Sandy Sullivan ~ Romance Author

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-06:00

It's blog hop time! Yep, it's my turn to put up a post for Secret Cravings Publishing 1 year anniversary blog hop tour. We all know I write about cowboys. Gotta love 'em. Anyway, my blog is about a rodeo I went to and let me tell you, it was a very exciting and insightful experience. Let me tell you.

A lot of you may not know this, but the one I went to was technically my first real, sit down and watch, rodeo. I've seen tons on television, but I haven't been to a live one to simply watch the events. The whole experience was amazing.

The smell of livestock permeated the air. Dust clung to the seats, and floor. And the cowboys? All I can say is WOW!

I don't think I've seen that many cowboy butts in tight Wranglers, cowboy hats, dusty boots and sexy men in my life in one place. Well, maybe in Vegas during NFR (National Finals Rodeo). Vegas comes alive with cowboys during the huge event every December.

Anyway, the rodeo the other night started with a game for the kids. They came out of the woodwork to do what they called, "Gold Rush." I'm not really sure what it entailed except for a pile of hay on the ground and dozens of kids scrambling for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Then came the main events and of course, they held the bull riding to the end. The whole time I watched, I was mesmerized by the way the cowboys sat in the saddle—their concentration never broken by the crowd around them. Calf roping or bull dogging had to be one of my favorite events. Unfortunately, for my concentration, I now have a calf roping cowboy sitting on the edge of my desk, tapping his spur against the side, waiting for me to write his story. By the way, he already has a name. Corey Middleton and he's twenty-six, dark-haired, dark-eyed, nice chest, six-pack abs… um where was I?

I did enjoy the bull riding though, too. I just didn't get a close up look at the event since we sat too far away. Next time, I'm gonna be on the rail. I had a serious temptation to ask a couple of those cowboys to unbutton their shirt, let it hang and give me a sexy look while I took their picture. Alas, my twenty-year-old daughter, refused to let me.

I did learn about a new event for the ladies other than barrel riding. Breakaway calf roping is one of the newer events. The ladies have to rope the calf, just like the men do, but when the rope goes taut, it breaks away from the saddle, thus the name. I had to look it up and I'm sure one of my heroines will be using it. *cheeky grin*

Well, that's it for my blog post. I am giving away something special for one lucky commentee to my blog post. Not only will your name be in the running for the Kindle Fire, but one person will be drawn to receive...............

One month subscription to the Cravings Club. If you don't know what that is, it's a new ebook club with Secret Cravings Publishing. You can find out more at http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=10. It's a $10 value and if you decide not to continue the club after your free month, all you have to do is cancel.

Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win and thank you for stopping by my blog on the tour.

~ Sandy

2011-12-23T19:33:00.001-06:00

Get my brand new cowboy cougar story, Taming the Cougar absolutely free when you join the Cravings Club at Secret Cravings Publishing.

See more information at: Secret Cravings Publishing Cravings Club

~ Sandy

2011-07-01T19:21:00.002-05:00

John Wayne and the ultimate hero!

I know many of you out there absolutely loved the old westerns. John Wayne, Matt Dillion and so many more gave us hours and hours of entertainment. Shoot 'em up type westerns, the hero saves the heroine, saves the ranch, saves the town--you know what I mean. I loved watching the old westerns on Sunday afternoon with my dad. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The Durango Kid. Gene Autry. Those were the real men. They loved the ladies, their horse and their piece of land and not necessarily in that order. Crafting the perfect cowboy hero is my goal.

One of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Colorado many years ago, was an old ghost town they transported building by building to a new location. It was so cool to be able to look at the small shack and imagine myself as the heroine and a sexy, rugged, cowboy would ride in and save me from my life of dispair because my parents had died and left me alone. (Yes, I have a good imagination. It's important since I write romance and mostly cowboy romance.) Or being a dance hall girl so misunderstood. I might have had to work in the saloon for one reason or another, but always dreamed of being taken from that life by a handsome cowboy.

Our modern day lives leave us very little time to drift away into the land of day dreams so we must grasp onto those small times when we can lose ourselves in a story crafted by an author with a special gift. The special gift is being able to weave a story so involved and so good, we have to keep reading and keep reading until the book is finished no matter what time of the night it is.

A wonderful hero has to be sexy, good-hearted, loyal, can only love the one special woman in his life and a great lover. The heroine must be gorgeous (at least in the eyes of the hero), kind, loving, understanding and loves the hero unconditionally. With divorce rates at all time highs, we need to find a little bit of our hero or heroine in the person we've chosen to live our lives with. Take the time to explore new things together whether it be a new television show, a new landmark you've found or even a new way to stroke or touch your special person.

Take a moment to drift into a daydream whether it be your lunch break, right after dinner or right before bed. We all need to dream.

~ Sandy

2011-05-31T12:16:00.002-05:00

I'll be heading to Ohio on Thursday for Lori Foster's Get Together in West Chester. If you live in the area or will be around there, stop in and say hi! Saturday's bookfair is open to the public.

~ Sandy

2011-05-22T11:18:00.003-05:00

Get your copy today! Before The Night Is Over (Montana Cowboys 2) is now available! Find yours at Secret Cravings Publishing, Amazon, B&N, Bookstrand and ARe.

~ Sandy

2011-04-03T13:37:00.002-05:00

SQUUEEEE!

Love Me Once, Love Me Twice (Montana Cowboys 1) is now available in print! You can buy it on the publishers website at www.secretcravingspublishing.com/SandySullivan.html or at Amazon!

Also, I had to let you all know, I got a fabulous 4 star review from a tough Amazon critic, Bennet Pomerantz for Gotta Love A Cowboy! You can see it on the Amazon page for the book.

~ Sandy

2011-03-12T09:46:00.002-06:00

ATTENTION COWBOY LOVERS!

Get my hot cowboy menage, Love Me Once, Love Me Twice (Montana Cowboys 1) for the incredible low price of $.99! This weekend only at my publishers website!

2011-03-06T12:39:00.000-06:00

Good afternoon ladies and gents,

I know I don't blog on her near like I should, but with everything going on, I can't seem to find the time to pee, much less keep up with the daily duties of being an author.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all know my newest cowboy story will be released on 3/16/11 with Secret Cravings Publishing.

I love this cover! Of course, the incredible Jimmy Thomas on the cover, you can't go wrong.

You can read the blurb at excerpts at www.secretcravingspublishing.com/SandySullivan.html

If you aren't on my newsletter list, you can go to my website at http://www.romancestorytime.com/ and be added on any page. It goes out once a month and gives you a glimpse into my life, my writing and what's coming up.

Thanks to all of you for being fans and I hope you continue to love what you read.

~ Sandy

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

One Enchanted Evening

That’s what begins it all in The Yearning, my just-released erotic paranormal romance. The stakes are high for Jasmine and get even higher for Mike, a stranger she meets at a club. Together, they’re in for the ride of their lives, including passion, danger, and a love like nothing they’ve known.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt to show you what I mean:

BLURB:

To break this curse, they’ll have to turn the heat up. Way up.

Jasmine Dante prowls Key West’s nightlife, fighting a losing battle against a jealous rival’s curse that forces her to seek carnal pleasure, no matter the danger. Weakened from lack of sleep, driven by insatiable lust, she spots a man who stirs her desperate craving, and begins yet another dance of seduction.

Except the dark stranger who returns her direct stare is no ordinary lover. Inside his powerful body lies a raw sexuality that just might be enough to break her curse. There’s only one way to find out: imprison him in her bed and feed on his passion.

Former U.S. Marshal Mike Stearn is many things, but he’s no woman’s sex slave. The deadly telekinetic power he ruthlessly suppresses comes alive again at Jasmine’s touch. Beneath her bold, potent sensuality he senses vulnerability and desperation. He may be in handcuffs, but she’s the one who’s enslaved.

As Mike resurrects his power to free himself so he can find the curse’s source and defeat it, Jasmine revels in his masterful rule. Her ravenous yearning evolves into rapture as she surrenders to his hunger, her darkest needs—and the emotional connection that lies beyond. Unless the curse takes her life first…

Warning: Tons of steamy sex, smoldering passion and a to-die-for love story with a hot Alpha hero who finds himself imprisoned by one sultry and desperate babe.

EXCERPT:

Holding her gaze, his eyes searched. “What’s your name?”
Although it shouldn’t have, the question rattled her. She struggled to remember the fake one she and her sisters had concocted, but all her mind gave up were generic and unbelievable choices like Jane Doe or Mary Smith. Flustered and having to say something, she offered her own. “Jasmine Dante.” She transferred the bottle to her left hand and put out her right. “And you are?”
“Happy to make your acquaintance, Jasmine.” His large hand covered and warmed hers.
A roguish grin crinkled his eyes, mellowing his features.
She liked his effortless confidence and calm strength. It awakened memories of how her father had behaved with her mother. His long fingers squeezed gently. The small intimacy reached her soul, leaving her breathless and lighthearted. “So do you go by Happy or do you prefer the more formal Make Your Acquaintance?”
He chuckled and released her hand. “Call me Mike.”
“Ah, a nickname. I like that, Mike…?” She deliberately made it a question and sipped a bit of the brew, giving him time to add his last name and more.
Still regarding her, he did not.
Faster than she wanted, her pulse quickened. Unease seeped through her previous comfort. Travis had also offered little, only that he owned a body-piercing shop. He certainly hadn’t confided his violent past. No matter her attraction to Mike or her cruel need, Jasmine couldn’t take another gamble on her safety.
Seconds passed as she searched for the right questions to ask to learn as much as she could about him. Perfumed flesh and the smell of beer thickened the air. Animated chatter created a din near the tables. Someone laughed too loud. A woman squealed girlishly. Jasmine handed him the bottle. “Are you a musician?”
He enjoyed a sip and shook his head. “Never came close, not even in high school when it’s more or less required to be considered cool.” He appeared amused. “Why would you think I played?”
“You seemed very interested in the band. Is that why you’re here tonight?”
“I like their sound. What brings you here?”
“I thought going out tonight might be fun.”
A deeper smile tugged the corners of his rich mouth. “It might be. So, tell me about yourself, Jasmine.”
Again, he’d taken command of the conversation. Could he be a cop? He acted like one, never really answering a question. But what about his long hair? Cops didn’t look like that, not even on TV, unless they went undercover in vice. Thoughts racing, she put her forearm on her thigh and leaned nearer to him. “You first. I insist.”
“Why?” His gaze dipped to her breasts, then inched back up. “I’m not half as interesting as you.”
“Let me be the judge. Please.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Confusion? Fascination? At last, he put the bottle on the bar. “My name’s Mike Stearn. I spend my days in front of a computer.”
Jasmine tried not to show her surprise. Of all the occupations she might have given him, none would have called for full-time use of a PC. He certainly didn’t look like a programmer or an Xbox junkie. She hazarded a guess. “You’re a novelist?”
He laughed, an easy, rumbling sound. “I swear I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”
Briefly, she smiled. “Then that only leaves hacker. You’re a computer bad boy?”
As his laughter wound down, his broad shoulders relaxed. Resting his arm on the bar, he considered her. “Hardly. I’m an outside consultant for various federal and state agencies.”
Law enforcement? Had she been correct in her earlier assessment? Her throat tightened. Not wanting to grill him too obviously, she joked, “Please tell me the IRS isn’t included in your work.”
“You cheat on your taxes, Jasmine?”
She gave herself to men she didn’t know to relieve her oppressive hunger, putting herself in danger. Tonight’s plan was supposed to end that. “No—but if you could divulge a few tips on how I might get away with it, I’d be forever in your debt.”

As Jasmine’s plan unfolds, Mike realizes it’s something he never anticipated…and that it will forever change their lives.

The Yearning is available now!!!!

Buy Link: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/the-yearning-p-6248.html

Email: tina@tinadonahue.com
Website/blog: www.tinadonahue.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000458023097

To celebrate the release of The Yearning, I’m offering a contest today. One lucky commenter will have her choice of one of my following books**:

1. Lush Velvet Nights – ebook
2. Adored – ebook
3. Deep, Dark, Delicious – ebook
4. In His Arms – ebook
5. Bad Boys with Red Roses – trade paperback
6. Take My Breath Away – trade paperback

** Winner chosen at random. Winner in continental US has her choice of one of the six. Winner outside continental US has her choice of one of the ebooks

2011-01-04T08:30:00.002-06:00

Wow! I haven't posted on here for quite a while. I guess I should.

Check out RomanceBooksRUS blog today for my input on writers conferences at http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com/.

My newest cowboy story called Love Me Once, Love Me Twice (Montana Cowboys 1) is now available from Secret Cravings Publishing! Check it out at www.secretcravingspublishing.com/OurBooks.html. You'll fall in love with Cade and Kale and the small town of Red Rock Montana.

Give it a try!

~ Sandy

P.S. I'll link the cover on here for easy access.

2010-12-01T08:27:00.004-06:00

Please help me welcome XOXO Publishing author, Vivi Pruitt!

What inspires your poetry?
Life inspires me. Translating my experiences, especially the meditative ones, was challenging to me. It’s difficult to put something into words that is beyond words. I’ve always been clever and witty, a gift from the advertising career I had in the past. But my perceptions of reality coupled with a lot of meditative experience and my love for minimalism, rhyming couplets and poetic verse all came together. Beautiful experiences create beautiful poetry.

How long does it take you to write a novel from start to finish?
I usually allow one to two years to complete a book. Publishing takes at least 6 months. “Night Light” was written before “Divine”, if you want to know the linear time. My new book, “VIVIJI”, was written in less than a year. Lots of inspiration.

Do you have a demanding muse?
I want my muse to be satisfied. Gifts of love are always a pleasure. My challenge was typing, and compilation of the manuscript to satisfy my publisher, which created a few nail biting nights.

What do you hope every reader gets from a Vivi Pruitt novel?
Enlightening perspective!

What does your work space look like?
When I began writing these two books, I had just moved into a new log cabin in the mountains. I was living in a small town and needed space, so a move to the outskirts into the mountains seemed a smart one. I loved creating a beautiful environment, very spiritually uplifting, so I decorated with gold and statues, pictures of Krishna, Buddha, mirrors and prisms and crystals to create rainbows, really like a temple or shrine. And I began settling in, and meditating. It was a wonderful place to write these two books. Surrounded by nature, I had incredible views of mountains, and storms followed by rainbows. It was a very spiritual place. I even had a vegetable garden. It seemed many times like I was in a boat. I’ve visited many log cabins, but I had never lived in one until then. To make a long story short, I wrote the books and moved.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Contact XOXO Publishing!

What qualities should every hero have?
To be the example. Every hero should be the model and inspire the reader to be like him, in my opinion.

What qualities should be in the heroine?
A heroine should make you feel excitement! The eternal honeymoon of life, bursting at the seams with all the pleasures.

What would you like to ask our readers?
Can you read so slowly that the spaces between the words in my books of poetry allow you to experience silence and stillness, and perhaps meditate?
vivipruitt@aol.com
ebook exclusives available from Xoxopublishing.com

An excerpt from Night Light by Vivi Pruitt

When true loves kiss awakens me
Within my soul divinity.
A holy union in my heart
Reflected in the sacred art.
The magic of a fantasy
A gift of love so heavenly.

Within the one the many hides
A face of love with many sides.
Divine the father holy ghost
Divine the mother sacred host
Divine the child within the womb
Eternally the roses bloom.

Unto this world my mind I give
The breath of life these days to live
The angels fall before me now
Her grace behold a humble bow.
The magic chord a golden key
Behold the light her majesty.

A song of love the memory
Sweet melody a symphony.
Two disappear remaining one
To light the way the moon the sun.
Around my head halo of stars
Sweet unity the world is ours.

Upon the altar in my mind
The sacred cross for thee to find
The light of love surrounds me now
Filling my heart astound me now.
The sacred union in my soul
The one and only makes me whole.

In silence beating hearts so still.
This emptiness for Thee to fill
On angel wings so red the rose
Into my ears whisper propose.
The master’s hand and heart to steal
Angel asleep the kiss the seal.

When true love’s kiss awakens me
Within my heart divinity
A curtain opens in the night
The light of love still burning bright.

Behind the veil dark shadows lie
I raise my hands up to the sky
Into this world Awaken me!
My love shall not forsaken me.

Around me now arms open wide
Astound me now nowhere to hide
Abound me now beyond compare
Surround me now with riches rare.

One final note my gift to you
May all your hopes and dreams come true.

2010-11-27T12:43:00.001-06:00

Hot Summer Love (Cowboy Style 1) is up for LASR Book of the Week!

I would appreciate your vote at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/index.htm

Thanks folks!

~ Sandy

2010-11-15T08:00:00.002-06:00

Please help me welcome XOXO Publishing author Brandi Quick!

