Confession Time: I'm a Late Bloomer

I'll readily admit that I didn't become a girly girl until I was an adult in my early twenties. I wore my tomboy badge with pride.  Heck, I can still climb trees--a fact I'm enormously proud of.

My hand model sister is, of course, filled with information about keeping one's hands soft and having presentable nails. SIGH.  I'm still learning.  I must admit I find it quicker to just plunge my hands in the dishwater and take care of business rather than fish for the canary-yellow plastic gloves to protect my digits. Who has time for that?

Check out our conversations over the years concerning my lack of attention to my nails:

My early teen years:
Sis:  UGH. Stop biting your nails.
Me: I have to. I keep scratching myself.
Sis:  Use the nail clipper.
Me:  I did.
Sis:  Is that blood on your finger?
Me: Yeah. Oh hey, did you know my blood tastes like copper or something? Taste this and see if it tastes the same to you.
Sis:  MOM!!

When I was a high school senior:
Sis:  OUCH! Stop spitting your nails at me. You caught me in the eye.
Me: Sorry. I wasn't really trying to.
Sis:  Let me polish your nails.
Me: That stuff tastes nasty.
Sis:  You aren't supposed to taste it.
Me:  But it's on my nails.
Sis:  <Slaps a hand to her forehead and walks off>

My college years:
Sis:  Look at you!  Your nails are actually a color.A pale, really pale, pink but still...
Me:  Yep. Hey, did you know polish come in enough shades that I can match my nails to whatever color I'm wearing?
Sis:  Um, you might not always want to do that.

A few days ago...
Me:  Did you get the photo I sent?
Sis:  The one with you and your gold metallic nails?
Me:  Yep. Cute, right?
Sis:  You go, girl!!

At some point during college, I did stop biting my nails. I'll never be the hand model Sis is, but I do enjoy a manicure as much as the next girly girl.

Painted Passion Blurb

Here is the blurb for PAINTED PASSION, releasing December 24th:
 

Trella Arnold's upcoming art show is her primary focus until she uncovers information that causes her to question circumstances surrounding her husband’s death. She contacts his former partner in spite of the danger he poses to her peace of mind.

Ex-cop Carlos Diaz owns a successful investigation firm, having left the Phoenix Police Department after the murder of his best friend. Carlos’ life is uncomplicated—at least until he receives Trella’s call. Despite his misgivings at seeing the only woman who ever made him think of settling down, he agrees to help.

Trella’s probing for answers lands them both in a sticky, suspenseful situation. Carlos moves in to protect her, but he can’t fight his attraction. Soon he’s in her bed and she’s in his heart.

Can he convince her that loving him is her passion?


A Romantica® romantic suspense erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Cake or Frosting?

In PAINTED PASSION, a couple of scenes are set in the heroine's kitchen.  Trella, the heroine, is a good cook. She's no Julia, Martha or Sunny, but she can hold her own. As can Carlos, the hero.

Not to toot my own horn, but I've been told I'm a good cook (translation:  no one has ever become sick from my culinary skills).  I also enjoy baking. My sister, on the other hand, is not so much a cook as she is a baker. You want desserts?  She's your girl.

I can't tell you how many times she threw a fit because I ate her icing or frosting before she used it.  LOL. I figured if she left it around (translation:  sitting in a covered bowl on the counter), it was okay to eat it.

I recall one particular opportunity to indulge when big Sis baked a German Chocolate Cake (Yum!).  To find the recipe, she used, click HERE.
 
To keep me from touching the frosting, she placed it in the freezer until she was ready to use it. See, she thought the idea of eating chilled butter, sugar, pecans and coconuts would deter me.

It did.

For about a minute.  Okay, thirty seconds.

Alright! It was actually more like ten seconds.  Yep, that was the time it took for me to knock the angel off one shoulder and listen to the devil riding my other one (I don't know about you, but my devil has a sweet tooth).

I had the best intention to eat ONE spoonful. Seriously. But once the tasty concoction hit my tongue, I damn near forgot my name. I ate that frosting like it was still warm.  Scratch that.  I ate that frosting like it was actually covering a cake.  LOL!

Was I punished for this tiny error in judgement?

I think so (translation:  Pretty sure there was disciplining involved, but the taste of the frosting lasted longer than the punishment so I don't really remember).

Writing this has made me hungry. I think I'll go bake a cake....or just settle for making frosting.

Are you a frosting fanatic (like me) or are you a cake connoisseur?

What was the inspiration for PAINTED PASSION?

I was asked recently what inspired me to use Phoenix as the setting of Painted Passion.

So here's the story...

I fell in love with the city of Phoenix and the surrounding areas on my very first visit to the great state of Arizona.  Let me preface this by saying, when I first stepped foot in the Valley of the Sun it was in late spring.  My friends warned me about the desert heat. Yeah, I knew it was a hot place but knowing and experiencing are two different things! I was totally unprepared for the wall of heat burning my skin cells when I stepped out of the airport. Amid the sweat rolling down my forehead and underarms, I kept repeating the mantra, “It’s a dry heat. I’ll get used to it.”  

Well...I didn't.  Alas, my best times during my first visit were spent inside air-conditioned restaurants and stores.

My second visit occurred in the middle of summer (bold, right?).  I strutted out of the airport wearing a long-sleeved pantsuit. I was aiming for the "calm and collected" look. Not sure if I pulled it off, but I didn't sweat.  Nope, not at all. It seems I  conquered the dry desert heat once my body realized I wasn’t trying to fry it on purpose.

Because I was more outbound than on my first visit, I crammed in as many touristy activities as possible, including a visit to South Mountain Park which makes an appearance in one of the scenes of Painted Passion.

COVER REVEAL

And here it is...the cover for Painted Passion to be released on December 24th.  What do you think?

Painted Passion - An Update!

Long time since my last post, but finally there is news!  Not that I haven't been writing and editing in the interim. 

However, my manuscript will be released....wait for it....

CHRISTMAS EVE!! 

Yes, that's right.  December 24th, my debut novel with Ellora's Cave.

I'm too psyched!!  I'll share the cover as soon as I can.

Painted Passion - An Update

The first round of edits are complete and the manuscript was returned.  My editor was laid-off in the recent upheaval at EC.  Painted Passion is ready for line edits so I'm in a wait mode on this story. I don't have a cover yet, but will post the news once I know.