Ever wonder how writers get their writing done, muse on strike, kids to take care of, and a multitude of other issues that come up in a normal day? Jami Alden is about to give you a look at that and how she handles — and sometimes doesn’t handle! — those pesky issues that play havoc with her time management and interrupt her writing.

Switching Gears

With all the genre hopping, pseudonym spouting, and reinvention that goes on in romance writing, it’s no secret that most writers have to embrace change in order to keep growing their careers. You know why they’re so good at it? Because most writers switch gears every single day, several times a day, fitting in the writing around everything else life demands.

When I tell people I write romance, their first reaction is usually, “Wow! How exciting! That must be so fun.” I know what they’re envisioning – it’s the same scenario I envisioned when I first dreamt of becoming a writer. I wake fully rested, emerge from my boudoir in my silk peignoir set. Later, impeccably but comfortably dressed, I enter my office, nay, writing sanctuary. Perhaps I set a cup of herbal tea at my side. Completely private and expertly feng shui-ed to foster maximum creativity. My muse is in attendance and in masterful form. I poise my hands above the keyboard of my state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line computer. Over the course of several uninterrupted hours, my story, my characters take over, and the words flow like water.

Another bestseller is born!

I’m sure you’re all shocked, absolutely stunned when I confess that this, sadly, is not my reality. This is more like it: I wake up groggy, because invariably one of my two small children woke up in the middle of the night. Like last night, when I found my four year old whimpering outside my door at 3:00 a.m. because his leg hurt. Poor little dude. I knew I shouldn’t have made him do that last set of walking lunges…

Depending on the day, I spend the next several hours getting everyone fed, dressed and out the door. Three days a week the little one goes to daycare in the morning, but my older boy is home with me until after lunch. I drop him off at 1:00, impatiently tap my foot waiting for the classroom door to open which always seems to be five or ten minutes past 1:00 p.m. AND DON’T YOU PEOPLE REALIZE THE NEXT THREE HOURS ARE THE ONLY TIME I HAVE TO GET ANYTHING DONE TODAY AND YOU’VE JUST SHAVED FIFTEEN MINUTES OFF MY WORKDAY???

On the short drive home I switch to writer mode and try to get my mind around the scenes I plan to write that day. I sit behind my cluttered desk, fire up the most ghetto can’t run more than one app at a time laptop, and wait for the creativity to flow. Because it has to. Right there. Right then. Sometimes my muse is present. Other days it seems she’s gone off for a pedicure. On days like that…I like to quote Nora Roberts. (and I’m sorry if I don’t get this totally right):

“If your muse makes a run for it, grab that fickle bitch by the hair and wrestle her to the ground.”

That skank and I tussle at least twice a week. But more often than not I’m the one emerging victorious from the octagon.

My writing right now is all about switching gears. In order to get work done, I have to turn on a dime, switching from mommy mode to writer mode in the space of five minutes. Case in point – a couple of weeks ago, I dropped my son off, went home, and in the next two and a half hours wrote the grisliest murder scene I’ve ever written.

It was weird. But kind of cool. Do I wish I had more time to work? Absolutely. But I’m proud of my ability to maximize the time I have to get the work done.

How about you? What do you do to make switching gears easier? Can you flow seamlessly from one role to the next, or are you more like me, dividing your time into discreet lumps where you know you’ll be focusing mainly on one role or task over another?

Jami is giving away copies of Kept, the second book in her Gemini Men series, to three lucky commenters today!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Duck Chat with Jami Alden last month. If you chatted, maybe you got lucky!

We have picked our winners!  If you are listed below, please send your name and mailing address to Jami via email at jami@jamialden.com as soon as possible.

In no particular order, here are the five chatters who have won a copy of Caught, the first book in Jami’s Gemini Men series:

Marie
Phyl
cursingmama
Jane
kh

Congrats, ladies!

As of right now I don’t have the cover for this but I will updated it when I get it…

Unleashed will release October 2009!

And don’t forget about the contest…

Danny Taggart is the biggest, boldest badass of all the Gemini Men. There’s only one thing a woman can do with a man this hot, hard, and ready for action….

Tall, dark and rippling with muscle, Danny Taggart takes no prisoners. But when his latest case puts him up close and personal with the woman who once left him raw and aching, he’s shell-shocked. Caroline Medford is still hotter than hell. But she’s also got her pretty grip on the truths that have shaped him into the soul-ravaged warrior he is today. Burned once, Danny’s plan is to satisfy his craving for Caroline and walk away. Yet once he has her warm and willing beneath him, he can’t get deep enough—or close enough. Not even when danger threatens to destroy everything he’s ever fought for. Including the only woman he’s ever
loved…

“I’m so sorry.”

Danny was grateful his sunglasses hid his eye roll as he braced himself for another hug. His hand was stiff from endless handshakes, his brain numb from the meaningless condolences.

I’m so sorry. That’s what everyone said. But what were they sorry for? That she was dead? That they’d wasted years searching the globe for her when she was dead and buried practically in their own back yard? That Anne Taggart was in such a state when she disappeared that it was plausible – even probable- to most of the people who knew her that she’d walked out on her family?

Danny was really fucking sick of all these “I’m sorries.”

“At least now you have closure.”

Danny bit back a retort and returned his Aunt Cheryl’s embrace after she uttered the only words more annoying and offensive than “I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t sure what kind of closure he was supposed to appreciate when the discovery of his mother’s body raised about a thousand more questions than it answered, like, starting with how did she end up dead in the first place and who the fuck decided an unmarked grave in a redwood forest was an appropriate resting place?

But he didn’t figure his Aunt Cheryl, who they hadn’t seen in over a decade, was up to discussing any of those hard questions.

Cheryl, his mother’s younger sister by two years, pulled back and clasped his right hand in both of hers. A niggling ache clutched his chest as he took in her carefully styled, chin length hair, its sunny blond color no doubt aided by a hairdresser, her lightly lined skin and watery blue eyes. Cheryl looked a lot like her older sister, and Danny knew this was the closest he’d ever get to seeing his own mother age.

He fought the urge to yank his hand away, slam himself into his jeep and haul ass back to his house so he could run for the hills and get good and gone for a few hours, maybe a few days this time.

He stood firm, returning Cheryl’s affectionate squeeze while he fought the blackness threatening to swallow him whole.

“If you need anything, anything at all, let me know, okay? You have our number right?”

Danny nodded, humoring her, bending his head so she could place one last, teary kiss on his cheek. He had no doubt she was sincere. In this moment, right this second, she meant he could call her for anything if he or his brothers were so inclined. But Aunt Cheryl and her husband lived outside Minneapolis, near her own children. Other than birthday cards and Christmas cards, they hadn’t had any contact once the initial stir caused by Anne’s disappearance died down. He didn’t blame her – she needed to get on with her life half a continent away. Still her offer to “be there” – whatever the fuck that meant, rang just as hollow as the endless “I’m sorries.”

Cheryl was followed by an endless stream of mourners, people he’d never met or barely remembered who’d shown up at Menlo Presbyterian today, supposedly to mourn Anne Taggart.

Or to rubberneck and rehash one of the biggest local scandals of the last decade was more like it.

He shook infinite hands, endured endless maternal pats as he watched Cheryl walk over to his father. The grim knot in Danny’s gut tightened as he watched his father woodenly return her hug. God, he hoped Cheryl didn’t say anything about closure horseshit to Joe. This was the last kind of closure Joe needed. The kind of closure that was going to drive his father into an early grave if they didn’t find something, anything, to point them in the right direction.

