Weddings on the mind...

My mind is nearly consumed with thoughts of weddings these days. So much so that I nearly forgot to post here! My baby brother is getting married this weekend, and it's sure to be a party. I'm looking forward to seeing him and his fiancee get married, but I'm also surprised at how quickly the time has gone. I remember when I first met my brother's fiancee, back when they were just freshmen in college.

But why am I talking about weddings? I've also been thinking a lot lately about what romances promise readers. As a writer, what level of a "happily ever after" do I need to deliver on? Is it dependent upon the length of the story? Is it going to vary from story to story, period? As a reader, I started consuming romances when I was just starting high school. Being raised the good little Catholic girl I was, I believed in being married and being chaste until you were. Which is the main reason I stuck with Signet Regency Romances and other similar lines for so long. Now, as an adult, I recognize all the different flavors of life to suit the individuals we are as humans. I can play around with what promises my stories deliver on. But to what extent? My question to you, dear readers, at what point/s are you feel the promise of romance has been delivered?

New Review For CLAIMING HANNAH

5 Angels!

"In Claiming Hannah, author Sherrill Quinn has created a threesome of two dominants and one sub and the fact that they readily admit to this makes for an absolutely explosive combination. From the minute they are together there is a high risk of self -combustion, and the flames just seem to get hotter as time goes by... There is a prequel, The Claiming, which sounds as if it is just as burn-your-fingers-hot as this one. This reader can only hope there is a third installment on the way it would appear that Ian is set to star in his own show… and with Ms. Quinn in the driver's seat, you'd better come prepared with your flame-resistant outer wear, because it's guaranteed to be smokin'!" (Lynn, Fallen Angel Reviews)

You can read the full review here.

To read an excerpt or buy, click here.

I'm sorry!

Hi guys! I'm so sorry for standing you up today -- my husband's father is in the hospital, and the family is not expecting him to last very long. So we just got back from Maine, and expect to be going back in the morning. In the meantime, I'm going to try and be a good spouse (HA! but I can try) and see if I can keep him distracted.

-- Sierra

Wild Wednesday-lazy birthday post

Okay, so it's my 30th birthday and I still have tons of errands to do today and kid stuff to deal with and so, in an attempt to spoil myself, I'm going to do a lazy blog!!!

Sorry, but I hope you'll enjoy two of my most favorite man meat photos....



Damn this guys just has it going on, I love his sexy dark dangerous vibe.



And here he is again, in a more pensive, manly moment. Sigh.

And I'll finish up with an excerpt from "Sinfully Sweet", which I just found out scored 5 hearts from The Romance Studio!!! yeay!

