I hope you did. It’s almost 2 AM so I’m going to crash out. I stayed up to finish a chapter, and now I’m too tired to blog. (Not that my blog has been anything worth reading for several months now.)

:kiss:

Amazon says they’re starting to ship my Feb. Brava release on the 26th… of this month.

“BAD BOYS AHOY! contains three wonderful historical novellas starring strong females ready to battle against and on the side of the bad boys they love. This is a fine “Bad Boys” entry.” - Harriet Klausner

Many writers use photos to build their character sketches. I’m not one of them. The vast majority of my stories have characters whose appearance is entirely from my imagination and have no corollary in real life.

The exceptions to this are:

KISS OF THE NIGHT - you can see my characters, Alexei and Briana, here.

HER MAD GRACE - you can see the heroine, Charlotte, here.

SAPPHIRE’S WORTH - “The Rock” is not quite my hero, Wulfric, but he’s really damn close.

Now, in my present work in progress I have two of the most physically attractive characters I’ve ever written. Why? It’s just very much apart of who these people are that they are so stunning. Isabel, my heroine, exists only in my mind. I can’t think of one person who looks the way I see her. Gray, my hero, is my most beautiful hero. And I do mean beautiful. All of my heroes are very attractive, but in a more rugged sense. Gray is also a younger man.

I love him. :love: I really do. Up until now, Wulfric from SAPPHIRE’S WORTH was my favorite hero, but Gray has edged him out. In fact, I love him so much that even though I was genuinely worried that the storyline wouldn’t fly with my editor, I wrote it anyway. In my mind, I imagined a request to scrap this story and write another, I had nightmares of monstrously short deadlines and the end of my association with Brava because I turned in an unacceptable story. But I wrote it anyway, because I loved these characters so much.

When I sent the partial to my editor to assist with the creation of the backcover copy, I wrote in my email how terrified I was to send the attached chapters, and that I prayed she loved it as much as I do. I was shaking.

Anyway, here’s the guy I’ve lost my head over (with blue eyes):

« Hide it

To write about writing and reading and something else. I will do it, Lisa and Cathryn. I promise.

I’m just so super tired. Ugh.

But I’m so super happy that Access Romance moved all the AR hosted sites to a new server. My WordPress, which used to hang up a lot, now runs like a dream and the site loads much faster. :cheer: Yay, AR!! Too cool.

Today, we went to my local BN to buy gifts for Christmas. I didn’t find either of the two books I wanted to buy as gifts, so I consoled myself with two books I bought for me!! *g* One was Hot Spell,

The other was:

TAKE ME
Pocket Books
ISBN #1416509577
November 2005
http://www.BellaAndre.com

An appetite for sensual pleasures must never be denied. . . .

Lily Ellis has curves–soft, beautiful curves. The kind of voluptuous body she fears Travis Carson, the man she’s always loved from afar, would never crave. But Lily is about to be proven wrong. Her sensual adventure begins when, despite her inhibitions, the demure San Francisco interior decorator agrees to model a plus-size dress for her fashion designer sister. Watching this sensual beauty move down the runway with mesmerizing power, Travis can’t believe it’s the same Lily he’s always known and always rejected. In a whirlwind of electric attraction, Lily is soon moaning Traviss name in his bed, not just in her wild fantasies. But Lily is all too aware that she’s nothing like his past lovers . . . and now that she has him close at last, she’s praying Travis likes what he sees and feels. Determined to beat Travis at his own game by guarding her true feelings of love and lust, she spontaneously partners with him on a business deal that takes them all the way to Italy. In the seductive warmth of the Tuscan sun, Lily is about to unwrap her real self, and play a game of desire with the hot-blooded Travis. Will she be burned by an ecstasy that’s so all-consuming it has her seeing stars? Or will Travis open his heart to the sexy, exciting, and lasting love she has to offer?

Emma Holly, bestselling author: Oh, my! Bella Andre’s TAKE ME is wonderfully sexy–a big, fun fantasy with an euqally big heart. You’ll cheer these characters on as they find each other…and themselves!

Jaid Black, bestselling author: TAKE ME is emotionally charged and deliciously erotic. A must-read from cover to cover.

Patricia Green, Romance Reviews Today: A story with a woman who isn’t model perfect is a refreshing change in TAKE ME…Ms. Andre captures the beauty of Italy in such a way that it will leave one wishing to experience the warmth of the Tuscan sun…a delightfully engaging tale of erotic contemporary romance.

Susan White, JustEroticRomanceReviews: Take Me is a terrific book that I absolutely adored.

Angel, Romance Junkies: TAKE ME is an excellent book about a full figured woman… I love the fact that a plus size heroine gets the hero. Bella Andre has done an outstanding job creating a heroine who is not average and a hero who loves her just the way she is.

Tewanda H., bookseller: I am lucky enough to work at a bookstore that received an advanced reading copy of Take Me. I was unable to put the book down. IT IS WONDERFUL!!!! And I will be recommending it to customers, friends, and family. Lily is a wonderful heroine, that cannot help but touch your heart.

Bella is one of the gals on the Virtual Book Bag with me. She also just finished teaching an amazing class on Feng Shui over at Passionate Ink.

Must sleep now and prepare to write tomorrow. I’ve got approx. 90 pages to write by the 15th. :cafe: :whip:

Then I can read my yummy new books.

…has more than one book on it again. :cheer:

I was told today that my story was accepted for the EC: Dreams of the Oasis II anthology, releasing June 21st simultaneously in both print and e-format.

MISLED and KISS OF THE NIGHT will release in one trade volume, also in June. I need to come up with a name for the anthology. Any of you who have read both have any suggestions? I’d love to hear them. I’m stumped.

I also have a magical-themed short releasing in March with AQP. :cafe:

Yay!! :dance:

I sent a partial of my WIP to my editor. Those of you who read my blog regularly, know how freaked out I was about my editor’s possible reaction to my story. I was literally shaking when I sent it and I was so keyed up afterwards I cleaned my freakin’ house, upstairs and downstairs. I just couldn’t sit at my desk.

Then my Outlook alert popped up with her email and I opened it with my stomach all tied up in knots. She said it’s “really terrific”. Oh man. Tore me up, I tell you. Now, that doesn’t mean the whole body of work will pass muster, but the beginning pulled it off, and truly, that’s the part with all the stuff I was worried about.

The title is still in the works, but I’ll have back cover copy soon. That’s in the works, too. Now I have to finish it…

In other, fun news:

• Tickets to the movies: $7 a piece
• Popcorn and soda: extortion prices
• Your 4 year old daughter shouting, “It’s Bad Boys Ahoy! It’s Bad Boys Ahoy!” when the Pirates of the Caribbean trailer comes on: Priceless.

:rofl: