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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Whiff of Blue, coming tomorrow!

WHIFF OF BLUE, my latest release from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid comes out on February 1st. It is a story about taking chances and finding love where you least expect it. Lily's sister Maddy found her heart's desire when she went to Ireland. Lily is hoping she will find love when she and her current boyfriend, Mel, take up residence in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's said there is something special in the air on the Ridges, something that just might coax reluctant hearts into finding love...

I'm sharing a sneak peek preview excerpt from WHIFF OF BLUE. I hope you enjoy it!

From Whiff of Blue:

Slipping inside the two-person sleeping bag was like sliding into a furnace. Naked, Mel gave off enough heat to melt a glacier. She pressed her cold feet against his warm ones and he shifted, rolling over onto his back.

With a grin Lily slipped out of her nightgown, rolled her panties down to her ankles and kicked them off, losing them in the bottom of the sleeping bag. She inched her way over to his shoulder and rested her head on it

Sex with Mel was surprisingly tender given the difference in their body sizes. Without an ounce of fat on his frame, Mel was a living, breathing muscle that could have easily wrapped steel bars around candy bars for fun. Lily, just over five feet tall, was small-boned and delicate, as petite as a china doll. Mel could have broken her in pieces if he’d wanted to but when they had sex he was sensitive and gentle—sometimes much too gentle for her taste. She missed the wild, sometimes rough, sex she’d enjoyed with others before Mel.

But Lily knew she couldn’t have everything. Placid sex was the price she’d had to pay for a guy who hung around past the first light of morning.

Lily trailed a hand across his wide chest, down his flat, rippled abdomen and into the nest of hair that began a few inches below his navel. Reaching for his penis, she found it lying against his leg, as soft and peaceful as a sleeping baby snake. He grew quickly and a surge of heat filled her, sending slippery wetness across her soft folds. Lily squeezed her thighs together—hard. A jolt of pleasure shot up her spine and it took all her willpower not to groan. She didn’t want to wake Mel, not yet…there were things she wanted to do—needed to do—before she woke him, before she let him have his sweet, tender way with her.

January 31st contest winner is...

Holly! Congratulations, Holly--one of my cats picked your name from the little pile of names on scraps of paper I put on the coffee table. It was too much fun to watch her sniff the pile, then nose the scraps around. Yours is the one that fell to the floor first so you win! A scientific approach to randomness, don't you think?

Thanks to all who entered! And thank you everyone who's been so supportive during this sizzling January! I appreciate all of you!!

Holly, email me at rustywicks@gmail.com and let me know which title you'd like as your prize.

Last January Sizzler Contest

Just a quick contest...

Leave a comment and tell me what's been the best part of your January 2008. Your comment enters you in a drawing to win any of my ebooks. You choose the book and I'll send it to you on January 31st, when I choose a winner at random.

Easy way to send out what's been a hot, sizzling month! So, comment away, please!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Hot in Maine!

Oh man I hate waking up to crappy news headlines. Frogs in lettuce? Funny stuff. This morning's headline? Oh, I'm steaming.

When I was a kid my mother used to say, "And what's that got to do with the price of tea in China?" It never made sense, but I never drank tea. I still don't drink tea but I think I know what she meant.

Have you seen the article about the price of chocolate? Who needs the cost of a bag of Hershey's Kisses to go any higher than it already is? Hmm?

And 13%? That's just too much. Way too much. I'm not happy. Not at all.

But what am I supposed to do? Boycott chocolate? I couldn't do it, I tell you. I just couldn't. Maybe a second job would help...

Monday, January 28, 2008

Whiff of Blue sneak peek!


WHIFF OF BLUE, my latest release from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid comes out on February 1st. It is a story about taking chances and finding love where you least expect it. Lily's sister Maddy found her heart's desire when she went to Ireland. Lily is hoping she will find love when she and her current boyfriend, Mel, take up residence in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's said there is something special in the air on the Ridges, something that just might coax reluctant hearts into finding love...

I'm sharing a sneak peek preview excerpt from WHIFF OF BLUE. I hope you enjoy it!


