Doris O'Connor Too Cold For Love is Blistering Hot!!! See Why

You know your doing something right when you can snag a great writer like Doris O'Connor for the second time. This time she brings the next her her series The Giovanni Clan with her and dang she really turns up the heat with this delectable read.

BLURB

Marco Giovanni has shut off his emotions, following a messy divorce. His small daughter and his chain of bakeries are all he needs in his life. The string of nannies are an unfortunate necessity he could well do without. So why does his body have to remember its needs now with the latest and most unsuitable nanny ever?

Elise has always been the responsible one, so when she receives yet another SOS phone call from her wayward twin, she does the only thing she can do, she steps into her shoes. Having to go back to nannying is hard enough, the unexpected attraction to her arrogant employer impossible to deal with. Especially when she is forced to agree to a marriage of his convenience to pay off the debt her twin accrued.

In a marriage based on blackmail can passion turn into love, or will secrets and lies destroy all?

Excerpt

Marco's knowing gaze met hers in the bathroom mirror, and the heat she saw in his eyes started a slow answering fire deep within her. Awareness sparked between them.

The towel slowly slipped from her fingers. The ice hit the tiled floor with a thud and broke the spell. She almost ran into the other room and frantically tried the other door.

"I have it on good authority that they are fire doors, my lovely, so I'd give up now. I like your shoulders just the way they are, cara mia."

Marco leant against the door frame propped up by his good shoulder, his arms crossed over his chest, a slow smile on his lips. He checked the lock on the bathroom door.

"And I'm pleased to note there isn't a lock on here, lest you decide to go hiding in another bathroom. I seem to recall you were rather fond of that on our honeymoon."

Elise winced, followed by a vivid blush as she remembered their wedding night.

Marco simply smiled. He slowly advanced towards her, and Elise backed away until she bumped into the wall. He reminded her of a predator stalking his prey.

"Marco, we need to talk."

One last long stride brought him so close his thighs touched hers, and he put one hand either side of her head.  His big body crowded her against the wall, and his sinful mouth hovered over hers.

"So talk, cara mia. I'm all yours."

His hot breath fanned across her face, and Elise closed her eyes. She bit back a moan when he kissed her nose and rained butterfly kisses along her jaw line. He suckled gently on just the right spot on her neck to make her knees turn to jelly.

"Marco…please…stop…"

Somehow she found the strength to put her shaking hands on his chest, only to meet hot, hard, male flesh. This time she couldn't stop the very feminine moan escaping. Was that needy sound really her?

Apparently so, judging by Marco's low groan in her ear. He moved his hand to cup her breast, the nipple thrusting shamelessly into his caress.

"You don't sound as though you want me to stop, cara mia. In fact, I would hazard a guess that you're wet enough for me to fuck you right here."

The crude words should have shocked Elise, but instead she whimpered in response to his words. He ground his hips suggestively into hers until the full force of his erection rested against her pussy. Heat flooded between her thighs, and she pulled his head down for kiss.

"You're talking too much, Tarzan."

She caught a quick glimpse of triumph in his glittering eyes before his mouth claimed hers. His tongue tangled with hers, and they both groaned. One of his hands fisted in her hair, and the other lifted her skirt. He cupped her mound and murmured his approval.

"You're so fucking wet for me."

He bunched the sodden material of her underwear in his hand and pulled. The move brought delicious pressure to her clit, and Elise panted in excitement. Cool air hit her slick folds when the material gave way with an audible rip. His large hand replaced the fabric, and her pussy clamped down on the fingers he thrust into her channel. His teeth nipped her neck, nudging her arousal up another notch, and he kicked her feet apart to spread her wider. She clung to his shoulders, rubbing her breasts against his chest, and he swore. He thrust two more fingers into her hungry cunt, and she lifted her leg to give him better access. He withdrew his fingers, and Elise tensed when he inserted one slick digit into her anus.

"Relax, pasticcino."

His eyes sought hers, and he smiled. He kissed her, and Elise relaxed into the strange sensation. When he inserted another finger into her tight hole, she gasped into his mouth. He thrust slowly in and out of her, and Elise pulled him closer to her still, as her hips moved of their own accord. Unused nerve endings sprang to life, and darts of pleasure skittered to her clitoris. Her breath came in short gaps, as her arousal built.

