sweet-ecstasies-by-carolina

NIGHT TRAIN TO VENICE - The Genesis of Carolina's Current Work In Progress

2011-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write a vampire. Like warm honey, the idea floated in the back of my mind without ever reaching my keyboard. Some day, I promised myself, I would write a vampire.

Over a year later, I agreed to write a novella for THAT'S AMORE!, an AmberPax™ collection of stories related in some way to Italy. A story about what, I wondered? Cleaning out a cupboard containing old vinyls, I saw the song title Night Train. Suddenly, there was the title to my story.

NIGHT TRAIN TO NAPLES was a catchy alliteration, but was there one? Yes! There is a night train from Rome to Naples. So, who would be riding on it and why?

I could almost taste that warm honey of a thought I'd had almost two years earlier--cloaked in darkness, a vampire would be riding that train. Seven hundred years as one of the undead had tamed the blond emerald-eyed Greek, turned when he was an arrogant wild young man sewing his oats. Alexandros Nicolaides was now a New Orleans diamond courier seeking a new account from the prince of the Southern Italy vampires for his American boss.

And he was being followed.

When I was writing my first novel, a romantic suspense, an author in my critique group asked, "Who hates your heroine?"

Those words echoed in my thoughts for the Naples piece. Who hated my gorgeous powerful Greek vampire enough to try to kill him and Dante, his human Italian lover? Giacomo, that's who--a jealous discarded lover whom Alex had now professionally humiliated in front of his peers.

The story ends with Giacomo in the wind. It wasn't a conscious decision by me, it was just the way my characters' story evolved. Dante has agreed to give up his job in Italy and join Alexandros in his home in New Orleans. Now the story must move there.

NIGHT TRAIN TO NEW ORLEANS

Research revealed you have to fly from London to New Orleans, and all flights arrive in daylight. To bring Dante to Alex in the evening, I had to create a storm forcing his plane to land in Baton Rouge--because that's where I found an international airport and a night train to New Orleans.

For some reason, a Prussian vampire, turned in his early forties, is Alex's co-courier in "Nawlins." Don't ask me where he came from because I have no idea. He's more level headed and draws less attention than the elegant Alexandros. As this story ends, the problem of Giacomo has been settled, but I wasn't ready to let go of these characters, and readers were asking for more.

With other writing commitments to Amber Quill Press completed, I've begun the third novella in this series. The three will appear together in paperback when this next story is released in Spring 2012...

NIGHT TRAIN TO VENICE

You might have guessed that I love history. New Orleans may be the most fabulous historic city in the United States. Venice is one of the most unique cities in the world. Built in the sixth century CE in a lagoon off the Adriatic Sea, it's a treasure trove of architecture and art. It conjures up pictures of palazzi, Mardi Gras, of colorful hatted gondoliers pushing tourists through narrow canals in black gondolas trimmed in gold. Visitors must either walk or take watercraft to move about the city. Cars aren't allowed. There are also dark byways where crimes can be committed.

I knew it could be reached by train. But the crucial question was: Is there a night train? You guessed it--one runs from Rome to Venice. Yay!

Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie was once marooned on this train in a blizzard. Later, she used it in one of her Hercule Poirot stories. It was first built in 1883, and I thought it had been destroyed. But right now, my characters are ready to disembark the historic and refurbished Simplon-Orient-Express at the Venice station and step out into their latest adventure, which I think, at this point, may go something like this:

"Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but for a courier the next delivery may invite death. Someone is robbing and killing couriers of precious gems and metals.

To secure Dante Rocco’s safety when he leaves New Orleans on a major delivery and return pick up, the CEO of Global Diamond Couriers assigns the two staff immortals as his bodyguards—Alexandros Nicolaides, Dante’s lover, and their middle-aged friend, Malcolm Müller. When they board the night train, Malcolm is welcomed by Nick, a hot, younger man assigned as his steward. Nick seems to know a lot about the trio, and when he leaves the train at the same stop they do, Malcolm engages in a whirlwind affair with him. But when he falls for him, can he be sure Nick is what he claims to be or is he part of the organization targeting couriers?"

NIGHT TRAIN TO NAPLES - Buy Online Now
http://www.amberallure.com/NightTrainToNaples.html

NIGHT TRAIN TO NEW ORLEANS - Buy Online Now
http://www.amberallure.com/NightTrainNewOrleans.html

COMING THIS SPRING FROM AMBER ALLURE - NIGHT TRAIN TO VENICE

Carolina Valdez
http://www.carolinavaldez.com

NEW RELEASE! - ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL - futuristic gay erotic romance

2011-11-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

A NOVEMBER TOP TEN BEST SELLER FROM AMBER QUILL PRESS

After the release of my gay erotic romance, TIE 'EM UP, HOLD 'EM DOWN, and its sequel, HANGIN' WITH MY WINDOW MAN, I read a contemporary m/f romantic suspense involving a man convicted of stealing diamonds. He'd had a partner who was killed, and the diamonds were never found. After his release from prison, he fathered a little girl.

This author also writes a futuristic series under a pseudonym, and what intrigued me was stumbling on a sequel to the original story which was set fifty years after the theft. The daughter is all grown up now, and when her troublesome father pops back into her life the hunt for the diamonds begins again.

When I stumbled on those two stories, I thought it would be fun to write a story set in the future featuring descendants of my firefighters in TIE 'EM UP and HANGIN'. I could see the opening scene clearly, but it was two years before the thrust came to develop the idea: The INTO THE FUTURE AMBERPAX™ needed one more author to write a story for it.

And today it's here, although with a fresh opening scene.

THE STORY

Duty robbed them of their last night together. A deadly fireball struck Earth’s New L.A. in the late afternoon, and instead of an evening of dinner and passion with his lover, Battalion Chief David Garrison reported for duty and led his elite firewarrior squadron to fight the raging flames engulfing historic LA. At first light the next morning, duty sent David’s lover, Dillon Rapner, a special agent, off-world undercover to ferret out the source of the incendiary bombs destroying Old Town.

During his search, Dillon was captured and enslaved for several years on another planet. Only thoughts of returning to David, the man he would love forever, kept him alive and determined to escape. Never in his wildest imaginings did he expect that when he returned to Earth he’d find another man in David’s bed—but he did. His dreams shattered, can he pull his life together again?

A SALACIOUS EXCERPT

...As Dillon talked, he reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head and off.

Even as weary as he was, David’s groin tightened at the sight of that familiar, well-muscled chest, the heat and touch of which he knew. He stopped chewing.

“Tomorrow we’ll start work. It’s possible we can make some sales here.” Their cover was as salesmen, but in code the words conveyed the message that they’d search for the source of the phosphorus and other rare elements used in the fireballs as well as for a launching station.

David knew finding these things would be a dead giveaway this planet was the bomb source. In response to diplomatic inquiries, Oragone’s Supreme Authority had denied the attacks originated there, and even the Intergalactic Council couldn’t budge them on this, but the launches continued. The fact was, unless the fireballs were shot from some undetected space vehicle, their planet was in the right trajectory and orbit to have launched them.

“Find the sons of a gun, man,” David said. As a warrior, he wanted to stop having to kill the havoc created by the incendiaries. It was unbelievable to him that their enemies didn’t seem to know they were firing on a basically dead part of the city. The more terrifying part was wondering what would happen if they ever figured that out.

As Dillon talked, his gold and amber eyes seemed to bore into David’s as he unbuckled the belt on his trousers and slid the zipper down with deliberate slowness.

David almost choked on the food in his mouth as he heard its casual whisper and watched it reveal black boxer briefs, which should be as sleek as Dillon’s sports car, but right now housed a large bulge straining their front. Dillon discarded the dark slacks and briefs, then turned and leaned over to fold his slacks and lay them on the bed. The smooth roundness of a butt that was at once firm and yet not so hard it didn’t have a sexy give when squeezed, hid the bunghole at the base of the crevice between its globes. His balls swung loose and low between thighs David knew weren’t as large as his own, but were still hard and powerful. Waves of sensation rushed through him as images of the unbridled sex they’d planned for that last night flashed like a kaleidoscope in his head.

The camera’s lens zoomed in close as Dillon turned. “I’ll show you mine, if you’ll show me yours.”

A dick already at half-mast emerged from a tight bush of tawny curls. Dillon continued to speak, his voice hoarse with sensuality, his words explicit and erotic.

David hadn’t expected interplanetary sex. All thoughts of food fled. He stopped listening to the words that followed, letting their cadence lure him as Dillon’s hand closed around his dick and played with it. Fascinated, hardly daring to breathe, David watched Dillon tug it out and in, out and in, thrusting his hips at David as fine threads spun from a wet cock, its veins so distended the foreskin slipped back and the enlarging tip of his penis turned purplish.

David’s breathing quickened to match the sound of Dillon’s. The dick cradled in the caressing fingers was in full cock mode as he played with the crown and smeared the creamy pre-cum over it, as if to lube it for penetration. He pointed the head directly at David and thrust his hips at him.

“Bear in mind what you see is only half-size,” Dillon said.

David’s laugh at Dillon’s humor ended in a groan. His aroused cock threatened to stain, even as it strained to break free of his workout pants. He stood, stepped away from the bar and thrust pants and briefs to his ankles. The air hit, washing his hard, hot, hungry length with coolness. He wanted to switch the camera on so Dillon could see this big, hungry cock, but he’d been fighting hell in Old Town when the transmission came in. It was prerecorded, not live.

“You’re killing me,” he said through gritted teeth. “So close and yet so far, far away.”

Buy online now
http://www.amberallure.com/AllOrNothing.html

Carolina Valdez
http://www.carolinavaldez

http://www.amberallure.com/TieEmUp.html
http://www.amberallure.com/HanginWindowMan.html

New! - OLD STONES AND NEW WINE - Contemporary Erotic Gay M/M

2011-08-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

"A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou." Omar Khayyám
Victimized by the con man he’d been married to, and grieving the death of a beloved dog, internationally known mystery writer Alan Brynton plunges into a complete writing block. Needing the income and desperate to meet his publisher’s deadline, he leaves Los Angeles and rents a house in a village in the south of France. Beside the blue Rhone River, among lush vineyards in wineproducing Provence, he struggles to overcome anger and grief to break the hold the block has on him.

When rescuing an injured dog, he meets and finds himself falling for the irresistibly charming Frenchman, Jacques Marchand. But Jacques has the same easy charm his ex had, and having been burned in his marriage, Alan no longer trusts his ability to know who a person really is. He can’t risk being victimized again, but can he risk losing the intoxicating “new wine” Jacques is to him?

EXCERPT

...Alan watched Jacques shrug out of his suit coat and hang it beside the raincoat. Jacques ran his hands through his wet hair, and Alan’s dick responded to sudden, electric sparks of desire shooting right through him.

“I’ll get a towel.” Did he really sound so lame? Alan’s tongue had trouble forming words. His cock had no trouble filling and rising. He turned away and hurried to the bath.

Alan handed a white towel to Jacques, who dropped it over his dark hair and blotted with one hand, while his other reached for Alan and pulled him close.

“You look very sexy in your nightwear, Alan Brynton.” His gaze fell on Alan’s crotch. “I see you’re feeling sexy, too. I hope that’s all for me.”

His hand teased as it brushed over Alan’s cock before he leaned in and tilted his head enough to capture Alan’s mouth. Alan opened to him, forgetting to breathe as sensations rolled over him. The smell of Jacques’s cologne and the lingering taste of the rich wine he must’ve had for dinner made the moment real. He closed his hands over the butt he’d ridden behind and ached to touch only hours ago. The cheeks were hard and firm, but just soft enough to be squeezed. He pulled this lover tight against his groin, reveling in the stiff cock he felt enclosed in suit pants as it pressed against his.

“I’m at a disadvantage. I’m not wearing a shirt, but you are,” Alan said. He reached up and tugged until the tie’s knot came completely undone and the silky fabric fell to the floor. His hands found the rest of the shirt buttons, and Jacques watched as his fingers slipped the rest of them out of their holes.

Jacques undid the last buttons at his wrists. He shifted restlessly as Alan pulled the shirt out of his trousers and then off his shoulders.

Alan pressed his lips to the pounding pulse beat in Jacques’s neck and grazed his skin with his teeth as he ran his hands down the pelt of dark hair covering the wide chest. He felt for a belt.

“I left it in the car.” Desire made Jacques’s voice unsteady.

Alan stilled. The impact of the words settled in. “You planned this.”
“I did, mon amour.”

Alan found his zipper, and Jacques stopped his hand. “Be very careful…my underwear’s with my belt.”

BUY BOOK ONLINE
http://www.amberallure.com/OldStonesNewWine.html

Copyright © 2011 by Carolina Valdez
Cover Art © 2011 by Trace Edward Zaber
Publisher: Amber Quill Press - Allure
ISBN-13:978-1-61124-160-0

CAROLINA VALDEZ - RWA-PAN
http://www.carolinavaldez.com
http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez
REVIEW:

4 HEARTS! Very Sensual..."I really like this story. It had a fresh and inviting appeal. From the opening scene to the last chapter, I was captivated by the author's words. Ms. Valdez is a good storyteller and I've always enjoyed her books...The story moves at a good pace...conflict situations are handled realistically in regard to timing and resolution. I liked both of the main characters...they interacted very well...Rescued dog(s) Nefertiti will warm your heart. A delightful read." Reviewer: Beverly, The Romance Studio

THERE'S MORE TO A BOOK THAN ITS COVER

2011-07-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Trace Edward Zaber, an Amber Quill Press co-owner, and its creative director, is the award winning artist who designs all our book covers. His ideas amaze me, and I love browsing through his covers on the AQP website. One of the highlights of anticipating a new release is waiting to discover what he's designed for my book or story.

Here, his gorgeous visual concept of THE FRENCH CONNECTION, with its hint of two men overshadowing an Eiffel Tower that gleams like pure gold under the lights of Paris at night, hints at what's inside. The words on the cover identify this as "An AmberPax™ Collection of Gay Erotic Romance," and the why of the shadowy men and a famous Paris landmark becomes even more clear.

As wonderful and emotionally satisfying as this dramatic design is, it's limited, isn't it? Art can't say it all. It will take words to tell the full story - in this case, you must go online to learn which five authors and which type of story they've written for the 'Pax. Only the slender thread of some type of connection to France binds them together.

It's because art can't tell the whole story that I never select a book by the design on its cover. With the exception of enjoying Zaber's work, I confess I don't even look at them. I immediately search the blurb on the back of the cover or the inside flap to read about the story. On the Amber Quill Press website, I can read the blurb and an excerpt. At Mobipocket, you can often read the first chapter.

I realize some will purchase books simply because of the front cover, but I'm a reader who needs words to clinch what the book is about before I put my money down to own it. Amazon caters to people like me with their "Look Inside!" feature. If I'd depended on covers, there are fabulous books by two best selling New York authors I'd never have bought.

Recently, Amber Allure, the gay erotic line of Amber Quill Press, offered a series of some fifteen fantastic MASQUERADE novellas linked to elegant masked balls. The covers are authentic Venetian Mardi Gras costumes dating back to the 1600s, and the Italian Renaissance. Authors reserved their favorite for their book cover. Readers who buy books only because of the cover, and who don't like historicals, probably missed out on some great stories in this series. Historicals, including the Regency period, are there, yes. But you'll find contemporary, science fiction, futuristic, dark fantasy, and magic tales among many on the list. There's something for everyone.

See http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AA_series.html

UNMASKED, my novella for that series, happens to be a contemporary story of two world class athletes who meet at a masked ball in Venice, Italy. One lives in Los Angeles; the other trains in the mountains ninety miles east of L. A.

Just looking at this cover wouldn't tell you that, would it? You'd have to go deeper and read the blurb.

I guess I'm urging readers not to let a cover design turn you off. Look beyond it. There's more to a book than its cover.

Happy summer, happy reading to you!

Carolina Valdez
http://www.carolinavaldez.com
http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez

UNMASKED - download available now
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Unmasked.html

Coming from Amber Allure August 14th - OLD STONES and NEW WINE by Carolina Valdez - in THE FRENCH CONNECTION AMBERPAX™

P.S. I just purchased T. Jefferson Parker's audio book, THE BORDER LORDS, and when I looked at the box cover, I was sure this was about the Asian triads because the man on the front was Asian. Turns out the "border" was the one between Mexico and California. I'm just saying...

WELCOMING GUEST AUTHOR KC KENDRICKS OF AMBER QUILL PRESS

2011-06-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

YOUR WHISPER IN THE DARK
By
KC Kendricks

This contemporary erotic gay romance by the popular multi-published romance author, KC Kendricks, is one of many stories in which she celebrates love and hope for mature audiences. A 2008 Amber Heat Wave winner, her work has been nominated for a CAPA by The Romance Studio, the Elisa Rolle GLBT Rainbow Award, and Best GLBT Story at the Love Romances Cafe.

