Jaci Burton’s Muse

I’m pleased to announce the print release of HOLIDAY HEAT, an anthology from Samhain Publishing. This book contains UNRAVELED by me and SWEET CHARITY by my friend and awesomely talented author Lauren Dane.

Sweet Charity by Lauren Dane. Eight years after a horrible one night stand, Charity and Gabriel finally find themselves in bed again. Trouble is, he thinks she’s too nice a girl to accept his darker sexual urges, so he’ll only agree to a short term fling. Gabriel’s about to find out that even sweet girls have their limits.

Unraveled by Jaci Burton. Entrepreneur Mitch Magruder wants to buy old friend Greta Mason’s rundown motel. Greta loves the motel and intends to hang tight, despite the feelings between her and Mitch. Can a man afraid to commit and a woman bruised by the past find a love worth building a future on?

You can read excerpts of the stories in HOLIDAY HEAT here

You can purchase HOLIDAY HEAT at your local bookstore or any of the following online retailers:

Amazon

Borders

Barnes & Noble

Books A Million

Chapters

Indiebound

Both these stories are also available separately in e-book if you prefer. UNRAVELED is here, SWEET CHARITY is here.

Omg could television be any more boring this time of year? There is nothing on right now. All the new summer shows are over and there’s nothing–and I mean nothing–to watch. I’m DYING while waiting for the Fall TV season to start. I miss my old shows and I’m waiting desperately for new stuff to start, too. All I have to say is thank God for Project Runway. Oh and Drop Dead Diva is great too.

Here’s what I’m waiting on to return:

Survivor
Grey’s Anatomy
CSI (Vegas)
Castle
So You Think You Can Dance
The Biggest Loser
America’s Next Top Model
The Mentalist
Private Practice
Sons of Anarchy
How I Met Your Mother
Two And A Half Men
The Big Bang Theory

New shows I’m looking forward to watching:

Glee
Mercy
Hank

And these are in the “maybe” camp:

Flash Forward
Cougartown

I know…I watch a lot of TV. I hope my DVR can handle it all

Are you missing your shows? Which ones? And which upcoming Fall premieres are you planning to catch? Did I miss anything potentially awesome?

Shannon Stacey is my guest over at Writeminded today, talking guns (my favorite topic!). I’m giving away an ebook copy of her new Samhain release, NO SURRENDER, so head on over for a chance to win!

My friend Angela James, formerly Executive Editor at Samhain Publishing, has a new job! She’s now Editorial Director at Quartet Press, a brand new epublisher! And she’s not only looking for editors and copyeditors, she’s looking for submissions too! So if you’re an editor or copyeditor and are interested, check out this post, and if you’re interested in finding out more or submitting to Quartet Press, check out this post. And congrats Angie on your new position!

Thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of Shannon Stacey’s 72 HOURS and ON THE EDGE!

I used random.org to select a winner, and it is:

LEA! (comment #14)

Congrats, Lea! Email me at jaciATjaciburton.com and I’ll get your books sent to you!

I hope everyone else will go and buy Shannon’s books. You’ll love them

Love this cover.

Shannon Stacey’s NO SURRENDER releases today from Samhain Publishing. It’s the third book in Shannon’s Devlin Group action/adventure/romance series, and let me tell you once you open this book you will not be able to put it down. It’ll drag you from page one on a rollercoaster ride of thrills, suspense, and a romance that will make your heart clench with emotion. Get over to Samhain Publishing and download a copy now.

You don’t have to read the first two books to get the third in the series, because they do stand alone nicely. But if you haven’t read Shannon’s Devlin Group series yet, I’m giving you a chance to catch up with the first two books in the series, 72 HOURS and ON THE EDGE. These are e-books, not print books, so keep that in mind when entering the contest.

You can read all about the DEVLIN GROUP SERIES here at Shannon’s website including some great excerpts of all 3 books.

To be entered to win 72 HOURS and ON THE EDGE, just let me know what ebook format you’d like the books in if you’re the winner.

I hope y’all will run out and buy NO SURRENDER today! Trust me, you will absolutely love it. I was drawn in and couldn’t put it down.

I’ll choose a winner for the first 2 books in the Devlin Group series tomorrow morning, so start entering!