But this case was so cold it bordered on permafrost, and the police seemed content to leave it that way. Danny, Derek, and Ethan had been working non stop to find something – anything to go on, retracing her last days, going back through every pocket and purse and leftover scrap of paper she left behind.

And Joe had sat by through all of it, saying little, doing less, as he worked his way through a bottle of Ketel One vodka.

Danny was very afraid Joe was going to lose himself in the bottom of a bottle if they didn’t find something soon.

Finally the last of the mourners trailed out, and Danny made his way over to where his father stood with his brothers, along with Toni and Alyssa. Alyssa was doing her best to take one for the team, posing for the cameras and granting interviews to everyone as she tried to deflect the press’ attention away from the family. Danny uttered a curt no comment as he plowed his way through the throng and went to stand at his father’s side.

Like a bunch of good lemmings, the herd of reporters trailed Alyssa out to the parking lot. She threw them a wave over her shoulder, motioning to Derek that she’d call him. As the crowd moved, Danny could see one last mourner exit the dark interior of the church.

He did a double, then a triple take.

No fucking way.

His breath caught and his nostrils flared as he took her in. He knew the thick black waves spilling to her waist, the mouthwatering curves elegantly draped in black wool. Her dress went from neck to wrist to knee and should have been modest, but only served to highlight the lush swell of her breasts, the deep curve of her waist, the sexy flare of her hips. The heels of her black pumps tap tapped their way down the concrete steps and headed in his direction.

He dragged his gaze up to her face. Her luscious mouth was painted red and set in determined lines. Even though the sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, like him she wore sunglasses, her oversize frames hiding half her face. As though, like him, she didn’t want to chance anyone getting a peek into her soul.

Caroline fucking Palomares.

No, he reminded himself. Caroline fucking Medford.

Raw emotion spun up inside him, threatening to take him down. Lust. Anger. And a bunch of other crap he wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.

As she strode toward him, shoulders back, hips swinging like she had every right to be walking back into his life, today of all days, he struggled to put the lid back on the swirl of emotion struggling to break free. He reminded himself savagely of who she was. Caroline Medford.

Wife of James Medford, rich attorney twenty years her senior. The same James Medford who could give her the affluent lifestyle he hadn’t realized she coveted until it was too late.

The same James Medford she may very well have killed to keep herself in fast cars and high fashion.

She was not the seventeen year old who’d promised she’d never leave him when she gave him her virginity. She was not the twenty year old who’d sobbed when he’d announced his plans to join the Special Forces after he graduated from West Point. She wasn’t even the twenty two year old who’d told him to fuck off one final time before walking out on him without another word.

As she drew closer he focused on those differences. She was thinner, for one, he noticed as she got closer. And older, her mouth bracketed by fine lines that came from stress and age. Not to mention the wardrobe. He bet her outfit topped out at over a grand, even more if you counted the purse. A far cry from the wardrobe of a girl from a working class neighborhood who shopped at discount stores and went to private school on scholarship.

She was nothing like the girl he’d known, and he was nothing like the dumb kid who’d entertained romantic illusions like true love and happily ever after.

He took of his glasses, feeling a smile curl his lips for the first time in several days as she stumbled a little.

She was off center. Just the way he liked it. And he was in perfect control. Because Caroline Medford meant nothing to him.

© Jami Alden. All rights reserved

Are you an unabashed, hard-core Gemini Men fan? You adore Ethan Taggert from Caught.  You’ve been anxiously awaiting Derek Taggert’s story in Kept.  But it’s Danny Taggert who’s your favorite and you can’t wait for Unleashed.  Well, my friend, it’s a good thing you stopped by TGTBTU today to chat with Jami Alden…

This next week is going to be very important to you.  Wanna know why?  I’ll tell ya why.

This is your chance to have the completed Gemini Men trilogy before anyone else.  Jami is giving away five ARCs of Unleashed — that’s right five of them.

All you have to do is buy a copy of Kept between today, February 24, and next Tuesday, March 3, snap a pic of your receipt with your digital camera, cell phone, scan it, smoke signals, long-range missile, or whatever way you have to send it via email to Jami and she’ll drop your name in the hat for the drawing. One entry per person, please.

Your receipt must be dated between February 24, 2009, and March 3, 2009, and must be received by Jami no later than March 10, 2009. When the names are drawn, Jami will notify us and we’ll list all winners right here at the blog, along with instructions to receive your ARC.

Now ain’tcha glad you stopped by today?

Welcome once again to Duck Chat!

It’s only been two years since Jami Alden’s first book was published. A Taste of Honey started her on her successful and rapid rise in the romance industry.  After a few more releases, then came her Gemini Men series and Jami hasn’t looked back once. Today the second book in that trilogy, Kept, is hitting the shelves.

So we’re getting a peek into the real Jami Alden today.  Be sure to leave a comment because Jami is giving away to five lucky readers copies of Caught, the first book in her Gemini Men series.  Let’s chat!

Duck Chat: You’ve had some wonderful success since your first book was published in 2007. What’s that ride been like for you so far?

Jami Alden: Like anything, it’s had its highs and lows (fortunately mostly highs!) Getting published was amazing, and getting moved into the Brava line was a dream come true. I remember reading my first Shannon McKenna book and thinking, “I want to write books like this!” But I’ve also experienced the reality that even a dream job is a JOB, with all the stress and hard work that goes with that. In the past two years I’ve faced some crushing deadlines amid life stress, sick kids, and all the intrusions of ordinary life. But thankfully, I have fantastic writer friends who help me get through everything,, as well as an agent and an editor who are both incredibly supportive.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.
JA: You know, I can’t really think of one question. Yeah, I get some of the same questions over and over, but I don’t mind answering, and it’s kind of interesting to see how my answers have changed over the years.

DC: Your Gemini Men sound sexy as hell. Where did the idea for the series come from? Will Danny’s story be the end or will there maybe be a surprise or two down the road for fans of the series?
JA: I have to thank my amazing editor, Hilary Sares, for that. I still remember the email she sent, that she wanted to move me into Brava and that I needed to come up with a write-up for a romantic suspense series NOW. And, oh, can it be about three brothers, maybe two of them are twins? So I called my author buddies, Bella Andre and Anne Mallory, and had them meet me at Starbucks, stat, where we hammered out three ideas for me to send to Hilary. Right now the last scheduled book in the series is Danny’s story, Unleashed in October 2009, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for at least two more

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?
JA: Not really. To be honest, I kind of roll my eyes when authors say, “Oh, I just let my characters tell me their story.” But part of the reason I roll my eyes is because I’m jealous. I would LOVE it if my characters appeared fully formed in my brain and “told” me their story. Sadly, I have to put myself in their places and think it all up myself. That being said, occasionally I’ll be writing a scene and suddenly something happens that I hadn’t planned. Like in Unleashed,  I remember one afternoon I was writing at my local library, and I sat back and said to myself, “Well, that was interesting. Didn’t see that coming.”

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing?
JA: Not really. Because, really, if they’re not acting how I want them to act, that’s my fault, not theirs.

DC: You describe your husband as an alpha male, just the kind of man romance readers love. He has to be inspiration for some of your heroes. Any examples you can give us that you’ve used so far?
JA: Oh, he inspires everything (wink wink, nudge nudge)! Honestly, though, I’ve said my husband is a socially well-adjusted alpha male, and I think there’s a difference. I know part of the fantasy and, I hope, the appeal of my books and my heroes is the idea of cracking the surface of such an emotionally tough guy and watching him fall to his knees for love of the heroine. In reality though, it would be nearly impossible to have a healthy relationship with someone who has such deep, shall we say, intimacy issues. So my husband is kind of the real life ideal – he’s strong and tough and smart (not to mention hot!) who runs a business and does things like build cabins and goes on hundred-mile hiking trips in his spare time, but he’s also very open emotionally and willing to talk about things (more than I am, actually) in a way that I can’t really envision most of my male characters doing.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?
JA: Email.

