Plot Monkeys

This article was written years ago. I tweaked it a bit to make it more up to date … but in all honesty I just realized we had no Saturday blog posted, so here ya go, LOL!
HAPPY WEEKEND and HAPPY HARRY to all.
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I didn’t always want to be a writer. However, I always fantasized, creating stories in my head. Funny thing is, I thought everybody did! If I couldn’t sleep, I put myself into the jungle and set up an adventure, complete with sexy hero. His face changed as I grew up, but the one thing that stayed the same was the happily ever after. I believe I was destined to write romance. And now I get to roll out of bed, get the kids out to school and work at home. What’s better than that?

The long/short story… I’ve always been a reader and more so when my first daughter was born. I quickly realized I loved happy endings and discovered the romance section of the bookstore where I bought and read LaVyrle Spencer and Catherine Coulter’s entire backlist. At some point I discovered these authors started writing category romance and I began to devour Harlequin and Silhouette books, learning which series I liked best. And soon, the writing bug bit. I wrote for seven years and I had ten completed manuscripts before I sold BRAZEN. I suppose there’s a lesson in there and it involves patience and perseverence! A few months after selling my first book, I sold my second, a Zebra Bouquet called PERFECT PARTNERS, published under the name Karen Drogin (my real name). Two of my three Bouquets were written prior to selling and had been through the rejection process, however Bouquet was open to more emotional stories and they were very well received. After the demise of the Bouquet line, I streamlined into only writing as Carly Phillips and I’ve never looked back!

The inner sanctum… Where do I work? I have an office right off my bedroom. A separate room from my room, a separate room that isn’t on top of the kids, and yet right in the center of things so I’m always around when anyone needs me. So I can truly roll out of bed and work!

How do I get started? … With an idea. A bare basic idea, much to my critique partner’s chagrin. I don’t normally outline in detail, just a basic floorplan. Then I let my characters tell their story, which means I’m always writing and rewriting until I nail the beginning. As for plotting, sometimes I learn things as I go along, which necessitates going back and building in, which is OK. I’d much rather write spontaneously as long as it works within the context of the story! But at some point, I do outline so that I have an idea of where I’m going—if not how I get there. I don’t always use pictures of characters and sometimes I’ll find a great photo that gives me inspiration, for example I had George Clooney posted for a long time. Also, there are TV shows that provide me with inspiration—used to be Ally McBeal and Robert Downey Jr.’s chemistry and these days it’s Alias—Sydney Bristow and Vaughn. Whatever works is what I suggest!

Mechanics… I used to work in Word Perfect because it’s a holdover from my law school, pre-Microsoft days, now I work in Word on an Apple laptop. And I work in order, from the beginning to the end I hope, thanks to the Plotmonkeys, Janelle, Julie and Leslie. I revise as I go along, so by the time I hit “The End” all that’s left is a final read through. Janelle also reads as I go along, which acts as a second set of eyes. If I get stuck, I call for Janelle first and chocolate second, Brenda my editor third! I’m more a character driven than plot driven writer and I’m a stickler for sympathetic characters and usually create them through rich histories and backstory.

Schedules and Page Count… All writers deal with the dreaded “S” word. Schedule. How do you have a consistent schedule when you have kids? When life isn’t consistent? You don’t. At least I don’t! First, I have a mental way of handling things. 25 pages per week. For me, that’s 5 pages a day, five days a week. Or two pages one day and seven the next. I don’t much care how I tally the pages as long as those pages get written. And I admit, when the weekend rolls around, if I’m running short on page count, I’m working a lot harder to make those pages up. Not necessarily the most effective means, but it works well for me.

Keeping myself honest… How do I keep myself on track and honest? I use something developed by my critique partner called a GOAL SHEET. (okay if she didn’t develop the idea, she shared it with me. Same thing as far as I’m concerned!) In a binder, I print and put blank goal sheets, broken down by week. One page per week and divided by days. The top of each page/week has the page I’m supposed to be on when the week ends. It’s an effective means of keeping me on my toes and every day I jot down page count—what I wrote, or didn’t write, and why. I make myself accountable. Then there’s my critique partner who I can count on to crack the whip if I take too many days off!

