Okay ladies, how many of you have named your body parts? I'm guessing not too many. I call my breasts 'the girls', but haven't given them a proper moniker. As far as assigning a name to my other favorite parts, well, I've never got around to doing that. I never need to call them or have a reason to address them by name, and I don't generally introduce them to anyone.

Is this why men name their penises? Do they talk to them, and present them to people when they come out? Does it help with the self-consciousness of first-time sex, and make peeing in public less awkward? Maybe women are missing a social experience in the bathroom, by having private stalls. Men could be involved in a whole other world, standing at the urinals, getting to know each other via their sex organs.

What would I call my lovely spot should I decide it was necessary? I have enough trouble naming the characters in my stories, agonizing over the right one. I would spend hours trying to come up with the perfect name. Maybe that's why this book exists, to give men assistance in their quest. No, I didn't take a peek, it was sealed, but I'm sure it's an enjoyable read. I found this in my local 'adult toy story', and it's also available on Amazon.

 

Ahhh. Time with the girlfriends. Something that doesn't happen often enough.  It's far too easy to get caught up with work, partners, children, and all the many obligations and things we have to do. Days go by, then weeks, than months. Suddenly, we realize, we haven't seen those special women in forever. 

That was one of my resolutions for this year, to spend more time with my gal pals. I have too much fun with them to deny myself the joy of getting together in person. This evening happened rather spontaneously, much to my delight. I planned the time with my first girlfriend, then two others joined us. We were all in the right place at the right time and had a fabulous evening. 

This resolution will carry on into next year, because friends are a special treat for me, and one I plan to enjoy more often.

"Treat your friends as you do your pictures, place them in their best light." – Unknown

My winner for this event is Rennee B. Thanks, everyone, for the great comments. See you at the next event!

Most of us have both a naughty and a nice side. Sometimes, more one than the other. In my stories, the characters are often nice, but almost always at least a little naughty. That's what makes life fun!

What you can win: Your choice of one of my Ebooks 
Number of winners: One
Open to anyone who can view a PDF or US Amazon Kindle
How to enter: How about you? Tell me about a time you were either extra naughty or extra nice, and enter to win.  Leave your comment below, then hop over to another name on the list, and enter to win more prizes. 

The Naughty or Nice Giveaway Hop was organized by Nat  Reading Romances

My winner is Jean P. Congrats to you, and thanks everyone for participating.


Many of us are celebrating the end of summer. It's been a hot one here in the USA, and I welcome fall with open arms. To say goodbye to summer, let's throw one more bash.Visit The Romance Studio, and read excerpts and leave comments to enter to win.  http://trsparties.com/
I'll be hanging out, with excerpts, pictures, and other fun stuff. Hope to see you there!

Thanks to the suggestion of the delightful Lisabet Sarai, I watched the movie Fur this weekend. I'm not a big fan of fur coats, since making one involves mistreating and killing animals. The movie, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of  Diane Arbus, has plenty of animal- skin coats on display, as that was the style at the time and is a part of the movie. Once you move past that, the film is excellent.
 
Not a biography, this movie is a fictional account of photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her strange, disturbing images. When we meet her, Ms. Arbus is having some issues in her life, and the arrival of a stranger moving in upstairs spurs her to make changes.

Several things make this film a treat. The music is heavenly (I just ordered the soundtrack from Amazon. I'm a sucker for unusual music). The set design is stunning and bizarre. I'm also a sucker for big, old building with lots of nooks and crannies. (I did not just order one of those.) Most delightful, however, is the sweet, sensual relationship between Nicole Kidman (Arbus) and Robert Downy Jr., her new neighbor, who has issues of his own. Downy Jr. has the most beautiful, expressive eyes, and we get to see them a lot in this movie. Pay attention to his voice, too, and see if you don't feel your panties melting off.

 I'm not going to tell you anymore, lest I ruin it for you. Rent the film from Netflix, but first, enjoy this exceptional You Tube video, put together by SweetenThekitty96. Scenes from Fur start at about 2:40.  

How can you not want to read a book with this awesome title? It's going on my TBR pile right now. I've always wanted to read Cate Masters, and this looks like a great place to start. Here's my favorite line from her excerpt. Death is about to take a man who just had an car accident: 
" Humans always rushed everywhere, sometimes straight into her arms."
We humans do tend to rush around, and this is what happens. Chilling!

Enjoy the excerpt below, and don't forget to enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form.