DC: Get any crazy fan mail? We’d love you to share the funniest or weirdest – your choice!

JA: I’ve never had anything too weird. There was a review of Private Party where the reviewer said she needed to get a toy while reading. It was an erotic romance, so I suppose that was a compliment, but I didn’t really need to know that.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?
JA: Wow, that’s really tough. I guess I would say everyone’s gotten a little edgier as I let more of my voice shine through. When I first started out, I tried a variety of things, historical and category among them, and I think I was trying to sound like other authors rather than sounding like myself, if that makes sense. I’m also more conscious now about trying to make sure my men sound like men both in dialog and internal thoughts.

DC: Any works in progress you can share with us?
JA: Right now I’m working on a new romantic suspense idea – and that’s all I’m going to say

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?
JA: When I first started writing, I wrote a western historical. I think some day I’d like to give that another try.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?
JA: Quit worrying about the size of your ass and eat something already! Someday you’ll have kids and you’ll relish every opportunity to sit down and eat a meal in peace and quiet. And if you keep slathering yourself with Tropical Blend and baking yourself in the sun, by the time you’re 35, you’re going to look like a leather Muppet.

DC: Are you lucky enough to have any input on those sexy covers that grace your books?
JA: Nope. But I am very grateful to the Kensington art department.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?
JA: I probably would have stayed in my previous field of corporate marketing.

DC: Favorite author?

JA: I can’t possibly name just one!

DC: Favorite book?

JA: Contemporary: It Had To Be You, by Susan Elizabeth Phillipsl Historical: A Wild Yearning by Penelope Williamson

Lightning Round:
- dark or milk chocolate?   dark
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?   smooth
- heels or flats?    It’s hard to lug around a toddler in heels, so I default to flats.
- coffee or tea?   coffee. Lots.
- summer or winter?   summer
- mountains or beach?   mountains
- mustard or mayonnaise?   dijonnaise
- flowers or candy?   flowers
- pockets or purse?   purse
- Pepsi or Coke?   coke
- ebook or print?   print

And some fun stuff:

1. What is your favorite word?   Schadenfreude  [Ed. [shahd-n-froi-duh] – satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune.]
2. What is your least favorite word?   Fanny – when used to refer to a woman’s butt. Especially in a book, when a male character thinks or says it. What man under the age of 90 uses the word fanny?
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   Reading a great book, watching a great movie, going for a run
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?   Craft workshops that claim there’s only one “right” way to do something.
5. What sound or noise do you love?   Wind rustling through leaves
6. What sound or noise do you hate?   My 20-month-old whining
7. What is your favorite curse word?  God, there are so many that I love. But if I have to choose, I’ll go with the classic F-bomb.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?   I sometimes think about being a chef or possibly a personal trainer.
9. What profession would you not like to do?   Daycare provider
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you
arrive at the Pearly Gates?   “You used the time you had well.”

DC:  Thanks for chatting with us, Jami!

Remember to comment for your chance to win a copy of Caught!

Sybil’s review of Kept (Gemini Men, Book 2) by Jami Alden
Romantic Suspense released by Brava 24 Feb 09

Derek is the serious, straight-laced brother and Ethan’s twin.  He is the rule follower and the one you can count on.  All in all, I didn’t have any expectations of Kept other than I needed to read it to get to Unleashed.  And once I started it, I paused because I can be a very hard sell for the ‘poor little rich girl‘ (Erin McCarthy & Jo Leigh have sold me on the idea in the past) so I ‘kept’ reading.

Gemini is covering security for a high-society charity function and Derek meets Alyssa Miles when he throws her out of the Bancroft’s study. What he doesn’t know is she is a reformed party girl who is trying to make some kind of relationship with her father, Oscar Van Weldt.  Daddy is being kind enough to use her as the face of the Van Weldt Jeweler’s Campaign “Diamonds for All.”  Of course, he expects his bastard daughter to behave well, like a lady and not like a drunk, drugged-out party girl and tabloid queen, but they want to use her fame to sell Diamonds. Nice family, huh?

Derek just thinks she is a spoiled, rich chick he really shouldn’t be taking home to break his almost year-long dry spell with and he doesn’t really believe she is breaking a dry spell of her own (at least not at first). Alyssa loves the idea Derek has no clue who she is and, like Cinderella, she gets the hell out of Dodge before the shine comes off the glass slipper. She figures he will Googles her, believe what he reads and doesn’t even want to be around when he comes across the nekkid pictures on the Internet her sleazy ex-boyfriend put on his FacePlace page.

Before the warm glow warms off and guilt sets in she calls for her pumpkin and asks Derek to drop her off to meet her car. With a kiss they depart and she hopes to God he doesn’t sell the story to the press.  Then Alyssa throws a curve-ball into someone’s plans by deciding to spend the night at her father’s, because Alyssa was supposed to be at breakfast bright and early.  She gets there just in time to hear shots fired and walks in to what looks like the aftermath of a murder-suicide.  And you thought your family didn’t get along…

Older brother Danny is assigning a new case to Derek because he knows he is perfect for the job. He needs someone cool and in control, who won’t be blown away by fame or a pretty face. Derek is the exactly the man to watch over Alyssa Miles.  Harold Van Weldt has hired Gemini to keep an eye on his niece, whom he thinks is one step away from being out of control again.  And is she?  There seems to be an awful lot of drugs, blood, diamonds, and cash going around and who the hell knows what to believe?  Can Derek put his trust in the pretty girl who has already done one stay in rehab and now fears she is being drugged?

As with Caught Jami Alden shines with her characters and this time her romance is amazing, raw, rough and hot in all the right ways.  Derek and Alyssa have a relationship that gets to grow and isn’t overshadowed by the suspense but made stronger for it.  And I love to watch the brothers together. They interact so well, no matter if they are giving each other shit over something or if they need help. Their bond is grand.  The bad guys are a bit over the top as bad guys can be but not enough to take away from the story.

For a novel I started reading more to get to the next book, I now wonder if it will be as good, although it is a second chance story. I do enjoy them, so I still have high hopes for Danny’s story.  Jami Alden really shines in Kept and I can’t wait to see what she Unleashes next.

Grade: A

Read more reviews and other information about this series by following its tag.

Summary:

Ethan and Derek Taggart: they’re the men of Gemini, and when it comes to sheet-scorching undercover work, nobody does it better. The only one they answer to is big brother Danny – that is, until the right women come along to grab the reins and crack the whip as hard as the Taggart men like it…

Security is Derek Taggart’s game, and he plays it straight – no margin for error, no time to fool around…except with one hot little number who changes everything. He takes her home when she needs a ride – one she’ll never forget. The problem is Derek can’t forget her, a total about-face for a guy who keeps his enemies closer than his lovers. Then he finds out the sexy dynamo is Alyssa Miles, notorious party girl and darling of the gossip rags. It’s time to walk away and never look back, which would be a hell of a lot easier if his agency didn’t desperately need the high-profile gig her family’s offering: a minor detail that consists mainly of Derek watching Alyssa 24/7. Keeping an eagle eye on every inch of Alyssa’s nubile body isn’t exactly a hardship – the problem is keeping his hands off and his brain on when things go dangerously wrong…

Read the excerpt.

Other books in the series:

and Book 3: Unleashed by Jami Alden (29 Sep 09)

Kept by Jami Alden (website seriously needs to be updated)

Here is a look at the second Gemini Man, Derek Taggart, who will be hitting the shelves tomorrow in Jami Alden’s newest release KEPT.  She will be here Febuary 24 to chat with us as well as there will be a contest or two.

