Rock Hard - coming soon from Loose-Id

Loose-Id have accepted my story Rock Hard for publication. Yippee. It's a contemporary paranormal menage set in London.

The Blurb!

It’s hard for a woman working a job typically done by men, but Pepper loves handling stone. Not so easy to handle is the isolation that comes with being different. Nor the attraction she feels for her boss whom she assumes prefers men.

Hands hardened by years training to become a master stonemason, Alessandro is the best at what he does. He can handle male lovers but is useless with women. A daily frustration when he’s in hopelessly in love with his apprentice, Pepper.

Eli’s never been a guy to say no to sex but he doesn’t take stupid risks and rarely dates the same man or woman twice. When forced to confront the emptiness of his life, Eli learns the hard way the ultimate meaning of loneliness—until finally, a stone maiden rescues him and a master craftsman lays hands on him.

Chosen

CHOSEN

Some crimes can never be forgotten.

Four years after she was raped and left pregnant, librarian Kate Evans lives a quiet, unassuming life. Everything changes the day she opens her door to accept a bouquet of flowers from a stranger. Jack Thompson bursts into her apartment, says he’s going to marry her and drags her on a cross country journey to hell.

Nathan Beranson decides that putting the ghosts of the past to rest is a wiser option than settling an old score. But when he discovers his half-brother Jack at an isolated lakefront cabin, Nathan finds himself an unwitting player in his sibling's latest deadly game, where keeping himself and Kate alive is only a partial victory.

Coming soon from Decadent Publishing

A FIVE CUP REVIEW FOR EOSTRE'S HARE BY ARLENE WEBB

Yippee, a great review for Eostre's Hare by Arlene my crit partner. This is such a great story. Check it out on

http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/eostresharebyarlenewebb.html

Buy it from Shadowfire Press

http://shadowfirestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_40&products_id=108

Congratulations, Arlene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BDSM

I can't quite get my head around BDSM. I've slotted little bits of it into some of my stories - Fight to Remember - for a start where a demon takes pleasure in inflicting pain on Keir, one of my heroes, though he is not a willing participant, but I'm not keen on reading a whole book with a D/s theme, especially if it's a male Dom with a female sub. It's just not something that appeals to me. However, for my latest story, I need to use a D/s scene to show the hero's problems and after doing some research I now have a horror of someone checking my browsing history. Who knew there was so much information about different types of whips and knives and how to use them? List after list of the most horrible types of torture - in my opinion. But then I'm speaking as a pain wimp. I am most definitely not a pain slut. See - there are two expressions I didn't know before. I'm keeping quiet about the rest but I'll never look at lobsters in the same way again.

Shopping

How I hate shopping for clothes. Let me count the ways.....and yes I know in this respect I am the dream woman for a guy - sadly in few others since I don't like cooking or cleaning either. So -where was I? Oh yes, counting the ways....
Too many people
Nowhere to park
Lines to pay
Never got my size
Too much choice
Actually I think the last is the biggest issue for me. There is nothing more guaranteed to make me turn and walk out than mile after mile of clothes. Because the moment that happens, I'm too overwhelmed to look. I have an similar issue in book stores. Shelf after shelf of books I'd probably like - so how do I choose a new author to try? I tire of reading blurbs. I know better than to rely on covers. I avoid those writers who have their own little - or not so little section all to themselves. I like word of mouth suggestions, though not all have been successful and then sometimes I just find a gem where I wouldn't have expected it. I found a Jo Goodman book in a mainly clothes store and now I have a whole list of books to shop for instead of boring clothes. Yippee.

Tricky Middles

So I got past the hump of the start and now I'm moving at slightly faster than a snail's pace. I think what has happened, is that this book is different. The characters have much deeper problems than I'd anticipated so the story is a little more intense. But since I've now read 21 books - I guess I'm still reading more than writing. My husband is still reading the book he brought on vacation but as he always says - he reads ALL the words.

Difficult beginnings

I don't know why but I am having all sorts of issues with the start of my new story. For once, I have more of a handle on what drives the characters but I just can't seem to push the story forward. I do write better in the cold and I am in the sun at the moment which may well have something to do with it. Since I arrived here on vacation a week ago, I've read twelve books and written 6,000 words which is pathetic. Well not the books though some of them were pathetic. I'm getting choosier and choosier about what I buy now but I still make mistakes. One is by a big name and I've loved the other stories she's written but I couldn't get to grips with this one. It was so aggressive - the plot, the language, the characters - it was just too much for me. On the other hand - simpy, wimpy, sweet romances do nothing for me either. I like something in between - hard heroes but ones with a soft side. Plucky heroines but ones with need for a guy - or two. Not tried three yet!!!
Well, if the sun doesn't shine tomorrow, maybe I'll actually make some headway.

Chosen accepted for publication!!

Yippee. My psychological suspense novel - Chosen - has been accepted for publication by Decadent Publishing. I'm thrilled to bits. It's a dark story of revenge and how far people will go in pursuit of that. This will be my first venture into this genre - though I do have two similar novels sitting in the bottom of my closet that I doubt will ever see the light of day and one on my laptop about the Russian Mafiya - that might!

DJ Jackson's new book out today!

My friend Dawn has a great book out today!! Two stories from Passion in Print.

I was lucky enough to read the early drafts of these stories and they're great. Dawn is a really talented writer!!

http://www.passioninprint.com/ShowBook.php?CR=DLJBLOWNAWAY

Four soldiers face alien threats in these two erotic tales of explosive romance.

