The REC Update

Hello everyone!
It's been a while since I've blogged because I wanted to give the authors a chance to show off their stuff! And you have to admit, they're some beautiful writing! But now for the update. The REC has gotten bigger now it is up to us, the REC MODs to make the REC better for you. Next week is My Reading Week from university and also Angel's so the both of us are going to sit down and come up with a way or ways to do so.

During our meeting, we'll also be talking about our next big contest that we would like to put on then after the meeting, we'll post here and on the loop what is going on and what we've decided on.

The winners of the Scottish Nocturnal contest will be out as soon as we can all finish reading all the stories.

Anyways going back to studying.
Kendra

Marie Rochelle's Valentine's Day reads!!!!

Marie Rochelle fans,
I want to let everyone know that my new V-day story With all my Heart will be released on Feb.13th from www.redrosepublishing.com

and for those of you who haven't read Pamper Me yet don't forget to pick up that wonderful V-day read too. What could be better than having two stories about Valentine's Day from me? Or buy Pamper Me and give it to a friend as a gift.
Marie Rochelle

Cover Model by Marie Rochelle Buy Now

“I want two scoops of vanilla and add some sprinkles on top of it too.” Kissa dug inside the bottom of her purse while she waited for her ice cream. As she found the correct money the strangest sensation came over her body.
“You should have told me that you liked liking vanilla. I would have offered up my body in a hot second,” a warm male voice whispered by her ear.
Shivering at the picture of Forbes lying naked on his back while she licked her way down his well-defined body almost made Kissa drop the money in her hand.Taking a deep breath, she bullied her body back under control and faced the wicked man behind her.
The forest green t-shirt was plastered to his perfectly portioned body and shoved into a pair of tight jeans that molded his hard thighs and everything else in between. Kissa slowly ran her tongue over her bottom lip, not knowing what the action did to Forbes’ semi-aroused body.
“Shame on you,” she scolded. “You shouldn’t offer me things like that. I might take you seriously.”
Forbes backed her so fast into the corner by the ice cream booth that she didn’t have time to blink. “You might have forgotten what we did at Ian’s photo shoot, but I haven’t. Do you know how many dreams I’ve about you at night? In some states, they are illegal.”
“That isn’t my fault,” Kissa answered over her racing heart. “We had a moment of passion and nothing else. I told you I don’t sleep with the men I work with.”
“Technically, I work for my model agency and your publisher until the cover is finished. We can date and have all the fun we want,” he whispered tracing the swell of her breasts with his finger. “Don’t you want to have fun with me? It’s summer which means passion is in the air.”
“Stop,” she moaned trying to move her body away from Forbes. His erection was poking against her, causing a pool of moisture to rush between her legs. “We can’t be doing this in public.”
“Would you rather we do this in private?” Hard fingers pulled at her nipples while his tongue licked at the side of her neck. “You smell delicious. Does the rest of you smell this good?”

Buy now @
www.redrosepublishing.com

A Contest Reminder

The Romance Erotica Connection, Dark Eden Press and The Romance Studio are pleased to bring you....

The REC Dark Eden Scottish Nocturnal Contest

Submissions will be accepted until January 31, 2008.

Maybe it's the kilts or the accents or even the mythical beauty but whatever it is we love Scottish men. Here's your chance to impress us with your hottest, most scintillating Scottish tale ever! But we have a way to make these heavenly hunks even hotter...How you ask? By making them creatures of the night! Each of the Scottish leads has to be a creature of the night; be it a Vampire, werewolf, gargoyle, go ahead, impress us!

We are looking for truly hot, original pieces that keep us reading.
*** And yes, GLBTQ stories are welcomed ***
Length of works: 8-12KHeat level: Sensual to Erotic

Please visit http://www.freewebs.com/romanceconnection/recdepcontest.htm for more information on prizes for the contest!

Tigra-Luna LeMar

I am.

In this age of frantic connectivity, we live in a small world, yet fragmented nonetheless. In the technological sense, we are networked up to our eyeballs, yet within ourselves we often trudge on in isolation…dealing with our little hurts, challenges and concerns. We share things but only in part—wishing to keep a share of our innermost thoughts hidden away, for privacy cannot be completely relinquished, even with our loved ones.

Why so philosophical, you may ask? As some of you know, I am presently spending the holidays visiting with my family in Europe (the Mediterranean island of Malta, to be precise). My regular blogs have somewhat taken the back seat but I wanted to assure everyone that I’m still very much alive :-D. Last week, in fact, I had a birthday. Yet another day to remind me of the fast passage of time and perhaps for this reason, I wanted to spend my morning touring the Hypogeum - an underground architectural wonder—a necropolis—sculpted by a lost civilization into the limestone rock some four and a half millennia ago. I needed proof that identity can survive the ravages of time, that in some ways, when we create, we can live on through our work.


The place is a burial site, an area where the prehistoric people could lay to rest their dead and honor them. The Sleeping Lady (pictured to the right as lying in a sort of emulation of peaceful death or trance) was placed as a central figure amongst the slew of decomposing bodies. The latter would be all thrown in one mountainous heap, yet still wearing or holding their individual treasures as if their family wanted to retain their identity even in death. I could clearly imagine a burial ceremony taking place as I walked down the stone steps to the lower levels of the site and stood looking at one of the most impressive rooms: the Holy of Holies (picture above). The circular patterns painted in the now faded red ochre on the walls of some chambers seem to be an ode to the continuity of life and the vivid life blood that courses through our veins.

