All posts by Delilah Devlin

Until recently, award-winning romance author Delilah Devlin lived in South Texas at the intersection of two dry creeks, surrounded by sexy cowboys in Wranglers. These days, she’s missing the wide-open skies and starry nights but loving her dark forest in Central Arkansas, with its eccentric characters and isolation—the better to feed her hungry muse!

Some dreams should never inspire a story…

I’m with Ashleigh (see May 09 post). May has been a fabulous month so far. Sure, it’s been raining cats and dogs here, but I could care less. My internal life has been radiant.

My muse, that part of my psyche who blesses me with flashes of brilliance at his whim, has been especially generous. I powered through the first one hundred pages of a new book (a very long proposal) without a single speed bump. He filled my waking dreams with enough fodder for the starts of several other projects, and my sleeping dreams have been satisfyingly vivid and intriguing.

Let me tell you about the dream I had last night.

I was leaving a shopping mall, juggling my purse and an infant in my arms. As soon as I left the glass doors and stepped into the parking lot, I was standing on beach, a long crescent of white sand rimming a pale blue sea. In front of me lay several blue dolphins and albino-skinned men with no genitalia (the men, that is). They all appeared to have washed ashore and I thought them dead, but one of the large, genitalia-challenged men leaned up on an elbow and pointed to the sky. He said, “Just wait a minute.”

I glanced up and saw more dolphins and dickless white men falling from the sky. Of course, I backed up on the beach, staring. Then large bubbles started floating down, and when they were just above my head, I saw that each one had a translucent face.

The albino who had spoken to me rose and approached me, staring at the child in my arms. When he met my gaze, his expression seemed sad. He turned away, bent at the waist and vomited a glob of clear gel, which he held out to me. “Take it. You need to smear this all over you.”

I was shocked but took the glob, staring at it and wondering if I should tell the alien I didn’t want his huge lugey.

One bubble popped on a man who walked up beside me, and he began to scrape at the goo stuck to his face. When he straightened, his expression grew blank. His eyes blinked and turned a burning yellow. His mouth opened and revealed a row of jagged teeth behind his human ones and surrounding a round, tunnel-like throat.

Intuitively, I knew the giant lugey was going to keep me from turning into an alien zombie, so I handed the alien the baby and quickly rubbed it all over me while more bubbles popped all around me.

The dream ended there, but I got curious. What was my crazy-assed muse trying to tell me? I borrowed my daughter’s dream dictionary and came up with this:

  •      Infant—may express an unconscious desire for a baby. Oh, hell no! Or it may represent a new development in myself. I’m always eager for new parts of me to creep up and greet me in the mirror.
  •      Sea-side Beach—the place where the conscious and the unconscious meet. Uh, yeah.
  •      Blue Dolphins— Blue: the collective unconscious; a live dolphin might symbolize communication between the unconscious and the conscious. Maybe I just need to drink myself into a stupor and this will all make sense.
  •      Dickless White Men—Not surprising, I didn’t find anything under “dickless white men”. So I looked up men, which might represent the male side of my psyche. Why I castrated that side of me, I have no clue.
  •      Bubble Faces—Nothing under “bubble” or “face”. Now this is going to drive me crazy. What does it all mean?
  •      Aliens—Hmmm. “A person of foreign appearance…may represent some part of your psyche which is unfamiliar to you…get acquainted with that foreign part of yourself.” So I guess I was doing the right thing when I rubbed the lugey all over my body.
  •      Giant Lugey—I was dying to figure out what this part meant. But it shall remain a mystery. No “lugey” or “bodily fluid” mentioned in the dictionary. It was clear like water—water might symbolize psychic energy. It felt like jelly. Nope, nothing under jelly. Will have to write the author to tell him his book has serious gaps of information.  

So put it all together and what does it mean? I haven’t a bloody clue. Of course now I’m wondering if I’d stayed long enough in the dream, would I have discovered that the lugey was the alien’s come and smearing it on me might have impregnated me?

Unleashing another story…and a contest!

Unleashing the TigerTomorrow, I’m heading off to Orlando. This is just a quick flyby to let you know about the book releasing this Friday while I’m gone and the contest I’m running to celebrate the new release. This is what my story is about:

An analyst in a secret government agency, Casey McTaggert’s professional life has been dedicated to the capture of one suspected terrorist. Even before she’s abducted by Khalid in the midst of a firefight, she’s completely fascinated with the man they call the “The Tiger.” But what began as a professional obsession quickly becomes lust as his dark, Persian features and harshly hewn body awaken a forbidden passion.

Khalid Razeh can’t fight the genetic programming that makes him shift into a tiger any more than he can resist the sensual allure of his lovely hostage. While forcing her to accompany him on one last mission, he fights the overwhelming attraction, knowing that he is walking into a trap that will end in death. Casey’s tender lovemaking and growing belief in his innocence are a sweet balm to his wild, savage soul.

