After Christmas Blues

Maybe it is just me but this year I felt a lot more like the grinch than an elf. Every year the money gets tighter and the presents get more expensive and the stress level of the holidays nearly blows my head off. What happened to just getting together with friends and family and enjoying each other's company and being grateful for what you have?
As a child I remeber getting one or two kinda big things and then a bunch of tiny stuff and that was it. No 300 game systems. I might get some Christmas money to hold onto or put towards something big I really wanted but I remember being just as excited to go to the skating rink to be around my friends all evening. That $5 evening was worth more than anything else I could have asked for. Maybe I'm just getting old or the commercial fever didn't grab me this year like it often does. How did you spend your holidays?

A Season of Giving.

This isn't about writing or my books, I was recently sent an email about a family who loss of their son in a horrific accident. Read more here and here.
Several bloggers are getting together to help the family with the costs of dealing with this blow. I know that a childs death is sad and isn't like a baby with a disease or curing something but it's still just as important. If you son or daughter was killed in an accident what would you do?

These bloggers mostly Mothers themselves are putting together a raffle. Every dollar you donate will be one entry into the drawing for prizes. Stephanie from Babe's Rocking Mami is oraganizing this event she will get an email with your info and the amount you've donated and will email you back to confirm and give you your drawing numbers. When the auction ends tentatively on the 15th of January, possibly the 31st.Winners will be drawen random.org. I hope to have more details on the auction in the next few days as more sponors get back in touch, between the weekend and weather people are taking longer to get back in touch. Decide to give up your morning coffee to Riley for a day and you give $5 to a deserving family and get five entries to win some cool stuff!
At the time I'm writing this the donations we have to auction off right now are:
$10 Gift Card to Bath & Body Works
$25 Gift Code to Steph’s Rockin Bakery

$50 Gift Code to PinkCherry.com
and Jules Out Loud is donating a crocheted teddy bear
Project Mommyhood is donating a lovey from Noahs Baby Boutique
A Dust Bunny in the Wind is donating a $15 Gift Code to her store Nitebyrd’s Nest (she must have known what I liked)
Eden Fantasys is donating $100 Gift Code thanks to Jenn (blogger relations guru)
Jaded Vixen has offered two of her racy e books (you know us ladies love racy) on her blog under either pen name.
If you can't donate then help by SPREADING THE WORD! Post the banner below on your blogs or websites to help.

<a href="http://babesrockinmami.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__gLyfxdj8EU/TQS6BG2I-AI/AAAAAAAAAoo/1HptFVkxLdY/s1600/RileysMemorial_sm.png" /></a>

Thank you and I wish you all very Happy Holidays!

Get DEAD SEXY and Show a Zombie Some Love!

Readers often ask me how I come up with ideas for my books, so I thought I'd give you a little behind-the-scenes peek at how I came up with my new release, a paranormal erotic romance from Ellora's Cave called DEAD SEXY.

Before I say anything else though, isn't that cover too hot for words?! When the art department sent it to me, I probably gazed at it for a good ten minutes in mouth-drooling appreciation before I could email them back telling the artist it not only rocked, but totally fit the book. The hero is "Dead Sexy," after all!

Okay, back to the story and how I came up with it. First, to set the stage, I need to share a little something with you about myself. Well, about my hubby and me, actually. We love zombie movies, from the George Romero gems to Shaun of the Dead and everything in between, including "Walking Dead," the new series on AMC. You just can't go wrong with a movie full of walking dead people, can you? Well, if you've ever seen a zombie movie (or even you haven't), then you know the creatures aren't the heroes of the film. I mean, how can they be, right? They're all dead and decayed and downright unattractive, not to mention pretty damn scary. Which was why you can imagine my surprise when my hubby suggested I write an erotic romance about a zombie hero. I was like, you're kidding, right? What woman in her right mind would fall in love with a dead guy? No way could that possibly work, or so I thought.

Turns out, my hubby wasn't kidding. In fact, he started working up ideas for the story.