Detonate

Alice MacKay can't keep up with all the bomb threats in Trios Port. When Boomer, a former Terran Marine with more than a healthy dose of arrogance, strolls into her office for an interview, she can't get rid of him fast enough. But disarming bombs is easier than disarming amorous Marines. When Boomer decides to stick around, MacKay wonders if she's met her match.

Happy Trails

Jenna's been infatuated with Tyson Rivers since she boarded the mining ship, but the scoop's explosive ordnance officer doesn't seem to know she's there. Too shy to introduce herself, she decides to snoop in his personnel file instead. When Tyson catches her digging, he realizes he's not the only one feeling the attraction, but could his tactics to get her alone end with a bigger bang than he expected?

A Sookie-fest

I've just finished reading nine books in the Sookie Stackhouse series - up to Dead and Gone - one after the other. In my mixed up way - I'd already read three of them before - out of sequence - well I think it was three, my memory is terrible. But anyway - I've now read them properly in order and I really enjoyed the experience. I'd liked the ones I'd read before but nowhere near as much as I did as when they became part of the longer story. This time I was IN that world, with Sookie and Eric and Bill and the rest. Maybe it helped that having seen Trueblood series one and two on the TV, I put faces to the names and was able more easily to picture the sultry Louisiana environment. Not that Ms Harris doesn't do a great job of painting that picture, she does, but combine the two together and I'm now a big fan.

Werewolf Party!!!!!!

Belinda McBride is having a werewolf extravaganza on her blog - from today!!! I'll have a post on there on the 25th October - please leave a comment!! You might win something.

http://www.belindam.blogspot.com/

This is Winnie - the little werewolf we look after sometimes!

Wasps

The flying variety. Ooh, we have a nest under our house. They're getting in through an airbrick, so I sealed it off. Now they're getting in under a light fitting. So husband sealed the edges with filler - fourth container he tried and he broke the gun he uses to squirt the stuff and went off in a huff. The damn wasps are still getting in. So I set a trap, baited it with lots of yummy stuff. I'd have eaten it. The wasps won't touch it. The bastards. But it's a lesson in determination. And instead of playing with food, I need to finish my story.

Feel good books

How I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Let me count the ways.... lots and lots.
Because I'm spending far too much of my time sitting in hospital waiting rooms, I've daylight hours to spend on books. I'm rereading Susan Elizabeth. All of them. She has such a great sense of humor, makes her characters flawed and fascinating, her minor characters equally compelling and I find myself deep inside the world she creates within pages - if not in the first paragraph. She is one of a handful of authors that I would buy without reading the blurb, one of handful that will always have a place on my bookshelf, one that I can read over and over and love more every time. I think part of the appeal for me is that they are very American stories - even if the heroines are sometimes English. The guys are VERY American and I love them. I just finished Fancy Pants and I adore the ending. It's cute and neat and you know it will make everything right in the characters' world. I just wish she'd write faster!

The Small Print - Out Today!!!!!

This is my first vampire-werewolf paranormal for Ellora's Cave. It's a menage, MFM, with alpha male wolf and an uptight vamp and a - something else. It's a mystery WHAT the female lead actually is. It was a mystery to me too until half way through when I decided what she should be. I do wish I could plan things out - still, it makes life fun.

the link

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8634-the-small-print.aspx

THE SMALL PRINT

I’m in trouble.

Matty suddenly finds herself back in her childhood home, naked and alone, with no clue how she came to be there. When her greedy uncle sells Milford Hall from under her, Matty hides in the attic.

The woman is trouble.

Vampire historian, Turner, has long had his eye on Milford Hall and there is no price he won’t pay to own it. He doesn’t expect to find an aggravating female living in his attic insisting she has a right to be there. The small print in the contract backs her up but Turner is determined to maintain his privacy. Doesn’t matter she’s the hottest thing he’s seen for years— in order to protect her from his mistakes, Matty has to go.

I eat trouble for dinner

After a self-imposed twenty year absence from Turner, werewolf Catch arrives to put the past right and save his former lover from circling enemies. But one kiss from Matty and Catch has more than Turner to worry about. Neither boy wants to share their new toy.

Run away with me

I hoped for 70,000 words, sort of planned for it - as if the pathetic amount of planning I do would make a difference, I'm at 56,000 and I'm worried. Can I finish this story in 14,000 words? I'm not sure. Three or four chapters - doesn't sound possible to me. I'm beginning to think I write naturally to 100,000 ish. Of course, there was a whopper that reached 160,000 but it was a thriller and I chopped and chopped until I got it to 125,000. Still too long. But characters that come alive as I type, just have to be as they are and if I have to take this beyond 70,000, then I suppose I'll have to. But I'm going to be peeved! Means I have to try again for 70,000 and chances are I won't make it next time either.

Star Light

Watched a program last night on TV - a rare thing for me who doesn't watch much TV at all. It was about the sun and very interesting. Of course, all the fantantic facts and figures have been instantly lost by my pathetically small brain but two things remain. One were the images of the aurora borealis in Norway - how I would love to see that. They were there on a clear night in March when the solar winds are at their strongest and it was still only 80% chance. Lucky them. It looked fantastic - like a shimmering curtain between us and another world. They even had photos of the same phenomenon on Mars and other planets. WOW!! The other thing that struck me was when the commentator said - we exist because of star light. Plants grow in star light. Because of course, our sun is a star. I quite like the idea that we thrive in star light.

