Contest Winners!!!

First off I'd like to send a great big thanks to everyone who entered my contest here and at Three Wicked Writers. There were so many entries and it just made my release day so much nicer having everyone come over and comment. My winner at Three Wicked Writers is Julia Barrett and my winner here at Regina is Kris Norris. Please contact me at reginacarlysle@yahoo.com and let me know what book you would like and I'll get it to you.

Several of you have asked about Ringo's Ride. It's coming. The book is written and has been carefully gone over by my editor. Only waiting now for a cover and release date. I'll let ya'll know as soon as I do.

Did anyone see TrueBlood last night??? OMG...what the HELL is MaryAnn??? This is driving me nuts and I can't wait to see what happens next.

In other news, I'm heading out to do some shopping with my daughter today. We're getting her apartment together since she'll be moving August 18...sniff sniff. Damn, this is hard. Right now, just making plans with her for what she'll need is keeping me too busy to dwell on it. The other day we picked out her bedding and looked at some pretty prints for her walls. Today we'll pick up a few more things like towels, sheets, maybe some things for her kitchen. Luckily I got some writing in yesterday. If the weather continues the way it has, I suspect I won't be worth much when we finish the shopping. The temps in west Texas have been hovering between 103 and 106. Pretty damn bad.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday and once again, thanks so much for playing in the contest and making my release day so great.

Lone Star Lycan-Out Today

Today is release day for the second book in the High Plains Shifters series. Lone Star Lycan takes up where Highland Beast (May, Ellora's Cave) left off. In honor of the occasion, I'm having a little contest. I never do anything really creative with these...it IS Friday after all and my brain is tired! Just leave me a comment and I'll put you in a drawing to win either a download of Lone Star Lycan OR if you prefer, head over to my website and choose one of my other titles. My web addy is http://www.reginacarlysle.com

I'll announce a winner on Monday!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the trailer, my friend Fran Lee made for the book and I'm also posting a blurb and excerpt of the story.

Buy it HERE!

Blurb:
She came to dusty west Texas to bury the dead. But one look from Joe’s smoldering eyes made Quinn Harlow grow wet and needy. The cowboy was too big, too sexy, too everything, and more man than she’d ever had before. Though she was just a visitor, her heart begged her to stay and find her destiny with him on these desolate plains.

Joe McKinnon, alpha of the Wolf Creek pack, takes one look at his destined mate and knows he’ll have his hands full dealing with the sassy female. A single glance has his cock going hard. One touch has him willing to move mountains to claim her. He knows it won’t be easy to tame the woman who holds his future in her hands.

Reader Advisory: Includes a scintillating M/F/M ménage scene. Enjoy!

Excerpt: (adult)

“Leave us, Tobias. I’ll finish this with Quinn.”
“Yes, lord.”
Lord?
Okay. Had she landed in an alternate dimension? Was she caught in some weird time warp where people addressed other as lord?
But she didn’t have time to dwell on that now. Joe expected her to drop everything, leave her life, her home and live out here in the damn wilderness. Well, nobody told her what to do and that was a fact. At the sound of Tobias leaving and the door snapping closed, she stood and glared at Joe.
“I know I let you get a little friendly out there at the cemetery. Too damn friendly.” She rolled her eyes. “Jeez, talk about an understatement. I don’t know what possessed me. A moment of madness I reckon, but I won’t be dictated to by you or by my dead father. Got that, Joe?”
Joe turned more fully toward her and for the first time she saw a hint of humor gentle the lines of his lips. “I know what possessed you, darlin’. Pure and simple, it was lust, sexual power. A need to be fucked long and hard by a man who understands you. You felt the connection between us and you can try all damn day to deny it but it was there.”
She wanted to refute it, spit it out at him, tell him he was wrong but he advanced, rounded the desk in two long strides to jerk her into his arms and it was as if the very breath was sucked from her lungs. His big hands roamed the surface of her bare arms and all that heat tore through her like a blast as he took her mouth. Silenced. Submissive. She’d never felt that way before. A woman who spoke her mind and dominated those around her with the force of her size and personality, she was suddenly new. Brand new.
His tongue swept with devastating precision into the cavern of her mouth, leaving Quinn to drink his breath, taste the wild flavor of this stranger. But he didn’t feel like a stranger, as his tongue tangled with hers. The feel of his massive chest pressed against her breasts seemed predestined, something she’d known before and had ached to explore in her naughtiest dreams. Quinn’s nipples tightened sharply. Joe must’ve felt it too because he broke the kiss, sucked in a breath and buried his face against the curve of her shoulder.
Lost. She was lost in sensation to the point she hardly noticed when the edge of the giant walnut desk nudged her butt. Joe made a sound of frustration, half-growl, half-groan and Quinn felt him touch the nape of her neck and fumble with the big button that held up the halter of the black linen dress. She couldn’t think. Couldn’t muster a protest, when the fabric loosened and he latched onto a diamond-hard nipple with his hungry mouth.
He sucked hard sending a zip of energy through that pleasure point where it arrowed sharply downward to curl low in her belly. A gush of moisture rained from her pussy, further dampening her sorry excuse for panties. Joe drew back to give her a molten stare, full of promise and heat, before he lowered his eyes to take in her bare breasts. “Damn, woman. You’re the sweetest thing I’ve even seen.”