The civilization that built this magnificent sanctuary is no more. They disappeared into the night, never to be heard or seen again on our islands. Nobody knows what happened to these people. From what I learned, however, they were a community of peaceful farmers who revered nature and respected it. They were close and worked together to create the Hypogeum, their life goal which took several generations to complete. In a sense, these people were “networked”, living as one, thinking as one. They knew their limitations and respected the environment they lived in. Like many of us, they believed that death would bring on some sort of journey into a utopian afterlife.

I like to think of this civilization as a people who sought their identity and found their dream place on this little island, at least for a time. They had no computers, no technology. They built their magnificent temples and sanctuaries using stone and antler, bull and goat horns. In this sense, they were as one, striving for a common goal. They did not need the Internet to feel grounded, connected.

Today, the Internet is considered—and is—a wonderful thing. But has it truly “linked” us? I do not mean in the business or superficial sense, but in the true, individual relationship sense. Also—has it helped us remain grounded in who we are (the “id”, not the “ego”) or has our sense of self become scattered and as disjointed as the world around us?

As I stood in the semi-darkness of the muted artificial lighting, I thought about me—the “I”, the “id”. I thought about what I was and who I have become. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish and who I wanted to be. I realized that I am many things, a complicated, shifting puzzle constructed from the experience of 37 years. The pieces of this puzzle keep increasing and the shapes are continuously evolving. Yet I remain me—myself, swimming in this murky ocean along with everyone else. I could get lost in this great big world, yet I have always insisted on remaining firmly grounded to my roots. My love of my native country has not wavered over the years I’ve been away, but I have in my heart a place for many loves—my husband, my family, my childhood home, my chosen home. Professionally and in many other ways, I strayed for a time, in search of an identity outside of myself, trying the “other” thing, fooling myself that what was given to me to build and cherish was not sufficient. I did not “honor” myself, as the old civilization I wrote about here did.

I now know better. As a child, I dreamt of being a writer, I grew up wanting to be a writer…when I became a lawyer I wondered what it would feel like to be a writer. Now I am truly and simply, a writer. I have a voice, and I have an identity, both as an artist and person. My loves and my “id” transcend time and geography. I treasure the “id” of awareness, of individuality—the part of me that tells me that I matter in my own microcosm and that I have a place in the macrocosm surrounding it. I am not more important. I, like you, am simply important.

Yet life is fleeting and many may feel it’s quite worthless. There are moments when doubt hits me. So I make it a point to remind myself, when I ever am in the doldrums: I am of Malta. I am of America. But most importantly, I am.


~ Angela Guillaume ~
"Breathtaking Sensual Romance"
Website: http://www.angelaguillaume.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/angelaguillaume
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/breathtakingromance/
Blog: http://angelaguillaume.blogspot.com
"Mile High to Heaven"--Xtra hot!!!--Contemporary short. Download @ Aphrodite's Apples.
To read more about it, visit: http://www.aphroditesapples.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=11
"Mr. & Mrs. Foster"--A toasty warm holiday tale--just released!!! More info at: http://www.aphroditesapples.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=37

Special Delivery coming soon from Cobblestone-press

“Mr. Scott, did you want to see me?”
Preston glanced up and his eyes froze on the woman in front of him. He guessed that she wasn’t older than thirty maybe a year younger. A burgundy v-neck sweater was stretched across her full breasts over white slacks enhancing a narrow waist. The richness of the sweater highlighted the dark beauty of her skin making him want to reach out and touch it. It reminded him of perfectly melted chocolate. The kind you poured over hot fudge sundaes as a kid.
Preston let his eyes wandered over the exquisite vision in front of him because woman’s body should be.
“Excuse me did you hear me?” She asked again drawing his attention back to her naturally full lips.
Shaking himself out of his daze he stared into her coffee brown eyes, “No, I’m sorry could you repeat what you said.”
He tried not to laugh as the cutie in front of him tried not to roll her eyes at him. It had been a very long time since a woman had made him laugh within five minutes of her entering the room.
Taking a deep breath she stared directly into his eyes and said. “Mr. Scott, you wanted to see me?”
Yeah, he sure did want her, but probably not in the way she was thinking

Coming from CobbleStone press on Dec. 22nd.

www.cobblestone-press.com

#3 on the A.A. bestseller list...

Dear friends,

During the month of November I was promoting my book which Aphrodite's Apples was offering at a 10% discount. Thanks to your enthusiastic response, I have just discovered that "Mile High to Heaven" has risen to the #3 position on the bestseller list...something which I consider a great achievement especially considering that this is my debut novel.

I'm stunned and elated! I cannot adequately express my gratitude for your loyal readership; and I look forward to giving you many more stories from which you can draw positive emotions and inspiration.

So the purpose of this message is simply to say...THANK YOU!

And for those of you who haven't...please join my Yahoo Group for news and updates on my writing adventures (link below) :-)

Warm Regards,

~ Angela
PS - Presently, "Mile High to Heaven" is available for download at the price of $2.99


~ Angela Guillaume ~
"Breathtaking Sensual Romance"
Website: http://www.angelaguillaume.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/angelaguillaume
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/breathtakingromance/
Blog: http://angelaguillaume.blogspot.com
"Mile High to Heaven"--Xtra hot!!!--Contemporary short available now @ Aphrodite's Apples.
To read more about it, visit: http://www.aphroditesapples.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=11