Enjoy

Ethan and Derek Taggart: they’re the men of Gemini, and when it comes to sheet-scorching undercover work, nobody does it better. The only one they answer to is big brother Danny – that is, until the right women come along to grab the reins and crack the whip as hard as the Taggart men like it…

Security is Derek Taggart’s game, and he plays it straight – no margin for error, no time to fool around…except with one hot little number who changes everything. He takes her home when she needs a ride – one she’ll never forget. The problem is Derek can’t forget her, a total about-face for a guy who keeps his enemies closer than his lovers. Then he finds out the sexy dynamo is Alyssa Miles, notorious party girl and darling of the gossip rags. It’s time to walk away and never look back, which would be a hell of a lot easier if his agency didn’t desperately need the high-profile gig her family’s offering: a minor detail that consists mainly of Derek watching Alyssa 24/7. Keeping an eagle eye on every inch of Alyssa’s nubile body isn’t exactly a hardship – the problem is keeping his hands off and his brain on when things go dangerously wrong…

Derek Taggart. His name suited him. Hard and tough with plenty of sharp edges. He was beautiful in a way that reminded her of the harsh granite faces of the Grand Tetons. Rugged and chiseled, with great eyes, square jaw and cheekbones that stood out beneath his skin.

One look at him and she knew he wasn’t a party guest. She would have noticed him immediately if he’d been in the crowd. His size alone would have drawn her attention. He wasn’t merely tall, he was huge, towering over her, but from what she could tell it was all hard muscle. But it didn’t take a psychic to see he wasn’t part of this crowd, that he was here to work and he took his job very, very seriously.

She watched him, stationed up on the gallery like a sentry guarding a tower. His weight from foot to foot as he surveyed the crowd, looking ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation. The jacket of his suit pulled tight as he folded his massive arms across his chest. His gaze slid back to her, and even from across the room and one story down, she could feel its heat. It unknotted the tension in her neck, slid down her spine, and sent a warm glow shimmering down her thighs.

This time he didn’t break the stare, and it was she who reluctantly turned away. She continued to work the room, shilling for silent auction bids on the small fortune in diamonds that adorned her finger and wrist. Through it all she could feel him looking at her, his gaze like firm, warm fingers tracing over her skin.

Being stared at wasn’t new. She’d lived in a fishbowl her entire life, first thanks to her mother’s then to her own publicity attracting antics. Yes, sometimes it chafed, never more than recently, but Alyssa had grown so used to being looked at, watched, and judged that she was almost immune to it.

“…disgusting. Mindy is sixteen, and because of Alyssa Miles she thinks it’s okay to go around dressed like a whore and sleeping with everyone in sight.”

The snippet of conversation pierced Alyssa’s warm glow. Almost immune.

Alyssa turned and gave the woman a guileless smile as though she hadn’t heard a single barb.

She blocked the woman’s comments out, instead focusing on him. His stare, sliding over her like a hot flame. He wanted her. She could feel it. That, too, was nothing new. Not because she was extraordinarily beautiful. But she knew she had her appeal and had played up her image as a sultry, playful sexpot in the press. Now it was all but guaranteed that men looked at her and thought of only one thing.

But this was different. Derek was different.

He had no idea who she was.

A delicious thrill had shot through her the moment realization had dawned in the study. When he walked into the room, all of her senses had gone on high alert. Not only was he a strange man, he was an attractive strange man. No. Scratch that. A smoking-hot-set-the-skin-of- your-inner-thighs-on-fire man. The last thing she wanted was for him to notice her reaction to his dark, sun streaked hair, chiseled jaw and acres of muscles.

So when he’d tried to hustle her back to the party, she’d done what she always did in those situations. Put on her “don’t you know who you’re dealing with” act and tried to shoo him away like the insignificant insect she pretended to think he was.

But he wasn’t having any of it. He didn’t care who she was. Because he didn’t know who she was.

He hadn’t so much as quivered an eyelash when she told him her name. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened.

Derek, who was already a blatant ten, shot up to fifteen on the hotness scale. When he shook her hand she’d felt scorched all the way down to her red toenails.

And he felt it too. She could see the surge of awareness in his eyes, the blast of desire, quickly shuttered by his dark gaze. But he couldn’t hide it. Not completely.

The thrill shot through her again and it was all she could do to keep still as another socialite held Alyssa’s arm so the woman’s husband could admire the platinum cuff. He wanted her. And not like other men wanted her. He didn’t want the crazy sexy party girl or the notorious heiress.

He didn’t want to fuck her so he could brag to his friends and the media about how he’d nailed Alyssa Miles and it really wasn’t all that great after all.

He didn’t want to fuck her so she could introduce him to a producer, a director, or a record label executive.

Derek Taggart looked at her and saw a gorgeous girl he met at a fancy party and wanted to get with. As simple as that.

Sure, he probably saw her as a rich bitch – her initial response insured that, much to her regret. But she could get past that. Her public persona was another beast entirely. It wasn’t an image she cultivated, but once established she used it to her advantage, and had thought she’d made peace with the fact that it would forever taint every interaction she had with another human being.

But she felt gut-deep thrill from knowing a man like Derek wanted her. Not the image. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone wanted her for herself.

There was nothing to be done about it, though. As the night wore on, Alyssa didn’t have another opportunity to speak to Derek, even though she knew he tracked her every move. She considered sneaking back to the study, just to see if he’d chase her down, but as the silent auction drew to a close she was surrounded by guests who all wanted one last look at Van Weldt Jeweler’s exquisite designs.

“I’m going to walk Mother and Daddy out,” Kimberly leaned down to speak quietly into Alyssa’s ear.

“But they haven’t even done the auction yet,” Alyssa said, frowning. She knew her father would want to stay and find out how much his donated jewels had fetched.

“I know,” Kimberly replied, her voice lowering so no one else could hear. “But I’m afraid Mother is about to lose it.”

Alyssa looked across the ballroom, where Grace clung to Oscar’s arm. As Alyssa watched, Grace weaved, barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Her social smile was gone and her mouth was pursed tight.

“Oh and I reminded Bryan to pick you up in the back by the servant’s entrance so you won’t have to deal with the photographers.”

Alyssa nodded, grateful her sister had remembered. In the past six months, Alyssa had done a complete one eighty with the press. Now, unless she was with her family or doing publicity on behalf of the company, she avoided reporters like the plague.

Which only served to make her a more tempting target. She knew that along with the hired photographer there were dozens of paparazzi outside the Bancrofts’ mansion in Atherton, waiting for a glimpse of Alyssa, hoping she’d do something stupid like slip and fall and lose her top or show her underwear.

Finally the auction was over and most of the guests were milling around the front door, waiting for their cars and limos to arrive.

Alyssa did another scan of the room, tamping down her disappointment when she didn’t see Derek. Stupid. What do you think is going to happen?

She closed her eyes, memorizing his face, taking that memory of desire in his eyes and curling it close.

She retrieved her coat from the coat check and slipped out the back entrance, down the short driveway that led to the street on the side of the house opposite the front door.

And waited. She looked at her watch. It was still early, not even ten. But the crowd at these things always skewed older, and Alyssa figured they all needed to get home and tucked into bed before midnight.

Another ten minutes passed, and Bryan, the driver from the car service still wasn’t there. Annoyed, she flicked open her cell phone and called.

Bryan’s town car had been clipped on the freeway. Another car was en route, but it would be at least a half an hour before it arrived.

