Sunday, June 24, 2012

Living and Learning, Laughing and Loving...On Vacation 2012!

                                                        

This past week, I had the opportunity to take a spur-of-the-moment vacation and, surprisingly, I took it. Now, why is this a surprise, you ask? Well, I am a lot of things, but spontaneous is not one of them. Having more than one deadline looming over my head and the limited internet and phone service did not help a bit. I mean seriously—me without Facebook and Twitter? (gasps) Preposterous!

However, I did it. I made it seven full days with minimal outside contact to the world. If you don’t believe me, you should check out my email inbox, notifications, messages, tweets, blogs, triberr…the list goes on and on and, oh yeah, on. Man, that totally makes me sound like a social networking addict. Oh well. If the shoe fits, wear it. Right?

Right.

So, instead of obsessing about why I shouldn’t go, I jumped in with both feet. Boy, am I glad I did. The week I spent at the beach was unlike any other trip I have ever taken. No, I did not strike gold or find the Fountain of Youth, and I did not figure out the meaning of life or discover the cure to a life-threatening disease. Hell, I didn’t even compose a symphony or learn a foreign language. But, and this is a big but, I did get to do four very important things. I lived and learned, laughed and loved. And I could not ask for more than that.

I lived by getting out into the world. See, I have this tendency to get rather wrapped up in writing. Okay, you got me. I admit it—that is an understatement of epic proportions. I get wrapped up tighter than a flipping mummy. I’m an intensely, insanely focused person, and I have to make sure to not get lost in the sea of things to do. This trip was perfect for that, especially right now in one of the busiest times of my life.  Hold on, though. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I got tons of work done while I was away, but I did it in a way that I had time to relax, too. In all honesty, I probably got more done than I would have here. Something about the area did it for me, and my creative streak went wild.

I learned about myself—as a person and as a writer. This was the first time I have ever been on a vacation where I couldn’t completely walk away from the world I find myself in. As a relatively new writer, I am still discovering things about my writing gig. Well, since I couldn’t suspend every deadline or turn off the characters and plots dancing around in my mind, I had to find a balance. That alone taught me a lot about myself.

I laughed and loved with my family. Yeah, I get to do this all the time. I’m lucky like that. But getting a chance to do it away from all the pressures around us is unbelievable. It was lovely to be able to go and do things at our own whims. My husband didn’t have to worry about work, and my daughter didn’t have to run off to school or watch her favorite television shows. We just spent quality time together where we goofed around. We joked, teased, tickled, giggled, hugged, and cuddled. Oh…and we ate fantabulous food! Now, I am a total foodie so this rated pretty high on my list.

Sadly, I have returned to reality, and I have tons of things to do. But it was worth it. Every second, every minute, every hour was precious and memorable. I wouldn’t change a thing.

 





 





 XOXOXO,

-Mia

“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” –T.S. Eliot

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Three's A Charm...Over at the 69 Shades Blog!

Hey everyone! This is my week to blog at 69 Shades of Smut.  Since I have been editing one book while writing another, I have been insanely busy.  So, instead of posting two blogs in separate places, I am going to put the link here for you to check out!

The blog is Three's A Charm...With Mia Ashlinn and The Dalton Triplets.  I might be on a date with the three smoking hot heroes from Shannon's Fairy-tale Foursome, and we might be at a sex toy shop called The G Spot in Serenity, Kansas.  You'll have to go here to find out:  http://69shadesofsmut.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/threes-a-charm/!

I hope everyone enjoys reading this blog as much as I did writing it.  These three men constantly remind me why three is a charm.  Have a great weekend!  XOXOXO!

Love and cherries,
-Mia

"Three is a charm.  Two is not the same." -Britney Spears, 3



I love this song! It gives me the giggles. I thought it was appropriate for this blog! :)
 
 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

"It Takes Three to Fly" Has a Release Date!!!

Hey everyone!  I received some fabulous news this morning.  The third book in the Sweet Serenity series has a tentative release date.  Siren Publishing has set It Takes Three to Fly to release on Friday, August 3, 2012!  Woohoo!

It looks like my summer is going to be a busy one.  With Shannon's Fairy-tale Foursome (Sweet Serenity 2) releasing on July 13th, It Takes Three to Fly (Sweet Serenity 3) releasing on August 3rd, and a couple of surprises I have up my sleeves, I will be pounding away at my keys a lot.  No complaints, though.  I love my job!

Hope everyone is having a great week.  XOXOXO!

Love and cherries,
-Mia

Friday, June 1, 2012

Naughty, No-Men-Allowed, No-Holds-Barred Weekend with the Girls of Serenity, Kansas!


