Priorities

Hello all. This month has been more hectic than I'd ever imagined. Whoever said summertime equaled lazy time must not have had family. :)

After dealing with several family health issues (all seems to have leveled off), summer camp (of which I participated), coming to terms with my best friend moving to the entire opposite side of the U.S. from me (how dare her!), and other various necessities of family life, I think I'm getting myself back on track. I should be out there socializing more on facebook and the yahoo groups and other blogs, but for today, for tonight, I am prioritizing myself. 

Tonight, I write. 

Sweet bliss. 

The smile blooming on my face is such comfort. 

You see, it's been daaaays since I've put the proverbial pen to paper. Tonight my fingers are back to tapping on the keyboard, and damn if that isn't music to my ears. 

Tomorrow will be a good day because today I've been able to write.

Visit Me at The Hot Spot Today!

 
Fridays are fantastic! Today is the last day of an outdoor summer camp with which I'm helping (yay), the month of July is soon coming to a close, and I've posted my own opinion - with sexy pictures - of the different Seasons of Sex at Total E-Bound's blog, Hitting the Hot Spot. Stop by to say "hi," and I won't tell anyone if you're only there to drool over (the one especially) heaven-sent muscles. Trust me, you'll know what I'm saying when you see it. :)

Have a safe and happy weekend!!

A Funny Summer Tickle

It's the middle of a blistering, miserable summer here and instead of me lamenting endlessly about how blistering and miserable it is, I've decided to attempt to entertain your funny bone.

I have three boys, all under the age of 10. Life is rarely dull. In complete random fashion, I want to share a few comments they've made recently. Tidbits that either made me laugh out loud or made me stop and stare open-mouthed. Hope you enjoy!

After taking a bite of an Arby's roast beef sandwich, my Youngest son states, "Yummy. Tastes like chicken!" 

Conversation between Middle son and DH: 

Middle son, "when did that (an event we went to) happen Daddy?"

DH, "Long before you were born. Your Mom and I weren't even married, and you were but a twinkle in my eye."

Pause a beat.

Middle son, "That means I was in your nuts." 

DH and I have yet to figure out how he "knew" and what exactly he does "know" about this one.

Middle son to youngest son, "You know there are spiders that are this big!" he spans his hands to about dinner plate size.

Youngest, "Really? Where?" with real fright in his voice.

Middle, "Yes. But don't worry, they're not around here."

Oldest, interjecting, "Spiders used to be as big as a car."

Youngest, "Really? Where?"

Oldest, "Yes. But not now. Long ago about the time of dinosaurs. The air pressure was different. If people had been around, they probably would have been as tall as telephone poles."

Me, honestly surprised, "Really?" He then proceeds to explain his stance on this theory. 

Middle son recently lost his new fishing pole. His explanation:

"I was watching Dad take a fish off the hook and Dad told me to check the other poles. I turned around just in time to see my new fishing pole slide up [the poles were resting against a pier railing], over, and 'bloop,' it went into the pond and out of sight."

Note: No, we never recovered the fishing pole. My son is enjoying the image of a catfish tugging a shiny red pole around the bottom of the pond somewhere. DH says the best part was that Middle son didn't cry out or yell or anything. DH had turned around, looked, asked Middle son where the pole was and son quietly answered, "umm, it's in the pond."

We stopped at McDonalds the other day, and I went to the table just in time to break up a near fight between Middle son and Youngest son. Youngest son wanted to sit next to me and Middle son wanted to sit across from me. Fine. No fights over seating for once. No, the fight was over who was my "date." According to Middle son, boyfriends sit across from girlfriends at a restaurant. Youngest son says boyfriends sit next to girlfriends. Oldest son simply asked if he could sit by himself.

I posted a cool picture of a metal-winged chick a few days ago. When I was in the process of posting, Middle son and Youngest son happen to come find me. I debated about minimizing the screen, but decided to leave the picture up while I found out what they wanted. I figured, don't make a big deal. The picture was small on screen and there were several open windows anyway. They probably won't notice, right? Wrong. Their eyes almost immediately found the picture (go figure), then they burst out laughing. Looking at the screen, I ask what's up. Simultaneously they answered in giggles, "we can see her butt!" 

Youngest son has developed a bad phobia about rain. In an effort to ease his mind, Middle son explains that rain is just Mary washing clothes in heaven. Youngest son states, "Yuck. Then it's dirty rain!" 

