Never Enough

Posted in Romance on April 1st, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

I recently found out that my contemporary erotic novella, Never Enough, will be appearing in Secrets, Volume 16 (scheduled to be published by Red Sage this July). I was pretty surprised to discover that this particular story would be coming out this soon–I’ve been working on a werewolf trilogy for Red Sage, and my previous editor had indicated that she wanted to delay the publication of Never Enough until after I was finished with my werewolf tales. But…hey, I’m happy with the news. Heck, I’m always happy when one of my stories gets published.

And my second werewolf tale, The Wolf’s Mate, has already been line-edited and sent back to the publisher. When I get an exact publication date for that manuscript, I’ll post about it.

Never Enough was actually the first story I sold to Red Sage. It’s a tale of modern, star-crossed lovers. Here’s a brief excerpt: (Please note: This excerpt is intended for adults only–there is graphic language included.)

Her hand shook as she reached for the lock. She closed her eyes a moment, and then opened the door. Abby moved forward, putting her body solidly in the doorway. “I told you not to come here.” And she had. Those words had been so hard to utter. But she’d done it. She’d ended things with Jake.

His eyes, his brilliant blue eyes, shone like chips of ice. They were locked on her, their intensity sending a shiver over her.

He took a quick breath and gritted, “What you told me was to fuck off, but I’m not going to do that.” He took a step forward, bringing his body inches from hers. The heat of his skin seemed to burn her, and the light scent of his cologne filled her nostrils.

“You have to do it,” she said, forcing the words out and lifting her chin. “It’s over, Jake. I don’t want to see you anymore, I can’t see you–“

He grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and capturing her mouth in a heated kiss. His tongue plunged past her lips, igniting a wave of desire that Abby was helpless to fight.

“You want me,” he whispered, pulling back slightly. “And God knows I want you.”

Her nipples pressed against her robe, and she knew that he could feel her need.

His fingers moved, slipping under her chin and forcing her to look up, forcing her to meet his penetrating gaze. “Why would you throw away what we have? Why?”

Abby pressed her lips together. She could still taste him. She looked into his eyes. Could he see her fear? Because she was terrified, of him, of her own feelings.

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Interesting Contest

Posted in Romance on March 30th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

I was hopping around on the web, and I ran across a rather interesting vampire contest. Dark Recesses Press is sponsoring the contest–it’s actually called the Deja Vu Horror Contest–but the theme of the contest is The Seductive Vampire. The more cliched the vampire, the better for the contest. There’s a sample entry on the Dark Recesses website, in case you wanna see what the judges will be looking for in terms of story/style/etc. Entries should be between 1000-2500 words, and the first place winner will get $500. The deadline is listed as May 31, 2006.

Sounds like fun…the only downside to this contest is the entry fee–it’s five bucks. Of course, if you win…you’ll make $495 in profit.

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Freelance Writing

Posted in Romance on March 30th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

Looking for some good freelance writing opportunities? Well…you need to check out the Writer’s Weekly website. Each week, new freelance opportunites are posted–you can find out about magazines that need stories, publishers who need copy editors, or even web sites that need content developers.

A year ago, I signed up for the site’s weekly newsletter. Each Wednesday, the newsletter pops into my box, and I scan through it to see if there are any jobs of interest to me.

So, if you’re a freelancer (or want to be) check out Writer’s Weekly!

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A Hunger Like No Other

Posted in Romance on March 29th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

My husband can finally stop calling the local Books-A-Million and asking the sales clerk if she has “A Hunger Like No Other.” And, um…yeah, I definitely think the chick believes we were prank calling her.

But anyway…I finally got my hands on Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other. I’d been wanting this book ever since I read an excerpt from this paranormal romance in the April issue of the Romantic Times.

Here’s the premise of the story (and don’t worry, I won’t give away any spoiler information): The hero, Lachlain, King of the Werewolves, discovers that his destined queen is Emma, a half-vampire, half-Valkyrie. Lachlain hates vampires–he’s just spent the last 150 years being tortured by them, so when he finds out that his mate is one of the hated breed…well, he’s less than thrilled.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Yes, the beginning is dark, but that darkness is an integral part of Lachlain’s character. This story is the second of Kelsey’s new paranormal series. The first tale–The Warlord Wants Forever–appeared in the anthology, Playing Easy to Get. And, yes, I also really, really enjoyed the Warlord tale.

Kelsey Cole has created a wonderful new world, a true place of lore. And now, in addition to my Dark Hunters and my Carpathians, I’ll be addicting to reading about Valkyries, too.

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2006 RWA National Convention: Atlanta Bound

Posted in Romance on March 27th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

On July 26th, thousands of romance writers will converge on the lovely city of Atlanta. The next few days will consist of dozens of workshops, fabulous parties, and tons of network schmoozing.

Now, I’ve been to Atlanta too many times to count. I love the city–it’s always teaming with activity and life. When my husband fenced competitively, it seemed we drove up there nearly every weekend for national or regional events.

So, since I’ve got a bit of Atlanta experience, I thought I’d post a do/don’t list for activites in the city. (In case you decide that you want to have convention fun and take in some of the sights.)

First, let’s start with don’t. Don’t go to Six Flags. Sure, amusement parks are fun–but NOT in July in Atlanta. The park will be hellishly hot and the lines will be hellishly long. Skip this stop!

Do take some time to visit the Atlanta Underground. There are some unusual shops here, interesting bands play, and, since it’s both underground and air-conditioned, you’ll get relief from the Atlanta heat. If you’re lucky, you can also get your fortune told and see a few fun magic tricks.

Do visit the new Georgia Aquarium. Personally, I am a shark freak–and I can’t wait to tour the facilities and see my man-eaters. (I’ve never been to this aquarium before, but I’ve heard great things about it!)

Do consider visiting the Fernbank–Atlanta’s dinosaur museum. I mean, come on–it’s dinosaurs!

Finally, don’t head to Atlanta without some good maps. It is very, very easy to get lost on the city streets.

Of course, there are plenty of other activites–you could go see the Braves, you could check out the Martin Luther King exhibit, sample some drinks at the Coca-Cola museum…yes, there are so many choices. I’d recommend checking out this city guide for more info.

Have fun! See you in Atlanta!

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