"The hero didn't have to be a zombie all the time," he told me. "Think outside the box - take a little literary license!"

Okay, I thought. I suppose I could be open minded.

My hubby told me that in his out-of-the-box world, the hunky hero got cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess and only turns into a zombie sometimes.

"I'm listening," I said.

"And when he does go zombie, he doesn't have to be like the kind in the movies," my hubby added. "Well, he has to look like one, you know all dead and stuff, but he doesn't have to be a mindless creature or attack humans or eat anything gross."

So, brains are completely out, thanks goodness!

"Think Jensen Ackles or Jared Padelecki, with a really, really, really dark tan - (yes, my hubby knows I've got a thing for the Supernatural hunks!) - well, maybe more gray and black than tan, but you get the idea."

I thought about that for a minute. "So, the hero's dead, but he's still sexy, is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly," he said, giving me a grin as my eyes lit up with understanding.

By that point, my hubby had pretty much sold me on the idea. Of course, I knew if I ran with it, I was going to have to sell it to a publisher, and I knew that could be tough since the hero is a zombie. But I ran with it anyway and ended up with a full-length novel. And it came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself! I still had to find a publisher for it, though.

About this same time, It just so happens that several of my other books were in the process of being picked up by Ellora's Cave and I thought what the heck? Why not pitch it to my editor there and see what she thinks? So I did, and she told me to send it to her. She was interested to see how I handled the whole zombie-thing. Well, long story, short, she liked it. A lot! My zombie romance with it's dead-sexy hero had a home! I was thrilled and my hubby walked around for a week with a smug, "I-told-you-so" look on his face.

I've been getting the word out there about DEAD SEXY ever since I signed the contract for it and I'm thrilled with the interest from readers who can't wait to get their hands on it! I can't wait for them to read it, too!

Now that I've revealed the story behind the story, I thought I'd share the blurb and an excerpt just to whet your appetite for more!


Blurb:

Romance author Simone Kent thinks she might just have found the most perfect guy in all of New York City - in bed and out. But Drake Parrish is about as far from perfect as any man can get. Eight years ago, he was cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess to live part of his life as a zombie. Since then, he has lived like a recluse on New York’s Upper East Side, afraid to go out for fear he’ll suddenly turn into one of the walking dead.

The sex is the hottest either of them has ever experienced and Simone discovers just how naughty she can be with Drake, while he finds himself feeling things for her that he hasn’t felt in a very long time. When the Voodoo priestess learns of their relationship, however, she comes after him again. She is determined to make sure he won’t have a future with Simone, even if that means killing both him and the woman he loves.




Excerpt:

As she led him up the steps to the second floor, Drake found himself wondering if she would ask him in. And wondering what he’d say if she did. When they came to a stop outside the door to her apartment, Simone turned to give him a smile.

“I had a great time tonight.”

“Me, too.”

She caught her bottom lip between her perfect white teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully as if unsure what she wanted to say next. It was probably an unconscious gesture, something she did whenever she was thinking, but to him, it was sexy as hell and all he could think about was kissing her.

Surely, one kiss couldn’t hurt. He desperately wanted to. He hadn’t kissed a woman in so long. It would be nice to see if he still remembered how.

Before he could stop himself, Drake tilted Simone’s face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers.

She tasted just as sweet and delicious as he thought she would. Her lips were soft and pliant under his as she kissed him back, her tongue eagerly seeking his out.

Drake groaned and slid his hand into her hair, deepening the kiss. Simone sighed into his mouth, running her hands up the front of his shirt to grasp his shoulders. The feel of her touch was like a tonic to his deprived soul and he let out another groan, deeper this time.

He ran his free hand up her side and around to her breast, cupping it through the soft material of her dress. He couldn’t stop himself and apparently, Simone didn’t want him to. She moaned and arched against him. He could feel the heat of her pussy through their clothes as she pressed up against his hard cock. Damn, she felt good.