Alyssa bit back a curse.

“What’s up with you going where you’re not supposed to?”

The deep gruff voice slid around her, grabbed her and wouldn’t let go. She couldn’t have held back her smile if she wanted to.

His eyes were hidden in shadow, but his mouth curved into a half smile, and a dimple creased the left corner of his mouth. His lips were firm and full and she knew they’d be hot against her skin.

“Do I even want to know why you’re hanging out at the servant’s entrance looking like you’re about to stick your thumb out?”

“I didn’t want to have to deal with the crowd on my way out. And now my driver got into an accident, so it looks like I’m stranded for a while.”

He was silent for several moments, and though his eyes were shadowed she could feel him studying her.

Ask me.

“Can I give you a ride home?” He almost looked shocked that he’d asked.

She didn’t let that stop her. “Sure,” she said without hesitation.

A slight frown creased his forehead, but he gave her a curt nod and left without another word to get his car.

As she waited she shifted on her sky-high heels, restless, alive with anticipation. After so many months on her best behavior, a reckless urge was pulsing through her. Uncontrollable, unstoppable. She needed to forged the consequences and do something outrageous.

But this time it wouldn’t be for attention, publicity, or her father’s censure. This time it would be all for herself. She’d been so good, watching her every move for so long. Surely she deserved a little treat?

A silver Audi rumbled up to the driveway and Alyssa wasted no time sliding into the passenger seat. The leather was cool against her bare thighs, and the interior of the car was full of his cedar and soap scent.

He backed out of the driveway and turned the corner, passing the snarl of limos and guests crowding the circular driveway of the Bancrofts’ estate.

“Where to?”

Nerves warring with desire, Alyssa rummaged in her bag and dug out her lip gloss, slicking on a coat to give herself something to do.

Derek stopped at a stop sign. “Where are we going?”

She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly bone dry. What she was about to do was crazy. Stupid.

Necessary.

“You know, it’s so early,” she said, and turned to face him. She kept her eyes locked with his and placed her hand deliberately on his thigh. “And I’m not quite ready to go home.”

He stared at her hard for what felt like an eternity. His thick, dark brows drew together in a harsh scowl.

Her stomach bottomed out as she realized he was about to turn her down.

“You want to get a drink somewhere?”

The moment of truth. She slid her hand farther up his thigh, delighting in the swells and ripples of rock hard muscle hidden beneath wool gabardine. “I’m not much for crowds. Why don’t you just take me back to your place?”

Sybil’s Review of Caught (Gemini Men, Book 1) by Jami Alden
Romantic Suspense released by Brava 1 Oct 08

I first became interested in this series back when Jami Alden told us about her new Brava trilogy. The excerpt grabbed me. What can I say?  I am a sucker for a smartass heroine. I know, this shocks you.

Toni is a computer geek used to using her keyboard kungfu to get what she needs where as Ethan is more used to using his smile. They are brought together when 17 year old Kara Kramer turns up missing.  As the daughter of one of Gemini’s clients, Ethan is called in to help. Toni shows up with the recent ex Mrs. Karmer (Toni’s PI services helped her become a wealthy ex). Both Toni and Ethan have their own pasts to color their view of Kara’s disappearance, neither really knowing if there is anything more here than a kid looking for attention, trouble or if she has found it. Her parents swear she is a good kid, with good grades and a good web page on FacePlace called V-Club, where she has promised to stay a virgin until marriage. While the dad blames it on the mom for being a drunk and the mom blames dad for being too busy screwing his assistant, Ethan takes charge, or tries too.

What follows is an interesting, fast paced tale with a twist, a ‘ripped from the headlines’ feel to it, and a heavy dose of nothing ever dies on the Internet.  So you know those nekkid pictures?  Yeah, don’t post them or at least make sure she really is over age. I am pretty sure there was something of a plot hole regarding the FacePlace posting but I am not really familiar with Myspace or Facebook so I could be wrong and my kungfu is so not that good. So I just nodded and went with it. Computer geeks of the world might not. The photo stuff is cool though, but again, totally over my head. It did what I like in a good suspense story, which means it kept me turning the pages and made me think.

The characters are grand and might be one of Jami’s strongest points. She does amazing men. Really I would say Ethan, Derek and Danny are all great male characters who get along like brothers and sound like men. When they are together there is a serious lack of hand holding and tea, the language is more than a bit rough and something you might expect from ex-military men. Jami Alden has a great way of giving you their history without a bunch of info dumping or allowing the other brothers to over take the story. You want to know more about them but they don’t steal the show from the romance.

And the romance was good and the h/h are given a nice amount of time together, something that is often lacking in romantic suspence but it is still the weakest part of the a strong story. She had a great set up. A strong female, and a yummy hero who falls hard. It is grand. Downfall is Jami Alden has four days to work with so it is a tough sell and the push/pull does get tedious. The love scenes are smoking and when they are together they click, but it is hard to buy why it is love over lust. In the end though I have to admit I wanted to believe and I’m really happy to have Kept to start next.

On a final note, I was amused because when I closed the book I thought it reminded me of Shannon McKenna’s older books and on the cover of Caught there is a quote from… Shannon McKenna.  Are you paying attention McKenna fangirls?

Grade: B-

Summary:

Got an investigation situation? Call the Gemini Men: Ethan and Derek Taggart. Yeah, they’re twins. Double the trouble and twice as sexy—women can’t get enough of them or their older brother Danny, who keeps ‘em in line when things get wild. The three Taggart men are hot, hard, and ready to take on all comers…

Ex-military. Tall. Chiseled. Intelligent and arrogant. And so hot he’s on fire. That’s Ethan Taggart. Male to the max. Toni Crawford, computer genius turned PI, can’t stop looking at him and Ethan’s returning the favor. Nice and slow. Those piercing blue eyes of his are about to melt her down but…nothing doing. Toni has to stay cool. Focus on the assignment: the teenage daughter of a multimillionaire just vanished in plain sight. Chasing down leads, investigating every freaky angle, pushing past the boundaries of a hellish underworld of sex and drugs, Ethan and Toni are forced to work closely to stalk an unseen enemy with a taste for cruel games. Risking their lives to save the missing girl is only half the battle. Their blazingly sensual attraction grows every second, until there’s no turning back. Their passion is about to explode…and Ethan and Toni soon find that danger breeds the hottest desire of all…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in The Gemini Men trilogy:
, Book 3: Unleashed by Jami Alden (29 Sep 09)

Gwen’s review of Italian Stallions by Karin Tabke and Jami Alden
Contemporary erotic romance anthology released by Aphrodisia 1 Jul 08

This two story anthology is centered around a restaurant in the San Francisco area. Both stories have several characters in common and a general theme – damsels in distress who are saved by the almighty peen, I mean, hero(es).

Tabke is one of the authors who employs the recently controversial Street Team concept. Something I find kind of funny, to be honest. I mean, how many years have I heard that authors dread having to market themselves and say that’s the worst part of the job. And yet, when a few of them actually do that by employing the oh-so-urban-hip-sounding “street team,” they’re criticized for it. You authors can’t win for losing sometimes, ya know?

Okay – back to the book.

In His Bed by Karin Tabke

I was underwhelmed by this story. I didn’t find either the hero or heroine very believable and didn’t particularly care for the evolution of the romance.

The heroine, Gianna, is a protected Italian virgin who helps her traditional Italian father run a traditional Italian restaurant. She loses her father and is left to fend for herself. During this transition, she’s confronted with a local thug/mucketymuck who wants to pop her cherry. This thug employs other thugs, naturally, who almost take said cherry for themselves (huh???). The heroine is saved by an undercover FBI agent/hero who is gunning for the thug/mucketymuck.

