Driving in England is now available at Devine Destinies Books.

It's a first! My husband and I wrote a book together (under my PG-rated romance pen name, Cynthianna), and here's an excerpt from it as well as the purchase link. Feel free to share the news with other readers of contemporary romance. Thank you!


Driving in England 
http://www.devinedestinies.com/Driving-in-England/
 
by Cynthianna and  A J Matthews

Susannah Koenig travels to England on an urgent mission to discover her boss’s relatives. Duncan Balfour, a renowned genealogist, doesn’t think he’d like to meet the woman who nags him online for help. Then he realizes he is the long lost relative Susannah’s boss is desperately searching for. Once the pair meet, they can’t deny their mutual attraction, but Duncan can’t help lying to her to protect his family’s reputation. Can Susannah pierce Duncan’s armor to find the loving man within and reveal the truth that could save a life?


From Chapter One, an excerpt from Driving in England:

“Oh. My. God.”

    Susannah Koenig smothered a laugh behind a hand, staring at the headline splashed across her laptop’s screen. Unfrocked Vicar Eaten by Lion! She couldn’t believe her eyes. That kind of thing only happened in the movies or on some poorly written sit-coms—not in real life—and most certainly not in some staid English village circa 1932.
    She rose from the sofa and walked away from the coffee table littered with the remains of half-eaten bagels, dusty genealogy volumes, and various papers she’d gathered over the past two weeks. There’s no way on earth I can tell the boss about his ancestor, the unfrocked vicar who was consumed by a large beast of prey. No way. I value my job too much.
    But what could she do? Harold Spalding paid her good money to graph out his family tree in minute detail. How could she avoid mentioning the former Reverend Titus Spalding, a man accused of sexual misconduct who was stupid enough to stick his head in a lion’s gaping jaws?
    “I can’t believe this.” She switched on the kitchen light and began automatically stacking dishes into the dishwasher. “Who in his right mind would knowingly walk into a lion’s cage at a circus to prove his innocence? In the twentieth century no less! The man was a first class idiot!”
    Shit! The sudden realization of the horrible revelation hit her hard in the stomach. She gulped and put down the dish she was stacking. I can’t tell Mr. Spalding that he had a complete lunatic for a grandfather. It’ll kill him.
    And then she’d be out of a job.
    A very good position with responsibility and prestige, one that she had slaved and suffered long enough to land... Women hit the glass ceiling in the good ol’ boy oil industry all the time, so Susannah felt rightfully proud of her accomplishment, even if it had taken many years and more than a few gray hairs. Nothing was going to stand in her way of keeping her job until they forced her into retirement. Nothing.
    “Damned if I do—damned if I don’t.” Susannah sighed. She could think of only one thing to get herself out of this dilemma. She needed help—professional help. She’d have to email that stuffy, stick-up-his-ass Duncan Balfour and ask for his assistance once again. Maybe the genealogist par excellence could find some other worthy tidbits of information about the crazy vicar, suggest some way to sweeten the news, to make it more palatable for her boss to swallow?
    “If I’m lucky, there might be two Reverend Titus Spaldings in England, and the boss is related to the more normal fella. Please, Lord, let that be the case!”
    Swallowing her pride, and a few dry crumbs of bagel, she headed back to her laptop to email the uptight Brit.
     
    Dear Mr. Balfour:
    I’m in need of your assistance. I’m working on a genealogy project on behalf of my employer, Harold Spalding, and may have discovered a link in his family tree to a Reverend Titus Spalding of Understrand, Norfolk County, England. As I recall reading online, you’re a resident of the area. Could you check your own and local sources to enlighten me as to the true character of this individual? Could his name have been confused with any others of same or similar name? Your help in the past has been most appreciated, and I thank you in advance for this undertaking.
    All the best,
    Susannah Koenig
     