Death Is A Bitch
Cate Masters

Genre: Urban fantasy/dark paranormal

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

ASIN: B008RQFJEQ

Number of pages: 113

Word Count:  43,000

Cover Artist:  LFD Designs

Decadent Publishing   Amazon  All Romance Ebooks

Book Description:

Eternity can suck when it’s all work, work, work. Death harvests souls even when they stack up faster than pancakes in an all-you-can-eat-buffet. No wonder she can’t shed the Grim Reaper rep.

As the patron angel of death and dying, Azrael works closely with Death but is dying for true intimacy. She’s the only immortal who’s ever aroused such powerful emotions in him. One taste of her leaves him needing her like humans need air and food, but will a demon’s lies leave a bad taste?

No one escapes Death – except King Sisyphus. Twice. With the help of Damien the demon, Sisyphus tries again, and she’s determined to have justice. Some say Death’s a bitch, but only when she has to be. But will the price of justice be a broken heart?


 Short Excerpt
 
Death stepped from the shadowy curtain of night along a deserted stretch of road toward the mangled hunk of cherry-red metal that used to be a sweet Z240 sports car. Stardust glinted in the black hair that dipped to her waist.

She kept a safe distance from the wreck. Inside, a thirtyish man slumped behind the wheel, the air bag deflating away from his near-lifeless body. Blood oozed from a nasty gash to his head. Should have worn his seat belt. Too late for life lessons, though. Those weren’t her expertise anyway. Just the opposite.

Leaves crackled in the underbrush beyond the nearby trees. Death gripped the silver charm bracelet on her wrist, her senses on high alert. Her finger poised near the hidden latch, ready to release a stream of lightning.

A deer. It stilled, its wide eyes fixed on her.

Seeing nothing else, she continued with a modicum of caution. Taking souls didn’t exactly make her popular, and after so many millennia, she should’ve been used to it. The bad jokes. The Halloween parodies. A scythe? Please. She’d never used cheap props. Only the finest weaponry. No mortal ever suspected the intricately designed baubles adorning her bracelet were anything more than ornamental.

Moonlight gleamed off the curves of the sports car, and she ran a gilded nail along its hood. She wouldn’t mind taking one of these babies for a spin. In its former condition, of course, before this guy took the curve too fast and wrapped it around a tree. Humans always rushed everywhere, sometimes straight into her arms.

The man’s moan signaled she had no need for weapons. This one would give her no trouble. She fingered his blond hair, matted with blood. What a shame. So young, and so handsome. He’d leave at least one lover grieving, no doubt.

His eyes fluttered open. When he looked up, recognition intensified the flicker of life in his eyes.

She needed no introduction. They always knew her, unmistakable in the glimmering black filament gown, its folds revealing a glimpse into infinity.

The stilettos usually earned a second glance, the four-inch heels glistening like fool’s gold. The butterfly tattoo spanning her upper arm likewise drew curious looks, which inevitably changed to horror when the souls recognized the face imprinted within that colorful ink: their own.

View more about Death Is A Bitch at http://catemasters.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-is-bitch-dark-paranormal.html 

Author Bio:

Cate Masters loves romance with a dash of magic and mayhem! Multipublished in contemporary to historical, sweet to erotic, fantasy/dark fantasy to speculative, she sometimes mashes genres. Reviewers have described her stories as “so compelling, I did not want to put it down,” and “such romantic tales that really touch your soul.”

When not spending time with her family, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Friend her on Facebook or Goodreads, or email her at: cate.masters AT gmail.com


Blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CateMasters

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2944596.Cate_Masters

Coffee Time Romance: http://coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cate-Masters/e/B002OBQ98A/ref=sr_tc_ep?qid=1331753999

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CateMasters 

One ebook copy of Death Is A Bitch will be given away at the end of the tour. Enter to win!

The new Kindle is out, and it looks yummy! The Fire HD comes in a 7 inch screen, an 8.9 inch screen and even a 4G version, just in time for those of you who start their holiday shopping early. (And I know you're out there!) If that weren't exciting enough, Kobo also announced a new Android tablet. Will everyone have one of these beauties soon?

I discussed this one day with a friend. She and I both own small notebooks, have full size computers, Kindles, and sort-of smart phones, but we lust after tablets. They're just so cute! After comparing the pros and cons, we came to the conclusion that until tablets come complete with word processing programs, we don't need them yet. It would be nice to combine all our devices into one, but we still like  to type on a keyboard and be able to read a screen with our tired eyes. That's one of the reasons I haven't made the switch to a fully smart phone. Yes, it's great to have a device that does everything, but not if I can't read it. 

If, however, I win a tablet in a contest one day, or someone gives me one as a gift, I'm sure I'll be hooked. Just include another pair of reading glasses in the box.

