I don’t think I’ve officially announced it yet, but I recently signed contracts for a trilogy of short stories surrounding a reality show that overhauls classic cars. Think American Chopper meets Overhaulin’ with dirty sexxoring. Or something.

Trust me, you’ll like it.

Deets on the first in the series, which comes out NOVEMBER 2…

ALL REVVED UP

(Totally unofficial blurb. The official one will come later)

There’s nothing Andi Manning doesn’t know about cars. Working at Kasen’s Kustom Automotive is a dream job, and it’s even more fun now that they’ve turned the garage into Revved Up, the set of a reality television show for overhauling classic cars. And watching drop dead gorgeous Dean Kasen work his magic on those sweet rides is no hardship, either.

When the network offers Dean the chance for his local reality show to go national, he’s more than willing. The catch is the network executives want a sexy bombshell to help host the show. They think it’ll boost ratings, but Dean is ready to slam on the brakes. No way are they turning his family’s automotive legacy into a national joke with some bimbo as the punch line.

But Andi knows she’s perfect for the role. She knows cars and she’s no one’s joke. She’d love to have a hand in planning the custom jobs, and this is her chance, even if she’s not totally sold on learning to walk in heels. But now Dean can’t seem to keep his hands off of her, and she has to wonder…is it her he wants, or just the revved up goddess?

(Unofficial and unedited) EXCERPT!

Reno, Nevada

“No way in hell.”

Andi stared in horror at the full length-mirror before her. It had seemed like a good idea when Jesse had mentioned being the new hostess for the national syndication of Revved Up. He said the network and the show’s new producer wanted to bring a woman onto the show, and he wanted someone who knew their way around cars. Andi fit the bill for both, and she would love to have a hand in planning the custom jobs. This was her chance to step up her game.

That was before she’d seen the wardrobe for her new role in the garage. She’d worked at Kasen Kustom for five years, and she loved what she did. Really loved it. It was fun and challenging to turn classic cars back into the cherry rides they’d once been. With a few extra modernizations. She’d loved it even more when they’d turned the garage into a reality show. But she was a background player in all of it, and she wanted to show them what she could really do. Apparently, that meant she had to learn how to walk in high heels. Jesse had handed her off to the new producer, Lola Adams, who’d stuffed her into too-tight clothes, tugged her hair out of its usually ponytail, pulled out the biggest make up kit Andi had ever seen. Now she just stared in the mirror at the streetwalker who used to be Andi Manning.

“No way in hell.” She stumbled back, holding out her hands as if to ward off her own reflection.

Lola tilted her head, her pale hair spilling over her shoulder. “I think it works. You look sexy and that’s what we’re going for. I think it’ll bring in even more viewers now that we’re taking the show to the next level.”

Mouth gaping open, Andi couldn’t even find the words to respond to that. The coveralls she was wearing were cut into tight shorts that were opened to the waist. The tank top underneath stretched across her breasts and was just short enough to expose an inch of her midriff. Her brown hair fell in smooth ripples to the middle of her back. All the makeup Lola had piled on Andi’s face somehow made her hazel eyes stand out appear more gold than their usual brownish-green.

The woman in the mirror was no one she knew.

Spinning on her heel meant she damn near toppled over in the pointy stilettos, but she marched out of the bathroom and into the garage. A few of the guys let out low whistles and she gave them a glare that sent them scurrying to find work to do.

Jesse poked his blond head out of the office, his green eyes going wide for a moment before he caught her gaze. Whatever he said faltered as he sensed the waves of fury coming off her. He stumbled away from the door while she shoved her way in and slammed it behind her.

“What the hell is this, Jesse? Is this some kind of a joke to you? Because I sure don’t appreciate you jerking me around.” Yeah, he was her boss. At the moment, she didn’t care. He’d had her tarted up like a hooker gone Hollywood. Considering they were in Nevada, where prostitution was legal, she’d rather no one was confused about whether she made her living on her back.

There was dead silence while mouth men in the room stared at her, their jaws sagging. She jammed her hands down on her hips. “What?”

Jesse recovered first, coughing into his fist. “Nothing. You just look different.”

“I look like I work at the Mustang Ranch,” she shot back, naming a famous local whorehouse.

Dean snorted, a little smile curling his mouth. His gaze slid down her body and back up again. Slowly. An involuntary shiver went through her at the heat in his eyes. How many times had she wondered what it would be like for Dean Kasen to look at her just like that?

Stephenie Rizzo!

Thanks so much for everyone who entered and wished me well on my new release. You’re awesome!

While I realize this probably landed in bookstores a week ago and started mailing already for those who pre-ordered, Prowl the Night is officially official an October 1st book. Thus, we do the Kermit flail of joy today. Woot!