New from old

I had a lovely email from a reader asking if I'd thought of writing the story of one of the minor characters in one of my books. Oz - in Fight to Remember - is a demon who has a few issues. He's bad and good at the same time and rather sexy. I did leave this fifth and last of the Trueblood books with a way to write another if I was asked to - though not with Oz! ha ha. In fact I quite often insert a character with the thought of giving them their own story and then wonder if anyone will ask me about them. In'Anna in the Middle' - there's a character I'd planned a whole story for and as yet haven't got around to writing. It would be a MM and though I write that within stories, I've never tried it for a whole book.
I've been asked about Stefan - in Finding the Right One - and he's another that could easily have his own story. But when I've finished a book, I find myself wanting to do something completely different rather than revisit a character I've used before. I found it quite hard to write about Will in Doing the Right Thing and then again in Finding the Right One. Was I being true to his character? Did he 'feel' like the same guy? etc etc.
I suppose the ultimate compliment is that a reader has loved a character so much that she wants to hear more about him. I DO take it as a huge compliment so thank you!! Thanks to all those who contact me and ask about my stories and I will think about Oz and whether he deserves love - because in the end, that's what all my books are about.

Is it me?

I read a ferocious amount of books, consume them, devour them - in almost every genre. I don't write reviews of many and I don't write reviews of books in the same genre as the one in which I write. That's asking for trouble. So the book I've just read, that I loved until two thirds through and then didn't - is not going to be named. I just checked on Amazon and it appears almost everyone loved it. It won a prize so how come I just didn't get the way it seemed wrong for the last third. Without giving the game away - boy dumps girl, she goes away, finds new love, still wonders about old love - who has shown NO decent spark about him at all, she leaves new love for old love, realises she's made a mistake and new love arrives to declare his undying affection.
Same old plot - nothing wrong with that. Very little new under the sun BUT I just didn't get why she left the new love and went back to the old. It just didn't work in the book. I can't be the only one that thinks that- can I? But it seems I am. To be frank, it worries me.

I broke my foot

I am such a klutz. Ran home, slipped and thought oops - something hurts. I assumed I'd just torn a ligament or something. Struggled through the night and this morning an xray confirmed a break. Damn. So I'm going to be in plaster for 4-6 weeks. Good looking guys who'd like to apply for temporary slave status - please get in touch.

The Small Print - available October 1st from Ellora's Cave

The Small Print – Barbara Elsborg

I’m in trouble.

Matty suddenly finds herself back in her childhood home, naked and alone, with no clue how she came to be there. When her greedy uncle sells Milford Hall from under her, Matty hides in the attic.

The woman is trouble.

Vampire historian, Turner, has long had his eye on Milford Hall and there is no price he won’t pay to own it. He doesn’t expect to find an aggravating female living in his attic insisting she has a right to be there. The small print in the contract backs her up but Turner is determined to maintain his privacy. Doesn’t matter she’s the hottest thing he’s seen for years— in order to protect her from his mistakes, Matty has to go.

I eat trouble for dinner

After a self-imposed twenty year absence from Turner, werewolf Catch arrives to put the past right and save his former lover from circling enemies. But one kiss from Matty and Catch has more than Turner to worry about. Neither boy wants to share their new toy.

FREE READ - ELLORA'S CAVE - 30TH AUGUST

Like a free erotic read??

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8597-saying-yes.aspx

Saying Yes

Barbara Elsborg

Zadie’s negative attitude leads to the loss of her boyfriend, job and flat. Now she’s determined to be a yes girl. Yes, she’d love to flat sit while the owner is away, but one look at the mess and she wishes she’d said no.

No is the last thing Tristan expects to hear when he proposes in front of his girlfriend’s family. Humiliated, he hides out in his brother’s empty flat without asking because he really doesn’t want to hear another no.

What he needs is a woman who’ll say yes…yes…yes… Could that be Zadie?

British Library - a great place!!!!!!

Went to the British Library last week - a very modern building at the back of St.Pancras and Kings Cross Stations in London. They have a free map exhibition on - husband is mad keen on maps - but it was good! I wasn't bored which says a lot. My attention span is similar to a goldfish. The detail on some of the old maps was incredible - even down to river depth. It must have taken the cartographers ages to draw.
But the big pull for me was in the small exhibition of manuscripts. The first page of Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles - with the word 'daughter' crossed out and Tess written in on the title. To see authors' actual hand written manuscripts was fascinatingg. Jane Austen and Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland.... Not so likely to happen now is it, as we tap away on word processors? I think Stephen King still writes by hand and gets someone to type it up but I'd guess most authors use computers. So maybe future generations will lose out on seeing how the big writers construct their novels, what they change, how they make them work.

Jack the Ripper

Just been on a Jack the Ripper tour in London's Whitechapel area. OOh - very disconcerting. I hadn't realised quite how violent Jack was. The guide had pictures of the victims that were passed between the group face down in case anyone chose not to see them. Not me - bring on the gore! I always was a bloodthirsty type. Jack - don't read more if you're squeamish - escalated in his violence - moving from mere throat slashing to eviscerating and draping intestines over his victims' shoulders. I'm sure that means something but I don't know what. He took out body parts and even removed a kidney from the front of the body - something that is only now being attempted in surgery. He cut off breasts, he cut off noses. He was a monster!! Five or maybe six women are considered Jack's victims. It's thought he was a local man - who'd know the ways to quickly escape and knew the quiet spots to do his killing. The guide said - you'll dream about this.
No way - thought I.
I dreamt of cutting off nipples - not mine and not me doing it but somehow being part of it. It was very disturbing. Not even set at the time of Jack, but modern day and I woke with a start and couldn't sleep again.