    Tapping send, she glanced at the computer clock. Britain was six hours ahead of Texas, so Balfour would receive her missive first thing in the morning local time. Good enough. She’d check her email in the morning to see if the priggish academic felt her request for information worthy of an immediate reply.
    Give the devil his due, Balfour always replies in a timely manner with hard factual material, even if his tone is patronizing. But somehow, Susannah got the impression the man found addressing a lowly American amateur beneath his dignity. Hadn’t she paid his fees promptly? Hadn’t she been businesslike and fair in all her dealings with the man?
    Glass ceilings existed everywhere—in business, in genealogy circles, in life in general. In spite of the odds, she had marched forward, throwing herself against the walls of prejudice erected to keep women in their place, particularly women of a certain age as she had been labeled in the past few years. Her success had been hard won and all of her own doing. No silver spoons were ever placed in her mouth!
    Susannah rolled her eyes heavenwards as she rose from the sofa. Some people! It’s like they don’t know what it’s like to earn a living. Spalding Oilfield Solutions paid her good money, and the chance to advance offered by the boss’s interest in her family tree hobby had been too good to ignore. She headed back to the kitchen to finish filling the dishwasher and sighed. “I just wish I didn’t have to depend on some old-money, snobby jackass I’ve never met in the flesh to get me through this rough patch.”

Driving in England
http://www.devinedestinies.com/Driving-in-England/

now available at Devine Destinies Books.

LEAVING WHO has finally arrived...

LOVING WHO has finally arrived and is ready for sale at Mojocastle Press. Once again, here are the short synopsis and link:

LEAVING WHO
by Cynthianna
Mojocastle Press
http://www.mojocastle.com/authors/cynthianna/leaving-who.html

After touring the universe with time traveler John Smith, Cici Connors wants one more thing--to go home. Will the imminent destruction of Earth throw a kink into her plans?

You can read excerpts from LEAVING WHO at Mojocastle's web site and at this blog, in the posting right before this one.

Also, you can read a very nice interview I did at Wanton Reads this week. Find out why I write what I write (if you dare). ;)

http://wantonreads.com/author-cynthianna-shares-their-story/

Enjoy! (I sincerely hope your spring weather is as nice as ours was today, too.)

Cynthianna (Celine's other half)

The winners of the "Are You Naughty or Nice?" Contest

It was tough, but I narrowed it down to two winners and two runners up... Well, actually I had a tie on the Naughty side, so it's three winners overall.

The Winner of the "World's Nicest Reader Award" goes to Maithe. She wrote:

I am the world's nicest reader. I always buy my favorites authors' books...even though I have hundreds I still have to read. Yes, I have a little problem *they call it an addiction-I disagree*, but I always support the authors. *G* I am a prime source of financial support for them.

You gotta love that bit about supporting authors financially... At least, I do!

The runner-up for "World's Nicest Reader" is Jackie W. She wrote in part:

I think I am a nice reader because after reading a book I send the author a little note about how much I enjoyed the book...that is if I have an address for them. I am also a nice reader because I FINISH READING EVERY WORD IN THE BOOK... If I spend money on a book I'm reading it. That's being nice isn't it? Or maybe frugal. Did I mention I'm part Scottish?

It's nice to know that not a single word is ever wasted with Jackie. Thanks for your support!

And now... the dual winners of the "World's Naughtiest Reader" essay.


D.N.L. said:

…Because I have conversations with the naughtiest of fantasy men, and they answer me! We snuggle and canoodle, in the shower, in the bed, and even on the bus at night, when no one’s looking…and even sometimes when people ARE looking! I am definitely the world’s naughtiest reader.

OOoo--fantasy men on the bus at night! I'm sooo there, D.N. :)

And the second winner is Laura K. who wrote:

Santa, I've been such a bad little girl. I have been known to read books in my bedroom/bathtub with my favorite toys. I can't help that those hot steamy books get me in a frantic mood!! Jingle all my bells, Santa, and make me your naughtiest reader ever.

