Come Play With Me and Joanna Wylde tonight at RRT

Hi everyone!!!

Joanna Wylde and I are throwing a party over in the RRTChat room tonight, and talking about our latest releases. We hope you can come in and have some fun with us. The chat will begin at 9:00 EST.

We also have some fabulous, not to mention a bit naughty, prizes to give away as well.

Hope to see you there. Here's the link.



www.romrevtoday.com

Weekend Games

Woo Hoo!!! Weekend Games is now available. Okay, well it's available in a few hours, but I figure by the time most of you read this it will be up for sale on Loose Id's fabulous website. I had a lot of fun crafting this book, and I hope you enjoy all the characters! Four women, seven men. There's bound to be one personality in there that you find fascinating. hehe.

I'm running a contest on my yahoo group for a naughty gift bag loaded down with some very interesting and fun tricks and treats.

I thought it would also be fun to give away a second bag during my chat Wednesday night. So, come on over to www.romrevtoday.com on Wednesday evening. It will be in the RRTChat room, and the fabulously talented Joanna Wylde will be there as well.

And just because it's almost Halloween and I love this book sooo much.... I'm giving away a third naughty bag right here - especially for those of you that have already read the book. So if you're interested in entering for a chance to win this gift bag, email me at cara@caracarnes.com with the names of at least five of the eleven main characters. (And before you sigh or groan too loud, my website has five names *grin*)

Weekend Games
On sale October 21st at Loose Id
Blurb
Best friends Aubrey, Charlotte, Francie and Julia have had horrible personal lives the past year and have decided that needs to be changed. What better way to kick-start their sex lives than some role playing games on Halloween weekend? The four concoct the perfect scenario: each one invites one or more former male “friends” to participate in the roles. The men will not only play a part in the hedonistic play, but will create the roles.

When Halloween night arrives, the four women discover the seven sexy men have constructed role plays meant to not only tap into their dark desires, but to push them to a new level of awareness about themselves..

It began as fun and games - a weekend of no holds barred pleasure - but it soon morphs into passion that none of them could have possibly expected. Suddenly a weekend doesn’t seem like nearly enough time.

Read An Excerpt of Weekend Games

Prince's Fire Is Out Today!!!

http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=778
Gitana Danson would do whatever it took to find her sister. She never expected to discover the world she grew up learning of, but never thought existed -- was her home. Her people. Believing it existed bordered on impossible. When a handsome prince promised to do anything to keep her there, Gitana found it even harder to resist.

Val Zan A'Mar had waited a lifetime for his mate to return to his world and he wasn't about to let her go. But the feisty fire spirit wasn't about to succumb to his seduction easily and the enemy preying on his people would stop at nothing to kill her. The battle for her heart could prove more difficult than the one to save her life.

Enjoy!

RWA Recovery

Well, I think I've finally caught up on my sleep and my adrenaline has returned to a normal level.

Wow. The RWA National conference in San Francisco was phenominal. I learned so many valuable things and met some wonderful people. I know. I am a bit late blogging about this, but deadlines come first :)

I had a fabulous pitches with both an agent and editor. They were both delightful and I'm looking forward to sending my stuff to them very, very soon now that I'm closing in on my ASAP deadlines.

There were some people I was hoping to meet, but there's always next year.

I just got the cover for Prince's Fire and it is simply stunning. Croco Designs did a wonderful job on it. Actually, wonderful isn't a good enough adjective. I don't thing there are any words to describe it. It is that beautiful. So, I'll share that very shortly and get it up on my website.

And of course there are excerpts coming in the next few days from both Prince's Fire and Weekend Games.

Have a great day everyone and happy reading :)

Coming Soon...

Val and Gitana's story, Prince's Fire, will be available Sept 2nd. Look on my website, or join my yahoo group for some excerpts - which should go up in the next few days.

In addition *rubs hands together* we're going to heat Halloween up this year. I've written a book titled Weekend Games. Four women, seven men, one long Halloween weekend, and a few role plays. What more could you ask for? It's hot, hot, hot! That will be coming out on 10/21. I'll have an excerpt from that up soon as well.