Drake drew her bottom lip into his mouth and gently suckled on it before slowly kissing his way along the delicate curve of her jaw. Simone clutched his shoulders and tilted her head back. He eagerly trailed a path of hot kisses down her neck, then back up, his mouth finding hers again. Simone looped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer as their tongues met.

Down the hall, a door slammed, reminding him where they were.

Drake dragged his mouth away from hers, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain control. He had to get it together because he was about five seconds away from doing something really stupid. Like taking her to bed. “I should go.”

Her lips curved into a sexy, flirtatious smile. “Or you could stay.”

God, how he wanted to. But as much as he’d love to spend the rest of the night exploring every inch of her body, he couldn’t take the chance he might go zombie on her right in the middle of sex. Talk about coitus interruptus, And it had already been almost four days since he last turned, which meant he was already pushing his luck.

“You don’t know how much I want to,” he groaned. “But I can’t.”

Simone looked up at him with those big, blue eyes. “Why not?”

“Because I…” He hesitated, trying to come up with something that would sound believable. “I have a column due in the morning and I haven’t even started on it yet.” She knew all about deadlines, so she would understand that. Besides, he did have a column to write, it just wasn’t due until next week. “Rain check?”

She looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. “Absolutely. How does coming over for dinner tomorrow night sound?”

It would be crazy to agree when he could be so close to having an episode, but he couldn’t say no. Not when she asked in that soft, sultry voice. “Sounds great.”

“Good. Be here at seven.”

“Seven it is.”

She pulled him down for another long, slow kiss on the mouth. “Don’t be late.”

His mouth twitched. “I won’t.” He bent his head to kiss her again, then groaned. “If I don’t go now, I’ll be here all night.”

Simone laughed. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Not to me, but my editor at Money Issues might not be too understanding when he doesn’t find my column sitting in his inbox tomorrow.”

She sighed. “Deadlines can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. Okay, go home and write your column. I’ll cuddle up with a bowl of ice cream instead.”

He chuckled. “Sounds better than taking a cold shower, which is what I’m going to be doing when I get home.” He closed his mouth over hers once more. “See you tomorrow night, beautiful.”

Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms again, Drake turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairwell. At the top of the steps, he glanced over his shoulder to see Simone standing where he’d left her, a sexy curve to her lips.

It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to go back and pin her against the door for one more long, lingering kiss. God, what he wouldn’t give to spend the night with her. Man, it was going to take more than a cold shower to get her out of his head.




Hope you enjoyed the excerpt and that you can't wait to read more! You can get DEAD SEXY from Ellora's Cave at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8917-50-dead-sexy.aspx

You can also check out the trailer here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5D_YH6bYrE


If you decide to pick up DEAD SEXY, let me know how you like it!

And don't forget to look for SEXY SECRET SANTA on Dec 22nd, my other new release from Ellora's Cave! Get a sneak peek on my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com



*hugs*
Paige

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/
http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

Be Truly, Madly, Deeply Romantic

Hey all,


Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year.  It's been a great year and I'm going to start up 2011 with a bang.  It's great...it's wonderful...it's awesome...it's...

ONE FREE READ STORY A WEEK!!!


That's right... COMING JANUARY 2011


Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors

A brand new FREE READ endeavor put together by myself and 25 special friends. A brand new, never before seen complete short story each weekend just for your viewing pleasure.


Our goal is to write FREE READ stories that, in the words of the awesome Savage Garden song, Truly, Madly, Deeply, will...



Be your dreams, Be your wishes, Be your fantasies
Be your hopes, Be your love, Be everything that you need

Truly, Madly Do...



This FREE READ is slated to start the second weekend in January. Every week a different author will have a complete quickie short for you to read. Different genres, different heat levels, but all with one thing in common...

Truly Madly Deeply Passionate Romance

So get ahead of the game and become a follower early.  You'll receive weekly updates as soon as it goes live! Do so by visiting the blog HERE.

