A Promo with Opal Carew

This excerpt is PG-13. You've been warned.

“Now, do you want to tell me what it was you wouldn’t tell me last night?” Aiden asked. “The thing you thought would put me off marrying you.”

Oh, damn. Harmony’s jaw tightened. The time had finally come.

Her gaze fell to the counter and rested on her intertwined hands. She nodded, then sucked in a deep breath.

“Every year since university, I’ve gone away on a vacation with a group of friends.”

This story hadn’t started the way Aiden had expected. Not that he really knew what he had expected. But the fact she went on vacation with friends didn’t seem so bad.

“These are friends I met in university.” She glanced from her hands to his face. “Well, I guess you figured that out.”

“So you go on vacation with these people. You want to continue doing so? Is that it? Because we can certainly arrange to—”

She raised her hand. “No. I mean, yes, I’d like to keep doing it… well, I’m not sure anymore… I’ve been thinking a lot about it this year and re-evaluating…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, this is just… hard.”

He took her hands in his. “It doesn’t have to be. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.”

“The point is, we go away every year… and have for the past twelve years… the six of us, and we… have fun.”

He nodded.

“A lot of fun.”

“That’s great.”

She sighed and got up to pace the kitchen floor.

“You’re really not getting this. There are three women and three men…”

At her pause, then her exasperated expression, his brow furrowed. He wasn’t quite sure what she was getting at.

“Do you think I’ll be jealous because some of your friends are guys?” He would have thought she knew him better than that. “Do you have history with one of these men? Is that what you’re worried about?”

She nodded. “You could say that. Not just history.”

“You’ve been intimate with one of them?”

“No.”

He sighed in relief. He wouldn’t like the idea of her going away on vacation with a man she’d had sex with, even though he knew he wouldn’t stand in the way if that’s what she wanted to do. After all, the past was the past.

“I have been intimate with all of them.”

His gaze locked with hers. It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“All of them?”

She hesitated, as though choosing her words carefully.

“The other women have been intimate with all of them, too.”

He cleared his throat. “So this is… a kind of lovers’ reunion?”

“In a way.”

Sure, maybe they’d been a group of friends in university and wound up dating each other at different times. Of course, they’d all become close and now they met once a year to rehash old times.

“I understand. After all, it’s all innocent, right?”

She pursed her lips. “No, not so innocent. We actually meet for a full week of no holds barred sex.”

He chuckled, but her grim expression told him she wasn’t joking.

His jaw dropped.

“You mean you…” He cleared his throat, which had gone hoarse. “You have sex with each of the three men?”

“It’s not really having sex with each of the men as much as with all of them. Sometimes separate. Sometimes together.”

Jealousy raged through him at the thought of Harmony in another man’s arms. Men. Other men touching her, making love to her. Several at the same time.

His cock twitched.

“The women, too,” she continued. “Whatever permutation you can think of, we do it. Not that I’m bi, mind you, but when there are three… or four… or more of us together, we just do what comes naturally.”

His breaths came in shallow tugs as adrenaline pumped through him at the sudden image of Harmony kissing another woman, of the two of them stroking each other and… His cock pushed painfully at his jeans.

“And it comes naturally to you to make love with other women?”

The thought of Harmony stroking another woman’s breasts, of another woman kissing down Harmony’s stomach, heading for those delicate black curls sent his cock pulsing.

“Look, Aiden, I’m not kidding myself that any of this seems natural to you. I know it’s probably very unsettling to you and you probably want to run out of here right now and never see me again. You probably think that I’m a… that I…”

She was absolutely correct that he felt like running away right now--mostly from the confused feelings sweeping through him. He wasn’t sure what he thought of the situation. He couldn’t believe the woman he’d proposed to last night… a woman he thought he’d known so well… could actually be involved in an annual orgy.

From the look of her, he realized she was totally convinced this would drive him away. Although he would need some time to get used to the idea… to readjust his thinking… he knew he still wanted her in his life.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I don’t think less of you.”

She swept a tear from her eye and gazed up at him. “But you are shocked.”

That he couldn’t deny.

