Okay! Here are my totals for 2010:

I read a total of 36 books (I know, a paltry number compared to many of you, but remember, I have to balance my reading with my writing them for YOU to read! :) ).

Of that 36, five were biographies, three were straight fantasies, two were historical, two were historical romances (which moves them more to the fiction side than the historicals which were more factual based), one was Literature (with a capital L and nose in the air), five were young adult and eighteen were romances.


And here's the full list:

Gabaldon Diana           Breath of Snow and Ashes      January       historical romance

Gabaldon Diana           Echo in the Bone                     January       historical romance

Bianculli David             Dangerously Funny                  January       biography

McComber Debbie      92 Pacific Blvd                        February     romance

Gaiman Neil                American Gods                        March         fantasy

Devereux Jude            The Summerhouse                    April            romance

Devereux Jude            The Duchess                            April            romance

King Laurie R              Locked Rooms                       April             mystery/ romance

Carlin George              Last Words                            April             biography

Crystal Billy                 700 Sundays                          April             biography

Sparks Nicholas          Dear John                               April             romance

Bryson Bill                 Shakespeare: The World as Stage    April     biography

Clarke Susanna         Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell   May   fantasy

Dorris Michael          The Yellow Raft and Blue Water   June         literature

Paulsen Gary               Tiltawhirl John                        June              YA

Witton Dorothy           Crossroads for Chela              June             YA

Voigt Cynthia              Jackaroo                                June              YA

Martin Kat                  The Handmaiden's Necklace   June              romance

Drake Shannon           Reckless                                 June              romance

McNaught Judith        Remember When                    July               romance

Fletcher Donna           The Irish Devil                        July               romance

Litton Josie                 Dream Island                          July               romance

Cliff Nigel                   The Shakespeare Riots           July               biography

Penman Sharon Kay   Sunne in Splendor                  August           historical romance

Roberts Nora             Black Hills                              August           romance

Sparks Nicholas         The Lucky One                      August           romance

Rowling JK                The Deathly Hallows              September      fantasy

Penman Sharon Kay   Here Be Dragons                  October          historical romance

Trueman Terry            Cruise Control                      October          YA

Willig Lauren         Secret History of the Pink Carnation  October   mystery/ romance

Willig Lauren         Masque of the Black Tulip          November      mystery/ romance

Michaels Fern            Wild Honey                          November       romance

Coulter Catherine       The Heir                               November       romance

Willig Lauren        Betrayal of the Blood Lily           December        mystery/ romance

Trueman Terry            No Right Turn                      December        YA

Delinski Barbara         Twelve Across                     December        romance


That's the list! Okay -- which ones did you read? Would you recommend them? Or did you read any of these because I brought them to your attention? Put your responses in the comments. I'll put your names in a hat and give a free download of one of my books (your choice) to one lucky commenter.

Play safe!
Diana

PS. I apologize for the lack of decent columns. There really should be a way to put a table into a blog post!

Closing out the old year, tidying up to get ready for the new. Yes, I realize I should've done this in the last few days of 2010, but I spent time with family and friends instead. We've had a great couple of days just kickin' back and enjoying each other's company. I love the holidays just because it gives us an excuse to put the world on 'pause' and simply relax into old relationships and new friendships.

So, to close out last year here, I need to add my last two books of the year to my list and then ask you -- which ones did YOU read that I read? Did we read any of the same books? I know some of you did, you either commented or emailed me to let me know (and I love it when you do!). But what about the silent majority here? Did any of the books I read strike a chord with you? Even if a dissonant one, I'd love to know.

I finished the year with one really good one and one clunker. First up, No Right Turn by Terry Trueman. I'd read two of his earlier this year (Stuck in Neutral and Cruise Control) and looked forward to reading his other Young Adult novels. No Right Turn is another that grabs you from the first pages and doesn't let you go till the end. The audience is middle-school boys, I suspect. Or even high school boys. Girls wouldn't mind it, though. Over the years I've found girls will read books meant for boys and be fine with it, but boys won't read books meant for girls no matter how much you try to hide the frilly covers. If you have boys, definitely turn them on to Terry Trueman's books. He's well worth their time.

