Speculative Romance Author Regina Paul

New Newsletter!

2012-01-01T22:39:00.001-08:00

I just sent out a new newsletter! It's been several months since I've been able to do this, so I'm really stoked about finally having done so. I hated not being able to really interact with my readers over the last months and so it felt really good to have something fun to offer them. If you've enjoyed my free reads then you're in for a real treat! I've decided to make The Keepers of Eternity, the first book in my series The Keepers a free read. Just add your e-mail address into the Regina's Universe newsletter subscriber box to the right and then go and look in the The Keepers of Eternity folder in the Files section of my group; you'll find the first installment there. Enjoy! :-)

Just Checking In...

2011-10-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the loop for a while now, even my newsletter has gone fallow for several few months. I'm sure many of my fans have wondered about that. I've been quiet as to all the reasons for these things for the most part. Some of it is I'm trying to do more writing so I have more to offer in 2012, but there have been a whole host of other reasons as well. In 2010 I had to go back to working a day job because my husband lost his job and the unemployment finally ran out. It was just not enough to support two people, couple that with several of my freelance writing clients going under in the bad economy, getting booted from e-how when they decided to start booting writers, and you get the picture pretty quickly. Couple all that with two deaths recently, and my getting another cold, and it seems like sometimes it rains when it pours, and that's the way I've been feeling lately. Going back to a day job was a bit of a shock to my system as well, and while I've adjusted I don't have as much time as I'd like to write and promote. Hopefully, this trend of mine will change in 2012 with more new books, and getting back to having my newsletter be monthly again. I'd even like to have a few free stories for fans! That's the goal anyway.

So, that's what's been up with me and my life. Because I've been feeling overwhelmed with trying to have time to write and still manage my life and my day job I'm working on fitting in small blocks of writing time. Hopefully that will help me to get Doomed to Be Charmed done and available sometime in early 2012. Then I can start tackling the other WIP's in the same fashion. That's the plan anyway.

I still love hearing from readers and if you've read Alien Deceptions, Homecoming, A Gift From Home or any of my other stories, I'd love to hear what you thought. E-mail me anytime at tiwatz@yahoo.com or feel free to post a comment.

5 Stars from Joyfully Reviewed for Alien Deceptions!

2011-08-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine my delighted surprise last week when I was surfing Amazon and discovered a new review from Joyfully Reviewed! As you all can imagine I'm doing the happy dance like nobody's business. LOL
Anyway, thought I would share since I felt like this reviewer totally got the story line and everything I was trying to convey with this story. As an author I really strive to make sure my story lines are clear, and easy to understand, so when someone obviously gets it, that really makes me happy!

Here's the review for Alien Deceptions from Joyfully Reviewed Thanks Miranda!:

Angel Whitedove had been abducted by aliens. She has been a victim continually since she was three years old. Angel differs from other abductees' because she can remember every little thing the alien's subjected her to. As a teenager, she was abducted with her family, but that time they kept her parents and returned her alone. Now, she runs across the country never staying in one place too long, fearing they are going to find her again. Along the way she helps other abduction victims any way she can.

Darek is from the planet Larindon. He has traveled to Earth to find Laren, a criminal from his planet. In his search, Darek finds more than anticipated. It seems Laren created a family on Earth, breaking their non-interference laws, an unforgivable transgression. All half-breeds are to be put to death immediately by Larindon laws. There's only one problem, Darek can't seem to bring himself to kill the stunning Angel Whitedove.

Darek decides to use Angel to find her father but in doing so finds himself drawn to Angel. Angel provokes every protective instinct in his body, and when he discovers she has been a victim of the evil aliens that terrorized his planet for years, he is determined to protect her. Angel may not be so eager to accept his help when she discovers he is also an alien. However, she may not have a choice when they are attacked. These two will go on an interplanetary journey, incite a civil war, and race to save what they hold dear.

Alien Deceptions is an exciting thrill a minute adventure. Everything is very intense; you can feel the tension in the characters. It brings the seriousness to the forefront immediately. Angel and Darek have plenty of sexual chemistry, but they also have depth. Their two worlds are so very different and everything is life and death, yet these two wade through the complications to discover something beautiful between them. Angel is such a strong character; this is one of the many things I love about her, she is determined to kick butt even though horrific things keep happening. Angel is a fighter who never gives up. Darek's struggle with the societal laws that have been bred into him since birth is palpable.

Alien Deceptions features tons of cool gadgets for the geek inside us all. Regina Paul has created an impressive world in Alien Deceptions. I loved how the story started on Earth and then shifted to Larindon. The characters were all unique and exciting. Angel and Darek's love may be the center of Alien Deceptions but the societies are mesmerizing. I hope that Ms. Paul has a sequel planned because I would love to hear more about Angel, Darek and friends.

Miranda
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The Amazing Difference Between Two Reviewers...

2011-08-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

I got a bad review for A Gift From Home today, and while that sometimes makes me feel bad, this time is of course no exception, it also just cemented something for me. I knew this of course being a reviewer myself, but this particular review kind of drove it home; Reviews are personal opinions. A bad review doesn't mean you're a terrible writer, or that you wrote a bad book, it just means that someone else had an opinion about your book that was less than stellar. Incidentally I decided I could either get mad, or I could treat the reviewer much better than she treated me and my poor book. I wrote her a thank you note and posted it on Amazon in the comments so she would be sure to see it. What I wrote is the truth, all reviews whether good or bad help me to grow as a writer. Did it hurt to read her review, sure it did, but I refuse to return the favor and treat her the same way. After all she doesn't know me, and unlike another reviewer who gave my book a stellar review she didn't get the point of the story. And that's okay.

A Gift From Home is my first f/f romance, and I'm coming to realize something else. There are some in mainstream society that seem to consider f/f romance and sexual practices as pornography. I'm relatively certain that if this story had been about a man and a woman or maybe even two men that the review would have come out completely differently. There seems to something in the mainstream psyche that says, "Oh, two girls getting it on=porn!" Never mind that said two girls are in love, never mind that there are bad guys and a mystery to be solved, there are 4 love scenes and those make the book just dirty porn according to the reviewer on Amazon, with no plot to speak of. I suspect that some of the problem stems from some men's fascination with watching two women together. Obviously something tripped in this reviewer's mind, and I hit a nerve, which makes me wonder why she purchased the book, if f/f gay sex was offensive to her.

Here's what two different reviewers say about A Gift From Home:

Kathryn Walters (Rev. K)said:

Girl gets on bus, picked up by old school friend she doesn't recognize. Friend takes her home, declares her love, asks to have "her cherry popped" and suddenly becomes a sex machine. Meanwhile mother is arranging a forced marriage of her lesbian daughter to her employers son in exchange for a half share in his business... seriously??? Poorly written, no story line, nothing more than crude sex romp with no finese - no I'm not a prude and love a good sex scene when written well and has some context - this has none of that. Don't waste your money.