The baby shower for my daughter in law was yesterday, and it was awesome. Nearly everyone invited attended, so my living room was stuffed full of people. And thank God my daughter came home from college to help and brought her friend. They pitched in and did a ton of work and I couldn’t have done it without them. (Thank you Ashley and Kari!).

Jamie (my daughter in law) received so many awesome gifts it took two cars to load them all up:

She was so excited because they need…everything! Even though this is their second child, when they moved out here from California 2 years ago, they sold everything, including all the baby stuff they had, with the exception of the crib. So they were in need of damn near every baby item. She got a ton of stuff, which is great. And they’re heading out to California this week to visit her family, and she’s having another baby shower. Hopefully when they get home they’ll be all set for my new little granddaughter’s arrival in early October.

Here’s me and my daughter in law after the shower (with Biker Dude in the background fiddling with the Harley) :

Isn’t her baby bump adorable? I have to pat little Kaylynn (that’s the upcoming baby’s name) every time I see her. And yes, that’s pink you see in my hair. I got these rockin’ pink highlights put into my hair last week. I love it. My son shook his head when he saw me and said I must be going through my punk rocker phase. Heh. Gotta keep your kids on their toes, ya know. Even after they’re grown.

We had lots of commenters hoping to win three of Roxanne St Claire Bulletcatcher books. So instead of one winner, I chose three, because I love Rocki’s Bulletcatcher series and I’d like for more people to fall in love with them too.

I used random.org to select the winners, and they are:

DELL LOPEZ (comment #5)

DOTTIE (comment #33)

BELLA (comment #54)

Congrats! Email me at jaciATjaciburton.com with your full name and mailing address and I’ll get your books sent off to you.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope if you didn’t win you’ll head right out and buy Rocki’s Bulletcatcher series. Trust me, you’ll love it! Check out the books at her website here.

If you haven’t read Roxanne St Claire’s romantic suspense yet, you’re really missing out. Her Bulletcatcher series is amazing. Sexy men with guns and strong, capable heroines who stand by them no matter what. I love this series, and the next book, HUNT HER DOWN, releases next Tuesday. (I’m reading it now and loving it! Thank you Rocki! )

So for those of you who haven’t caught on to this series yet, I’m giving away three of the Bulletcatcher books to one lucky winner

First You Run

Bullet Catcher Adrien Fletcher is on a mission to track down a baby given up in a black market adoption thirty years ago. He has a list of possible names and one tantalizing clue: the infant girl had been marked with a tiny tattoo. And since tattoo-hunting will mean getting up close and personal with the women on his list, he’s the perfect man for the job. But when Fletch meets Miranda Lang, he knows she can never be just a name on his list. If she’s not his target, he should move on and find the right woman, despite their electrifying attraction. But Miranda is on her own mission, and every step takes her closer to a deadly trap. Fletch may be the only man who can protect her…forcing him to choose between duty and desire.

Then You Hide

When Bullet Catcher Wade Cordell is offered a cushy assignment to track down a woman on vacation in the Caribbean and persuade her to meet her birth mother, the secret ops sharpshooter decides it’s the perfect antidote to his stressful job. Except spirited and sassy Vanessa Porter isn’t on vacation, she’s on a hunt for a friend who has disappeared. Wade’s news doesn’t faze a woman who swims with the sharks on Wall Street — Vanessa knows she’s adopted and has no intention of meeting or helping the woman who gave her up in a black market scheme. But as it becomes clear that her missing friend is deep in hiding and deeper in trouble, Vanessa strikes a shaky bargain with the sexy bodyguard who’s an expert at finding people who don’t want to be found. How high a price will she have to pay the Bullet Catcher willing to put his life on the line for her? Will she sacrifice her pride . . . her heart . . . even her life?

Now You Die

Former Bullet Catcher and lone wolf investigator Jack Culver is on a mission. Thirty years ago, an innocent woman was convicted of murder. Jack believes he’s found the real killer — but to take down one of the highest legal authorities in the land, he needs access. Serious access. Unfortunately, the one person he knows with that kind of power is his ex-boss and ex-lover, the woman who still haunts his dreams.
Bullet Catchers owner Lucy Sharpe realizes she’s being used for her connections, and she intends to use Jack Culver right back. She’s determined to see justice served, even if that means partnering with the man who once found his way past her iron shields. This time, she’ll be strong enough to avoid Jack’s persuasive touch.