“What you just told me does defy everything I thought I knew about you, but that doesn’t mean I love you less. I just have to get used to the idea, that’s all.”

She nodded then pushed herself to her feet. “I understand if you want to withdraw your proposal.”

He grabbed her hand and drew her toward him.

“You’re not getting away that easily. I still want to marry you… the question still stands…” He gazed into her eyes and smiled. “Will you marry me?”

Harmony stared at Aiden, amazed that he still wanted her to be his wife. She’d been certain he would march away in disgust, yet here he was… a little shaken, but still ready to make an honest woman of her.

She wanted to accept his proposal–to grasp the lifeline of normalcy and uprightness he had thrown her.

But she couldn’t.

As much as he thought, here in Buffalo, where everything was proper and normal, that he could accept her annual activities, she didn’t think he really comprehended the reality of it. And she didn’t think he could really accept her if he did.

And, the bottom line was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to give it up.

“What if I told you that I wanted to keep going on these annual vacations?”

Aiden stared at her a moment and scratched his chin.

“Well, I guess I’d say that that would be fine. As long as I could go along, too.”

***********

Opal Carew is the author of over a dozen romance stories (also writing as Elizabeth Batten-Carew) in which she makes offerings of hope, success, and love to her readers. Opal loves crystals, dragons, feathers, cats, pink hair, the occult, Manga artwork, and all that glitters. She earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and spent 15 years as a software analyst before turning to her passions as a writer. Opal lives with her husband and two teen-aged sons in Ontario, Canada. To learn more about Opal, visit her website at http://www.OpalCarew.com or contact her at OpalCarew@BestRomanceAuthors.com.

Opal is giving away a ebook copy of her futuristic novel The King and I, written as Elizabeth Batten-Carew to a random commenter this weekend. Leave a comment by Sunday, February 8 at 5:00 pm PDT and you'll be entered in the drawing. The winner must be over the age of 18 due to the content of the ebook.

Barry Eva Contest Winner

Many thanks to Barry for making a stop here on his virtual book tour.

And I have a winner to announce for the contest. Alan Scott, aka Alex, you're our winner. Please contact me at admin.bookblog@gmail.com with your mailing address. I need to hear from you by next Thursday, February 12 or a new winner will be chosen.

Interview with Barry Eva, aka Storyheart

Welcome to Book Talk with J & J, Storyheart. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

I was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, and in 2000 I left my beloved England and moved to the USA to be with, and then marry, a woman I had met on the internet. My real name is Barry, though I write under the name Storyheart. I am, up to now, better known for my short romance stories, both on the net and in my book Stories from the Heart.

I have been writing or rather telling stories from my late teens, including some songs and a couple of small plays for children. This developed about 15 years ago, into writing short romance stories on the net.

Across the Pond is my first novel, while written as a “Young Adult Fiction”, it is being enjoyed by people of all ages.

Storyheart is an unusual pen name, how did you come by that?

It goes back to my chat room days, my wife used to chat under the name Tenderheart and as I wrote stories, I used Storyheart.

Can you please tell us a little about your book?
Across the Pond is about 15 year old, English born, Fred Squire who finds himself packed off to friends in the U.S.A when his parents win a trip to Australia, and he is not happy. Then he meets Brittany

Struggling with his feelings for Brit and the language, Fred is further confused when he meets Brit's flirtatious friend, Angel.

Escaping from a confrontation with Steve Harris, the neighborhood bully, Brit tells Fred her dark secret about Harris, and Fred's world is turned upside down.

Life continues to throw Fred a curveball when he catches a baseball worth a small fortune. Further run-ins with Harris, a crazy family BBQ, and a chase through a mall all add to Fred's American adventure.

"Brit and her Brit", know that their young love will be followed by heartache when Fred has to return to England. But not before some final twists in the tale.

Across the Pond is an enjoyable book that goes from through all aspects of young love. With believable characters… humor, adventure, first love, education and a little sport thrown in for good measure. Across the Pond is a book for all ages, from the young to the young at heart.

I understand that you yourself moved from England to the USA, did that help with writing the book?