Finally, my Oldest son is working on reading between the lines of my decisions. Heaven help me! Asking if he could take his DSi with him to a friend's house I answer, "I'd rather you wouldn't." Pausing a moment to take in my words, Oldest son replies, "Okay. You said you'd rather I wouldn't, but you didn't say no, so that means I can." Sighing inwardly, I had to burst his bubble and simply tell him 'no.' 

Soulless: Available Now for your reading pleasure

My exciting ride with this story began late last year, when the music I was gorging myself on at the time spun erotic images through my head that simply would not leave until I put the proverbial pen to paper. The concept and story poured out of me and with excitement I sent my baby out.

Soulless found itself as a contender this past spring in the Shamrock Challenge, a contest hosted by Changeling Press. When the first of May rolled around, my heart beat triple time when I received notification that my story finaled in their contest!

Over the past two months, I've worked edits, cover art requests, and promo, all geared toward this day: the published release of my story.

I had a terrific time writing this novella and I hope you have just as much fun - if not more - in your reading.

Now, in case you haven't seen the info already, here's a blurb, excerpt (PG-13), and the direct buy link to claim this story for your very own!

Thanks to all who have supported me! You're the best!

Series: Malathix Soul
Title: Soulless
ISBN: 978-1-60521-646-1
Genre: Erotic, Futuristic
Theme: Dark Desire
Author: Ayla Ruse

The e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Can an alien beast without a soul bring Laya to her knees?

Blurb:

Space Lord Theradon, of the merchant planet Malathix, lives on the edge of a darkness that threatens every human around him. He must find the piece of him that’s missing or face his demise.

Laya Brummel unknowingly carries within herself the means to his survival. If only she would stay still long enough for him to explain. But she’s seen the horror of what a Malathix alien can become, and fear keeps her constantly running away from him.

When the pair finally comes face-to-face, will it be too late to stop the death and destruction, or will they find something deeper to hold them together and save them both?

Excerpt:

Province of New Texas, Earth
Year 2142

"She's here, Camden. I can feel her," Theradon, heir to the throne on planet Malathix, informed his second in command.

Camden Royst nodded his acknowledgement. They walked deeper into Club Neon, a large cavern of a place lit by a million watts of flashing neon and black light. The sight was disorienting and painful, and Theradon blinked, shifting internal protective lenses over his corneas.

"Damn, I hate places like this." Camden rubbed his fingers across his eyes. "My eyes hurt like a son of a bitch."

"Mine, too." Theradon waited until Camden oriented himself. Putting up with Earth's atmosphere and human quirks, such as their infernal need for multi-colored lighting, had been another fucked up mark against this ass-backward planet. It was hell to adjust their bodies into a level of comfort to maintain social contact. Chaotic places like this club threatened to bring out the beasts within them, and without their souls to keep their beasts in check, violence reigned.

"So, where is she?" Camden asked. "Do you want to go after her or wait again to see if she comes to you?"

"I hear that sneer." Theradon and Camden stopped at the upper edge of the dance floor, hands on leather-clad hips, surveying the disorienting scene before them. Long, crowded bars flanked the left and right of the spacious room while the entire sunken floor before them crawled with people gyrating and contorting themselves in a semblance of movement the humans called dancing.

"Well, Theradon, what do you want me to say? You know if it'd been up to me you'd have taken that human the first night you found her."

"That human's name is Laya. Show some respect."

Camden held up his hands. "Sorry."

"If I'd taken her that night, I'd have killed us both on the spot. You saw what happened to Lex. When he saw Laya's friend, he tore the damn place apart. I wasn't about to risk either of our lives."

"You still should have told her."

"You're pushing, Camden. Just because you got lucky in telling Deidra before you claimed her doesn't mean Laya would've taken the news the same way, especially after witnessing what Lex did. Besides, asshole, that information is supposed to be classified until the claiming."

Camden dropped his head, properly chastised, while Theradon gazed through the shifting crowd again. His beast craved time to come out, but Theradon was a Lord of Malathix. He would never willingly unleash his beast on the innocent.

Camden's voice rose over the din. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't see her yet. Maybe she's in the back. Let's grab a seat and see if she comes out. I can wait a few more minutes. But one way or another, this chase ends tonight."

* * *

"Laya! Laya, he's here!"

