I *heart* the Mailman

Yes, I completely agree, he needs to lose the towel. Oh, and no, he's not my mailman...I wish, though.

But I love my mailman. I've never met him (it is a man - I've seen him as he delivers mail to the neighbors), but I *heart* him. He delivered my new postcards today! Squee!! They are so pretty and shiny and glossy and...sigh. I've been petting them and loving them and stroking them and fondling them all morning. In fact, I have a couple right next to my laptop...ahhhh. Sorry, had to cop a quick feel.

Aren't they pretty? If you want a few, just email me your snail mail address (ava @ avamarch (dot) com) and I'll pop some in the mail for you. And I promise to only send unmolested postcards. What else is new with me? Um...I am not loving on all the snow we've been getting here. Got the car stuck in the driveway this morning. Let me tell you, that was fun. And hubby's going to have lots of fun pushing the car out of the snow when he gets home (he has the muscles, therefore he gets to push while I sit in the car and steer). Since I'm not about to walk to work, at least I don't have to go to the EDJ today.

From Afar

It's Tuesday, 2/23, and do you know what that means? New book release day! *G* From Afar is officially available from Samhain. Yeah, that squeeing and clapping you heard in the distance was me. ;)

Some rules are destined to be broken.

Loneliness. A concept with which Raphael Laurent is very familiar. He’s lived a solitary life for thirty-six years, shunning the excesses of the local vampire clan—until he spots Lord Aleric Vane, the handsome and dissolute third son of a duke. For three years Raphael has watched from a distance, for only when he is near Aleric does the hollow, empty ache in his chest ease.

Cut off from his family for refusing to follow his father’s dictates, Aleric’s nights are filled with vice. But after three years in London, the city has lost all appeal. Desolate and penniless, his future appears bleak. Until a mysterious man drops from the shadows to drive off a trio of murderous thieves.

When Aleric awakens, he finds himself forever changed. The itch for more that drove him to London is gone. In its place is the feeling that he’s known the beautiful Raphael all his life.

But to save Aleric, Raphael had to break the rules, giving him a chance to love the one man he never thought he could have—a chance that could be ripped away by Aleric himself…

Warning: This book contains hot m/m action with a new vampire with a ramped up sex drive, and a dash of voyeurism of the m/m, m/f, and m/m/m varieties. Definitely not your traditional Regency romance.

If you're interested in throwing your name in the randomizer hat to win a copy of the book, leave a comment either here or on Saturday's post. Contest is open until midnight EST.

From Afar-Contest, Excerpts & More

Since Ole was such a popular choice in round 2 of Pick a Hottie, I thought some of you might like a bit more of him ;)

From Afar releases in 3 days! I'm getting quite geeked about it. If you are interested in reading a hot new excerpt featuring Raphael and Aleric having some fun in a carriage, hop on over to Shawn Lane's blog. She's featuring it as part of her excerpt Saturdays.

CONTEST TIME!! I've decided to hold a little giveaway to celebrate From Afar's upcoming release. Contest will be open until midnight EST 2/23/10. Simply leave a comment on this post or email me at ava (at) avamarch (dot) com to enter. Winner will be chosen at random using random.org and will receive a copy of From Afar. Good luck!

In other news, fellow erotic romance author Lissa Matthews is holding a birthday party on Sunday 2/21 and Monday 2/22. Here are the details -

I'm putting together a few authors with some hot excerpts, maybe some man candy, and some gifts, of course. I want to give birthday gifts to the readers. Ebooks, gift cards, maybe even a pound of coffee or two... Or is it only the authors that drink coffee? Either way, I'm the Birthday girl and I am giving away presents. Who's in?

Yep, I'm included in the 'a few authors', so stop on by Lissa's Blog - Wicked, Whimsical and Random - to read some smokin' excerpts, enjoy the hotties and enter to win some great giveaways.

Hope you are all having a fantastic Saturday!

-----------CONTEST UPDATE-------------

I put all the names of those who commented or emailed me into the handy-dandy randomizer, and the winner is...

JAMBREA!

Congrats!! :) Send me an email at ava @ avamarch (dot) com, and let me know which ebook format you'd prefer, and Raphael and Aleric will shortly show up in your inbox.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest *g*

Build a Book Boyfriend

I got this from Lily over at I Love Books (who was tagged by Miranda at Sweet Vernal Zephyr, and it all started at the Gutter Girls).

We all have our favorite book boyfriends and now you have the chance to create one just for yourself and your fantasies! How do you play? Fill out the quiz below and post a picture of your sexy man.

Of course, I just couldn't resist building my own Book Boyfriend.

1- Hair color and style - Dark brown hair. Short, but not buzzed. An effortless style that doesn't require excessive amounts of gel, because I like to be able to run my fingers through his hair.

