Sasha White

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Delilah has a wonderful wrap up of our cruise on her blog today. Be sure to go see it! ANd if you’re interested in more photos from the Ice Show and the Dancers performances, then you can find them in my Facebook photo albums. There was too many to post on here.

GAYLE O is the winner of the copy of Primal Male and a T-shirt I picked up in St.ThomasThanks to the Random.org number generator.

All the people who commented were entered, even if they didn;t get the guesses right.
In propoer order the towel art was..

A puppy,
A swan
And Elephant,
A pig.
Then a Side view of the pig…(weird wasn’t it?)
Kangaroo
A monkey
and a tropical flower.

Thanks for the guesses, they made me smile. And I feel much better knowning only 1 person guessed the kangaroo right. Way to go Eva!

ANd I have to say, I loved kaisquared’s family helping her guess. (An elephant sitting down on the job…love it!)

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Almost every night of our trip, Delilah and I would go back to our stateroom and find a gift from the room attendant. Nothing big, just an amusing and thoughtful touch that would make us smile. I took pictures. For a chance to win a Tshirt with a caribbean map on it from St.Thomas and a singed copy of PRIMAL MALE, tell me in the comments what animals you think the towel art it.

AND, for a chance to win even more, be sure to visit Delilah’s blog today, and see some more little touches that made the cruise great. She’s giving away some gifts too!-

Winners will be announced tomorrow!

It all started with this cute guy. (And yes, that is Nicole Peelers TEMPEST RISING you see on my bed. Great Book!)

Next came …

then…

This one is sort of hard to tell by the photo…but when we saw it in person we knew exactly what it was..

Here’s a side shot, in case you need help..

This one I never guessed right. Delilah did though…

When we walked into the room and saw this guy hanging from the wall we laughed like idiots. He was so cute!

Then on our last night, Soma (our stateroom attendant, gave us this)

So…what do you think they are? Tell me in the comments…and be sure to visit Delilah’s blog for another chance to win!

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Delilah and I have been posting pics from our cruise, and today is no different. Today I’m posting pics of one of the things that amused me a lot during the trip. I’m not a big shopper. I enjoy it at times, but it’s not my favorite thing to do. Not so much for Delilah. She is a huge shopper, and I have to admit, I enjoyed the shopping on this trip as well. (I bought myself some nice jewlery, and a nice new Guess bag, and some fabulous lip gloss.)

Be sure to visit her blog, and surf through her posts from the last few days for plenty more photos from our trip.

So, here’s some photos of Delilah shopping…
Before we even got off the ship, Delilah was hitting the gift shops…for new flip flops so when walking and shopping on land her feet would be comfy.

This is in San Juan, after we left the fort (Castillo San Cristobal). Even though the fort was more for sight seeing than shopping, you’ll note the shopping bag in D’s hand. And the size of it. And I admit it, I ended up buying a couple of things too. (A Pirate Treasure Map, and a List of Pirate Weapons, and a book on pirates. LOL )

I followed Delilah into this shop, and instead of taking a picture of her shopping I took one of the wall of necklaces, and the bags hanging over them. I wanted a new bag, but was determined to not buy, so I took a picture. Although I did buy a bag from the duty free on the ship later on in the trip.

Delilah bought some candy to bring home to her family in that store.

This one is in the small market place near where the ship docked in San Juan.

We make one more stop on the way to the ship after the one above, but I didn’t get a photo of her buying the jewelry there.

This one below is from Labadee, Haiti. Delilah did real good when walking past the market stalls. She only let herself get called into one….

But, she relaxed too soon, and another one seduced her into another purchase further down the road-in the middle of the road. (I admit at this point I wasn’t even paying attention to what she bought, just the fact that she was buying. LOL )

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WINNERS::
First I need to post the winners from the giveaways posted while I was gone.
Below are the winners names, please email me your snail mail information visa the CONTACT link on my site. You have until January 15th to contact me and claim your prize.

Winner of Trouble:
Sherry s.

Winners of Alluring tales: Hot Holiday Nights

Cecile

Janet

Booklover 1335

Lou Gagliardi

* * * * *

Now, onto my post about Haiti.