"That's my girl. I knew you'd like this." Marco's strained voice in her ear was the sexiest sound she'd ever heard. She pushed down on his fingers, seeking more, and moaned her disappointment when he withdrew them slowly. He grabbed her buttocks and ground her aching clit into his still covered cock. He thrust into her, and the friction on her throbbing bud proved too much for Elise.

"Please, Marco."

"What, cara mia?"

Marco pulled away, and she groaned.

"What do you want, my wife?"

The heat in his ever darkening gaze stoked her arousal to fever pitch, and she impatiently tugged at his trousers.

"I want you in me, now, Marco."

His eyes darkened further at her whispered plea, and she breathed a sigh of relief when his hands helped her free his cock. It sprung out of its confines up to his taut stomach, and Elise licked her lips in anticipation. She cupped his balls, and it was Marco's turn to groan.

"Jesus, woman, you're killing me."

He pushed her hands away, and Elise arched into his palms, when he pulled down her tank top and exposed her breasts. He kneaded each aching globe, before he pushed them together and laved the nipples in turn. Every suckle sent shards of pure pleasure down towards Elise's clit where delicious anticipation built in waves. She moaned her protest when Marco released the glistening buds and kissed his way back up to her collarbone. She could feel his strained smile before she saw it.

"Wrap your legs around me. I need to get inside you right now."

Want more? I know I do. This book is now available at
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/too-cold-to-love-by-doris-oconnor/
            http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Love-Giovanni-Clan-ebook/dp/B00816GM34/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1336419189&sr=1-11
           http://www.bookstrand.com/too-cold-to-love
           http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-toocoldtolove-789180-149.html

I had to ask how she could say her latest hero was unlikable? Here is what Doris said about that and some other great insights to the inner working of how Marco came to be.

The unlikable hero?

I know what you're thinking. What is this mad woman going on about? Calling her hero unlikable is really going to help sell the book, right.

I promise I haven't taken complete leave of my faculties—well not more than usual. But have you ever had a character pop in your head, determined to have his story told, no matter what? Well, I'm used to that nowadays, but the first draft for Too Cold To Love was written back in November 2010, when I was still very new to the concept of being a panster.

I had just completed Too Hot To Handle, Book One in the Giovanni Series and I loved my sexy firefighter. I had hopelessly fallen in love with the whole Giovanni and I knew I needed to write Book Two. Enter Marco from stage right….

His daughter Mimi makes a cameo appearance in Book One. She's a newborn baby, the newest addition to the Giovanni. So when I thought about Book Two, I wondered about her father. Book Two takes place about eighteen months after the events in book One and Marco is not in a happy place. Divorced from Mimi's mother, he has sworn of all women, and if there was one way to describe him it's cold. Very, very cold. Hence the title of the book.

Now, as I said I'm a panster, so I had no idea yet, why he was like this, but I dutifully listened to him and started typing.  Physically speaking Marco was drool worthy, tall, drop dead gorgeous, successful, Italian—emotionally—hmm.

I really didn't like him, or the way he treats Elise. The one redeeming feature was his love for his daughter. I thawed toward him a bit when he revealed this side of him.

*****

It was good to hear Mimi be so carefree. She hadn't been last night. Elise had been woken up from a disturbingly erotic dream, involving none other than Mimi's father, to the little girl's screams echoing across the hall. She'd scrambled out of bed, completely disoriented, and by the time she found herself across the hall towards Mimi's room the crying had subsided. The sight that greeted Elise had done little to calm her already overactive libido.

Marco Giovanni had sat on the floor in front of his daughter's cot, holding her tenderly in his rather well defined arms, whilst singing her a lullaby in Italian. Clad in only very low slung pajama bottoms Elise had had a perfect view of washboard abs, a broad, slightly hairy chest and impressive shoulders, whose muscles flexed slightly as he rocked his daughter off to sleep. She couldn't get a clear view of his face, buried in Mimi's hair, but the voice that sang to his child so tenderly was full of painful emotion, that Elise recognized only too well. Feeling like she had intruded on a very private moment, she'd padded back to her room.

*****

You see, not so cold after all… The more he revealed about himself and the more Elise got under his skin, the more likable he became and I think out of all my heroes, he probably undergoes the biggest journey of all. He has good reason for protecting his emotions and the more I wrote, the more I liked him. He's a tortured man our Marco and I do like my tortured heroes.