"What? Now? Damn it." Laya's hands shook as she sloppily put aside the drink tray she'd been carrying. Smoking liquid poured from the tall glasses. She knew Theradon had been near, in the city at least, because she'd started feeling horny a few hours ago. She always felt the need for sex when he was in the vicinity. Damn it! Theradon was the last man in the galaxy she wanted to have sex with. Or so she kept telling herself.

* * *

Theradon and Camden made their way through the throng of gyrating bodies to find an empty table near the back wall. The hard music pounded through the room as if it had a life of its own and beat into Theradon's body, making his muscles pump. His beast quivered against the feel of the beat, taking in the sensation as a sign of outward destruction, and it fought inside him, wanting to destroy the chaos until order had been restored. Theradon grimaced at the pain of keeping the beast leashed.

As soon as they sat down, three women with curvy bodies wearing very little swayed over to them.


"Hi, handsome. What can I do for you?" one asked outright while she caressed her peaked nipples through her shirt. The other women licked their lips and eyed him and Camden as if they were the favorite candy of the day.

Theradon ignored the fawning humans while Camden caught the attention of a waitress to order a couple of dry-iced drinks. Camden would send the women on their way. He could never understand why women crawled over -- and under -- him and his men. His best guess? Their beasts released some kind of pheromone. Damned annoying, in his opinion, especially when anytime he came close to the woman he wanted, she ran away screaming. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Past the clogging smells of smoke, alcohol, sweat and lust, he found her scent. Terror laced with sunshine. It reminded him of the sudden flash of an Earthen summer storm. Strong, fierce, instantaneous. A woman more than capable of handling his nature.

A low growl escaped him. His beast knew her near and it wanted out to find and claim her. Time was running out. The constant fight to keep his beast inside let him know that any day now -- hell, any minute now -- the beast would win. It would transform Theradon, forcing the circumstances that would lead to their deaths. His only salvation lay in claiming Laya.

BUY SOULLESS NOW

Dedicated to those who Rock!

Yeah, sounds like a song, doesn't it? Almost an AC/DC knock-off? Hey, I like AC/DC, so what can I say, this post's title just...came to me. :)

Seriously, though, I want to take a minute to say thank you for the music that inspired my new series coming out with Changeling Press: The Malathix Soul Series. This Friday - yes, 2 more days!! - book 1, entitled Soulless, will be released. This one, as well as the second, Broken, and the third, TBA, would not have been possible without great songs by groups like Evans Blue, Five Finger Death Punch and Monster Magnet. (If you go to any of these websites, be forewarned some of them have music that auto plays if you need to adjust your volume accordingly.)

Funny, I look at the names of these bands and some of the others I like; I think in general about their songs, and it doesn't seem at all like the image of me. I mean, I'm a stay-at-home mom, moonlight as an erotic romance author, pretty much a typical housewife.  ;-)    The fact that I love some of my music to rock hard and heavy is my little...private thrill.

My DH doesn't always get it, my BF doesn't get it, my kids don't get it, but that's okay. I do.

I mean, c'mon. Drums that pound where I can feel the matching beat running through my blood. Guitar riffs that give me goosebumps. Lyrics that make my head spin. It's like a drug, really. But without the ickyness of withdrawal.

But I've shifted off couse. Sorry about that. What I want to say is Thank You to great bands such as the ones named above, whose lyrics have haunted and inspired my muse, which in turn has haunted and inspired me to write these books.



Cheers!

Become an Insider!

Wanna know what's up and coming at Changeling Press? Interested in getting discounts on awesome reads? How about being one of the first ones to know about contests and sales?

It's easier than you imagine. Click here to see this week's Changeling Insider. Check it out and then you can sign up yourself to get this hot weekly ezine and be able to get 5% off your purchases! *Sweet*

Have a fabulous Tuesday while you're at it~

4th of July!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

More, more, more!

Yea! The excitement and anticipation are charging up!

Changeling Press has added an excerpt from my upcoming release, Soulless, to the book page there. Click here to read from the first pages of my new story!

What's it all about?

In the excitement of showing off the new cover for Soulless, I was taken aback by one curious comment. 

"I like it," she said cautiously, "but she [the woman on the cover] doesn't look like she's happy. She doesn't look...willing."

As Marteeka Karland masterfully created this cover exactly as I had it pictured, this concerned woman's comments made me stop and think.

You see, I know what's going on in the story. I know the back story and the how, what, when, where and why. This is why the cover excites me. Yes, the woman on the cover does look hesitant, as she should.

