Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!


On the First Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me
A Partridge in A Pear Tree!


Have a wondrously happy First Day of Christmas!

May the beauty of the season be yours today and through the twelfth night, and may you stuff yourself silly on goose, turkey, ham, lamb, or whatever your traditional Christmas feast contains!



Monday, December 21, 2009

Well...Christmas is only four days away...


And I want to say Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends!

I have put Christmas blogs up on all of my sites...each one is a bit different, so I would love it if you went over and checked them all out. If you don't have the URLs, I will add them here. This is a very special time of year for me...I have always loved the season, and the sounds, smells, and tastes of Christmas, as well as the wondrous joy that we share in the holiday season.

I have many non-Christian friends, and I will include them in a very special holiday dreamed up by a dear pal...I wish all of you a Merry Chrismukwanzaa!!!

I will post my special Christmas blog on the 24th...so please drop back again!

Love!

Fran Lee
http://www.franleeromance.com
http://sixsexysirens.blogspot.com
http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com/2009/12/wellonly-6-days-left-to-shop-bake-and.html

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Coming 11/25/2009 ~ Jillian's Job

Jillian's Job

Fran Lee


Coming November 25, 2009

Ellora's Cave

What good is a dream income, access to a private jet, all the perks that go with being Mike Furie’s überproficient personal assistant, if Jillian has no life? She wants a life with a man in it. And staying with overbearing, totally sexy, self-serving bachelor Mike, will lead nowhere.

A trip to Aspen to “rescue” Mike from the clutches of the latest woman seeking to sink her claws into him, an excess of champagne to fortify her, and she tells him what she thinks of his high-handed tactics. She’s quitting. Again. So how the hell did she end up in bed with him in a Tahoe honeymoon suite, naked? Why can’t she recall how her signature got on that marriage license?

Mike discovers talents he never knew Jill possessed. Now he has her right where he wants her. And he wants her again…and again. In his bed and under him. But it’s not all about the lust, and if he gets his way, Jillian won’t be leaving his side, or his bed—ever.


Excerpt:


She stepped up the final carpeted stair and paused, glancing around the smaller salon that opened up over the gallery at the head of the stairs, before narrowing to the corridor that led to the bedrooms at the back of the level. The bronze and smoked glass chandelier at the apex of the vaulted ceiling cast warm light over the area, and made her shimmery gold overdress and glittering jewels look even more amazing than they had in the showroom. She decided that not a soul would recognize her unless she introduced herself, so she gathered her courage and moved slowly toward the center of the gallery, looking about for Furie.


Heads turned to follow her progress, but no one called out her name. She was not a familiar face to the beautiful people. Only his employees knew her well enough to recognize her. Her anonymity was assured.


And then she saw him, standing uncomfortably in a tight group of people, with a stunningly beautiful supermodel type holding onto his arm like she had grown there, her laugh a high tinkle of feigned amusement that never quite reached those gorgeous amber-colored eyes. She stood for a long moment, relishing the amount of discomfort he was experiencing, waiting for his eyes to swivel her way before she made her grand entrance.


A man turned to glance at her from a jovial conversation beside her, and gave her a keen once-over before sidling up to her and introducing himself. He didn’t have to. She would known his face from the magazine covers and the tabloids as Jerrod Lane, two-time Academy Award winning actor and heartthrob of millions of females the world over. She glanced at him with a cool smile and replied to his outrageous compliment with a simple thank-you, before turning her gaze back to her boss.


“I haven’t seen you around before. And from the look of that boulder on your hand, I’d say you were taken…but Heaven help me, I wouldn’t be a red-blooded male if I didn’t try.” Jerrod slid one lean hand around her waist, and tried to draw her closer. His reward was an acid stare that could have wilted the entire White River National Forest. He grinned and released her waist, and said in a husky tone that had dropped an octave, “Who’s the lucky devil who’s got you wrapped around his pinkie?”


The moment he spoke, Michael Furie glanced up, his ice-laden dark blue gaze locked with hers, and his body unfurled from the defensive posture he’d assumed, forcing the female hanger-on to loosen her grip. Jill tried not to look shaken. She tried not to react to the heat that ran through her like a shot of fire from head to toe-tips, making her wonder numbly if the Manolo Blahniks had melted off. She smiled across the room at him, and Jerrod followed her gaze, instantly whistling softly and backing off a step.


“I should have guessed, Gorgeous. But if you ever decide to trade up, I’m always around.” He vacated his spot beside her as Furie slowly extracted himself from the other woman’s grasp, with a quiet “Excuse me.” Heads turned as he stepped out of the tight knot of bodies and moved across the gallery toward her, and she fought the urge to bite her knuckles and whimper. That man had such a walk!


She managed a brilliant smile up into his eyes as he stopped so close, she could feel his body heat through the silk of her gown, and she placed her hand with the blinding rock on it on his forearm, and said just loudly enough to be overhead for about ten feet, “Mike! Darling! I’m sorry I’m late!”


