I think I figured out what the problem is. As a nurse, I knew I was doing a good job whether my patients liked what I had to do to them or not. Sure, people said nice things to me from time to time, but I didn’t need that positive stroke as much. I knew I was good at what I did, and I held myself to a high standard.

With writing, so much depends on what other people think, and it’s so subjective. I have to remind myself that I didn’t set out to write the same stuff that everyone else was writing. I wrote what I wanted to read. Clearly my tastes are not in the mainstream. I’m writing in niche genres, which doesn’t guarantee huge sales. 

Paranormal sales are down all over, and new paranormal series are being rejected by the big publishers.  Contemporary is in again. Most of my early writings were contemporaries–hence the Unlikely Lovers series. I probably could’ve sold them to a traditional publisher, but they aren’t traditional stories. You only have to read Uninhibited to realize that. Sourcebooks wanted the series, but I opted not to sell it to them because I knew they would change it to the point that it would’ve been just another contemporary romance series. Sure, Alan is a bit unbelievable, but a lot of us dream about having a guy like that.

Fulfilling fantasies is what I do. Book 3, Undeniable, isn’t so much a fantasy, but book 4? Oh. My. God. Yes!

Speaking of fantasies. Here’s a little something to fantasize about.

He’s all yours. What are you going to do with him?

I’d be staring at it too. It’s got quite a head on it.

Wonder if it talks.

Since I currently have an abundance of spinach and basil, I’ve been trying to come up with new ways to use them. I love spinach Alfredo pizza, but in an effort to steer clear of the carbs, I thought I’d try making something similar with Dreamfields pasta, which is supposed to have a lower glycemic index. This is what I came up with.

Spinach Pasta Alfredo

Ingredients
1 (15oz) jar Alfredo sauce
2 cups (loosely packed)  fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
8-10 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

Directions
Place cooked pasta in a greased 9 or 10 inch baking dish. Heat sauce in medium sauce pan. Add spinach and basil leaves and cook until the leaves are wilted. Pour over pasta, toss until coated. Top with black olives, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning. Bake about 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven until cheese melts and browns slightly. You could add mushrooms if you like, but I didn’t have any when I made this.

I’m thinking he’d taste good with Alfredo sauce too!

Hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day. Sam and I got Budley this cool thing that you put on the wall near a doorway and it makes a sound like the turbolift on Star Trek when anyone comes in. He seemed pleased with it and is looking forward to freaking Mikey out with it the next time he visits.

I spent most of the day (when I wasn’t cooking) working on book 4 of the Unlikely Lovers series, Unrivaled. I hope to have it ready to publish by July 22nd, but I’m making no promises yet. Undeniable should be live on most sites by this time next week.

Also, for those of you who prefer the PDF format, I uploaded Unbridled, Uninhibited, and Purple Bikini to the All Romance Ebook site on Friday. So far, the sales figures are encouraging enough to make me wish I’d done it a long time ago. The hot stuff seems to sell very well there.

The tough part has been waiting a full month between releases, which was unheard of in publishing prior to the self-pub boom. Just think, if I hadn’t sold Cat Star #10 to Sourcebooks, you all could’ve read it by now–and I would’ve been able to call it Rascal. Still no word from my editor on whether the title was ever changed from Renegade or not.

But enough about that. Time for some moons!

Does anyone have a towel?

I should probably save this dude for a Wednesday, but he also fits in with the Red Flag Weekend.

Have a HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Since yesterday was Flag Day, how about a Red Flag Weekend?

Enjoy your Saturday!

Happy Flag Day!

After you’ve finished waving the flag, how about some danglers to play with?

They’re sure to liven up your Friday!

We also need to wish a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tatum Throne!

Thanks for the reminder, Donna!

As the pile of used Kleenex grows exponentially in the trash can by my desk, you really don’t want to know my thoughts–much less the condition of my nasal passages.
Haven’t made it to the post office to mail out your goodie bag yet, Suzy. Maybe later today when I’m feeling more human… Or maybe I’ll wait until I get the promotional pens I ordered.
That being said, enjoy your Thursday!

He’s really not my type, but he does have a whopper!

Have a great Hump Day!

Congratulations, Suzy! You’re the winner of the goodie bag! Email me at cheryl.brooks52@yahoo.com to verify your mailing address.

I spotted this recipe for Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting on Facebook, shared it on my wall, and pinned it to Pinterest. I’ve yet to make them, but they look incredibly good. Since I’m feeling lazy today, here’s the link to the recipe…

http://lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com/2012/01/banana-bread-bars-with-brown-butter.html

…and a hunk to go with them!

Bet he’d taste good even without the frosting!

Before we get to the moons, I thought I’d post a few pictures from Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together. It was great fun, even if we were all exhausted most of the time. Nothing quite like signing 175 copies of Virgin right off the bat.

