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Not forking out the dough for the RWA Conference this year, with evening wear, suits, high heels and whatever “business casual” means?

Not to worry! Romance Divas is hosting the

Not Going to Conference Conference…

The Conference You Don’t Have to Get Out of Bed For!

From July 28-31, come hang out with some terrific, savvy authors — and you don’t even have to brush your teeth (although, seriously, good dental hygiene gets you extra points.)

We’ll be hosting panels on:

The Power of Three: A crit group tell-all (Paranormal)

Crystal Jordan

Patti O’Shea

Dayna Hart/Rowan Larke

The Lolitas of STEAMED! Present Writing the Steampunk Romance -more than leather corsets and brass goggles!

Marie-Claude Bourque

Theresa Meyers

Whips, Chains, Slings, Oh My: It Really Isn’t About the Toys (BDSM Erotica)

James Buchanan

Joey Hill

The Great Big YA Panel

Rhonda Stapleton

Shannon Delany

Kiersten White

Carrie Ryan

Linda Gerber

Saundra Mitchell

Lara Zielin

Brenna Yovanoff

Register for free at Romance Divas, then come join us on the forums for the discussions, as well as some terrific prizes:
Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin:
1) erotic e-books, THE SEEKING KISS and TEMPT ME TWICE.
2) a synopsis critique in any sub-genre of erotica/erotic romance.
Jax Cassidy:
1) erotic e-books, DEVIL’S HEART and BRUSH STROKES.
2) book cover design or banner ad
Kristen Painter:
copy of her e-book, ALL FIRED UP
Rhonda Stapleton:
1) STUPID CUPID YA Book trilogy
2) a proposal critique (1st 3 chapters and synopsis) for any genre of book, romance or not
K.B. Alan:
1) The choice of one of her e-books: PERFECT FORMATION, ALPHA TURNED or BOUND BY SUNLIGHT.
2) A $25 Barnes and Noble gift card.
Robin L. Rotham: Signed copies of BIG TEMPTATION, ALIEN OVERNIGHT, and ENEMY OVERNIGHT
AJ Chase: copies of e-book CAT AND MOUSE
Inez Kelly:
1) e-book package of both MYLA BY MOONLIGHT and SALOME AT SUNRISE
2) The complete Dirty Laundry Series (3 e-novellas) co-written by Ginny Glass aka Wordsugar and Inez Kelley
Kate Pearce:
1) a three chapter ~and~ synopsis critique-any erotic romance, paranormal romance or historical romance.
2) Winners choice, in either print or e-book format (if available), of a set of the Simply series (there are 5) ~or~ a set of the Cowboys (there are 3) ~or~ a copy of KISS OF THE ROSE-readers choice.
R.G. Alexander:
Winners choice of any two e-books from her Samhain or Ellora’s Cave back list
Nadia Lee:
Critique of 1st chapter & synopsis-paranormal or contemporary romance
Shelley Munro: Winners choice of any one her backlist books from Ellora’s Cave or Cerridwen Press
Ciar Cullen: Winner’s choice of any one e-book on her website.
Voirey Linger: A copy of her e-book RISKING ETERNITY
RF Long:
1) a submission package critique (letter, synopsis and 3 chapters)
2) e-books! (details TBA)
Crystal Jordan:
1) 1st chapter and synopsis critique
2) One copy of any e-book off her Samhain backlist (http://samhainpublis…/crystal-jordan)
3) One copy of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (print or electronic, winner’s choice)
Jeannie Lin:
1) a first chapter critique, any genre
2) an official BUTTERFLY SWORDS souvenir charm
Elise Logan: Winner’s choice of any e-book from her backlist
Marguerite Labbe:
1) A critique of an m/m story
2) Signed copies of her m/m vampire trilogy MY HEART IS WITHIN YOU, HAUNTED BY YOUR SOUL and OUR SACRED BALANCE
Seeley DeBorn:
One jar of home made body or face scrub, customized to the winner’s preferences and skin type.
For example: Orange Spice Oatmeal, Coffee-Cocoa, Citrus Salt, Lavender Mint, Honey and Flax
Sela Carsen: a copy of her e-book CAROLINA WOLF
Hailey Edwards:
1) a copy of her sweet fantasy romance ebook, EVERLONG.
2) two five dollar MBaM gift cards
Charlotte McClain:
Copy of her two e-books, LOVE TO DECLARE and ROCK STAR’S RETREAT
Cynthia Justlin: (Golden Heart Finalist!) Proposal Critique (3 Chapters and synopsis)-any genre other than erotic
Lainey Bancroft:
1) signed copies of her contemporary romance, THE TROUBLE WITH TESSA and her chick lit romance COZUMEL KARMA
2) Proposal critique (3 chapters and a synopsis) any genre except Steampunk
Tina Burns-Publisher-Liquid Silver Books:
1) a critique of 1st 3 chapters & synopsis
2) 3 be-book prizes for 3 different winners! Winners choice of any one e-book download from LSB library.
Mima:
Winner’s choice of one e-book from her backlist-see her website for booklist.
Taneasha: handmade jewelry by our own Taneasha-details to come!
Barbara Sheridan:
1) Winners choice of one e-book from her backlist-see her website for booklist.
2) Critique of up to 20 pages of either M/M, or M/F romance or erotic romance in various subgenres (contemporary, historical, paranormal or suspense/mystery)
David Bridger:
A copy of his ebook BEAUTY AND THE BASTARD
Victoria Janssen:
3 print books TBA (whatever she finds at the RWA Conference)
Gemma Halliday:
Signed copy of SCANDAL SHEET
Jennifer Leeland/Jennifer McKenzie:
1) copy of her e-book MARKED FOR PLEASURE (Kindle version available upon request)
2) copy of her e-book MARKED FOR DESIRE (Releasing June 29th) (Kindle version available upon request)
3) copy of her e-books The Command Series (Trilogy)
4)copy of her BDSM e-book series (3 from TWRP and 1 from Samhain)
Emily Ryan-Davis:
1) Critique of novella-length (up to 30k) manuscript; any time period, m/f, menage, f/f (m/m not her area of expertise)
2) signed print copies of her anthology: MATING CALL, DRAGON DANCE and DRAGON BOUND
3) e-book copy of CHANGING THUMBELINA
Sabrina Darby:
1) Signed copy of her erotic historical novel, ON THESE SILKEN SHEETS
2) Critique of first thirty pages of any Regency (erotic or non erotic fine, but m/m outside my area of expertise)
Alina Morgan:
1) copy of her e-book The Twilight Deception
2) copy of her e-book The Shadow Unveiled
Debbie Mumford:
1) Critique of a synopsis
2) Winner’s choice of any e-book from her back list.
Kimberly Troutte:
1) copy of her e-book SOUL STEALER
2) copy of her e-book CATCH ME IN CASTILE
Sasha Devlin:
1 pair of hand made writing mitts or gloves-style and color TBD by the winner
Julia Knight
Winner’s choice of one copy of any of her books available in e-book format

