Alpha Me Not & Demon Seed nominated for Best Book 2012

2012nomineeWriters lead a solitary life in terms of their trade. So we tend to rely on outside sources for verification, that yes, someone (and it may be only one) is reading my work/blog/tweets …you get the gist. Reviews, awards, and nominations make us giddy with delight.

Giddy doesn’t begin to describe what it was like to receive two emails from Carole at The Romance Reviews informing me that not one but two of my books had been nominated for Best Book of 2012 by their reviewers. Whoo-Hooo!

JC_AlphaMeNot_coverin     JC_DemonSeed_coverin (2)

My congratulations go out to all the nominees. To me, simply being selected is an honor in itself, but to be included in the company of such illustrious authors as Emma Holly,  Lisa Renee Jones and the others listed below is truly humbling.

Here’s a list of the nominees for two categories (goto here to see the others: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php)

 

Erotic Romance – Action-Adventure / Romantic Suspense

NOMINEES

A Little Harmless Fascination by Melissa Schroeder

Demon Seed by Jianne Carlo

Fever by Joan Swan

IF I WERE YOU by Lisa Renee Jones

The Devil’s Pawn by Elizabeth Finn

Erotic Romance – Paranormal Romance

NOMINEES

Alpha Me Not by Jianne Carlo

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston

Enslave by Felicity Heaton

Hidden Crimes by Emma Holly

His Mortal Soul by a.c. Mason

Hunted by Rebecca Zanetti

The Protector by Ambrielle Kirk

Wild Things: Fanged by Jocelyn Michel

The winners are determined by vote and,in order to vote, you must login to The Romance Reviews. If you have the chance and feel the inclination, please do. If not—heck, I made the list!

Cheers,

 

Jianne

 

Lucky in Love Blog Hop

CA BLOG HOP Lucky in LoveWelcome to the Lucky in Love Blog Hop! The prizes for this hop are awesome:

1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

To those prizes, I’m adding a copy of Manacled in Monaco.

How to enter? See the options at the end of this blog.

What does the term Lucky in Love mean? Is it finding someone to love? Being loved by someone? Two soul mates meeting? A lifelong friendship? Parents who love you?
My vote is for all of the above. Unfortunately one of my latest heroines isn’t very lucky – here’s a teaser from a new work due later this year.

Wolf Without, Ricky’s Landing Book #1 – Unedited Excerpt:
    “Pilot and copilot’s getting ready to come out.” Donny crossed his arms and squinted against the bright sunlight. “Did you ever rustle up a pic of him?”
    “No. Apparently Seathe MacFarland’s paranoid about his privacy.” Genie considered undoing another shirt button and showing an oompful of clevage.
    Donny jabbed her in the side.“They’re out.”
    She fixed her stare on the top step. Her pulse hammered in her ears and muted the early morning parrot screeches common on a Caribbean island. Genie squeezed her eyes shut and promised God a whole lotta Sundays at church if he gave her an easy mark. She hadn’t survived this long on Santa Lucia without learning a few nasty tricks. Just let him be on the stupid side.
    She lifted her lids and found herself looking into the most glacial pair of blue eyes on the planet. Dread snaked up her spine and left a series of icy shivers in its wake. Intelligence and alertness radiated from his unblinking, predatory stare.
    A whiff of some smoky and spicy aroma enveloped Genie before he ambled to a halt not more than a foot away from her. “Tell me, Ms. O’Connor, why is this piece of crap landing strip the official airport when I flew over a perfectly appointed runway five miles south?”
    What? He was a pilot. Crap, crap, and more crap. She squared her shoulders and held out a perfectly manicured hand. “How lovely to meet you, Mr. MacFarland. My name is—”
    “Genie O’Connor, niece of Paddy O’Connor, last surviving member of the O’Connor family who once owned Santa Lucia island.” Not an ounce of emotion flared from those hypnotic eyes. His palm closed over hers and she struggled against the urge to yank out of his firm grip.
    Her throat went dry. She forced a smile. “I see you’ve done your homework, Mr. MacFarland. This is—”
    He dropped her hand and shifted his attention to Donny. “Donald Smythe, General Manager of Ricky’s Landing. I presume we have transport of some sort?”
    Donny grinned and waved to the building. “We do Mr. MacFarland, but you must clear immigration and customs first.”
    “You’re kidding, right?”
    Genie hadn’t even noticed the other man until he spoke. They were as different as chalk and cheese, as the old English expression went. Archangel and Demon standing side by side, one a Viking, the other a dark Highlander.
    “It is an international airport, Torolf. Ms. O’Connor, Mr. Smythe, this is my lawyer, Torolf Bristol.”
    Genie prayed her shocked dismay didn’t show. Why had MacFarland brought his lawyer? Had he heard about her rights as the sole surviving O’Connor? That was to have been her ace in the hole if things didn’t go their way.
    She kept her smile firmly in place though her cheeks ached from the effort. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bristol.”
    Torolf shook her proffered hand. “Torolf, please Genie. No need to stand on ceremony. We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other over the coming months.”
    Months? She choked back a gasp and spread her lips wider. What in hell had happened? When had her famous Irish luck taken a fricking hike?

