What’s a guy to do with a woman who hates to cry? #sixsunday

This six comes from Tempted, soon to arrive in the Into the Unknown anthology with J. Taylor Publishing.  This is from Liam Kane’s point of view, the hero from The Glass Man.

Lila hates it when he gets all sentimental with her.

I pressed my lips to hers, let them drift up over her peach-soft cheek, over her long lashes to her brow.  “My only wish is to keep the peace in this world and bring back the innocence I saw in your eyes a few minutes ago.”  I moaned as I recalled [Lila’s] face at the moment of her climax.  “I’ll see it restored one day, just watch and see.”

A dull pain rippled out from my gut.  It took me a second to realize she’d hit me.

Don’t forget to click on the logo above to see the other entries this week.

Coming December 1, 2011

Halloween Blog Hop

Welcome to another stop on the spooky [insert creepy music here] Romance Girls gone Goblin Halloween Blog Hop.  Thanks for stopping by.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  The cool, damp air.  The crinkling sounds of leaves falling.  Rain plinking against a tin roof.  The fresh smells.  The change of seasons.  It could also be that I’m known to write some pretty dark stuff, so I suppose the creaky trees and Halloween moon inspires me.

I’m going to share a Halloween short I wrote for the occasion, Devil in Heels. (below)  This is the heroine from The Glass Man.

There are lots of great prizes along the Hop to be won. 

Here’s what I’m offering:


Up for Grabs:

One signed paperback or eBook of The Glass Man (US & Canada)

or

One eBook (International)

I’ll also pick 2 commenters at random and send them a signed bookmark (International)

I’ll post the winners November 1st.

What do you have to do to win?

In the comments below, tell me who your favorite villain of all time is

CLICK HERE for a list of the rest of the participants for chances to win other great prizes

Devil in Heels – A Lila Gray Short

I groaned as Brígh spun me toward the mirror.  “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Oh, suck it up, Lila.  It’s fun.” Rock music shook her house from the party going on beyond her bedroom door.  “You said you’ve never dressed up for Halloween, so now’s your chance.”

“I think you missed the part where I said dressing up is lame and even as a kid, before the world went to shit, I never dressed up.  And since when do fae celebrate a human occasion?”

“Oh, hush with your minor details.”  Her fingers fluffed my hair.  “Okay, you can open your eyes.”

“Do I have to?”

The smack sound came before the sting in my shoulder.  “Yes, you do.”

Chuckling, I rubbed my arm.  “Damn, that hurt.  You’re so dainty I didn’t think you had it in you.”  At her huff, I sighed.  “Fine, fine, I’ll look.”

I opened my eyes to the reflection of a short red vinyl skirt that barely covered my naughty bits.  Black fishnet stretched over my legs, at least what wasn’t hidden behind thigh-high red boots with silver heels that could have skewered a wild boar.  On top, she’d squeezed my girls into a black corset with red silk ribbons as laces.

I glared at her reflection in the mirror, though she only grinned in return, her sapphire Seelie eyes sparkling with it.  “You have got to be fucking kidding me.  What the hell am I supposed to be?”

“The last few pieces you’ll have to add using glamour.”  She pranced in place, wearing her black vinyl cat suit complete with tufted ears.  Her pink ringlets bounced with the motion.

My fingers massaged my temples.  “And what would those be?”

“Um … your red devil horns and tail?”

I whirled to face her.  She took a step back.  “A devil, Brígh?  The entire fae nation, both of them in fact, already think I’m Lucifer’s nasty step-sister.”

She waved me off with a flick of her black-painted fingernails.  “No, they don’t, and you’re not just a devil.”  Her grin widened.  “You’re a smoking hot, sexy as hell devil.  You’re positively sinful in that outfit.”  She squealed and danced over to the door.  “He’s going to love it.”

My heart stumbled before sprinting.  “Who’s going to love it?”

She shrugged, winked and pulled the door open, flooding the room with music and excited voices from the revelers in full party swing.  “You’ll see.”

I stared after her as she walked out in her high heeled shoes, swinging her kitty tail in her fingers.  She couldn’t have meant … no, that would be insane.  Liam was an Unseelie fae, enemy of my people since some idiotic war separated us.  He hadn’t been allowed inside the gateway to Dun Bray in over a year, despite my efforts to change the old laws.

Unwilling to get my hopes up only to have them dashed, I shook off thoughts of seeing my secret lover that night, and used my glamour to finish off my costume as Brígh had instructed. She’d only nag me until I complied anyway. By the time I’d finished, two short red horns poked out from my hair and a long, arrow-head tail swung behind me.

