Hi, everyone! I hope those in the U.S. enjoyed a great holiday weekend! I ate too much turkey (and loved every moment of my feeding frenzy). I also edited, plotted, and decorated. Busy!

And now, I get to amp up for the release of ETERNAL FLAME on Tuesday!  Sweet! Zane’s story will be out, and I sure hope readers enjoy his tale.

A few notes to mention…tomorrow, the always interesting Zoe Winters will be guest posting with me. And I am also participating in this extremely worthwhile event:

(Thanks to Jackie for inviting me to participate!)

Enjoy your Sunday night.

Today, I’m chatting at the Brava blog about how thankful I am to have such great readers. 🙂  If you have a chance, hop on over to check out my post.

I know that a lot of folks will be traveling today. Be safe. I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving. Eat lots of turkey and ham, and enjoy the time with your family (before the mad Black Friday rush).

I wanted to list just a few of the things that I am thankful for this year…

1. My readers. Yes, I’m saying it over at the Brava blog, but I wanted to say it here, too. Thank you for reading my books. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. Thank you for enjoying my characters!

2. My editors and my agent. I work with some very talented ladies–thank you.

3. My covers. I love them.  Thank you cover designers.

4. My monsters. I get to write about monsters for a living. How cool is that?  It’s a dream for me!

5. My writing friends. They inspire me, they motivate me–they’re fabulous.  Thank you!

6. My mom.  I started reading romance novels when I was twelve years old (who else started early?). My mom always encouraged my love of reading. She traveled with me to used bookstores all across the state–all because we were on the hunt for vintage Diana Palmer or Jayne Castle books. Without my mom, I doubt that I would have ever become a writer. Thanks, Mom.

I’d love to hear what you are thankful to have!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s the Monday before Thanksgiving–ack! Not ready!  🙂 For all of you traveling this week, be safe.  And I sure hope everyone eats lots of turkey.

Today I am hanging out at Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind (thanks to Nikki for interviewing me!).  Come on by to check out the interview–one commenter will win a copy of ETERNAL FLAME (releases 11/30!).

Voting is open in the Authors After Dark Bookie Awards.  I’m excited to be listed in three categories: Romantic Suspense (for DEADLY FEAR), Vampire Romance (for I’LL BE SLAYING YOU), and Shifter Novel, non-wolf (for ETERNAL HUNTER).  I’m excited that my books made the cut–thank you!  So many great books are up for the awards. Go check them out and vote for your faves.

Okay, technically, my friend Jillian Chantal isn’t at my house right now, but she is taking over my blog for the day. Jillian, thanks so much for coming to my blog home!  And congrats on your new release!  The book looks great!

And, because Jillian is such a fun lady, she has a special prize for one commenter. Read on for more details!

First, I want to thank Cynthia for having me here today. This is a great place to be a guest. Cynthia is an amazing writer and an even more spectacular friend.  She was the first person I met when I joined the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA. She came over to where I was sitting and greeted me with her boundless energy and joy. She made me feel welcome immediately. Cynthia is the most encouraging person I know and I am proud to call her friend. I’m thrilled that she’s allowed me to visit here to yak a bit about my book release with SirenBookStrand. This is my first novel release. The book is due to be released on November 23, 2010, and I’m beyond excited about it. I write what I like to call Romantic Adventure with an International Flair.

The book is called Solo Honeymoon and categorized as steamy by the publisher. It also has an adult language warning. I can’t help that- there’s a bad dude on the loose and he can’t control his tongue.  There’s also an Italian woman with some pretty harsh words for our heroine.  There are several steamy sex scenes and my hero is quite the alpha male. He’s an Italian Count that’s also a shoe designer. I mean, really, what woman wouldn’t want a hot, Latin lover that also can provide her with shoes to match every outfit?  I’m just saying.

Here’s an excerpt:

Dario came around to the side of the table where she stood. “I’ve taken the liberty of having dinner served to us here in the conservatory. Please be seated, and the chicken sorrentino will be served.” He pulled out her chair, and she sat.

“What’s in chicken sorrentino? I’ve never had it.”

“Its chicken, eggplant, two kinds of wine, and mushrooms.”

“It sounds divine,” she said. “Why the limes?”

“I had the chef pour some marsala in a pitcher, and I like to add lime juice to it as a aperitivo. Would you like to try it?”

“Sure.”

He took a knife from the table and cut the limes open. As he squeezed the limes and smiled at her, she felt her insides melt at the intensity of his stare. His dark brown eyes were bottomless, and she knew she could lose herself in them and never want to come up for air. His hands were strong and capable as they pulverized the limes, and she blushed to think what those hands could do to her body.