I’m Brandi Quick and I write Romance novels for www.XoXoPublishing.com. I don’t write just Romance novels, but Hot Erotic Romance novels that are steamy—very steamy. There is a difference between porn and erotic Romance novels. I do not write porn. However, when my hero and heroine close the bedroom door, I do not cut to the ocean crashing against the rocks. I want my readers to feel his touch, to smell his erotic essence. If I don’t feel his lips on mine and on my body, I rewrite the scene.

A recent novel is The Best Man.

Jerry Tidwell and Doug James have been best friends since grade school. They did everything together until Jerry met Sherri. Sherri is jealous of their relationship and slowly cuts Jerry off from Doug, despite her Attraction to Doug. She is not in favor of Doug being Jerry's best man at their wedding but goes along with Jerry's wishes. Over time, she manages to stop all their activities together except their Saturday morning run and breakfast. The first Saturday after Jerry and Sherri return from their honeymoon, Doug gets his revenge on her – or at least, that's what he thinks.

The Best Man can be purchased at the XoXo Publishing on line store.

http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

~ Interview ~

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?
Female or male? Male, would be Frank Lightfoot from Murder on Marsh Island. He’s a quarter Upper Creek Native American who becomes the sheriff of a small county in South Georgia. Why? I’m part Native American and I love the relationship that develops between him and his girlfriend, Nancy Tillman. Female, would be Linda Lopez form the same book. She is what every girl wants to grow up to be – her own woman, self-reliant, and beautiful. After retiring early from the army she joins the sheriff’s department and soon advances to Chief Deputy Sheriff. They are strong characters, and a lot of myself went into both. The book isn’t out yet –manuscript is done, but I’m still doing some editing.

When did you start writing?
Bring an only child I have always made up stories to have something to do. It became serious a few years ago when we were sunning by the pool and the love-of-my-life was reading an erotic romance and laughing. I said, “What?” Handing me the book, she said, “Read this. Is this possible?” It was a scene with three large men and a female Amazon in bed. Now, I didn’t question the number of participants, but that was a lot of action and weight on a double bed!
The next thing I heard was, “I’ve read your writing you can write better than that,” and I did. I must say it was better.

What made you write your book and why?
Most of my writing is from my experiences in my life and of my friends -- thus why I use a pseudonym. This particular story –The Best Man – came from me sitting in a bar and over hearing a conversation next to me. We’ve all had that happen. Some people are just too loud. One of the guys was telling the other how he had sex with his like long friend’s bride and she didn’t even know it. Now I ask you, have you ever had sex and not known it?? I thought about that for weeks until I came up with a reason. I won’t tell you the reason for that would give away the ending! Let’s just say when it comes to women, men do stupid things.

Who is your inspiration?
My best friend and soul mate. It’s nice to have an English major and accountant in house, so to speak.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?
Jubilation . Opened a bottle of champagne!

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?
The Coming of Kate. It’s deals with the life of a college football player destined to become an NFL Star. After graduation he comes home and falls in love with his fifth grade teacher.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?
No. Don’t laugh, but I write lounging in my oversized recliner. I have my lap desk with my computer on it and I sit in front of a big-screen TV. There is a table to each side - a phone and coffee on one, research material and, of course, the remote on the other. I just cannot write sitting at a desk!

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?
Write about what you know. I have heard that all my writing career with no explanation. Well, here is mine. Most people had a roommate sometime – college or somewhere along the way. When you write, if you use your memories of these times in your stories, it will add realism. Use the apartment you had when you were twenty as background, then put a lover in it, whether you had one there or not. The description of the apartment adds to the story. When he swoops you up in his arms and takes you to the bedroom – describe your old bedroom.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?
Now this is something I am still learning myself. Look for someone who knows what they are doing and emulate them. Hey – Sandy Sullivan comes to mind. Watch what she and others do. How they promote your books on the loops and blogs.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?
Why am I doing this instead of watching the Georgia Tech game? The answer is sample I love writing.

Thanks for stopping by, Brandi!

~ Sandy

2010-11-08T08:12:00.003-06:00

It's Party Time!

That's right! Cyber Launch Party for Hot Summer Love (Cowboy Style 1) at http://www.cyberlaunchparty.blogspot.com/

One lucky commenter will receive their very own autographed print copy of Wild Wyoming Nights!

Check it out and leave a comment today!

See you there.

~ Sandy

2010-11-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Please help me welcome XOXO Publishing Author Vikram E. Diwan to my blog.

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?
I am a neurotic person with a mind that has thousands of thoughts flashing at lightning speed. I delay work until the story-demons trouble me and then I work like a man possessed.

When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was twenty years old. Since I could not find the story with which I could entertain myself; I had to write it to please myself.

What made you write your book and why?
X-Files in British India – that is how I look upon the series that I plan to write with the main characters of my debut story ‘The Snake Princess’, which is part of the Tattoo Anthology Vol.1. It was just by chance that I found out XOXO publishers and decided to send my entry for their Tattoo anthology. Their acceptance came as a pleasant surprise to me.

Who is your inspiriation?
Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and George Orwell, to name only a few.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?
Mu first reaction was disbelief, followed by a tremendous uplifting. It was also deliverance. I could finally identify myself as an author and not a crazy person doing crazy things that no one in the world cared about except him. For that I shall always be grateful to Gina and you, Ms. Sandy.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?
Many things actually; the love story of Hitler’s sculptor with a married Jewish woman in War time Berlin, entitled ‘The Neighbor’s Wife’. Then there is ‘The Return of Mr. Jim Brown’, which is a story about a man who is not willing to die and comes back from the grave to fulfill his desires.
I am also working on ‘The Hippie Guru’; which is about an Indian Guru in the 1970’s, who sets up his commune in America and attracts thousands of disciples and is considered the most dangerous man alive. The story has everything - drugs, free sex, spirituality with gun running, FBI - as the Eastern wisdom clashes head on with the highest centers of political and religious powers of the west.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?
Both Indian film music and Western classical. But the funny thing is that once I am deep into writing, I am unable to hear any sound. It is akin to meditation or being in some other world or state of being.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?
I do not believe I am qualified for that, being a beginner myself. Still, I would say don’t give up on your dreams and do not lose hope. The night is darkest just before dawn. Just keep writing, re-writing, editing, re-editing, polishing your work and honing your skills, above all read as much as you can.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?
Again a question that should be asked to veterans like you; and not to a new kid on the block. I try to promote me and my work, as I want readers to give me at least one chance, and make their judgment only after reading me. Promotion is a means for that end and not any personal hunger for fame.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?
Oh! Always thinking about my stories. I wish I was in the mountains, writing day in and day night; amazing the world with my stories.

Thank you for participating. Please write your blurb including http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online and include your website link or social network.
Blurb of THE SNAKE PRINCESS (published by XOXO in TATOO anthology Vol. 1)

The mysterious tattoo of a snake mermaid on her body takes an English woman to the nineteenth century British India. The land of Thugs, Fakirs, Snake worshipers, Rajahs (Kings) and thick jungles holds the key to her future and past.

Can a soul be reborn to fulfill its unfinished task? A fantastic roller-costar ride of adventure, danger and daring with an unbelievable climax!

Excerpt

“It is magnificent!” said Liz as they reached the ancient shrine of the snake god Seeshnaga after a long and arduous journey through the jungle.
The place was hardly isolated as she had mistakenly imagined, neither was the ground covered with crawling reptiles as she had feared. The shrine was a place of pilgrimage and over time a shanty town had developed around it. A stairway with a crowded bazaar on both sides led to the main shrine complex, lined with cheap lodges for pilgrims, priests and Sadhus (Hindu ascetics).

Passing mules, monkeys, cows, beggars, pilgrims and numerous touts selling rooms or vendors selling prasadam (offerings of sweets, milk and flowers) they reached the enclosed court-yard of the shrine. Liz could feel the rocky surface, sticky with the milk spilled over the centuries beneath her feet an overpowering ordour of marigold flowers and oil being fried to cook food for the pilgrims in the bazaar.

**************************

“Did not knew that I would live to see this day in my life. The ancient promise had been fulfilled. The princess has come back. Here, see this,” he said showing her an old book of worn out plant leaves with ancient scripture unwrapped from a red linen cloth that was taken out from a gold rectangular box. “This was written 500 years ago and it is passed to each head-priest by his predecessor.

Liz saw the drawing of her tattoo; but the real shock came when saw her own image, she was dressed in the picture wearing garlands and leaves and sitting on a throne. How was this possible? But before she could question the priest, the dead body of his young assistant she had met earlier in the day fell before them and all hell broke loose. A gang of sword wielding men dressed in turbans, whose open cloth covered their faces grabbed the head-priest and hit the head of the white woman with the handle of the sword making her lose consciousness.

Buy link: http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=84
The Tattoo Series - Volume 1 [E-Book] - $3.95 : XOXO Publishing™ Shop Online, Books, E-Books
xoxopublishing.com
XOXO Publishing™ Shop Online The Tattoo Series - Volume 1 [E-Book] - 978-1-897521-49-6 Click here to read an excerpt.

Blogspot for my latest updates:- http://vickramediwan.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for visiting Vikram. You can check out his stories on www.xoxopublishing.com.

2010-11-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Please help me welcome fellow author Mary Eason to my blog!

Book Title: In The Arms Of A Stranger
Release Date: September 24, 2010
Authors: Mary Eason
Author websites: www.maryeason.com
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Buy Link: http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/maryeasonbooks.html#INTHEARMSOFASTRANGER
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb: Everything Kate Bradshaw believed to be real about her marriage to her husband Alex slowly slipped away from her as the newspaper reports explained the sordid truth in black and white. Their marriage and Alex's seduction had been nothing more than a lie, a means of accomplishing one thing--Alex's revenge against the man he believed responsible for killing his one true love--Kate's own father.

Welcome Mary Eason, I hear you have a new book coming out soon?
Yes, in fact, In The Arms Of A Stranger is out now at New Concepts Publishing. It released, September 24th.
Tell me about the heart of your story, "In The Arms Of A Stranger".
In The Arms Of A Stranger is about two people who have been hurt in the past and are afraid to trust in love again. Kate Alexander fell in love with the wrong man when she was in college and since then, she's been on a self-imposed exile from men. Meeting Alex Bradshaw for the first time, Kate believes Alex is too good to be true. By the time, Alex asks her to marry him she's crazy in love and completely unaware of the secrets her husband possesses.
Alex Bradshaw is a man set on revenge. Kate Alexander is the woman who can help him accomplish this plan. But, what Alex hadn't planned on was falling in love with Kate. Now, Alex has to convince Kate that his feelings for her are real and not just part of his plan for revenge before he loses Kate forever.

What is your darkest moment in the novel without giving too much away?
The darkest moment occurs when Kate finally realizes she's been wrong about Alex all along. She's afraid that realization may have come too late and that Alex might have finally given up on making their marriage work.

Why do you write and when did you start?
I started writing as a pre-teen. It was a little after I first started reading romance novels. I loved everything about them. Soon, I wrote my first romance novel, filled with the usual clichés, but I was hooked from that moment on.
What is your process when you write a novel?
I usually start with an idea. It might come to me from something I've seen on TV, read about, or even in a dream, (as crazy as that sounds, I've created lots of stories from dreams). With the premise in mind, I take a few days to let the story develop in my head before putting it down on paper. It never fails, the end result, is nothing like what I believed it would be when I started the story.
What do you want your readers to pull away from your story?
I want my readers to be emotionally satisfied when they read those final words of my story. I believe a romance novel should be like a rollercoaster ride. Crazy, exciting, a thrill ride of emotion. And when it's over, it should leave you with a smile.
Is there someone in your immediate family or a friend that reads your material as you write? A sounding board?
Nope, I'm kinda a lone wolf when it comes to writing. I prefer to work alone.

What is a really romantic evening for you? Sitting outside watching the stars at night with my hubby. And when its cold out, snuggled together in a blanket with a sky full of stars.

If there were one word to describe you, what would it be? Sentimental. I'm a very sentimental person. I find, as I get older, that increases.

Tell us about your next project.
I love romantic suspense stories. Both reading and writing them. I'm about halfway through my next romantic suspense novel that is about a woman who is given the heart of a former spy and with that heart, comes the spy's memories of her murder and of the man she loves.

Thank you for stopping by we hope to see you again and wish you great success! Anything else you want to tell your readers today?
Only that readers can check out my latest work as well as learn about my latest contest on my website. I'm giving away an e-book copy of In The Arms Of A Stranger there this month. So, stop by and check it out: www.maryeason.com

Thanks so much for letting me drop in this week.