My cheeks heated as I exited her bedroom and stepped into the large party room her shifter house had created for the occasion.  Orange and black crepe paper streamers hung in scallops along the ceiling above the horde of Seelie fae writhing and swaying to the music.

A group by the bar turned to look at me.  I recognized a few of my royal guards beneath their costumes.  Their smirks and cat calls accompanied their waves.

“This is not happening to me,” I muttered as I waved to them and ducked into the crowd hoping to disappear.  If the shifter house was so inclined, he could open up the floor and swallow me up, but no doubt Brígh had given him strict orders not to.  So much fae energy swirled around me it took effort to move through it.

“Care to dance?”

I jumped at the deep voice in my ear.  “I don’t dance.”

“Not even with me?”  His familiar, seductive tone tightened everything south of my belly button.

Breath stalled in my throat, I turned to find a large man wearing a yellow and black spandex suit.  A cowl of the same colors obscured the upper portion of his face, all but his deep blue eyes.  My focus wandered over the swell of his chest, down to his tight abs that showed through the fabric he wore like a second skin.  I knew that body, had explored every inch of it in painful detail.  I reached for the Unseelie king to make sure he was real.

A familiar grin crooked one corner of Liam’s lips.  “Brígh really outdid herself this time.”  He chuckled as his gaze swept over me.  “Though, now that I’m wearing this ridiculous Wolverine outfit she made for me, I realize I’m going to be turning it into a circus tent if I look too hard at you.”

Laughing, I leapt at him, wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed until he grunted.  “I can’t believe you’re here!”  When I remembered where we were and that my people would be watching me, I released him and pulled my tiny skirt back into place.  “Wait, how did you get through the portal?  If Nix or Gallagher find you inside Dun Bray, they’ll have a fit.”

“Brígh let me in.  And you didn’t recognize me, so why would they?”  Liam pulled me against him with one arm looped around my lower back and the other holding my hand in a dance pose.  “Now let’s enjoy the time Brígh’s given us.”

Bewildered by his power flowing like fire through my skin, I allowed him to set us in a swaying motion amongst the crowd and smiled at Brígh across the room, who winked in return.  “How did she even know … you know … about us?  I thought only Gallagher and Nix knew we were sneaking around.”

“She’s a Seer.  She probably saw us together in a vision.”

Liam’s breath warmed my ear and turned my core molten.  Heat invaded my face as I considered what Brígh might have seen the two of us doing.  Usually within three seconds of our meeting we were naked and pawing at one another like horny teenagers.

I groaned and buried my face against Liam’s throat, inhaling his heady scent and wishing the crowd would disappear so I could rip the fabric from his body the way I wanted to.  “I have no idea why she’s so good to me, though she could have warned me you were coming.”

Liam snickered and held me tighter.  “She’s good to you because she sees beyond your hardness to the soft, amazing woman beneath.”

My fist lowered from his shoulder and rammed into his side.

“Ouch!”  His laughter induced my own.  “It’s true.”

I hit him again.

“Now, now, kiddies.  Play nice.”  Brígh twirled up beside us wearing a smile that could turn night into day.  “My room is over there, freshly made up with new sheets and everything.”  She winked and squeezed Liam’s arm.  “Be a shame to let it go to waste, don’t you think?”

Liam and I locked gazes long enough for me to catch the dark ideas swirling behind his.  They matched my own, and then some.

As he grabbed my hand and tugged me toward Brígh’s bedroom, she shouted, “Happy Halloween, you two!”

Available now!  Click here for purchase links

Don’t forget to leave me a note in the comments for your chance to win The Glass Man!  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween!

Goody giveaway x 3 #IntoTheUnknown

I can’t believe there are fewer than 6 weeks to go before Into the Unknown is released with J. Taylor Publishing.

Three authors.

Three hot heroes from three great stories.

And today, I get to share a teaser of my story, Tempted, with you!  Mmm, Liam.  Need I say more?

Ah, but there is more.  You have a chance to win FOUR eBooks (Little White Lies by Aimee Laine, Darkness & Light by J. A. Belfield, The Glass Man by, you guessed it, me! AND Into the Unknown by all three of us) three signed bookmarks & one nifty, printed signed poster of the Into the Unknown cover all for one lucky winner.  Check the bottom of this post for the link to enter.

Now for the teaser.  Here is my excerpt from Tempted, my contribution to this yummy anthology of heroes.