*evil grin*

Needless to say Elise heals him as much as he heals her as the story unfolds. I'm not ashamed to say I shed a few tears when I wrote this and hopefully the reader will too. I leave you to be the judge of it. For now here's a little hot excerpt. No matter what problems Marco and Elise face, their chemistry is the one thing they can't deny.

Special Spotlight Presents Sara Daniels

Welcome to my corner of the Blogosphere Sara, I'm so pleased you could make it and fill us in on your latest release. It sound like a great one to me and I'm tickled to have you bring this great story to me and my readers.

A Man Worth Fighting For

He has nothing left to offer. She's determined to show him just how much he's worth.

Shot by a member of his military team, Justin Lawson retreats to the Wiccan Haus. Holly Walters refuses to accept her boyfriend's out-of-the-blue rejection without an explanation, even if getting the answers forces her to be trapped on a bizarre island for an entire week. She's going to use every minute to work Justin out of her system once and for all. Justin's body and spirit begin to heal under Holly's loving ministrations. As she talks about never seeing each other again, he realizes he never wants to let her go. But the rogue assassin who had gone after Justin before is after him again. Before he can fight to make Holly believe in their love, he'll have to fight for both their lives.

Excerpt:

“How did you hurt your knee?” Holly asked.

“Occupational hazard,” Justin muttered.

That wasn’t very comforting, considering he was in the military and always going off on missions that he couldn’t give her any details about. “Did you fall and break it?”

“Bullet shattered it.” His words were clipped.

She flinched, wanting desperately to reach for him, hating to think of the pain he’d been in, the pain she’d known nothing about. “And how long before or after this happened did you send me an eight word break-up text?”

“About seventy-two hours after.”

She immediately knew she’d been right not to take his text at face value. The self-destruction of a client and the week of lost work were worth it. She’d needed this explanation. More than that, it proved there was still hope for them. “So you conceivably could have still been under the effects of anesthesia.”

“I wasn’t.”

“But you were on pain medication for sure.”

“Don’t make excuses for me. I was an ass. I broke up with you, and you deserve better.”

The Wiccan Haus: A Man Worth Fighting For

http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=218

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NNZ2AK/

Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?

Coffee, reheat coffee, coffee, reheat, repeat. Oh, and I listen to Alan Jackson’s To Do What I Do. His perspective as a singer/songwriter mirrors mine as an author, and he perfectly captures why I “do what I do.”

Which authors inspire your writing?

Nora Roberts was an inspiration to me when I was starting out. I had no idea she was an icon in the romance industry. At the time, I thought I could be just like her! After I joined RWA, the authors in my local chapter guided me through the craft of writing and the business of publishing. Blythe Gifford, Jennifer Stevenson, Pat White, Simone Elkeles, and Marilyn Brant are some of the authors I am particularly grateful to for sharing their knowledge and advice.

What is your favorite book, character and why?

My all-time favorite hero is Kenny Karmody from Suzanne Brockmann’s Out of Control. That mix of sweet, vulnerable, tough, fearless, and irreverent made me fall head-over-heels in love. Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ First Lady is probably my all-time favorite book because every single character captivated me on every single page. When I finished that book for the first time, I turned to page one and immediately started reading it again.

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?

I usually find myself writing somewhere in the middle, but I’m honestly drawn to both ends of the spectrum. It depends on the story and the characters.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I see myself doing what I’m doing now, sitting in front of my computer, dreaming up stories for readers to enjoy. I love my job!

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when_______________?

I’m beginning to accept that authors are all reaching for the next step and most of the time we’re never going to feel like we’ve made it. But if I were to win a Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA or a Career Achievement Award from RT or something similar, I think I would feel like I have legitimately made it in this industry.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Write, write, write. Before you can have a best-selling novel, you have to finish writing it. And don't forget to keep reading.

What do you see yourself writing in the future?

I love writing contemporary romance, so I think I’ll always return to that. I just ventured into paranormal with A Man Worth Fighting For, so I definitely want to write more there. As my alter ego Sara Shafer, I’ve been playing with some middle grade stories about quirky squirrels and about boys going auto racing. Ultimately, I love telling stories about love, family and happily ever after, regardless of genre.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

I would love to make the magical Wiccan Haus shared world (that A Man Worth Fighting For is set in) real, so I could literally be a part of it. The characters of the Wiccan Haus are a fun, quirky cast. I fell in love with each one, and I would love to spend a week on their island, letting them work their magic on me.