The clunker surprised me. I like Barbara Delinsky even though I hadn't read any of hers this year. Figured finishing off with Twelve Across would be a quick, fun read. Unfortunately, it mostly took place inside the hero's and heroine's heads. The basic premise is the same as my Cabin Fever -- two people stuck inside a small cabin for a long period of time. It's hard to keep the action going when neither the setting nor the characters change. Believe me, I know! I invented two ghosts to keep my two company (and several reviewers thought that addition lame) because the two just by themselves did far too much thinking and not enough doing.

And that was exactly the trap Ms. Delinsky fell into. I spent a lot of time reading about their inner turmoil and not enough time watching them do things. More conversation would've helped, but she had two characters very comfortable with long silences. Ah, well. They can't all be golden, I suppose.

Okay, going to do a second posting with the book totals and titles. Make it easier to find as well as read!

Play safe...and read on!

Diana
PS. Edited to add links. Sorry!

The year is winding to a close and I want to get in the last few books of the year. Finished Lauren Willig's The Betrayal of the Blood Lily before Christmas but didn't have time to make note of it. This book moves the action to India and follows Penelope Devereaux as the protagonist. Good story, but getting pretty far afield from the orginal concept of the Pink Carnation. Like the on-going story of Ellie, though. Hoping there's going to be a few more of these so I can find out what Colin is up to! Is he a spy for the British Government? Is he a writer of spy novels as he claims to be? Only future books will tell!

Three more days to the year. How many do you think I can manage in that time?

Play safe!
Diana

So you're under a blizzard warning and need something to read? Here are two ideas for you:

Diamond in the Snow -- Paul and Caroline get stuck at his house during a blizzard. How do they spend their time? Well once Caroline finds out Paul's a closet Dom, it's all over but the screaming in ecstasy!

A Devil in Winter -- Kevin Winter spends a wonderful evening with an old flame, only to discover she's getting married to another man. Not able to leave well enough alone, his attempt to see her is thwarted by her younger sister. Kevin kidnaps Anna to keep her quiet --and finds she's far more fun than his old flame ever was!

Both these stories appeared in anthologies in the past but are now available as single, downloadable titles. This way you don't even need to go out into the snow to get something to read and be inspired!

Want them on your new Kindle? Get Diamond in the Snow here and A Devil in Winter here!

Play safe -- and don't drive on those roads!

Diana

Only three weeks left to the year! I'm adding another book to my list of Books Read This Year list and have two more "must reads" left in my pile. Will I get them both read in these hectic weeks before Christmas? Will I get my current work-in-progress finished by the first of the year, my self-imposed deadline? Will we have a white Christmas? A Happy New Year? Stay tuned for answers to these and other questions!

The book I'm adding as Another Book Finished is The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig. I know, I know. Not ANOTHER Lauren Willig Pink Carnation book!?! Yep. 'Fraid so. What can I say? When I get on a particular wave, I like to ride it all the way into shore.

This book follows Charlotte Landsdowne and I have to say I like this character very much. She remains true to her character all throughout the story (unlike some of Willig's other heroines). Of all the female progagonists in these stories, Charlotte is the one I most relate to, probably because she's very much like I was when I was in my teens. My mom used to tease me that she could set off a bomb next to me and I'd never notice because my head was so deeply involved in the book in my hands. Charlotte, too, lives in the world of fantasy and it's a lot of fun watching her fall in love with a very real world hero.

Hope those who celebrate Hanukkah have had a happy one...those who are preparing for Christmas, enjoy!

Play safe,
Diana

Read another of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series…this one is The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. I have to say I enjoyed this one just as much as the first and better than the middle two. Both the hero and heroine in this story were drawn much more vividly. The action, the characters, the plot itself all worked together to make an enjoyable read.


