In honor of Halloween, I’m posting a short excerpt from WOLFE’S GATE, part of the HOWL anthology.

Happy Holiday, all!

Rising, she tiptoed quietly across the room and tried the door once again. Still locked. The bastard had actually imprisoned her and failed to take advantage of it! Wasn’t there an unspoken, barbarian law somewhere that insisted a captive woman should be ravished at least once during her brief stay?

Huffing angrily over to the window, Red pulled it open and pressed her forehead to the screen, inhaling deeply. The room was comfortable enough, but her body felt heated, tightly wound.

There was a freshness to the air, now drained of the nervous energy of lightning. All was silent and moist, the fine rain beading on the browning leaves and lush grass beneath a full, ghostly moon.

Halloween, she mused. She couldn’t imagine a child coming to this property, even for candy. It was built almost like a fortress, with high walls and fences surrounding the main compound of the house, and the guest cottages planted at the four corners of the rear.

The guest cottages…

Red leaned closer to the screen, trying to peer through the mist and rising fog.
The guest cottages whose doors hung wide open to the night…

(more…)

I sucked at this game when I was a KID–but Steph tagged me anyway.
My answers below–and I’ll continue to spread the disease by tagging Jordan. Just because.

1. First name?—Raine, for writing purposes
2. Were you named after anyone?—As far as my real name–yes. A soap-opera star.
3. Do you wish on stars?—Not anymore. Jimminy Cricket is a lying little insect.
4. When did you cry last?—Last week. Dammit.
5. Do you like your handwriting?—Yes.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat?—Corned beef.
7. What is your birth date?—April 15th. Lots of interesting things happened on that day…
8. What is your most embarrassing CD?—’Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer’.
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?—Yes. I’m good people.
10. Do you have a journal?—No. I grew up with 2 brothers. I’m no fool.
11. Do you use sarcasm a lot?—Yes. It’s a great way to be bitter & silly at the same time.
13. Would you bungee jump?—Nope. I’m not big on heights, & I’m not well-coordinated. Okay–I’m slightly accident-prone. Okay–I’m a walking death-trap.
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?—Yes. Unless I’m too tired. Then I cut ‘em off with a rotary saw.
(more…)

‘Tis the season!

I see lots of people posting ideas for celebrating Halloween.
Thought I’d post a few DON’T GO THERE items instead…

1) Before you go bump in the night with somebody wearing a really scary mask, take a moment to be SURE it’s a mask.

2) Rule of thumb: maximum height for high heels on Halloween is 2 inches. Trust me. I don’t care if you’re disguised as a Vegas showgirl. TWO INCHES. And pumps–no straps or boots. Ya gotta be ready to kick those suckers off at a moment’s notice so you can RUN YOUR ASS OFF.

3) If the kid at the door is 7-feet tall, with a face sewn by Singer and knobs on his neck, DON’T tell him he’s to old for trick or treat. GIVE HIM THE CANDY. Hell–GIVE HIM YOUR REFRIGERATOR.

4) If your date has goat’s feet, ask to see a notarized Certificate of Cloning. If none is offered, move quickly and quietly to the nearest exit.

5) SIGHTS: Sudden, voluminous fog, bleeding walls, oozing doorways, hellfire, anything that flies at night, or children being sucked into televisions means you’re not in your happy place. Risk the ridicule of your friends and RUN YOUR ASS OFF.

6) SOUNDS: Howling, chain saws, screaming, dentists’ drills, shuffling feet, or voices telling you to leave the house. For appropriate action, please see above.

7) If any of the above happens, and you CAN’T run—STAY IN A GROUP!! Paranormal creatures prefer the one-on-one approach. I mean, what’s worse? Being torn to bits, or taking a piss in front of a few snickering people? (rhetorical question–please do not e-mail your responses to me…)

8) If he’s hot, buff, gorgeous, 25, with slightly elongated teeth, and he tells you he’s been waiting an eternity to have you—ah, what the hell, ya gotta go sometime…

It’s come to my attention that I rarely, if ever, post short entries.

