Your Favorite Alphas

This was a lot of fun! Congrats to Joy, who won my Alpha Male contest! Her favorite Alpha Male was....((drumroll))...
Bond. James Bond. Joy, please email me (dawnjhalliday at gmail dot com) to claim your goodies.

James Bond was actually the most popular answer, by the way! Lots of people think he's the most exciting Alpha out there!

My favorite answer was "my hubby." Awww...isn't that sweet? That'd be my answer too. ;-)

Here are some of the other answers...some I was nodding and saying "yeah, baby"...others made me laugh out loud.

BOOKS -- I have read a lot of these books (and agree with your choices wholeheartedly), but the favorite Alpha Male Author by far was Lora Leigh, and I actually haven't read her yet! I'm off to pick up some Lora Leigh now. *g*

Callan Lyons Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh
Kell Kreiger Hidden Secrets by Lora Leigh
Tanner Tanner’s Scheme by Lora Leigh
Derek Craven Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Jeffrey Grant County Series by Karin Slaughter
Brin Gift of the Goddess by Denise Rossetti
Lucas Hunter Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Roarke In Death Series by J.D. Robb
Jean Claude Anita Blake Series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Dain Laurans The Chalice and the Blade by Glenna McReynolds

MOVIES -- After James Bond, Jason Bourne received the next highest number of votes! Here are some others:

Han Solo Star Wars (played by Harrison Ford)
Rhett Butler Gone with the Wind (played by Clark Gable)
Zach An Officer And A Gentleman (played by Richard Gere)
Rameses The Ten Commandments (played by Yul Brynner)

TV SHOWS -- I thought these were soooo interesting!

Captain Jean Luc Picard Star Trek, TNG (played by Patrick Stewart)
Captain James T. Kirk Star Trek (played by William Shatner)
Control The Equalizer (played by Robert Lansing)
Jack Bauer 24 (played by Kiefer Sutherland)
Sawyer Lost (played by Josh Halloway)

So what do you think? Do you have another favorite? Or do you agree with these?

New Red Garnier website! Come say HI!

In print: SEDUCTIONS

I have a new book in print from loveyoudivine that is available on Amazon.com.

http://tinyurl.com/3apmxz

The book includes 4 stories: Brazen & Burning (interracial), My Enemy, My Lover, (historical), Ulysses and the Lotus Eaters (mythology), and Her Masked Lover (contemporary).

Enjoy!!!

Mari

TGIF!!!

What a week.
What a summer.

Seriously, this summer was tough. My agent unhappy with my new novel. Tough critiques. A painful rejection. My kids fighting like cats and dogs. Endless heat. Worst of all--no writing. I was so swamped in the day job, I just couldn't. I work from home and kept the kids here all summer--what was I thinking not sending them to camp?

It all culminated this week with absolutely no writing, lots of kid drama, and extreme stress at the day job. On Tuesday, I was in tears--at my wit's end.

But now...the kids are finally back in school (not without lots of stress involving me pulling my son out and threatening to homeschool, LOL!), the day job is sort of under control, and the routine has started again. I'm sitting in my office alone, doing revisions for one publisher and dreaming of a new story, my first paranormal. It's so exciting...I'm back! I'm writing again! And oh, how I love it!

I learned a valuable lesson this summer. I have to write. It has to be a priority because it's imperative for my mental wellbeing. And I have to write for myself first. I can't force it. I can only hope that my love for what I do will translate for some publisher, and later for readers. But this is something I must do. It is who I am.

What about you? Why do you write?

New Release: Stolen by the Sheikh

STOLEN BY THE SHEIKH is out at Red Rose. It is also available at AllRomanceEbooks.

Morocco, 1912 - While in Casablanca, Lady Christine Langtry is stolen right off the street by a dark, handsome desert lord, Sheikh Zafar bin Hassan. Christine succumbs to his touch, surrendering her body to his possessive kisses and commanding caresses. Then Christine discovers the shocking truth—her deceased husband had traded her away to the sheikh!

The Gladiator gets 4 1/2 Kisses

Go figure, I just found this review for THE GLADIATOR!

4 1/2 Kisses from TwoLipsReviews

"The Gladiator is a true love story. Marianne La Croix has written an excellent book about two people destined to be together no matter what time in history they are in. The love scenes are extremely erotic and leave nothing to the imagination. I really wanted these two lovers to triumph over the trials Caesar before them through. This was a very enjoyable read."

Hot Kisses in the Afternoon on Thursday!