That said I did feel the heroine, in this case, Mary Alsworthy, did waffle some in her demeanor in the last third of the book. I know the love story had to come together, but I felt as if Mary betrayed some of her personality along the way. It’s hard to take an aloof character and have her fall in love. Ms. Willig does an okay job with it.

As far as my own writing goes, don’t forget I have two new titles out (one of them free!) and a re-release. Love in the Afternoon (also available on the Kindle) is a Quickie from EC that came out in August, Remembered Love is a free Naughty Nooner, and Diamonds in the Snow is a Christmas novella. If you haven’t done your shopping yet…what are you waiting for? Hanukkah has already begun and Christmas is a scant 21 days away!

Play safe everyone!
Diana

I love my husband. He buys me books!
I told him I really was enjoying the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. He told me to send him the website with her books (naturally I sent him to her homepage) and this past Saturday, three more of her novels arrived in the mail! He’s such a sweetheart!

I started The Deception of the Emerald Ring on Saturday and finished it yesterday (Sunday). While I still enjoyed the story, for the first time I found myself much more interested in the researcher’s present-day story than in the account of the protagonist and her erstwhile love interest. I’m afraid there are some writing techniques that are becoming repetitive in those plot lines.

No, what started out as a clever device to hook the reader into the main story has now become a full-fledged story in an of its own right. I’m glad I’m reading the books in order so I can see the development of the framing storyteller because I’m getting quite interested in her. I like Eloise's saucy insouciance, her self-doubt, her over-analyzing of all things Colin.

Usually the protagonist’s story and the framer’s story intertwine quite nicely. In this novel, however, there is very little to tie either the storys’ events or characters to one another. It almost seems as if Ms. Willig put the two stories on playing cards divided into two piles, and then shuffled them together. Wherever the framing story fell, is where it fit into the larger novel. Definitely disconcerting to go back and forth without any thread of similarity to lead the way.

Of course, none of this will stop me from reading the rest of the books!

Play safe :)
Diana

I know, two blog posts this week? What IS the world coming to?

Well, being housebound has it's advantages and having time to read as well as write are two of them. I've written nearly 10,000 words since the first of November and read three books. The latest book read is Catherine Coulter's The Heir. This is a rewrite; according to her note to readers on the back of the book, this title first was published in 1980. This edition, published in 1996, has been extensively re-written with more character development and "greater scope and depth" to the storyline.

I have to admit, there's something very attractive about going back to an early story and being allowed a "do over." I'm a much better writer now than I was a decade ago and undoubtedly could improve upon my early works. In fact, I spoke to Raelene Gorlinsky, Ellora's Cave's publisher about it when I was looking to re-do a novella that had been a part of an anthology but was now being re-released as a stand-alone ebook. Her words changed my mind.

What she said (paraphrased) basically amounted to this: readers bought your story and loved your story the way it was. If you go changing it, they'll feel shortchanged. They'll wonder why you didn't write it that way in the first place. You do them no favors by saying, "I'm a better writer now, I want a do-over." Her words reminded me of Ray Bradbury's comments in the Afterword of Fahreheit 451 (also paraphrased; I don't have a copy of his book with me at the moment) when he was asked if he wanted to do a rewrite of that wonderful novel about censorship: Why should I second-guess my younger self? I knew things then I don't know now. Let it be.

So when I picked up this book and read the back, I felt a twinge of concern? disappointment? ticked-off-ness? I wasn't sure I wanted to read it, to be honest. It might be better than the original, in her opinion, it might not be, in mine. I wish I had the 1980 version to compare it to -- the academic in me wants to know the differences.

All-in-all it ended up being a fairly good Catherine Coulter book -- I like almost everything I've read of hers, so I don't know why I was concerned going in. It's a good read, if a fast one (369 pages and I read it between the hours of noon and midnight and finished it). I wasn't enamored of the hero and heroine, but the supporting cast gave me something to keep reading for.