Stepping out of the Box

Sometimes I need a little kick in the butt with my writing. As many of you know, I began with historicals many years ago but then switched to writing western contemporaries. But after awhile I started to feel a little stale. Stuck in a rut. Then a writer friend challenged me to do something different.It was then that I wrote Feral Moon, my first paranormal and my first menage. What began as a simple exercise to get me out of a rut turned into something I could really build on and now I have several paranormals under my belt. By stepping out of my comfort zone, I opened myself to a whole new world. Thing is, everything can begin to feel a little stale after awhile and that's when I think writers block sets in.I know the common theory is that writers should stick with one genre because readers get upset when they buy a particular author and find they've picked up a straight contemporary when they were expecting a paranormal. As a writer though, I don't know whether I really WANT to be stuck in the one-genre box, ya know? It's troubling but then who wants to read the same formulaic plot in every single book? I think that can easily happen to a writer when she only writes one genre.Right now I love writing paranormals but yes, once again I'm feeling a little stale. At the moment, I'm working on developing a new series with two other writers. I've already done a holidy series (Mistletoe Magic/Ellora's Cave) with these talented authors and we honestly had so much fun working together that we thought we'd do it again. So Cindy Spencer Pape, Desiree Holt and I are planning another Texas themed contemporary series. One of the stories is already written.What is really cool is that we've found we like working together. Our writing styles are similar and it's a challenge to work out details that will be shared in each story. In a way, this is the perfect thing to give a writer a chance to do something a little different. To step out of the box. Just another way to stay fresh as a writer. I like that.

Oprah's Selling Power

I read an article today about Oprah's ability to get the public to buy almost anything. Tech companies are lining up to talk her into trying their gadgets and gizmos. In October of last year, she touted the Amazon Kindle on her show and within a week Google hits for Kindle were up over 400 percent. Sales for the reading device were so heavy that Amazon ran out of them during the holiday gift buying season.

Crazy huh?

The same thing happened when she mentioned Twitter. A week later, Twitter use increased by 34 percent and this was attributed to her merely talking about it on her show. Remember Spanx? The lightweight panty that held in your tummy and made women look flawless in their clothes? If Oprah mentions a book, it's almost a guarantee the book will fly off the shelves.

What's up with this? I understand celeb endorsments are commonplace but I don't get why they work. I might talk with a friend and get an opinion before trying something but would I buy simply on the word of a celebrity? Don't get me wrong. I like Oprah. She exudes a warmth and charm and likability that is hard to resist. She's the kind of person you might want to have lunch with or enjoy a chat over a cup of coffee but I don't think I'd run out an buy an item simply on her say-so. Have you ever bought something that was touted by a celebrity on tv? Guess I'm curious about why one person's recommendation is so golden.