Mary Eason
www.maryeason.com
www.maryeason.blogspot.com

Excerpt from In The Arms Of A Stranger:
Kate was feeling more than a little tipsy, but not enough to face the empty bedroom alone. She finished off the third pitcher. It was such a beautiful night. Kate added more wood to the fire and made another batch of drinks.
To hell with Alex Bradshaw and his stupid plans for revenge. Maybe she’d do a little revenge of her own. Find someone close to him and then sleep with him, making sure Alex found out of course.
Kate lay back against the cushion of the double lounger and smiled to herself. The more she thought about it, the better she liked her plan. One of his coworkers or a close friend would do nicely. Maybe she’d arrange it so Alex caught them in the act. That would certainly teach him a thing or two.
She closed her eyes and settled into the fantasy. But it wasn’t some nameless stranger who appeared before her. Alex filled her with a need for fulfillment she hadn’t known existed before him.
Kate imagined his lips against her skin and moaned softly. Her hand drifted to her breast, stroking it before moving lower, down to the juncture of her legs. God, she wanted him. How could she still want to be with someone who hurt her so badly?
Her free hand moved to the buttons on her shirt. What did it hurt, here in the darkness, to admit the truth? She loved him; she wanted him. She would never let him hurt her again.
The buttons slipped free, first one, then two, then all of them. She hadn’t bothered with a bra. It was just her and Ronnie. The coolness of the night touched her bare skin. Kate shivered and caressed her nipple the way Alex did, feeling it harden beneath her touch. Her breath caught in a sigh as her fingers rubbed the spot he’d once stroked to make her his slave. It didn’t take long before she was writhing in pleasure, remembering the way it felt to have his body joined with hers. Kate cried out in pleasure before collapsing against the cushions once more, weak and unfulfilled.
She was crying. She’d cried each time they made love. Kate drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the physical release and the alcohol, wanting only to forget she’d ever let him touch her at all.
A tiny little whimper escaped as his lips caressed the rosy peak of her breast. She was dreaming. She must be. Alex was thousands of miles away in Texas. And yet he felt so real.
The minute his lips touched hers Kate knew this was no dream. He was real and he was here in Colorado touching her? She opened her eyes and met the raw desire in his. How long had he watched her before? Kate tried to push him away, but he didn’t move. His lips moving across hers, his fingers stroked her breast where his lips once caressed. Her traitorous body responded to him with abandon.
She stopped resisting for the moment. His hold loosened at her surrender. Alex’s hands slipped over her body slowly, touching all of her, reaching past her anger and hurt. Kate trembled all over in response.
“I liked watching you touch yourself. You are incredibly sexy to watch. Even more sexy to touch.” Her breath caught at those words.
“No.” Kate was mortified he’d seen her weakness.
Shh,” he whispered into her mouth, leaning closer so their bodies touched. The friction of his sweater against her bare flesh was thrilling. She shuddered and moved closer.
“No Alex, no. You shouldn’t be here. Go away.” Her words died against his lips. He smiled at her surrender.
Alex stopped kissing her for the moment and watched her struggle with disappointment.
“I came for you, Kate. You won’t talk to me over the phone. I didn’t have any other choice. You won’t listen to me.”
“No.” She tried to push him away, but he didn’t let her go. He continued caressing her, until she moaned again and arched closer to his touch.
“Kate, we need to talk. Surely, you see that. Things can’t go on like this.” His words were like a cold rush of air against her heated skin.
“Things aren’t going on like this at all. I told you, it’s over. I don’t trust you anymore. I’m getting the marriage annulled,” she whispered and then gasped as his hands tightened around her and he hauled her up into his arms and carried her to her bed.
“You’ll never get this marriage annulled,” Alex told her before he lowered her slowly back against the bed, his lips meeting hers, matching the need growing inside of her. Since she’d left him in Austin without any hope.
“Then I’ll get a divorce. Face it, Alex, this marriage is over.” Her body was already responding to his familiar touch. With each stroke, his hands and his lips showered her with love.
“There won’t be any divorce either,” he said against her lips as his hands continued to work magic.
“Deny you want this as much as I do?” he challenged. She couldn’t. She stopped trying.
“Please, Alex. Please, I can’t wait,” she said, begging him to enter her. But he took his time. He let her body relax while bringing her closer. Alex gripped her chin and forced her to look at him.
“Kate, I know you love me, and I know you’re hurting,” he began, but she didn’t want to hear what was coming next. She could never trust anything Alex told her again.
“You don’t know anything. You certainly don’t know how I feel. You don’t know anything about me, and clearly, I don’t know anything about you either.”
“Yes, you do. You know I love you. You know I’d never hurt you.”
Kate started to laugh, but her laughter quickly died away into a soft little moan when Alex shifted her body further beneath his. His rolled over on his side, his hand sliding slowly down her body to her thigh and then up to stroke the soft curls. He cupped her, his fingers teasing her until she whimpered softly against his lips. He slipped one finger, followed by another inside her body, exploring her innermost warmth, caressing until Kate’s body exploded from his skillful touch.
He smiled into her eyes, wide with surprise and pleasure. “This seems to be the only way I can get you to listen to me. Not that I’m complaining—I love touching you like this.”
His words both thrilled and filled her with shame at the same time. Why couldn’t she resist him? This was just a game to him. He wanted to have sex with her. It hadn’t been anything more than a physical attraction for him. She loved him. He’d lied to her.
His fingers continued to stroke her. “I admit I went to the bookstore that night to follow through with my plans of hurting your father, Kate. But after I met you, after I got to know you—after we made love—I knew it was over. I couldn’t do it.” Kate tried to look away, but his eyes held hers. “Do you believe me?”
“No! You’re lying, Alex, no...” Kate’s voice died into a whimper as Alex’s lips moved across hers before trailing kisses down her throat to her breasts. Bringing each nipple to arousal. She sucked in a ragged breath, bringing his eyes back to hers. Alex was smiling. He’d seen her expression before, a hundred times no doubt.
Stop him before it’s too late. Before you lose yourself to him forever.
But she didn’t want to stop Alex or herself. Alex’s gaze came back to hers once more. There were questions in them. Kate couldn’t answer them. She closed her eyes and let him remove the last of her clothes. His touch held remnants of his anger. He was still angry, but he wanted her more.
Alex undressed and took her back into his arms. He moved between her legs and thrust inside of her. Kate cried out his name with each stroke. He plunged deeper, harder, faster. Tension mingled with the pleasure forming within her. She tried to hold onto it a moment longer, but it shattered and then spiraled out of control.
Alex captured her cries against his mouth. His body grew tense as he continued to fill her. Her name coming from his lips sounded like a hoarse cry. Alex continued to drive deep into her, his body crashing against hers for a moment longer until his own powerful release sent her body convulsing out of control along with his.
His body collapsed against hers, their breathing coming in ragged gasps, filling the silent room. Reluctantly, Alex untangled himself from her and rolled over on his side, gathering her close.
* * * *
What was wrong with him? He’d come here tonight to talk to her—not make love.
He needed to make her listen instead; seeing her pleasure had been his undoing. He wanted her too much not to take her.
“Are you okay?” Alex forced the words out. Kate heaved a shuddering sigh and tried to push him away. He had no intention of letting her go. His body responded against hers.
This was so wrong. He knew in every part of his being, he was going to regret touching Kate like this for the rest of his life.
But that didn’t ease the need. His body swelled inside of hers once more, quickly filling her. She whimpered softly, pulling his mouth down to hers. Kate might not have expected the outcome of tonight, but she was certainly ready for him. He killed what was left of his conscience the second her lips met his.
She was warm and sexy—eager for him. He began to move inside of her once more. He wanted this to last all night, or at least until she came to her senses. She responded immediately. Her body rose to meet his, thrust for thrust. Her legs slipped around his waist more. Their bodies fit together perfectly.
“God, you feel good,” he whispered into her open mouth and felt her inner muscles tighten around him in reaction.
“Alex, this isn’t what I want. Please, this is wrong,” she told him even while her tongue stroked along his. He drove into her harder, moving in perfect rhythm to the thrusts of her tongue.
“Stop lying to yourself. You want this just as much as I do.” He wanted to be closer. Her body was all but meshed with his as it was, but it wasn’t enough. His arms circled her shoulders, drawing her against his body.
Her fingers stroked down his back and lower. Alex shuddered as her gentle stroking drove him closer to losing control.
“Don’t...Kate, no.” Her lips left his, their eyes met, locked. The tiny space separating them filled with tension. He continued thrusting against her, but his eyes never released hers. He watched her climax through the windows to her soul.
He too was close; he couldn’t hold back any longer. He drove into her once, twice then threw back his head and slipped over the edge along with Kate.

Second Excerpt From In The Arms Of A Stranger:
She took Earl for a long walk around the neighborhood, hoping to relax. She was too wound up. Kate had just unlocked her apartment door when Alex stepped up behind her.
“You went through with it? You filed for divorce!” he demanded, reaching for her arm. Earl recognized him immediately and began yelping with excitement, even though he and Alex only met twice.
“Alex, you shouldn’t be here.” Kate opened the door and pushed Earl inside.
“Kate, I’m not giving you a divorce. I don’t want this. You don’t want this—I know you don’t.” She tried to ignore him and simply walk past and close the door, but Alex blocked her efforts.
“Kate, let’s at least talk about this first. Don’t just write our marriage off without giving me a chance to make things right between us.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Alex. We both know why you married me. I just can’t believe I was foolish enough to fall for your lies. There is no marriage. There’s only a huge series of mistakes.”
“You don’t believe that. Why won’t you let me talk to you?”
“Alex, please.” Kate stopped when new tears threatened to take away her voice. God, all she did anymore was cry. “Please just let me go. Please—just go.”
But he didn’t. Alex spotted the tears and guided her inside the apartment, closing the door. “I can’t let you go, Kate. I won’t. Not without a fight.”
They stood facing each other in the semi-darkness. He looked so good. Kate’s resistance crumbled.
Alex moved slowly towards her, forcing her to back away until she reached the wall of her tiny living room. He stood in front of her, quietly watching her closely and reading every-thing in her tears.
“You don’t want this anymore than I do, baby,” he told her softly. “Why fight it. Stop fighting me and let’s work together to save your marriage.”
“No.” her voice shook with emotion. “I can’t trust you, Alex.”
“Yes, you can,”
“Don’t,” she said desperately, as his finger stroked away her tears. “Don’t do that.”
“Kate, you love me. You can’t deny that.”
She took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter.” She jerked away from his touch. “Don’t you see, Alex? It doesn’t matter why you married me. You still lied.”
“I didn’t lie about how I feel about you, baby.”
Kate tried to push him away, but he simply gathered her close and held her while she cried. He felt so good. So strong. She let him hold her close for a moment. She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet. But soon, his hands grew restless, roaming over her body, his lips brushing across her temple. She pushed at his chest, but he didn’t release her. Alex gripped her chin and forced her to look at him.
There, for a moment, before his lips took hers once more she saw so much uncertainty in his eyes it took her breath away. Alex uncertain? She’d never imagined him feeling vulnerable.
“Please stop fighting me, Kate. I know you don’t want this to end. Neither do I. Whatever needs fixing between us, we can work it out. Stop fighting me.”
The second his lips touched hers, it was over. Kate knew she wasn’t going to fight it or him tonight.
Alex’s mouth met hers again, this time unhurried. His lips brushed tantalizingly across hers, awakening responses in her that surprised them both. She lifted her hands to touch his chest, before letting one of them slide slowly down. Alex grabbed her wrist and brought it lower allowing her to feel his reaction. His eyes never left hers.
“This is how you make me feel,” he whispered softly, before taking her hand in his once more. Alex took their joined hands and slipped under the hem of her dress pushing it up until their fingers touched her panties. When she tried to jerk her hand away, he held her fingers tight and moved beneath the edge of her panties, pulling them down to her thigh. Their fingers moved over her body, parting her legs. Kate’s breath came in a rush as he stroked across her moist inner lips, parting them before their fingers joined together moved inside of her. She closed her eyes. She couldn’t look at him and let him see how excited she was. Not that it mattered. He’d felt her reaction.
“No,” she whispered against his lips.
“Yes.” Alex released her hand—and she jerked it free, but his continued to explore the intimate parts of her. When another finger slipped inside, Kate couldn’t hold on any longer. Her body tensed around his searching fingers. She shuddered and climaxed against his touch. Weak with reaction, she leaned against Alex for strength.
“You feel so good,” he whispered into her mouth
His fingers caressed her breast through the course fabric of her dress creating a painfully exciting friction.
Alex unzipped the dress and let it fall from her body before kneeling in front of her. He leaned in close and spread her legs. One finger dipped inside again. He watched her reaction. She was close again. His lips rested against her warmth where his fingers once touched. His tongue stroked across her moistness before slipping inside. Her reaction was immediate. She came in a burst of passion. When she was still once more, he got to his feet and lifted her against his body, letting her feel how much he wanted her. And then he carried her slowly to the bedroom and set her down close to the bed.
Alex Bradshaw was the perfect lover. Skilled in all the ways to make her want him—beg him to take her. He was much too good for Kate’s resolve to last. His fingers slipped over her body clothed only in her bra, making her aware of how vulnerable she was at that moment.
Kate forgot everything but Alex. The moment she looked into his blue eyes, something deep inside of her splintered into a thousand tiny pieces. She would never feel this passionate about another.
They didn’t say a word. They simply watched each other in the semidarkness for a long time.
He urged her back against the bed, his hands and his eyes telling her all the things he wanted from her. Kate seemed incapable of resisting him.
She moved closer to his touch and watched his shocked reaction to that move. Her hands reached out to touch his face bringing him nearer.
Her need for Alex took on a will of its own now. There was no stopping it. She didn’t try. Her lips took control of his this time, slowly exploring him, brushing across his. At that moment, she wasn’t sure who was seducing whom, not that it mattered. They both knew where this was going.
Beneath her stroking fingers, he shuddered as a little more of his resolve crumbled.
He jerked her closer, his eyes never leaving hers. Alex was still very frustrated with her. It was all there in the words he whispered against her lips.
“I’ve never felt this way about another woman. And I’ve never wanted any woman the way I want you. I can’t get enough of you. I love you, Kate.”
Another lie. Theirs was a marriage based on a series of lies and physical fulfillments. On shifting sands. She couldn’t stop the tears now, any more than she could stop herself from wanting him. She didn’t move away. She didn’t want to. His hands continued to roam over her body, touching every part of her.
Alex pushed her back against the pillows, pulling the covers away from the bed. His eyes wandered slowly over her all the while her conscience screamed how sorry she was going to be if she went through with this.
As she watched, she saw Alex’s expression change. He believed she was going to fight him. He leaned over her, his hands on either side, the tip of his tongue tracing away her tears. Kate couldn’t control her trembling reaction to his touch. The fight went out of her just as quickly as it had come.
She wasn’t going to resist him—who was she kidding? She didn’t want to. She wasn’t fooling anyone especially not Alex Bradshaw.
His lips took possession of her body. He took his time, exploring every sensitive inch of her flesh, while she lay powerless in his arms, hating herself, and knowing only Alex could fulfill all of her fantasies.
Her body shook with each kiss. Each stroke. Alex smiled down at her, aware of everything she was feeling. His hands clasped her thighs gently, urging them apart. He moved between her legs, thrusting deep with a single movement. Kate couldn’t hold back her sob. It had him frozen in place looking down at her in wonder.
Somehow, she managed to let go of her tension. She lifted her hips to meet his movements. The need he created inside of her was nothing short of torment. When she opened her eyes, she knew he felt the same way.
Kate shut the door on her conscience, along with the little voice inside her head that assured her she was going to live to regret this night very soon. Beneath Alex’s skillful touch, the tension within her soon shifted to passion. As Kate gave into her body’s desire, she gave up the last hope of coming out of this moment untouched.
Reality came back slowly, bringing the world around them into sharp focus. Alex rolled away from her, his arms still wrapped around her. She lay exhausted on top of him, listening to the sound of his heart racing against her ear.

Mary's Bio:
Mary Eason grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her brothers and sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seem to come natural to her.
As a pre-teen, Mary discovered romance novels and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.
She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first romantic comedy and was hooked.
Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still writes about romance. In fact, she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do.
You can read more of Mary’s work through the following publishers: New Concepts Publishing, Samhain Publishing, Champagne Books, The Wild Rose Press, Whiskey Creek Press, and White Rose Publishing. Or at her websites:
Blog: www.maryeason.blogspot.com
Website: www.maryeason.com

And be sure to send Mary an email and let her know what you think about her work. She loves hearing from fans.

Thanks for stopping by, Mary. Check out her stuff. You won't be disappointed.

~ Sandy

2010-10-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Please help me welcome XOXO Publishing author G.W. Pickle!

Interview:

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself this way?

A hero, I'm not sure if I am a hero. I strive to be one. I'm no knight in shining armor. I'm more the ninja type. I prefer to work in the back ground, helping and doing whatever I can. People tend to turn on a known hero if they mess up and let them down.

When did you start writing?

First in Jr. High School, then in 1970, I went to college and started working at a local newspaper as a photographer and reporter. Fast forward to 2003 when I started writing a science fiction short story that became a full length novel

What made you write your book and why?

“The writer’s of the Future Contest” I read one and and decided I could do better. My entry made it to the semi final round of judging I got a letter from WOTF telling me that I needed to proceed and make the entry into a novel and I did.

Who is your inspiriation?

My desire to tell great stories and write great books.
How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?
I was ecstatic. I had a lot of people who was behind this story.
Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?
I have 3 stories I’m actively working on and I have 4 more on the back burner. I plan to submit them all to XoXo Publishing first
Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?
No music at all. When I’m working on a story the only way to silence the inner voices is to play some good music.
What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?
Write, write something everyday, even if it’s only 10 minutes and worry about grammar and punctuation during the edits. The important thing is to get the story down. I’d also suggest they buy books on writing and join good writer’s groups online.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

I’m still learning about online promoting. XoXo Publishing is really great about helping authors with promoting their books. This Blog tour is a great example of their commitment to helping their authors promote. I understand XoXo even has a promotional person to help.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?

Right now I’m planning & plotting on my current story. I’m also planning what I’m going to do to next to promote my book as well. In addition to all this I’m coordinating my writing time, my online time, taking care of my wife time, and working my regular “Day” job time.

Book Blog

Nineteen year old Bryan Summers and his Mother moved to Middleford, Texas
six years ago from California to get away form the violence and street
gangs. He thinks Allie, the girl who lives next door, is a sexy albino, who
happens to need blood transfusions two or three times a month. He wants to
marry her and is frustrated because she wants three days to give him her
answer.

For the last three days Allie has struggled trying to decide what to tell
him. She wants to say yes, but how will he react to her secret. He had told
her, early into their relationship that, he had gotten into the vampire scene. Most of the group he belonged to went around wearing black capes and fake or implanted fangs. He even confessed, to Allie, that once he wanted to become one. They both laughed about it. Now Allie wonders how Bryan will react when he learns that she is a real vampire. Will he change his mind about marrying him or worse, hate her? Will he ask her to change him? Will he wait until he can learn and except the vampire's way of life or will she keep him a mortal and love him until he dies. Allie finally tells Allie her secret and answer. She vows to him that she will only marry him as a mortal and change him only after she is sure he can handle the vampire's life style.
Bryan agrees to her terms. The next day they buy a ring. On the way home
they stop for gas, Bryan is shot, at point blank range with a shotgun by a
man robbing the gas station. He is now in surgery and has a twenty percent
chance of survival. Does she turn him into a vampire and save his life only
to loose him because of her vow, or does she let fate decide for her.

To find out what happens and to read a 5 page excerpt or buy an excellent
erotic vampire romance go to http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

G W Pickle Author of "A Vampire's Love." from XoXo Publishing
http/www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/http/www.facebook.com/#!/pages/G-W-Pickles-A-Vampires-Love/117494981635399 http/gwpickleswork.blogspot.com/ http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_I6MMslOx8&feature=related

Author of SENTI Book One of the Jackwill Chronicles." from Trytium Press at www.Amazon,com

Thanks for visit G.W. and come back anytime.

~ Sandy

2010-10-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Please welcome XOXO Publishing author Lenore Butcher!

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

I see myself as more of an antihero, like Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. Quick with a witty comeback and hiding emotions behind bravado, yet always comes through for his friends in the end. I'm outwardly very glib and cynical by nature, but underneath I treasure my friends and family and pride myself on my honesty and integrity.

When did you start writing?

I was six when I wrote my first short story, "A Dark and Stormy Night with Scott", who was my Grade One crush. It was two pages long and was about myself and my First Grade crush in an abandoned mansion during a thunderstorm. I was very proud when my teacher read it out loud to the class. I think Scott was likely less than thrilled. Anyhow, I never looked back and I've written like a fiend every possible waking moment ever since.

What made you write your book and why?

NaNoWriMo made me do it. NaNoWriMo is an international writing competition that takes place every November. Participants are challenged to write an entire novel in 30 days. The year I wrote my first draft for Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies, I couldn't take place in NaNoWriMo in November, so one of my friends challenged a group of us to do it in January. I set to it and the first draft was written in just under 31 days (29 days to be exact, if such things matter). I then set about polishing and editing it over the next several months until I was satisfied enough with it. Oddly enough the girl who challenged me to write this book is the graphic artist who did my cover art for the novel. Funny how things work out. So it was my own competitive nature that really inspired me to write this book. And yes, I do NaNo every single year. I'm already gearing up for this year's effort. Two weeks and counting!!!

Who is your inspiration?

Professionally, I'm inspired by other paranormal writers such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris and Kelley Armstrong, along with a host of others. Personally my husband and my children are my strength and my solace and I've also been blessed with close ties to my parents and my younger brother. I have the kind of life where strange things happen on an almost daily basis and many of them help encourage my creative exploits.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?

I think my FaceBook status from the day says it best: "Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod."

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?

I'm always writing, usually more than one project. Right now I'm hard at work on the sequel to Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies. It's called "Food Chain Boogie". I'm also working on two short stories for upcoming XoXo anthologies and I have two completed novels that need a bit of polish before they go in. I'm also writing a play about a creepy gothic family in a creepy gothic mansion -- it's a comedy of errors called "In Poor Taste".

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?

If music is playing, it either has to be instrumental or something I don't know. If it's music I'm familiar with, my writing session is in danger of becoming an air band session. I do quite often have the tv on just as background noise but I'm usually not listening to it.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

Keep writing and keep reading. Invest in a good dictionary and a good thesaurus. Have beta readers, yes that's right, more than one is best in my experience. I actually have three beta readers and everything goes to them before I send it to the publisher. One is wicked smart in grammar and spelling and she's there to catch any of those mistakes. One is uber critical with a very good memory and is very good at finding any continuity errors I may have made in rewrites. And the last one is my desired target demographic... he lets me know if I've nailed it, if it's something he would read even if I wasn't making him read it and bribing him with promises of lasagne. I also don't usually send my work to the beta readers until I'm on at least the third draft. Until then, I guard my work in progress very closely.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

Keep in mind that although yes, your publisher will help you promote your book, they are also promoting every other author in their company. It's up to you to help your promotional efforts. Scope out opportunities, like sending press releases to your local media (or at least making sure your p.r. department at the publishing company gets the right contact info!) Most importantly, keep every single commitment you make at all possible costs. You do NOT want to get a reputation for being unreliable this early in the game!

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?

Two weeks from tonight is Hallowe'en! I love Hallowe'en. Next to Christmas it's my favourite holiday. My living room is strewn with decorations ready to be put up in the next few days. My daughter wants to be a goblin and I have no idea how to make that costume!!! I told her the most I can do is cut two holes in a sheet and throw it over her head and she can be a ghost. She didn't like that idea.

The Bio:

Lenore Butcher Bio

Lenore successfully fended off her first zombie apocalypse when the living dead attacked the kibbutz she was raised on in Isreal… Okay, so that’s maybe not the whole truth. Lenore was born in a small town in Ontario where she still lives to this day, right around the corner from the house she grew up in.

Lenore was almost two weeks late being born. The family joke is that she was finishing the book she was reading. Everyone who knows Lenore knows that’s not true. It’s never taken her two whole weeks to read a book. From the age of two and a half when she began reading, she has been a voracious reader and from the age of six when she penned her first story, a little ditty called “Dark and Stormy Night with Scott” (her Grade One crush), she’s also been a prolific and dedicated writer.

Her first full length novel “Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies” was published by XOXO Publishing as an e book in November of 2009 and is also available as a paperback. She prefers to write stories with a dark edge and rife with black humour.

Lenore lives with her husband, two children and two hamsters in the aforementioned small town where her hobbies include reading, writing, walking, roleplaying games, video games, crafts and being the town weirdo.

The Blurb:
Dead Girls Blurb

Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies introduces a new twist on an old genre. It is a hard- boiled detective novel set in the dark underbelly of a city populated by supernatural citizens living secret lives among the mortals. Justin is an information broker who just happens to be a zombie. He is an advocate for justice for the oppressed servants of the city's vampires and yearns for the day when he will once again be reunited with his lost love, Honey. Justin is hired to solve the mystery of who was foolish enough to begin a war with the city's most powerful vampiric Dynasty. He quickly realizes that there is much more at stake than just petty vampire politics. When the vampires themselves prove to be the ones with the most to lose, Justin finds out he’s in for more trouble than he’d originally anticipated.

The book can be purchased at: http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=6
(ebook) and http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=56 (paperback)

Thanks for stopping by Lenore and good luck on your book sales!

~ Sandy

2010-10-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning! Please help me welcome XOXO author Brianna Martini!

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

I wouldn't describe myself as a heroine because it doesn't fit my profile. Thanks for the honour.

When did you start writing?

All my life at the age of three, I come from a family of writers and artist.

What made you write your book and why?

Writing is in my blood like a vampire, I like to create stories that makes a reader want to become a
part of the storyline and the hero or the heroine.

Who is your inspiriation?

My inspiration comes from God, my father and the people around me.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?

I was overjoyed and very very optimistic about my future writings.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?

II have written a romance with Carl De Gasperis, I was his mentor for a year and half and he asked to co write with him.
The book will be released soon and the title is Sex It Up! Please.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?

I don't listen to music all the time but I do like to relax however when I do listen to my favorite music I listen to rock, love songs,
and easy listening.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

Don't stop writing, if you get rejected one time you'll be given another chance.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

My promotional advice is to promote yourself one month in advance of your book release until you've exhaust all other promotional venues.

First this first is to setup your own website, then a social networking site and proceed from there.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?

I'm trying answer the questions to this interview. lol...which I'm enjoying.

Thank you for participating. You're welcome and thank you for inviting me.

Add a blue shot glass, a touch of liqueur an emotional woman and a naked man. Is she drunk? Is she dreaming or has she hit her head on the marble bar stand? Find out now get a copy of Martini on the Blues. http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online click on the bookstore button and search Martini on the Blues. You will fly and smile reading Brianna’s latest ebook release. Martini on the Blues Book One from the Martini Series.

Excerpt:

Jade proudly placed a glass in front of Adrienne, skilfully whisking away the already empty chocolate martini glass. Adrienne was really hitting it hard tonight, harder than Jade had ever seen her.

Tears began to flow anew as Adrienne contemplated the azure blue liquor in the smoky glass in front of her. It reminded her of his eyes. Not the cheating lying louse she'd just virtually dumped, or even the eyes of almost dearly departed husband. Looking into the glass' smokey blue depths was just like staring into the gaze of her long ago college boyfriend Justin. “Oh gawd”...she cried silently.

"Wh- what's this– a, a new drink, Jade? She hiccupped then squinted her eyes to focus more clearly on the drinking glass. She had a vaguely uneasy notion she should go home soon, but she found she didn't want to, not really. Something was keeping her here, something more than seeing her friend and drowning her sorrows. She had a feeling of almost impending euphoria, as though something very good was going to happen if she stayed here long enough.

"Yes it is honey. Something I've been working on quite awhile now and it's just about perfect. It's called 'Martini on the Blues' in honour of the Christmas and of course your birthday on Boxing Day. Tonight is the first night I'm making them and you're my very first customer to have one. Happy early birthday, babe."

Adrienne sniffed it tentatively and decided she liked the smell of it. She took a quick taste. It was to her liking – a touch of strawberries, and something else. She couldn't figure it out what it was. She took another drink, then another. As she swallowed the last drop, Adrienne was surprised to see that the glass started glowing. She figured it was some kind of glow stick or something and she hoisted the glass up to peer myopically at the bottom of it, then sneezed as smoke began to trickle down from the bottom of the glass, thin and reedy and scented with cedar and strawberries.

She shook her head, setting the glass down again and catching sight of the bright Christmas decorations over the bar. Loneliness came over her again, slamming into her with almost physical painfulness...

http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

2010-10-09T09:04:00.001-05:00

It's a party!

Cyber launch party for Halloween Anthology Vol 1 with my first ever, shifter and yes folks, he is a cowboy too!

Check it out at www.CyberLaunchParty.blogspot.com. It goes live at 10am and there will be prizes for those who comment!

~ Sandy

2010-10-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Help me welcome XOXO Publishing author Larraine AKA Larion Willis to the blog!

Interview:

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?
Tough on the outside, but a softy on the inside. As to why, life makes us that way. We grow the shell, the shield against the unfairness, but inside, despite the image we may project, the soft feelings are there waiting to find a person or situation we trust to let them out.

When did you start writing?
I started to actually start putting my stories down on paper at about 21. I didn't know anything about style then, believe me. When I go back and read some of those early ones now, thinking of rewriting them, I start new, just using the concept of the story. That's how bad they are. I'm doing one of those early ones, revamping it as a sequel to one I've published.

What made you write your book and why?
The devil made me do it. Lol. Honestly, I don't know what made me write that first one. I just did, like the commercial, 'just do it.' Some say it's in their blood. I think it's in the brain, some obsessive compulsion to put those stories running around in my head on paper. I started that long ago, sticking the finished manuscripts in the closet once the drawers got too full then just over five years ago I figured if I was going to ever do anything with them, I'd better get it done. That was ten published and five under contract ago. Eleven very soon if not by the time this get posted with The Eternal Search coming out with XOXO.

Who is your inspiriation?
I don't have an inspirational figure. There are a lot of people who have influenced my writing and a lot who have supported and urged me to do something with it, but I can't say one person inspired me to start or continue. Sorry.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?
Pretty relieved, actually. My previous publisher had closed their doors to new submissions and I really felt like I'd had the rug pulled out from under me. Well, I'd been spoiled, okay. I was nice and comfortable right where I was. I knew the publisher, I knew many of the other author's, I knew what was expected of me there. And, of course, those nagging doubts of what if no one else likes my writing? chewed at me. Some one did. I'm getting to know the publisher and other authors and what's expected of me. Gina and the rest of the staff are making that pretty painless.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?
I'm not writing anything new currently. I'm typing one of those manuscripts in the closet into the computer. Or maybe that one was on the shelf. I do have one ready to start, next, that sequel I talked about earlier.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?
I used to, but about 20 years ago I suffered a hearing loss, the result of a medication given to me in too strong a dosage. Music is just noise to me now. Earphones don't even help because the loss isn't symatric so too many of the tones are lost. I used to love to put soft rock or classical on. Oh, and I loved movie themes. I'd watch movies I didn't even care for just to hear a score that I really liked.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?
Patience and perseverance. Expect rejections. It will make that first acceptance that much sweeter.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?
Get out there. Don't assume once you get your work published you're just going to sit back and enjoy sales without you having to do anything else. If people don't know it's out there, they aren't going to buy it and the publishers advertisements are only going to reach so far. Set up your own website. Have it in place and ready to go to display blurbs, excerpts and book covers and join loops that center on your genre or at least all genres. Through those loops you'll discover from other posts promo sites, nearly all of which offer some freebie advertising as well as some reasonable paid ones. Don't go off the deep end though, especially when it comes to investing in paid advertising, unless you're looking for a tax write off. Keep in mind that you have your time limits and don't stress yourself out until it's more burden than fun.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?
Right now I'm wondering when I'm going to be able to get back to typing that manuscript in. If I'll find time to do it before my husband and I resay our vows Oct 30th to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Every since that man told me that was what he wanted to do, I've been running my feet off gathering the necessary items to put on the wedding we never had then--we eloped--to have now. I've never planned a wedding before, and I'm really beginning to understand all those stories I've heard about how nerve racking and exhausting it is. If any of the readers would like to follow along through that particular journey and see the results of my labor and mental anguishingly, I'm posting progress reports on my blog site, http://larionmusing.blogspot.com

Larriane AKA Larion Wills, two names one author, thousands of stories

http://www.larriane.com http://larionmusing.blogspot.com/ Http://www.Facebook.com/people/Larriane-Wills/1535007230
http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com HTTPS://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/

Thanks so much for stopping by Larraine and we look forward to more wonderful books from you in the future.

~ Sandy

2010-09-27T15:09:00.001-05:00

Easy peasy contest! Go to my fb page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandy-Sullivan/120827420748 and comment on the thread for the Halloween Anthology from XOXO Publishing. Tomorrow morning 8am CST, I will draw one winner from all the commenters for a free download. That's it! That's all you have to do!

~ Sandy

2010-09-26T09:24:00.002-05:00

Check out the awesome 5 cup review for Unexpected Lovers (Between The Sheets 2) from Happily Ever After reviews. http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-unexpected-lovers-by-sandy.html

~ Sandy

2010-09-24T16:54:00.003-05:00

We're having a party! A Cyber release party at Author Island. Check it out at http://cyberlaunchparty.blogspot.com/2010/09/celebrating-new-menage-suspense-from.html leave a comment for your chance to win a pdf of your choice from my backlist.

See you there!

~ Sandy

2010-09-21T11:01:00.002-05:00

Good morning folks,

Today is release day for Unexpected Lovers (Between The Sheets 2) my first menage story and I'm so excited!

Checkt it out at www.bookstrand.com/unexpected-lovers and get your copy today!

Also, for those who aren't aware, I'm doing an ongoing free read on my website called Sexy Neighbor. Each week I'll post another bit to the story. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions, too. Check it out at www.romancestorytime.com/SexyNeighbor.html.

Until next time,

~ Sandy

2010-09-12T19:27:00.004-05:00

Please welcome XOXO Publishing author, Kristal McKerrington to the blog!

Welcome Kristal.

Hello all, am so glad to be here and its really nice to be apart of Sandy's blog for the day.

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

I have to say am the sort of Heroine that a writer would hate to write about, because I change like the wind and am always dying my hair. I am a fighter, I find change and loads of other things. I am stubborn and I'm always dog determined in the things I do.

When did you start writing?

I start writing when I was really young, but I really got into it when I was thirteen. I started to write down all of the stories of the Playground we would make up on paper. It was always a contest to see who was better at it.

What made you write your book and why?

'Freedom Is Earned' was what I wrote for a friend of mine who died in a horrible car accident and for all the friends I knew that were street dancers who had died either through the Streets or through cancers. It was really my way of honouring then for not only teaching me how to dance and a freedom that is like no other, but also giving me skills that helped me get lost in a world that was a lot better than my own sometimes.

For 'A Highlander With The Ink' is was an inspirational piece that XOXO Publishing pulled out of me and it was an honour to write it for them.

Who is your inspiration?

I have five people who inspire me the most. The Hardy's are always going to be on the top five, because they were the hottest thing in Wrestling! Adrian Paul for all the work he does with PEACE and for creating stories that you can't help, but be moved by. My readers they are such a huge influence for me. My family and friends are my other constant source at the moment. My inspirations always change, but the three that have remained the constant inspiration is Adrian Paul, The Hardy's and my readers.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?

I squealed. Thinking about that I laugh now, because it was late at night when they sent through the contract and I might not being able to do it that loud as my partner had a sore head. I sounded like a mix between a cheerleader and a high pitched singer who was missing all the notes. I really couldn't have been more excited, because XOXO Publishing had been my far fetched Publishing option in my mind. Lol.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?

I have just finished 'A Heart Trapped Inside A Highlander', which I have just submitted into XOXO Publishing. Its a Scottish Time Travel story and it was one of the legends that we had on the Playground at School. We all made up our own Viking back in time that was awaiting for us to be sent back to them. Mine was called Adrian and this is really one of my childhood stories that I have made for grown up audiences and with the twist that no one expects.

The other thing am working on is a Mermaid story for XOXO Publishings wonderful woman Gina. Its a story about Mermaids, Mermites who are all at war with the Selkies and she is looking for peace after she ended up with the whole realm landing on her shoulders, but the thing is that to end the war means she is going to end up falling in love with the last man on the planet she ever thought she could love.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?

I listen to some old stuff, country and western, Hip Hop and Rock to be honest I match the music to what am writing and that is what I end up listening too. Currently am listening to Kansas, Carrie Underwood, Katie Armiger and Tyler Dean.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

Keep away from Vanity Publishing and focus on writing what it is that is in your heart, because you have to love what your working on otherwise your going to end up feeling like this is a longer road than it has to be. Keep your head up high and listen to some of the editors recommendations and make sure that you shrug off the rejections, because even though its hard there is always someone out there who would really want your stuff you just have to find them.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

You have to promote yourself. I try to make sure I do at least two interviews a week or have something promotional wise on the cards, because if you don't promote yourself constantly then your not going to get anywhere and no one will know who you are. That is when truly good work is lost when an author doesn't do the leg work and doesn't take time to stop an spend time with her or his readers. Without your readers then we wouldn't be writers.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?
My thought inside my mind is 'gosh wouldn't Adrian look good in a net vest and real tight black trousers'.