Sidenote: When I did a search for the book for the Amazon link, the same title came up under Johanna Lindsey, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Paul Robertson and Grace Burrowes. Looks like this is an overused title I won't be using anytime soon! Oh, and there's a re-issue of Coulter's in 2002. Wonder if it's another rewrite?

Stitches came out of my knee today...still can't drive, though.

Play safe!
Diana

I've given up (temporarily) on Working by Studs Terkle. It's just too depressing. So far I've read just over a dozen profiles and only one person likes her life. The others are just going along, carried by the tide of events. Life's too short for that! You gotta get out there and LIVE it! I get so mad at the people I just had to set it aside.

Instead (since I'm still housebound), I read The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig. You may recall I also read The History of the Pink Carnation and wrote about it before. The Black Tulip continues where Pink Carnation left off. You know what's amazing? That I can write those sentences in total seriousness!

These are both part of a series that's really a knock-off of The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, although they are really well done -- as is evidenced by the fact that I paid full price for the Masque of the Black Tulip and am now shopping for the rest in the series. If you like your romance dashing, your heroes in tight breeches and well-tied cravats (and be honest, who doesn't?), if you like your heroines involved and willing to get into the thick of things (as we all really want to do), then these are good books for you!

(Speaking of the Scarlet Pimpernel...there is none better than Anthony Andrews! I am SOOO in love with that movie!)

Because of my enforced bed rest yesterday (out-patient knee surgery) I read an entire book in one day. Actually, I started one and then started a second when the first required too much brain-power for my drug-induced loopy-ness. The book I started is Working by Studs Turkel and I like it, but it made me think. And thinking wasn’t my strong suit yesterday. I’ll read it more as the drugs wear off.

No, the book I read all the way through was Wild Honey by Fern Michaels. I actually liked it, but I think it only needed the one prologue about the hero. There was one concerning the heroine as well, but I got all that information, better-told, later in the story, making the prologue redundant.

Other than that, the story was well-written and my internal editor didn’t kick in at all. Usually it does. I’ll be reading along and next thing I know I’m rewriting sentences in my head to make them flow smoother. For this novel the only time my editor popped up for a brief visit was when I got the same info from the prologue about the heroine again and thought, “I like it here better than there.”

Of course, it could also be the editor inside me was fast asleep with the remnants of the knock-out drugs from my surgery!

But if you’re looking for a book to while away the time – and for one that’ll tick you off about the treatment of Native Americans early in our history. This is a good one. Recommended!

Play safe,

Diana
PS. Did you pick up your copy of Remembered Love yet? It's a freebie Naughty Nooner; EC's gift to you from me!

In my record-keeping of what books I've read this year, I realized I forgot one I read over the summer. This past Saturday my husband and I closed up our cabin for the winter (it was hard. I wanted to stay there and live like a hermit and write all winter long) and, sitting lonely and forgotton on the endtable lay a book I actually enjoyed very much.

Some of you know I'm a Tokien geek, but did you also know I'm a Myst fan? I started with Myst shortly after the game came out and eventually even was lucky enough to be chosen as a beta-tester for Uru, a game intended to be an online community as well as a world (or Ages, to be exact) of exploration. Unfortunately, Uru had too short a life, but I'm still a Myst fan and am in the process of playing End of Ages again. For the third time.

So what what the book left Myst-like on the table? Myst, the Book of Artrus, of course! A novelization of some of the backstory to that wonderful parallel universe. Written by Rand Arthur and David Wingrove, it tells the story of the D'ni through the eyes of a young boy who learns his heritage as he grows up. Torn between a grandmother who taught him patience and a father who sees the Ages they visit as his own personal ego-trips, Atrus finds a middle ground that sets him on the path of destruction we discover in the Myst video game.

