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Smart is so sexy!

26 Jan

Hot GeekHiya. It’s Regina Cole. I’m new around here. Question for you guys:

Have you ever met a guy that was completely gorgeous? Chiseled jaw, piercing eyes, perfectly tousled hair, tall, muscular, the picture of perfection? What happens when he opens his mouth and says, “Hay babe, you wan’ go git somethin’ ta eat?”

Obviously, if you don’t live here in the sticks with me, he might sound a little different.

“Hey babe, how’s you like to git wit me?”
“Hi sexy, you broked your wings when you falled outta heaven, amirite?”

I don’t know about you, but for me, when I hear that? It knocks about eight points off the hotness factor. The heat that started to build disappears faster than a Cinnabon at my house. (HANDS OFF. YOU WILL DRAW BACK A NUB IF YOU TOUCH MY ‘BON.)

Then think again. You meet a guy who’s nice looking, but kind of average. When he opens his mouth and says things like,Dear Addi by Regina Cole “Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve got two PhD’s.” I get all melty inside. INSTANT gain of twelve points on the hotness factor. Suddenly that average height got a little taller, and those muscles got a little bigger. Is that a calculator in your pocket, or are you just happy to meet me?

BUT, if you take guy A, remove his brain, and insert guy B’s instead?
Congratulations. You just hit the lottery. THAT, or you’ve met Jackson Poole, star of DEAR ADDI.

Smart guys are so sexy. What about you guys? Do smart guys turn you on? Give me your favorite smartie hotties in the comments. ;) And if you want to read more about Jackson, Dear Addi is available on Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.

Ciao!

Regina

Pitch Ahoy!

26 Sep

One of our pitch participants from our last contest, Anya Richards, recently released her first book with Ellora’s Cave! That’s right, from her pitch to our editor, Grace Bradley, she was able to walk her manuscript into a contract, and then a published book. Exciting, yes? I got to talk to Anya recently about what made her sign up for the pitch contest, what it was like for her, and what she got out of it.

KJ Reed: When you entered the contest, what was your original goal?

AnyaRichards: When I entered the contest, I had a few goals. First of all, the possibility of a personal, line-by-line critique of the first three chapters of a book by a successful editor is nothing to sneeze at! It’s not something that falls from the sky every day…and I would have been very happy to win it. But, beside that, my overall writing goal for 2011 was to expand my audience, and one of the best ways to do that is to be published by new companies. Since I’d never had a release through Ellora’s Cave, I hoped to get my work in front of an EC editor, pique her interest and hopefully avoid the slush pile. Even if Grace didn’t eventually ask to see the full manuscript, there was always the possibility she might like my voice and request I submit future works to her. Another goal was to see if the idea I had for a book outside my usual genres sounded viable enough to attract the editor’s attention. To be completely truthful, I also was trying to work my way out of a writing slump that had lasted far longer than any other I’d ever been through, and hoped the contest aspect of it would stir my competitive juices! 

 

KJ: It sounds like you had very realistic goals and hopes! How long did you work on your blurb for the first round of the judging?

Anya: I was lucky, in that the beginnings of the blurb already existed, so I didn’t have to work on the original blurb for the first round very long. I had done a very brief, one page outline for the story idea and really only had to cut it back (well, hack it to pieces actually!) to meet the contest guidelines. Like most authors, I complain bitterly about having to write blurbs, but at the same time I’ve gotten fairly good at it, so it only took a couple of hours to beat into shape.

 

KJ: Blurbs are a weakness of mine. I envy you and your “fairly good” level. Did you use any resources for the blurbing process?

Anya: The best resource I used for this process was my awesome critique partner, who helped to keep me on track and occasionally talked me down off the ledge. 

 

KJ: Critique partners are the greatest, right? Thank God for ‘em.  Once your manuscript placed second, what happened?

Anya: Once it was announced that I was one of the finalists on February first, I had until the sixth to sub the first three chapters of the book. I sent them in on the fifth and, to my surprise, on the tenth I got an email from Grace saying that although the winner wouldn’t be announced until the twenty-first, she’d like to see the full!

 

KJ: Wow, so you weren’t even sure if you had placed, but you knew Grace wanted more. That’s fantastic! From the end of the contest to the day your book was published, how long did it take?

Anya:  From the day I got the email requesting the full until date of publication was seven months, almost to the day!

 

KJ: Pretty darn fast. Do you think pitch contests are the way to go?

Anya:  I think well run pitch contests are one of the best ways available for writers to get their work in front of editors. Editors are busy. Publishing houses are inundated with submissions. The chances of getting noticed by an editor during the course of a pitch contest are, in my estimation, far superior to getting noticed in the slush pile! And, if you’re serious about growing your career, the opinion of an editor from a house you want to be published by is worth its weight in gold so, although you may enter hoping to be noticed and eventually have the piece acquired, the prize in a contest like this is nothing to be sneezed at. Really, what do you have to lose?

