Get A Headstart On Your Holiday Baking

As you can see, I now have all my back-list books up and running on Kindle (See cover links to the right). I’m happy to say that they are selling. Not as many as I’d like, but it’s early days and I’ve just started doing a bit of promoting to let readers know they are out there.

I’m currently working to complete two NEW books, Dream Stalker and Yours To Command that I’ve decided to put up on Kindle as an indie author. I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

With the holidays upon us, I’m all for finding quick yet yummy time saving solutions for holiday baking. Below is one of my favorite time saver recipes that I share each year with my readers. It’s my way of saying thank you to everyone who has supported me, purchased or at least taken the time to check out my books.

Chocolate Cake Caramel Chip Cookies




Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup caramel chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended.

3. Fold in the caramel chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies inches apart on the cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Frosting optional – In the photo above, I melted the remaining caramel chips over a double boiler then drizzled the melted caramel over the cooled cookies. You can also use premade cake frosting. Simply put a little frosting in a cup and microwave for a just a few seconds until melted, then using a spoon, drizzle over cooled cookies.

I’ve discovered that the consistency of this recipe tends to vary based on egg size, etc. I always bake one test cookie to see how it rises. This should be a thick, soft, cake type cookie. If it spreads out instead of rising, add a bit more flour.

Tips: You can use many variations on this cookie recipe; peanut-butter chips, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, etc. I also made the recipe using a spice cake with chopped pecans instead of chips. If you like a soft, cake type cookie, this one is fast and easy to make. Be creative. There are lots of types of cake mixes out there. (If you are planning to roll into logs and freeze, chill dough at least and hour or more, which will make it easier to work with).

This is just one of 8 to 10 types of cookies that I make for the Holidays. I roll all my cookie dough in to logs, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Then I simply slice and bake as needed for gifts, unexpected visitors, or when I have the urge for a cup of tea and a couple of cookies fresh and hot from the oven. Also, if you are a chocolate cake lover, you can keep a log in the freezer and have your cake in a few minutes without baking an entire cake that you feel must be eaten before it goes to waste.

If I come up with cool variations of the above recipe or other easy holiday treats, I’ll be sure to share.

Journey's End Now Available

Journey's End is now available on Amazon as a Kindle ebook. Click on the cover to the right and you will be taken to the Journey's End page on Amazon.com.

Only one Holiday Fantasy story remaining, Sold To The Lowest Bidder, and the entire collection will be up on Kindle as individual stories. I hope to have this one up sometime this week. I'll put the cover up as Coming Soon when I have it finished.

Considering the time of year, I have been in the mood for spooky, so I've been busy writing on one of the stories in my upcoming Legacy Of Shadows series - Medium. It feels really good to be working on something new.

Second Chances Now Available

Second Chances is now avalable on Amazon as a Kindle ebook. Click on the cover to the right and you will be taken to the Second Chances page.

Only two books in the Holiday Fantasies collection remaining and all my backlist will be up. Journey's End will be up in the next few days followed by Sold To The Lowest Bidder.

I can then focus totally on my current works in process. I hope to have something new up and running soon.

Independence Day Now Available

Independence Day is now avaliable on Amazon as a Kindle ebook. If interested in learning more please click on the cover image to the right and you will be taken to the Independence Day page on Amazon. Or, you can read past reviews and a sample on my website by clicking the website image to the right.

As I stated in my previous post. Independence Day is one of my favorites in the collection because it deals with the subject of Domestic Violence, an issue that I feel strongly about.

Auld Lang Syne Now Available

Auld Lang Syne is now available on Amazon as a Kindle ebook. If interested, please click on the cover image to the right and you'll be taken to the correct Kindle page.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. The issue of Domestic Violence has been hidden behind closed doors or swept under the rug for far too long. It can happen to anyone. For that reason, Independence Day will be up next. Hopefully available within the next couple of days.

Seduction Of The Senses Now Available

The revised, expanded version of Seduction Of The Senses is now available on Amazon Kindle. Click the cover on the panel to the right and you'll be taken to it.

Next up will be Auld Lang Syne followed by Independence Day. I'm currently working of finishing up Yours To Command, which will be my first new release for a while. I'll post the new Coming Soon covers as soon as I have them finished.

