Guest Blogger : Vonna Harper

Hmm. I'm sitting here half brain-dead and wondering where the phrase busier than a one-armed paper hanger came from. Probably never have that answer but boy does that describe me right now.
Okay, so the deal is, I'm known to erotica readers as Vonna Harper and much as I love that moniker, there-in lies the problem. I've never thought of myself as an over-achiever but I am obsessive-compulsive about meeting writing obligations. That a bit of blind luck has me looking at three erotic releases between now and the end of March. (Oh, did I mention, I'm going to be in an Aphrodisia anthology the end of April and have a single title release with the same publisher in June?)
Yep, big deal and I'm stoked, but boy is my plate full. Not only do I want and need to get the word out which calls for the promotion tap dance, I also have a multi-book contract to fulfill for Kensington to say nothing of edits on two manuscripts and a romantic suspense idea that absolutely refuses to shut up and give me some space and sleep.
The three quick-step releases is a mix of blind luck and being in the right place at the right time. I'd sold what I think is an absolutely rocking shape/shifting story called BloodHunter to Samhain that'll be an e-release on or about March 25th. Oh yeah I loved writing about a half man/half jaguar and the wildlife photographer who's first look into those sexy eyes has her needing to jump into a pool of ice water. How do I know? Because that's how I feel about Nacon. Sigh. Slobber.
While I was on countdown to BloodHunter's release, unknown to me, Pocket Books editors were looking at a pile of Ellora's Cave novella length releases to incorporate in a number of anthologies as part of a contract agreement between the two publishers. To my delight, two of mine were picked up. Night of the Cougar (damn but I done good with that title IMO) will be out Feb. 19 in the Road Trip To Passion anthology. Virgin Afternoon is in Good Girl Seeks Bad Rider coming out March 18.
I've seen the covers and they are indeed different. I'm interested in seeing how they're received because they're nothing like the yummy covers under the Kensington Aphrodisia imprint.
Oh, and in my spare time I'm completely revamping (with professional help thank you very much) my web site www.VonnaHarper.com. Now all I have to do is take the MySpace plunge for my brain to totally blow up.
Where was that glass of wine?
Vonna Harper, certifiable.

GUEST AUTHOR: Lila Dupres

Bonjour!

I'm so excited to be the guest author today here at Ladies of The Club. I'm so happy to meet you all!

My name is Lila Duprés and my first book, ALL WORK AND NO PLAY, is available from Ellora’s Cave in their Torrid Tarot line. More about that in a bit.

With the holidays just past, I wonder how many of you made New Year’s resolutions? I'm of the opinion there are two types of resolution makers.

1) The “shoot for the moon” resolution maker who resolves to do things (s)he would like to achieve very much, but are virtually out of reach in the real world. This type of person figures, “If I'm making a resolution, I might as well grab for the brass ring.” This person is often disappointed when they fail to reach their desired goal, but they feel better for having tried.

2) The “cautious” resolution maker who only makes resolutions (s)he knows (s)he can achieve. In this way, no great things are accomplished; but by the same token, there are no heartbreaks when the desired goal cannot be achieved. This person feels there’s safety and comfort in setting small, manageable goals and then achieving them.

So, which type of resolution maker are you?I myself am the showy #1 resolution maker. If I'm going to fail, I want to go down in a blaze of glory. And if I succeed...ah, the praise, the accolades, the triumph! Naturally, I have to steel some small part of my heart for failure each time, but the larger part of me presses ahead, sure of victory. It’s who I am.

And now, as promised, more about ALL WORK AND NO PLAY:Here's where you can find it:http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419913532

Here’s the blurb:Julie Preston worked hard raising her younger sister Emily after their parents died, and creating a career. She gave up simple pleasures like love and relationships. So when a friend drags her to a singles bar, Julie’s ready for anything. She meets a gorgeous guy and they spend several passionate hours together. There’s real chemistry there, but Julie regretfully sticks to her promise: a one-night stand, no strings.

