The Little (or not so little) Things In A Writer’s Life

17 March, 2013 by

I’ve been on a quest this past week to organize my new office better and maximize my workspace for comfort. I often spend 15 hours a day or more at my computer and that tends to take a toll on my back, neck and arms. In particular my neck has been bothering me a lot lately from looking down at my laptop.

So… I decided it was time to set up my office better and use my laptop more like a desktop whenever I’m working in here. Of course no good reorganization is any fun without a shopping trip so off to best buy I went.

One new keyboard and giant 27″ monitor later, this office is looking good. LOL

newcomputerscreen

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Snippet Saturday – Author’s Choice

26 January, 2013 by

snippet

The theme this week is author’s choice and I’ve chosen an excerpt from my latest release Tucker’s Fall.

Since it’s January and easily the coldest month of the year, I imagine many of you will empathize with Maggie as she white knuckles her steering wheel trying to get through a snow storm in one piece. After reading the scene if you’d like to to take a trip behind the scene, you’ll want to visit the behind the book section of the Tucker’s Fall book page for more nuggets about Maggie and her cold weather issues.

Excerpt:

Maggie tightened her hands on the steering wheel and held on for dear life. Flakes the size of dollar coins attacked her windshield as she struggled to see the road. Why had she not listened to the news reports when they’d warned the coming storm would be serious? Instead she’d ignored everything around her and stayed at the coffee shop until the roads turned white and her latest chapter had been edited to perfection.

Another chapter in her first book wouldn’t do her much good if she didn’t survive the drive home. She narrowed her eyes. Her visibility was shit and she still had several miles to go. Not to mention the hill. A rough groan formed at the back of her throat. Her decision to come to the lake

for the winter really had been a very bad idea. As far as she was concerned, Dorothy had it all wrong. No place like home was nothing but bullshit created by some Pollyanna who’d never made a mistake in her life. Small town America held a grudge when one of their own made a spectacle of themselves in the public eye.

Maggie turned the wheel to hold her course on the road and blew out a hard breath. Focus on the road and worry about your life later, dumbass.

With her turn coming up, she slowly pressed the brake pedal and turned on her signal. This was it. The hill that stood between her and home. At about ten miles per hour she navigated her small sports car across the road and made her way to Miller road. So far so good.

Her car crested the hill and the long descent loomed below her. “Slow and steady,” she chanted over and over again. Her teeth ached something fierce from clenching her jaw, but she couldn’t stop if she wanted to. Driving in the snow terrified her. It had been years since she’d tried, but it took nothing to recall the tree that had mangled her parent’s SUV the last time she’d attempted to drive in the white stuff.

After college she’d moved from North Carolina to Florida where her chance of snow turned to zero and the sun shone almost every day of the year. Not to mention the lack of hills.

Red lights flashed in Maggie’s vision and her heart clenched. There were two cars nose to nose in the middle of the road. She slammed on the brake to stop her car and nothing happened. Shit! In the back of her mind she vaguely remembered being told to never slam on the brakes in snow or ice because her car would lose traction. In a weird sort of slow motion her car continued to slide slowly down the hill toward the cars blocking her passage.

Maggie’s stomach trembled as she pulled the wheel in the opposite direction. Her car swerved to the left, but not enough. As the seconds ticked by and her windshield wipers ushered the snow from her window as quickly as it fell the pit in her stomach grew.

At the first sound of metal scraping against metal, Maggie cried out.

 

For more snippety goodness from the other authors, be sure to follow the trail:

Lissa Matthews
Rhian Cahill
Shelli Stevens
Leah Braemel
Myla Jackson
Caris Roane
Jody Wallace
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
HelenKay Dimon
Shiloh Walker
Delilah Devlin
Lauren Dane

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Snippet Saturday – Lean on Me

18 August, 2012 by

It’s been a busy week so I’m keeping this post simple. How about a snippet from Submissive Beauty.