She noted the circuitous route those eyes took as they slipped over her gown, her jewelry, and the impressively breathtaking engagement ring she was prominently displaying, and a muscle twitched in the deep groove beside his mouth. He seemed to be fighting some dark and angry emotion that she feared she would hear about later, and in the most uncomplimentary tones possible, but surprisingly, he gave her a sexily crooked smile.


“Don’t I even get a kiss after waiting all this time for you to finally show up?” His voice was a sexy growl that was just loud enough for everyone within ten feet to hear clearly, although he pretended to be speaking for her ears alone. Jill felt like they were in a fishbowl, the way all eyes were glued to them. She stood up on her tiptoes and aimed for his cheek. But before her lips made contact, he turned his head and she ended up planting one smack-dab on his smiling mouth. And oh, what a mouth the man had…


And he didn’t settle just for a friendly kiss. He slid his arms around her body and dragged her up against his chest, smoothly covering her jerk of shock by catching the back of her head in the palm of one hand and slanting his mouth to take hers completely. His strong, champagne-flavored tongue slipped easily past her lips as she opened them to ask what the hell he was doing. Her heart rate ratcheted up as he traced the inside of her mouth sensuously. If she hadn’t known her boss so damned well, that kiss might have fooled even her, but she figured he had paid through the nose to be kissed, and she decided that she might as well let ’er rip.


Warring with his tongue, she explored the warm depths of his mouth as she slid her hands up behind his head and arched her body into his tuxedo, pressing her hips against his suddenly burgeoning cock, ignoring the rush of excitement his highly obvious arousal gave her, as she did exactly what she had wanted to do for the past six-plus years.

She kissed him—savagely, hungrily, possessively! Giving as good as she got from him, even though with him it was just an act to discourage the positively fuming blonde who had turned and stomped off toward the stairs back to the second level.


His mouth was decadently hot and delicious. The expensive champagne was dry and heady on his tongue, and she could not possibly have imagined how it would feel to have him kissing her like this—not even in her wildest wet dreams! His hot, spicy masculine scent filled her nostrils. Her heart felt like a super ball that might easily zap its way straight out the front of her silk gown and go bouncing wildly across the carpet if he kept kissing her.


Tongues tangling voraciously, breathing uneven and heated, their bodies were plastered hungrily against each other as his arms pulled her so tight into his embrace she could almost feel his spine. And then his hand cupped her ass in a familiar, possessive squeeze, and she inhaled and tried to back away. He murmured huskily against her lips, “Relax. You’ll survive.”


She would smack him upside the head later.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I Yam A Baaaaad Goil...










 

I am, typically, a dirty old lady.

I am into Phallic symbols.

I am into naughty bits.

I am into hot male tushies.

But I yield to public pressure.


I think I have shocked all of my friends and readers enough this week, so I must change to cat photos...

I received 2,000 angry e-mails from the Harper Valley PTA and 4987 voodoo dolls with tiny chastity belts on them in protest of my dirty pictures. Who am I to argue with that kind of adverse reaction?

So here is a cat photo that has absolutely nothing to do with my phallic symbol mentality. I think. Um...I'll let you make up your mind. Am I a dirty old lady, or what?

Have a great day!

Fran

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

October Treasure Hunt is on!!!


My October Treasure Hunt is on!

I will be giving away a FREE set of all four of my erotic romance books plus a large-sized glossy cover flat of each book, specially autographed for the winner!

All you have to do to begin the hunt is go to my website at:

http://www.franleeromance.com


and click the link to "Contests".

From there, just follow the clues, and be sure to copy down the information you find, as well as the exact URL of the distinctive page you find the information on. So far, out of all the entries to my contest, there are only two who have gotten all the info correct! So you have a fabulous chance of winning the grand prize!

Now, for every person who enters the contest, there will be an instant prize! The moment I receive your entry (right or wrong) I will send you a beautiful e-book of the Classic American ghost story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow!

The contest ends at midnight on Halloween, and a winner will be drawn from the correct answers I receive. Winner will be announced on my website November 1st! Remember...so far, out of nearly fifty, I only have TWO correct answers, so get going!


So hurry over and start the contest! And have fun!

Fran Lee

Sunday, September 27, 2009

An Interview With Author Tessie Bradford

Welcome, Tessie! Thanks for coming over today!


Tessie Bradford writes hot romance for Ellora's Cave, and she and five more of my wonderful friends have joined me in writing the Anthology Series Carnal Reunions! that will be released by Resplendence Publishing on November 10, 2009!

Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself.


I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, animal lover, Human Resources Manager, and author.

You write romance for Resplendence. Tell me, what do you love most about being a Resplendence author?

The creative support and encouragement I’ve received. Training Randi is my first book with RP. From manuscript acceptance, to collaborating with the other Carnal Reunions authors, to cover design, and edits; I know there is a team of professionals who are dedicated to success. It is a pleasure to work with them.

How many books have you written?

I have one book published and three others are contracted. Five WIPs are on my computer and a multitude of ideas for more stories are bouncing around in my head.

Out of all of the heroes you have written, which one is your favorite? Why?

