Ellen Fisher Romance

New!

2011-05-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Now available, a contemporary romance anthology of Christmas stories:

Buy it on Kindle.

Buy it on Nook.

Zia Sumner isn't certain if Pierce Maddox really loves her, or if she's just the rebound girl. Pierce is determined to show Zia how much she means to him. Together, they discover that falling in love at Christmas is like coming home for the holidays.

Anthology (3 short stories totalling 10,500 words)

Still available, a contemporary romantic comedy with a paranormal twist:

Buy it on Amazon.

Buy it on Barnes and Noble.

Buy it on iTunes.

The story of one man's obsession with spots... and where his obsession leads.

Dare Greene and Kathy Parrish have longed for each other since high school, but their own insecurities have kept them apart. One day, a glimpse of leopard-spotted bra changes everything between them. But are they prepared for ALL the changes they'll experience together?

Novella (Length: 20,000 words)

All I Ever Wanted

2011-03-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Novel, 104,000 words. Re-release. Maxfield Sinclair, the author of a popular science fiction series, is revered by fans everywhere as "The Creator." Drew Cooper, a snobbish literature professor, isn’t impressed with Max’s books, or with Max himself, for that matter.

As Drew gets to know Max, however, she realizes there’s more to the shy, awkward writer than meets the eye. But can a woman who enjoys escargot and caviar fall in love with a guy who thinks fine cuisine means supreme instead of pepperoni?

Buy it in Kindle format here.

Read an excerpt and reviews here.

Love Remembered

2011-03-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Buy it on Amazon here.

Read an excerpt here.

Gwaltney Harris has struggled all his life to acquire wealth but still cannot purchase the respectability he desires. Desperate, he weds the shrewish but well-bred Cordelia Ashton, who has concealed a warm nature beneath a spinsterish exterior. Gwaltney, however, has secrets of his own, and he doesn’t dare grow too close to Cordelia. Despite this, they begin to fall in love, but can their relationship survive a mysterious assailant who will stop at nothing to kill Gwaltney?

Reviews (for the original edition):

"I really enjoyed the humor that escapes during the unblunted banter between Cordelia and Gwaltney; at some points the degrading words they toss at each other will bring tears to your eyes. Ms. Fisher keeps the dialogue fresh and engaging as she weaves twists and turns into the romance and mystery of this well written novel." - DeeKay, Romance Reader at Heart

"...a poignant story of love...the gripping story and the journey of two people coming to terms with the love they have for one another and the prejudices they are fighting against....Love Remembered will make you laugh and cry, and will allow you a glimpse into what the lives of some of the early colonists was truly like. Ellen has done a remarkable job... one book you will go back to again and again." - Rose, Romance at Heart

"...a delightful novel of colonial Virginia. Rich in historical detail this is a well-written novel with suspense, mystery and love....Not only was Cordelia and Gwaltney's relationship well developed but the secondary characters were also delightful. The tightly woven plot and wonderful portrait of colonial life makes Love Remembered a memorable reading experience."- Larenda Twigg, The Romance Studio

"...an entertaining historical romp in pre-Revolutionary America. Intriguing characters and electric chemistry make this one book hard to put down. In fact, this reviewer stayed up most of the night to just read it." - Miriam, Fallen Angel Reviews

Excerpt from Christmas Carol

2010-07-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2005 by Ellen Fisher.

"What kind of person are you, breaking into a dead guy’s house?”

He rubbed at the back of his head, looking befuddled. “You think I’m a burglar?”

“You’re obviously not the maid.”

“No, I’m not the maid.” He studied her for a long, thoughtful moment. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m a friend of Robbie’s. I’m renting the house next door.”

“Robbie? Robbie?” He stood up and stared at her incredulously. Even in the near darkness she could tell he was a nice-looking guy. And big. Very big. She took a cautious step back, still cradling Silver in her arms. “I’ve never heard anyone call him Robbie before.”

“Everyone called him Robbie,” she informed him. “He was a dear old man. I can’t believe anyone would be low enough to break into his house.”

“A dear old man, my sore ass. He was a flaming son of a bitch.”

“What?” She felt hot rage flood through her. She wished she had brought her cell phone along, because she’d love to call the cops and have them lock this guy up. She decided to run back to her house and call 911, and cheer when they snapped the handcuffs on him. “You—you jerk. How can you talk about a sweet old man that way?”

“He wasn’t sweet.” The guy flashed a heartstopping grin that would have made her melt, if he wasn’t a criminal. Criminals didn’t make the best dates. And a dumb criminal was even less likely to be good relationship material. “He was a bastard. And I should know. I lived with him for eighteen years.”

All the wind suddenly went out of her sails. She’d thought the guy looked familiar, and now she knew why. He was a younger version of Robbie. Besides, she’d seen his face in photos. Lots and lots of photos. He’d been much younger in those pictures, but there was no doubt who he was…the same guy whose high school and college photos were all over Robbie’s house. Just a lot more rugged. And more muscular. And generally more gorgeous. Totally gorgeous. That was evident even in the semi-darkness.

Her cheeks heated, and she had to fight the urge to fan herself, despite the December chill.

“You’re Robbie’s son,” she said with surprise. She honestly hadn’t expected him to show up. He hadn’t ever bothered to come see his father when the man was alive, after all. Yet here he was, in the very impressive flesh.

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” He turned around and studied the small house with its weedy, overgrown front flower beds, disintegrating roof shingles, and chipping white trim. “Which makes this my house now, I suppose. Oh joy.”

A pang shot through her. “I guess that makes Silver your cat, too.”

He turned and stared at her incredulously. “You mean my father owned that—that ball of lint?”

“That’s a terrible thing to say,” she reproved. “He’s a silver tabby, and really very pretty.”

“Sorry. I guess I’m prejudiced against any animal that tries to murder me on first acquaintance.”