In celebration of the release STOLEN BY THE SHEIKH at Red Rose Publishing, I am hosting a “Hot Kisses in the Afternoon” email chat on Thursday (8/23) on the RRP listserv. Join here. The afternoon will run through lunch, 11a to 2p. Join me as I post Hot Kissing excerpts from STOLEN BY THE SHEIKH and other author books coming or available at RRP.

Red's VILLAIN - out today from Loose ID!

Every town has one. Every story. Every war.

Red Garnier's VILLAIN

Get your copy from LOOSE ID now!!

There's a new Villain in town . . .

Juggling writing and a life

Monday! Boy is Red glad to see you! Now really, friends. You have no idea how happy I am to say goodbye to last week. Yes, last week is not a memory I treasure. Nope. Last week can be sure I never want it to come back again - ever! Because last week everyone in the whole world seemed to be conspiring against me. I was sure they all had one purpose only: to keep me from my computer!

First, the school supplies for the kids. The list looked mighty simple, true, but it took plenty of hours and several visits to the store to complete. And when I'd swear I'd checked something already something more seemed to magically appear, making the list seem never-ending!

Next, mother's visit. Mother just has to have all the attention; she won't have it any other way, lol! So yes, I had to take mom sightseeing and even ended up visiting doctors, waiting endlessly for hours.

Then, the home suddenly filthied itself like a pig. It's true! And I didn't do it, I swear! But suddenly I took a good look at it and it was pitiful. Begging for a little TLC. So there goes Red a cleaning, a wiping, a vaccuuming, a washing, and a wearying herself miserably.

The phone never stopped ringing. The doorbell competed against it. And just everything felt crazy!

One thing helped me through the week, though; and that was the thought of a lazy weekend, punching the keyboard all through the day and night with a vengeance.

Well.

Think again, Red! You're not writing anything this weekend either! Kids, family, friends, all came up with something to keep me away from my lonely Puter. At night I was so tired I just stared at the Puter longingly and plopped down on the bed.

The truth is, I love family, life, and whatnot, but for some reason, I can't bear it when I am not allowed to write for several days in a row. I start getting a little frustrated. A little desperate. And a little moody. Because the story won't stop dancing in my head until I put it down on paper, and when I can't get that relief, it feels a little like torment. Okay, ALOT like torment. And it makes me ill.

Okay but that's history! Gone! Adios! Goodbye!

This is a new week here. Kids school supplies are bought. The house is clean. Mom's back home with Dad. And I just sat down with my gorgeous Puter with flutters in my stomach and a big dopey smile on my face.

Hello, old friend. Ready to party? Because some very stubborn people are aching to be heard!

How do YOU manage your writing time or / job with your personal life?

Rowan and Red at EC!!

Congrats to Rowan and Red for their new releases.

Rowan West - Roll Play, Ellora's Cave [purchase link]

Red Garnier - Divine Assistant, Elloras Cave [purchase link]

It’s August 17th – do you know where your dream is?

Today is a day I have been waiting for, for more than twenty years. I’m often asked when I knew I wanted to be a writer and the truth is, I don’t remember. I don’t remember ever not wanting it. I guess because I always have been a writer. As for being an author, I knew I wanted to be published by my late teens.

I was forty on my last birthday. This is a dream a long time coming. And yet, I am not sorry about how long it took, or frustrated by any turns that my life took before getting here. I am where I want to be right now. Which is what matters most.

In addition to being an author, I am a wife, mother… and about 20 more titles, like most women. My sons are 7½ and 4½ . It is not easy to write with kids around. It’s not easy to do anything with kids around. But things get done. And dreams are reached.

Whatever you have dreamed about, whatever you have held in your heart for yourself – GO FOR IT. It is never too late. It is never the wrong time. Because you know what age you will be when you get your dream? The same age you will be if you don’t go for it.

You deserve your dreams.
Your dreams deserve your time.

Please join me in celebrating the release of ROLL PLAY from Ellora’s Cave today by toasting yourself and acknowledging the dream that you want to have in your life. I am proof – it can be yours!

Warmly,
Rowan

FIRST LINES - hook

I just love reading a first line. I think you can tell so much about the book from the first line alone!! What tone is it? Funny? Dark? Introspective?

When buying books, I usually take a small peek at those first lines, and I know right then if that particular book just has to come home with me.

Some books start right at the action. Some start in the past. Some start with a single name that might make you wonder...who owns that name? Who IS that person?

DIVINE ASSISTANT, coming out in Ellora's Cave this Friday, starts like this;
Lucy's new job did not come from heaven.