Yes, I have come across many of the differences and problems one runs into first hand; this really helped when writing the book. You could say that I have lived certain parts of the story.

What parts of the book can you relate to?

Well I’m a little older than Fred and Brit who are around 15, but some of there experiences, like the BBQ I can relate to. There’s even my favorite watering hole mentioned somewhere in the book

Do you plan subsequent books?

I have been asked this same question by readers, several of them noticing that there are two possible areas which could lead to a follow up book. I have actually started to sketch out the next book which I hope to complete by the end of 2009.

When a person goes to your web site at http://across-t-pond.com what will they see that is different?

Oh, you mean the characters. Yes, on the first page and several other pages you will meet some of the characters from the book doing the introduction.

Any final words of wisdom for those who would like to be published?

Never give up. Listen, learn and have faith in yourself.

Thank you for the interview, Storyheart! Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

Certainly, you can find out all about me and the book at http://www.across-t-pond.com

The book is available at all the normal online stores, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders even Target. People might want to check the reviews at Amazon to see what people have already written about the book.

Any question people can always contact me at acrossthepond@mail.com

Storyheart will be stopping by the blog today to answer any questions you have for him. He's also giving away a print copy of Across the Pond to a random commenter. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in the drawing. I'll pick a winner tonight around 8:00pm PDT.

Excerpt from "Across the Pond" by Storyheart

Soon they were out of the airport and in the car park, or “parking lot” as Phil called it. They stopped at a very large car, or at least large compared to the ones Fred was used to.

“I’ll help you put the luggage into the boot.” Fred said.

Brit looked at Fred, her nose wrinkling in a quizzical manner, “The what?”

Phil laughed, “Fred means the ‘trunk’, it’s called the boot in England. Your Dad e-mailed me about some sort of school project you have to work on while you’re here Fred, about the differences in the languages, right?”

“Yeah,” Fred said with a grimace. “I don’t want to do it, but a new X-Box is the bait for me to do a good report.”

Brit rolled her eyes again, something Fred found quite attractive about Brit. That, and the way she wrinkled her nose.

“A school project?”

“That’s what my teacher said, anyway,” Fred gasped as he struggled with his suitcase. “Gotta make a list of all the words I find that are different in this country.” He kicked an imaginary stone. “Of course my parents thought it a great idea… Some holiday!”

Fred got into the car and sat next to Brit, feeling a little self-conscious about being so close to her, hoping he didn’t smell too bad after his travels. He felt very tired as the jet lag of the journey started to wash over him. Yawning, he struggled to remove a notebook from his pocket.

“Here, sleepy head, let me,” said Brit taking the book from Fred, who was too tired to complain. “No time like the present to start your list. What have we got so far?”

Carefully she drew a line down the center of the page and wrote.

Weekly Winners

First off, we have two winners from Lisa Daily's contest. Lara Lee (Laurie) and nhertel85 have been contacted about their winnings. If I don't hear from them by Thursday, Dec 12, I will choose a new winner.

And I picked a name from those who entered the Beth Wylde redraw contest. Fedora is our winner and has been contacted.

Interview with Lisa Daily

Jen: Book Talk readers, help me welcome Lisa Daily to the blog this week. Lisa, will you please share a short bio with us?
Lisa: Lisa Daily is a dating coach, speaker and popular media guest -- she has done more than 2000 interviews on top radio and television shows, including iVillage Live, MTV Live and Entertainment Tonight, and she appears as a real-life dating expert on the Hitch movie DVD starring Will Smith. Lisa is the dating expert DAYTIME, a nationally-syndicated morning TV show. A frequent source for reporters, Lisa has been quoted in hundreds of publications, from the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Men’s Health, Christian Science Monitor and US Weekly Magazine.

Jen: Tell us about How to Date Like a Grown-Up: Everything You Need to Know to Get Out There, Get Lucky, or Even Get Married in Your 40s, 50s, and Beyond and where it's available.

Lisa: By the time you hit forty, you have a pretty good idea of what you want when it comes to dating, love and relationships. How to Date Like a Grown-Up tells you how to find the love you’re looking for (even after a long marriage or dating hiatus) including where and how to meet better men, why we end up making ourselves magnets for losers, and tricky stuff, like how to face getting naked in front of someone new for the first time.