I find that my hero worship is a fickle thing; my favorite is always the one I’m currently working with. While doing edits for Training Randi, I loved getting re-acquainted with Jeff Briggs. Driven, confident, self-disciplined; he doesn’t give up when he wants something, and he’s been wanting Miranda Ellson for ten long years. Toss in his sense of humor, emotional openness, and “masterful” talents in the loving department, he’s a true force to be reckoned with!

Many writers have a set routine they follow when they write. Do you have such a routine?

Sorry for the cliché, but being a published author is my dream come true. I chose to answer this question as a personal intervention. I have NO routine! I continue to allow my day job (can’t help this one, health benefits and all) to take precedence. And then phone calls, pretty shiny things, checking emails, reality TV shows, house chores etc. all conspire to interrupt my creative flow. Mercifully, I love focusing on edits! There, maybe seeing this in print will force me to work on this particular shortcoming.

Do you have a book you would just love to discuss with us today? Did you bring an excerpt?

Of course! I’m thrilled to give the readers a sneak peek of Training Randi, my contribution to the Carnal Reunions anthology.

Blurb:

Miranda Ellson graduated from college with a degree in design in one hand and a ticket to London in the other. Ten years, five job changes and three boring, unfulfilling relationships later she’s back at WIU to re-connect with old friends, enjoy the campus activities and take a break from…oh who the hell is she kidding? Jeff Briggs, former college neighbor and best bud, now successful gym owner, lives in town. He’s the only guy she has ever known who could set her panties on fire by simply walking into a room and Randi is sick and tired of only hooking up with him in her dreams. This may be her only chance to discover exactly what kind of personal training he has to offer.

Excerpt

Miranda crossed the street and walked quickly over to a bench on the far corner. It was probably for the best if she just got back in her car and headed home to Chicago, but it was a long drive and she should rest first. She dug around in her purse, finding her cell phone and the list of hotels that the reunion committee had sent, and started dialing. By the time she hung up with the last hotel, still hearing the clerk laughing at her request for a room during one of the busiest weeks on campus, tears clouded her vision. Maybe she could nap in her car?

Not paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings, Miranda jumped up from the bench and collided hard into an immovable object.

“Whoa, impressive hit.” Strong hands gripped her hips. “If you’d lowered your right shoulder a bit, I’d be flat on my ass.” Lord that voice. The deep baritone mixed with the southern drawl sent butterflies dancing in her tummy. How many nights had she imagined him whispering all of the naughty deeds they were going to do together? Miranda squealed in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and hugged her tightly.

“Jesus, Jeff. You startled the crap out of me,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged back. How freaky good was this? A faint scent, spicy and familiar, instantly sent a rush of heat to her pussy. “It’s not nice to sneak up on a girl, you know.” Her fingers inadvertently tightened on the corded muscles of his shoulders when he set her down. Maybe it would be okay if she held onto him for a second longer?

“You were so lost in your thoughts I’m pretty damn sure I could have parked my pickup right here on the sidewalk, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Point taken,” she laughed. “It’s good to see you again, Jeff.” Her pulse rate sped up when his hands moved to lay scandalously close to the upper swell of her ass.

“Ah, Miranda, it’s a whole bunch better than ‘good’ to see you. What are you doing out here plowing into innocent pedestrians? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with the other Gracie Girls, getting caught up on ten years of goings on?”

“They don’t know I’m in town yet. I never exactly committed to when I was going to get here or where I was staying. I was kind of working up the nerve to go in when I bumped into you.”

“You were starting to run down the street in the opposite direction, darlin’.”

“Oh you noticed that, did you?” She glanced down at the ground while nervously shuffling her feet.

“It was hard to miss.” Jeff chuckled, lifting her chin with a finger. “Why the sad eyes, Randi?” The look of concern on his face was heartwarming. “Tell your old buddy what’s going on. We used to be able to talk about anything.” Jeff stared down at her with a crooked grin and a raised eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, we would have done a lot more than just talk if you’d had your way,” Heat instantly infused her cheeks.

During the two years they had been neighbors and friends, they’d spent countless hours studying together, solving the world’s problems with high-spirited political debates and talking about their plans for the future. They had also spent a great deal of time and energy not dealing with the serious sparks of sexual tension that arched every time they were in the same room. Miranda had shamelessly used every trick in the book to seduce him, but despite her most fervent efforts, he always gently refused her advances with soothing compliments and vague explanations of her not understanding what a relationship with him would mean.

“It’s not very gentlemanly of you to remind me of that, Jeff,” she admonished with a grin. “I was young and inexperienced, and with you being so much older and wiser than I was; well I was just bowled over by your manly goodness.” Miranda stared up at him with mischief dancing in her eyes.

“There’s the Randi I know: sharp tongued and sexy as hell.” She gasped in surprise when he hauled her up against his solid frame and planted a kiss on her forehead. “What do you say we take a walk and get reacquainted? Maybe if you start out with me it won’t be such a big deal to meet up with the others.” He let her go, took a step back and held out his hand in invitation.