From Whiff of Blue:

Slipping inside the two-person sleeping bag was like sliding into a furnace. Naked, Mel gave off enough heat to melt a glacier. She pressed her cold feet against his warm ones and he shifted, rolling over onto his back.
With a grin Lily slipped out of her nightgown, rolled her panties down to her ankles and kicked them off, losing them in the bottom of the sleeping bag. She inched her way over to his shoulder and rested her head on it
Sex with Mel was surprisingly tender given the difference in their body sizes. Without an ounce of fat on his frame, Mel was a living, breathing muscle that could have easily wrapped steel bars around candy bars for fun. Lily, just over five feet tall, was small-boned and delicate, as petite as a china doll. Mel could have broken her in pieces if he’d wanted to but when they had sex he was sensitive and gentle—sometimes much too gentle for her taste. She missed the wild, sometimes rough, sex she’d enjoyed with others before Mel.
But Lily knew she couldn’t have everything. Placid sex was the price she’d had to pay for a guy who hung around past the first light of morning.
Lily trailed a hand across his wide chest, down his flat, rippled abdomen and into the nest of hair that began a few inches below his navel. Reaching for his penis, she found it lying against his leg, as soft and peaceful as a sleeping baby snake. He grew quickly and a surge of heat filled her, sending slippery wetness across her soft folds. Lily squeezed her thighs together—hard. A jolt of pleasure shot up her spine and it took all her willpower not to groan. She didn’t want to wake Mel, not yet…there were things she wanted to do—needed to do—before she woke him, before she let him have his sweet, tender way with her.

Wine slush

I know, it's wintertime here in Maine and we're usually dealing with grimy, dirty snowy slush. This year, though, we're fighting back against the winter doldrums with our own kind of slush.

Have some doldrums you'd like to beat? Or are you just in the mood for a yummy treat? Then try this, our Wine Slush--guaranteed to make you forget allll about winter...

Wine Slush

1 cup red wine
1/2 cup lemon sorbet
1 cup frozen red grapes
1 cup chopped frozen plums
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate


Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Whiff of Blue Cover

As usual the cover for my upcoming Whiskey Creek Press Torrid release, Whiff of Blue, is just perfect! It fits this paranormal romance so well it's almost as if the cover artist was inside my head when she designed it. Thanks again, Molly! I love it!:)

I had to know...

The Keys to Your Heart
You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.
In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.
You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.
You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.
Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
You think of marriage pessimistically. You don't think happy marriages exist anymore.
In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.
What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Friday, January 25, 2008

Frog in lettuce!

The little green frog that narrowly escaped being part of a salad.
Isn't this little frog adorable? A woman in Brookly found him in her lettuce as she was preparing a salad. Apparently he made his way from Florida to New York, then spent three days in her fridge before the frog, which they named Curious, was discovered.
Gives a whole new meaning to salad, doesn't it? The whole story can be found here.

Tagged! I'm It!

I'm psyched to play tag! April Martinez tagged me. I'm supposed to list six random things about me that you don't know. I'm not sure the things I'm going to list are worth knowing, but here they are anyway:

1. I played Lucy in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." It was, if I do say so myself, a stellar performance. *BG* I was six and thought I was the cat's pajamas. My mother was just glad I didn't embarass myself. I remembered all my lines, didn't fall off stage and, most satisfying, didn't get so frightened by the audience that I wet my pants. As I said, I was a knockout!

2. I cannot even smell tuna fish without gagging. Really. I don't know why it happens but if there's a tuna fish sandwich within twenty feet of my nose my throat closes and my chest starts to hitch. It can be embarassing, especially when I'm in a public area. Think parks, beaches, here... Yeah, it's not a good thing.

3. Portugese. I speak semi-fluently. Still taking lessons but with every lesson my language skills grow more fluid.

4. I'm allergic to laundry detergent. All right, I'm not allergic to laundry detergent. I just hate, hate, hate doing laundry! Hate it! I usually manage to get the man to do the laundry (whine, wheedle and whimper--they all work!) because I can't stand to do it myself. I'd rather take the garbage out, clean the catbox or change the oil in the truck. Have I mentioned I hate to do laundry?