Time to think

I really should take a while to think between writing one story and starting another. Anyone who's read any of my interviews knows I'm a pantster - I don't plan I just write but I do need to think and I've launched into the current book without thinking. Consequently, I ground to a halt after a few pages, wondering what I was doing. The WIP is a paranormal and they DO require more thought than contemps. What sort of world do I want to create? Complex or simple? etc etc etc. I hadn't even thought whether I wanted to write a straight MF story or a MMF - well looks like an MMF. I made up a character and within a paragraph decided I wanted him to be big so Alessandro is officially one of the MCs in WIP. The others are Pepper and Eli. Now I have the names, the story will fly.
I hope!

Sacrifice

Love stories that involve a sacrifice of some sort don't sound as though they can have a happy ending. Well, if the hero or heroine dies to save their partner, that's definitely not happy. No wonder I've never watched Titanic. No wonder I sobbed at that vampire film set in Alaska where the guy sits in the sun at the end, despite the fact that I spent most of the film petrified, viewing from behind the couch. Giving up the love of your life - as in The End of the Affair, or The Bridges of Madison County - yep, too sad for me.
BUT - I don't mind exploring the theme of sacrifice in my stories so long as it never happens. In other words, the H or h are prepared to give up their love, or die for their love. To me that's a much better compromise. Avoids too many tears and we still get the happy ever after.
I used to quite like books that had an unhappy ending. Now, I can't stand to read them. I wonder if it's because life is suddenly seeming shorter!
So, no unhappy endings in any of my stories. That's a promise.

Digging Deeper gets Top Pick - 5 out of 5 review!!!

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Maria-reviews-Digging-Deeper-by-Barbara-Elsborg.aspx

The reviewer really liked it!!

Another picture of my beautiful daughter

My fairy princess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fight to Remember - jumps the gun!!!!

Well - it's out now - much to my surprise.

You can find it here.

http://www.loose-id.com/Fight-to-Remember.aspx

This is the last of the Trueblood series and although all books are stand alones - this one draws all the characters together from the other books for a final bow.

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, please leave a comment and I'll choose a winner at random.

My beautiful daughter

My fantastic, gorgeous wonderful daughter got married on Saturday. Brilliant day - even the weather was lovely. I don't have many pictures yet but I wanted to post one!

Whipped Cream Blog

I have a guest blog here today on what it's like to be a writer of erotic romance. Please stop by and leave a comment.

http://wcguest.blogspot.com/

Fight to Remember - coming out August 3rd

The last in my paranormal Trueblood series - Fight to Remember - comes out with Loose-Id on the 3rd of August. Caught up in demon games, love is my trio's only hope as Piper struggles to remember who she is, Rhyl battles to stay sane and Keir is forced to fight to the death.

FIGHT TO REMEMBER -

What’s my name?

With a twist of his body, Rhyl avoids being staked in the heart but not the demon’s shove toward hell. Trapped between slabs of rock, he has to drink the blood of rats to survive. It’s a desperate fight to stay sane.

What did I do last night?

For eleven long years, Piper wakes every morning with no idea who or where she is. How can she find someone to love when she can’t remember their face or name after she falls asleep? Life is a long, lonely battle.

When will this end?

Werepuma, Keir Sparks, is bound to a demon who forces him to fight in her club. If Keir refuses, she’ll go after his brother. There can only be one outcome in the ring. Someone has to die. After seven wins, Keir hopes eight is his lucky number. Survival is a hard-fought struggle.

Three worlds collide and the trio discover happiness in each other’s arms. Life suddenly becomes worth living until they learn the price of their love. The only way to keep two safe is for one to die.

Strangers came fourth in the cover competition.

Nora Roberts' cover won - of a bride showing her shoe. Huh. But Strangers came fourth and this is what was said.

The nomination for Strangers by Barbara Elsborg came in at the last minute, but the cover immediately became a favorite. It came in fourth in the final voting. Readers loved the simple, romantic image.
Jill said: “Wow, a couple of really beautiful ones. This one gets my vote because it is a clinch cover done right. The focus is on the faces and their emotional interaction, not on body parts and impossible contortions."

Stuart agreed: “The intimacy hints at a forbidden closeness. It captures the absolute most exciting time of the rush of a new relationship.”

Many voters commented on the artistry of this cover. Willa said: “Great chiaroscuro! I love the contrasts of their dark hair and lashes and the whiteness of the rest of the cover.”

Cover Cafe’s Mary Lynne was also a fan: “I love the interplay shown with the hero and heroine’s expressions here. There’s also a very interesting, washed-out quality to this image that helps it fade to white at the bottom that’s something I haven’t seen often in covers before...”

Paul agreed: “The way white suffuses the space is arresting and catches my eye.”

Laurie also commented on the cover’s artistic qualities: “Love the expressions and emotional interaction in the characters, the warm natural tones, and the dynamic font. Beautiful!”

And of course the author's vote is important, too. Barbara Elsborg simply reasoned: "It's my book! What can I say!!"

Award for Digging Deeper!

I just heard that Digging Deeper has received a Coffee Time Reviewer's Recommend Award because the reviewer felt it was above a 5 cup rating!!

http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/

Ooh - someone likes Snow Play!

Snow Play has a top pick from Night Owl Romance. Yippee.

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nor/Reviews/Maria-reviews-Snow-Play-by-Barbara-Elsborg.aspx

It also got 5 delightlful divas from the site below.

http://ddrreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/snow-play-by-barbara-elsborg.html

Thanks so much, guys! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

LOVE STORIES - Number one

There are all sorts of themes in love stories and I thought I'd look at a few of them in my posts.

First - Stories about someone who pursues a partner that society would frown on or maybe someone who falls for a person who's totally out of their reach. Master and servant scenarios, rich and poor, rival clans like Romeo and Juliet. This theme would fit with Pretty Woman or Jane Eyre. It's a common topic in Regency romances but I think less so in contemporary books, maybe because class differences have been eroded. No barrier now between royalty and commoner. The heir to the Swedish throne has married her gym trainer. Good for her.