Now here's what Cherokee said at Coffee Time Romance:

Melanie never felt wanted or loved growing up. Her mother used verbal abuse every chance to make Melanie feel she was inadequate in every way, until Melanie could take no more.

Loraleigh is a PI hired to locate Melanie. She had no idea the sinister plans that lay ahead for Melanie, nor the deep emotion the two women would grow to care for each other.

It has been two years since Melanie’s mother, Magnolia, practically sent her packing, never wanting her back home again. Melanie is surprised to receive a bus ticket with a note saying, I’m sorry,’ just before Thanksgiving. Reluctantly, she returns home, hoping that her mother is ready to make amends and accept her for her lifestyle. Melanie never expected to meet Loraleigh, a girl from her past. The girls immediately hit it off, but Magnolia is still determined to change Melanie and make her find love with a man instead of a woman. When Magnolia puts her plan into action, will Melanie be able to stand up to her mother this time, or has her mother finally gotten her wish?

A Gift From Home is a page-turner. Magnolia’s actions were intense and definitely portrayed her character to the hilt. I found Melanie to have a secret strength inside that was dying to come out. With Loraleigh’s help, I believe she was able to conquer the challenges set before her. Ms. Paul instills a dynamite story about finding the right love, while forging through all the obstacles that life throws in our way. With incredible compelling characters, and canvassing Melanie, with a depth of emotions, and expressions to shower every page, this story power punches. There is a tenderness to the storyline that could really reach out and grab the heart.

Cherokee
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

See the difference? One reviewer got the point of the story, and the actual story line, and the other didn't. Like I mentioned before, it's merely a matter of personal opinion. Incidentally, I've actually bought books that have gotten bad reviews, they always make me wonder if they're as bad as the reviewer said, about 90% of the time they're not.

My main reason for posting this was that I read on another writer's blog about how upset she was that she got a bad review and I think as someone who has 14 books published it helps for another author to kind of show that it's not all bad. I wish I could remember the author, but hopefully she'll see this post.

And all you authors out there, feel free to post comments about your own experiences with reviewers.

Have You Ever Been Accused of Writing Porn?

2011-07-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

I write erotic romance, and quite frankly I don't make any bones about the fact. I'm not ashamed of it. I don't necessarily advertise it at work, but if someone asks me, I have no problem telling them what I write.

Now that being said, I occasionally run into people, co-workers, beta-readers, and others who have accused me of just writing "porn" or "smut." Sometimes trying to explain that there is a difference between writing erotic romance which has a plot, and dialogue, as well as, relationships, and porn which usually has none of the above is difficult.

I had a difficult experience not long ago where I had sent one of my beta-readers a copy of A Gift From Home, which was my first F/F romance, so I was already nervous about how it would be received. I don't believe this person read more than a chapter or two before they wrote me saying they couldn't finish it because it was porn and just nothing but sex. Since there are only four sex scenes in an almost 100 page story, you can imagine my surprise at having it labeled, "porn." To say I was upset, and even a bit angry would be the truth. I now have a clause in my beta-reader's contract saying they must read the entire book before giving any feedback. There is also a clause saying that the reader accepts that there will be different kinds of books including ones with m/m, f/f and menage scenes, or scenarios. This is so potential beta-readers know what they are getting themselves into and so I don't have this happen again.

Have you ever been accused of writing porn? What did you do? I ended up simply responding kindly to the beta-reader but deciding that I needed to re-write my beta-reader contract. Honestly, I'm reluctant to send this person any other books, because quite frankly it stung having something I worked so hard on described this way.

I'd love to hear from other authors about how they've handled it when someone called what they write pornography.

Website Update

2011-07-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered that my website host 110mb has not been making my author's website available most of the time. It was down a sum total of 7 times last week, and today I can't even log into my account, and while the website opens, most of the pages are not accessible. This used to be a good website host, but since they were purchased by new owners about a year ago they have steadily gone downhill in service.

That being said, I have moved my author's website and combined it with my blog. Please bear with me as I move all the information from there to here. I promise it will be worth the wait!

Destiny's Decisions Chapter Three...

