. The same song every other American is trying to dance to these days.

Of course I will continue to write (despite some family lately telling me to give it up). I have a book in progress I believe in, and I am starting to get into it and enjoy it. I have some wonderful support from my friends and more immediate family. They all know how hard it has been for me over the past few years, mainly my struggle with clinical depression. Hard to write when you feel empty inside, completely hopeless, and utterly miserable. Some understand, and some don’t. Whatever. I’m not stopping writing because some had said it wasn’t worth my time… Or that I am going to work as a nurse.

I actually like nursing. I mean, I get a lot of satisfaction in nursing. I had my episodes where I called “codes”, running to the ER for a doctor to read a 12 lead EKG, pushing meds to alter someone’s heart rhythm or easing the pain, etc. Time flies when you got people to care for. Besides, there is ALWAYS a story going on…like the patient who wanders the halls naked and confused at 3am, the patient who begs for intervention with the doctor when they are bleeding out their butt uncontrollably, or when a patient is a prisoner and cuffed to the bed, etc.

No particular reason for the song other than I like it. (I feel fine, no worries.) I’m planning on doing some writing today as well as a little house cleaning. Kids being home for 2 months, and my house looks it. Can’t do much beyond basics, they mess it up faster than I can straighten. They go back to school the first week of August…and they will have a sad awakening when I go through their room and get rid of stuff.

I got my stuff from Lover’s Lane. Stuck some of it in the “Hot Love” basket for ACRA’s Writers Boot Camp in September.

I would like to encourage any Tallahassee (and the surrounding region) authors and readers to come to the FPHRW “Meet and Greet” on August 21st. [link]

Matchbox 20 – Unwell (music video)

its just me,paul | MySpace Video

I’m going out today with the kidlets to the water park. I am personally sick of the place, but it won’t be long until the kids are back in school.

While out I hope to write in a notebook. Bought a new Moleskin a few days ago at Books a Million. Got the Moleskine Volant notebook. Basically it is bigger than the pocket notebook and in a rainbow of colors. I got blue. I like it as I can clip a printed copy of the previous chapter to it. I need to update my ipod with some music. I have been writing to movie soundtracks, as usual. Right now I like Master & Commander, Charge of the Light Brigade, and 300. Not romantic, I know, but I don’t need it all soft and fluffy to write romance. In the book, it is more of a Battle of Wills *cough* Not that I would know anything about that.

Looks like I will presenting a few workshops in the upcoming months for the Ancient City Romance Writers in St. Augustine. I’ve been asked to present my workshop The Erotic Element in November at the Southeast Regional Library in Jacksonville, Florida, and Creating the Online Presence via Yahoo loop discussion. Check the link about for info about the RWA chapter and their meetings. I highly suggest the Writers Boot Camp in September. Multi published and  Award winning author, Patricia Potter, will presenting a workshop. Also Joyce Holland, an Associate Agent with Robert Diforio Literary Agency, will be taking pitches!

Don’t forget to watch Ghost Hunters International tonight at 9pm on SyFy. Tallahassee ghost hunter and ALPHA Ghost Team pal, Scott Tepperman, will be on! Last week was his debut. It was very cool. (Isn’t he a hot looking guy? It gets better, he is hysterical to talk to. The picture is from last July when we went to an event together. He got me a little buzzed… Oh come on, he’s the perfect gentleman. We had a great time.)

A few weeks ago I went to lunch with a few writers, and guess what, we were talking writing. Some of them wrote mainstream romance for years (one long time Harlequin author among them) and how they were turning to Christian/Inspirational romance. I asked why…out of curiosity. I had noticed quite a few authors I knew doing the same and I just assumed that they were 1) very religious, or 2) the market is hot. Neither were the answers to my question. They struggled writing sex scenes.

I find this incredible, especially today. I went out to write, but I wrote a mere paragraph. I sat and stared at the page before me and didn’t know where to go with it. Was it a sex scene? No. Quite frankly, if it was a sex scene, I wouldn’t be stuck as to what to write. This along with the disaster in Panama City back in March–trying to search my idea files in my head on the fly while talking to a Kensington Brava editor. Everything I had was way too hot for Brava. It was a hint. Mari, you write erotic, not sensual.