For more information join my CHAT LIST or NEWSLETTER LIST.  And don't forget my holiday contest at my WEBSITE.  Just click on Freebies & Fun Stuff and then Contests!

And I have a short Christmas story in my newsletter this month.  But, as a Christmas FREEBIE for all my friends, fans and readers, no subscription is necessary.  Just go to this LINK and ENJOY!!!

I'll be back next month with more fun and maybe even a few games!  *grin*

Blessings,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams
http://cjengland.com/frosty/frostytherealman.htm 
http://cjengland.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CJsaysFollowYourDreams/

A Little Nostalgia.

My new cover of Love Train (MM) due for release next month from www.romancedivine.com

I was supposed to blog yesterday, but it completely slipped mind. This blog is short and sweet.

Another year has slipped by for the Midnight Seductions group. We’ve been together for three years and hopefully, it will last many years into the future.

On Sunday, we had our Christmas bash and three year celebration, meeting up with our old friends and co-authors. It makes a person nostalgic remembering how we all banded together when things didn’t look very bright three years ago. I believe each and every one of us succeeded in our writing pursuit.

I just wanted to thank all my fellow authors at Midnight Seductions for being there when we needed a helping hand with something or if we needed advice. I feel this is a close knit group and I hope it stays the same.

http://www.mary-suzanne.blogspot.com/

The Allure of Wings

I watched the latest Victoria's Secret Fashion Show the other night. Did you see it? So amazing the way they wear those wings! I mean really. This year they even had one made out of bubbles.

When I was little I watched the Miss America Pageant every single year. The glamorous dresses...the classy looking women...and the promotion of world peace- what more could a girl want?

I do jest but I believe these are just a part of the things that helped model me into a writer. I've always believed that anything was possible. I mean hey, if a skinny gal can wear a bra made of diamonds in public, all is possible- right?

Getting back to the wings...I bought a set myself recently. Mine are big, black and furry. Three words that I love to put together. If you haven't tried wearing wings, you really should. The feeling is indescribable. Ohhhhhh, yes.

I have a story coming out next summer that involves a pageant, a vibrator and a hidden film crew. Oh, wait, I can't reveal any more than that yet, but I've got you thinking don't I?

Go out and buy those wings ladies!

Bah! Humbug!

I hate Christmas, with all the good cheer, mawkish and overly sentimental holiday movies, the Lifetime channel, the higher electric bill from putting up all the lights, having to spend time with dysfunctional family members, and fruitcake. The same fruitcake that has been circulating for the past twenty years. It's a doorstop, not a fruitcake.

Okay, I lie. I like some of those movies, mostly "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "A Christmas Story". I might even break down, make some spiked egg nog, and watch Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. It has Santa, martians, and Pia Zadora. What's not to love? And of course there's Dead End, which is about a cranky, dysfunctional family taking the scenic route to Grandmas for Christmas dinner. Hey, it stars Ray Wise, so you know it's gonna be good. Even the Tomato Meter gave it a good rating. We watch this one every year as our traditional Christmas movie.

I like decorating the house, although I've been so sick this fall I still have yet to remove the Halloween decorations. And now that we have a free fake tree, no more fricking pine needles!!! I even liked the house in the south covered with so many Christmas light the birds were fooled into thinking we had Thirty Days Of Light.

This brings me to one of my favorite memories when I was a kid in the 1960s. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were always amusing. One year at my aunt's, my cousin and I were playing on the floor in the living room while the men watched football. My uncle had just bought a brand new, state of the art remote controlled Zenith. This was the 1960s so such a TV was a sign you made it in the world, at least in my family's circle. My uncle showed off his new TV, turning channels and turning the thing on and off with the remote. Wow, you didn't need to get off the couch to change the channel! The first generation of couch potatoes were born. I wore a charm bracelet that we figured out pretty quick was turning off the TV - right during the kick off! I couldn't have timed it better. Turned out the frequency of my charm bracelet matched the frequency of the brand new remote controlled Zenith my uncle had recently bought, and whenever I shook the bracelet hard enough, the TV would turn off. So my cousin and I kept waiting for the most important moment in the game and I'd shake my charm bracelet. The men were getting very mad and I thought my uncle was going to toss a brick through the TV. He pounded on its side and got very frustrated. Finally, my aunt figured out what we were doing and she took my charm bracelet - after we gave the men a demonstration. Everyone was impressed. Everyone wanted to kill me.

