tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203491072024-03-23T13:58:22.440-04:00Come Hope and Dream with AnnaBest Selling,
Award Winning AuthorAnna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-82738831929309983962009-05-22T13:31:00.006-04:002009-06-09T21:44:08.505-04:00New Blog: http://www.annawrites.com/blogThis blog will stay for all who find their way here--but <strong>all the new blog content, including the background content and excerpts and articles on Dark Legacy, will be over at</strong>:<br /><br /><a href="http://annawrites.com/blog">http://annawrites.com/blog</a><br /><br /><strong>Newsletter to follow soon... Look for it, and if you're not on the mailing list, sign up on my website home page</strong>:<br /><br /><a href="http://annawrites.com/">http://annawrites.com/</a><br /><br />Squeeeeee!!!Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-15145904422417887922009-05-21T10:20:00.004-04:002009-05-21T10:29:19.196-04:00It's here... It's here... It's here...<strong>The new site, the new blog AND the new newsletter... They're ready!!!!</strong><br /><br />I've been a bit quiet while I wait and work with the fabulous ladies helping me, but he wait has soooo been worth it.<br /><br /><strong>Look for things to go up and down the next few days...</strong>probably through the weekend, if things go the way technology always goes when you switch stuff over. Then look for my new and improved newsletter blast to kick everything off.<br /><br /><strong>When we're back up, there will be a COACH puse give away to celebrate, in addition to the monthly blog contest of Dream Flutters jewelry and the Fresh Fiction contest and Between Your Sheets scavenger hunt. </strong><br /><br />It's going to be soooooo much fun to scoot around and pop wheelies and show off my new toys, AND to get back to regular posting and chatting an raving about Dark Legacy as well as my Harlequin "heroes" WIP. Don't miss a bit of it.<br /><br />I CAN'T WAIT!!!!Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-40671266727081275212009-05-14T09:35:00.008-04:002009-05-14T09:46:49.711-04:00More Hunky Guys...Because Pat's Pouting ;o)<strong>Can't have any pouting in the comments (where you're supposed to be leaving comments to WIN!!! Dream Flutters jewelry...so, more comments and less lurking, ladies...scroll back a bit for a peak at the jewels in question ;o)</strong><br /><br /><strong>Time for some final cover model reflections from the 2009 RT Reader's Convention!!!</strong><br /><br /><strong>Want to know how versatile Mr. Romance winner Charles Paz is--here's one of his scruptious, soulful pics...<br /></strong><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335673438782423378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 302px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSK2uAXIy0-PZJ6arLVblGmpYkaxVmNwqPWdLryTrhVn-h7Mx64QRnoftomEXgFxoCRKg0P5gTzxE8QhTSnf7yYmD_DduvT-5Fp2yhNnuO0c2mvZS-tS4ZGVe54-5sRFq1Kur/s320/charles+serious.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>And Stephan Pinto, 1st runner up, there's nothing he doesn't look soulful in... </strong><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335673971672394994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfXVcZADqbVMLYL0aTvqTV_tKWOoaql3EZeiOQDdJPKS39U0QG51s9udjoJOfMdNBeZq_mp1Weg21fs28SIwWx6fZiEKWZnwOV33kx0x7kvlQS5hyOmZNstgYn_fi6xRm4_Q5/s320/Stephan+pic.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>2nd Runner Up Jeremy, those eyes. Young man, blink those eyes my way any day...</strong><br /><br /><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335674033936725538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-FWvoxlRKRiAa_j2XFVeOi5Tn5z3FkXLz8hNmqLSh1Pnf0IbUaXUOG8l70XCEdVXNTZvQkdx-T1dCizC5xwYkqimv0FXqspRXidW1SJvRkhKyv_EKy8hE059S8HA9EJFE7No/s320/jeremy-200x300.jpg" border="0" /></strong><br /><br /><strong>Hunky men getting down on stage...</strong><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335674140989564690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 224px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGZoufKtofUGJqXQTMi2guseDka6lKlTkgzbJc8CWOC9LdXf_If2ImjCovmnLthSd-mOgo0Vo_sH2H89GCN-8Ex4XZKb8ugNDFwyK0ScaXL1mZWVU0ThvZrJWZ77iMc520ldD/s320/models+shake+it+on+stage.bmp" border="0" /><br /><strong>And gladiators are always a girls best friend. Just ask author Janice Lynne ;o)</strong><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335674336596671170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 311px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-aBEvR0ysiUbwfRmx4vBREqFWjJO2tQiFzEXcsuSUj5yN0dLfcrk0jmpuQNHrho6q-3-9MHXU2ipfuXAGlPMTBO6EMHP0_SQVmyRSOzhb8oumskpQxDvluDS7RCQtCeP97ws/s320/gladiator+me+again.jpg" border="0" /> <div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div></div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-34447166993561361672009-05-12T13:57:00.007-04:002009-05-12T14:03:37.721-04:00Tails of Love...<strong>We're just back from the mountains and our annual Mother's Day retreat</strong> (see the pic of Hurricane Falls in my Facebook teaser to the right...well, and hunky fireman, too), so I'm super busy catching up with work.<br /><div></div><br /><div>But I wanted to pop in share something really fun <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_z10mVU_LEfKX-rjs-Dv5_QHPz48R5KXFwBmBXPKqGGa4px4aOOr7G7iIHY_E7myReG06THOfFPyZvd_PgNHab9Or6pND-3Wp4w7U-atrSRhjEgIwm6e-92d7V3ZUkYPZpw8e/s1600-h/TOL-Button-300-x-150.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334998691955934418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_z10mVU_LEfKX-rjs-Dv5_QHPz48R5KXFwBmBXPKqGGa4px4aOOr7G7iIHY_E7myReG06THOfFPyZvd_PgNHab9Or6pND-3Wp4w7U-atrSRhjEgIwm6e-92d7V3ZUkYPZpw8e/s320/TOL-Button-300-x-150.jpg" border="0" /></a>from <strong>Michelle Buonfiglio's Romance B(u)y The Blog. Check out her and Lori Foster's super fun contest</strong>, running through the Month of May. And send in your amazing pet photos to be entered to win fabulous prizes sponsored by Lori, Michlle and Virginia Kantra! Here's the link. <p></p></div><div></div><div><a href="http://romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/tails-of-love-pet-photo-mascot.html">http://romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/tails-of-love-pet-photo-mascot.html</a> <p></p></div><div></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Back soon, with Mother's Day tales (not tails) and new exciting Dark Legacy news</strong>--great stuff just keeps coming for this release. I'm totally floored!!!</div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-53911047428047964002009-05-08T09:04:00.019-04:002009-05-08T13:26:12.945-04:00Another Contest (someone stop me!), more RT news, and Happy Mother's Day!!!<strong>Check out my Dark Legacy contest over on Fresh Fiction. Enter anytime this month!</strong><br /><div><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3XAyG8lQ99q110gKavHkcMqPz1jia4qvKwsMZr3SeGuhlasN1EQSF86Zs19l83Cm8CW5qfmKnbLAet0teu8e9Bru4aH-oDvcoTrBFztLZG3h8xDDSMWrOADYd6ffWPx5tpNr/s1600-h/fflogo.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333439735118692018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3XAyG8lQ99q110gKavHkcMqPz1jia4qvKwsMZr3SeGuhlasN1EQSF86Zs19l83Cm8CW5qfmKnbLAet0teu8e9Bru4aH-oDvcoTrBFztLZG3h8xDDSMWrOADYd6ffWPx5tpNr/s320/fflogo.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1778">http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1778</a></strong></div><br /><div><strong>News Flash: Romantic Times is doing a "Behind the Scenes" Dark Legacy spotlight</strong>, talking all things dream theory and other fun stuff<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhyphenhyphenrDMFJmyFmo8tJ-g0DpLno6T7cHIxlflmrXHJtZn6rXyXpPKCZWzbTeJfd1MZ-yYZP87cOM7OOSmKd18jCcHmUmx4CKpdaYeB9U5uoQYn3XWWGDLTIugm09gBm-Ayo7Cih2/s1600-h/rt_logo.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333440066002274962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 57px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhyphenhyphenrDMFJmyFmo8tJ-g0DpLno6T7cHIxlflmrXHJtZn6rXyXpPKCZWzbTeJfd1MZ-yYZP87cOM7OOSmKd18jCcHmUmx4CKpdaYeB9U5uoQYn3XWWGDLTIugm09gBm-Ayo7Cih2/s320/rt_logo.bmp" border="0" /></a> that went into my research for writing psychic paranormal suspense. Did you ever wonder where I got the idea to weaponize lucid darydreams??? I'll let you know which issue to look for all the 411.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>This just in...I'll be guest blogging on RomanceB(uy)TheBlog in August</strong>, to kick off my Dark Legacy blog book tour. Michelle Buonfiglio's site is such a haven for all who love to read and write romance--I'm thrilled!!! </div><div><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333441497846361874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 56px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8zm1tkZTuPz0ZsV9GOGUz_LBbHHdq1aIt6rFUrfKTB_sp9_wj8yS2e1VtzOVwAkeg3TGDpRsSHCA6v0Rq-t5mx1XN-Zj4L6e8_D5GXq4w4Tr_8aMu5cnvxvc-To1dblxoI5w/s320/rbtb.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Go check her out, especially if you've never been to her blog before. <p></p></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.romancebuythebook.com/">http://www.romancebuythebook.com/</a> <p></p></div><div></div><div></div><div><strong>I hear Michelle and Lori Foster have something fun cooking for next week (I'll poke you again in the 12th...that's all the dish I can give for now ;o) </strong>When I have a launch date, I'll report back. I'm working this to line up my other appearances--any blog or <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimb2n4QrNgktHLg2nkq-4kUk9dlP7MPM7pRPmvw8Hnk1orrxgi1vR6HCEpFzmymJ28zBwtkLczatm2nlWSHHWUWsFPZSiNWYoTl0eDexG9l1LX-1BoHNoBcrWS7pGRhKpWOyd/s1600-h/mountain+mill.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333443101390078786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimb2n4QrNgktHLg2nkq-4kUk9dlP7MPM7pRPmvw8Hnk1orrxgi1vR6HCEpFzmymJ28zBwtkLczatm2nlWSHHWUWsFPZSiNWYoTl0eDexG9l1LX-1BoHNoBcrWS7pGRhKpWOyd/s320/mountain+mill.bmp" border="0" /></a>review site favorites? Let me know!</div><br /><div><strong>And for Mother's Day</strong>, me and my guys are off to the North Georgia mountians. Remember this place? It's becoming our Mother's day tradition. Can't wait to unwind and play in all that beautiful green... Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!!!</div><br /><div><strong>Oh, and of course, a few more hunky guys below ;o)</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div>The last shot from the vampire ball just might be my favorite!!!</div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333443875284050642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj154qpbt3oEo4-AxTVPQwDIHs0EA4A0X-6h1scbHJ7d6sV2LSw2WPHCnZwIN5FGMSUO8U5fkOVgI-goCchCg0MkliBntam1I3vy6gmHW4LhovN8wKPbI-9UlhC5nRtoRHiTavO/s320/anna+and+charles+dancing.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333444108836945890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eY4S1Vm4rjajPCvqOh-3oYua1btC4I7ZNJBgiXNIkc1gYeBzw2Cca8GhfOtcD6hoO4AVyqBALsZOFeJqHyOxsmIl_2Yp-KxsdjAQVEolY7a-rq6t9mFVVBWckxjTckPyXlYh/s320/winners+1.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333444045089632978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWznJfvDibnlYLoN3bTh3Skq2ESUGcr557tcxJe0-bpMrirJns60Kt6xkB7BvIrloxK-Hbi0INL9OsBCehKRUBFsZnRiRSl9KT2leZAk3jFq-maOxCHgH-cTHVUWWoIUVhqtjt/s320/vampire+night.jpg" border="0" /></div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-87883675340643399042009-05-05T09:23:00.023-04:002009-05-06T10:14:41.525-04:00Scavenger Hunt, Facebook, I'm a National Reader's Choice Nominee--and, yeah, more Hunky guys...<div align="left"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUVqlLTN6kLvUkgK1tcphqswEFHytRY1eVZ8URXnS4lsWPdaPT6OChhOCoqrUMaIRAKMOwPP6gBK6hWct2dnlkQf7YWFOnup0brpzUZ6NYZNQDwXnTbyqvVPIJe-brcwgFLtp/s1600-h/between+your+sheets.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332332682414215314" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 122px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUVqlLTN6kLvUkgK1tcphqswEFHytRY1eVZ8URXnS4lsWPdaPT6OChhOCoqrUMaIRAKMOwPP6gBK6hWct2dnlkQf7YWFOnup0brpzUZ6NYZNQDwXnTbyqvVPIJe-brcwgFLtp/s320/between+your+sheets.jpg" border="0" /></a></strong></div><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong><p>Some quick updates today...</strong><br /><br /><strong>Find me on Facebook</strong>--I've caved and joined the world of Internet social networking, and I'm already hooked ;o) There's a feed to the right.<br /><br /><strong>Wanna win amazing goodies from some of your favorite authors???</strong> Check out Between Your Sheet's online Spring Quest--do the legwork, then send your answers in for your chance to win!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betweenyoursheets.com/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1067&Itemid=72">http://www.betweenyoursheets.com/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1067&Itemid=72</a> </p></div><p align="left"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzh_p0Fr8u6P1NMF3hdFZGakLxUHiAhKh7ItdMMH81puG56HMY68fhKwqw7CejQ_9S1Jwszlzx2NNTE_5qb5FUpYlGWpkNHH5Ge584LpHcPzdjq7ZBKQKkPSyWvexBonBEqnl/s1600-h/National+Readers+Choice.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332332414643198802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzh_p0Fr8u6P1NMF3hdFZGakLxUHiAhKh7ItdMMH81puG56HMY68fhKwqw7CejQ_9S1Jwszlzx2NNTE_5qb5FUpYlGWpkNHH5Ge584LpHcPzdjq7ZBKQKkPSyWvexBonBEqnl/s320/National+Readers+Choice.bmp" border="0" /></a>I heard just before leaving for RT that <strong><em>To Save a Family</em>, Atlanta Heroes Book 3, is a National Reader's Choice Award Nominee!!!</strong> Fingers crossed--we'll see if I win at RWA Dallas...<br /><br /></p><p align="left"><p align="left"><strong>And...more hunky RT cover models ;o)</strong> </p><p align="center"><br /><strong>Cover models are soooo strong!</strong><br /><br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332332817212262706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccX7py0ds3kz025l2OfWxTqlx2O1faRGizmfqnNySz1jvoYb6dQzvy0xNPHi9ld-SxDRFNfUjC4yy27gm5358TyKCtLXJ51zJ5BCyTgA_RIXJB_WLYns77Z3Xph2tz4Yz36CR/s320/models+are+strong.