 

KJ: You have nothing to lose! Was your book finished when you pitched? How far along were you? And if you weren’t finished, did this encourage you to finish up?

Anya: The book was no where NEAR complete when I pitched it!! I ran one step ahead of the deadlines for each round. When I pitched, I had the above-mentioned outline and the beginnings of the first chapter, which I hastily buckled down to and finished. With hope in my heart, I continued working on the three chapters, just in case. The very hardest part for me, no word of a lie, was writing the synopsis, which was to be submitted with the three chapters. The reason that was so difficult is because I’m definitely a pantser who, a) usually has no idea where a book is going until it gets there and b) only writes a synopsis when the book is complete. When she requested the full, Grace very nicely told me that if the book wasn’t finished I should take my time getting it done, but knowing she was waiting gave me great impetus to finish in a relatively reasonable time. 

 

Anya, thanks so much for joining us today at Passionate Reads. And for everyone else, I hope this encourages you to give the contest some thought. What better way to get your work in front of an editor and possibly skip over a few slushy steps on your way to publication??

Cook Naked: Oh Canada! French Toast!

8 Sep

20060530 french toast 01

Ah, bonjour, mes amis, I want to thank all of you who are helping with the search for Nara. I know everyone is anxious to see the winner of today’s drawing for their choice of a $10 gift card from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. But first, we need to feed the search parties and Kelly Jamieson, who is desperate to get her crit partner back, joins me today to help support your efforts.

I don’t know if you knew, Kelly is from Canada. She’s a hockey fanatic too and she shares her love of country and hockey in her newest erotic romance, Face Off, out tomorrow from Ellora’s Cave.  To celebrate the release of Face Off,  Nara had scheduled us to do a Cook Naked blog together. And let me just say, mes amis, Canadians do French toast better than the French. I look at the list for ingredients, and my mouth waters.

1 dozen eggs

½ cup cream

½ tsp vanilla

Zest of one orange

2 tbsp Grand Marnier

1 loaf of French bread, sliced 1 “ thick

Bond:  Kelly, tell me about Face Off while I locate the ingredients for this recipe.

Kelly:  Faceoff is a quick little read and features Tag Heller. You might recognize his name – he’s the oldest brother of Jase Heller from my book Breakaway. The Heller family has four hockey playing brothers and this is Tag’s story.  Tag is back in his home town because the NHL team he plays for has been sold and moved back to Canada. As the returning “home town hockey hero” he has a lot of pressure on him to put positive spin on this move. When his family convinces him to take a week off and spend it at the lake cottage, he meets up with Kyla MacIntosh. They grew up together because their parents were best friends. She was like a little sister to him…but she’s not any more. Now they’re both all grown up and ready for a hot week at the lake.

Bond:  This makes Kyla the love that got away, n’est-ce pas?  Obviously, Tag was not going to let the perfect woman be lost to him. Neither would I. We don’t give up around here, mes amis. We don’t allow stale to take over. And that’s what pain perdu, the lost bread, or French toast as you say here, is about. Recovering what is lost.

It could be about wooing back the love that got away, or maybe your love life needs a little spark, something to make that passion fresh again. You make this Canadian French Toast,  serve it as breakfast in bed for your lover and the sparks will fly, flames will crackle.

And of course, Kelly would bring us a recipe that requires using the whip. We all have our little fetishes. *winks at Kelly* Who do you wish to wield the whip Kelly, vous ou moi?

Kelly:  Oh vous, Bond, s’il vous plait –  I like watching you yield the whip. Please, whip it good. Tag, in Faceoff, has a bag of toys he brought to the lake with him (apparently he wanted to be prepared for anything during that little holiday). He doesn’t have a whip but he does have a few other fun things that he and Kyla make good use of. Because they’re there with their families, they end up spending most nights together in a tent Tag sets up. Have you ever had sex in a tent, Bond?  ___ How about in a boat?

Bond:  Non, not in a boat or a tent. A boat? This is true? I have to read this book.

It is hot in here and we haven’t even preheated the oven. Set it to 375, cherie.

Kelly will slice a loaf of french bread while I do the whipping. I just use the wire whip, no need for fancy mixers or blenders. There is something so satisfying about the steady beat of the whip and churning up the froth.  We start by mixing the base ingredients for the recipe. And I don’t mean base the way you think, mes amis. Always you take my comments and you think sex. I mean the foundation of the recipe. Eggs, cream, and vanilla. Get the finest quality for this. To rescue something you let get away you need quality ingredients. Isn’t this so, Kelly?