My VILLAIN, darker in tone, and out from Loose ID on August 21, starts like this;
There were stories about him.

I love both lines, as I love both books. DIVINE ASSISTANT is more of a light-hearted and fun romance, while VILLAIN is dark and brooding in tone.

Now let's take a look at other famous first lines, just for fun, and to realize once again there is possibly NO rule to make a good, catchy first line. These are varied as they are wonderful!


1. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

2 Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. —Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955)

3 It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

4 I am an invisible man. —Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)

5 The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. —Samuel Beckett, Murphy (1938)

6. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. —J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

7. This is the saddest story I have ever heard. —Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier (1915)

8. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. —Charles Dickens, David Copperfield (1850)

9. It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not. —Paul Auster, City of Glass (1985)

10.Mother died today. —Albert Camus, The Stranger (1942; trans. Stuart Gilbert)

11.Mr. Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature. —Anita Brookner, The Debut (1981)

12. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. —C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)

13. It was a pleasure to burn. —Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

14. It was love at first sight. —Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (1961)

15. In the town, there were two mutes and they were always together. —Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940)

16. It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house-tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. —Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)

Pick a fave!!!! I think I'd have to go with...ooooh, these are all so great. I might go with number 2. =) What about you?

Bad Boys and Alphas

My recent release, Devil's Pearl, is about a man driven to get the woman he loves. When the heroine leaves him, he is embarrassed and furious, but beyond that anger, he is madly in love. He'll do anything, anything to get her back--including imprisoning her against her will. In Devil's Pearl, I believe Dev is redeemed at the end. How, you ask? Well, it might be best if you read the story to find out. :)

I admit it. I like bad boys. I like alpha males. I like men who take the initiative--who know what they want and will do just about anything to get it. And when the thing they want is a woman...ooh. I love watching the chase, the fight and the ultimate surrender.

But there's a limit, isn't there? There is a point at which a man's drive ceases to become sexy...and becomes downright scary. There is a point at which the sexy alpha male becomes the scary obsessed stalker. Have you read any stories that cross that line? Where do you think the line is drawn? And how can these men be redeemed? Or can they?

Dawn

P.S. I'm holding a contest over at my website. Just let me know who your favorite alpha male is and the title of the book (or movie, or TV show) he's from, and I'll enter you in a contest to win a hot romance paperback, a $10.00 gift certificate to My Bookstore and More, and a bunch of Dawn Halliday end-of-summer goodies.

More Raves for the Muses: Dawn and Marianne Garner Praise

I am so proud of my fellow muses and thrilled to be surrounded by such talent.

Dawn's book, Devil's Pearl, just got 4 HEARTS from the Romance Studio (http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/devilspearlhalliday.htm). Brenda Talley wrote:
This is a well plotted, fast-paced book about true love and how it can affect different personalities. Ms. Dawn Halliday has written an interesting story with intriguing characters that seem quite real. This powerful story has much to impress the reading public. It ends quite uniquely and is hard to put down. I recommend this book for a quick read that you will remember well.

And Marianne's book, Beast In My Bed, got 5 out of 5 BIG BAD WOLVES at Reviews by Sandra (http://www.gottawritenetwork.com/ReviewsBySandra2.html). Sandra wrote:
Beast In My Bed is an entertaining, well-written story. The characters are interesting and real and more important, believable. Ms. LaCroix makes one think they might just like something big, furry and sexually talented in their bed. While the sex is hot and frequent, Sophia and Greg's emotions play a huge role in making this story a great read.

So if you are looking for something erotic and entertaining this weekend, you know where to look.

Me? I'm counting down the days until my first release from Ellora's Cave, ROLL PLAY, comes out. One week from today. The champagne is chillin'!

Hugs,
Rowan West

Desert Lords, Sheikhs....Bad Boys in the Sand

Okay, I have a thing for men who are downright rogues....bad boys at heart. I love it. So it seemed perfectly natural to pick writing about a sheikh. Had to be done eventually. One of my favorite books of all time is Johanna Lindsey's Captive Bride. The story has stayed with me for years. I need to go out and get a new copy and re-read it.

Anyway, I am writing a short novella entitled Stolen by the Sheikh for Red Rose Publishing. Looks as though it will come out ASAP to launch their "Desert Rose" line. Here's the blurb:

Morocco, 1912

Lady Christine Langtry travels to Casablanca after receiving a desperate
message from her husband. Upon her arrival, she discovers that he’d been
murdered. While there she catches the eye of Sheikh Zafar bin Hassan and is
stolen right from the street. She is then taken to a remote oasis outside the
city and held as his prisoner.

