New Release - Men of S.W.A.T.: Kissing Cowboy ~ J.C. Wilder

Men of S.W.A.T.: Kissing Cowboy

Read an Excerpt - Buy the eBook

Their first kiss melted her resistance, their second one melted his heart.

She’s a woman with a plan…

From childhood, Payton ‘Pip’ Whittier has loved Jeff ‘Cowboy’ Diver. Even after he publicly humiliated her and forced her to leave town, he’s the one man she can’t erase from her heart.

Nine years have passed and Pip has returned to the scene of the crime, her hometown of Haven, Ohio. This time, she’s determined to rid her system of Cowboy, once and for all. He’s a man determined to thwart her every move…

When Cowboy sees Pip at the local bar, he’s floored by the changes in his one-time best friend. The shy, sweet girl has been replaced with a sexy-as-hell woman in red stilettos. Years ago they’d shared a tender moment, one that changed irrevocably their lives.


This is his one chance to convince her to give him one more—even if it means his heart could be crushed under her lethal high heels.

Product Warnings - This book contains the lethal misuse of a pool cue, shenanigans of a sexual nature in the back of a pickup truck, a good girl gone bad and a hero who packs some serious heat—hoo-AH!

Join me!

There is a great romance website (http://www.ireadromance.com/) and they are starting up their own chat list and guess what...they will talk about BOOKS. What a concept, a romance list actually talks about books.

No drive by author promos, no random promotional companies spamming you with ads...

The grand opening is Friday and I will be one of the featured authors! So stop on by because I'll be posting exclusive excerpts from Educating Jane Porter and Rites of Spring, the second installment in the Coven series.

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/i_read_romance/)

Ready to try a new author?

Then we have a deal for you! We have three ebooks available and you can read the first half of the book for FREE! If you like it, there are links in the document which lead you to purchase the book. If you don't enjoy the book then you're off the hook!

But we know you'll love these titles! ;)

http://www.thesamhellion.com/free.htm

Enjoy!!

Some Inspiration...

Winter's Daughter is Now Available!

BUY ME!

To say that I'm excited...would be a HUGE understatment. I am stupidly thrilled that WD is now available that I'm almost beyond words. (Note the 'almost') And now for some review quotes...

"This is an incredibly engrossing tale and I did not put it down for more than five minutes once I started it." The Romance Studio, 4.5 hearts

"The first Coven tale is an exciting paranormal thriller with whodunit and romantic elements to enhance the tense drama." Harriet Klausner

"Murder, mayhem and magic will send chills down your spine in this haunting first in The Coven series." RT Magazine, 4 stars

Hollywood Writer's Strike

I’m sure by now everyone has heard that the Writer’s Guild of America is on strike. Other than some of your favorite shows going on an early hiatus, what does this mean to you?

Say you’re a cake decorator and you’ve spent six months perfecting your recipe and your design. The bakery, who pays your check, compensates you for your time, then proceeds to sell your recipe, your design and pieces of your cake while they rake in the cash. They’re making money (and publicity) off your product while you receive nothing extra.

Messed up isn’t it?

In a simplified fashion, this is what is going on with the Hollywood Writers.
Ten years ago DVDs, internet streaming downloads, and internet purchase downloads didn’t exist. Now that the movie / tv studios are making money hand over fist with these new technologies while the writer is making nothing more than their standard pay.

A good example is the HBO show, The Sopranos. HBO took in 300 million on Sopranos DVD sales then took in another 200 million when they sold the series to the A&E channel. Yes, I said, 500 million dollars.

What did the writers receive?

Nothing. Not even a kiss on the cheek.

The very popular show, UGLY BETTY, can be viewed online for free and there are commercials embedded in the feed. Commercials that advertisers paid for. The studio claims it is promotional while the writers receive…nothing. Now, how can the studios pull in monies from advertising yet tell the writers that is promotional. Trust me, the IRS doesn’t recognize ‘promotional’ income any differently than income from straight sales.