One Entry for doing any of the following to 5 Contests
My Fireworks for Kindle Fire (click on Contest above for other prizes)
500 Facebook Followers – autographed book
500 Twitter Followers – autographed book
Lucky in Love Grand Contest
Lucky in Love Jianne Carlo Contest

Like my Facebook Fan Page (extra prize given when I reach 500 likes- this is a new FB page)
Follow Me on Twitter   (extra prize given when I reach 500 followers)
Like my Amazon Author Page
Become a Fan on Goodreads
Review or rate one of my books on Amazon, ARe, Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, Goodreads, or Loose-Id. For each book rated, you get an entry. A review wins you a special indulgence as well as an entry
Sign up for News about my Coming Releases
Tweet about one of my books
Post something about one of my books or me on your Facebook Page
Tell a book club about one of my books
Mention one of my books in a discussion group

If you can think of anything else – go for it – just let me know what you did!

You must leave a comment with your email address to enter the Lucky in Love Blog Hop and to win one of my prizes. Tell me what you’ve done in your comment and  put NO at the beginning of the comment if you don’t want to receive periodic emails from me.

And to make this a little fun – here’s a bonus question to win an eCopy of The Bear and The Bride:

In The Bear and The Bride – What’s Ainslin nickname? (hint – the answer’s on this site)

Click here To go to the next site on the hop: http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/

Note: Winners will be announced 03/21/13 here, on Facebook, & Twitter. Winners have 5 days to claim their prizes by commenting here or on my Facebook page or re-tweeting winner announcement.

Good Luck Everyone!

Jianne

Win Books and Prizes in the Night Owl Reviews Spring Fling Web Hunt

Dragon Naturally Speaking & Hot Romance

What a great couple of weeks I’ve had creative-wise. OMG, the ideas are pouring in and I can scarcely keep up with the words in my head. This year I made a decision to use Dragon Naturally Speaking for all new work and my experience thus far has been both rewarding and frustrating.

In two days I wrote the first chapter of four books, The Wolf with the Broken Heart, That Pearly Drop, Torch the Wind, , and Wolf Without, and I’m into Chapter 2 on all of them. For someone who works full-time and writes only in the down hours, that’s a significant productivity increase.

Dragon is fussy and demanding. If my allergies are acting up and I’m a tad nasal, it misunderstands me. The last thing you want to do with Dragon is become frustrated or angry – then the darned software doesn’t comprehend a single word you say. It appears that using Dragon will make me a more disciplined writer…we’ll see how that works.

White Wolf Banner 1 - Jianne_Carlo940x300_v2
Anyhoo, I thought today and over the next few days that I’d share excerpts from the coming books.
Here’s an unedited preview of The Wolf with the Broken Smile, White Wolf Book # 4

Blizzard conditions—check.

Transportation impossible—check.Being forced to spend the night at Chad Lexington’s condo—check.

“My sister keeps a few clothes here.”

The object of Lizzie White’s sexual fantasies for the last four months raked her from tilted beret to BDSM-style boots. Her nipples sizzled under his intent stare. She prayed her feverish desire and frazzled nerves didn’t show, and clamped her mouth shut.

“She’s shorter than you.”

His gaze fixed on her chest and no amount of willing her blood to cool worked. Sweat coated her nape and her grip on the laptop case white-knuckled.

“It’d probably be better if I loaned you sweats and a T-shirt. They’ll be big, but that’s better than wearing too tight clothes.”

The devil had it in for her. His sweats abrading her pussy. The material that gloved his cock riding her clit. Cat on a hot tin roof had nothing on the sexual tension driving her. “Thanks, but not necessary, I sleep in the altogether. I am sorry to put you to such an inconvenience, however.”