Love from your elf, Laura

Ho, ho, ho! I bet Santa can't wait to have his bells jingled, either!

Thanks to all who entered the contest. This was a lot of fun for me, because it's always fun to hear what readers think about books, writing and just life in general.

If my personal life settles down a bit more in the spring, I'll have another fun contest like this. Hmmm... But what to call it? If you come up with a title or theme, drop me a line or post a comment here.

Thanking you in advance. Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to one and all!

Celine

Everything You Wanted to Know About My Latest Release (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Allrighty… About the new release from Liquid Silver Books Hanging with a Time Surfer… Where do I begin?

Do you want to know where I came up with the title for the story? Okay, we can start there. The title began out of nowhere actually. I had said something to someone at LSB that my first release with them, Help! I’m Falling for the Vampire Next Door, would be followed up by a sequel with an even longer title! (Such a little devil, I am, aren’t I?) Well, our web guy Mike warned me that “Vamp Next Door” had already broken the web site with its mile long title, so I decided the next book title would be a tad shorter. I had my hero in mind already (a time traveler). I wanted to come up with a title just as funny as the first book’s in the “series”--another thing I came up with on the spur of the moment. Boy, am I ever growing “spontaneous” in my old age! —so I came up with “Hey, I’m Hanging with a Time Surfer”. I was told it was a few characters too long. Oh, dear. So it eventually evolved into the form you see today on its terrific cover.

(I have been blessed with two terrific covers here at Liquid Silver Books. Many, many thanks to cover artist Lynn Perkins and to April Martinez, art director. You ladies rock big time in my humble opinion.)

Let’s see, what’s next… I came up with the title and the hero and now I told everyone this was a “series”. Great. Why do I put myself into these pickles? I had to have a heroine… and the only woman I could think of to take out of “Vamp Next Door” was Melynda’s cousin, Shelby. Oh, dear—I had made Shelby a married woman! That wasn’t going to work out in a new romance with a time traveler… I had to get rid of her hubby. It actually wasn’t too hard, as Shelby had only mentioned Graham in passing in the first book, and Mel had intimated that he was somewhat of an obsessive-compulsive business type who couldn’t stand anyone who left the toothpaste cap off! So, Graham runs off with a cocktail waitress, leaving Shelby man-less and a bit unsure of her own sexuality at the story’s opening. Who could ever love her since she’s been dumped? Poor, poor Shelby!

I couldn’t let this poor chick (well, Shelby’s not poor actually—she’s practically a millionaire) sit around and mope in Saint Louis about her two-timing husband. This is the perfect opening for Quentin Takahashi, our intrepid “Time Surfer” from the 42nd century to make an appearance in her life. Quentin sweeps Shelby off her feet and takes her on a time-traveling, sexual odyssey that pulls Shelby out of her funk and makes her focus on what’s truly important in life. (Hint: It’s not selling lots of real estate like she thought it was; that’s for sure!)

Where all do they travel in time and space? I decided to take Shelby and Quentin to a couple of fun periods in Saint Louis history—to “medieval times” and the lost city of Cahokia and to the tense period during the Civil War when the Union held the city (although a majority of the residents were Confederate sympathizers). After that, I thought they could sore off to another planet in the future—as I had to figure out how I was going to introduce my next paranormal hero for third book in the “series”. (Oh, this spontaneous urge really was putting me through my paces!) And who is this next hero? The answer to that secret will have to wait until you’ve read the book!

The next question coming out of most people’s lips at this point is, “Where did you come up with all those ideas for the wild sex scenes? Like how many orgies and group sex get-together have you attended personally? Do you like to be spanked? Have you ever had sex with a reptilian alien yourself?”

(*Blushing*) Um… I will only say in my defense that I have an overactive imagination and figured that Shelby really needed to expand her horizons a bit. Quentin, coming from another time period and culture, sees no problem in allowing Shelby to experiment with various sexual techniques and partners. It is his acceptance and love that allows her to have these experiences and to learn and grow from them. Quentin is the ultimate hero—no hang-ups, no jealousy (all right, just a little) and he always has Shelby’s best interests at heart.