Download available now at the Amber Quill Allure website

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/YourWhisperDark.html

Kenzie Zahn is starting over as a single man. Left with few immediate options, he accepts a friend’s invitation to visit and house sit. It’s the perfect opportunity for Kenzie to put a little space between the past and present while figuring out the best path for his future.

Mason Hall enjoys the carefree single life. He works hard, plays a little harder, and doesn’t think much about settling down. The right man will come along – or not – and he’s content to wait. A night out to enjoy a little dancing leads to a hook-up with Kenzie, the kind of man Mason has only ever fantasized about. Mason can’t let him get away.

Kenzie’s smitten. Mason is irresistible, but home is a thousand miles away and a long-distance romance isn’t workable. A strange twist of identity brings a linked past to light. Kenzie and Mason are brought to the realization that even when Fate arranges a man’s destiny, he still has to take a leap of faith, or lose out on love.

INTRO:

I scampered off to the parlor like a love struck teenager, snatched the receiver off the hook, and fell breathlessly onto the sofa.

“Hey, Mason.”

“Hey. I had this number on the service ticket from last fall. Um, is it okay I called?”

I heard the ‘click’ as Tyler hung the phone upstairs. “Yeah, sure. I guess I should give you my cell phone number, though.”

“Yeah. Do it tonight.”

My stomach plunged. The weather wasn’t conducive to going out. I appreciated Tyler’s offer of his truck, but it would be foolish to go out on unfamiliar icy roads when I didn’t really need to.

“It’s snowing, Mason.”

There was a clattering crash in my ear.

“Fuck. Dropped my screwdriver. Dropped my wrench. Hold on.”

I grinned as I listened to more noise and additional foul language. Was he nervous over calling me? His smooth voice flowed back into my ear. “Sorry about that. I know it’s snowing, damn it. So you’re not coming into town?”

“I’d better not. I don’t know the roads around here that well.” I held my breath, dreading his next words. What if he hung up and we never connected again?

But wouldn’t that be best? My head and my heart weren’t in agreement.

“I guess you’re right.” He cleared his throat. I heard him take a deep breath. “Kenzie, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

I failed to remember I was thirty-six, and a mature man. I ignored how bad of an idea it was to get involved with anyone a thousand miles away from home.

We’d already had each other in the most physically intimate ways possible, and now he wanted to take me dinner. I pumped my fist in the air in a gesture of victory.

“I would love to have dinner with you, Mason.”

EXCERPT:

“Kenzie, please. We need to go someplace private so I can tell you everything.”

I couldn’t think about anything except getting the hell away from him. “I’m leaving, and neither one of us is going to make a scene. Goodbye, Mason.”

I stood, turned on my heel, and left him sitting there. I needed fresh air, to somehow manage to breathe again. If I could get out the door, I could quiet the pounding ‘why, why, why’ beating inside my skull. Was this what people meant by a surreal experience? I fumbled my car keys, dropping them. I bent over to retrieve them without paying attention to how close to the car I was and whacked my head on the car door.

“Fucking hell!” I plopped down on the frozen tundra of blacktop and grabbed the right side of my head to make sure my brains weren’t spilling out.

Just fucking great. I’d sport a bruise for sure come morning, not to mention the fucking headache already eating through bone.

Every time I went queen-out, something nasty happened and it was usually my own fucking fault. Like now. I welcomed Mason’s body heat as he knelt beside me. “Kenzie? Are you okay?”

I kept my right palm pressed to my forehead and glared at him.

“What the fuck to you think?” I moved my hand. “Just tell me if I’m bleeding.”

Mason hesitated, then stroked my face with cold fingertips. “The skin isn’t broken, but I think you’re going to have a bump.” He eased down beside me and I hoped his balls would freeze fast to the macadam through his jeans and stick when he got up. “Please talk to me, Kenzie.”

I suspected there was no way to avoid a conversation with him. Self-induced concussion aside, I seemed to have regained some composure. Maybe. I had one burning question for him.

“Mason, why the fuck even tell me? Why not let me live in blissful ignorance?”

He reached for my hand but stopped short of taking it. I sighed and held it out to him. His chilly fingers closed around my equally cold ones. My gloves were in the car instead of my pocket. Score another point for the home team.

“I had to tell you, Kenzie. It was the only right thing to do once I realized who you were.” He started to put his arm around me but I froze him with a look.

Yes, it was. I had to agree with him on that point. He could have kept it from me. How would I ever learn of it? Dennis and I weren’t in touch, and as far as I was concerned, we never would be. It was all in the past, his and mine, and it couldn’t be changed. Generally, I held with the belief that if there was one thing gay men had no right to judge, it was another gay man’s past sexual history – casting the first stone and all that crap.

My immediate thought was he’d blown that out of the water, but maybe not. He’d taken a big risk by telling me about knowing my ex-partner. Lord, my head hurt.

“So you told me. Now you can fuck me guilt free.”

Mason blew out a short, tired breath. “Kenzie.”

“Sorry. I’m not at my best when my head is splitting and my balls are freezing.”

This time, I didn’t stop him when he moved to put his arm around my shoulders. “I told you because you deserved to know my side of it, okay? If I could take back that day, I would.”

That day? One day? Had Dennis wrecked our life together over one lousy fuck? I certainly saw why he’d be attracted to Mason. The man was smoking hot and, heaven help us all, principled.
“I’m going home, Mason. I need to think about a few things.”

“Will you come to my place so we can talk? And I mean talk. No sex unless you say so.”

The man’s sincerity rang clear and true in his low voice. I hated to turn him down, but I had to.

YOUR WHISPER IN THE DARK
ISBN 978-1-61124-129-7
Available now at http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/YourWhisperDark.html

KC Kendricks
Visit my website at: http://www.kckendricks.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks
Join my mailing list at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betweenthekeys
Read my personal blog: http://www.kckendricks.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kc-Kendricks/1439574042

Check out the MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kckendricks

2011-06-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

UNMASKED © 2011 Carolina Valdez
ISBN-13:978-1-61124-105-1
Cover © 2011 Trace Edward Zaber
From Amber Quill Press - Allure

When they meet, Antony, an Italian American, and Sam, a Frenchman, are immediately attracted to each other, even though costumed from head to toe for an elegant masked ball in a palazzo in Venice, Italy. Mid evening, when they go to Antony’s room to remove their full masks and replace them with those covering only half their faces, that attraction ignites sudden desire that drives them to fulfillment.

They’re still drawn to each other when the complete unmasking occurs at midnight, but Sam isn’t aware Antony, a former hockey player, harbors secrets he’s not ready to reveal. As the weekend ends and they each return to the United States, a discouraged Antony sees no future for their fling to build into something solid. He has a fledgling business to run on the California coast, and Sam’s life revolves around energy-devouring hours of practice in a mountain ice rink in order to win figure skating’s coveted World gold medal.

Their mutual love of skating might have kept these men together, but Antony still hides behind a mask. What will it take to strip this mask away and give these star-crossed lovers a chance for love?

EXCERPT - REMINDER: Explicit M/M scene

…Antony pushed his hood back, and dark brown hair with golden highlights tumbled out. He ran a brush through his hair. “God, but that feels good. We’ll need our half masks, but the hoods can go.” He handed the brush to Sam. “Want to use it?”

Sam freed his head from the hood and ran the brush through his sandy blond hair, amazed at how intimate just sharing Antony’s brush felt.

“I might have known you were blond,” Antony said in a quiet voice.

“Oh?” The need to touch Antony had been so strong all evening that Sam couldn’t resist tipping his face up now. “Your eyes... now I understand the reason for the smoky lenses in your mask. Anyone who knew you would guess on the spot who you were just because of your remarkable eyes.”

Antony looked down, his composure seeming to evaporate at the compliment.

Sam ran his finger with a light touch along the scar he’d seen peeking beneath the half mask. “The accident?”

Antony nodded.

“It gives you character.” Without thinking, Sam framed Antony’s face with his hands and leaned in to press his lips on his eyelids, closing them. When he heard Antony let out a slow breath and felt him rest his hands on Sam’s hips, Sam boldly sought the lips he’d wanted to taste all evening.

Antony’s response was immediate. He slid his hands around to Sam’s butt and pulled him hard against him. He opened his mouth and when Sam’s opened in pleasure and surprise, his tongue dived in. They tasted and explored heat and wetness, tongues twisting, then penetrating with the foretaste of sex, hot and steamy.

Lust ignited in Sam’s groin, and hungry to satisfy it he fought to find a way into Antony’s pants to touch the thick cock rubbing against his. With a groan, Antony reached under his top and pushed his pants down enough that his erection could spring free. They both stared as it landed in Sam’s hand.

The blue veins on his cock were distended, mapping the way to a crown so engorged it was almost purple. Sam guessed it must hurt for relief as much as his did.

“Rub me,” Antony said, in a strangled his voice.

Sam’s pulses raced as, one handed, he freed his own cock. The minute Antony’s warm hand closed around it he began to tremble with the need to feel more and lose himself in the feelings.

When Antony released him and pulled his hand away, Sam uttered a firm “No” as the warmth and pressure of the hand disappeared. He reached for Antony’s hand and sought to guide it back to his oozing, aching hard-on.

“Wait. We’ll ruin our costumes. I have condoms.”

In seconds, they’d stripped, velvet falling to the ground in a silent settling of black and cerulean while stockings, boots and shoes joined it with a thud. Antony pushed Sam until he fell back on the bed and Antony unrolled the thin latex sheath over him and pressed another into Sam’s hand. Antony leaned down and Sam felt heat and moisture as Antony stroked his balls with a light touch and gently squeezed before kissing them. Then he licked, his tongue circling each globe.

“I can’t get enough of you,” Antony said as his hot breath laved the sac even as his mouth did. “All night I’ve wanted to fuck you so bad I couldn’t stand it. I guessed I’d have had to jerk off if you hadn’t been gay, if you hadn’t wanted this, too.”

He knelt and straddled Sam, jutting his cock out. Sam sheathed him, bringing a gasp from Antony.

“Did it feel this good for you, too?”

Sam knew he meant the act of sheathing. “Oh, yeah.”

Antony took his cock in his hand and traced Sam’s belly button with it, pushing its crown into the shallow dip. With a small cry, Sam pulled him onto him, and as soon as Antony’s body covered his, they kissed open mouthed as they pressed and rocked their cocks together in frenzied mating. The room rang with the little moans of their love making as they strained to drain every ounce of pleasure out of the act…

AVAILABLE
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Unmasked.html

Carolina Valdez
http://www.carolinavaldez.com

WELCOME, AUTHOR CHRISTIANE FRANCE

2011-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

I welcome Canadian romance author CHRISTIANE FRANCE to my blog today. France is known for erotic gay romances that consistently hit the Top Ten Best Seller list in Amber Quill's Allure line and on All Romance e-Books. Sit back and enjoy her thoughts on what makes romance so popular. Carolina Valdez

My latest release is LOVE MATTERS – and for Cain Carpenter, the hero of the story, love is important. But in the wonderful world of romance reading what is it that really gets us all excited and flipping pages like crazy? Is it the love and emotion the characters feel for one another, is it the sex, or is it the right combination of the two?

When I was a teenager, I remember there were books with the odd sexually explicit sentence or reference my older sister referred to as the “mucky bits”. And, of course, we younger ones all wanted to get our hot little hands on said book and find out for ourselves exactly how mucky those bits were. We didn’t care about mushy stuff like falling in love and happily ever after. We wanted to know about the good stuff, a.k.a. SEX. Once we’d read and savored those few titillating items, the whispering and giggling would begin: “Did you read that bit on page nineteen? Well, if you thought that was wicked just wait until you get to the end of chapter five. I couldn’t believe it, it actually says the guy unzips his pants, and he…ooh, I daren’t say it because if my mom found out…”

Despite the delicious chills and thrills those steamy excerpts produced in our young minds, they were never enough. We always wanted more. We wanted the excerpt to be a little longer, a little more explicit; we wanted the hero to be even better endowed physically; we wanted to know what happens next, and then what happens after that, and so on and so on.

Over the years, romance stories have changed dramatically. Bedroom doors have been thrown open and the filmy curtains blowing in the soft summer breeze have disappeared as readers gradually demanded more and more. Emotions and feelings have given way to sex and more sex. In response to reader demand, books have gone from sweet to sexy to a little explicit to tell it all like it really is. These days they include fetishes and spankings, domination and submission, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender, as well as les ménages à trois and even orgies. The stories are told through the medium of werewolves, dragons, witches and warlocks, faeries, space aliens, shapeshifters, vampires, ghosts, people from the past, as well as ordinary everyday people. But what do we love most about the stories we devour like peanuts? Is it the attraction between the characters and the emotions they feel, or is it the sex?

Despite the bigger selection of everything including the heat factor, I doubt things have changed since those days when we borrowed books in brown paper wrappers and rushed to read the few well-thumbed pages in the privacy of our bedroom or behind a locked bathroom door. There are still those readers who want more. They want more thrills, more shocks, and some want a little more kink--according to some, the kinkier the story the better it is. Readers are constantly pushing the envelope because the demand for more never stops.

So I have to wonder where will it all end. Must writers invent more and more bizarre worlds and strange characters with even stranger behavior and weirder appetites? Or will we go full circle, back to the time when nice girls kept their knees and ankles covered, and had sex in the dark with all (well, almost all) their clothes on?

Like everything else, romance stories go through phases—one day vampires are all the rage, the next it could be dragon shifters or werewolves, then it’s the real way out stuff—like plain Mary Jane who dresses like a frump, works in an office by day and has a secret life as a dominatrix in her leisure time (I think perhaps I smell a new plot here).

Whatever old trends fade away and new ones arrive to take their place, there’s something for everyone in what’s being published today, so I don’t see romance stories losing their appeal any time soon.

Christiane France
http://www.chrisgrover.ca

LOVE MATTERS
by Christiane France
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-081-8 (Electronic)
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LoveMatters.html

Cain Carpenter has it all—looks, money, a beautiful home, and a successful business. What he doesn’t have is someone to share it with, someone he loves and who loves him in return.

In spite of the belief that if Cain kisses enough frogs he’ll eventually find the prince of his dreams, the search is proving far from simple. As owner and manager of The Peony, the town’s classiest restaurant, Cain doesn’t have much time for a social life. He’s tried all the usual avenues for meeting people, including a dating agency, and he’s about given up...

But then Cain accepts an invitation to a singles masquerade party and meets a masked man in an elaborate headdress of black feathers who sends his thoughts and senses reeling with excitement. The stranger invites Cain to dance, and from the instant they touch, Cain truly believes, at long last, that this is the special man he’s been waiting for.

A few minutes later, however, the man answers a phone call, mutters something about an emergency and disappears, leaving Cain in a complete panic. The rules of the masquerade include no removal of masks and no exchange of names. If you can’t somehow figure out the identity of the person who sparked your interest, you lose. And Cain doesn’t want to lose, but without the man’s name and no idea what he looks like, he feels hopeless. All he knows about “Black Feathers” is that he’s a little taller and heavier than himself, but that could describe half the town’s male population.

Will Cain be able to track down the alluring stranger in order to determine if they’re truly destined for a future?

EXCERPT

...One of the guests, who was dressed as a pirate and standing right next to Cain, said, “I take it you’ve never been to one of these singles masquerades before tonight?”

Cain laughed. “I didn’t even know there were such things. I thought with a costume ball you’re supposed to try to figure out who the other people are, but at some point in the evening, everyone’s identity will be revealed. Is the not telling part something new?”

“No, I understand it’s the way these things first started. The whole point of a masquerade is to pose as something or someone you are not and this, in turn, creates the magical feeling of mystery and romance. In my opinion, any telling of names destroys the magic completely.”

“You’d rather be kept guessing?” Cain hazarded.

“Of course. And it’s almost certainly the reason why masquerade parties are gaining in popularity on the singles’ scene. It’s bad enough being footloose and fancy free, but attending those boring get-togethers where you sit around the host’s pool or living room and watch people hook up, then wonder if it’s just for tonight or forever, has definitely passed its sell-by date. These parties are a much better idea.”

“In what way? Say, you’d like to get to know someone better. It would be impossible if you don’t know their name.”

“Ah, but that’s where the mystery and romance comes in. You don’t know them, and they don’t know you, but think of all the fun you’ll have trying to figure out who the person was who caught your attention. Or perhaps it was you who caught theirs. Maybe you talked for a few moments, or even better, you danced together, but whatever happened, it was enough to set sparks flying or work up a little chemistry. You can even be a little outrageous if you wish. After all, who’s to know?”

“Oh right, thanks.” Cain hadn’t thought about the mystery angle; he’d been too concerned about opening his mouth and putting his foot in it. Now he realized it worked both ways. Both parties were at a disadvantage when it came to figuring out who said what to whom.

Just then, the band began to play another set. Cain felt someone touch his arm, and a voice said softly, “Would you care to dance?”