With one heated glance of her golden hair and curvaceous body, Zafar
decides to take her as payment for Lord Langtry's past crimes. Zafar will make
the British widow bend to his will and be the vessel of his vengeance.

Anger reigns beneath the desert sun, but by the moon’s glow, passion and
desire dominates. Christine succumbs to the touch of the handsome sheikh,
surrendering her body to his possessive kisses and commanding caresses. But can
she relinquish her heart to a man bent on using her for revenge? Why does Zafar
seek retribution? Is Zafar ruthless enough in his purpose for revenge to murder?

Hmm I wonder if I should admit to having watched the silent movie The Son of the Sheikh starring legend Rudolph Valentino? Nahhh.

Marianne LaCroix
SEA HAWK'S MISTRESS, Available at Ellora's Cave
CROSSED SWORDS, Coming from Ellora's Cave
www.mariannelacroix.com

Article on Women Pirates of the Caribbean

I posted an article on Women Pirates of the Caribbean at Unusual Historicals today. Check it out at http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2007/08/women-pirates-of-caribbean.html

Mari

SEA HAWK'S MISTRESS

Available now at Ellora's Cave

http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419911972

http://www.mariannelacroix.com

Painting: "Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackam. Circa 1720" by Chris Collingwood

Raves for THE GLADIATOR and SEA HAWK'S MISTRESS

Got some great reviews back for THE GLADIATOR and SEA HAWK’S MISTRESS! Whoohooo!

SEA HAWK’S MISTRESS [buy]

4 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies - LaCroix’s storyline is fun and enchanting! Her description of Jason’s reaction to a beautifully groomed woman of the 20th century is humorous as well as arousing. LaCroix’s time travel stories always fulfill the daydreams I have, asking the question…’what would it be like if?’ Whether it’s a woman claiming a gladiator in ancient Rome or a woman captured by a sexy pirate, LaCroix always most satisfyingly provides the answer!”

THE GLADIATOR [buy]

4.5 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies - “Set in ancient Rome, LaCroix’s tale of love, death and intrigue is very entertaining! Julia struggles with adapting to the harsh reality that is Rome while fighting her growing affection for Marcus. Her struggle is matched only by the overwhelming passion she feels for the beautiful Gladiator. LaCroix’s erotic love scenes leave nothing to the imagination—as it should be! She certainly had me waving a fan to keep my cool! Anyone who ever imagined what it would be like to live in ancient Rome—or anyone who drools over Gladiator movies—would be very well off taking time with this quick, enjoyable read.”

Oh yeah, guess I should mention I am contracted for a time travel sheikh short story at Red Rose Publishing. It's called Stolen by the Sheikh.

It's Rave for SPIN IT AGAIN

I have to toot my fellow Muses' success. Red just received a Fallen Angels Recommended Read for her Ellora's Cave book SPIN IT AGAIN! See what Rachelle wrote:

Oh my goodness!! Red Garnier has just earned herself a slot on my “Willing to spend my rent money on” list of authors. I wasn’t sure, after falling head over heels in lust with the first story in this series, if Ms. Garnier would be able to follow it up with something just as voracious and addictive. My libido is happy to report she succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. David, the defunct male lead, is as raunchy as they come while attempting to “sweet” talk his way back into Evie’s life. Spin It Again is one continuous scorcher that allows me to gorge myself on the rougher side of love and sex. This is a book I recommend for those who need their erotica hot and with the edge of darkness that is only held in check by the love wielding it.
Reviewed by: Rachelle

We here at Passion's Muses are so thrilled for her. It is a well deserved review.

Congrats, Red! May there be many more like this in your future

DAWN'S EC RELEASE!!

Red Garnier just spotted a super yummy looking book on ELLORA'S CAVE from guess who? Passion's Muses very own Dawn Halliday!!

This is Dawn's first Ellora's Cave release, DEVIL'S PEARL and it's out today!

Check out the irresistible blurb:

After a year of pursuit, Sir Devlin Vaughn has finally found the beautiful woman who made him the laughingstock of London society. Now he intends to keep her as his permanent sex slave, whether she comes willingly or not. Julia Beaumont escaped Devlin in an attempt to become a legitimate lady. Her plan backfired, leaving her reputation in tatters. Now Devlin holds her in his thrall once again. Can she free herself, or will he enslave her for life?

CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT!

CLICK HERE TO BUY!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT DAWN HALLIDAY'S WEBSITE!

I suggest you don't miss this book!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, DAWN!!