“He didn’t try to murder you.”

“Sure seemed like it to me. He tripped me on purpose. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d whipped out a sword, like that cat in the Shrek movies. I’m telling you, he was trying to kill me.”

“Pity he didn’t succeed,” she said under her breath, but she knew he heard her from the sudden glint of amusement in his eyes. She raised her voice. “His name is Silver Bells, or Silver for short. I gave him to your dad last Christmas, when he was just a kitten. I thought your dad seemed kind of lonely.”

“The old bastard deserved to be lonely.”

She gritted her teeth. “He was lonely,” she growled, “because his only son couldn’t be bothered to come see him for Christmas. Or his birthday. Or any other holiday.”

He gave a long sigh. “Look,” he said, “it’s damn cold out. You want to come inside, so we can talk? And maybe you can call off the cops, or it’ll be a damned short conversation.”

“I was bluffing. I didn’t call the cops.”

“That’s nice to know. Still, I’d like to talk to you.” He hesitated. “My name’s Jackson, in case you didn’t know.”

“I know. Your dad talked about you all the time. In fact, I’m the one who gave the funeral home your number. I guess I should have called you myself, but I—“ I didn’t much want to talk to you because I hated the way you ignored that dear old man. “Anyway. I’m Carol. Carol Bell. Your dad probably mentioned me.”

“We didn’t talk all that much, I’m sorry to say. But if you gave the funeral home my number, you must have known I was coming.”

“No,” she said shortly, letting a wealth of disapproval fill her voice. “Somehow I didn’t think you’d come. You’ve never come before.”

Jackson had the grace to wince at her tone. “Nice to meet you, Carol,” he drawled, sarcasm lacing his deep voice. “Come on in. You can bring the ball of lint, too.”

Excerpt from Unwrapped

2010-07-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Copyright 2004 by Ellen Fisher.

Growling deep in his throat, Nicholas slid his tongue into Syd's mouth. Their tongues tangled together, mating in a savage, desperate dance, and he heard the soft sound of her rapid breathing, heard himself panting.

And then he heard the door open.

He lifted his head and saw his sister Mim standing there, staring at them with shock.

Syd looked over her shoulder and instantly went beet red. Mim stared a moment longer, her mouth hanging open, then she managed to shut her mouth.

“You guys must know each other better than I thought.”

Nicholas did his best to regroup his scattered thoughts. He shot his sister an easy, insolent grin. “You know how it is,” he drawled. “Women just can’t keep their hands off me.”

He felt Syd stiffen with anger, felt a righteous stab of amusement. Take that, you faithless bitch. She’d stabbed him through the heart three years ago, and he’d never had the chance to turn the tables. He was surprised to realize he liked the notion of revenge.

“Yeah,” Syd said, and he heard her voice shaking with rage. “He’s just Santa’s gift to women everywhere.”

“Glad you realize that,” he said with a leer.

Huffing, Syd stood up abruptly, smoothing her clothes with her hands. She might have managed to look entirely unruffled, completely unaffected by him, except he noticed her nipples were standing out like bullets.

Of course, a portion of his anatomy was standing at attention too, not unlike a missile ready to launch. He was every bit as affected by her as she was by him.

Damn it.

“Um,” Mim said. “Well. I just wanted to tell you two that the feast was ready to be served.”

“Sure seemed that way to me,” Nicholas said.

Syd turned on him angrily. “You—you—“

“Look,” Mim interjected, “could the two of you possibly restrain your hostility and your horniness? At least for now? I have kids, you know. I don’t want them to see you killing each other, and I don’t particularly want them to see you checking each others’ dental hygiene, either. Do you think you could behave like an adult for once, Nicholas?”

Nicholas decided it was finally safe to stand up. He rose to his feet and looked down at Syd, who despite her fairly substantial height had to look a long way up to meet his eyes. “I always behave like an adult,” he said with dignity.

“No, you behave like a frat boy on Viagra,” Mim said. “But it’d be nice if you’d try to keep your libido under control. For once.”

He saw Syd wince and felt another stab of grim pleasure. She didn’t like hearing about his sex life.. well, his supposed sex life. She wasn’t over him. Interesting. So why had she arranged this meeting?

I wanted to know if we could still be good together.

That was the only obvious reason she would have gone to this much trouble, and it pleased him on a deep masculine level. She wanted him. And that was just fine with him. He damn well couldn’t deny that he wanted her as badly as he’d ever wanted anything. She was as gorgeous, as totally desirable, as she’d ever been.

But if she thought he was going to fall for her again, after what she’d done to him three years ago, she was entirely mistaken.

He didn’t have a problem with a wild evening of sex, just to see if it was as good as he remembered. He’d be happy to give her one night, if that was what she wanted, but that was all.

There was no way in hell he’d risk falling for her a second time.

Unwrapped

2010-07-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

Christmas in July! Unwrapped is an anthology of two short, previously released Christmas novellas, Unwrapped and Christmas Carol.
Read it on Kindle here.
Read an excerpt from Unwrapped here.
Read an excerpt from Christmas Carol here.

Unwrapped (15,000 words): She thinks he's an irresponsible, womanizing jerk incapable of settling down. He thinks she's a cold-hearted coward who dumped him over the phone on Christmas Eve. But when they meet again, three years later, their simmering passion heats up and before they know it, they're getting unwrapped....

Christmas Carol (20,000 words): Hot sex under the Christmas tree isn’t what Jackson Parker expected when he returned to his small hometown for the holidays, but it's a gift he’s not planning on returning any time soon…....

Love Remembered Excerpt

2010-06-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Cordelia paused and looked out over the vista. Following her gaze, Gwaltney saw they had walked down the terraced steps leading away from the mansion and stood on the rather steep bank of the canal. Not far away, a footbridge in the Chinese style arched gracefully across the water. It was a lovely setting--quite likely the most romantic area in the entire formal garden.