Thank you for participating.

Its been a pleasure being here and I hope to hear from all the readers who are interested in my work. You can find me on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Kristal-McKerringtons-Offical-Fan-Page/111363772247616 I always have time for readers and fans of my work. Thank you again Sandy and look out for the box of chocolates that is coming to the Office real soon! You'll be able to get my stuff really soon at
http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

Blurb for 'Freedom Is Earned'

What would you do if you saw two Street Hip Hop crews face off?

Would you recover from a shooting, then go on to lead your dance group to victory; not only to save your training ground, but to find out who tried to kill you?

In a love triangle of lies, who would you turn to?

What would your life be like after a showdown like that?

A confrontation that could tell you who tried to kill you, and disband the very people who were behind the attack: would it be worth the risk of you losing a crew that you had built up yourself with your own bare hands?

Welcome to Ambers life in 'Freedom Is Earned' where its all about the Streets and what you have to do to survive?

Can you heart take the heat?

Blurb for 'A Highlander With The Ink'

'In a town that was small and full of hot headed Highlanders there is a nurse who has a tattoo that is about to change her life. Nancy was a nurse who had recently graduated from the Nursing Program who decides to take a year off for herself after her father dies leaving her very well off. What Nancy finds in Immortal Thor is going to turn her world upside down as he is looking for a wife and she just happens to be the perfect fit.'

~ Thanks for being here today, Kristal and I wish you lots of success with your career in writing.

2010-09-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Must I Remember

Timothy Spearman

bestselling book is now available on line:
http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

in the following formats:

ebook CD and in paperback.

Interview:

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

When did you start writing?

I think it was grade 8 that I wrote my first novelette “When the Sour Turned to Sweet”. It was a quest novel and I don’t remember the content, but I still have it in a box somewhere.

What made you write your book and why?

I wrote “Must I Remember” for my student Zohreh Rostami. I thought that by writing the story of what happened to her and her family, it might help them achieve justice for the grievous human rights violations they have encountered.

Who is your inspiration?

At this stage of my life, my inspiration is drawn from the good people around me like Gina, my publisher, Tina our publicist, and Sherri my co-Editorial Director. I also derive a great deal of inspiration from Peter, the mentor and magician I am apprenticing under. He is taking me to a whole new level and plane of awareness and it is always exciting going to the next level.

How did you feel when you XoXo Publishing contracted you?

I was delighted and my delight only grew when my publisher Gina turned out to share my concern for human rights. We discovered as we went along that we had so much in common that it became more of a partnership than an author-publisher relationship. We have served and helped each other in a variety of ways and I will be eternally grateful for the sisterly role she has assumed in guiding my destiny.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?

I am always working on multiple projects. I am still amassing research material for a book called “Shakespeare’s Codex”, in which I try to set the record straight on a variety of historical issues, not least the truth about Shakespeare. I am also beginning work on turning one of my screenplays into a 3-D film. I have the technology in my own home and am working on this project with my housemate.

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?

Not really. I need full concentration and music is frankly far too distracting. I love music and it draws away my attention too much and distracts me from my writing. I prefer 100% concentration and focus on the task at hand and shut out all external noise when writing.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

The experience is different for everyone, so there are no platitudes that I can apply to a budding writer. It would have to be case specific. If I could see an apprentice might benefit from a particular piece of advice, I would offer it. In the main, I can only say “To thine own self be true.”

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

Get cracking or crack up. I have learned the hard way that you can’t just rely on talent and hope the world will take care of the rest. Social networking, joining clubs and associations and getting your name around is part of the game. As much as I abhor opportunism, if approached in the right spirit, self-promotion can be a quite sincere enterprise.

Give us a glimpse of what you are thinking right now?

I am engaged in an alchemical project to transform my life, work and home environment. I have been heavily influenced by the book “Morning of the Magician” and alchemy is a subject I take very seriously. I am also deeply interested in astrology and astronomy. In the end, I am finding that the pursuit of knowledge is leading to an alchemical metamorphosis of consciousness and body. I cannot like Francis Bacon say that “All knowledge is my province,” but what I can say is that I am on the road. It is a long and winding road and after a painful series of detours, I think I can begin to say that I am getting back on the straight and narrow.

Excerpt:

"Straw boats to borrow arrows" is a proverb based on a legend about a Chinese
military strategist, an adviser to a general. The narrative style of this novel
is influenced by the legend. According to the fable, the general asked his
adviser to produce one hundred thousand arrows for his army in advance of a
military offensive across the Yangtze River. Rather than decline what the
general considered a mission impossible, the adviser agreed to the challenge.
Not only did he promise to deliver the arrows, but insisted it could be done in
only three days. He vowed to deliver one hundred thousand arrows within
seventy-two hours or face certain death if he failed. He launched his boats just
outside the enemy's naval yards. The enemy, unable to see clearly through the
fog, resorted to firing volleys of arrows to prevent an attack. With the
eventual break of dawn approaching, the adviser called in the boats bristling
with one hundred thousand plus arrows, all donations of a badly outwitted enemy.

In this novel about an Afghani refugee family, there are several straw men
dispatched in several narrative boats. The story is told by a central
protagonist, who breaks off her narrative to allow her mother and brother to
tell their sides of the story. And each one of them tells stories about Mr.
Rostami as well, who died at the hands of the Taliban. What makes this story of
terror unique is the telling of it. With so many straw men telling their sides
of the story, it is impossible to establish a definitive narrator of the novel.
Fire might be drawn, but by whom? It seems like there would be a lot of wasted
arrows.

Must I Remember is based on the Rostami family's epic journey to find a new
home. In one of the most touching and poignant scenes from the novel, Mrs.
Rostami successfully treats an Afghani girl whose face has been cruelly and
barbarously marred in an acid attack by the Mujahideen. Mrs. Rostami recounts:

'One day, when our unit was visiting Haradt, a woman came to me. They
know the day and the hour of our visits and wait on us with greater veneration
than devotees of a holy man. She had been waiting all day in anticipation of our
arrival. She approached and for some reason chose me above the other nurses in
our unit.

"Please madam," the woman pleaded. "I have a daughter at home that needs you."

"What is her affliction? Why do you not bring her here?"

"It is because of her affliction that I do not bring her," she
explained.

"It must be serious if she is bedridden and unable to make the journey."

"It is serious, very serious but not in the way you imagine. There are
afflictions of the mind that are greater than those of the body, psychological
afflictions that leave people damaged for life with no hope of a cure."

"Is she schizophrenic then?"

"No, something far more serious; she has lost her face."

"Was it an acid attack?"

"Yes, they have attacked many women in our village in such ways."

"Can you not bring her here? I have many war casualties to attend to."

"Please ma'am, she cannot leave the house. She is too ashamed to be seen in
public."

"I understand, but I can't attend to her now. She will have to wait
until I am done treating the soldiers."

"I understand," said the woman. "When can you come?"

"It will be late tonight, around midnight. I will treat her as best I
can, but I cannot stay all night. I must be back to treat the new round of
casualties brought in from the front."

"Thank you so much," the lady gushed. "I am so grateful to you. You
cannot imagine what it means to us, to her. To free her even for a moment from
the weight of misery she lives under is worth any effort."

"I will be there," I promised. "Write your address down for me and I
will come as soon as I am able."

'I took the miniboose to the location written on the paper. It was a
tiny house down a narrow lane, a wisp of smoke rising out of the chimney
silhouetted against the moonlit sky. It was a full moon that night. The
Buddhists say that God is both empty and full. That night he was full. The moon
revealed his full countenance, blessing the young woman with no face. Truly
Allah is Merciful. He dispenses his mercies to those in need. The nurse who had
come to give a young girl back her face was guided by the light of a full moon.

The face of the moon was full, while hers was hidden behind a dark cloud. The
healing light of the moonbeams would strengthen the effect of the antiseptic
crème. With any luck, the young woman would have her face back before the new
moon.

'I knocked on a flimsy wooden door half-rotten with age. There was a
racket within as if last minute preparations were being made to welcome an
esteemed guest. I could hear the sound of a sliding bolt and the door opened a
crack. The face of the woman I had met that day appeared in the crack of the
door. I could see only half a face. Perhaps all of us have lost face in one way
or another. Living under a tyrannical regime, who is not made to feel like they
have something to hide? Do we not in that instance have to live a double life,
in which we reveal only half of our true face while the other remains hidden?
When she saw that she had nothing to hide, she showed her face.

'I have seen prostitutes in my travels and girls who work in nightclubs and bars
after hours. They tell their families they have respectable jobs their family
would approve of like a manicurist or a beautician. In reality, they are their
own manicurist and beautician. They often apply the eye makeup and lip gloss in
transit because they cannot prepare their makeup at home. Were their families to
see them making themselves up or leaving the house so painted, they would grow
suspicious. Some overly protective parents might even feel compelled to follow
them or send some neighbor as a spy to report back on their comings and goings.
Of course it is natural for parents to care for their children and to protect
them from harm. It is even forgivable in some senses to be overprotective and
guard one's children overzealously, but it is not the way.

There comes an age when one must trust one's child to do the right thing and to
be understanding and forgiving when they do the wrong thing. To fail in this
duty is not love and I for one do not intend to fail my children in this regard.
I will stand by them through thick in thin and will forgive them their follies
and their trespasses as I hope Allah has forgiven mine. Some have called this
unconditional love. I do not care what you call it. I call it duty. I will not
fail my children as a loving mother and they can come to me with whatever
problem they might have and I will be there. I brought them into this world and
I am certainly going to make sure they have safe passage through it.

'I entered the house and saw three generations of smiles before me.
There was an elderly couple, presumably the grandparents, displaying smiles of
welcome. There were the parents with expectant smiles full of promise and hope.

And there were the grateful smiles of the grandchildren, who knew I had come to
heal their aunt so that she could smile again too.

'Then I saw her, Sophia, the woman who had lost face. She held a veil
over her face so that all that was visible beneath were her eyes. They say that
the eyes reveal what is within. If that is so than there was a consciousness
within that contained the entire expanse of the universe. She had dazzling eyes
of emerald green with spirals of hazel. Emerging galaxies were swirling within a
cosmic soup. Sophia, the goddess of wisdom, was revealed in those eyes and so
the girl was aptly named as her incarnation.

'Socrates saw himself as a midwife who gave birth to wisdom in others.
This young woman, who once embodied the very face of wisdom, was now hiding her
face. Tonight, I was to be a new kind of midwife. I would have to give birth to
a new face, a new kind of beauty. I would have to convince the young woman to
free herself from attachments, to bid farewell to her old face in order to
welcome the new one. Could she accept the fact that she would never get her old
face back? Could she live with the fact that she would never look the same
again?

"Thank you for coming, Momma," the girl whispered shyly.

"It is my pleasure to help those in need," I replied. "Now let's have a look at
you. Is there somewhere private where we can take a look at you?"

"There is my room, Momma," Sophia suggested. "Can we go there?"

"Of course we can, my dear. You would feel more comfortable there, is
that it?"

"I would, momma, yes. It has been my room all my life. I feel secure
there. It is a comfort to withdraw there when the world gets to be too much."

"I understand. When the affairs of the world overwhelm us, we retreat to the
comfort of our beds, where we can curl up in the fetal position and return to
the safety of the womb. I am sure there is no greater place of solace in the
world."

"Follow me, Momma. My room is on the second floor. You will have more
privacy there."

"Is your room well lit?" I asked.

"Not really," she replied. "Perhaps we should bring an extra lamp."

"Yes, please do, someone," I said turning to the others, with the
urgency of a command. "I will need plenty of illumination. If I am to have any
hope of success, I will need plenty of light."

'There was a flurry of activity, with the sound of cupboards opening and
closing, closets and cubbyholes being rifled through, accompanying the sounds of
the creaking stairs and floorboards that led to Sophia's room. Someone with a
consumptive cough was hacking away in a far room. The owner of the cough got up
and we could hear the sound of bedsprings creaking as we entered Sophia's room.

The owner of the cough sounded male and he came down the hallway, the creaking
floorboard announcing his every footfall. The coughing continued unabated.

"Who is coughing?" I asked.

"My grandfather," Sophia replied.

"It does not sound good," I observed. "Has he been to a doctor?"

"He has, Momma, but there is nothing to be done."

"What did the doctor say he had? Is it tuberculosis?"

"No Mamma, grandfather is a smoker."

"I thought I met your grandfather downstairs."

"This is my paternal grandfather, Momma."

"So it is a smoker's cough. You're sure?"

"I don't know, Momma. He doesn't say much. He is not very communicative. I go in
to greet him in the morning. He smiles when I kiss him on the cheek, but he
doesn't say much. I have no idea what he's thinking or what's bothering him."

"I will see him before I go," I declared. "But first, we must see to
you."

Just then Sophia's mother came in with a lantern for extra light. Sophia had a
vanity with a large mirror. I would be able to examine her face with the aid of
the lantern and the mirror would amplify the amount of light. We had all that we
would need.

"Sophia, I am going to ask you to be brave now and remove the veil. I
can't help you unless you show me."

'She did not hesitate. She knew I was right. She willingly complied.
She drew the veil aside and showed me what she had been hiding. My eyes filled
with tears. I couldn't help it. One side of her face revealed so angelic a face
it elevated her to the status of the gods. Had she owned that face when she
attained womanhood, she would be sought out by every artist in the land to
honour her with works destined for immortality merely on account of their
subject.

'But then there was the other half. Disfigured almost beyond recognition by the
cruel action of the acid, the left side of her face appeared wizened and
misshapen like an old hag of one hundred years who had seen better days. The
young beauty had been aged before her time, the acid doing what the hot desert
sun and the blistering heat would take three-quarters of a lifetime to
accomplish. It is amazing how sickness and injury can accelerate time just as
good health and exercise can slow it down. I was reminded of the haunting beauty
of the Afghani woman on the cover of Life Magazine, made so famous by the
ghostly appearance of her eyes. We saw what the ravages of time did to that
young beauty in less than twenty years, when the next photo op captured the face
of an old woman.

'What could I do to reverse the ravages of the premature aging process
that had so disfigured the young woman of angelic beauty? How could I restore
the left side of her face? How could I retain any vestige of her former beauty
armed with only an antiseptic crème? It would be easier to disfigure the right
side of her face to have any hope of achieving symmetry. It would take a miracle
in this case to save face.

"Sophia, I'll be honest with you," I soothed gently. "I don't know if I can help
you."

'Tears welled up in her eyes at this cruel pronouncement. How I wished I had a
magic wand, healing potion, elixir of youth or restorative that would reclaim
the territory won by the ravages of premature aging. How I wished I had some
magic formula in my bag of tricks that I could pull out and assuage the girl's
broken heart with. Yes, that too needed mending now that I had deflated her
hopes.

"Don't give up hope, Sophia," I urged. "I just don't want you to be
unrealistic, that's all. I will do my best to help you, but you must follow my
instructions to the letter, is that understood?"

"Yes, Momma," she replied. "I trust you. I know you have a kind and
gentle heart and that you are moved by the afflictions of others and do
everything in your power to heal them, body and soul."

"You are right, my dear. I do indeed. And I will do the same for you. I will use
everything in my power to heal the damage done by the cruel hand of fate."

"Momma, excuse me. I am going to disagree with you there. It is not fate that
caused this to happen. It is not my karma. I did nothing to deserve this
malicious act in this or any other life. I do not believe in bad karma, fate,
destiny or any of these absurd metaphysical notions. I am a good student of
religion and philosophy and if I was alive in the day to hold debates with
Avicenna, Ghazzali, or Suhrawardi, I would rail against the role of fate in
determining the course of our lives. There are accidents, Momma. Astrologers may
tell me that everything that happens to me is encoded in the stars, but I still
insist that there are accidents that befall man that are not determined by fate
or written in the stars. There is no rationale under heaven to explain what
happened to me. Some angry and misguided human beings, whose hearts were bent
and twisted by their own unfortunate accidents, ran at me with a container of
acid and disfigured me for life. I am not expecting you to repair what cannot be
fixed. I am asking you to help me at least be presentable enough to show my face
in public. I have already said goodbye to the old face, to the old me. I just
want to welcome the new me into the house. She is already knocking on the door."