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><br /><strong>And they pose so pretty...I mean manly...I mean... Oh, whatever. Aren't they yummy beside a vintage Harlequin cover???<br /><br /></p></strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332333001189982210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRxOhgfVFTdPow1rXcGigjngQu6BfqZ-og1Ogcfbcz6Wwx6SYXMei6P_ZzXR42b4W4gBr0LnXyp5ZCDfr2p_FkFfg-oCwfEy6Wl9gRXBqQ5mKJ1Tk7_rcLVGFpoRwNpvgy2vS/s320/Harlequin+Party+models.jpg" border="0" />Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-91612411948501950912009-05-02T19:13:00.029-04:002009-05-02T20:18:28.240-04:00Looking Forward...Looking Back...Looking at Hunky Guys!!!<strong>Posting two days in a row as promised. It doesn't hurt that there's so much to share ;o)</strong><br /><br /><div><div></div><br /><div>1) <strong>Brenda's auction</strong> is going gangbusters already. Don't miss any of my or anyone else's goodies:</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/">http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/</a></div><div></div><br /><div>2) <strong>More pictures of Romantic Times Convention fun</strong> below--hence the "Hunky Guy" teaser in today's title.</div><div></div><br /><div>3) I arrived at this year's convention, opened my agenda and discovered that I was not only a<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtX62Zh65FGj2fzLF3Vp5qgC5e3XMAzjvdJ-V0JwSzDSCUmNJxLznYdRJcb97NaQowffnHMYQEc3pTa54t-_qNLtBgwkv3wfrZpbEfZYFxWB6OwhhKT0U-9engKdqk5asOGby/s1600-h/anna+award.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331375647143805874" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtX62Zh65FGj2fzLF3Vp5qgC5e3XMAzjvdJ-V0JwSzDSCUmNJxLznYdRJcb97NaQowffnHMYQEc3pTa54t-_qNLtBgwkv3wfrZpbEfZYFxWB6OwhhKT0U-9engKdqk5asOGby/s320/anna+award.bmp" border="0" /></a> finalist in this year's awards, but <strong>I'd WON the 2008 Best Superromance award for my suspense To Protect the Child!!!</strong> </div><div></div><br /><div>Look for my picture in the announcement in this month's RT BookReviews magazine. Until then, here's one my Dorchester Editor took during the awards ceremony. Yes, that's my hair. And, yes, it got bigger and bigger as the humid Florida week went on. I think this was Friday, and by then it had taken on a life of it's own ;o)</div><div></div><br /><div>Catch Leah's great blog about all things Dorchester, including lots of fun RT pics and recaps, over at Romantic Reads:</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://romanticreads.net/">http://romanticreads.net/</a></div><div></div><br /><div>4) <strong>Of course, keep leaving comments to be in the running for this month's blog <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK17zuFRR1nSkW5nazgvM3QibDAbXgEsnjG7J0rJPC9HpNP152nrzgfI36B5eqqLAge1Jowz_9xPQ_qJgLUH0uQRyS-531jrn-sXhb3G5tvm3J9GLAKa003JueWYBblIsxzHTF/s1600-h/pendants+necklaces+charm+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331376155146554690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK17zuFRR1nSkW5nazgvM3QibDAbXgEsnjG7J0rJPC9HpNP152nrzgfI36B5eqqLAge1Jowz_9xPQ_qJgLUH0uQRyS-531jrn-sXhb3G5tvm3J9GLAKa003JueWYBblIsxzHTF/s320/pendants+necklaces+charm+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>contest--your chance to win your own leather Dream Flutters necklace or a<em> Dark Legacy</em> ARC. </strong>both of which I'll draw for at the end of the month, to kick off our celebration of <em><strong>Dark Legacy</strong></em>'s August 25th release!!! <p></p></div><div></div><div><strong>Which of the pendants do you like best? </strong>I got so many mixed responses at the conference, but folks were snapping them up. If you bought a book the signing, you got to take one of the "book cover" pendants home with you! And I gave away several of the others, including the coveted leather necklaces so many of you are emailing me about, to special publishing friends who've been so helpful to me and my career. <p></p></div><div></div><div>Someone even asked if they could buy a necklace and the black butterfly (the paranormal version of my logo) pendant at the singing. I let it go for $20. Maybe it'll be a collectors item one day, LOL!!! Hmmm.... <p><br /></p></div><div>5) <strong>I found some old journals while cleaning out my office</strong> (stress cleaning is my way of settling into each new book, and I have the draft of <strong><em>The Fireman's Secret Baby</em></strong> to write this month, after all). These were journals I started when my 13 year old was just a baby, and most of the contents I can't share. But some of it's suitable for public consumption, and I found myself tearing up several times... How 'bout I post some of those sniffles off and on this month, too???</div><div></div><br /><div><strong>So, before we fall back into RT fun, here's a snippet from "Dear Baby James:"</strong></div><div></div><br /><div><em>Dear Baby James...</em></div><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>You'll be 11 weeks tomorrow, and I thought it was time for me to start recording a few things I hope you'll read some day. Things I can't tell you now, because you wouldn't understand. Or is it that telling you would be too hard for me, because then I'd have to face that you're already growing up before my eyes? Things I hope you'll learn with every smile and hug and kiss you get for the rest of your life...</em></div><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>You're my "sweet love" and Daddy's "little man." Never, ever, forget that.</em></div><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>I learn from you each day about things I could never teach myself--lessons I hope to share with you. I've begun to truly understand how important it is to be patient and loving and tolerant and encouraging when someone else has no other defense in the world beyond your unconditional acceptance and approval. My heart will always be yours. Please tell me you feel the same.</em></div><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>There is so much of you to love--so much to be grateful for. Your beautiful smile and button nose. Your sparkling eyes and little pink toes. The way you hug me back when I hold you. The way the early morning hours are a beautiful beginning every day I get to hug you close...</em></div><div></div><br /><div>Okay, sniff sniff... Enough of the mommy stuff. Bring on the hunky guys!!!</div><div></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>Here are hunky guys with a really excited fan... </strong><br /><br /><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331376751416331122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rw8eYwcu9MgCwvMnfc07INYNhV_kIhe9eqk3JzLXS4X46KhmVyt5j-cmnd4MDt3rw1GBbJxmt3Kyl54nb1_jmbvS_zxoHpM20dW-4wjPAJZAkj5UMeHJlDUm5u9-WZ0Rch0U/s320/models+and+a+fan.jpg" border="0" /></div></div><br /><div align="center"><strong>Mr. Romance 2009 Runner Up, Stephan Pinto, with a host of Harlequin authors... </strong></div><p align="center">Let's see who can name the most authors in the comments section!<br /></p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331376982001862898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hZXZnHlTXyAS4kVamufDCG75CA6eXdUL9pqiAjepYTg_eh-N-wcZC-H3IKNK2X1IrIaTZSsDo48qPPAVvUCU1TNOK8E6okw9JEqVQosqxRmA1fYPmJXLfVMYQ6sTqcFrvTzD/s320/authors+and+model.jpg" border="0" /></p>And last one for today (you'll have to check back for more next week!), <strong>Mr. Romance 2009, Charlse Paz</strong>, giving me a candid smile because I ran into him walking into the hotel on Tuesday and I swear I became his big sister on site (seriously, he looks just like my brother, and it doesnt hurt that the first thing he said to me any time I saw him was, "Dude!")<br /><br />Some secret insider info... If you get RT BookReviews, look for my group ad with Between Your Sheets. It's the centerfold in the May issue, and Charles is part of the AMAZING image fading in from behind all the book covers ;o) If you don't have a subscription, head to Borders or B&N. They always seem to have a copy, and it's worth the trip.<br /><br /><strong>Until then, here's Charles in a moment where he wasn't having to be manly on cue... Just your every day handsome guy...until your gaze tracks down from his fun smile and checks out the rest of him!</strong><br /><br />See you next week with more hunks!<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331377430198701986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 194px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICfB0QqrYu1KdmkNhrCvk1vsenrj9CgJWPUEjWr5NwvlPC_7EaY3L-WSBWG6qrUVIQPDXz3lqsgfW09X_i1BkWao7RIdOvRrLoCYgUzrEJ9DRoWgOASFEZeubvRy4CscAH1-J/s320/charles+chair.jpg" border="0" /></p>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-13448198568181969832009-05-01T10:20:00.020-04:002009-05-01T17:21:11.111-04:00Romantic Times Pics and Auction<strong>Yep--time to feel sorry for me again, because I just got back from a week at the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWjeFFTbYXypGJ5NY5j_GEzKVmpXJ0MShLi5_3vcUi_uwuDA8GuONsSNfZ1UqIHG4WGdzgp3eNDrfnBk2d5q1q3PqzhyphenhyphenEPtVX_hclI0Op9Ze257Rjse_ruxXEzQh942DEQ8Fh/s1600-h/mermaid.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330863093645193522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 224px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWjeFFTbYXypGJ5NY5j_GEzKVmpXJ0MShLi5_3vcUi_uwuDA8GuONsSNfZ1UqIHG4WGdzgp3eNDrfnBk2d5q1q3PqzhyphenhyphenEPtVX_hclI0Op9Ze257Rjse_ruxXEzQh942DEQ8Fh/s320/mermaid.jpg" border="0" /></a>Romantic Times Booklovers Convention.</strong> It's hard, grueling work, networking and hanging with best selling authors and cover models...but I don't mind taking the hit, so you can enjoy the spoils ;o)<br /><br /><strong>No over the top treasure trove of conference goodies this time--though I did run into pirates and burried treasure and mermaids in Florida</strong>. I promised my family I wouldn't flood the house with any more promitonal items than I already have to sell Dark Legacy between now and its September release, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS-tvOj4SsRVHf5Sv9KrtUVeG-GYK1mcrGnG0ht-k6NkPgQ55cu0QXtEo00Ai6Ct6oZeU2H73FnFzD8nZOpdG7AFgpawq1czkglUgmbeRDAx2oKu5Bb8qXpDtio0INCokTh6d/s1600-h/mermaid+and+me.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330863353495222802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS-tvOj4SsRVHf5Sv9KrtUVeG-GYK1mcrGnG0ht-k6NkPgQ55cu0QXtEo00Ai6Ct6oZeU2H73FnFzD8nZOpdG7AFgpawq1czkglUgmbeRDAx2oKu5Bb8qXpDtio0INCokTh6d/s320/mermaid+and+me.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>but I do have MY OWN BOUTIQUE over at Brenda Novak's online Diabetes Research Auction.</strong> Folks are already getting busy with the bids, so don't miss out. You have all month to drool over the goodies I found this year (<strong>including Dream Flutters Necklaces and of course Coach Purses!!!).</strong><br /><br /><strong>Check out the <em>Anna DeStefano's Designer Boutique</em> category, and everything else, at</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/">http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/</a><br /><br /><strong>And speaking of jewelry, last month's winner, Cathie Morton, should have her lovely leather neckalce and pendant by now. So, it's time to start this month's contest.</strong> Leave a comment in any blog post this month, to be in the running for one of my signature Dream Flutters necklaces. Another lucky commenter will also win a Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of <strong><em>Dark Legacy,</em></strong> which I hope to have in my hot little hands by early June ;o)<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330863561931172898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgc2BHnx7D8zpm79IWUwh1MFXBJZVYh80gWa4JkaqTDCUXFA-JJuZMfbbe6r-F5m5A-Z_DLQdBV145MkIWg_i1k5Mzeg_N9e6I9z6SttUOcf0KE4pFbv7gnr4KObtR8Ymb72Kb/s320/pendants+necklaces+charm+2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>I'm also sending in the details for my own Coach giveaway to FreshFiction.com today... </strong>I'll share the link as soon as my May contest is up over there.<strong> Also, there will be a scavenger hunt up on BetweenYourSheets.com soon,</strong> and I'm one of the participating authors--look for BYS's centerfold ad for me and other spotlighted authors in May's Romantic Times!</p><p><strong>Lots of RT news to share!!! Check back tomorrow for more pics and dish</strong>. And one of these days soon, I'll have the new website, blog and newsletter ready to share...gotta lot to do now that I'm off deadline and home for a whole month ;o)<br /><br /><strong>Oh, and I'm hard at work on my next Atlanta Heroes novel</strong>--had so many questions about that last week. Nope, NO WAY am I stopping my Superromance series until they drag me away from keyboard and make me, so <strong>look for <em>The Fireman's Secret Baby</em> (wt) in early 2010!</strong><br /><br /><strong>More tomorrow!!!</strong></p>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-18971198909239621322009-04-16T15:23:00.014-04:002009-04-16T16:57:03.781-04:00So Much To Be Thankful For...<strong>Each day, there are challenges and mountains to climb and work to struggle through, even if the work is what you dreamed you'd one day be doing.</strong> Or is it just me??? I doubt it--we all find ourselves "struggling" through even our happily ever afters some days. Sometimes that can be the hardest, because we're supposed to be thrilled by all the good stuff, right?<br /><br /><strong>But work is work, and the more you dream, the more work there is to climb to that next peak. Except, I've found a secret I wanted to share.</strong><br /><br />When I get down about my thirteen-year-old (yep, he's a teenager now) heading to college for three weeks this summer (yep, he's taken his ACTs and tested into a Duke program for gifted kids...oh, and into college itself, if he wanted to apply now ;o), I remember to be thankful that he's in love with learning and feels confident enough in himself to want to go away and explore on his own a bit.