I hate using those words to describe Myst. It isn't really a video game. Video games are the Mario Brothers and PacMan and even World of Warcraft. Myst is a story couched inside a set of puzzles. It's a hyperlinked novel with incredible artwork and breathtaking discoveries. It's exploration, not gaming. The Book of Atrus is just another level of the exploration.

All that said, if you're not a Myst fan? You're going to find this book tedious and filled with references you don't understand. If you are a Myst fan? You're going to find this book a little slow, but you'll enjoy discovering Atrus as a boy, then as a young man before he meets Catherine, before his sons betray him, before life goes so very wrong for him.

That's all! I'll be out for a bit starting Wednesday as I'm having a bit of knee surgery done to remove the arthritis that's built up inside over the years (too many summers of skinned knees and falling off my clamp-on roller skates).

Play safe, everyone!

Diana
PS. Be sure to click on some of the links above to see the incredible artwork that is Myst!

Yesterday, October 30th, I attended the Rally to Restore Sanity. Yes, I was one of the several thousand people jam-packed onto the National Mall in Washington, DC. My husband and I stood nose-to-back-of-the-head with people we'd never met and will never see again. There was barely enough room to raise one's hands for clapping, yet we managed several versions of the wave as well as raising the peace sign in answer to Jusef's (formerly Cat Stevens') greeting.

Did I think I was making a point by attending? Or was I just going to enjoy a show? Yes to both.

The point is a simple one: the extremes of both political parties have had the spotlight way too long. Both sides, in conjunction with many media outlets are trying to foster a culture of fear in America. When a people are afraid, they turn to the person with the loudest voice to follow. We assembled in Washington to let our leaders know -- we are not afraid and we are tired of listening to the shouting and hate of politicians and journalists on the fringes of the right and left.

Was it a show? Yes. Satire has a long and glorious history (ever read A Modest Proposal by another Jonathan?). Stephen Colbert's personification of an American paralyzed by fears fostered by the media was priceless. The singers were good, the comedy funny -- and the point was made. All we want is quiet, thoughtful dialogue. No one is Hitler (I'm pretty sure he's dead) and the hyperbole is too much. As Jon Stewart said, "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing." (Here for the text of his speech; here to watch). A good point that reminds me of the boy who cried wolf (a story my mother made me listen to every time I tried to tell stories on my brother ).

Now you know my political leanings: I'm a moderate. :) I believe in reasonableness, tolerance and mutual respect. I believe we really CAN work together and that while there are perhaps a few things in life to fear (like dogs -- did you know I'm deathly afraid of dogs? They bite!), the reality is we can manage.

And so, to all my readers...

Play safe!

I picked up The Secret History of the Pink Carnation last weekend at an all-too-quick Border's stop. Written by Lauren Willig, the back cover made it sound a bit like a Scarlet Pimpernel knock-off....and I'm a sucker for Scarlet Pimpernel knock-offs. Is there anything better than Anthony Andrews as the debonair Percy Blakeley? I think not, don't you know?

Anyway, I bought it and read it in two sittings over the weekend. No, "read" is too tame a word. Devoured. Gobbled. Couldn't wait to get back to. Wanted it to be longer. Yeah, all of those.

And after I read it, I discover the best part of all: it's book one of a series! That's already published so I don't have to wait forever for the author to write the next one! Yay!

I heartily recommend The Secret History of the Pink Carnation to all you Pimpernel fans -- she does a great job of bringing the Margeurite character up to modern expectations and making her a more active part of the plot. And it contains a story-within-a-story that's just plain ol' fun.

As far as my own writing...loyal readers of this blog know I've been working on a full-length novel tentatively titled "Services" for a while (over a year). The characters stopped talking and I knew why, I just didn't want it to be so. In short? I put them in bed together too early in the story and they wanted more time before they did the Big Bang. Yesterday I bowed to their demands and put a split in the manuscript about halfway through. I then gave Chapter Two a new ending...and 1000 words later I think we're back on track. At least their speaking to me again.

