Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione releases TODAY!!!!

June 24, 2008

Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books)
July 2008
ISBN-10: 044640103X
ISBN-13: 978-0446401036

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your lifeâ€¦

Sheâ€™s a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasureâ€”but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his desire to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkableâ€”and let Tayla possess him, body and soulâ€¦

Read an excerpt here.

I love this book – there’s no other way to say it. It is fantastic, awesome and I tell everyone that just reading it makes me jealous of her writing and her world building. I remember when she wrote the proposal for this book – I remember when she sold it – it feels like that was just yesterday even though I’ve been waiting SO long for the book to be on the shelves!!! I can only imagine how the wait was for her – but it’s FINALLY here.

Larissa’s given some great interviews here and here and here, and she’s at Writeminded today talking a bit more about Pleasure Unbound.

What are you waiting for? Go buy it!!! It’s at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and at all brick & mortar stores AND it’s been spotted at Walmart. The girl is going places.

Steph T.

Release day!!!

May 20, 2008

Hot Nights, Dark Desires releases today!!! It’s an anthology with novellas from me, Sydney Croft and Eden Bradley.

Inspired by the sultry heat and sensual ambiance of New Orleans , this steamy collection delves into the erotic underground of the Big Easy. Here is a tantalizing trio of stories by three rising stars that will tease your imaginationâ€”and seduce your senses.

Lush, haunting, and provocative, New Orleans has something to satisfy every desireâ€”as three very lucky women are about to discover.

In â€œShadow Playâ€ (by Sydney Croft) an ex-supermodel desperate to revive her career seeks the help of a gorgeous, reclusive photographer with a special giftâ€”and offers him anything he wants in return. The result is a series of erotic positions captured on filmâ€”along with a mind-blowing physical connection neither expectedâ€¦.

In â€œThe Art of Desireâ€ (by Eden Bradley) a sheltered young woman turned on by the idea of getting tattooed dares to make her fantasy a reality. But as her arousing sessions with a dangerously handsome tattoo artist move from the tattoo parlor to the bedroom, they make an impression thatâ€™s more than skin deepâ€¦.

And in â€œNight Visionâ€ (by Stephanie Tyler) when artist Catie Lanford hires professional cooler Bat Kelly to whip the failing bar sheâ€™s recently inherited into shape, sheâ€™s not looking for a loverâ€”until she lays eyes on the sexy wild man. Soon theyâ€™ve agreed to mix business with pleasure, and Catie discovers that Bat is just what she needs to set her artistâ€™s imaginationâ€”and her bodyâ€”on fire.

Abandon your inhibitions and excite your spirit with a gathering of tales thatâ€™s as sexy and spicy as the city of New Orleans itself.

Mandy Burns from Fresh Fiction says, “The title says it all in this deliciously erotic anthology by stars of the genre. What a perfect name for an anthology! HOT NIGHTS, DARK DESIRES is a flawless blend of sexy characters and steamy chemistry proving once again that these authors are the best at what they do. Definitely a must-read!!”

You can read an excerpt from Night Vision here!

And if I owe you an email, give me a few days and I’ll get there – I got sick after my daughter’s operation and I’m not feeling much better, two weeks later. And then there’s the migraine that hit yesterday and prevented me from making the Writeminded chat – I’m so sorry about that!!!

Steph T.

guest blogging at Eden Bradley’s blog

May 12, 2008

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and good wishes – Lily did great in Pittsburgh and we got home late Friday night! So now it’s just rest and recovery for her so she can start her swimming next month.

Larissa and I (and Sydney) are over at Eden Bradley’s blog, where she’s declared May tattoo month!

See, in our newest release, Hot Nights, Dark Desires, Eden’s novella, The Art of Desire, is about a tattoo fetish, and so she’s invited us and other authors to go and talk about their tattoos. There are a few pics of mine up, so go on over and take a look!

Hot Nights, Dark Desires releases May 20th!

Inspired by the sultry heat and sensual ambiance of New Orleans , this steamy collection delves into the erotic underground of the Big Easy. Here is a tantalizing trio of stories by three rising stars that will tease your imaginationâ€”and seduce your senses.

Lush, haunting, and provocative, New Orleans has something to satisfy every desireâ€”as three very lucky women are about to discover.

In â€œShadow Playâ€ (by Sydney Croft) an ex-supermodel desperate to revive her career seeks the help of a gorgeous, reclusive photographer with a special giftâ€”and offers him anything he wants in return. The result is a series of erotic positions captured on filmâ€”along with a mind-blowing physical connection neither expectedâ€¦.

In â€œThe Art of Desireâ€ (by Eden Bradley) a sheltered young woman turned on by the idea of getting tattooed dares to make her fantasy a reality. But as her arousing sessions with a dangerously handsome tattoo artist move from the tattoo parlor to the bedroom, they make an impression thatâ€™s more than skin deepâ€¦.