<br /><br />And when travelling and new deadlines and all that stuff makes my current exhaustion after finishing Dark Legacy seem like a dress rehersal, I remember to be<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAY3gvbncHZCTWzngwkT59RpKUxSaC6tg5tjpLjFOsaVtf_OXyCDHV21zZChibaZ_tvQB_qLrSXQ4T0HqNXOwL35ASzblL4rD-FK7rk80ES3WP37QVlKdAsL9FVFV7p8G-tqZ/s1600-h/jewelry+brown+and+ribbon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325377368779786066" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAY3gvbncHZCTWzngwkT59RpKUxSaC6tg5tjpLjFOsaVtf_OXyCDHV21zZChibaZ_tvQB_qLrSXQ4T0HqNXOwL35ASzblL4rD-FK7rk80ES3WP37QVlKdAsL9FVFV7p8G-tqZ/s320/jewelry+brown+and+ribbon.jpg" border="0" /></a> thankful that I have an amazing new suspense series to promote and fans already emailing me for more information and a jewelry artist so inspired that she created a whole new like just with Dark Legacy in mind, and the opportunity to write two more books this year alone.<br /><br />And when one of my old man kitties gets sick (he's seventeen and his current ailment is minor, but when you're seventeen and a cat nothing's minor), and he's still suffering even though he's supposed to be better, I hold him as much as I can and then console myself in giving my other three extra attention, too, (yes, do the math, I'm the crazy writer cat lady with four cats), and remember how lucky I am to have all that unconditional love in my life.<br /><br /><strong>I guess what I'm saying,</strong> before I get back to sharing all things Dark Legacy and Dream Flutters (Marci's named our new jewelry line, from which I'll be giving away pieces every month <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0HQ5694YrciEBAbApD2HThd1qKcXOmTYuL9X7OGMLTto43-srreqNxCS2oEXFhWfM6ZGU16qIqWQFUTnHG93pJ-w2ZhczpkzpAgkWYGoH4saL4eyp-B7Lm_tClPBxM9qhsPO/s1600-h/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325376992138998370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 291px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0HQ5694YrciEBAbApD2HThd1qKcXOmTYuL9X7OGMLTto43-srreqNxCS2oEXFhWfM6ZGU16qIqWQFUTnHG93pJ-w2ZhczpkzpAgkWYGoH4saL4eyp-B7Lm_tClPBxM9qhsPO/s320/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG" border="0" /></a>out here, in addition to Dark Legacy ARCS and other promo goodies like T-shirts, from now through the fall), <strong>whether things are going well or not so well in your world, it's all work and that's just the way it goes--but I wish for you a daily dream and a daily reminder of all the "thankful" stuff in your life, too. All the things that make the work and the dreams worthwhile.</strong><br /><br /><strong>And never forget--I'm thankful for all of you ;o)</strong><br /><br />And while we're on this "positive speak" rant ;o) <strong>I know everyone's seen this by now, but watch Susan Boyle again. It's the best 6 minutes I've spent in a long time.</strong> Well, since watching my teenager relish the ice cream I bought him the other day, after he'd asked me to play tennis with him and enjoyed every bit of our together time. That was a dream come true, too!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk</a><br /><br /><strong>And, BTW, everyone's reaction to her--the way she made them shiver and smile and cheer and dream along with her--that's my dream every time I launch a new book. That's what I want for all of you, every time you read something with my name on it!</strong>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-72348724805175183342009-04-03T18:21:00.016-04:002009-05-01T17:20:02.740-04:00Back...Chatting...Dark Legacy goes to production in a week...Thanks for all your patience, my blog friends. <strong><em>Dark Legacy</em></strong> is revised, I took a trip to Boston to talk with the NEC romance writers, and now I'm working on line edits so DL can go to production next week.<br /><div><br /><div>The website/blog redesign is almost done, I have beautiful pics of jewelry I'm going to be using as giveaways for Dark Legacy promotion (and if you really like them and don't win one, you just might be able to buy your own soon from my kick-ass jewelry designer friend Marci). See the pics below...</div><br /><div><strong>Oh, and I'm chatting all weekend over on Dangerous Women Writing. Check us out...it's going to be a blast. <p></strong></p></div><div></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><a title="mailto:dangerouswomen-subscribe@yahoogroups.com" style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: rgb(30,102,174); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana" href="mailto:dangerouswomen-subscribe@yahoogroups.com"><strong>dangerouswomen-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</strong></a><strong> </strong></div><br /><div><strong>To get us going again, I'm going to give away one of the beautiful leather necklaces with the Dark Legacy book cover charm (sterling silver fastenings and embellished with pearls and whatever else Marci dreamed up) to someone who comments out here over the weekend!</strong></div><br /><div>Stay tuned for more "down to earth" blogs starting next week, and a beautiful new site/blog to look at soon. It's going to be a great count-down to September, my friends ;o)</div><br /><div>Here are some pictures to drool over. The theme is my new logo and the dream images from DL's cover. Especially our weekend prize, the Dark Legacy cover pendant and leather necklace ;o)</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320603531796666482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrjWCEk2173iwMTXoS022b789W-3SUjH397Q9zyDlwKyJCN7Q4lSBGfn075HJK8JQVnuqpmZC8fYhcw9NCpKfdn7zjtT-VPpXMyqZUb4mNNxEkwYHvbaeJ90Im5wVc6pK5ZMV/s320/pendants+necklaces+charm+2.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320603617027110082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8izzxro_9dEvddN8sr4ZLZbQV44A9zY_de3l37S5FMAh4CHk3_IZiFg3CsKhnGGZsChk1j-2EYoOl4HOLexq1Tk1lFbhS-i2n0dA34LbRS0k-_KtY0ui9oy2ADrm0arNTmeq/s320/pendants+necklaces+charms+landscape.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320603795169375282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhma-JrhppdbrH6Nl-Mvv_Xak8uyzWqbfimUvzrjUDw5aXSRJ5JBqKD9b9AZ7R5MBZvTMLgjxdHZiLYK4HnSmNR8CvPB-czKB_VdMYZfCnGq8y0q8FJMOAlDi7L7X_5_4NCJp/s320/brown+and+ribbon.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320603716818519122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqIltw25njjx_-fAi-9xkWF9I1Z_qp7yo5uwELC6Tjl40sG4RadpMpEuVWtFPL9lx6hCgK8TzUOEffYpSP6ulCrr5rtGGNm7ST1CRpiurPAr1KQX8z4RKxchLOxg945XmIQV9/s320/pendants+silk+charms+2.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320603872118491202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 177px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJP2HoYNdjAAeIMC5L_2fP5MtMo4gr-kt2dH8C7KvrAUsnDBrd-3hyphenhyphenM9AA0pbhD0qiLNx0iz9OAEbYtlmDjQiEAySy9t26liSEgCDqArLQ43M6dLyh8xZyjcPb1MeNSkaAWFg7/s320/lavendar+hanging.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div></div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-88293161735003840722009-03-03T10:11:00.009-05:002009-03-03T10:34:36.899-05:00Hidden Feasts<strong>Time for a mini break from the info dump ;o) But no worries, those of you who want to know more about my Sept. release, I'm not straying too far.</strong><br /><br />So much of Dark Legacy (which I'm currently revising for my editor) is about symbolism and hidden meanings <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZjwi6TgTmBY2b1eybX4pSdL5C2BwZYVc-xdV4fqARCAanXdRayB-HWnNuvdJpm889D6rrVALWpK0C-IqJ7iqwzGOy1zakkqA2WZ1TDYss59XQAGL6zCIvDNc9IAKtuoUcW3L/s1600-h/image+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308982805307854498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZjwi6TgTmBY2b1eybX4pSdL5C2BwZYVc-xdV4fqARCAanXdRayB-HWnNuvdJpm889D6rrVALWpK0C-IqJ7iqwzGOy1zakkqA2WZ1TDYss59XQAGL6zCIvDNc9IAKtuoUcW3L/s320/image+1.jpg" border="0" /></a>and dream imagry that the characters must figure out, if they're going to find their happily ever afters (and, since this is a suspense, often just to stay alive).<br /><br />I play a lot on everyday things, things we could find in our own lives, that take on critical meaning. <strong>The idea being<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEeDZeWZMhr1595-zco7g8f4gNi2ik21jYq1lp9o9a1nDm5sFJs7xquNbGJFpY481k20GcwW_7yiFJvZj7Rz7eFnPEtAmAykjVuHPvQaB-rTmenMxSSous3SUC6CReMb9KPg3/s1600-h/image+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308983370811821858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 203px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEeDZeWZMhr1595-zco7g8f4gNi2ik21jYq1lp9o9a1nDm5sFJs7xquNbGJFpY481k20GcwW_7yiFJvZj7Rz7eFnPEtAmAykjVuHPvQaB-rTmenMxSSous3SUC6CReMb9KPg3/s320/image+2.jpg" border="0" /></a>, see the world around you--really see it. You never know what you could be missing... </strong>I've become facinated with it these days. Always looking around me, wondering what I'm really seeing. What I could see in a slightly differently world, where the impossible was a little more possible.<br /><br /><strong>I stumbled across these pictures today--great, vintage images of New York City subway grafitti. </strong>There's a flickr link below, to the larger grouping. Part of what I'll be exploring more as my Legacy series continues (if it sells well enough for Dorchester to want to buy more ;o), is <strong>everyday things </strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqsLyYb2RyLbdT9yehwelewjW2oMXGk6b0oVIC1iwDBqyQKbjHqv4PF-1NJ9V3CjDfOxtqnc2qFo4GKnPDdoP4PiKN7TTQAyNi3SGA4ll7HuvZ2Q3kcmaPzfbDsyQh5KA5cbP/s1600-h/image+4.jpg"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308983608579664450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqsLyYb2RyLbdT9yehwelewjW2oMXGk6b0oVIC1iwDBqyQKbjHqv4PF-1NJ9V3CjDfOxtqnc2qFo4GKnPDdoP4PiKN7TTQAyNi3SGA4ll7HuvZ2Q3kcmaPzfbDsyQh5KA5cbP/s320/image+4.jpg" border="0" /></strong></a><strong>I can use to motivate, spook, intrigue and torment my characters (and readers, lol!), but giving them paranormal/psychic meaning.</strong> My Legacy stories will be contemporary reflections of the real world--dramas that you could imagine happening in the world around you, if you accepted that the psychic abilities I write about might really be possible.<br /><br />Imagine what I could do with some of these movable works of art... Hmmm....<br /><br /><strong>What other images come to mind? What would you like to see from your every day lives, used to crank up the suspense and paranormal punch in a future Legacy book?</strong> I'm aready writing proposals for the next leg of the series, after the Temple Twins are written. Three more books, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4nC7esb46y9L0LnLE1pE9GSAZBLjRng7TZYjl3IouqtODPLrDArXUIWBRZyOgbO7zwpkdktdz9gc9-NU3r6yOQKbkRg5b9ua9RyJMhtLY35mPJYoabp65yjjmnNGwUlYa20m/s1600-h/image+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308983475919238578" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 204px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4nC7esb46y9L0LnLE1pE9GSAZBLjRng7TZYjl3IouqtODPLrDArXUIWBRZyOgbO7zwpkdktdz9gc9-NU3r6yOQKbkRg5b9ua9RyJMhtLY35mPJYoabp65yjjmnNGwUlYa20m/s320/image+3.jpg" border="0" /></a>about another family with different talents but equally spooky bad guys after them, and equally compelling love stories to tell. More about them later...but beyond that...what would you like to see???<br /><br /><strong>Here's the link to the flickr page for more hidden feasts...</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bhonetb/sets/72157605979490996/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bhonetb/sets/72157605979490996/</a><br /><br /><strong>If you haven't been following along, read back through the last few posts for information about Dark Legacy.</strong> More to come--folks are asking off list about dream theory and I've promised a taste of the prologue (naughty romance author, using a prologue...I did say this was going to be a bit more mainstream, and definitely paranormal, so the prolugue fits about as well as the evil scientists and the secret government psychic weapons program ;o)Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-49563277262129856692009-03-02T13:02:00.009-05:002009-03-02T13:14:43.585-05:00The Temple Legacy<strong>The basis for my Legacy series for Dorechester, is that there are ancient family lines that have carried their magical <em>gifts</em> into future generations.</strong> Paranormal gifts that, when concentrated, can be harnessed for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK05Zn_rULkJa_1-hB7yHG8K0nUx4JhpljX-mRT1GbcCUXgHv057ZDN0k7iyBoEySBCB0PoSdYMvVxziXnVwhBzdt-9uh005Kd-3U2XCYtBLx_tCja6M_RFw9hTnqSkYNZeOpb/s1600-h/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308653916657078658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 198px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK05Zn_rULkJa_1-hB7yHG8K0nUx4JhpljX-mRT1GbcCUXgHv057ZDN0k7iyBoEySBCB0PoSdYMvVxziXnVwhBzdt-9uh005Kd-3U2XCYtBLx_tCja6M_RFw9hTnqSkYNZeOpb/s320/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG" border="0" /></a>great good or powerful evil. A brotherhood of watchers has tracked these families for generations--intervening when needed, when their legacies become a potential threat to mankind.<br /><br />The Temple twins have been "blessed" with powerful gifts they're not fully aware of--here's a bit of their story.<br /><br /><strong>Let me know what you think. Oh, and, next I'll post the prologue, so stay tuned ;o)</strong><br /><br /><em>Generations ago, a secret legacy of healing foretold the birth of two daughters to the gifted women of the Temple line—twin empaths who would posses psychic abilities beyond anything the world has known. During the Salem witch trials, written record of the legacy died with the family matriarch, Olivia Temple, when she was burned at the stake. The family's empathic gifts were hidden by subsequent generations. The myth of the twin legacy "curse" was passed down verbally from mother to daughter, until it became little more than a colorful folk story grounded in the kind of truth time cannot destroy.