Revitalization

When an urban area becomes old and run down, nobody wants to go there. Residents and businesses leave, and shadier characters begin to move in. Buildings fall into disrepair from neglect. Kind of like my writing career.

But if some enterprising souls come along and begin to work on the area again -- slowly, one project at a time -- it breathes new life into the community. As more improvements are made, more people return to the area and soon it's a vibrant destination rather than something to be avoided.

The process is called revitalization and it has some lessons that I've been able to apply to myself. How is this happening for me?

I had two stories published this year: one in the Dark Captive: Manlove Edition anthology, and another Romance On The Go title, Losing It In the Closet. Considering my last published work was 2 years ago, I was thrilled to have gotten those titles out. I've been writing more this year and it makes me so happy to be able to do that. I just have to work on time management so I can find more time to devote to something I love so much.

Both of those books were recently nominated for the Evernight Readers' Choice Awards, to my surprise and delight. It appeared that there were people coming to visit my writing after all.

A good friend, Kacey Hammell, invited me to blog with her and an amazing group of Canadian authors over at Romance Eh? Canadian Style. I gladly accepted the invitation as one more step in my revitalization process but realized that my own blog had suffered from neglect.

Yesterday I spent several hours developing new branding; I designed a new logo and updated the design of my blog and other social media. I cleaned up some of the content here and fixed broken links as well as adding my latest releases. I'm pleased with the results and the new look made me feel a lot better.

Then this morning I discovered that Losing It In the Closet had won the award for Best Romance On The Go!

Things are looking up for sure. But revitalization isn't a solitary process. This wouldn't have been possible without the love and support of some amazing people along the way: my family, who have been learning to survive on cereal and take-out while I get stuff done; the amazing staff at Evernight Publishing who have been with me through the publishing process; writing friends that I had the pleasure of meeting this fall at an Evernight retreat; Kacey and the ladies at Romance Eh?

And of course, my readers. Without you there would be no purpose to what I do. Thank you for being with me along this journey.

Evernight's Book Boyfriend Blog Hop

The Book Boyfriend Blog Hop is back and better than ever!

The authors of Evernight have a brand new team of swoon-worthy book boyfriend candidates. A sexy assortment of cowboys, Doms, detectives, millionaires, royalty, vampires, soldiers, and shifters are just a click away.

Get ready to find your next book boyfriend...

For this hop, I'm featuring Hank Abramo, the hero in my latest book, Losing It All Over Again. Hank is a 33 years old lawyer, six feet tall, nice broad shoulders (I'm a sucker for shoulders), dark brown hair and eyes, as well as other impressive features. ;)  

Hank thought he was a bachelor for life, happy to live a carefree life of casual encounters. But one of those encounters resulted in a daughter and he has to take custody of her when her mother dies. 

He's a devoted dad, but he still has needs so he decides to go to Losing It to find a safe hook-up. Here's a little adult teaser excerpt for you. Enjoy! And don't forget to answer the question below for a chance to win! I'm giving away a copy of Losing It In Vegas, the first book in the Losing It series, plus $10 to spend at Evernight!

“We should turn out the lights,” Lauren said. She’d rarely made love to her husband with the lights on. He liked to point out the slight paunch of her tummy, the cellulite on her thighs, and any other imperfection he could find. She liked Hank, and didn’t want him to be turned off when he saw her naked.

Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up until she met his gaze. “I like to see the woman I’m making love to.”

“But—”

“No buts. You’re a beautiful woman.”

Still, Lauren hesitated. Hank kissed her again, and she forgot about any objections as he stroked her back, her arms, her hips. He slid the dress down until it fell to the floor in a heap. Then he took a step back and looked her up and down.

When his gaze lingered on her chest, Lauren fought the urge to cross her arms over her breasts. The corner of his mouth turned up a bit. As she watched, he pulled off his tie, and then his shirt, tossing both onto a chair. His pants joined a moment later and he stood before Lauren wearing only his boxers, which did nothing to hide his erection. His sizeable erection. She licked her lips, stomach quivering as he embraced her again.

“Lie down on the bed.”

Nodding, Lauren did as she was told. He climbed on, knelt over her, and began to plant soft kisses along her neck. Sliding off to lie beside her, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked down. Her breath hitched when he traced the edge of her bra with his fingers. He ran them along the bottom edge, up the straps, along the top of the cups. She longed for him to take her breasts in his hands, growing more frustrated every time he got close and then moved away. She wiggled a bit, hoping to force his hand, but he withdrew completely.

“Did you want something?” Lauren could only nod. “You have to tell me. I can’t read your mind.”

His sly smile suggested that he knew exactly what she wanted, but asking for it was a bit outside of her comfort zone.

“Touch me, please.”

“I was touching you.”

Lauren groaned. Hank wasn’t going to make this easy for her. “Touch my breasts.”

“Like this?” He stroked the skin exposed above the top of her bra.

“Squeeze them.” Lauren groaned with pleasure when he finally closed his hand around one of her tits, gently kneading the soft flesh. He switched to the other one and bent down to kiss her again.