So I'll write what they want me to, then bridge it to what I've already gotten written (I temporarily cut 14,000 words yesterday -- that's over 40 pages!). My goal now is to have this first draft finished by the end of the year. Keep your fingers crossed!

And in the meantime, of course...

Play safe!
Diana

I had the privilege to meet Terry Trueman today, author of Stuck in Neutral and Cruise Control, among others. He's a straight-talking, down-to-earth author of books that get in your brain and stick there for days. His are stories that, months later, will come back as clear as if you just read them an hour earlier. And they will haunt you.

Truly, I mean that. Haunt you. I read Stuck in Neutral several years ago and have found it pops into my head at odd times in stray thoughts that drive me to distraction. I re-read it not once, but two times in September. I didn't count it in my "books read this year" because I'd read it before. And I'd have to count it twice since I read it out loud to two separate groups of students who became as entranced as me -- and who are equally as haunted by it.

Or by the ending, rather. You see, the story's told in first person from Shawn McDaniel's point of view. He's a fourteen-year-old kid who, to the outside world, is a non-functioning, drooling, noise-making mental vegetable with cerebral palsy. Inside, however, his brain functions quite well -- to the point where the reader might consider his talents bordering on true genius. There's only one problem: Shawn thinks his dad is planning to kill him, and because of the CP, Shawn can do absolutely nothing to stop him.

If you haven't read it...do so. Stuck in Neutral is an incredible book and I guarantee, you will never look at a disabled, wheelchair-bound person the same way again. Cruise Control is the same story from his brother Paul's point of view and the two books work together beautifully as companion stories. Since I just read Cruise Control last month, I am counting that one in my tally! :)

I should tell you these books are sometimes shelved in the Young Adult sections of bookstores and libraries, but I assure you, there is nothing young adult about them. These are hard-hitting stories that pull no punches. You won't be sorry you read them.

Terry, it was great to meet you and I look forward to your next books!

Play safe,
Diana

TWO RELEASES TODAY!!!
That's right, why get one when you can get TWO Diana Hunter titles on the same day?

Title one is a re-release of Diamonds in the Snow; it was first published in the Diamond Studs anthology. Now all three novellas from that anthology are available separately for the first time. Haven't gotten yours yet? What are you waiting for?

The second one is even better because Remembered Love is free! Yep, you read that right. This little story is a Naughty Nooner to add to your Diana Hunter collection.

Blurbs? You want blurbs? AND excerpts??? Ohhh...okay. :) Read on!

Diamonds in the Snow
Diana Hunter

Blurb:
When a sudden snowstorm unexpectedly gives her the afternoon off from school, all Carolyn Brooks intends is a night at home grading papers. But when her car slides off the road and Paul Anderson, the disliked head of the English department takes her to his home, Carolyn finds herself drawn to the rescuing knight.

But Paul Anderson has a secret…and determines the petite elementary teacher is too delicate a flower for his dark tastes. He knows what she does not. That he is not the White Knight, but the Black.

Excerpt:
“How did you get so wet?” The outside magic disappeared from her voice, replaced now by concern as she saw him shiver in his wet clothes.

“One of these days I’ll think ahead and put the shovel closer to the door where it might be useful. I had to wade through the snow to the shed in the back to get it out. Got pretty wet in the process, I guess.” He was soaked right through and didn’t want to tell her he’d tripped into the snowbank when wrestling with the door to the old, badly built lean-to that served as a shelter for his outside tools.

“Take them off. No, take them off right there. No sense in making a path of wet snow from here to wherever.” She deliberately turned her back on him and busied herself with the cups, spooning in several tablespoons of the cocoa mix as he undressed.

There was a note in her voice that brooked no-nonsense and Paul realized it was her school tone. Deciding to call her bluff, he stripped off his shirt and pants and then his briefs as well. But the air hitting his damp skin was cold and he shivered again.

