Firm Trouble + Panic

Then comes the email from our editor that says, “Firm Trouble has a publish date of 8/22. Now while that is exciting, it also translates into a lot of work.

Firm Trouble by Marilu MannToday is a big day in the Arwen world. I just got word that book twelve will be out August 22.

Now while that is exciting, it also translates into a lot of work. Because writing the book is only half the battle. In fact, in some ways, writing the book is the easy part. Well, I can say that once the darn thing has been written, submitted, accepted, edited and put into the publish queue.

[Tweet “The email from our editor says, “Firm Trouble has a publish date of 8/22.” #amwriting”]

DEFCON 4!
Scramble the jets!
Call out GI JOE!
GO! GO! GO!

Ahem.

That’s pretty much my internal reaction. My external is less dramatic. I think.

Folks always ask me if I’m excited to write a book. Yes and no. It’s very fulfilling to be able to tell my stories (our stories, since I write with the world’s best writing partner, Cai. She also happens to be my life-long best friend.) I write as Marilu Mann

The real pay-off for me is when people read my book. I love reading reviews. Even the bad ones give me a charge because someone took the time to express their opinion. Okay, so sometimes I stick my tongue out at the bad reviews. Hey! I’m human.

So here’s a list of just my shifter series books. They are all available for Kindle, Nook, and PC as well as other reading devices.

1. Changing Times (Lusting Wild 1) Antique shop owner, Tony Pantera, falls for Dr. Carly Chambers. This sexy panther shifter resists his primal need for the human doctor, but a shifter war means he has to protect her.

2. Changing Hearts (Lusting Wild 2) Malcolm has abandoned his Pack. Joie finds an injured wolf in the swamp. Little does she know that her healing touch is going to have to soothe not only a wolf but also a man. When she finds out the man is a wolf, can she love both?

3. Changing Focus (Lusting Wild 3)Micah doesn’t want to be Alpha. He also doesn’t know what to do with the photojournalist at his Wisconsin lodge. There’s something different about Olivia. Can he convince her to embrace her wild side?

4. Changing Paths (Lusting Wild 4) Harmony returns to her Pack. She can’t answer the call of the moon but her daughter shows all the signs of being Moon-Called. When Gareth shows up, Harmony has to deal with her own hormones. The scarred handyman is everything she wants as well as everything she can’t have–a Moon-Called male.

You can see all the books available from Marilu Mann here. You can also visit our Amazon author page or find us at Goodreads. And thanks so much for taking the time to read, rate and review.

Today’s affirmation!

I am creative. I am whole in my self. I am beautiful, strong and kind. Compassion is my first reaction. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Firm Trouble, Marilu Mann, created by Ellora’s Cave art department

 

Geeks, Sex + Contests

Oh yeah, I got a great big kick in the ass that nudged me right over the edge and got in my face without any kind of apology for it. Still hurts, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now.

Today I’m sharing a reading I did for Alex Cross. Alex is a geek you see and he needs love. He’s been having a bit of a hard time finding it. Sara Brookes asked me to help him out. Now I should be clear about one thing. Alex is a figment of Sara’s imagination.

Welcome to my Character Readings! I pull five cards for a fictional character and their author answers as the character. This is a lot of fun for me. I will always let you know if I have read the book first. Normally I have not. Since today is release day for Sara Brookes latest–Break Me In, you can be assured I haven’t read this one–yet!

So I’d like to welcome Alex Cross to the blog today. Let’s see what his reading says.

Arwen: How do you see the people around you?
Well you see them as happy and in love and having the life you don’t. Family is very important to you but you don’t think you deserve that, do you? This is the 10 of Cups.

This is the card of Happily Ever After, Alex. What most of us want to achieve. Yet this is you looking from the outside in. What holds you back?

And look at all the cups here. Do you depend too much on other things to see you through? Do you allow other things to ease your pain of not having this happiness you see in others around you?

Perhaps this is someone you lost and you still see your happiness reflected in “could have beens”?

Alex’s Response:
That is…eerily accurate. I watched my brother fall head over heels with the love of his life while my marriage was falling apart. And when I finally accepted my wife was never going to accept me for who I was, what I wanted, I drown my sorrows searching for the bottle of every bottle I could find.

Arwen: How are you seen by the people around you? Uh oh! They see you as someone who steals from themselves. Not a thief to be afraid of, but someone who denies themselves the joys of life. This is the Seven of Swords.