The Sense Of Hearing

She was lost somewhere in semi-darkness, surrounded by lush vegetation, its scent exotic to the point of being intoxicating. The heat and oppressive humidity caused her clothing to cling to her body like a second skin. All around her were the sound of jungle creatures preparing for night, animals calling to their mates ... and there was music. Not music exactly ... drums ... jungle drums. The evocative rhythm of the drums had an immediate effect on her senses, seeping through the pores of her overheated flesh and into her blood stream like an insidious drug. Her surroundings no longer seemed alien, the haunting call of the night creatures no longer frightening. She became one of them, another wild thing in search of its mate.

The blurb above is from a current WIP where the sound of jungle drums plays an important role. You have no idea how long it took me to find just the right CD of jungle drums with just the right sound to evoke the mood I was shooting for. When I’m working on a scene featuring the drums, that CD is playing in the background.

When writing a love scene, I play music to set the tone and the mood. I have a CD collection of Spanish love songs. I can’t understand a word but it doesn’t matter. The sexy voice and melody are all I need.

Music as well as specific sounds have the ability to influence mood either positively or negatively. How many listen to relaxation tapes? The sound of ocean waves, rain, etc?

I have a collection of various types of mood setting CD’s that I use when writing and if I don’t have just the right sound to fit a particular scene I’m creating, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll try to find it.

What sounds impact your mood? What sounds do you find soothing? What sounds have the ability to affect you in a negative fashion? We all have types of music that we don’t care for, but is there a particular sound that you have an unusual aversion to? What about an old favorite – the sound of the phone ringing in the middle of the night?

I admit it. I have a totally irrational aversion to the sound of wind chimes. Not all wind chimes, just the ones that have a tinkling crystal sound. I don’t have a clue why. I have no idea what or if any particular incident is behind my reaction to this particular sound, but I can tell you that when I hear that crystal tinkling, my heart rate kicks up and my fight or flight instincts kick in big time.

On the flip side, nothing has the ability to bring a smile to my lips or make me laugh outright like the sound of a child’s laughter. How many of you have seen clips on funniest videos of infants or toddlers laughing?

Exercise 1: LISTEN – This may sound easy but you might just be surprised. Go outside, maybe drive to someplace isolated in the country and park. Either get out of your vehicle or roll down the windows, close your eyes and listen. What do you hear? Anything? Nothing? Does the wind make a sound as it blows through the trees? If you’re in the country, what about the wind blowing dried corn husks in a field. What about birds? Can you recognize the type of bird by its call? Try to isolate and identify individual sounds. You may think you hear nothing, yet there is sound all around you.

Which again brings us to the importance of utilizing the senses as a writing tool to add depth and realism to a scene.

As the sun concluded its fireball descent, turning the sky to crimson and the surrounding hills to darkened silhouettes against the horizon, Mara couldn’t bring herself to go inside. She remained on the deck watching the stars come out, listening to the sound of the waves lap against the shore, and the distant hum of motors on the boats of night fishermen, watching as the their running lights glided across the lake. Gradually her senses became attuned to other sounds: the “gurump, gurump” from a bull frog, the answering croak from some distance away; the hoot of an owl; and the persistent the chirping of crickets and tree frogs. There was the occasional splash as a fish jumped, and just what she didn’t need, the buzzing near her ear of a pesky mosquito, her signal to go inside. On top of everything else, she didn’t need to find herself covered with itchy welts.

The scene above is from Independence Day, one of the stories in my Holiday Fantasies collection. For this scene, I sat outside at night, on a deck overlooking a lake, closed my eyes and listened (and had a tape player running), taking note of the individual sounds.

I’ve said it in other posts and will say it again - we have become such a fast pace society that I personally believe we tune out a lot and in the process, miss out on more than we realize.

Exercise 2: LISTEN - At night while in your home, turn off the television, the music, all the lights, just sit and listen. You may think you hear nothing, but there is a sound to the silence. Do you hear subtle noises you’ve never noticed? Do you maybe hear a sound that a house makes when settling? Do you have a fireplace and enjoy listening to the popping and crackling sounds the logs make? Is there a bush or tree outside that brushes against the side of the house or window? What about the sound of rain upon the roof or window? The sounds are there. You just have to open yourself to hearing them.

I don’t think I need to elaborate how sound influences making love and if we’re shooting for primal excitement, who doesn’t love having sex durning a thunderstorm? Bottom line, the sense of hearing is one of our most erotic senses. In real life, or the written word, the sighs, soft whimpers, and moans from your lover as you give them pleasure serve as a natural aphrodisiac. What a turn on!