What time of the day are you at your best to write?

I tend to write best in the late morning and early afternoon. First thing in the morning, I’m catching up on email, running errands, and easily distracted by the Internet. But then I settle in and focus until my family comes home and interrupts my quiet house.

And now for something completely different…

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?

I have to say, the face really draws me in, especially if it’s a tough-looking guy with sculpted cheekbones. *melt*

Explain your perfect day.

A perfect day would start with a morning stroll along the beach, hours writing where the story is really flowing, a nice long hike in the woods, more hours of writing, and then capped off with a sunset walk along the beach with my hubby. Unfortunately, I live in a landlocked suburb where both beaches and solitary walks in nature are hard to come by, but when I get the chance, I really soak up those moments and let them nurture my creativity.

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?

I never pass up a chance for tiramisu or cannoli, and choosing between them is almost impossible. I’m a sucker for a really decadent dark chocolate too, but dark chocolate is healthy, right???

Do you have a favorite holiday? What is it and what makes it special to you?

I have to go very traditional here and say Christmas. I love sitting with my family in the glow of the Christmas tree lights, soaking up the excitement, togetherness and love of the season.

What key words describe you best?

Hopeful, sincere, reliable. This what readers can expect from a Sara Daniel story, and this is the reputation I hope I’ve developed with my editor, publishing staff, and other industry professionals.

Want more on Sara Daniels? You can find her at:

http://www.SaraDaniel.com

http://saradanielromance.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/SaraDanielSaraShafer

http://www.facebook.com/SaraShaferDaniel

http://www.twitter.com/SSaraDaniel

Monday Pick Me Up and Want to get your hands on some books???

Happy Monday to all!

Well here we go again, another work week and enough to do for three people! Good thing I love what I do Lol! I have a full week for you all. Sara Daniel will be a special guest of mine on Tuesday, and Doris O'Connor will be talking about her new release on Thursday. Get your calender out so you don't miss a single thing, like I said it's going to be busy!

On Wednesday May 9th me and some of my Vegas author friends are going to be chatting it up and giving away tons of goodies. Starting at 5pm EST and going to 8 you can catch me on

Coffee Time Romance at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karendevinkaren/ I'll be giving away the two books in my Dark Breed Series. Yep, that's right I'm giving one of you who comes by and chats with me the beginning of the Dark Breed series. Join me and CR Moss, RM Sotera and Siobhan Muir for prizes, chats and see why what stays in Vegas, usually ends up between our pages.

Caution, we will be talking about some hot men and sex. Or sex and hot men, so you need to be over 18. Anything goes, any question that may peek your interest we promise to answer. Plus we will be putting up some hot excerpts for you all.

On May 11th through to May 13th I will be on Obsessed with Books Blog Hop where I'll be giving away a PDF of Beloved Wizard. Giving you a taste of whats to come with my second installment The Knights Druid coming soon from eXtasy Books.

As I said it's going to be a sizzling week with plenty of chances to win.

Good Luck and we will see you next week.

Author Spotlights Karyn Gerrard's Black Desire

I am very pleased to bring you one of the most prolific writers I know. Today she is here to talk about her latest release Black Desire and so many other yummy releases coming our way.

BLURB:

Blackthorne Clan, 2
Tristan Black of the Blackthorne Clan has known heartache and pain. He is a Dhampyre (half-Vampire) and most would say blessed with extreme longevity. Tristan would say cursed as he observed the long, slow decline and then death of his human wife due to old age while he seemingly aged not a day. Now seventy years later, he meets Katrina Hammond who piques his interest.
Katrina is a romance writer on summer vacation when she meets the mysterious and dangerously sexy Tristan. Katrina now finds herself in the middle of a clash between the Blackthorne Clan and a pack of Thropes (wolf shape-shifters).
Can Tristan protect Katrina, and can he protect his heart?
She awakened feelings in him he thought he would not have again. He considered these passions to be little more than vampiric mythology. She awakened his...black desire.

Black Desire buy at Evernight Publishing http://www.evernightpublishing.com/black-desire-by-karyn-gerrard/

Black Desire buy at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Black-Desire-Blackthorne-Clan-ebook/dp/B007X7D0H8/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335329554&sr=1-6

  

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?