And in â€œNight Visionâ€ (by Stephanie Tyler) when artist Catie Lanford hires professional cooler Bat Kelly to whip the failing bar sheâ€™s recently inherited into shape, sheâ€™s not looking for a loverâ€”until she lays eyes on the sexy wild man. Soon theyâ€™ve agreed to mix business with pleasure, and Catie discovers that Bat is just what she needs to set her artistâ€™s imaginationâ€”and her bodyâ€”on fire.

Abandon your inhibitions and excite your spirit with a gathering of tales thatâ€™s as sexy and spicy as the city of New Orleans itself.

Steph T

back to Trance…

May 1, 2008

So today, Larissa and I start in on Trance – Sydney’s book 4. We’ve got about 60 + pages (proposal chapters which we’d handed in sometime in January plus some extra scenes that happen later in the book.)

The book is due in July – and I think we’ve got a proposal for book 5 due in June. And I have Nick’s revisions and Chris’s book due June/July-ish as well. But I try not to think too much about all of that because then my head might explode.

Oh, and I have a migraine today. So my head might explode anyway. :LOL:

People are always curious about how we write together, what the process is like – so I’ll try to document as we go along – we’ve always meant to do that but we end up getting involved in the process and forget to give out the details.

So like today – day 1…it begins with an email where Larissa usually sends me the latest copy (she sends the copy to our editor since she’s an amazing proofreader and I am…not. At all.) So she sends me what we’ve got and I kind of skim through it like, wow, I like the story (which is good – because when you haven’t looked at something in months, you tend to scare yourself into thinking, my GOD, this book is going to be really hard to write…)

I mean, it might be – I’m not sure yet. In some ways, it’s a much easier book because it’s not part of the Storm series, even though it’s set in the ACRO world. At this point, we’ve got a main plot and one subplot, although I’m still pushing for one more small subplot. But don’t tell Larissa yet.

For today’s writing, we’ve already started emailing each other about what happens next (it’s her character’s turn – she’s writing the main heroine (Ulrika or Rik) and the subplot hero (Ryan) this time around and I’ve got main hero (Trance) and sublot heroine (Coco. Or Mary)…we’ll both join in on writing Dev and whoever else comes up.) – she’ll send me little encouraging love notes, like the one that just came through:

You’re an idiot.

Do you see why working with a partner can give you the warm fuzzies?!

So today’s goals are for Larissa to get enough of the Rik scene done so I can work on the next Trance scene. We don’t always go in order, although once we get past the halfway mark, we tend to) – for now, the document gets messy – where we’ll both have lots of unfinished scenes. Because we can work off unfinished scenes – we can move ahead that way and go back and polish as things firm up. Because right now, although we have a synopsis – it’s all very vague. Which is just the way I like it.

If you’ve got any specific questions as we move along in the process, feel free to ask them in the comments or email me and I’ll try to get them answered.

Steph T.

Romance B(u)y The Book!

March 5, 2008

(Please don’t forget to check out this post to take the author / agent surveys!)

Sydney’s Unleashing The Storm is featured this week on Michelle Buonfiglio’s Romance: B(u)y the Book!!! There’s an interview with Larissa and me and we’ll be blogging there on March 7th, so please stop by and see us (You’ll have to do a quick registration to comment!)

Michelle also reviewed Unleashing – she says,

“Unleashing the Storm” is emotionally satisfying, as well as fiercely erotic. The sexual tension is urgent and driving; it refuses to subside. That’s because the writing duo that is Sydney Croft (Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler) shows Kira’s need in an aching, frantic way sensual women understand. Then they gift us with Ender, who delivers high-emotion sexual fantasy even we veteran erotic romance fans find refreshing.

You can read the full review here!

Steph T.

Larissa’s New Release!!!

September 24, 2007

Thanks to a devastating medical diagnosis, ski patroller Sean Trenton has endured two years of celibacy. Two long years that have chipped away at his confidence. Now, with the career opportunity of a lifetime on the line, heâ€™s ready to remedy the celibacy situation, and sexy snowbunny Robyn Montgomery is just what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately, the last thing reliable, intense radio station manager Robyn Montgomery wants in her suddenly turbulent professional and personal life is a thrill-seeking former Olympic skier â€” even if he is a total hottie. Sheâ€™s had it with guys who hog the spotlight and leave her in the shadows. So why is it that even an icy blizzard canâ€™t temper the combustible heat between them?

An excerpt is available at Larissa’s website, and she’s going to put up a new one at Writeminded tomorrow.

I think this is one of the very first books of Larissa’s that I read – I loved it then and I still love it! You all know how talented I think Larissa is anyway – I’m SO thrilled that she found the right home for this book. It’s a very special story – very emotional, with two people who battle their demons (not those kind of demons – those are Larissa’s other books and win with each other’s help…my favorite kind of story. :biggrin:

You can purchase Snowbound here. The heat level, in case youâ€™re interested, is similar to what you might find in a Harlequin Blaze.