When Naomi and I arranged for me to guest on her blog, she indicated the Tuesdays were “Treat” day and that I should write about something short and sweet – whatever my idea of a treat was, or some small pleasure my characters indulged in.  Then, even as my smile was forming, she hastily added that sex was off the table.  Damn.

As most of my characters are vampires, sweet indulgences are not something they get to enjoy, although Nial, one of the heroes in Blood Knot, (http://bit.ly/g9pSw5)  attempted it with severe consequences in that book.  Which neatly reminded me of Garrett’s downfall in Blood Stone…and here I am.

Garrett, one of the heroes of Blood Stone, for some complicated reasons that are wrapped up in spoilers, needs to dive into the deep end of a bottle and escape reality for a while.  I don’t think there’s a man on planet Earth who hasn’t thought that was a good idea at least once in his life.  Once is usually all it takes for him to figure out just how stupid an idea it really is, but they all have to try it at least once, and a lot of women seem to need to try it, too.  But Garrett has developed some taste over the six centuries he’s walked the planet (I did mention he was a vampire, yes?), and he doesn’t pick just any old bottle of booze to pickle his brains with.  Oh, no.

Calum Micheil Garrett was born in 1574 in Kincardenshire, Scotland.  If you know your Scots history at all, you’ll know that Kincardine is the heart of the mighty Bruce clan, and Garrett was raise and fought as a Bruce, until he was turned in 1601. 

So when he reaches for a bottle, he naturally turns to scotch.  But not to Johnny Walker, which he calls “cheap piss”, but a sixty year old bottle of Fettercairn.

Fettercairn Distilleries were established in 1824, in Kincardinshire, and they are still making single malt scotch even today. (http://bit.ly/tZMsNr ) It’s a good bet they established their distillery methods based on the local home still recipes and methods that had been passed down from generation to generation.  If there is a scotch that could be considered a Bruce clan scotch, it would be Fettercairn.   Garrett was staying true to his roots when he cracked the seal on his bottle of Fettercairn.

It’s a pity the consequences of drinking it were so dire.

But…I would be spoiling the story to say more.  :-)

Blood Stone is my 44th title and my ninth indie book.

Nial orders Calum Garrett to get close to Hollywood producer Kate Lindenstream.  Garrett reluctantly complies for he has held himself apart from humans for centuries.  Kate doesn’t fall into Garrett’s arms, either.  She already has someone for that.  Roman Xerus -- whom Kate knows as Adrian -- and Garrett go way back to the sixteenth century Scottish highlands, but they parted bitterly two hundred years ago.

With Roman’s support, Kate battles Garrett in wills and business as he methodically forces himself into her life. However, on the closed-in movie set in the Californian desert, Garrett’s calm, orderly world crumbles for Garrett is drawn to Kate.  He has begins to experience real, human feelings.  

Kate doesn’t cooperate in the chess game Nial orchestrates, despite being unaware of the strategies swirling around her film set.  Demanding and expecting only the best for her movie, Kate’s agenda forces Roman and Garrett to work together to protect her and keep the humans around her ignorant of the Pro Libertatus, the anonymous and all-powerful vampire group who nearly killed Nial, Sebastian and Winter, and shield Kate from the excesses of the League for Humanity.  But could Roman really be with the Pro Libertatus?

There’s hidden intentions everywhere, and centuries of repressed feelings, along with at least two different groups that mean them harm.  Then there’s the rumours that Kate has found the mythical Blood Stone, the key to unlocking vampire history and lifting their curse.   Who is Kate, really?  Because once Garrett begins to notice, things about Kate don’t quite add up, either...

___

An Excerpt From: BLOOD STONE
Copyright © TRACY COOPER-POSEY, 2012
All Rights Reserved.

 

Gaining entry to the roof of The Standard wasn’t that difficult, despite the security they had in place. Garrett stripped off his jacket and loosened his tie while he searched out the coolest and shadiest corner, and settled in to wait.

He dug out the sunglasses everyone had warned him to bring to L.A., glad now he’d taken the effort. The sun truly was a killer, here. He hadn’t for a moment thought he’d spend much time outside in L.A., because he’d had wall-to-wall meetings booked.

He didn’t have to wait long. Barely ten minutes after he’d hunkered down in the shade cast by the water tower of an air conditioner, the roof access door creaked open, then thumped almost closed, up against the length of two-by-four he’d used to prop it open.

“Over here,” Garrett called.