Why the hell had she brought him here?

He eyed her warily, but her attention seemed to be caught by their surroundings. “It’s beautiful here,” he commented, probing for information. This hardly seemed like the sort of place a woman bent on preserving her virtue at all costs would bring a man she disliked. It made no sense, none at all. He resolved to be cautious.

“I like it,” she said with a little sigh. “Every time I come to the Governor’s mansion, I always like to come see the canal.”

Gwaltney reached out and gently caressed her tightly bound hair. “It’s lovely,” he said, permitting his voice to drop into a lower register, “but not as lovely as you.”

Cordelia turned her head and stared at him for a long moment, then, to his surprise, she burst out laughing. “Oh, please,” she sputtered. “Surely you can do better than that.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gwaltney was so baffled by this unexpected reaction that he dropped his hand with a touch of embarrassment. It was true he was somewhat unaccustomed to giving women compliments, but he had never had one go into a fit of the giggles before.

“And you said you were always honest!” she hooted, laughing harder.

“I try to be,” Gwaltney said stiffly.

“Then you should try harder. Lovely!” She giggled again, then got her laughter under control. “Next I suppose you’ll be telling me that my eyes are the blue of the summer sky, that my hair is as smooth as silk, and that my skin is as pale and flawless as marble.”

Gwaltney grinned, recognizing that his attempt at a compliment had been transparently insincere. The truth was he had scarcely given a thought to her appearance. In fact, he hadn’t had the faintest idea what color her eyes were until this moment. “How unfortunate that you have foreseen all my compliments, Mistress Ashton. Although I believe I should have likened your skin to alabaster rather than marble.”

“You will forgive me if I say I believe you are less than honest, Mr. Harris.”

“Perhaps I was,” Gwaltney admitted. “The truth is that I am not certain what to say to you. I am, quite frankly, unaccustomed to wooing well-bred young ladies.”

Cordelia heard the insecurity in his tone, and it affected her in a way his compliments had not. He was only masquerading as a gentleman, and thus was most likely unsure of the correct way to behave in any given situation. She could not help but feel sympathy for him.

She did her best to harden her heart against him, reminding herself that all he wanted was a wife. Any well-bred woman would do. In that respect, he was very much like the man who had broken her heart years ago.

That thought made her voice tarter than she had intended. “I suppose in the past you have wooed women with money rather than compliments.”

“If by that you mean that I have spent my time with whores rather than ladies, you are correct. Given the choice, I find that I rather prefer whores. They don’t refuse to associate with a man due to his lack of breeding.”

Cordelia felt her cheeks pinken at his blunt words. “But surely I am not the first woman you have actually courted.”

“No. There were two others. The first laughed in my face when I brought her a cup of punch at a rout. She told me she would rather die of thirst than accept it.”

“What about the second?”

“She fell into a swoon when I dared to approach her at a ball. Her father publicly threatened to kill me if I spoke to her again.”

She heard the stiff anger beneath his quiet tone and realized for the first time that despite his lack of breeding, Gwaltney Harris was an extremely proud man. The rejections he had suffered had obviously offended him deeply. It was, she thought, surprising that he would dare to try a third time.

“I see,” she said, her voice softer than usual.

“But I hasten to add that those young ladies were almost courteous compared to you, Mistress Ashton. I have never met a woman who can utter insults so glibly. You have a true gift for discourtesy, madam.”

Any sympathy she might have felt for him quickly dissipated. She glared at him. “Is that intended as a compliment?”

He shrugged. “As I recall, you did say you wanted me to be sincere.”

Cordelia scowled. She had momentarily allowed herself to be distracted by her sympathy for him, but his curt words made her recall the reason she had led him out here. She had a trap to bait. Doing her best to simulate tremulous shyness, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. Beneath the satin of his coat sleeve, his muscles were hard and unyielding. “I never meant to be so unkind,” she murmured.

Gwaltney looked down at her with open cynicism. “Of course you didn’t. No doubt when you called me excruciatingly dull, you meant it kindly.”

Cordelia winced. “I ... I didn’t realize other women had been so cruel to you,” she fabricated hastily. “Had I realized, I surely would have tried to treat you more kindly.”

“Nonsense. Had you realized, you most likely would have studied their techniques.”

She managed to stifle the startled giggle that rose to her lips. “I’m not as awful as that,” she protested.

“Indeed you are. In fact, you are the most singularly ill-natured young woman I have ever had the misfortune to encounter.”

“More compliments, Mr. Harris?”

“The simple truth, Mistress Ashton.”

Cordelia stared up at him. She knew she should feel relieved that he found her manners repulsive. It meant he would not be pursuing her any further. And yet, in some distant corner of her mind, she wished he didn’t despise her. She wondered what it would be like to be courted by a man like this, a thoroughly masculine, dangerously attractive man.

“I don’t want you to hate me,” she whispered, letting her eyelashes sweep down to conceal her eyes and tilting her face up. She was careful to keep her eyes slitted open. “Please say you don’t hate me.”

“Oddly enough, I don’t. Despite your childish ways, despite the manner in which you have repeatedly snubbed me, I still find you attractive. I can’t imagine why. It can’t be your looks.”

Cordelia bit back the annoyed reply that sprang automatically to her lips. “I’m glad to hear that,” she whispered. She swayed toward him, as if overcome by emotion, and waited.

And still he did not move. She squinted at him through slitted eyes, wondering what he was waiting for. Surely she had been obvious enough, leading him to a secluded part of the garden, screwing her eyes shut, and pursing her lips like a fish. She was behaving precisely like a giggling young ninny desperate to snare a husband. Surely he realized that he ought to kiss her.

Instead, he spoke. “What are you playing at, Cordelia?”

She jumped at his hard tone and opened her eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re up to something. What is it?”

“I’m not up to anything!” she protested. “How can you be so suspicious?”