Something about the honey-on-velvet voice, which he thought might be a man’s but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure, caught Cain by surprise. It was rather like being touched without warning in a sensitive spot, and Cain’s body reacted accordingly.

He turned toward the speaker, someone a little taller and at least a few pounds heavier than himself, who wore an enormous headdress composed entirely of long black feathers. A gold half mask surrounded by a fringe of small black and white spotted feathers covered the eyes and forehead, while the lower half of the face was painted chalk white. A black velvet jacket and knee britches, white stockings and black, buckled shoes completed the outfit. The area between the chin and the collar of the jacket was swathed in purple chiffon patterned in silver.

“Well?” The voice pressed a little louder, confirming the speaker was a man.

At that precise moment, everything the other man had said about the mystery and romance of masquerade took over Cain’s imagination. “Yes, of course. Absolutely. I’d love to,” he replied before the stranger got the idea he wasn’t interested and moved on. “Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me,” he continued as the man took his hand and led him onto the floor, “but your headdress is quite amazing. How on earth do you manage to keep it in place?”

“It weighs less than a pound,” his partner replied, “so it’s really no problem. I barely remember I have it on.”

As they began to dance, he brought Cain just close enough so their bodies were touching from knee to chin in a hold that was light yet struck Cain as possessive. It was clear the man was a good dancer, and while there was nothing overtly sexual about his movements or the way he held Cain, there was something so sexy about the man himself it made Cain’s pulse race and sent his imagination into overdrive. He was having difficulty with his breathing. He was also highly aroused, and since his partner’s stiff cock was pressing hard against his thigh, he knew the reaction was mutual.

Cain had no idea if the anonymity afforded by the mask was responsible for his physical reaction, or if it was the result of the whole mystery-romance thing the other partygoer had explained. Whatever the reason, he was beginning to appreciate the appeal of a masquerade. It felt like the start of something exciting; quite what, however, he had no idea. Something he just knew would be both wonderful and different. Something he wished could last forever...

BUY http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LoveMatters.html

http://www.chrisgrover.ca

EXCERPT - IN FROM THE COLD - Erotic contemporary M/M by Carolina Valdez

2011-02-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

This was my Valentine's Day release! Hope you got flowers and chocolate. Lots of chocolate!

ISBN-13:978-61124-064-1
Copyright © 2011 Carolina Valdez
Cover Copyright © 2011 Trace Edward Zaber

… East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…

Jon and Wendell were fourteen when they experimented with each other and discovered they were gay. Lovers and in love, they drifted apart after graduation when Jon left to follow his dream to rock ʼn roll stardom. A heartbroken Wendell recovered by earning an animal husbandry degree at a California university. He returned to the small Oregon town where they’d grown up to raise sheep with his father.

Ten years later, Wendell’s contentment is shattered when Jon and his band arrive to play for their high school reunion. Love surprises both men by immediately flaring into liquid heat. Jon begs Wendell to give up his life in Oregon and live with him in New York City. Wendell refuses, however, asking Jon to move in with him instead. Jon refuses and returns to Manhattan.

Will Wendell and Jon remain star-crossed lovers, or will they discover a way to bridge the distance and discover the meaning of "home"?

DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE NOW

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/InFromCold.html

EXCERPT - WARNING - EXPLICIT M/M

Wendell froze. He forgot to breathe. Warm lips touched the hollow just beneath his right ear and a tongue slowly tasted, savoring him. He closed his eyes as the tonguing changed to a wet mouth trailing kisses with agonizing slowness down his neck to where his sleep top began. Fingers slid beneath the neck and slid across his bare skin, following its line.

“I wore your gift tonight,” Jon said in a voice as rough as gravel.

Mesmerized by the touch of Jon’s mouth and hands, all Wendell could get out was, “I noticed.” When a lack of oxygen threatened to cause a black out, he drew in a long breath through his nose. Not my soap, he thought. Not my shampoo. Only Jon’s scent. His soap, his shampoo, his arms strong and familiar around me.
His lips and tongue that I have missed so very much.

He crossed his arms over Jon’s and became aware of the rock hard cock pressing against his buttocks and his dick growing long and big in response. That, too, was familiar. He didn’t want to move, to stop the mouth at his neck or destroy the pleasures rumbling inside him. He just wanted to stand there and feel Jon in the stillness, with the blazing fire shooting flickering shadows around them, and convince himself Jon was real and this wasn’t a dream.

Jon released his waist and turned Wendell to face him as his lips brushed over the corners of his closed eyes and his tongue lapped at the tip of his nose before zeroing in to devour Wendell’s mouth. As the kiss deepened and their tongues intertwined in an imitation of penetrating sex, Wendell wrapped his arms around Jon and ran his hands up and down the broad back. Jon thrust his hips against Wendell’s until they were so tight together he couldn’t tell Jon’s dick from his. It didn’t matter. Melding into him, becoming one with him was all that mattered as erotic sparks shot through him and lust caused his body to quiver.

Someone groaned, and Wendell realized it came from his throat.

Jon must’ve taken that as a signal to slip the back of his hand beneath the band of Wendell’s sleep pants, because he was there, and his hard knuckles stroked the tender flesh above Wendell’s bush.

“Lower. Go lower,” Wendell begged, hungry for and helpless against the sensual onslaught. He rocked his hips from side to side to increase the friction as the knuckles continued to rub.

Jon was trembling now. He slid Wendell’s sleep pants down and took his cock in hand.

“Not here,” Wendell warned, his voice thick and hoarse with what testosterone was doing to his vocal chords. “I’m on the verge.”

“Yes, here,” Jon insisted as he pulled his own pants down and wrapped Wendell’s hand around his tight erection. “I’ve wanted to fuck you for so long I’m not going to let you go. Besides, we have all night.

Pleasure splintered Wendell, and he exhaled with a groan as he enjoyed those all too brief seconds when everything centered in his groin and drowned his entire body in feeling.

“Oh, God, Wendell. Wendell.” Jon moaned as he came, too.
Later, they wandered to bed, stripped, crawled under the covers and died to the world.

In the deepest part of the night, Wendell roused to the weight of someone, something on his butt, something hard and velvety gliding, sliding in and out of his crack. Something nipped at his shoulder. “Is that you, Jon?”

“Who else, lover?”

He started to turn, but hands captured his shoulders and kept him in place as Jon’s knees forced his thighs apart. Hands rubbed his back as Jon licked his skin, awakening nerve endings running the length of his body. Thinking he should only feel this in his groin, the sensations caused every nerve to spring to life. Awash in feeling, he decided to relax and enjoy it, not to miss even one little flicker of arousal...

Carolina Valdez

http://www.CarolinaValdez.com
http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez

Note: IN FROM THE COLD is included in the five-story erotic gay WHERE THE HEART IS AmberPax

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/WhereHeartIs.html

Online Workshop - PASSION, HEAT AND ECSTASY: WRITING THE EROTIC ROMANCE

2010-01-25T01:28:00.001-08:00

Enroll by Sunday 01/31/2010 for this online workshop taught by EPIC and Orange County California RWA members CAROLINA VALDEZ and LYNDI LAMONT and sponsored by the new Yosemite Romance Writers chapter of RWA.

DETAILS

Class 2/1 - 2/26

Register by Jan. 31st

$20 Yosemite Romance Writers members
$25 non-members
To register, click on "Workshops"
and scroll down to this one at
http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com

Instructors: CAROLINA VALDEZ and LYNDI LAMONT, Amber Quill Press authors

Erotic romance! How do you capture the heat and passion of it? How do you build sensual tension in your characters that explodes in ecstasy? Join us for tips on this, including writing for readers of BDSM and GLBT stories, and what markets are open to submissions for erotic romance. Also includes

History of erotica and erotic romance
Defining erotic romance
Creating a story concept
Words to use and not to use
Male and female erogenous zones
Research for erotic romance
Writing for BDSM and GLBT readers
Markets for erotic romance

Note: We’ll answer questions and discuss your concerns, but won’t critique any writing.

For more information, contact Carolina at keen3849@mypacks.net or Lyndi at lyndilamont@yahoo.com
http://www.CarolinaValdez.com
http://www.LyndiLamont.com

LYNDI LAMONT sold her first romance novel in 1997 to Kensington Precious Gems. Since then she has written historical and Regency romance for Amber Quill Press and erotic romance, including male/male, for the erotic imprints of AQP.

When she started thinking about trying her hand at erotic romance, she talked to a friend who said writing it was freeing, and she was right. Since becoming Lyndi Lamont, she has discovered that writing erotic romance is a license to be naughty, and at her age, those opportunities don’t come along very often!

Her historical erotica, LILY AND THE GAMBLER, was nominated for a 2005 CAPA Award. FINDING JASON, her gay Regency short story, finaled in the 2008 EPPIES contest for Best Erotica in the GLBT category.

CAROLINA VALDEZ was a multi-published, award-winning freelance writer prior to selling her first romance to an electronic publisher. For fun six years ago, she dared herself to enter Amber Quill Press’s contest for erotic short stories. DARK STRANGER was a winner, and she’s been happily writing for their Heat and Allure imprints ever since. DARK STRANGER and WHERE VESUVIUS SLEEPS placed in The Lories, and all of her gay stories have been Amber Quill Press Top Ten Best Sellers.

TIE ’EM UP, HOLD ’EM DOWN, her first gay story, finaled in the 2009 Passionate Plume Contest–Novella Division. LURE, a romantic crime novella, was a 2007 EPPIE finalist, Best Erotica.

A SONG TO REMEMBER Volume I

2009-11-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

A Collection of Song-Inspired Gay Erotica -
The Impossible Dream - Christiane France
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Lynn Lorenz
Somebody To Love - Carolina Valdez
Son Of A Preacher Man - Jamie Craig
Superstar - Rick R. Reed

AVAILABLE NOW FROM AMBER ALLURE - http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/
Price: $23.00 if bought individually, or buy the complete Pax for $17.25

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM – Christiane France

Theo Keen has always dreamed of strutting his stuff from behind the footlights, either as a high fashion model or as an actor. He’s taken modeling courses and acting lessons, but a case of seemingly incurable stage fright has prevented Theo from realizing his dream. Until one cold, snowy February afternoon Theo is helping his brother, Lance, with the annual Mardi Gras Ball and Fashion Show and an emergency arises--both volunteer male models have cancelled at the last minute and this year’s designer is an up and coming celebrity. With show time only an hour or two away, it’s too late to find replacements, and Lance is in a panic. Theo is the only person who can save the night, so Lance tells him to forget the feeble excuses and just do it.

Yet Theo can’t just do it. He’s spent years of counseling and therapy trying to overcome his problem, but that hasn’t happened and he doubts it ever will. But then the designer, Stefano Spadifora, comes into the dressing room where Theo is working and suddenly Theo’s life does a complete one eighty. Suddenly the impossible becomes possible and Theo senses that after tonight, nothing about his life will ever be the same.

Buy now http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/ImpossibleDream.html

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS – Lynn Lorenz

Simon has to dress in drag for a party and doesn’t have a clue what to wear. When the man in the costume shop helps him select an Indian princess dress, complete with braids, Simon’s unaware that he isn’t a salesman, but another guest looking for a costume, too.

Charles has decided to fulfill a childhood dream and be a cowboy, if only for a night. One look at the handsome Asian man searching through the racks of evening gowns gives Charles an idea, and working quickly, he puts his plan in motion. Now, he’s got an Indian maiden to join him in his fantasy.

But can a desperado capture the princess’s heart? In this classic childhood battle, who will win?

Buy now http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/MyHeroesCowboys.html

SOMEBODY TO LOVE – Carolina Valdez

Their relationship begins with two serious problems… Kevin Connolly, star of "The Detective" and named TV's "Sexiest Man of the Year," works in Hollywood with frequent filming trips to various locations. Nate Marquette, Kevin's new love, works part of the year as a fireman in a mountain range not far from Los Angeles, but most of the year he operates his business as a helicopter logger in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Complicating the logistics of getting together when they're miles apart is the fact that it's vital they keep their sexual preferences secret. Exposure as a gay man might ruin Kevin's career, but it could mean death for Nate.

Yet in the end, it's not these challenges that threaten to tear them apart, but deeper issues of trust and betrayal…

Buy now http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/SomebodyToLove.html

SUPERSTAR – Rick R. Reed

When Leon first saw him singing in a dive bar, he was mesmerized. But he didn’t know he’d be going home with the dangerously sexy lead singer that night. He couldn’t have predicted he’d fall in love. But then, Leon never expected his love to be reciprocated. But the hot singer with the gravely voice told Leon he loved him; told him he’d come back.

So, why, three years after that fateful night, is Leon perched at the edge of a bridge, ready to make a fatal leap?

Superstar is the story of a groupie and the rock star he loves. It’s the tale of a man on the edge, both literally and figuratively…and it’s a timeless story of love found and lost lost, all set to a driving rock beat.

Superstar is about promises made, promises broken, and dreams unfulfilled. And, ultimately, it’s about realizing that love can come along when one least expects it—and in the unlikeliest of places.

Buy now http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Superstar.html

SON OF A PREACHER MAN – Jamie Craig

Dario Russo grew up on the road. The son of itinerant workers in California, he had no friends, no stability, and no concept of a normal life. Until the age of sixteen, when he meets Reverend Waters’ son, Billy Ray. The relationship is short lived, but it haunts Dario for the next thirty years. At the age of forty-six, he has the opportunity to return to Crows Landing, California, and the chance to track down the man who had meant so much to him.

But what he finds in Crows Landing is the last thing he expects. So wrapped up in his hopes for a second chance, he almost misses the very real interest from a local, Shawn Pederson. Shawn might not have the past working in his favor, but he’s willing to offer the future Dario always wanted.

Buy http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/SonPreacherMan.html

FANTASY - AN ALTERNATIVE TO WRITING HISTORICALS

2009-06-01T22:12:00.001-07:00

Although I love reading them, I'm not sure I'll ever tackle writing an historical book again. Maybe a short story, just for fun, but not something whose length invites a purist to toss it against the wall in disgust and refuse to finish it because of an inaccuracy. Trust me. There are readers who will do that. Can't help but do it. (I also know someone who walked out of a period movie because the women's gowns had zippers before the invention of zippers.)

I caught a medical mistake in one of Patricia Cornwell's contemporary books recently, but tossing isn't my thing. I do recognize that for some the mistake would ruin the story. I don't happen to be that kind of reader, but writers must consider those who are.

Limited resources are the problem with writing about the past. My third historical, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART, is medieval, and I discovered even that very familiar period is difficult to research. When there was more than one reference, they often disagreed. So when I chose the sixth century for PORTAL TO DARKNESS, and found almost nothing on that period available to me, I solved my problem by turning the book into a fantasy. It was my first paranormal, and I loved not having to worry about inaccuracies of things in the past ruining it for some readers.

THE STORY

When Diana Waters attends her first Mardi Gras masked ball in New Orleans, she has no inkling she’ll be spun back in time to the Dark Ages on a carousel manipulated by the jealous witch LeFay Morgan. She has no clue her new lover, Lance Davison, costumed as a black knight, is in actuality a powerful wizard. He follows her not only to protect her, but to break the curse cast on him by the evil wizard Mardroc, and save his brother’s castle holdings.

Will Diana and Lance be able to survive their journey into the portal to darkness, where a deadly drang and great, spider-like creatures pursue them at every step? Or will they discover a way to destroy their ruthless enemies and return to the present day, unscathed and with their love intact?

EXCERPT [Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday, New Orleans]

. . .If Diana was to get away, she had to do it herself. Stomping on the man's instep and managing to bite his little finger when he loosened his hold on her mouth, she got out one good scream before he grabbed her hair and slapped her. Tears stung her eyes from the pain. He grabbed her arm and twisted it up behind her back.

"Quiet, bitch, or I'll break it."

He will, too. Oh, God, what am I going to do?
* * * *
The afternoon sun was beginning to set, and panic was creeping up on Lance because he hadn't found the women. He'd been listening all afternoon for the notes of the cat's eye. It was a small stone, not a gem, so its song was softer and more difficult to hear over the sounds of the bands and revelers. It was fortunate there were few real gems in this crowd to override its tones. Most of it was costume jewelry. At last, he heard its hum. Like a global positioning system, his ears told him where she was.

He heard Diana scream. Heard how quickly it was cut off.

Fighting his way through the crowd as he followed the cat's eye hum, he saw her being mauled and hauled off by a nasty-looking man who would have snapped her arm on a whim. At least he was only a man. Lance sensed that in seconds. Two strides into the alley, and Lance had clipped him behind his ear. The man released Diana and dropped like a stone.

He'd never get up again.

Lance reached for her as she stumbled at the sudden release of her arm, catching her before she fell to the ground. Turning, she recognized him. She reached for him as if she were drowning. He held her tight. His heart thought his chest was a drum. He felt hers pounding like a Thoroughbred's on a racetrack. Emotion welled up in him at how close she'd come to being hurt, and his mouth found hers, just as hers reached up to him.

