a Friday funny

Happy 4th of July! Pictures, Images and Photos

Scariest July 4th greeting EVER!

whoo-hoo!!! (& drink of the month)

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Before we get to our Drink of the Month, I just have to share the news that REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT is currently #23 on the New York Times Bestseller list!

Ohmigod!  Ohmigod!  Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo!

I realize, of course, that I didn’t have a heck of a lot to do with this.  Only a handful of people—most of them our very own Darlings of The Dungeon, I would guess —probably bought the book because my name was on it, but I was in the room when the magic happened, so I’m going to step up & take at least part of the credit.  One quarter?  One-sixth?  One-eighteenth?  Well, it’ll be something, anyway.  You just see if I don’t!

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h4 Pictures, Images and Photos

The Firecracker

1/2 oz. tequila

1/2 oz. Goldschlager

1/2 oz. Rumple Minze

This is another easy shooter recipe that adds a “pop” to a Fourth of July celebration. It may be a temptation to substitute a different cinnamon schnapps, but resist temptation. The gold flakes lend to the popping firecracker effect that makes this shooter such a fun choice for the holiday.

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a shot glass to serve.

get well Wednesday

Word of the Week: WWJKD — What Would James Kirk Do?  When stuck in a life-threatening, impossible situation with no realistic plausible means of escape, only a plan thought up by James “Jim” Kirk would work.

I am Awesome Pictures, Images and Photos

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I don’t know if many of you realize this, but our own Darling Pam had surgery late last week, so I thought it might be nice to throw her a great big Get Well party, Dungeon-style.

PhotobucketAnd,  yes, she is a gigantic Star Trek/James Kirk/all-things-sci-fi fan, thus the very special Word of the Week.  But please don’t hold that against her.   She also loves Firefly & Buffy the Vampire Slayer, & has a wicked funny sense of humor, so we have to let the other stuff slide.

And so, this is for you, Pam, with best wishes for a speedy recovery:  Get Well Pictures, Images and Photos


get well soon kitty Pictures, Images and Photos

get well2 Pictures, Images and Photos

get well Pictures, Images and Photos

Get Well Soon Pictures, Images and Photos

Get Well Soon Pictures, Images and Photos

ill zombie friend Pictures, Images and Photos

thumbs up for REAL MEN

So far, all of the feedback I’m seeing for REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT is really positive.  Readers, it seems, are loving the collection.  (Whoo-hoo! )

But I just have to share a snippet from one of the reviews on Amazon, ’cause it makes me smile really wide & bounce a little on the balls of my feet.

“Wanted: A Real Man” by Heidi Betts

Ten years ago, Claire broke up with the man she loved in order to pursue a dream. That dream has now become a nightmare when her ex-husband kidnaps her daughter. Turning to the only man she trusts, Claire has to come clean—not only has her ex kidnapped her daughter, but he has taken Linc’s child as well. When Linc finds out the truth, he is livid, and understandably so. However, he will find his child—and that is a promise.

I couldn’t help but watch and wait with wide open eyes as to what Linc would do when Claire told him that he had a child. I knew he would be angry—who wouldn’t? I knew he would want to help but I never realized that he would still love Claire. While his treatment of Claire was often heavy handed, I knew that Linc’s emotions were on the edge. His heart still loved Claire and he showed her exactly how much.

A fan of Heidi Betts because of her Silhouette releases, I am happy to see her branching out in a more erotic venue. “Wanted: A Real Man” is fantastic. New readers will be happy to add Ms. Betts to their automatic buy lists for sure!

Real Men Last All Night is a definite must read. Mischievous, sexy, dominant, and scorching hot, each novella will leave you aching to read more from these four gifted authors!

Thank you, Natalie!

oops, I did it again

I didn’t realize it until I was putting together my guest blog for Naughty & Spice last week, but I completely forgot to do a fun little lead-in to the release of REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT.

Yes, I know, the half-naked cop pictures were fun.   But they weren’t all of what I’d planned.

Knowing how forgiving my Darlings of The Dungeon are, however, I know you won’t mind the slight tardiness & wi’ll still appreciate the humor in it.

And look at it this way:  If you haven’t picked up your copy of REAL MEN yet, this may very well convince you to run full-speed to your nearest bookstore to do so.

happy Sunday

Mistress Heidi & I are having a bit of a lazy day.  It was a very busy weekend, so we’re spending today just kinda catching up.  (On sleep & TV & the like. )

But if you have any Super Sunday news you’d like to share, feel free!

And before we return to something really fun tomorrow—at least I think it is —we are leaving you with these happy greetings to brighten up your day!

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sexy Saturday

I saved the best for last…

hot cop Pictures, Images and Photos

a Friday funny

Cop Humor Pictures, Images and Photos

Cop - PANTIES! Pictures, Images and Photos

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P.S. I’m guest blogging about REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT & LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT over at Naughty & Spice today.  Under discussion—what qualities are required for men to be considered “real”/hero material.