2010-08-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three
Dawn was talking on the phone, smiling with a mouth full of perfect white teeth and winding one blue black curl around the index finger of her right hand when they walked in. Tiana resisted the urge to roll her eyes when the teen started giggling, and said, “David, stop being naughty, my boss just walked in!”
James stood looking sternly at the young woman. “Dawn.” He said, warning in his voice.
Another giggle, then, “Gotta go, see you tonight!” Then Dawn hung up the phone and batted long false eyelashes at James.
“What did I say about personal calls during working hours?” James reminded her. Unlike her father, brothers and every other red-blooded male who came into contact with her, James didn’t give in just because Dawn used her wiles on him.
“Sorry boss.” Dawn shrugged apologetically. “My boyfriend called me, I didn’t call him. I’ll tell him not call during office hours anymore.”
“See that you do. What if a client had called? And what about those contracts I gave you yesterday that needed to be typed?”
“We have call waiting.” Dawn said smugly. “And I finished typing the contracts last night, they’re in your inbox.”
“That’s beside the point.” James said, pointing a stern finger.
“Ah, c’mon Uncle James, can’t you cut me a break?”
When James raised an one eyebrow without answering, Dawn turned to Tiana, “Aunt Tiana?” She said beseechingly.
“Hey don’t look at me,” Tiana held up both hands, “I went to bat for you when you wanted this job, and you agreed to the conditions.”
“We women have to stick together though, right, Aunt Tiana?”
Resisting the eye roll was getting really hard. She liked Dawn, okay to be honest, she adored Dawn. The title of Uncle and Aunt were honorary rather than because of any blood ties either of them had to the girl, and Tiana really hadn’t known much about her until she and James had become engaged since she was the daughter of a friend of James’. And adoring the girl, and letting the girl know she was adored, which would be akin to waving a hunk of bloody meat at a shark, were two very different things. “Sorry kiddo, you’re on your own on this one.”
Dawn gave her look suggesting Tiana had somehow betrayed her and then huffed and starting pouting.
Tiana sidled up to James and gave him a toothy grin, “Still sure you want to have kids?” She asked. “They might turn out like Dawn.” She whispered too low for the sixteen year old to hear.
Tiana felt James shudder for just a second before he mumbled, “That’s dirty pool.”
“Yeah, well, just thought I’d remind you, they don’t stay babies forever. And you’ve seen how Michael has to darned near literally beat the boys off with a stick.”
“I’ve got just the stick for you, baby. Want me to beat you with it?” James said wickedly.
Black lashes lowered, and Tiana’s breath flowed out in a rush as heat seeped from deep within. “You’ve got a one track mind, and I repeat, I am not having sex with you in your office!” She hissed louder than she meant to.
“Oooooooohhhhh! Kinky!” Dawn commented.
Tiana turned three shades of red before she got her embarrassment under control. “And that young lady was not meant for your ears.” Tiana pointed out, using the same “magic finger” that James had to make his point earlier.
Dawn had the grace to look ashamed, “Sorry Aunt Tiana.”
Doe brown eyes peeked from beneath sooty lashes before she cooed, “Sorry about before Uncle James.”
Tiana felt more than heard James sigh. “Just don’t let it happen again, Dawn. I’d rather have you manning the front desk than some stranger, but there are plenty of young women who would kill to have a cushy job where all they had to do was answer phones, type the occasional contract and surf the net for five or six hours a day and make more than minimum wage.”
“So, Aunt Tiana is your gallery okay?” Dawn quickly changed the subject.
With the mention of the destroyed gallery Tiana’s spirits plummeted once again and her shoulders slumped.
“The gallery was vandalized last night or early this morning, Dawn. There’s not much left but pottery dust, broken glass and loose seed beads.” James answered for her.
Dawn’s jaw dropped. “Really? That’s awful. I’m sorry Aunt Tiana, is there anything I can do to help? I could come over after work and help you clean up?”
And therein was why Tiana adored the teenager, even if she did often make her crazy with the vapid, blonde act, and open flirting with James. Underneath it all was very caring young woman.
“Thanks, but they probably won’t let me near the place until tomorrow. Let’s wait and see. If I need help with the cleanup you’ll be the first to know.” Tiana tried to smile, but it wobbled and turned upside down instead.
“Okay. I really am sorry Aunt Tiana, I know how much you love your gallery.”
“Yes, but they’re just things, thank God no one got hurt this time.” She choked on the word “hurt” as she remembered that someone had more than gotten “hurt” the last time; they’d gotten dead.
***
James watched concerned as Tiana tried to deal with the emotional fallout of realizing that there was still someone out there who could do her and her loved ones harm. Just watching her made his chest feel tight and his heart hurt. He had to protect her and those around them from whoever this was before someone else died.
He squeezed Tiana’s shoulders and turned them towards an empty office before shutting the door and pulling her close to his body as though his heat could somehow chase the memories away. “Why don’t you make those calls we were talking about? We do have a wedding to plan after all.” He murmured in her ear, hoping to take her mind of the unpleasantness of both the past and the present.
“Yeah, good idea. Not like there’s anything else I can do right now is there.” Tiana muttered sourly, her mood still dark.
“I thought you were excited about planning the wedding?”
Tiana turned, causing James to drop his hands from her shoulders and looked up at him with big brown eyes. “I didn’t mean it that way.” She said softly.
“Didn’t you?” He laid his hands back on her shoulders. “Tiana, I don’t expect you to hide your darker emotions from me, I want you to share them with me, that’s what I’m here for. Just don’t expect me to allow you to wallow in them, that’s not healthy for you or our relationship.”