Alex, they would love to help you change your way of thinking. The swords here represent your own battles with yourself and there are those near you who would like to help you stop hurting yourself.

Alex’s Response:
You’re right, I’ve denied something about myself for a very long time. I was lying to myself, too, something I’m now on the path to rectifying.

Arwen: What is your most important goal? Judgment is a HUGE card here. This says that you have set your mind to rising up. You have realized that you have issues that need to be addressed. You are ready to move on them and change yourself. This is the card of Judgment.

You also have something to prove to someone other than yourself, I think. This goal is to show them that you are more than they said you were. Those words hurt but you have used them to get strong.

This goal is transcending your own blocks. Good job!

Alex’s Response:
Oh yeah, I got a great big kick in the ass that nudged me right over the edge and got in my face without any kind of apology for it. Still hurts, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now.

Arwen: Where do you get your strength from? The Nine of Cups is the make a wish card. An intriguing response to this question about strength. You make wishes come true—for yourself and for others. It’s a gift. Here is the Nine of Cups.

Your strength, Alex, is that you know how important belief and faith are. You understand on a molecular level that trust is the key to all good things. Your strength comes from your ability to trust that someone really does want what’s best for you.

Alex’s Response:
I didn’t fully understand trust until recently. Something happened that made me realize somebody I thought I loved and was destined to spend the rest of my life with was just using my trust against me. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things, mostly to a woman who was standing right in front of me all along.

Arwen: Why do you want to be remembered?
Ye Gods, man! Death? Don’t panic. This card is about transformation so complete that there is no going back to the old Alex.

You want to be remembered as a man who remade himself. As someone who used painful changes to become a better human being.

Death is a hard card if you don’t hold on to the fact that it is about change. Painful, unyielding change that you can’t go back from.

But I think maybe you don’t want to go back to your former self, do you? This Death of old self is a very good thing to be remembered for. Perhaps you will serve as a good example for someone else.

Alex’s Response:
I don’t want to go back to the old me. I have very few good things to say about him. Other than he helped me get to where I am today—spending my life with the woman I love, and who loves me right back. So maybe I should thank him.


Need to read a bit more? Check out an excerpt from Alex’s tale here.

And there’s a contest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ready to just get the darn book? Me too! Click here.

Itching to finish a book or get one started? Got a story that must be told (and sold)? I invite you to take my e-course. You will have , journal prompts and handouts to help you on your journey to FINISH THE DAMNED BOOK.

CHARACTER READING: Starling Moddel

You want to leave a mark. You want them to know Starling was here.

Starling’s Response:
Starling: I’ll own every bit of that one. I wasn’t about to take being kidnapped and turned into someone’s pet lying down.
Bekion: You’re not always lying down.
Starling: HUSH!

Today I am reading for Starling Moddel who is the heroine of Zenobia Renquist’s Pet’s Pleasure. This is a mainstream SciFi romance.

Renee is a military brat turned military wife who is currently stationed in Hawaii with her husband and two cats.
Whether writing as D. Renee Bagby or Zenobia Renquist, she is a world-builder. She loves inventing new cultures and shaping their histories and laws because it beats researching the existing ones.
Her stories span the fantasy gamut but she dabbles in sci-fi and contemporary from time to time. While her main characters tend to be of different races, she doesn’t let skin color rule or limit her stories. For her, it’s all about how much she can torture her characters so they earn their happily-ever-after ending.
The rules are all new and pre-conceived notions will only slow you down, so when reading Renee’s stories, she asks only one thing — Leave Your Reality Behind.

Don’t miss the contest at the end of this post. This reading was a bit unusual in that Ms. Moddel Continue reading “CHARACTER READING: Starling Moddel”

Tick…Tick…BOOM!

Hoo boy, Arwen is hot under the collar. I think if I drew a card, I’d get the Five of Fire right now. Full on flame-throwing fire-breathing dragon mode.

 

Hoo boy, “teh Arwen” is hot under the collar. I think if I drew a card, I’d get the Five of Fire right now. Full on flame-throwing fire-breathing dragon mode.

Here is what Joanna Powell Colbert says of this card:

A fire performer spits billowing flames out of his mouth. Twisted faces of gargoyles or maddened creatures form in the smoke and fire.

Divinatory meaning: Anger, rage, fury. Hubris. A dangerous game. The temptation to dominate or have power over others.

Someone is trying to dominate another. And it is making me FURIOUS. You see, Continue reading “Tick…Tick…BOOM!”