When Julie hires a tutor to help Emily pass English, she’s shocked to find he’s the man from the bar. Seeing him in her house makes it hard to keep her hands off him, but he isn't looking for a long-term relationship since he’s a singles bar patron. Right? How many miles can Julie jog before she gives in and jumps him?

An Excerpt From: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY
Copyright © LILA DUPRÉS, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Julie dropped her purse on a table and her coat over a chair and looked around the room. Clearly, the hotel got much of its business from the singles bar. Even ignoring the desk clerk’s knowing expression and wink, the room decor said it all. The drapes were red velvet, the bedspread red brocade with gold threads shot through it, and the walls covered in red and gold flocked wallpaper. It was schlocky, like something she expected to see in a honeymoon motel in the Poconos. No doubt there was also a heart-shaped tub in the bathroom. Ooh…maybe she could find some bubble bath? Surely a place like this would have it?
“Anne?”Julie jumped at the sound of Stephen’s voice, feeling guilty for her wandering thoughts.
“Sorry. Did you say something?”
“Is something wrong? Are you all right?” He frowned, looking concerned.
Julie felt the heat rise up her neck and into her cheeks. Here she was, standing in the middle of the room and zoning out. Or was she desperately focusing on the furnishings because she was nervous about what was about to take place? After all, though she wasn't a virgin, her experience was limited and several years in the past.
“I'm fine,” she said. “Nothing’s wrong.”
He smiled charmingly, a boyish dimple in his right cheek sending an arrow straight to her heart.
“Although I hope you haven't changed your mind, if you’re having second thoughts, it’s not too late to say so. I can take ‘no’ for an answer. I want that to be perfectly clear—we can stop at any time if you feel uncomfortable.”
“No, I'm not uncomfortable. Thank you, though. It’s just that I’ve…” never done anything like this before. But she couldn't say that. Stephen wouldn't have come to a singles club to find a girl who didn't know the ropes, would he? He probably did this every weekend—that thought sent a vicious stab of jealousy through her gut—and he expected she did also.
“I'm fine,” she repeated. “I was just woolgathering. Don't worry, I haven't changed my mind.”
“Good.” He stepped close to her and trailed the back of his hand lingeringly over her cheek. “Because you’re an amazingly beautiful woman and I don't know how much longer I can keep my distance when I really want to—”
“Shh.” Julie put her index finger on his lips. His soft, warm, sexy lips. “Don't say a word. You don't have to say anything you don't mean. I don't expect any promises from you, any commitments. Let’s just be quiet and enjoy each other. After all, that’s why we’re here. Right?”
Stephen raised his eyebrows, opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it and nodded.
Julie stepped over to the window and drew the drapes securely shut. Then she turned on the radio, tuning it to a soft jazz station and lowering the volume to create a pleasing whisper of background sound.
She returned to Stephen and spread her hands out on his chest, savoring the feel of his strong pectoral muscles flexing under her fingers. She smiled a bit tremulously but she knew this was right. It felt right. She opened one of the buttons on his shirt, allowing her fingers to gently brush the skin she exposed. Then she opened the next one and the next. Stephen shivered as she ran her fingers through the curly dark hair on his chest, allowing her nails to graze his nipples lightly, then pushing the shirt back and off his shoulders. His broad, masculine shoulders.
Stephen’s blue eyes bored into her as he reached in turn for her shirt, slowly unbuttoning her buttons, kissing each inch of flesh he thus exposed. Now it was Julie’s chance to shiver. She arched her back like a cat, reveling in the feel of his fingers on her skin. She scarcely noticed when her blouse fell to the floor behind her.
He dropped his attention lower, sucking and nibbling on one nipple through the wispy pink bra she wore while gently kneading the other breast. A shuddering stab of desire shot through her and she felt the crotch of her panties grow damp. God, it felt so good to have a man touch her. Why had she denied herself this feeling, this need for so long?