His palm pressed against her hardened nipple, and she wanted to feel his skin against hers. “Take my bra off.”

With one hand, he deftly unhooked the front clasp, exposing her breasts to his view. He groaned and lowered his head to one of the rosy tips, capturing her nipple between his lips. Every nerve ending sang in pleasure as he sucked one breast, and used his hand on the other. Lauren wriggled under him, the satisfaction of having her tits stimulated giving rise to the need growing between her legs.

Whether it was the alcohol, or the intense desire, something made her bolder. “Hank, please touch my pussy.”

The vibration of his lips on her nipple as he chuckled did strange things to her. He moved his hand slowly across her stomach. As he got closer to her pussy, her breathing sped up, until finally he slipped his hand into her panties. Lauren whimpered as he rubbed her pussy lips, never quite coming into contact with her clit. Slipping one finger inside of her, he began a gentle thrusting.

“You’re pretty wet. That was one item on your wish list right?”

Lauren nodded.

“And I’m doing okay at listening to what you need?”

“Definitely,” she whispered.

“That just leaves one thing. You want someone else to make you come.” He stilled for a moment and then looked at her. “You’ve only ever had an orgasm when you’re masturbating?”

Heat rushed into Lauren’s face and she turned away from him.

“Look at me,” Hank said. When she did, he wore a frown and his mouth was drawn tight. “Your husband never got you off? Not even once?”

A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and she swiped it away. “No.”

“What an idiot.” Hank grabbed the sides of her panties, yanked them off, and tossed them over his shoulder. He pushed her legs apart, and Lauren gasped. She’d never been so exposed. Hank crawled between her legs and lowered his face until it was just above her pussy.

 Lauren trembled beneath him, torn between wanting him to go down on her, and worrying about her smell. Looking down at him, she saw his nostrils flare and he inhaled through his nose. “Your pussy smells good enough to eat.”

What’s up for grabs?

•              One lucky hopper will win a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate sponsored by Evernight Publishing.

•              Plus, each author is giving away their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win.

How to enter? Answer this question in the comments below…

In Losing It All Over Again, Lauren loves that Hank listens to what she wants and does his best to please her. What do you think is the sexiest quality in a lover - aside from physical attributes?

Be sure to leave the answer and your email address to be eligible to win a prize. Each comment gives you an entry for the grand prize (one per blog hop stop).

Keep hopping to the next author or blogger. After you’ve met each hero click here to vote for your favorite book boyfriend. You’ll earn an extra grand prize entry!

You’re one step closer to meeting your next Book Boyfriend...

If I'd Known Then...

Way back in my youth, I was a bit of a wallflower. I was plenty interested in the opposite sex, but never really managed to connect with anyone until grade 10. I was a band geek who also enjoyed singing and acting (which is funny considering how much trouble I had interacting with people). I was lucky to land a good role in our school musical that year. And playing opposite me was a tall, good-looking guy who was three years older than me. As rehearsals progressed, we got to know each other, and my interest was captured. I never dreamed that he was interested, too, until about six months into the year when he asked me to a movie.

That night will always live in my memory. I don't even remember what movie we saw, but I remember holding his hand throughout. I remember the way my heart pounded every time he got close, but most of all I remember the kiss at the end of the night. Perfect. Taylor Swift's song Fifteen always makes me nostalgic, because I was fifteen.

Sigh.

We were pretty much inseparable for the next month or so, our make-out sessions getting heavier, until one night he slipped his hand under my shirt, and I let him. But for some reason, he felt things were moving too fast (that's right folks - the 18 year old boy put the brakes on when it started to get serious). He was a decent guy, but our relationship ended then, and we stayed friends.

Spin the bottle anyone?
Image from freedigitalphotos.net

Though there were a few incidents of spin-the-bottle over the next couple years, I didn't have another boyfriend until just before my 18th birthday. By this point, many of my friends had started having sex, one had even had a baby, and I still had no clue. So on my 18th birthday, I decided that I was sick of being a virgin and told my boyfriend that we could go all the way. In a Chevette. Not the smartest decision ever. It hurt like hell, lasted all of thirty seconds, and is not one of my fondest memories.

Lucky for us, the next time was in a bed and worked much better. It was great for a while, but we broke up when I went away for college, though we maintained a friends with benefits arrangement for a long time, even while we were involved with other people. The emotional fall-out from that relationship was pretty devastating and I didn't really get over it until I met my husband.

And once I knew that hubby was "the one" I wished that I had saved myself for him. I was sure my first time would have been a lot more enjoyable.

This is what inspired my new series from Evernight called Losing It. What if there'd been a way to be with an experienced lover for my first time? One who knew better than to try having sex in a tiny car. One who understood something about foreplay. Would it have been different? I like to think so. The premise behind the series is an online hook-up site which matches experienced lovers with virgins, for a no-strings-attached, amazing first time. They're short, fun stories, and of course, they have a happily ever after.

So if you could go back and talk to your younger self, what advice would you have to give about losing your virginity?