Oh, yeah, & I’m giving away free books!  So hustle your butt over there to put in your two cents’ worth.

a lazy day

Well, I played hooky yesterday & went shopping. But not just shopping-shopping…flea market shopping. It was very hot, lots of walking, dealing with crowds, & apparently the fact that farmers were cutting hay every five feet wreaked havoc with my allergies.

So even though I thought I’d be up to putting together a post for today…I totally am not.  Too tired.  Too still fighting a sore throat & headache.  Oh, yeah, & I’ve also got a bunch of guys at the house (sadly, not in the good way ) working on a home improvement project.  (Only time will tell if it actually ends up improving the home, of course. *snork*)

I hope you’ll forgive me for not being my highly entertaining self this week as much as usual (*double snork*), but perhaps this consolation prize will alleviate your feelings of abandonment…

happy thursday Pictures, Images and Photos

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P.S. Mark your calendars because I’m guest blogging tomorrow at Naughty & Spice. Will be chatting about REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT & LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT, what makes a “real man,” & giving away free books. Who wants to miss that?!?

what a difference a weekend makes

Grey unicorn Pictures, Images and PhotosWord of the Week: Manicorn — a mythical male creature who is successful (read: pursuing his passion and can pay his electric bill/rent), funny, chivalrous, masculine (read: not chauvinistic), adventurous, artistic (read: not suicidal).

For example: All of the heroes in my novels are manicorns.

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Pulling Hair Emoticon Pictures, Images and PhotosDid you ever have one of those days, weeks, or—God forbid—months when nothing seems to go right, every time you turn around another crisis is cropping up, & you think that if one more thing gets piled on your already over-burdened plate, you might just start screaming & never stop?

Last week was like that for me.  It was just “one of those weeks.”  I was battling back & forth with my agent about titles for a new project, & we just were not seeing eye to eye.  Neither of us was even being argumentative, we Question Mark Pictures, Images and Photossimply had two different visions for the same story & couldn’t seem to find a middle ground.  He didn’t like any of the titles I suggested, & I didn’t like any of his.  We must have exchanged fifty e-mails, all riddled with big, giant question marks.

sad cat Pictures, Images and Photos

Then, every time I turned around, another of my cats cropped up with an infection or inflammation of some sort.  I’m not sure what possessed me to start taking urine samples to the vet to be tested, but I’m glad I did because something showed up every single time…with no outward symptoms that I ever would have noticed otherwise.

And then, of course, there was the prerequisite laundry list of one-thing-after-another.  All the minor stuff that makes your head want to explode.

But then Friday 5pm came & I realized no more business-oriented stuff would be happening until Monday, & three of the kitties had vet appointments on that day, as well, so I’d have the chance to talk to the doctor in person about what the heck was going on with them.  Deep breath.  Whew. Never had a weekend been so welcome.  I made myself block out all the minutia & relax.  I read a little, slept a little, & got a little writing done on my novella.

And then…Monday morning.  Back to the salt mine & possibly back to the stress-mill.  But like Annie, I always believe that “the sun will come out tomorrow.”  Sometimes it just takes one good night’s sleep for things to right themselves & for formerly stressful issues to work themselves out.

Which is, thankfully, exactly what happened.  First e-mail of the day with my agent resulted in a project title we were both happy with.  I suspect we each settled a little (LOL), but at least we finally came to a meeting of the minds.

Then it was off to the vet, where he outlined what may or may not be going on with the cats.  None of the symptoms that usually go scaredy cat Pictures, Images and Photoswith serious health issues are present, so he’s leaning toward…get this…stress.  (Two of the kitties are very high-strung, jumping at every noise or sudden movement.)  I’m not entirely thrilled with that diagnosis & we’ll be keeping an eye on them, but at least I’m no longer worried about all of the other possible causes that were going through my head.  (Do you think I can get therapy or stress relief CDs for them?

Which means that in a matter of only two days, all of the things that had been driving me crazy disappeared. happy dance Pictures, Images and Photos

And to top it all off, this week also contained a book release!!! REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT is finally here, finally available, finally ready for all of you to read & enjoy & go ga-ga over.  (Well, I’m hopeful, anyway. )  That is definitely enough to overshadow any of the bad stuff.

So, see, a weekend really can make a difference.  Thank God one comes at the end of every week!

on sale now–REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT!!!

Happy release day!

REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT is officially ON SALE NOW!!! So if you’ve been waiting to get your hands on this hot, steamy, s-s-s-sizzling anthology, get thee to a bookstore ASAP!

And what better way to celebrate REAL MEN’s release than with this awesome promotion created by St. Martin’s Press.