“Throw me one of those hand towels, will you?”

Two kitchen towels hung neatly on a rack to her left. Pulling one down, she held it out behind her.

“I don’t bite, you know.”

His voice was almost in her ear. She jumped as he took the towel from her outstretched hand to dry his thighs…and his very cold cock. Grinning, he chose not to move from behind her, instead baiting her by remaining where he was.

She knew he was there…and that he must be naked. A smile playing on her face, Carolyn considered. It had been a long time since she’d seen a naked man. And the memory of him in the snow, standing like a knight in armor, stirred her deeply and in places that had not been moved in quite a long time. Her head dipped as the smile deepened into a grin and she slowly turned around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her movement. The golden light of the candles deepened the dimples in her cheeks as her eyes sought his. Briefly tempted to cover himself with the small scrap of cloth, he decided two could bluff. Throwing the towel to the corner, he straightened, completely naked in the center of his kitchen.

Carolyn’s breath caught as she stared at the knight without his armor, still strong and invincible before her. Strength emanated from his broad chest, the powerful muscles at rest, yet still striking in their potency. No hair marred the perfection of smooth skin that glimmered in the candlelight, the line of his chest leading her eyes down past his narrow waist to his cock that nestled in a tuft of dark hair.


Remembered Love
Diana Hunter

Blurb:
Val knew all her husband’s moves — and that was the problem. After five years of marriage they’d fallen into a rut. Sex with Gary had become…mundane.

…Until Gary suggested adding a little kink to their sex life and Valerie discovered a whole new side of her husband. In the middle of the ropes and playing, they both…Remembered Love.

Excerpt:“They were in love. Just like us.”

“Are we?”

He pulled back at the wistful tone in her voice. “What?”

“I know you love me but are you still in love with me?”

For a moment, he didn’t understand the difference. But then he remembered Alex that morning and the way he had nearly glowed when talking about picking out living room curtains. Alex and Amy not only loved each other, but after seven years of marriage, they were still in love. Gary grinned down at his wife.

“Yes, Valerie Marie Woodard, I am still in love with you. Will you marry me?”

She laughed and thought of the old couple in the parking lot. “Yes, Gary Michael Woodard, I will marry you. Again, and again, and again.”

“You know what our problem is?” He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes as he thought. Val knew that look, although she hadn’t seen it in a very long time. It meant mischief and she slowly smiled.

"What is our problem?”

“We’ve gotten stale. Not only in our daily routine but…” he paused and his look turned from mischievous to devious.

“But…” Thrilled as she was to realize he’d come to understand what she’d been struggling to put into words these past few months, she knew him well enough to know the thoughts going on behind that beautiful face with his wide brown eyes and boyish look meant she might have awakened a sleeping tiger.

“I think it’s high time that you, young lady, were tied up and ravished.”

She laughed aloud at the outlandishness, but when he only raised an eyebrow, she realized he meant it. Her pussy creamed at the thought and she had to swallow hard to keep her knees from buckling at the very idea.

“You’re joking.”

He shook his head. “We’re in a rut, Valerie Marie. And there’s nothing like a little kink to get us out of it.”
*****

That's it! Go out and get your copy of Diamonds in the Snow and Remembered Love today :)!
Play safe,

Diana

Those of you following this blog already know I've been writing up short reviews of the books I've read this year. I started this more as a way to keep track of them. As a writer, several of the questions I'm often asked are, "What books do you read?" and "How often do you read?" My answer to the first has always been some variant of "an eclectic mix" but the truth is, I have no idea what genre I read let alone how many I read in a year.

So I've been keeping a record via the blog. Counting the book I just finished (see below), I'm up to 29 full-length works this year. On top of all this reading, I've released two new short works (Love in the Afternoon, a Quick Quickie from Ellora's Cave and Remembered Love, a free Naughty Nooner available on October 18th. Hey! That's this coming Monday!). I'd say this has been a productive year for me and the written word!