“I know.” Tiana sighed, dropping her chin until it rested on her chest. “It was just seeing the gallery destroyed, it reminded me of when grandmother died. I was really hoping that all of it was over and that we could have our wedding and work on being happy; regain what we lost.”
James lifted her chin and found a tear winding down her face. Leaning down he sipped it from her cheekbone. “It’ll be all right babe, we’ll figure this out, get your gallery back up and running and have our wedding. I don’t intend that this bozo whoever he or she is is going to get the chance to ruin our lives for a second a time.”
He felt Tiana lean into him, her arms going around his waist and he held her tightly in return resting his head against hers. “We’ll figure it out, babe.” He repeated, hoping like hell that they could before someone else was hurt or died. He didn’t want the memory of a day that should be the happiest of their lives shrouded in grief as their reunion had been.
Then in typical Tiana fashion she pulled away from him and straightened her shoulders. “Okay, I’m going to make those calls. We still need to work out the flowers, the location, and I still have to work on convincing your mother that I want to make my own wedding dress.” James smiled as she ended the last part on a groan.
“She just wants to help you pick out one of those white fluffy confections with a gorgeous long veil.”
“I know. But I don’t want some Soyap version of a wedding, I’m willing to let her have her way on some things, but not the dress, and not having a traditional Nez Perce ceremony once we have the legal one she wants. You’d think she would understand, she is Nez Perce after all isn’t she?” Tiana yanked on her own hair pulling hard, and James couldn’t help laughing.
Once he’d gotten his mirth under control, he answered. “Yes, but you have to remember that when she was a child it was back before The Indian Child Welfare Act and she was taken from her family and put into foster care with white families away from the reservation. She finally returned when she was eighteen, but by the then she’d been very influenced by the dominant culture. She respects Nez Perce culture and traditions and she’s proud to be Nez Perce, but…” James shrugged. “sometimes she can’t help wanting to do things the way she was taught. And she was taught that weddings entailed a long white dress with a veil and in front of a minister in a church.”
“Yeah, I get that, but I just wish she wouldn’t stop trying to change my mind. I’m making my own wedding dress and it’s going to be yellow as is traditional!” James could hear the determination in her voice and couldn’t help smiling.
“I never thought otherwise, babe. And for what it’s worth I agree with you and so does Dad.”
“Good then the next time she tries to show me another dress that she put on hold for me to look at, you and Dad can help me tell her no.” James held up his hands in surrender when he saw the evil glint in Tiana’s eyes.
“Now babe, I didn’t say anything about Dad and I getting involved, I was just saying that we agreed with you.”
“Chicken!”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right, we are chicken! Have you ever seen my mother when she gets an idea in her head?” James threw up his hands, no way was he going to get into the middle of this one! “There’s no stopping her!”
“So…you and Dad agree with me, but you expect me to handle your mother when she’s being stubborn?” James turned at the sickeningly sweet tone. Uh oh.
Better start back pedaling, otherwise he was going to get himself into a world of trouble. Me and my big mouth! Dad is not going to appreciate me for this one. “Uh, not exactly…she’s just…well hell, you’ve seen her!”
“Yes, I have. And that’s exactly why when she brings this up again, you are going to be right there with me back me up, right?” James stared down at Tiana as she poked one short-nailed index finger into his chest to punctuate each word.
“Uh…” Ah, hell! How did I get myself into this?
“Right?” The feral smile did not bode well for him if he didn’t agree.
James let a defeated sigh leave him, “Right.” Behind his back he crossed his fingers. I’ll just have to make sure I’m nowhere around when Mom brings it up again.
“Don’t think I don’t know you have fingers crossed behind your back.” When Tiana’s eyes narrowed with the words, James felt his own round wide in astonishment. How the hell does she do that?
Time for a distraction! James grabbed her, pulled her close and slanted his mouth over hers. He knew his ploy had worked when her lips softened beneath his and parted allowing her breath to flow into his mouth. He deepened the kiss allowing his tongue to stroke hers causing his cock to begin to harden. It never did take much to get his motor going where she was concerned.
James heard the doorknob turn. Crap! That kid has terrible timing.
He lifted his head without turning towards Dawn. “What is it, Dawn?”
“Oopss..sorry Uncle James, but there’s a client on the phone and she’s insisting that she will only talk to you.”
“I’ll be right there. Please close the door behind you.” He fought to keep his voice even, but the teenager must’ve realized she should have called the phone in the office and withdrew without another word.
He lifted his hands and stroked Tiana’s cheekbones with his thumbs helping to bring her back to the here and now.
“One of these days, I’m going to really lose my temper with that girl; her timing sucks!” Tiana growled words that were identical to what he himself was thinking.
“I know. Shall we pick this up later tonight, seeing as how you won’t have sex with me in my office?” He teased, and then listened to Tiana growl before she shoved him away from her.
“One lousy time, just one and now you’re never going to let me live it down are you?” A Tiana with her hands propped on her hips was very attractive. James couldn’t help smiling down at her, teasing her was such fun!
“Nope, besides, I might just convince you to do it again at some point!” He ended on a seductive whisper.
“Not a chance, hot shot!”
James just grinned and pointing at the telephone said, “Make your calls babe, I have to go and talk to a client.”

