The Dynamic Trio - Blog

I got my last pass pages/final look through on Undercover today. It’s so pretty I can’t quite believe it. This book has been designed so well, I’m thrilled with the job Berkley did on everything from the font choices to the cover. I can’t wait to see the final product!

So how about an excerpt?

UNDERCOVER BY LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2008, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, The Penguin Group US
Releasing December 2

People scurried out of the way, keeping their eyes down as Sera Ayers stalked into the squat gray building on the outskirts of the city. Single-mindedly, she made her way through the myriad of nondescript hallways at the Federation United Forces. Anger coursed through her as she walked, her boots sounding a muffled thud, thud, thud on the laminate floors.

Halting at the sub-commander’s door, she slammed a fist into it several times. Her hand hurt but she felt a bit better for the small violence of it.

“Enter!”

She opened the door and went inside. Noting little more than the fact that two men were seated before Commander Yager’s desk, she opened her mouth to speak.

“Whoa! What’s so damned important that you nearly knocked my fucking door down?” Sub-Commander Yager bellowed before she could say anything.

“I just got your summons. You’ve reassigned me! That’s my problem! I’m the best you have out there. My team is good, damn it!” She shoved a hand through her hair, not caring that she probably looked like a curly porcupine.

“Sera,” Yager sighed, gesturing to the men in the chairs, “you have a new team. This is Commander Ash Walker and Para-Commander Brandt Pela.”

At the mention of the names, a roar of white noise filled her ears. In what felt like slow motion, Sera turned and looked into the face of a man she knew all too well many years before. “Ash.”

The palest blue eyes she’d ever seen gazed up at her. Eyes she’d given herself to as he was above her and below her. Eyes that had held her down as he’d bound and collared her to his will. Eyes that had haunted her for the last ten years.

It all crashed down on her, the world began to close in and she fought with iron will to hold back the impending breakdown. She fisted her hands to stop them from trembling.

“Sera, you’re looking well.” Ash smiled, his posture relaxed as if she’d been an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. It appeared he wasn’t affected at all by her presence. Prick.

“Ash?” Sera said sweetly.

He cocked his head. “Yes?”

“Fuck you,” she snarled, landing a solid right hook to his jaw.

…and it was so danged funny I thought I’d post it here today.

In HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 (coming this Tuesday, July 29th, by the way) our heroine happens to be a culinary whiz who keeps one of our favorite vampires in dessert heaven (and that’s both in and out of bed – woohoo!). Well, it got me to thinking about some of my own culinary experiences.

As most of you know, both my daughter and I are total geniuses in the kitchen. My speciality is…actually that’s hard ‘cause I’m pretty good at cooking just about anything. My daughter’s specialty is baking and Japanese food.

But I’m still at a total loss. I’m not the Dessert Diva or anything but this is beyond believable. SOMEONE ACTUALLY SCREWED UP BANANA PUDDING! How do you possibly mess up something so wonderfully delicious and simple as banana pudding?

Yes, people, it has happened to me. I went to a potluck and one of the dishes I looked forward to after the typical spaghetti, stringbean casserole and chili (you know, typical potluck food) was, you guessed it, the banana pudding.

Basically, you just take some vanilla pudding and layer it in a casserole dish with vanilla wafers, or savory ginger snaps if you’re so inclined. Top it off with some whipped cream and toss it in the fridge to chill. Tadaaa! Banana pudding at it’s finest.

So, I can’t figure out how this particular batch tasted like burned tires on a hot summer day layered over some freshly tarred blacktop. Gack! I won’t say who made it ‘cause if she reads this blog, she’ll kill me, especially since she thinks it tasted more like melted crayons with a bit of vanilla stirred in and she’ll be upset that I used my own analogy.

Then, there was the girl’s night out I held at my house one evening. A bowl of potato salad showed up…and it tasted like steamed cabbage without the steamed bit. Now, uh, since the only ingredients in potato salad is potatoes, spices and a bit of mayo, where the heck did the cabbage thing come from since there was no cabbage in it?

So, have you ever encountered a dish that you believed was impossible to get wrong? More nosily (I just can’t help it, I’ve gotta know ;D) have you personally done a dish that you knew how to really prepare well…only to have it come out like you’d made it in someone elses kitchen with a blindfold on?

I’ve gotta have feedback on this one! And feel free to provide recipes ;D

TJ

We’re in the airport on the way home. Even with our flight delayed I couldn’t be happier to be on my way back to Colorado. And it’s not because I think Colorado is so fabulous (can’t stand the place) but…MY BED IS THERE! I totally loved vacation but there’s no place like your own home, your own bed, your own bathroom, your own kitchen, etc.

I saw that Lauren has a new book called FATED - be sure to pick it up. The Cascadia Series rocks! Shelley also has some pretty cool things hitting the shelves, too. I love her Middlemarch Mates series.

And for me, it’s 5 days and counting until HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 comes along! Can’t wait!!!

My plane will be boarding shorly, so I’m off to gather all my crap together. I pack like I”m going on a month-long trip or something - geesh, who needs so many clothes for a one week trip? Anyway, catch ya’ll later ;D

TJ

With Hatsept Heat coming on Tuesday, needless to say I went to sleep thinking about it. And after waking from the most delicious and decadent dream of me and a vamp right out of the pages of one of my Vampire Council of Ethics books, I rolled over in appreciation of air conditioning and thought…what the hell was I thinking to book a vacation in Florida in July? My god, it’s so freakin’ hot here I swear I’m tempted to put ice down my drawers just to cool off a bit.