The seriously alpha hero proceeds to conquer heroine’s heart and body with his almighty peen and saves the day. The heroine is mad at him for like two seconds about the lies he’s told her (undercover, remember?), forgives him, and they live HEA.

And that’s the story. See? A bit underwhelming.

Grade: D+

Summary: Intense and darkly handsome, Gabriel LaMotta is working an undercover FBI investigation in San Francisco–and he’s making the mob real nervous. Tough luck. They can’t hide inside a club full of pole-dancing babes. But Gabe would like to know what a demure, soft-spoken beauty like Gia Cipriani is doing there. But first he has to rescue her. Then he’ll ask the questions. And when they get behind closed doors, a high-octane attraction turns into blazing, soul-shattering sex. Gia may look innocent, but she sure knows how to show her appreciation–and set him on fire…

Will That Be All? by Jami Alden

This story was quite a bit better, in my opinion and with apologies to Tabke. I liked the heroine, sort of liked (if I didn’t fully believe in) the hero, and enjoyed the evolution of their romance.

The heroine, Theresa, is the best friend of the previous story’s Gianna. She returns to San Francisco and the family house after a disastrous relationship – one that estranged her father from her. Theresa goes to work for Gianna as a waitress, where she meets the hero, Vince. Vince is a regular and uber-rich guy. Through some twists in the plot the heroine moves into the hero’s guest house to train his dog. Nature takes hold and some very hot and steamy sex ensues.

What I liked particularly about this story was the heartwrenching break-up scene, even if I wanted to sock the hero in the nose. The heroine had been battered by the aforementioned disastrous relationship, so her reticence to open her heart and lack of self-esteem make her response to the break-up seem very believable.

The make-up was a bit out there, but I liked it. This was a hot little story and worth the purchase of the book.

Grade: B

Summary: Vince Mattera clawed his way up from poverty to the top of the financial heap in San Francisco. The hedge fund he manages is making millions. But he still eats at the same little Italian restaurant where he always ate. The marinara is homemade, the food is real, and it doesn’t hurt that the owner just hired a spicy little brunette. But smart-mouthed Theresa Bellessi is a whole lot more than a waitress–she’s a goddess. And Vince intends to sexually worship every inch of her glorious, soon-to-be-naked body. Check, please…

This was an entertaining little anthology, even if I had to put a large post-it over the mantitty cover before I would be seen in public with it. (It was just a bit too “in your face – I’m reading an erotic novel” for a self-confessed soccer mom at the dentist’s office with said soccer kid, if you know what I mean.) The first story wasn’t my cuppa tea, but I enjoyed the second one quite a bit more.

This was a very good summer read for some steamy pool-side action. Bring along your own personal hero, though, or you’ll be asking the cabana boy for more than a towel…

Overall Grade: C+

I couldn’t find excerpts of either story. And just because I know there are others who appreciate mantitty almost as much as I do, here’s the cover in larger format – you can thank me later:

Lookie Lookie! We got cookie!  Well, an excerpt at least.  CAUGHT by Jami Alden comes out October 2008 (well, 30 Sept).

And remember the contest we held on TGTBTU where the winner named not only this book BUT the series?  Read the comment by Zara.  Too Cool!

And LOOK how kind the Cover Fairy continues to be for Jami!  Isn’t he yummy?

     Got an investigation situation? Call the Gemini Men: Ethan and Derek Taggart. Yeah, they’re twins. Double the trouble and twice as sexy—women can’t get enough of them or their older brother Danny, who keeps ‘em in line when things get wild. The three Taggart men are hot, hard, and ready to take on all comers…

     Ex-military. Tall. Chiseled. Intelligent and arrogant. And so hot he’s on fire. That’s Ethan Taggart. Male to the max. Toni Crawford, computer genius turned PI, can’t stop looking at him and Ethan’s returning the favor. Nice and slow. Those piercing blue eyes of his are about to melt her down but…nothing doing. Toni has to stay cool. Focus on the assignment: the teenage daughter of a multimillionaire just vanished in plain sight. Chasing down leads, investigating every freaky angle, pushing past the boundaries of a hellish underworld of sex and drugs, Ethan and Toni are forced to work closely to stalk an unseen enemy with a taste for cruel games. Risking their lives to save the missing girl is only half the battle. Their blazingly sensual attraction grows every second, until there’s no turning back. Their passion is about to explode…and Ethan and Toni soon find that danger breeds the hottest desire of all…

E-X-C-E-R-P-T 

“Find anything interesting?”

The voice was so close she felt his breath across her neck. She spun around and found her nose butting up against a hard wall of chest. For a moment she stood there, face buried in the open throat of his button front shirt, inhaling the intoxicating scents of fresh aftershave, laundry soap, and warm, musky man skin.

Okay, the guy might be an arrogant asshole, but the mere smell of him was enough to curl her toes inside her sneakers.

She took a hasty step back before she did something stupid like flick her tongue out for a taste. This guy was so far out of her league it wasn’t even funny.

“What do you want?” she asked, hoping her imperious tone and matching expression would mask the fact that her insides were fluttering madly at the heat radiating off of him.

“Just wondering where you’d hurried off to.” His oh so charming smile was cracking around the corners.

Good. Her manufactured hostility was working.

“I wanted to see if I could find her computer.”

“Why?” He looked genuinely confused.

“How else were you planning on tracking her down?”

He looked at her as though she was an idiot. “Canvassing the neighborhood, calling her friends. You know, basic investigation stuff.”

She shook her head impatiently. What, was he an idiot? “Kara spends a lot of time online –“

“Right. The online virgin support group. I’m sure they’ll be a lot of help finding her boyfriend.”

Toni sucked in her cheeks and bit the inside of her lip. “That’s probably just the tip of the iceberg, Ace. And finding out who she’s talking to online will get me a lot further than talking to neighbors who probably don’t even know her name.”

Ethan smirked. “Just because you spend all your time on Lord of the Rings message boards doesn’t mean Kara does. Talking to real live friends will be a lot more useful than worrying about what web pages she visited.”

She shot him a look of disdain. “Lord of the Rings is so 2005.” These days, Toni spend more of her time on gaming sites, but she wasn’t about to correct Ethan.

He did a leisurely tour of the room, pausing to pick up a framed picture off Kara’s desk. Toni tried not to stare at him, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. The man had hit the genetic jackpot, that was for sure. Taking advantage of his distraction, she studied him more closely, trying to pick out some imperfection that would remind her he was a mere mortal, just like her.

He’d missed a spot shaving, she noticed with a tug of satisfaction. And the strong line of his nose skewed slightly to the left. That and the bump on the bridge told her he’d broken it at least once and hadn’t bothered to get it fixed.

Somehow that made him even hotter.

There were dark smudges under his heavily lashed eyes, like he hadn’t gotten much sleep.

Not that she should talk, since thank to her recent late stakeouts, the only thing keeping her from looking like an Ultimate Fighting Champ contender was her industrial strength concealer. Her gaze strayed back to the little patch of stubble, next to his right ear. It would rasp against her fingertips if she touched it, contrasting with the peachy softness of his earlobe…

There was something on his earlobe, she noticed, frowning. Almost like a smudge of blood, but as she moved to take a closer look, she realized it was too pink to be blood. Almost like-

“Is that lipstick?”

He looked up, his left eyebrow arching up his forehead.

“On your ear.” Toni clarified.

He pinched his left earlobe between his thumb and forefinger. “Maybe.” His tone was casual, but Toni could see the dark stain smudging across his tanned cheeks.

“Other one.” Toni said, folding her arms across her chest.

