Lena Austin http://lenaaustin.com Welcome to MY Worlds Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:51:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Fw: I`m walking for healthy babies http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fw-im-walking-for-healthy-babies.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fw-im-walking-for-healthy-babies.html#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:51:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-7385757952036082565 My daughter Susan is doing this. Please help if you can.

I`m very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year. Please help me reach my goal by making a donation to my walk. It`s easy and secure - just click through to make your donation.
Your gift will fund March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.
Please support this important work. You can make a donation with your credit card, or if you prefer, cash or a check is fine, too.
Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!
To make a donation, visit my personal Web page at
http://www.marchforbabies.org/splumb04
If you would like to learn more about March for Babies, visit the Web site at
www.marchforbabies.org.
Would you like to see what March for Babies is and why I'm walking?
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P_dFD0J47I to see the video.

The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fw-im-walking-for-healthy-babies.html/feed/ 0 Did I Mention I was a Nominee? http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/did-i-mention-i-was-nominee.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/did-i-mention-i-was-nominee.html#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:09:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-2160073111040983546
 
The cover of my book, "Blood and Magic" got this, and the whole series, "Dawg Town" also got a nod! Woohoo! 
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/did-i-mention-i-was-nominee.html/feed/ 0 New Cover Art for The God’s Wife http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-cover-art-for-gods-wife.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-cover-art-for-gods-wife.html#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:16:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-6715028750989973027

]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/new-cover-art-for-gods-wife.html/feed/ 0 Charity Work for Crafters/Seamstresses http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/charity-work-for-craftersseamstresses.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/charity-work-for-craftersseamstresses.html#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:44:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-8198670602986285159 **Permission to Forward Granted and Encouraged**

I'm participating in the Million Pillowcase Challenge and I'm inviting my friends to join me. You can learn more here:
http://www.oldegreencupboard.com/1millionpillowcases.html

You can even pick up free patterns (There's a basic one for those who can do straight seams only *coughMerriPhoenixcough*) by clicking on the picture of the little girl or the link below:

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/freepatterns/index.html

Please join us in giving to those who have faced disaster, abuse and heartbreak by giving them something handmade and cleaning out our fabric piles at the same time.

Send me pictures with your pillowcases so I can count them. The person who sends me a picture with the most will win one of my signed print books, Unicorn Valley.




Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
Writing blog: http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com
Recipe and Pagan blog: http://third-infinity.blogspot.com
Low Carb Diet blog: http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com



]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/charity-work-for-craftersseamstresses.html/feed/ 0 A Fairy Quilt for My Granddaughter Hope http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fairy-quilt-for-my-granddaughter-hope.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fairy-quilt-for-my-granddaughter-hope.html#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:46:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-7229735805066246002
This is the first I've managed to get done, though it's only the quilt top at present. I'll sandwich it and bind after I get the rest of the materials this weekend while working at JoAnn's.

 

You can't see the bottom row, thanks to the wind, but it's the same four-patch as the top, okay? I got the beautiful fairy panel and most of the materials at LadyBug Quilt Shop here in Jacksonville, on Cassat Ave. Rikki is a doll, and so willing to help anyone who needs it.

Okay, I'm done bragging now.
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/fairy-quilt-for-my-granddaughter-hope.html/feed/ 0 A Day of Frustration http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-of-frustration.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-of-frustration.html#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:52:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-8723457003357149607
The first and most pressing is that I must prepare the promotional materials for Changeling Press. Tomorrow is the TRSBlue Promotion (Yay!) and another is the choosing of which series books will be offered to ARE for their promotion. This must be completed by Friday. (Can you say PRESSURE? A little more warning would be nice...)

The next task also has a deadline, but is a personal deadline. I'd like to complete my edits on The God's Wife by the end of this week because the book releases in April. My editor isn't sparing my feelings on this massive rewrite of my first ever sale, and I expect nothing less. I wrote it as a complete amateur and it needed an overhaul for a lot of reasons besides just putting the sex back. AMP hasn't given me the new cover art yet, or I'd share.