Avoiding Loneliness… Writing’s a solitary profession. Friends, family and sunlight are the things that save a writers life! So if I don’t feel like writing, I don’t! Even when I have a deadline, if I need a break, I take it. I love shopping and I love spending time with my mom, and we do both together quite well! I have lunch with local friends, have long phone conversations with writing friends and effectively use the Internet to procrastinate. Writers organizations like Romance Writers of America are indispensable to a writer and I am a local member of New Jersey, New England and Hudson Valley Romance Writers.

But no matter what, I have to write, not because of deadlines only but because it calls to me.

Since I posted a sneak peek of SEALED WITH A KISS, I thought I’d do a corresponding giveaway. In the excerpt you didn’t meet OLLIE. OLLIE is a parrot who belongs to Molly’s new grandmother, fondly known as The Commander, and OLLIE if you haven’t guessed is named after Colonel Oliver North - who yours truly had a crush on during the Iran Contra Scandal years and years ago (talk about dating myself!). Anyway, post for a chance to win a Coach Key Chain of a parrot that resembles OLLIE and a backlist book of your choice. (Sorry, no Cross My Heart or SWAK ARC’s today) Good luck and happy Friday~!

Since a few people have already mentioned that I was nowhere to be found at the conference this year, I decided to prove that I truly was there! For me, the conference this year was totally low-key, and I loved it being that way. Normally my schedule is full from morning until night, with meetings, workshops, dinners, parties, etc. This year, I did a few things, but I also spent a lot of time relaxing, too, which is definitely the way to go at conferences!

I had dinner with my Harlequin editor and a fun group of Blaze babes – all pleasure and no business. I had lunch with my Berkley editor and while we did discuss a bit of business, it was totally non-stress. We talked about the next book that’s coming out after BORN TO BE WILDE in September. Since there aren’t any more “Wilde’s” to write about, as most of you know I’m doing a spin-off series from Joel’s book, which introduces four of his ex-Marine buddies, all of whom will get their own stories. My editor and I decided to keep the “Wilde” theme going within the titles, but we’ll be dropping the “e” at the end. The first book in this new spin-off series will be WILD FOR HIM. We also talked about whether we should go with a picture of the couple on the cover like my past two Wilde books for Berkley, or go with a guy-only cover (preferably with his shirt OFF! ).

What do you think? Do you like the couples clinch on the covers, or would you rather see a male only cover? Opinions welcome!

Hmmm. What else? I did skip a few publisher parties this year, but did go to the Berkley cocktail party and Blaze get-together, which was a lot of fun because I was able to chat with friends I haven’t seen in the past year. I attended the HQN signing and mingled and took pictures, and I did find out later that I had books at the Berkley author signing which I didn’t know about!!! I moderated two workshops for Carly, and of course I was there on RITA night to give my best bud, Carly, lots of moral and emotional support. She was amazing, and I’m so proud of her for getting up in front of 2,000+ people to emcee the RITA awards!

However, I admit to spending a lot of time in my room, too – their room service was terrific! I took a daily nap (which I think made Carly jealous, because she was constantly on the go), and the three of us even managed to plot our upcoming books. So all in all, it was a very productive (and calm) conference for me.

The one thing I enjoyed a lot about conference this year was the Literacy signing. Since I didn’t have any books to sign this year, I left bookmarks and booklets for BORN TO BE WILDE on my table, and I walked through the rows and rows and rows of authors signing THIER books. Usually I miss all that, since I’m at my own table chatting with readers and friends. This year, I was able to really see what the literacy signing was all about (as well as get a book signed for my daughter! ), and take in the crazy, overwhelming atmosphere that comes with having nearly 450 authors in one big room signing their books, and double that amount of people buying books. It was fun to watch readers rush from author to author to get books signed and talked to their favorite authors – it was as if this was their version of being in a candy store. RWA raised over $53,000 for literacy, and that is just awesome!

So, here’s a question for you all. If you were set loose in a huge room with every author ever published (and all genres) there signing their books, and you could only meet one of your favorite authors, who would it be? It doesn’t have to be a Plotmonkey, either!

HERE ARE A FEW MORE FUN CONFERENCE PICTURES:

Carly and me at the literacy signing

Julie pretending to be her own heroine on the cover of her August book, STRIPPED!