Character Reading: Mozelle “Mouse” Vincent

Today’s reading is for Libran, Mozelle “Mouse” Vincent. She’s the heroine of Francesca Hawley’s hot new BDSM romance from Ellora’s Cave. Part of the 1-800-DOMhelp series,Controlling Interest takes Mouse on a very sexy journey. I had the opportunity to do a reading for Mouse. Enjoy!

And visit Francesca’s website to see some of her other stories. Continue reading “Character Reading: Mozelle “Mouse” Vincent”

CHARACTER READING: Richard

Art Of The Lie, by Delphine DrydenToday, I do a reading for Delphine Dryden‘s contemporary hero, Richard. Richard and Lindy are her characters from her Truth And Lies series. These contemporary erotic romances will tickle your fancy. Make sure you look for The Art Of The Lie available now from Ellora’s Cave.

From her bio:

After earning two graduate degrees, practicing law awhile, and then working for the public school system for over ten years, Delphine finally got a clue. She tossed all that aside and started doing what she should have been doing all along, writing novels! In hindsight she could see the decision was a no-brainer. Because which sounds like more fun? Being a lawyer/special educator/reading specialist/educational diagnostician…or Continue reading “CHARACTER READING: Richard”

Sex, Trouble and Tarot

What’s a demon gotta to do to get a little love? Find out when I do a reading for one red-hot lover who’s got a little problem. You can win a $50 gift certificate too.

To celebrate the release of book number seven, I did a reading for the hero of Sex and Trouble by Marilu Mann. What’s a demon gotta to do to get a little love?

Go comment here. You’ll be in the running to win a $50 gift certificate or a signed copy of Marilu’s first two books. NOTE: The contest starts at noon Central.

By the way, for those that don’t know, I’m half of Marilu Mann.

Sex And Trouble by Marilu Mann:

“Marielle has just learned she’s a hereditary witch whose inheritance comes with a creepy house and a hot butler who is really a trapped sex demon. Mari doesn’t believe in magick or demons. But once she sees her butler’s—ahem—horns, she has to face the facts. And, he can only be released through mutual sexual pleasure.

Although Mari’s sexier than anyone he’s ever known, Rosier wants to go home. If that means making Mari scream in ecstasy, he’ll just have to deal. It’s simple. They have to unlock her powers, defeat her father’s enemy and have mind-blowing sex…in the next two weeks or he’s trapped forever. What’s a girl to do when her inheritance leads to Sex and Trouble? Enjoy it!”

Buy your copy here!

Musings on the Ace of Air

What do pirates and butterflies and friends we’ve never met have in common?

Today’s Gaian Tarot is the Ace of Air. It makes me smile just looking at it! A Monarch butterfly has left its cocoon and is nearly ready to fly. Did you know that the butterfly is not born ready to fly? The larva leaves the shelter of its silken tomb Continue reading “Musings on the Ace of Air”

Character Reading: Adam Putnam

Cris Anson is my guest today as her hero, Adam Putnam gets his cards read. Here is what Cris  says about herself :

“After the death of my husband of 22 years, it took me three years to come out of my grief and feel alive and open to new experiences. Now I consider myself a senior citizen and “cougar” —hey, one is never too old to dream about, or experience, romance. I’ve been writing since the ‘90s and read voraciously across all genres. I enjoy my garden during warm days and have just discovered Zumba for fun exercising. My wish list includes sleeping on the floor of the Grand Canyon and dancing a tango or two with Gilles Marini.”

Meet James Adam Putnam, the hero of Cris Anson’s latest. This one is a very hot historical erotic romance. Do you think you can handle the heat? Now, join me as I read for Adam, a perplexed Puritan dealing with Continue reading “Character Reading: Adam Putnam”

Character Reading: Hunter Anderson

This is a reading for Hunter Anderson. He’s the hero of Anne Calhoun’s latest Liberating Lacey. Anne’s bio reads:

After doing time at Fortune 500 companies on both coasts, I found myself living in the suburbs of a small Midwestern city. The glamour of various cube farm jobs had worn off, so I gave up making a decent living to take Joseph Campbell’s advice and follow my bliss: writing romance.

And she’s doing it well! Liberating Lacey is her first Ellora’s Cave release, but she’s also sold two stories to Harlequin’s Spice Brief line. Learn more about Anne at her website.

Here is a bit about Hunter’s story.

Newly divorced Lacey Meyers wasted too many years yawning through sex in the missionary position. Now she’s looking for Continue reading “Character Reading: Hunter Anderson”