The fiction / non-fiction writing market is also dealing with this issue. Fifteen years ago there were two basic markets, Audio and Print. Now that the electronic media has come into being, what some publishers are doing with regards to paying the authors for this new venue is a crime, IMHO.

A standard NY house pay scale is between 2 – 10% of a paperback sale price. So here comes the e-market which has quite a few advantages for the publisher: – intangible asset, no warehousing required – low overhead, the file is already 90% in line with the ebook format when its sent to the printer. At this point all it needs is a reformat to the standards and it’s a saleable product. – no editing, paper, supplies etc – only space on a website

So how much (on average) are the authors receiving for this new, viable media?

4 – 6%.

Now, reread the paragaph above about the standard NY house pay scales, I’ll wait.

Do you see what I’m getting at? The house is still making the usual paperback rate for this new media (which is crazy IMO – but lets not go there) while the author gets the same or LESS than the rate for a paperback – a product with considerable overhead.

I think it’s safe to say the days of most companies looking out for their writers has gone the way of the dinosaurs. We are no longer artists, we’ve been forced into the role of content providers. What they do is special, magical, and they shouldn’t have to deal with their employers giving their work away for free. While I do not write for the television / movie industry, I support their strike wholeheartedly. It’s past time for writers to stand up and remind the industry of the value of their work.

Besides, when your favorite shows go into repeats, what would be better than supporting your favorite writers and picking up a book? :)

This is what I know...

Today is my forty-second birthday and in honor of this auspicious occasion, I thought I'd share some of the hard-won lessons of those years.

This is what I know...

Never ask permission, ask for forgiveness instead.
When dealing with a man, if he won't listen to reason then work your way around him.
Lose the excuses, put on your Big Girl panties and own up to your shortcomings.
Learn how to change a tire, it's not rocket science.
Low fat does not equal, low calories.
Eat dessert first unless you're having macaroni and cheese - that comes first.
Don't save your nice things for an 'occasion', do you really want others using your 'good' stuff for your funeral?
Apologize.
Oreo's and anything chocolate make up the fifth food group.
You are not incharge of anyone's happiness other than your own.
It's not a sin to have a cocktail at lunch - try something fruity, be good to your body!
The world was created without your help.
Don't sweat over clean underwear, if you get into a serious accident you're going to poop in them anyway.
Sometimes it just isn't about you.
Buy a vibrator, make a date with yourself.
Buy your clothing a size too big, feel good about yourself!
See a therapist, its one of the most loving things you will do for yourself.
Fitted pants have no place in your closet.
The world doesn't end because you've worn white pants after Labor Day.
Ban all girdles and control top pantyhose from your closet.
It's okay to go to dinner alone.
Strive to be the best (insert name here) you can be.

And finally, my latest theme song. ;) This is from the Broadway show, RENT:

Another Day

The heart may freeze
or it can burn
The pain will ease
if I can learn
There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment as my last

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today

There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what's right
No other course
No other way
No day but today

I can't control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only goal is just
To be

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today...

Subterfuge...

I've been a good girl lately (koff) and I've been working (aka slogging) through my edits for Winter's Daughter - the release date is December 7, 2007 - a day that will live in infamy for more than one reason now!

Okay, where was I?

Oh yes, so I was sitting at home deep into the edits when my phone rang. A friend has been having troubles with her computer and honestly I was tired of dealing with it over the phone so I told her I'd come out and take care of it. So I grabbed my disks and my dog and together we headed north.

It was only when I was more than 2/3 of the way there that I realized...yes...I'd grabbed the wrong disks. (How does that happen??) So I decided to go on up as heck, the least she could do was feed me since I Tried to help her at least. :)

Did I mention she was getting ready to move?

So to make a long story short, I ended up spending hours in the depths of her basement packing canning jars she probably hadn't touched since ninteen eighty. Amid the myriad of spider webs (I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't see the spiders at least) and inches of dust, she wouldn't let me out until I was coated in dirt along with a fine layer of cat hair.

Lovely.