Erotic, but I like to add sweet in there as well. A couple of reviewers have called my stories 'hot and sweet', like a good cup of hot chocolate. I think it fits.  Everyone has their own opinion what is erotic or erotica, I put myself in the 'Erotic romance' category. I'm all about the emotion. Hot sex spices things up, but it is not the main thrust (no pun intended!) of my books.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I hope, still writing.  As long as it remains fun, I will keep doing it.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when_______________?

I think I answered this before by saying 10 releases. Yikes, I'm there. Don't quite feel I've 'made it'. I think in a few years I will feel that way if I have consistent, steady sales and name recognition and the respect of my fellow authors and readers. Then, I will have made it!

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Never give up. Keep writing. Write what you love. Get the story down first, then go back and edit.  Don't take any rejection personally (easy to say, I know) Jump back in the trenches~

What do you see yourself writing in the future?

I write in multi-genres and time periods now, so I can continue to see me spread it out all over!

Do you consider your writing a job or a hobby?

For me, it's a hobby, but one I take very seriously. Someone told me, 'you get paid! It's a job!' I suppose, but in my own mind and this is just my own opinion, telling myself it's a hobby keeps most of the stress at bay. Working for me so far!

What time of the day are you at your best to write?

When the teacher hubs is at school, Monday to Friday. I put on a pot of tea, fire up the music and indulge in my self-made fantasy worlds and interact with my dark, sexy heroes.

What can you tell us about the Blackthorne Clan Series at Evernight?

BLACK LUST was the first book, about Lucius Black. It takes place in a fictional town in the U.K. Book 2 is BLACK DESIRE and focuses on Lucius's father, Tristan who is a Dhampyre (half-vampire) The story and series shifts to a fictional coastal town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. This series is heavy on emotion with a dash of angst and my own paranormal mythos.

Will there be any more books in the series?

Book 3 is finished, about Tristan's pure-blood father, Deegan. Also 2/3 finished book 4. I think that will be the last, but I am leaving it open should I return to it someday, you just never know. Book 4 is about Marcus. Marcus appears in book 2 and 3. In Black Desire, he is a Thrope (wolf shape shifter). What happens to him through book 2 and 3 culminates in book 4. So far, it's heartbreaking and it would a good place to end the series, I think.

I am not submitting the next book (3) until the fall, and of course, it has to be accepted! Hopefully I will be finished book 4 by then as well. I am taking the summer off so I am trying to stagger my possible releases. Who wants to edit on vacation? :D

What upcoming projects do you want to tell us about?

I am really excited about my upcoming release on June 30th with Silver Publishing. It's called HEART OF ROCK. It's an erotic romance novella set in 1974. The hero is a rock star from Ireland. The blurb is here at Goodreads: 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13568655-heart-of-rock

Also another I am excited about is with Breathless Press. I co-wrote this short novella with my crit partner and writing buddy and soon-to-be published author Gayl Taylor. It's called THE HERO SANDWICH. Even though it has F/M/F and Cougar elements, it is at heart, a romance. Big time.  Not sure on a release date for that.

And I also was just offered a contract at Decadent Publishing for my Paranormal/erotic romance/contemporary novella MY VAMPIRE COVER MODEL. Hmmm. I may be editing on vacation after all!

And now for something completely different…

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?

Shallow as it sounds, body. If a guy is tall and broad shouldered, he's got my attention!

Explain your perfect day.

At the beach, reading romance and drinking iced tea. Can't wait for the summer!

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?

I'm not into gooey, sweet desserts. Place a slice of cherry pie in front of me and watch me moan! (With real whipped cream!)

Do you have a favorite holiday what is it and what makes it special to you?

Christmas for sure. I have a ton of great memories. Also love the whole atmosphere, music, smells, sights and of course, left-over turkey sandwiches made with squishy white bread and Miracle Whip!

Meet Stephanie Campbell Author of Dragon Night

Pull up your chair and grab your coffee or tea and meet this delightful artist who paints such a vivid picture of her world you may never want to leave it. Her broad strokes and rich color of words will pull you in.

Leave her a comment and she will pick at random a winner of Dragon Night. Just make sure you have your email address posted in the comment.

BLURB

Ever since he could remember, Ford was treated cruelly by his parents, Liddy and Wicker Forks. He cannot figure out why they hate him so much. It is only when he discovers that his father isn’t really Wicker Forks but instead is a mysterious, red-eyed stranger that he goes on a quest to find his true identity—and much, much more.