He rubbed at the other earlobe with his fingers. “Did I get it?”

The dark pink smudge was still there. “Your girlfriend must wear that extended wear stuff,” she said, wincing at how snide that came out.

“Not my girlfriend,” he said.

All the more reason to kill the attraction that was sucking her in like a tractor beam. She so did not need to get hung up on a man who spent long nights getting smudged with long wear lipstick by women who were not his girlfriend.

“Boyfriend?” She brushed past him and continued her circuit of the room.

He shot her a droll look. “So where is it?”

So he’d noticed that minor detail too. Kara’s MacBook was nowhere to be seen. “Not where I thought it would be.”

“Oh, so you can admit you were wrong.”

Toni she tipped her chin to glare up at him. He was standing way too close for her comfort. He seemed to loom over her, the sheer size and force of him threatening to overwhelm her.

Not that she felt threatened, exactly, but while she was only a few inches shy of him in height, he had at least eighty pounds on her, all of it rock solid muscle. And the way he held his body in an almost predatory manner hinted at a dangerous core under his charming facade.

She wasn’t about to let him see she noticed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he glared down at her. “Just that you seem like the type who would think she’s right most of the time.”

He inched so close she was afraid he’d feel the hard points of her nipples poking through her shirt. God she was desperate. Kara’s immense room shrank in size as Ethan’s huge frame seemed to suck up all the space. “That’s because I am,” she quipped. Without waiting for his reply she brushed past him and headed back to the kitchen, sure she heard Ethan chuckling.

I haven’t hurt anyone yet but it has come verra verra close…. it sort of makes me want to redo the blog template… or something…

The awesome nath has a review up of one of my favorite books, which happens to be the first in a series, The Rules of Seduction by Madeline Hunter. Why is this nifty you ask? Well it is apart of Keishon’s TBR challenge – if you don’t know it – GET THEE IN THE KNOW.

And her next book in the series comes out soon….

One of my favorite peeps to break bread with, KristieJ posts about teh… Harlequin Horrid Title Syndrome. What do you think? Is this a new trend?

Does it matter to you? What is the worst title you have seen? The best? Would you buy the book anyway? ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what a great contests! I have some SSE to give away you know

In celebration of Cole’s writing and her back to back releases, Dark Needs at Night’s Edge and Dark Desires After Dusk, I’m giving away 15 copies of Dark Needs at Night’s Edge. They are currently sitting on my counter and I am anxious to send them out. So go forth and comment. I’ll randomly select you to win a copy of Dark Needs so you too can enjoy Kresley Cole and one of her innocent, beleaguered men.

To enter you have to comment… And you can get a sneak peek at the next book here. hmmm we need an excerpt of Dark Needs don’t we?

KarenS has her on special take on Cover Model Madness…

And go check out a review for a book we gave away as Chantal (who looks like she is working for an epub now… who the heck is Resplendence Publishing?) reviewed Private Party by Jami Alden. (oh and yes we will have an excerpt from Caught, Jami’s first Brava coming up soon!).

So what about you? What new with you?

Jami was kind enough to share an excerpt from her book with us. I think she didn’t want me to bitch about her website needing to be updated.

I know! Like I would do such a thing? So for now at least this is a JUST duckie exclusive excerpt.

If you haven’t read it yet, check out the summary for Private Party and don’t forget to give Jami an idea for her upcoming Brava title. And you get a chance to win an unsigned copy of Private Party and one uber special person will get a signed copy of a book from Jami’s backlist.

AND NOW…. the excerpt

Private Party by Jami Alden

“Where in the world is he? I’s time to cut the cake.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,” Julie Driscoll Dennison attempted to soothe the frazzled wedding planner. “Why don’t you have one of the ushers check the bathroom, and I’ll see if he’s out in the lobby.”

Honestly, you’d think Brian would know better than to disappear in the middle of the reception.

“Everything okay?” Wendy, Julie’s maid of honor sidled up alongside her.

“I can’t find Brian. He probably needed a moment to himself.”

Wendy quirked a brow. “Right…”

Okay, so Brian wasn’t exactly the introspective type, but still, it was his wedding day. God knew Julie was all but overwhelmed by it all. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen him.”

Wendy shook her head. “Where’s his brother? I thought it was the best man’s job to keep tabs on the groom.”

“He left right after he did his toast,” Julie said. She smiled a little when she thought of Chris’ toast. So practiced, so polite. So unlike him. Chris wasn’t the kind of guy who worried about what people thought of him, especially not the stuffy overly self important crowd attending her wedding. His easygoing, casual style made him stick out in this crowd, even as he tried to fit in.

Unlike Brian, who could have been a GQ Cover model, Chris’s dark brown hair was always a little shaggy, his big, muscular body always looking a little too big for his clothes. But he had looked absolutely delectable in his tux, the white shirt a seductive contrast to his skin, burnished from the strong Caribbean sun. Chris had always been gorgeous in a rough around the edges kind of way, and he’d only improved in the five years since she’d seen him last.

She closed her eyes, trying not to imagine the acres of tanned muscularity he had hidden under that tux. She’d thought she’d gotten over her silly teenage crush on Chris a long time ago, and her wedding day to his half brother was no time her to resurrect it.

She mentally slapped herself. Today was her wedding day, for goodness sake. All of her months of hard work and planning had finally come to fruition, and now was not the time to revisit her long-dead infatuation with her fabulous groom’s black sheep of a younger brother.

She exited the ballroom and made her way down a hall, stopping to chat politely with guests along the way. As she neared a utility closed a thump sounded from behind the door. Then a giggle. Then a moan.

A decidedly masculine moan.

Stomach somewhere around her knees, Julie had an awful premonition of what she would find behind that door.

“You son of a bitch.” Her voice sounded very far away, like it came from the end of a long, echoing tunnel.

She squeezed her eyes so tight her eyelids cramped. This could not be happening. It simply couldn’t.

But there was no mistaking Brian, frozen mid-thrust as he nailed another woman against the wall, gaping over his shoulder at her in a way that would have been comical under other circumstances.

She spared the other woman a quick glance. Ah, of course, the lovely Vanessa, Brian’s newest assistant. She had suspected Vanessa’s employment had more to do with her mile high legs and over sized chest than her secretarial skills, and kicked herself for stupidly giving Brian the benefit of the doubt. But the last time she’d caught him cheating he’d sworn to God, on his grandmother’s grave, and the title of his prized Ferrari, that it would never, ever happen again. He’d promised that the next time he would have sex would be with Julie, on their wedding night. And with their wedding plans forcefully in motion, it had seemed easier to believe him than to admit she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

“Julie, it’s nothing. It doesn’t mean anything.” Brian fumbled with his tuxedo pants, grabbing at his cummerbund as the trousers slid back down around his ankles. Vanessa had pulled her skirt back down and made a dive to retrieve her underpants. The action sent Brian stumbling backwards over a mop and bucket, and he landed on his ass in the middle of Vanessa’s chest.

Julie had never been sucker punched, but she imagined this was what it might feel like. A sharp hit to the middle of her chest, a sensation of all the air leaving her chest, leaving her gasping like a dying trout. Pain radiated through her, accompanied by the icy burn of humiliation. Still, she grasped for control, trying not to let Brian see that she was blowing apart from the inside out, into a thousand tiny fragments. Her mind worked frantically, searching for the appropriate thing to do or say in a situation like this. But there was no sweeping this under the rug with social niceties.

Taking a mop handle and shoving it somewhere extremely painful was probably not the best response, however appealing it was at the moment. “We’re supposed to cut the cake now.”

Copyright © 2007 Jami Alden. All rights reserved.