“I can smell you,” Roman agreed. He rounded the tower, his leather jacket held over his back with one crooked finger, the wrap-around sunglasses nicely anonymous, like the endless limousines here. He stood over Garrett. “Jesus, Calum,” he swore and shoved his hand into his pocket. It made his biceps ripple, and his shoulder with the tattoos flex. Just the sight of the tattoos on his shoulders, so familiar to him, bought an odd ache to Garrett’s chest.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” Roman demanded.

Garrett got to his feet. “And it’s nice to see you, too, Roman. What are you passing as at the moment, anyway?”

Roman dropped his coat and tore his glasses off, but the effect was lost when, despite the shade, he had to wince and wait for his eyes to adjust. He glared at Garrett, his hand clenched around the glasses. “What the fuck do you care?” he said, his voice low. “And besides, doctrine says if you haven’t been introduced to me by humans, I don’t get to tell you. Find out the hard way. I’m not a fucking famous financial jerk this century.”

Garrett took off his own glasses and everything righted itself. Colours and vision properly enhanced. He hated sunglasses, but sometimes they were a necessary evil. He pulled his tie off. Outside, without air-conditioning, it was an unnecessary layer, even though neither of them was particularly bothered by the heat.

“Why all the anger?” he asked softly. “I did what we agreed. I stayed away. You’re as big a surprise to me as I am to you, today.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed. Thoughtful, or suspicious. Garrett knew that look of old, and it gave him another strange little jerk, low down in his abdomen.

“I’m not here for you,” Garrett stressed.

Roman’s jaw rippled. “Then what the fuck are you doing with Kate? You’re jerking her around.”

Garrett sighed. “I can’t say.”

Roman half laughed, half snorted in disbelief. “Since when could you not tell me anything?

Garrett grimaced. “I can’t tell you this.”

The humour in Roman’s eyes faded. “What are you into?” he breathed.

Anger touched him. Garrett clenched his jaw. “You know, you can’t just rock back into town after a hundred and seventy-nine years and expect to pick up where you left off. Things change, Roman. Times change.”

“You haven’t,” Roman said flatly. “You might be wearing Armani, but you’re still fiery Calum Micheil Garrett of the mighty Bruce clan, and even now your hand is resting next to the hilt of your broadsword, because you’re on the defensive.”

Garrett dropped his right hand down so it was hanging fully extended, annoyed that Roman had noticed the old instinct. Of course Roman would. He’d lived through those times, too.

Roman gave a small, almost silent laugh in reaction.

“I don’t suppose ye’re about to tell me why you’re hanging about the lovely Ms. Lindenstream, then?” Garrett challenged Roman. He winced. His brogue had emerged thicker than he normally allowed. Roman was pushing his buttons, unravelling his discipline.

Roman’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, I didn’t just rock up here at all. I was already here. This is my town, Calum. You’re the invader.”

“I take that as a ‘no,’ then.”

“I’d do that,” Roman replied evenly. He put the heavy sunglasses back on and picked up his jacket. “You’re not going to back away from Kate, are you?” His tone made it not a question.

“I can’t,” Garrett replied truthfully.

“I can’t give you free rein. It wouldn’t look right, even if I wanted to.”

Garrett sighed, as potential meanings and implications occurred to him. “Is she...important to you, Roman?”

The protective sunglasses were hiding Roman’s eyes from Garrett, and his eyes were one way Garrett most often could spot the real truth behind Roman’s layers of protective shielding. So Garrett knew he was about to be handed either a flat-out lie or a prevarication.

Roman glanced away, toward the roof access door.

Escape, Garrett realized.

“I guess you’ll just have to figure that out along with my name for this century,” Roman said, hoisting the jacket over his forearm. He turned to go, his whole body tight with the need to move. Garrett could see the tension in the ripple of tendons and muscles in his arms, the tight turn of his hips.

“I’ll protect her,” Garrett said. “She won’t be harmed.”

Roman swivelled slowly back to face Garrett again. He took off the glasses once more. “Those sorts of games?” he asked quietly. He stepped closer. “Jesus Christ and all his saints preserve us, what have you embroiled her in, Mikey lad?”

It took Garrett a moment to understand Roman’s second question, because his voice had grown hoarse and guttural. Then Garrett realized: Roman had switched to Medieval Greek, the Greek of his childhood.

He’d let down his guard for one shocked moment.

“English, Roman,” Garrett murmured.

Roman drew in a sharp, surprised breath and pushed the sunglasses back on in a defensive, recovering gesture. He tilted his head in enquiry at Garrett.

“There are forces in play you don’t know about,” Garrett told him. “That’s as much as I can say.”

