Mardi Gras Bash!

The party starts at noon! Come join us! www.groups.yahoo.com/group/midnightseductions

Rough & Ready Won!

Thanks so much to all of you who voted for Rough & Ready and for the reviewers at Whipped Cream Reviews who nominated it for best short book of the year. I couldn't be more thrilled.

I've got a new release in a couple of weeks. February 27th Better Than Chocolate will be available, and I'd like to do something fun to celebrate. So stay tuned and check back often for details.

xoxoxo

A new contract!

Great news! I got a contract for my erotic romantic suspense, Devil's Advocate. Devil's Advocate is the first in the Hell's Belles series. I'll post the cover soon. I got a sneak peek and it's HOTTTT!

Here's a little blurb:
Haylie Monroe is a member of Hell's Belles, a sisterhood of sassy Southern women who have a penchant for devilish men. Blake Sheridan is the hottest devil south of Birmingham. Haylie and Blake's fiery past puts him at the top of her "not even if hell freezes over" list.

But Blake wants her, and what Blake wants he gets.

Fighting off a devil's advances would be enough to keep any girl on her toes, but Haylie has a bigger problem. Her father, recently released from prison, is now free to seek revenge on her for putting him behind bars.

Around every corner evil lurks, and it's not Blake, with his irresistible hedonistic allure. The real danger is a man capable of murder...and worse.

Cowboy Research

In the name of research *SNORT* I went to the PBR Invitational in Tampa last night. I have to thank my dear friend Neville Goedhals who treated me to the tickets for Christmas and my friend Beth who is always willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of my cowboy "research." Beth deserves kudos for last night especially. She braved out a raging headache, about half a dozen wrong turns which eventually got us to where we wanted to go, and then a three block walk from the only parking garage we could find that wasn't full of pirates. Yes, PIRATES! Tampa's Gasparilla celebration is this weekend. Downtown has been taken over by drunk people in pirate costumes. And they hog up all the parking. ARGGHHH!!!

I thought you might like to see some pictures of real cowboys. And trust me, it was hard to get a picture that wasn't blurry. Those bulls MOVE! The ones ridden in the finals round should be given olympic medals. It's amazing how far off the ground a beast that large can throw itself.

Nice n' Naughty Belly Buttons

I blogged today over at Nice n' Naughty about belly buttons. Innies, outies, and even talkies. Come on over and join the conversation...and cut me some slack, my brain's still mush from a marathon writing day on Tuesday. But I did finish and turn in another manuscript. Yay!

And yesterday, I found out Siren will publish my erotic contemporary, Devil's Advocate. Double Yay!!!

Devil's Advocate is the first of a five book series. I'll tell you all about it later, and post the hot new cover as soon as I get it.

Oh and did I mention, I'M WRITING THE SEQUEL TO COWBOY GAMES!! Finally! I'm scheduled to turn it in at the end of this month. I'll give you the release details as soon as I have them.

Best Book of 2008, really???

I was just notified by Whipped Cream Reviews that my book Rough & Ready has been nominated by their reviewers as one of the best books of 2008! Readers will vote on their favorites to determine the winner. The polls open Monday, February 2nd, and here's the link: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/BB2008.htm If you'd like to vote for Rough & Ready, I'd appreciate it.

Here's what Chamomile, the Whipped Cream Reviewer, had to say about Rough and Ready:


Rough and Ready by Wendi Darlin
Rating: 5 Cherries
Review by Chamomile

Undercover D.E.A. agent, Hollis McAllister, has learned to guard his secrets well. People close to him are always in danger, and he's never in one place for long. Those are two good reasons not to fall in love. Too bad he slipped up and fell for Taima Everhart when he infiltrated the biggest drug operation in the Southwest.

Drug lord, Marques Santiago sniffs out Hollis. With his cover compromised and local police on the wrong side of the law, Hollis leaves before he has a chance to give Taima an explanation. She hunts him down, but she's not the only one who wants him dead.

Cornered, Taima and Hollis must fight for their lives. She can play rough, but when it comes to Hollis McAllister is she ready to play for keeps?
Rough and Ready is a short story that has it all – intrigue, adventure and passion.

Hollis is a man of mystery and his true purpose isn't revealed until the end, making me wonder about this attractive man. He has regrets concerning Taima, but his responsibilities conflict with his need for her. I was caught up in Hollis' anguish even though I didn't have the whole picture because I could feel his remorse for hurting Taima and I sensed the strength of his character as he works toward his goal.

Taima is a strong, in-your-face woman but when it comes to Hollis, her tough, outer shell is threatened. Forced to believe the worst of him, she sets out to make him pay but the intense feelings she has for him cause her resolve to waiver. Her internal battle between duty and love is a marvel to watch and I admired the way her mind works as she tries to do the right thing.

The pacing of this short story is amazing. I was given just enough information at just the right time to keep me captivated and begging for more about these two complex characters. The fiery passion between Hollis and Taima is explosive and adds so much to the intrigue of their adventure. I highly recommend this tale and I will be reading more by Wendi Darlin.

