Tempted by Megan Hart

So, I received my copy of Tempted by Megan Hart last week as the prize for winning the Erotic Woman's Tempted Competition. I started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. It isn't short, over 400 pages, making it the longest erotic novel I've read to date. It was very good - I was really surprised by how much actual story there was. Sure, there was plenty of sex, and it was explicit and hot. But, the story was interesting and the characters had lots going on outside the bedroom as well. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, it definitely didn't end how I had expected it to - but, I think the ending was very realistic given the characters and the scenario of the story.

I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who likes the genre and will be keeping my eye out for more by Megan Hart in the future.

~Kat

Thursday Thirteen - Keyboard Shortcuts

My Thursday Thirteen...

13 Keyboard Shortcuts I Couldn't Live Without 1 - ctrl+end (takes you to the very end of the page/doc) 2 - ctrl+home (takes you to the very top of the page/doc) 3 - ctrl+s (saves) 4 - alt+tab (toggles between programs) 5 - ctrl+t (opens a new tab in browser) 6 - ctrl+tab (toggles between tabs in browser) 7 - ctrl+x, ctrl+c, ctrl+v (cut, copy, paste) 8 - F5 (refreshes a page) 9 - F2 (accesses editing function for file names or cells in excel) 10 - windows logo+m (minimizes all windows) 11 - ctrl+a (select all) 12 - ctrl+z (undo) 13 - ctrl+f (find)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in other's comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Things to Avoid in Italy

Ran across this today at Profoundly Shallow and wanted to share!!

Things to Avoid in Italy

Originally Posted By: MaggieMc - 15 Feb 2006 (from the Lonely Planet site)

Crossing the road

Look both ways. Pedestrian crossings are there for decoration or as a perverse form of population control. In order to cross the road before next Christmas, one must make a "leap of faith". Ironically, this is most unnerving near the Vatican

Wearing tracksuit pants

Casual is not cool. Even in the smallest village, the locals will glare with the condescension Italians spend a lifetime perfecting. These people get Armani to design the caribinieri uniforms. They are serious about fashion.

Criticising an Italian man's mother

Don't diss mamma. To him, she is the Virgin Mary and after a lifetime of cooking, cleaning, pampering, petting and mollycoddling them, they are rendered completely useless.

Going to a nightclub solo

Girls, Italian courtship is akin to watching a nature documentary; you are their prey and chances of survival reduce dramatically when unguarded. Female tourists are fresh meat: they smell you long before you come into view and you smell good.

Ordering a "latte"

It might work in Starbucks but in Italy you'll get a smirk and a glass of lukewarm milk. Best not to delve into the chai tea, caramel infused or decaf skinny varieties. Here, coffee can be black/white, short/long but always strong and good.

Forgetting the Romans

Italians believe they are directly descended from Caesar and Augustus. Some men around the Coliseum will even don togas to prove the point. All roads lead to Rome but no emergency exits when confronted with a grown, hairy man wrapped in only a sheet.

Criticising Italian cuisine

Don't joke that spaghetti is just noodles with tickets on itself. Marco Polo, aside from being the world's most popular swimming pool game, brought it back from Asia along with garlic and chilli, the staples of Italian cuisine. A sore point.

Asking for "a plate of penne pasta"

Americans, in a homespun accent "penne" sounds like "peni" to Italians, and you'll be asking for "penises". May put you in a spot of bother with a red-blooded Italian waiter. He'll assume it's a come-on and who knows what you'll get on your plate.

Mentioning the mafia

Use the "m" word in a cafe, guys will drop their espressos, the chick behind the counter will burn the foccacia and Godfather music will begin to play.

Asking for the vegetarian option

Vegetarians, Vegans, fruitarians and gluten intolerants, cancel flight now! This is the country that has one gastronomic mantra: "carb up!" Welcome to the wonderful world of the omelette.

Busy, Busy

So, it's been a pretty busy couple of days. I'm working on two short stories to submit at the end of this month. One for the Loose Id March Madness contest and the other for the Torquere Press Love Bites Anthology. I've got a pretty good sense for what I want to happen with both stories, and a couple thousand words written on both. I'm getting down to the wire to get them done and off to beta/edit before the deadline. I'd like to have a draft of both ready to go by the end of this week, which is definitely do-able.

That's it for now, I'm off to write...

~Kat

Picture Prompted Flash #2

This week's picture was too good not to include (see above). Below is the flash story I wrote in response.

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Lake House
(598 words)

I crept silently down the dock that led out onto the lake. It was dark and the only light was the glow of the full moon overhead. The summer evening was warm with just the slightest breeze in the air. The perfect evening for a midnight swim.

I sat down on the end of the dock to take off my shoes and socks. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and dropped it on top of my shoes. I sat there a moment longer, enjoying the solitude. I heard the familiar sounds of crickets and frogs, of the water lapping against the posts of the dock beneath me. I stood and began unbuttoning my denim shorts but paused at the sound of water splashing.

I turned my gaze out to the lake and stared intently, trying to locate the source of the sound. In the gleam of the moonlight I saw a pale hand raise out of the water and next to it a smiling face. My breath caught in my throat, fear filling me. Was it a ghost? I stood still, unable to move. The hand lifted from the water again and this time I saw a foot kick lightly against the surface of the water.

I watched as the figure began to drift toward the dock, using arms and legs to direct her travel in my direction. I took a step back away from the edge of the dock and was leaning down to grab my shirt and shoes when I heard a familiar voice.

"Wait," she said.

I looked quickly back to the water and this time recognized the beautiful face of Rose. Her family owned the cabin next to ours and like us, they spent their summers here at the lake. She was treading water several feet away from the dock and the thin white gown she wore clung to her curves. I watched as her breasts bobbed in the water with her movement.

"Hey," I said, standing up and taking a step back toward the edge of the dock. She smiled up at me.

"Didn't you come out here to swim?"

"Yeah, I'd planned on it. I didn't think anyone else would be out here."

"My family's leaving tomorrow to go back home," she said sadly.

"Oh," I said. I wasn't sure why she was telling me this.

"I thought maybe you'd come swim with me, since it's my last night here."

"Oh, sure," I said lamely, still standing on the dock not really understanding.

"I wanted to tell you good-bye," she said, face down toward the water.

I looked at her and when she glanced up at me, I finally saw what I had been missing all summer. She wanted me.

We stared at each other for a few moments and then she cocked her head at me in question. In answer, I slowly slipped into the lake and treaded water a few feet away from her. She floated toward me, her creamy skin almost glowing in the moonlight. She reached out and placed her hands on my shoulders, her breasts brushing against my chest. I leaned forward and kissed her hesitantly on her lips. She responded with enthusiasm and soon I was pulling her against me, our legs rubbing together as we continued to tread water.

We stayed out all night, talking and swimming and saying good-bye.

Her family packed up and left the next day and my family left a few weeks later. The next summer I found out Rose's family had sold their house. I never saw her again.

Valentine's Day Free Reads

Once again this year, Romance Divas has organized the 2008 E-Book Challenge.

What the heck is the E-Book Challenge?

The E-book challenge is a network of authors who will be linked together. They have writen a story of their heart to share to the world for FREE. There are no limits. There are no word counts.

See the list of authors who participated with links to their free stories here and enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!
~Kat

Valentine's FFC Listing

The complete list of participating stories for the Valentine's Flash Fiction Carnival has been posted. Check out the list here to view all the submitted stories on the topic of Love.

~Kat