Happy day everyone,

Anna J. Evans

“Sinfully Sweet” 2nd in the Perfectly Wicked Series By Anna J. Evans July 6 2007 Link to buy:http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=AJE BLURB: Bella’s a sweet candy maker, who’s been framed for a horrible crime. Being accused of trying to boil children in a vat of peanut brittle has been bad for business, and even worse for her heart. Can she save her company, or will the secret she’s sworn to keep force her to abandon her legacy as a beloved confectioner to the Kingdom? Heath makes sex toys—kinky sex toys. This bad boy has a sweet tooth that’s out of control. He’ll do anything to convince Bella to create the flavors for his edible underwear and flavored condoms…absolutely anything. But a simple seduction goes awry when Heath begins to lose his heart, and an ancient curse shows both lovers how quickly sweet can cross the line into sinful. EXCERPT: Screw second thoughts. He wanted this woman and she wanted him. There was no way he’d let a case of performance anxiety—or whatever the hell this weird feeling was—make him pass up what would no doubt prove to be an amazing experience. He would have Bella in every way that he wanted her. In bed, and as a member of his staff. He would just have to find a middle ground, find a way to claim her as his lover while still winning her as a colleague. He could walk the line. He was a line dancer from way back. Besides, his heart and his cock refused to settle for less, so his brain was just going to have to figure something out as he went along. As he moved toward the bed, the kitchen table saved his life. Or rather, what was on the kitchen table. He grabbed the bowl, not even bothering to ask what was inside. It smelled great, looked like it tasted even better, and what better way to prove to her he was for real than to show her exactly how he’d like to use her unique gifts? “What are you—” “Shh. I have something to show you.” He dipped his fingers into the slightly warm, gooey white mixture and slowly reached out to her lips. She laughed as she realized what he had in mind, a sweet sound that made him want to laugh right along with her. But then she opened her mouth and reached out with the tip of her tongue, banishing his sense of humor. God, she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. He was seconds away from coming in his pants, and quickly changed his mind about how tame he wanted to begin her tutoring session. Stopping inches short of her already kiss-swollen lips, he dropped his hand, keeping his eyes glued to hers so he could watch her response when he slowly circled her nipple with the sticky peppermint cream. She didn’t disappoint him, jumping slightly and emitting the softest hint of a moan when his hand made contact with her swollen tip. Even that quiet, hungry sound, however, was enough to ramp up his own excitement another impossible notch. Heath had to fight for control, struggling to keep his pressure gentle, his fingers whisper-soft on her skin. There was a time for ripping off panties and fucking like wild animals, and there was a time for foreplay and a little erotic torture. This encounter was of the second variety, no matter how much his cock might try to persuade him otherwise. “What is this stuff?” he asked. Talking was good, talking helped to keep his mind off how badly he wanted to taste something a lot more intimate than Bella’s latest batch of candy. “Fudge.” Her lips trembled slightly and her eyes grew an even darker shade of blue as he flicked his thumb back and forth over her nipple, coating every inch of her. Heath was so unbelievably turned on that he swore he could feel the same thrill of excitement that coursed through Bella as he touched her, feel when his teasing touch started to drive her over the edge. “I like fudge,” he said, gently pushing her back onto the bed and lengthening himself above her. Deliberately he pressed his hips against hers, knowing she could feel the hard length of his erection against her thigh. His cock was seeking her center as if it would rip through his pants in its eagerness to merge with her completely. There shouldn’t be a shred of doubt left in her mind that he wanted her. Urgently. Painfully even. “Fudge hardens quickly,” she whispered with a fantastically naughty smile, shifting her hips against his. A groan escaped his throat even as he smiled down at her. “Then I’d better hurry up.” He held her gaze as he lowered his mouth to her breast and began licking her clean.

Didn't know they recruited the public for this...

I heard about this on my drive to work this morning and could not stop laughing:

Durex Condom Testers - Their lead line is "Are you a sexual intercourse enthusiast?"

Now, if you could test drive anything, what would you want to do?

Demon of Her Dreams - Coming Wednesday

The first book in the Sassy Devils series, Demon of Her Dreams, is coming in two more days!



Here's a sneak peek:

All supernatural creatures--angels, demons, faeries, trolls, werewolves, you name it--work for a company called Sassy Devils, LLC. The company has three main divisions: the Faery Division (the CEO is Tatiana); the Demon Division (the CEO is Lucifer); and the Angel Division (the CEO is the archangel Gabriel). The Chairman of the Board is God Himself. Whatever contact these supernatural "Others" have with humankind, it is directed by Sassy Devils. But...the Brotherhood of the Red Claw, a group of disenfranchised Others, is determined to wreak havoc with SD's plans in any way they can.

Demon of Her Dreams involves one of Lucifer's sons, Urian Vakidis, an incubus on an undercover mission to discover the leader of the Brotherhood and, hopefully, put a stop to the organization. His assignment brings him back into contact with Hailey Kovac, a woman he's fallen in love with through the sex dreams they've shared over the years. Hailey's strong and courageous, though certainly discombobulated by this recent twist in her reality. When it comes down to it, it takes both of them--with some help from Lucifer--to bring things to an end.

~ * ~
Lucifer sat in the opulent conference room and watched the fur fly. Literally. The CEO of the Faerie Division ripped out another handful of hair from the head of the Executive President of the Shape Shifters Department and flung it the length of the long table.

The werecat yowled in pain and reached toward the faerie queen with hands morphing into sharp-taloned claws.

"You need to get control of your furry there, Bub."

Lucifer glanced at the lavender-eyed being on his left. "You know I hate that name." Whoever had come up with the nickname Beelzebub--which his colleagues insisted on shortening to "Bub"--should be tossed into a lake of fire. And he just happened to know where a really big one was.

Ah, well, there were other things to worry about these days. There usually were. Motioning toward his subordinate, he shrugged. "He got himself into this mess--I want to see if he can get out of it." He watched the two combatants for a moment, shaking his head when the faerie managed to rip another chunk of hair off the werecat. Lucifer turned his gaze to the man in white at the head of the table. "Besides, the Big Guy there can stop it anytime He wants to."

"And maybe He's waiting to see how you handle it, did you ever think of that? Maybe He's testing your management ability?" Lavender eyes narrowed, Gabriel shifted on his stool and unfurled his wings in a wide stretch. As they settled behind his back once more, he muttered, "Our Great King's power may be unlimited, but His patience is not."