Yesterday Delilah posted pictures of the start of our trip, and today she’s got pictures from San Juan up. After San Juan we had a day in St,Thomas, but I didn’t lug my camera around for that, so I’ll leave it to Delilah to tell you about St.Thomas tomorrow.

The third port was Somana in the Dominican Republic. It was supposed to be a day for excursions, and since we didn’t book any, we chose to stay on ship that day. Delilah did some writing,(That girl is dedicated!) and I lounged by the pool drinking all day.

Our final port call was Labadee, Haiti. A small private island owned by the cruise line and set up as an adult playground.

It was beautiful, and I think one day was NOT enough to spend there. I spent most of the day on the beach, in and out of the water. Delilah managed to hang with me for a bit, then she went a’wandering to the local artisans market. (Photos of that to come)

For now, here’s some pictures to show what Labadee was like.

The view from the ship…

The start of the day, heading to the beach..

Stop and say hi to Brad, on the way to the beach. Brad is a friend of mine who works at the same place here at home in the summer. He spends his winters working on the cruise ship…which is where the idea of a cruise came from. LOL

This quartet was all over the ship, to the point of becoming annoying. I get that the cruise line wants people entertained, but me, I just wanted to relax in the peace and quiet most of the time. Anyway, I really did enjoy them here, it was the perfect setting.

This is the stretch where we chose to set up.

Me, and my drink, on the beach, in the sun.. *sigh* It was wonderful.

This is Delilah and Delroy, our waiter. He was also our waiter in the nightclub on board the ship one night, and he was very generous with the rum. I liked Delroy.

Check out some of the local market stalls….they were very well set up with lots of goodies for sale. (Check back tomorrow for pictures of Delilah shopping here)

A view of the ship from the beach…

Be sure to visit Delilah’s blog for pics from our day in San Juan.

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To avoid doubling up on all our photos, Delilah and I are going to bounce back and forth. If you want to see what the beginning of our trip was like..hop over to her BLOG today where she’s posts pics for you.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting some of what I found most amusing on the trip…

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Wrapped in Seduction Anthology
It’s that time of year when nights are longer, passions run hotter, and for three sisters, naughty wishes come true…

“Wrapped in Holly” by Lisa Renee Jones
Holly’s come home for the holidays, ready to enjoy a few cozy weeks of small-town life. But a fling with a local stranger heats up the nights. When she discovers the stranger’s secret ties to her own family, he ends up Wrapped in Holly.

“Hot for Santa” by Cathryn Fox
The one man Rachel wants is strictly off limits, so she agrees to keep her distance—until he dresses up as old St. Nick and stirs a playful fantasy in Rachel. Maybe it’s the black leather boots. Or the soft fur and red velvet. Whatever it is, she’s Hot for Santa.

“Mistletoe Bliss” by Jodi Lynn Copeland
A broken engagement has left Tori feeling the Christmas blues when she returns to her welcoming family for the holiday. There’s no better way to chase those blues away than with an old flame who sparks a new passion and leaves Tori feeling Mistletoe Bliss.