He drank in her fear and her sweetness, letting his groin swell and his balls tighten. He slid his hands to her buttocks and cupped her hard against him as she opened her mouth and tongue to him. What he felt for her was unlike anything he'd ever felt for a woman before. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any other.

He slid down the zipper on her jeans so he could touch her skin, feel her heat, know she was safe. Her tremors racked his body as well as her own, and he wanted to love her, comfort her.

Whimpers of need came from the back of her throat as his hands slid down her jeans. Her skin was molten and soft. He had no difficulty finding the center of her, of sliding his fingers into her and cupping her.

Her moan was low and sensual. His erection was instantaneous, and so hard it pained him.

Her hands freed him of his trousers and released his penis. The cool air on it signaled him he was not only erect, he was lubricated and ready to slide into her waiting vagina. She pressed him against the alley wall, lifted one leg and curled it around his hip. Then her hand closed around his cock, and he thought he'd come right then and there in her hand, but he hung on, savoring the pleasure when she guided him into her hot box. Her fingers continued to rub his cock where it touched her folds.

He'd heard her sharp intake of breath as he entered her. Despite the shock of the attack, she'd become aroused because he'd rescued her. Hot and damp, she'd been ready for him. Her walls clamped down as if he brought life itself to her, and she matched his strokes as they took each other with such fierce intensity it was as if their bodies had ignited.

When his semen was inside her, and they were both drained by the encounter, he kissed her with all the gentleness he had. "You're safe now. Are you okay?"

He could see her eyes in the darkness, their pupils wide and round. Her lips were puffy where passion had driven them, hungry and hard, against each other. . .

PORTAL TO DARKNESS is available in e-format or in the erotic paperback collection OTHER REALMS, OTHER LOVES

Buy PORTAL TO DARKNESS at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/PortalDarkness.html
Buy paperback OTHER REALMS, OTHER LOVES at
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/OtherRealms.html

Have a great one!

Carolina Valdez

Website http://www.carolinavaldez.com
MySpace http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

Passion - Heat - Ecstasy

2009-04-26T13:30:00.001-07:00

This novella, included in the paperback OTHER REALMS, OTHER LOVES, has had some nice reviews, but my favorite is this latest one by The Romance Studio's Dee Dailey. Dailey saw what others did not - that at it's deepest level this is a love story.

Gloriana, princess of the golden dragons of the high mountains, has a sacred destiny to fulfill, but first she’s required to mate and produce an heir. In human form, as Arondele and hiding her true nature, she’s fallen in love with Rodick, a powerful knight in the enchanted kingdom of Ahnerion. Only after seducing an aroused but reluctant Rodick does she learn that, for not being a virgin when she mates for the first time as Gloriana, the penalty is death. For both of them.

Terrified for Rodick’s safety, she abandons him. They will slay her, but he’ll be safe.

Blazing passion fuels Rodick’s hunt to find her. When he learns what she is, and knows he must battle her father, the powerful and fearsome king of the golden dragons, for her, will his love stand the test? Will he and his princess survive?

EXCERPT

His dreams were filled with her…her body naked, warm thighs spread invitingly beneath him, arms reaching for him as his engorged cock teased her pussy and his balls brushed her hot slit. She lay with her golden hair spread out across the pillow on his bed, and a swirling collage of gold, purple, red and emerald colored the room.

He took the purple satin ribbons she’d presented to him and tied her hands to the wooden bedstead as she lifted her hips to him in invitation. He heard her pant as he tied her legs apart. Her gasp turned to hoarse moans as his mouth plundered her with a kiss in that most intimate part of her body.

Before he could slide through that golden nest of tight curls into her slick slit, he wakened, hot and sweaty, just as a dream king wearing a gigantic jeweled crown and flailing a burnished sword the size of a castle bore down on him. The king rode the back of a drang, its sharp talons heading straight for Rodick’s throat.

Rodick pulled himself out of the nightmare and sat on the bed’s edge with his head in his hands, experiencing again the reality that too much wine was a nasty thing.

He thought of the vision of her in his dream. He rose, his cock hard, his to empty his bladder strong.

Thighs spread wide and tied with purple ribbons, huh? Don’t you wish.

Don’t you dare. . .

"Carolina Valdez weaves this romance into a brilliant and warm tale full of magic. . .full of the kind of people we'd like to surround ourselves with everyday. . .a keeper, one of the best love stories of the year." Reviewed by Dee Dailey, The Romance Studio

Full review here

For more TEARS OF THE DRAGON

Carolina Valdez

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Passion - Heat - Ecstasy

KINDLE CONVERSIONS AND RAMBLINGS

2008-12-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

From now on, I'll be purchasing as many of my ebooks as possible in .prc because those transfer readily to the Kindle. That's Mobipocket's extension, and Amazon now owns Mobi.

To clarify my last message, let's say your name is Petunia Clark. You go to your Kindle account and learn they've assigned you the ID name of Clark's Kindle. The email address you provided when you purchased the device is windle123456@theworld.net. Kindle assigns you the email address of windle.

In your windle123456 email address, attach the files (in any format) you want converted and send them to: Clark's Kindle windle@free.kindle.com.

Easy and quick. They'll come back to your windle123456 email address. Just hook your Kindle to your computer and download them.

I should be working on HANGIN' WITH MY WINDOW MAN, a sequel to TIE 'EM UP, HOLD 'EM DOWN, which was due 12/1. I'm not. First we had last minute overnight guests for Thanksgiving. Had to rush out and buy a bed for the guest room in time to have it delivered. Then it was bake and cook, polish the sterling, and bake the ingredients for the turkey stuffing (dressing to all you Texans). It was a wonderful visit, but then it was out to do a little holiday shopping. This morning, I had to get ready for the tri-weekly cleaning service. You know that story: You have to clean up for the cleaning service so they won't think you're dirty.

Now we're suffocating from the furniture polish they use. And it's too chilly to open windows and doors. You have to wonder if this stuff's bad for your lungs. Did you know anything you smell puts its molecules into your lungs?

Which brings to mind our latest attendance at an outdoor stadium function. We were on the top seats, and suddenly the most awful, fetid smell reached us. Can you believe this? They were cleaning out the portable potties on the ground behind the stadium.

On that happy note, I'll get back to my story. After I've eaten lunch and run a couple of errands. Well, lunch, yes, but I need to discipline myself that I write at least an hour and then run errands.

Happy days to you all,

Carolina

FREE KINDLE CONVERSIONS

2008-11-25T15:54:00.001-08:00

After spending most of the morning cooking, I came to the computer to rest. Couldn't resist calling the toll free Kindle number to find out how to have Kindle convert book formats so I could load them onto my device.

You can send your books in any format. I chose html. You email them using the Kindle name they issued to you, and then use the email address they provided. After the @, put free.kindle.com. So it would be your kindle name, then the email they provided@free.kindle.com. Spaces are okay with your name, but not in the email addy.

I sent two books files at once, and they've already been returned. I'll just connect my Kindle to my PC and download them.

Happy reading!

Carolina

BUYING BOOKS FOR YOUR KINDLE

2008-11-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

From now on, I'll choose the PRC format for any ebooks I buy from a non-Kindle site such as Amber Quill Press. This is Mobipocket's format and Amazon owns Mobi, so you can connect your Kindle to your computer and transfer those files right to it.

When my books are published, Amber Quill sends me copies in prc, pdf, html, rb, and lit. I'd splurged on a Kindle when the Oprah Winfrey $50 discount was in effect, and I easily loaded all the books in prc to it from my computer.

However, my first novel, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART, and my Heat Wave winner DARK STRANGER, published by Amber Quill, aren't in that format, so Mobi and Amazon/Kindle don't list them. Also, I usually purchase in html, and I'd like those on this reader, too.

I'm in the process of figuring out how to send them to Amazon/Kindle to have them converted. So far, I've learned you go into your Kindle account to determine what they've named your device and what Kindle email address they've given you. You use these to send files to them for conversion. I've tried it, but without a response.

I think I may have to convert the files into doc first. If a pdf file isn't locked, a pdf converter would do this, but the one I have doesn't work because the cover design comes up first. I believe a more advanced converter would work, but right now I don't have time to look into this because I'm swamped baking and cleaning in preparation for overnight guests for Thanksgiving.

Author Connie Crow says people at the Kindle Help line (1-866-321-8851) are terrific.

Anyway, I'm on this journey. I'll keep you informed. By the time I figure it out, you'll probably have solved the problem yourself.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday,

Carolina

I LOVE YOUR BLOG AWARD!

2008-11-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU, TRS, FOR NOMINATING MY BLOG FOR THIS AWARD. According to the notice I received, it's an award blog owners receive and then give to other bloggers. It's a wonderful way to promote blogs and gain new readers.

So far I've nominated http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com and http://authorislandnews.blogspot.com as those are gorgeous blogs.

I've attached the jpg of the award on the blog. Below are the details for what to do after receiving this award:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Have a fun day!

Carolina Valdez

http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com
http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com
http://www.authorislandnews.blogspot.com
http://www.carolinavaldez.com

HALLOWEEN CONTEST WINNERS

2008-11-05T10:03:00.001-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS, devious_angel, mickey2005 and hookedonhistoricals on your lucky wins. Please contact me at keen3849@mypacks.net with your snail mail address and your first, second and third choice for the prizes. It'll be first come, first served on the choices.

Carolina Valdez

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Stories of searing passions and the sweetly delicious ecstasies of love

2008-10-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I shared an excerpt from LURE, my sixth release from Amber Quill Press. Today the theme is time travel, which is weird because this is the second book in the PORTAL TO DARKNESS series, but tomorrow is witches, wizards and magic day, so PORTAL... fits better there. But first, my contest.

The photo on the left shows my three prizes: 1. Black ghost hand towel and a can of Spider Cider hot drink mix in Cautious Caramel Apple flavor 2. White jack-o'-lantern hand towel, two packets of orange hot chocolate mix, one pumpkin pie spice votive candle 3. Green witch hand towel and multicolored 14 ounce Starbuck's cup.

CONTEST IS ONLY OPEN TO NEWSLETTER MEMBERS. CURRENT NEWSLETTER MEMBERS HAVE BEEN AUTOMATICALLY ENTERED. IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, SIGN UP BY SENDING A BLANK EMAIL TO sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com AND YOU, TOO, WILL BE ENTERED AUTOMATICALLY.

CONTEST BEGAN October 26, 2008. CLOSES November 3, 2008. I mail prizes to addresses within the continental U.S. Winners outside the continental U.S. will receive a free book download if mailing costs are prohibitive.

BLURB:

Seduction is what book store clerk Phebe Jones has in mind as she dresses in erotic black lace and a feathered mask for a masquerade ball in Washington, D.C. Weary of her dull life, she’s determined to seduce the first masked party goer who makes her clit throb and her panties dampen. Still, she hesitates when the hunk she’s selected—a blond dressed in a kilt and wearing blue face paint reminiscent of Braveheart—invites her to his room after the festivities. Does she really have the courage for sex with a stranger?

Reminding herself this was her original intention, she steps across the threshold into the arms of a plaid-wrapped blond the size of the Scorpion King. In the searing heat of his arousing touch, it’s difficult to tell which of them is the seducer. His scent and the feel of his body inflame her senses. He invades her heart as easily as he invades her heart.

But the dark just before dawn brings the greatest shock of Phebe’s life, making her question the true identity of her new lover, where she is, and even what year it is. In panic, she grapples with the greatest challenge of her life—how she will return to 2008, when she has no idea how she left it for the past.

EXCERPT - WARNING - EXPLICIT - YOU MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO READ THIS:

Cam's room was only a few doors away. She hoped he hadn't ordered more champagne. Much more alcohol and she'd be too drunk to seduce him. Sexual excitement fluttered in her chest and belly as she imagined his warm, satiny erection in her hands and his mouth at her clit. She shivered with pleasure. It was too hot to consider.

Opening the door to what she thought was his room, she stepped inside and stopped. Two men and a woman were engaged in a ménage à trois. She could tell by the masks and the lack of blue face paint that neither of the men was Cam.

I'm in the wrong room, thank goodness.

So that's how it's done. Instead of exiting right away, she stared at the activity before her. She'd never seen anything like this and couldn't pull herself away. They were too busy to notice her.

The figures were naked, except for masks and the men's socks. It might have been ridiculous, except for the sounds and sights issuing from the three. Phebe could smell the woman's thick, heady perfume even from the doorway. She lay on her back on the bed, knees bent, legs spread wide enough her knees almost touched the covers. One man's face was buried in her pussy. His erection touched his navel.

The second man stood beside the bed, rubbing his cock. His gaze never left them.

Fascinated, she watched as, under his fondling, it swelled and rose from a patch of auburn hair.

Judging from the rocking of the bed, and the gasps and sighs issuing from her throat, the woman was enjoying what was transpiring between her thighs. Holding the man's head, she moaned louder and lifted her hips, gyrating against his face.

She could tell when the woman climaxed because she grabbed the man's shoulders and cried out. This appeared to be the signal for him to fuck her because he climbed on the bed and straddled her. Her hand closed around his dick to guide it into her slit before wrapping her legs around him. He began to pump.

The standing man lay down on his side on the bed, his wet cock near her face. He reached for her breast, and the woman turned her head and took him in her mouth, one hand stroking his balls.

This wasn't to her taste. Phebe couldn't imagine "letting it all out" this much, but she admitted the tableau had triggered throbbing in her clitoris and the desire for a man to go down on her pussy, too. She chose not to stay for the finale. Stepping into the hall, she shut the door so it latched without noise.

Checking his room number again, she realized she should have been the next floor up. As she passed the balcony overlooking the dance floor, she stopped and looked down to make sure Cam wasn't still there. Staring at the scene below, all thought fled.

What the hell?

No D. J. No music.

Long tables and benches dotted what had been the ballroom, and a fire blazed in a huge open hearth. A pot hung over coals in the corner from a tripod. Rough men dressed in plaids sat on the benches and drank from tankards. They tore at huge drumsticks of meat held in their hands or spooned a stew of some kind into trenchers. Voices rose and the men laughed deep, booming guffaws. Sometimes one of them would slap another on the back or shove shoulder to shoulder. One tipsy man tumbled off the end of the bench after a shoulder shove, and that triggered doubling-over gales of laughter.

It was surreal. She shook herself. She wiped her eyes and looked again. Nothing had changed.

What was this? Had the masked partygoers left and a new group arrived? That didn't make sense, she told herself. Like her, many of the costumed people were spending the weekend at the castle. Maybe this was a play geared to inspire guests to increase their pledge card amounts. Or perhaps they were shooting a film.

If she didn't get to her rendezvous soon, she'd be too drunk to be fucked by the sensual Cam, much less to remember it.

Locating the correct room, she reached for the doorknob, then stopped. To her surprise, the new Phebe wasn't firmly entrenched. With her courage at ebb instead of flow, she asked herself if this was really what she wanted to do. Determination raised its head. Removing her mask, she straightened and drew in a deep breath.

Show time, woman. She opened the door and walked in...

An Amber Quill Press/Heat Best Seller
5 Hearts! from reviewer Sandra, The Romance Studio

Carolina Valdez

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Reminder: Join my newsletter to be entered in my contest. Send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Stories of searing passions and the deliciously sweet ecstasies of love

2008-10-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the owners and staff of Amber Quill Press as they celebrate SIX SUCCESSFUL YEARS in the epublishing business. Since "six" is big here, I'm sharing an excerpt from LURE, my SIXTH release with them, as part of this celebration. But first, my contest.

The photo on the left shows my three prizes: 1. Black ghost hand towel and a can of Spider Cider hot drink mix in Cautious Caramel Apple flavor 2. White jack-o'-lantern hand towel, two packets of orange hot chocolate mix, one pumpkin pie spice votive candle 3. Green witch hand towel and multicolored 14 ounce Starbuck's cup.

THE CONTEST IS OPEN TO NEWSLETTER MEMBERS ONLY. IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, SIGN UP BY SENDING A BLANK EMAIL TO sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Note: My Yahoo ID is jennydalton35, the name of my first heroine with Amber Quill, and messages will arrive from keen3849@mypacks.net

CONTEST BEGINS today, October 26, 2008. CLOSES November 3, 2008. If mailing costs are prohibitive, winners outside the continental U.S. will receive a free book download.

"To lure the killer of two women into the open, and find evidence of illegal gun sales by the owner of Pinky's Club, ATF sends Special Agent Karin Woodhall undercover as an exotic dancer. Angelo Santini, her new back up, finds her too sensual to resist. Anguished over her safety in the seedy world of bikers, drugs, and weapons, he demands she withdraw from the job. Karin adamantly refuses, setting up a tension that heightens the danger as they work this assignment."

EXCERPT:

...She ached for him not just to play with her nipple, but to lick and suck and even nip it gently with his teeth. She arched toward him, reaching to pull up his T-shirt and run her hands over his broad, solid pecs and play with his nipples, kissing his chest as she felt them tighten beneath her touch.