'I broke down. I couldn't help it. Sophia's words touched my heart as no words
ever had. Her bravery in her loss of face was of so noble and valiant a nature
that I could see clearly why she was born with an angel's face. Her speech
roused within me a determination and a resolve I had never known. If she could
be brave enough to accept her loss of face, I would be brave enough to restore
it. With supernatural zeal, I set about the task of restoring the young girl's
face to its former beauty. I came every day to apply the crème as only I could
do it. I did not trust anyone but myself to administer and massage it in to her
delicate face. Years of practice had given me a deft hand and a sure touch. We
did not use any bandages, but only gauze, as I would have to return daily to see
what improvements had taken place, if any, and to apply additional crème. If
lack of sleep weakened me so that I could not perform my duties to the best of
my ability the next day, I could not help it. I was not about to abandon this
flower in full bloom who had had the desert ravage her young petals so. I would
see to it that the searing heat of the cruel desert was removed from her gentle
face so that the angelic countenance of her former self could shine through once
more with greater glory than she had ever known.

About this book Anya Tennyson Wrote:

This is incredibly touching and compelling, and I greatly enjoyed the
presentation style - makes it very personal, drawn into the story immediately.
Also compelling - telling 'the other side of the story'. I so rarely come across
anything like this... probably because I avoid such things altogether because I
have a nephew in the Marines who was there. Thankfully he's home safe and sound,
but not untouched by his time there.

Is this based on a true story? Sorry if I missed that - I remember seeing it on
the XOXO site and was intrigued because I love military stories in general - but
life derailed me a bit from taking a closer look until you posted this here. Now
that I've read this excerpt, I can see it's not a military story, probably a
good thing, but a story beyond the mere telling of events - not sure what to
call it - but I love the introspective journeys of life changing events. They
can be very moving, opening new ideas, ways of thinking, even just understanding
cultures so different from our own... which I think we need to do more of. It's
easy to hate the political entity but every such entity is made up of
individuals who just want to be able to live life without fear, without hunger,
without oppression.

Anya

THANK YOU ANYA, FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!
Timothy Spearman
Must I Remember
Timothy Spearman
bestselling book is now available on line:
http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

2010-08-31T13:41:00.000-05:00

New contest for a copy of Professional Liaison. Check it out at http://theblackraveneroticcafe.blogspot.com/2010/08/blackravens-blog-anniversary-giveaway-5.html.

Sandy

2010-08-30T06:48:00.001-05:00

Check out the new cover! It's gorgeous. This is for my menage piece called Unexpected Lovers (Between The Sheets 2) coming in late September. Keep your eyes peeled.

Sandy

2010-08-27T22:04:00.001-05:00

I'll be having a launch party for Professional Liaison at www.Cyberlaunchparty.blogspot.com on Sunday 8/29/10. Come on by! There will be lots of fun and a prize or two as well.

Sandy

2010-08-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

Come on out starting on 9/15/10 to meet some of the authors and staff from XOXO Publishing.

I'll be hosting some folks right here on my blog so stay tuned.

Sandy

2010-08-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

Winning Virgin Devotion, Book Five in the Winning Virgin Series is coming to Siren Publishing on Monday, August 23, 2010. Pre-order your copy of Winning Virgin Devotion now through Sunday, August 22, 2010 and you could win a snazzy Winning Virgin T-shirt like the one below!

How to enter: Purchase your copy of Winning Virgin Devotion while the e-book is being offered as a pre-order selection: http://www.bookstrand.com/winning-virgin-devotion

Send a copy of your receipt to: destinyblaine@yahoo.com with TAKE A BITE OUTTA THIS in the subject line.

On Monday, August 23, 2010 ONE RANDOM winner will be chosen and the winner of the Winning Virgin T-shirt will be notified via email. Winner’s name will be posted at: http://destinyblaine.blogspot.com.

Please note: The only size we have in stock is an ADULT MEDIUM. Winner will not have the option of trading this prize for another future or past prize or swapping for a different size. Image on the T-shirt is WINNING VIRGIN PROMISES. In order to verify your purchase of Winning Virgin Devotion, please copy and paste your receipt in an email and follow the directions above. Without the c/p receipt, we’re unable to verify book purchase. This contest/sweepstakes is void where prohibited by law.

Front:

Back:

Don’t Miss the Best of the Winning Virgin Series—Ghosts, Vampires, and an unforgettable shape shifter guarantee to keep the paranormal reader flipping the pages!

2010-08-18T08:47:00.002-05:00

Hello all,

I had to share some good news. One--I will be attending the Central Ohio Fiction Writers conference in Columbus OH on October 1 and 2. There will be a book signing and book sale on 10/2 from 430-6p. Come on by and say hi. I will have print copies available of Cowboy Love, Love's Sweet Surrender and all four of the Wilder Series, Wild Wyoming Nights, Wild Rodeo Nights, Wild Nevada Ride and Wild Rekindled Love.

Second -- I just found out this morning I have an pitch appointment with one of the editors from Harlequin/Silhouette! I know this doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot, but I'm nervous and excited to say the least, to be able to put my work out there for their consideration.

Wish me luck!

Sandy

2010-08-04T14:50:00.001-05:00

My new piece, Professional Liaison (Between The Sheets) releases tomorrow! It is a contemporary romance with light BDSM and it's sure to please.

Check it out by clicking on the cover to the right. You can pre-order today at www.bookstrand.com/professional-liaison.

Enjoy!

Sandy

2010-07-04T11:00:00.002-05:00

Strictly Professional - Stud Service now available! It's already in the top 20 best sellers on Siren!

http://www.bookstrand.com/strictly-professional

Sandy

2010-07-04T10:57:00.001-05:00

Wild Nevada Ride - Wilder Series now available in print at Amazon.com. Get your copy at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1606017152/bookstrand-20

Sandy

2010-06-10T08:45:00.001-05:00

Morning folks,

I wanted to update you all that Love's Sweet Surrender and the second in the Wilder Series - Wild Rodeo Nights are both now available at Amazon.com. Check them out at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1606016997/bookstrand-20

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1606016725/bookstrand-20

Enjoy!

Sandy

2010-06-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

Siren publishing has contracted another piece. The second in the Between The Sheets series called Unexpected Lovers, is scheduled for an estimated October release! This one is a menage, folks so hang onto your hats and let's get sexy.

Sandy

2010-04-13T12:57:00.001-05:00

Wild Nevada Ride (Wilder Series 3) Now available at Siren. It's hit the top 5 of Siren's top 20 best sellers!

See it here! http://www.bookstrand.com/wild-nevada-ride

2010-02-17T15:31:00.001-06:00

Available starting today! Wild Rodeo Nights - Wilder Series 2. This is Cole's story from Wild Wyoming Nights. I absolutely loved writing this one. If you thought Wyoming Nights was a tear-jerker, you'd better make sure to have a whole box of tissues available for this one.

Check it out here: http://www.bookstrand.com/node/806165

The cover is hot too!

Enjoy!

Sandy

2010-01-27T13:44:00.000-06:00

Love's Sweet Surrender is now available at Siren-Bookstrand! Check it out at http://www.bookstrand.com/node/806029! I just love this cover!

Sandy

2009-12-10T08:14:00.002-06:00

Hello followers!

Wild Wyoming Nights currently sits at #13 on Siren's top 20! Help me get to #1. Get your copy today at http://www.bookstrand.com/product-wildwyomingnights-15985-192.html

Let me know how you like it as well if you've already got your copy! I love to hear from my readers.

Sandy

2009-12-03T16:39:00.002-06:00

Hi all,

Today is release day for Wild Wyoming Nights! If you haven't gotten your copy yet, check it out at http://www.bookstrand.com/product-wildwyomingnights-15985-192.html.

For those of you on facebook, come on over to http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1138014862654&f=1&e=0#/event.php?eid=217216055900. There are some exclusive excerpts and prizes. For those that haven't read Cowboy Love, I'm giving away a copy later on tonight, but you need to find the answer to the question on my website at www.romancestorytime.com. What is Carrie's sister's name in Wild Rodeo Nights?

Email me the answer to be entered in the drawing.

See you on facebook!

Sandy

2009-11-16T17:24:00.001-06:00

Wild Wyoming Nights is now available for pre-order! Find it at http://www.bookstrand.com/product-wildwyomingnights-15985-192.html

Not positive on the release date, but should be soon!

Enjoy!

Sandy

2009-10-19T17:18:00.002-05:00

Good news!

The third piece to the Wilder Series has been accepted by Siren! Estimated release date is March 2010!

Keep your eyes peeled for the first piece, Chase and Abby's story called Wild Wyoming Nights due in December.

I will certainly keep everyone updated as to the exact release date for Wild Wyoming Nights as soon as I have it.

Happy Reading!

Sandy

For a hot cowboy love story available now from me, check out http://www.bookstrand.com/product-cowboylove-15570-192.html.

2009-10-05T08:36:00.002-05:00

If you live or at near the Altanta GA area, come on by the Books and Brunch 2009! There will be some wonderful authors present for meet and greets, book signings and contests and it only costs $5 for readers - including lunch! Check out this link. http://www.eventsbyespeciallyyours.com/booksandbrunch2009.htm for more information.

I'll be there as well as another wonderful Siren-Bookstrand author, Tonya Ramagos. We will even be giving away a basket full of goodies including some wonderful things from fellow Siren authors! Come on over and spend the afternoon with us!

See you there!

Sandy

2009-09-27T07:47:00.003-05:00

Good morning followers!

Check out my interview with Karenna Colcroft at http://karennacolcroft.com/?page_id=18. Leave a comment for your chance to win a free download of my top 10 best seller, Cowboy Love! Drawing will be held tomorrow morning so make sure you leave a comment.

See you there and enjoy!

Sandy

2009-09-02T11:25:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

Pre-orders are available for the erotic version of Cowboy Love at http://www.bookstrand.com/product-cowboylove-15570-192.html. If you pre-order or order on release day, make sure you send me a copy of your receipt to sandysullivan@romancestorytime.com to be entered to win! Up for grabs is a $15.00 B&N gift certificate with second prize being your choice of a Cowboy Love Bookthong or a Sandy Sullivan Bookthong.

I can't wait for everyone to read this novel!

Enjoy!

Sandy

2009-08-20T09:29:00.002-05:00

Come follow me on twitter and facebook! Links are at the bottom of the blog.

I'd love to see you there!

Sandy

2009-08-19T12:37:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

I wanted to let you know I've just signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for my short story, Advertising for Love. It will be part of the Flower Basket series and I'm very excited for you to read it. I plan to keep you posted as to its release date so stand by!

Sandy

2009-08-11T19:15:00.002-05:00

I'm chatting tonight from 9p eastern, 8p central and 7p pacific at http://www.freewebs.com/thebookhouse/apps/calendar/showEvent?calID=3376233&eventID=39247478. There will be free excerpts from all my work and even a contest or two.

See you there!

Sandy

2009-07-16T06:24:00.004-05:00

BLURB: Orphaned at an early age, the closest people in Frost Devereaux's life are the free-spirited Frankie Maguire and her conniving twin brother Frank. Over the years Frost's life takes him from the lush fields of the Mideast to the burning heat of the desert to the sparkling promise of Manhattan. His heart, though, never strays far from the two people who have meant the most to him. Ultimately, Frost must decide where—and with whom—he belongs.

Join me for a great interview with Patrick Dilloway.

Good Morning Patrick and I'm so glad you've decided to join me today on my blog.

Here are some questions that Patrick was so kind to answer for me.

1. Sandy - What made you want to write Frost’s story?

Patrick - Basically how the story developed was that in watching news coverage of Prop 8 in California and similar measures around the country, I started to get mad. So I decided to write a story about gay marriage, but I didn’t want it to be a preachy stump speech on the subject; I wanted it to still be a story. It occurred to me one day: what if there was a guy so terrible at marriage that he couldn’t make it work with either sex? That’s how it all started. From there I just expanded on this idea that some marriages are just not going to work not because of the genitals of those involved, but because they aren’t compatible for each other spiritually. To me, that’s what’s most important in any marriage.

2. Sandy - Where do you do most of your writing?

Patrick - When I wrote “Where You Belong” I followed a pretty grueling schedule. For about three hours on Monday-Thursday I’d go to the library after work and write. I was pretty much living on ham sandwiches throughout that time, which in this economy was probably a good thing. On Saturday I’d write most of the day from 10am-11pm at the library and then the local Starbucks or similar place. I did usually let myself have Friday off to watch a movie and Sunday to watch sports and catch up on my domestic chores; that helped keep me from burning out.

3. Sandy - How do you decide your character’s quirks?

Patrick - Early on I knew Frost’s parents were not going to be around for most of his growing up. The only thing then became deciding what exactly would happen to them. I thought it was just a lot more fun, not to mention dramatic, for his parents to loathe each other to the point where his mother banishes his father into a barn. But that was also important for Frost’s development because part of the overall point is that he never has what you’d consider a “normal” loving home. Because let’s face it, someone from a normal loving home could probably never do what he does in the book.

His facial deformity was an extension of that. I wanted something that could help keep him isolated from other kids, to keep him an outsider. At the same time I didn’t want it to be something like a missing limb that was permanent.

4. Sandy - I noticed in your current release, you are writing in first person. Do you like that better than trying to write your novel in a different way?

Patrick - I think which point of view you write in depends on the story. The first draft for Where You Belong was written in third person. I think the third person helped at first just to give me an overall feeling for the characters and story, but then going back and rewriting it as first person made the story more intimate and personal. So really each has its uses.

5. Sandy - Have you been faced with writer’s block? If so, how did you get past that?

Patrick - There have been times when I’ve been stuck. Usually I like to take a walk or a drive to clear my head. What I think helps most of all is to try and break things down as simply as possible and that helps make the problem a lot more manageable.

6. Sandy - What is your favorite time of the day to write?

Patrick - Overall I think my brain functions better later in the day. I’ve never been much of a morning person and it usually isn’t until after lunch that my brain really kicks into gear. In college there were times when I’d stay up until 2am or later to work on something.

7. Sandy - Some authors have a ritual that they do when they write such as music playing or strictly quiet. Does your writing require silence or noise?

Patrick - I always have my headphones on to pump out some music while I write. It doesn’t matter what music really; I just find that it helps me focus and to tune out the rest of the world if I have something playing. Though for the most part my music tends to be mellower, not heavy metal or gangsta rap or something like that. Other than that I don’t have a lot lucky sock or pair of underwear or anything that helps me out. I’ve written in all sorts of places from coffeehouses, libraries, my home, all the way to secluded campgrounds. I like to joke that I could probably write in a hurricane—so long as I had my headphones and juice in my MP3 player.

8. Sandy - Is there anything specific that gives you an idea to base a story on?

Patrick - Anything can inspire my ideas. A name, a title, a character, or a basic premise.

9. Sandy - What genre do you classify your novel?

Patrick - I consider this a literary saga like “The Cider House Rules” by John Irving. It was one of my first real exposures to what you might call “serious literature” outside a school setting and I was blown away. I loved the book so much that I told myself I had to do something that good someday. I tried a couple of times but couldn’t seem to find the right story.

Thanks so much for sharing your answers with me.

2009-07-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

The Wild series is coming along nicely. I've finished the second installment called Wild Rodeo Nights. You can read the first meeting of our hero Cole and heroine Carrie on my website at www.romancestorytime.com. I've started the third piece and it will be called Wild Nevada Ride and features Chase and Cole's brother, Justin. He owns a ranch outside of Vegas and raises cattle. Our heroine is Katrina or Kat, as her friends call her. I will be posting their first meeting on the website soon.

Come by and check it out!

I will also being doing a chat on The Bookhouse website on 8/11/09. Come by and chat with me.

I'm going to make a list of the author chats that I will be participating in as well through the several reader loops that I'm on. I'd love to see you all there.

I'll keep you posted.

See you soon.

Sandy

2009-06-23T09:04:00.002-05:00

Good morning!

I've been keeping busy between work and writing. I've submitted 2 more pieces to Siren and I'm currently waiting to hear whether they have been accepted so keep your fingers crossed. I'm working on the second piece of a series which is one of the pieces that have been submitted. I'll let you all know as soon as I hear something. The series will probably be called the Wild Series, includes three hunky cowboys and their road to love.

You can check out the prologue of the first piece called Wild Wyoming Nights at www.romancestorytime.com. The second piece is in production and is titled Wild Rodeo Nights.

See you all soon.

Sandy

2009-06-01T15:51:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

I wanted to let you all know that I've been offered a contract on Cowboy Love through Siren-Bookstrand with an October 2009 ebook publish date with print being available in March of 2010!

I'm so excited and I'll certainly keep you all posted as soon as I know more! I still have some copies of Cowboy Love that I self-published so if you are interested, please purchase them within the next couple of weeks. Once I sign the contract, I won't be able to sell them anymore.