Lucifer settled more deeply into his padded leather chair. One upside to being cast out of Heaven--and losing his wings in the process--was that he usually didn't have to put up with all this melodrama. He could stay below and govern his grim domain.
Though he must admit, he did miss flying through the heavens with only clouds beneath him.

Irritated at the reminder of his own stupidity millennia ago, Lucifer pushed to his feet and slammed his hands onto the table. The loud crack garnered him the attention he sought. "You--" he pointed to his former Executive President--"go back to the Demon Division. We'll discuss this later." When the werecat hesitated, Lucifer brought up one hand and, calling forth the fire that burned in his soul, bounced a glowing ball of flame in his palm. "Go!"

The shape shifter winced and gave a low bow, his eyes never leaving the fiery sphere in Lucifer's hand. Once the werecat had left the room, Lucifer looked at the faerie queen. "And you," he drawled, clenching his fist, sending the fire back inside his body, "need to lighten up and learn how to take a joke."

The red-haired beauty pouted and flounced back to her seat. She tucked a long strand of curly hair behind one pointed ear. "I know how to take a bleedin' joke," she muttered, her sultry brogue reflecting her heritage amidst the rolling green hills of Ireland. "What he said wasn't funny."

"Aw, come on, Tatiana. It was kinda funny, even you have to admit that." Lucifer sat down and leaned back in his chair.

She crossed her arms, an action that plumped her cleavage. All the males in the room--well, all but one--leaned forward for a better look. A sensuous smile broke across her face. Picking up a pen, she rubbed her fingers up and down its length while she traced her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. Her deep blue eyes sparkled with feminine power.

Until she looked at Lucifer. Then the smile left her face and she slapped the pen onto the table. Her eyes darkened with annoyance. "'How many faeries does it take to change a light bulb' is funny?"

Trying to hold back a chuckle, he ended up snorting, which only made her scowl. "Hell, yes, it's funny," he said. "'Just one if you get him plugged in right' is a damned fine punch line."

"We're not bloody light bulbs," she shouted, jumping to her feet. In a fit of temper, she picked up her pen and threw it at him.

He dodged it with a laugh.

"Enough!" The deep voice boomed, making the gold-framed pictures on the wall rattle.

Silence reigned as everyone's attention turned toward the head of the table. Tatiana slowly sat down, her attitude as subdued as everyone else's. "Your pardon, my King."

"Thank you." Yahweh leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "If we can get back to business…" His steely gaze fixed on Lucifer. "I believe we were about to receive your progress report on the Brotherhood."

Lucifer nodded and stood. For months they'd been aware that all of their efforts--both good and bad--were being undermined. His son, Urian, had allegedly gone rogue to try to find out who, and why. Over the last six months, he'd managed to find the group--they called themselves the Brotherhood of the Red Claw--and was very close to discovering who the leader was.

This upset in the balance between good and evil had to be stopped, and soon, or there would be utter bedlam. And while that would make chaos demons quite happy, everyone else realized there had to be stability or life as they all knew it would end.

Copyright ©2007 Sherrill Quinn. All Rights Reserved.


Demon of Her Dreams - coming October 24th at Ellora's Cave!

Eighth Wand released Wednesday!

Buy it here.

The tarot card Prudence finds at a Wiccan Beltane festival promises passion, travel, and the end of a stagnant, dull situation. She has no idea that the card's prediction is about to come true in the form of Royd, a warrior of the Fae on Earth to retrieve the eighth wand of his people's lands, stolen from them by Prudence's grandmother.

Royd wants only to take the wand back home, until he sees Prudence and is instantly captivated by her vibrancy and life. Together they must fight to send him safely back with his prize, but perhaps in Prudence he's found something just as valuable…and just as hard to lose.