On the flip side, I once dated a man who was a groaner. From the first kiss to climax, the same groaning sound continued non-stop, sounding much like a worn out fog horn with the switch stuck in the on position. Needless to say, the experience was not repeated.

I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring the five senses with me during the series.

As readers, I hope you discovered a few tips to heighten your senses and spice up your love life. As writers, I hope I’ve given you a few ideas you can use to add a bit more depth and realism to your writing by utilizing the senses.

Please feel free to comment. I’d love to hear from you.

“Listen to the sounds in the silence.”

Up next – Seduction Of The Senses, the story, soon to go “LIVE” on Amazon Kindle

The Sense Of Smell

Never had she experienced such total sensual overload. The stars were so brilliant she felt as if she could reach up and pluck one from the sky. Nature’s serenade from tree frogs and crickets were accompanied by the gentle splash and of water tumbling over rocks in the fountain. Lying upon a fir throw they’d spread in the garden, surrounded by night blooming jasmine, the sweet, citrus like, floral scent had an almost overpowering, aphrodisiac affect. She reveled in the salty, masculine taste of his skin upon her lips, the flavor of the wine he’d passed from his mouth to hers. It felt as if every nerve end in her body had risen to the surface of her flesh as fine tuned receptors of pure sensation.

The paragraph above incorporates various senses. We all know that smells have the ability to turn us on. Or, turn us off. Used in writing, the sense of smell can leave a lasting mental image in a reader’s mind. “His breath smelled of dirty ashtrays and cheap whiskey and his clothing smelled of dead fish and rotting sea weed.” By simply describing the smells, does the sentence above give you a mental, visual image of the character, possibly the setting?

Needless to say, some people have a stronger sense of smell than others. There are those who can name a wine and vintage by the aroma alone, a flower by the scent, or the name a perfume by the fragrance. Is the ability purely physical, or a refined skill that can be learned and enhanced? I’m not sure how effective attempting to strengthen your sense of smell would be, beyond making a concentrated effort to pay closer attention to the pleasant scents or unpleasant odors around you.

Exercise 1: How long has it been since you took the time to take pleasure in the scents around you? Go to the mall and stop by the cosmetic counters. Check out various perfume/cologne scents and take note of how they make you feel. Are some over-powering? Do you prefer subtle? Do you prefer a light floral scent or an earthy musk scent?

Next, try the men’s counter. Is there an aftershave or scent that you like on a man? Is there one that totally turns you off? Why? Does it remind of you of someone? Is there a scent that you associate with anyone in particular? For example: Old Spice, your father or grandfather - Stetson, an old boyfriend, etc.

In my book I’ll Be Seeing You, the heroine is an artist who was blinded in a freak accident and had her vision restored with a cornea transplant. In the scene below, see how Lyssa Ryan’s other senses became stronger to compensate for the loss of vision.

Laying quietly and listening to the sounds in the corridor outside her room, Lyssa attempted to judge the time.

It was relatively quiet. There was a ding indicating that someone had rung for a nurse. She could hear the squeak-squeak-squeak of rubber soled shoes against the tile flooring and indistinguishable words from lowered voices in the direction of the nurses’ station. All in all, the sounds told her very little. The time could be anywhere between the time she went to sleep and six-thirty in the morning. Activity picked up around six-forty-five prior to the seven A.M. shift change, followed closely thereafter by the clickety-click clatter of wheels from the carts carrying the breakfast trays. Accompanying the sound would be the aroma emanating from the food trays.

Lyssa’s rehab therapist told her that with most people, their other senses became more acute to compensate for the loss of one. In her case, the heightened sense of smell had been a less than pleasant acquisition. She was now acutely aware of odors she hadn’t noticed before. While in the hospital, Lyssa found the smell of antiseptic mingled with the aroma of multiple food choices less than appetizing, to the point of nauseating.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of her sightless state, beyond the obvious, was the inability to distinguish day from night and as such, to gauge the passage of time which seemed to stretch out before her like a deep, dark, endless tunnel.

Exercise 2: Take a stroll through a flower shop or garden. Smell the flowers. Try to detect the differences between the fragrance of each flower. Do you find certain scents calming? Do certain scents evoke pleasant or unpleasant feelings or memories?

How do scents heighten the senses during love making? That one is a bit harder for me. Going through my material I’ve found few instances where I’ve used the sense of smell during the actual act. Something I need to work on in the future. However, the visual effect and smell of scented candles go a long way to help set the mood for romance. Does your partner wear a scent that you associate with him/her? Do you use a special scent to entice when you are in the mood for love?