And all of these will be available from Loose Id

Details

I was recently reading something that made me want to pull my hair out one strand at a time.

For the love of all that is sacred to the binding gods I beseech everyone to please not put in details that don't matter. If they don't contribute to the depth of the heroine or the hero or the progression of the plot or their arc then leave it out.

I don't need to see her go to the bathroom unless her hero is the Tidibowl man.

This is just my personal opinion as a reader and I'm sure people would disagree. Sprinkling in a few quirky characteristics and mannerisms is a great way to enhance a character. Everyone does it. Or at least the authors with memorable characters do.

OMG! One More Week

*Squee*

One more week and I'm off for San Francisco. Okay, it's really 8 days, but I still can't believe it's just around the corner. Today I need to make a list of all the things that I need to pack (because I will invariably forget something), and a list of things I still need to do.

It's the small things that will get me - like testing the batteries in my camera, and packing extras in the bag just in case. And what about that tiny little lithium battery buried in the back of the camera? You know, the one I shoved in there like two years ago when I got the camera as a gift and haven't replaced. Yeah, little things like that will creep up on me.

Then there are all those things not conference related that have to be done. At the top of that list is cleaning. *sigh* I so wish that wasn't necessary.

Isn't This Cool?

I'm a sucker for interesting work environments. I stumbled across this one recently. Isn't this the coolest atrium area? My photography skills with my cell phone still need a bit of honing, but I thought this was one of the most calm and serene places I've run across so far.

The running water rushing down the rocks filters through the glass of the offices with windows facing into the atrium. The few days the pump went out and had to be replaced I could tell a difference in the people that worked there. They had grown used to it.

Now you add that atrium, expand it just a tad and the super, smoking hot guy I met in that building and it's screaming romance.

The Mind Is A Crazy Thing

The mind is an amazing tool. It can take you places that can thrill you. Or terrify.

One of my WIP that I'm working on right now is an erotic paranormal that features three ghost riders. They're good guys, but last night I'm going to bed and my mind is still in that world. I'm thinking about them and all the demons their battling when I hear the high pitched meeeewwwwwwlllll.

That's really the best that I, as a mere human, can do to impersonate it. Now I have two cats for those that didn't know that. One is very outgoing, vocal and quite demanding. The other one is very shy and soft spoken. She never wants anything except lots of love.

So when I hear the high pitched sound coming from the quiet one that is a bit freaky. At this point it's almost midnight. I assumed at first it was a bug and that she'd conquer and slay it without my help if that's the case. Unfortunately they sometimes infiltrate our humble abode, but both the furred queens of the household are quite good at dealing with them since I am a chicken.

About thirty seconds later I hear the vocal cat hiss. And growl. And do the high pitched noise. Er. That is not the bug radar going off. That's just freaky crazy nuts.

I have not a clue what it was. My brain was processing the fact that it was a ghost and it wasn't about to let me go in there. LOL. No way. No how.

That's my freaky story for the day. What about you? Anything strange happen that makes your brain shut you down?

Let's Talk Tea

As many of you know, I'm going to San Francisco. Yay!

*Interesting side note - my cat is already inside of my suitcase. I made the mistake of taking it down the other day. She knows something is up.*

While I'm there I may get the chance to experiment with some tea. Now I know it may come as a shock to some of you, so you may want to sit down for this. I'm a southerner. Specifically a Texan. I don't remember ever drinking tea while it was hot. Doing that sort of thing as a child got your hands spatted by my grandma with a small lecture on patience.

Iced tea ruled my household, and it still does. I remember when my grandmother's house burned down that my little brother was helping to remove some of the salvageable items. The first thing he carried out was her iced tea pitcher. He thought it had magical powers I think :)

I grew up thinking Lipton was it. Give me a packet of sweetener and lemon (although I'd prefer lime) and I'm done. But I'm always up for experimentation and adventure.


So, what are some good teas to try? Green teas, black teas, organic teas. Oh. My. Why so many choices?