Miranda didn’t hesitate. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to guide her toward the southern end of campus. His grip was strong but the pace he set was slow and comfortable. She glanced over at him and smiled, taking her first good look at the man he’d become. He hadn’t gotten any taller, not that he needed to at probably six foot three or four inches. His deep brown hair was cut short now, his face a bit fuller and there were little personality lines around his piercing green eyes. The black t-shirt he wore did nothing to disguise the muscular physique beneath, and did everything to accentuate his perfectly defined biceps. The faded, snug blue jeans sitting low on his hips further accentuated the fact that physical fitness was still a big part of his life.

Images of him pumping iron, shirtless and glistening with perspiration, assaulted her, and she clumsily stumbled over a piece of uneven pavement. Jeff released her hand and drew her against his hip without breaking their stride. She felt the heat of his palm right through the thin cotton material of her skirt. Oh yeah, this was going to help her pay attention to where they were going.

That was absolutely fabulous, Tessie! It's gonna be a wonderfully hot anthology! Thanks for joining me today and sharing.

Thanks so much for having me, Fran.


Monday, September 21, 2009

Chat over at Seven Sexy Scribes Group!


My friends from my shared blog site are having a chat for my new release over at our Seven Sexy Scribes Yahoo Group! The date is September 25, 2009!

You are invited to attend, but you must go sign up to participate! Click on the link below!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Seven_Sexy_Scribes/

The chat will begin at 9:00 pm Eastern, 8:00 pm Central, 7:00 pm Mountain, and 6:00 pm Pacific! It will run for two hours. I hope you will join me to celebrate my new release!

I will be giving excerpts and giving away prizes!

Hope to see you there!


Fran

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Her Own Set of Rules ~ Coming 9/25/09

Another new release coming up on September 25, 2009!

I am celebrating with another FREE copy contest over at my website at:

http://www.franleeromance.com

So drop on over and toss your name in the hat to win a FREE copy of
Her Own Set of Rules.


The contest will run until September 30, 2009 and a winner will be drawn on October 1, 2009.

Here's a blurb and and excerpt:

Bored with her sex life with a husband she still loves, but who has the Saturday-night, three-minute orgasm—his—down to a fine art, Haley takes the first step on a journey of sexual discovery when Josh, younger brother of her closest friend, expresses a decidedly carnal interest in her. The result is more than she imagined in her raunchiest fantasies.

Josh has had a crush on Haley since he was a kid, gangly and too damn tall for his weight. But he isn’t a kid anymore, and he grew into his six foot five inches, plus some. He’s come back home for one thing only—for a shot at the girl he fell for when he was too damn young to do much about it.

But Harry’s not done with his wife—not when he finds out that inside that prim repressed shell, she’s been hiding the sexual temptress he’s always hungered for. Now all Haley has to do is ask, and two men are ready to give her everything she wants.

Excerpt:

Josh dropped his gym bag with a thump and reached for her. Krissa wrapped her arms enthusiastically around her little brother as he swung her off her feet then set her back down on the doorstep. “I missed you, Krissie! When’s supper?”


He was always hungry. Had something to do with the size of him, he figured. Standing six foot six inches, and weighing in at a clean, lean two hundred and fifty pounds, he had a hard body because he worked hard for a living. He grinned down at his sister and laughed as she swatted at his hands and flushed prettily.


God, how he had always loved to watch Krissa and Haley giggle like that and put their pretty blonde heads together, thinking he couldn’t hear them if they whispered. Shit, he’d heard every damn word. But he never let on. He learned too much information to want to tip them off to the fact his hearing was excellent, even across the room.


“Haley here yet?” he asked casually, and Krissa grinned up at him conspiratorially.


“Be patient! You know I had to damn near threaten to break off our friendship if she didn’t agree to come. You know Haley…she’ll be here if she promised.”


He’d switched jobs to come back to Spring City and be closer to family—and Haley Grant. No, Haley Gregory now. But what the fuck? Getting around a husband wasn’t the hardest thing he’d ever done. And from what Krissa had told him, Harry Gregory was a fairly inattentive husband. So much the better for him. He’d waited twelve years for a piece of Haley, and a husband wasn’t about to stand in his way now. He’d fallen hard for her when he was a gangly ninth grader and she was the Junior Prom Queen.


He had wanted her from the day she flashed her hot little breasts at him. He’d only been fourteen, but when he’d seen those delightful morsels bared for his delectation, and her fingers pinching them to tease him, he’d decided she wouldn’t be averse to letting him touch them. If she hadn’t hooked up with Harry Gregory, and if Harry hadn’t been so fucking possessive of her, Josh would definitely have sampled those nipples.


Over the twelve years that had passed since she’d dared him to taste her, he’d savored that memory. He had compared those lush, youthful breasts to every other set he’d tasted and licked, and all the rest had faded from his thoughts once he’d enjoyed them. Oh, he loved fucking and sucking. He’d gotten damn good at it over the years. But it had all been practice…practice for the next time she bared those amazing round globes to him…and he planned to see them again—soon.


As Krissa led him into the kitchen, he waved at Jim, who’d poked his head out of the living room and yelled a welcome. Talking with Krissie and Jim was appealing, but right now, food was his objective. Food then a hot shower. Krissie had invited Haley over tonight, and he wanted to be clean and sweet-smelling for her. Oh yeah. For what he planned with Haley tonight, he wanted to be sweet and clean all over.