I’m sure we’ve all read stories where someone comments that a room or bedding smelled of sex. Is there a lingering, detectable scent after sex? Would you be able to recognize the scent for what it was? I’m not sure I would. Nevertheless, the description, “smelled of sex” brings vivid images to my mind of what went on in the bed, in that room.

Exercise 3: You’ll love this one. Again, go shopping. Purchase new bath supplies in a scent you haven’t tried before; soap, bubble bath or bath salts, etc. Get some scented candles to match. Set the scene. Turn off the lights and light the candles. Lay back and have a long, luxurious, soak. Lose yourself in the warmth and the fragrance surrounding you.

We can’t talk about the sense of smell relating to sexual desire without mentioning pheromones. Some believe pheromones are the key to "love at first sight." Hummmmm? Pheromones do not have a detectable scent but are in fact a natural, air-borne chemical hormone that is picked up by the olfactory membrane in the nose and in turn, is said to stimulate the limbic region of the brain, also known as the "Seat of Emotions." This area of the brain is responsible for our emotions and passionate desires.

There are a lot of perfumes on the market which claim to have a human sex pheromone base and promise to attract the opposite sex. Do they really work? If you’ve tried it with success, be sure to let us know and well all run out and buy it.

In writing - After I’ve completed the first draft of a book, one entire revision is done to add description, finding places where I can apply the uses of the senses to add depth to a scene.

In real life – working to develop your 5 senses and focusing on them while making love will not only enhance your own pleasure, but in the pleasure you give you lover as well.
If you try any of the exercises above and are surprised by the results, please feel free to post a comment.

Until next time when we explore the sense of hearing – Stop and smell the roses.

The Sense Of Taste

Evening was rapidly approaching by the time they got around to riding the double Ferris Wheel which stalled with them on top, the position giving them a panoramic view of the fairgrounds. Taking in the multi-colored lights adorning the rides and booths, the music, and the festive atmosphere, Mara settled back in her seat with sigh of contentment.

“Having a good time?” J.T. asked.

For the first time, Mara realized that J.T.’s arm, which had been resting across the back of the seat, was now wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Considering the distance between them and the ground, it wasn’t the brightest thing she’d ever done, but Mara turned slightly in her seat and looked up at him.

“I’ve never enjoyed myself more,” she answered honestly. She wanted the kiss she’d longed for since last night. Her hand slid up his chest and her tongue snaked out to moisten her lips in an invitation she hoped J.T. wouldn’t resist. She held her breath as he brought his lips down to hers and sighed with pleasure at the initial contact.

Her soft, responsive lips tasted of cherry slush and cotton candy, and were more potent than a fine Scotch whiskey that went immediately to J.T.’s head and fired his blood. And just as he’d suspected, one taste of her would never be enough.

* * * *

We have unfortunately become a society of people who rush through meals and eat on the run without even tasting the food we eat. Working full time and writing I’m probably more guilty than most. Living alone, sometimes cooking and eating seem to be a waste of valuable time or I get busy and often forget to eat altogether.

Be honest and really think about my next questions. Do you eat to live, or live to eat? What was the last thing you had to eat? Do you even remember what it tasted like? Did you grab something to eat out of habit, to fill time? I suspect that if we took the time to slow down and pay attention to the taste and flavors of the food we eat, we’d probably eat less but enjoy it more.

Exercise 1: Either prepare your favorite meal or go out to your favorite restaurant. If you stay at home, go all out with wine and candlelight, maybe soft music in the background. Slow down and take the time to enjoy your food. Pay attention to the taste of what you are eating. What does it really taste like? Is there an after taste? Can you taste various flavors or spices on your tongue? If it’s spicy, is the heat immediate or the kind that creeps up on you?

Exercise 2 – You’re going to like this one – Chocolate! I’m sure we’ve all read the recent reports regarding the health benefits of dark chocolate. Some experts even believe the benefits outweigh the extra calories – especially if eaten in moderation. Just to name a few:

•Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.

•Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

•Chocolate stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure

•Chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant

•Chocolate contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

Some cultures actually consider chocolate to be an aphrodisiac. Don’t know about you, but I’ll take chocolate over oysters any day. It has also been said that good chocolate has the same chemical reaction on the body a having sex. So lets think about this a minute. Eating chocolate and having sex = double the pleasure, with the added benefit of the calories burned by having sex cancelling out the calories in the chocolate. Makes perfect sense to me.