I’m blogging today over at Paranormal Pretties. My topic is free websites and my thoughts on them. I list examples of free sites, plus the pros and cons of Blogger/ WordPress websites.

You can check it out here.

This excerpt is from Sugar Rush.

Bree saw blood soaking into the concrete, and her knees went weak. She whipped out her cellphone, punching wrong numbers with numb fingers until a man plucked it from her hand.

“I’ve already called 9-1-1,” he said in a voice she recognized for some reason. “They should be here—” The scream of sirens cut off his response.

“Thank you.” She mouthed the words since he wouldn’t hear them anyway.

Visit other Six Sentence Sunday participants on the official site

For those who asked about Dry Spell, here is the excerpt I used for the WAW challenge.

“Oh, shit.” Lightning hissed as it ping-ponged across the night sky. “Hess, get your feathered ass back here, now.”

Annalise leapt, tucked into a graceless roll seconds before a fissure split open the ground where she’d stood.

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched what looked like a grizzled bear climb from the cracked earth. It threw back its head and uttered a  roar that raised the hairs on the back of her neck and arms.

Shaking its shoulders, the beast shook several clumps of dirt to the ground. When it glanced up, its lips curled over bark-covered teeth in an eager grin.

Shit. Shit. Shit. She swallowed hard, tasted fear and smoke from the wildfire Hess had inadvertently started. Burnt ozone clogged her nose and sweat made her eyes burn. This was not how she saw her life ending, eaten by a pissed off earth elemental.

“This is the job and those are the breaks.” She almost heard Vaughn’s smug voice in her head. If she survived this, she’d kill him. He had known she wasn’t cut out to be a handler. Hell, she had known she wasn’t cut out to be a handler. The only one ignoring the obvious was her father.

Since she’d only known him a grand total of sixteen weeks, his opinion carried about as much weight with her as a sack full of feathers.

“Hestia isn’t a pet. She doesn’t love you. You’re food. Watch your own back.” More golden nuggets of Vaughn’s wisdom gave her the extra kick in the ass she needed to get back in the game.

With a harsh grunt, she huffed through regaining her feet and hit the ground running, careful to avoid the vicious traps set by local hunters. The bear uttered a pleased growl then took off at a gallop, right on her heels.