In other news: Fourth of July holiday went off without a hitch. We had a cookout and basically lazed around. Got some sun and splashed in the pool. That was about it. The only thing bad that happened was it started to rain sometime after dark and the local fireworks show was cancelled. I know the kids were disappointed. Other than that, it was a pretty good time.

Surpassing Pleasures

Please help me celebrate the release of Anny Cook's Surpassing Pleasures. It's out today at Ellora's Cave and I've read this...yes, lucky me! I don't have to tell most of you how talented Anny is or how wonderful her stories are. So go pick up your copy today and ENJOY!

Buy It Here

Blurb:

Special Agent Sebastian Spade has worked hard to convince Zipporah Jericho that he’s her man. But every encounter ends with Zip dancing out of reach to protect a family secret. When they are brought together by a murder, Seb determines this time he will never let her go.

In the bedroom, on the road, in a secret cabin in the woods, he masters her body by daring to satisfy her deepest desires. As they explore the forbidden pleasures that await them with every touch, they discover trust is another word for love.

Excerpt:

Zip knew it was going to be a bad week when she found a body in the ladies restroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t her first discovery of a body so she didn’t scream or do any of the other stereotypical sissy stuff but it did piss her off. No woman should have to deal with a dead person when it was that time of the month—unless it was somebody the woman had finished off herself.
The woman’s short blonde hair was mussed, sticking out in all directions. The knife protruding from her back was a pretty clear indicator that death wasn’t accidental. And the pool of blood surrounding her left little hope that she survived, so Zip elected to go for help.
She backed out into the hall, bumping into Sebastian Spade, her brother’s coworker.
“Zip?”
“Body in the restroom,” she blurted out. “Dead body.”
He tugged her out of the way, pressing her against the wall next to the door. “Don’t move.” He slipped his gun from his holster, opened the restroom door with his shoulder and peeked inside. Damn. It certainly looked like a body to him. Approaching the woman, he leaned down and checked for signs of life though experience told him the woman was gone. He blew out a quick breath, pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched his partner’s number on speed dial.
“Yeah?”
“Me. Your sister just found a body in the restroom.” Before Quill could ask any questions, Seb turned off the phone and went back in the hallway to join Zipporah. “Quill’s on his way. Do you need to sit down?”
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest to hide her trembling hands. “No. I’m okay until he gets here.” Her quick visit with her brother Quill at the local FBI office had turned out to be a bad idea. She thought about asking for her purse, still on the restroom floor where she’d dropped it, but decided that was a bad idea. Maybe Quill or Seb would be able to return it to her later.
Seb crouched next to her while they waited. “How about telling me what happened?”
She rubbed her arms with trembling hands. “I stopped in the restroom to brush my hair. It’s windy outside. A-and there she was on the floor.”
“Did you recognize her?”
Zip shook her head. “I didn’t see her face.”
He just nodded and straightened up as Quill rushed down the hall toward them.

Time for a HOT RUSH!

Things are getting somewhat back to normal around here after our trip to Dallas. Have a bit of laundry still to do but everything is unpacked and luggage is put away so that's something. While we were in our hotel, we heard the news about Michael Jackson. His death was just so sudden and shocking. So sad.

I know people handle grief in lots of different ways. Some hold it deep inside and others need to talk things out. Had the news on last night and I saw his dad's press conference. Must say I was quite surprised at the way the man handled himself after the death of his son. Talk centered around his new record company and the list of artists who would be featured on the new label.

Sooooo damn weird. What the hell?


Hot Rush by Barbara Huffert is out today at Ellora's Cave. Barb is not only one of my very best friends but an amazingly talented author so please head over to Jasmine Jade and pick up your copy today.

Blurb:

Rick Jensen is working undercover to bust up the largest drug distribution in the city’s recent history. Everything is going as planned until the hottest redhead he’s ever seen comes storming into the warehouse. Now if only he can stop thinking with his cock long enough to save her luscious ass and convince her that love at first sight really does exist.