“I am not suspicious. Merely prudent.”

She hesitated a long moment. “I just wanted to kiss you,” she said in a soft voice. It was, she realized, closer to the truth than she would have liked.

There was a long silence. At last he said in a strangled whisper, “What?”

“I wanted… I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you.”

She saw the bewilderment on his face. He stood silent for long moments, staring blankly at her, apparently at a complete loss for words. Something fiercely savage, something primal, abruptly ignited in the depths of his eyes, and he lowered his head, bending toward her swiftly.

She had been waiting for this and had maneuvered accordingly. Although she was tall for a woman, he was a good deal taller, and she stood beneath him on the bank. As he swooped toward her, he was bent over in a somewhat awkward position. For an instant, she felt like a rodent, cowering helplessly on the ground as a hawk dived swiftly toward her, and she had the wild and irrational notion that she should permit him to kiss her. But only for a moment.

She closed her eyes and swayed toward him as though swept away, completely transported by the mere notion of kissing him. And then, as his lips were only scant inches away, she ducked quickly to the side.

Caught utterly by surprise, Gwaltney pinwheeled for a long moment, then stumbled forward gracelessly. She planted both hands firmly against his back, sending him head over heels. He tumbled down the bank into the canal with a resounding splash.

Farthest Space: The Pleasure of a Man

2010-05-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

Upcoming release. Excerpt copyright 2010 by Ellen Fisher. Sequel to Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan.

He couldn’t wait to see her again. He’d only met her once before, but he’d fallen head over heels for her.

Metaphorically speaking, of course, since he had neither a head nor heels. But if he were human, his heart would be pounding with excitement at the prospect of being with her again, of actually touching her. As it was, he felt little tingles of excitement zipping through all his circuits.

“Hurry up,” he said.

Captain Steven T. McNeill looked up. “I’ve been working as fast as I can,Fred,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement. “Developing a full-grown human clone isn’t quite like growing a house plant, you know. And transferring your memory and personality into a human brain isn’t going to be a walk in the park, either.”

Fred wished he had toes to tap. “I want K’ana to see me in this new form,” he said. “We’re going to see her in two weeks at the peace talks. I need to transfer into that brain and learn to use the body you’ve grown for me, and I need to do it in two weeks.”

Steven sighed as he sat back on his heels and considered the tall, ebony-haired, extremely masculine body floating in a cylinder of nutritive fluid in front of him. “I’m not sure that’s going to happen, Fred. We both know this is all pretty experimental. To my knowledge, no one’s ever tried to move a sentient computer’s personality into a human body before.”

“We’ve run lots of simulations, Steven, and it’s gone smoothly every time. You worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry enough,” Steven said sharply. Fred thought with a touch of wry amusement that their positions had been reversed. Usually Fred did the worrying, and Steven was the happy-go-lucky one. It didn’t matter that Steven was the captain of the Patrol’s flagship and in command of several hundred people—he rarely took anything too seriously. But he was obviously pretty damned serious about this. “You’re my best friend, Fred. Computer or not, I don’t want to lose you.”

“I appreciate that,” Fred answered more solemnly, touched. It was nice to know that Steven thought of him as a real person, and not just a bunch of wires and circuits. Of course, he was a person, but a lot of humans didn’t truly understand that. But since Steven had designed Fred, he naturally understood him better than most humans did. “But I’m pretty sure this is going to work.”

“Pretty sure is not good enough,” Commander Vaish said from the other side of the room. She was the first officer of the Arisia, as well as Steven’s lover. Fred liked her a lot, and was hopeful that she’d eventually settle down with Steven permanently. If anyone could put up with Steven on a long-term basis, she could.

Not long ago they’d all been marooned together on a planet, and he’d watched the two of them fall in love. Not that Vaish had ever actually admitted she was in love with Steven. But it was more than obvious to anyone with eyes (or cameras) that she did in fact love him, and watching the two of them interact, watching them grow more and more intimate, had sparked his desire to be human. Meeting the woman he now loved with every bit of his circuitry had crystallized the desire into determination.

Even though the woman he loved hadn’t actually been a woman when they’d last met.

“Fine,” he said impatiently. “I’m pretty damned sure.”

“Fred,” Steven said. He stood up and laid a hand on one of Fred’s sensor pads—an affectionate gesture, not unlike placing his hand on a human’s shoulder. “I know you want this desperately, but we have to make sure we do it the right way. Okay?”

Fred sighed. “Okay.”

Vaish walked across the room and studied the naked figure floating in the nutritive fluid. “You’re certainly going to be a handsome man, Fred. Tell me something. Exactly where did you two get the DNA?”

“Several different donors. All voluntary. This is entirely aboveboard, Vaish, so don’t get that look in your eye.”

“All voluntary? You’re sure?”

“Of course,” Steven said. “All from the crew. I’m one of them.”

“Ah,” Vaish said. “That explains the big…”

Steven grinned. “Yes?”

“Nose,” she said primly.

Fred sighed again. “Would the two of you please quit jabbering and get back to work?” he demanded.

“Fred,” Steven said mildly. “I think I’m in charge here. This is my ship, after all.”

“I am the ship, Steven. Get to work, or I’m going to mutiny.”

“Take a memo,” Steven said to Vaish. “As soon as he’s human, I’m going to court martial him.”

“Yeah, right,” Fred scoffed. “Like you could run the ship without me.”

“You may not be quite as indispensable when you’re a human, Fred.”

Fred felt a startled flutter in his circuitry. He’d been so focused on becoming human for the past few months that it hadn’t really occurred to him that he wouldn’t have the same position in the crew he did now. “I never thought of that,” he said. “What am I going to do as a human?”

“Same as you do now, buddy. Bug the hell out of me.”

“I’m serious, Steven. Precisely what job will I perform?”