See Raine see.
See Raine see that she has 45 free minutes for writing!
See Raine at keyboard. Raine has theme music, spring water, and carrot sticks for a nice, healthy session.
See Raine remember. Raine needs to research one irritating historical point.
See Raine’s dial-up take 15 minutes to connect. Connect, little dial-up, connect!
Hear Raine’s sigh of relief as internet comes up. One minute of search, and Raine will be ready to write.

See Cody. Cody is Raine’s psychotic kitty. Cody has just eaten.
See Cody’s back hunch. See Cody’s eyes quickly scan area for favorable location.
See Cody rush to cornflower-blue carpet. See Cody gag and toss his breakfast before Raine can reach him. Hurl, Cody, hurl!!
(more…)

“I am leaving this legacy to all of you … to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die - the dream of freedom and peace.”

On or around September 2, 2005, Katrina evacuees from the Superdome, who had endured personal loss, heat, hunger, squalor, humiliation, and thirst were forced to move to the back of a line of people boarding busses. 700 employees and guests of the Hyatt hotel, who had survived in relative comfort, were allowed to board first.
The evacuees complied, the news was broadcast, the politicians poo-pooed, and the story was left behind in the dregs of the disaster.

In December, 1955, a soft-spoken Black seamstress was ordered to surrender her seat to a White man. She refused, was arrested, and fined $14.
And helped set in motion a chain of events that altered the course of American history.

Would I have given up peacefully in either case? I’d like to THINK not. I’ve got a seat. I paid for it. I earned it. If I didn’t, my father did, or my father’s father, or his father before him.

And I’d like a nice, smooth, undisturbed ride too. But whether the excuse is race or class or gender or sexuality…whether you threaten me with the law, terrorism, poverty, or accusations of lack of patriotism—I ain’t givin’ up the seat.

The quotation above is by the woman who asserted her right to be treated as a citizen of this country, equal to any other American.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Rosa Parks.

As for the rest of us—keep those walking shoes handy. There’s still lots of work to be done.

My, my, the weekend flew by. And any PLANS I might’ve had for it went straight out the window.
I spent the bulk of it dealing with a repairman—demi-gods of the self-employed. They neither sow, nor do they reap. They simply snub those who are slaves to the hands of a clock. And they have strong backs and knees–no doubt acquired from doing so much business under tables.

I’m one of those people who hesitate to make PLANS anyway because they NEVER, EVER WORK OUT AS PLANNED.
EVER.
Now, I do know people who manage this. And things do seem to go according to their agenda.
Little do they know what they’re missing. After all–what is life without adventure?

My next Loose Id release after the anthology HOWL is called RHENN.
THE PLAN was for Rhenn to be released early next year sometime.
Well…………………………………………………………

You guessed it. Rhenn will be released within the next month!

Please note: this is NOT a complaint! I’m very pleased, honored, and excited. And very grateful to Id for having confindence in me. I love the story! (For those who haven’t subscribed to my newsletter INTERCOURSE, it’ll be the first place I post excerpts, interviews, and peeks at new novels–please see the sidebar on the blog to join!).

So…what’s the plan now?
There is another erotica I may submit soon. It’s…different. But I haven’t quite made up my mind.

I’ve roughed out another Incubus story. No, Gabriel isn’t in it (sorry, ladies!). This hero is…well, darker. More frightening, but still sexy. And he, too, has PLANS for a special young lady.

I’ve been told by Grayson Wolfe that I’m doing a follow-up story for Alana from Wolfe’s Gate (thanks for that info, Gray).

And I’m going back to work on a single-title I’ve been back-shelving. It’s not ‘erotica’, but it is very sexy, and actually finalled in a contest. Love the storyline, so THE PLAN is to finish, hand it over to some lucky agent, and sit back and watch the bids fly.

Yes, I have a rich fantasy life.

But what the hey–this may just be THE PLAN that works. Stranger things have happened.

After all–what is life without adventure?