Come Together yet again!

Like to donate to worthy charities? Like super-sexy vampires? Then pick yourself up a copy of the new Coming Together: In Vein erotica anthology, proceeds from which will go to Doctors Without Borders!

To sweeten the deal, let me note that it contains a reprint of my story “Devouring Heart.” I’m always glad to donate one of my stories to the Coming Together series!

Various bits of happy writing news

I've been busy traveling (the latest trip was family-related, so not quite a vacation, although it's always wonderful to see my mother and sister and niece and my niece's kids, and it was good to have Ken with me), so I'm behind on, well, everything! So here's a quick drive-by about some recent happy news where my work is concerned.

• I sold a reprint of my lesbian vampire BDSM story "Devouring Heart" to Coming Together: In Vein! All of the Coming Together anthologies are for charity, and I'm always delighted to be a part of them. Coming Together: In Vein will support Doctors Without Borders, which is fucking fabulous! I'll post ordering info once I learn more.
• I received preliminary acceptance for another short story for a Cleis Press lesbian erotic romance anthology! I hesitate to announce details until I have the final word, but suffice to say I'm thrilled. It was a difficult story to write (involving a parent suffering from Alzheimer's) but I'm very, very proud of the result, and have my fingers crossed that it passes the final review.
• My story "Fear Not" is slated to appear in Cleis Press's Under Her Thumb: Erotic Stories of Female Domination, edited by the inestimable D.L. King, and it's scheduled for publication just a few days after my birthday! You can preorder it now by clicking on the link above. Here's the  gorgeous cover for you to ogle, which will certainly make you want to preorder it.  ;-)

Share the Love!

I’ve had several stories published in various Coming Together anthologies. What’s special about these anthologies is that all proceeds are donated to charity—each anthology is for an individual charity, ranging from Amnesty International to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I’ve given my stories to these anthologies for free.

This month we’re trying to raise the profile of these books (there are single-author collections as well!) though the Share the Love Blog Bash. Each day, a different author is writing a blog about their story, their favorite charity, their inspiration, or whatever, and including a steamy excerpt. 

Did I mention there will be prizes? There will be prizes! Many authors are offering a prize on the day their blog is posted (mine is a free copy of my first-ever e-collection). Plus—and this is so exciting I wish I weren’t a contributor so I could possibly win—there are two grand prizes:

1. A $50 gift certificate to All Romance Ebooks to one commenter.
2. A Kindle fire to a person who visits and comments on every one of the 29 posts and shares the post via FB, Twitter or Google+.

Even if you can’t visit and comment every day, I hope you’ll nip in on occaision and see what we’re chatting about, and that maybe you’ll mention the Blog Bash in your blog or social media site.

And even better, why not donate to charity by picking up a book or two? Valentine’s Day is fast-approaching and wouldn’t your lover be even happier knowing that their gift benefitted others as well?

Won’t you Share the Love with me?

An epic win!

I just learned that Coming Together: Against the Odds won a 2010 Eppie for Best Erotica/Erotic Romance anthology!

The Coming Together collections each benefit a different charity; all proceeds from the sale of Coming Together: Against the Odds will benefit Autism Speaks.

The reason I'm popping virtual champagne here is because I'm proud to be a part of Coming Together: Against the Odds, which contains my story "Always a Bridesmaid"! The anthology also has stories by Teresa Noelle Roberts (aka half of Sophie Mouette), Kathleen Bradean, Maxim Jakubowski, and many more amazing authors.

So, to recap: Buy this award-winning anthology (or any of the fabulous Coming Together anthologies) and not only get a book of sexy-hot stories, but you can also write it off on taxes and get the warm fuzzy feeling of having donated to a very worthy cause.

Who can resist a Labor Day sale?

Phaze Books, which published some of the Coming Together anthologies I've contributed to, is having a sale this weekend. If nothing else, please consider buying one of the Coming Together volumes, as all the money goes to charity (a different charity for each book):

Coming Together: Against the Odds containing "Always a Bridesmaid" (benefits Autism Speaks)

Coming Together: At Last containing "Just Be" (benefits Amnesty International)

Also, my fabby coauthor Teresa Noelle Roberts has several novellas available at Phaze as well. So stock up during this great sale! Buy, buy, buy ::advertising voice echoes away::

How very Regency of us

Eleven years ago, Ken and I ran off to Gretna Green and eloped!

We celebrated today by going out to lunch at Fresh and Fabulous (sharing a panini of turkey, bleu cheese, and caramelized onions on seven-grain bread; French onion soup; and a Mediterranean salad), strolling on the beach, finally seeing Star Trek at the cheap theatre (kickass!), wandering around the antique stores in Ventura, and having chocolate cake and cheesecake at Zoey’s Café (we sat in the 1926 courtyard). Now we’re home, pootling about the computers for a few minutes before heading down to watch some TV and snuggle. Eventually supper will happen. We’re still full of cake. :-) There will no doubt be hot tubbing as well. And canoodling.

It’s just nice to actually have him home on our anniversary!

[Edited to add: Oops, forgot to post this before we wandered downstairs!]

~ ~ ~

The mail brings wonderful things. While I was away I received my comp copy of the charity anthology Coming Together: Against the Odds, which contains my story “Always a Bridesmaid.” Proceeds from the anthology will benefit Autism Speaks.

Today on my doorstep landed comp copies of Bottoms Up, containing my story “Stuffing the Ballot Box” (as Andrea Dale), as well as others by Donna George Storey, Alison Tyler, Teresa, Rachel Kramer Bussel (who also edited the anthology), and many more!

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Currently Reading: 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Maureen Johnson
Lately Listened To: nothing lately
Recently Watched: Leverage (mmm, shirtless Christian Kane!), Warehouse 13

A spot of promo for a good cause

I recently mentioned a sale to Coming Together: Against the Odds, and wanted to remind my faithful readers that I also have a story in the charity anthology Coming Together: At Last, which benefits Amnesty International.

If you'd like to see a gorgeous promo video for Coming Together: At Last, you can check it out at any one of these links:

YouTube / MySpace / Facebook

(It's provocative, but safe for work unless you have an exceptionally prudish boss.)

And here's a link to my post of the press release.