            As he heads forward down the path of danger and illusion, he uncovers a world that he had never imagined, a world of dragons. Ford must decide who he is—a dragon or a boy—and whichever path he chooses will be his future for forever. After all, once you are a dragon, there is no going back.

http://musapublishing.com/index.phpmain_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=15

Stephanie Campbell is the author of Dragon Night and Poachers. Along with writing, she likes running, reading and eating frozen yogurt. Look for her next books available in 2012: Case Closed (Mary Keith Publications), P.S. I Killed My Mother (Solstice Publishing), Hot Wheels (Musa Publishing),  and Tasting Silver (Turquoise Morning Press).

Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?

Nope, not at all. I am blessed that way. My problem is more getting out of the "writer" zone and moving into the living zone. I think I would be perfectly content with locking myself in my house and writing all day long. I love writing more than anything else in the world, and I think that it's something I carry with me always, no matter what.

 Which authors inspire your writing?

Actually, any author I'm reading at the time. (A weird response, I know. ) Everybody has such individualistic writing techniques, and I love that. It's actually that individuality that makes me want to hop on my computer right away.

What is your favorite book, character and why?

Artemis Fowl and, um, Artemis Fowl. He is such a refreshing character. Twelve-year-old evil genius out to get money. Eoin Colfer, the author, makes you cheer for the bad guy. It takes a really talented person to do that.

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?

You are about to catch a glimpse of my wishy-washy personality. I like them both. When I begin to write a book, I feel like I am no longer myself. I feel that the characters decide who they want to be, and the story gets built around them and their wishes. Sometimes I am convinced that my stories write themselves.

Which famous person, living or dead, are you drawn to?

Edgar Allen Poe. Despite my draw to YA literature, I prefer to write creepy, dark stories. I think he is a genius. One of my goals is to win the Edgar Allen Poe Award. I always want to go to his grave, especially on the anniversary of his death. A man like him deserves the utmost honor.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I am a big dream. I would love to be a New York Times bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, a Nobel Prize winner, a National Book Award winner, and a Hugo Award winner. I can see myself on the Today Show and Good Morning America. I can imagine myself in the middle of one of my books-turned-movie's premier.  

My logical self, though, would be just happy to be able to support myself by writing alone. No more night shifts, no more two jobs.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when my book shows up in the airport bookstore?

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

This advice will probably cause eye rolls, but my advice is to never, ever give up. It's a massive test. You'll pass it if you can believe you can. 

What do you see yourself writing in the future?

Everything. Seriously. I have so many ideas in so many different genres spiraling around in my head.

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

Oh, I love this question! Mind control. I would love it. That way, I could use my superpower to get everybody else's superpower. I could just tell them what I want them to do. (Strangely enough, I am a pushover in real life. Maybe that's why I like that superpower so much.)

What time of the day are you at your best to write?

Daytime. I am not a night person at all. My mind functions well in the morning and gets all foggy toward the evening. At night, I don't even have the energy to read. Of course, that could be because I work so hard.

And now for something completely different…

Good! I like different.

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?

Eyes. I am the biggest sucker for them. It doesn't even have to be a particular color. If I look you in the face and I feel that I have been electrocuted, then you've got me. (Which has happened only twice with strangers I would never have the guts to talk to.)

Explain your perfect day.

Get up. Step on the scale to discover that I've lost ten pounds. I go for a perfect run. I then check my email to see that I got an offer to be flown to New York to go on the Today Show. I also have an offer from Publishers Weekly. After that, a magical paycheck fairy comes and distributes two million dollars into my bank account, so that way I can spend my afternoon house hunting in Boston. A literary agent gives me a call at long last because no matter how many publishers I get, I can't seem to get an agent. He/she wants to work with me to bring Specimen X, my latest book, to market.

Upon taking myself out to a movie and an ice cream, I stumble into Mr. McDream whose is smart, respectful and funny. It's love at first sight. I then end my day in a luxurious bubble bath filled with flower smelling bath gel.

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?

The Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. I can feel my butt growing upon looking at it, but it is SO good!

Do you have a favorite holiday? What is it and what makes it special to you?

Memorial Day. Weird, right? It really, truly is my favorite. More than Christmas or Easter. Every year, I go down to Mesquite, Nevada and spend three days basking at the pool and drinking brightly colored daiquiris.

What key words describe you best?

Eager.