So now let’s get back to the exercise - the pleasure of tasting that chocolate.
Feel the chocolate in your mouth. Good chocolate should literally "melt in your mouth." Chocolate melts at about 97 degrees. While melting the chocolate should feel rich and luscious in your mouth. You should not need to chew good chocolate at all, just let the flavors release on their own. Examine the texture of the chocolate -- it can vary from smooth to grainy. Good chocolate has a rich, velvety texture. Poor quality chocolate feels waxy or greasy.

Taste it. Pay attention to the flavors that just pop into your head. Spend time being aware of how the flavors change over time as the chocolate continues to melt and coat more of your tongue.

Does chocolate really act as an aphrodisiac? Who knows? Who cares? What more does a person need than a mood elevating, stimulating, pleasurable, not to mention, great tasting, experience?

Exercise 3 - Anyone read the book 9 ½ Weeks or see the movie? Remember the scene where Mickey Rourke was feeding a blindfolded Kim Basinger from the refrigerator? This exercise is definitely requires a partner. You can make it as clinical as you like to explore and heighten your sense of taste, or as sexually adventurous as you like.

The tongue is highly erotic, in kisses, against your skin, or used to bring about incredible orgasms. Have you ever paid attention to the feel of your partners skin against your tongue. Is there a taste? We think of the pleasure another’s tongue can bring us without even realizing the pleasure we give from utilizing our own.

Each person is to select various foods and drinks keeping them secret from their partner. Take turns feeding each other the food you’ve chosen while blindfolded. Can you quickly identify what you are fed by taste alone? What about the shape or texture against your tongue. What does it taste like? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does the taste give you a sense of pleasure. Note: Be nice. Don’t deliberately feed your partner something you know they dislike. Definitely a quick way to spoil the mood.

Feel free to post a comment and let us know what foods you think would be ideal for use in sexual foreplay? Chocolate covered strawberries? A banana dipped in chocolate?

Anyone besides me have a sudden craving for chocolate?

Until next time when we explor the Sense Of Smell

The Sense Of Sight

She appeared to wilt before his eyes. Expecting her to buckle beneath the weight of her backpack at any moment, he instinctively reached out to offer support. But before he could make contact, she stiffened and literally jerked herself backward, out of his reach. In the process, J.T. caught a brief glimpse of discoloration high on one cheek bone which had been concealed by the wide lenses of her dark glasses.

He clenched his jaw and choked back the words to keep from asking a perfect stranger the question uppermost in his mind . . . and none of his business.

“Can you suggest any place in the area where I might find lodging for a couple of days? It doesn’t have to be on the lake.”

“Sorry,” he answered reluctantly, truly meaning it. It didn’t take a brilliant mind to put two and two together. With his FBI background, he’d picked up on the clues quicker than most: a lone woman hitchhiking; one clearly old enough and intelligent enough to know the risks; the way she constantly glanced over her shoulder; and her skittish, ready-to-bolt demeanor. The most conclusive evidence of all were the dark glasses to conceal bruising, and the long sleeved turtle-necked shirt, on a blistering hot July afternoon. She was mostly like a woman on the run, someone in need of a safe place to hole up for a while.

This one is fairly easy. As a writer you paint a picture of what you see only using words instead of paint. Yet two artists painting the same scene will end up with totally different paintings. One artist picks up all the various shades of color, shadows, highlights, and textures, giving his painting a three dimensional, lifelike effect. While the other artist’s painting is flat. One dimensional. It’s all a matter of perspective and interpretation. The question is, what do we really see? One person might see a tree, while another sees all the various color shades, shadows and textures, the individual leaves, maybe even insects crawling on the bark. It’s the detail that brings depth and dimension to a story, bringing it to life.

Exercise 1: From where you are at this moment, look around the room. What do you see? I see that I really need to get off this computer and do some cleaning. There is a cobweb in the corner, but if I was writing a paranormal it would only add ambiance. There is a bit of a shadow on the ceiling above the TV where I always have a candle burning, most likely created by the smoke from the flame. Look for the shadows and detail.

