This is going to be a quickie, but I had to share what’s taken place over the past week.  In short, I’ve learned that I’m going to have three releases from three publishers in a 10 day span.  This happened because both of ‘my’ epublishers (Ellora’s Cave and Loose ID) kicked up the pub dates for my latest with them.  This is how things shake down.

1. June 20  Roughing It is being released via Ellora’s Cave

2. June 25, long established pub date for Kensington Aphrodisia’s Going Down.

3. July 1  Release date for Galen’s Pet at Loose ID

Now what?

For most people, probably, actually posting something to their own web site isn’t that big of a deal, but I’ve been wrestling with mine for over a week now.  Then suddenly, a few minutes ago, my test blog did what it was supposed to.  Dang but I’d love to get the gremlins out of my computer.

Speaking of, I love this trusty old XP.  I’ve pounded on it daily for over three years and as long as it stays with me, I ain’t changing.  I have a new laptop with Vista on it, but I hardly ever use it because this desktop is just right for me.  Right size monitor, right height keyboard, right desk, even right view out the window.  That’s going to change with the weather right quick like because my office is upstairs and in summer it gets blasted hot up here in the afternoon and evening.  That, mostly, is why I bought the laptop.  That and I’d given my old one to my grandson to use in high school.

Well shoot, after a long silence when it comes to blogging here, I was going to blither on about what I’ve been doing but much of that shows up at www.thebradfordbunch.com where I blog several times a month.  Bradford is my agent’s last name.  Instead, I feel like blithering about not much of anything.

Oh, how about this office?  I had the desk made many years ago and will probably die slumped over it.  My sons cursed it when they had to haul it upstairs, but I love it.  It’s big and wooden with a dropdown keyboard slot.  There are three drawers filled with the necessary stuff.  The top holds the monitor, my printer (actually an all in one) telephone, speakers, a stuffed wolf a friend gave me, paper clips, and various research books.  Oh, and post it notes.  Lots of post it notes that go flying when I turn on the overhand fan.

To the right of my desk are a couple of bookshelves, each with one shelf devoted to my books.  Gotta keep reminding myself that I are a writer.

To the left, a stereo cabinet that holds a stereo, tapes (yes, I still have those) and CDs.  Mostly I listen to country and western, or rather it’s on although I seldom listen.  Even more to the left is a dusty TV I never watch during the day.  Even more to the right is a hideabed (or couch bed as the grandkids call it).  This is where I park my bod at night when I want to watch something on TV that doesn’t interest my husband.  There’s also a bathroom and cubbyhole where we set up a double bed for guests.  The closet holds the books my publishers send me to use for promotion. 

Maybe best of all, except when the sun is too intense, I look out over the top of my neighbors’ roofs to the hills beyond.

And now you have it. 

A brief test to see if I can actually upload a post and have it show up in the right place.

Yes, it’s been too long, once again, since I’ve posted.  But I’ve been a busy bugger.  At long last my first Samhain title BloodHunter is out!  I love paranormal, shape-shifting, time-traveling, and of course exploring the bondage world and BloodHunter has, I believe, all those features.  I think it’s pretty edgy but then I always figure why write if I don’t push the boundaries.  Otherwise, I risk boring myself and that’s a sure sign readers are going to feel the same way.

Some other exciting news!  After a too-long stretch of time when I was busy doing other things, I’ll have another Ellora’s Cave release this summer.  Roughing It is one of those fun, tongue-in-cheek novellas I seldom do then wonder why not.  A hint: it includes two strangers with vivid imaginations, a birthday celebration, a hotel penthouse complete with round bed and mirror on the ceiling.  Then there are those red ropes and–suffice to say, my heroine will have more important things to do than jump out of a birthday cake.

Psst.  Don’t tell anyone but I’m taking a stab at jumping way out of my comfort zone by asking my agent to try to peddle a romantic suspense.  No erotica, just lots of tight plot, bullets flying, some Rottweilers, and a hero who owns a helicopter construction business.  And five suspects.