Being sentimental has always been Casey Carmichael’s downfall. But this time her impulsiveness lands her right in the middle of a full contingent of heavily armed drug dealers. When one of them tosses her over his shoulder and carries her up to the office the last thing she expects is out of control sex with the undercover cop trying to protect her.

Excerpt:

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she shrieked, on the verge of hysteria. All she’d wanted was her dad’s canoe back because of all the happy moments they’d shared in it and now she’d gotten herself into this mess. And what a hell of a mess it was! Yes, she’d definitely done it this time. Would she never learn to think before she rushed headfirst into things? Next time she would stop and consider her actions like a rational person would. If there was a next time.
Rick planted himself against the closed door. “Lady, do you have some sort of death wish or are you just stupid?”
“How dare you?” She was still too panicked to think clearly. And the fact that this stranger who’d whisked her up here where she was thoroughly trapped was the most incredible man she’d ever seen wasn’t helping matters.
“I dare because right now I am the only thing keeping your ass alive so why don’t you just shut the fuck up and listen?”
“What do you mean, keeping me alive? Why would anyone want to kill me? All I want is my canoe and then I’ll get out of here and leave you all to whatever it is you’re doing.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Do you have any idea what you barged in on? Do you know who those guys are?”
“Sure I do. You called them Carlos, Joey and Victor.” Her face went pale. “Carlos. Joey. And Victor. Oh my God. Oh. My. God. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.” She started to shake as the remaining color drained from her face. Yes, she did know who they were, an extended family of drug dealers. He was right. Her impulsiveness was going to get her killed this time.
“Damn.” He shoved her into a chair and forced her head between her knees. All he needed was her to pass out on him. “Stay with me, darlin’. Take some slow deep breaths. I got you. You’re okay.”
She struggled against him. “What are you nuts? I’m not okay. Those guys have guns. They’re going kill me.” He crouched in front of her and gripped her shoulders just a little harder than necessary. It was either that or give her a good shake.
“No, they won’t. Not if you do exactly as I say.”
She finally looked at him. “Oh and who are you? The fucking Lone Ranger?”
He couldn’t help it. He had to chuckle. “Someone you can trust. Tell me how you know these guys.”
“Trust you? After you grabbed me like that and said all those things? And made them look at my boobs. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that one. You’re nuts if you think I’m going to trust you.” She knew she was the one sounding insane but couldn’t manage to stop herself.
“I apologize for that, ma’am, but it was for your own protection. I had to make it seem as if we know each other.”

Check out these great reads!

Today my friend, Cindy Spencer Pape, is celebrating the print release of her wonderful 'geek' book, Djinni and the Geek at Ellora's Cave. Previously this was only available in ebook so I have to say it's about damn time this amazing book is available in print.

Buy It Here!

Blurb:

Professor David Garvaglia is nobody’s idea of a hero. Is he? When David opens an antique box and finds a sexy Djinni in his bed, his desire for her is almost as powerful as his determination to set her free. Anissa has spent centuries as a prisoner of the box and has dreamed of the day some handsome master would release her. The scruffy computer geek isn’t what she expected, but everything about him turns her on.

While David and Anissa explore their explosive passion, he helps her adjust to the twenty-first century. Complicating things is an evil wizard who wants Anissa for himself. Between scorching sex in his faculty office and hacking government computers, David does everything he can to keep her safe—and satisfied.

In addition to Cindy's news, I want to take this opportunity to share a new-to-me author, Bronwyn Green. We've gotten to know each other lately and I simply adore this woman but I had never read her work despite many recommendations that I do so. While visiting Dallas over the past few days, I read From The Ruins (Total E Bound) and I simply loved it. She has such a way of delivering an emotional punch along with all the good hot stuff. A fabulous storyteller.

In other news: Just got home from a three day trip to Dallas. Did some shopping, dining out and other fun stuff but I had to question why I did such a thing during a 'heat wave'. Thought I was gonna DIE. Despite that, we had a great time. Still it's good to be home.

Happy Birthday: To my friend Desiree Holt, wishing you fun and all the margaritas you can stand. Hugs!