Grab a pen and paper. Write a description of a room in your house without going into that room first. Don’t cheat. Describe that room as if you were describing it to a reader. Now go into the room you described. Carefully analyze what you are seeing and compare it to your written description. Are there details you missed? Simple things like a pair of earrings on a bedside table, items on the top of a dresser, a curling iron laying on a vanity that was still plugged in, tooth paste spatters on a mirror, unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink, or expired items in a refrigerator. It’s the small, often missed details that add realism.

Exercise 2: Go outside and take a walk or a drive into the country. Make a conscious effort to look for details, colors, the shadows and textures. Pay attention to the individual branches on a tree, the individual leaves with their intricate pattern of veins. Check out houses, especially the old ones. Are they well cared for or neglected with faded, pealing paint, broken windows, sagging, age worn steps? What kind of story does the house tell?

Exercise 3: One of my favorite pastimes – People watching. Go to the mall, the park, or go to someplace like Starbucks. Sit and watch the people. One invaluable writing resource book that I constantly use is an old book on body language. How a person walks, how they carry themselves, their posture, whether or not they make direct eye contact. Are their arms crossed, loose at their sides? Body language will often tell you a lot about a person. Sometimes, actions do speak louder than words.

The sense of sight and sex: It’s common knowledge that sexually, men are more visual, while women tend to be more mental. Nevertheless, there are few women who don’t enjoy looking at a sexy man, clothed or nude. The sense of sight is truly one of our strongest sexual senses.

While some women find sexually explicit photos offensive, there is no denying that they have a physical effect on the body, as do erotic movies, and the written word. Sexually visual images triggers sexual impulses in our brain and our body responds accordingly.

Exercise 4: We all know that sexually explicit photos are easily accessible on the internet. Do a bit of site surfing. Pay close attention to how your body responds to specific photos. Do some images turn you on more than others? Do some turn you off?

Exercise 5: Need an outlet for exercise four. How long has it been since you really looked at your partner’s nude body in a sensual way, made mental note of how various parts react when you caress or kiss? Not only are you aroused by the sight of a nude body but your partner appreciates being appreciated and will respond in kind. Enjoy!

Working to develop your 5 senses and focusing on them while making love will not only enhance your own pleasure, but in the pleasure you give you lover as well.
If you try any of the Seduction Of The Senses exercises and are surprised by the results, please feel free to post a comment.

Until next time, when we explore The Sense Of Taste.

The Sense Of Touch

His hands gripped her and slid them down to his chest. “Touch me, Jane,” he instructed softly.


She needed no further encouragement. Her eyes snapped open, fascinated as she watched the play of her pearl tipped nails as they sifted through the dark hair on his chest. The tickling sensation, created by his slightly course chest hair against her palms, and the feel of his firm muscles which flexed beneath her exploring hands, intensified the heavy feeling growing between her legs.

Did you know the palms of your hands can be an incredible erogenous zone? The feel of a lover’s skin beneath your hands, exploring their entire body to discover which areas are most sensitive. Our skin has nerve endings to beg to be touched and massaged. Touch can be one of our most exciting senses, allowing you to give and receive pleasure all at once.

It’s time to bring slow, foreplay back into your lovemaking. Give your lover a sensual massage. Starting at the neck, work your way down, touching and massaging each body part. Tell your partner why you love the way their body feels and ask them which of your touches gives them the most pleasure. Take extra time exploring your lover’s erogenous zones – the obvious and those special spots that drive them wild. Ask where they like to be touched and how to touch, firm, gentle, a bare breath of a caress. Ask them to tell you how it feels. Focus on the different textures, the tactile sensation against your palms.

Now it’s your turn. Switch roles. Your turn to be the guide. Don’t hesitate to tell your lover what you want.

Next, together, explore each other’s bodies like it was the first time you’ve been together.

Exercise 1: TOUCH the snow or the grass outside, the bark of a tree, your lingerie, your sheets, the warmth of a cup containing something hot, the cool dampness of a glass containing something cold. Close your eyes and focus on how they feel against the palm of your hand. Is it hot, cold, warm, smooth, rough? It is pleasing? Uncomfortable?

If you are really adventurous, try giving the massage with a blindfold. Are the sensations you receive different? More acute? It is said that when one sense is lost, the others become stronger to compensate. Try wearing a blindfold around your home and identifying objects by touch alone. You might be surprised to find that the more you exercise your sense of touch, the sharper it will become.


Until next time when we explore the sense of sight, reach out and touch someone.