He stopped and pulled down her blouse.

“Don’t,” she said, her lips against his.

“Don’t?”

“Don’t stop, Angelo. Don’t stop.”

A low, lion-like growl escaped from him.

She whimpered. Hungry for him, her body taut with urgency, she drove her tongue into his mouth, tasting him in the same way she wanted to be explored and tasted. She loosened his belt and worked at the metal buttons on his Levis. She slipped her hand down inside his boxers and found his cock, as large and hard as she’d expected, as it sprang free of the nest of curls and into her hand. She fondled him, delicately stroking him and playing with the tip, knowing from the way he writhed that he couldn’t resist her.

Suddenly she felt as powerful as she had standing at the pole that first time she’d danced to him.

“Oh, God, Karin. Magnificent Karin with her HK in hand.” He feathered her face and neck with kisses, moaning with pleasure at her touch. His hands fumbled at the button and zipper to her jeans.

She heard the whisper of the zipper as it slid down, and she reached to help him free her buttocks and sex. “Touch me. I want you to touch me there. Rub me here,” she whispered into his mouth as she guided his hand to her clit and set it in emotion while she lifted her hips so her mons pressed hard against his palm as she melted into his body.

“Are you sure you won’t be sorry about this tomorrow, Agent Woodhall?” His voice was rough from excitement.

“Maybe, but tonight it feels too good to forego, Agent Santini...”

Included in the JUST THE BARE FACTS, MA'AM AmberPax, an EPPIE 2007 Erotic Suspense Finalist.

5 Angels! from reviewer Linda L., Fallen Angel Reviews

Carolina Valdez

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Join my newsletter by sending a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Stories of searing passions and the deliciously sweet ecstasies of love

HALLOWEEN CANDY ADVISORY

2008-10-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

Don't let your children eat the chocolate pirate coins wrapped in gold they may be given on Halloween. I've received a Canadian notice that these are toxic. They reportedly contain Melamine, the chemical that sickened children and killed dogs and cats when certain products made in China contained it.

St. Nicholas supposedly left gold coins on Christmas Eve, and it's a tradition in my family for us to find them in our stockings on Christmas morning. Usually I eat them all first and have to buy more before I ever get them into the stockings.

Not this year, I think!

CONTESTS, EXCERPTS AND RECIPES - Check out the GHOULISH GALA celebration this week on the Amber Quill Press Authors' blog. http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com

See the prizes I'm offering to newsletter members in my contest starting tomorrow, Sunday 10/26. Newsletter members are automatically entered. To join my newsletter group, send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I've discovered that if you're in Internet Explorer and you click on an email link, the "To" line on the email that pops up will be blank unless your default email program is Microsoft program compatible. So, if you're in Outlook Express, you'll be fine. Netscape? It'll be blank.

Try this. Go to http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com and click on Meet The Staff. Right click on Cheryl, then left click on Properties. You'll see her email address appear in a pop up. You need to copy it onto the "To" line in your blank email.

Tiresome. Why did they have to quit supporting Netscape?

Don't forget to check out the Amber Quill Authors blog!

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

Looking for Sex

2008-08-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

Some time back, in an online discussion with his authors, Trace Edward Zaber, Amber Quill Press publisher, suggested, "Get a copy of The Joy of Sex at the bookstore."

I'd glanced at a copy in the eighties, when it was first released, and I didn't feel I needed to buy one. Plus, it wasn't available as an ebook. I'd recently received a county library card, do I located a copy at a branch about six miles from me. It was in, so I drove over yesterday.

It wasn't on the shelf. Their online catalog's different from the one in our city library, so I asked a librarian if it would indicate if the book was checked out. She said it would. When she asked which book, there was no way around it. I had to say, "The Joy of Sex."

The roof didn't fall in on us and no one pointed fingers, but I, married for umpteen years, felt uncomfortable. She took me to the shelves to look. We had a discussion about the book. At a table about six feet away, a man my age was reading...and hearing this conversation. Not only about that book but about "The NEW Joy of Sex" and "The Idiot's Guide to Sex," and whichever.

The librarian led me back to her computer at the main desk where two other workers near my age were working, and the discussion about sex and its joys began all over again. No one lowered their voices or whispered in the small library. Anyone could hear the discussion. And see me standing there.

The book had been checked out in July, but supposedly had been turned in again. A third trip to the shelves--near the man at the table--more discussion about volunteer summer help who didn't always shelve books correctly, but it still couldn't be found.

The man had a stack of five books near his elbow, and I even wondered briefly if the book I wanted was in it. If so, he warn't tellin'.

Back to the main desk. Now it seemed a branch even closer to my town had it, but it was in Reference. "They might let you check it out."

Hurriedly, I explained, "Oh, no! I only need to look at it." Finally, I added in a feeble voice, "I'm a romance writer."

Not having recovered from this small trauma, I bypassed the other branch. I may not even need to try it. After searching for menage on Wikipedia, I found explanations, and frescoes/paintings and drawings showing the positions for MMF, FFM, MFM, FMF, MMM, and FFF sex. The Frescoe's from Pompeii. The photographed painting probably dates to the 1800s. There's a painting from the Kama Sutra. That's probably enough. At least those images are about all my brain can hold.

Meanwhile, it's onward and upward writing sex scenes.

Carolina
http://www.carolinavaldez.com

HOW COME FREAKY FRIDAY?

2008-06-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

How did we decide there was something unlucky about Fridays that fell on the thirteenth of the month? Check out http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com and again on http://www.theromancestudio.blogspot.com.

Carolina

keen3849@mypacks.net
http://www.carolinavaldez.com

RESPONDING TO "PLOTTING MADE EASY"

2008-05-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

An article on "Plotting Made Easy" appears on my web site at http://www.carolinavaldez.com now. If you read it, I invite you to post your comments here on this particular blog post. Or email me at keen3839@mypacks.net with BLOG on the subject line. Either way, I'll respond and see that your ideas appear here on this particular blog.

Comments made on any post here are emailed to me for approval. I'll keep checking that box - which isn't the one listed above.

My Spam filter's set at the highest level, so if it blocks you, just request you be added to my address book. I'll add you.

This is a solemn day for America, with thoughts for those who have given their lives for their country and the families affected.

Carolina

CHECK OUT THE EYE CANDY!

2008-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted photos of some gorgeous studs at http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com. This morning (although the date is incorrect on the site), I posted them at http://www.theromancestudio.blogspot.com.

Do take a peek. They're fun! There are more comments right now on the Amber Quill Authors blog than TRS's. Being a holiday weekend in the US, I suspect they'll be slow to come on TRS.

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

I'VE BEEN MEMED

2008-05-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Linda McLaughlin tagged me for this. Meming, roughly translated, is the transfer of information from blog to blog. The rules are: A. On your blog, list six things most people don't know about you. B. Tag six other people who have blogs. C. Notify the person who tagged you that you've memed on your blog.

THINGS ABOUT ME

1. Dr. Pepper's the only soft drink I like. Mother told me that as a toddler I wouldn't let the barber cut my hair...until they put Dr. Pepper in a baby bottle and gave it to me. I've loved it ever since.

2. I was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. What is the birthplace of Dr. Pepper? TEXAS!

Daddy sold gasoline pumps, and sometimes Mother and I would go on his rounds to his customer's gas stations. (Later, we were advised that "gas station" was a hick term. The more cultured one being service station. Ahem.) At any rate, I'd lift the lid of the soft drink chest and, standing on my tiptoes, reach in to pick up a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the icy waters. Daddy would pay for it.

3. I love jewels. Seeing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London was a fabulous experience. Subsequently, Lance Davison, my wizard-knight hero in PORTAL TO DARKNESS, has a special affinity for gems and can hear the "songs of the stones."

4. In Edinburgh, my husband and I saw the clan pipers present a tattoo as night fell over the castle towers. When the sound of the pipes rose and the bands came down from the castle, it brought goosebumps. Kilts and flashes flipped and pipes whined as white spats caught the light when the men marched in cadence. Beautiful. Sadly, budget cuts have reduced the number of regimental bands, and we witnessed the final performance with the historic Clan Donald. The evening closed as a soft spot highlighted a single Donald piper playing on the battlements. Haunting.

5. This inspired my best selling novella, WOMAN IN BLACK LACE. Phebe is sent from Washington, D.C. in 2008, back to the Highlands before the destruction of the clans by the English in the 1700s. She participates in a Scottish ceilidh, a folk celebration, similar to the one below.

6. In Ireland, at Bunratty Castle, I enjoyed an Irish ceilidh. Those of us from the tour bus ate dinner together. We ate, among other foods, potato salad, boiled potatoes and baked potatoes (celebrating prosperity after the historic potato famine, I think) while being entertained with dancers and singers moving to the music of penny whistle, elbow pipe, fiddle and drum. The potatoes were delicious, unlike anything I'd tasted in the U.S. I was invited to dance with a handsome Irishman, and, in heels, I tried to keep up with his steps as we danced over the rough, ancient stone floor.

Now I tag only the following for meme (because I'm having trouble locating blogs!):

Kacey Smith
Ciar Cullen
Rick R. Reed

FOR ALL THE MOTHERS

2008-05-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the
hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and
happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure
all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Send this to someone who you think is a special Mom. I just did!

by:
Janet B. Swanson
Madison Wisconsin

And now I've shared it with you.

Carolina Valdez
First-time grandmother as of February 22 - twins, a boy and a girl

WHAT CONSTITUTES A PARANORMAL STORY?

2008-04-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

"Paranormal" simply means "anything outside of normal."

Time travel belongs under the big umbrella of this category. Horror belongs here, too, if the pursuing evil fits outside of normal.

Fantasies fit here, but we call them fantasies because they have special attributes such as the inclusion of witches, wizards, warlocks, magic or witchcraft. They have mythical creatures such as vampires, shapeshifters, fairies, elves, and dragons.

Science fiction and futuristic, while dealing with things and ideas that might some day be possible, still fall outside of the realm of normal and so are paranormals. But their special attributes put them in the paranormal subgenres of sci fi and futuristic.

Publishers and review sites decide how they'll categorize their books and reviews. Romance Junkies, for instance, doesn't have a fantasy category. Those reviews appear in the Paranormal-Sci Fi group.

Amber Quill Heat doesn't adhere strickly to those categories. My erotic fantasy, TEARS OF THE DRAGON, is listed as Fantasy/Shapeshifter/Magic/Witchcraft/Action/Adventure/BDSM (Light)/Exhibitionism/Public Places.
PORTAL TO DARKNESS, also an erotic romance, is labeled as Time Travel/Dark Fantasy/Historical/Action/Adventure/Magic/Shapeshifter/Exhibitionism/Public Places.

Some readers love time travel, so instead of using fantasy as the opener for PORTAL TO DARKNESS, this publisher has chosen time travel instead.

Interesting, isn't it all? Sometimes confusing, too.

Carolina Valdez
keen3849@mypacks.net

BLOGS TO WATCH

2008-04-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Are you checking in on http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com
and http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com?They're great blogs with writing tips and promos from various authors.

If you have time, leave a comment. Authors appreciate them. It's awful to feel like you're blogging to air!

I'm scheduled to blog on April 6, on the aqpauthors site because WOMAN IN BLACK LACE will be released. However, one of my husband's brothers passed away yesterday. I may be out of town that day. Check in anyway. Someone will be there...or will have been.

Carolina

LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE YOU WRITE

2008-03-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

There are some people who listen to music all day...in the car, at home, and even when drifting off to sleep. My brain is too busy to add more busy-ness to it. Too, music demands my attention, and, most probably, my brain can't focus on more than one thing at a time.

Have I ever listened to music while I wrote? Yes, once. My first novel is set in early California and includes Native Americans. I found it joyful to put on this CD and type: FLOWERS OF THE DRUMS: NATIVE RHYTHMS AND RECIPES, released in 2000 by Talking Taco Music Company. According to oral tradition in my family, Cherokee blood runs in my veins, and I stumbled on this CD in my favorite music store. I have bagpipe music. Why not native drums? Great fun!

I hear more romance writers discussing this issue than mystery/suspense/horror writers. However, one horror romance author tells of putting on the music from horror films. Another novelist listens to the music of DRAGONHEART, music I love because it puts me in a cheerful mood. A third writer says she lets her brain tell her yes or no to music as she works.

As with everything else in the writing process, you have to find what works for you. Try music sometime. You might enjoy it.

Carolina Valdez - author of passions that unlock the sweet ecstasies of love

http://www.carolinavaldez.com
Contact Carolina at keen3849@mypacks.net

I'M ON THE ROMANCE STUDIO BLOG

2008-03-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

THE CREATIVE BRAIN is my latest post. It's not a promo, but thoughts on the creative process. I'd love to have your responses.

http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com

Carolina

"Passion is what unlocks the sweet ecstasies of love."

NEW RESEARCH LINKS

2008-03-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

Please read Caffey's comments on my posts. Thanks to her, I learned http://home.insightbb.com/%Ed.lawson is now a broken link. Using Google, I discovered that what works today is http://home.insightbb.com/~d.lawson.

More links from her: http://members.aol.com/LONDON20/mysite_001.htm. http://members.shaw.ca/jobev/menu.html. http://www.ladiesofreenacting.com.
Her comments explain what each covers.

Thank you so much, Caffey.

Carolina

5 Hearts Review for WOMAN IN BLACK LACE!

2008-02-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

"5 Hearts! Very Sensual!...Carolina Valdez has written a great story. It is well written, with wonderful characters. Anyone who loves a good time-travel will love this one. I adored Phebe, and her sexy Highlander is to die for. The passion that burned between them is scorching and their journey kept me on the edge of my seat hoping for their happily ever after. This is a definite keeper." Sandra, The Romance Studio.

Full review at http://theromancestudio/reviews/reviews/blacklacevaldez.htm

COMING APRIL 6 from Amber Quill Press.

THE STORY: Seduction is what book store clerk Phebe Jones has in mind as she dresses in erotic black lace and a feathered mask for a masquerade ball in Washington, D.C. Weary of her dull life, she's determined to seduce the first masked party goer who makes her panties dampen. Still, she hesitates when the hunk she's selected--a blond dressed in a kilt and wearing blue face paint reminiscent of Braveheart--invites her to his room for the festivities. Does she really have the courage for sex with a stranger?

Reminding herself this is what she'd planned, she steps across the threshold into the arms of a plaid wrapped blond the size of the Scorpion King. In the searing heat of his arousing touch, it's difficult to tell which of them is the seducer. His scent and the feel of his body inflame her senses. He invades her heart as easily as his hard, silken cock invades her pulsing cunt.

But the dark just before dawn brings the greatest shock of Phebe's life. Her world rocks as she wonders who this man she's slept with is. Where is she and what year is it? Panic floods her as she grapples with the greatest challenge of her life--figuring out how to return to 2008, when she has no idea how she left it for the past.

EXCELLENT REFERENCES FOR HISTORICAL INFORMATION

2008-02-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

This is a marvelous reference for almost any kind of historical information you might need. Try
http://home.insightbb.com/%Ed.lawson/

"Medieval Costume and Fashion" by Herbert Norris has been recommended to me. If I've seen it, I've forgotten it.

If you have something to add, put a comment here. We can expand our resources together.

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

SO YOU WANT TO WRITE HISTORICAL FICTION, DO YOU?

2008-01-27T22:42:00.001-08:00

Recently, I participated in a discussion about accuracy in historical novels. It was interesting how heated the exchanges became.

One woman said she'd thrown a book across the room because an author made one mistake. Another woman, with a degree in history, refuses to read historical novels because she can't tolerate even a minor error. Because of her background, I can understand her abhorrance because I know musicians have difficulty listening to bad music. However, my feeling is that one error doesn't warrant a refusal to finish a book or a toss across the room.

Having written two historical novels and a short story myself, I know it's a daunting task - and sometimes impossible - to be completely accurate.

Extensive research is imperative. You must know everything about the period you've chosen. What did people live in, wear and eat? What forms of address for each other were used? How did they communicate? What dances were performed, what instruments were played, what songs were sung? What were the common vehicles of the day, what was happening politically and with the weather? Was there a class system? What hatreds existed not only among your characters but in the society? You might not use all of this information, but knowing it is vital to give your novel authenticity.

I shared my first novel with a critique group I was in, and one woman became hysterical (that's hyperbole, of course) because I had a two-story house. She insisted there were only single-story buildings in this state in that time period. After agonizing over the decision, I decided to leave my house two stories. Maybe I was risking publisher rejections, but it was essential to my plot.

After I'd sold the book, I was in a town about three hundred miles from mine when I discovered an historic building from the year of my novel. It was two stories high.