Josh had always had it bad for her. But Harold Gregory was the jock-stud-prom-king dude who had stolen her away after graduation before anyone less almighty got a shot at her. And Haley wasn’t one to take on some gangly kid three years behind her in school and dump Mr. Hotstuff.


When Haley had married after graduation, Josh hadn’t gone to her wedding, even though he’d been included in the invitation. He’d spent that whole day walking by the stream that bordered the pasture a couple of miles from his house. He’d walked there with Krissa and Haley many times. He’d imagined her smiling up into his face, tucking her slim arm around his waist as he bent to catch those lush lips in a hungry kiss. He’d gone home and jacked off pathetically as he thought of that prick Harry Gregory taking her to bed when it should have been him, Josh Barnes, in that bed with her, fucking her blind.


Josh Barnes had been a gangly, awkward and fairly shy kid back then. And that wasn’t what a girl like Haley wanted. But he wasn’t a gangly kid anymore, and he’d had enough experience with women to know that what he had to offer was not something a woman would stick her nose up at. Oh yeah. He had big plans for tonight.


Haley was nervous. She checked her hair and her makeup three times before sliding out of her car and making her way to the wooden front porch of Krissa and Jim’s home. Hesitantly, she climbed the three steps to the front porch and pressed the doorbell button.


She almost lost her nerve, and was debating on making a run for it when the door swung open, and she found Joshua Barnes standing there.Filling the whole damn doorway.


Her eyes must have shown her shock, because his crookedly sexy smile was enough to blow her away. “Hi! Um, is Krissa here?” Her voice sounded breathless even to her. My God! She was acting like a teenybopper on her first blind date.


She almost lost her courage as he stood aside to allow her to step inside the house. He was so tall. And so gorgeous. Oh…my…God! He was all prime, succulent male. Leaning in slightly as she scooted past him, she couldn’t hide her telltale blush as she didn’t quite manage to keep her breast from brushing his chest. She heard the quick inhalation of his breath and knew he wasn’t immune to her, either.


Her nipple tingled as if she’d leaned into an electric wire fence. Fighting down her glandular reaction to his appearance and his proximity, she stepped into the familiar foyer, and wrapped her arms around her body as if that might insulate her from his potent presence. The experimental contact told her what she had wanted to know—he was very much aware of her sexually. What she hadn’t counted on was her own reaction to the little brush of tight nipple to hard, delicious male muscle! Holy shit. Was she nuts to be here? Had she been kidding herself? Deluding herself that all she wanted was to regain an old acquaintance with the neighbor’s kid?


Haley bit the corner of her lip as she turned to face him in the tight confines of the tiny foyer, waiting for Josh to make the next tentative move. He moved slowly, and she watched as he closed the door, and shot the lock home.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Finding the time to relax...HAH!


I love these darling little cartoons...

I would love to be able to find a hammock, flop down under the shade of a wide tree, and take a long, soothing nap. Sure. In my wildest dreams, maybe. In reality, I spend about 18 hours a day glued to my keyboard, buried in sniffing out pirates, building and maintaining websites, organizing and then orchestrating things, editing books, submitting edits, and generally looking like that damn little hamster on the treadmill...galloping madly and not getting anywhere.

Well...that isn't totally true...

I find that I am most at ease while writing. When I am lost in a scene, creating something hot and lush and sexy, I am in seventh Heaven. Actually, I would settle for third or fourth Heaven, but I manage to find my way to the highest. Writing is like creating, and the freedom it renders is such that I simply float away into another realm. Wow! When did I ever wax so poetic? Not!

Anyway, getting back to relaxation...

I figure I'll have plenty of time to rest and relax when I'm pushing up daisies. So for now and in the near foreseeable future, I will be orchestrating, organizing, building, maintaining, and socializing...all worthwhile activities indeed!

Fran Lee
http://www.franleeromance.com

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Seven Sexy Scribes Blog is up and running!


Why start another Co-op Blog?

Authors start co-op blogs to become better known...to be more visible...to join with friends and have some fun. By working with others, we don't have to think up a brand new idea to blog about every day...and we can have some fun blogging about anything that strikes our fancy.

Thinking up a catchy name...

Hmmm...that's the trickiest part. Our group thought up a dozen fabulous names...great names! But then we Googled them. :P

Okay, so one led to a couple of porn sites...another led to a group from a women's penitentiary...yet another led to fifty other websites with identical names...and so on. Face it...no one wants a plain old uninspired name like 'Seven Sexy Scribes'. At least we could come up with something hot...neat...sensuous. (That didn't sound like a batch of ho-bags.)

But there is something to be said for choosing a plain name. For one thing, nobody else wants it. It's unique. Sorta like the name "Mary". How many young gals have that name today? Huh? Hey! My grandmother was named Mary. It's a grand old name.

And then to pick a color scheme...