All right.  Back into my cave.

Vonna

Jan. 10, 2008

Things they bin a changing!  I’m delighted with the new look to my web page, I’m just not sure it’s really me.  Okay, there’s a reason behind that off-the-cuff statement and that is that who and what writers are in the real world and what they present to readers aren’t the same.  My family and friends know me as  slightly spacey and fortunately mind-mannered.  Just this morning I in essence pleaded the 5th when asked what I write because I was with a group of senior citizens, and I want them to respect me in the morning.  Even my sons are clueless as to what I really write these days.  Like I’m going to tell them that Mom writes erotic. 

What’s wonderful about being a writer is that I can step WAY outside my comfort zone and become what would scare the hell out of me if it really happened.  As Vonna Harper I’ve been an ancient woman warrior, a porn star, a captive (several times) a jeweler, search and rescue expert, an award-winning reporter, unemployed lady cop, etc, etc.  I’ve lived on an exotic island and in the mountains, in a small town and in the middle of a city.  And the men in my life–don’t get me started!  Ah, they’re all hot to trot, long lasting (if you know what I mean) and they know what a lady (or broad) wants in the sack (or up against a tree).

Come July I’ll be attending the national RWA conference with several thousand other writers where the truth will come out.  Instead of exotic and perfect creatures, we’ll reveal ourselves as real women with bunions and sagging breasts.

But to the rest of the world, hopefully I’ll remain mysterous.  Readers don’t have to know I’m wearing my son’s (can’t remember which one) sweatshirt and slippers with a glass of wine near the keyboard because it’s happy hour and need to brush my teeth and hair and figure out something, anything to throw together for dinner.   

I’m not even going to look back at the last time I wrote about my comings and miscomings because I’ll just want to slap myself upside the head. What I can say is that the roller coaster ride continues.Starting with the personal, some two weeks after moving my mother near me and into assisted living, she was diagnosed with a urinary infection which can do insane with the brain cells of the elderly. (She’s nearly 89). Along with the mental issues, she fell several times over a short period of time and broke her left ankle. The short story is that after being in the hospital for three days (for excitement, try 5 ½ hrs in the emergency room on Friday night), she was transferred to a nursing home where she’ll stay until the cast comes off. My plans (subject to change because I’m taking things one day at a time) are to get her into an adult foster home as soon as possible and out of the institution setting.

In the meantime I write. And boy, do I. I had a Nov. 1 deadline for a novella for Aphrodisia which will be in the ‘08 Sexy Beast anthology, and although I missed it by a few days, it was in my editor’s hands the first Monday in Nov. Ah, I thought, a breather. Not! Not because my editor at Loose-Id emailed to say there was a hole in the Dec. schedule and did we want to aim for it. Sure! Sure because I’d already written the sucker and most of the editing work was on her shoulders. However, she had three plot points she wanted tweaked so I spent what I thought would be a weekend watching football (okay, so I did break to watch the University of Oregon kick some butt) dragging my brain out of mothballs. Now the first and most intense round of edits are done, giving me time to dive into the first book in a new three book contract for Aphrodisia. Hawk’s Talons is dark and mysterious and shape shifting and paranormal and I’m itching to get cracking.

So to take stock, Primal Fear came out from Loose-Id the end of Sept, Restraint in the Bound to Ecstasy anthology came out the end of Oct, and Aphrodisia will release Night Fire in Dec about the time Loose-ID releases Cougar’s Captive. I just received cover flats for Only With A Cowboy (Aphrodisia) which includes my Breeding Season. That’s coming out sometime in the spring and was a kick to write. For sure (maybe) my first Samhain book will see the light of day in March. BloodHunter (damn but I love that title) includes another shape-shifter, this time a jaguar, and a professional photographer. (Note to self: write about something other than big cats)

No wonder I declined to run again as membership chair for Passionate Ink, a RWA chapter. I done run out of time.