</em><br /><br /><em>On a deep summer morning, the legacy is fulfilled when Madeline and Sarah Temple are born. Their supersensory talents are apparent from the cradle to not only their terrified mother, but also to a league of scientists developing an arsenal of psychic weaponry. The girls' mother fights to hide her children's powers from her daughters, her husband, and the world. Ultimately, she faces a mother's worst nightmare—having to sacrifice the more unstable of her children to save the other. With the safety of her family and anyone exposed to the twins' unpredictable "gifts" at stake, what choice does she have?</em>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-37788034069233727462009-02-26T10:58:00.005-05:002009-02-26T11:34:37.946-05:00Original Idea<strong>One of the things that sells books to publishers is having a unique high concept.</strong><br /><br />I knew when I wanted to take my novels to another level, that I wanted to branch out from more classic romance into something more mainstream and contemporary. Something more like the exciting novels I've come to love in my own reading life (you know...the books that inspired me to specialize in romantic suspense in my Atlanta Heroes Superromance series ;o)<br /><br />And one of the common responses I received from all the editors who read my Derk Legacy pitch was that I had a unique, original idea on my hands. So, thanks in part to Bob Mayer's Original Idea workshop during one of his weekend retreats years ago (where I was just starting to get my brain churning around doing a different kind of book), <strong>here's the original idea for my new "Legacy" series for Dorchester books ;o)</strong><br /><br /><strong>Original Idea:</strong> Psychic powers are exploited to assassinate classified government targets—using only the mind, scientists can custom design and remote-trigger violent daydreams.<br /><br /><strong>Premise:</strong> Hijacking nightmares, secret government scientists imbed sleeper programming into the subconscious of unsuspecting people. Homicidal fantasies (lucid dreams) can then be triggered in the waking world, transforming innocents into deadly weapons. <strong>Beware—your next daydream could become a living nightmare.</strong><br /><br />The first two stories in the series, <strong><em>Dark Legacy</em></strong> and <strong><em>Haunted Legacy</em></strong> (or <strong><em>Forogtten Legacy</em></strong>, I can't decide about the title for the sequel), are paranormal romantic suspense, based on a secret family legacy of psychic power that a government weapon's program wants to exploit...<br /><br />Come back tomorrow, for a closer look at the legacy ;o)Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-41889572159462586252009-02-24T16:06:00.013-05:002009-02-26T11:10:38.658-05:00Cover Copy...<strong>Today's taste... </strong><br /><br />Stay tuned for more. Such a cool story. I'll be sprinkling details <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDBt8U9EdVti_Ve9SsiHjEJZ1CWShnxJGIcAsmU-g1cP50Fs_ukCcMxu8WKvvV2XabVWa786X9ywIKWLkPYX7hK4k9LTo80Yvc1JqsQM0vHguZtLqnS6nUEA-mVxysNifjZa5/s1600-h/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306476232625047266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 198px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDBt8U9EdVti_Ve9SsiHjEJZ1CWShnxJGIcAsmU-g1cP50Fs_ukCcMxu8WKvvV2XabVWa786X9ywIKWLkPYX7hK4k9LTo80Yvc1JqsQM0vHguZtLqnS6nUEA-mVxysNifjZa5/s320/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG" border="0" /></a>about all week...maybe even a brief excerpt or two ;o)<br /><br /><div align="left"><em>“Die!” scream her nightmares. The voice is her sister’s, the compulsion stronger than any ordinary dream. </em></div><div align="left"><br /><em>Maddie Temple can’t go through this again. Her twin has been in a coma for the last ten years. Their psychic link was severed. At least, that’s what she thought. </em></div><div align="left"><br /><em>But there’s a lot Maddie doesn’t know—about the 200-year-old curse on her family, about the shadowy group that wants to exploit the Temple twins’ powers for themselves, about the sexy psychiatrist offering to help her. <p></em></p></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><em>The only way to find the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6De4WIjcUr5CR6tEzYSiNrTD6liUvLtHmPYMx3KZ4r6oaMF6uVTWnCL0S81EVjOOIR8nB4b6yt6JzUyXIFaW3fegibAyw15Sr1noR2KMe8KBzuuMNIhXfQm7WT17I43jYWdf2/s1600-h/main+stacked+low+res.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306476589069025922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6De4WIjcUr5CR6tEzYSiNrTD6liUvLtHmPYMx3KZ4r6oaMF6uVTWnCL0S81EVjOOIR8nB4b6yt6JzUyXIFaW3fegibAyw15Sr1noR2KMe8KBzuuMNIhXfQm7WT17I43jYWdf2/s320/main+stacked+low+res.jpg" border="0" /></em></a>answers and avoid being pulled into the abyss of madness is to trust her heart and confront her</em>... <strong>DARK LEGACY<em>.</em></strong></div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-34692397002878711162009-02-23T09:46:00.010-05:002009-02-26T11:11:28.847-05:00New and Improved<strong>Okay, <em>Dark Legacy</em> is in to Dorchester</strong>, and the revisions are already back and I'm talking <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianpiQ0FBgHM1rxlEz_5J8kr3F5Dsd2xGy8fefUu2AM_qpJQsnU0s1E5Is_aspCbx66iCZOqR1T0e2Vq-DkiTHpeJDE9nOjE-CHJt1bg-TznTDMA0pIZ_9Ikk_gCW0YuQ561a3/s1600-h/main+stacked+low+res.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306005845484204562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianpiQ0FBgHM1rxlEz_5J8kr3F5Dsd2xGy8fefUu2AM_qpJQsnU0s1E5Is_aspCbx66iCZOqR1T0e2Vq-DkiTHpeJDE9nOjE-CHJt1bg-TznTDMA0pIZ_9Ikk_gCW0YuQ561a3/s320/main+stacked+low+res.jpg" border="0" /></a>with my editor about them in a little over an hour...so stay tuned...details every day this week on this amazing new direction my writing life is taking.<br /><br /><br />In the midst of writing and planning for a rewrite, I've been hard a work getting this year's travel/promotion schedule nailed down (up on the website soon), singing the contracts for my new <strong>Atlanta Heroes</strong> novel for Superromance (tentatively titled, <strong><em>The Fireman's Secret Baby</em></strong> ;o), collaborating with a local jewelry designer on promotional items and custom designed prizes for the Dark Legacy release, oh!, and <strong>working with a wonderful graphic artist on redesigning my logo, website and blog presence.</strong><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306005922206866034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 102px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsK4jmzzggnJrfGCCpwAx1JSIaowbRloEhqPCnn7o-K57TqbPjU-tShhZGFV4rldHBNJJMdSu4-GyYVJEQB1in4rlqIvdrppZixyag7q0KJ0XeTfVs_BV3MPGICWL6j4Gfr7e/s320/main+horiz+lowres+url.jpg" border="0" /> For now, sprinkled above and below are a sneak peak of the new logos: my main brand, my classic (Harlequin) projects, and my paranormal (Dorchester) books.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306006159277169602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 103px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamy1iVOOyZOIFV15825oZH4c-uHd79Tj_aGGA20kd-CLl4Sv6kQPcxJPrdgPohdYS-jS_41NhLKqst9cP7AzbISsVxIFNkHnnxVAWaES5ruvP8HGRuf3PmkSmXRhI6thby8Fz/s320/classic+low+res.jpg" border="0" />More soon on everythig, includng a new newsletter format using the very yummy Constant <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306006374363295842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2GkC7emhoxzxGMovUIGdMSg376UlCDPOXQKL2pL3I4j71xahMNzO3nZxggjpba1GLEiikVHeGPfauAElasnolQ7-CZCiFUbVo1UZTrzi_2kWNmPBLRRO6fOmVT0NxHPQhzLp/s320/paranormal+low+res.jpg" border="0" />Contact! In the mean time, current prize winners your gifts are going out today (including the Fresh Fiction winners--of the XOXO and Coach purses). <strong>I'll annouce the winner of the matching XOXO wallet by the endof the week. </strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>Everyone, whatcha think of the more mainstream "me" look of the logos??? </strong>The color stories of the website and blog are<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306006542920042306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 169px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholXplvmtEvv87XjVsGFTs6p30hvusBAtz0se-lfbBGbobzfCuf-XEaxbtz0GMALkZQu8_aVAqBzrosg72y32m9h3_T7Dc47I6rrh7EGMKf518_50PhQutRmAS7ejJZ_byk1vO/s320/AD_logo-bestselling-stacked-lowres.jpg" border="0" /> going to change, to allow for the variety of books I'll have coming out going forward. But we're trying to still offer a "soft" option for those who prefer my Harlequin work, and a spooky place for paranormal fans to come and feel at home--plus a way to visually combine the two into an overall brand...Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-6038367647157471022009-01-29T23:27:00.004-05:002009-02-26T11:10:56.123-05:00O. M. G. !!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8OG61T1T6NoQUA0xNTxR8EyQH43EANRmIeBYlb7BNEx5cVW4KuZfwI89SQqWGgnGuFxtbJltbTBywmlxR8oJNUmj6JmlTANGfudDEIkt5B86UuzFd6MYwGK0yxXKJhcDstpH/s1600-h/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296938879776378642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 198px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8OG61T1T6NoQUA0xNTxR8EyQH43EANRmIeBYlb7BNEx5cVW4KuZfwI89SQqWGgnGuFxtbJltbTBywmlxR8oJNUmj6JmlTANGfudDEIkt5B86UuzFd6MYwGK0yxXKJhcDstpH/s320/Dark+Legacy+low+res.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Due on shelves in September...</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>On deadline finishing the book...</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>But, OH MY GOSH, look at my beautiful new cover!!!</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Cover copy and description to come in February ;o)</strong><strong><br /><br /></strong><strong></strong>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-51630288047567614952009-01-22T10:30:00.007-05:002009-01-22T12:58:19.192-05:00Winter Heat: Excerpt 3, and A Cool Video to Watch!<strong>One final Winter Heat Excerpt, to brainwash you into going and buying the book if <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGcXXy0OITel1yanb8BkdZRYRPKieJ3jpxkDoSV7znGRqlq6azC3-wp6p4z7yA7qDupzdJPKjLL2k_MyGRXSQnKka9flHn9JhEdkZanS4hpchYVSIwVEvN6AoJEZAUxsZjZR/s1600-h/WinterHeatCoverblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294143869448075170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 167px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 253px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwGcXXy0OITel1yanb8BkdZRYRPKieJ3jpxkDoSV7znGRqlq6azC3-wp6p4z7yA7qDupzdJPKjLL2k_MyGRXSQnKka9flHn9JhEdkZanS4hpchYVSIwVEvN6AoJEZAUxsZjZR/s320/WinterHeatCoverblog.jpg" border="0" /></a>you already haven't ;o)</strong><br /><br /><strong>And for those clammoring in the comments and my inbox for more news on Dark Legacy</strong>--coming soon to a blog near you, I promise. Just as soon as I get the draft of the book into my editor... All 400 pages of it...<br /><br />And so you'll know a little what the last few weeks of a deadline this big feels like, <strong>here's a fun look at what water does when a single drop hits a hard surface...</strong> It's kind of like trying to weave (read POUND) a single change or idea through 400 pages of a story, lol!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1897461/">http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1897461/</a><br /><br /><strong>Wish me luck everyone! Dark Legacy cover and promo news and descriptions and all sorts of good stuff soon. Until then, enjoy a bit more of Felicia and Tony's story (and, by all means, read all of it, after you BUY THE BOOK ;o)</strong><br /><br />**************<br /><strong><em>Winter Heat</em></strong><br /><em>Scenes Three and Four</em><br /><br />"I've lost my mind," Felicia insisted several hours and twice as many second thoughts later, at the welcome dinner's cocktail reception.<br /><br />"It's the altitude." Willard smiled up a passing waiter, then shamelessly checked out the guy's butt.<br /><br />"It's your bad influence." Felicia straightened and re-straightened her fucia Versace minidress.<br /><br />"Enjoy." He eyed the non-existent back of her outfit. "You fit in perfectly here. Forget about Rossi. It's very chic to—"<br /><br />"Make an fool of myself?" First in front of Rossi, then the poor bell man.<br /><br />"To wear your fabulousness with daring and pride, darling."<br /><br />"Kind of like <em>humiliation is the new black</em>?"<br /><br />"You're talking as if you went streaking through the lobby. You deserve to let loose a little."<br /><br />"Is that what they're calling it these days?"<br /><br />"You've come this far. It's just dinner, Fe."<br /><br />"Yeah, and it was <em>just</em> a few sips of wine in the car. Just a dare to loosen me up. <em>Just</em> a kiss."<br /><br />"No, honey. <em>That</em> was straight up sex with your clothes on. Whatever crawled up Tony Rossi's ass after you lifted your spell on him, that man's the hottest thing in pants I've seen in a long time—and you had him melting all over you."<br /><br />Yeah, except who had been melting whom?<br /><br />Willard had egged her into entering her sonnet in the contest in the first place, after he'd shown up at her door late one night on his way home from clubbing. She'd been in her rattiest guy pajamas—a pair of her ex's, actually—and that's when she'd finally gotten it. Her best guy friend had a sexier wardrobe and dated hotter men than she had in years. It had been time to stop wallowing in the efficient, business side of her personality that Phillip had found so boring. Time to mine for passion, before the well dried up.<br /><br />But a secret part of Felicia wondered even now if it wasn't already too late.<br /><br />"Don't throw in the towel!" Willard insisted. "I won't hear of it. Men will be crawling all over you and your couture tonight, gay or straight. If you're not going to work this fabulous makeover for <em>you</em>, the least you can do is be my arm candy, until I land myself a live one."<br /><br />It was a beautiful dress. One of her favorite purchases for the trip. When she'd tried it on at Bergdorf's, she'd felt a forgotten piece of herself coming back to life. The same passionate piece that had kicked into high gear downstairs, in the arms of a man who'd left her feeling giddy, then completely forgotten—dismissed—once he'd decided she didn't suit his PR plans.