I include a version of that true story in my erotic Christmas short story "Tinsel Temptations'. This story is based on my fondest childhood Christmas and Thanksgiving memories when I was a kid in the 1960s. I didn't live in a "Mad Men" world in that era, since I grew up in a working class neighborhood. "Tinsel Temptations" takes my own holiday memories and adds some very hot sex to them. John Jones and his "not really his cousin" Jessica are 21 and 19 respectively, yet they are still stuck at the kid's table for Christmas dinner. Remember the kid's table? If you want a laugh out loud, sexy read, check out my Christmas story, "Tinsel Temptations".

And now it's time for "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians". We have the MST3K version. Good times!



Title: Tinsel Temptations

Release Date: 08 October 2010

ISBN: 978-1-935757-00-9

Author: Elizabeth Black

Format: E-Book

Length: 3,445 words 21 pp (PDF)

Genre: Holiday Romance

Category: Holiday, Humor, Nostalgic, Erotic

Price: $2.99

BUY IT NOW:

Tinsel Temptations - AllRomanceEBooks

Tinsel Temptations - Bookstrand

Tinsel Temptations - Amazon Kindle

NEWLY RELEASED! INDISCRETIONS VOL. 1 - View The Trailer

TINSEL TEMPTATIONS - BLURB:

It was another Christmas for John Jones, with his parents, family and friends. The highlight of such gatherings was always the visit of his ‘I’m-not-really-your-cousin’ Jessica and their bedroom frolics while the family were otherwise occupied. This year, Jessica bought something new—the girls! Over the last year Jessica had filled out—and out. Her new shape had John mesmerized, and decorating the tree took on a whole ‘nuther meaning when the holidays bring their Tinsel Temptations.

The Prescription Drug Epidemic

You may not believe me, but I’m normally a pretty happy person. I joke with my dog, I sometimes talk like Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd and other Looney Tunes characters and some of my sexy short stories will make you laugh. Nevertheless, there are things that get my goat and make my blood boil. Yes, bankers, lawyers, mortgage brokers, televangelists and other such scoundrels drive me up a wall and I might talk about them on another day, but for now I want to talk about the guardians of our health, and the custodians of our lives, our doctors.

Did you know we have the greatest health care system in the world?

Balderdash!

Don’t make me laugh. If our health care system is so good, how come the lifespan in the U.S. is 38^th in the world on life expectancy and 33rd worst in the world for infant mortality. How come every so often you read in the paper or hear on TV that some poor slob had the good leg amputated instead of the diseased one or some other mindless accident. I’ve been to doctors who’ve been dumber than dirt. Having an MD designation is no guarantee that your doctor is smart enough to keep from killing you. Yeah, that’s right killing you. Don’t get me wrong there are some good doctors out there, but some times they’re harder to find than snow in the Sahara.

Example, eleven years ago our son was seriously ill from Crohn’s disease. He was slowly dying in the hospital, while a team of so-called specialists played doctor. My wife wouldn’t have it. She got on the phone with her sister in California and asked if she could get a recommendation. Within a day or so, my wife got the name of a Crohn’s specialist in L.A. To make a long story short, she talked to him, knew he was competent and to the chagrin of the pretend doctors, took our son, along with x-rays and records to L.A.

That was twelve years ago and no thanks to his original doctors, my son survived. Those doctors like so many didn’t have a clue and a doctor without a clue is dangerous, because they feel like they have to do something and when they don’t have clue, many times they do the wrong thing.