Private Party by Jami Alden

Turn Up The Heat

Finding her brand-new husband in flagrante delicto with another woman wasn’t part of Julie Driscoll’s plan for her lavish wedding reception. Now she’s a bride without a groom—but she’s determined to have a wedding night with someone. Her cheating husband’s gorgeous brother will do just fine. Chris Dennison is everything his brother isn’t, and his hard body is the stuff the steamiest sexual fantasies are made of…

Let’s Get This Party Started

Chris isn’t about to turn her down. After five years of dreaming about her, the chance to touch Julie’s delectably luscious body is too tempting to resist. And when she follows him to the tropical resort he’s built from the ground up, she insists hot, wet, skin-to-skin pleasure is all he wants. Now he just has to convince her that he wants more…

Jami Alden is getting down and dirty and talking… titles. Whatever did you think I was going to say? tsk tsk I said Jami not Gwen wrong four letter word… err name.

I am picking 25 people to get their very own special copy of Jami Alden’s new book Private Party. Yes! You too can giggle in your home and play with your pants.

Thanks goes to Jami’s editor, Hilary Sares, for giving me so many grand copies of the book in order to bend you to my will and demand you amuse me. It is a dirty job but really somebody has to do it.

**list of winners will be posted 11/8/07**

My latest release is called Private Party, and damn, I love that title. It’s catchy, fun, sexy without being trashy. And I can add “in my pants” to the end, which appeals greatly to my juvenile sense of humor.

If only I could take credit for it. But that honor goes to my editor, the ever brilliant Hilary Sares, who came up with the title last summer after forcing me (not that it was hard) to nix my own working title which was Nice Girls Do. But there are tons of nice girls, good girls, and bad girls doing and not doing all over the shelves already. My original title, The Best Man’s Bride, wasn’t even an option, for obvious reasons. Luckily Hilary was there to come up with something good, because I was coming up empty.

It’s a problem I often have with titles. I think of all the books and novellas I’ve written, I’ve only had titles for – three of them when I started the books. Of those three, only one has ever stuck – Stripping it Down, the first novella in my Taste of Honey anthology. The other two titles were slapped on right before I turned the novellas in.

I’ll just put it out there: I suck at coming up with titles. You’d think after spending months on a story and the characters, I’d have an idea of what to call them, but just as I suck at an elevator pitch, I suck at coming up with names for my books.

Here’s an example: when Hilary told me I needed a title for my novella in the Built anthology, my suggestions included, Who Are You Calling a Hoe and She puts the “Whore” in Horticulture. Hey, the hero is a landscaper, so it was kind of appropriate. And when my friend and fellow author was busy trying to come up with titles for her Highlander trilogy, I helpfully chimed in with, Highland Man Meat, which I’m sad to say never made to her editor’s desk.

Exchanges like these force me to admit that while I may amuse myself, these titles are not going to appeal to the masses.

Which leads me to my latest quandary. I’m about two weeks away from turning in my first book for Brava, a romantic suspense that will be out next fall. I’d love to tell you the title… but somehow I don’t think you’ll remember to look for Jami Alden Brava Book #1 on the shelves.

So, you readers out there, any suggestions?

I need something sexy, smart, sharp, suspense-y. Preferably with a hook that will lend itself easily to the next two books in the series, which are course titled Book #2 and Book #3, respectively. I can’t promise Kensington will use any of the suggestions, but this time around I’m hoping to contribute something to the process, rather than just waiting for the email from Hilary that says, “By the way, we decided on a title. BIG MEN WITH BIG GUNS.” (In their pants.)

Whoever comes up with my favorite gets to choose a book from my backlist.

Titularly yours,
Jami Alden

Friday night is the night of parties and such at RWA. We had RSVP’ed to attend three and were going to go back to the room before heading out to the Harlequin party. I am forever a dumbass and didn’t notice it was at another hotel.

On our way back to the room we ended up in the bar, ran into some authors who were gonna go crash and decided to walk with them to the hotel. My migraine was back, my feet were killing me and I am a wuss. Seeing HelenKay and Sylvia Day sitting in the bar waiting for Kate Duffy was my sign I needed to sit my ass down.

I had never met Kate Duffy and I bother her often with emails so I had to stay. And when she joined us she didn’t even scream in horror and send me away. Cool huh?

Since my buds had left for Harlequin and moving seemed like a really really bad idea, I made a pest of myself for two or three hours. Sadly since I already had a migraine I didn’t even add more than one virgin drink to the bar tab. (I think I had one glass of wine during the whole conference)

Not really much to report on the whole thing. It is somewhat shocking to me that authors make such asses of themselves in front of editors. Another author who joined us later had no clue who I was, even after I tried to explain, and went on at length to tell me what was bad about online reviews.

Well not really… it started with she was really fine with them. If they are done right. To which I asked what ‘right’ meant… I am still not sure but I do know if you say a book made you take an asprin after you finished it that is attacking the author. I still don’t make that connection but to each their own.

A group of people joined us at one point, we were very happy to see them, I had no clue who the hell they were. Turned out it was Hilary and I am pretty sure her daughter and soon to be son-in-law. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to be introduced because she slipped away before I could pounce. I know! I wasn’t feeling well, what can I say.

Jami joined us, lovingly fondingly her book Built. Sylvia Day flipped through it looking for the dirty parts, at least that is what it looked like she was doing. There were random other authors popping in and out, trying to catch a ride on the Kensington tab. And really just doing a great job on networking.

HelenKay kept staring at me, I think waiting for me to mock the stupid but I was on my best behavior. Ok really I just wasn’t feeling well and maybe a touch in shock. A few notes if an editor askes you what you write – Smut – isn’t a good answer. Please someone correct me if I am wrong. Stories of how you buy your mom vibrators for christmas – not impressive. Oh and just to help clear it up in case anyone doesn’t know it – Kate Duffy – doesn’t edit the erotic romance line, Aphrodisia. (hmmm at least I don’t think so…)

I met a lovely couple David Wind and his omfg fabulous wife Bonnie. No really, I will forever loveseses her for giving me Sudafed on Saturday. I was sort of like what the hell ever at that point. And it worked! The woman is a god.

The funniest part of the night was when sarah and candy came back from wherever the hell they had been and were oh so nice to check up on me (although I think they just noticed who I was sitting next too ). Sarah was very motherly and told me I looked like shit and she hoped I felt better soon (I did too). And I got to say hello again to the oh so fab Heather Osborn (editor at TOR).

After I sat back down I leaned over to Kate, most likely scaring her, and quietly asked if she wanted to meet the Smart Bitches. The bar was loud and she gave me an odd look, thinking on it now the woman prolly thought I called her a bitch. It had been an odd night for people saying strange shit to Kate Duffy, so I repeated myself thinking lovely she prolly hates the bitches. And she was like oh, I would love to meet them but I haven’t seen them.

So I once again played hostess (I can’t remember all the people I introduced to other people… sniff no one prolly even recalls meeting ME) and caught Sarah’s eye and waved her over. Candy soon followed and there were bitches all around. Turns out Kate reads the Smart Bitches blog… who knew? The bitches than waddled off and we spent a good 30 minutes talking about blogs and the good things they are doing for the industry. I know oddly enough many a person doesn’t know about blogs and bloggers! David Wind pulled out his cell phone and next I knew I was recommending Joey Hill’s book The Vampire Servant because the cover caught his eye on my blog. Behold the Power of Blogs.

I can’t remember when I made my exit but I would bet those girls (and guy) closed the bar. Me? I went upstairs and passed out, without ever taking a drink. All in all though, it was a blast. Even if I didn’t leave with a copy of Built *g*.