Apparently - this has a psychological origin in the idea of women being treated dismissively by their fathers which makes them feel unworthy of love. But also it's a way of showing that even those who seem out of reach and out of touch can have tender sides. Not sure about those ideas but it seems to me that the idea of falling in love with someone you know you can't have is a common fantasy.

Hands up those who loved pop stars, movie stars, TV stars!! Much easier to love someone you can make perfect in your mind, someone you can pine over without fear of rejection because you'll never meet them. I had a plan to go to Hollywood, go on one of those tours, find out where X lived and then throw myself under the wheels of his car. Not to be badly injured but he'd take me into his house and well - fall in love with me. I never managed to save up enough money for the flight. Probably just as well or I might not be here today.


Two - Stories abourt sacrifice - where one person gives up life for love of another.

Did I write this?

I was looking through an old box of my scribbles last night and came across a couple of pieces of paper with a - sort of poem - written on them. Very very rare for me to write a poem. Hard to decipher my writing but I just about managed most of it. I wrote it as my father lay dying. What I'm wondering is - did I make it all up or did I remember any of these lines from somewhere else. Anyone read this before?


Strange how the young watch the old leave this world
So unlike their entrance many years before.
No straining, screaming, struggling to life
Just lying still, breathing shallow, awaiting death.

At times I am removed from the horror of it
As though this frail figure isn't my dad at all
But some stranger over whom I keep the death watch.
For that is what it has become
A wait for death to break my father's grasp on life.

Sightless eyes, cold hand lying on top of the sheet
A face already skeletal.

Will the end come soon?
Will it be silent?
Will there be a final fight, a rage against the withdrawal of light.

No sound but a curl of the lips is our reward for sharing this moment
A smile for those he leaves behind along with his last breath.

Snow Play - out today

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8422-snow-play.aspx

My Quickie for Ellora's Cave - Snow Play - (yes I know it's summer) - is out today. Yippeee. The story is based on my skiing holiday in Austria when I almost freaked out in an ice cave under a glacier. I know now that I don't like small enclosed spaces. I think I might have it tattooed on my hand to remind me.

SNOW PLAY

Single on a couples’ getaway? Not the way to spend a vacation skiing the Alps.

Allie, the odd woman out, leaves the couples behind as she takes a tour under a glacier and ends up trapped in the dark. Cold and alone, she resigns herself to a night of misery. But when Zach finds unclaimed skis after the mountain has closed, he follows his instincts and charges to the rescue, bringing more than a helping hand.

He brings enough heat to melt the polar icecaps and change her life forever.

5 - cup review for Digging Deeper!

Coffee Time Romance and More just awarded Digging Deeper 5 cups.

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/diggingdeepbybarbaraelsborg.html

I haven't bothered putting links to reviews in here before but maybe I should!

Update

Well I've given in already. I can't plan a book. I'm obviously incapable of thinking more than a page ahead. So instead, I'm just writing it. I already love Caspar, my hero, he's such a pain in the neck. No, not a vampire just a sullen, sulky, damaged guy. He has a lot in common with my other heroes which has me a bit worried. I came across a comment made by someone about one of my books in which she criticised my characters as being stupid. That hurt. I'm not trying to write war and peace here, just tell stories that are entertaining with interesting characters . I'm aiming for amusing and sexy, hope I don't get that confused with stupid.

Starting a new book

It's both exciting and worrying when I start writing a new book. I so wish I could plan the things out. In fact, I'm going to try and do that with this one just to see if I can. At least I've chosen the names for the main protagonists - Ally and Caspar. Quite often I can't get into the story until I've settled on the right name. Choosing the title would help too but that often eludes me until the final few chapters. Lucy in the Sky went through a number of variations before I settled on the one I'd first chosen. This new one is going under - Catch a Falling Star - at least for the time being. I'm not sure it's relevant enough yet and it struck me that it would have a been a great title for Strangers - probably better!! But in fixing the title, I also fix a theme and this new story is about the disgrace of the hero and how the heroine saves him. I think. Well, I'd better stop procrastinating and write the plan.
Where to start?

I finally have 'Anna in the Middle'

My paperback copies of Anna in the Middle arrived today. Yippee. I have placed one copy on the bookshelf along with my other books and I can see them everytime I turn my head. Ahhh. My hundreds and hundreds of books are not very organised and I noticed I've managed to slot the ones I've written between Lord of the Rings - which I haven't read and 1,000 places to see before you die which I've dipped into.

Snow Play releases 15th June

Newsflash! My Quickie for Ellora's Cave comes out on the 15th June.

So I can write stories less than 100,000 words. Yippee!!!!!

Plotting hell

I used to think I was an organised type of person. I make lists before I go shopping - even though that activity is as rare as I can make it. I like to plan holidays carefully so I don't miss anything special. I think out my bookclub questions before I get there. Can I plot my stories in advance?
No.
Consequently, I'm writing myself further and further into trouble. I know I am and I still can't do anything about it. I finally managed to get the goodies and the baddies in the same room and they're still messing me about.
I have a friend on Critique Circle who has this amazing ability to actually plan her stories out chapter by chapter. I am in serious awe. Every line I write is a surprise to me. Such a surprise that when I reread, I can't remember writing it. Ha ha. I was asked in an interview for a few of my favorite lines. Apart from the fact that I daresay I haven't written anything memorable, I just can't remember any of them. But I know the the ones I'm dying to write for the current story -
THE END.