Steven looked up. “Honestly? I don’t know, Fred. We’ll have to see how much of your memory you retain, and exactly what you can do. You may have to go to the Academy for some training.”

The thought of leaving his friends, of leaving everything he’d ever known, felt like a heavy weight in his circuitry. But then he reminded himself of K’ana. He wanted to be human for her, just as she was willing to become organic for him. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her.

“I think we’re ready here,” Steven said. He looked over at Vaish and crossed his fingers, a gesture Fred understood meant “here’s hopin’.” He looked back up at the ceiling. “Are you ready, Fred?”

Fred hesitated almost a millisecond—a very, very long time.

“Yes,” he said at last. “I’m ready.”

*****

When he became aware of his environment again, the world looked blurry. The colors were all wrong, and a strange noise was coming from close by. He closed his eyes, dismayed. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong.

The noise kept repeating itself, and finally it resolved itself into words he could understand, spoken in a voice he knew. “It’s all right,” the voice said. “Fred, it’s all right. Everything is okay.”

Fred opened his eyes—his eyes!-- again and tried to make sense of what he saw. Something light-colored was floating near him. Focusing very hard, he finally realized it wasn’t floating at all. It was Steven’s face leaning over him, looking worried. Steven looked different through human eyes, but it was still Steven.

He opened his mouth. “I’m okay,” he said. At least that was what he meant to say. What came out was a strange, muffled noise, and Steven’s forehead wrinkled in perplexity.

“Are you all right, Fred?”

Fred opened his mouth and concentrated very hard on making the unfamiliar muscles work. “I… am… all… right.”

Steven grinned and patted him on the shoulder. Fred actually felt the sensation of his hand smacking against his skin. Weird, he thought. It wasn’t at all like a hand touching his sensor pads.

“Attaboy,” he said. “We just got word from the Klaxons. K’ana came through the procedure just fine too. You’ll get to see her in a couple of weeks, Fred. All you have to do is learn to work your new body.”

“Cool,” Fred said, or tried to say. What he actually said was, “Kewwwww.”

Steven grinned. “You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, buddy.”

Fred didn’t doubt it. But it was all going to be worth it.

Because of K’ana.

Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan excerpt

2010-04-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

From Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan. Copyright 2006 by Ellen Fisher.

“So did these terrorists aim us at a planet, or are we just going to float in space until we die?”

There was no viewscreen in the life pod, since steering was ordinarily done by computer, and little enough way to tell where they were going. “The only way I can think of to answer that question would be to open the hatch and stick your head out,” she snapped, a little more tartly than usual. “You’re quite welcome to try it.”

His square jaw hardened at her tone, but his voice remained even. “The instruments?” he inquired.

“Aren’t working for some reason. I can’t determine why.”

“Marvelous. So we’re hurtling headlong through space without any way of telling where we’re going.”

“An insightful analysis of the situation, demonstrating your usual brilliant command of strategy,” Vaish said between her teeth.

Steven’s eyes, green-gold like the eyes of a wildcat, narrowed dangerously. “There’s no need to get sarcastic, Vaish. At least no more sarcastic than usual. It’s not my fault we’re here.”

She lifted an eyebrow, and he sighed. “Fine. It’s entirely my fault we’re here.”

“Not entirely,” Vaish admitted. “Had the crew been more alert, we might have been able to defend the ship.”

“From prezidene gas? Probably not.” He shrugged. “But don’t worry, Vaish. We’ve gotten out of worse predicaments than this one.”

“How wonderfully reassuring.”

Still pressing his hand to the side of his head, Steven got to his feet with a groan. “Let me take a look at the computer system. Maybe I can figure out the problem.”

Vaish stood up and stepped aside. Despite her annoyance with him, she had to admit Steven was something of an expert on computers, more so than she was. He collapsed into one of the two chairs, ran his fingers over the keyboard, and worked busily for a few minutes. “Ah-ha!” he said at last.

She felt a stab of hope. “What have you discovered?”

Steven looked up at her with a crooked smile. “I’ve discovered that it’s broken.”

Vaish gritted her teeth, annoyed that he could smile so freely in the face of death. It was a talent she’d never acquired, unlike most Canvul, who would happily throw a party to celebrate their impending doom. The average Canvul would celebrate just about anything.

But she wasn’t like the rest of her people. She never had been.

“Steven,” she said, using his given name for the first time in their five-year acquaintance. “It seems very likely that we’re about to die.”

"Perhaps not very likely. But I’ll admit it’s somewhat probable.”

She ignored his cheerful optimism. They were in a lifepod with a nonfunctioning computer—obviously they were going to die, and fairly soon. “It’s very likely we’re going to die,” she repeated, “and there is something that I must tell you. Something that I’ve always wanted to tell you, but have never quite dared to say.”

Steven’s eyes went wide, and he looked up at her with clearly sexual interest. “Go ahead,” he invited in a soft, husky voice. “Say it, Vaish.”

She hesitated a long moment, then took a deep breath and blurted out her deepest, innermost thoughts.

“Steven... you’re a stupid ass.”

Farthest Space: The Wrath of Jan

2010-04-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Buy it in Kindle format here.
Read an excerpt here.Captain Steven T. McNeill, famous explorer and even more famous playboy, finds himself stranded on an remote planet, alone except for his gorgeous, lavender-haired first officer Vaish and a neurotic computer named Fred. Steven's been working with Vaish for years, and never really noticed how sexy she is till they find themselves all alone. But the galaxy's biggest playboy can't really fall in love... can he?

Reviews:

"Reminiscent of the old Star Trek, this is a story of what those episodes would have been if they were on cable. Vaish and McNeill are true to their characters and Vaish's dead-pan sense of humor makes the story. If you're a Trekkie, or even a closet Trekkie, this is the story for you." - Tina Burns, Road to Romance

"...A fun, sexy story that while campy and making many cultural references, I found very enjoyable." - Cynthia M. Eckert, ParaNormal Romance Reviews

"This story is fun because the author cheerfully skewers good-naturedly not just typical Star Trek clichés but also (Captain McNeill’s) womanizing nature and his ego." - Mrs. Giggles

New! Read an excerpt from the upcoming sequel here.