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The image is clickable—go ahead, try it!—& links to a very cool website called She Loves Hot Reads, where there’s a positively fabulous REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT quiz you just have to take!  Trust me, it’s a blast.

So click on the graphic & take the quiz to find out who your REAL MAN is…then go out & pick up your hot-off-the-presses copy of REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of Linc & Claire, & will expect reports—&, of course, gushing reviews —just as soon as you’ve had a chance to read this terrific anthology.

(Yeah, I’m a little biased…so sue me. )

question of the week

wedding hair Pictures, Images and PhotosSo last week, I went to the salon for a tune-up.  You know, those regular trips to hair care professionals for an oil change (a.k.a. re-hiding of the roots) & detailing (a.k.a. trimming of the split ends).

For the past year or so, I’ve had a short, curly, asymmetrical cut that I really, really liked.  But I get bored ever so easily.  I’m ready for a change, & I think I want to go straight.

dilbert Pictures, Images and PhotosI’ve never had straight hair in my life.  I’ve always been naturally curly.  Not always attractively naturally curly—my dad used to tease me about combing my hair with a wagon wheel, & I often resembled that female character in the Dilbert cartoons (yep, there I am on the right, the one in the middle)—but curly nonetheless.

Only recently, though, have I considered taking the plunge into chemical straightening.  I’m kind of afraid to go through with it because there’s sort of no going back once I do.  Well, I guess it would grow out eventually, but it will take a long time to grow out that much hair.  And what if my hair never grows back as curly as it was before?  I really like my natural curl, even if I’m bored with it at the moment.

Since I’m terribly on the fence about the whole thing, my hairdresser temporarily straightened my hair with a hot iron & told me to live with it for a couple days, see what I think.  She says she thinks I’d like straight hair—it’s a lot less work & looks much sleeker & healthier than curly hair.  (Her words, not mine.)

And this is Roxanne Spencer, lead singer for Falling From Grace. XP Pictures, Images and PhotosAnd here’s the thing…I like it.  A lot.  Not the cut; straightened, the cut is horrible.  But because I want to start growing my hair out from the short, asymmetrical thing, she only trimmed the bare minimum & it doesn’t lend itself very well to the short, sleek, & straight look.  If I let her take her scissors to it, though—a la Victoria Beckham—I think it would look awesome.

So now I’m thinking, Wow, okay, I could totally live with hair like this. But I’m still torn.

I’m definitely going to let it grow out quite a bit, so I’ve got time to decide, but what do you think I should do?  Should I take the plunge & go chemically straight, or live in fear & stick with my natural curls?

super Sunday

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Thank you for joining us last week for our fabulous REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT guest blog.  How exciting to have so many terrific authors all in the same place to talk about the anthology, huh?  I, for one, was very impressed.

Which brings me to the first order of business today…prizes!  I promised to give away my two Advance Reading Copies of REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT, & the handy-dandy number generator (also known has Harley Doodle Betts, who loves nothing more than jumping into a pile of balled-up pieces of paper ) has chosen our winners…

MySpace Smiley Sign Generator

Mary!!! & Pat L.!!!

Congratulations, ladies!  Please contact me with you full names & mailing addresses & I’ll get your books (autographed by Yours Truly, at least ) out to you as soon as I can.

So what else is on the list for happy dancing this week?

Well, I’ve had a couple of moments recently that made me fear my brain might explode & leak out my ears, but they seem to be passing.

One thing I’m happy to know is that we’ve got a title for the Lori Foster benefit book now.  It’s going to be called THE GIFT OF LOVE, which goes so well with the two previous collections, THE POWER OF LOVE & TAILS OF LOVE.

BLACK SQUIRREL Pictures, Images and PhotosAnd something that may not impress you guys, but has me so excited, I want to wet my pants…  I spotted a black squirrel in the feeder one day this week.  Just woke up, opened the blinds, & there he was.

I’m so happy.  I love my birds & squirrels & chipmunks, but have only ever had the usual gray & red variety (of squirrels) before.  Never have I seen a black squirrel in my yard or in our neighborhood.  And I feed them!  Most people try to keep squirrels out of their bird feeders, but I buy peanuts & other special treats just to lure them in.  The cats love them—they think it’s their favorite channel on CAT TV —but I get a huge kick out of them, too!

I only saw the Cajun guy once (yes, that’s what I’ve named him), but I sure hope he’s still out there, safe & sound.  And I hope he comes back again soon so I can ooh & ahh some more!

And that, sad as it is, pretty much tops the list this week.  Squirrels, new titles, & giving away books.  Almost more excitement than one girl can take!

So now it’s your turn!  Regale us with what you’ve got to be grateful for or in celebration of this week.

sexy Saturday

SEXY COP Pictures, Images and Photos

Oooh, officer…is that a night stick in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

a Friday funny

Funny Cop Pictures, Images and Photos

bike vs. cop Pictures, Images and Photos