See you all soon!

Sandy

2009-05-07T08:02:00.001-05:00

My short erotic piece is up! Check it out at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/story.htm

Enjoy!

Sandy

2009-04-30T21:10:00.003-05:00

Well hello again,

I just found out today that a short piece I wrote will be featured on the Whipped Cream Thursday Thrifty -- Free Short Stories on May 7th. That's next Thursday. You can find it at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/story.htm. There are other wonderful short pieces on there from several very talented authors so check it out.

Enjoy!

Sandy

2009-04-24T07:30:00.002-05:00

Check out the author links to the right! There are very talented people linking to me so see what they have available!

Sandy

2009-04-19T16:35:00.002-05:00

For those of you wanting updates on the blog, I think you have to subscribe to the feed. Kind of confusing, I know. I'm glad you are here though and I hope you enjoyed the excerpts of Cowboy Love.

Stay tuned for more updates and for my next release.

Sandy

2009-04-16T09:18:00.001-05:00

Debbies Tsikuris,

Send me your address at sandysullivan@romancestorytime.com for your copy of Cowboy Love.

Sandy

2009-04-15T19:46:00.003-05:00

I hope you have enjoyed the excerpts for Cowboy Love. Remember to post a comment and get in the drawing for an autographed copy of your very own! I'm also the featured author at http://www.freewebs.com/thebookhouse/featuredauthor.htm. Come by and check it out. If you purchse through this website, you'll receive free shipping and an autographed copy.

Sandy

Here is the last excerpt:

He was on fire for her. He wanted her so badly he could taste it, taste her, in the back of his throat, on his tongue, his hard shaft pushing insistently against the zipper of his jeans. Knowing if he didn't take this under control, they would be making love right there against the door, he backed away, taking her hand in his as he led her into his bedroom. They stopped at the end of the bed as he took her in his arms again, taking possession of her lips with all the pent up desire racing through his body. He ravished her mouth, his tongue sliding inside as his hands roamed her back, slipping beneath her shirt to work it up over her head. His hand found the back of her bra and unhooked it with quiet efficiency, moving around to take her naked breast in his palm. He lifted his head to see her face flushed with desire while she pushed against his hand.

“God, I want you,” he rasped against her lips, before he took hers again in a heart-stopping kiss.

His hands moved to her jeans, slipping the button free as he worked them down her slim legs, then back up, his hands grazing the inside her thigh. His kissed her belly as she stepped out of her pants. She inhaled sharply when he slipped his fingers inside her warm core to find her slick and wet, her hands grasping at his shoulders. Her legs trembled as he pleasured her with his fingers, his mouth kissing her along her belly.

He sat her down on the edge of the bed, kneeling between her legs as he kissed her thighs, working his way to her hot center. When his tongue found her, she bucked against his mouth and moaned as she rested back against the bedspread, his tongue slid along her and his fingers found her core.

He felt her give into her desire, moisture flowing across his fingers and his tongue
as she trembled above him. When she was finally quiet and only small tremors rippled across her body, he toed off his boots and slid his jeans down his legs, flipped them across the room. He came back to her as he found her breast with his mouth, making the desire rise in her body again as he sucked at her nipple, bringing it to a hard nub.

“Tanner, please,” she whispered, trying to bring him up so that she could take his mouth with hers, but he would have none of it. He wanted her hot and panting beneath him. His mouth continued its assault on her breast as his hand slipped down between them, finding her hot center and sliding inside.

“Oh God Tanner, you're driving me crazy.”

Lifting his head, he gave her that sexy smile as he whispered, “I know.”

“You don't play fair,” she grumbled as his head dipped again, taking the other breast in his mouth.

She began to whimper, telling him without words that she was as close as he could get her, without sending her over the top. He let go of her breast and took her mouth with his as he slipped his hard shaft inside her, groaning into her mouth.

“You feel so good,” he murmured, not daring to move yet, least things end too soon.
She whimpered again, putting her heels on the bed and lifting her buttocks so he could slide deeper, taking all him inside her.

“Please.”

His rhythm was slow, sliding in and out bringing them both closer and closer to that blinding end that they both sought. When she wrapped her legs around his hips and he ground his groin against hers, it was too much. The lights burst behind her eyelids and a groan was ripped from her throat as he felt her ripple around him, pulling his own climax from deep inside.

2009-04-15T18:56:00.001-05:00

Things are getting hot in here!

She stepped out, unaware of his presence behind her. She toweled herself dry, wiping the water from her legs as she placed her foot on the toilet and bent over.

She wasn't sure when she knew he was there, but as she presented him with her back and slowly dried the front, the next thing she felt was his lips on her shoulder.
She sighed heavily as he ran kisses up to the side of her neck. She tipped her head to give him better access as a shiver rolling down her spine. Goose bumps flittered across her skin when she turned in his arms to meet his questioning gaze with one of her own. Ready to take their relationship to the next level, she dropped the towel that hung from her fingertips between them, revealing her breasts to his seeking eyes. His stare moved from her eyes to her mouth and down to her breast as his hand skimmed down her arm. Taking the object of his intense gaze and cupping it, he raked his calloused palm across the nipple, making her inhale sharply.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against her skin as his head dipped and he kissed her chest, moving lower until he took her nipple in his mouth.

She took a shaky breath, tipped her head back and wound her fingers through his hair. She pushed his head harder against her, arching her back, making little mewing sounds in her throat as he suckled and pulled, before moving to the other one.

Her legs trembled as he feasted on her and skimmed his hand up her thigh toward the juncture of her sex. His fingers slid into her wet core as she moaned and held onto his shoulders, praying he wouldn't stop.

“God Tanner, please,” she groaned. “I need you.”

He finally stood and looked into her eyes before he kissed her with all the pent up desire he had been holding in check, ravishing her mouth with his tongue.

Running her hands up his chest, she worked the buttons loose on his shirt. She tore her mouth from his, kissing his chest as she revealed the hard muscles to her seeking lips. His flat male nipples puckered when she grazed them with her teeth and he sucked in a ragged breath. She smiled as a moan rumbled in his chest. Her hands moved toward the belt buckle he wore, working it loose, before she got to the button of his jeans, slipping it free. She grabbed the zipper and pulled it down, moving her shaking hands insides his jeans to skim along his rock hard shaft as she heard him moan again.

“Amy.” Her name on his lips drove her desire to greater heights than she'd ever felt before, as he wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled her mouth back to his.

“Make love to me Tanner,” she whispered against his mouth as he crushed her to his chest.

“I can't fight this anymore.”

“Then don't.”

2009-04-15T18:00:00.001-05:00

Excerpt...I lost count!

The next thing that she realized, the cow shot out of the shoot with Jason hot on his heels. He threw his lasso, looping the horns precisely on target. Unfortunately, because she daydreamed, her timing was off and she missed her throw.

“Damn it!” She pulled her rope in, frustrated at her lack of concentration.

Jason trotted back around to her and yelled, “What the hell was that?”

“I missed, that's all,” she yelled back, aggravated.

“That's all? You never miss.”

“Well I did,” she grumbled, reining her horse back toward the gate.

They trotted back toward the trailer without another word. Get your shit together girl. You need to pull your thoughts off Tanner and back to this ride, or you'll lose the competition, she thought.

When they reached where the truck and trailer were parked, they dismounted and Jason stopped in front of her as he said, “What's up with you?”

“Nothing. I just lost my concentration. I'll be fine on the next ride.”

“You had better figure out what the problem is before that,” Jason demanded his own anger evident in his voice.

“I've got something on my mind that broke my concentration. Just chill out.”

“Something or someone? You aren't still torn up about Miller are you? Hell, he used you and you fell for it, but its time to get over it and move on.”

“No, its not Jack,” she murmured as she turned away from him, not wanting to explain. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her composure, but when she reopened them, the next thing that she saw was Tanner walking toward her with a sexy grin and flashing that dimple in his cheek.

“Tanner,” she whispered, starting toward him, hesitantly at first then at almost a dead run when she realized it was indeed him, and not her randy imagination conjuring him up out of nowhere.

Meeting halfway, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as he pulled her close. The smell of musk and male drifted to her nose and she sighed. God it felt good to be in his arms again. They stood that way for several minutes before Jason reached them, clearing his throat, causing them to pull apart.

“Amy?”

Jason's question hung in the air between them but she chose to ignore it for the moment. She needed to drink in everything about the man holding her close as she melted against him

She pulled back in his arms far enough she could look into his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“You said you were riding this weekend. I wanted to see you, so here I am.”

She smiled, “I'm glad you're here.”

2009-04-15T17:15:00.001-05:00

Next Excerpt!

“We've done gigs all over really, but mostly here in Texas. It's pretty steady at Pete's. I usually play at least one day every weekend, and one or two days during the week. The crowds are good those nights.”

“That's good. It gives you some steady income that way. I'm sure it helps with your fan base too. You seem to be pretty popular with the locals or at least the
women anyway.”

A bit shyly, he dropped his head to hide the blush on his cheeks.

“You're blushing!” She laughed as she placed her hand on his forearm. His eyes focused on her hand for a moment, before he lifted his gaze to hers and the raw desire reflected there took her breath away.

The first notes of Hypnotize The Moon by Clay Walker reached their ears, as she whispered, “This is one of my favorite songs.”

He scooted off the tailgate and held out his hand. “Would you dance with me?”

Not saying a word, she placed her hand in his as her bare feet touched the soft blanket of grass under them. Holding his gaze, she stepped into his arms with a satisfied sigh.

He pulled her close, near enough that her breasts brushed his chest as she heard a groan rumble in his throat. Her cheek came to rest against his as she felt the whisper of his breath at her ear and she shivered. Her fingers touch the softness of the hair at his nape, making her fingertips tingle.

Their bodies moved as one, with the lyrics of the song drifting on the breeze and settling in her heart.

You better run for cover. You better hide your heart 'cause once you start to love her; you know you'll never stop. She shines like a diamond when she walks into a room. She could charm the stars; Hypnotize The Moon.

Oh lord Amy, you are in trouble now, she thought as his lips touch her skin where her collarbone and shoulder met, infusing her with heat that settled between her thighs in a heady pool. The little straps of her dress, did nothing to shield her skin from the softness of his kiss. Her legs got weak as his tongue darted out, capturing the salt of her skin as she moaned softly.

When the song ended, she pulled back in his arms just far enough that she could see his face. His eyes had turned to a deep, chocolate brown and as they skimmed over her, and she was sure her cheeks had turned a bright shade of pink, as her body grew warm from his look.

When his gaze settled on her mouth, her lips parted in silent invitation, as a small sigh escaped them. He was going to kiss her. She could tell by the look in his eyes. He had every intention of devouring her mouth under his, in a kiss that she was sure would knock her socks off.

As his stare moved back up her face, she was sure anticipation was written all over it. She watched a small smile cross his lips right before he tipped his head and his lips finally met hers.

His kiss was tentative at first, but when he felt no resistance, only acceptance of what was meant to be, he deepened the kiss, moving his soft lips over hers. She felt him groan deep in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, as if he couldn't get close enough.

Oh God, she thought, right before his tongue touched her lips, seeking entrance into the soft cavern as all logical comprehension was gone. Her lips parted, allowing him access to the moist inside of her mouth as her own moan reached the surface.
Their tongues danced, each seeking something from the other, but not exactly sure what. Their breathing came in a short, rapid tempo as desire spiraled out of control. Breaking the kiss, Tanner put his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.
She could see the pain on his face as he tried in vane to calm the rush of need she was sure raged within him, just as it did her. He slowly opened his eyes. Her own need for him rushed through her as she almost threw caution to the wind at the look in his gaze. She watched a small wiry smile cross his lips as he brought his hand up to skim gently across her jaw. She closed her eyes to his touch wanting more as she snuggled against his hand.

“We need to stop this before it gets out of control,” he whispered against her parted lips, nibbling at the corners.

“I know,” she moaned in return, a shiver running down her spine as his lips touched hers for the second time.

His hand moved to cup her breast and she pushed her now taunt nipple against his palm, craving the friction of his caress. She moved against him, tasting the passion in his kiss, as desire race along her veins like she had never felt before. You want him, Amy. You want to know what it would feel like to have him make love to you with everything he has, her heart screamed as her body reacted to his touch.
A moment later, he pushed away from her.

Bewildered, she just looked at him, wondering what the hell just happened.

2009-04-15T15:48:00.001-05:00

Next Excerpt!

“Did you see Tanner? Damn, that's one fine looking man,”

“I know. Laurie sure is one lucky girl.”

Laurie? Who the hell is Laurie? Amy thought, a frown settling between her eyes.

“I'm sure she knows it too. They have been seeing each other for such a long time.”

“Well I'm sure one of these days; she'll get him to the altar. It's just a matter of time.”

She heard their footsteps retreating toward the door as their conversation changed and faded. The door shut with a click behind them and she was alone again.
Shock reverberated through her as their words sank into her mind. Surely they weren't talking about her Tanner, or the Tanner she had just spent the last several hours with. She must have heard them wrong. Her mind being the logical one thought, how many guys do you know with the name Tanner?

Anger and betrayal seethed through her as she ripped open the stall door and hurried to the sink to wash her hands. I’m going to find out about this right now. If he’s just playing with me, it will be the last time.

She pulled open the bathroom door and walked briskly in the direction of where her date stood leaning against a pole. She wasn't aware of the two women who watched from a safe distance, waiting for the fireworks to explode.

When she reached his side, Tanner went to slide his arm around her again, but she shrugged him off, taking several steps in front of him.

“Amy?” He caught up with her as the question reached her ears.
Giving him the most dangerous glare that she could muster, she moved away from him again. She wasn't going to discuss things in front of the crowd. She would save it for when they got in the truck.

When they reached his truck, he opened the door for her and without a word; she slid into the passenger seat, grabbed the door handle and pulled it shut.

“Do you want to tell me what's wrong?” The question hung in the air between them as she waited for him to start the truck.

She continued looking out the windshield but shook her head 'no'. She was afraid if she said something now, she would burst into tears. She wasn't watching where they were going, as anger rolled inside her, but after several minutes she realized they weren't heading back to Chris'.

Sandy

2009-04-15T14:48:00.001-05:00

Excerpt 6!

Finding two seats near the back, Amy moved through the aisle in front of him and sat down as he took the seat next to her. The theatre was already dark as the advertisements began to roll and the music blared. Tanner moved his arm behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to his side. The warmth of his hand caused a shiver to race down her back, settling in her groin and he whispered in her ear, “Cold?”

Shaking her head no, she took an unsteady breath, trying to calm her overheated body. His finger tracing little circles on her shoulder was making her very aware of the man next to her.

After several minutes, he turned his head, nuzzling the hair near ear with his nose, sending another shiver down her arms.

“You were right about the smell of horses. I like this smell much better.”

She closed her eyes, her breath catching in her throat as his whisper flittered in her ear and she tried desperately to put the thoughts of him between the sheets, out of her mind. No one had ever had this affect on her before and it was driving her crazy. Oh, she had been with a few men in the past, even men who knew exactly what to do and what to say to turn her on, but never like this and he wasn't even trying.

By the time the movie was over, Amy was so hot; little beads of sweat rested on her top lip and she felt all liquid inside. Her knees felt almost too weak to hold her as they worked their way out of the row of seats.

Sandy

2009-04-15T13:52:00.001-05:00

Excerpt 5!

They continued to the restaurant in silence. Once he had parked the truck, he walked around, and opened her door, taking her hand in his as she slid out, her feet touching the ground. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, shutting the door behind her.

Once inside, the waiter who met them said, “Hey Tanner. How's it going?”

“Good Matt. How have you been?”

“Not bad, working a lot. Who's the pretty lady with you?”

“This is Amy Russell. She's a friend of Chris Robins from Dallas,” Tanner grinned proudly at the beautiful woman on his arm.

“Nice to meet you Amy. Let me see if I can find you two a nice table.” Matt moved toward the podium with the restaurant seating sketched out. “This way. I have the perfect table.” Matt grabbed two menus and pointed the way for Tanner and Amy to follow.

Amy was acutely aware of the man next to her, all six feet of him as they walked side-by-side. The smell of musk and man reached her sensitive nose, making her feel all-liquid inside, her heart thumping to its own tempo.

The table they were led to, sat back in a secluded corner of the room, with a small candle burning and a single rose lying across the placemat. The table was obviously reserved, so she didn't quite understand why Matt was seating them there, until Tanner pulled out the chair where the rose sat.

Raising her surprised gaze to his she said, “What's this?”

“Call me a romantic. I thought you'd like it.” He shrugged.

“It's beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes going a little misty. None of the men she had ever gone out with before thought to do such a small thing and it quickly raised Tanner to the top of her list. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, but it wasn't really anything.” Tanner blushed as he took the seat across from her.