Excerpt:

Gabby turned her car down Franklin Street, and her anxiety soared to an all-new level.
She’d gotten dressed per instructions and rushed out the door. A glance at the dashboard clock said ten minutes until her deadline, and she still wondered what the hell she was doing. Every possible scenario she’d imagined led to nothing but more questions.

What would Thomas do to her if she went through with this?

Surely he would touch her, but how far did he intend to push her in one night? Her mind raced with myriad possibilities as fear gripped her so tight she found herself strangling the steering wheel.

Get a grip Gabby. This is what you’ve been waiting and wishing for, isn’t it? A gamut of emotions coursed through her; fear, excitement, arousal, curiosity, and…her arms trembled…more fear. A bark of nervous laughter pressed through her lips. Angel had assured her repeatedly that nothing bad would happen to her, and that Thomas could be trusted with her
safety.

She’d learned that he held a considerable position in the community and commanded a generous amount of respect from the members of the club. Those assurances had been enough for her to get this far, but as she searched the numbers on every mailbox, she considered giving up and returning home.

No one would think less of her if she wasn’t the right type for Thomas’s unorthodox demands. Who could blame her for wanting to get to know a man before letting him dominate her? Yeah, too late for that Gabby. Whether you like it or not, he’s been dominating you since you first heard his voice. Gabby sighed.

She spied the number three hundred and ten on a black mailbox encased in brick and quickly turned to the right into the drive. A wrought iron gate stood open as if awaiting her arrival. She slowly drove beyond it and up the winding drive. The house loomed in front of her, large and old. If this was indeed Thomas’s house, he had very expensive taste. She’d guess the
stately brick home was built in the late 1800s and had been restored sometime in the last decade.

The few gaslights that were lit out front did little other than cast shadows across the footpath that led to the front door. Compared to her modest uptown townhouse she was way out of her league. She parked her car close to the walkway and strained to see through the inky darkness. No other cars were in sight. She shook her head and banned the negativity from her
mind. Just because she didn’t see any other vehicles didn’t mean they weren’t there. These houses typically had hidden garages around back.

Gabby took a deep breath and rested her forehead on the steering wheel for a minute,releasing the air one short puff at a time. If she didn’t calm down, she’d be shaking like a leaf by the time she got inside.

Get a grip, Gabby. You decided you’re going to do this so buck up already.

She stepped from the car and carefully balanced herself, wondering once again why she’d worn ridiculously high-heeled shoes. Because they’re pretty, that’s why. She walked to the front door and automatically reached for the doorbell. Lucky for her, she caught herself in mid-air seconds before she pressed it. He’d said to enter the residence unannounced and proceed instead of waiting for an invitation to come in. She struggled with her social conditioning as she complied with his directions. Nerves jumped in her belly at the thought of walking into the wrong house and finding herself in more trouble than she could handle.

She opened it noiselessly and peeked through a crack in the door, afraid someone would catch her. Just inside she spied a long narrow foyer leading to what she presumed would be the living area. Gabby crept through the door and quietly closed it behind her. She tiptoed toward the back of the house, trying not to click her heels on the hardwood floor.

The room opened up into an inviting space filled with comfortable furniture and a large screen television as the focal point. Where she’d expected expensive antique furniture, she found a comfortable space that looked lived in, especially the large overstuffed couch that dominated the center of the room.

Gabby glanced at her watch and realized she had about thirty seconds to get in place, or she’d be late. She hustled over to the coffee table, set her purse and keys down and stepped to the end of the couch as instructed. Her body curved around the large rolled end as she wiggled into place—head down, ass up. Nervous didn’t begin to describe how she felt. She took a deep breath and lifted her skirt on the exhale. Cold air swept across her naked bottom causing goose flesh to erupt across her skin.

Gabby squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to be afraid. She’d followed his instructions to the letter despite the fact she was in a strange home with her bare butt and pussy exposed to anyone who walked into the room. She prayed it would indeed be Thomas who found her.

 

Be sure to follow the trail to more snippety goodness:

Megan Hart:Read in bed!
Leah Braemel
Mandy M Roth
Lissa Matthews
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
TJ Michaels
Delilah Devlin
Jody Wallace

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Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop

13 August, 2012 by

Hi all! Welcome to my stop of the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop hosted by Bella Media Management, Caris Roane and H.D. Thomson. The hop runs all week and you have a chance to win all kinds of fabulous prizes.