Copyright (c) 2010 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

Destiny's Decisions Chapter Two...

2010-08-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

James smiled a bit when Tiana pulled away. She still wasn’t completely comfortable with public romantic displays. She seemed to have some idea that their tribe might think less of her and her abilities to do her spiritual work if they saw her being affectionate with her fiancé in public.
“Good lord, what the hell happened here?” Ken said, coming to stand next to James.
“Looks like someone still has it in for Tiana.”
“Yes, I’d say so from the look of things here. Damn. Well, let’s go inside and take a look.” He turned to Tiana. “We’ll need you to come inside and help us catalog everything, tell us what’s missing and so on. Think you can do that?” Ken asked eyeing her with sympathy.
“Yes.” James heard Tiana sigh and then watched as she made a sweeping motion with one hand. “After you. You guys are the experts after all. I wouldn’t want to mess up any evidence by accident.” She said shooting a sour look at James.
James grinned before following Ken into the gallery. He noted that the inside actually looked worse than the outside if that was possible. When something gritted beneath his feet he looked down and found an off white powder. He pulled the latex gloves out of his back pocket and put them back on. He reached down and fingered some of the powder. He brought it up to his nose, except for a slight earthy odor, it had little smell.
“It’s pottery dust.” Tiana’s voice whispered from in front of him, and he looked where she was pointing to a small piece of broken pottery with rust and black coloring on its pale surface.
“Jesus, the perp left just enough small pieces of broken pottery so we would know what we were looking at.” Ken commented.
Mixed in with the pottery powder and shards on the floor were slivers and shards of broken glass from Tiana’s display cases.
James dusted off his hands and followed Tiana over to one of the destroyed display cases. Inside lay what had been intricate pieces of beadwork, five belts and what looked like some peyote stitched chokers, and earrings as well. Someone had pulled or cut the beadwork from the leather and destroyed most of the patterns on the belts and the chokers leaving small glass seed beads to litter the bottom of the display case. Nothing was left of the earrings but their hooks and loose beads.
“All that beautiful work destroyed.” Tiana murmured her voice tight with grief.
“This has personal vendetta written all over it.” Ken said, coming to stand next to them, holding what was left of a piece of blue and green quillwork. “The perp had a harder time with the quillwork, some of it like this piece still has parts attached to the leather.” He gestured to the piece he was holding.
“Quillwork is harder to destroy because it is sewn on very tightly and the quills are longer than seed beads.” Tiana said dully.
“All right Tiana, I’m assuming you have a listing and pictures of what was here?” Ken asked a minute later.
“Yes, I keep both on me at all times after what happened last year. I didn’t want to take a chance if another incident happened of the proof of what was here also getting destroyed or stolen.” Tiana went to pull it from her purse and realized she didn’t have it with her. “Hang on a sec, I’ve got to go and get my purse out of the truck.” She turned and walked back through the doorway where her front door was hanging.
Glass crunched beneath her boots as she walked back to her truck. The door on the driver’s side was exactly as she had left it, and she pulled it open and relief poured through her when she saw her purse and cell phone sitting on the seat where she had left them. Reaching in she grabbed both and then locked the truck. She might live on the rez and, in a rural area but that didn’t mean that thefts didn’t happen. It was always better to err on the side of caution and keep things locked up. She had friends that thought nothing of leaving their front doors and vehicle doors unlocked at night, but she had never been one to push her luck.
As she walked back into the gallery she pulled the listing for her gallery and the small photo album that she kept there at all times and handed both to Ken. “Here you go.”
“So do you think anything is missing?”
Tiana shook her head taking another look around the room and its destruction. “I honestly don’t know.” She finally answered. “So much is destroyed beyond recognition that there’s no way to know for certain.”
Ken nodded. “That’s what I figured, but I was kind of hoping you had it all in your head and would be able to tell.”
“Nope, whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. They did such a good job of destroying everything I’ll probably never know for sure if anything was actually taken.”
“Okay. We’ll you’ve reported it and I’m going to take some photographs and if you don’t mind I’ll keep this list and the pictures until I can copy them and we’ll go from there.” Ken said, still shaking his head.
“How long do you think you’ll need them? I’m sure my insurance company is going to want to see them.” Tiana said wearily.
“Just a day or so. As soon as I can get back to the office I’ll have one of our clerical staff copy everything and get it all back to you.”
“That’ll work.” Tiana circled her head a few times trying to dispel the stiffness in her neck.
She watched blindly as Ken went to his car and got a digital camera and began snapping pictures of what was left of her gallery. Strong brown hands landed on her shoulders pulling her back against James’ larger body. “It’ll be okay.” He whispered in her ear.
The old Tiana would have just shrugged him off and walked away, but the new Tiana leaned into his heat and allowed it to support her. “I hope you’re right, because I am really really getting tired of this.”
“I know sweetie. Believe me I’m not exactly enamored of having to deal with this again. I was hoping that with Starla in jail the rest would just go away.” He sighed. “Logically though I knew it couldn’t be over there were too many loose ends. We both knew there were others involved and that there was the chance that at some point something else was going to happen.”
“I know, but I was really hoping. I mean after a year with nothing happening I just kept hoping whoever the others were had left the rez and took their violence elsewhere. Not very healer-like of me was it?” Tiana ended on a whisper.
James rubbed her shoulders giving comfort where he could. “You’re only human Tiana, being a healer doesn’t make you any less so. It doesn’t make those thoughts or feelings go away, it just makes you more aware of the right and wrong of such feelings and thoughts, more so than the rest of us.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She turned and rubbed her cheek against his chest before pulling away and squaring her shoulders.
“Hey Ken, when can I start cleaning this mess up?” She asked turning towards the man who was still snapping pictures.
“As soon as I can get a team in here to see if we can find anything I suppose. Once the techs have gotten what they can then you can come in and clean up. I don’t really think we’re going to find much, but…” Ken shrugged. “we’ll see if we can find something.”
James reached inside his pocket and withdrew the plastic bag with the earring. “Tiana found this outside on the sidewalk. It might be nothing, but who knews it could belong to the perp.”
Ken took the bag and held it up to the light. “Pretty.” He commented before tucking it into his own pocket. “Okay, I think I have enough photographs. Tiana you should just go home and relax, work on the wedding or something. It’s going to be a while before you or your insurance adjuster can do anything. I’ll call you as soon as the coast is clear.”
“Call me too.” James called as Ken waved in acknowledgement before getting into his patrol car.
“I think you should come to the office with me.” James stated. “I don’t like the idea of you being at the house all day brooding about this. At least there you can sit in one of the empty offices and work on our wedding and I’ll be there if you need me.” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
“I am not having sex with you in your office.” Tiana said baldly. “Besides what the hell am I supposed to after I make the oh, let’s see two or three phone calls I need to make that are wedding related, chat with Dawn of the little brain?” She smiled vacuously with blank bright eyes, imitating the teenager’s bubbly but airhead personality, and always happy but blank expression. “Besides she’s got a thing for you.” She ended sourly, “And I really do not enjoy listening to a conversation where the universe is run by James Waters who do anything and everything including walking on water.”
James tried not to laugh and was unsuccessful. “Now that’s just mean.” He croaked out. “She’s a great receptionist and very bright and positive which is what we need to help get new clients.”
“I don’t care if she is one of us, I swear there’s a blonde in there somewhere!” Tiana muttered, before she burst out laughing with James. “Sorry, but you should have heard her the last time we had a conversation.” Tiana rolled her eyes. “I swear the way she went on, you’d have thought your mother was the virgin, and you were Christ reincarnated.”
“Well I have to say it’s nice to be a God.” James said with a straight face and twinkling eyes.
Tiana shoved his shoulder hard and then pointed one finger at him. “Don’t you start!”
“So you coming to the office with me?”
“Yeah, I can make my calls from there. I don’t really want to be at the house alone right now anyway I’ll just keep thinking about this mess.” She gestured towards the destroyed gallery.
“Good then we can have sex in my office!” James whispered in her ear.
Tiana smacked his shoulder hard. “Will you stop it? I am not, I repeat I am not having sex in your office with Dawn just outside the door!”
“Well that certainly didn’t stop you two weeks ago.” James reminded her with a wide grin.
“Oh, shut up!”