I can see I could easily write a couple thousand words on this subject so I’m going to jump to the subject of my blog, the pharmacological cartel’s seeming conspiracy to get everyone in the world taking their drugs. I do not for a minute believe they are a benign entity. The evidence supports the opposite. From lobbyists in D.C. to high powered ads on TV and elsewhere to paying doctors to peddle their wares: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/business/09anemia.html?_r=1 .

When was the last time you watched the national six o’clock news and didn’t see at least six to eight ads for prescription drugs? Have you listened to the side effects they recite? Some of the worst are severe diarrhea, blindness and death. Yes, Death! That’s pretty severe side effect. And it happens. Have you or your family ever taken Ritalin? It can kill! And the affliction it supposedly treats, ADHD, is questionable. In the old sane days it used to be called hyperactivity.

I had a hyperactive sister. She didn’t take any drugs and she lived long enough to become a productive person and eventually a passive old maid. Not so for some of these kids: http://www.ritalindeath.com/adhd-drug-deaths.htm .

When it comes to special ed in our schools we have a case of the old Catch 22 here folks. The kids, usually hyperactive boys are diagnosed by our friendly physician or psychiatrist as having that made up disorder ADHD. They are then put on one or two various psychotropic drugs which through the years have killed thousands and guess what. They are so drugged that they can’t do their school work. When kids don’t live up to there potential, (ability tests) they are candidates for special ed. So almost all of the special ed kids are on drugs. And many that aren’t special ed are on drugs too. In fact it’s like an epidemic.

And folks this epidemic is everywhere, bought and paid for by the drug cartels and the medical community.

I’m going to leave it at that…for now. Looking forward to comments.

For those who may be interested, my latest book is a novel about another one of my pet peeves, Televangelists. If the subject interests you check out The Bastard Preacher.

The Bastard Preacher Blurb

If there are truly evil people in the world, Jamie Lee Vincent would be a prime suspect.

Smooth and handsome, sociopath, Jamie Lee Vincent decides there's easy money in religion after attending a big tent revival in his home town of Tyler, Texas. Catching the interest of Reverend Sonny Riverton's youngest daughter, the lovely and vivacious Missy, he charms his way into her bed and in short order the Riverton clan.

Utilizing his charm and natural-born talent for chicanery, Jamie Lee takes over the ministry, and when his popularity soars finds himself among the most revered of television preachers. However, the wealth, fame, sex and power he now enjoys isn’t enough—nothing is ever enough!

Who's Your Hero?

December 7, 1941.

The date is fraught with emotions and memories for many, or a distant, cold piece of history for some of the younger generations. In my family, it has become a day to remember those who have gone before us and their struggles to survive, as well as those who come after us and have yet to face their challenges. As a romance writer, I write about heroes every day, but mine are fiction. Today, I remember those heroes around us every day who aren't made up.

I have a colorful family history of military involvement in the United States. From the settling of Jamestown through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and probably everything in between and before, we've been there and done that. My grandfather served in WWI, and my father in WWII. Several of my brothers have also been in the military.

My mother lived in London, England during the war. Much like the children in The Chronicles of Narnia, she and her brother and sister were sent to live with a relative (in their case, Scotland), during the Blitz, while my grandparents stayed in the city. My grandparents and mother passed away long ago, but my aunt detailed what she could remember for us. Few survivors that my husband and I spoke with would talk about that difficult time, and from what my aunt told us, I can't blame them.

With my eldest son on the verge of joining the Army, his best friend already serving and most likely being deployed to a war zone soon, the harsh reality of today's date strikes close to my heart. There are victims and heroes on both sides of war, and those just struggling to survive.

While I don't always agree with the politics behind wars, I am very proud that we have people both in and out of the military who have risen to the challenges placed before them and stood up for what they believed in.

In remembrance of those who have served or passed, I'll leave you with a favorite song and video that pulls my heartstrings every time I hear it.