Ever tried to do that with seven women? Luckily we settled quickly on that. Most of us love blues/aquas. But I tend to get bored with one color. Maybe I'll sneak in a purple theme on my blog day. When they look, they'll wonder who turned the lights out! LOL!

And dealing with several strong personalities...

Oooo, yeah! We all have very strong ideas about what we want. What we like. But that's not really a problem, because we all want the same thing...to promote our books and promote our names. Easy enough. Heck...our blog may be stuffed to the rafters with covers, videos, and fun stuff, but we certainly won't bore anyone!

So drop on over and check us out!

Seven Sexy Scribes






Friday, September 4, 2009

Have You Ever Had A Wet Dream?

Does this cover look familiar?

Yep...Remember me wishing I had a man? I uploaded a great photo of a hot man with a gal's arms wrapped around him? Well...I sent that photo to Syneca and asked for a great picture like that on my next Ellora's Cave book...and here is my own personal wet dream! Ooooh...yeahhh....

The delectable Bobby K!


I am far too old for this cute guy...but I have a fertile and very active imagination, and this guy is NOT safe in my dreams. I find him running through them all the time...and he'd better run, 'cuz if I ever catch him, he ain't goin' nowhere for about three months!

Do you have a walking wet dream out there somewhere? Wanna share your hotties? Let me know who your favorite hotties are...

Fran

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I Need A Man!

Ever had a problem dreaming up your next hero?

I was trying to picture my next hot guy, and so I was perusing the various photos that I have amassed. This one stopped me dead.

You know...I would LOVE to be that woman with her arms wrapped around this delicious guy! All thoughts of looking for a hero left my mind and I sighed.

Whatta hunk.

This is the same couple on my cover for Out of Her Dreams...except I sorta like him without the white towel. Rowrrr!

This is the problem of erotic romance authors who just happen to be old, chubby, and single. Damn, but I would love to get me some of that!

But I think he could easily outrun me if I did see him at Romanticon (if I were going). *sigh* Ah, well...at least my imagination is still in great working order.

Do you ever wonder what on earth would happen if the heroes in all our hot novels suddenly came to life, and came knocking on our door? Now, those of you who have HH's might not be pleasantly surprised to find a batch of hard, hot, handsome hunks standing on your doorstep, all drooling over you, but this old fart would probably die of delight. Yum! Okay guys...I know I write hot stuff, but one at a time, please? This antique body and heart won't handle all the stuff I write. That was sort of the premise behind Out of Her Dreams. But Samantha could more than handle that hot, delicious guy...while this author would most likely hyperventillate and turn blue at the sight of a man like that grinning at me.

Ah...the powerful imagination of an erotic romance author is wonderful, is it not?

Fran
http://www.franleeromance.com


Thursday, August 6, 2009

You Live And You Learn...

My, Oh, My! Choices, choices!

When you write romance, you have a huge variety of possible characters and situations to pick from. Romance is not necessarily just "one boy-one girl" anymore. You can write about m/f, or about m/f/m, or m/m/f, or f/f,
or even m/m/m/m/f/m/f/f! *whew*

And for each and every type of story, there are readers who love or hate each type. That is one reason why many authors try to explore all the possibilities.

For example, my debut book, Out of Her Dreams, was a sensual (erotic) romance between a woman and a man. The bedroom door was wide open, but fans seemed to adore it! I received dozens of rave e-mails telling me how much folks loved it. I got several top notch book reviews for it. I assumed it would be the same with my second book.

Now, Hallie's Cats came out on July 31, 2009, and I didn't hear a single word about how readers felt about the book. And that was an ominous sign to me. Hallie's Cats is a shape shifter menage. In a world where people can be both cat and human, and mores and morals are shaped by a different set of physical rules, I had my heroine fall in love with two gorgeous brothers. But in their world, females shape shifters normally took more than one mate because it was acceptable. You must remember that every world has it's own rules of conduct.

I got an e-mail this morning from a fan who adored OOHD, but detested Hallie's Cats. She was very disappointed that I hadn't written a "normal" romance again, m/f. I actually expected that something of the sort had happened. Not all readers can accept a menage situation. I know, because once upon a time, before I sold my first book, I felt pretty much the same.

But then I began to read other books, and realized that not all romance is heterosexual, nor is it all "one boy-one girl". In the real world, there are realities that we do not all agree with, nor do we have to approve of them. But we accept the fact that others may not feel the same way about things as we do. In a fiction novel about romance, we have the choice to buy or walk on by.

But in a way, it upsets me to think that my readers may have been offended because they expected something entirely different from my second book, and bought it sight unseen simply because they wanted to read more from me. I was flattered that my reader loved OOHD, and dismayed that she seemed to think less of me for writing a different type of romance novel than she expected. So I wrote back to her to assure her than I did have other m/f romances in the pipeline (like Dictated by Fate) and that I would make certain that all my books that contained alternative lifestyles like m/f/m were more clearly marked as such.

So, if you are a reader who loved my first book, and absolutely hated my second book, please remember that we write for many readers, and that we do love our fans. Perhaps another reader hated OOHD but loves Hallie's Cats. And I will definitely write tons of m/f romances, so don't give up on me, okay?