Dinner with the Blaze Babes. :cocktail: (From left to right: Julie Leto, Julie Kenner, Jacquie D, and Me)

Or: I Have Discovered the “Thing More Tiring Than Conference” and They are My Children.

I’m so excited today to introduce our guest blogger, JULIE KENNER! Now, most of you already know that I’m a huge fan of her books and of her as a person. Maybe it’s the shared first names, but the minute Julie and I meant, I knew we were destined to be friends. We just clicked. Which made it all the sweeter when I read her work and loved every word. You can’t imagine how thrilled I was, then, to be in a special promotion together back in my Pocket days, when her book THE GIVENCHY CODE and my book, DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, were released together (along with Gena Showalter and Shari Shattuck, both of whom I admire beyond words) as the Naughty Girls of Downtown Press. A few years ago, Julie even bundled up her adorable child and drove all the way to San Antonio where I was vacationing so we could all go to Sea World together.

So it is with great enthusiasm that I introduce her to the Plotmonkey readers!!! And in keeping with this week’s conference theme, she’s going to clue us in a bit on her life. You will all, I’m sure, join me in the total amazement that this woman not only writes, but writes well when her life is so full of constant movement and activity. She’s my hero.—————————————————————————————————

Like most of the Plotmonkeys (we missed you, Leslie!), I just returned from the RWA conference in Dallas, which is the Romance Writers of America conference for those of you who are acronym-challenged.

Now, I’ve been going to RWA every year since I sold my first book in 1999 (when Janelle, Carly and Julie took pity on me and let me follow them around like a puppy dog, asking really stupid questions about how publishing works), and each year, I come home to the startling realization that after conference, I’m tired. (This, I say firmly in a “duh” voice, because RWA is very much a go-go-go kind of experience. It starts with a signing to benefit Literacy – during which I invariably lose my voice chatting with folks who are buying my books – and ends with a big awards ceremony. In between there are wall-to-wall workshops and cocktail parties and dinners and meetings. This year, I brought the kids. Yeah, I know. I’m weird.)

Anyhoo, the point being that I’m always tired after conference, so this year I expected it. I rarely go to sleep at conference before, oh, 3:30 a.m., because I stay up chatting with my partners-in-crime and critique partners, Kathleen O’Reilly and Dee Davis. This year, though, these fabulous ladies bugged out on me. (That is SUCH a lie … I was the one who said I wasn’t going to RWA, but it reads so much better to say they abandoned me, don’t you think?) No, the real story is that I was going to go to Disneyland, but ended up at RWA instead. (No, seriously). By that time, Dee had decided to take a year off, too, so she was out. And since I was planning to go to Disneyland, I had kids and husband in tow. Kathleen is a great friend, but shockingly she didn’t want to share a suite with us. I mean, why? A few skittles in the bed and naked children bouncing on the sofa. This is a bad thing??? Apparently she thinks so, because she got her own room. The nerve.

But back to the point that I seem to be unable to keep in front of me: this year, I wasn’t exhausted! No 3:30 mornings. I stayed up, but not unreasonably late. Yes, I did the cocktail parties and dinners, but I did them “light.” The first night, I dined with Brenda Chin and a fabulous group that included Janelle and Carly and Julie – and we had a ton of fun. Brenda actually hired a limo to take us to dinner (okay, so we guilted her into it) and it was a hoot. Here’s a picture of the limo:

I had the chance to catch up with Jules, which is great, and although Janelle and Carly were at the far end of the table, I still had the opportunity to covet Carly’s iPhone, so the important stuff was covered. The next nights were a mix of dinner and cocktails, and then one late evening trip up to the revolving restaurant, that one with my girls.

Here’s a picture of the girls’ trying to figure out Daddy’s magic trick (he was pulling bits of paper out of their ears) while we were in the Dome restaurant. Daddy’s bits of napkin were more fascinating than the restaurant’s revolutions..

It was a rather surreal conference experience, but I have to say it was loads of fun.

And since I wasn’t getting up early to do conference stuff (we did the zoo and the Dallas aquarium instead), I was nice and rested by the time Sunday morning rolled around. It was, I have to say, an interesting way to experience conference. But, interestingly, the exhaustion didn’t come (not from the con, anyway…stay tuned).

