Anne Cain and Barb Sheridan came by last week to talk about man-on-man lurvin’ and threw a little contest to boot. The winner gets 20 Amazon BUX and a copy of Soul of the Night. Luuuuucky. And that winner is… Karmyn! Girl, email me and claim your prize.

Oh, and I’d like to thank Anne and Barb again for coming by. You guys were ab-fab.

I am sick of reading about dudes busting down doors, waving around semi-automatics, bragging about their three-thousand-dollar Ralph Lauren Black Label jackets— while the females in the story simpered and shook like a wet chihuahua and waited for the loud-mouth braggart hero to save her. The theme of this month’s contest? Two words: Kickass. Heroine. You want FIFTY AMAZON BUX!! (USD)? Here’s what you gotta do. In 400 words or less, write me a short little scene (or story) featuring a harsh, uncompromising, kickass female (think Gina Torres in Firefly or Angelina Jolie in Mr and Mrs. Smith) saving the precious, taut hiney of your male love interest. Make it funny, make it scary, make it hot… as long as the heroine is kickass. FIFTY AMAZON BUX, yo! Deadline is October 15,October 19 11 PM PST. I’ll post the 3 or 4 finalists, we vote for the winners, and I’ll announce the winner on Friday, October 26th. Good luck, babies, and have fun with it!

And the contest is now OVER! Wow, we had some great entries this month. Lots of new blood. Yummy. Runner-ups announced tomorrow. Suckas.

I stole this from Jezebel, which is my favorite site right now, ’cause it cracked my ass up. God, those Daily Show guys (and gals) are brilliant.

Oh and we’ve got winners for Chris Marie Green’s contest! As you will recall, Chris did a really cool article on promos and promised to give away copies of The Hunted AND Baited to two lucky folks. And those two people are:

April and Cheryl S!

Babies, email me your info and we’ll get you all squared out.

Thanks again to Chris Marie Green. Oh, and if you haven’t already, please check out our guest post on Jaci Burton’s blog for a chance to win 20 Amazon bux and copies of Boundless. We’re talking about kickass heroines over there and it’s pretty hoppin’. Also, please check out Tumperkin’s sizzling serial, The Ring. Another segment will be published on Friday… and lemme tell ya: It is hawt.

Sorry it took me so long to post the winner to the writing contest, kids, but my eye has been bothering me lately (damn you, alien growth!), so I decided to stay away from the intertubes for a couple of days. And the winner is…

Shannon, with this deliciously wicked entry:

A light tap jerked Amy’s attention away from her growing rage at what was clearly her tampered with, refusing to start car. She turned, ready to rip into whoever it was…and stared.

White-blond hair in casual disarray, strands falling across a disturbingly ageless face marked only by a thin scar dragging across his cheekbone. Luscious lips were curved into a faint smile, and the look in his unusually dark eyes was taunting. Daring her to do something.

Not that she would. She listened to her instincts, and she didn’t need the long look to know that for all his slender build, this man was more than capable of doing anything he wanted. It was the way he leaned against her car, arms crossed, head cocked, poised and still, a snake about to strike, clinging to the shadows even in the lights overhead.

Against her better judgment she stared. Because everything about him seemed to invite it, even as a subtle something told her to run. Long legs crossed in front of him, encased in tight jeans that she couldn’t resist following up with her eyes, her breath catching when she hit just below that low waistband.

The sheen of the knife there sparked her recognition.

Amy tried to look for an escape, but all she could see was him as he slowly uncoiled, overwhelming her senses as he stepped toward her, adrenaline heating her body as cool fingers brushed over her skin.

“I know you.” Her voice trembled, faded. “You’re…”

“I wish,” He sighed, more beautiful than the police sketch had been able to capture. “I wish that you didn’t.” His voice wrapped around her, hands clamping down, moving faster than she could react, pinning her to the hard length of his body. “I really hoped it could be different.” One hand fastened her mouth closed.

Then she was being dragged into the shadows in the arms of a killer.

Email me so we can get you all squared out with the Amazon bux and your very own copy of Boundless. Woo-hoo.

And the winner of Shiloh Walker’s contest is… Katelyn! Girl, Email me and we’ll get you your prize. Mind you, I have no idea what it is, so… have fun with whatever it is. Ha ha. Just kidding, Shi is a good egg.

Oh, and I’d like to thank this opportunity to thank our guest authors of the week: Shiloh Walker, Chris Marie Green, and Jeri Smith Ready. Y’all were brilliant.

Who’s next? Are you an author and you’ve got a promo? Do you just have some burning urge to say something? Email me and we’ll see if we can put you on the schedule. DO IT FAST for I won’t have any spots left very, very soon. Thanks again!

…but first, Nalini’s winners: Mardel and Sue A. Both of y’all get either an autographed copy of Slave to Sensation or Visions of Heat. Email me with your info and choices and we’ll get you all squared out. Thanks again to the uber-talented Nalini Singh for coming by to play with us.

And now… the moment you’ve been waiting for… the finalists [and BFF Ann and I have decided some people should be banned from entering every month, otherwise I should just set up a monthly direct deposit into their accounts. You know who you are… (there are three of you) *grin*] for this month’s writing contest are…

Winner to be announced Friday, September 14.

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