Never Love a Stranger - Excerpt

2010-04-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

From Never Love a Stranger, copyright 2004 by Ellen Fisher. All rights reserved.

Reaction was setting in. Unlike James, she was not in the least calm. She felt tears burning in her eyes. "What the hell did she want?" she said in a strangled voice. "Why was she trying to kill us?"

"She wasn’t trying to kill you. You mean nothing to her. She wanted me."

She remembered the bluish-white flashes she had seen, the way the car had shuddered, and she trembled all over. "Oh, my God," she breathed. "That was some sort of ray gun. You really are from the future."

"Of course," James said, as if it were perfectly obvious. "And she is hunting for me. She won’t stop until she has destroyed me. If she fails or is killed before she can carry out her mission, they will send more agents. I should have realized as much."

"But she could have killed me!"

"I do not believe she was trying to kill us," James said in his preternaturally calm tones.

"She was driving like a maniac!"

"We do not have cars in the future, and she is unfamiliar with the operation of a vehicle. I believe she was merely trying to force you off the road. She was shouting for you to pull over."

Annie remembered the woman shouting at her, although she hadn’t been able to hear a word of it. "But she shot at us."

"The gun was not set at full intensity. If it had been, we would not be here now."

"So she’s not trying to kill you after all?"

"Her organization intends to kill me," James said with bleak certainty. "She intends to kill me. She simply does not wish to alter the past while doing so."

"Why do they want you?" she whispered. "Are you some sort of escaped criminal?"

"Yes. That is precisely what I am."

She pulled into her garage, without the slightest memory of how she had gotten there, and turned to stare at him. "They’re trying to kill you," she said. "You must have done something terrible. Are you a murderer?"

"Far worse, from their perspective," James said. "I tried to free my people. In the effort we did kill some of them. We didn’t want to--we did everything we could to avoid it--but it couldn’t be helped."

Annie gulped. The man had killed people. He wasn’t a harmless lunatic after all. He freely admitted that he was a killer. And she had invited him into her house, clothed him, and fed him.

She had spent the night under the same roof as a killer. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest.

Something he had said echoed in her head. She resisted the urge to fling the door open and run from the car, to run from him, and instead turned to face him. "What do you mean, you tried to free your people? Were your people at war with them?"

He shook his head slowly, meeting her gaze. "Not precisely."

"Then what do you mean? Were you some kind of--of servant?"

"No," he said softly. "I was a slave."

Buy it on Amazon here.

Never Love a Stranger

2010-04-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Buy it in Kindle format here.
Read an excerpt here.

A hero like no other...

One seemingly ordinary evening, Annie Simpson finds an extremely gorgeous (and totally nude) man in her kitchen. When James tells her he’s an escaped criminal from the future, she figures he’s crazy. Before long Annie and James are running for their lives, and Annie’s falling for James in a big way. But now they have to find a way to change the future before fifty million people die...

Reviews:

"One of the best stories I've read this year. If there is one book you should read this year, it is Never Love a Stranger...get this story! You won't be disappointed!... some amazing twists that I hadn't nor could have predicted and literally blew my mind... an amazing story full of sexual tension, a wide range of emotions and so many surprises-- I recommend it wholeheartedly!" - Cynthia Lovett, ParaNormal Romance Reviews

"…a thoroughly entertaining book...an intriguing, yet startling look into the future. This powerful book has many twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat...a fabulous book!" - Pam, A Romance Review (five roses)

"...a very good science fiction romance. The plot and action are motivated by the science fiction framework of the story...very powerful and explicit love scenes...I've always loved such skillfully developed plots...I recommend this book highly..." - Jean, Fallen Angel Reviews (five angels)

"I have a good time reading this book… Ms Fisher surprises me. And I like being surprised, especially when the surprise is in the form of a story that is well-written, mostly well thought-out, has a credible science-fiction feel to it, and fun to boot." - Mrs. Giggles

"…an amazing sci-fi romance….the pace became so fast I couldn't stop reading. The love was utterly genuine and the sex, while not explicit, very sexy and true to the characters. And it was very hot at times, displaying plenty of the characters' emotions and desires. But it was the action, science-fiction plot, and amazing twists that kept me reading for hours. You'll expect, or suspect, one thing and get something entirely different. I loved that about this book. …definitely a book sci-fi romance readers shouldn't forget on their buying lists." - Tara Black, The Romance Studio

"Creative and entertaining, this is a good read... a lot of action and some really juicy love scenes... full of surprises!" - Carrye, Romance Reader at Heart

""An excellent romantic sci/fi that will keep you thinking…wonderful and sensual love story… Just as you start to feel comfortable with the events…she takes a completely different turn and blows your mind away…thought provoking." - Mindy Limbaugh, ParaNormal Romance Reviews

"...action-packed and sure to keep you entertained all the way through. The love scenes are really sensual and sure to please… an excellent read" - Angel, Sizzling Romances

Isn't It Romantic? - Excerpt

2010-03-19T16:35:00.001-07:00

"I guess we ought to figure out details about our marriage."

He blinked. "Our marriage."

"Yeah. Dad is going to want details. Like where we got married."

"Las Vegas," Kipling suggested.

"Please, no. I wouldn’t go there if you paid me. How about the Grand Canyon?"

"The what?"

"The Grand Canyon." Her eyes lit up. "We had a lovely wedding on the North Rim, just as the sun was setting."

"That’s crazy. Who the hell gets married at the Grand Canyon?"

She managed to look slightly offended. "Isn’t it romantic? It sounds romantic to me."