So why, then, am I sitting here in my house, completely wiped out (when I need to be writing about 10 pages per day?). Have I written 10 pages tonight? No, I have not. Instead, I’ve watched Seinfeld, King of the Hill, That 70’s Show (which I never watch, so why was I glued to the sofa?), and Malcolm in the Middle. Now, this was under the pretense of folding laundry, but I was done with that by the time Kramer presented Jerry with Fusilli Jerry, and well before the Ass Man came on the scene. There are still bags to be unpacked, for Pete’s sake! (The downside of traveling by mini-van…lots of luggage). So what is up with me?

I’ll tell you: Ten days of being on the road with 2 small children.

Yes, folks, we not only did conference, we did vacation and then conference. We packed two adults and two kids into a minivan and headed to Oklahoma.

Here are the girls ready to leave Texas, just to prove the point (don’t they look energetic?):

We had a great time, but the primary purpose was to give our five year old to visit the seven year old friend she’d made in China when we were over there adopting Isabella and our new friends were over there adopting Joe. So this was a very kid-activity oriented trip. We went to the Children’s Museum –

– we hung out with our two kids and their four, we went to the pool, we went to their grandparents’ and rode horses and toy cars, we went to playgrounds … and, yes, we also did a book club meeting featuring Carpe Demon (okay, the kids weren’t involved in that – they got a night at the grandparents’ for that). That was also an exhausting day because I’d managed to catch some sort of nasty stomach bug, so while I had a lovely time chatting about the book (and houses and kids and the town in general), the ladies probably thought I had a second job as a jack-in-the-box I was up and down so often. (My friend said they probably thought I was efficiently taking care of the children, the two little ones who’d chosen to stay with us. Works for me!)

All in all, we had a fabulous time in beautiful Enid Oklahoma. Fabulous and busy … and thus after a 5ish hour drive to Dallas (with my husband driving and me nursing my tummy) we arrived at conference with me already tired. So much for Conference Lite.

Conference is also always fun during a release month and (here’s the commercial part of the program) this month is the release of DEMONS ARE FOREVER, the further adventures of Kate Connor, demon-hunting soccer mom. I gotta say, I love Kate! She’s not me because, ick, sticking things in demons’ eyes? But she’s like a best friend – smart and funny and able to kick butt when need be. And the cool thing about conference is that I get the chance to meet readers who love Kate, too. And, you know, that’s really pretty great.

And, yes, here’s the cover of DEMONS ARE FOREVER, just so that you’ll notice it when you trip over it at your local bookstore:

Here’s the other thing about conference: It’s inspiring. I rarely go to many workshops (and this year with the kids I went to none at all), but I did give one speech. That – and the RITA stuff – was pretty much the extent of my overwhelming participation this year.

For that matter, here’s a picture of me before the RITAs with Kathleen O’Reilly and Julia London:

Even so, there’s something about conference. I think it’s that many writers in an enclosed space … it’s good for generating ideas. So – even though I just sold the first three books of a new series (Yay! Hooray! Hubba hubba!) – I still walked away with a plethora of ideas stewing in the back of my mind … one of which I really, really, really like.

So, just like every conference, I got my great story idea. But despite doing “conference light,” just like every conference, I’m too tired to do anything with the idea. At least right now.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe after a pot or two of coffee…

Maybe after a week of sleep …..

Last night I wrote my blog but the pics wouldn’t upload and I couldn’t figure it out. I thought I’d try again this morning and went to sleep. This morning I have a migraine that is killing me … This is what it feels like:

Back to bed … lights out …

ADDED: Julie to the rescue…Carly sent me her pics and I’ve posted them. Enjoy! And remember to come back tomorrow for a guest blog with JULIE KENNER!!!

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I’m still exhausted. Too exhausted for a long blog so I’m going to let the pictures tell their own story. Copying Leslie’s blog … 10 Things Carly did While at the RWA NATIONAL CONFERENCE:

1. PLOT – we met with Cher Gruber who bid and won a plotting session with us through Brenda Novak’s Juvenile Diabetes Auction.