<br /><br />The judgmental bastard!<br /><br />She was a guest for the weekend. She could quit this scene any time she wanted. But that would mean walking away with her designer tail between her supermodel-long legs.<br /><br />Was she really going to prove her ex and her own subconscious right—by conceding that<em> leave-them-panting</em> sexy had never been her talent, and never would be?<br /><br />Hell no!<br /><br />She snatched a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray, and raised the flute to salute Willard.<br /><br />"Let the games begin!"<br /><br /><br />***<br /><br />Tony had heard of men buzzing around a woman like bees near a honey pot. And he'd spent the last twenty-four hours running interference between Maddy Lov and the hard-partying crowd that trailed after her. But he'd never seen anything like Felicia Gallo, wearing Versace's finest as if it were a second skin. Or the effect she was having on the rising testosterone level in the banquet room.<br /><br />She'd wrapped herself up in his mother's favorite designer. She was wearing matching heels so high, every step she took without mishap was a triumph of fluidity and grace.<br /><br />Versace was on the wilder end of the designer spectrum. But it was a must-have wardrobe staple for the adventurous socialite. Or so Tony's mother insisted every time she spent a new fortune on the label's newest line. Too bad Gabriella Rossi had never showered the same attention on her husband and only child. Not that Tony's father had minded.<br /><br />The two still lived the same jet-set lives as when they'd relegated Tony to boarding school at too young an age—alternating their time between Aspen and Milan, Florence and Madrid. New York and Paris during fashion season. LA for the awards shows, which were the few months out of the year during which Tony sporadically saw them.<br /><br />Their empty relationship was the envy of everyone they met, and his mother's glamorous, sophisticated façade was their crowning, glittering glory. A facade the <em>romantic</em> Ms. Gallo had obviously honed to her own advantage. Gone was Felicia's skin-tight snow suit, which he doubted had seen the first flake of winter ice. In its place were swirls of severely cut color and silk that invited a man to smooth his hands over every restless curve and valley.<br /><br />She'd collected quite a bevy of admirers throughout the cocktail hour. A room full. And her friend, Willard, dressed to kill in what looked like Armani, was scoping things out for himself.<br /><br /><br />Actually, he was headed Tony's way!<br /><br />"She's really something, our little poet, isn't she?" The man held up a copy of the program Tony had carefully designed, complete with a border of hearts and flowers that reeked of romance.<br />Tony had spotlighted Felicia's sonnet on the cover page. He glanced at the poem again, trying to match it to the woman sipping a cocktail and flirting with the besotted men standing on either side of her.<br /><br />"She's...unexpected," was the best reply he could manage.<br /><br />Wickedly complex and appealing in a primal way that he couldn't take his eyes off of. But, unexpected or not, she was nothing more than a principle player in his business plans for the opening. A means to an end, that it was his job to control.<br /><br />"She's not the only unexpected distraction tonight." Willard sighed in response to Tony's scowl. "You're gorgeous. A young Paul Newman, but rough enough around the edges for some flavor. You clearly have a sense of style most heterosexual men refuse to own. But you're straight as an arrow, aren't you? Pity."<br /><br />Willard was a straight-shooter. Right up Tony's ally. And he seemed to have a precarious hold on Tony's star poet's leash.<br /><br />"It doesn't matter what I am." Or what he wanted outside the job. Tony's gaze tracked the way the curve of Felicia's bottom rounded against the hint of a skirt that finished off her dress. "I'm working. When I'm working, focusing on anything or <em>anyone</em> else is out of the question."<br /><br />"Uh huh." Willard was watching Tony watch Felicia, his knowing smile almost as wicked as his friend's ass.<br /><br />"Listen—" Tony turned his head to make it clear that he didn't have time for whatever games Willard wanted to play.<br /><br />But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Felicia stumble—right into the waiting arms of one of the bachelors panting after her.<br /><br />"Shit!"Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-6535605913830060972009-01-16T10:56:00.014-05:002009-02-26T11:12:10.932-05:00"Heat" Sitings and Web Contest Prize Sneak Peak<strong>There's always such a stir in the comments when I show off prizes ;o)</strong><br /><br />And I totally understand the excitement for new, beautiful things. To further oblige, I highly recommend you keep reading for a sneak peak of the new...direction...my website contest prizes are going to be taking this year. How's that for a teaser, bwahahahahaah...<br /><br /><strong>But first, I had some excitement of my own on Wednesday.</strong><br /><br />First--and this is HUGE. I got out of my house, actually fashionably dressed and washed and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKibPEqEip9yDlEGZgOuNXUdWX7Dj0WaPPpPj80ki90DZJfRZ1B1Oc7d4IIdBMWx3eCtMUv4F4UucWjtDmQMYo2rrlJfaRt3ErYpoSUsp4AcISb1n6Smr2SPI4BCUEr0-r0wY/s1600-h/Winter+Heat+in+Stores+close.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291928607518272546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 246px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKibPEqEip9yDlEGZgOuNXUdWX7Dj0WaPPpPj80ki90DZJfRZ1B1Oc7d4IIdBMWx3eCtMUv4F4UucWjtDmQMYo2rrlJfaRt3ErYpoSUsp4AcISb1n6Smr2SPI4BCUEr0-r0wY/s320/Winter+Heat+in+Stores+close.jpg" border="0" /></a>brushed and everything, for an appointement. Even more excititng than that feat (because I'm mostly a cruddy, on-deadline writer these days), I gave myself permission to <strong>stop at a bookstore.</strong><br /><br />Usually, this creates potential for hours of lost time, as I'm prone to wander in such a heavenly environ. But I was a girl on a mission, and that was <strong>to see how my New York Silhouette editor and co. were handling the Jan. 13th realease of my new <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XUFnskXIQpOutQcEkDMNtfuvGoa-4J5fTmHQQcj28vdZsOg8jK0KUTRfUfr8rDDRGt0XF-zf_wyFQsd4ZwlOXqqRNK5aXCyPVHkf3QqAnet7LL0KQtlzs5Nl4larA3B6eeBO/s1600-h/Winter+Heat+in+Stores+medium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291928829756256226" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XUFnskXIQpOutQcEkDMNtfuvGoa-4J5fTmHQQcj28vdZsOg8jK0KUTRfUfr8rDDRGt0XF-zf_wyFQsd4ZwlOXqqRNK5aXCyPVHkf3QqAnet7LL0KQtlzs5Nl4larA3B6eeBO/s320/Winter+Heat+in+Stores+medium.jpg" border="0" /></a>anthology. Would it be on the Sil. category racks? Would there be any push for sales?</strong><br /><br />Well...the pics sprinkled about this post are of <strong>WINTER HEAT ON A SHELF UP FRONT IN BORDERS!!!</strong> I didn't make it over to our B&N (but I will some time today/tomorrow). But at Borders/Waldenbooks, my publisher has spent what's called co-op money to place the book amongst the "Read This" sections of tables and shelves at the front of a chain store. A great thing for sales, because a lot of readers head to this section first.<br /><br /><strong>So, yep, that's Winter heat, facing out (HUGE advantage, because readers love them a pretty cover), one shelf above Sherry Kenyon, </strong>and I must say our frosty blue cover pops just lovely next to all that black. <strong>And, yep, thats me/us next to Jeffery Archer and above Tim Dorsey. </strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291929066639179554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 252px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi740l9dgKO0HEtemI9VU8t8Q6_6Kga_N-uCOZHjLTl4AuAfCb_5ZdoN64MxfXrSNV-J3b46meFXVuJ6IGt6MwIpTwVLBIz3exFqWMNeQig05WNcOvB-d54DYjsHkXS8Qf2aQBE/s320/Winter+Heat+in+Stores+wide.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Notice all the NYT Bestselling lead lines on the covers surrounding Winter Heat. I think we really look at home, don't you?<br /><br /><strong>Just working with Vicky and Jade was such a treat, anthing over and above that is gravey.</strong> But this was quite a moment for little 'ol me, and I couldn't help snapping a few pictures. And... If you look closely enough at the number of copies of each book in the frame, I think...yes...yes I do believe there are only two copies of Winter Heat left (on the day it released) and, oh my, so many more of all the other titles...<br /><br />That's just wishful thinking for good sales, I know, but a girl's got to dream, right??? </p><p>Come back over the weekend for one final Winter Heat excerpt, BTW.<br /><br />Speaking of working with dream people you'll feel lucky for having worked with for the rest of your life, <strong>you should go check out this amazing woman I've been priviledged to meet and began creating with the final few months of '08--Marci Fried:</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mollye.net/about_the_artist.html">http://www.mollye.net/about_the_artist.html</a><br /><br />I met Marci at the High Museum of Art here in Atlanta, where she's shown numerous times, as well as at other locations in and around the South East. Her jewelry is not only museum quality, it's amazingly creative and unique, and brings together the old and the new and surprises you with symbolism in ways I couldn't help but stop and admire, and then chat with her about and then meet with her for lunch to chat about some more... Take a look at some of the beautiful things Marci Fried does:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mollye.net/vintage.html">http://www.mollye.net/vintage.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mollye.net/custom_designs.html">http://www.mollye.net/custom_designs.html</a><br /><br /><strong>I'm so excited to be planning to tell you more in the coming months--about a custom line of jewelry we're working on together, to represent/promote symbols in my upcoming "Legacy" series with Dorchester.</strong> See--I really am a tease, beacause that's all I'm going to tell you about that for now.<br /><br />Except so say that Marci needs coaxing, so coax her in the comments so she'll come out and play. Then go check out out her fashion blog, too, and watch for her great ideas over there (I've already subscribed).<br /><br />Now, getting back to my website prizes: <strong>I'm going to be spotlighting Marci's jewelry a lot <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZF2X1WL-AyKAgXGwq2lY_DUXevVmZxRsaEGuOUFiCI-bC2lkrZoLU6-cL7knSxAcU-PoqWu0DzIOdVzi6U-w6S4_u4TrkvbH6tecc9R4CpNmWkQuibn-TeJSb04ojklDFtdor/s1600-h/blue+butterfly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291929394979215714" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZF2X1WL-AyKAgXGwq2lY_DUXevVmZxRsaEGuOUFiCI-bC2lkrZoLU6-cL7knSxAcU-PoqWu0DzIOdVzi6U-w6S4_u4TrkvbH6tecc9R4CpNmWkQuibn-TeJSb04ojklDFtdor/s320/blue+butterfly.jpg" border="0" /></a>this year, because she inspires me. I find myself wearing her creations when I need to feel that hopeful, positive vibe that makes the writing flow...</strong><br /><br />So, the blue butterfly necklace to the left is someting she designed for me--to match my website butterfly... That's right, it's mine--MINE!!! </p><p>I wear it a lot while I write, and get raves when I take it out to play in the real world.<br /><br /><strong>But THIS beauty is the necklace I've chosen for my next big website contest prize.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_uo_cfisVVrg8TGbGeJGzWrWn18vDom787Bnjo4TJycf3X-5SSVdBqT8mpH9S8JW6sgCvd1QolWaBsskHm-Bg-NBbDaGxuNI3gSEC3pMlEWst05SY3tW_SB9vNchnpv4Q5Xs/s1600-h/multi+butterfly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291929878123456930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 243px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_uo_cfisVVrg8TGbGeJGzWrWn18vDom787Bnjo4TJycf3X-5SSVdBqT8mpH9S8JW6sgCvd1QolWaBsskHm-Bg-NBbDaGxuNI3gSEC3pMlEWst05SY3tW_SB9vNchnpv4Q5Xs/s320/multi+butterfly.jpg" border="0" /></a></strong> <strong>You didn't think I'd forget my online buddies, did you?</strong><br /><br /><strong>I'll have details up on the site (and much, much more about Marci and our collaboration together) after Dark Legacy goes into my editor. </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Until then, drool and oooh and aaaahhh and say hi to Marci in the comments, and dream of all the exiting, beautiful things to come this year ;o)</strong></p>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-29285731193440432272009-01-13T15:23:00.020-05:002009-01-13T15:56:13.770-05:00Cute Kitten Videos and Contests...<strong>Because, a girl writing the end of her psychotic, psychic twins novel needs something to rip her back from the darkness... Like kittens and lots of prizes ;o)</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAm_Qb9XKH2SK8dP9EMu1IeX45ezHRtAsxe49dxzx0YqezWuSq1IvbM28j6OQRIjOFhLvw4MoNWFuILJw93_VvlpwU-BWBuSBE2MHrhfe-6aQHUHqMMaTp1adQLPbCRY1ZXBZ/s1600-h/couch+kitten.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290877079224216658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikAm_Qb9XKH2SK8dP9EMu1IeX45ezHRtAsxe49dxzx0YqezWuSq1IvbM28j6OQRIjOFhLvw4MoNWFuILJw93_VvlpwU-BWBuSBE2MHrhfe-6aQHUHqMMaTp1adQLPbCRY1ZXBZ/s320/couch+kitten.jpeg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1813050/">http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1813050/</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBbuI32vW59nS8hbQfspwIMNonGeyBbbhQAjuJ-nMjVtCE2KeLgXjBhI0RRep39eD51DGpc8TRL_NHZ1GOxHDcDAR1yv-UvT1zthKtxuV0m7NhTN61URoYIdCu5ueGhEazpHZ/s1600-h/adorable+kitten.