2- Eye color and facial features - Handsome with a pretty vibe. A beautiful man. Light blue or whiskey brown eyes. No facial scruff (except in the morning when he's all tousle-haired and adorably drowsy).

3- Height and body type - Between 5'10" and 6'. I'm 5- 2 1/2" (yes, I must include that 1/2"), so I don't want to have to use a step stool whenever we kiss, nor do I want him to get a hunch back from bending down all the time. Muscular, fit and strong without being overly muscular. A gotta-grab-it butt and a beautiful back. No chest hair and with nipple rings, so I can play with them. Tattoos...he can have one around his biceps.

4- Visible age - between 25 and 35

5- Bangability ie: kinky/bi/size - He's got to be open to some kink because he needs to be able to help me with any 'research' for future books. Definitely bi - again, strictly for any research purposes. ...yeah, right, who am I kidding? Book Boyfriend will have an equally hot best friend with benefits, and they will, of course, like to make-out for me. *g* It goes without saying that Book Boyfriend will adore me most of all, so I will have no jealousy issues with the bf with bennies. As for size...impressive but not 'get-that-thing-away-from-me' impressive. Oh, almost forgot to add - he must have a recovery time less than five minutes, so he can play all night if need be.

6- Human or other - Human. Werewolves, while sexy in books, are too hairy in real life. Vampires...I'm not keen on the idea of being bitten hard enough to draw blood. Demons, too evil and angels, too pure for what I have in mind for him ;)

7- Paranormal skills - The ability to listen to me babble about characters and books, and actually be genuinely interested.

8- Interests - Me! And he has to have some interests of his own, so he can occupy himself while I'm chained to my laptop.

9- Habitat - Moving is a pain and packing is even more painful. I'd rather not have to go through the hassle of moving all my crap to his place. So he doesn't need a habitat. He'll live with me.

10 Special skills - Cooking (because if he wants anything beside microwaved food or poptarts, he'll need to cook it himself), sarcastic sense of humor, sweet and kind without being too mushy or emo, and he has to be as pervie as I am *g*

Feel free to play along, either on your own blog or in the comments, and build your own book boyfriend!

And here's a picture of my Book Boyfriend. If you've been by the blog before, you've seen him hanging around. All right, so his hair is a bit longer than ideal, but it looks so good on him so I won't make him cut it.

Pick a Hottie - Round 2

Time for Round 2 of Pick a Hottie! And this time there are four hotties to choose from. *g*

Same rules as before. Pick one of the guys below that strikes your fancy, and he will be virtually yours to do with as you please. Each guy has an unlimited number of identical twins, so there is plenty to go around. Oh, and you can only pick one. The hotties do not like to share. ;)

#1 - Ivan

#2 - Nick

#3 - Ole

#4 - Matthew

These guys not only do dishes, laundry and cook, they vacuum, do yard work (or will shovel snow, depending on where you live) and will also clean the grout in your bathroom. I know - awesome!! lol You all can thank me later, when you're lazing on the couch, watching the hottie of your choice rid your house of all those pesky dust bunnies ;)

p.s. I tried to find a hottie who favors black eyeliner, but...sigh. No such luck. But the guys have informed me they are more than willing to don a bit of black eyeliner or lip gloss or both, if that is what you so desire.

Couples and the Unruly Muse

Since it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought today's man candy pics would be fitting.

The first two are damn hot, so of course I had to post them, and the last couple is so sweet I couldn't resist. *g*

My muse is still having a field day. She's loving this 'no deadlines' thing. I'm also convinced she has a bit of an attention-span issue, because she refuses to focus on any one story for more than a week. On the good side, I now have outlines for two new m/m novellas and a m/f novel for Evangeline completed. And two hours of lazing in bed this morning (...okay, so it was really afternoon by then) got me a new ending for a novella featuring Arsen's youngest brother. That book (current working title - Thief) is so fresh and clear in my head that I'm really going to try to get the damn muse to focus tonight so I can start turning some of my 7 pages of notes into an actual book. And Shawn Lane is totally putting me to shame. I mean really, the woman has written two new books during the span of what was to be my 'little vacation'. On a normal day, I'm the tortoise to her hare, but I've now fallen into sloth territory. Time to snap the old muse into line. Wish me luck!

The Princes' Date Night

Prince Phillip and his new boyfriend, the Prince, went on a date tonight. They were kind enough to let me snap a few pics.

First, horseback riding. Phillip's quite the horseman, so he thought a ride would be a nice way to start the evening. Unfortunately, the Prince's legs don't bend, so he had a bit of trouble sitting on his horse. Oh, and the kidlet lost most of the Prince's clothes, but at least he still has his satin knee breeches. And Phillip didn't at all mind his lack of proper attire. ;)

After a short horseback ride, they went for a nice scenic drive on their way to dinner. The Prince was quite impressed with Phillip's stylin' pink corvette.
Then after dinner, they went back to Phillip's place.