Remember YOUR heroes today, whoever and wherever they may be, and cherish each and every moment.

Cassidy

A present for all readers: holiday flashfiction!

Ah, the office holiday party.

If ever a tradition deserved to die a swift and painful death, it’s the Rockwell, Brown, and Breckenridge holiday party. I’ve been here for nine years, and every year is the same. In fact, by now I can pretty much predict how things will go down.

The party begins at seven. Rita Brown and Murphy Breckenridge will arrive separately, still holding onto the ruse that they won’t be leaving together in an hour or two. Nobody is fooled, and as soon as they leave—separately, and a few minutes apart—the gossip will start up. Harold from Accounting will drink way too much and, by nine, be hitting on whoever’s currently the hottest single woman in the office. Sadly, he’ll be rebuffed and end up settling for someone closer to his (nonexistent) hotness level, like Rhonda from Secretarial. Boring conversation will swirl around like fog, getting increasingly risqué and incomprehensible as ridiculous amounts of drinks and appetizers are consumed. At around nine, George Rockwell will show up with trophy wife number whatever and hold court until eleven. At midnight, the staff of whatever restaurant is unfortunate enough to be hosting us in their meeting room will shoo us all out, and the night is over. At least, for those of us going home alone. The others will face the walk of shame the next morning, when sobriety and common sense return. Good times.

Needless to say, I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of attending this year’s party, but not going was not an option. To George Rockwell, failure to attend was tantamount to office treason. I may not enjoy the little get-together, but I do like being employed. Nobody risks George’s wrath by not showing up, not even people with three times as much seniority as I have.

Which is why at nine o’clock on December 17, I found myself seated in the corner of the private party room at Bugsy’s Bar and Grill, drinking a gin and tonic and watching the same old routine play out before my eyes. Harold was on his fifth drink of the night. Susie, one of his coworkers from Accounting, was fending off his advances. I thought about going to rescue her, but since I was discreet almost to the point of being closeted, I didn’t want to make her think I was interested. She’d come to my office on the pretense of discussing something related to her department several times in the past month. Once she’d leaned in really close to show me a graph she’d made, and I saw her keep glancing at me to see if I was checking out her boobs. Even a guy as clueless as I tended to be could figure out where that was headed.

Not for the first time, I wished I would meet a guy worth coming out for. Every man I had dated turned out to be better as a friend, or just better as an ex. I had a bad habit of choosing guys who were all flash and no substance, and coming to regret it later.

Lucky for me, Joe from Legal swooped in to save poor Susie. Harold, thwarted again, looked around for his next victim. Ugh. I turned my attention to the other side of the room. Several people I would consider casual friends were gathered there, but I didn’t feel like going over to them. It had been a long, tough week, and all I really wanted to do was go home. A surreptitious glance at my watch told me I could probably sneak out in another hour or so. Any earlier would be a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

The sound of a throat clearing pulled my attention to a person standing near my small table. I smiled automatically and turned to greet the newcomer. As soon as I saw who it was, my smile turned genuine. Sam from Tech Support stood about a foot away from me, drink in hand. His spiky brown hair went in all directions, as usual, although I could see he’d made an effort to tame it. He wore his usual uniform of a polo shirt and khakis. Since I’d last seen him, he’d gotten new glasses. The new frames were even geekier than his old ones had been. His cheeks were flushed, either from drink or his shyness. He was adorable.

For once, he spoke first. “H-hey, Rick.” The flush across his cheekbones deepened.

“Hey, Sam.” I paused, searching for something to say. “Are you enjoying the party?” Usually I don’t have any trouble with conversation, but with Sam it’s almost like his shyness is contagious. It probably had something to do with the huge crush I’d had on him since the first time I saw him. I’d been half-gone when he walked in the door to fix the aging desktop no one seemed to want to replace. Once he’d bent over to shine his little flashlight into the computer’s guts, I was lost. He had the cutest ass I’d ever seen. After a year of working with him, I had come to like him for more than just his nerdy version of sexiness. His sweet, shy personality was icing on the cake.