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290877505633522610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBbuI32vW59nS8hbQfspwIMNonGeyBbbhQAjuJ-nMjVtCE2KeLgXjBhI0RRep39eD51DGpc8TRL_NHZ1GOxHDcDAR1yv-UvT1zthKtxuV0m7NhTN61URoYIdCu5ueGhEazpHZ/s320/adorable+kitten.jpeg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1828311">http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1828311</a><br /><br />Now that we're all smiling and feeling all cozy, wozy, <strong>let me point you toward two Fresh Fiction contests I'm running this month</strong> (one for their Valentine's feature, the other just 'cause I couldn't resist), to celebrate <strong><em>Winter Heat</em></strong> being on the shelves <strong>TODAY!!!!!:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPHSq1Gc1b_C9DWM4TraUs_NtCXGWdwG_DhJzqP3ZzXelHSb3t0X9Arxicv5svLDowXVBDD6EwgS1paxSa3KqP_eeqXe0m4AHLL89lqFzaklUTkprMF1DkCUdvZgaFSB8pVbQ/s1600-h/sig+gold+wristlette.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290879116240358978" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 111px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPHSq1Gc1b_C9DWM4TraUs_NtCXGWdwG_DhJzqP3ZzXelHSb3t0X9Arxicv5svLDowXVBDD6EwgS1paxSa3KqP_eeqXe0m4AHLL89lqFzaklUTkprMF1DkCUdvZgaFSB8pVbQ/s320/sig+gold+wristlette.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1562">http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1562</a><br /><br /><br />and<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u5tQ3wyw47FF_t2bhkdeqK4pZAJeF7N1qBu_8qnTJrwhyipFzdEoZOnGMvWCy-oj9vO_8Lh8ums-Fx14l-mCCHAs0CQZhqIYVFn0euxY0gQF2rzjplEjT1ckbzDZCHKnXBP9/s1600-h/Anna+DeStefano+XOXO+Purse+FF.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290880614982884994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 98px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u5tQ3wyw47FF_t2bhkdeqK4pZAJeF7N1qBu_8qnTJrwhyipFzdEoZOnGMvWCy-oj9vO_8Lh8ums-Fx14l-mCCHAs0CQZhqIYVFn0euxY0gQF2rzjplEjT1ckbzDZCHKnXBP9/s320/Anna+DeStefano+XOXO+Purse+FF.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1563">http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=1563</a><br /><br /><br />And for those of you visiting from FF, <strong>here's the matching wallet I promised for the XOXO purse (I have one more I'll be offering later in the month, so keep checking back in). Old and new blog friends alike, leave a comment throughout the month to be in the running for this little beauty</strong> (it's not a kitten, but then again, it won't miss the litterbox or yack up a hairball ;o)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290879487691324210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 277px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6AXpejDRLY9ABhpcnY_QK7qu5eaGKC3gkAv3CubLzhiMvZhZhiyv0H54Vq9MGqP9D3YkF6bECLBs3j7BkSya_f8SrH8UFXiDTBv28Z4EyViD5PzVlfdzKkFjl7q1P883W2zG/s320/xoxo+long+wallet.jpg" border="0" />Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-15704092269370240742009-01-11T19:44:00.015-05:002009-01-11T21:56:00.101-05:00Working Late for Me--Good for You!!!<strong>Those of you who've been through a deadline or two with me know</strong> that the final month before a deadline is the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicdT6Ky3oMUYECNm6E0iEjM-64JR2zVZL3MSu3j4zGXVKuuvPrI-khnwoQhUGELpdDyq_pgTix_U7Np-kydUqhscysu3iPTVgU21zViSKkmU-l1YY6MyJn3CGnacnLQaiZncd/s1600-h/blue+left.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290204332909820066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicdT6Ky3oMUYECNm6E0iEjM-64JR2zVZL3MSu3j4zGXVKuuvPrI-khnwoQhUGELpdDyq_pgTix_U7Np-kydUqhscysu3iPTVgU21zViSKkmU-l1YY6MyJn3CGnacnLQaiZncd/s320/blue+left.jpg" border="0" /></a>chained to my keyboard part of the process. I have rough-cut rewrites to do, an ending to pound out (which I can't do until I get the rough draft squared away and go back and figure out all I didn't know before I wrote the ugly stuff), and then targeted edits to weave through the last two weeks or so. Finally, the last two or three days are 24/7 reading and rewriting through the entire manuscript as a whole, one more time.<br /><br />And since I'm 11 days into the final month of my Dark Legacy deadline (I might have a cover for you guys sometime soon, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgdXAwfWmfDV1PginLFVN2DvYN44n_0AvGwsfWZPFFzJW3C_QTvkLy8v8aEg25LDBcWho8tSRPXE0lCNA3W1mzkVLlMpY6YRLQOpJYiJDGvMqMP1Gy60qvFGwwOvpoU5q8S77/s1600-h/grey+right.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290204736902081186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgdXAwfWmfDV1PginLFVN2DvYN44n_0AvGwsfWZPFFzJW3C_QTvkLy8v8aEg25LDBcWho8tSRPXE0lCNA3W1mzkVLlMpY6YRLQOpJYiJDGvMqMP1Gy60qvFGwwOvpoU5q8S77/s320/grey+right.jpg" border="0" /></a>and I CAN'T WAIT to share what Dorchester's working on), you'll find me blogging at odd hours and frequently and not always coherently, because I need a break sometimes and there's just so much televisionwithoutpity.com a girl can read before she starts feeling like a sarcasm junky.<br /><br /><strong>And if you're wondering why there are pics of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4ILw4teqGqNNlAPI4elT9uqVkRBBdNd4rk8SU7vV2CWhgGCv77Wec-9y2nH11oxsGZgc0Jv82V2Lv2YKLuIXGD7Bru7nIHXgEIThD__9m2UvqSJ2_9DZDv2kckaD1B2Qqnv2/s1600-h/house.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290204817394498994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4ILw4teqGqNNlAPI4elT9uqVkRBBdNd4rk8SU7vV2CWhgGCv77Wec-9y2nH11oxsGZgc0Jv82V2Lv2YKLuIXGD7Bru7nIHXgEIThD__9m2UvqSJ2_9DZDv2kckaD1B2Qqnv2/s320/house.jpg" border="0" /></a>tornadoes throughout this post</strong>--they're visual aids, in case you were wondering what my brain feels like on deadline ;O) Yep, the funnel clouds and the lightening and the destruction about to happen and even the rainbow. That's my happy little mind at the moment...<br /><br />Each post this month will be entertaining, no doubt. And some even rewarding beyond the mere experience of sharing in my sleep deprivation (I'll start chatting about new contests tomorrow, so keep coming back--<strong>I'll even be sending you to other fun sites<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIJ7ykyRpMNJAI9nlEztOXcrxMkU7iTNZtdJAZ6SHkZ8uLkJ_kGYdB_0jst2bKZofyozu5WvsSp1s_qvbfec_Veffi-trBVNA3U8G3S-CAQ24_5OT3vA5kuf83ekzTmBYhRXE/s1600-h/night+lightening.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290204896047042674" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIJ7ykyRpMNJAI9nlEztOXcrxMkU7iTNZtdJAZ6SHkZ8uLkJ_kGYdB_0jst2bKZofyozu5WvsSp1s_qvbfec_Veffi-trBVNA3U8G3S-CAQ24_5OT3vA5kuf83ekzTmBYhRXE/s320/night+lightening.jpg" border="0" /></a> for multiple chances to win, and we all like fun, so you'll go, because I say so, and if you know what's good for you, you'll do what the girl with tornadoes in her brain says</strong>).<br /><br /><strong>Where was I??? Oh, right, fun. </strong><br /><br />Tonight, in honor of a quick trip to New York I'm planning in Feb. to speak at a new writing organization I've just joined (more of them coming soon, too) and hopefully to meet with some publishing-type people at Dorchester and Harlequin, I give you...<br /><br /><strong>The best NYC Midtown Lunches...I wonder how many I can fit into a three-day visit?</strong><br /><br /><a href="http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2009/01/07/the-best-midtown-lunches-as-voted-on-by-you-2008-edition/">http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2009/01/07/the-best-midtown-lunches-as-voted-on-by-you-2008-edition/</a><br /><br />Check it out...do it...because I say so, and if you know what's good for you... Oh, just go, and have some fun while you drool over all the yummy food pics. I defy anyone to tell me there's not something on this list you're dying for a taste of RIGHT NOW!!! Or maybe that's just my stomach growling...<br /><br /><strong>Which one's my favorite, you ask. Anyone want to take a guess what a girl on deadline craves???</strong>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-31089607647566852672009-01-07T13:54:00.010-05:002009-01-22T12:57:59.808-05:00Winter Heat: Excerpt 2--Meet Felicia, And I'm "Raising the Bar"<strong>I loved opening Weekend Meltdown in my hero's point of view. </strong><br /><br />That's not how my first draft started out, but my Silhouette editor asked me to throw the reader more into the story right off the bat (I only had 100 pages to work with), and I loved the result. And it sounds like from your comments, the hook did it's job just fine ;O)<br /><br /><strong>But, now you have to meet Felicia.</strong> Well, you already met her, and Tony REALLY met her. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8BZlTGXWnI5YAtQ2PiRxuXyBkDE7Dr5fPt3qNZWN6pIyGQmOuv0rWH2wLBfgaXm3XdCp6AW5CNA6VHzKX_rU7S1VmMCb7NBrQ-EVySEJ73w0vv4arwmUcePTnwWjLm4dYEPS/s1600-h/WinterHeatCoverblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288634213752846402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8BZlTGXWnI5YAtQ2PiRxuXyBkDE7Dr5fPt3qNZWN6pIyGQmOuv0rWH2wLBfgaXm3XdCp6AW5CNA6VHzKX_rU7S1VmMCb7NBrQ-EVySEJ73w0vv4arwmUcePTnwWjLm4dYEPS/s320/WinterHeatCoverblog.jpg" border="0" /></a>But get inside her head a litte in this next excerpt. I think you'll like the ride, LOL!<br /><br /><strong>Oh, and since the new TV season's coming on strong--those of you who haven't watched "Raising the Bar" yet, make sure to get you some this month.</strong> Do it. Yes, it looks a lot like Law and Order from the outside, and it is gritty. But the writing. The anti-heroes you still want to root for. The new twist on what's good and what's bad and what is grey and in between and we just have to accept it that way or go mad... Yeah, I like it. If feels more St. Elsewhere to me, than modern legal drama. Scrapping and scraping and no real heroes to light the way, except maybe for some of the clients. I promised I'd share more of what I watch and read, so there you have it. My start. Can't wait to raise the bar some more. Make sure you listen to the dialogue. Really. Just close your eyes and listen to what they're saying. It's amazing stuff.<br /><br /><strong>Oh, and I can't wait for "Mad Men," too</strong>. Weird little show, but not so little, and really not that weird, since they're focusing on human beings, once you get past the amazing sets and wardrobe and the kick ass acting. The human element. Flaws. Redmeption. My kind of stuff, I guess.<br /><br />So, here's more from my <em><strong>Winter Heat </strong></em>anthology, due out on Jan. 13th. There are chats and guest blogging coming up to help us celebrate it's realse next week. But for now, you get to read what's not even on shelves yet ;o)<br /><br />******<br /><strong><em>Weekend Meltdown<br />Chapter Two</em></strong><br /><br />"You're drunk, Ms. Gallo."<br /><br />Felicia was drunk all right, swimming in a golden, sensual haze. But <em>not </em>from the few glasses of expensive wine she'd imbibed between the airport and the lodge. Blinking, she tried to clear the dazzling glare from her vision. Glare that had nothing to do with camera flashes.<br /><br />"Ms. Gallo?" prodded the sinfully-sexy man holding her.<br /><br />His mouth was near her ear, so no one but her would hear. The wash of his breath over her sensitive skin wrecked her balance even more.<br /><br />"I'm per...perfectly fine," she insisted.<br /><br />And just to prove it, she didn't shamelessly throw herself at Tony Rossi again. No matter how badly she wanted to.<br /><br />This was Willard's fault. All of it.<br /><br />"Of course you're fine, darling," insisted the mastermind behind her humiliation. Willard hitched a supportive arm under her elbow, then batted his lashes at Rossi's <em>Steve McQueen </em>glare. "I'm sure this fine specimen has a valet at his disposal, to fetch our bags away while we get you checked in."<br /><br />"Everything's exactly as described in your prize package." Rossi stared down the photographer who was still snapping away, until the poor guy gave up and got lost. "If you think you can manage, Ms. Gallo, I'll help you register, then take you to your suite so you can...rest. I'm sure you'll want to be at your best for tonight's activities."<br /><br />And Felicia's best clearly wasn't good enough at the moment.<br /><br /><em>Steve McQueen </em>seemed to have forgotten his enthusiastic participation in her Willard-inspired naughtiness.<br /><br /><em>No fear this weekend</em>, Willard had insisted ever since they'd jetted away from Manhattan. Willard and her, and the brand new wardrobe she'd purchased to ramp up her battered sexual confidence. <em>No holding back</em>.<br /><br />She was a goddess, she reminded herself. Not a woman so wrapped up in her high-powered career that her fiancé had dumped her for the coat check girl at Willard's East Village trattoria, <em>Viva!</em><br /><br />Too kiss-wobbly on her fuck-me platform sandals to make another scene by stomping away—but determined to remind Rossi that it had been <em>his </em>tongue inspecting every inch of her orthodontist's handiwork—Felicia sidled closer. She ran an acrylic nail down the yummy fabric of his expensively distressed shirt. Batted her own heavily massacred lashes.<br /><br />"I think you'll find that I'm always at my best, Mr. Rossi."<br /><br />Willard's wicked chuckle was a dear thing, no matter how pissed she was at him. She let him lead her into the lodge. He'd pay later, when they were alone and she'd reclaimed enough brain cells to punish him for baiting her into embarrassing herself. But for now, she needed his sass to feed her own.<br /><br />Head high, adding extra sway to the undulation of her hips, she tossed her hair over her shoulders and left a frowning Rossi at the curb.<br /><br />"Well played, my dear." Willard lead her into the luxurious lobby that wasn't exactly the tranquil, Gatsbyesque scene she'd expected. "How come you never put that weenie Phillip in his place like that?"<br /><br />"You promised never to say that name to me again." She fake-smiled through her teeth at a passing couple.<br /><br />"Well, your <em>Big Mistake of 2007 </em>didn't deserve you. And you haven't deserved beating yourself up over the asshole for two years. How did it feel, propositioning the first hunk of a man you saw, then leaving him in your dust?"<br /><br />"Mortifying." And unsatisfying.<br /><br />It had to be the sparkling wine they'd found waiting for them in the Town Car, making her crave more.<br /><br /><em>Two glasses of champagne?