What else would you like to know about Hanging with a Time Surfer other than it’s a Molten release (for all those naughty, kinky sex scenes)? Where to buy it? Ah ha! I knew I forgot something... So here's the purchase link:

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/hangingwithatimesurfer.htm

Enjoy! And tell me what you think.

Love is… a really good pair of jeans?

Love is… a really good pair of jeans?

Click the link below to read a very interesting article:

http://tinyurl.com/yp4mpr

Or here’s it all in a nutshell:

For most women, the choice between sex and a new wardrobe is simple -- they go for the clothes.

Women on average say they would be willing to give up sex for 15 months for a closet full of new apparel, with 2 percent ready to abstain from sex for three years in exchange for new duds, according to a new survey of about 1,000 women in 10 U.S. cities. Sixty-one percent of women polled said it would be worse to lose their favorite article of clothing than give up sex for a month.

Okay, who besides me doesn’t believe the results of this survey (which was sponsored by a consumer products corporation, no less)?

I own possibly the worse wardrobe on the planet for a woman of my age and status, yet I don’t think I’d willingly go without sex for fifteen months in order to gain a closet full of new duds. I’d nominate myself for that wonderfully humiliating TV show “What Not to Wear” first before I’d go without the lovin’.

What do you think? Are there really women out there who value material possessions above a good, sweaty one-night-stand or some affectionate cuddling on the sofa with the significant other? I can’t fathom it... You mean, every woman on the planet doesn’t want to do the nasty now and then?

Are you one of them? Do you know any emotionally healthy woman who fits this description? Is there help for this condition?

The next thought that goes running through my rattled brain is perhaps the survey respondents defined “sex” differently than the writers of the survey did. Perhaps these women are willing to go without “going all the way” for new clothing for a year or more, but they don’t want to give up the hugging, kissing, and the closeness bit. Perhaps “sex” to these women means “copulation without affection” and what they and their husbands/significant others experience is “lovemaking” in its purest form. It most certainly isn’t “sex”.

Now, that would go along way to explain these disturbing survey results to little ol’ me. I was really worried there for a moment. After all, “sex” is one of those naughty words that good girls don’t do—let alone write about—on a regular basis. I mean, really! What kind of decent, well-mannered woman thinks about sex all the time?

Present company excluded, of course. We all realize how special we are here at the Celine's Dreams blog, don’t we?

“Lovemaking” is a romantic, fuzzy-bunny-wonderful sort of activity. And it’s not something you’d want to talk about in public with a survey-taker from a big corporation. Besides, how do we know that these women polled weren’t given “kickbacks” for stating they rather own more material possessions like clothes over having sex?

It’s a conspiracy I tell ya! A conspiracy—a conspiracy overseen by the fashion industry!

Okay, I got that out of my system, and I’m calming down a bit. Whew! I hate the thought of a conspiracy that doesn’t involve aliens and Fox Muldar of The X Files. I mean, what’s the use of starting a conspiracy if it doesn’t involve bug-eyed monsters and the ever-handsome David Duchovny?

But I still find this whole idea of clothes being more important than sex upsetting. Don’t the lyrics to that famous Burt Bacarach song mean anything to this current generation?

What the world needs now is love, sweet love…

The song doesn’t say anything about the whole world needing blue jeans, now does it? Besides, if we’re all busy loving each other, the blue jeans are going to wind up in a heap on the floor anyway.

***
Speaking of clothes being tossed on the floor in a wild fervor of lust and excitement, my next Liquid Silver Books release, Hanging with a Time Surfer, debuts next month. Check out the excellent cover and an excerpt online at the SiN Forums at http://www.lsbooks.com or at my web site: http://www.celinechatillon.com/timesurfer.html

Short and sexy read--Operation: Seduction!