“I guess. Those little shrimp appetizers are really good.” He shuffled his feet awkwardly, and then blurted, “I could get you one. If you want?”

Sam was too cute. Could he actually be flirting with me? I should be so lucky. “No, thanks.” I smiled again and shook my head. “I’m allergic to shrimp. Although anaphylaxis might liven up this party.”

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!” Sam looked down at his hands, then over at me. Under his breath, he muttered, “I’m such an idiot!” Aloud, he said, “I should go wash my hands.”

Feeling bold, I leaned forward. “Only if you planned to touch me.”

To my surprise, Sam clenched his cup tighter and stared right at me. Behind the thick lenses on his glasses, his blue eyes looked huge and a little scared. “I’d like to.”

Sure I couldn’t be hearing him right, I stared right back. “You’d like to what?”

His cheeks were lobster red, but he didn’t back down. “Touch you.”

His expression, so sweet and earnest, left no doubt that he was serious. Warmth bloomed somewhere in the vicinity of my heart, although I would never have admitted it to anyone. I pulled out a packet of Handi-wipes and passed him one. He took the disinfectant wipe and eyed it as if he had never seen one before. I had to laugh. “Use that, and you can.”

Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to kiss him for a while. People with a food allergy as severe as mine had been known to have reactions from kissing someone who’d eaten their trigger food.

Of course, there was always tomorrow.

His eyes lit up, and he began to clean his hands with a methodical thoroughness. He must have caught my amused glance, because he grinned. “I’ve wanted you for almost a year. There’s no way I’m screwing it up because of a little shrimp.”

When he finished and tossed the wipe into a nearby trash can, I reached across the table and touched his hand. “I think I’ve gotten enough holiday spirit. Want to go get coffee somewhere?”

He nodded and curled his fingers around mine. His hand was warm, slim, and strong. I liked the way it felt in mine. We stood at the same time. I could have pulled my hand away, but I didn’t. We walked out of Bugsy’s Bar and Grill hand in hand. We would probably be the topic of all the gossip for the rest of the night, but I didn’t care. I had a feeling he just might be the one worth coming out for.

Happy holidays!

Cassandra Gold

www.cassandragold.com

Holiday Movie Cliches: Love em' or leave 'em?

Entertainment Weekly recently did a piece tallying up which cliches this season's films have in store for us, and it got me wondering. I just finished a holiday novella and didn't use a single of one of them, but now I'm thinking I might have missed out on some things readers actually like!

I'm not a big fan of holiday films, so I don't even know if any of the real classics have these or not. I'm thinking not many of them do. So why is it we still see these same elements over again?

Which of these holiday-film cliches do you actually like? I'll admit, I'm a sucker for the mistletoe kiss. Maybe I need to go back and revise my story.

• Mistletoe kiss
• Dramatic plug-in of lights
• Poignant stare at old photo -- okay I do have a scene with old Christmas ornaments. Does that count?
• Cookie/cake calamity
• Cute dressed-up pet
• Token nod to Hanukkah/Kwanzaa -- the worst of them, I think!

These last two aren't applicable to most films/stories...

• Elf hijinks
• Santa injured

What about some new ideas? Is the world ready for Gay Santa? Or a don't-ask-don't-tell Santa who ogles the elves?

Want to win one of my holiday titles? Just leave a comment with your favorite thing about the holidays, and what you'd like Santa (gay or straight) to leave in your stocking this year!

My holiday stories:

• "The Christmas Bonus," will release later this month in a gay Christmas anthology from Ravenous Romance.
• "New Tricks" m/m BDSM Christmas story in BOUND WITH A BOW, EPIC finalist from Phaze.
• "The Sweetest Christmas" in TIS THE SEASON from Torquere Press
• Read excerpts from these at my website.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, whichever ones you celebrate!

EM Lynley

http://www.emlynley.com