Here are the details…

Prowl the Night

Amazon | B&N | B-A-M | Powell’s

They are Panthers, sleek and sultry shapeshifters who survive by banding together and mating for life. Theirs is a world of unmatched power and uncontrollable passion…

Crave Me

As newly appointed heir to his Pride, Tomas Montoya struggles with both his new duties and his new mate. He craves the dark and dangerous pleasure he finds with Ciri but wonders if he can ever satisfy her need for more…

Want Me

Teresa Garcia has seen how loving and losing a mate can drive someone mad and she has no interest in experiencing that herself. But when she meets Rafael Santiago, she wants him like no other. Driven by desire, she hungers for his body with a fierce and feral passion…

Read an Excerpt

And for those who might be confused by the 87 books I seem to have with the word “Night” in the title, Prowl the Night has an emphasis on the Prowl because it’s the sequel to On the Prowl.

On the Prowl

Amazon | B&N | B-A-M | Powell’s

Meet the Cruz brothers. They look human—except for the golden sheen their eyes take when they’re aroused beyond control…and the way their claws come out when it’s time to play rough. They’re Panthers, ancient shapeshifters, and their survival depands on mating to bring out their wild sides…

Undeniable
When Antonio, the strong, sexy new leader of the Panther pride, meets luscious Solana in a dark alleyway, their passion lights up the night. But she’s an outcast, an impossible mate—and her touch makes him lose all control…

Irresistible
Ex-model and businesswoman Andrea doesn’t need anyone—until she meets Miguel, who tempts her mind with daring games and teases her body with dark, forbidden please she can’t resist…

Indescribable
Wild twins Ricardo and Diego do everything together—and their women appreciate the teamwork. Until shy Isabel takes refuge in their pride, and both want to claim her. Of course, sometimes two mates are better than one…

Read an Excerpt

CONTEST: I’m giving away a print set of this series to one commenter on this post. So you’d get On the Prowl and Prowl the Night. If you already have one or both–first, I love you, and second, you can substitute for any other print books on my back list if you win.

So, I’ve mentioned around the interwebz that I took a few classes in order to learn to knit. In the last two weeks I’ve finished my first two projects. Of course, I took some pictures.

Both of these are neckwarmers, i.e. short scarves that go around the neck once and button rather than wrap around a bunch of times and dangle.

The first one is a pattern called “the Pidge”, no idea why, but that’s what it’s called. I took some flat pics on the coffee table, but figured that didn’t really show how they looked, so I modeled them in the bathroom. It’s more complicated than you think to get a decent neck shot while self-photographing. Warning: I am wearing no make-up in these pics. Look at your own risk of blinding by my pasty whiteness.

A picture from the front.

And a picture from the side.

This one is a pattern I sort of made up by cobbling together about 4 different patterns I found online. The flat picture turned out with weird colors, but you can see all of it. The self-pics are more true to life on the color, which is a blue-green with some creamy yellow mixed in. The yarn is thick and crinkly. Don’t fall too much in love though, this one is for a friend’s birthday soon. It’s not mine to keep.

The front shot.

Side shot.

Next project: a long scarf for the Prof. Moriarty in a nice blue-gray yarn he picked. I dragged him to the yarn store to choose his own. What? It was only sort of cruel and unusual to make him go in there. And he gets something nice out of it!

I put up a new little short story on Smashwords and Kindle. It’ll be on Nook and Sony, etc, in a little while, but you can get those formats from Smashwords if you don’t want to wait for the direct download from your ereader site.

I made the cover myself, which makes me love this story even more. Here’s the info…

Marion’s all tied up over Kurt. Why? Because she wanted a little thrill in her small-town life and got it by dating the town bad boy. Only it went way beyond a mere thrill in under a week. Now, a year later, she wants to know when they’re going to take it to the next level. She wants it all and she wants it with him. So she asks him to marry her. When he doesn’t react at all, she walks out, realizing that her mother was right…the bad boy isn’t the marrying kind.

But Kurt’s not about to make it that easy for her to leave. He’s had a week to get angry over her stomping off. So what if he has to tie her to the bed to get her to listen to him? He won’t let her avoid him forever, and if this is what it takes to get her attention, so be it. He’d never thought Marion wanted anything other than to burn up the sheets with him, but he’s thinking about it now…and he’s ready to be all tied up over Marion. Until death do them part.

Smashwords
Amazon Kindle

—-Excerpt—-

“This isn’t funny. Let me go, Kurt.” Marion twisted against the silk scarves that bound her to the bed. Her silk scarves. It just added insult to the injury of having her ex-boyfriend strip her nude and truss her up like a turkey at Thanksgiving.

He chuckled, his deep voice a silken caress over her nerves. “Really? And last week it was marry me, Kurt.”

“Don’t rub it in.” She closed her eyes against the painful memories. Her mother had said Kurt wasn’t the marrying kind, but Marion hadn’t listened, determined that she could tame the town bad boy. She’d fallen hard and fast for him a year ago. He just…hadn’t fallen with her. Tears pressed against her lids and she blinked rapidly to keep them from escaping.