“Forces,” Roman said flatly. He considered Garrett a moment longer. Then he smiled. “Well, those forces haven’t met me, yet. And you just made sure I’m never leaving Kate’s side.”

“I said she would be safe. I meant it. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Before today?” Roman shot back.

Garrett bent to pick up his own jacket and tie, to hide the petty hurt he knew would show in his eyes.

“Besides,” Roman added. “There’s more to Kate than meets the eye. Don’t underestimate her.”

Garrett straightened up.

Roman had gone.

Garrett headed for the roof access door himself, not trying to catch up with Roman. The meeting was over and to be seen together in public would be dangerous. They had to return to their allotted roles now.

And Garrett had to report in to Nathanial. This was a turn of events that would create some ripples of concern.

As he walked down the echoing iron stairs, Garrett heard a whispering echo of his mother’s voice. It was a memory from when he was a child, and because it was a human memory, it was faded and fragmented. But he caught the sense-impression of a cottage, bright with summer light and the smell of bread baking. His mother stitching one of his shirts as he sat impatiently waiting for it so he could go out and play with friends who were outside, rolling in the grass. “Be slow choosing a friend, Calum Micheil,” she had intoned in her thick burr, “but slower in changing him.”

It had been nearly four hundred years since Roman had become a friend.

Was it time to rid himself of a bad habit once and for all?

BLOOD STONE is the second book in the Blood Stone series

BLOOD STONE is the sequel to BLOOD KNOT.

It is a Plus-sized Novel.

WARNING:  This book contains two hot, sexy alpha heroes, frequent, explicit and frank sex scenes and sexual language.
It includes heart-stopping sexual scenes between the aforementioned sexy heroes, menage scenes, anal sex and the use of sex toys.  Don't proceed beyond this point if hot love scenes offend you.
No vampires were harmed in the making of this novel.

___

Blood Stone is the second book in my best selling vampire romance series.  It will be on sale on September 14, if not a bit before then. 

The good news?  The first book in the series, Blood Knot, is my #1 best seller, was the Winner of the Coffee Time Reviewer’s Recommended Award, was listed as one of Goodread’s “Most Drool-worthy Covers“, nominated for Erotic Vampire Book of the Year by The Romance Reviews, and received a CAPA Nomination for Best Paranormal Book of the Year by The Romance Studio, December, 2011, among many glowing and rave reviews.  If you’re curious about Blood Knot, you can read more here:  http://bit.ly/g9pSw5. 

The really good news?  On the 14th, when Blood Stone is released, Blood Knot drops down to $0.00 for three days of free downloading at Amazon.

Bookmark Blood Knot on Amazon now:  http://amzn.to/hcrCCf

And bookmark Blood Stone on my website, so you can jump to the Amazon link the day it goes live:  http://bit.ly/TrCuWv

If you want a reminder on the 14th to go get your free book, sign up to my blog’s RSS feed, or to the email feed, or to my newsletter.

____

Tracy Cooper-Posey writes romantic suspense, hot erotic paranormal and urban fantasy romances. She has published over 40 novels since 1999, been nominated for 5 CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award. 

She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated three times for Book Of The Year.   She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at Grant MacEwan University. 

She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together.  In her spare time she enjoys sewing, history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.  

You can find her site at http://www.TracyCooperPosey.com.

It is indeed a treat to have Tracy Cooper-Posey on my blog today! Thank you so much, Tracy, for joining us. Readers, Tracy is giving away an Ebook copy of BANNOCKBURN BINDING, which is the first book in her vampire time travel series, Beloved Bloody Time.  Details here:   http://bit.ly/QKSdh7  To enter, leave a comment, and tell us your favorite drink, alcoholic or otherwise. We'll draw a winner on September 30th.

 Realmantic Moments is throwing a different kind of party, an Author Liking Party. Lila Munro talks about the importance of hitting that "Like" button on Amazon and All Romance Ebooks, and she also has some great prizes to give away. A Godiva gift basket, anyone? Join us at the party. Answer two questions correctly, and you'll be entered to win.

  http://realmanticmoments.blogspot.com/p/fall-into-reading-author-liking-party.html

What better way to show affection to those we love than with a kiss. Wikipedia defines a kiss as "...the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object." It goes on to say kissing requires coordination of 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles. Wow, what a great workout for our face!

Different cultures have different ways to smooch, and a kiss can express sentiments other than affection, such as respect, greeting, and friendship. The romantic kiss is a favorite, and has been portrayed through the ages in paintings and movies. We love our passionate heroes, consumed with desire, bestowing a fiery kiss on the object of their affection.

Give someone a smooch today, whether it's your loved one, your child, you pet or even yourself.