2. PLOT – I now have a new three book story plotted. My upcoming schedule tentatively looks like this:

SEALED WITH A KISS – 9/07
SEDUCE ME (reprint of Erotic Invitation) – 12/08
HOT PROPERTY (LAST of the HOT Zone books) – 7/08
And then
3 new HERO DRIVEN CONNECTED STORIES … woo hoo!

3. LITERACY SIGNING – where they didn’t have copies of CROSS MY HEART but only had SIMPLY SEXY …

4. PARTY WITH THE GODDESSES

5. ATE

6. DRANK – felt like I had intravenous DIET PEPSI for 6 DAYS!

7. CONVINCED my editor we wouldn’t walk to dinner or take the train thing, so while waiting for a cab, we hooked up with a LIMO!

8. HUNG OUT WITH PRETTY PEOPLE

9. HQN AUTHOR SIGNING where they DID have CROSS MY HEART …

10. Emcee’d the RITA and GH ceremony and didn’t pass out!

Okay, for the rest of this week, we’ll be hearing what the other monkeys did at Nationals, I’m sure. So I thought I’d start things out with what I did during RWA week!! (I’m still not 100% w/ typing so I’ve been putting off a long magnum opus on the move…it’s coming…someday…

Now, my week…

10. Started to unpack my office so I’d still feel like a writer. Gave up after box # 2 when I realized I have no printer stand, no filing cabinet…and no desk.

9. Went to see Harry Potter. And the Transformers. And Pirates 3. Loved Harry. Liked Transformers. Hated Pirates 3.

8. Spent another hundred bucks on eBay junk.

7. Spent another several hundred bucks at Lowes and Home Depot.

6. Dug through 15 boxes of Christmas stuff in the garage trying to find the wood knife-drawer separator hubby got as a Christmas present only to discover it in the basement.

5. Helped hubby make a New Orleans feast for oldest daughter’s b-day. (And 2 pies!)

4. Watched said oldest daughter have her boyfriend in the house for a week and wondered if this whole “she’s the oldest, she’ll be fine having her own room in the basement TWO floors down from us!” thing was a bad idea.

3. Took Motrin by the fistful, as is my habit, currently for the right shoulder. Think I have a rotator cuff injury…going back to the date when I electrocuted myself.

2. “Watched” the Rita ceremony on Dear Author and Smart Bitches…and cheered for Rocki when she won.

1. MISSED MY PLOTMONKEY BUDDIES!!!!

What’d you guys do?

CAROLYN BAHM! Message # 54! Congratulations!

Drop me a note at author@lesliekelly.com with your snail mail addy and I’ll get your prizes right out to you.

Now a picture that just amused me.

You know how the statistics show women live longer than men?

Here’s one possible reason why…..

PS: Gotta do a HUGE shout-out of CONGRATULATIONS to Plotmonkey pal

ROXANNE ST. CLAIRE!!!

Rocki won the RWA RITA award last night for Best Novella, for her “Tis The Silly Season” novella.

WAY TO GO ROCKI!

The monkeys are all SO happy for you!!

Continuing our Saturday series for writers, here is a handout I did called “Tips For Writing Effective Dialogue.”

Hope you find it useful!!

Leslie
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Tips For Writing Effective Dialogue
by
Leslie Kelly