5. I feel the same way about Chinese food as I do about laundry and tuna fish.

6. One of my favorite movies of all time is...drum roll please...are you ready?...all right, here goes...one of my favorite movies of all time is Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. I know, it's not enlightening, intellectual or avant garde. But it is funny, and no matter how many times I see it it makes me laugh. A lot. So yeah, it's one of my fave movies. But, um, maybe you should keep that to yourself. 'Kay?

The Rules (Screw the rules! Do what you like.)
-Link to the person that tagged you
-Post the rules on your blog
-Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
-Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
-Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

*My part of screwing the rules is that I'm not tagging anyone. This was a fun, fast game and if you want to play, consider yourself tagged. Jump right in, link back to me and let me know you're playing so I can come read the random facts you post. Have fun!

Thanks, April! :)

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Shocking news

Sometimes the news headlines are so shocking. By now everyone knows Heath Ledger has died in his Soho apartment. I loved watching his movies. I think I've seen every one of them. My favorite has always been The Patriot with Mel Gibson. I love historicals and this is undoubtedly one of the best portrayals of that tumultous period in history.

Heath Ledger will be missed.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Cold weather drink

I know. I usually post baking lesson recipes. But it's so cold here in Maine I thought I'd share a recipe that's getting a lot of use in our house. Hope you enjoy it. Take it from me, it warms you up much more quickly than even the best home-baked cookies could!

Hot Toddy
1 oz. Brandy
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 Lemon
1 cup Boiling Water
1 Tea Bag
Coat the bottom of a mug with the honey.
Add brandy and juice of lemon quarter.
On the side, boil water and add tea bag to make hot tea.
Pour steaming tea into honey/brandy/lemon combination.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Monsterously cold in Maine

My niece uses that expression..."Monsterously." Around here, things can be monsterously anything. Cold. Hot. Big. Stinky. Yummy. Anything a four-year-old can comment on can be monsterously something.

I woke up this morning and thought Damn! It's monsterously cold!

Summerime in Maine is gorgeous. Short, but beautiful.

Winter? Long. Ugly. Monsterously cold.

Today I'll be hugging the fire, working on my latest wip. No surprise, it's set on a sunny, hot island and the hero and heroine wear little more than their smiles. Yeah, I'm going back to that island today, even if only in my mind.

Have a great day! I hope that wherever you are it's monsterously warm!

Friday, January 18, 2008

What they're saying about CLK, Vol. 4

“I loved Celtic Love Knots, Volume 4 by Rusty Wicks. This
is a small volume that is big on entertainment and I had too
much fun reading it!..."
--Fallen Angel Reviews

Maidensong Excerpt

From Celtic Love Knots, Volume 4, an excerpt from Maidensong:

“Interested in Pictish symbols, are you?”

The voice startled her. It came from directly behind her
and she whirled around so quickly that she became offbalance.
Her body tipped and she banged her shoulder into
the ten-foot-high pink granite stone she had been examining.

“Shit!” Dianne cried as she grabbed her shoulder. Stars
danced behind her eyelids as the pain raced through her body.
When it subsided she opened her eyes.

The owner of the voice was tall and handsome in a rugged
sort of way. His hair fell in full ebony curls across his
brow and his eyes were a deeper, richer green than the lush
grass that they were standing on. He was tall, with broad
shoulders and a muscular body and wore the outfit of every
hiker in the Scottish highlands: jeans, a woolen sweater and
hiking boots. His sweater was a deep loden green that
matched his eyes.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you all right?” He leaned
closer to where she stood, rubbing her shoulder, and looked
into her eyes with such intensity that she wondered what he
was doing.

“Do I look all right?” she asked, scowling. “And what are
you looking for, anyway?”

He pulled away from her and smiled. When he smiled it
was as if the sun dimmed, she was so overwhelmed with the
way his features moved on his face.

Handsome when you’re serious, Lord-have-mercy gorgeous when
you’re smiling.

“I was looking to see whether or not you had a concussion,”
he answered. “Apparently you do not.”

“I smacked my shoulder, not my head. And what were
you doing, sneaking up on me like that? Did you try to scare
me half to death?”

He tilted his head and a lock of black silk fell across his
eye. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you at all. And I
wasn’t sneaking up on you, either. I didn’t try to conceal myself
in any way.”