Another interview

Amanda Young - an old crit partner and author extraordinaire has interviewed me on her blog
www.amandayoung.org/blog/

Thanks, Amanda

Snow Play - coming soon

Snow Play - an EC Quickie

Single on a couples’ getaway? Not the way to spend a vacation skiing the Alps.

Allie, the odd woman out, leaves the couples behind as she takes a tour under a glacier and ends up trapped in the dark. Cold and alone, she resigns herself to a night of misery. But when Zach finds unclaimed skis after the mountain has closed, he follows his instincts and charges to the rescue, bringing more than a helping hand.

He brings enough heat to melt the polar icecaps and change her life forever.

Another interview

I'm interviewed again
www.para-fanatics.blogspot.com
Stop by and comment and win a copy of one of my books!!

I'm interviewed!

Want to get inside info on me? Check out Midnight Seductions Blog.
www.midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com

Do you love the cover art for Strangers as much as me?

I love the cover for my book 'Strangers'. Love, love, love it. I was absolutely delighted when my friend Laurie put it up for nomination for an award. It's now one of several covers up for a chance of winning best cover in its category. If you DO like it- please consider voting for it.

The link

www.covercafe.com/contest/2009/coverintro.shtml

You need to vote in at least three categories but one of them is worst covers - which is rather interesting. I suppose any publicity is good publicity but I'm glad none of mine are in there.

Thanks so much to everyone who feels they can vote for me.

New E- Book out with Cerridwen Press - 29th April

Digging Deeper is - at the moment - my only non-erotic romance. It's a romantic comedy set in West Yorkshire where I live. I think it's the funniest book I've written so I hope it makes people laugh. It's actually the first romance I ever wrote. It's just taken a long time to get here.

DIGGING DEEPER - Barbara Elsborg

Archaeologist Beck isn’t expecting much to come out of this summer’s dig. While his colleague spends the summer in Italy, Beck draws the short straw supervising a group of archaeology students excavating on the grounds of Hartington Hall in Yorkshire. Little does Beck realize when he saves a redhead from the attentions of an amorous ram, that this accident-prone female will throw his ordered life into chaos.

The last thing Flick needs in her life is a digger, because some secrets are meant to stay buried. Very deep. But Beck is irresistible. She’d love to get him into bed, though after the incident at the swimming pool, the collapsing wall, the snake bite and the unexploded bomb—a hospital bed looks more likely. As their relationship lurches from one disaster to another, Beck has to delve deep to get to the bottom of this irrepressible redhead.

One thing is clear—you never know quite what you’re going to find when you start digging.

Anna in the Middle - out in print.

I was delighted to hear that Anna in the Middle has been issued in print. There is nothing quite like the feel of having a paperback copy of a book you've written in your hands and it will soon join the others on my bookshelf.

Anna is in the middle of a mess.

She’s being stalked by a manipulative guy who’s about to marry her sister and has everyone convinced Anna is jealous. Her luck changes when she meets tall, dark and gorgeous Jax. But after a steamy night of sex, Anna discovers something that makes her think he's married.

Jax is in the middle of a dilemma.

He's torn between the man he loves and a woman he’s just met. Tracking her down means risking what he already has. Jax is desperate to find her, but will she understand what he’ll have to tell her?

Will is in the middle of heartache.

He knows Jax loves him, though he’s never said it. He also knows Jax has found a woman. Torn between being a good friend and Jax's lover, Will’s not sure their relationship will survive. The only way to find out is to locate Anna for Jax. But when Will finds her, he discovers the reason Jax has fallen so hard.

Eostre's Hare by Arlene Webb

My very good friend and excellent, faithful crit partner, Arlene Webb, is offering a free e-copy of her latest story - Eostre's Hare - a sexy historical tale about the origin of the Easter Bunny. To have a chance to win a copy you need to visit www.backwardmomentum.blogspot.com or www.para-fanatics.blogspot.com For more information on Arlene's really quirky, fun stories see her website www.arlene,webb.blogspot.com

A Survey - please take a moment to comment.

I've noticed that some of my books are selling much better than others. I don't know why. There's no real way of finding out why some stories sell well and others don't. If a reader likes my writing, what makes them decide NOT to buy the next story I have published - because that has to be the crux of it. Yes?

So what puts you off purchasing?
1. Cover
2. Blurb
3. Genre
4. Price/length
5. Other

Any chance of putting those in order?

For me, when I have to make a purchase decision - first I look for the name of the author, then I read the back cover. I don't care about the front cover, the length/price - though I won't buy hardback. I don't care about genre - I'll read almost anything if that author has impressed me previously.
So what would stop me buying? I guess if the subject matter really didn't interest me - eg wrestling, NASCAR or other racing track stuff, or the same old vampire story.
How about you?

Pain

I am a fool.

I am deluded.

I am in pain.

When my son and his partner asked if I'd join them on a 10km run - the Guiseley Gallop - on Easter Sunday - I said yes.

And actually sounded enthusiastic!!! What an idiot.

I DO like running - on pavement in Florida in the early morning listening to Robbie Williams on my MP3 player.

I do not like running in mud, through forest, up hills, next to sewage treatment plants and on uneven ground.

But I did it. I walked up a couple of the hills but made it back in one hour fifteen. Not bad for a decrepit person of indeterminate age who hasn't run more than about four miles on Highway 27 in Clermont.

But am I paying for it. My running shoes were full of blood, I've no skin on either heel and the muscles in my calves and thighs - arrghghghghgh.

But I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippeee.