I’ve only just returned from the Authors After Dark Convention last night where hot heroes were on all our minds all the time.

It’s no secret that I love UBER alpha males. They may often come across as harsh while trying to be protective but it’s all part of the appeal for me. The more alpha they tend to be, the harder they fall when the right woman comes along. It gives me chills just thinking about it.

This kind of hero works really well in shifter romances and is very much part of why I love writing them so much. I’ll get to that gooey center eventually. *grins*

Can you sum up your favorite kind of hero in three words or less? Leave me a comment and you could win.

For my giveaway I am giving you reader’s choice of any shifter eBook from my backlist. Here is just a couple to choose from:

Lucas

Kira MacDonald is in trouble. Plagued by false visions and erotic dreams of a man she’s never met, she fears losing both her psychic powers and her sanity. The cure? Finding and bonding with her mate. The stubborn red-haired warrior might not want one, but fate has other plans, plans that include her rescuing Lucas Gunn.

As the Guardian of his shape-shifting clan, Lucas Gunn lived a quiet, solitary life. Until he was kidnapped, examined, and tortured. Now imprisoned, his only tie to the outside world is the memory of his dreams and the passionate woman who appears nightly in them. He thought she was nothing more than a vision. Then she came for him.

An uneasy alliance, a mating call that won’t be denied, rituals that must be honored, and unrelenting enemies who will stop at nothing to get what they want. It all comes together in the first of Eliza Gayle’s sensational Black Cougar Series. Passion and Pride. Duty and Danger. In the end, there’s really only one choice…for Lucas.

and

Frost Bitten

Resistance may be possible, but who are they kidding?

While on a search and rescue mission in the middle of a snowstorm, Seth and his twin Trent catch the scent of an unfamiliar shifter. Drawn to locate the source they hike deep into the woods to an abandoned cabin where they find an enticing little jaguar in the throes of heat.

Tired of being smothered by her five brothers and the pressure to mate, Daisy wanted nothing more than a week alone in the middle of freaking no where. The last thing she needed was a run in with two sexy as sin—and totally off limits—cougar shifters. Unfortunately, she’s not the kind of woman to leave them out in the cold.

Faced with the misery of unmet sexual desire or hot, no strings attached sex with two men… What’s a girl to do?

There are many more to choose from so please visit my books page for a full list of books available.

If you’ve enjoyed your stop on my blog please consider:

Signing up for my free newsletter at the top of this page.

Visiting me at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorElizaGayle

Following me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ElizaGaylebooks

Now keep hopping and visit the rest of the blog hop participants for more chances to win and discuss your favorite heroes!

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Goodbye NC, I will Miss You

12 June, 2012 by

If you follow me at all on Twitter or Facebook you already know I am in the process of moving from North Carolina to the Pacific Northwest.

My last week in Charlotte was more than a little bittersweet and there is so much I will miss about the South but more than anything I will miss the friends and family who have been so wonderful.

A week ago a fantastic group of Charlotte authors (Dahlia Rose, Tressie Lockwood, Lissa Matthews, Sabrina Luna, Crymsyn Hart, and Yvette Hines) bid me adieu at a luncheon at our favorite french bakery, Amelies. It was a special moment that I will treasure forever. I can’t even begin to express how much I will miss these incredible women. (they were so sweet with the gifts too! Check out Alcide!) Unfortunately my group picture turned out too blurry. :(

I also had two wonderful friends take me out to my favorite mexican place for dinner and delicious mango margaritas. Another awesome memory! (thanks Kathleen and Dee!)

The rest of the week was spent in a flurry of packing, cleaning and painting with family and friends as we prepared to leave the house we’d spent the last thirteen years in. (not to mention tearful goodbyes)

With the work done and the cars packed, I took one last picture of the house before the caravan pulled out and we pointed the vehicles west. Look out west coast here we come!

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