Lie number one, she wasn’t sorry at all.

Had Mr. Stoic actually blinked at her I-sleep-naked declaration?

“It’s not as if you caused the worst weather conditions in the last century of Chicago weather.” As usual his smile didn’t quite reflect in those impenetrable silver-rimmed eyes.

She repressed a grin. Of course, he’d never in this universe believe she’d caused the blizzard deliberately. But she had. It had all been part of the plan to seduce him. Lizzie couldn’t wait for him to see her without the glasses and the dowdy clothes she normally wore. As it was, the boots had had him flummoxed from the second she’d stepped into his condo.

“The snow’s so wet I wouldn’t be surprised if we lost power soon.”

Perfect. Hot sweaty sex happened in blackouts.

Both their gazes swept to the wall of windows opposite and the white sheets of dense flakes slapping the glass. Lizzie hoped the heat climbing her throat didn’t mean she was blushing. No man ever had this effect on her except Chad Lexington.

“What do you want to eat? I’m not sure how long The North Plains Kitchen will remain open and I don’t stock food beyond a stash of power bars.”

He didn’t glance her way but continued to stare at the falling snow.

Lizzie gritted her teeth. Not once in the last four months of working together day after day had he shown an iota of interest in her as a person or a woman. Night after night, she’d analyzed every minute of time in his company searching for some slight nuance that signified he returned her explosive carnal cravings for him.

Could such intense passion be so fricking one-sided?

It was so hard to read him. She’d studied every arched brow, flared nostril, and the steepled hands and mocking grin that so frustrated his opponents. If it hadn’t been for his one slip two days ago, she would’ve left Chicago wondering, wondering what his cock would feel like inside her, if he yelled his orgasms, or got a little rough in the sack. But he had slipped and tonight it was go big or go broke.

“I’m not fussy. I’ll have whatever you’re having.” She’d have him in a heartbeat.

“Why don’t you settle in while I order takeout for today and tomorrow? Any allergies or food restrictions?” He shifted to face her and she had to fist her hands to resist the urge to tuck his famous wayward forelock back into place.

“I’m not vegan if that’s what you’re asking. I like all food, too much, as you may have guessed.” She didn’t point out the obvious, her D-cup breasts and full hips.

A ton of men lusted after her Jessica Rabbit figure, but Chainsaw Chad, rumored to have ice in his veins and not a shred of empathy, had never deigned to notice the slightest thing about her body or her Vegas showgirl legs. Maybe that was why she couldn’t get him out of her head. Nothing sweeter than the unattainable.

“The Kitchen’s known for its rack of lamb—how’d you like it?”

“Medium rare. I like my meat bloody.” And my sex hard and fast the first time. She hoped he had an oversize, thick cock and the stamina of a ram. Once wasn’t going to do it for her. Not when tonight was the only time she’d ever have with him.

“So do I.” He had a broadcaster’s voice, deep and laced with a rough coarseness. “Bathroom’s stocked with all the amenities of a hotel. I’ll have them send up the food ASAP. I use the conference table for eating. Join me there when you’re ready.”

“Okay.” Lizzie followed the bunching of his glutes when Chad spun around and left the room. The man’s ass was perfection, tight and round and his thighs those of the honed equestrian he was, at least according to the media.

When the door closed behind him, she set her laptop case on a walnut-stained desk in the corner of the room, hung her purse on the chair, and shrugged out of her coat. Quick as flash, she retrieved the toiletry bag from the outside pocket of the case and trudged to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth, she unraveled her customary tight bun, finger-combed her waist-length corkscrew curls, and studied her reflection in the mirror.

Lizzie had no delusions about her looks.

She had an ordinary face, neither pretty nor ugly, but her centerfold figure more than made up for her average features.

Professionally, she dressed to emphasize her brain not her femininity. She’d had enough trouble in her first job with unwanted male attention and had learned the hard way what not to wear. The bun, the librarian glasses, the baggy suits, and calf-length skirts, all designed to detract attention from her bountiful breasts, narrow waist, and mile-high legs.

She ticked an imaginary check mark.

No way was Chainsaw Chad going to ignore her tonight.