“So what, then? What were you doing if you weren’t trying
to scare the pants off me?” She stopped rubbing her shoulder
and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

“I was merely trying to meet you, that’s all. It’s not every
day I find a beautiful woman at the Maiden Stone,” he said. He
surveyed her the same way she had examined him. When his
eyes met hers again he grinned. “And I did not say I wasn’t
open to getting your pants off of you, mind.” He waggled his
eyebrows rakishly and, coupled with his thick Scottish accent,
the effect was hilarious. She threw her head back and laughed
out loud, a sound that reverberated through the trees at theedge of the clearing

Thursday, January 17, 2008

'Rent' to close on Broadway

I've just read that 'Rent' is slated to take its last curtain call in June. I have seen the show a few times, mainly because after I first saw it I raved about it. Our friends all wanted to see what I'd been going on and on about, so we have had a bunch of dates for dinner, then the show, in the City. I've never minded seeing 'Rent' more than once. It's a great show, a modern day take on Puccini's 'La Boheme'. None of our friends has ever disagreed with my assessment of the show, either.

If you get the chance to get into the City before 'Rent' closes, I'd suggest trying to get tickets to see it. This will be sorely missed when the lights go down for the last time on Broadway's 'Rent'.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

About The Mead Steed...

“The Mead Steed is a fun fast paced story with quite a few
well written steamy scenes. It is an enjoyable read… Rusty
Wicks obviously enjoys writing humorous scenes and does a
good job in this story. This story is for you if you can’t resist
a hot man, irresistible girl and a Moose or two thrown in.”

-Tanya
Joyfully Reviewed.com

Island Treasures, Book 1 Excerpt

My new release is called Island Treasures, Book 1. It is a trio of hot, sexy stories set on islands across the globe. Love on the beach? In the ocean? Nestled beneath the canopy of lacy palm fronds? Oooh...doesn't that sound lovely?

Here's a taste of Island Treasures. Enjoy!

“Aloha.”

At the sound of his voice she whirled around, her eyes
wide as they found his. They were both tall enough to look at
each other above the wooden sides of the shower and they
stared, neither blinking, for what felt like an endless span.

“Aloha yourself. What can I do for you, Mano? What
do you need?”

“Invite me in. I could use a shower—to start.”

Lani nodded, and then took a step backward. She watched
as he unwrapped a towel from around his waist and hung it
from one of the hooks outside the shower. Then he unlatched
the door and stepped into the enclosure with her.

His body was even more exquisite than she’d imagined.
He was hairless, except for the light covering on his calves and
a small nest of black curls at the base of his penis. His penis
was long and thick, even at rest. A deeper shade of mocha
than the rest of his body, it had a dark rose-colored tip that
made her think of a large, ripe cranberry.

Mano reached for a bar of coconut-scented soap and,
smiling, held it out to her. As she took it he grabbed the
second bar. Stroking creamy lather across her wet skin, he
massaged her gently. When his fingertips reached her nipples
they were less demanding than they had been earlier and she
sighed, loving the feel of his touch on her.

His body became soap slick within minutes as she lathered
him up. Taking care to avoid his thickening penis, she
soaped from his shoulders to his waist, then around his cock to
his upper thighs.

Mano slipped his hand between her thighs. Inhaling
sharply as he found, then fondled, her throbbing clitoris, she
parted her legs, raising one foot to the bench to give him
greater access to her tingling folds.

“Touch me, Leilani.”

His cock stood nearly flat against his rippled abdomen.
Lani wrapped her fingers around it and slid her hand along his
silken steel shaft. She moved slowly at first, but as he pushed
her closer to orgasm her hand moved faster.

Monday, January 14, 2008

What they're saying...

...about Jackie's Beanstalk.

“Jackie’s Beanstalk by Rusty Wicks is hot, sexy and fun! Iwas totally immersed in this story from the very first page…" -- Fallen Angel Reviews

Jackie's Beanstalk Excerpt

Jackie's Beanstalk, modern-day fairytale...

His tongue slid wetly along the gentle slope of her neck as his
mouth moved lower to nip her collarbone. Her skin warmed as his tender
mouth touched her body with tiny kisses that were more whispers
than touch.