My short story Operation: Seduction! is now for sale at eXtasy Books...

"Office Slut" Mallory Jones can't wait any longer... She wants some "superhero" hot fun in the boardroom with her shy co-worker "Kent Clarke". But can the gorgeous geek deliver?

At $1.59, it's the original "cheap thrill". If you've always wanted to read erotic-romance in e-book formats but didn't want to dive into a full-length novel, the Fantasy Games series are a quick and easy way to take the plunge. You can find it online at

http://www.extasybooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=EB&Product_Code=408&Category_Code=Newthisweek

or at http://tinyurl.com/2f59zn

Enjoy!

Celine
http://www.celinechatillon.com

What say you? Celebrities speak out about love and sex

You ever wonder how other people feel on the topics sex and love? These celebrity quotes are quite revealing. From Moronland.net All-Star. (Thanks to Elaine L. for sharing.)

"I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy." --Tom Clancy

Ah, Mr. Clancy, with your best-seller list status you can certainly afford to buy a whole lot of whoopee, can’t you?

"You know that look women get when they want sex? Me neither." --Steve Martin

All too true of too many guys, I’m afraid. Sigh!

"Having sex is like playing bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand." --Woody Allen

Woody should know about “good partners” shouldn’t he? Poor guy ended up sleeping with his stepdaughter!

"Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday
night." --Rodney Dangerfield

But only if you hang out where there are a lot of other bisexuals and/or gays, right?

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL." --Lynn Lavner

Hmm, I don’t know… Expensive cars don’t do a thing for me. You’re better off showing me a well-made vibrator, Lynn.

"Leaving sex to the feminists is like letting your dog vacation at the taxidermist." --Matt Barry

What would you like to see “stuffed” next, Matt? With an attitude like that, I can predict you’re not getting any for a long time!

"Sex is one of the nine reasons for reincarnation. The other eight are unimportant." --George Burns

No wonder the man live to be over a hundred!

"Women might be able to fake orgasms, but men can fake whole relationships." --Sharon Stone

Bingo! And men wonder why many women feel sometimes like they have to fake the big O… A faker only deserves a fake—right, guys?

"My girlfriend always laughs during sex ---no matter what she's reading." --Steve Jobs (Founder, Apple Computers)

Hopefully she’s not reading your bank statements, Mr. Jobs.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." --Jack Nicholson

With an ungrateful child like you… Well, “poor woman” is all I can say.

"Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but
he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is." --Barbara Bush

True enough! (And he can’t keep from bragging about how much of it he got, either.)

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet." --Robin Williams

That’s only because the man couldn’t keep his genitals in his pants in the presence of other women, Robin.

"Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." --Roseanne

Enough said!

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place." --Billy Crystal

We need a place, too… Preferably a well-kept, penthouse suite that you’ve set us up in on Park Avenue, Mr. Crystal.

"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful." --Robert De Niro

Gratitude can never be underrated.

"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?" --Dustin Hoffman

Well, if it causes something to swell so large that it explodes and falls off, that could be a problem. A big problem!

"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked."--Jerry Seinfeld

And then…what happens? See, that’s why men’s magazines need more articles on sexual techniques.

"Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house." --Rod Stewart

Me! Me! You don’t like me, Mr. Stewart. Can I have a house, too?

"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time." --Robin Williams

Which only goes to prove that old adage, “A man’s brains are located in his pants.”

What say you? You think some of these celebrity remarks about love and sex are on the mark or completely out in left field? Is it “nature” or “nuture” that makes these celebs say the things they’ve said?

Personally, I find a lot of these celebrity remarks on the downer side. That’s why I enjoy reading and writing romance… A little sparkle, a fantasy that true love can be found and your perfect sexual partner exists on this planet and will find you—this dream makes it all worthwhile and keeps you going day after day.

Here's a quote that pretty much sums it up for me: "A life with love will have some thorns, but a life without love will have no roses."-- Sohan Powar

Here’s to romance!