Kelly:  Yes that is so. Tag and Kyla were friends a long time ago. She always wanted to be one of the guys and followed them around everywhere, but she was never really one of the guys and as she got older Tag started noticing her as a woman. But Kyla has two older brothers and Tag knew if he ever laid a hand on her, they’d probably beat him up. So he left town for his pro hockey career. Now he has another chance to be with her and this time he’s going to take it.
Bond:  Tag sounds like a man with dominant leanings. Letting a lover know  she is what you want, is so sexy. A little lover’s game of take what you want, is a nice spice to the love life now and then too.  Once the foundation is prepared, then we add spice, the unique flavor that grabs attention. Orange zest brings spark to these base flavors, but the Grand Marnier breathes it to life.

Kelly:   I love the way you say Grand Marnier with that sexy French accent. *sigh*

Bond: Ah, you tempt me, Kelly. Now like any romantic endeavor, foreplay is key. You put the lost bread in a low sided pan or dish and drizzle the mixture over. Okay, you don’t have to drizzle, you can pour, but drizzling is sexier, gets your mind thinking of slowly immersing your lover in something delicious, giving her time to soak up the pleasure. We give this dish an all night soak, so I put a tray in last night to have ready this morning.

Kelly:   I’ve made this recipe many times but never thought of it as foreplay. You’re right…it’s a long slow build up to the finish.

In the morning, take the slices and place them on a well-greased cookie sheet. They will have soaked up all the luscious liquid. Then bake them at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. During that time you can return to bed for a little snuggling before breakfast. When it’s done, it’s amazing how it becomes a little crisp, the inside of the bread creamy and delicious.

Bond:  *Grabbing towel, mopping forehead.* The only thing hotter than cooking with Kelly, is reading her books. I’m sure her husband can add more items to the Kelly hot list. Sex in a boat? You researched this, cherie?

Kelly: Let’s stick to cooking, Bond.

This is wonderful served with strawberries (or other fruit) and of course because it’s Canadian French toast, you must serve maple syrup, which is sticky and sweet. Be careful if you’re eating in bed. On the other hand, if some gets spilled, licking syrup off each other could be fun…

Bond:  Licking, now there is my favorite sport. Enjoy French toast Canadian, mes amis.

Until next time, go stir up something different. Don’t forget to grab Kelly’s new book, Face Off,  when it releases tomorrow.

~Bond

Oh, oh, almost forgot. The drawing. I put the names in a hat and Jolie pulled one out. The winner is…….. Cara Micheals!  Congrats to you, cherie. Please leave in the comments your choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Next week’s prize is a $15 gift card and we only have one player with enough points to get in that drawing. Get clicking, mes amis. You only need two hundred points. If you do the extra credit challenges for yesterday(comment on my interview with Siobhan Muir and follow her blog) and today(comment here and subscribe this blog), you’ll be halfway there. It’s not too late to join the hunt for Nara. As you can see, I’m generous with ways to earn points, and we have 5 more weeks of adventure and prizes to go. The grand prize, a Nook Color, is both an e-reader and a small tablet computer. Looks to me like your chances of winning are superb.

NY Times Best-selling Author VIRGINIA HENLEY here at Passionate Reads on Sat., 9/3!

30 Aug

Mark your calendars now for this Saturday, September 3rd, when our Passionate Reads Guest Blogger will be New York Times Best-Selling author…

VIRGINIA HENLEY!

Find out about her September 6th release, “The Dark Earl”,  her transition into the “digital age” and that infamous opening line, “Oh what a beautiful cock!”

 And remember…

 Susbscribe to Passionate Reads NOW, so you don’t miss Virginia or any of our special guest bloggers, our contests, our giveaway’s and more!

“Oh, what a beautiful cock!”

28 Aug

Now that I have your attention, it’s NOT how it sounds. That was the opening line of a book by one of the greatest romance Divas of all time, Virginia Henley. (more…)

NY Times Best-selling Author HEATHER GRAHAM here at Passionate Reads on Sat., 7/23!

19 Jul

Mark you calendars now for this Saturday, July 23rd, when our Passionate Reads Guest Blogger will be New York Times Best-Selling author…

HEATHER GRAHAM!

Find out about her upcoming releases, her newest series (complete with a video sneak peak!) and a cause near and dear to her heart, the Writers For New Orleans Conference coming up Labor Day Weekend!

And remember…

Susbscribe to Passionate Reads NOW, so you don’t miss Heather or any of our special guest bloggers, our contests, our giveaway’s and more!

About Heather… (more…)

Whew! What a Week!

15 Apr

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had one hell of a week! Cram for Spanish test, start research project for psych class, virtual book tour for Lust, Lace & Lingerie…surviving storms. ;)

And all of this is my way of simply apologizing for being late with my post today. *bats eye lashes and gives sad puppy dog eyes* But enough of my graveling, LOL…

The week might have went by hard and fast (I do like it hard and fast, LOL) but most of it was good, especially the virtual book tour. (Thank you Goddess Fish Promotions!) I’ve guest blogged or have been interviewed on… (more…)

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