Copyright (c) 2010 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

Destiny's Decisions Chapter One...

2010-07-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Chapter One

“Tiana pulled her new truck up to the front of her gallery, and just sat there as she felt herself get first hot and then cold. After a few seconds she leaned her head against the steering wheel. Damn.
She sat there for several minutes just controlling her breathing and then pulled her cell phone out of her purse. It rang once before being picked up.
“Waters Investigative Agency.” A perky voice answered. Tiana nearly rolled her eyes, she liked the teenager that James had hired to be the receptionist for his Kamiah office, but still it was eight o’clock in the morning and she’d only had one cup of coffee so far.
“Hi Dawn, this is Tiana. Can I speak to James, please.”
“Oh, hi Tiana. Sure, he just walked in a few minutes ago, I’ll transfer you.”
Powwow music played on the line briefly and then the reassuring sound of her intended’s voice came across the line.
“Hi babe, what’s up?”
“Honestly, I wish I wasn’t.” Tiana knew her voice sounded odd, but with seeing the terrible vision in front of her she just couldn’t work anything else into it.
“What’s wrong?”What isn’t?”
“Honey, what’s happened? You sound like you did when your grandmother was in the hospital.”
“Yeah, well this is almost as bad.”
“Where are you?”
“My gallery.” Tiana sighed and then rubbed her eyes tiredly with her other hand. “It’s toast, James.”
She heard a thump, and then James’ breath accelerated. “Someone burned it down?”
“No, but they might as well have. The front window is busted out, the door is hanging on one hinge, and from what I can see through the window, any and all stock I had is completely destroyed. Anything that was breakable is smashed. I can’t see the glass case that I locked the beadwork in but it’s probably been destroyed as well.”
“Stay right there. Don’t get out of your truck, you are in your truck right?”
“Of course.”
“Stay there, and lock yourself in. Whoever did this could still be around, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I know that James, I’m not a complete idiot.” Tiana growled.
“Sorry babe, can’t help it. I just found you again, and I have no intention of losing you the way we did Grandmother. Have you called the police yet?”
At the mention of her grandmother’s death the year before, Tiana’s heart clenched tightly before she took a deep breath and released the tension.
“You’re kidding right? After what happened last year, I think it’s going to be a long time before I trust a tribal cop again.” Tiana’s voice turned sour.
Tiana heard James take a deep breath. “Tiana, you can’t blame what happened with Starla on the entire tribal police force. Most of them are good people, she was just one bad apple in the barrel.”
“Want to bet?” Tiana muttered beneath her breath. No way was she trusting anyone but James from now on. He might not be a cop, but she would trust him with her life. He would never betray her, she knew that with complete certainty.
“Tiana.” James’ voice wasn’t scolding precisely, but it got his point across none the less.
“Yeah, yeah. I know, one bad apple in the barrel. I still trust you more than I’ll ever trust a tribal cop again. Call them if you want to, but I’m not going to.”
“Well now, if that’s not a declaration of love, I don’t know what is. Be still my beating heart.” James teased, a mechanism he frequently applied when worried.
“Yeah, well it might be another year before you hear it again, babe.” Tiana emphasized the last word, teasing him right back.
“Is that a challenge?”
“Nah, just stating a fact.” She replied nonchalantly.
Tiana heard an engine start up. “I’m on my way, just stay put. I’m going to hang up for a minute so I can call the tribal police, but then I’m calling you right back.”
“Thanks.” Tiana smiled. James was getting into what she called, his “fed mode.” It was cute really, unless it was annoying, which unfortunately most of the time it was.
“Love you.” Tiana’s heart melted.
“Love you too. Hurry up!”
Tiana closed her flip phone and set it on the seat within easy reach while she studied the destroyed remains of her gallery. Thank God they didn’t torch it or something. At least this appears to just be a clean up job.
Still she knew it was going to be one hell of a clean up job. Her insurance company would handle the destruction of the stock, and probably the building itself, but the gallery would be out of commission for a month at least from the look of it. She was going to have to have the front windows, and door replaced. She couldn’t see the back of the shop but she new in all likelihood the perpetrator had got to the service entrance door as well.
Glass littered the sidewalk in front of the gallery. The sunlight caught something in the glass and flashed gold. What could that be?
The temptation to get out of the truck and go dig through the glass was strong. It’s probably nothing.
But what if it was something? What if it was a clue? There wasn’t much foot traffic this time of morning, but it was possible someone could come along and pick it up, or step on it and crush it.
Tiana put her hand on the door handle. James is going to kill me. Twisted the handle and pushed the door open. She carefully shut the door not closing it all the way in case she needed to get back in the truck in a hurry.
She stepped up on the sidewalk and when she felt shards of glass crunch under her feet, she inwardly sighed with relief that she was wearing the boots James had bought her for her birthday. Their soles were tough enough that the glass wouldn’t tear them up, and also wouldn’t poke through to her tender feet.
Tiana bent over trying to get a closer look at the object when she heard a throat clear. She winced. She would know that sound anywhere.
“I thought I told you to stay in the truck, Tiana.”
“Yeah, well I saw something in the glass here.” She pointed to the item and the sunlight caught it again.
“I see it. Here.” James handed her a small plastic baggie and gave her a chiding look. “You know better than to tamper with evidence.” He scolded.
Tiana rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t going to pick it up, James.”
“Okay, but you know that even you walking in the glass here could destroy a clue to who did this, right?” James pulled on a pair of latex gloves and then bent down and carefully picked up the item, holding it up so Tiana could see it.
Tiana stepped closer to James. “It’s a gold earring.” She said, disappointed. “I thought maybe it was a clue, but someone probably just dropped it before the gallery was vandalized.”
James tsked. “Not necessarily, the perpetrator could have been wearing this earring and it fell out when he or she was doing the vandalizing.”
“I suppose so, but what are the chances of us finding the owner of this earring. It’s not like a woman is going to walk around with one earring in.”
“It could also be a guy. You know it’s not that uncommon, even here on the rez for a guy to have an earring.”
“Maybe, but that one looks more like something a woman would wear.”
“Perhaps, but look at this.”
Tiana bent closer to see what James was pointing at without touching the earring. “What is that?”
“It looks like a small eagle feather engraved in a circle to me.” James replied.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. But all that really proves is that it probably belongs to an Indian. But even that’s not certain, there are non-Indians that follow our ways.”
“True. Okay, open up that baggie for me, and I’ll drop this in so we don’t contaminate any evidence.”
“Did you call the tribal police?”
“Yes. Ken is on his way.”
“Good. I’m relatively certain he wasn’t in on what happened last year with Starla. Do you suppose this is connected to that? I mean could they still be after, you know?” Tiana glanced around to make sure no one was around. She still felt skittish after Starla’s betrayal.
James stripped off the latex gloves and stuffed them into his back pocket before grasping Tiana’s shoulders and pulling her close.
“I don’t know sweetheart. Maybe. Starla refused to talk after she went to jail for her attempt on your life even when she was offered a lighter sentence if she would talk, so we never did find out what was really going on with her or anyone who was working with her. Plus we were never able to nail her on grandmother, there just wasn’t enough evidence.”
Tiana held onto James. “I know I’m not supposed to, but…I hate her!” She declared vehemently.
James stroked her back, and pressed a kiss into her hair. “You’re only human babe, she probably had something to do with your grandmother’s death, she may have even murdered her. You have every right to hate her.”
“But I’m a healer, and a pipe carrier. I’m supposed to be above such things. I’m supposed to be able to forgive her, but I just can’t.” She ended, her voice tearful.
“It may come in time, honey. But even if it doesn’t, I doubt the Spirits are going to blame you for your feelings.”
A horn honked and Tiana stepped away surreptitiously wiping a tear away. She knew she had a right to her feelings, but she still sometimes felt less than worthy to be a pipe carrier and healer, and worried that her feelings might somehow affect her ability to perform her spiritual work.

Copyright (c) 2010 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

Pssssttt.....Wanna Save Some Money???

2010-06-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

With this economy we are all looking to save a few bucks! And we readers are no exception to that particular rule. So I thought I'd share with you a couple of places where my book Alien Deceptions is discounted.

Coffee Time Romance E-book store has the best discount for my latest release Alien Deceptions at a whopping 25% discount for a price of (drum roll please) $5.96. Just sign up for an account and get your discount today!

All Romance E-books also gives a discount though not as high. They have Alien Deceptions for $6.36. All you have to do is sign up for an account and you can get the discount.

I know as a reader I'm not the only one looking for discounts, I hope these help you! :-)

Alien Deceptions Available on June 7th....

2010-06-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Yes, I've been rather absent from my authors blog lately. Part of the reason is I've been writing like crazy, and the other part is I've taken on some extra roles as an editor for a publisher or two, and the occasional temp assignment. I hope to be able to post more often here and one of the things I'm planning on doing is posting chapters to WIPs here to give you all a taste of what I've been working on. Since I've had several people want to know when particular books would be coming out I thought this would be a nice treat.

My current release which will be available on June 7th from Eternal Press is Alien Deceptions. This is the first book in the otherworlds series and I've very excited about its release! Please find a blurb below, and beneath that I've put the cover so you can take a look at that as well. I'm especially happy with the cover, the cover artist really captured the feeling of my book.

Blurb: Terror stalks Angel's nights as she waits to be abducted again. During the day she researches, and interviews other alien abductees. Into her waking nightmare steps a gorgeous stranger. Does he have the answers she's looking for? The answer is beyond her wildest imaginings, and could be either her salvation and a chance at true love, or her death.

And here's the coverart:

Be sure and visit my website as well as I've recently updated all the pages. You will find current chat dates and other fun stuff!

Using Flowers In My Stories...

2009-11-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

As a romance author I use flowers as a prop in my books quite often. Not just because they are considered romantic, but because you can use them as so many different things. Honestly, I've had flowers that communicated telepathically with humans in my stories. In this case I guess they wouldn't be so much a prop as an actual character.

I like using flowers because you can use them in so many different ways. You can use flowers as a symbol of love, as the villain such as when I used the pollen from a flower on an alien planet to kill off some of the settlers. Another time I used flowers to return the memories to a character who had amnesia.

Updated my Squidoo Lens for Destiny's Choices...