Then I can begin a week's holiday to recharge before plunging back into my beloved series, The Coyotes of Yellowstone and the latest title, "Man vs. Wild." I really need to recharge, so I'm going down to St. Augustine with my cousin, mom, and maybe some of our daughters will tag along. If not, we'll rampage unchecked through Saks, Talbots, Le Crueset, and gosh knows what else before we collapse. Should be one hella good time.

The characters of Man vs. Wild are plaguing me half to death, and well they should. I had to put them on hold while I worked on the edits. Leaving the host of a survival reality show and his shifter lover en flagrante delicato for more than two weeks is cruel. This is a fun story to write, and I can't wait to return to Reno and Foxxe. (Yeah, I'm stealing a little from Bear Gryls. He's so sexy!)

I won't take much of a vacation, because the next two stories aren't leaving me a lone. "Bunnicula" and "Don't Need Another Hero" have very strong characters and plots pressing into my brain! ARRGH!! By the way, don't take those titles for gospel. I haven't had them approved yet. They're just working titles.

Well, that catches you up on what's going on in Lena's Weird Worlds. I hope.
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/03/day-of-frustration.html/feed/ 0 28 Days of Heart Author Macia James– Love Unleashed http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-macia-james.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-macia-james.html#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:44:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-5331107884398310044
Buy Link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveunleashed-402754-149.html
Blurb:
His best laid plans...

            DJ “Rabid Ron” Hart has a grand scheme to win back the woman he loves. It involves an animal adoption fair, a goofy hairless dog named Charlie and an offer she can’t refuse.

Her hidden desires...

            Cara Wilson has fantasies she’s never admitted, and her ex-boyfriend still features in her erotic dreams. If only he didn’t keep his bad-boy urges so tightly leashed.

Tonight they’ll learn that winning sometimes takes losing control.

Excerpt:
Cara took a deep breath. “We had some great times, but it just wasn’t working.”
            “That a bullsh*t answer.” He gave her arm a little shake. “I think I deserve the truth.”
            Dammit. Why couldn’t he just let it go? “I’m thirty-one. My biological clock isn’t ticking yet, but it’s foolish to stay with someone I’m not compatible with.”
            “Define ‘compatible.’” Dropping her arm, he ran his hands through his hair, the gesture one of pure aggravation. “We got along great, didn’t we? One minute you were practically living here, and the next you were gone. I need to know what happened.”
            Her stomach twisted. This wasn’t fair to Ron. Even if he hated her afterward, he had a right to know why she’d left. But once it was out, any feelings he had for her would truly be dead. “Yes. We got along great everywhere but in bed. You’re just...too nice for me.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen.
            “What the f*ck? Too nice!”
            She rounded to find him right behind her. “Stop yelling.”
            He gritted his teeth, but his angry voice was lower when he continued. “Too nice? I was so careful with you—”
“Did I ask you to be careful?” Hell, she wasn’t a bad person. Why did she have to justify her needs? Her frustration unleashed her temper. “You treated me like a porcelain doll, like I’d break if you looked at me cross-eyed.”
            He leaned closer, his arms folded over his chest and his expression thunderous. “I’m over a foot taller and one-hundred pounds heavier than you. What was I supposed to do, body slam you to the floor and screw you senseless?”
            “Yes!” God, it would have been wonderful if he’d been more sexually aggressive. “Anything but the same old lovemaking. I can count on my fingers the number of times we did something beside the missionary position.” Cara dreaded his contempt, but she needed to finish this. “I loved you, Ron, but I can’t commit to a man whose lovemaking is so...”
            “So what? Boring?” He was being sarcastic, but his mouth dropped open as something in her eyes must have confirmed his comment. “This is crazy. I put you first, made sure you came every time. Do you want a selfish bastard who just cares about his own needs?”
            He crowded her personal space, and Cara’s anger spiked in self-defense. “You can be generous in bed and still open to new things. Selfish and daring aren’t synonymous.”
            “So you want what?” His lips twisted. “Some guy who’ll treat you like a slut?”
            There it was. The disdain she’d been expecting. “Yes, if that’s what it takes to add spice to my love life.”
For several seconds, she squeezed her eyes shut. He was so close, his musky scent was making her mouth water. God help her, fighting with Ron was turning her on. What a rotten time for her libido to resurface. Too bad they hadn’t had this argument when they were dating. And whose fault is that, she reminded herself.
            “You want spice or kink, Cara? Just how far are you willing to go? Should I get a copy of the Kama Sutra?”
“I’m not ashamed of my desires. How about you?” She was sick and tired of men scorning her for having a strong sex drive. Cara balled her hands on her hips and leaned closer. “You’re the one who’s repressed. Why keep such a tight leash on yourself? I’m not going to faint if you give into your urges.”
            His pupils dilated and his jaw clenched, but she wasn’t afraid. Ron would never hurt her, she knew that in her heart, but he might finally let his inner-caveman out. And if he threw off his good-boy manners and didn’t despise her for her fantasies, there might be a chance for them after all.
            Ron’s gaze dropped to her mouth. His voice deep and sensual, he asked, “You want me to give in to my urges, Cara?”
Buy Link:
 http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveunleashed-402754-149.html