<br /><br />Right! </em><br /><br /><em>That's</em> why she felt so woozy.<br /><br />Rossi, the real culprit behind the buzzing in her brain, had a backside as amazing as his front. And of <em>course</em>, she couldn't keep her eyes off him. He flanked the bell man and their cart of bags as far as the elevators. Then he headed Felicia and Willard's way, oozing such intoxicating intensity, she realized she was panting for air.<br /><br />"Why did I let you talk me into this?" she whined.<br /><br />"Because it's a freaking dream weekend, girlfriend. And you're going to take advantage of every second. You're more in need of a winter meltdown, than any woman I know—including myself."<br /><br />"You just want to swap lip gloss secrets with Maddy Lov." She ignored her gay husband's wounded moue. Out of the corner of her eye, she tracked Rossi's approach, and every amazing thing his body did to the tailored slacks he wore. "This farce is about <em>you </em>storing up tidbits to share with your divas in Manhattan."<br /><br />"You're the only diva I care about this weekend, love." Willard caught her tugging at the fur-trimmed neckline of her top. His eye-roll destroyed the last of her champagne's golden glow. "You're wearing Cloe played with Blahnik. Very, <em>Shut your mouth, I'm not an uptight lawyer freaked out about being the main draw at the party of the season</em>! Now own it. Take some chances. Let me see you slinking back into your lawyer's shell, and mama's going to slap your hand—or some other part of your anatomy."<br /><br />The threat came with another affectionate wink.<br /><br />Felicia laughed.<br /><br />Even being annoyed with Willard called to creative, exuberant parts of her. The parts she usually draped with classic Chanel suits and St. John dresses, when what she secretly lusted after was Prada and Cavalli.<br /><br />"How are we doing?" Tony Rossi asked at her side.<br /><br />Speaking of lusting...<br /><br />"Never better." She focused on her surroundings, rather than the impulse to run her hands through the guy's caramel-brown hair again.<br /><br />Romantic couples cuddling by firelight would have been a bit much, she supposed. But Winter Pass' aura was more like Manhattan's high-energy dating scene, than a quaint venue for the poetry readings, elegant dinners, and the wine and cheese cocktail hours described on the lodge's Webpage. Willard was right. It <em>was </em>going to be the party of the season.<br /><br />He drew her to the registration desk, an arm draped supportively about her waist. A whoop went up from the lobby's wood-paneled bar. Gales of laughter followed. Felicia glanced toward the mayhem, the skin on the back of her neck tingling at Rossi's nearness.<br /><br />Maddy Lov was one of her father's law firm's top celebrity clients. At one firm VIP function, Felicia had watched Maddy drink men twice her size under the table, daring her besotted admirers to keep up. And Rossi thought <em>Felicia </em>needed a nap so she could rein in her inner wild child?<br /><br />The kind of alluring wild child she'd let her ex-fiancé's rejection convince her she'd never be.<br /><br />Suddenly fed up with years of weak second-guessing, she left Willard to handle things with the registration attendant and turned on Rossi. She thrust the plunging neckline of her halter top out and smiled her best siren's smile.<br /><br />"This place isn't exactly how things were described in the prize package," she challenged. "I must say, I'm a little disappointed."<br /><br />"I know exactly how you feel." Rossi stopped checking out her cleavage and consulted what looked like a vintage watch. Then he took in her over-the-top ensemble again, making her even more determined not to let him know how unsettled she felt in her risqué fashion. "Why don't I show you to your suite, while your <em>friend </em>finishes taking care of the particulars. I'm already late to help set up for the welcome reception, and—"<br /><br />"No need." Willard took her hand and kissed her fingers. "But once I help this lovely creature freshen up, maybe you and I can get better acquainted."<br /><br />Rossi's answering annoyance went no further than the chill in his gaze.<br /><br />"I'll look forward to it." He sounded as if eating dirt would be more appealing, but his congenial smile was rugged perfection. "Especially since Ms. Gallo's due to recite her grand prize winning poem after dinner."<br /><br />"I'll try extra hard to make it a memorable moment." She pushed past Rossi, annoyed by this all-business side of him. Where was the passion and lust from before? "I'll look forward to your critique afterwards."<br /><br /><em>Critique</em>? Willard's raised eyebrow asked as they neared the elevator.<br /><br /><em>Eat shit!</em>, she smiled back, feeling Rossi track their progress toward their third floor suite. Once inside the elevator, she turned and met his gaze, shivering.<br /><br />What kind of man made even blatant disapproval look sizzling hot?<br /><br />The doors whooshed shut. Willard watched her rub at the chill bumps skittering up and down her arms.<br /><br />"The first man wasn't the old guy at the concierge desk," he quipped. "That's a plus."<br /><br />She punched him as a reward, nearly missing his forearm while her body shivered in awareness. He'd dared her to seduce the first unsuspecting guy she saw. And like a fool, she'd played along, just for fun. What could it hurt?<br /><br />The elevator slowed, then stopped.<br /><br />"I just sexed up the most obnoxious man in the place," she reminded her friend as the exited. "The guy's acting like he's ready to toss us both out, when he was crawling all over me outside. I'm an asshole magnet. What's wrong with me?"<br /><br />"Absolutely nothing, except you need to relax and enjoy the ride. Stop worrying. I wouldn't mind finding someone that <em>obnoxious</em>of my own to spar with this weekend."<br /><br />"He's all yours." Felicia needed someone less...<em>everything</em>, to test her battered self-esteem on.<br /><br />"Ah, good." Willard ushered her toward their suite. The cart with their things on it was positioned outside the open door, the bell man still unloading. "See, darling. We get to stay the night, despite you shamelessly making the most fantastic man I've ever seen your love slave."<br /><br />"I did not make Tony Rossi my love slave!" Felicia turned into the suit in time to catch the shocked expression on the bell man's face as he screeched to a halt in front of her...Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-17160244917998064342009-01-04T22:16:00.009-05:002009-01-22T12:57:19.225-05:00Winter Heat: Excerpt 1, And A Monday Chance to Win<strong>I'm including an excerpt below from <em>Winter Heat</em>--my Jan 13th Silhouette release that's already hitting the Amazon best seller lists, on pre-orders alone. </strong><br /><br />Pretty cool, huh? And I always share the good stuff with my online friends ;o)<br /><br />And speaking of really good online friends who love sharing, make sure to visit Michelle Buonfiglio's birthday party tomorrow (Monday the 5th) on her myLifetimeTV.com blog--Romance B(u)y the Blog:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blog">http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blog</a><br /><br />She's going to be hosting great fun and giving away great prizes. You don't want to miss out.<br /><br />And here's a touch of Winter Heat to warm up your chilly night ;o) Keep checking back. I'll be teasing you with more, off and on, until the release date--and I'll be posting a pic soon of the the AMAZING prize I'll be drawing a winner for, from thise who leave comments through the end of the month.<br /><br />Enjoy the excerpt and Michelle's party!<br /><br />********<br /><strong><br /><em>Winter Heat</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>Chapter One</strong><br /><br />"You'll have the romantic getaway reputation you're paying me for." Tony Rossi flashed Tom Walker a confident smile. "I guarantee it."<br /><br />A whoop heckled him from the lobby's oak bar, where rock star Maddy Lov was holding court. Lov was A-List Publicity's problem for the weekend. Not Tony's, thank God. But the lodge's floundering PR firm had figured what better way to grab Winter Pass an Internet full of tabloid attention, than to leverage the latest pop princess du jour for all the viral press they could get.<br /><br />The ensuing chaos was dangerously close to running off the romantic couples the Walkers wanted drawn to their lovely jewel in the mountains.<br /><br />"A <em>Weekend of Poetry and Romance</em>, huh?" Walker asked.<br /><br />The theme had been his and his wife's brainchild. So was the online sonnet contest, the winners of which were the weekend's guest of honor. Now Tony's job was to promote his ass off at the eleventh hour, to counter A-Lists' missteps. He was a one-man show, an insanely-expensive PR gun for hire, and he never let a client down.<br /><br />Walker's attention shifted to a buxom ski bunny prancing by. The party girl's snow suit was unzipped so close to nirvana, Lov's contingent of paparazzi had her under round-the-clock surveillance.<br /><br />"Well." Tom clapped Tony on the shoulder. "You're our closer. Get it done!"<br /><br />With a <em>glad I'm not you</em> glance, he headed behind the Tucson-inspired registration desk and disappeared into the lodge's offices.<br /><br />"No luck to it," Tony reminded himself.<br /><br />Luck had revealed its mercurial ways to him at a tender age. He'd made his own success ever since, screw the odds against him. Winter Pass might be a mess, but it was his highest profile account yet. His professional future was riding on delivering on the promise he'd just made.<br />Maddy Lov had been watching Tony's exchange with his anxious client. She smiled from the epicenter of her sea of admirers, as if she'd heard every word and relished the trouble her girls-gone-wild approach to ski resort chic was causing Tony.<br /><br />The day kept getting better and better.<br /><br />Liz Song, the author of one of the contest's winning poems, was snowed in somewhere <em>not</em> Colorado. The second contest couple, whom Tony had wanted settled in before that afternoon's welcome festivities began, was MIA. At least Felicia Gallo and her guest were on their way in from the airport.<br /><br /><em>She</em> and her amazing poem were the real deal the Walkers needed to show the lodge off. And Tony, and the events schedule he'd created and subsequently leaked to the press, was determined to make sure that's exactly what happened.<br /><br />He'd gladly left classic literature behind after high school. But poetry was the language of lovers. And twenty couples were arriving at Winter Pass, expecting the luxury poetry weekend the Walkers had dreamed up. A romantic vibe he wasn't letting Lov's <em>full-tilt-boogie</em> mania tarnish.<br /><br />The Walkers would have their dream, despite A-List's bungling. He'd organized a flurry of expensive, last-minute publicity on every available travel magazine Website. Couples bookings had quickly surpassed the flurry of singles coming to <em>Party with Lov</em>. The sonnet contest winners were going to romance the socks off the guests. That's just the way it was going to be.<br /><br />He jerked at his lapels, resettling his black wool sports coat on his shoulders. Or as settled as the jacket could look, considering the distressed finish of the shirt he'd thrown on beneath it—without a tie. Appearance was an essential part of the PR game. He did his job and kept the wrinkles at bay. But dawning a conservative shirt and tie every day wasn't going to happen. Neither was getting excited about the arrival of a hard-core romantic like Gallo.<br /><br />But as he headed for the carved wood and stained glass doors that opened onto the lodge's portico, he caught himself smoothing the front of his tailored slacks.<br /><br /><em>Damn, man! </em><br /><em><br />Felicia Gallo's coming with the date the Walkers urged her to bring. Get her settled, give her weekend her itinerary, then get back to Maddy Lov before one of her groupies torches the lobby!<br /><br /></em>Except all day, while Tony had been keeping an eye on Maddy's <em>boom-baby</em> curves, it was Gallo's soft features he couldn't get out of his mind. He'd studied her head shot as he'd designed and distributed a flurry of press releases. Soft waves of dark blonde hair. Sparkling, princess-blue eyes. Her smile was sugar-sweet.<br />So why did it make him think of wicked sex and satin sheets? Why did he keep imagining the warmth radiating from her expression, smoldering into nuclear waves that could melt even a frigid Colorado January?<br /><br />She made him think of sex and drama, and he never let his sex life get anywhere close to dramatic.<br /><br />Standing at the curb, Tony checked the time on his Tag Heur Manaco. Then he checked himself. Gazed at the snow-covered landscape he'd spent the last three weeks hyping to anyone who'd listen.<br /><br />Felicia Gallo, and the warm intelligence dripping from every word of her poetry, was arriving any minute. He'd work her pedigreed business success and romantic heart to the resort's advantage. If a part of him wanted to sample any of her warmth for himself, he'd deal with it. The same way he dealt with the few things that ever managed to surprise him. He'd ignore the impulse to indulge in weak feelings that would only bring him trouble, then he'd get back to work.<br /><br />A speck on the frozen horizon crept closer—one of the Town Cars Tony had reserved for the weekend's VIP's. The corporate lawyer with a lover's soul would be inside, along with the man she'd invited to share her romantic prize package.<br /><br />But the poet from Ms. Gallo's poignant biopic didn't emerge from the luxury car. Out teetered a high-maintenance fashionista instead, wearing four inch heels and the kind of severe style he'd seen firsthand on Madison Avenue.<br /><br />Nothing turned Tony off more, than the brittle kind of bombshell striding toward him.