2009-06-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

If you haven't had a chance to visit my Squidoo lens for Destiny's Choices, here's another opportunity! :-) Here's the link: Destiny's Choices I had to alter it a bit since Squidoo is changing their policy to where it does not allow for adult content. I think personally this is not the greatest move on their part, but it is relatively easy to change a lens so it conforms to their new rules but still allows me to get the word out about my books.

Both Homecoming and Mating Season hit Top 10!

2009-06-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've been following the progress of my two recent books and am happy to report that both of them are my publisher's top ten bestselling lists! That totally psyches me and really motivates me to write more. Not for the money necessarily although that is nice, but because of the satisfaction of knowing that readers are buying and enjoying my books.

I'm so thankful for all my readers because without them I would not be able to continue to live my dream of being a full-time writer. :-)

Blurb for Homecoming:

Crew left his older lover Eagle to go into space, realizing his lifelong dream. He was not ready to settle down when Eagle wanted to make their bond formal. Eagle, a professor, has no use for space faring. Crew knows Eagle was deeply hurt and angered by what he believed was Crew’s desertion.

Now Crew is back. He’s not sure what kind of homecoming he will find. Will the man who still holds the keys to his heart and desire make him welcome or only tease and then reject him in revenge?

Buy your copy today!

Blurb for No Place to Run from the Mating Season Anthology:

Lin Chen carries a strong bloodline from the Bunun tribe. On the run from an abusive ex-husband, she has left her native Taiwan hoping to draw her ex away from her family. Driving through North Dakota, she encounters a winter blizzard which forces her to stop on the Standing Rock Reservation. There she meets Kyle Little Eagle, a medicine man. While, it isn’t long before they are close, her ex is not far behind. Can Lin overcome her fear of men and let Kyle help her? Can love and a mutual connection to the spirit world prevent her worst fears from being realized?

Buy your copy today!

Homecoming Video Book Trailer....

2009-04-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

Well, just a few more days until Homecoming arrives on Amazon's virtual shelves, and at my publisher Eternal Press in e-book version. Oh, and I believe it is also going to be available on Fictionwise! LOL

So, while we're all waiting, here's the trailer for Homecoming. Enjoy!

Unedited Exerpt from No Place to Run...

2009-03-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Lin Chen stared out at the ever increasing blizzard wondering where she could possibly find shelter in this flat, treeless land. Snow was almost unheard of in her native Taiwan, although she could remember seeing a snow flurry or two when visiting her relatives in the mountains, but that was years ago, and nothing like what she was seeing now.

Everything around her was covered in a white blanket, and strong winds were catching what was falling from the sky and blowing it at an angle giving the appearance of a curtain at an open window being blown to the side to give the occasional glimpse of what was outside it.

I have to find shelter. Ancestors I need shelter, please help me find some. The words were whispered only in the quiet of her mind but she knew from past experience once she thought the words, help would come.

Lin slowed her car to a crawl trying to see through the blowing snow if there was a house, a business, anywhere that she might ask for shelter. Suddenly the wheel wrenched sharply to the right causing the car’s back end to fishtail for a second on the icy road before she again regained control. Were those lights?

Creeping forward her foot barely touching the gas pedal, not even knowing if she was on a road, although it seemed to be one, Lin moved closer and closer to what she was now convinced were lights.

Finally a sign with rotating round lights came into view. “Prairie Knights Casino and Resort.” Lin read out loud to herself and sighed with relief. She had seen a sign advertising this casino earlier and she knew from what it said that it was run by one of the local American Indian tribes.

Lin pushed strands of long inky black hair out of the way and carefully pulled into the parking lot. Visibility was still just about nil but because of the storm the lot wasn't that full and she was able to find a parking space near the front door once she located it.

She switched off the ignition and shivered. I’m thousands of miles from home, there is no way he can find me. She thought to herself, but she was well aware that her ex-husband was looking for her. Her cousin had left a voicemail on her cell phone telling her he had visited their small village looking for her. But I was already long gone by that time.

Lin tightened the belt on the stylish coat and pulled the collar up so that it curled around her lower face. She dropped the keys into her purse and reached for the door handle, turning it then shoving the door open.

A blast of icy wind hit her square in the face and she pulled the collar tighter around her face, shut the door and set the alarm before heading for the glass doors she could see several feet ahead of her. The heels of her boots slid on the slick surface of the snow-covered asphalt and she would have fallen down if a strong hand hadn’t gripped her elbow.

“Easy there.” A mellow voice murmured.

Lin startled nearly knocking them both off balance again when she heard a male voice speaking to her. Fear coated the blood that ran through her veins. Although she knew that not all men were violent, five years with an abuser, a man she had thought she could trust had changed her. It took everything she had not to jerk away from the gentle grasp.

As though sensing her fear, the man let go and moved back. “Are you alright, Miss?” He asked and Lin realized she’d been standing there trembling in his grasp for a moment longer than she had realized.

“I am fine. Thank you for your assistance.” Her voice wobbled with the stilted words, as she bowed her head slightly in his direction. English had never been easy for her, but she was glad now that her grandfather had insisted that she learn it. She could not even imagine the nightmare of trying to traverse America with no understanding of the language. Most Americans while they seemed pleasant enough sometimes didn’t have any patience for those who did not speak or understand their language.

“You’re welcome.” The man replied easily.

When Lin finally looked up at her rescuer all she could see were two eyes as black as onyx framed by silky black lashes staring out from the hood of his dark blue ski parka. He had a scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face and he’d tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Let’s go inside where it’s warm.” He finally said after letting her look her fill.

Lin nodded and began heading in the direction of the lights again, the man shortening the strides of his long legs to match hers. He just wants to make sure I don’t fall. She told herself nervously.

The man was tall and big boned she could tell. Her head wouldn’t even reach his shoulder were she to stand close to him. A cold chill raced down her spine as she thought of how easy it would be for such a large man to hurt a woman. She would have no chance against him if he were to decide he wanted something from her she was unwilling to give. Unconsciously she began walking faster putting as much distance between them as she could. Before she could even reach the door waves of heat flashed through her body, and her chest tightened to the point that it felt as though she couldn’t breath. Her thoughts became a jumble and she realized belatedly that the meeting with the stranger had triggered a panic attack. Seeing a bench Lin sat down and closed her eyes and began breathing deeply and slowly, in and out. Bai is not here. The man that helped me is not Bai. In all likelihood he is a good man. Bai was sick, insane, and he’s not here now. Just keep breathing and you’ll be fine.

Available Spring 2009

(c) Copyright 2009 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

Contract for No Place to Run...

2009-03-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to say I got the actual contract for No Place to Run today! I think I've mentioned this before, but I love getting contracts because it means that's a new book that's going to be out. In this case, No Place to Run will be part of the Amira Press Spring Anthology called Mating Season. The other authors participating are Brenda Steele, Dorian Wallace, and Dahlia Rose, so I know it will be a really spectacular anthology!