Hot for Santa
by
Cathryn Fox

Twas two weeks before Christmas…

Nick Grant . . .
God, just thinking about him made her wet.
Wet, wild, and wanton.
Seated at her mother’s kitchen table, advertising executive Rachel Reddy briefly closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift to Nick.
As her body flooded with warmth, it had her craving sex. Hard, carnal, unapologetic, handcuffed-to-the-bed-and-make-her-beg-for-it kind of sex. A far cry from the wham-bam, thank-you-ma’am drivel she was accustomed to, that’s for sure.
Rachel wasn’t sure if it was her client’s killer smile, rock-hard physique, big, rugged hands, or hewn thigh muscles that had her mind conjuring up erotic fantasies about him. Or perhaps it was the way he took such painstaking care of his customers’ needs at his sporting goods store that had her feeling feverish with lust. Either way, she wanted him. Up against the wall, down against a mattress, but mostly, between her legs.
She wasn’t normally so lascivious, but something about a guy who paid such special attention to others led her to believe he’d take that same meticulous care with her naked, needy body. And that got to her in a way that made her sex throb like it had never throbbed before. Heat and desire prowled through her as she visualized herself held hostage to his bed, tortured and tormented by his deft hands and skillful ministration.
Yummy . . .
Rachel shivered in sensual delight, then worked diligently to redirect her thoughts. Here she was in Haven, New Hampshire, watching her mother mill about in the old homestead kitchen, which was so not the place to be fantasizing about a client; someone who’d simply hired her firm to create a professional advertising campaign for his new outerwear line.
Commanding herself to focus on something else, she drew her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and watched the wind whip light, fluffy snowflakes past the windowpane. As she contemplated what to wear to the town’s annual outdoor skating party later that night, she caught sight of her father, Thomas Reddy, trudging down the long icy driveway with his trusty ax in hand, and his loyal Labrador retriever, Murphy, in tow. Thomas was off to help out Old Man Denby with his woodpile, no doubt. She smiled to herself, pleased at how some things never changed. She took a moment to think about Old Man Denby, his wife, Gracie, and their son, Travis—a man Rachel had always thought would one day be her brother-in-law. Unfortunately, things just hadn’t worked out between Travis and Rachel’s younger sister, Tori.
The old house creaked and groaned in distress as another huge gust battled the exterior, and Rachel hugged herself tighter, comforted by the warmth and coziness inside. It was an unusually cold day in Haven, blustery even—not a great day to be outdoors. She crinkled her nose in dismay and glanced at the ominous gray sky overhead. Perhaps she’d have to rethink the annual skating party that evening.
Her gaze wandered to her father’s beaten-down snowmobile path. Even though she would love to head out, to stretch her legs on one of the cross-county ski trails, go sliding on the frozen duck pond, or take Murphy for a hike up to Grandma Reddy’s cottage, she suspected it was little too nippy for such extended exposure to the elements.
The falling temperatures might be keeping her—a lover of the great outdoors—inside, but Rachel really didn’t mind, because she’d been back in the old homestead for the holidays for a couple of days now, and was feeling quite happy and content, despite the fact that she didn’t have someone special to share the Christmas festivities with. Someone intelligent. Someone with integrity. Someone lip- smacking scrumptious.
Someone like Nick Grant.
Nick . . .
Rachel bit down on her bottom lip to suppress a moan as fantasies of Nick kept intruding upon her thoughts. Everything about him aroused her. Intrigued her. Heated her up in a way the hot, burning embers in the living room fireplace never could. Good Lord, drop her in a snowbank and her scorching body would likely melt a path around her. No need for sidewalk salt when she was thinking about Nick.
What the heck happened to her hard-fought battle to pull herself together and block Nick from her mind? Once again she quickly recognized that now was not the time or place for such scandalous thoughts. She’d wait until later tonight when she was nestled all snug in her bed, visions of sugarplums dancing in her head. And by sugarplums, she meant Nick.
Marshaling her libido for the time being, she ran her fingertips around her steaming mug of hot chocolate, and turned her attention to her mother, Margaret Reddy, who was bustling around the big farmhouse kitchen, cooking up a storm in celebration of the season. Her eyes were bright with laughter, anxious and excited to have all her children come together under one roof for the holidays.
Now that her mom and dad were retired from the university, and their children were all grown up and gone, Margaret had embraced the Christmas season wholeheartedly. It was the time of year for celebration and family. That, and it allowed her to show off her exceptional culinary skill, none of which Rachel had inherited, thank you very much.
Truthfully, it felt good to be home, to enjoy a home-cooked meal instead of Chinese takeout or nuked food that had intimately introduced itself to her hips. Not great for a girl who loved physical activity yet no longer seemed to have time for it. It also felt good to climb back into her favorite comfy sweats, and let her long curly hair down for a change. Back in New York she wouldn’t be caught dead out in such an outfit, but here in Haven she could kick back in comfort because she didn’t have to dress to impress.