The book releases on Friday from Ellora’s Cave, but I’ll be in Orlando partying…er, working it. If you’d like to win a box of Romantic Times swag and a couple of books, be sure to post a comment here. For more chances to win, visit my blog.

Have a craving for cowboys?

You would guess correctly if you said that I do.

I can’t help myself. Thirteen years in the Lonestar State, a working cattle ranch as my back yard…well, it was inevitable. Even average-looking men look dayum hot in Wranglers and a tall hat.

As a writer, I’m the ultimate flip-flopper. I write a paranormal, then have to write a man on horseback. Write a sexy contemporary and immediately have to find that oversized pickup truck and a set of scuffed boots.

Which is good if readers like those slow-talkin’ men. We’ll see.

At the tail-end of last month, TEXAS MEN released. You may have seen it in the stores. The cover’s kinda hard to miss.

 

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Last fall, as soon as I wrapped up TM, it was on to the next in my DARK REALM books. You know, cowboy—demons/vamps/werewolves—then, it was back to another cowboy, or in the case of SADDLED, two.

Yeah, the only thing better than one cowboy is two. But the good news is you don’t have to wait long to quench your appetite. SADDLED will be out, ready for instant download on the 31st of this month. If you’d like to take a peek inside, just click on that sexy cover!

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8 Days/8 Reasons to buy it now!

Texas Men

I don’t know about you, but I find this cowboy completely drool-worthy! Texas Men will release in 8 days and I’m celebrating by running a countdown on my blog. To be eligible to win, all you have to do is post a comment. I promise it won’t be a chore. I’ll give you eight juicy reasons why you have to read this book, and will give you glimpses into the stories and the characters you will meet along the way. Post a comment here today for an extra chance to win!

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Welcome to Honkytonk, the hottest town in Texas—thanks to its adventurous women, irresistible men, and sizzling sex…

Bound and Determined
Bar owner Tara Toomey is in the mood to serve bad boy Cody Westhofen more than a drink. What better way to capture his attention—and more—than to kidnap him for a wanton weekend? Tied to Tara’s bed, Cody is more than willing to cooperate…

Breezy Ridin’
When Joe Chavez and a sheriff’s deputy pull over a speeding motorcycle, it’s no surprise the county judge’s naughty daughter Sarah Michelson is behind the wheel—naked. And when she bribes them with a threesome, all laws are suspended as the men prepare for the ride of their lives…

Night Watch
Schoolteacher Amy Keating never planned to be a voyeur, but one innocent glance into deputy Logan Ross’s bedroom window has her hooked. Now she’s into a world of sexual play she never knew existed…

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When the DJ’s speaker set crashed to the floor as the first women to arrive rushed the tables nearest the stage, Tara Toomey scrambled for a replacement and chalked the mishap up to high spirits.

When one of the volunteers carrying a tray of Jell-O shots tripped, and cherry and lime gelatin slid in glistening trails down his face and naked chest, she laughed as eager women offered to lick him clean.

However, it wasn’t until one of her staff whispered in her ear that she knew she was in for a long night. The main attraction had yet to arrive.

She crushed her dog-eared copy of the “Hook-up” program in her fist and headed toward the old-fashioned, double swinging doors, ready to stomp all the way to Redbone Ranch to drag his butt to town.

As she passed excited, tittering women her smile felt strained, and her nerves stretched taut. The “Annual Honkytonk Hook-up” had always been a good time, but this year she wished she hadn’t been so quick to volunteer her bar again. Sure, it was good for business and many of the “blow-ins” from Houston, San Antonio, and San Angelo returned throughout the year because they enjoyed the event and Honkytonk’s authentic western ambience.

But Tara wished she could return home, crawl into bed, and pull the covers over her head. The last thing she felt ready to do was watch one particular cowboy strut his stuff across the stage and land in some other woman’s clutches, even if it was just one night, completely innocent—right—and for a really good cause. The fact he might blow off the auction pissed her off almost as much as the thought of the spectacle he’d cause if he did finally make an entrance.

If anyone thought splintered speaker casings or a little spilled Jell-O were trouble, they hadn’t seen a room full of women erupt in the wake of one seriously sexy cowboy.
Continue reading 8 Days/8 Reasons to buy it now!

Get ready for a wild weekend!

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Do I have to warn you this story’s hot? Or that the three people on the cover will share more than tanning lotion? This book releases on Friday—just in time for the weekend! Be sure to read the bottom of this blog to find out how you can enter the contest for two great prize packages!

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Jane wants Bruno…Bruno wants Cord…Cord wants Jane…but can everyone get what they really want?

Jane, fresh from a breakup, decides to seduce Bruno, one of the firemen next door, to restore her shattered confidence. But the trap she sets is sprung instead by his best friend, Cord. After she flees in embarrassment, Bruno makes a proposition too wicked for any good girl to consider, but how can she refuse the chance at not one, but two strapping firemen?

