Stopped at a light, I looked over at one of those digital time/temperature displays that are often in front of banks and gas stations. When I saw the numbers 127, I did a double take then said to my friend, "I thought it was three o'clock."
He laughed and said, "It is. That's the temperature."
Yeah...wicked heat.
The thought of rain - even a few drops - or thunderstorms sounds kind of nice, especially if it's around Halloween. Note, I didn't say Spring. As far as I'm concerned, once Christmas is over, I don't want to see snow (not that I do in PS), clouds, or anything else that's gloomy. I want the sun. :)
Since the theme for this month's blogs is supposed to be about storms, I tried to find one in my novels. I have a snowstorm in Lush Velvet Nights and in In His Arms. There's a scene with brief rain in The Yearning.
That's it. No real storms. No experience with them either.
Maybe with global warming, the wet stuff will start moving toward the southwest.
Before I leave you, I'm pleased to say that I have a new title on the horizon- Erotic Takeover, erotic romance with a touch of BDSM. I just heard from the publisher that Erotic Takeover will be out April 22. Don't have a cover as yet or buy links, but here's the blurb and a brief excerpt. PG rated.
Blurb:
He’ll unleash her
indecent desires…in the most provocative way possible
Working for a celebrated photographer of lush nudes, many with
BDSM themes, isn’t easy for Jodi. She’s full-figured, wholesome and longing for
Mac, her bad boy boss. His shaggy hair, wicked tat and total hotness make her
dream of ditching her work as his assistant to get down on her knees as his
eager sub. If he’d only notice her.
Who says he hasn’t? As laid-back as they come, Mac can’t get over
how uptight Jodi is around him…like he might bite her. Not what he has in mind.
Her guileless nature and voluptuous figure do dangerous things to his
self-control.
Lucky
for him a client’s request has Jodi finally yielding to her sensual nature,
because Mac’s fully prepared to dominate, demanding her submission, delivering
punishment. In other words, an erotic takeover.
Excerpt:
True
to his word, Mac didn’t touch her in any inappropriate places while he strolled
the aisles, pulling boxes and cans off the shelves, reading the ingredients as
if he’d never done anything like this before.
Jodi
suspected he hadn’t, finding her life an adventure he’d never had to face. For
someone like him, it was a fun challenge to budget money, clip coupons, search
for all the specials. At least until it became a bore, which would happen
eventually.
Her
heart cramped at the thought that this would be their first and last grocery
trip together. Never had she wanted him more. He was so damn hot and adorable.
Like a little boy with his first puzzle, trying to put all the pieces together.
Bent
at the waist, Mac studied the store labels beneath the spaghetti sauces. Each
showed the cost-per-ounce comparison between the brands.
Two
middle-aged women reached past him for their choices. He apparently didn’t
notice.
They
stared at his luscious profile then gave Jodi the once over, dismissing her as
though she had nothing to do with him. She could read their thoughts in their
expressions—a hottie like him surely wouldn’t be with someone like
her.
Sighing,
Jodi checked the time. They’d been here forty minutes already. Mac looked as
though he could go all night at this.
“This
one,” he said, tapping the bottle of Prego. “It’s three cents cheaper than the
other—wait, I think we have a coupon.” He checked his iPhone and beamed as if
he’d just inherited Garner’s. “Fifty cents off. Awesome. I’m adding it to your
shopping cart.” He put the Prego in her basket. “Where’s the cheap wine?”
“Why?”
“We
can’t have spaghetti without booze. What kind of cook are you?”
Jodi
lifted her shoulders, her mind stuck on how he’d said “we”, as though they were
a couple…or maybe just friends. That had to be it. Mac had fun when he was with
her, just as he would with a guy, with the added bonus of sex.
“You
can’t cook?” he finally said then sighed. “Looks as if tonight’s on my
shoulders.”
“You’re
going to make a meal for us?”
“Sure.
How hard can it be? If I hit a problem, I’ll Google it on my phone or call
Joe.”
She
frowned. “Who’s Joe?”
“The
chef at Garner’s. Great guy. He can talk me through anything.”
Jodi
laughed. “You do know there are cooking instructions on the packages.”
Mac
picked up the box of spaghetti. His eyebrows lifted as he read the directions.
God,
he was beautiful when he was clueless. “Do you eat out for every meal?”
“Nope.”
He tossed the box back in her cart. “I get delivery or takeout sometimes.”
“You
don’t even have coffee at your place?”
“There’s
a Starbucks less than a mile away.” He leaned into her and murmured, “That’s
why God made them, for guys like me.”
Wow,
he really was a virgin at this. Tonight was going to be something.
Tina Donahue info:
I’m an award-winning, bestselling
novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for Kensington, Samhain
Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Siren Publishing, Booktrope, and indie. Yay! Booklist, Publisher’s
Weekly, Romantic Times and
numerous online sites have praised my work, and trust me, I’m forever grateful
for that. I’ve had my books reach finals in the EPIC competition, one title was
named Book of the Year at a review site, and others have won awards in
RWA-sponsored contests. I’m actually featured in the 2012 Novel & Short
Story Writer’s Market. Talk about feeling like a freaking star. Before my
writing career, I was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern newspaper and worked
in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company. Outside of being an
admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, I’ve flown a single-engine plane (scary
stuff), rewired an old house using an electricity for dummies book, and have
been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When
Harry Met Sally whenever I’m eating anything Mexican or Italian. Yeah, I
like to eat (burp).