Unfortunately my daughter got sick yesterday. We think it’s something she ate the day before, but he poor thing was throwing up and had a high fever. I’m glad she’s cool this morning because last night she was so hot I was concerned we’d have to take her to a hospital, which is no fun when you’re AT home, let alone AWAY from home in a city you’re not familiar with.

I’m getting ready to run to the airport to pick up a friend of mine I haven’t seen in years. She’s lives on this coast in South Carolina so she’s flying down to hang out with us for a couple of days. My kids are WAY excited to see her again. If I can talk her into taking some picture I’ll put them up when I get home. Oh, and want to hear the dumbest thing ever? We’re on vacation and NONE of us brought a camera, so we’re reduced to using the ones on our phones. LOL!

See you later,

TJ

PS - Thank you to all of you who sent me notes after reading the TJ On A Tangent newsletter. This has been a really challenging half-a-year for me. I’m looking forward to the second half with some serious renewed hope ;D

You haven’t seen an issue of TJ On A Tangent in quite a while, but it’s coming on July 15th with new articles, sneak peeks into the new novel I’ve just contracted with Ellora’s Cave, news on the new Vampire Council of Ethics books coming next month, a cool summer recipe and something very catty.

Get in on the fun by subscribing. And we will never, ever give out your e-mail addy so be assured you’ll get no spamming from this quarter (grrrr, I hate spammers!)

Happy Wednesday!

TJ

First of all, I finished Relentless this morning! The song above, Pearl Jam’s cover of The Who’s Love Reign O’er Me was my theme song for yesterday and this morning as I wrapped up. Yay! I’ll start editing it tomorrow. I’m super happy with it right now. We’ll see how I am once I do the entire read through though. Each book is like a mini lifetime. This book gave me some fits but I think it turned out really well and I’m beginning to realize sometimes it’s the hardest books to write that I end up liking the most.

And secondly, Megan Hart and I sold the follow up to Taking Care of Business to Black Lace! This one is called No Reservations and it follows Leah and Kate to Las Vegas with Brandon and Dix on their heels. It’ll be out in the UK in September of 09 and the US in November of 09.

I’m blogging over at the Samhain Publishing weblog to celebrate the new release of Serati’s Flame in PRINT! Squeeeeee!

Skip on over the Samhain and pay me a visit ;D

TJ

44,517 / 90,000 (49.5%)

Relentless - I’m at the halfway point.

I spent most of yesterday, from about 3 am on, dealing with a puking three year old. Man was she miserable and I hate when they’re so sick and you can’t help them other than to wipe faces and rub backs. Poor sweetie pie. She’s better now, thank goodness. On Wednesday my middle kiddo woke up at 4 am with this same thing. He was so sick he missed the kindergarten field trip to the zoo.

I’m still exhausted from next to no sleep. You know I got like tiny bits of mother sleep, not quite deep enough because I was attuned to her every sound. We had the barf bucket in bed with us even. So glamorous.

All I know is I’m hella relieved I’m not sick and it seems to have bypassed my oldest but my husband got his share, only he’s away from home so it’s worse for him.

I missed Battlestar Galactica last night. I’ll have to catch it on the web at Sci Fi. I actually have a good excuse, I was writing.

I’ve been over at Novelspot this week talking about my personal journey from two lines in the window until right now.  It’s funny, writing it all out over the week, bit by bit only makes me feel luckier about where I am and what I do.

If you’re interested it starts with:

Two Lines in the Window
Building My House Brick By Brick
With a Little Bit of Fairy Dust
But Sometimes Your Bag of Fairy Dust Gets Low
Patience Perseverance and Planning
Okay The House Is Built, what’s Next

Tomorrow I’ll finish up with a little primer on navigating the authorial waters but these entries above are my journey from there to here.

I’m totally dancing on air right now (look out below!) - remember the contemporary older woman/younger man story I told you about? It was my first contemporary and I was feeling a bit insecure about it. It’s the first time I’ve written a book without the paranormal element and boy did it feel weird not to have vamps, shifters, weres and spirit guides running around trying to take over the story.

I submitted said story to both my pubs. One didn’t like it at all, the other loved it! So with a few tweaks to the plot, a bit more suspense and some (u-hem) grammar correction, I can now announce that the book, CARAMEL KISSES, has been sold to Ellora’s Cave! YAY!!!!

Contracts are in the mail and I’ll be putting a blurb and excerpt up on my website soon on the Sneak Peek page.

Oh goodness, I almost forgot to tell you what the story is about - it’s the story of a woman named Sydni Cannes. She’s an executive, high rolling, six-figure babe who’s worked her butt off not only to make it in life, but to put her younger sister through school. Well, Syd has had less than stellar luck in the ‘guy’ department and has simply buried herself in work and responsibilities instead. She isn’t a man hater, but simply doesn’t want to deal with Mr. Right, Mr. Right Now or Mr. Warm Pulse. A life without the drama is simply fine with her. Well, that and her trusty B.O.B.

Thankfully her younger sister knows Syd is missing out on enjoying the companionship she deserves. So what does she do? She talks her Syd into letting her hair down for a night. The result? Sydni lands in jail! Low and behold, her knight in shining armor come to bail her out is none other than a co-worker she’s been avoiding like the plague. Yes, Drew has come to save her from the humiliation of the county clink. Gorgeous as all get out, the man is too charismatic by half, too damned good looking, several shades too light and…eight years her junior! All wrong! Hell, if Sydni didn’t know better, she’d think it was all planned from the beginning…

Stay tuned… *tj giggling like a kid in a candy shop with a million dollars to spare!*