How to Date Like a Grown-Up is available at Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

Jen: At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.

Lisa: I was in elementary school when I first discovered writing – I wrote a serial about my hunky science teacher and read it to the other girls in class at recess. It was a hit, and I was hooked.

After college I worked as an advertising copywriter, an excellent training ground for young writers. After a few years in advertising, my husband and I moved to Minneapolis after he finished grad school, and our young son was still miraculously taking three-hour naps every day. I decided it would be fun to write a dating advice book in my spare time, and sell it online instead of going the traditional publishing route.

I did the math, and figured I’d make a lot more money if I published the book myself. I never looked for an agent, I never submitted to a single publisher. I have an advertising background, and I knew art directors, I knew printers, I knew production people. I figured, how hard can it be? Besides, I planned to do all the marketing myself, and after 8 years of serving the advertising needs of corporate America, I thought I might like to call all the shots in my next creative endeavor. For a change.

So, I wrote my little dating book in about six weeks, set a pub date (Valentine’s Day, naturally) bought myself a block of ISBN numbers and found a good short run printer. I hired a book publicist to send out review copies ($5000, resulting in 7, count ‘em, 7 media hits) and built a website.

When Oprah didn’t call immediately, I started to worry. When B&N national decided to pass, I started to freak. I woke up in the middle of the night, terrified that I’d spent $10,000 we didn’t really have. I decided that publicity, lots and lots of publicity, would be my only salvation. So every time I woke up with nightmares of being sucked into a quicksand-fast hole of debt, I cranked out a press release and faxed it to every media outlet I could think of.

I got booked on a local radio station. I got booked on the local TV station. B&Ns all over the country started placing individual orders for my book. My $5000 publicist managed to snag a quickie review in the New York Daily News (thank you, Alev Aktar).

The interview requests started to pick up, and I had the idea to pitch the book to the Ally McBeal show –it seemed like a good fit, one of the characters was always doing weird stuff to try to snag a man. I sent off my pitch and received a lovely form letter back stating that they could not look at my book and pitch unless they came from an agent.

Well, that was inconvenient. I didn’t have an agent. Fortunately, my $5000 publicist had a good friend who was an agent, and she was pretty certain her agent pal would be willing to slap a cover letter on my package for Ally McBeal.

I’d racked up about thirty interviews, the book started taking off, but I was spending a couple of hours a day in my garage (in Minnesota, in February), packaging up books one and two at a time for individual stores who’d ordered, and re-ordered them. I was spending most of my writing time billing stores (individually, gawd help me) and shipping out books.

Two days later, as I returned from my freezing cold garage/shipping center, I got a message from the agent on my answering machine. She said she’d read my book, she loved it, and to give her a call if I ever wanted to sell it to a major publisher.

Hmmm. Thrills and glory as a big-time author? Or two hours a day in the garage? Hmmm…what to do, what to do? As soon as my fingers started to thaw, I dialed the phone.

We talked for an hour, and I agreed to sign on with her. I worked on a proposal over the weekend and sent it and my contract off on Monday morning. On Tuesday I got a call from the Sally Jessy Raphael show. They wanted to book me for Thursday.

I called Lorraine, my newly-minted agent, who promptly set up meetings with as many editors as she could squeeze in before my return flight. Two days later, I was in NYC, sitting across from Sally Jessy Raphael, one of the nicest interviewers I’ve ever met. I had meetings with three editors that afternoon, all at big houses, and had several offers from by the end of the week.

Jen: How do you approach your writing? Do you plot or go with the flow?

Lisa: I’m a plotter. For both fiction and non-fiction, I need a basic outline. If I know the basic direction the book is headed, I’m free to have more fun with the language, the characters, and in the case of non-fiction, the way I deliver my message.

Jen: Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?

Lisa: My laptop, a steady supply of junk food, and noise-canceling headphones.

Jen: Do you have a writing routine?

