Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today I thought I’d give you a little update on writing, tell you a bit about how we celebrate Valentine’s Day in my family, and then I’ll leave you with some interesting kiss facts.

Update:

For those of you that haven’t been following along (tsk, tsk) Not His Type (Gabe and Brooke’s story) came out on January 20th. It’s available through eXtasy Books, and various third party retailers (Amazon, Kobo, etc.). The third book in the series is in line up for edits at the publishers, that’s Ed’s book.

Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone, however they all connect through the characters. You’ve probably noticed how each story is unique. My Mistletoe Master featured some BDSM elements, and Not His Type included a few scenes with multiple partners. Book 3 will fall into another subcategory: interracial romance.

What sorts of things can you expect to find in Ed’s book? Well, without giving too much away, we’ll get to spend some time with the MCs from book 1 and 2. We’ll see Nick, Gabe, Kevin, Amelia, and Brooke, but we’ll also be introduced to some new characters, Emma (the heroine) and her group of friends, as well as Ed’s family. I hope you love the new characters as much as I do.

You can expect the same type of slightly humorous, sexy love story, chucked full of conflict. Both Ed and Emma are former military, and struggling to adjust to civilian life. A word of warning, Emma’s spunky. When I wrote Brooke in Not His Type I had thought she was spunky. She said and did things that I would never do, and was just a joy to write. Then I met Emma, and had a complete blast! We’re in for some fun with this one!

Currently I’m working away at Kevin’s story, the fourth and final book in the Unexpected Changes series. For those of you that have read book 2 and think Kevin got a raw deal, not to worry his happily ever after is on it’s way. Of course there might be a few bumps on that path…

Final piece of news, I’ve turned in a short story for eXtasy that will be published in July, something short and fun for the summer. That’s all I’m going to say about it, so stay tuned. The following months will be sure to include some new releases!

Valentine’s Day:

Growing up our parents tended to show love and appreciation with gifts (lucky me!). Every holiday was important. Christmas was the biggest, followed by Easter. Halloween (my favourite!) was big too. My mom used to make our costumes for Halloween. Valentine’s Day was never missed. We’d always got a little bit of candy and a card, maybe a little toy. My mom would get flowers.

I remember as a child writing out Valentine’s Day cards for all my classmates. I always made one for everybody. And I’m pretty sure we’d bake cupcakes or cookies to take into our classmates as well.

My husband and I generally wait until the weekend after Valentine’s Day to celebrate. So tonight we won’t be doing anything out of the ordinary, but come this weekend I’ll make him watch a sappy movie with me and we’ll probably order Chinese food. Maybe buy a little cake from the grocery store.

I know many people think Valentine’s Day is a bogus holiday created by the card industry. But for me it’s a day to show a little extra love and affection to the special people in your life, whether that’s a spouse, signification other, family member, beloved pet, or maybe a friend. As the worst part of the winter hits, today give us a chance to make someone else feel loved, and special.

Fun Kissing Facts:

Kissing isn’t universal. Not all cultures kiss. In fact about 10% of the world doesn’t kiss.
Two-Thirds of people tilt their head to the right when they kiss.
Kissing boosts your immune system.
Kissing makes your pupils dilate.
Most people remember their first kiss more vividly than the first time they had sex.
Kissing releases endorphins and oxytocin.
Your lips are more sensitive than your private areas, and are 100 times more sensitive than the tips of your fingers.
Passionate, deep kisses do a better job of getting you in the mood.
The phrase “kiss my ass” dates back at least to 1705.
French kissing involves all 34 muscles in the face. A pucker kiss involves only two.
Passionate kissing can burn over 6 calories a minute.
It is possible for a woman to reach an orgasm through kissing.
Kissing at the conclusion of a wedding ceremony can be traced to ancient Roman, where a kiss was used to sign a contract.
The first on-screen kiss was in 1896 by the Edison Company. The film was 30 seconds long and consisted entirely of a man and a woman kissing close up.
The first on-screen kiss between two members of the same sex was in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1922 Manslaughter.
Mono and herpes can be transmitted through kissing.
Kissing is good for your teeth. The anticipation of a kiss increases the flow of saliva to the mouth, giving the teeth a plaque-dispersing bath.
A medieval manuscript warns Japanese men against deep kissing during the female orgasm because a woman might accidentally bite off part of her lover’s tongue. (That’s one hell of an orgasm!)