1. Make sure the dialogue matches the “tone” of the scene you want to convey.
2. Keep the dialogue realistic to the time period, style of your book. Different books contain different types of dialogue:
A. Historical vs. contemporary
B. Suspense vs. warm family saga.
C. Comedy vs. drama.
3. Make sure the dialogue matches the character you’re writing.
A. Example: A society woman’s reservations can’t be found. “I’m quite sure you’re mistaken, can you check again?” vs.
B. A young, loud teen’s reservations can’t be found: “Yo, lady, you better double-check that book because somebody has screwed this up.”
4. Choose slang and pop cultural references carefully, but don’t be afraid to use them for fear of it being outdated in reprints in ten years.
5. To speed pacing, use bouncy dialogue…think of it as a tennis game, or a game of hot potato. Lob that sucker right back over the net!
6. To slow pacing, use longer sentences and interject more scene descriptions or emotions between each spoken sentence.
7. Keep the reader feeling what the characters are feeling by showing the internal dialogue with external.
A. Example: “Yes, I’ll be at the party.”. God, she so did not want to go to a party honoring a backstabbing witch, but there was no way out of it.
8. Use physical responses to convey how the dialogue is spoken. Examples:
A. (from above) “Yes, I’ll be at the party,” Karen said with a heavy, resigned sign.
B. “Yes, I’ll be at the party.” Karen nearly bounced on her toes and her voice shook with excitement.
C. “I’m so scared,” Jess whispered as she hugged the shadows along the side of the building.
D. Jess smirked, not a bit concerned about Don’s threat. “I’m so scared.”
E. Elizabeth’s hand shook as she reached for the envelope containing the results of her lab work. With a calm resignation that belied the raging beat of her heart, she admitted, “I’m so scared.”
9. Try to avoid excessive use of attributions.
A. Stick to said, asked, replied. The K-I-S-S principle is important in attributions.
B. Use character traits or action to identify the speaker. Example: As usual, when cornered, he began to stammer excuses. “I’m…I’m sorry, I, I d-didn’t mean to do it.” (Don’t need to say, “he said” or “he stuttered”. The reader can see that.)
10. Read your dialogue out loud to see if it sounds natural.

Dialogue should:
Advance the plot
Develop character
Set or match the tone of the book
Speed up or slow down the pacing

It should never:
Be inane
Be clunky
Take Up Space!!

Well since this week marked the release of HEAT WAVE, a super-hot beach read, I thought I’d do a beachy summer giveaway today. To this week’s Jungle Madness Friday winner will receive some fun stuff for a day at the beach:

First, a beach umbrella to shield you from the sun:

Plus a neat little hammock to lay your head upon…

Add a box of salt water taffy (yummmmmmm)

And finally a sexy hot book to read!

You know how to enter. Just leave a comment and you’re eligible!

Less than two months before BORN TO BE WILDE hits the bookstore shelves. I’m so excited and can’t wait for you all to read Joel Wilde’s story. Today I’m posting an excerpt from the book, and as the release date draws nearer I will post another HOTTER, SEXIER excerpt for you all. But for today, since it’s scorching hot out anyway, I’ll keep things on the sensual side — a bit of a teaser that will hopefully intrigue you enough to want to read more!

Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but Joel wanted to stop by today to meet you all. How could I say no? Treat him nicely, ladies, and don’t wear him out too much. (Yes, I’m talking especially to you, Jodie! ) He does need his strength to protect Lora come September!

And now, an excerpt from BORN TO BE WILDE:

“God, he’s so hot, I’m about to melt in a puddle right here and now.”

Lora Marshall smiled in amusement at her co-worker, Monique, as they waited at the end of the bar for their drink orders. Sydney, Lora’s best friend and the owner of The Electric Blue, stood on the other side of the mahogany and brass bar, mixing an array of cocktails and popping the caps off of chilled beer bottles with an ease and rhythm that came with years of experience. Despite how busy Sydney was, that didn’t stop her from joining in on the conversation.

“Who’s hot?” she asked over the loud music. There were dozens of good looking guys in the place, and she gave the crowded bar area a quick glance in search of the mystery man Monique seemed so enthralled with.

“Lora’s guy,” Monique said as she set two beers, a Mai Tai, and a Cosmopolitan on her tray. “Table sixteen. The one dressed all in black.”

Lora rolled her eyes. She didn’t need to look in that direction to know who was sitting at the designated table, especially after hearing Monique’s description. “He’s not my guy.” But she had to agree that he was definitely hot.

“Oh, yum.” This bit of interest came from Sydney, who’d spied the dark haired guy, who was just her type. “Well, I’ll certainly take one of him.”

“Sorry, boss.” Monique added a pineapple wedge to the Mai Tai and pressed a lime into the long neck of the bottle of Corona. “He wants Lora. He always asks for Lora.” With that, she picked up her loaded tray and made her way through the throng of customers to deliver her drinks.

Lora couldn’t deny Monique’s claim. Yes, he did always ask that she take his order. This was the third night he’d come into The Electric Blue, each time with a friend. If the past two evenings were any indication, he’d order one beer, maybe two, and nurse them for the next few hours, until the place closed. Even though he didn’t lack for female interest, he never danced with anyone, though his friends seemed to enjoy the singles scene.

