Timing Excerpt

Available from Liquid Silver Books.

It would have been simple to fake orgasm. After all, she’d done it so many times in the past, with such convincing results, that doing it yet again, moaning and panting,squealing and shivering on cue as if she was the reincarnation of Pavlov’s dog, would have been almost second nature to her. But in that instant, in that tiny flickering point in time, she knew she couldn’t do it. Not again. Maybe not ever.

I deserve satisfaction, too—don’t I? And not with my own hand or the thankfully nearly-silent flick-a-switch-always-ready vibrator I’ve got hidden in the bathroom,either. No, I deserve to feel a full-fledged, no-faking-it climax—with a man!

“Are you ready?” Tom groaned, his body tensed for release as he held himself above her. Supported by his elbows, his football-player’s body was still hard and muscular.After college he’d kept up the weekly practices and weekend games, as well as daily workouts at the gym. His love of sports had kept him in excellent physical shape. It was too bad his lovemaking skills weren’t as well-developed as his biceps or his tackling prowess. “Really, Lisa, I’m almost there. Are you ready, honey?”

Do I look ready to you? I’m lying here thinking about tomorrow morning’s meeting.Shit, I’m anything but ready. But maybe I’m not doing my part, either. Maybe I should concentrate a bit more, really try and get myself “ready.”

Shifting beneath him so that her clitoris came in contact with the base of his hard-on with every thrust, she matched the rhythm of his hips perfectly. Almost all of the lubrication she’d produced earlier, when they were kissing and touching, had dried up and the slapping of flesh on flesh was uncomfortable.

“Oh, yeah. That’s it, baby. That’s it,” Tom’s eyes closed and his head tilted back as he matched her movements.

“No, it’s not it,” she said. Pushing against his chest, she waited until his eyes opened and he looked down at her. His eyes were wide, his hips had stopped moving and his expression was one of pure shock. “It’s not doing it for me tonight. I’m sorry, but I’m just not into this.”

“You’re not … are you kidding me?”

“Why would I kid you?”

“But I’m ready to explode. Can’t you feel how excited I am?”

Nodding, she said, “I can feel how excited you are. Can’t you feel how excited I’m not?” She hated to hurt his feelings but sometimes the kindest cuts were the deepest.

It’s been a year. Let’s see what this relationship is made of once and for all. Will we get past this? Figure out a way to make both of us happy in bed? Or will this be the end of what has been, otherwise, a pretty good thing?

Tom looked like a man who’d just learned all his favorite things were illusions. His erection stayed firm, and deeply situated inside her pussy, but his face fell. For a moment it seemed he might simply get up and leave.

A part of her wished he would do just that. The other, bigger part of her prayed he wouldn’t.

Maidensong

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 off balance.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 Iwasn’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 everyday 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’topen 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 the edge of the clearing.

Black Friday

Do you go out on Black Friday to do your holiday shopping? I know that stores open before daylight, and often people camp out in front of the store to shop. Gotta love their enthusiasm!

I'm not a big Black Friday shopper. The day after Thanksgiving I'd much rather hang around the house. After all, that's where the leftovers are!

What have you got planned for this day after?

Summersong, from Liquid Silver Books

Summersong is available from Liquid Silver Books. This story is one of my personal favorites.

When Lucy Graham's uncle passes away she inherits his rustic cabin overlooking White Swan Lake. She's just learned that her boyfriend has been cheating on her while she was nursing her ailing uncle so she packs up her laptop and moves into the dusty, neglected hideaway.

Back in the quaint town where she spent many happy days she finds herself confronted her childhood nemesis, Skip. He's wanted Lucy for years and now he's determined to have her. One afternoon as Lucy's walking on the shore he grabs her. As Lucy struggles, she hears a voice. A full, rich voice. A voice coming from -- the water?

Her knight, Maxwell James, arrives in an expensive boat instead of on a white steed. The handsome man saves her from Skip, but can he help her deal with a past that haunts her, a present that overwhelms her and a future that seems increasingly hazy?

Summersong is a story about dealing with the past, embracing new beginnings and finding love where you least expect to find it.

Writing up a Storm

I usually don't diet. I know, I know, I can hear the groans. Everyone should diet, right? Well, I don't. Especially not when I'm in full-on writing mode. Like now. Why not? Because when I'm caught up in writing something, just can't-get-my-mind-off-it obsessed, I forget to eat. Really. And between chapters, I jump on the treadmill for a few minutes to think.

Yeah, I know...it sounds crazy but that's just how it is. I've just started a new story and I'm already feeling a little bit leaner. Not a bad feeling, really.

Anyhow, I'm writing, exercising and forgetting to eat. Life is good.

What's going on in your world?

Cowboy Love

Torrid Teasers Volume 38 is available from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid.

I am so psyched about this set of stories. I love cowboys, love the masulinity that seems to ooze from their pores and the way they swagger!

A Saltwater Cowboy is about romance in an unlikely place.