He didn’t want her, not really, and she wouldn’t let him see her cry.

“Do you really think I’m here to rub in an ugly fight?” He arched a dark brow at her. She could feel the textured fabric of his jeans, the softness of his flannel shirt as he moved against her. His rough carpenter’s hands slipped up her legs.

Every nerve ending in her body lit on fire, and she fought the automatic need to arch into his touch. Wetness flooded her pussy, readying her for anything he had in mind. God, she wanted him. She always wanted him. Pulling in a deep breath, she tried to push the desire away. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I wish you’d leave.”

“Not going to happen, sugar.” His fingers inched higher.

She clenched her jaw against a moan of wanton lust. “Why? You made it pretty clear where we stand last week.”

He sat back, and her body bowed towards him against her will. He shoved his dark hair out of his face. “You sprung marriage on me out of the blue, then stomped off when I didn’t give you the reaction you wanted. Then you stopped returning my calls. What did you expect me to do, Marion?”

She’d expected him to want to marry her, and she’d spent the last week kicking herself for thinking what they had meant as much to him as it did to her. She was a fool. And everyone in town knew she’d just been fooling herself, which made it sting even more. Swallowing back a fresh wave of tears, she stared at the ceiling over her bed. “I don’t expect anything from you.”

“So, what? That’s it? We’re done?” He lifted an incredulous brow at her, anger simmering in his dark gaze.

So, I just got a delivery of my books in the mail. But let’s face it, I live in a one bedroom apartment and there’s only so much room for this stuff. So, I’m giving a bunch of them away.

Facebook has some weird rules about contests now, so in the tradition of my friend Dakota Cassidy, I’m having a schmontest.

What do I want in exchange for giving my books away for free? More people who like my fan page on Facebook. I’m at just under 300 right this second, so for every 10 new fans, I’ll give a book away. The contest will cut off whenever I reach 700 fans. Yep, you did that math right–I’m giving away 40 print books. Already a fan of mine? There are ways you can be entered too (see how nice I am?).

To enter, just like my page and leave a comment about which of my print books you’d like if I picked you.

Sorry, ebooks don’t help me clean out my storage closet of books, so print only. There’s a list of print books right here, if you’re not sure which stories are in which format: http://www.crystaljordan.com/books/#print

If you already like my fan page (or if you like it during the course of this contest), you can also send your friends to like my page and have them leave a comment about who recommended them. Then you’re both entered! That’s right, sending friends can mean multiple entries and more chances to win.

Let the games begin!

http://www.facebook.com/CrystalJordanFanPage

My new Spice Brief is out today, and if you want to enter a contest for an Amazon gift card and a pretty necklace, which I’m holding to celebrate my release, stop by the Smutketeers website!

WANTON

Two years after her lover died, Lynx Jenise finally feels ready to indulge the consuming urge to mate at the shifter gathering known as the Wild. Though her very human heart was broken, her animal instincts can no longer be suppressed.

But even as she finds the rough pleasure she craves with other Lynxes, another instinct haunts Jenise—the feeling that another mate is near….

Find the ebook:
eHarlequin Store
B&N Nook
Amazon Kindle

Excerpt:

She was being hunted.

A small smile curved Jenise’s lips, and her heart began to pound with heady anticipation. The cold mountain air of the Sierra Nevadas kissed her naked flesh, curling between her bare legs to stroke the heated folds of her sex. She shivered, her nipples tightening to an almost painful degree. The slightest rustle of a cat’s paw on dew-covered grass whispered in her ear.

He was catching up with her. Her hunter. The Lynx within her nearly purred as the excitement built higher. She couldn’t wait for him to fuck her, but he’d have to catch her first. Her smile widened. The first week of Spring every year was the Wild time for her kind. Every female went into heat simultaneously, and every Lynx on the continent gathered here. To connect with their animalistic nature, to rut until the heat burned itself out.

It was the last day of Wild. She could feel the heat easing its grip on her body. Tears pressed against her lids at the prospect of this time away from time ending. She clenched her jaw, shoving the thought away. No. She would enjoy the now, squeeze every ounce of sensation out of what time remained to her. Her grin sharpened, showing her truest nature. Feral woman.

Shivering again at the cool breeze licking at her flesh, she shifted into her Lynx form. Her body flowed into the new shape, bones and sinew remolding into those of a feline. Spotted fur soon covered her skin, protecting her from the chill wind.

She wound through the tall trees, padding lightly on her paws as the underbrush thinned and gave way to the rocky shore beside a flowing river. The last rays of the fading sun sparkled on the water as it gurgled around and tripped over larger rocks. The breeze fluttered through her thick fur, bringing with it the scent of her pursuer.