Great sources for research include your public library and, especially, the reference librarian. This librarian can suggest appropriate books and periodicals and even set up an interlibrary loan for materials they don't have. As part of my research for WHERE VESUVIUS SLEEPS, I used a travel video of southern Italy and Pompeii. I found a library reference book where Pompeii had been recreated digitally in three dimensions and in color. Other sources include university libraries and professors, the Internet and museums. I've used them all. I have also found that authorities don't always agree. Oh, joy. As with my two-story house, sometimes you go with your gut.

When I wrote PORTAL TO DARKNESS, I had enormous difficulty finding information about life in 6th century Great Britain. What saved me was making it a fantasy. I created this world. What I didn't know I made up.

I'm not sure I'll write a true historical novel again. I think the pitfalls are many and the research time-consuming. I don't want readers slamming my books against the wall or refusing to read anything else by me. But if you want to write an historical novel, then go for it!

Carolina

USING PSEUDONYMS (PEN NAMES)

2007-09-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Recently, a new author emailed me to say she'd been thinking about using a pseudonym. She asked what I thought about their use and if they confused readers.

I told her there was great precedence for this, particularly with female writers. Sisters in Crime was formed in the 1980s, because prejudice against women writing crime stories or books caused them to resort either to male pen names or using the initials of their given names. Today, I think a woman in this field feels comfortable using her own name...is proud to use her real name. However, SinC has recently discovered that women authors receive fewer reviews, percentage wise, than males do. Hmmm.

Today, the main reason for a pseudonym is to make a clear delineation for readers as to what to expect in the book. Nora Roberts writes romance under that name. She writes crime science fiction as J. D. Robb. If you love her voice, but hate sci fi, you're not going to buy a J. D. Robb book. Of course, if you don't know Roberts is J. D., you wouldn't know whether the author was male or female. I happen to enjoy books written under either name.

Barbara Mertz, Ph.D. in Egyptology, writes non fiction under that name. She writes the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody series as Elizabeth Peters. Her contemporary suspense is penned as by Barbara Michaels.

Jayne Ann Krentz writes as Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle, Jayne Bentley, Jayne Taylor and Stephanie James.

James Oliver Rigney Jr. wrote his famous "The Wheel of Time" fantasy series and "Conan the Destroyer" as Robert Jordan. He wrote a western as Jackson O'Reilly and a trio of historical novels set in Charleston under the name of Reagan O'Neil. (The "Los Angeles Times" has an obituary for him today, September 19. He was working on the final book in his "Wheel" series when he passed away. He was 58.)

Maybe it's just the genre, but my experience seems to have been that the voice sometimes differs when an author writes under another name. I love Amelia Peabody, but I'm not so interested in Vicky Bliss.

My Amber Allure novellas will be under the name of Carleena Dan. I've never heard a reader complain about pseudonyms. In fact, they'll look them up and try the books they haven't yet discovered. Authors just need to pick a good pen name and keep to the same genre for each name.

At least that's what I think.

This is my birthday month, and my husband always takes me to the Los Angeles County Fair because we had our first date there light years ago. My feet have been hurting lately, and I'm not sure about walking all day there, but we'll figure something out. It's a tradition that can't be missed.

Happy birthday to all the September birthday people out there!

Carolina

http://www.carolinavaldez.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories
To join my newsletter, send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

DILEMMA

2007-08-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you read my newsletter, you're aware that I said my next assignment for Amber Quill Press had to have a masquerade theme. The dilemma I expressed was PORTAL TO DARKNESS, my July release, already had characters attending a masquerade ball and it would be hard to come up with a new idea and new characters.

Well, Caity M., a newsletter member, wrote to suggest I do a sequel to PORTAL TO DARKNESS since that seemed to fit the requirements. Great idea! I appreciated her personal note to me.

Actually, I'd tossed around the idea of a sequel where I had them attempting to return to this century, but I didn't know, until I saw it posted at the AQP web site, that the highers up had added something to my blurb that leads readers to believe they already have. However, since this is not so, I have the option to follow through on Caity's idea.

Again, I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks, Caity.

Newsletter members: Remember to send me your preference for the title of my next novella by AUGUST 28. (The finished story is due 9/1 to my editor.)

Also, a little hint. In general, my novellas are longer than many on the Amber Heat site.

Have a good week,

WINNER

2007-07-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to CYNTHYA PETZEN, who won the copy of LURE offered in the TRS BookADayGiveaway on July 29th.

TRSBlue interviewed me as a Featured Member. I believe that will be posted August 1. You'll also find the cover to PORTAL TO DARKNESS, my latest release, on their site.

Have a good week.

Carolina
aka jennydalton35
http://www.carolinavaldez.com
http://www.amberheat.com/bio_Valdez.com
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories
To subscribe to my newsletter, send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

TRS Book A Day Giveaway and Books We Love Spice Contest

2007-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I located my calendar! Yay! Sunday, July 29th, is the day for the TRS Giveaway.

If you'd like to participate in the Books We Love Spice Contest for an opportunity to win a print copy of my erotic anthology, IN PASSION'S THRALL, go to http://www.bookswelove.net.

Have a good weekend. Tomorrow I buy my pre-ordered copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Sunday we have a family wedding to attend.

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

Chance to win LURE coming up

2007-07-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sometime at the end of this month, I'll be giving away an electronic copy of LURE in the Book A Day Giveaway The Romance Studio holds. I THINK it's on the 29th, but I'm not sure.

I made up a nice calendar to remind myself of these giveaway dates, and now I can't locate the calendar. My desk is always cluttered, and when company comes I gather everything up and stuff it in cupboards or boxes. They think I'm very organized. Even though I'm now going through papers one by one, so far I have not found it. Grrr.

Right after the giveaway, I'll be the August featured author on TRS Blue.

Ella the Cat has come and gone. She was so much fun. We just love her to death. When our son came to take her home, however, it was big drama getting her into her carrier. She did not want to leave! However, she recognized our son right away. She just wasn't going to go anywhere with him. At least she didn't bite or scratch him. No hissing either.

It was so lonely the afternoon after she left. My husband and I soothed our sadness by treated ourselves to hamburgers at a Bob's Big Boy in a neighboring town, and then came back to our town to our favorite yogurt place to have a dessert. That helped a little.

This son and his wife are in their new place, and they tell us Ella immediately explored every nook and cranny.

Now I've washed her dishes and her kitty litter box, and everything's clean and stored away with her toys for her next visit.

Have a good weekend,

Carolina
http://www.carolinavaldez.com/
http://www.amberheat.com/bio_Valdez.com
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

CD WINNER

2007-07-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

BethAnn Miller was the lucky winner of a copy of my medieval romance, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART. She's a member of my Yahoo newsletter group, sweet_ecstasies, and it's always nice when a member wins. However, being a member doesn't give you a "leg up" on winning. The choice is made with a randomizer program.

Have a fun Fourth!

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

Passionately Sweet Ecstasies
To purchase KNIGHT - http://www.amberheat.com/KnightCaptiveHeart.html
To receive my newsletter, send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@Yahoogroups.com
http://www.carolinavaldez.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

JUNE 30 DEADLINE for chance to win a CD

2007-06-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

If it's Saturday, June 30, 2007, it's your last chance to enter to win a CD of my medieval romance, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART.

Go to http://www.carolinavaldez.com/ and you'll find the rules to enter on the Contest page.

5 Angels!...Recommended Read - "...everything a great medieval storyshould be - romantic, lusty, historically accurate, and filled withcalls to arms and bloodshed...I am pleased to award KNIGHT OF THECAPTIVE HEART our highest rating." Michelle, Fallen Angel Reviews

5 Cups! "...a truly captivating book. I found it hard to put it downonce I started reading it. The hero and heroine were very likeable.The secondary characters made it interesting with so many twists andturns that shaped and formed such a desirable tension betweenChristiana and Rowan, I did not want it to end." Cherokee, Coffee TimeRomance

Don't forget to see my interview at http://www.sensualreads.net/inteviews/carolina_valdez.shtml

Tomorrow we're picking up Ella Fitzgerald. She belongs to our oldest son and his wife, and they're moving to another town. Ella's a house cat. They thought it best if we took her in for a few days so she wouldn't escape as movers go in and out.

We love her to death! But she's a real character. Apparently she lays her paw on their cheeks at night to wake them so they'll scratch her head. So far she hasn't deigned to sleep with us on her visits.

I won't check my Contest entry list until July 1, so even very late posts on 6/30 will still be entered for a chance to win.

Sleep well,

Carolina Valdez
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories
http://www.amberheat.com/bio_Valdez.html

Book Discounts and Rewards

2007-06-24T10:33:00.001-07:00

Amber Quill Press always offers discounted books. In their Rewards program, if you buy ten e-books, you get one free! You really do! The exception is: AmberPax collections don't count toward the Rewards program even though there are usually five stories in them.

Authors hop into the chat groups off and on to answer questions, talk or offer excerpts and share review snippets.

Join the "hotter stories" chat group by sending a blank email to amberheatreaders-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Right now this group features Gimmie Fever Friday, where book excerpts revolve around a theme. Last Friday the theme was Food and Romance! But I forgot to post something from SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY.

Join the "traditional stories" chat group by send a blank email to amberquillpressreaders-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

You can receive a monthly newsletter with announcements of all the new releases. Go to http://www.amberquill.com and click on Newsletter. Or go to our blog http://www.aqpauthors.blogspot.com. You can sign up there.

Amber Allure is the new division for stories of m/m, menage, and like romances.

Don't miss out on any of it.

I've been trying to blog here for a couple of days, and I had to change browsers to get in.

Have a great weekend. We're going to L.A. to hear jazz this afternoon.

Carolina Valdez
keen3849@mypacks.net
http://www.carolinavaldez
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

Chatting June 15 on Beth Wylde's Yahoo Group

2007-06-14T16:37:00.001-07:00

AMBER QUILL PRESS AUTHORS Mimi Riser, Anne Thomas, Cassandra Curtis, Chris Grover (aka Christiane France), and I will be chatting off and on all day Friday, June 15, on Beth Wylde's group. If you aren't a member of this group, join by sending a blank email to bethwylde-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

See Message 3958 to see what I'll cover that day. Also, I'm offering a chance to win an e-book of your choice from my books. I'll announce the winner at midnight EST.

Remember, if you're checking my web site for the first time, http://www.carolinavaldez.com and you'd like a chance to win a CD of KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART, send me an email with First Time in the subject line. So far I've had few takers, so chances to win are good. Deadline for this contest is JUNE 30.

Bring your questions to the chat. We'll be posting hit and miss according to how our days go. You know - kids to school, parents to the doctor, work, etc.

Carolina
keen3849@mypacks.net

Passionately sweet ecstasies
For the newsletter, send a blank email to sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
http://myspace.com/sensualstories
http://www.amberheat.com/bio_Valdez.html

Winner

2007-05-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to jmartin_trspromos! She won the jar of Victoria's Secret Skin Softening Cream for being a first time subscriber to my newsletter.

If you noticed the new header here, it's because it matches my new web site! Glass Slipper Designs created it for me. My latest novella covers are on it with their blurbs and an excerpt. You may be interested in the Contests page in particular. May 30, there's a chance to enter to win a copy of my FictionWise best selling novella, SILK STEALTH.

I love my new site and hope you do, too.

I had a marvelous Mother's Day weekend. Spent Saturday at a music festival, and then our kids arrived for the day on Sunday.

Have a great week.

Carolina

The Joy of Friendships

2007-04-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

My husband's best friend from high school stopped by for a peanut butter sandwich and a visit this noon. He's on his annual trek to Arizona to spend a few days with former college classmates.

Yesterday I spent the day driving over a hundred miles to my RWA chapter meeting. An author friend in my town rode with me, and it's amazing how much faster time passes when you have good company even if the freeway's stop and go.

Looking forward to the man's visit, I knew that weary as I was after my great day at RWA and then having prepared dinner, I had to pitch in to get the house ready. We'd missed church for several weeks, and if we wanted to attend today, we had to be ready for company before we left.

Our home is rarely ready for "drop in" company. It's clean, but cluttered with the accoutrements of a writer and all the horrible junk mail that comes into our box.

My husband's friend travels eighty miles to reach our front door. He spends about two hours with us. The brevity makes this is a highlight event. His trip to visit his college friends is "guy" time, so his wife doesn't accompany him. We have to catch up on her news through him.

Almost every job I've ever had has entailed paperwork. Writing is right up there as far as clutter goes. Frankly, I get tired of stuffing things in piles and then in boxes to stash them out of sight. I'd like to toss and file, and have everything in neat order. I think it's not gonna happen.

My desk looks terrific right now - if you don't peek at the box in the right corner stuffed with papers and notebooks.

I assigned hubbie the vaccuming chore. We're ready at last.

Through our garden window I see the familiar car pull up. Special, valued hours with a longtime friend are about to color our day with happiness.

May you be blessed with friendships,

Carolina
sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
www.myspace.com/sensualstories

SOUNDS AND SCENTS AS MY DAYS BEGIN

2007-04-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

1. The first thing I hear is the sound of the shower. My husband's in it.

2. I get up and put on socks and scuffs because, unless it's summer, my feet get cold.

3. I patter into the kitchen to take my thyroid medication. I lower the shade part way in the garden window, which looks out onto the street, and the sunlight streams in but we still have privacy. I can't eat for an hour, so I head for the computer room. Hubbie comes in, and I hear the sounds of cutlery and dishes leaving the dishwasher and being slipped into cupboards.

4. I punch in the On button on our Gateway, and hear the comforting whir and beep of the computer as the blue screen flashes on. Emails pop up, and I answer them. They're like the voices of friends in my head.

5. Before I know it, my hour's up and it's back to the kitchen to start my decaf and fix my breakfast. Hubbie has already eaten and has taken my seat at the Gateway. Soon the kitchen smells of coffee. Did you know there's a drug in coffee that's released during perking and only affects you if you breathe it in? I don't recall its name, but it lifts your spirits. That's why some people love the smell but hate the drink. I've been thinking of getting an old fashioned electric perk coffeepot. Mr. Coffee doesn't give off enough of that marvelously rich scent.

Actually, I don't like coffee. I have to put milk in it or something. I use Nestle's amaretto creamer, and I wonder if there's something addictive in it! I absolutely love the taste of it. I ration my coffee, and I can hardly wait until it's time for the next cup. With amaretto.

6. Now comes the smell of toothpaste and the sound of rushing water. I have to force myself to take time to dress before I return to the computer...to the sound of keys clicking and the hum of ideas in my head.

Have a happy day,

Carolina

CONTEST WINNERS

2007-04-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my newsletter members who won - syashayk won the snow bunny and the refrigerator bunny goes to aliciaflores1.

This contest was only for newsletter members. Soon I'll have something for those who sign up for my newsletter for the first time.

www.randomizer.org is a great place to have your winners picked. If you aren't aware of it and haven't used it, try it! It's easy to work. In an instant, you have the winning numbers. All you have to do then is count down through your list of entrants.

Have a great day,

Carolina Valdez
http://www.amberheat.com/Avalanche.html
http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories

Change of Book A Day Giveaway book

2007-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I forgot I'd told you that SILK STEALTH would be given away on 3/29. Instead, TRS thought I wanted to give away my latest release. Since that's what they advertised, that's what I sent to the winner.

Update - EPPIE 2007 Finalist JUST THE BARE FACTS, MA'AM, which included my novella LURE, did not walk away with the winner's trophy in their category. Frankly, I don't know who won it.

Have a good week!

Carolina

REMEMBER TO ENTER MY NEWSLETTER CONTEST

2007-03-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

My contest ends April 8, so don't let the time slip by and realize you haven't entered!

Congratulations to AMELIA RICHARD for winning the copy of AVALANCHE!, my latest release, in the 3/29 TRS Book A Day Giveaway. Here again, I've had a gracious response from a winner.

PORTAL TO DARKNESS is ready to go tomorrow to the Amber Quill Press editorial director and the editor assigned to me. It's due out in July as part of the INTO THE PAST...DARKLY AmberPax.

I always need a rest after finishing something. To get me out of the house and into the wonderful sunshine, my husband drove me to a Golfsmith shop about twenty minutes away. He wanted to try out a new driver. That was a bust, but I purchased a ball retriever.

For the next few months, I'll be hunkering down to a new novel, OSIRIAN GOLD. I took an online class on writing paranormal from authors Susan and Harry Squires and wrote the opening there. They liked it, so I pitched it to the acquisitions manager at AQP, and he accepted it. My heroine travels to modern day Egypt and is enticed into love by an ancient demon.

A tip: I don't enter book contests because I feel the readers deserve those wins, so I'm not sure how TRS works this, but IF you've only indicated an interest in the book I'm offering at the time, and IF you're already receiving my newsletter, I'd suggest you put your name on the DO NOT ADD ME list.

TRS sends me about 130 names, and it's time consuming to check each YES name against my newsletter list. As far as winning goes, everyone has an equal chance. I take the DO NOT ADD ME and the YES names, and use a randomizing program to select the winner. The previous two winners were from the DO NOT ADD ME group. (One later signed up.)