As his lips circled her hard nipple, pulling it into his heat and
stroking it with his tongue, she arched her body, pressing herself to his
touch. She felt the delicious sensations, the tingling that began somewhere
deep within her and would spread—she knew—to enfold her
fully. She longed for the feel of his touch lower…much lower.
A moan escaped from her body. It was a long, long sound filled
with remembrances of passion shared and the promise of delights yet to
come.

When his mouth danced along the flat planes of her abdomen,
traveling toward what could only be—
* * * *
“Shit!”

She felt the tremors fill her body as the riding mower
bounced off the trunk of a spreading maple. Her jaw snapped
shut, trapping her lower lip between her teeth and she tasted
blood.

It took only a second to back the John Deere from its position
against the tree, about the same amount of time that it
had taken to collide with the maple. She climbed off the
machine and strode to the front of the little tractor. There were
scrapes in the green paint and a good-sized dent in the front
by the right tire.

“Shit!” She swore out loud as she left the tree behind and
headed for the rest of the large yard. Swearing out loud on a
hot July day didn’t seem particularly unusual. After all, there
wasn’t anyone to hear her, anyone to mind whether or not she
swore or sang church hymns.

Jackie Wallace lived alone in the large farmhouse that had
been her parents’ home. When they moved to Sarasota they
left Jackie the keys to the house, the keys to their old Caddy
and the key to the cupboard where they stored the economysized
bags of dog food for their old dog, Lady. Jackie’s parents
had been gone for a year and Jackie and Lady were falling into
a lifestyle that, if not exactly adventurous, was at least comfortable.

She’d been especially thankful for the house—and
Lady—to come home to when her boyfriend of two years
tossed her out of his townhouse. He said he needed to “find
himself” when in actuality what he planned to find was the recently
divorced woman who had purchased the townhouse adjacent
to his.

Jackie knew she had to stop thinking about Troy. It was
driving her crazy, thinking about him and the things they once
did together. Besides, if she hit that damn tree too many more
times she was going to kill it. And what would she tell her father
when she spoke with him on the phone? “Oh, by the way,
I killed the tree you planted when I was born. How? Oh, I
keep smashing into it when I mow the lawn. Why am I crashing
into the tree? Oh, I just keep thinking about Troy and his
incredible lovemaking talents, that’s all.”

Yeah, I’d better keep my mind off of Troy—his tongue, his cock,
his talents—all of it.
It was too dangerous to think about him
when she was—

“Shit!”

Jackie looked over the dented front fender of the tractor.
If she stood up in the seat and stretched her neck out far and
to the left, she could just make out the edge of what remained
of her mailbox. But just barely.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Snowbound

I don't know how many of you pay attention to the Weather Channel the way we do here in Maine. We have to. Winter comes in with a wallop up here, and that's the way it is until what we call spring but most of the rest of you call early summer.

Last night we got one good snowstorm, so today I'm heading out to join the ranks of snowblowing neighbors that surround me. I'll add my machine's din to the incessant buzz that fills the air and smile. Thank God for the snowblower! I can't imagine shoveling the new foot of snow in my driveway.

Tomorrow morning, there'll be more. Oh, yeah. The Weather Channel says so. And up here in Maine, we believe those folks!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy New Year!

May all your troubles
last as long as your New Year's resolutions.
~Joey Adams

Happy New Year!
Wishing you a wonderful,
happy
and healthy 2008!

Island Treasures, Book 1

ISLAND TREASURES Book 1 by Rusty Wicks
ISLAND TREASURES, BOOK 1
is Available Now!
Are you one of those people, like me, who dreams of distant lands? Soft, golden sand beaches, warm, deep blue seas and all the romance possible in such idyllic settings? If you are, ISLAND TREASURES is definitely the book for you!
A trio of stories featuring love on some of the most beautiful islands on earth. Corfu, Hvar and Molokai…three spits of land in endless blue oceans whose sultry sea breezes fan the fires of love. Join Abby, Luna and Leilani as they discover exotic island treasures to call their own.

New Year's Day Contest Winner!

Is Maryanna! Thanks to everyone who entered! My spur-of-the-moment little giveaway was fun! It will be the first of many this year, I assure you.

Maryanna, please email me your choice of download at rustywicks@gmail.com and I'll get it right out to you. Congratulations! I pulled your name out of the hat just after midnight!