Seduction Of The Senses

I am currently working on expanding my next story to go up on Kindle, Seduction Of The Senses, which was originally part of the Tempting Fate Holiday Fantasies collection. While going over the files for this story, I stumbled across an old blog series I'd written several years ago, also called Seduction Of The Senses. This blog series features the five senses and how they apply to the written word, as well as how they are can be used to heighten the lovemaking experience.

I thought it might be a good idea to repost the series, while working on the story. Hopefully you'll find it informative, maybe even helpful.

What draws you into a book and makes you feel you are right there with the characters? Or better yet, into the head of maybe the hero or heroine, sharing their experiences?

First and foremost, it’s well developed characters that evoke emotion from the reader whether it is a character you love or relate to and want them to find happiness, or even possibly someone you hate and want to see justice served in the end.

But there is so much more that goes into drawing you into a book than just telling a good story and developing great characters. Description brings a book to life. Description allows you see what the characters see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel, taste what they taste and yes, even smell what they smell. After I’ve completed the first draft of a book, one entire revision is done to add description, finding places where I can apply the uses of the senses to add depth to a scene.

Anyone ever hear of the old book THE SENSUOUS WOMAN written by “J” way back in the 60’s? A paragraph from the back cover blurb reads: Now “J” reveals her secret, step-by-step program that allows every woman to free her body, train her senses and realize her tremendous feminine capacity for giving and receiving pleasure. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the book was written as an instruction manual of sorts, designed to bring out the sensual woman in you. The book included many exercises the readers can do to develop and heighten their senses and bring them in to play in lovemaking.

It’s amazing what you can come up with when you are racking your brain for a topic for a blog post and just happen to pick up a dusty old book from your resource stack. Anyway, doing a bit of research, the information I came up with was interesting as well as extensive. Far too much information to work into a single blog post. So, I’ve decided to break it up into five different posts, focusing on one of the five senses, each as used to enhance the written word as well as enhancing your lovemaking.

So called experts say that as a society we’ve become desensitized, our senses dulled.

Lets see what we can do to sharpen things up a bit. Just for fun, I’ll give you a few exercises to try out, exercises designed to heighten each of the five senses.

While this is written primarily with women in mind, you men out there might learn a thing or two about pleasing your woman. It’s never too late to go back to the basics and rekindle the passion in any relationship.

First up will be the Sense Of Touch.

The Phantom Lover now live on Kindle

The Phantom Lover is now live on Kindle. This is the first short story from my Tempting Fate, Holiday Fantasies Collection.

I’m happy to say that this conversion to Kindle went much smoother than the first, valuable learning experience. I pretty much knew what I was doing this time – Yea! Except … while the first cover I did for The Phantom Lover looked great on my computer screen, it did not look so good online, as a Kindle book.

So, I quickly made two other cover possibilities and asked my reader group which cover they preferred. I was pleased to receive several responses in a short amount of time, since I needed to get the cover changed as soon as possible. I’m happy to say that it was my favorite as well.

I can’t begin to express how blessed I am to have loyal readers who have hung in there with me, and supported me during my absence. I love you guys!

Next up will be Detour. Except for reformatting and posting to Kindle, it’s pretty much ready to go. I have to admit that Detour is one of my favorite short stories in the entire collection. Probably because I relate so strongly to the plot, and to Kayla, an older heroine. I’m planning to upload it to Kindle next week. The cover is posted as Coming Soon.

Everything is moving along according to schedule. It feels so good to be back and feeling productive.

I'll Be Seeing You Now Available

One backlist down and more to come.

My first experience self publishing my backlist works with Amazon Kindle was, aptly put…an experience. The Kindle text conversion process has a tendency to do weird things to your original formatting, how much or how little seems to depend upon what type of file you upload.

I first uploaded my original Microsoft Word.doc. On the sample book preview I received back from them, I found that a lot of my paragraph indents were missing, one line ran into the next making conversations, especially with short sentences difficult for the reader to follow. Along with several other problems. In chapter IV, there were a couple of paragraphs that showed up with a totally different font. What? How did that happen? While I was aware that converting to different ebook systems can cause formatting problems, there were too many to just let go.

So back to the drawing board. I reformatted my book as a html document and went back through, comparing it to the book preview I’d received from Kindle, correcting all the indent and spacing problems I could find. The paragraphs with the different font change, there was nothing I could do. My document was all in Times New Roman font. Unfortunately, once you send a book to publish, it is out of your control in Never, Never Land until the process is complete and the book goes live.

