On Demand Out Soon

Yes, that's right folks. Justine Elyot's fabulous collection of super sexy hot stories is out v. soon (December 3rd, fact fans), and to commemorate this occasion she's doing a month long thingie to Black Lace (as it will be Black Lace's final book!). Here is what she's doing in her own words:

http://smutoliloquy.blogspot.com/2009/11/invitation.html

And she's inviting peeps to come along and make their contributions, if they ever loved or wrote for BL. Excitement! And sadness! But mostly excitement! Yeah!

Mancandy Monday: Mick Hennessey

In honour of my almost-novella, Waiting In Vain, now having a page on Total-E-Bound's site (HOORAY!!!! And phew!!!):

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=658

I thought I would have its hero as today's Mancandy Monday. Because Mick is cheaky and laidback and horny, and I love him to death. And also, he looks a lot like this:

Except cheekier. Here's the blurb for WIV:

"His desires aren't going to wait for her any longer...When Nancy is invited to her sister-in-law's Christmas get-together so that she won't be alone over the holidays, she doesn't have the heart to refuse. They've been nothing but fun in the past, after all.

But Nancy isn't counting on just how much fun it's going to be this year. Sexy, sultry Mick Hennessey is on the prowl, and he isn't about to stop at a sly hand on her thigh under the dining room table. He wants to see how far he can push her, even if it means risking her heart on top of her most secret desires."

.

Even though it doesn't come out 'til 28th December. I'm as excitable as what lives inside Mick's underpants, it seems.

Mancandy Monday: Mr Sweater Vest

I'm deep in enemy territory, at the moment. And by "enemy", I mean "sweater vest", and by "territory" I mean "my book", which features a dude modelling a sweater vest constantly, for nothing more than my sexual pleasure. So I'm cheating, and revisiting my old favourite: Guy Wearing Sweater Vest.

I think I'm going to have to rename this segment of my blog "Random Weirdo Monday". Because folks, there's precious little candy here. To anyone but me. And other people who want uptight repressed dudes in sweater vests.

This one's for you, secret sweater vest lover:

It's all his fault.

You can see where I've gone wrong here, can't you. It's all right. You don't have to tell me.

The King of the Sweater Vests, Chandler Bing. He leads the dance all the way down to Marks and Spencer's.

Technically not a sweater vest, I know. But fook, I've got to have some pretty somewhere on here.

And this is definitely, definitely not a sweater vest. You see, there are levels of sweater vest- all the way from the magnificent no-buttons-kind-of-tight-around-the-shoulders-olive-green nightmare, down to what is, essentially, a waistcoat.

I will allow a waistcoat, if Lee Pace is the one wearing said garment. Otherwise, waistcoats are right out. They're banned, from my Guys Who Wear Sweater Vests and Nothing Else club.

Sorry, waistcoats. You're just not weird enough, for my liking.

Yet More Lovely Things In A Way That's Starting To Freak Me Out

This run of luck is really getting out of hand, now. I'm starting to be embarrassed about it, like a person who keeps winning the lottery every week. You'd hate that person, right? It's okay. I hate me too. Fookin' little apple polisher that I am.

Anyhoo, enough about my self-hatred and constant lottery winning. On to the lottery wins themselves!

First up, Michelle Buonfiglio, awesome romance community blogger and reviewer and one of the Big Five (Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Mrs Giggles, Karen Knows Best and Michelle's blog: Romance Buy The Book) commented on my cover on the B&N Unabashedly bookish blog, here:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish/Authors-Plan-Cover-Gods-Laugh/ba-p/410638

She had this to say about the cover:

"Anything but classic romance-novel cover, Charlotte Stein's "The Things that Make Me Give In" is stunning and alluring in its stark communication of intent to meet readers' expectations."

And then this, to say about the book itself:

"...one of the sexiest erotic-romance reads of 2009."

To which I say this:

...
...
...

I had to email the lovely Michelle to ask her if she actually really meant it. I kept checking the blog, to make sure she wasn't talking about someone else. I thought perhaps it was just one of those comments you make, you know, to be nice.