Humming along off beat to a Bing Crosby Christmas tune drifting in from the dining room stereo, her mother plopped a tray of cookies onto the Santa place mat smack-dab in the middle of the long oaken table and wiped her hands on her gingham apron. Rachel pulled the warm sweet scent of fresh gingerbread into her lungs, letting the scent awaken her olfactory senses and bring back childhood memories.
She smiled and recalled her girlish dreams of moving to New York. She’d always envisioned herself living in a big, spacious apartment in the village, a place where she’d make her mark in the business world, and find herself a knight in shining armor.
Of course, as a few of her friends had recently told her, and Meat Loaf had so eloquently put to music: two out of three ain’t bad. Except it was bad, or at least the guys she attracted were bad. Bad with a capital B. Greedy, insensitive jerks who were merely concerned about their own needs. Men who wanted her at their beck and call, and who had no respect for her long hours or dedication to her job. Sure, it was fine for them to have professional careers, but if those needy New Yorkers were looking for a mother figure or expected a Susie Homemaker because she’d come from a small town in New Hampshire, they had another thought coming. Having grown up in a family with two scholarly parents, education, goals, and professional pursuits were most important to the four Reddy offspring.
Despite her ever-expanding hips, Rachel scooped a hot cookie from the tray and let out a long- suffering sigh, wondering why all the good guys were either taken or gay. She thought about her younger and only brother, Mason. He was definitely one of the good guys. Any woman would be lucky to have him, except he was happily playing for the other team and had been for quite some time now.
And then there was Nick . . .
Nick Grant, owner and CEO of Hilltop Gear. A gorgeous hunk of a guy who had been completely off-limits.
Until now.
Now that the campaign had been put to bed, so to speak, the only thing separating them were a few hundred miles. But that would soon be rectified when she went back to New York after the holidays. Then she’d see about putting something else, or rather someone else, to bed. Until then she planned on spending the next two weeks relaxing in the homestead while visions of Saint Nick danced in her head.
“So what’s he like?”
Rachel shot her mother a glance in time to see her pull a new bag of sugar from the floor-to-ceiling pantry, a beautiful yet functional addition to the home that helped bring the country kitchen up-to-date. Rachel did a slow perusal of the room, noting that her parents had invested quite a bit of time and money into modernizing the old homestead. Everything from the new appliances, warm cranberry- colored walls, ivory-painted cupboards, and rich granite countertop had the kitchen looking like a real- estate show home. Not that her parents ever planned to put the place up for sale, however.
Rachel’s glance roamed back to her mother, who was studying her, awaiting a response. “What’s who like?” Rachel asked around a mouthful of warm gingerbread. Little pieces of cookie crumbs fell onto her white knit turtleneck sweater, and she concentrated on brushing them away while trying to feign innocence.
Margaret Reddy laughed, and Rachel knew the jig was up. Busted. Cripes, it’s not like any of the Reddy offspring could ever get anything past their mother. Even into her retirement years, she was far too quick on her feet and far too astute for any of them.
“Come on, Rachel. You’ve got that look in your eyes again. The one you used to get when you were a little girl daydreaming about Prince Charming. So tell me, who is he?” Margaret wagged her finger and quickly slipped back into mother mode. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Rachel swallowed, and took a sip of her hot chocolate, not really wanting to tell her mother about Nick—especially all the delicious ways she wanted him to take command of her body—but desperately wanting to talk about him just the same.
“He’s just a guy who hired my firm for a job.” Oh, but he wasn’t just any guy. He was a guy who seemed to respect her as a professional, and with the way his eyes caressed her body in admiration, it was clear that he’d never forgotten she was a woman. He was sweet, funny, and thoughtful, the antithesis of the men she usually attracted.
Margaret narrowed her blue eyes and tucked a silver lock behind her ear. “And . . .” she prompted.
Rachel shrugged. “And, well, he’s nice.” Nice and hot with a panty-soaking smile that had her itching to shed her clothes, as well as her inhibitions.
With her eyes alive with curiosity, her mother questioned, “Nice, huh?”
“Yeah, nice.”
“Does this guy have a name?”
“Nick,” was all she offered. Once again, just thinking about him made her wet.
“So you’ve gone out?”
Rachel averted her gaze, suspecting her mother could read her every lusty thought. “I have strict rules about dating clients.” But, of course, now that the ad was completed, technically Nick was no longer an active client. He was just a hot hunk of a guy ripe for the picking—providing he wasn’t taken or gay. Rachel was pretty sure he wasn’t. At least she hoped. But she still couldn’t help wonder why a great guy like Nick was still single.
Her mother quirked a brow and probed, “Is he cute?”
Desire slammed into her and heat ambushed her sex as she conjured up memories of his roguish good looks and blatant masculinity. She steadied herself and strived for normalcy.
“Yeah, he’s cute. . . .”
“And?”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Without conscious thought her gaze wandered to the porch door. “And, well, he’s . . . he’s . . . he’s . . .”
Out of her peripheral vision she caught her mother’s curious glance. “He’s what, Rachel?”
He’s standing in the archway!