Once it went live, hoping no copies were purchased with all the formatting errors, I immediately uploaded the revised html version, keeping my fingers crossed that this would correct the problems, sending it back into Never, Never Land, waiting until the Publish process was complete.

About 36 hours later, I’ll Be Seeing You again went live. I received a preview copy. Yea! All the paragraph indents were there, a few other minor problems were corrected. It looked much better…except… On this version, all the spacing between the chapter headings were no longer there. All the text seemed to run together. And the different font on the two paragraphs in Chapter IV was still there.

So do I let it go this time hoping the readers won’t have a problem with the less than obvious chapter changes? A fairly easy issue to correct. If I were to center the chapter heading and make it bold, it would be easier for the reader to recognize the new chapter.

If there is a problem with my work, put out there for readers to purchase, if there is anything I can do to make it a better reading experience, I can’t just let it go.

While I’ll Be Seeing You is now available to purchase in the last corrected version, it is now back to Never, Never Land for the next 24 to 48 hours for the hopefully improved version with the changed chapter headings.

There is a real learning curve here. Learning what works. What doesn’t. What blips and bloopers you can do nothing about, such as the weird font change. I’ve learned a lot from my first attempt at Kindle publishing. Lessons learned for formatting the next book. Hopefully that one will be to my satisfaction on the first upload.

So, for you ebook readers out there. Please be kind. Understand that while you might find some formatting errors in the books you purchase, most of them are caused by converting the author’s work from one system to the next. It is not from the authors’ lack of trying to give you the best quality work possible. Some things are simply out of their control.

I've Been Away Too Long!

Life has a way of making the unimaginable happen. Enter Rheumatoid Arthritis. Nasty fellow Arthur! Guess he figured that it would be poetic injustice to first attack the hands and wrists of a writer. Needless to say, the past couple of years I was forced to put my writing on the back burner while I struggled to get Arthur under control and do everything in my power to keep my day job…as a secretary no less. Arthur might have won that particular battle, but not the war.

It had always been my dream to be able to retire one day and write full time. Forcing me into early retirement, Arthur virtually handed me my dream on a somewhat tarnished silver platter. I just hadn’t expected it to happen this way or this soon.

So where do I go from here? Give up and settle in to “Oh Woe is me?” or Follow the dream to the best of my newly limited ability. I’ll take the dream thank you!!!! I’ve found that without being forced to push myself forty hours a week with a full time job, Arthur has become somewhat manageable. I can still type. Not fast. Not as accurately. But for now, I can type, and I now have 24/7 to write at my new pace. I can take a break whenever needed without an employer to let down. Now, the only person I have to answer to is myself, and my muse Cybill who has returned with a vengeance, along with my sense of humor. When Arthur gets out of line, I’ll simply sic Cybill on him and let them battle it out.

The plan:

Get some new work finished! I’m happy to say, I’ve been working on that one and hope to have Yours To Command finished in the next couple of weeks. Next will come Empath, the first novella in a four book paranormal series. This one is more than half way there with the other three roughly plotted.

I have the rights back to my novella, I’ll Be Seeing You. I’m working on getting that reformatted and ready to go up on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords (New cover by yours truly, on my new Blog Website). Being out of the loop for so long, Indie publishing is a totally new venue for me but I’m slowly trying to figure out how it all works. I also have the rights back for the eight stories in my Tempting Fate Holiday Fantasies collection. The goal is to get those up as Kindle and Smashword ebooks as well. From what I’ve seen, this seems to be an excellent venue for backlist work and for many authors, new books as well. Which makes this a good possibility for Yours To Command, Empath and the other three novellas in the series as well.

First and foremost, I have to be realistic. Being forced into early retirement, my finances are about as tight as they can get. If I can get enough work up on Kindle and Smashwords to generate a bit of supplemental income, I can then focus entirely on new work. But that’s getting ahead of myself. After many good years of writing and epublishing, then so much time out of the loop, so much has changed that I feel like I’m starting all over again, one step at a time.

That’s pretty much where I am at this point. The important thing is that I’M BACK. I have been blessed with so many loyal readers and author friends who have hung in there with me through the rough patch, who have been so supportive that no matter how many times I say “Thank You” the words don’t begin to express how much I appreciate each and every one of you. If that isn’t incentive to resurrect the dream and make it work, I don’t know what is. I’ll do my best not to let you down.

So now we begin… again. I’ll keep you updated…one step at a time.