Dallas Dreaming is the tale of a woman who hopes to learn to ride a horse. She gets a few more lessons than she expects to, but all of them are definitely pleasureable!

I hope you'll check TT38 out for yourself. It can be purchased from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid here.

Blogging at Torrid Temptations

Today I'm blogging at Torrid Temptations! Come on over visit...I'd love the company!

Baking Lessons

Yesterday I spent all day long making these cookies at the bakery. Today I'll be frosting them. Thought I'd share the recipe. :)

Butter cookies

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t. almond extract or vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg and extract. Gradually stir in the flour. Cover and chill dough until firm.Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or stamps.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Frost when cooled.

The Mead Steed

The Mead Steed released last August from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. It's a fun, sexy romp that was a blast to write.

Rose is a woman in a loveless marriage, a woman who knows she deserves more than she's getting and is determined to make a better life for herself. She divorces her husband, moves to Maine, enrolls in college and almost instantly meets a man. Tom owns a small shop and the couple are attracted to each other like bees to honey. They date, and all goes well--or so Rose thinks. When Tom doesn't call, she does what any woman in her position would do. She gets annoyed. Then, she begins to see other men. But, for Rose, Tom may just be her happily-ever-after man. Now, how to make Tom see that?

An excerpt from The Mead Steed:

Rose dropped her jeans on the white t-shirt, slid her lacy blue panties down to her ankles, then kicked them on to the top of the pile of sweaty, greasy-smelling laundry. After sticking her hand under the shower spray, she stepped into the tub. Heaving a sigh of relief as the warm water washed over her, she reached for the loofah and squirted a generous dollop of body wash onto the sponge.

“Damn, that place reeks. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat another french fry for the rest of my life—not even if I live to be a hundred,” she muttered as she began to scrub her body clean of the foul stink of hamburgers, fried food and stale coffee. After working the lunch crowd at the diner the only thing she yearned for was a long, hot shower. Which was good—since it was the only thing waiting for her when she retuned to the house she shared with her husband.

As usual, Jake wasn’t anywhere to be found. He had probably stopped off to have a beer—or two or ten—with the guys. But that…well, that wasn’t unusual. Jake had a habit of visiting the town’s watering hole after his shift was finished. He and the rest of the road crew practically had monogrammed bar stools, they were in the tavern so often.

As she washed her long, curly brown hair, she felt the strands begin to lose their coating of cheap vegetable oil. The oil clung to everything in the diner’s kitchen, and as she rinsed the first round of shampoo out she wondered, not for the first time, if there wasn’t somewhere she could work that didn’t involve such a rancid odor. It wasn’t until her hair and body had been scrubbed twice that she felt human again.

“I hate that place.” Rose’s voice echoed off the wet tile walls, a silky sound that made the empty apartment feel less lonely. She snorted. “The Diner. God, could it be any more ridiculous than that? How could anyone be so unimaginative? Naming a diner The Diner—jeez, it’s like calling a church The Church or saying The Store, The Gas Station…”

Beneath the warm droplets Rose’s hands traced a familiar pattern on her lean body. The routine never varied and she didn’t even realize what she was doing until her nipples hardened beneath her fingertips. A glance downward confirmed her feelings. Her body had reacted instantly to her touch. It demanded a kind touch, even if it was her own. As long as someone was prepared to attend to its needs, it was ready to comply.

With the tips of her thumbs Rose massaged scented soap bubbles across her taut nipples. Enjoying the tingling heaviness, she palmed her breasts, holding them as if she was weighing fruit at the market.A smile played around the edges of her mouth. She knew she’d never be doing this at the Shop ’N Save.

I hope you enjoyed the small sampling of Rose's fun! And I hope you'll read The Mead Steed. Please drop me a line here and let me know what you think. I love hearing from readers!

Praline Tart

I had fun learning how to make this. These tarts are yummy and easy to make so I think you'll enjoy the recipe. At least, I hope you do!



Praline Tart



1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons butter

2 1/4 cups chopped pecans

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

10-inch pre-baked tart shell

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1/4 cup bourbon

14 toasted pecan halves



Place liquid cream, sugar and butter in large pot and stir until sugar dissolves. Then, boil mixture rapidly, stirring until it reaches soft-ball stage (236 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat.



Add the chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Whisk until mixture is creamy. Pour mixture onto a baking sheet to cool.When mixture is cool, tear off pieces and chop them in a food processor. Press the praline mixture into the tart crust, making an even layer.



Before serving, add bourbon to the whipped cream and spread on top of the praline layer.



Decorate top with pecan halves which have been toasted 5 to 10 minutes in a hot skillet or oven.

Island Treasures, Book 1 excerpt

Another excerpt from Island Treasures, Book 1.
Enjoy!

As he stood, Skip placed his hands on his lean hips. “Listen,Abby, I need to ask you something. You know I have toask this, and why I’m asking it, don’t you?”

“No beating around the bush, eh? You’re just goingstraight to the center of this old mess, aren’t you? Well, let’sjust get it out of the way then.”