One Day - by David Nicholls

I'd just about finished this great book when the dog threw up . I sent current slave to deal with the pooch and curled up to devour the last few pages at 4.00 am. It's a lovely story of two flawed characters and gives us a snap shot of their lives on one particular day over a long period of time. The guy, Dexter, is a lot like Charlie in my story - Strangers - and I do love bad boys! I don't want to say too much about it because I'd like people to read it and get to love Em and Dexter as much as I did.
Dog's fine by the way!

New Stories coming soon

I just heard that I've had a Quickie accepted by Ellora's Cave - based on my skiing holiday and escapade in another sort of cave!! Yippeee!!!
I've also had 'Fight to Remember' accepted by Loose Id. This is the last story in the Trueblood vampire series and ends with characters from all the books in a final chapter. Another Yippeee!!! And a boohoo - I could have kept going but LI don't want long series.
And to keep anyone who's vaguely interested up to date - I'm working on a paranormal for Ellora's Cave - about a quarter written so far. This will be my first paranormal for them since I wrote 'Power of Love'.

Want to see pictures of the little doggie I help look after?

www.winstonken.wordpress.com

He is a sweetie.

A most fortunate mistake

I buy books by the ton and if I see them on special offer - I'm there with my money. But when it's buy one, get one half price and I already have an odd number in my arms, sometimes I make an impulse buy without looking too hard at the blurb.
Wendy Moore's 'Wedlock' - How Georgian Britain's Husband Met His Match - is my fortunate mistake.
I was hooked by the great title but if I'd looked a little closer and seen it was non-fiction - I wouldn't have bought it. Not my thing. But I brought it on holiday and today I read it.
Wow.
Another word.
Brilliant.
If I'd written this as fiction, it would never have been believed. It's the tale of an absolute charming brute of a husband and the terrible cunning with which he tricks his way into marriage and then abuses his wife, and the way she eventually escapes his tyranny and he gets his comeuppance - sort of.
I love regency romances and this was like the primer for them. The only snag is, the men don't come off very well in this story and I do so love regency heroes. I knew a little about the lack of rights for women at this time, the way their husbands controlled everything but this book brings home the sad reality of their lives when marriages didn't work out. It's a tale of triumph over the odds by a remarkable woman and I am so glad I made that mistake in the bookshop.

How much sex is too much?

I have to start by making a huge confession. I had read virtually no erotic romance before I submitted my first story! I know, I know. I should have done lots of research, finding out the requirements of various publishers - but I didn't. I was told EC was the biggest and best so I just sent it to them. I'd never read an Ellora's Cave book. Shocking - yes?
In the dim and distant past, when I'd considered writing for Mills and Boon, I DID buy a load of their books and read them and decided I couldn't write to the formula they required. So I suppose, not reading erotic books before I wrote one of my own was a throw back to that. I might have been put off if I'd emersed myself in a pile of them.
A consequence of my lack of research has been a lack of knowledge about how much sex a book needs to make it work. I've never put sex in just to keep up the heat level - I always make sure the situation fits but I've had a few comments saying there was too much sex in my stories - not all of them - just some of them. The comment also that the sex got in the way of the plot. UH? That sort of upset me because the one thing my books have - is PLOT. The sex is never gratutious and after all these are not straight romances but EROTIC romances. Explicit sex is the essence of the story. Isn't it?
Well - maybe not. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should be putting less sex in? Anyone care to comment?

A different skill

My uncomfortable tour under the glacier has spawned a 15,000 word story. I think - apart from the short story for Ravenous Romance and the freebie for Ellora's Cave - this is the shortest thing I've written. It was an interesting experience. I'm so used to have lots of space for in depth character details and quirky background facts, let alone a creditable plot, that to have to fit all that in to so few words was a challenge. Same with the sex. No chance of chapters building sexual tension, they have to get at it fairly fast. Not to say there isn't tension - there is but far less than usual.
So I'm waiting now for crit partners' comments before I submit it to my editor at Ellora's Cave. I do wonder if she'll like it, if I've mastered the skill of telling a story in far fewer words.
The biggest irony is that I set off to make it a 7,000 word freebie but my characters ran away with me. Actually, I wish one of them would. Phwoooar!

My horror story

When I read that it was possible to go underneath the glacier at Hintertux, near Mayrhofen in Austria, I was soooo excited. I love anything to do with snow except for driving in it and thought it was an opportunity not to be missed. They said the tour could be done wearing ski boots so after husband and I had a few runs down the mountain, I joined a group for the tour. Nearly all German speakers so that was my first problem. I speak a few words and that's all. Ja and nein being the main ones. I did understand - don't take photos and hold on to the ladder.

Ladder???? In ski boots????

The walk down the slope to the entrance nearly undid me. So steep and I kept slipping. But eventually made it. One foot inside the glacier and I remembered I didn't like small spaces. Encased by ice on four sides I had to fight hard to keep going. It was beautiful - all sorts of ice and crystaline structures but steep ladders in ski boots and slippery ice underfoot- my heart was pounding. At the bottom of the first ladder, I went the wrong way and only realized when I couldn't see anyone ahead and turned back. My mind went into overdrive and I imagined being lost under the ice - gone forever.

Climbing back up the three ladders was easier but the relief in getting out into fresh air was overwhelming. No more small spaces for me.

The worst though, was climbing back up the slope I'd slithered down. Everyone found it hard but in ski boots - it was doubly difficult side stepping up loose snow. I could hardly breathe when I got to the top.

In desperate need of sympathy - I fell into my husband's arms - he'd been skiing instead of doing the tour - only to find he felt desperately ill and needed to go back down the mountain. He ended up in hospital.

I took a few photos when I dared but they didn't do the place justice. So one of inside and one of me - relieved - outside.

Skiing

OOhh- I am tired. Skiing in Austria and my other half just took me down a black run. He said it was by accident but if you don't hear from me again - go ask him what he did with my body!