You have no idea how much it meant, she thought as she watched him sit.

“Order anything you like. The rib-eye is really good here.”

Picking up the menu and setting the rose to her left, she tried to focus on the selection of food. She kept peeking over the top of the laminated pictures to look at the man before her, unable to decide if he was for real. If she didn't know better, she would think he had just walked out of one of her romance novels.

Once they had both selected what they wanted to eat, Matt took their order and disappeared toward the kitchen.

“So what would you like to do after we eat?” Tanner asked, sipping the water sitting before him.

2009-04-15T12:57:00.000-05:00

Excerpt 4!

He flashed her a sexy smile, sure she wouldn't get on her hands and knees to dig worms. “We're digging.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “Okay. Works for me.”

She took the small shovel that he handed her, dropped to her knees and began to scoop some dirt out of a hole. Her tight jeans revealed a nicely rounded backside to his appreciative stare.

Lifting her head to flash a triumphant smile in his direction, she pulled out a worm and placed it in the small can that he handed to her.

Watching her, his breath caught in his throat when she flashed him that smile. Lord I want to kiss her so badly, he thought as desire began to pool in his groin as he watched her kneeling on the ground. Images of her naked before him raced across his mind and he groaned, turning around quickly so she wouldn't see his desire pressing insistently against the front of his jeans.

“I've got about a dozen worms in here. Think that's enough?” She looked up at him, holding the can out for his inspection.

“It should be plenty to start with. I'll grab the poles if you bring the worms. There is a nice log that juts out over the river where we can sit.” He held out his hand to help her stand.

“All right. I'll follow you then. Lead the way,” she motioned, pulling her hand from his grasp, brushing the dirt from her fingers on the legs of her jeans.

They walked for several hundred feet to the spot that Tanner pointed out and she could indeed see the perfect spot to fish as they crossed on the log and sat down, side-by-side.

“This is fantastic! Are there lots of fish in here?” Amy questioned, observing the pool of water beneath her.

“My dad keeps it stocked with catfish and trout all the time so there are always things to catch in here.”

He handed a pole to her, watching her keenly.

She grabbed the can of worms, digging her fingers into the soft dirt inside and
pulled out a nice worm, threading it onto the hook. She turned to flash a gorgeous smile at him and skillfully cast the line into the pond.

“Not the least bit squeamish are you?”

Giving him a dubious look, she said, “I'm a nurse. I deal with blood and guts all the time. Do you really think a little worm is going to gross me out?”

“Yeah, I guess that was a pretty silly thought.” He sent his own line sailing into the water, making sure it didn't cross hers.

The warm summer breeze lifted the hair from her neck and she tipped her head back, letting the hair fall away as she closed her eyes.

“Um…this is nice,” she whispered.

Sandy

2009-04-15T11:53:00.001-05:00

Excert 3! I hope you are enjoying these as much as I am!

“You're leaving?”

“No. Maybe. I don't know.” Amy turned, propping herself against the car.

“Is there something wrong?”

Amy looked at his face, feeling her insides quiver at the look in his eyes.

“No…I …just needed some air. It was getting really warm in there.” Her face flushed from the heat of the night or the look in his eyes, she wasn't sure.

“I know what you mean,” he murmured.

“I thought you had started playing again?”

“We did, but when you rushed out, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I'm fine, really. I'll be back inside in a minute,” dismissal in her tone.

“All right.” She watched as he turned and headed back toward the bar, not looking back as he met Chris on her way out.

“Everything okay?” Chris asked him as they met on the steps.

“I guess.” Tanner shrugged with a puzzled look over his shoulder at her then went back inside the bar.

Chris walked the rest of the way out to the car where she still stood leaning against the side.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, why?”

“There just seemed to be some tension between you two.”

“There is nothing between us, Chris. I just met him for crying out loud.”

“I know, but its not like you aren't attracted to him.”

“He's just another guy. Good looking one, I'll admit, but he’s just another guy probably looking for nothing more than to get laid,” Amy remarked, pushing away from the car. “I think I'll go back inside. There are plenty good looking men in there and I think that I'll find a few to dance with.”

She could feel Chris' frowning stare on her back, as she made her way toward the door. She was here to unwind and relax, not find another man to take Jack's place.
When she reached their table, Chris wasn't far behind and neither was the flood of men. One cute blonde cowboy with big blue eyes, found his way to her side, asking her for the next dance. As she stepped into his arms, the stare from the stage was almost enough for her to rethink her decision about dancing with others in the room, almost.

2009-04-15T10:56:00.002-05:00

Excerpt 2! Enjoy!

“So how many of these people do you know?” Her eyes returned to her friend as she watched Chris scan the crowd.

“Everyone,” Chris answered with a grin. “I went to school with most of these people. I do see a few new faces though.”

Her own eyes moved over the crowd, almost hoping she would catch a glimpse of the cowboy from this morning, but no one looked familiar. There are lots of good-looking cowboys here though, she thought, noticing how the crowd was divided. It was obvious that the men out numbered the women, close to three-to-one.
Chris waved at someone she obviously knew and as the cute cowboy reached the table, she stood.

“Amy, this is Rob,” Chris introduced, pulling a handsome blonde guy to her side.
Sticking out her hand, she said, “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” His blue eyes twinkling as they met hers and he snaked an arm around Chris' waist.

“Rob and I have known each other for years.”

Raising a questioning eyebrow at Chris, she smiled at the man next to her.
“Really? I'm sure you could tell me some awesome stories that I could blackmail my best friend with.”

Giving her a wide smile and a wink, he replied, “I bet I can. We'll talk later.”

“You will not!” Chris exclaimed, pushing him away from her side with a giggle.

There’s obviously something more than just friends between those two, Amy thought as she watched the exchange.

“I'll catch you later.”

“Sure, Chris. Behave yourself young lady.” He winked before he walked away.

Her gaze left Chris' face, shaking her head. She always complained that she never had a serious relationship with anyone; well, her serious relationship just walked away from her side.

Her eyes moved over the group again, watching as they shifted and mingled, reacquainting themselves with the others in the room. As more people came in through the doors of the bar, her eyes skimmed each face, almost hoping.

A moment later, she caught the sight of someone in a white long sleeved shirt and black cowboy hat making his way through the crowd carrying a guitar case. She couldn't see his face as he continued to work his way through the crowd toward the stage.

He must be with the band, she thought. Her interest was piqued as she continued to be fascinated by the way he moved. Graceful, she thought. That was the word that came to mind as he made his was toward the stage.

Right before he reached the edge of the dance floor, he turned and Amy could see his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized who it was. It's my cowboy. No, not my cowboy, hell, I don't even know his name, she thought. It was the cowboy from the corral. This time he was dressed to impress, with a nice shirt on, tight Wranglers that emphasized his nice derriere and polished boots. Damn! He's just as nice all cleaned up, Amy thought as her appreciative glance raked him from head to toe.

When he finally turned toward her and his gaze met hers across the room, surprise registered on his face and he took a step in her direction. One of the band members approached from behind him, grabbing his arm and ushering him toward the stage before he could go any further.

Once he reached the stage, he stepped onto the platform before swinging his glance back toward her. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t pull her eyes from his even if she wanted to, as they sparkled with appreciation. He tipped his hat and gave her one of the sexiest grins she had ever received, before turning to pull his guitar out of the case.

When he broke their eye contact, a voice finally permeated the fog that had encompassed her mind.

“Hello - Amy?” Chris waved her hand in front of her face.

“Uh…what?”

“Who are you flirting with?”

“I'm not flirting with anyone, why?”

“You were too. I haven't seen you that taken by someone in a long time.”

She watched as Chris looked in the direction of her stare and saw the handsome man on the stage, giving him a hearty wave. She flashed Amy a secretive little smile, before she changed the subject as the band started to warm up.

For the next hour, she was very aware of his gaze from across the room. She could feel his eyes move over her, sending a tingling of awareness across her arms. She got slightly breathless as several different men twirled her around the dance floor, but she didn’t know if it was dancing or from his heated gaze.

Sandy

2009-04-15T09:52:00.002-05:00

Excerpt 1! Enjoy! They will get steamier as the day goes by!

“Damn it!”
Amy cocked her head to listen, but the next sound was the jingle of spurs. She would know that sound anywhere. A frown settled between her eyes as she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. When curiosity got the better of her, she pushed open the small gate, letting it click behind her as it closed.

The orange glow of the morning sun streamed over the hillside, infusing color across the sky. The cool air lifted the tendrils of her hair, brushing the ends across her cheek in a caress, while the warmth of the sun warmed her skin.

She had been drawn to the roses growing along the fence, the pungent odor filling her nose with their sweet scent as her muscles finally had begun to relax in the familiar surroundings of a working ranch. Growing up riding, roping and working with horses and cattle alike, this was like home, but the noises coming from nearby drew her to find out what was happening on the other side of the bushes.

Carrying her coffee, Amy moved through a small walkway that had obviously been used many times over the years, until she could clearly see a round pen a short distance away. It was the same structure that she had noticed the night before when they had driven by the neighbors house on their way to Chris' parents ranch, only now, it was occupied.

As she moved closer, she saw an obviously angry cowboy, lying in the dirt as the brown and white mare stood over him, shifting nervously. The cowboys black Stetson lie several feet away, where it had apparently landed when he was unceremoniously dumped in the center of the corral.

While she watched, the cowboy jumped to his feet, a stream of expletives coming from his mouth as he stomped to the railing at the side of the pen, oblivious to his audience of one.

Amy smiled into her cup, slightly amused at the cowboy’s predicament. She had been in that same position more times that she could count, over the years.

As she took a sip from the cup of hot liquid warming her hands, she felt it warm her chest as it slid down her throat and settled in her belly.

When she raised her eyes, her gaze found the cowboy again across the expanse of the pen and her breath caught in her throat as goose bumps rose along her arms. The chest that was revealed to her eyes as he stripped off his t-shirt was perfect, with just the right amount of dark hair spattered across it. His well-muscled body, tanned from many hours in the hot Texas sun, greeted her as she stared, tracing the line of hair to the waistband of his jeans with her eyes. His rock hard abs rippled as he moved, throwing the shirt over the railing. Sweat glistened on his skin as a single droplet cut a path from his neck, stopping to rest on the end of his male nipple for a moment, before dropping off into the dust at his feet. All she could do was stare as her mouth went dry. His nearly black hair curled slightly at the ends where it touched the back of his neck and a two day growth of whiskers, gave him a bit of a scruffy look that sent heat right through her middle.

Sandy

2009-04-15T09:08:00.003-05:00

Good morning!

Today is release day of Cowboy Love and I'm so excited!! I will be posting excerpts of this novel through out the day so I hope you all will check back often. Please post a comment for your chance to win a free autographed copy of Cowboy Love.

You can purchase this directly from me at www.romancestorytime.com or I am also the featured author at http://www.freewebs.com/thebookhouse/featuredauthor.htm for the next week.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask.

Sandy

2009-04-14T18:21:00.001-05:00

Stop by the blog tomorrow for release day of Cowboy Love! Leave a comment and win your free autographed copy of Cowboy Love!

See you all tomorrow!

Sandy

2009-04-14T08:41:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day!! Cowboy Love hits the airwaves, uh...bookshelves. LOL You can still pre-order your copy through midnight tonight and save $2.58 shipping at www.romancestorytime.com.

I'm so excited for this release. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And the guy on the cover is HOT!!!

Just a tidbit of info...the girl on the back in the cowboy hat is my youngest daughter, Becky. Mom convinced her to pose!

Please, let me know how you like my novels. I enjoy hearing from those that have read them.

Until next time ...

Sandy

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for To Love A Texas Ranger...

2009-04-01T20:23:00.003-05:00

And the winner is........................

PrimRose.

Send me an email at sandysullivan@romancestorytime.com with your address so I can send your copy of Cowboy Love.

For those that didn't win, I will be taking pre-orders starting tomorrow, 4-2-09. If you pre-order before 4-15-09, I will give you free shipping. That's a savings of $2.58!

Thanks to everyone for playing and I hope to see you all visit my website at www.romancestorytime.com. Please feel free to leave me feedback on any of my novels that you've read. I love to hear from people.

Take care and see you all soon!

Sandy

2009-03-26T19:59:00.002-05:00

Just FYI, the contest through March 31, 2009. I'll be drawing the winner on 4-1-09. I'm so excited for this novel to be released. The release date will be 4-15-09. If you aren't the winner of the pre-released copy, I will be taking preorders for copies after 4-1-09. Check out my website at www.romancestorytime.com.

See you all soon!

Sandy

2009-03-12T09:01:00.002-05:00

I'm having a contest!

If you are already a follower of this blog, you don't need to do anything. I will be putting everyone's name in the bowl and giving away a copy of Cowboy Love. You will receive an autographed copy before it's been released to the public. So if you haven't already read the first several pages that are available for free, please visit www.romancestorytime.com, click on the link and enjoy!

Sandy

2009-03-09T07:39:00.001-05:00

Hello all,

My newest venture is series publishing through Wild Rose Press. I've written two pieces, one for their Wayback series and one for their The Flower Basket series. Both pieces are currently under consideration by their editors so keep your fingers crossed I hear something soon.

Also, Love's Sweet Surrender has been resubmitted to Wild Rose Press under their Cactus Rose Line. I'll keep you posted on how that's coming along when I hear something.

For now, I've started a new book. Not sure of the title yet, but it's going to be based around the WWII era in Key West and Lousiana. Should be interesting reading!

That's all for now.

Sandy

2009-01-31T10:58:00.003-06:00

Hi all,

Well, Cowboy Love is finished! YEAH!!! I'm editing both Love's Sweet Surrender and Cowboy Love currently. Love's Sweet Surrender is coming along nicely. I've finished my edits and have sent it back to my proof reader for further changes if need be. Hopefully by late next week, I can resubmit it to Wild Rose Press and get some good feedback.

I'm plotting my next book currently. It will probably be a romance set inthe WWII era but it will have a nice romance to it as well as some hilarious pieces. I think you'll love it.

I look forward to any suggestions and comments you might have. I'm also looking at doing possibly a contest for my readers so if you haven't tagged my blog to follow, please do so for upcoming updates.

See you all soon.

Sandy

2008-12-12T19:35:00.003-06:00

Hi all,

Cowboy Love is coming along nicely. I was able to spend some time with my favorite cowboy this past weekend in Vegas. (see below for picture! :-)) I gave him a copy of Texas Lady since he was my inspiration for Jeff Walker. Hopefully someday, I'll be able to find out what he thought. Wild Rose Press is looking at both Love's Sweet Surrender and Cowboy Love for publication. I still need to done some revisions on Love's Sweet Surrender and resubmit it to them, which I hope to do soon.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you have a fabulous Christmas and New Year!

Sandy

2008-11-21T11:48:00.002-06:00

I've added some new friends to my author's link. Check them out at the links to your right toward the bottom. They both write fabulously!

As for me, I'm working on another novel. It's called Cowboy Love. So far I've focused mostly on historical western, but this is a contemporary cowboy story. If you are like me, you love cowboys, their strength and their softness, even if they don't want to be.

I will definitely keep you all posted as this progresses!

Sandy

2008-11-18T10:39:00.002-06:00

Welcome to my blog! My name is Sandy Sullivan and I am a romance novel author. I have two novels currently available at www.amazon.com, www.creatspace.com or on my website at www.romancestorytime.com.

Texas Lady is set in historical western Texas in a small town name Hempstead. This novel is about Elizabeth and Jeff, who have grown up together, but never thought of each other as anything other than friends. Elizabeth is sent away to boarding school in the east at the tender age of sixteen. When she returns, she a full grown flesh and blood woman who turns Jeff's head. Unfortunately, Gregory also wants her for his wife and he travels to Texas to claim what's his. Jeff must decide whether his attraction to Elizabeth is just a passing fancy or something more. You can read the first three chapters free of this novel at my website at www.romancestorytime.com. I do welcome all comments and appreciate everyone who reads.

Love's Sweet Surrender is set in a historical western town named Parkville. Lily Backman travels to Parkville to start a new life. She finds out that the parents she's known and loved for twenty-two years, are not her real parents and feeling betrayed and lied to, she accepts a teaching job in a small cattle town. Seth married his school sweetheart, but when she's killed riding on their property one day, he vows to find revenge on the men responsible. Lily wants to help Seth and his children heal from the pain of losing Lacey, but will she fall in love at the same time? Can these two people help each other heal from the pain of lies and betrayal? Find out at www.romancestorytime.com. The first three chapters of this novel are available as well.

Thanks for looking and please subscribe to my blog if you'd like updates on interviews and when the new novels will be available.