Fuck Vaughn. Hess would come for her. All she had to do was make it a few more minutes. She could do that. Sure she could. God, she hoped she could.

“Why,” Annalise screamed at the sky, “do you always have to play with your food?”

A hawkish cry meshed with furious thunder. Sonic waves rattled her eardrums, distorted her sense of direction for a second.

Sure, now Hess realized her handler was in danger. Come on, girl. End this before it ends me.

Behind her, the bear bellowed in challenge. As if she needed the reminder it was still there, closing the gap with each of its lunging strides.

“Your brain must be made of rock, too.” Annalise panted. “Otherwise, you would have run the other way when you had the chance.”

Two steps later, her foot hooked something heavy, another fucking bear trap, and she went down hard. It didn’t snap closed, thank God. Her relief lasted just long enough to register before splintered teeth sank into one ankle.

She yelped then ground her teeth together. Every involuntary jerk of her leg ripped tissue where the elemental had snapped its jaws closed over her foot.

The bear’s sandpaper tongue flicked out and muddied her leg as it tasted her. She rolled onto her side and kicked at its snout.

Desperate for a weapon, she scooped up the heavy trap. Its sharp edges sliced through her fingers, but she got the sucker up and hurled it at the bear’s skull. It bounced off and snapped shut over air.

“Hess,” she kicked at the bear while she scanned the nebulous skies, “now would be a really great time to get this thing the hell off me.”

Black clouds rumbled and churned overhead. A snarl of thunder accompanied a thick bolt of lightning as it shot towards the ground and drove through the elemental’s head.

Annalise and the bear shrieked in shared pain.

Electricity jolted her system, transferred through the foaming dampness of the bear’s mouth and right into her. Fire surged through her veins, arched her spine, and rolled her eyes backwards into darkness.

When she opened her mouth to cough or scream or something, she swore smoke curled out over her lips.

Stunned one shade dumber than she had been, the bear turned her loose. Scrambling as far as she could with her mangled ankle, she let Hess go to work.

Hess zapped the bear a few more times, playing with her damn food again, then grew bored and swooped in for the kill. The birdlike form she generally preferred, a sort of storm-cloud gray hawk, wavered as she head butted the bear then sank inside it as only a being of pure energy could.

The bear tossed its head, tried to dislodge her, then roared to no avail. Layers of caked-on dirt crumbled from the bear’s hide and brilliant light exploded from its center. It collapsed in a dusty plume with a howl of agony as Hess consumed its essence.

When the dust cleared, she uttered a pleased chirrup then made a few walking-hops forward. Inclining her regal head, she paused at Annalise’s ankle and made an inquiring sound.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Hess ignored her and picked at the blood-soaked hem of her jeans. “Hess, I said I’m fine.”

The hawk’s silver eyes narrowed. She glanced between Annalise’s shredded ankle and her face then spread one wing.

“Wait a minute,” Annalise’s mouth ran dry. “Don’t even think about it.” Hess fanned the barest tips of her feathers over Annalise’s wounds then jolted her with an anklet of electricity. “Motherf—”

Skin hissed and sizzled as the puncture wounds cauterized, and the world—thankfully—went black.

I am kind of loving this song right now. It’s moving my plot bunnies around, and we all know how much help I need in that area these days. I’m up to three books plotted and have zero interest in finishing any of them. Oy. The stress needs to stop. I can’t not write, and it sucks tossing out my 2k a day.

Okay, so–Atlanta. I know you guys were wondering why I went. It was sudden. Real sudden. Painful we’re leaving at 5am sudden. I seem to live there some weeks, which sucks since you all know how I feel about high, high things and air planes. *shudders*

Are you ready to hear this? Are you sure you’re ready? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Mom loves My Little Ponies and Webkinz. Y’all know this. That she is like the grand high mega super collector of these things?

She heard a van would be making a stop outside of ATL. If you attended the “event,” you got up to five codes per person (virtual van for your pet to drive) plus got to play games to win prizes. I know you’re thinking we used DD as our cover, but no. She was at the lake house. So it ended up being me and mom and Shawn, bobbing in sea of eager children while trying to get as many codes as we could.

It wasn’t a bad way to spend the day. I hated the drive. It’s three hours there and then three more home. It was pretty awesome to spend that time with my mom and brother, though. I forget how much fun we have together.

We got lost, found our favorite BBQ joint in the middle of freaking nowhere, had a run in with some molten corn nuggets, and laughed a lot. It was a good day. It restored my faith in several things.

It also made me think sometimes love and laughter, and family, can get you through most anything.