Then when I did finally manage to climb out a basement window (shoulda seen me trying to shove my dog's fat ass out the window, it was ugly) I then was hit by a 747 right in the head. Now Deb said it was a horse fly, but I'm pretty sure it was a plane of some sort. A fly couldn't possibly weigh THAT much!

See what happens why you try to help someone out?? I ended up stuck in a pit with god only knows how many six legged creatures and cats that I'm allergic to.

Opps, the phone is ringing and no, I'm not answering it. So if you're the calling me, don't be disappointed, I'll be rinsing the spiderwebs out of my hair. :)

No pain...no gain...

Now, for anyone who really knows me, my purpose in life is to become one with the couch. I'm all about sprawling in a chair, or on the bed - until I literally need to be dusted. I'm also at my computer for ten to twelve hours a day - yet another position that doesn't allow much physical activity.

So one day this spring, I decided it was past time to do something to get my butt moving so I bought a membership to the local recreation center. It's very swanky with a rubberized walking track (great for my bum knee) two large swimming pools, basketball court and a state of the art fitness room.

The reason I purchased said membership is because I do own an exercise bicycle, but I can't find it under all of the laundry.

Hey, it has to go SOMEWHERE and dumping on the floor is SO last year!

I love the pool. I must have been a mermaid in a previous life as I can barely be pried out of the water so I use the membership for the pool. I'd taken some water aerobics classes and now that I know the moves, I just do them on my own at my own speed and when time permits.

Of course, time rarely permits.

It's been at least two weeks since I hit the pool, bad, bad JC, so I woke up early, forced my fat ass out of bed and into the bathing suit.

First off, I really don't think any woman should have to deal with that much lycra first thing in the morning. It really is a horrifying experience when you're half asleep and you're trying to force your flab into a bathing suit AND get it arranged so that you look vaguely symetrical...you don't want your arm flab to suddenly pop out where your breast should be.

I mean, come on - lives are at stake people!

Secondly - I don't know about anyone else but I usually feel a little bloated in the morning. I'm dehydrated from sleeping and then the body hangs onto every drop of water it can so when you are squeezing your butt into the dreaded bathing suit, it is magnified by knowing you're hanging onto an extra few pounds.

Let's face it - bathing suits are just ugly business.

So I'm in my old-lady black and white bathing suit and I grab the gym bag and headed out the door. It's about a quarter after seven which is the middle of the night for me, so I'm sleepy but looking forward to the pool - I'd pep talked myself you see - so I was ready to get my heart pumping and maybe shave a pound off my butt.

When I arrived at the rec center, the parking lot is empty...not a good sign. So I pop out of the car and run to the door - they're CLOSED for remodeling.

Don't they understand I GOT OUT OF BED EARLY TO BE HERE?

Don't they understand I'M WEARING A BATHING SUIT AND I WANT THE POOL???

DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND THAT I'M A FAT WOMAN AND RUNNING AROUND LIKE THIS COULD KILL ME???

Yes I was cranky but I went home and broke out the Hostess Twinkies - I felt much better after that. :)

Grand Opening, First Contest!

Greetings and welcome readers, writers and everyone else who happens to be reading this. :) Welcome to the brand new theladiesoftheclub.com blog!

So who are we?

A diverse group of romance-minded writers and we cover the gamut of our genre from the super-sexy reads to the sweet ones. We have historical authors as well as paranormal, fantasy, contemporary and everything in between.

So how is our blog different?

Because anything goes. Our topics will not solely focus on our work or our genre - posts could be anything from the trials of being a new mother to politics, dealing with daily life, rants and contemplation of belly button lint...one of my favorite topics, of course.

We also welcome input on our posts - SOUND OFF and you might be asked to be a guest blogger! Have something you want to get off your chest? Here's your chance...

Which brings us to our first contest. Post a response to any of the entries between now and Saturday, (July 7, 2007) and be eligible to win a free ebook download from one of the Ladies. You must be eighteen to enter, one entry per household.

So kick back, grab your favorite drink and as they say in New Orleans, Laissez les bon temps rouler or Let The Good Times Roll!