Go visit Marcia! Who doesn't love a little laughter with their love?
http://www.MarciaJames.net/
http://www.MySpace.com/MarciaJames
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-macia-james.html/feed/ 0 28 Days of Heart Author KF Zuzulo–It’s Not All About the Sex http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-kf-zuzulo-its.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-kf-zuzulo-its.html#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:40:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-5849417931163125503

Go For The Heart
It’s not all about the sex.  Hold on, I said “not all about the sex.”  Sex certainly catches the breath and makes the hips virtually wriggle….while reading a romance, that is.  Whether sweet and suggested or bare and blatant, sex scenes in a romance novel are part of the allure.  But the sex would be as empty as a bottle without a genie unless there’s also emotion.
I write romance novels about genies and despite the paranormal aspect, genies have feelings, too.  The more characters I create, I increasingly realize that you must touch a reader’s heart to keep her interested.  The emotions aren’t always warm and fuzzy, or hot and titillating.  They can be vengeful, tender, angry, or confused, but they must be there and they must be palpable.  Genies can get very angry but also—shall we say—vigorous.  But if they just started acting on their “vigor” without any explanation, they’re going to fall flat on their colorful, low-pile, carpets.
The novella I wrote for ARe’s 28 Days of Heart is called Angels & Genies and introduces genie Match Ramsey, who feels quite vigorous in the presence of teacher-turned-realtor Angeline Delaire. Match and his surfer-dude angel sidekick Miguel seek to block the entrance of evil jinni Iblis to the earthly realm.  Angeline holds the key to the sought portal.  The only hint I’ll give is—as any realtor will tell you—it’s all about location, location, location. But the real story is the conflict Angeline feels—about herself, her career, and Match. That’s the emotion.  It’s also in the awareness Match increasingly feels that he’d do anything to help her.
          This book, as well all the books being sold as part of ARe’s campaign, has an extra dose of emotion because of its intention…to help raise money and awareness of heart disease in women.  So, check them out!  You’ll be getting a healthy helping of intrigue, passion, and romance, plus you’ll be helping out.  That’s where the emotion is…that’s where the heart is.
You can learn about K. F. Zuzulo, her books, and the romance of the jinn at her website, www.kfzuzulo.com.  
Angels & Genies will be available from All Romance eBooks on February 24th.
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-angelsgenies-402492-140.html
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-kf-zuzulo-its.html/feed/ 0 28 Days of Heart Author- Leigh Ellwood http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-leigh-ellwood.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-leigh-ellwood.html#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:04:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-8730063622813850466 Everybody needs a nudge in the right direction sometimes. For a guy like Cale Durbin, alone and not looking forward to burning off a birthday with a blind date, the Bat Signal shining down on the home of the man of his dreams would be a big help. Instead, he's gifted with a quirky GPS device with a mind (?) of its own. Where is Cale going? You can find out on February 21 when GPS releases through the All Romance 28 Days of Heart celebration. GPS is an erotic romance featuring explicit male on male lovin'. ;-)
Proceeds from the sale of GPS are donated to the American Heart Association in conjunction with their Wear RED campaign to raise awareness of heart disease among women. Usually when we think of women and overcoming illness, the discussion turns toward breast or ovarian cancer. Perhaps sometimes we lose focus and don't realize that good heart health is equally important. We only have one, after all, and we should take care of it. :)