What is your tea of choice?

Have a great day everyone!

One Of Those Awwwwww Moments

So I wandered into IHOP to have breakfast this morning. Have you ever been a restaurant that wasn't that crowded yet they still feel the need to stairstack people on top of each other like they're trying to play Jenga?

Okay, well now you know what I felt like when I sat down and ordered my drink. But after a few moments, the next layer got put right beside me and I got the opportunity to overhear one of the most touching moments ever.

I feel the need to warn you this is one of those times that after reading this you may look at your significant other and try to compare him...

So this small boy, I'd guess maybe about 9 at the oldest, comes in with a man that I assume at first is his father. They order their drinks.

Now, you have to understand they are practically in my lap so I can hear the guy's booming voice very clearly. In the first few moments, I figure out he isn't the boy's father.

He thanks the boy for coming out to breakfast with him because he wanted to get away from the womenfolk (I know let's just move past that one) and have a man to man talk.

Now at this point the boy sits up in his chair and pulls at his shirt.

The man tells the boy he wanted to get his feedback on how he thought things were going. Since he had been the man of the house before he married his mom.

Okay at this point I want to clone the man. How cool is this?

The boy fiddles for a while and then tells the man that he's been doing a good job. His mom smiles a lot more and she laughs and that makes him and his little sister really happy.

Oh. My. God. Where are the kleenex?
Then the boy says "And you treat us really good. Like you're our dad. And we're okay with that."

Okay I'm ashamed to report that I lost the conversation at that point. I'm only human. You set bacon and eggs in front of me and the entire world drifts away. It's me and my protein, people.

But doesn't that make you want to clone that guy?

After I finished my meal, I noticed that the boy had moved to sit right beside the man. And he was showing him how to play some game on a handheld player.

And the smile on his young face spoke a thousand words.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Summer Makeover

*looks around and smiles*

So, how do you like the new look? Hats off to the lovely and incredible talent of Rae Monet for crafting such a marvelous home for moi.

Getting a new face on my website has put me in the mood to do a bit of summer creative cleansing. What does that mean?

Well, as much as I'd love to think that I'm going to have time to write ALL the stories that I get ideas for, reality dictates that isn't going to be feasible. So, it's time for me to sit down and give all those sprawled notes and quickly jotted ideas serious consideration and move some of them into a "probably not" notebook.

It's going to hurt. But sometimes purging is needed, and getting rid of stale ideas that I probably won't get around to writing will leave room for new ones. *grin*

On a happy note, one of my single titles is officially complete - editing and all. And barring any huge issues, it will have two playmates very soon.

I guess this mean the great agent hunt is about to begin.

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July. Happy creative cleansing, and may your weekend be filled with books :)

Miscellaneous House Keeping

*clears throat*

Hi, I'm Cara Carnes and I'm an Office Depot addict. Oh, wait. That's a different blog.

So, a few things that are happening right now in case you are wondering:

I'm drawing the contest winners tomorrow and will announce the winner(s) this weekend.

On a related note, my website will be undergoing a facelift very soon. Hopefully we'll get that up and running without issues. (I say we as if I'm really doing anything! I am so html challenged it isn't even funny.)

Writing wise there are so many things happening... I'm almost finished with three single titles. And I honestly can't pick a favorite. *sigh* It's like being asked to choose your favorite child. I just simply cannot do it.

Let's see... Oh yes. I have a few promo items... some pens, some really cool note pads and some canvas totes. Now the totes aren't overly huge, but they are pretty cool. If you'd like some of these items, post a comment or shoot me an email... Email would be best so you can give me your address at the same time :)

I Miss You My Dear Sweet Tomato

*sigh*

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I am a huge sandwich lover. I could eat them everyday at each meal and never complain. But alas, not even the sandwich is the same without my tomato. When are they coming back to me???

So...if you live in one of those lucky states that aren't green on this map, have a tomato or two for me.

I Just Have To Ask

So I started a new job today. Yay! Anywho... I noticed something that I found very interesting inside of the boss's office. He has no pictures of his wife in his office, but his desk is covered... and I do mean covered... with pics of his two sons.