Being able to write a believable sex scene…I worked on doing that for years. I honed in on it, and now it comes easier than the rest. A lot easier. Unbelievable.

What am I going to do about that scene? I am going to plod through it. It may be crap, but I can always go back and rewrite it. The funny part is, it is the scene that leads into the following sex scene. LOL I am actually looking forward to that. I got a few ideas I want to use.

I walked the erotica shelves at the Books a Million, taking in possible inspiration for my lagging scene. (Should I mention they had all the Ellora’s Cave books from Pocket–EXCEPT Royal Bondage?) I didn’t get inspired, not that I didn’t pause to look through all the Aphrodisias they had out. (Yes, a few of yours were there, Dev.) I was looking at the HEAT books, etc. I didn’t buy anything though, I have several books at home still unread.(Why are there so many anthologies? Novels were definitely outnumbered.)

So here I am, at home with several books next to me to inspire me. What are they?

The Firefighter – Susan Lyons, PJ Mellor, Alyssa Brooks (Kensington Aphrodisia)

Single White Submissive – Madeline Oh, Jennifer Dunne, Dominique Adair (Ellora’s Cave)

Submission – Cherie Feather (Berkley HEAT)

Possession – Devyn Quinn (Kensington Aphrodisia)

and

Royal Bondage – Samantha Winston, Delilah Devlin & me (Ellora’s Cave/Pocket Books)

Not looking for sex scene inspiration, but just flipping through the books help me write other scenes too. I don’t know why.

I do like reading through Scorpion King again. I still can’t believe I wrote that. I remember cramming to get it written. I need to do that more often–the cramming to write. I do my best work when rushing to get done. (Edits were incredibly light for it.) Why, I don’t know. Not that I LIKE to rush…

Hmmm…been a while since posting an excerpt. Here’s some of Scorpion King, a quick sex scene.

She stretched her hand up to his face and traced his jaw with her fingertips. “I’m better now that you are here.”

For a moment, he hesitated. It was only a split second of internal struggle that reflected within his eyes before he captured her lips in a sudden kiss.

The tender meeting of lips quickly flamed to a hungry passion as they began to pull at each other’s clothes. Fabric ripped away from heated flesh then Naiya was naked and free to feel him against her. He was the only man she wanted in her bed. Never had a man excited her so quickly, so completely.

Doubts fled her mind and heart as his hands held her firmly to his body, and she sank into ecstasy as his hands molded her, studied her—consumed her.

She threaded her fingers through his hair, deepening their kiss, and a moan escaped his throat, low and primal. His tongue dove into her mouth, sliding along hers in a mating dance that was ancient and entirely instinctual. Her breasts pressing against his hard chest ached as his skin rubbed against her nipples. They hardened into ripe berries, throbbing for him to hold them in his hands and suckle their tight tips.

Suddenly he picked her up, his hands under her buttocks, and he backed them to a nearby wall. Her back against the cool surface was in stark contrast to the hot man pressing into her.

He kissed her hard, possessive and controlling. She liked it—and wanted more.

And then he lowered her over his cock, sliding up inside her in one thrust. She yelped as she took in his massive size deeply. She held on to his shoulders as he moved in and out, her back rocking against the wall for support. She wrapped her legs about him and he continued to guide her ride over his cock.

With each push into her channel the world swayed before her eyes. Colors seemed to mix together in a kaleidoscope across her vision. She entered a surreal place where there was no concept of anything but the joining of her body to Drake’s. There was nothing beyond the two of them.

His hands held her steady against the wall as his rhythm increased in tempo. His cock grew in size within her sheath and she moaned at the perfection of their fit. Her juices flowed and the sound of his cock diving through her wetness accompanied the slap of their skin with each push, with every plunge into her depths.

He broke the kiss and nestled his face against the crook of her neck. Like a vampire searching for his lover’s nourishment, he bit down as his climax overtook him.

The pain of his love bite was nothing compared to the glory of the orgasm that swept over her senses. Her vagina clenched his penis within her, and she screamed in delight as the hot spray of his cum shot against her cervix.

Her nether muscles tightened about him in rhythmic spasms as she rode out her first climax and straight into a second. This time, she felt every inch of his cock stab into her with every beat of her heart.