He snorted. "Romantic, hell. It sounds stupid. Anyway, when people elope they usually go to Las Vegas."

She shook her head. "Las Vegas won’t work. I’ve never been there, but Dad’s gone three or four times. He’d trip me up in no time."

Kipling nodded, seeing the logic of her argument. "But the Grand Canyon won’t work, either. We don’t have pictures. No one goes to the Grand Canyon without taking a picture or two."

"We were in such a hurry to get married we forgot our camera," she suggested, but he shook his head.

"Not with all those little disposable cameras you can buy for next to nothing in gift shops nowadays. It won’t work. We must have gotten married somewhere pretty tacky."

"That isn’t very romantic."

"If you want romantic, you’d better have pictures to back it up, or your dad won’t buy your story."

She stuck her lower lip out. "Fine. Tacky it is, then. The local justice of the peace."

"He could check your story, if he’s prone to being suspicious. It probably shouldn’t be local."

"My best friend could confirm it. Then he wouldn’t have any reason to be suspicious."

Kipling cocked an eyebrow at her. "You’re going to drag your best friend into this too? Do you plan on having the entire population of Swift Creek, Virginia lie about this by the time you’re through?"

Her cheeks went pink again. "Look, you keep making this sound like I have some nefarious ulterior motive. I’m just trying to make my dad happy. That’s all."

"Uh-huh," Kipling said, unconvinced. It was obvious to him she had some sort of unresolved issues with her father. But he wasn’t a psychiatrist, so he kept his mouth shut. "Fine. We got married here. Where?"

"On my lawn, down by the creek."

"Okay, that sounds reasonable. How come we don’t have pictures?"

She brightened. "We could take a few."

Kipling stared at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"Wedding pictures. We could take some."

He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. "Are you seriously suggesting that we take pictures of a fake wedding?"

"Sure, why not?" She was warming to the idea. He could tell by the way her hands were starting to wave through the air. "We could dress up this afternoon, put my camera on a tripod, and take a few pictures."

"Just of us?"

"Well, we didn’t have anyone there except us and the minister," she said with enthusiasm. He wondered if she was beginning to believe this whole thing. Maybe she was crazier than he thought. "And the minister would be the one holding the camera, see, which is why he isn’t in the pictures."

"I thought we had your best friend there."

"Oh, right." Cody thought for a minute, then her face brightened. "Well, Tiff hates having her picture taken, so she refused to be in any of the pictures."

"Who refuses to have their picture taken at a wedding?"

"Tiff will back up my story if I ask her to." Cody grinned broadly. "This is terrific. What a fabulous idea. Dad’ll believe it for sure. Absolutely. Trust me."

Kipling was beginning to get a pounding headache. "Fine," he said. "I’ll go back to my house and see if I can dig out my tux."

"You have a tux?" She beamed. "Better and better. This’ll be great."

He stood up. "I’ll be right back."

"Oh, but wait," she said. "We have to tie up a few loose ends first."

Warning bells clanged in Kipling’s head, and he looked at her suspiciously. "Loose ends? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you know." She waved her hand in that vague way meant to conceal some very definite purpose. "We just need to cover our asses completely before we take pictures, that’s all. For example, there’s your hair."

"My hair," Kipling repeated. "Are you talking about cutting it? Because I’m not going to do that, damn it."

"Oh, no, of course not. I like it that length."

"Good," he said.

She flashed the sweet, innocent smile that he’d figured out by now meant nothing but trouble. "We’re just going to dye it."

Isn't It Romantic?

2010-03-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Re-release. Kipling Stanton is an out-of-work actor who tries to escape the glare of the spotlight by moving to small town Virginia. When he meets the slightly loopy girl next door, Cody Lang, he agrees to masquerade as her husband for a few days. But before long their sham relationship turns into a real one, and Kipling’s falling head over heels for Cody. Is it romantic… or just plain crazy?

Buy it in Kindle format here.

Read an excerpt here.

Romantic Times nominee for Best Small Press Romance, 2005.

Reviews:

This is a delightful book! In Kip and Cody, Fisher offers her readers two attractive, funny and sensitive characters who share great chemistry. In addition to two great lead characters, this book has heart, humor and hot love scenes.-Stephanie Schneider, Romantic Times (four stars)

Ellen Fisher has done it again. Isn’t it Romantic is totally enthralling, romantic, and the stuff fantasies are made of...The lovemaking between Cody and Kip is as hot as a July night and the characters are charming and believable. Humor is also rampart when a four-legged fan traps Kip in Cody’s house. Isn’t It Romantic is a book that deserves to be read over and over again.- Faith V. Smith, MyShelf.com

Ms Fisher's Isn't It Romantic is wonderful! I loved it! It is a delightfully funny, contemporary romantic comedy that should not be missed. It grabbed me from the outset, had me laughing throughout and left me smiling when I finished.- Jane, Fallen Angel Reviews (five angels)

I absolutely loved Isn't It Romantic?... Well-written, romantic and exceptional charisma can describe Ms. Fisher's latest romantic comedy. This author has a great talent...and I hope she never stops because I enjoy each word she pens that keeps me laughing and loving romance! ...great humour, sensual tension, love and great relationships, ... one to be read over and over for sheer pleasure and pure enjoyment from start to finish.- Tracey West, Road to Romance

...a delightful story. Fisher has created memorable characters in Cody and Kip. They are the perfect couple, playing off each other in an engaging, effortless manner. The best thing...is that it's an easy, enjoyable read with an entertaining story line. Fisher writes like she creates her characters -- splendidly.- Natasha, A Romance Review

...a short, fast-paced read. The humor takes you from the first page to the last with two great characters. The sexual tension burns hot and sudden between the two, and the ending brings a feeling of satisfaction for both. I recommend this author as an enjoyable read and look forward to her next novel.- Mariah LeGrand, Romance Reader at Heart

Isn't it romantic? Yes, it definitely is! Ellen has successfully woven a fascinating tale of smiles and sighs. Cody is adorable as a successful but a very insecure lady. Kip is absolutely wonderful as the protective but secretive guy. I am sure every woman would love a man who is vulnerable and protective at the same time and Kip fits the bill very well. The sensuality between Cody and Kip is delightful and heart-stopping. The interaction between the two can get a smile or two from even the most grim person. For an amusing time with a charming story, be sure to read Ellen Fisher's Isn't it Romantic?- Dee Harga, The Romance Studio

I'll Be There For You

2010-02-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

Buy on Amazon here.