Tomorrow my husband and I will drive to South Pasadena for the Sisters in Crime meeting. Traffic isn't too bad on a Sunday. The library where our meetings are held has charming grounds, and I enjoy the speakers and the people.

GIVING GIFTS

2007-03-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I heard some authors comment that no one thanked them for the free books and gifts they offered.

For the record, let me say that has not been my experience. Everyone who has received a prize from me has been very gracious. I've always been thanked, and some have even emailed me later to say how much they enjoyed the book they received.

I enjoy holding contests. I enjoy doing the newsletter. I appreciate my readers and am happy they're a thoughtful group of people.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day! I'm part Scots-Irish, and, when we were in Ireland some years ago, I found a link to my mother's maiden name. The Irish tartan was my least favorite of colors, however.

Carolina

SIGNING UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER

2007-03-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your comment, Lisa! She asked how to sign up for my newsletter. It's easy!

Send an email to: sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. That's all there is to it. Yahoo will notify me of the request, and I'll approve you. They'll immediately send the latest newsletter to you.

The newsletters come from my Yahoo ID - jennydalton35 at keen3849@mypacks.net. They're titled Carolina's Sweet_Ecstasies.

If you'd like to view my space at MySpace, hit Search on the light blue MySpace task bar near the top and type in Carolina Valdez. Or access it directly by http://www.myspace.com/sensualstories.

EPPIE 2007 WINNERS will be announced Saturday!

2007-03-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

I've just checked the EPIC website and realized tomorrow - March 8 - is the beginning of EPICon in Virginia Beach, USA. That means the EPPIE winners will be announced Saturday, March 10.

JUST THE BARE FACTS, MA'AM is the erotic anthology my novella LURE is in. There's so much stiff competition in this contest, that it's pretty much a crap shoot as to who wins in each category. This isn't the only AmberPax that's a Finalist. If the anthology I'm in should happen to win, I'll feel like I rode in on the coat tails of four other writers. It would be great for all of us ... publisher, editors, and writers.

Am I keeping my fingers crossed? No. I feel fatalistic about it. What happens happens. You never know the minds of judges. Doesn't pay to get too worked up about it. I won't be there if we do win, so that fleeting moment of glory wouldn't be mine anyway.

STILL...wouldn't it be nice if...?

Carolina Valdez

SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY Winner

2007-02-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS to ELLEN KROHN. Ellen won the e-copy of SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY I offered in the Book-a-Day Giveaway held February 21 by The Romance Studio. There were 126 entries, so don't feel bad if you didn't win. Ellen's name was chosen by random selection.

As I wrote earlier, I became an Amber Quill author because I was a winner in the first AmberHeat contest. Judging from the entries received and rejected for this year's contest, maybe a few things should be said that might be helpful.

Don't kid yourself, spelling and grammar matter. If you're trying to break into writing, and you aren't good at them, find someone who is. Let them go over your work before you submit it anywhere. Publishers and their editors are too busy these days to do it for you. Don't risk an immediate rejection because you neglected to be correct here.

Submit in the required format within the required word length. For example, if you're submitting on paper, what margins does the publisher require? What font? Single space or double? Do you use the computer word count or the page word count?

Study the story structure of the genre you're writing in, and everything else about it--for example, the types of characters, settings, plot and rhythm (also known as pace) of the stories in the genre.

Watch out for cliches and repetitions. Create original and interesting characters who have basic needs - to solve a mystery, foil a dangerous plot or find the right partner for love - and throw in obstacles that prevent them from meeting those needs until the correct place in the story or book.

AmberHeat wasn't the first contest I'd won. It certainly wasn't my first publication. Writing is a craft that must be practiced and learned. And, no, not everyone can write.

Do I get rejections? Of course, I do. And I go into a funk for days. If you'd like to know what personal traits I think it takes to succeed, check out my interview as Dee Ann Palmer at The Romance Junkies.

Now, I'm off my soap box.

Carolina

Looking for Jokes

2007-02-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Linda B. for her suggestion to check out www.jokes.com.

Wouldn't you think I'd have thought of that myself?

So, the joke's on me.

Carolina

CHANCE TO WIN "SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY"

2007-02-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

On FEBRUARY 21, The Romance Studio will be offering my e-book SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY as one of their Book a Day giveaways.

That would be TRSBlue, since it is an 18-or-Older book.

Chocolates are a Valentine treat, and since my story is about chocolatiers and a candy store called Sweet Chocolate Ecstasy, this seemed the perfect month in which to give it away.

Thanks for stopping by!

Carolina

Romance Junkies Interview

2007-02-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

You can read about me under the name of DEE ANN PALMER by clicking on this link or copying and pasting it into your browser. I talk about writing as CAROLINA VALDEZ, so don't be confused. Be sure to scroll down to see the entire interview.
http://208.109.92.234/artman/publish/article_7506.shtml

Also, it was LOUISE (not Linda) Kovacs who won a copy of WHERE VESUVIUS SLEEPS.

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm trying to get the newsletter to those who've signed up for it, but for some irrational reason Yahoo's telling me it's spam.

Carolina

Awaiting galleys for AVALANCHE

2007-02-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Boy, it's been a long time since I've blogged. The holidays take up so much time, and then I was killing my fingers and thumbs finishing my latest novella, AVALANCHE! It's been to my editor and back again for corrections, and now I'm awaiting the galley.

It was a quick turn-around once I sent it in, so I hope for a release soon.

Yesterday, I sent an extended Amber Kiss, VIEW FROM THE TOP, to my editor. I believe it's next to the shortest piece I've done for them. The shortest is DARK STRANGER, my AmberHeatWave 2004 winner. VIEW is set on the southern California coast, an area I'm very familiar with because I grew up in San Diego.

VIEW will be part of the VOYEUR AmberPax. I believe it's scheduled for release in May.

Now I'm on to a piece for INTO THE PAST...DARKLY. I've never written time travel or anything dark, so this will be a challenge. So far I have no ideas!

Take care of yourself,
Carolina

AVALANCHE! is finished and off to my publisher

2007-01-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Gosh, but that's a great feeling. I celebrated by taking a friend to lunch to celebrate her birthday, which was actually on December 5, but the two of us couldn't connect until now.

The working title for my next story is "View from the Top," and it involves a female roofer who sees a hunk of a guy when she inadvertently peers into his window. This one will be shorter and lighter than AVALANCHE! and fun to do.

Check in with me again.

Linda Kovacs won a copy of WHERE VESUVIUS SLEEPS from me in TRS' most recent Book a Day Giveaway.

Mark February 21 on your calendar. I'll be giving away SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY on the same TRS giveaway.

Be good,
Carolina

Looking for Jokes

2007-01-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

When I checked my public library's online catalog for joke books to use in my monthly newsletter, all but one were in the children's section. Can you believe how serious adults are? It's amazing.

Although I'm close to finishing, I'm struggling with my current erotic novella, AVALANCHE! Interesting how one happened today in Colorado. I'll probably tweak a bit of the account of my fictional avalanche now that I've seen that one.

As I explained earlier, our sons and their wives were out of the state over Christmas. Everyone converged here on the 29th to open our gifts and celebrate the birthdays of my husband and our youngest son. Ella became a little hyper and did her share of hissing and growling if someone tried to prevent her from doing something she was determined to do (like resting in the middle of the dining table where we were going to have cake and ice cream!) She has quite a mind of her own.

I love cooking for my family over the holidays, and they look forward to it. But although I'd completed my shopping and our gifts were wrapped and under the tree by the 16th, I wasn't able to do much cooking. I had a small rectangle of carpet that had gotten crumpled, and to flatten it I put heavy books on each corner. In lifting the dictionary off one corner, I pulled my back.

This happens off and on, and although I managed to make waffles one morning and bake the birthday cake the next, fixing any other food was out. So we ate at Souplantation (and Sweet Tomatoes) both nights the kids were here.

I was disappointed, but no one complained. They like that restaurant, and I think they were eager to be helpful and save me pain. My husband treated us the first night, our oldest son the next.

Bless 'em! I love 'em!

Carolina

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

2007-01-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

I can't keep up with Yahoo! If you'd like to join my newsletter, I think you'd best send me an email. For some reason, Yahoo seems to have changed their routing. So put "Subscribe" in an email to me at keen3849@mypacks.net and I'll have Yahoo send you an invitation.

RECEIVING MY NEWSLETTER

2006-12-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

You may sign up to receive my monthly newsletter at http://sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

STARBUCKS STOCKINGS MUG WINNER ANNOUNCED

2006-12-17T00:28:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO flip0358 for winning the bright red, 4 1/4" high Starbucks "Stockings" mug decorated with gold, snowflakes and stockings.

Watch for my December newsletter. Coming soon.

Carolina

2007 EPPIE FINALIST!

2006-12-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! JUST THE BARE FACTS, MA'AM, an erotic collection with a "cop" theme published by Amber Quill Press, is a finalist. The exciting part is that since LURE is in this collection, I join the other authors - Adrianna Dane, Selah March, Chevon Gael and Deidre O'Dare - as a finalist!

EPIC is the professional organization for electronically published authors and publishers. The EPPIES are the premier writing awards in the industry. Winners will be announced next spring.

"I'm walking in sunshine!"

"Hot, sexy, exotic--ATF Special Agent Karin Woodhall dances undercover in the dangerous world of bikers, illegal weapons sales, and murder."

If you received my November newsletter, you'll know why Karin's ATF.

Carolina

CONTESTS

2006-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Quick reminder: To be entered in my CONTEST to win a bright red, 4 1/4" high Starbucks "Stockings" cup decorated with gold, snowflakes, and stockings, you must subscribe to my newsletter by midnight Pacific time, Friday, December 15! Enter at sweet_ecstasies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Only subscribe once.

MEMBERS: If the November newsletter bounced, you can read it on the list. See the photos in the photos file.

Congratulations to CATHIE CAFFEY! She won a CD of my traditional medieval romance, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART, in the recent contest held by The Romance Studio (TRS).

We celebrate Christmas, and I'm into the countdown in getting ready. I've only one last gift to buy, and today we'll go to the Christmas tree farm to cut down the tree we tagged mid November. Last night I vacuumed and we moved the furniture around to allow room for it. We hung the last of the outdoor lights - on our front "porch."

Next week our son and his wife and their two Salukis, Tacoma and Bessie, will arrived to spend the night and then creep away in the wee hours of the morning for Denver. They'll spend Christmas with his wife's side of the family. Then a couple of days later, our other son's wife will deliver Ella, the tortoise shell cat. We'll cat sit while they fly to Omaha to spend Christmas with the wife's side of the family.

It's lonely not seeing our kids on Christmas Day, but Ella is great fun. I wrote about her in my first sweet_ecstasies newsletter.

If this is your season to celebrate, then I wish you a blessed Christmas, and a Hannukah filled with family and remembrance.

Carolina

Evolution of the Brassiere

2006-11-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

For fun, I entered a Frederick's of Hollywood shop today in a nearby mall. Looking at the bras created a flow of nostagalia as I thought back over my years of using them.

I grew up in San Diego, CA, and you began with a "training bra." Mother took me to Kresses, the local five and ten cent store, and I picked one from those in clear plastic bins displayed on the counter, right out where everyone could see. I chose one in pink satin; it had only the foretelling of cups. The clerk behind the counter was probably in her middle twenties, and I'm sure she sensed my embarrassment because she was kind and tactful.

When I was ready for my first real bra, I took the bus downtown to Marstons, the city's finest department store. There, behind closed fitting room doors, a silver-haired woman in a nice black dress, stockings and heels fitted me discreetly. She had been trained by the manufacturers to do this. Despite the privacy, I was horribly embarrassed. Marstons is long gone, but recently I read that Nordstrom's was offering a bra fitting day, and I was surprised the tradition had been reborn.

Teenagers in my day would have DIED rather than wear "falsies" or a padded bra. Either you had boobs or you didn't. No cheating...unless you wore a strapless Merry Widow. Then it was acceptable to use the under breast push-ups that came with the bra. Bras for every day were white. Merry Widows also came in black.

Next came a stage in the women's movement when bras were burned publically, and women proudly let their nipples show through their clothing. Some eschewed wearing a bra, but those who wore them selected sheer soft ones so the nipples could show and the breasts be as unrestrained as possible. It was a kind of protest against the repression of women.

Due to a surgery I've had, I wear special bras. Again, I go for a private fitting, and I've been offered padded bras. PADDED? You've got to be kidding. Of course I won't wear a padded bra!

It's been only months ago that I realized how much things have changed. In Frederick's today I saw bras in vivid colors as well as black, ecru and white. They opened in front, had underwires, were PADDED, and had removable "falsies" in the cups. In bras like these, nary a nipple could show.

Now I knew why I'd been offered padded bras and the clerk had been surprised that I refused them.

I guess the revolution is over, and, once again, women are wearing what pleases them. What speaks to them. And what's in style.

Wonders will never cease.

Carolina

HOLIDAY CONTEST

2006-11-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

I have a newsletter group, and if you join my group BY MIDNIGHT DECEMBER 15 (U.S. Pacific Time) you'll become a member plus be automatically entered in my contest. The winner will be selected by random drawing. The prize is a bright red 4 1/4 inch high Starbucks "Stocking" mug decorated with gold, snowflakes and stockings. It holds 12oz. Value is $7.95 U.S. and $10.95 Canadian.

Join only once.

Sorry, for those who joined before November 15, you aren't eligible. You've already had a chance at a prize for joining. There'll be other opportunities for you in the future.

I've loaded the photo of the kitten and my latest book's cover into the Photo section. The November newsletter is archived in the Files section. Hopefully I can figure out how to get them into the newsletter itself. They show when Yahoo returns the newsletter to me for approval. "It's a puzzlement," said the King of Siam.

Carolina

You might enjoy the November Thoughts at http://www.deeannpalmer.com.

Re the NEWSLETTER

2006-11-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

If you signed up for the newsletter and didn't receive it, please leave a comment here. I use Yahoo, and apparently my ISP is bouncing emails coming to me through keen3849@mypacks.net. If you tried to let me know you hadn't received a newsletter, I wouldn't have received the message. As I understand it, Yahoo has things that come through it that avoid the correct path to my server. Since this results in an overflow of Spam, my server bounces it. Why it doesn't bounce anything else coming from Yahoo is a puzzle.

I hope to get this fixed soon.

Have a good day. I'm off to the supermarket for milk, vegetables, and other essentials.

Carolina Valdez
www.amberquill.com/bio_Valdez.html

EXCERPTS ON romanceexcerptsonly@yahoogroups.com

2006-11-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Hi:

For those who signed up for the newsletter, I hope you received it. It will come to you from jennydalton35, keen3849@mypacks.net. You have to understand that that's really ME! If the photos didn't come through, it would be because your browser can't handle them. I missed out on photos until we upgraded our Netscape Navigator.

I just learned some of my recent posts to romanceexcerptsonly@yahoogroups.com were refused. If you looked for them they may not have been there. They're now up. SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY excerpts are messages 3405 and 3406. The SILK STEALTH excerpts are messages 3438 and 3439.

This was Orange County Chapter (OCC) of Romance Writers of America (RWA) day in Brea, CA. I always love the meetings. I've made so many great friends there, and the info about writing is fabulous. It was the first chapter formed after RWA was organized and has the reputation for being the best chapter in the country.

My husband was at home waiting for the mail all day. Duh, it's Veteran's Day! We finally figured that out.

Carolina

EXCERPTS FOR SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY

2006-11-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

If you're interested, I just posted the blurb, reviews, and two excerpts from this novella on Romance Excerpts Only. Before you can read excerpts on this site, you have to join at romanceexcerptsonly-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

SWEET CHOCOLATE ECSTASY is included in my erotic paperback anthology, IN PASSIONS THRALL, or it's available as an electronic single.

So far I haven't figure out how to send out my newsletter to Yahoo. I'm waiting for help from sister authors who've done this. Soon, I hope, soon!

Carolina

NEWSLETTER AT LAST

2006-10-31T22:38:00.000-08:00

My first newsletter is ready to go out. If you'd like to subscribe, email me at http://sweet_ecstasies-owner@yahoogroups.com or keen3849@mypacks.net. I'll send you an invitation to join.

About sixty trick or treaters rang our doorbell for candy this evening. Almost half of them were senior high age, I'd guess. At 9 p.m. we always turn off the porch light and don't answer the door. No one has ever knocked, or tricked us, after the light is off.

Time for bed. I had a permanent crown put on this morning and another tooth prepped for
one. My jaws are tired and my mouth is tender.

Sleep tight. The spooks are just pretend, you know. There aren't any ghosts. Or alligators under your bed.

Carolina

We had a guy in our neighborhood who thought he was a rooster. It was sad. The day after he died, everyone overslept.