Bruno’s shared women with Cord before, but decides to use Cord’s attraction to Jane to break down his defenses for the ultimate threesome. Cord thinks he knows how this little tryst will go down, but he’s seduced into allowing Bruno intimacies this hetero guy has never before considered.

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Check out my blog for details about the contest! When you post here you are automatically entered. And follow this link to read an excerpt: Jane’s Wild Weekend

To Plot or Not to Plot

I’ve published over forty works from short stories to full-length novels, and I can tell you that dreaming up the next shiny, sparkly story never gets easier. It’s not that I can’t come up with ideas. Ideas come from everywhere. They can start from a snippet of a conversation from my mother, my daughter, the stranger in the booth behind me, a television show that’s playing in the background, or a dream.

For the most part, the snippet inspires a flash of inspiration that starts the question “What if…?” Soon, I’m seeing a scene play in my mind’s eye—usually only the opening of a story. I wake up and turn on the bedside lamp and grab my notebook, or turn down the television and reach for the four-year-old’s Dora coloring book, or raise a finger to stop my companion from speaking for a second and grab the tape recorder in my purse.

I have hundreds of these little teaser scenes in scribbled notes. Most never make it past that light bulb flash because I can’t figure out what comes next. Or the “next” that I see isn’t something anyone’s gonna want to read. But a few do.

Those few get nurtured in my imagination, are given voices that sound off in my head, and don’t stop talking until I finish telling their story.

Most times they lead me by the hand or nag me to death until I reach “The End.” Sometimes, I get to the middle of the book and have a real “WTF?” moment because I’m painted into a corner.

I’m there now with my current work-in-progress. And for the first time since I was a very newbie writer, I’m pulling out the “Writing for Dummies” books to figure out why I’m stuck. I think it’s because I don’t have enough conflict and don’t understand what my character’s real, deep-down goals are. I know I’ll figure it out. I always do—usually when I’m sweating the deadline—but I would love, for once, not to have to depend on adrenaline to feel the plot vibe.

So, be thinking about me today. I’ll be pouring over my plotting spreadsheet (blech!) and filling in the blanks of the things I know and staring at the white space for all things I don’t. Did I mention I hate plotting? That it’s as painful as a root canal to me? My hero and heroine don’t even share the same dimension until a third of the way into the book—do you think that might be the problem? And she’s having a hot affair with a demon for whom I’m feeling more compassion, more horny lust than the hero. *sigh* 

If any of you have any great ideas for finding the missing spark in a romance story (keep in mind it’s a dark, erotic paranormal)—I’m ready to try anything short of being tasered. 🙂

Down in Texas

Nuff said? It’s out today.

Here’s what the book is all about…

Down in Texas, there’s a little town in Texas called Honkytonk, where the women get exactly what they want…and the men know just how to give it to them.

Wearing His Brand
Lyssa McDonough just got tangled up in a coil of barbed wire, and her clothes are ripped to shreds. Rancher Brandon Tynan to the rescue—but why is she so ornery? Could it be that the whole state of Texas isn’t big enough for the two of them? Hell, they’ll still have to share one horse to get home, Lyssa better hang on tight—she’s in for the wildest ride of her life…

Slow Ride
Maggie Dermott doesn’t know the first thing about horses and Daniel Tynan is more than willing to show her the ropes. His gentle ways melt her heart and his sensual passion burns away her inhibitions. Daniel takes the time to love her right.

Straight Up Soldier
Suki Reece needs protection and she can see that Mac McDonough has the muscle. Too bad he can’t stand taking orders from a woman. The rugged ex-Marine won’t listen to a word she says until Suki distracts him with a sexy striptease. That gets his attention. Suki may have gotten the upper hand but Mac is going to be on top…

And here’s what people are saying about it…

“…HOT! HOT! HOT!…All I wanted was more, so I read DOWN IN TEXAS again, enjoying it for a second time…DOWN IN TEXAS is now a book in my permanent re-read pile…”

Recommended Read, Emmy, Joyfully Reviewed on DOWN IN TEXAS
 
“Delilah Devlin’s DOWN IN TEXAS is a fabulous anthology that kept my attention throughout each and every story…The stories are all special in their own right but together they’re truly spectacular…Ms. Devlin has proved herself a capable storyteller before but with DOWN IN TEXAS she’s cemented a place on my ‘most watched authors’ list.”
5 Blue Ribbons, Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies on DOWN IN TEXAS
 
“…one of the most decadent reads of the year for me…Delilah never fails to deliver on any front, and this is just another testament to an extraordinary writer. As always, I look forward to more of her extraordinary novels…”
5 Angels and Recommended Read, Darksnite, Fallen Angels Reviews on DOWN IN TEXAS

If you’d like to read the first chapter, head over to my website: Chapter One