Fran Lee
http://www.franleeromance.com

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hallie's Cats ~ Coming July 31, 2009

Hallie's Cats
by
Fran Lee

Coming July 31, 2009
Ellora's Cave Publishing


Hallie James loves cats—she just never realized she was one herself. Not until she met delicious leopard shifters Gar and Cal, one sinfully dark, one beautifully golden.
A terrifying meeting with a runaway pit bull lands her on her butt on the sidewalk. But when the dog’s owners appear out of nowhere, asking if she’s all right, Hallie has the most shocking reaction to their mouthwatering…scent!
Cat pheromones are powerful, and Gar and Cal’s attraction to the human is as instant as hers is to them. Hallie finds herself caught between two cats—hot and hard Gar, and his hot and delicious little brother Cal. When a gal is confronted with such a succulent choice, why not enjoy the fact that cats are not monogamous?

“You all right?” The quiet, deep voice was directly behind her. The unexpectedness of the question finished her. The milk exploded, drenching her in white, and she gave a shriek of shock, falling sideways onto the pitted sidewalk, her paralyzed body going suddenly limp. It felt as if her heart was going to explode like the damn milk! She knew the voice had come from the other side of the tall, wrought iron and stone wall, but the next thing she saw was a man bending over her, reaching out a hand to take her bags from her clenched hands.

What the hell? She blinked up at the man then back along the sidewalk. There was no gate except the one the dog had burst from, and that gate was over a hundred feet or more away. He would have had to climb or vault over the wall, and that, even for an athletic man, would take some doing.

“Sorry about Tigger. He isn’t dangerous but he can be pretty damn scary,” the deep, warm-honey voice murmured as she was relieved of her destroyed bag, then the intact one was lifted from her death grip. “Come on, and I’ll get you some towels.”

Hallie reached for the lean hand dangling in front of her face, and allowed the stranger to drag her up from her ignominious repose on the milk-splattered concrete. She patted herself down for possible injuries before she blinked up at him and rasped incredulously, “You call that…that…thing…Tigger?” Visions of a sweet boingy critter almost made her laugh.

It was then she saw him clearly for the first time, and she almost sat back down on the wet sidewalk again.

Stunning dark gold eyes in a face that dragged her breath away and held it captive, forcing her to fight for air. Odd eyes on a man whose hair was jet black. And after she managed to get past that face, her eyes slid down the long length of a body so utterly mouth-watering, she was sure she’d died and gone to Heaven. Because there wasn’t a man alive who could possibly look that frigging good in a ratty T-shirt and torn jeans.

Those gorgeous eyes looked so concerned, she barely managed to restrain her raging libido before she blurted out something completely unsuitable, like a squeal of delight as she tackled him and abused him terribly. She had the insane desire to lick him. Nibble him!

Yeah, he should be worried! Walking around unprotected from random female attackers who would love to get a piece of all that marvelousOoooh! Hallie dragged her milk-wet hand out of his and forced a shaky laugh.

“Did my steak survive, or am I gonna have to go back down the hill and catch that bus back to the supermarket?”

Dark brows drew together over those glinting topaz eyes, and his hand shot out to stop her from sagging sideways again. “You probably shouldn’t try to get up yet,” that delicious warm-honey voice said, somewhere just above her left ear.

Why the hell am I sinking again?

“No! I-I’m…fine,” were the last words out of her mouth before he tilted oddly and vanished from her sight. Whoa, she was back on the damn sidewalk again? Oh, there he was, leaning down and reaching to check her pulse. Why the hell was he bending over her again? Mmmm, she would love to reach up and drag his gorgeous body down to her level. And what the hell was he…

“You think she’s sick?” a quiet male voice asked somewhere beyond her line of sight.

“I think she got a good solid whiff of pheromones. She’s totally out of it. Here, you get the bags,” that lovely warm-honey voice murmured, and she was suddenly rising from the sidewalk, floating, and then she was nuzzling into a hard chest and inhaling the delicious, heady scent of the man with the golden eyes. Ooooh, he’s totally edible!

“That’s not normal, is it?” That quiet voice again.

“No. I think she’s sensitive to us for some reason. I feel like a fucking catnip mouse.” The warm-honey voice sounded irritated, but who cared, when he smelled so damn marvelous?

Come on over and check it out on July 31! Hallie's Cats!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Out of Her Dreams Released June 12, 2009

by Fran Lee
Ellora's Cave 2009

Blurb:


She’s an erotic romance writer, with five best sellers. Her fans adore her. She’s making excellent money. All by writing about a man she dreamed up many years ago. Her hero is handsome, virile, sexy, strong, sensitive and a complete gentleman.


He’s a hot-headed, sex-on-the-hoof pro wrestler. He has a reputation for being the hottest, nastiest man on the mats. The fact that his face and body are plastered all over a bunch of mushy romance novels written by a woman with a death wish doesn’t sit well on those massive shoulders. His agent’s demanding monetary retribution from the woman who’s dared to use his image on her covers but he has another form of retribution in mind…and it has nothing to do with money.