COMMENTS and NEWSLETTER

2006-10-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

My webmaven is dealing with a sick mom and hasn't been able to restore the "comments" ability. Today I figured out how to tell Blogger to do it!

My first newsletter's almost ready to go. If you haven't indicated an interest in it on a TRS contest or my own contest, email me with your address and I'll send you an invitation to join.

Carolina

"Optimists are the world's cheerleaders."

OOPS, NO "POST COMMENT" ON BLOG

2006-10-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

After all my very specific directions on the previous blog, I discovered all the "Post Comments" had disappeared. My webmaven will correct that soon. I've been wondering why everyone was so silent! It's not like I expect every visitor to comment, but some do. The silence was deafening.

Also, I updated my Profile by adding my email. On your right, click on "See My Complete Profile," and when it comes in you'll see a "Contact" header on your left. Click on the "Email" link under it and you're set.

I've been trying to absorb all the mysterious and black atmosphere of this season in order to write my first "dark" time travel promised to Amber Quill. "Into the Past...Darkly" is the title of that Amber Pax. I've never written anything "dark." Any suggestions for where my heroine should go and what danger she should be in?

Right now I'm finishing something set in the snow season..."Avalanche." It was to be part of a Pax, but my bicycle injury prevented me from meeting the deadline. So it will be released as a single.

Watch for the Post Comments to come up. Or just use the email link to make them.

Have a wonderful day,
Carolina

EXCERPTS FROM KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART

2006-10-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

My first print novel published by Amber Quill Press was a medieval romance, KNIGHT OF THE CAPTIVE HEART. I'd won the Amber Heat Wave contest with DARK STRANGER, my first venture into erotic romance. I thought KNIGHT was erotic too, but after submitting it I had word from the publisher that it was "too mild" to be classified as 18-and-over. Consequently, you'll find it on the traditional side of Amber Quill's listings.http://www.amberquill.com/KnightCaptiveHeart.html

It received a 5 Angels, Recommended Read from reviewer Michele at Fallen Angel Reviews.

Today I posted three messages, including two excerpts from it on the "Romance Excerpts Only" Yahoo list. Even if you can't get to the site today, you can always locate them by calling up the message numbers - 3243,3244 and 3246.

First you must join the Yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceexcerptsonly/

This is a group set up specifically for the pleasure of readers to read excerts. There are different categories every day. You're told the rating of an excerpt, so if you don't like erotic stories, you'll be warned.

People are loving the animated Halloween cards I've sent out. They're free, and fun. Don't forget to request one at keen3849@mypack.net. Put "Card" in the subject line.
They will come from Jacquie Lawson's website and announce that Dee Ann Palmer has sent you a card. They are virus/worm free.

RE: RECEIVING HALLOWEEN CARD

2006-10-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Forgot to tell you the card Sender will read "Jacquie Lawson website." The Subject line will read "Jacquie Lawson card notification." It will be from Dee Ann Palmer, as the subcription is in that name, so be sure it's on your whitelist.

Smiles,

Carolina

COMMENTING OR CONTACTING CAROLINA

2006-10-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I didn't realize you didn't have an email to respond to me about the prince in "Sweet Chocolate Ecstasy." I thought you could access my new email address, keen3849@mypacks.net, by clicking on the profile. Apparently not.

To leave a comment, go to the bottom of the blog where it mentions Comments and click there. It will take you to the comment page. Choose an ID and a password and log in. Make your comment in the box. I always respond to my readers. If you send an email, I'll reply via email.

Don't forget to check out http://www.deeannpalmer.com for October Thoughts and the interview with, not a vampire but, Joe DeMarco, owner/publisher/editor-in-chief of the online magazine, "Mysterical-E."

If you have a browser that will display animation, I have an animated Halloween card I'll send you if you email me. Put "Card" in the Subject line.

We made an apple pie tonight. I usually make an oil crust, but still have discomfort doing certain things with my arm so bought frozen crusts. Usually we pick Romes in the foothills this time of year, but not this year. We have a peeler we got there some time back, so my husband used it to do the Romes I bought in the supermarket. I did the rest and put a crumb topping on since the crusts I bought wouldn't work for a top.

We made a pie a few nights back, but I used Granny Smiths and we didn't like it much. The Romes are much more to our taste. What kind of apple do you prefer?

My husband likes apple pie a la mode or with a non dairy, whipped topping, but I like cheddar cheese on top. Yum.

Carolina Valdez

www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/Lure.html (electronic only)
www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/InPassionsThrall.html (trade paperback)

LONG TIME NO WORD FROM ME!

2006-10-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it hasn't been the greatest time for me. Recovery from my injuries, however, is moving along. Today I learned what they didn't tell me when I was seen in the emergency room three weeks ago...I broke my elbow in the accident.

It has healed beautifully, but I still can't straighten my arm.

This is the season for spooks, and if you enjoy a good mystery or a tale of the mysterious, may I direct you to http://www.deeannpalmer.com for an interview with Joe DeMarco, owner, publisher and editor-in-chief of the online magazine "Mysterical-E"?I think you'll enjoy what he has to say about publishing an online magazine. Read my October Thoughts to learn why I chose to interview him.

Now I want to talk about AmberPax, the trademarked name for a collection of erotic romances published in electronic format by Amber Quill Press.

Periodically, Trace Edward Zaber, the creative director and manager of AQP, lists titles for various AmberPax collections. Amber Quill authors quickly sign up before all the slots are filled bvecause it's first come, first served. After "Dark Stranger" was published, the first Pax I signed up for was "Bon Appetit." The theme was food, so your story had to relate in some way to food. If you order that particular AmPx, you'll see that although we all started with an idea to include food, every story is totally different. None of us knew what the other would write. We were free to handle the theme in our own way.

"Sweet Chocolate Ecstasy" is my novella in that collection. I'd written two historicals, so I went contemporary. I set it in the unique town I live in and in my favorite coffee shop. Chocolate is my favorite food, so I changed the coffee shop into a chocolate shop. My heroine is a young chocolatier struggling to save her shop from bankruptcy.

Somehow (and who can completely explain creativity?), the idea for the prince entered my head. If you've read the story and would like to know what inspired me for his character, email me. To convince me you've read the story, just tell me who is putting pressure on him and why? Maybe you'd just like to tell me what you think he is. We'll see if I drawn him clearly enough for you to do that.

For part of the research, I interviewed a chocolatier in an individually owned candy shop. Chocolatiers, it seems, are a dying breed. I learned that some candy names, I.E. "turtles", are trademarked. My editor had me take that one out of my story. I went into a See's Candies shop here in town and learned several of their candy names are trademarked. I believe "Bordeaux" was among them, and the private candy shop had been notified by an attorney of See's to cease and desist the use of that name.

As part of this research, I sampled various candies. I discovered I'm especially fond of amaretto fudge and See's nougats. Yum. But bad news for the weight.

My arm is tiring, so I'll close. Time to cook dinner too.

Have a great week,

Carolina Valdez
Lure, available electronically from AQP, www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/Lure.html

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED!

2006-10-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

AT LAST--THE NEWS YOU'VE PATIENTLY WAITED FOR: JOY OF "JOYFULLY REVIEWED" WON THE 6.5 OUNCE JAR OF VICTORIA'S SECRET ULTRA SOFTENING GARDEN BODY CREAM. CONGRATULATIONS!AS SOON AS SHE SENDS HER SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS I'LL HAVE MY HUSBAND HELP ME MAIL IT TO HER.

TYPING THIS ONE-HANDED DUE TO RUINING OUR VACATION BY A BICYCLE ACCIDENT. ABOUT A FOOT- LONG BIT OF WATER COVERING SLUDGE THREW MY BIKE OVER. IT WAS PARAMEDIC TIME. SPENT ALL DAY IN EMERGENCY. NOT FEELING TOO GREAT YET. AS I EMAILED THOSE WHO ENTERED, OUR LAPTOP HARD DRIVE ALSO CRASHED! WE GAVE UP AND CAME HOME EARLY.

HAPPY NEWS--COMPUTER REPAIRED AND ALL DATA SAVED. HOWEVER, WE DO KEEP A BACKUP HARD DRIVE.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE AS SOON AS I FEEL BETTER. AND THANKS, CATHIE FOR YOUR WELL WISHES.

HERE'S TO BETTER DAYS, CAROLINA

CONTEST UPDATE

2006-10-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

The contest ended at midnight PDS on October 1, but I have a giant snafu!

I'd promised to notfy the winner via email Oct. 1, and announce the winner here today. The problem is: I'm on vacation and didn't realize our laptop couldn't access badace21@earthlink.net with all the entries!

Our desktop will be available Friday, October 7. I'm going to ask for your patience until then to find out who won.

Our problem with the absence of badace21 (which, by the way, stands for Badminton Ace) has to do with our browser. Now I'm going to rant about browsers!

We've been using Netscape 6.2, and for some time I've known there were certain things I couldn't access through it...writing on this blog's an example. I could get things in Internet Explorer, but it has security holes and I'd get brightly colored, bawdy sites when I went into Blogger. It also let in other adware despite a firewall, and adware/virus/worm blockers.

My husband hates downloads as they often screw up your computer. In this case, he was afraid we'd lose our bookmarks and addresses.

I'd finally convinced him we MUST update, when recently I tried to access a business site, and receive a huge note that our browser was "Old," and we needed to update it to get to their site. Next came a patronizing little comment that it would be helpful to us when trying to get into other sites too.

We burst out laughing. It had just taken 2 hours to down Netscape 8.1, which is free but comes with no instructions at all. Our worst fears were realized...it didn't transfer bookmarks or addresses although instructed to do so. We sent an email about this to Netscape Help.

My husband finally figured out how to transfer our precious bookmarks, many of which are research sites, references I need for my books. He couldn't locate where the addresses were stored. Four days after sending our "Response in 24 hours" Help email, their reply arrived: Netscape 8.1 is not an email "client." (Whatever that means.) "Download 7.2."

So. We now have 6.2, 7.2 and 8.1 on our computers, but access to our own addresses isn't complete on each of them.

Thanks for you patience. This is one of those times computers become something other than a godsend.

Have a wonderful day, and check in here again on Friday!

Carolina

Contest Ends Sunday October 1

2006-09-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

A quick reminder that you must sign up for my newsletter by the end of your day on October 1 in order to be entered for a chance to win the 6.5 ounce jar of Victoria's Secret Ultra Softening Garden Body Cream. Write "Forever Romance" in the subject line of an email sent to badace21@earthlink.net. That will automatically sign you up for the newsletter AND enter you for the chance to win.

I hope to get my newsletter out by mid October...if Yahoo cooperates.

Meanwhile, I'm writing to meet a novella deadline for Amber Quill this month with "Avalanche,"
my latest erotic novella. I think the release month will be the perfect time of the year for a story of that title.

We're headed for a brief vacation. I may post from there or I may take a rest from blogging and concentrate on golf, bicycling, and WRITING my novella.

Talk to you later, as one of my best friends says,
Carolina

About CRY OF THE BELLS

2006-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

It's another great day in Southern California. Less humid, but still the forecast is for 99 degrees. I played golf with my husband yesterday on a public course, and the sky was a gorgeous blue with puffy white clouds. I've battled tendonitis in both shoulders off and on for months, so to be able to swing a club, even if only for nine holes, was wonderful. For the final nine holes, I drove the cart while my husband played. Upkeep on this course isn't so great, and we laughed as we were tossed about when the cart hit ruts and bumps. Also, they've set the speeds really low, and at one point my husband yelled, "Go! Go!" when he'd finished hitting.

"What do you mean 'Go!' I've got the thing floored." Another time to share laughter.

Cathie asks about CRY OF THE BELLS. This is written under the name Dee Ann Palmer and available by download or print at http://www.awe-struck.net/AUTHORS39/cotbells.html. It's not written under Carolina's name because it's not erotic. It's sensual, but not erotic. You'd classify it as traditional historical romance. The setting is during the romance era of early California, when the ranchos flourished. It was my first novel.

Just a note here to clarify that Carolina writes "erotic" romance, also called romance erotic, not "erotica." There's a decided difference.

In erotica, there doesn't have to be any relationship between the characters, or romance, and probably little or no plot. The characters don't have to grow in any way. It's basically one sex scene after another: Sex for the sake of sex.

Carolina does not write those kinds of stories. Erotic romance, which she does write, is about characters involved in romantic relationships that matter. By the close of the story, those characters have grown or changed in some way. Plot is definitely there. What makes it erotic are the sexually explicit language and graphic scenes. There are requirements that certain explicit words be used.

Amber Quill Press accommodates its readers by listing word lengths and heat levels for their books and stories. Heat levels, one being mildest and three hottest, are based on the percentage of words in the book involved in love scenes.

Tomorrow the house gets cleaned. Today my hair does. So I'd better close this and get on with my real life.

Take care. Be good.

Carolina

Writing Across Genres

2006-09-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

I had a big day today. Drove the 105 mile roundtrip to my Romance Writers chapter meeting in Brea, California. That's always a fun day...talking writing, visiting with friends, gaining new information and inspiration from great speakers. Traffic on the freeway wasn't bad, I bought a pair of Naturalizer shoes in the mall across the street afterwards, and I hooked up with another Amber Quill Press author, Janet Quinn, to do the one hour Ask An Author segment prior to the meeting.

Anna Genoese, a TOR editor, presented the program. One of the comments she made intrigued me. I write mystery as well as romance and also belong to the Los Angeles chapter of Sisters in Crime. At a recent meeting I was a reader. I read a portion from "Cry of the Bells," my first novel, an historical romantic suspense. Afterwards there's a booksigning, and the speakers for the day were big name mystery writers. The only person who bought my book was a friend, and a member of the same RWA chapter. This has been my experience when I've "signed" at off-site SinC/LA chapter signings. "Cry" may be a suspense, but it's basically a romance. I've suspected that mystery readers aren't interested in romances.

Anna commented that romance writers read and buy books outside the romance genre, but mystery, sci fi and fantasy writers stick only to those genres. Walk into a bookstore, and they go right to "their" section of interest and only there. Romance readers browse beyond romance.

Interesting, and nice to have my observation and experience confirmed by someone with a view from the top look at the business. So, it's not just the people in my SinC chapter, it's a peculiarity to the genre. It's fun to know that those who write romance are more flexible in their tastes.

Time for bed. I rise at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow to go to my running and fitness club to keep fit by visiting with and walking briskly friends. About 300 people turn out at 6:30 on Sunday mornings to run or walk. Then it's church time, and just after lunch my husband and I will make the 110 mile roundtrip to South Pasadena for my SinC/LA meeting.

Sleep tight. Have a great day tomorrow. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter.

Carolina

So glad you dropped by!

2006-09-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings! And, no, that gorgeous body on the right in black bra and thong isn't that of yours truly. Sigh.

I'm overjoyed to have a blog finally, but you wouldn't believe the travail involved in getting this far. But, thanks to a class provided by Lisa Renee Jones and her referal to Mary Lou Benton of Moonglade Designs, I have a site I love.

The travail began when I attempted to set up an account at Blogger.com. I finally figured out I couldn't do it through my Netscape browser. I tried Internet Explorer, and part way into the process a corny porn site popped up I couldn't click off. That happened twice. Finally triumphing over that irritation, I had my site.

Lisa had suggested a terrific image to use. But when Mary Lou checked it out, it wasn't available any more. Finally, I found a great photo, only to learn I wasn't on the site where Moonglade has an account. On the correct site at last, I hate to tell you many hours I spent locating and retrieving a stock image where the pictures appeared and disappeared before my fingers could click on one. It was a decided challenge. Copying the file number correctly twice in the URL I forwarded to Mary Lou so she could purchase it was another.

But VICTORY! Here I am and here you are. Welcome!

My newest release, LURE, is out at Amber Quill Press. I always love meeting the challenge of research for a new story, and where it takes me. This one took me from a non fiction account by an ATF agent who went undercover with a biker gang to thirty-six hours in a class provided by my local police department. It was an informational academy open to any citizen. I enrolled because in addition to romance I write suspense, mysteries, and thrillers, but I gained a great deal just from understanding the philosophy and mission of our local police department.

My ride-along with a young female patrol officer was a real eye-opener. There wasn't a dull minute during the six hours of her twelve hour shift I was with her. Now I feel a special connection anytime I see a black and white in town.

I live in a moderate size, university town in Southern California. It's tree-lined with historic homes scattered throughout. It has a reputation for being a nice, safe place. But last week I left my home to mail something, and two blocks away, where a gully comes up to a main street, I knew instantly a major crime scene had been set up. I recognized the police mobile command center, Forensic Evidence lab trucks, a canopy where paper coveralls hung for those moving into the scene, and the yellow tape on all sides of the block-long gully. CSI right in my home town.

I think you'll enjoy LURE. My characters become so real to me that when I finish a story I actually hate to say goodbye to them.

I'll try to update my blog at least once a month. Meanwhile, happy reading and commenting.

Carolina

Welcome

2006-09-04T01:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog!