This Week: In Diana's Head

This is my week to be a proud mama. My boy is turning seven today. I'm so proud of him. Oh, not for turning a year older, but that's always good news. Monday night he passed his rank test in Karate. He's earned a yellow belt, and I'm beaming. He was practically spinning cartwheels on the sides of the buildings when he came out wearing his new belt. (Parents weren't allowed to be in the room during the testing to avoid distractions, so no, I didn't get to see him test, but that's okay.)

He also attended his first tournament last weekend, and earned a ginormous medal. :) So with the medal, the new belt (Yay boy!) cake and ice cream today, cupcakes in class, AND a birthday party on Saturday to share with some friends some more cake and ice cream, he's going to have a smashing week.

I'm going to be exhausted. *grin*

On another subject...wa-wah-waaaaahhhhh

I do have a new release coming out in just two weeks! A Trust Earned will be releasing on April 15th with Tease Publishing and will be available on ARe. The great news is now that once this one is OUT (Woot!!), the combo book of A Trust Earned and Trusting Delilah (Book 1) will be out in June in print! Wooohooo!!!

I've also gotten word that edits for my next book will be underway soon, so we're still moving forward on my roster. Yay! Can't believe I'm already looking to June and what's next.

Last but not least, I've redesigned my website! You must go look. Really, I'm begging. *cheeky*. I'll be doing some really fun things over the next couple weeks involving free goodies, swag bags full of author collectibles, and downloads. If you're on Twitter, be sure to watch for news there too. Another way to get gobs of free goodies!

I'm sure I'm forgetting all kinds of stuff. Hopefully I'll remember it before it's too late. Surprisingly, it's been ages since I've forgotten enough to kill a plant. That has to be a good sign, right?

Have a wonderful week! *smooch*

Saturday Book News

Author name: Jenyfer Matthews
Publisher name: Cerridwen Press
Buy link  http://www.jasmine-jade.com/pm-6855-357-here-to-stay.aspx
Author Link: http://www.jenyfermatthews.com/books/here-to-stay/
Blurb

All Julia Sullivan wanted was a fresh start in a new place. But cutting ties with the past and starting over can be a difficult thing to do.

After leaving her husband and quitting her job, Julia was emotionally spent. She needed a quiet place to recharge and to think about what she wanted from life. She thought she had found just that when she inherited her aunt's oceanfront Victorian house in Haven, New Jersey. It wasn't going to be that simple, however. In addition to her new house being a complete shambles, her charming soon-to-be ex-husband Patrick, whom she discovers she still loves, arrives with the intention of winning her back. To complicate matters further, it seems as if her aunt's death wasn't an accident after all. And there's just something about her new house that seems to interest all sorts of people.

Reviews*

"Emotionally charged and full of suspense HERE TO STAY by Jenyfer Matthews is an enticing read. [...] I highly recommend this gripping book to anyone who loves suspense, it is well worth the read."

Sheryl, Ecataromance, on HERE TO STAY

"There are many twists and turns and the kind suspense that keep the reader on edge and very much involved. The many truths are revealed slowly, in completely logical, well-plotted fashion. The sense of danger is palpable.[...] This kept me turning pages until the very satisfying ending. Jenyfer Matthews is a skillful writer. She has crafted a tale of romantic affection within a superb suspense story. Recommended."

Lynn Bushey, The Romance Studio, on HERE TO STAY

Thursday Book Review

Jet-setting bachelor Dex Messina thought he knew everything about women...until he met the tiny infant girl abandoned on his doorstep. One thing Dex was sure of: the gorgeous redhead who stormed back into his life, insisting she'd made a mistake, was hiding something. And uncovering her secret would be his pleasure.

To gain custody of her beloved niece, Lucy Alwin would do anything—even pose as the woman with whom Dex had shared one intimate night. But if boldly lying to the powerful billionaire was difficult, resisting their burning desire could prove impossible.

 

~~

Trying to do the right thing for an innocent child, Lucy follows her niece to Dex's. She believes that he's the father, irresponsible for allowing the pregnancy to have happened and unfit for fatherhood. He's well known through the newspapers and tabloids as a player and an emotionless businessman, so to reclaim her niece she lays a thick trail of lies.

Dex isn't the kind to want marriage, wife, family, kids, but soon finds himself irresistably drawn to the little imp discovered on the steps of his brother's home. When Lucy agrees to move in under duress to not disappear with the baby until the real father can be determined, she never expected the business wolf to in truth be a man she could imagine cuddling a child. But even first impressions can change.