<br /><br />Her hips swayed as if she was on a mission to captivate every man in sight—because she knew she could. Gallo's smile zeroed in on Tony, as if she were playing a role, and his part in her production was to do her bidding. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, meeting him eye-to-eye—a woman who had no intention of being ignored.<br /><br />Then she leaned in to whisper, "Hello," with both her wicked perfume and a husky, sensual voice.<br />Turned off or not, Tony's body instantly <em>helloed</em> back.<br /><br />He found himself sipping the taste of champagne from her lips, groaning while she licked, then sucked, at his tongue. Her bottom wiggled beneath the vibrant purple of the catsuit-come-snowsuit she'd worn with her skyscraper stilettos.<br /><br />Actually, a firm cheek had found it's way beneath each of his palms.<br /><br />His hands skimmed across the softest female flesh he'd ever touched, and kept right on skimming, encountering not the barest trace of panties.<br /><br />Damn!<br /><br />His fingers clenched, and her breath hitched. A rough sound that brimmed with wicked promise. Then she jerked away, shock vibrating through her body, her pupils expanding, her head slowly shaking.<br /><br />Tony's body screamed for more. A spark of reason argued that his hands were better off in his pockets. His palms settled the matter by pulling the enticing globes of her ass closer. She squirmed, but in the next second her body brushed his hardness, and her resistance evaporated. She burrowed her head against his neck, her teeth nipping. Lost in the rush, he settled her tighter against his straining flesh and lost what was left of his mind.<br /><br />Wrapping a fist in her wildly curling hair, he pulled until he had her lips again. Her taste.<br /><br />"Good Lord, Fe," a masculine voice chided. "Get a room before you devour the beautiful man for dinner."<br /><br />Tony opened one eye, then the other. The woman in his arms panted, her legs sliding down his thighs and calves until the toes of her outlandish shoes touched the sidewalk, then the heels. A wave of uncharacteristic protectiveness had him pulling her head to his shoulder, shielding her face, while she pulled together whatever wits she still possessed.<br /><br />It took him longer than it should have to do the same. Then he took stock of the man the wanton in his arms had arrived with. A man dressed as expensively, and as vividly, as Felicia Gallo herself.<br /><br />Tony made his hands drop to his side.<br /><br />"I suppose," he rasped, "that this is the muse for your words of enduring love. The date you were encouraged to invite to share your romantic getaway with?"<br /><br />"Wh... What?" Afternoon sun shone fire-red in the deep blond of Gallo's hair. Her features softened in confusion. Something of the woman in the picture Tony had studied emerged.<br />"Your new boy toy wants to know if he has competition for the weekend." Gallo's flamboyant friend winked, his gaze skimming from Tony's laced-up dress shoes to his untamable hair. "And I want to know if you plan to share the wealth."<br /><br />A strobing flash of light momentarily blinded them.<br /><br />"Kiss her again, Rossi," demanded one of the photogs constantly cruising the lodge. "That was hot!"<br /><br />More flashes followed, attracting the attention of passers by who otherwise might not have noticed Tony's insane reaction to the kind of female he wanted nothing to do with. The nexus of his <em>wholesome</em> PR plans for the Walkers.<br /><br />"Rossi?" The hard-core sex goddess who'd been mauling him blushed from the diamonds winking in her earlobes, to the tantalizing cleavage spilling from her top's plunging neckline. "Oh-My-God!"Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-61312464904462123192009-01-02T13:41:00.011-05:002009-01-02T14:36:46.163-05:00I'm on LifetimeTV (.com)!!!<strong>Touching something amazing every day, remember!</strong> <div><br /><div></div><div>I wanted to share a fun surpise. Last April, at the 2008 Romantic Times Conference, I was interviewed by good friend, journalist and romance advocate Michelle Buonfiglio, who blogs about all things romance over at for LifetimeTV.com:</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blog">http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/romance-buy-the-book/blog</a></div><br /><div></div><div>It was fun, if a little terrifying to be on camera beside a professional journalist and former beuty pagent winner (Michelle's a former Miss Penn. and a Top 10 finalist in the Miss America contest, bless her beautiful heart, and it is beautiful, just like the rest of her). Her film crew put me at ease, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5qXNrpDh-P29JexqEvxVu8ukbm2NtJfSncsV4XBDOLAn4xH1gJRLbqt55Zx4yCXYEXjhTk5BVZq6ZR_RsBmVLkYwSh-rSteI6GmRf6HlgJXZore87QANLlnp-0q8hX_h5231/s1600-h/lifetimereaderresponsevideo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286772201992832226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5qXNrpDh-P29JexqEvxVu8ukbm2NtJfSncsV4XBDOLAn4xH1gJRLbqt55Zx4yCXYEXjhTk5BVZq6ZR_RsBmVLkYwSh-rSteI6GmRf6HlgJXZore87QANLlnp-0q8hX_h5231/s320/lifetimereaderresponsevideo.jpg" border="0" /></a>even though they had me squinting into direct sunlight because they needed it to keep the shadows at bay. So, I survived without hyperventilating and pretty much figured that's the last I'd hear of the experience. Michelle had so many other wonderful, better known authors on her call sheet. My twenty minutes or so would no doubt be cut--what a relief!</div><br /><div></div><div>Well, fast forward to a friend sending me a link last night, and, woops! So much for relief. Seems I managed to say something intelligent, after all--about loving to hear reader<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZ9zlZA5G3x7LXkT4sciI7CgxkaUyFJYP7WuVLm7DLOxLkI4ruve6mDjkdUcjXc4zwLnbyxOPHzaL0pfOkEgjTWR5NDVRixhMnZvgzSGD6NMZdaO1wWqqB5VgcuvfJU87G-rI/s1600-h/lifetimefancommunicationvideo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286772256197428706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZ9zlZA5G3x7LXkT4sciI7CgxkaUyFJYP7WuVLm7DLOxLkI4ruve6mDjkdUcjXc4zwLnbyxOPHzaL0pfOkEgjTWR5NDVRixhMnZvgzSGD6NMZdaO1wWqqB5VgcuvfJU87G-rI/s320/lifetimefancommunicationvideo.jpg" border="0" /></a> responses to my stories, and staying in touch with fans over the information superhighway.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>So, here they are--my first "national" interviews. Really amazing things, actually.</strong> Once I got past the feminine hygiene ad--which evidently is intended to score with the romance target market (always happy to help, any way I can). And once i got over the way I sound (that's not my voice), and how tense my face is (did I mention the staring directly into sunlight part, while a tinfoil thingie reflected even more of it into my peripheral vision?). Once I watched it a few times and relaxed enough to listen to what I was saying. <p></p></div><div></div><div></div><div>Michelle and I have known each other for years, both professionally and as friends, and she knew just the right questions to get me to open up. And I really seem into what I'm saying--in a tense, squinty way--and most of it's not half bad, even though there are a few rough cuts where they spliced one part of the interview into another. In the end, I even managed to make <em>me</em> feel a little more excited about this career I've been lucky enought to build a presence in. I'm a lucky girl. <strong>Jan. 2nd, 2009: amazing thing--<em>check</em>.</strong></div><br /><div>So, take a look and chuckle amongst yourself. And--just to show you I'm a team player, all the way around--go buy sanitary pads, for heaven sake!!! <p></p></div><div></div><div><strong>Follow this link to my LifetimeTV video page (that's a very cool thing to type, BTW ;o) Thanks, Michelle B.!!!<br /></strong><br /><a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/video-search/tags/Anna%20Destefano">http://www.mylifetime.com/video-search/tags/Anna%20Destefano</a></div></div>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-50171584445662113712009-01-01T20:00:00.013-05:002009-01-02T14:17:50.965-05:00Happy New Year!!!<strong>At least twice a week, every week...that's my goal for cardio and blogging in 2009 ;o)</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYDw4zgZGkxOBP0sbAOYvlfsvBjZbnigDsVhWsMLz6smcrpgpWzgr4LHA7fCCtSfp4iwDxnqEeiK8CrKvTIecnUuU-scoR1RCDseA_4vd1PcI3vTaY90T040JlNnVuN5CekQs/s1600-h/newyearpostcard.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286501139279690162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 202px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYDw4zgZGkxOBP0sbAOYvlfsvBjZbnigDsVhWsMLz6smcrpgpWzgr4LHA7fCCtSfp4iwDxnqEeiK8CrKvTIecnUuU-scoR1RCDseA_4vd1PcI3vTaY90T040JlNnVuN5CekQs/s320/newyearpostcard.jpg" border="0" /></a>And there's so much to share.</strong> New publishers and new books and new genres and new creative partners and new obsessions and the same compulsion to share it all... So check back every week, more than once, and you won't be disappointed. My Silhouette Special Release anthology, <strong><em>Winter Heat</em></strong>, is out in a few weeks, so stay tuned!<br /><br /><strong>Of course, we'll be having release parties and contests, just like the good 'ol days.</strong> All winners from 2008 who contacted me with the snail mail addresses should have received their goodies. If you didn't get yours for some reason, email me one more time and I'll set things a right.<br /><br />Today, I'm trying to slow down from a fast-paced holiday so I can sink back into the manuscript due on Feb. 1st. <strong>You know, that paranormal romantic suspese about the psychic twin sisters and their psychotic dreams I've been teasing everyone about???</strong> Yep! I sold it--actually, I sold it and it's sequel--and I'll be sharing all the details soon.<br /><br />But for now, I've watched Looney Tunes this morning with my son, chatted the mid-day away with my husband, and now I'm rewatching Double Jeapardy on the DVD. A great contemporary suspense I'm hoping will get me in the mood for a night of writing and rewriting ;o) Next in the line up... Watching Blue Crush because it's a girl-power movie and the photography of surfing the Pipeline in Hawaii is amazing. <strong>And I want a touch of amazing in every 2009 day.<br /></strong><br /><strong>Settle deep into your life, too, wherever you are.</strong> It's the beginning of a great new year. 2008 was full of a lot of hard work that I allowed to take me too far away from the things <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPcZaXxVRl_4AdXJwYMJuzLcCddeBzmdobjqlmaZruqu9UQ2ymJlIFq7N0ouP9yemORLVU7DoP2kCBo1JZmJp4pTQI_H6C2y1oplu9IA9z3FAbyqS06yg086EG5mFCE7YxD_1/s1600-h/newyearsurfing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286501476965201090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPcZaXxVRl_4AdXJwYMJuzLcCddeBzmdobjqlmaZruqu9UQ2ymJlIFq7N0ouP9yemORLVU7DoP2kCBo1JZmJp4pTQI_H6C2y1oplu9IA9z3FAbyqS06yg086EG5mFCE7YxD_1/s320/newyearsurfing.jpg" border="0" /></a>I need to feed my creativity. I'll be working even harder in 2009, but I'll be working smarter, too. And <strong>I'll be cherishing the things in this new year that nurture me--a long list, of which all of you are most definitely part.</strong><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Don't be gone long. I'll be waiting here for you!</strong></p>Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20349107.post-28966601267522792672008-09-21T18:43:00.005-04:002008-09-21T19:40:28.679-04:00Things that have Rocked My World so far this Month!!!1) Everyone who "stopped by" to say hi with an email or a blog post, chatted up To Save a Family (which is selling like gangbusters everywhere I look, so grab your copy), and who left me snail mail addresses for prize winners. Shipments go out starting tomorrow (check back over the last few blog posts to be sure if you're one of the lucky winners!)<br /><br />2) The political conversation in the air--whatever your opinion, people are talking with passion and maybe even digging beneath the surface for enough information to make up their own minds, instead of repeating what they hear a reporter say on the news. Kudos!!!<br /><br />3) Watching the first season of Dirty, Sexy Money on DVD--then reading the recaps at televisionwithoutpity.com. The subtext and underlying threads in this wacky show are really amazing.<br /><br />4) Reading The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen--an amazing, etherail read.<br /><br />5) The weather turning "fall-ish" around here--which means, the air's not running all day and I can sit on my back deck and write while a cool breeze takes the edge off the late-summer sun's heat.<br /><br />6) Watching the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo. I'm a wanna-be stylist/personal shopper, what can I say. I'm already addicted--I DIE!!!<br /><br />7) The national bail-out of those in and around Housten and our nation's financial and real estate crisies. Not sure which is more of a tragedy--but the latter could most definately have been stopped long before now, so it's about damn time.<br /><br />8) Hearing/watching my son grow into his gifts for music and tennis. He's practicing both all week long, every week, and starting to learn that working hard at something you love doesn't always have to feel like work.<br /><br />9) Having all four of my cats in bed with me the other week, when I was under the weather. My family, when my other family has to leave me for work and school. Proof of love in the world, no matter how much everything else seems to be spinning.<br /><br />10) Falling in love with Vanity Fair and The New York Times again. It's been a while since I've<br />had the time to catch up on my reading (can you tell I've been emmersing myself in somthing else besides my words, lol!), and I'd forgotten how amazing the Vanity Fair articles are. Lots of good stuff in the NYT, too, even if you have to dig a bit (but not as much as with other papers) to tunnel under the spin.<br /><br />How's your month going?Anna Destefanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15355386548205139574noreply@blogger.com27