She was his the moment he touched her. He came out of her dreams to claim her, and she wants every hot, throbbing inch of that delicious man.


He wants her, naked—at his mercy. One hot, orgasmic night wasn’t nearly enough. She ran, but he’s on the hunt—


He’ll find her—


Out of Her Dreams is now available at Ellora's Cave/Jasmine-Jade

Friday, April 24, 2009

Finding Interviews For Examiner.com...

Now, you can't blame me for putting this totally naughty picture here...

Because this is just the first of many interviews with some of the world's hottest, sexiest cover models!

Meet John Antorino...a nice little Italian boy from Jersey. Looking hot and steamy...ooooh yeah!

John has three Romance covers to his credit, and will most likely be getting many more. He has a quality about himself that is totally hot. Not classically handsome, he exudes sex appeal with a pair of golden brown eyes...and a lot of intensity. This cover that I displayed on Examiner.com dated 04/22/09 was a good one. Unfortunately, a cover model is only as good as the photographer, and some of the other covers I saw were not so professional.

John has a number of great fitness magazine covers to his credit though, and hopefully he'll get some more good covers from DCL.

A good cover is essential to the sale of any book. A poorly-done cover impedes the ability of even the best book to market well. So cover artists and cover models are an important part of the sales team. Over the next month I will be interviewing cover models from several publishing houses, and putting them on Examiner.com. And here...

Friday, April 10, 2009

Make a Book Trailer...


Now, If I Can Do It, Anybody Can!

A book trailer can sell more books than a $500 ad in a trade paper. There's just something about music and video combined in a catchy manner that makes folks pay attention. Well, having seen all those fabulous trailers on YouTube, and being rather technically inept, I was ready to pay a professional $199 to make me a great book trailer.

But then I saw some fabulous trailers that other authors had created on their own, with their own software, and I decided to try my Windows Movie Maker, as well. Okay...I got one all set to record, and the program went belly up, dumping all ten hours of hard work. %$@*)*^&*&%$!

I read a bit about the program, and found that this is not unusual, so, in desperation, I Googled! I entered "video creation software". You'd be amazed at how many people sell video-creation software!

Well, since I didn't have a couple hundred bucks to spare, I went to YouTube, clicked on a whole bunch of trailers, and noted the creation software credits, the music credits, etc. The one that came up most was OneMedia. So I Googled that. Bingo! I got a membership, and began playing with the online tool until I had a couple of fun and easy videos using vacation photos, and viola! The online tool even uploads your video for you to your MySpace, Facebook, or YouTube account!

I noticed that most video trailers used loads of neat photos and effects, but when I tried to get those same neat-o photos and effects, I found that they were not free. And I was broke. So I brainstormed. I had one very hot cover. Hot cover models. So I played around with the online tools, and managed to come up with a completely free nearly 2-minute video. The music was free on the same site.

Now I have book trailer. Not the greatest, to be sure...but effective. And it was all FREE!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Out of Her Dreams Coming June 12, 2009

Release Date Set for Out of Her Dreams!

Out of Her Dreams will be released in E-Book format on June 12!

Blurb:


She’s an erotic romance writer, with five best sellers. Her fans adore her. She’s making excellent money. All by writing about a man she dreamed up many years ago. Her hero is handsome, virile, sexy, strong, sensitive and a complete gentleman.


He’s a hot-headed, sex-on-the-hoof pro wrestler. He has a reputation for being the hottest, nastiest man on the mats. The fact that his face and body are plastered all over a bunch of mushy romance novels written by a woman with a death wish doesn’t sit well on those massive shoulders. His agent’s demanding monetary retribution from the woman who’s dared to use his image on her covers but he has another form of retribution in mind…and it has nothing to do with money.


She was his the moment he touched her. He came out of her dreams to claim her, and she wants every hot, throbbing inch of that delicious man.


He wants her, naked—at his mercy. One hot, orgasmic night wasn’t nearly enough. She ran, but he’s on the hunt—


He’ll find her—


Out of Her Dreams will be available June 12 at Ellora's Cave/Jasmine-Jade


Monday, March 30, 2009

March was a very busy month for me...


Hi, there, Romance Lovers!

March has been a wonderfully busy month for me, and I have enjoyed every hectic, crazy minute of it!

I've met and gotten to know so many wonderful authors, and have had the fabulous opportunity to read so many great Romance novels, novellas, Quickies, and short stories, I genuinely wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

I made a few mis-steps and faux-pas the first few times I ventured out into the world of Romance, but there were so many hands willing to help pick me up, dust me off, and toss me back into the pond, it was amazing. Romance authors are truly the best kind of people!

It's been a month of discoveries. A month of making new, and hopefully, lasting friendships. I want all of you to know that I've never had a "job" I've enjoyed as much as I love writing (and reading) Romance. It is a fabulous job that brings pleasure and happiness to others, as well as to me, and I feel deeply honored to have found so many new friends who feel same the way I do.

Kudos to each and every one of you who have worked so hard to produce these fabulous reads. You have helped make a dreary world a hotter, sexier, and more enjoyable place to live!