It took me the better part of three weeks to read Sharon Kay Penman's Here Be Dragons because it's so rich with history and names that I'd have to put it aside every once in a while just to think about it. That's a good thing. I like books that make me consider different ideas or look at historical figures in a new light. Here Be Dragons uses Joanna as the central character to explore the reign of King John of England. (her father) and Llewellyn the Great of Wales (her husband). To help you set the historical time period, this is the King John of Robin Hood fame -- or infamy.

The editing on this book was better than the last one I read of hers (Sunne in Splendor) although parts of it still read like a textbook. The characters were so compelling in this one, however, that I barely noticed the awkwardness of some chapters. Last year I read When Christ and the Saints Slept and found the same textbook-y quality to some sections of her stories. She is dealing with true historical events, though and I can see how easily that can happen. Heck! I have a Civil War historical sitting in my computer files unsold for exactly the same reason.

I've still so much to tell you about Romanticon yet...but will save for a future post since this one's long enough already.

Play safe!
Diana

Okay...a surprise for everyone, including me! This week Ellora's Cave released Stress Relief in print -- yay!!!

This is a novel that really isn't for the faint-of-heart. I know I've said that about others, but this one deals with some of the darker issues in BDSM. It's gotten my worst reviews, mostly because there are a lot of readers who prefer romances to follow a fairly strict path, even when a little kink is thrown in. Stress Relief actually follows that path, but widens it to include several activities most wouldn't in a romantic meandering.

Plainly said? There are incidents of group sex and humiliation in Stress Relief that have offended some readers and critics.

If you haven't gotten it yet, now you have an option between ebook and print delivery systems. I wanted to give you a juice excerpt not available anywhere else, but in my computer crash, I've lost a bunch of files. To add insult to injury, I can't find the backup disk I made just a few months ago. I'm afraid you're stuck with either the excerpt at EC or the one on my website for now, but I promise an extra-special one when I get my data back (keep good thoughts flowing to my old hard drive!).

Play safe!
Diana

During the early weeks of September, I read not one, not two, but three books. And since the 10th, I haven't read any :(. But here are my impressions of the three that started the month off right!

First up was Nora Roberts' Black Hills. This is a stand-alone, full-length work from Nora...my favorite kind of hers. In this one she combines a little of JD Robb in that it's a romance inside a mystery. Or a mystery inside a romance. The hero is alpha, the heroine is too -- and all's right with the world by the end of the book. It was a fun read and at 439 pages gave me more than just a few hours' pleasure.

The second one I read more quickly, that was Nicholas Sparks' The Lucky One. He has cool characters and again, all's right with the world at the end although, true to Sparks' style, he does pull at your heartstrings and messes with your head along the way. Good suspense along with the romance!

And then of course, there's The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. I've read all the Harry Potter books, reading them with my daughter when she was in 4th grade and right on up through (she's now a junior in college and we still swap them back and forth). We've watched the movies, lamented over the parts they left out while still enjoying the imagery and characters they captured. This past summer we even made a trek to the new Harry Potter section of Universal Studios in Florida (and I have to say, butterbeer is WONDERFUL!).

I wanted to re--read Deathly Hallows before the movie came out (haven't seen the trailer? You can see it here) and it lived up to my memories of it. I read it first three years ago when it came out and hadn't revisited it since then. Good suspense, wonderful ride of emotions and a very satisfying ending to Harry's battles over the years. She done good!

That's all for now. I'm currently reading another non-fiction (Coming of Age in Second Life) that's really a textbookish ethnographic study of the virtual world called Second Life (disclaimer: I'm active in SL and so have a vested interest in how he portrays the culture). I'll post more about it later when I've finished it.

Till then, Play Safe!

Diana
PS. I always provide links not only to the books but also to the authors in case my readers (all five of you) want to go to the author's official sites. Enjoy!