 Due to a registration glitch, Tatum Throne hadn’t been given a spot at Friday night’s digital and indie author signing, but they told her she could squeeze in wherever she liked. I told her she could sit beside me, but they said she couldn’t because I was at a special table along with several other authors whose publisher had donated books to be given away. Unbeknownst to me, Sourcebooks had sent 175 copies of Virgin, and over the course of about three hours (the signing was only scheduled for two) I signed and gave away all but 20 or so that I put on a table in the ballroom. When I checked that table the next morning, they were all gone.

It was very nice of Sourcebooks to do that, but it wasn’t quite what I had planned. I was all set to try to sell the Unlikely Lovers books, but wound up stuffing copies of Virgin full of the promotional postcards I’d had made in the hope that someone might look the new series up online and buy them. I might sell more ebooks than I would have otherwise, but I’ve never been sure how much the swag given out at these events affects sales. We’ll see!

That’s me standing behind the mountain of books I signed and gave away, and that wasn’t even half of them. I bought the nifty scarf from Shelly, one of Mary G’s pals (and a lurker here on the CBEB!) who’d made a bunch of them in all different colors. 

I met lots of wonderful people, thanks to Mary G. She knows everyone! Including the lovely Alison, Christy Reece, Casey, and Kris!

It’s always a treat to hang out with Mary G and author pals Anara Bella and Leah Braemel. Too bad I only get to see them once a year. This pic was taken at the Saturday afternoon traditional-pubbed signing.

Not only are they both talented authors, but they have some awesome swag. Great pens!

Speaking of swag, I thought it might be fun to give my goodie bag away in a caption contest.

So…

For your chance to win my lovely pink tote bag filled with pens, postcards, bookmarks, books, and other promotional items…

WRITE YOUR OWN CAPTION for this pic of Mary G and Willy at Sunday breakfast!

Or you can just play with the cardboard men. 

Tall, isn’t he?

And since Marie Force’s birthday falls on a Monday this year, she gets the Birthday Buns!

Happy Birthday, Marie!

Winding up Bent Dick Week, here’s one that isn’t as obviously bent.

Until you look at it from this angle.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Susan! You’re the winner! Email me at cheryl.brooks52@yahoo.com and let me know which book you’d like and whether you’d like the Kindle, Nook, or Kobo version.

And now, Bent Dick Week continues!

Interestingly enough, I found fewer bent dicks in my files than I would’ve thought. You wouldn’t believe how many I looked at before finding this one.

Might have to look into doing a Straight Dick Week next. A few of the fellows in my files would’ve come in handy in geometry class.

I’ll be heading to Cincinnati today for Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together. Should be a ton of fun, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with Mary G and her pals Anara Bella and Leah Braemel! Hope to see some of you there!

Since this has become Bent Dick Week, here’s another one. He’s more curved than bent, but he strikes me as an excellent candidate for you to…

WRITE YOUR OWN CAPTION!

Post a comment for your chance to win the Unlikely Lovers book of your choice!  The winner will be chosen at random, but, as always, you get extra points for making me LMAO!

Wow! June 6th already! Guess I’d better start talking about Undeniable, huh?

I plan to upload it on June 22nd, so it should go live on most sites a day or two later.

Here’s the scoop:

Extraordinary talent, undeniable love…
 

Yeah. This story has a bit of a twist. 

And so does he…

Just to give you a heads-up, I’ll be at Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together this weekend. Hope to see you there!

This fellow has been in my files forever. I think it’s finally time to get him out and play with him.

Happy Hump Day!

Looking for a single-serving meal that’s quick and easy and incredibly good? Ever wonder what you could do with those amazing spicy olive medleys on your supermarket’s olive bar? Next time you’re at the grocery, get some of those olives, along with a jar of capers, a box of penne pasta, and a jar of vodka pasta sauce. You won’t be sorry. I had to search Google images for a picture of something similar because by the time I’d eaten a few bites and decided this would be a great Tuesday recipe, I didn’t want to stop and get my camera.
Yeah. It was that good.

Olive Caper Vodka Pasta

Ingredients
1 cup (dry) penne pasta, cooked and drained
Olive oil (If you have any flavored oils–garlic or Tuscan, etc–now’s the time to use them)
1/4 cup assorted sliced olives
1 tbsp capers
1/2 cup vodka pasta sauce (I used Gia Russa’s Alla Vodka)
Parmesan cheese
Black pepper

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions while you’re slicing (and pitting, if necessary) the olives. Drain the pasta and set aside. Add the olives and capers to the empty saucepan along with a drizzle of olive oil and cook until they’re sizzling nicely. Add the sauce and cook until heated through. Add the drained pasta and stir. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese and serve.

He looks good enough to eat–and sort of Italian!

Enjoy!