Yes, pink is Phillip's favorite color. It's now the Prince's as well *g*

Football Ava Style & a Game

Since this weekend is the Superbowl, I thought this hottie would be fitting.

I don't usually follow football, but I am going to a Superbowl party tomorrow. My sister's having one, so it should be fun. Anyone else have plans for Superbowl Sunday? And is it just me, or do all those muscles and tight pants and men-grabbing-men and big-pileups-of-hot-sweaty-men make your mind wander to wicked thoughts? I freely admit that when I watch a football game, I pretend all the players are gay or at least bi. It makes the hikes (I think that's what they are called - when the one guy reaches between the other's legs for the ball) so much more interesting to watch. *g*

Now for a game. I got this one from Martha over at Just You And Me.

Rules: Answer the following questions with Single Word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers.

Your Cell Phone? iPhone

Your Hair? Long

Your Mother? Love

Your Father? Hero

Your Favorite Food? Poptarts

Your Dream Last Night? Can’t remember

Your Favorite Drink? Diet Coke

Your Dream/Goal? Dream? Writing fulltime Goal? Continue to publish books

What Room Are You In? Basement

Your Hobby? Reading

Your Fear? Failure

Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Still writing

Where Were You Last Night? Home

Something That You Aren’t? Cruel

Muffins? Blueberry

Wish List Item? Ebook reader

Where Did You Grow Up? Ohio

Last Thing You Did? Ate breakfast

What Are You Wearing? Jammies

Your TV? On

Your Pets? Old

Friends? Wonderful

Your Life? Very good

Your Mood? Happy

Missing Someone? Dad

Vehicle? G37

Something You Aren’t Wearing? Bra

Your Favorite Store? Shoe store

Your Favorite Color? Green

When Was The Last Time You Laughed? A few minutes ago

Last Time You Cried? Can’t remember

Your Best Friend? Hubby

One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Target

Facebook? Yes

Favorite Place To Eat? Rocky's

All right, so not all the answers were single words. I tried, but...it was hard. I'm not going to tag anyone for this little game, but will leave it up to you if you want to play along. Have fun!

From Afar - Cover Lovin'

Today's cover lovin' day! I got the final cover art for From Afar. *g* And it's up on the coming soon page and everything. It wasn't there when I checked at lunch, but it was there when I checked a few minutes ago. And yes, I did the little squee accompanied by over-excited clapping. I can't thank Scott Carpenter enough for designing such a beautiful cover - I totally *heart* it.

Here's the official blurb for the book:

Some rules are destined to be broken.

Loneliness. A concept with which Raphael Laurent is very familiar. He’s lived a solitary life for thirty-six years, shunning the excesses of the local vampire clan—until he spots Lord Aleric Vane, the handsome and dissolute third son of a duke. For three years Raphael has watched from a distance, for only when he is near Aleric does the hollow, empty ache in his chest ease.

Cut off from his family for refusing to follow his father’s dictates, Aleric’s nights are filled with vice. But after three years in London, the city has lost all appeal. Desolate and penniless, his future appears bleak. Until a mysterious man drops from the shadows to drive off a trio of murderous thieves.

When Aleric awakens, he finds himself forever changed. The itch for more that drove him to London is gone. In its place is the feeling that he’s known the beautiful Raphael all his life.

But to save Aleric, Raphael had to break the rules, giving him a chance to love the one man he never thought he could have—a chance that could be ripped away by Aleric himself…

Warning: This book contains hot m/m action with a new vampire with a ramped up sex drive, and a dash of voyeurism of the m/m, m/f, and m/m/m varieties. Definitely not your traditional Regency romance.

Sharing the Excerpt Love

The excerpt for From Afar popped up on its coming soon page. I don't know why I get geeked about stuff like this. I knew what excerpt they were going to use - I sent the thing to my editor. Still, I did the 'Ooh!' accompanied by the little squee giggle when I saw the link had made its way on to the page. If you want to take a peek, here's the link - From Afar excerpt.

Samhain has opened the polls for the 2009 Readers Choice Sammie Awards. There are 8 categories - such as favorite cover, hero, heroine and book - with separate categories for ebooks and print. All 2009 Samhain titles are included, including Object of His Desire. So if you're in the mood to cast votes for your favorites, the link to the poll is on Samhain's home page.

And finally, I gave the thumbs up on the cover art for From Afar tonight. I like it a lot *g* So sometime this week, I should get the final files, and as soon as I do, I promise to share.

I hope everyone had a decent Monday - I think hoping for a great Monday would be asking a bit much, since it's Monday and all. But hopefully 'decent' was achievable for everyone :)