In Soulless, the year is 2142 and you'll meet Laya. She's a waitress who's been on the run from an alien from the planet Malathix. She's seen the darker side of his nature and she's not sure what he wants from her, only that he's been after her for far too long now. Within her wages a war that tells her trust this male while her head is saying no. What should she do?

That's the entire point! Does she or doesn't she? What happens if she does? What happens if she doesn't? 

I'll tell you the same thing I told the woman who commented earlier. Just wait, and this coming Friday, read the story for yourself, and you'll see why this cover absolutely rocks for this book!

A Taste of Soulless

Soulless releases in 1 week! Here's what you do...

Go over to Changeling Press. Just click on the name and you'll go right there. Today is release day and let me tell you, there are some awesome books out today! Buy up a couple or three or four (or more). Hey, I always maintain more is better. :)   Spend the next several days getting hot and bothered by the great stories at Changeling. Then you'll already know what to do next week when Soulless makes its debut! How easy is that? Super easy!

Here is a blurb for Soulless:

Space Lord Theradon, of the merchant planet Malathix, lives on the edge of a darkness that threatens every human around him. He must find the piece of him that’s missing or face his demise.

Laya Brummel unknowingly carries within herself the means to his survival. If only she would stay still long enough for him to explain. But she’s seen the horror of what a Malathix alien can become, and fear keeps her constantly running away from him.

When the pair finally comes face-to-face, will it be too late to stop the death and destruction, or will they find something deeper to hold them together and save them both?

Question is, Can a beast without a soul bring her to her knees?

Well, can he? You'll find the answer in one week's time.

What? 

You've already seen this? 

You say you want more? 

Greedy are we? 

Okay, you twisted my arm. 

I'll give you a little tease, how's that? A little taste, a little slide of wet tongue over smooth lips. Something to make you curious, how's that? 

Go ahead and indulge in the following excerpt. And yes, it is a tease. A "PG-13"-ish one.

          Laya raised her chin and met his stare. “You want me?”

Theradon gave a curt nod, his jaw clenched, and motioned for her to follow him. Wanting answers, Laya fell in step behind him as he headed toward the front door. Once outside, she shivered in the cool night air but continued to follow him around the building. The dark back alley made her skin crawl, but she figured it’d be a fitting place for her end.

Theradon turned in the shadows to face her. Though she could barely make out his features, he seemed wilder, more out of control than he’d been when she’d seen him in the past.

“What do you want with me?”

“Everything.” He spoke in a strained whisper. “Dammit, Laya, it’s not supposed to go this way, but right now…”

When he didn’t continue his thought, she prompted, “Right now, what?”

Did he just sigh?

“Laya, I need you to get on your knees.” His hands went to the waistband of his pants and popped open the top button.

She inhaled and suppressed a shiver. He hadn’t laid a single finger on her, but the compulsion to fold her legs and kneel before him seemed inescapable. The presence inside her pushed hard, eager to follow his command. He wanted oral sex? The presence cried out yes. It craved him with an obsession. Even shoved mental pictures into her head of how she should proceed.

Startled by the graphic imagery, Laya glanced around and saw Camden not a few feet away. “Is he going to be part of this?” she asked somewhat timidly.

“No.”

“Then send him away.”

Theradon held out his arm, as if to touch her, then shoved his hands behind his back. “He has to stay, for your safety.”

She tilted her head, trying to make out the angles of his face, trying to see the hypnotizing swirl of color in his eyes again, but he took another step back, deeper into the shadows along the wall.

“Camden,” he snarled, “toss me your coat.”

Laya watched as the man removed, bunched, and threw his coat to Theradon without question. Theradon let it fall on the gravel at his feet.

“Arrange the coat so your knees are protected,” he told her.

Laya gave herself a mental shake. This entire situation was strange. Why wasn’t she as frightened as she was earlier? Yes, a part of her trembled in tense confusion, but the presence in her seemed finally at ease. It sent waves of soothing relief mixed with heated anticipation of what she was about to do.

She bent down and folded the long coat to make a cushion, then kneeled tentatively until she knew her knees wouldn’t be cut. Looking up, she watched as Theradon came forward to stand right in front of her. His hair had come out of its binding and hung down, further shadowing his appearance. He thrust his groin toward her face.

Stay sane and have a great Friday! More later~