Finishing a book is always bittersweet for me.  Yes, the heroine and heroes get their happily ever after.  And, yes, all is right in the fictional world.  Please queue the beautiful (and sappy) love song…



But, me, I’m alone.  Well, that isn’t entirely true.  I’m aloneuntil the characters from the next book start talking to me and won’t be quiet until I finish their story, thus starting the cycle over again.  However, that is another story.  Please excuse my pun…or not.  It was entirely intentional.  :)

I’m straying off topic….Quick!  Someone punish me!  Whips?  Paddles?  Crops?  Does anyone have anything naughty handy?  Canes?  Clamps?  Ohhh, no.  Not that one.  Handcuffs?  Anything?  Damn it.  I was hoping for some spanking action. 

I just keep getting deeper and deeper, huh?  Wait, you don’t even need to answer that one.  We all know what it is.  Yes.

It is, probably, time to get back to the blog rather than my kinky ramblings.  So, here’s what I thought.  Wouldn’t it be nice to take a trip to Serenity, Kansas on a purely pleasure visit?  Hmm…that didn’t come out right.  I do write erotic romances, after all.  I shall call it a Naughty, No-Men-Allowed, No Holds-Barred Weekend with the Girls.  Want to join us?  

 Well…
 

Why don’t you grab one of these…


 And we'll get the good times rolling!