“I can’t afford to beat around the bush. Well? Do youknow what I’m asking you here?”

“You want to know if I’ll have a problem working on thisproject. Working with Jon, that is. That’s why you came forme yourself, instead of sending some of the crew to fetch me,isn’t it?” Now it made sense to her. At first she’d been surprisedto see the head man meet the ferry but now she saw the reason behind his actions.

“I won’t deny it,” he said quietly. Without taking his eyesfrom hers, he asked, “So? Are you able to work with Jon? Iknow it’s been a few years—”

“Six.”

“That’s right, six years since the two of you—”

“Parted ways.”

Skip couldn’t resist—a tiny flicker of a smile passedacross his face. “That’s one way to put it, I guess. But you stillhaven’t answered my question, Abigail. Jon Perez is on theCilla Three and I need to know if you can handle it. Right now,before we leave for Hvar. Because if you can’t there’s noplace for you on this sail. You know that, don’t you?”His voice was steady and left no room to wonder abouthow strongly he felt about harmony on his ship. Business wasbusiness, and there was no room for drama in business, not asfar as Skip was concerned. There never had been. Anyonewho worked for him learned that straight off.

“I know it. You’ve always made it clear that personal issueswere to be left on land. On your boats there’s no…whatdo you usually call it, Skip? Wishy-washy-namby-pamby bullshit?Isn’t that the term you use?” When Abby grinned shelooked less like an award-winning photojournalist and morelike a teenager who’d skipped finals in favor of snorkeling.Her golden cap shone in the sun’s rays, her eyes, bluer thannearly any of the world’s oceans, sparkled and when shesmiled her whole face glowed.

“That’s the term. So?”

“I can handle it, Skip. Don’t worry about me, I’m so overJon Perez that I can barely remember what the guy looks like.What happened happened a long time ago, in another lifetimealmost. I won’t have any problem being on board with Jon, Ipromise you. Trust me.”

Peach Crisp

This recipe is too awesome not to share.

Peach crisp, for breakfast! I'm in Heaven!!

Try it, you'll see!

Filling:
5 large peaches, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon orange juice
Grated rind from 1 lemon

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Mix together all the filling ingredients. Place in buttered baking dish.
Mix together all the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the peach mixture.
Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Summersong

I've got to tell you, I love this cover. And this is a story I needed to write. I know that might sound nuts but writers are like everyone else, and there are times when certain things just feel right. Summersong is one of those things. It came at the perfect time for me. I needed closure on some personal issues. Too, I needed to say good-bye to someone. And I needed to find myself a little bit, as well. I poured all that into this heroine so it was, truly, a necessary story for me to write.

Summersong has gotten great reviews. It's available here.

And if you haven't seen it yet, this is the blurb:

When Lucy Graham's uncle passes away she inherits his rustic cabin overlooking White Swan Lake. She's just learned that her boyfriend has been cheating on her while she was nursing her ailing uncle so she packs up her laptop and moves into the dusty, neglected hideaway.

Back in the quaint town where she spent many happy days she finds herself confronted by her childhood nemesis, Skip. He's wanted Lucy for years and now he's determined to have her. One afternoon as Lucy's walking on the shore he grabs her. As Lucy struggles, she hears a voice. A full, rich voice. A voice coming from — the water?

Her knight, Maxwell James, arrives in an expensive boat instead of on a white steed. The handsome man saves her from Skip, but can he help her deal with a past that haunts her, a present that overwhelms her, and a future that seems increasingly hazy?

Summersong is a story about dealing with the past, embracing new beginnings, and finding love where you least expect.

Just Checking

You Are 16% Paranoid Schizophrenic

You're so far from paranoid schizophrenic... you probably found this quiz to be quite amusing.

Are You A Paranoid Schizophrenic?

Monday Madness

Every week I go through the same kind of post-weekend madness. The house is a mess and must be cleaned. The fridge is empty so I've got to run to the store. We've got laundry up the...well, you know, and it's got to be done.

AHH!!

Maybe I'll just skip Mondays. Go right to Tuesday. What about you? Is there a nutty day in your week or are they all nice and calm? And if they're calm, please tell me how you do it! Please?

Plan for the day?

I have none. Well, maybe I have a plan. I'm not sure. Still very undecided.

The buzz for November is National Novel Writing Month. It's where you practically lose your mind trying to write a complete novel in 30 days. Sound like fun? It is. But I'm still not sure I'm going to take the plunge this year. So many other obligations to keep...so many excuses I can find!

What about you? Plans for the day?

Want to write a book with me? Hmm?

Two Winners!

I've chosen a winner and a runner-up winner in my Triple Treat contest. The grand prize goes to Jennifer. Then, just because I felt especially happy last night, we pulled a second name out of the hat. Karin, you win your choice of downloads from my backlist. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all who played my little spur-of-the-moment Halloween game.

Ladies, please email me at Rustywicks@gmail.com to claim your prizes.