Superbowl Halftime Opportunity

Am I going to be in the Superbowl halftime show? Come find out. I blogged about it today at Nice n' Naughty. www.nicennaughtyauthors.blogspot.com

Office Spouses

I'm so confused by the concept of "office spouses" it's not funny. I blogged about it today over at Midnight Seductions. Please stop by and help me figure out what in the world is going on! www.midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com

Nice n' Naughty Thursday

Thursday's my blog day over at Nice n' Naughty. Come see what I did with my candy nipple tassels last night. :)

Walking my butt off

Just back from a walk-a-thon at my son's school this morning. I walked with him for three and a half miles plus a mile and a half to and from the school, so I've got my exercise in for the day. It's nice and brisk down here in the sunshine state this morning. I'm feeling invigorated and ready to go. Question is, do I go shopping or out on the lanai with my alpha smart to get some work done?

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to hearing one of my favorite authors speak. Betina Krahn. What a brilliant, talented and sweetheart of a lady! If you ever have a chance to hear her talk or pick up one of her books, don't miss it.

Cowboy Diet update: The Cowboy Diet is officially over, but the scales said I was a pound lighter this morning. So the residual weight loss is good. Hopefully, those pounds will keep falling off and I'll be back in my favorite jeans.

Off the Cowboy

Diet, that is. :)

Yay! It's over! All in all, the past three days were a breeze. Yesterday afternoon, I did have a little yen for a snack, but a cup of tea cured it. And this morning the scale said I was another half pound lighter. So that's two and a half pounds in three days. Not bad.

So where do we go from here? I'm hoping this is the jumpstart I needed to make better choices, give up a little of my sugar and butter and eat more fruits and veggies instead. I liked the moonlight stroll at night, so maybe I'll try to keep that up. Some of my favorite jeans are not fitting on my bootay right now and I really want to wear them, so I'm going to try and keep the momentum going.

We're all different. What about you? Do you have any tried and true tricks that work for you? Did you set a specific goal for yourself this year? Or do you have a carrot hanging in the closet (like my skinny jeans) that you're determined to grab?

Best of luck reaching all your goals this year, weight loss and otherwise! And if you ever need a little encouragement, drop a little note here and we'll cheer you on.

Day 3 of the Cowboy Diet

Yesterday was a lot like the first day of the 3 Day Cowboy Diet. No hunger. Easy to prepare meals and the portions were too big for me to finish it all. Lunch was kind of bland, but I could've jazzed it up a little if I'd chosen baked beans. So I'm not really complaining.

This morning I climbed my naked butt onto the scale again, and it said I was another pound lighter. So that's a grand total of two pounds in two days. Not exactly the miracle melting Hollywood diet, but I'm guessing these pounds might actually be a little more than water weight.

Just skimming the menu for today I already feel stuffed. There's no way I can eat that much food. If anything I guess this diet will be a good reminder of how to make choices that are filling but not necessarily loaded with fat and calories.

Alright, onto the last day of this little adventure. Tomorrow, I'll let you know how I fared.

Cowboy Diet Day 2

Alright, day one of the 3 Day Cowboy diet wasn't so bad. The meals were big enough I never felt hungry. Actually I couldn't even finish them. I had to tweak a couple of things to account for my own tastes, and I made some sacrifices too. I don't particularly like oatmeal (gimme the grits!) but I got half of it down. Also, I'm a real sugar and butter kind of gal, but I guess Splenda and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray won't kill me in three days, so I used them.

I drink hot tea all day everyday, and I'm so addicted to the caffeine, I get a major headache if I don't. So I didn't even try to change that. I just used Splenda instead of sugar and I didn't drink milk with my meals (like the diet calls for) or as snacks so that I wouldn't feel guilty for putting a splash in my tea.

At dinner I didn't cook my cabbage. I love raw cabbage, but can't stand it cooked. Otherwise I kept to the diet. In addition to the evening walk in the moonlight, I did twenty minutes on my elliptical because that's already part of my routine.

All in all, I've suffered worse. :) Honestly, I didn't suffer at all. I was well-fed and productive. I had to stop myself from reaching for the Tootsie Roll bowl and the box of Mike & Ike's, just because I'm so used to snacking not because I was hungry or even craving sweets.

I climbed on the scales first thing this morning and yesterday morning butt naked just like the diet told me to. The results?

I'm one pound lighter. Woo Hooo! Come here skinny jeans! You're almost mine again! LOL!

So did any of you give it a try? Or are you just waiting for those real live cowboys to show up and help you work those calories off?

The Cowboy Diet

Two cowboys a day for three days... I'M KIDDING! LOL!

As a rule, I'm not a diet person. I try to eat right and exercise. If I want to lose a few pounds I eat less and exercise more. BUT I was googling some cowboy stuff a couple of days ago and I came across The 3 Day Cowboy Diet. I'm not kidding! :)

I'd like to drop a few pounds, and I know lots of you have made New Year's resolutions to do the same, so I thought I'd try this cowboy diet and track it here on my blog. Join me if you want to.

I figure it's only three days, but I'll have bragging rights for life. Yep, I did the cowboy diet. Them boys sure taste good. Snort!

Here's the link: 3 Day Cowboy Diet.

If you try it out, let us know how it's going. And just a reminder, I'm not a doctor or a dietician. I'm an erotic romance writer with a "thang" for cowboys. This is all in fun and isn't a recommendation by any means. Please don't do anything that isn't healthy for you.