Tempted

I stepped out of the portal and emerged inside the stone cavern at Seven Gates.  A chilled wind whipped into the small hollow carved out of the rock. Shivers rumbled through me from my toes to the base of my skull as I exited the narrow tunnel and emerged under a murky blue sky near the entrance to the hidden fae city of Dun Bray.   The Seelie fae who lived there considered me and the rest of my people—the Unseelie—the enemy.

Only one had accepted me: Lila.

Even without the wind, the frosted air threatened to seep through to my bones and turn my blood to ice. Crystals edged the crevasses in the towering rock wall, along with every gold and rusty leaf that littered the ground. November in the north had its beauty, but I didn’t think I’d ever get used to winter’s bite.

A week had passed since I’d last seen Lila, and every day she haunted my subconscious even more. It had been harder than I’d expected to keep our trysts secret from both our people, but no amount of effort would be too much. My heart ached to be near her again.

My Lila, with her fearless nature and stare, could melt me into a puddle of want and need.  Thoughts of her name lit a flame in me, a passion I’d never known before I met her.

ENTER TO WIN

Best day Ever! #TheGlassMan

Okay, so the best day ever would have been the day my daughter was born, followed by the day I married my high school sweetheart, but last Saturday was most definitely number three of my list of remember-forever days.

Saturday October 15th, 2011 I became a published novelist.  Yes, me!  Here’s where I spent the day, at Chapters Bookstore in Peterborough, ON, signing books.

The store was HUGE!  And because it was raining, the parking lot, along with the store, were jam-packed full.  Not too intimidating.  Yikes!

When I walked through the doors, the table with my name on it sat only a few yards away.  I would be one of the first things customers would see when they walked in. Double yikes!  Right away, the staff greeted me and helped me set up my display of books and bookmarks.  They were AWESOME!


I’m a girl of few words.  I know that sounds funny considering I’m an author, but it’s true when I actually have to talk to people.  Even so, I managed to talk to complete strangers about The Glass Man.  What struck me most was the number of people who came over to the table just to congratulate me on my release.  I don’t think I stopped smiling all day, especially when most of the books on the table disappeared into customer’s bags by the end of my two hours.  Wheee!

To add to the excitement, almost all of my family came out to support me.  It was like a giant family reunion in the middle of a book store.  Add to that some friends I haven’t seen since high school, neighbors that used to live on the 9th Line of Smith where I grew up, old employers, distant cousins, and some friends from the archery world, including a world champion who drove for several hours just for me.  How special do I feel now?  Absolutely overwhelmed and thankful to have so many people who care about me and support me.  To all of you, I give my sincere thanks for making this a day I will remember  until the end of all things.

Thanks to all of the wonderful Chapters staff who gave me selling pointers and made me feel at home.  They’ve invited me back for another signing in the future, and I’ll gladly jump at the chance.  Chapters is amazing to work with and made my first author adventure a great one.

Tell me about one of your most memorable days.

How to piss off a headstrong woman #TheGlassMan #sixsunday

In celebration of its release on, yes, it was YESTERDAY!!! I’m bringing you another six from The Glass Man.  In this scene, Lila is startled by the delicious Liam.

“Awful late for a girl to be wanderin’ these woods alone.” [Liam’s] chin quivered, but his smirk emerged anyway.

My eyes wanted to explore him from top to bottom, but I forced them to his amused face. “I told you I can take care of myself.”

He nodded, the smirk escalating into a full grin.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, aching to pull up his shirt and run my hands up his chest, to smell him.

Don’t forget to click the logo at the top for a listing of the other participants.

See you next week!

Available at:


When dreams come to life

Summer, 2010.  My life had taken an unexpected u-turn on the job front.  It threw me for a loop at first, but looking back now, it’s one of those events that defined me.  Or at least set me on the road to figuring out who the heck I am.  At 37 years old, I still didn’t know.

With a lot of time to ponder life, a story popped into my head.  One that came from ::ahem:: ‘dreams’ of the daytime sort, and no, I won’t elaborate more on that.  😉  My crazy imagination spun and twisted ideas, characters, settings and a collision course for my heroine and villain to follow.  I lived and breathed the story in every quiet moment, playing scenes like movies in my mind.

I’d taken an online writing course or two.  I knew I had it in me, somewhere deep, to create a story that would entertain … well … someone.  So, I opened my laptop and typed Chapter 1.  I find that blank page daunting, always.  Daring me to fill it with something interesting.  And I’m not one to back down from a challenge like that.