“Well, well, well,” Sydney drawled. With a sly grin curving her lips, she expertly flipped a bottle of Kettle One Vodka in her hand and poured two shots of the liquor into a tumbler for an apple martini. “It appears you have yourself an admirer. He looks like the kind of bad boy who would be perfect to end your two year dry spell.”

It was a familiar conversation between the two of them. While Sydney enjoyed all kinds of male attention, in the bedroom and out, Lora was far more particular and didn’t do one night stands.

“I’ve dated since my break-up with Brent,” she said in defense. Unfortunately, none of those too conservative men had aroused anything more than amicable feelings. There hadn’t been any kind of zing or real attraction to make Lora want anything more than a casual friendship with those guys.

Sydney served the martini to the woman standing at the bar in front of her and rang up the sale before saying over her shoulder to Lora, “Sure, you’ve dated here and there, but I’m talking about sleeping with a guy. You know, mutual physical pleasure, orgasms, and all that fun stuff. It’s just not normal for a woman your age to go that long without sex.”

Lora laughed, grateful for the loud music that helped to drown out her friend’s frank observation. “I’ve done just fine on my own.” Refusing to elaborate on that comment, she went on. “Besides, if you haven’t noticed, between my day job and working here in the evenings for you until closing, it’s not like I have a lot of free time to pursue any guy.”

Sydney cast a quick glance at her watch in between pouring another drink. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. You’re getting off at ten tonight. I’ll keep Monique until closing. Use the time wisely.” She winked at Lora.

Lora shook her head as she placed the Long Island Ice Tea on her tray. “I don’t mind staying.”

“You’re off at ten,” Sydney said adamantly. “I certainly don’t want to be responsible for your lack of social and no sex life.”

“Fine.” Lora added a Mudslide to her orders to deliver. “I could use the extra sleep.” Even over the noise in the bar, Lora heard Sydney’s sound of disgust and had to bite her bottom lip to keep from grinning.

“Please do not waste the extra time on sleep,” her friend said. “Not with a perfectly hot and sexy man eyeing you like he wants to eat you up in one big bite.”

What a delicious, decadent thought. A light shiver coursed through Lora and her Electric Blue t-shirt suddenly felt too tight across her breasts. Instinctively, she glanced toward him. Sure enough, he was watching her, and even from across the crowded room their gazes met.

Always dressed in black — t-shirt, jeans, and shoes — he looked a little dangerous, and a whole lot like a rebel. A daring rule-breaker. A man who thrived on risk and adventure. His too long, tousled black hair and the dark stubble shadowing his lean jaw only added to that tantalizing image. Then there were those stunning, piercing blue eyes of his that had the ability to tempt a woman to sin. With him. In many different, erotic ways.

Lora sighed, and as if he knew exactly where her thoughts had traveled, a slow, disarming smile tipped up the corners of his sensual mouth, bringing to life an instantaneous awareness that coiled low and deep in her belly. Her attraction to this man was undeniable, like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

“Oh, for God’s sake, take him into the storeroom and do him already,” Sydney teased. “I’ll have Monique cover for you.”

Her friend was absolutely outrageous. But then again, Sydney had always been bold and brazen — the exact opposite of Lora’s more cautious, reserved nature. “I’m so not that kind of girl,” she said primly.

“Maybe you ought to be.” Sydney passed a shot of Tequila Lora’s way, which completed her drink order. “Bad girls have more fun. Trust me, I should know.”

Yes, Lora was very aware that Sydney had worked hard to cultivate her wild and unabashed reputation over the years — with much success. It helped that Sydney had a body of a Playboy centerfold, wore tight, revealing outfits to flaunt those curves, and wasn’t afraid to use her sexuality to get exactly what she wanted. Being a “bad girl” had served Sydney well — in business and pleasure.

Lora double checked her order pad against the drinks on her tray to make sure she had everything. Then she went ahead and added one more item. “Can you give me a bottle of Samuel Adams?”

Sydney arched an auburn brow as she uncapped the beer and slid it down the counter to Lora. “His choice of drink?”