A fan club

I'm lucky enough to have a great pal - crit partner, author and publicist extraordinaire who's set up a very informative blog for me -

www.elsborg-fans.blogspot.com

Laurie is on the cusp of success with her sci fi romance, has won numerous presitigious competitions with P2PC and has still found time to help me publicise my work. A million thanks, Laurie.

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of my book - Power of Love - visit the fans site and leave a comment. I'd love to know what you think of the interview about this book. Why isn't it popular??

Finding the Right One -

Available 27th January - Ellora's Cave

Take a gorgeous man and a sexy woman.

Add a sprinkling of Greek sunshine and a splash of blue sea.

A perfect recipe for love.

*

Except the man is nursing a broken heart. And the woman is nursing a black eye.

*

Imo needs something to help her forget the man she's left behind in London. When she throws open the shutters of her villa to see a Greek God reclining in all his naked glory, how can she resist?

*

Working as a sailing instructor in Greece, is just the thing Will needs to forget the woman he can no longer have. Not easy when she's rarely out of his thoughts. But when he's attacked by a minx wearing red underwear, he wonders if he's found the perfect way to distract himself.

*

Finding out if Imo's the right one could be just the cure Will needs... so long as it doesn't get him killed. And will Imo's past in hot pursuit - it might.

*

This story is a stand alone but if you want to know how Will came to be reclining naked in Greece - grab a copy of Doing the Right Thing.

Point of view

I've been very interested to read comments on the Jasmine-Jade site and others about 'Doing the Right Thing'. There seems to be a divide between readers who liked it a lot and others who disliked the fact that much of the book focused on Will - who doesn't end up with the girl.

When I first wrote this story, Will ended up with Addie. After cries of horror from friends and my reconsideration of the story, I changed it because - frankly - he didn't deserve her. She is inexperienced and whether he means to or not, he takes advantage of that. He lets her down at times when she needs his support and it's his brother Ed who is always there for her.

Contrary to some readers' perceptions - Addie does NOT shag Will all the way through the book. They don't have sex at all until Chapter 12. After that they make love on only two more occasions. More than once on those occasions but still. I DO spend the book concentrating on Will and Addie's relationship because that is the primary one. I hope I show that it isn't always right or easy to 'do the right thing' - for many of the characters. It's not just Will who tries to do the right thing and messes up, Addie makes mistakes too.

I could have added more words to flesh out the ending - some find it abrupt - but this book is already VERY long. I thought about enhancing the sex scene between Addie and Ed but in the end I left it sweet rather than a shagathon. She isn't a slut and it was difficult enough to show her having sex with brothers without pushing too far.

I could have trimmed elsewhere to give me more time for Ed and Addie but I didn't want to lose any of the scenes I'd written. Maybe I should have done. It's true that there is a bit of an imbalance in the story. I could have added more about Ed but I also didn't want to give the ending away - who will she end up with - is a question I wanted readers to ask. Along with - Does Will deserve her? Would you forgive him???

I think a perhaps another relevant fact is that this story was written as NON-erotic and I enhanced the sex scenes later. Maybe that shows.

Another relevant fact is that this book, above all I've written shows the divide between UK romances and those set in the US and written by Americans. I think the US books follow the 'rules' more carefully. For instance - infidelity as a theme is something often explored in UK romances, women who sleep with a lot of men CAN be heroines of UK romances, secondary characters play larger roles, there is often more plot - I don't mean ANY criticism of US romances - I love them - I'm just saying that there are differences and Doing the Right Thing is very British.

In any case, this is not a typical romance, especially not a typical erotic romance. I took a risk using two brothers as the heroes - both in love with the same woman. Inevitable that one will end up disappointed. I wanted to show how easy it is to be in love and yet still get things wrong no matter how hard you try to do the right thing. I hope I succeeded in that.

I'm sorry that I disappointed some of those who read my stories. I'm glad I delighted others.
Will's story follows in a couple of weeks - Finding the Right One. More conventional!! I won't be going down the triangle route again I don't think. Not unless they both end up with the girl.

Doing the Right Thing was quite a challenge. I suppose I backed away from the largest challenge in the end - that would have been to have rehabilitated Will, so that he DID reserve Addie. But you know, sometimes men just don't get the girl they want.

World's Worst Cook

That's me. I admit it. I followed the recipe so I'm at a loss to know how it could all go so wrong. I carefully mixed the ingredients and rolled out the dough. Spent ages finding the right cookie cutters and then cut out the shapes.

What a waste of time. They all merged and it wasn't because I'd put them too close together. So I tried to cut out shapes afterwards. That might have worked but they were too fragile to hold their form.

To make matters worse - they didn't even taste good.

I blame the flour.

Well, I have to blame something. It couldn't have been me! Surely!

Doing the Right Thing - available 6th Jan - Ellora's Cave

Addie Winter is single-just one more reason for disappointment in her permanently disapproving mother's eyes. There's nothing she wants more than to be loved but when her own mother can't bring herself to love her, she wonders if anyone can. What she needs is a man-real would be ideal, but she'll settle for pretend. Anything to shut her mother up.

Will Mansell chokes on his drink when Addie offers to pay him to spend the night in her room. Tall, dark-haired and the epitome of Addie's "hero", he can't believe his luck because women usually go for his blond-haired brother. Ed Mansell is a serial playboy with an electric smile who waltzes through life and through women. Lucky for Will and Ed they don't have the same taste in women. But that was before they met Addie.

Far from pretending, Will and Ed set out to prove Addie wrong. But after having no one who loves her, Addie finds too much love can be just as painful as no love at all.