I don't have a release date yet, but you can be sure I'll be posting it here when I do. In the meantime you can check out the cover to the right. Enjoy!

Homecoming to go to print...

2009-03-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Wooo hooo! I found out Homecoming is going to print and will be available on Amazon! So, for those who don't find they like e-books as well as the printed word, you'll still be able to get a copy of Homecoming. I'm really excited about this because even though I personally can take one or the other (mainly because I have a pocket pc I take with me everywhere that has my books on it) I know for some readers, being able to hold a book in their hands, and smell the ink is more important.

I don't know yet when the print version will be available I'm hoping that it will be on April 7, 2009 as with the e-book version, but I'll be sure and post it here with a link as soon as I know when it's available. :-)

A new book coming from Eternal Press...

2009-03-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have a new release that will be available from Eternal Press on April 7, 2009 called Homecoming. This is my first gay erotic romance, and I'm hoping everyone will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I really love the cover which you can see the right in the Coming Soon section of my blog here. The cover artist Shirley Burnett really captured my vision of what I wanted for the cover, and I couldn't be happier with it!

Here's an unedited blurb for the story!

Eagle and Crew were once more than lovers. They were bond mates, connected not just by a heart bond, but by a strong psychic bond that allowed them to communicate telepathically. While an older Eagle was ready for the committment of their bonding ceremony, Crew was not. Eagle pushed. They fought. Crew left, heading for the stars he longed to explore. Five years later Crew has returned and is now ready to make his committment to Eagle permanent with the bonding ceremony. But will a blazing hot encounter lead to the homecoming Crew has been dreaming about, or does Eagle have revenge on his mind?

Featured Author on The Romance Studio....

2009-03-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

I'm a featured author on front page of The Romance Studio's website this month! If you haven't had a chance to check, you'll want to be sure and check this out. Holly very kindly interviewed me, and there are some, cool things there about Destiny's Choices, me and my books both upcoming and free reads. If you haven't had a chance to check this website out yet, you want to, they have all kinds of other cool things there as well such as reviews of current books, and very reasonable marketing for those who are authors. Plus, the staff at TRS is some of the easiest around to work with.

So, go and check out my feature and whatever else may interest you at The Romance Studio.

I am Now Publishing on AddsYou.com

2009-02-18T23:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.addsyou.com
username=MjAwOC0xMS0yOSAwNDowMjoxNg==

Back after a holiday hiatus...

2009-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm afraid due to the holidays and deadlines I let this blog go on hiatus for a bit. However, I hope to post more frequently now that the holidays are past us. Just wanted to post about my new Special/Contest for the month of January.

Anyone who purchases a copy of Destiny’s Choices from January 1-January 31, 2009 and forwards their confirmation of purchase e-mail to me at tiwatz@yahoo.com will be entered into a contest where one lucky winner will be chosen to receive a free copy of every book I publish in 2009! So don’t miss this opportunity, purchase your copy today!

Blurb:

What would you do if you had to give up the man you loved in order to fulfill your spiritual destiny?

Find out what happens when love, destiny, murder and the Spirit World all collide head on in Destiny's Choices!

Destiny's Choices tells the tale of Tiana Slickpoo, a Nez Perce hereditary carrier of sacred objects. When her lover James Waters decides to attend college out of state, Tiana is wounded by his leaving. Unable to tell him the real reason she cannot go with him, she vows to never allow another into her heart. However, six years later, when priceless tribal objects begin disappearing from the reservation museum, and her art gallery, fate steps in with the return of James.

Purchase Info:

Publisher: Amira Press
Purchase Link: http://www.easy-link.org/destinyschoices
Price: $4.00
ISBN: 978-1-934475-06-5
Genre: Native American Romantic Suspense
Formats: PDF, HTML, Lit

New Reviews at Coffee Time Romance....

2008-10-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

Well, today must've been my lucky day! Six of my reviews got posted to the Coffee Time Romance website today. LOL I love it when my reviews are posted because I put a lot of time and energy into writing objective reviews. Also, I've found writing reviews helps to keep my other writing sharp. In other words it's great practice. So, want to see what I've been reading lately? Check out these reviews, all the books were good!

22 Nights by Linda Winstead Jones

The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston Sexy werelion story, yum!

Duality: Guardians of the Light Book 1 by Renee Wildes

Mysteria Lane, an anthology with stories by Mary Janice Davidson, Susan Grant, Gena Showalter, and PC Cast

Prey by Melina Morel

Shadow on the Crystal by Brittany Kingston

Should romance authors speak their mind?

2008-10-15T23:14:00.001-07:00

I read an interesting post on another blog today about how some romance authors don't feel comfortable expressing strong opinions for fear of driving readers away. I personally don't have a problem expressing my opinions, strong or otherwise, at least most of the time. But I can see how if a romance author were to say, have a very strong, and unpopular opinion and express it in such a way that most readers would find it offensive, that they could possibly lose readers. An example might be a romance author who believes that Roe vs Wade should be overturned, and believes that anyone who does not agree with him/her is an idiot and states that baldly on his/her blog. Yeah, that person is probably going to lose a few readers, but then again, I've also seen when this tactic is done correctly that it generates a lot of visits to the author's blog by the curious, as well as a lot of comments, even if they are angry ones.

The truth is I have a lot of opinions that many would consider unpopular. I'm Native American (Oglala Lakota) and my feelings about the importance of maintaining our languages and culture, as well as a separate cultural identity are strong. Much of these views and feelings play out in the stories I write, and I've been accused of being "opinionated" by others, including a reviewer of one of my books. I think that when it comes to strong views, opinions, and beliefs it's important to be able to speak intelligently, and respectfully. If as a romance writer you do that, accepting the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you, then you should never be afraid to express a strong, or even less than popular opinion. The problem comes in I think when not just romance authors, but anyone expresses their opinion on a subject and then cannot accept when others disagree. When a person becomes defensive, angry, uses abusive language etc. because others don't agree with their opinion then this is what can drive off readers.

Anyway, just an interesting footnote to being a romance writer that I thought I would share my thoughts on.

New Reviews up at Coffee Time...

2008-10-06T20:25:00.001-07:00

I have some new reviews posted at Coffee Time Romance. I don't generally post those here, but I thought it might be fun for some of my readers to see what I've been reading lately. After all we authors like to read too!

So, check out my current reviews and see what I've been reading!

Mercury's War by Lora Leigh
Intimate Traitors by Astrid Amara
Barbariansof Malka by Justus Roux
Night Fall by Cherry Adair
Somebody'sWatching by Veronica Blaque