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.

Great Review

Demon Wind received a great review from Kelly at CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. See review below:

Be wary, for the Demon Wind has claimed many a young lover… or so the legends go.

Jayden Parrish adores her grandmother, even if she does question the extent of her superstitious beliefs now and again. One warning her grandmother has always given is that of the Demon Wind. Jayden never put much stock in it until one night when she had an erotic dream of sex on the beach with a passionate stranger, and woke up in her bed, covered in sand, no memory of how that might have happened.

Cantrell is the new doctor in town who experienced the most incredible dream of his life, only to come face to face with the vision from his dreams the very next day. As he and Jayden question what happened to them, they discover maybe there is something to those old legends after all. Could it be that the Demon Wind has brought Tyce and Jayden together in a passionate love neither can resist?

Kay Wilde packs a wallop with her novellas. There is so much emotion between Jayden and Tyce that we know they found something special in each other. The developing relationship may have started in a non-traditional way, but it’s very apparent they belong together. Watching them experience the confusion, fear, excitement, and growing understanding of what happened is a sight to behold, culminating in a love affair that is sure to stand the test of time.

I love the legend of the Demon Wind and Kay Wilde develops it in such a way that readers will long to believe something like that could happen to anyone. There is a very touching love story behind the mystery that may even bring a tear to your eye as you uncover the truth along side of Tyce and Cantrell.

There is a reason Kay Wilde became a fast favorite of mine and Demon Wind epitomizes why this is true for me and all other fans of this talented writer.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2007. All rights reserved.

© 2006-2007 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved

GREAT ADVICE

Hi All!

The information below came in to our office today and I thought some of the tips should be passed along. Hopefully they will save some of you a lot of money and needless headaches.

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE-----NO CHARGE

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check-processing channels w ill not have access to it.

4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks, (DUH!). You can add it if it is necessary. However, if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Also carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad. We have all heard horror stories about fraud that is committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys (and they all seem to do that now), do not turn the "keys" in! Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever.

Unfortunately, as an attorney, I have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer and received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online. Here is some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. The key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). However, here is what is perhaps most important of all (I never even thought to do this.)

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert . Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet and contents being stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1- 888-397-3742
3.) TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything. Nevertheless, if you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone about who you care.

Do You See What I See?

Tonight being Halloween, and a beautiful night, my daughter and I decided to take the digital camera and pay a visit to a bridge in the area said to be haunted. Check out the image above the second post, just above the railing. Click on photo to enlarge. I'll let you decide what you see.

Comments welcome.

PERFECT AUTUMN DAY

Yesterday was another of the one tank getaways that my daughter and I share from time to time. Being two women, we set out with a direction, but no specific destination in mind. Since we are both drawn to the hills and water, we often head toward the southern part of the state. We avoid the Interstates, take the roads less traveled, and never travel the same road twice. We stop when ever the mood strikes and explore at our leisure.

It pretty much follows my approach to writing. I start out with a general plot direction and my main characters. I then allow them chart their own course along the winding road to see where it takes them. Who knows what treacherous hairpin curves, hidden treasures, missed turns, or happy accidents they will encounter along the way.

Anyway, my daughter and I had a wonderful day, talking, laughing, and in general enjoying each other’s company. About three hours from home, we passed a beautiful park and saw a lake in the background. Needless to say, we had to turn around and explore what the park had to offer. It was far more than we expected and we found a section of the park that we we had all to ourselves. The only people we saw were at a distance, in boats, on the lake. It was going on dinner time and we couldn’t imagine a better place for a picnic. So, we headed into town to find a KFC for chicken. No such luck. The town was too small. However, we did find Uncle Buck’s Pub and Carry-out Chicken. We figured what the heck, so we ordered a whole broasted chicken with all the fixing, and took it back to the park. I don’t mind telling you, that was a lot of chicken for two women, especially with all the sides. But in that gorgeous fresh air setting, so quiet and peaceful, I can’t remember when anything has tasted so incredibly good. I’d like to tell you that the dog ate most of the chicken, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t be true.

I’m sending along a few photos of where we ended up on this particular excursion. We’re thinking about including Haunted Indiana into our adventures. Who knows, I might have a few more mother/daughter excursions and photos to share.

The cutie below is Sissy, our other traveling companion who is all tuckered out after the long, fast paced jog my daugher took her on through the area. We didn't hear a peep from her the entire drive home.

Character Development

How real do your favorite characters feel to you? As an author, I go to great lengths to make my characters as vivid as possible in my mind. I have a character development list of about 50 questions that covers everything from physical description which includes any outstanding feature or markings such as scars etc, personality, likes, dislikes, job/career, educational background, family history, past relationships, religious beliefs, pet peeves, habits, favorite foods, food dislikes, philosophy on life. You name anything you might want to know about a person and chances are it’s on my list. I also do a lot of searching until I find a picture of that character. You see the picture and you say, “OMG, that’s him/her.”