I have not recovered from her reply, in which she informed me that no, actually, she meant it. And that she'd read the book. And that she'd liked it. There are several levels of enjoyment here, I feel:

a) Michelle Buonfiglio actually noticed my book, amidst all the thousands of books she must get sent daily.

b) Not only did she notice it, she also read it. Yet another real live person actually read my book!

c) Not only did she read it, she also liked it.

d) She also then wrote about it, on the internet.

e) And provided me with a truly orsum cover quote for my next book. It's so orsum I might have to have it on my blog somewhere. It's so orsum that it contravenes my wariness of self-promotion and bragging and the like.

And as if that wasn't enough, I also heard that I'm going to be in the Xcite Valentine anthology, which you can see now listed on my sidebar of Ultimate Bragging. Or at least, I think that's the right cover and book (Janine Ashbless sez so, and I trust her). Getting into it was all a bit mysterious and last minute and things, and I followed the old rule rather than stopping to see what antho it was: if an editor asks you if you'd like to try for something, you drop everything and do it, immediatly.

My luck is soooo going to run out any minute. Right, single magpies?

More Lovely Things!

So first off, I'm only in a bloody press release:

http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/24187

I almost fainted. And Chloe Thurlow, KD Grace and Justine Elyot are going to be doing Xcite books, too! How amazing is that? They definitely are the creme de la creme of erotica, and am so happy for them. Especially my pal Justine, who deserves that end to the road to nowheresville more than anyone.

And then also, I've heard that the line up for Fairytale Lust has been approved by Cleis- and I'm in it! Having a story in this book is a great honour for me, not only because I've always wanted to write erotic fairytales, but also because Kristina Wright is a wonderful writer, an inspiration, and a lovely, lovely person. I was thrilled when she got this editing gig, and even more thrilled to have a story accepted by her.

Not only that, but I'm going to be rubbing shoulders with all sorts of fab peeps, like Justine Elyot, Saskia Walker, Jeremy Edwards, Janine Ashbless...I tell you what, when I first started out on this trail I never thought I'd get to be in books with the people I've looked up to for so long.

But anyhoo, my story is called The Return, and it's kind of based on something a little different. The Return of Martin Guerre- which isn't exactly a fairytale, but I've always felt it kind of is. Thankfully, Kristina agreed with me!

Big News

Okay, so I went back and forth about whether I should talk about this on my blog, yet. But the editor has said I can and I got the contract through today (so quickly!) so I think it's safe. I'm scared of jinxing it and somehow I still don't think it's real, but...here goes.

I'm going to be writing a novel for Xcite books! An entire novel! My second full length book! I'm actually getting the opportunity to write a second book, which after the summer I've had seems like some sort of miracle.

Of course I know that other authors have it far worse than me. That really, Black Lace closing is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Bad Things That Can Happen To Writers. But I did really feel as though I'd failed, somehow- that my dream of being a writer had ended, no matter how daft that might seem to the tough and hardy amongst you, out there.

So to have this opportunity again is just...I wish there was some writing God I could now make a grateful sacrifice to. Or someone I could thank. Of course I've thanked Adam Nevill. I mean, just because he liked me at Black Lace, did not in any way mean he was going to either a) like me at Xcite or b) be able to persuade the top brass there that I'm any good. So I should probably thank the top brass at Xcite.

But also Justine Elyot, who kept me going when times got rough. And Saskia Walker, Janine Ashbless, Jeremy Edwards, Madelynne Ellis, Portia Da Costa, Danielle, the LOFG forum gals...all you guys, everyone who has twittered me or commented on my blog and just kept me going. Christine Riley, my new ed. at Total-E-Bound, who's helped me get the faith back in myself. Lizzie, who made me do all of this in the first place. And Sefi, who is always my good friend whether I'm a writer or not.

It means so much to have that support, when writing can be so lonely and terrifying. So I swear, I will make it my mission in life to help any writer just starting out. That's how I'll pay it back. If you're out there, and there's a cheering word I can give you, I'll find you and give it. Don't give up. Don't ever give up, okay? It's been a year for me of steep lows and dizzying highs, but I've loved it all and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hitting The Hot Spot

So today's my day to post on Total-E-Bound's blog, Hitting The Hot Spot! See me here, rambling as usual about hot dudes and the stuff they do to me:

http://totalebound.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-need-hot-dudes.html

Yeah! Check me out, all being a Total-E-Bound author! Still don't think it's quite sunk in that I've got a novella coming out with them.