Now originally I thought maybe it was a breakup or divorce. But nope. He's wearing a ring.

So I just have to ask...if you were his wife wouldn't that tick you off?

I mean not one single picture. Not even a postage stamp sized one buried at the back behind the printer.

Hmm... just curious if I was the only one that would get annoyed with that if it was was me.

My Letter of Apology

So I spent today getting updates ready for my website - check it often because a contest page is about to go up with a splash:)

And I was a very bad Cara today and I must confess my sin. This is my letter:

To my first love,

I'm so sorry that I cheated on you today. After 35 years of giving me the best you have to offer, you did not deserve such thoughtless actions on my part.

I have no words to excuse my actions other than the offer was too tempting, too succulent and too sweet to pass up. But I was awashed with guilt afterwards and found myself regretting the succulent flavor that I had enjoyed.

I'm sorry, Grape Jelly. I will never cheat on you again. If you can find it in your bottle to forgive me, I swear it will be you, me and peanut butter forever.

Your still my favorite,
Cara

What Kind Of Friend Are You?

Okay I was watching that Nationwide commercial earlier. You know. The one where the friend is watching out the window and sees all these horrendous things to their friend's car yet says nothing.

This led me to the realization that if my friends were to do that to me - not tell me something horrible was happening to my car and had no reaction to it whatsoever - I'd have to seriously go medieval on them.

It just isn't in our nature to behave like the people in that commercial. I guess that's why I have such wonderful friends. They would react how I would if I saw it happening. And I'd do the same for them.

Hehe...

Here's to having great friends. May be well all continue to be a great friend to those around us.

Spring Cleaning

It's that time again. Time to weed through the clutter in my closets and wonder where everything came from in the first place. I mean seriously. Why do I have like 4 different things of binder clips? Are they procreating? I think they are.

And then there's the inevitable stash of cat toys. If you have a feline friend, you know exactly what I am talking about. The corner that only they know about that you find three months afterwards. All those toy mice that I thought got lost? Yeah. They are gutted and decapitated in a mass grave in the farthest corner of my closet.

Oh the books. Books, books everywhere. *sigh*

The Furred Muse

Well, apparently one of my cats is into romance now. She has given up all hopes of getting attention while I am writing and has decided the best defense is a good offense. Her newest habit? Perching herself on the desk right beside my right hand facing the monitor as if she's reading what I type.

Yeah. I'm just glad she can't really read lol.

Check Out The Latest Release by Emily Ryan Davis

Emily and I will be chatting Tuesday afternoon at the EC Chat Loop. Hope to see you there! Until then, you can tide yourself over with this hot read that released today.

She believed the man didn't matter as long as he said yes - until the wrong man vowed to love her beneath....

All the Trees in Pearl
by Emily Ryan-Davis

Available March 21 at Ellora's Cave

Signed and paid for by one brother.

Ethan Carver didn't order a wife, but he couldn't turn away from Margaret Redde's lush mouth and proper manners. Could he keep up his brother's deception and make her stay?

Set on fire by the other.

She wanted security and didn't care where it came from - one brother was as good as the other - until Ethan touched her. One night in his arms changed everything. His hot kisses sent her up in flames and taught her desires she didn't know she possessed.

Read an excerpt today!

Cadari Lover Available Today

Cadari Lover
Cara Carnes

One horrendous act meant to destroy her. Only one night to fulfill a lifetime of passion. Could fate be this cruel?

Rina Daniels has lusted for her sexy Cadari friend for years but never acted on it. When the opportunity presented itself she ran, only to find herself in the hands of his enemies. Forcefully converted to the sexual being known across the universe as tagratis, she is now doomed to spend an eternity unfulfilled.

Kandos Strabuquar hates himself for not protecting Rina. He never should have allowed her to remain on his planet, even if it was just for a visit. An aquamarine necklace and an experimental drug are their only hope. Will it be enough?

Available now at Ellora’s Cave!