Lisa: On Tuesdays and Thursdays I write from the beach, on Fridays I do the DAYTIME show. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I write from my office, catch up on emails and calls. Ideally, I’d love to have more uninterrupted time to write, but the business aspect of being a writer can suck up a lot of time.

Usually I’ll go for a walk in the morning, and then settle in with my computer to write until 2 or 3. If I’m on deadline, I try to ignore my email until afternoon. Email is the world’s greatest procrastination tool, because it feels like you’re accomplishing something. I find write twice as many words if I just put off answering email until 2 pm. (Why is this so hard to do?)

Jen: What’s the most rewarding aspect of writing?

Lisa: Readers, by far. I love hearing their stories. It’s also pretty cool to walk into a book store and see your book on the shelf. There’s no feeling like it in the world, and it never gets old.

Jen: Is there a genre that you’d like to write?

Lisa: Well, I’ve covered non-fiction dating advice twice, and had a ball with Fifteen Minutes of Shame, my first novel, a romantic comedy. At some point in the future, I’d really like to try writing a mystery, and possibly a screenplay.

Jen: Where do you draw your inspiration?

Lisa: From everywhere! I’m always people-watching at the beach or the airport, interested to see how people interact, imagining what their stories might be. I wrote How to Date Like a Grown-Up because I was so inspired by all of the 40, 50 and 60-something women who wrote me letters and emails with their dating and relationships questions. Most dating advice books are written for women in their 20s and 30s. By the time you hit 40, you have an entirely different perspective on what you want from a relationship. A lot of women hit 35 or 40 and think no man will want them, that they can’t compete with their 20 and 30 year-old counterparts. I wrote How to Date Like a Grown-Up to let them know they don’t need to compete – they’re in a whole different league.

Jen: Do you have a favorite character or one that you identify most with?

Lisa: I’d have to say Darby, the main character from Fifteen Minutes of Shame. She’s a funny, somewhat klutzy dating expert who wants to see everybody get a little piece of happily ever after. The trait we share is that we both tend to trust our brains over our hearts. Unlike Darby, my sweet husband has no plans to dump me on national television. (As far as I know.)

Jen: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?

Lisa: Anything by Jane Austen, Delia Ephron, Nora Ephron, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Oscar Wilde, Jane Green. I loved Freakonomics for the writing. I love Eats, Shoots & Leaves for the punctuation stickers in the back. Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason was a revelation, and Michael Alvear, Lisa Earle McLeod and Lenore Skenazy crack me up.

Right now I’m reading What Would Emma Do?, a hilarious, poignant book by Eileen Cook, one of my new favorite writers. (http://www.eileencook.com) Definitely worth reading.

Jen: What do you do in your free time?

Lisa: What free time? We’re launching How to Date Like a Grown-Up this month, so my life has been pretty non-stop for the last several months. After Valentine’s Day, I’ll take a bit of a break, regroup, and get back to actual writing.

When I relax, I like to hang out at the beach, drink margaritas and of course, read.

Jen: What's next for you?

Lisa: I’m working on a new novel called The Truth About Gossip.

Jen: Where can you be found on the web?

Lisa: Find me at http://www.lisadaily.com or http//www.datingexpert.tv for dating advice.

Jen: Do you have anything you’d like to ask our readers?

Lisa: I’d love to know where you find the books you read. Do you hear about them at book clubs? Find them on the Internet? Find them in the bookstore? I’m always fascinated to learn how other readers find their books.

Jen: Lisa, thanks for taking some time out of your bust schedule to visit at Book Talk. Readers, Lisa is giving away two goodie bags. One will contain the book How to Date Like a Grown-Up and the other will have Fifteen Minutes of Shame. To enter the contest, leave a comment. Answer Lisa's question or ask one of her. The contest will run until Thursday, February 5 around 5:00pm PDT. Please leave an email address if you are not going to check back at the blog to see if you're a winner.

Excerpt from How to Date Like a Grown-Up by Lisa Daily

Flirty Over Forty

So you’ve got your room-owning strategies in place, and all eyes are on you. What next?