The bland camel coat she’d discarded had hidden her CFM outfit. She gave her thigh-high black boots that begged for a whip and a pair of leather cuffs, a thumbs up. If Chad didn’t get the message the instant she walked into the conference room, he deserved a flogging. The scooped neckline of her form-fitting top showed hints of the dark rose of her areolae and then some. The leggings tucked into her Dom boots were unmarked by pantie-lines. On impulse she unhooked her bra and sidled the harness off.

Commando all over.

Lizzie sucked in a deep breath. She’d never had to make the first move. What if he rejected her? Or worse, pretended not to notice?

Hope you enjoyed!

Cheers,

Jianne

 

Written in the Stars Conference

Njal  - yumDougKoziak01 (2)Tomorrow I head to Houston, Texas to meet my good friend and fellow author, Lynn Lorenz.

Woo Hoo! Road Trip!

We drive (4 hours – loads of gossip time) to Shreveport, Louisiana to attend the Written in the Stars Conference. So exciting.

It’s wonderful to meet new writers and readers, listen to the experts in the industry, and re-charge my creative batteries. I always come away from a conference brimming with new ideas, so when I return I’ll be posting my What’s Cooking page. There you’ll find a list of what I’m working on currently and what I hope to finish before the end of the year.

Here are some hints – two new Hades Squad books, a new SEAL series,  a new Wolf series, and for all of those who’ve asked a new viking series starring Mús, Tighe, and a couple of new heroes. As you can tell I’m revved up for hot romance, nerve-wracking suspense, supernatural shifters, and more Vikings!!!

The guy in the pic is my inspiration for my latest hero, Torch, a wounded wolf SEAL.

Isn’t he drool-worthy? Sigh.

Have a great hunk (my version of hump) day!

Cheers,

Jianne

 

The Valentine’s Swept Away Blog Hop February 14 – 17 & Weekend Warriors 8 Sentence Sunday

logo - weekend warriorsSo I did it again. Signed up for two things happening at the same time. Aaaaargh!

This is the debut of the Weekend Writing Warriors 8 Sentence Sunday. The rules are pretty simple and here they are:

Sign up at the Weekend Writing Warriors Site, then post 8 sentences of your writing, published or unpublished,  to go live after 12:00 noon on Saturday 2/16/13.  Then visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8 sentence posts.   Spread the word. Twitter hashtag #8sunday.

Vengeance Hammer, Viking Vengeance Book Three, tentative blurb:

Vengeance would be his. All Dráddør has to do is kill Arnfinn, the Earl of Caithness, wed and bed the man’s first-born daughter, Lady Xara, and he fulfills the oath made to his dying father. Revenge.

But fate cheats Dráddør.

He arrives at Caithness to find Arnfinn dead. Poisoned by his own wife.

When he discovers Lady Xára cannot speak, Dráddør marries her anyway to claim the lands and title knowing full well that King Kenneth could not fault him if he later casts Xára aside.

Desperate to protect her sister, Evie, and the woman all think of as her mother, Lady Jennie, Xára willingly weds the Viking, Dráddørr. She must win Dráddør to her side before he discovers the secret that will destroy them all.

In the following scene, the king’s law sayer demands Dráddør publicly consummate his vows with Lady Xára.

Here are my 8 sentences:

“There is the evidence of the consummation—Olaf, you are satisfied?”

“Aye.”

Humiliation scalded her from head to toe.

An ominous silence held sway over the chamber.

Xára tried not to listen to the low murmurs and rustling of linens, tried not to imagine all who had witnessed her wanton behavior, and failed miserably. All she had not heard afore now came in thunderous waves to her ears. The whispers were all of the Viking and his friend discussing her lack of a voice and whether her new husband would set her aside.

How wrong she had been to place her trust in him.

Hope you enjoyed! Vengeance Hammer releases on May 17, 2013

To go onto the next writer in this blog click on the following: http://www.wewriwa.com/

 

THE BLOG HOP SPOT 0valentinesbh300x200
Welcome to The Valentine’s Swept Away Blog Hop!

Stay tuned at the end of this post for a list of giveaways.

I think every woman dreams about being swept off their feet. Don’t you?

My swept off experience has happened more than once – a trip to Hedonism II in Jamaica – a long weekend getaway to St. Augustine, Florida – and the crème de la crème – a surprise dream trip to Paris for a 5 days!

It’s no shock then, that several of my heroes have swept their women off their feet! Maybe not on their first encounter with the woman of their dreams (some have been disastrous like Eli Gallager in Valentine Voodoo), but certainly during the telling of their tale.