A heartwarming story of best intentions with a little sauciness added in with Lucy. She's tenacious about regaining her sister's baby, already working to have adoption papers put through. But she hadn't expected Jewel to take the baby to the daddy's home either. Both characters have emotional flaws which I felt were believable, but I felt the lack of justice to Jewel, or the conclusion of her apparent motherhood-or lack thereof-was left unanswered. Without giving away any of the story, I just felt a final explanation to Jewel, and Derek's final place in Isabella's life, could have been explained.

Saturday Book News

Dara England

Lyrical Press

Release date: Coming 3/16/08

Buy Link: http://www.lyricalpress.com/brought_to_life.html

MySpace.com/DaraEngland

 

Blurb:

Megan Hurst's life has taken some unexpected turns: First she loses her heart to the dashing hero of a novel. And then she meets an amnesia victim who seems just like him.
The mysterious stranger needs her help to piece his past together, and the closer the two become, the more questions arise about his resemblance to a "fictional" character.
Megan's romantic feelings and her bizarre suspicions bring her to an impossible question... Has she dreamed the Duke to life?

Come visit me!

I'm sharing a little writing wisdom on Romantic Inks today.

 

http://romanticinks.com/2009/03/20/between-puberty-and-hot-flashes/

Thursday Book Review

 

This short story is offered as a FREE READ by All Romance Ebooks.

Facing a painful, undignified death, Robin Allbright has given up hope. She's looking for an easy way out until a mysterious young man appears at her door and offers to show her why life is worth the agonizing battle. Can he convince Robin to make one more hard choice? Or will she choose death over love?

~~

An amazing story for such a tight free read. Robin is terminal and knows it, has accepted that life will be denied her, but then again, she doesn't know what kind of life she should have expected. A hard childhood, a harder life, to now have it all end at the age of twenty-eight was par for the course. She even knows how to handle her own death to not be an inconvience or a burden to anyone around her. Without friends or family, she had no reason to think of it in any other way.

Until Thann shows up and does his best to convince her otherwise. Nathaniel is an angel, possessing a man's body to help Robin make her choice, be it for or against, the choice is ultimatly hers to make. Sharing "Time out of time" with her. Borrowed time in truth, he tries to explain what she could live for if she only tried. Tries to convince her that life isn't the minute time she's been living, if she'd only take the chance.

It's a free read, and well worth the few minutes to indulge in second chances. However, I may never look at Earl Gray tea the same again.

This Week: In Diana's Head

So, this week is spring break for us here in central Texas. The boy is playing at a friend's house right now so I have quiet to get all my t0-do list done. Hah! You don't really think I've really been working, do you? Well, I have.

I posted my monthly writing article on Royal Blush Authors, this month's topic: Heroines. Want some insight on heroine development, go check out my blog post here. Heroines, and their dopplegangers.

Also on the near horizon is the release of A Trust Earned, the second book of the Aiza shifter sibling series. If you liked Trusting Delilah, Selene's story is next and she's got a few adventures of her own. In honor of this new release, I'm redoing my website and blog. They are, thankfully, complete, so now it's just a matter of when... Don't worry, there won't be that long of a wait. I want to launch them! I want to let them free on the world!! Bwahahahahaaa!

Of course, before I even reached the end of the post, the boy-child has returned from his journies down the street, and he has brought A Friend! Wish me luck to get more knocked off the to-do list.

Saturday Book News

Ellen Ashe

Love Not Forgotten

buy:

http://www.absolute-x-press.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=46&osCsid=cc42ddd944acfc24b0401d3aceb0d3d2

Publisher: Absolute XPress

http://www.absolute-x-press.com/catalog/

LOVE NOT FORGOTTEN

Kirkland Hall is haunted. Kate Daniels, part inheritor to the estate, knows nothing of its history- that a bloody scene four hundred years ago between rival clans saw two lovers separated by murder- and that these tortured spirits had spent the centuries searching for each other. Nor does she know anything about the dark and moody ‘caretaker’, Alex MacTavish. The trip to Scotland was meant to be a holiday before selling her share of the estate back to its rightful owner.

No sooner had Kate arrived however, when she felt as though the house was not only whispering its welcome, but pleading for her help. A phantom horseman rides the moors, a ghostly fire sweeps through the corridor, a woman’s desperate screams- echoes of a brutal past- reaching through the mists of time. And as her relationship with Alex begins to deepen, Kate discovers that fate has had a hand in bringing them together- the name Daniels is interlinked with the violent history of betrayal and murder. So too, is the name MacTavish

Coming to print February 14 2009

www.ellenashe.net

http://ellenashe.blogspot.com/

Read an Ebook week!

Yep, bet you didn't know that this week, March 8-14th was Read an Ebook Week! A whole week to this wonderful medium of literature and expression. Check out this site, http://www.ebookweek.com/. They have links to sites about ebooks, readers and technology information, and places to get sponsored discounted to free books! Yep, free books! Nothing wrong with that.

Thursday Book Review

Synopsis

From the moment Jonathan Davis rang Diane Black's doorbell, mistaking her for his blind date, she knew the sexy developer couldn't be more different from her. He squired around gorgeous, flirty, dim-witted Dallas socialites, not modest investment bankers like her. Still, the man made her heart flutter under her pin-striped suit as it hadn't in years.

John was many things--a millionaire, a player, a catch. But he'd never be a husband. For him, "marriage" equaled "mistake." Diane might be the quintessential forever kind of woman, but he was confident he could avoid that trap. That is, until he kissed her.

And then, of course, there was the matter of the baby...

 

~~

A modern contemporary, one of those books that Judy is so well known for. Diane Black is a strong headed modern woman, very secure in her place until John Davis shows up and throws curves her way that she never imagined she experience, much less enjoy. A very easy, fast read that had the right touch of copitulation by both characters, and proof that a modern woman can still have it all.

Both had the average blocks when it comes to relationships: not wanting to repeat history, bad childhoods, no real grounding for a loving relationship to experience, but that's life, and it does happen. It was the kind of book that when you're done, you want to hug them both and wish them the best. They deserved it.

This Week: In Diana's Head

Okay, I'm a wimp. This year, the time change has really just kicked my butt. Usually, I could go right through it, no problems. Not this year. This year, that damn clock had my name on it, and it beat me up with a vengeance.

Thus the late post.

So, news on the front lines?

I'm going to New York in October!! Myself and about 30+ other paranormal genre authors are going to be holding a conference and signing in Suffern, NY. Oct 23-25. I'm excited to say the least. (I've never been to New York. Chicago is a close as I've been.) A few of the authors scheduled to be there are Sara Reinke, Sunny, Leigh Ellwood, Larissa Ione, Rosemary Laurey, Stella and Audra Price, Yasmine Galenorn and just a bunch more. There's going to be a sundae bar, a masquerade party, the signing and workshops. It's not all party, as much as my husband thinks that's all that happens at conferences. I'll be signing at least two of my books, The Eternal Kiss, and the combo duet of Trusting Delilah and A Trust Earned. For more information about schedules, attendance and how to go to this awesome event, check out the website: Authors After Dark. The details and cost for the full conference are listed on the website. The book signing on Saturday is free to the public.

Have you ever noticed how languages sound? I was thinking, something my brain does while I'm trying to fall asleep (of course!). Have you ever tried to say some of these words and not think about what they mean, just the feel the way roll of the tongue? Okay, so I didn't say what my brain did was exciting or Pulitzer-prize winning, now did I?

What about words like ambiguous?  Or dollop? Say ambiguous. Doesn't that just feel funny on the lips? What about dollop? Is that a doll's head being lopped off or what? Now gallop doesn't sound anything to me like whallop.But what is whallop, really? Is that when your SO drives you UP the WALL? Could be.

Just some non-sensical junk that entertains my brain before I clock out for the night.

Are you on Twitter?

Then feel free to follow me! I won't lead you astray, but I might end up on Goofy Blvd. on occasion.

http://www.twitter.com/dianacastilleja

Right now I'm deep in several book edits and working on a fantasy story. No telling what might happen in my head. .... Actually, that's almost scary. LOL

--
Diana Castilleja || Diana DeRicci
Best Selling Author
http://srnwrites.blogspot.com

Saturday Book News

Title: ART OF SENSUALITY
Author: Jax Cassidy
Publisher: Parker Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-6004-3044-2
Page Count: 250 pgs / print
Release Date: November 17, 2008

Art was not only a passion of Machiko Barrett, but also a destiny…a way of life she has known since her talent was discovered at three years old. Caught in a turbulent storm of celebrity, scandal and corruption, she disappeared from the art world only to re-emerge fifteen years later as an au pair to the two young children of renowned Parisian gallery owners. Her sheltered existence is disrupted when she is lured back to her one true passion: painting.
While Machiko struggles to find her own identity through her art, she encounters Caleb Holden, a sexy, unpredictable and irresistible neighbor with a penchant for collecting art, and women. As he discovers the girl within the woman, the secrets of Machiko's past return to haunt her, revealing scars she never knew existed. She must learn to conquer her fears and allow him into her heart or risk slipping back into a cold, lonely world that once held her spirit captive. Through Caleb's determination to educate Machiko about trusting herself and her abilities, he opens her eyes to the art of sensuality, and awakens the woman buried deep inside the broken girl.

Author Bio:
Jax Cassidy is a multi-published author and has written under the pen name Cassidy Kent. She is Co-Founder of Romance Divas, an award winning romance writer's website and discussion forum. In between skydiving for charity and campaigning against human trafficking, she enjoys the company of close friends and indulges her caffeine fix at the nearest cafe. An avid traveler and an adventurous spirit, Jax has drawn inspiration from her experiences and often blends the exotic mix of Eastern and Western lifestyles into her writing. When she isn't locked up in her office penning her latest manuscript, Jax can be found creating abstract paintings for future art shows, or dividing her time between California, Texas, and Florida.

For more information on Jax, please visit her online at www.jaxcassidy.com or www.jaxadora.blogspot.com

Thursday Book Review

1. Tropical Heat by Cherry Adair
(T-FLAC story #12)
When Dr. Elizabeth Goodall is kidnapped and held captive in the African jungle, her only hope for rescue is counterterrorist operative Sam Pelton. But to escape from a brutal warlord, they must confront a powerful attraction that could prove more treacherous than the wilds of the jungle...

2. Atlanta Heat by Lora Leigh
(Tempting SEALs, #6)
Em Delaney has wanted bad-boy Macey March for as long as she can remember. But as a Navy SEAL under the command of her overprotective godfather, Macey is off-limits to Em...until a kidnapping attempt forces them to share tantalizingly close quarters--and a forbidden desire.

3. Desert Heat by Cindy Gerard
This is a stand alone and not part of a series
Assistant D.A. Elena Martinez never wanted to fall for police detective Seth King. When they are teamed up on a charity hike in the Grand Canyon, however, their chemistry sizzles under the desert sun. But a vengeful drug lord is determined not to let them survive the canyon with their lives--and love--intact...' to 'Three of the hottest names in romantic suspense invite you to spend the night with a few good men.

~~

A trio of sexy men in the heat of action, full of suspense and surprises.

Tropical Heat starts out as a first ever read for me by Cherry Adair, but it won't be a last (I have a ton on the TBR shelf). The toughest part of the situation facing them seemed to be an attraction that neither really wanted to deal with for various reasons.

A hot little tropical adventure that will be hard to forget.

Atlanta Heat was Hot. Capital 'H'. Not oversexed but the pages burned with the chemistry between these two. And I loved Macey's anaconda. It's amazing how animals react when under attack and I think this was very true to life. What? What did you think I meant? *evil grin*

Desert Heat I think could have been my favorite or a tight tie with Heat. The action never stopped in this story. Elena is a tough DA, a woman a man could sink his teeth into, if she'd only let him. It's not as easy Seth would've liked after knowing the real her under pressure, but the final win was definitely worth reading. I almost cheered for this couple when they finally hit that final moment of complete understanding.

Authors After Dark

Authors After Dark

Oct 23-25

Suffern, NY

Holiday Inn

 

Join the authors of AAD for a public signing on October 24, from 2-5p. Scheduled to attend:

 

Bianca D'Arc

Stella Price

Jacquelyn Frank

Sunny

Joey Hill

Annette Blair

Jessica Andersen

Leigh Ellwood

 

And many, many more! More names to be added later, so check back...

This Week: In Diana's Head

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks. Let me update.

Last week, my little ray of sunshine had an outpatient surgery for a small issue. He's fine and actually recuperating really well. He has a severe case of cabin fever now and he's not even due to go back to school until Thursday at the soonest. Say a small prayer for my sanity. Is it bad of me that to keep him still (doctor's orders) the answer seems to be video games? Once he's back to his regular self, he'll be moderated on those again.

Add in one set of heavy revisions on the book from Hell, and edits on my next release and last week I just wasn't "in" to be here. Please forgive me? I know how to bribe. LOL

Now I have a few minutes, if not an idea so I thought I'd fill you guys in on what's going on. I have updated my website for March and added some new puzzles on the Fun Stuff page, so please go check it out if you have a few minutes. There's also news on my release schedule.

April 15th, A Trust Earned will be releasing in E, then on June 15th, Trusting Delilah and A Trust Earned will be released as a combo book in Print. Yay! It has that sexy green cover. I also have another summer release coming, Crowning a Warrior King. I'll let y'all know when I do about that one. It's a fantasy romance. All the covers and blurbs are on my website.

Also, if you follow this blog, there will be Thursday Book Reviews as I can. You might have already caught one or two. There's also Saturday Book News, a little pimpage for friends. You never know, might see a book you hadn't seen and find a new wanna-read author.

Thanks to all the folks who take the time to read and comment. It's greatly appreciated.

Bye for now! *mwah*

Release update!

Release news!

A Trust Earned, the second release in the Aiza Shifter Series, will be out in E on April 15. A duet book with A Trust Earned and the first release, Trusting Delilah will be out in print June 15! Woohooooo!!!

Look for the latest covers and news in the coming weeks!