Pre-Release Celebration

Well, release day is coming up on Wednesday for Cadari Lover. Yay!

To celebrate, I am giving away a $20 gift certificate to Bath & Body Works. All you have to do is either comment here, or join my yahoo group.

Winnner will be selected on Monday!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Oh my sweet Sven

How do I love thee? Let me count the words....

Okay that's a bit much but I couldn't resist. Have you seen his picture? hehe

Well, I'm a day late posting the first round but I was writing last night:) That counts, right?

Since Saturday, March 1st I have sweated out 8300 words for my sweet Sven.

On a different note, now that it is March we are getting our first icky weather day here in Austin, Texas. At least the ickiest one I remember in quite a while. I know, I have no right to complain. But seriously, our roads down here turn into slip and slides when it rains.

I'm going to post up an announcement reminder tomorrow, but I will be chatting Saturday evening at Writerspace with the fabulously talented Patti Fischer. We will both be discussing our upcoming releases. So, I really hope you can stop in at 9 p.m. EST and have some fun with us. :)

And, I have a cover for Cadari Lover. Yay! It's going up on my website very soon.

If you haven't already done so, join my Yahoo Group for some fabulous upcoming contests.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Seventy Days Of Sweat - Here I Go

Well, I went AWOL on the first one and pretended I didn't notice the second. They say third time is the charm... we'll see whether it is or not.

It starts today. My goal? Two completed WIP... preferably more, but we will see what Sven has in store for me.

Remember When?

I had to go to the post office today and while standing in line I found myself remembering when my imagination had complete reign. A little girl in front of me spent at least 30 minutes talking to her imaginary friend.

My imagination was so much more vivid when I was a child. I had a spaceship that followed me around everywhere and I cannot tell you how many trips I went on where my entire focus was scouting out locations for that invisible spaceship to land.

I spent hours doing this, but you know, I had a blast and my family sure didn't mind I bet because I was always so quiet and captivated by the landscaping.

No, I don't want my invisible friends in their bad-ass spaceship back, but I do miss them and hope they have found a home in another child's mind.

Here's to keeping just a bit of that child alive in us all...even if it's just a memory while standing in the longest, slowest line there is.

Why Don't People Think Before They Hit Send?

How did the old addage "Think before you speak" not translate into the typed e-mail messages?

Today I received an e-mail that sent me straight over the edge into pissed. It was an article link about some political opinions. I won't go into detais because it's unnecessary. But the end of the article referred to the fact that they were hoping Hilary Clinton would become the Democratic candidate so that they could beat her like a drum.

Excuse me???

I don't care whether I'm a liberal or a conservative, a Republican or a Democrat. Why would someone who is a woman forward garbage like that to everyone they know?

Under The Weather

Well, it's cold outside here in Texas and I heard that it might rain. Oh, and I have one killer cold. Or flu. Or Cedar fever. I'm not quite sure which one it is yet, but whatever it is I want it to go away. *sniffle*

But on a happier note, I think I have finally managed to teach my cat that it's really okay if I don't wake up every hour on the hour during the night. Yay! Hey, it's the small victories that I am proudest of today. That one, along with teaching both my cats that the window ledge in our living room IS big enough for them to share.

I'm curled up with my chicken soup and watching Oprah. Oh my. The conversations we have on TV these days lol.

Have a great day everyone! What small victory are you proud of?

The Recipe For Cara

3 parts Passion 2 parts Daring 1 part Brilliance Splash of Fun Serve over ice

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

The Weekend Scramble

Why do I constantly do this to myself? I spend the entire week working the day job, doing a few minor chores around the house, and then writing as much as I can. But deep down, there's a part of me that is craving the weekend.

Ah. I have images of getting so much accomplished. My list begins on Thursday. It grows as my anxiousness increases. Then it comes. Friday afternoon.

Well, it's Saturday and it's almost noon. How much of that list has gotten done? Yeah you guessed it. Not nearly what I expected...lol. I've done some writing, and started a load of laundry. That's about it.

How about you? Are you able to accomplish everything you set out to do on the weekends?