As in, “whipped”. As in, one scene left to fix up–one!–before I am DONE with the WIP. It’s been forever since I finished a book. Yay!

And now it feels like the weekend, because I’ve spent so many days and nights working on this thing and I am ready to let it go. I have serious computer-head. Need fresh air…but first I must finish that last scene.

See you on the other side…

I just heard, along with everyone else in the writing community, that Kensington editor Kate Duffy has passed away. I have not seen an official announcement. I did not meet or work with her, but I’ve heard her name many, many times over the years in reference to other authors’ positive experiences. My sympathies to her family, friends, and colleagues.

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of Christmas was a wreath my grandmother made out of these candies. It always hung near her front door and as soon as I got there, I’d pick off one of the pieces (maple is my favorite!). I haven’t seen them in years, so when I spotted a Brach’s display at the grocery store I had to pick up a few, even though they aren’t exactly diet-friendly. Sentimental calories don’t count, right?

So before tomorrow, when I’ll chug Slim-Fast for breakfast and eat turkey on whole-wheat pita bread for lunch, talk to me about goodies. What was your favorite childhood treat?

Beauty vs. power—a dangerous game with the heart as the prize…

Jacey Cass radiates confidence and sensuality just once a year, when she meets her rich and powerful lover for a night of anonymous sex. The rest of her calendar is filled with the daily struggle to survive. Her cashier job at Insomnia, Miami’s hottest lingerie shop, doesn’t go far toward college tuition, but she’s determined to rise above her mother’s freeloading legacy.

Alex Vaughn is one promotion away from realizing his life’s ambition. For years he’s been forced to stand by and watch his father systematically destroy the values that made Insomnia great. Now, with an expected vacancy in the summer catalog, he takes a chance. He’s never formally met the fascinating woman he takes to bed every year, but he knows a marketable body when he sees one. The last thing he expects is for her to turn the opportunity down flat.

Jacey won’t consider a handout—even from the man whose white-hot caress is the one bright spot of her life. Then a modeling competition’s prize money lures her from behind the register and into the blinding spotlight, unaware of what the cost could be to her heart…

Warning: This title follows a young woman’s journey from fear of intimacy to trust in love, with frequent, explicit descriptions of the sensual lessons learned on the way.

After several bits and pieces of happy writing news, I have the urge to tell the general reading public that, well…you rock.

My second book releases in six weeks. I can’t believe it’s nearly that time again. When Sexy by Design came out in May, I was awake the entire night wondering if all my blogs for that day would post on schedule and if the book would really appear on Samhain’s front page. I think I got out of bed every hour to check until I discovered the new releases don’t go live until eight a.m.! Now that I have this knowledge, I should sleep better this time. I hope. 

In my opinion (which is entirely humble, of course), For His Eyes Only is better. Hotter. Or in the words of Daft Punk—Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I can’t wait. And I know I’ve been slow getting a third story ready to go, but I’m on it. If only I could stop listening to hot songs on my iPod, or the newly discovered Pandora, which has become more distracting than helpful…