Heart disease awareness is a cause close to my, er, heart as well. Both of my parents lost their fathers to heart attacks, and in both instances neither man lived to see 60. Granted, on my father's side there had been a history of heart problems among the men (up through his line, several men succumbed in their 50s and 60s to heart trouble), yet it's because of associations like the AHA that we learn things that break these cycles brought on by genetic patterns. As I head into my 40s, I don't want to worry about having my life cut short by something that could have been prevented.

For just two dollars (maybe more if you check out the other titles available at ARe), you can help a great cause and read a hot story that gets your heart pumping. Hope you enjoy it!

Leigh Ellwood - Visit my website, blog, Facebook and Twitter.
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-leigh-ellwood.html/feed/ 0 28 Days of Heart Author- Cornelia Amiri http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-cornelia-amiri.html http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-cornelia-amiri.html#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:58:00 +0000 Lena Austin tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4178521366880561359.post-5250472256303550268
My name’s Cornelia Amiri, I write Celtic/Romances about long swords, hot heroes, and warrior women. I’m calling all warriors at heart to join the battle against heart disease by reading a romance from All Romance Ebooks 28 days of Heart Campaign. One will be released each day of February so you can read all 28.

My story will be released February 20th, TIMELESS VOYAGE. With the purchase of Timeless Voyage and any of the 28 Days of Heart Ebooks, all proceeds benefit the American Heart Association. As you read about the strong hearted warrior woman, Anwen, remember you are a warrior as well as your purchase helps AHA battle heart disease.

Love isn’t bound by the limits of time…
Off the mist shrouded coast of Ireland, a pagan lady-pirate, Anwen, captures the enemy, a Roman, Titus Rufius Kaeso. The Celtic warrior woman presses her hard iron dagger against Kaeso’s throat, but her arm does not obey the will to slay him. From time out of mind, memories of fated lovers, druids, and sacrifice, stay her hand. Kaeso is also captivated by dreams of the woman he loved in a previous life, the mirror image of Anwen. But in this lifetime they are foes, Roman and Celt. Can Anwen and Kaeso steer their timeless voyage to a happy destiny or will they be robbed of love once more?
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-timelessvoyage-402751-157.html

Excerpt:
Feeling heat on her neck from someone gazing hard at her, she wheeled around and spotted a shadowy figure. Rushing forward, with a flick of her wrist, she pressed her dagger against the man’s throat.

The full moon glowed on her catch. His hair shone like spun sunlight that streamed down a stone smooth face adorned with deep sea-blue eyes. “Lugh, the sun god?”

He gestured for her to release the blade so he could speak. She slid the sharp dagger down to his chest.

Looking her straight in the eye, he rasped, “Assassin, I ask your name before you send me to the Elysian Fields.”

How can a Roman be so handsome? She clutched the dagger tighter. “I am Anwen, a druid novice of Ynys Mon.”

He let out a sharp laugh. “The old governor slew the druids of Ynys Mon. They are all dead.”

“I survived.”

He flashed a row of white teeth as he grinned. “Good fortune then, and now you have a cargo of wine and fish sauce. Take it all, but leave me my ship and crew. They are
worth nothing to you.”

“I think not. Your voyage ends here.” When she tried to stab the Roman, her arm hung heavy and she couldn’t move it. Startled and shocked, she swallowed. Jerking her head toward her crew, she yelled, “Breccan, Casnar, Torna, tie up the prisoner.”

“What say you?” Starn the Stout balked at her order.
Her captive’s extraordinary eyes, fathomless as the sea, drew her to him. Thoughts swam in her head. I do not know him. Even if I did, he’s a Roman. What is wrong with me?
]]> http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/2010/02/28-days-of-heart-author-cornelia-amiri.html/feed/ 0