Chapter One

The problem with the women of the Bright Moon coven was that they insisted on doing outdoor rituals without shoes on. Prudence knew it could be worse. The thought of going skyclad—naked—filled her with horror.
But now the circle had ended and Prudence, unable to find her sandals, was picking her way through the woods to find fuel for the bonfire while pebbles and sticks scraped and poked her feet.
Good thing it was Beltane and almost summer. She couldn’t imagine doing this at Samhain in the October chill. They better have the fire ready before the ritual then. If she was still in the coven.
Ignoring the large logs she couldn’t easily carry, Pru filled her arms with smaller sticks. One load down. She’d head back, drop these off and—
“Where is it?”
Pru gasped and spun around, dropping the sticks. One of them landed squarely on her poor bare foot.
“Ouch! Damn it, shit!” She stepped forward with her good leg, reaching down to hold her injured foot, and fell over. Something sharp stabbed her in the shoulder. “Ow!” Struggling to sit, she glared at the man standing a few feet away. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Enough games. Where is it?”
“Excuse me?” The sun had almost set. All Pru could see of the stranger was his shadowy outline, large and solid. Blue-black highlights shone in his hair where the last rays of light came through the trees.
She’d thought he was one of the men from the ritual. It seemed she was wrong. She would have remembered those broad shoulders and that thick, long hair.
“Where is the wand?”
Those rays highlighted the clear lines of some impressive muscles as well. Prudence rose from the ground, her fingers curled around one of the thickest of the fallen sticks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You lie.”
“Hey! Who do you think you are?” Brandishing the stick, Pru started inching her way backward, feeling carefully with her toes to make sure she didn’t trip. “If you want a wand so bad, you should have come in time for the festival and bought one. All the booths are closed now, it’s time for the bonfire.”
Something else flitted through her mind, but she ignored it. So she’d found a tarot card earlier, so what? The eight of wands didn’t mean anything to anyone, really. Of course, it had meanings—travel, all-consuming passion, freedom from a stagnant situation—but finding the card meant nothing. The man couldn’t possibly be talking about that.
Could he?
“But you have been near it,” he said. “I see it in your aura.”
“Don’t look at my aura, that’s private.” Had she ever uttered a stupider sentence? Probably not. Not even “Of course I can eat a whole gallon of ice cream at once”.
At least she’d stumped him. He stood there staring at her—she could feel his gaze on her skin—for so long she almost managed to edge all the way out of the clearing before he moved.
He must have moved, anyway. One minute he stood opposite her, the next—the next he loomed over her, his chest only inches from her nose. Damn, he was tall.
And just as well-built as he’d appeared at first. Slim, but defined. An intricate black tattoo decorated his entire chest, snaking over the expanse of muscles, hiding his nipples. She couldn’t make out the pattern—wings? A chalice of some kind?—but she could smell the earthy scent of his skin and see the thin leather cord wrapped around his upper arm.
Heart pounding, she forced herself to look up. A brave woman, a strong woman, would look him in the eyes, and brave and strong was what Prudence knew deep down she could be.
So she met his eyes, those black holes set deep in the man’s sharp-boned face. Her mouth fell open. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the brave and strong woman didn’t gape at men like she’d never seen one before, but it was impossible to stop herself, not when her entire body leaned forward as if she could climb into him and never leave.
It wasn’t simply how handsome he was, although she could honestly say she’d never seen a man as striking. Something in his eyes…called her. Promised her something. She couldn’t explain it any better than that, even to herself.
“Your aura cannot hide, even if your words try to,” he said, and his voice poured over her like spiced wine. “Where have you hidden it? If you give it to me now, my people may not seek revenge. If you delay—”
“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She yanked herself away, struggling as if he held her physically. “Leave me—”
He grabbed her. Despite the warmth of the evening, goose bumps erupted on her skin. He might as well have given her an electric shock. His sharp intake of breath echoed in her ears. He tilted his head. “Beltane.”
“What?”
“Sex crawls across your skin. You have not had a man in a long time. Too long.”
“Now that’s none of your business! How dare you—”
He ignored her, instead loosening his grip on her arm and sliding his hands up her skin, so lightly it almost tickled. He’d spoken of her aura. Now she could almost see it too, as if he touched it and not her skin. Despite her anger and irritation, she shivered. Her nipples, bare under her loose gown, hardened and poked against the thin fabric. She was certain he could see it, even if he somehow couldn’t read her reaction in the way her breath caught in her throat.
Dear Goddess, what was happening here? Why weren’t any of the other coven members coming to find her? The sun was only a thin, bright line of gold on the horizon, barely visible through the trees. Darkness wrapped around them, darkness and the stillness of a forest on the edge of night. Didn’t they notice she wasn’t there?
Hell, didn’t they at least need the wood she carried?
She swallowed. “How dare you speak to me like that.” She’d meant to sound forceful. Instead the words came out in a rush of breath. She sounded like a young girl trying to talk to her first crush.
“I propose a trade,” he said. “I need the wand. You need a man. Why not allow me to pleasure you in exchange?”