I did something last night that showed me just how real some of my characters seem to me. While trying to find a suitable picture for the heroine in my current WIP, I went over a CD I have of photos for possible characters. Anytime I see a picture of a person that jumps out at me as someone who would make a great character, I save it to my character CD. Anyway, I found a photo of a woman in her mid-thirties, exact hair style, eye color, everything that fit the picture I have in my mind for Beth in my current story. There was only one problem. That was the same picture I used for Cinda Ellis in SOLD TO THE LOWEST BIDDER in my TEMPTING FATE HOLIDAY FANTASIES collection. In my mind, even though the picture was a perfect match for Beth, I couldn’t bring myself to put it on my character visual page for the new story. That picture was of Cinda, a single mom with a young daughter who was currently living happily ever after with her hero. To use that picture for another story I’d feel like I was breaking up the perfect relationship and happy future I’d created for her. Besides, Cinda would NEVER do some of the things Beth does in her story. So, as I continued to peruse the CD, a picture of a woman who did not fit my original vision or description for Beth literally jumped out at me like she was saying, “I’m here! Pick me, me, me!!!” Needless to say, I was forced to give Beth a make-over. I actually like the new Beth better than my first, her look fits the personality and even the situation better. For some strange reason, the story just took off as soon as I cast the proper Beth in the staring role.

In all honesty, as authors, we spend more time with, and know our characters more intimately than we do some members or our family and friends. If we aren’t sitting at our computer in the heads of our characters, they are attempting to get into ours while we go about our other activities. We know what they feel, what they think, what they want and need. We talk to them, try to reason with them, or downright argue with them, and they have a habit of responding in kind.

So readers, how many characters have you read about who stick in your mind long after reading …THE END? Characters you felt you would recognize if you met them on the street?

What about you authors out there? How well do you know your characters? Are you so involved in the lives you created for them that you almost feel as if you could pick up a phone and give them a call to see how they are doing?

Blow Out!!!!!!

Ever wonder about an authors, often wierd, sense of humor? How many of you ladies have ever changed a tire?

Yesterday, my daughter and I were on the Interstate - three lanes of traffic - 70 miles per hour mind you - in my car - when we had a blow out of a rear tire. We pulled to the shoulder next to one of those lovely concrete constuction barriers. We looked at each other and said "Do you know how to change a tire?" NOPE! But hey, we're intelligent, independant, modern women, we can do this!!!!!! And of course we're thinking some hero will see two women trying to change a flat and come to the rescue.

Out of the car, with vehicles blowing past us making it seem like we're in a wind tunnel. Get all the necessary equipment out of the trunk. The jack is a pretty straight forward tool so jacking up the car and getting the hubcap off wasn't too tough. Cars keep whizzing past, including a couple of cop cars. Next comes the lug nuts!!!! I wonder who came up with the term "Lug Nut"? It has a really masculine ring to it and stimulates all kind of images about the masculine personality. The term was most likely devised because men put the damn things on so tight that only a man has the strength to get the damn things off. (Tip, losen the damn lug nuts before you jack up the car so the tire won't keep turning to hamper your efforts).

Okay, after a lot of pushing and straining, the lug nuts are off. The blown tire is off. On goes that little dounut thingy that passes as a tire. Still no hero in sight. All but one of the lug nuts are back on, losely, we decided to lower the jack so we can tighten them enough so the tire would stay on.

By God, we'd done it!!! We changed a tire - by ourselves. Guess what? Along comes our hero! The first words out of my daughter's mouth was, "Now, you show up?"

Our hero, who was gorgeous by the way, has this sheepish grin and apologizes, "Sorry, I went past so fast I couldn't stop." He'd pulled off the Interstate on the first access road and climbed up a hill to reach us. You have give the guy credit. And of course a killer smile didn't hurt. Anyway, he tightened the infernal nuts, and put the blown tire and the jack back in the trunk. We're ready to get back in the car and, yep, you got it again, a cop finally pulls over, lights flashing.

Big an muscular, this State Trooper looks as if he could have lifted the car without the aid of a jack. "You ladies need assistance?" he asks. "Yeah, about forty-five minutes ago."

So, my daughter and I get back in the car, look at each other, and start laughing hysterically. This sort of thing is sooooo typical of our mother and daughter bonding days. Next on the agenda - get off the Interstate and find a place to get a new tire so we didn't have to drive too far on the donut thingy. We're in Indianapolis, shouldn't be too difficult. Yeah right! Ever try to get a tire changed after 5:00? The first two places we stopped, the chilverous heros working there said, "sorry, we just closed". The last one directed us to a Firestone dealership at the mall, three miles away. But of course we had to hurry because they closed at 6:00. Saturday traffic in Indianapolis is slow at best. Well, we did make it, with a few minutes to spare, Tire changed, and we're back on the road -- still laughing. Anyone want to bet whether or not the experience will one day find itself in one of my stories?