Steph T.

full steam ahead

July 21, 2007

*warning – post being made under the influence of a very, very large iced coffee plus a cup of regular coffee. And two donuts*

So Larissa was talking the other day about having an ‘off’ day since I had the Syd novella to work on. Normally, with a full manuscript, neither of us have an off day, since one of us can be working through the main storyline while the other moves along on the subplots. But since the novella doesn’t have a subplot that doesn’t work.

Still, I was trying to figure out just why this novella was so, I’ll do my scene, in order and pass it back to you, when that rarely happens. The in-order thing. I mean, we’d had to write a short synopsis, so we knew where the novella would go (minus a few of those things I’d spoken of the other day)…and then I realized what the deal was.

With both my own stuff and with Syd’s (I don’t know if this happens to Larissa with her own stuff, but I’m suspecting yes), when I (we) turn in proposals, we don’t just have the first three chapters written. No way. When I sold my HTH proposal, it was 65 pages, but I had 150 written. After chapter 3, nothing in order, of course, but I had other, crucial scenes that helped me to form those first chapter. Same with the Syd books – when we handed in the UTS proposal, we had at least 100 pages. Same with SBTH. But with this novella…not so much. We had one chapter. So now, on page 94, we’ve finally gotten to that point we’re we’re seeing it all mapped out.

We’re at the point where I can start a scene, can see where it’s going to end. So what I’ll do in that case is show Larissa the rough stuff I’ve got, complete with all the blank spots plus how I envision how the scene will end. She can then build on the ending even though she doesn’t know everything that’s happening in my scene and move on to write her own scene. So yeah, we’re at that point where, if this was a full novel, we’d write some crazy number of pages in just this weekend alone because we’d hit that point. Which is really a lot of fun and doesn’t normally require extra coffee either.

A crazy system which shouldn’t work out, but it does. Really. :frazzled:

Okay, so for Sven’s count:
Wednesday: 7 pages plus revised a TON on the HTH ms
Yesterday: 3 pages plus revised even more on the HTH ms
Today so far: 9 pages (YAY for coffee) and plan to rewrite 2 crucial scenes for HTH. I have extra donuts if I need them.

Oh, and Sydney’s official website launched! Go check it out…it’s really cool! Bekke did an awesome job. (oh, spooky that REM’s Losing My Religion came on my playlist as I was typing Bekke’s name!)

Steph T.

random superheroines

June 24, 2007

I have so SO many books in my TBR pile at the moment that I’m dying to get to, but until I finish up a few things, there’s no way. Sneaking in a few chapters here and there never works, especially if I fall in love with the book, because then I have to devour it in one sitting and the day is gone. I’ve always been an, all or nothing, kind of reader.

Oh, and Larissa, did you see this? I am Buffy!

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“We saved the world. I say we have to party.”

What Superheroine Are You?

Go ahead, take the quiz…tell me what superheroine you are.

I’m off to write. And write. And write some more.

Don’t forget, Army Wives is on tonight!

Steph T.

Cool Sydney Croft news!

June 8, 2007

Sydney got some wonderful news yesterday from her amazing editor (and yes, I am feeling slightly split-personalitied talking about Sydney in the 3rd person) â€“ it seems that Riding The Storm will be a Featured Alternate selection in Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club for September / October!!!

Now all Sydney needs to do is finish up her website, the third book in the Storm Trilogy and her novella.

Sydney really needs to get moving. < —–sometimes this 3rd person thing works a little too well…

Steph T.

Unleashing The Storm

June 5, 2007

Sydney’s got a new cover and backcover copy too!!!!! Larissa and I are in LOVE with both!!!

UNLEASHING THE STORM – coming March 2008 from Bantam Dell

Beyond desire. Beyond seduction.
Into the eye of the stormâ€¦

Feel the heat. Hear the roar.
The fever has begunâ€¦

Thereâ€™s a storm rising. Electricity crackles in the air. For Kira Donovan, itâ€™s that time of year again: when the need floods her flesh, when almost any manâ€”the bigger and the stronger the betterâ€”will do. For Kira, an animal psychic, the heat is a matter of life and death, and this year it has come at just the right time. Tom Knight, a natural born predator, has arrived at her isolated Idaho farmâ€”for reasons all his ownâ€¦

At first Kira isnâ€™t interested in Knightâ€™s motives. She only needs himâ€”his body, his hands, his scent. But soon, through a daze of desire and distrust, Kira discovers Knightâ€™s worldâ€”the world of a covert operative, one man among dozens of secret agents waging an astonishing global war. Knightâ€™s mission is to bring Kira–kicking and screaming if necessary–into the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives and harness her extraordinary gift. He never expected the powerful emotions she would ignite in him, or the fierce desire to keep her safe from harm. For as darkness gathers around them, Kira is feeling the heat once again, leading them both on a wild ride of delicious thrillsâ€¦and terror beyond imagining.

What do you think?!?

Steph T.