But when passion flares, and they become the killer’s target, Lucy and Jack don’t just break some rules — they shatter them. And that means risking everything: their jobs, their hearts…and their lives.

This is a connected trilogy that you won’t be able to put down. You can read about the Bulletcatchers here at Rocki’s website.

To be eligible to win these three books, tell me the last romantic suspense you read. And if you haven’t read a romantic suspense before, tell me the last book you read.

I’ll draw a winner on Friday so be sure to check back to see if you’ve won. I’ll be shipping these books directly to the winner from Amazon, so winner needs to be eligible to receive them (though I can also do Book Depository and Amazon Canada, too, so overseas folks are eligible too)

Good luck!

I’m working on Riding The Night. Been working on it for a while now. It’s a menage story (one of my Wild Riders stories–Pax and AJ’s story for those who follow the series), which means instead of two central characters, there are three. That means three points of view, three backgrounds, three heads I have to climb inside of, three sets of baggage and emotions and feelings and omigod this is hard.

I’ve written books with menage scenes in them before. I haven’t written a book where the dynamic is three characters as the main focus of the book throughout the entire book. So I’m treading through new territory. I’ve known for some time now that Pax and AJ’s story would be a menage story. That’s how they roll. What I hadn’t counted on was the woman who’d become part of their lives. Teresa is complicated. Heh….complicated is an understatement. Then again, Pax and AJ aren’t easy, either.

Because a menage story isn’t about the sex–not really. It’s an integral part of the relationship to be sure. But that’s not all there is to it. It’s about how the characters interact with each other–what one means to the other and how they relate, about what they each bring to the table of this not so common relationship. It’s about the pain and the trauma of their pasts, and how the dynamic of this relationship helps them heal. And it’s how they’re going to deal with the actual relationship once they make the decision to open that door. For one it’ll be a new beginning. For two it will be something they never expected to happen. Fun stuff. But also very difficult because I want to make it right.

And yeah…there’s also the sex because it is different than one man and one woman, and it’s much more complicated. And I’m not just talking about the scene choreography (thought that has its own holy shit moments too). It’s a delicate balance and I’m trying to do these characters justice by making it right for them. It’s all about the timing and that pesky baggage. You can’t just throw a threesome into a pile on the bed and say hey, go for it. Well…I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.

And beyond the menage relationship there’s also a suspense plotline that has to be dealt with and weaved within the framework of the three characters and what they’re going through.

So….yeah. That’s how I’m spending my summer. Writing this damn complicated book. Hopefully these characters won’t be the death of me.

Side Note: Go check out author Beth Kery’s post today over at Romance Novel TV. She talks about where authors get their ideas for books. I gave my input as well and so did several other authors. Be sure to check it out and say hi to Beth!

If you don’t know who Michael Vick is or his story, I’ll give you a brief history.

Michael Vick was a football player in the U.S., formerly with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2007 it was discovered he owned and operated a dog fighting venture with a couple other guys. The dogs were seized, the operation shut down,and Vicks and his partners prosecuted and jailed for illegal dogfighting.

Vicks has since been released from prison and yesterday was signed to a new contract by the Philadelphia Eagles.

This pisses me off.

Why?

Because the dogfighting operation he and his buddies ran was so horrible, so heinous, it sickens me to even describe it. Some of these poor dogs were used as bait to make the fighting dogs more aggressive. Dogs that didn’t perform up to standard were executed. Dogfighting is brutal and inhumane.

The National Geographic Channel ran a special about Dogtown, a rescue organization that took in 22 of the toughest cases from Michael Vicks dogs and showed their efforts at rehabilitating them. You can click here to read more about Dogtown and the sweet dogs they worked with. The story of these poor abused animals will move you to tears.

There are some who will say he paid for his crime and he should be allowed to go about his business now. I don’t agree.

I have no compassion for Michael Vick. I don’t care that he served time for his crime and is now released. I don’t think he should be allowed to play football and make millions of dollars again. What he did to those dogs was unconscionable. Many of those dogs lost their lives. Why should he be able to pick up where he left off? In my opinion, he hasn’t paid nearly enough yet.

Feel free to disagree with me, of course.