Well, my dear, it’s time to dust off the ol’ flirting skills. You don’t have to look like Angelina Jolie to make men take notice; all you really need is your fabulous smile and a few surefire flirting tips like the ones you’ll find below. Now, pick yourself out a charming man and get to work.

Tip #25: Lock Eyes
Lock eyes with the man you’re flirting with for a full five to six seconds; then smile and drop your gaze. Don’t stare a hole through the guy’s forehead, for goodness sake—just give him a smoldering, come-hither look, and look away. Do this at least three times in a ten- to fifteen-minute period. Why? He needs to know it’s him you’re flirting with, and eye contact is a universal signal of openness.

Tip #26: Be a Vampire’s Best Friend
One of the most winning flirting techniques a woman can use is the exposure of her neck. This can be done with a head tilt to one side, the classic hair flip, or my personal favorite, the over-the-shoulder glance—the asymmetrical position attracts attention, exposes your neck, and gives you the opportunity to lock eyes. The over-the-shoulder move is extra effective, because it’s sexy and it sends a signal to your target that he is worth a second look. And maybe a third.

Tip #27: How’s Your Hair?
We tend to preen or groom ourselves subconsciously when we’re attracted to someone by smoothing down our hair or clothes or checking our lipstick in a compact. Men will generally smooth their hair, pull up their socks, or straighten their ties. Try combining a grooming gesture with a smile and a gaze. Another trick? Toss your hair to one side. This classic move is a double whammy that combines preening and a flash of neck. Need I say more?

Tip #28: Cross Your Legs
Crossing and uncrossing your legs is another surefire flirting technique, especially if you’re wearing high heels. (Although, don’t overuse this one—you don’t want to give the impression that you’re about to have a bathroom emergency.) The act of crossing your legs is quite seductive to men, and it makes them hungry to see more. Another key seduction trick is slipping your heel out of your shoe and dangling it on your toes. The arch of the foot sends a sexual message and mimics a woman’s curves and sends a man’s heart racing. These particular flirting techniques are more obvious, so be sure to use them sparingly.

Tip #29: Be a Mimic
When people are attracted to each other, they mirror each other's body language with similar gestures, voice volume, etc. Try subtly mimicking the man’s behavior. If he leans forward, you lean forward. If he scratches his head, you scratch your head. If you are mirroring someone’s behavior, they’ll begin to feel as though the two of you are connected and in tune with each other. The key is to be subtle. The last thing you want is to give off a “monkey see, monkey do” vibe.

Tip #30: Focus, Focus, Focus
Once you and your guy have started talking, use these tips to lock in the attraction. First, smile and maintain eye contact as he is speaking, and focus all of your attention on what he is saying. (Yes, it’s true: rarely is anyone more attractive than someone who finds you utterly fascinating.) Other key moves—the nod and the head tilt—signal you’re listening to what the other person has to say. Smiling and laughing are crucial here also—it’s the quickest, easiest way to put another person at ease and make a connection. Finally, another effective flirting technique is low-level touching, such as brushing the shoulder, elbow, or kneecap.

Tip #31: Is He Flashing You?
How can you tell if a man is flirting with you? The signs above are fantastic indicators, but men tend to take things a little further by demonstrating their social status with moves that can include flashing cash and talking about their careers and (you guessed it) cars.

February Contest

I'm looking for some new reading materials...

What's your all-time favorite book? Is there a book you've read over and over again? What is it about this book that you like so much?

I'll pick a winner or two for this contest on Thursday, February 26. Winners will win $10 gift cards to Amazon.com. I strongly suggest you leave an email address with your post so that I can contact you if you're chosen as a winner.

Blog winners

I never heard from our Beth Wylde contest winner. If you're interested in winning one of her ebooks and you're over the age of 18, send an email to admin.bookblog@gmail.com with Beth Wylde in the subject. I'll pick a winner on Thursday.

I don't have a winner for Dee Owen's author prize. If you're an author and would like to win an ebook and discount on her marketing services, shoot me an email. First author to contact me will win. Updated... we have a winner. Congrats to Regina.

And I still haven't heard from any of our January contest winners. Check here to see if you're a winner.