Whatever else you do, please do check out the fabulous cover art. Is he not...er...I mean...is IT not gorgeous? I think I'm in love. Come to me, mon cher...(Sounds of “La Vie En Rose” in the background)

Ah, well. Enough of that. I'll stop drooling if you will. It’s been fun sharing this moment with you all. May 2008 be your happiest year yet!

Till next time,Lila

Banned Books: Be A Pilgrim

By Angie James

Even the movies acknowledge the need for books (we could talk about how many movies wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the books that came before, but that’s another topic for another day). I have a great fondness for the Indiana Jones movies. To me, it’s a lot like watching a romance novel. Strong hero, action, adventure, passion and even if Indy doesn’t get a Happily Ever After, he does get a Happy For Now. Satisfying.

I think my favorite is actually the last one, with Sean Connery playing Professor Henry Jones, Indiana’s father. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In the movie, they’re searching for the Holy Grail. You know, THE Holy Grail. Rumored to gift eternal life if you drink from it. But they’re not the only ones. The movie takes place during the 1930s, at a time when Adolf Hitler was gaining power and spreading his message, and wouldn’t eternal life have been seductive to someone like him, or those following him? The adventure takes Indiana and his father through Nazi-Germany and has them witnessing a Nazi parade and an absolute atrocity: the, I would call it gleeful, burning of books.

Henry turns to Indiana and comments, “My son, we're pilgrims in an unholy land.” The scene, and that quote, while brief, is powerful to those of us who have a love for the written word and still gives me goose bumps when I see it.

Of course, this is not the only popular movie to deal with the issue of book burning. The ever-popular 80s movie, Footloose, shows a community deeply entrenched in their religious beliefs, banning music and making a move to burn books in an effort to keep their children on the good path. The preacher, this man who we’ve seen trying to keep the children of the town on the straight and narrow, upon being told that they’re burning books, runs over to stop them.

And how can we leave out the most famous of them all, a movie based on a book about book burning—Farenheit 451. It makes me a little sad to talk about this one because to contemplate such a future… For those of you who don’t know the story behind the book (and subsequent movie), I’ll encapsulate it here, with some help from Wikipedia.

Fahrenheit 451 takes place in an unspecified future time in a hedonistic and rabidly anti-intellectual America that has completely abandoned self-control and bans the possession of books. People are now only entertained by in-ear radio and an interactive form of television. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman(which, in this future, means "book burner), certain that his job—burning books, and the houses that hold them, and persecuting those who own them—is the right thing to do. The number "451" refers to the temperature (in Fahrenheit) at which a book or paper burns... Over the years, the novel has been subject to various interpretations, primarily focusing on the historical role of book burning in suppressing dissenting ideas.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but just reading about a future so devastating makes me a little queasy. No books. No critical thinking. Persecuted for even owning a book. How does a society come to that point?

In a 1979 edition of Fahrenheit 451, the author, Ray Bradbury, said: There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.
Looking at the list of banned books, I was shocked at what I saw there (not that I’m predisposed to look kindly on a list of banned books). In fact, when I read some of them to my husband, who’s not a big reader himself, he was also shocked. Flowers for Algernon. James and the Giant Peach. How to Eat Fried Worms.

Maybe less shocking, but no less disturbing are JK Rowling’s books. In a time when literacy seems to be decreasing, kids spend more time playing video games and watching TV, less time falling into a good book, I would wish we would celebrate that which gets them excited about reading.

I saw on the list a lot of books I’d read, some from my childhood that I remember fondly and with great delight. Classics assigned to me during the course of school, that left their mark for their enduring themes. And there are books that I’m going to be sure my daughter reads some day, to help her mind, her viewpoint, her interests grow. To help her expand her horizons, reach new worlds and feel the excitement, wonder and enthusiasm each new book can bring. Some day, I hope to know that my daughter will follow in my booksteps and be a pilgrim, not one of those running about with a lit match.