Soon. Soon, she would have him as she had had so many others this week. A pang struck her, and her heart clenched in her chest. Guilt twisted inside her, choking off her breath.

Two years had passed since Shane died. Her mate. The first year, she hadn’t been able to make herself attend Wild. The loss was too raw, too new. Alone in her house, the cravings of her body had eaten her alive until she’d screamed from the relentless want she couldn’t stop. She was in heat, she needed to fuck. Those animal instincts didn’t care that her very human heart had shattered, that half of her soul had been ripped away, leaving her empty and barren. Broken.

Lost.

She couldn’t face her Wild time alone the second year. She just . . . couldn’t. The need had clawed at her too deeply, slicing through her control. She swallowed and twitched her ears, trying to ignore the guilt. Shane was possessive, as all males of their kind were. He would hate knowing that she craved the touch of another man, any other man who might want to stroke his fingers down her naked skin, who might be willing to thrust his long cock into her overheating body. Anything to assuage the need, to ease the carnal torment for even a single moment.

He would never have understood.

I’m doing the monthly blog over at the Aphrodisia Authors: http://www.aphrodisiaauthors.com/blog/2011/07/30/new-books

Yesterday was a special day in my house. I scrubbed from top to bottom, sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, the whole works. When it came time to try and mop my bathroom, my old bath mat had permanently stuck itself to my floor. Okay, I knew it was getting older, and it wasn’t exactly high quality to begin with. What? You could afford nice stuff right out of college? That’s what I thought.

Anyway, the bottom of the thing had worn away and the sticky stuff that kept the liner attached to the fabric was now stuck to the floor. It took a whole lot of scrubbing to get all that crap off the linoleum, too.

I have two bath mats in my bathroom, a big one in front of the tub and a smaller one in front of the sink. Since these were the same brand/age (it was the bigger one that stuck), the smaller got tossed too, just to prevent further sticky scrubfests.

This prompted an emergency redecoration of the bathroom. I’ve been meaning to get new mats, and maybe some new towels to match, so a quick trip to Ross and Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I thought I was all set. Awesome, pretty new bath stuff. Yay!

Until.

Until I put everything in the washer and dryer. Yes, I wash it all first, it’s been hauled in trucks, sitting in warehouses, and then touched, petted, coughed, and sneezed on by countless customers at the store before I got it. Ew. I read the instructions and washed everything exactly as it told me to. The towels were awesome–fluffy, luxurious, pretty. The two bath mats fell apart, the thread unraveled and they had bald patches all over them.

Oh, hell to the no was I keeping this shit.

I threw both of them in the bag, grabbed my receipt, and took them straight back to the store. Bed, Bath, and Beyond was great about taking them back, but I wasn’t buying another bath mat from them. I went home and did a little searching online and found that Kohl’s was having a sale in their bath department, so I made yet another trip to a store. (There may have been a side trip to BevMo for some alcoholic beverages at that point, because come on, I’d killed three bath mats in one day. Four, if you counted the smaller one I had to toss with the big one that stuck, and I do count it since I had to pay to replace it. So, four bath mats dead in one day)

I found some that worked with the towels I’d bought (I brought one to make sure I could get something close to a color coordination going on), and took them home and stuck them straight in the washer and dryer. If they were going to die on me too, I wanted to know before the return policy ran out. (There may also have been a side trip on the way home for a strawberry milkshake at In & Out. What? All I’d wanted to do that day was clean house and write. You’d need a milkshake after all this too. Don’t judge.)

From the looks of it, the Kohl’s bath mats survived. There was a little shedding, but nothing too bad. So, here are pictures of the winners of the 2011 Bath Mat Celebrity Death Match! *cheers*

Welcome to the sizzling summer contest with Sierra Dean, Crystal Jordan, JL Merrow and Shelli Stevens! Samhain Publishing is releasing four sizzling releases and we the authors of those books want to celebrate with a contest! Happy reading :D

How to enter. You must find the answers to the following questions (use hyper links above to each author’s site!) and email Shelli the answers at shelli@shellistevens.com . The prizes are certificates for $10 to either Samhain, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. Winner gets to choose. We’ll draw four winners.

The contest starts now and ends Tuesday at 8pm PST. The winners will be posted on our blogs and notified through email.

Here are the questions:

1. In Sierra’s book The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters, what is the name of Secret’s liaison with the vampire council?

2. In Crystal’s book Make Me Believe, what’s the heroine’s nickname for the town busybody?

3. In Shelli’s book Seducing Allie, what is Clint’s nickname for Allie?

4. In JL’s book, what is Larry Morton’s job at Cambridge?

WINNERS announced!
You’ll be contacted by one of the authors later today. Congrats!

BIRDSOOONG@aol.com
robindpdx@yahoo.com
booklover0226@gmail.com
judimello@gmail.com