“How do you say it…‘a penny for your thoughts,’ Emma?” he asked.

“I have no thoughts.”

He laughed. “So, you’re just sitting there watching me and your mind is blank?”

“Of course not. It’s just that I’m really just relaxing and have no specific thoughts.”

“Sure, cara, sure.” He smiled again at her.

Thankfully, the young man that had brought Emma the note earlier brought in the plates of food at that very moment, and she was spared having to come up with a plausible story of what she had been thinking.

Wonder what he would say if I told him I was thinking of those big strong hands squeezing my…

“Emma, are you all right?” Dario asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Fine. Fine,” she replied as she picked up her fork and took a bite of the chicken.

The food was delicious, and Dario seemed to be on a charm offensive with her as he told her stories of his childhood days with Vincente and their adventures at the estate when they were on holiday from school.

Once the plates had been cleared, Dario stood. “I’ve brought in an old Victrola and would love for you to dance with me. We didn’t get a chance at the town party, and as dancing is my passion, I’d like to share it with you. Will you?” He stood and took off his dinner jacket. The white dress shirt he had on clung to his body. He held his hand out to her, and she rose from her chair and took his hand in her own.

They walked over to the Victrola, and Dario picked out a Viennese waltz by Strauss and put it on the turntable to play. As the scratchy sounds came from the machine, he held out his arms to Emma, and she moved into his dance space, and they began the first steps of the waltz. As soon as Dario touched her back, he stopped short. He spun her around to face away from him.

“Nice dress, Emma. I’m glad your seamstress ran out of fabric and couldn’t finish the back.”

“Very funny, Signore Conti.” She shuddered at his touch.

“Come here, woman,” he said in a low voice as he pulled her to him again.

They danced until the song ended. After the song ended, they stared into each others eyes and kept dancing as Dario hummed until the candles sputtered and went out. At some point, Dario’s hand on her back changed from the waltz position to a caress. She pulled herself closer to him as his hand ran up and down her back and eventually inside the fabric of the dress around to the side of her breast. As soon as his fingers touched her breast, she stopped moving. He stopped as well and, as his thumb inside her dress thrummed her nipple, he bent and kissed her. She groaned, and he said, “Will you go alone again to your bed tonight, bella mia?”

“No. I don’t think so, but I don’t think I can move right now to go anywhere.”

“No matter, bella, I’m not sure I can either. My passione is inflamed for you.”

“I know.”

He smiled. “You noticed?”

“Of course.”

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt, and, to celebrate this release on Tuesday, November 23, and in honor of the shoe designer hero, I’m giving away a shoe charm to one commenter.  Tell me your favorite nationality for romantic heroes for a chance to win.

You can pre-order this book at: http://www.bookstrand.com/solo-honeymoon

Visit me at http://jillianchantal.wordpress.com/ And at my group blog on Saturdays: http://southernsizzleromance.wordpress.com/ Or email me at JillianChantal@gmail.com

Thanks again for letting me drop by! Happy Thanksgiving next week to everyone.

ETERNAL FLAME releases on 11/30/10!!  Yes!!  I am so excited about the release of Zane’s book, and, to get you in the fun book buying/book reading mood, I thought I’d share 5 reasons why you should read ETERNAL FLAME (though, of course, there are loads more than 5 reasons, really).

Reason Number 1:  You like bad boy demons. Come on, admit it! You like them. (Maybe a little?)  And this book is all about a bad boy demon.  Of all the Night Watch hunters, Zane Wynter is the one with the darkest side. Read the book–see how dark he can get.

Reason Number 2: You watched the movie Firestarter when you were younger, and you always wanted to be able to start fires with the power of your mind! Guess what?! My heroine can do that. Come watch her burn.

Reason Number 3: It’s the holiday season! Oh, yes, it’s here. After Black Friday shopping, you’ll need to relax. Guess how you can relax? Read a sexy, action-packed book called…(wait for it!)…ETERNAL FLAME.

Reason Number 4: You’ve been reading the other Night Watch books, and you want to know…hey, what’s up with the human cop, Antonio (Tony) Young? What’s he doing?  You want an update, well, then you’ll have to read the book to see just what is happening with Tony.  (I like Tony.) He gets some good screen time in ETERNAL FLAME.

Reason Number 5: During the holidays, it’s important to give yourself a present. So very important. And isn’t some nice, cozy paranormal reading time a fun present?    Treat yourself!!!