(Mia knocks on Jaycee’s front door, bouncing up and down in excitement.)
Mia:  “Come on, come on, girls!  We’ve got to get this party started!”
Jaycee:  “I’m coming, I’m coming!”
(The door swings open, and Jaycee is standing there with Shannon and Katie-Anne behind her.)
Mia:  “That is not something you should be saying to me.”
Shannon:  (snorts) “We’re in for it now.  Mia is being feisty.”
Drew: (swaggers in and joins them) “Like you’re not feisty all the damn time, Shannon.”
Shannon:  (huffs)
Mia:  “Wait!  There aren’t supposed to be any men here.”
Drew:  “We know, Mia.  We’re all heading out.” 
(As soon as Drew quits speaking, Gray, Cade, Jared, Randy, Shane, and Landon appear.  With kisses to their respective women and whispered words, they leave.)
Mia:  “Can I come in now?”
Katie-Anne:  “Move aside, J, and let the woman in.”
Jaycee:  (growls at Katie-Anne)
Katie-Anne:  “Come on, J. She’s travelled all this way to see us.  The least you can do is be polite and let her in.”
Shannon:  (chants) “Let her in.  Let her in.  Let her in.”
Jaycee:  “I’ll let her in, if it will shut the two of you up for a minute.”
Mia: (laughs) “Good luck with that.”
Shannon:  “Ooh, Mia is a smart one.  I always knew that I liked her.”
Mia:  “Aw, you’re so sweet.”
Shannon:  “Maybe, I’m just being nice because of all the orgasms you wrote.”
Mia:  “Hey, you’re men gave them to you.”
Shannon:  “Yes, they did.”  (smiles wickedly)  “But you recorded them on your computer for me, and I can read them whenever I want.”
Katie-Anne:  “Why don’t you just go get the triplets?”
Shannon:  (snorts) “At the rate we’re going, I’ll fuck all three of them into the ground in no time.”
Jaycee:  “In your dreams.”
Shannon:  “No, in theirs.”
Mia:  “Still standing here, girls.”
Jaycee:  “Oh!” (moves aside and lets Mia in)  “Oops, sorry about that.”
Mia:  “No prob Bob.”
Jaycee:  “Let’s go in the kitchen.  Mia can cook, and we can all catch up.”
Mia:  “Gee thanks, Jaycee.”
Shannon:  “I’ll help you, my friend.  We all know how much I love to cook.”
Mia: (shrugs) “Works for me.”
Katie-Anne:  “Just please don’t burn anything.  If the stupid alarm goes off, those nine men will come back, and they won’t leave us again.”
Jaycee:  (nods)
Shannon: (mutters) “Damn overprotective men.”
(All three of them head down the hallway and into the kitchen)
Mia:  “I think it’s sweet the way they treat you three.”
Shannon:  “One man is sweet.  Two or more is a pain in the ass.”
Katie-Anne:  (snickers) “Yeah, there is a lot of pain in and on the ass with multiple men.”
Jaycee:  “Goooood pain.”
Shannon:  “Orgasmic pain.”
Mia:  “Oh stop!  We need to get the food going then you can let loose and be the perverts you are.”
Shannon:  “Takes one to know one, baby.”
Mia:  “Bite me.”
Shannon:  (bares her teeth)
(Katie-Anne and Jaycee stroll over to the kitchen table and have a seat.  Meanwhile, Shannon and Mia silently whip up a casserole then shove it in the oven.  After washing their hands, they join the other two women at the table.)
Mia:  “So what’s shaking?”
Shannon:  “Other than our beds?”
Katie-Anne:  “Shannon!”
Shannon: (innocent look) “What?  It’s the truth.”
Katie-Anne:  “Maybe for you…”
Shannon:  “Whatever, my friend.  I know better than that.”
Katie-Anne:  “Kiss my ass.”
Shannon:  “How many times do I have to tell you that you couldn’t handle a woman like me?”
Katie-Anne:  (sticks her tongue out at Shannon) “Bet you I could.”
Jaycee: (groans) “No betting.  You two get into way too much trouble when you make bets, and I am sure Mia doesn’t want to bail your asses out of jail.”
Mia:  “What about you?”
Jaycee:  (laughs) “Oh, honey. I’ll be watching and taking pictures for future use.”
Katie-Anne:  “Bitch.”
Jaycee:  “Whore.”
Katie-Anne:  “Love you.” (blows Jaycee a kiss)
Jaycee:  “Love you, too.” (blows Katie-Anne a kiss back)
Shannon:  “Freaks.”
Katie-Anne:  “Aww, Shannon is feeling left out.”
Shannon:  (flips Katie-Anne off)
Katie-Anne:  “I thought you said I couldn’t handle you, my dear.”
Shannon:  “I just want to see you try.”
Katie-Anne:  “Your bedroom or mine?”
Shannon:  “Bring it on.”
Jaycee:  “How long are you two going to keep this up?”
Shannon:  “Until someone wins.”
Mia:  “Ah, so we get to listen to this until the half past never?”
Shannon:  “I can kick her ass any day of the week with one hand tied behind my back.”
Katie-Anne:  “Sure you can, my dear.”
Jaycee:  “So, Mia, why don’t we ignore these two?”
Mia:  (eyes Katie-Anne then Shannon) “We can try, but I don’t think we’ll have much luck.”
Shannon:  “You’re damn skippy.  There is nothing that will shut us up.”
Mia:  “I know something that will.”
Jaycee:  (wiggles her eyebrows) “Me too.”
Katie-Anne:  “Yeah, well, they aren’t here.”
Shannon:  “Mmhmm…Besides, last time I checked, none of you had the parts that I need.  You couldn’t keep me sat-is-fied.”
Katie-Anne:  “Thank God.”
Jaycee:  “Shan, honey.  When the hell did you check what we did or didn’t have in our panties?”
Shannon:  (blushes) “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
Katie-Anne:  “I’m sure you didn’t.  How often has your mouth gotten you into trouble?”
Shannon:  “How often has it gotten you in trouble?”
Jaycee: “Fuck.  Here we go again.”
Mia: “No, we are not.  These two will behave, if I have to tie them up and gag them.”
Jaycee:  “They’d like that too damn much.”
Shannon:  (nods)
Katie-Anne:  (nods) “You have no idea.”
Mia:  “Oh yes I do.  I wrote all about you and your hedonistic nature.”
Shannon:  “She has a point.”
Katie-Anne:  “True.”
Mia:  “So what will make you guys behave?”
(rrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnggggg!)
Jaycee:  (points at the fire alarm) “That.”

Needless to say, our Naughty, No-Men-Allowed, No Holds-Barred Weekend hit a snag, but it didn’t end there.  We’re too sneaky and devious for that.  Maybe, one day soon, I’ll share the dirty details of the havoc the four of us wreaked that weekend.  Then again, maybe I won’t.  What happens in Serenity, stays in Serenity…until I sit down and start typing. 
Have a great weekend everyone! XOXOXO!

Love and cherries,
-Mia

"It Takes Three to Fly" Coming In August 2012!


"You could be a black bird on the country street,
hiding from the world with a broken wing,
but you better believe, you're gonna fly with me.
And you could be a songbird from New Orleans,
scared of the rain, just as scared to sing,
but you better believe, you're gonna fly with me."
-Keith Urban, You Gonna Fly
 
 
Happy Friday!  I just received wonderful news from Siren Publishing! It Takes Three to Fly (Sweet Serenity #3) is scheduled to release in August of this year.  I'm ridiculously excited about sharing Katie-Anne's story with you all! As more details come my way, I will keep everyone posted. XOXOXO!
 
Love and cherries,
-Mia