Hi Ya

According to my mother, I was born behind (three weeks overdue), so it should be no surprise to ya'll that I haven't posted a blog update since August. *Sigh* I was one of those kids in high school who always showed up late to class with a armload of loose, crushed, and crumpled papers because I'd left my binder at home. Rather than trying to cram five months of updates into one post I'll give ya'll a nutshell version of what's happening with my tardy self and tell you what I've got planned for 2010.

First, I'd like to congratulate the winners of my First Ever Reed Contest. They were Miss Mahola Donna and Amber from the Magic Yahoo Group. Both are long time readers of mine, so a big congrats to both of these lovely ladies. A huge thanks to everyone who participated and gave their votes. Seth has officially been voted the next Reed character to get a story of his own. When that story will make its debut is another question. It's in the outline stages, but I have several contract pieces I have to get out before I can get started. After that, the Reed murder and mayhem will commence.

Speaking of contract pieces, I've had five releases since I last blogged. I know, I know. Bad writer. Bad. I could offer all kinds of excuses about madness, pestilence, and one really bad wiener dog, but I think I'll just tell ya'll what I wrote instead.

The first is a charity short called Do Over, all proceeds of which will benefit the Matthew Shepherd foundation. Do Over is about a guy who's given a second chance at life after a near fatal diagnosis of leukemia. The focus of the story is how he uses that second chance. It's a quick read; it's super cheap; and it's all for charity so I hope ya'll will come out and show the love.

My second release is a novella in the Here, Kitty, Kitty anthology called Beckett's Pride. The book also features stories by the fabulous Jordan Lane and the unstoppable team of Jamie Booth and Kit Zheng. I was so honored to be in a book with these three ladies. As you can probably guess from the title, all these stories feature cat shifters. Mine's about an exiled white lion who finds himself in the company of a werewolf with issues. This is actually the kick off of a new series for me, so drop me a line and let me know what you think about it.

Number three was a booger. I'm not going to lie. I thought I was never going to get this damned story written. It's called The Five of Wands (based on the Tarot) and the SOB almost killed me. I think I'm going to have a soft spot for these characters forever because I spent untold hours staring at the blank screen of death, begging them to work with me. So funny because in its simplest definition, the five of wands is about hassles, disagreements, conflicts, and irritations: if the road is full of blocks, potholes, and detours, that's the five of wands. By the time I finished writing about the trials and tribulations of Dr. Travis Gordiani and his sparring partner-turned- lover Dr. Jeremy Bowman, I was firm believer in the power of that little card.

The fourth story (much to my relief) flowed much more smoothly. It's a novella called The Manny, and it's sort of my answer to all those secret baby stories I used to steal off my mother's bookshelf when I was a teenager. It's about two guys who pretty much hate each other until a pretty little miss in Pampers steals both their hearts. I had so much fun with this story. Oh the memories it brought back.

The last story was also a hoot to write, but for a different reason: I got to explore my dark side. It's called The Taste of You, and it's vampire urban fantasy romance. In the interest of full disclosure, I want to say upfront that a couple of readers have complained that it's too short. I agree completely, but you should know that this is the kick-off to another series, so please don't give up on Wyatt and Luke (the main characters) just yet.

So that's it as far as my new releases go. Several of you have asked about what I'm currently working on, and if the sequel to The Devil's Fire is still on that list. It most certainly is, but it's been very slow going. I honestly don't know when I'll be finished with it, but I want you to know that I'm not going to give up until that joker is finished and sitting on my editor's hard drive. I've also got three contract pieces already signed with Torquere for 2010/2011 and of course, Seth's story. Not to mention all the other stories floating through the dark and scary place that is my head. Makes me shiver just to think about it.That's all I can think of as far as writing stuff goes. I'm on Goodreads now, so if ya'll want to look me up over there, I'll clue you in to some mighty good reads. Hope your 2010 is filled with blessings, miracles, and love.