One of my favorite ‘swept off her feet’ scenes is in Alpha Me Not. The hero, Joe, has planned the perfect romantic dinner under the stars, wine and great food on the deck, followed by dancing in the moonlight. What he doesn’t count on is a mate who fights him every step of the way because she never learned how to dance. Here’s a little teaser from that scene.

Blurb: Susie White’s motto is Alpha Me Not.  Mercenary wolf Joe Huroq lives for hot sex and no strings. They add up to the perfect affair, but murder changes everything.

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Excerpt:

The click of heels preceded his mate’s entrance to the dining room. Joe had moved the furniture against the walls and rolled up the carpet. The marble floor was the perfect foil for the modified fox-trot most people called slow dancing and the song’s double-single-double-single timing demanded the more intimate hug-and-sway version. With Susie uptight about any form of dancing, he hoped to ease her into the rhythm and then keep her loose and relaxed.

She took his breath away.

“You look beautiful. Wild, carefree, ready to embrace life with outstretched arms.” He held out his hand.

Color rioted across her cheeks. The thick fringe of her black lashes fluttered. She interlaced her fingers with his.

Unable to resist, he skimmed his lips over her knuckles and reeled her in. Curved an arm about her waist, marveling at the narrow span, and leaned his forehead on hers. “Perfect. Thigh to thigh. Breast to chest. Groin to groin. Sex to sex. But best of all, mouth to mouth. We can kiss for hours without a cricked neck.”

A delightful giggle burst through her lips. “Not the seductive words I’d expected.”

He swayed to the music’s hypnotic beat, slid his hand down to her bottom, and pressed their bodies together. “When I saw you in the cafeteria earlier, the first image that popped into my head was you in those heels butt nekkid.”

“Still not seductive, but more what I had in mind.” She exhaled audibly, her taut nipples clearly visible through the translucent cream fabric. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she leaned into him, shot him a sultry, half-lidded peep, and rubbed her mound over his erection.

His cock throbbed. Age-old beast instincts snatched control. He inserted his leg between hers, keeping the feet pattern closed, forcing her to grind and cradle his erection.

“Joe.” She fisted her hands in his shirt. “Let’s go to your bed.”

Blood surged to his groin, his scrotum tightened, and his balls contracted sharply. Not since his lust-crazed teenage days had he vaulted from raring to spilling in less than nine seconds.

He gritted his teeth and calculated the pi ratio to fifteen decimal places. His pulse slowed as he concentrated, and gradually he pulled back from the edge.

“Soon,” he crooned. “I promised you a dance lesson.”

She tilted her head back, and he grinned at her pouted mouth and disgruntled frown. “I want another kind of lesson.”

“One dance lesson. As many as you like of the other.”

One brow quirked. Her lips curled into a kitten-finishing-the-last-lick-of-cream smile; she wriggled her hips side to side and paused to center her pussy at the base of his arousal. “You know the saying about a bird in the hand? If I were you, I’d get mine while the getting’s good.”

“No distractions, gypsy. You’re creaming again. Getting ready for me. Your cheeks are flushed. That elegant, arrogant nose of yours is quivering like a mare scenting the stallion flanking her rear. I want to take you like a randy stud. Get you on all fours. Lick every inch of your saucy rump. Bury my nose in your juices.”

As he whispered into her ear, grazing the tip with his lips, Joe eased them into the center of the room, not dancing per se, more moving her forward with his pelvis, and subtly grinding her pussy with his cock. He kept a firm hold on her rear, cupping the delicious thigh-ass ridge, savoring the way her muscles bunched.

“One lesson, then you can decide what happens next.”

Hope you enjoyed!

I’m giving away a copy of Alpha Me Not, White Wolf #3, for the hop. Simply leave me a comment with your ideal swept away experience and you’re entered in the drawing. Please put NO in the comment if you don’t want to be added to my newsletter list.

As a bonus, answer the following question and you’re also entered into a contest for a copy of my book, Valentine Voodoo.

Question: In Valentine Voodoo – Who is Trevor? (hint – the answer’s on this site)

I’ll announce the winner(s) on this blog on Wednesday, February 20. Winners have 5 days to claim their prizes via a comment on the blog and an email to me at [email protected].

Click on the following link to continue on the hop:

http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page/

Have a wonderful, romantic Valentine’s Day and weekend!

Cheers,

Jianne