I have to tell you, that because of that damn blow out, my daughter and I both laughed more yesterday than either of us have in a long time. Needless to say, we changed our plans for the rest of the day. By the time we would have arrived at our intended destination, it would have been too late to accomplish what we'd originally set out to do. Instead, we returned to my house, fixed a nice dinner, and spent the remainder of the evening watching a movie.

We're thinking about trying it again today! News at eleven.

“Not Tonight, Honey. I Have A Headache.”

We have all been there. Sometimes you are just not in the mood. Maybe you’ve had a particularly stressful day at work, with the children, real life problems, or are simply not feeling well. As a result, you want nothing more than to relax a bit, then go to bed and sleep ... undisturbed. The thought of making hot passionate love is so far at the back of your mind it would take a blow torch to warm you up.

Fortunately there are some excellent books out there on which I would personally put a "Blow Torch" heat rating.

But, let’s get real. If you’ve had a really, really, bad day and your significant other comes home and says, “Come here baby and give Big Daddy some lovin’,” Big Daddy better duck and run.

That’s exactly the point I’m at with my current book. Since the first of the year, my day job has been particularly hectic … closing out year end and setting up for 2006 along with attempting to keep up with my normal, daily work load. By the time I got home each evening, I was wiped out, my brain all but fried. Definitely a "Not tonight, honey. I have a headache," situation.

In short, for the past week, my poor hero and heroine have been left hanging ... in the middle of a passionate love scene … in an old fashioned claw foot bath tub no less.

What authors put their characters through is shocking.

I’ve managed to tie up the last of the year end loose ends at work. Things have returned to normal … at least as normal as it gets. This weekend, I intend to complete the love scene and allow my poor hero and heroine to achieve the relief and satisfaction they’ve been working toward for the past week. Otherwise, they’re likely to seek revenge by becoming uncooperative.

So, what about the authors who write those hot and steamy books that as readers you often escape into … books that often help create the mood for romance?

As an author, I find the love scenes the most difficult part of the book to write. Just like in real life where you have to be in a particular frame of mind and mood to do it … I need to be in the mood to write it. For me, those scenes are best written in the evening or night hours. I do my best work if I set the mood … a hot bubble bath to relax me, candles burning, my special romantic mood music playing, and maybe even a glass of wine. It also doesn't hurt to read something with a bit of sizzle.

For other authors out there, how about sharing what influences impact the love scenes you write? What, if anything, make them difficult or impossible to write? What do you do to set the mood?

Right Brain vs Left Brain

In my last post I mentioned the need to switch mental gears from my day job to enable me to focus on my writing. I see myself as a right brain person, while my day job requires primarily left brain applications. Below is a more detailed description of the applications and functions of both the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

Check them out and see if you are primarily a right brain or left brain person. I suspect there are those of you who are so well balanced that you do not lean heavier on one side or the other, or you function with both simultaneously. For me, I freely admit that balance in all aspects of my life is a constant struggle.


Right Brain Traits:

Intuitive: fllows hunches, or feelings, takes leaps of logic.
Nontemporal: having little or no awareness of time.
Random: arranges events and actions haphazardly.
Causal and Informal: deals with information on basis of need or interest at the time.
Concrete: relates to things as they are commonly known or understood.
Holistic: sees whole things all at one, overall patterns. Leading to divergent ideas.
Visual: uses imagery, responds to pictures, colors, shapes.
Nonverbal: responds to tones, music, body language, touch.
Visuo-spatial: uses intuition to estimate, perceives shapes.
Responsive: listens to music.
Originative: interest in ideas and theories imaginatively.
Emotional: suspicious judgment until it feels or seems right.
Learning: through exploration, creative, artistic

Left Brain Traits:

Methodical: organizes information, classifies, categorizes, structures.
Temporal: keeps track of time, thinks in terms of past, present, future.
Sequential: arranges events and actions in consecutive succession.
Linear: thinks in terms of sequence, one thought directly following another. Leads to convergent conclusions.
Factual: deals with details, items, the particulars, features of a thing.
Verbal: used words to name, describe, and define things.
Systematic and Formal: processes information methodically, in a well-planned way.
Learning: through systematic plans.

Reflections

I decided to get a head start on the new year by jumping on the blogger bandwagon. If you can't beat them, join them - right? Not sure I have anything to say on a regular basis that you will be interested in reading but I guess we'll soon find out.

Ever wonder how a writer's mind works? I've always said that a writer's mind is wired a bit differently. We look at life, people, and everyday situations from a different perspective. The two most important words in our vocabulary are; "What if?" Every person we meet has the potential to be a character, every situation a possible scene that adds realism and emotion, every song a title or plot, every location we visit an exciting setting for a book. The possibilities are endless. People often ask me where I get the ideas for my stories and the best response I can offer is; "Where don't I?" The ideas come faster than I can write them, proven by my ever expanding note book of plots, titles, potential characters, and scenes to be used at a later date.

Hopefully you'll find my REFLECTIONS on daily events and news about my work interesting enough to stop by often.