“This is a cute story of miscommunication with HOT FOR SANTA. Rachel is in for a shock when she finds out what Nick really is up too. Nick is a bright alpha male that you will love to meet. Rachel is comical and a sweet someone you will not forget. When you want a cute, sweet love story you want HOT FOR SANTA.” — TwoLips Reviews on HOT FOR SANTA

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It’s Sunday, December 20 and I’m sitting in the coffee shop at a New Jersey hotel waiting for our room to be ready. The cruise ship docked at about 7 am, and there is nothing around the hotel but the airport. Which is fine with me since I have an early early fight home tomorrow.

I have to admit, for my first time on a cruise ship, I had a blast. All but the last night. When we got close to the east coast, and the snowstorm that was hitting it, and the seas got too rough for my tummy. Both Delilah and I ended up in bed by 4 in the afternoon, praying we wouldn’t toss our cookies. (And boy, were there cookies to eat on that cruise…I’ve no doubt there will be a full blog post about the food alone coming soon. LOL ) All in all I think we got off lucky because that was the only time the motion ever got to either of us.

OKay, Must get offline for the day. I’ll be spending all day tomorrow in airports, but should be back online Tuesday with pictures and such!

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Hi Everyone!

Little background on why I’m here posting for Sasha while she’s on Holiday. Sasha and I met initially on a site she was giving a workshop on, and I, of course, loved her books, so…. Through a loop we got to know each other and she gave an open request for some help. I’m sure all of you have read the below poem in Most Wanted—well, we worked together to get it right. Finally meeting for the first time in Orlando at the RT Convention, which was so AWESOME. (Yes, I felt like a groupie – authors are my rock stars).

Jack & Jill Chase after their thrills, to see who gets on top
Jack goes down and Jill doesn’t frown, even when she’s under the cop

Jack lets go and Jill starts to glow, no longer a matter of trust.
It’s time to play, and this time with more than just lust.
Laurie Kapkowksi / Sabrina Pugliese

I’m an author—or rather a struggling one. Sasha has graciously given me her time and knowledge, but ultimately the end result comes down to me. This business isn’t an easy one. And it’s also the only one where you don’t get a job well done pat on the back, or sometimes not even a by your leave for work you’ve put blood, sweat and tears into.

This business is not for the weak.

As someone who has written her entire life, but never had the nerve to send anything off until about three years ago, my eyes were certainly opened.

I’ve learned a lot about myself these past few years. And I’ve learned some things no workshop will ever be able to teach you, until you’re in the mix of this business. Here are some of them:

I can take rejection letters, as long as I’m allowed to grieve for 24 hours after it’s received. After copious amounts of alcohol, pizza and chocolate it’s time to get off my ass and get back on the horse (or keyboard).

I can take criticism, because I want to be a better writer, but will fight to keep things I believe in.

You have to read to write. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I don’t have to write in complete sentences.

Just because you type “The End” doesn’t mean it’s done. *sigh*

You don’t have to be a great writer—just persistent. Although my personal note: strive for greatness! I know I don’t want to be a one book wonder.

Not all critiques need to be taken. It’s my work after all. Some things might not be the norm—but who wants to be normal? Not me. And for new writers, this one is essential to learn!

There are more politics to the world of writing than I ever knew about, or care about, but I need to know about them.

It’s okay to have voices in my head. And answer them!

And I’ve learned I can actually sit in one place for 7 hours or more and only get up to pee, and get more coffee.

Old and new writers I want to hear from you. What did you learn on the way up? What are you learning now? I dig short-cuts and if there’s an easy way for anything in this business – I WANT TO KNOW!

So let me have it….

Hugs
XOXO
LKap

Laurie Kapkowski

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CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC TO LEARN MORE!

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