Six weeks later, I had the first draft of The Glass Man stewing in my laptop.  With the help of my buds from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pens at Scribophile.com, I had it polished up in another six weeks. To my utter shock, most liked the book.  Yes.  Mine.  The one that came from my own mind, heart and soul.  I’d entertained someone.  My goal had been achieved.

Then the amazing happened.

I knew how hard the publishing world could be, and I held little hope that my baby would ever reach any readers beyond my writer friends.  I was okay with that.  Though, fine, I admit it, I did fantasize about holding my own novel in my hand one day.  By some fantastic twist of fate, I got in touch with a new and crazy-talented publisher, J. Taylor Publishing about The Glass Man.  Their response:  We want to publish your book.

WHAT?  After reading the email about a hundred times, pinching myself until I was certain I was awake AND made certain I hadn’t slipped into an alternate reality, I responded:  Um … hell yes!  Okay, so I didn’t say that in my response, but translate that into something moderately professional with a hint of excitement, and there you have it.

There were so many exciting moments over the last six months.  Signing a contract.  Seeing the cover design for the first time.  Getting a release date.  Bookmarks, cool pictures, pre-release reviews.  Today, I’m going to be signing the first run of paperback novels at Chapters Bookstore in Peterborough, Ontario.  A real bookstore.  My novel!

I am, truly, living my dream.

And now I know who I am.  I’m an author.  A professional daydreamer, and proud of it.

RELEASE DAY!!!  The Glass Man is now available!!!

Click here for purchase links

Rotten to the core #sixsunday #theglassman

This week we’re revisiting The Glass Man.  In this scene, Parthalan (villain) and his lackey, Rourke, are discussing how to dress my heroine, Lila, for a public ceremony.

“Provocative?” Rourke offered.
“I was thinking outrageously slutty, but provocative will do.” [Parthalan] patted Rourke on the shoulder and crouched by me again. “Our moment is almost upon us at last, my darling.”
He kissed me, but I stayed rigid while his tongue wormed its way between my lips. Vomiting into his mouth would have been satisfying, but it wouldn’t come.

He is a naughty boy, isn’t he?  Six whole days to go and my baby will be unleashed upon the world!  Woo hoo!

Don’t forget to click the Six Sunday link at the top for the the rest of this week’s entries.

In celebration of my upcoming release, I’m giving away a signed paperback on Goodreads. 

Click below to enter.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Glass Man by Jocelyn Adams

The Glass Man

by Jocelyn Adams

Giveaway ends October 15, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Tempted Part 2 #sixsunday

Here is another snippet from Tempted (from Liam Kane’s POV (The Glass Man)), part of the Into the Unknown anthology coming soon from J. Taylor Publishing.  In this scene, Liam has done something to make Lila emotional, something she despises.  She’s just slugged him for it.

“Damn, that hurt.” I rubbed my stomach. “How hard have you been working out?”

She shrugged and cast a smile over her shoulder, one that could claim my heart and soul, not that I minded. “Hard enough. Now, I’d better get back before my whole guard comes looking for me. It’ll be hard enough explaining why I’m naked.”

Don’t forget to click on the Six Sunday logo at the top to find the other participants’ entries.

Coming December 1, 2011

Tempted #sixsunday

This week I bring you a scene from Tempted, appearing in the Into the Unknown Anthology with J. Taylor Publishing.  This short is from Liam’s perspective, my hero from The Glass Man.  Enjoy!

I took a few steps toward the trees, but stumbled with blindness caused by Lila feeding at my mouth.  With some effort, I broke our lip-lock.  “I need to see where I’m going, or we’re going to crash.”

Her sapphire eyes darkened and her grip on my neck tightened, but she nodded and buried her face below my ear.

I sped into the darkness of the woods.  My breath billowed out in white clouds as Lila nipped and sucked my skin, blew hot exhales across my ear and about made me explode out of my black suit pants.

Coming December 1, 2011

Drum roll please …

Last week I offered up two signed The Glass Man bookmarks.

Today, I’m announcing the winners of these little pretties:

First up:  Katharine from Goodreads! 

Second up:  Alexx Miller, whom I met on Twitter

Congratulations ladies!  I’ll be contacting you for your addresses shortly so I can send out your booty.

Another goodie giveaway coming your way

Do you have a book blog?  Are you interesting in getting your hands on a pre-release final version e-book copy of the Glass Man?  Check out J. Taylor Publishing’s blog Monday morning to find out what they’re offering.  You won’t want to miss it.