“Yes, and his name is Joel.”

“Ahhh, you’re already on a first name basis.” Sydney grinned.

“He introduced himself the first night.” Lora shrugged and added a stack of cocktail napkins to her tray.

“A first name is all you need to do the deed,” Sydney said with a naughty inflection in her voice. “Now go and make those deliveries. The crowd’s getting restless and they’re looking for some action.”

Knowing that meant Sydney was going to ring the loud cow bell behind the bar in the next few minutes, which would announce the employee entertainment that The Electric Blue was known for, Lora picked up her tray and passed out the drinks to her customers, then headed over to Joel’s table.

“Hi there,” she said, and set the chilled bottle of beer on a napkin. “Sam Adams, right?”

Up close, that slow, lazy grin of his was even more potent and disarming. “Am I that predictable?”

There wasn’t anything about the man that struck her as tame or boring. “I’m just going on past drink orders, and you’re becoming a regular.”

He leaned back in his chair, and even that slight movement exuded an abundance of male confidence and sex appeal that should have been deemed illegal. “What can I say? I like the atmosphere here.”

He liked her. The sentiment glimmered in his vibrant blue eyes and infused her with a pleasurable, sensual warmth. There was no ignoring the truth making itself known . . . she really liked him, too. She was very attracted to him, but there was something else about this man beyond the physical that drew her. She supposed it was his easy going charm and affability that made her feel so comfortable around him.

She redirected her attention to the other man sitting at the table, who was obviously a friend of Joel’s. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll take a Sam Adams, too,” he replied easily. “By the way, I’m Jon.”

He was a good looking guy, and his grin was very warm and friendly. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lora.”

“So, what time do you get off work tonight?” Joel cut in smoothly.

Lora was used to the question, since it was one he asked every evening. The past few nights she’d helped close down the bar, but Sydney had just given her strict orders to take off early. “My shift is over at ten.”

“Ahhh, my lucky night,” he said, looking very pleased. “Would you like to go somewhere after work and have a drink with me?”

She automatically shook her head. She might work part-time as a cocktail waitress, but hanging out at a bar other than The Electric Blue on her off hours really wasn’t her thing. “I don’t drink.”

“Anything?” The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.

“No alcohol,” she clarified, certain she’d just effectively pegged herself as too much of a goody-two shoes, as Sydney often called her, for Joel to pursue her further. Which was probably just as well.

“How about coffee?” he asked as he stroked his long fingers down the condensation gathering on his bottle of beer. “I know a great coffee place down the street from here. It’s even within walking distance.”

“I have to be to work early in the morning.” It was an automatic response, one she used on men she had no interest in going out with. But with Joel, she was beginning to wonder why she was resisting when the attraction between them was so strong. So arousing. So tempting.

“I promise not to keep you out late.” He placed his right hand on the left side of his chest and glanced up at her with a hopeful look that transformed his edgy good looks into a more boyish appearance. “Please don’t break my heart by saying no.”

She laughed, certain that he was the heart-breaker in this scenario. That was a good enough reason for her to keep her distance from him since she’d been on the receiving end of that kind of emotional upheaval before. But despite all that, there was something so irresistible and charismatic about him.

Jon leaned forward in his seat and spoke loud in order to be heard over the music. “If it makes you feel any better, I can vouch for the fact that he’s an honorable, trust-worthy guy.” Then he graced her with an engaging grin that had no doubt worked magic on many women.

She believed Jon, and most importantly she trusted her instincts. She thought about everything Sydney had just said to her and came to the conclusion that her friend was right. She did need more of a social life. Besides, just because she had a cup of coffee with Joel didn’t mean they’d end up in bed together.

“So, what do you say?” Joel asked. “One coffee drink of your choice, and we’ll call it a night.”

This time, she didn’t hesitate with an answer. “Sure.”

He blinked, drawing her attention to those long, sooty lashes and his vivid blue eyes. “Excuse me?”

She almost laughed at his startled expression. After all her previous excuses, he obviously thought he’d heard her wrong. “Yes, I’ll go and have a cup of coffee with you.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” he drawled in a deep, satisfied tone of voice. “It is my lucky night.”

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2007!