Buy in other formats here.

Read an excerpt here.

Reviews:

If you want a story where you can fall in love with the leading man and completely understand the heroine, then this is the book for you. - Janet, Once Upon a Romance Review

I absolutely am a sucker for a Best Friends romance. I'll Be There For You is a heart-string tugger.- Kathy Andrico, Road to Romance

This tale is all at once funny and poignant... Ms. Fisher has done a great job of building likeable characters and giving them many layers... I’ll Be There for You is a great read and a wonderful, feel good story. - Michelle Puffer, GottaWriteNetwork

The Nerd Prince

2010-02-24T06:46:00.001-08:00

Buy on Amazon here.

Buy in other formats here.

Read an excerpt here.

Reviews:

A wonderful romance that has a heroine insecure about her looks paired with a hero who is depressed and uncaring of his. The progression of their relationship is well done and enjoyable. - SensualRomance Reviews

What makes The Nerd Prince work very well is the fact that the author allows the characters to interact and develop a convincing rapport that is part chemistry and part friendship based on common interests. Shell and Cade really like each other and it shows, which makes the romance between the two of them pretty convincing. The characters are likable and pretty smart and Cade especially manages to come off as so blue, vulnerable, and hurt by the end of his marriage that he makes a pretty decent hero in need of some rebound TLC. The Nerd Prince may be short, but hey, it's short and sweet. - Mrs. Giggles

The Nerd Prince was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is a fairly short book but filled with memorable characters and sizzling erotic action. Cade is a great hero, not the usual Alpha chest-thumping male but a "nice" guy. Shell is a perfect complement to him; she gives him what he needs: friendship and love. These two light up the pages and the story comes alive for the reader. - Susan, Fallen Angels Reviews

The thing I enjoyed most about The Nerd Prince is that it’s true to life. The characters of Shell and Cade are people who are caught up in past history and are trying not to make the same mistakes. They want to let go and be appreciated for who they are but they are scared of failing. Anyone reading this book can identify with that....take a look inside The Nerd Prince you won’t be disappointed. - Janet, Once Upon a Romance Reviews

The Nerd Prince was a very cute short story. I enjoyed the fact that it was written from the male perspective. Cade made a wonderful hero who was going through a rough time and with the love of a good heroine was able to learn to not only trust, but to love again. I’ve become a fan of the e-book quickie, and believe The Nerd Prince to be among the best of the genre that I’ve read. - Sandi, A Romance Review

All I Ever Wanted excerpt

2010-02-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Maxfield Sinclair, the author of a popular science fiction series, is revered by fans everywhere as "The Creator." Drew Cooper, a snobbish literature professor, isn’t impressed with Max’s books, or with Max himself, for that matter. As Drew gets to know Max, however, she realizes there’s more to the shy, awkward writer than meets the eye. But can a woman who enjoys escargot and caviar fall in love with a guy who thinks fine cuisine means supreme instead of pepperoni?

Buy it in Kindle format here.

Copyright 2004 by Ellen Fisher

"You’d better get some sleep."

"I’m not sleepy," Drew said. It was true. She was bone-weary, exhausted, but too worked up to sleep right now. She realized she didn’t want to see him go yet. "You want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"You’re going to have coffee? You think that’ll help you sleep?"

"No, but I can’t live without coffee."

"They had some in the waiting room at the hospital. Didn’t you see it?"

Drew curled her lip. "That wasn’t coffee. It was axle grease. I tried it, and it was revolting. A sip was all I could stand. I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours with no caffeine, and I’m not spending another second without it."

"Ah," he said. "Caffeine is your only vice, huh?"

She looked at him slouched in the driver’s seat, rumpled, unshaven, and uncombed, and thought that he was the most amazingly attractive man she’d ever seen in her life.

"No," she said softly. "No, it’s not my only vice. I have others."

And she reached out to touch his cheek.

Max jerked with surprise as her fingers gently brushed against his rough day’s worth of stubble. She ran her finger down his cheek, along his jawbone, and he closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Drew," he muttered hoarsely. "Drew, what are you doing?"

Exhaustion made her more brutally honest with herself than usual. "What I’ve wanted to do since I met you," she whispered. Her hand smoothed his disheveled hair, and he groaned softly.

Her hand slipped to the back of his neck, and she drew his face down and brushed her lips against his in the barest whisper of a kiss.

He drew away slightly, his lips a scant inch from hers. "Drew—"

"Don’t tell me to stop."

"I wasn’t going to tell you to stop." He slid his lips across hers again. "God, no. Don’t stop."

Reviews for All I Ever Wanted

"Ellen Fisher writes beautifully. Her style is smooth with snappy dialogue, nice pacing and richly defined characters. All I Ever Wanted is top notch work; a breezy, sexy and fun effort with a really dreamy hero...Max Sinclair, the hero, is a gem of a character...I would highly recommend All I Ever Wanted." - Debbie, Romance Reader at Heart

"...hooked me from the start with a plot that made me keep reading. A delightful mystery with sensual sex, hand-clapping emotions and you'll never guess who did it ending." - Faith V. Smith, MyShelf.com

"...a quite humorous and action filled story! Ms. Fisher does an excellent job of creating two 'larger-than-life' characters and making them come to life. This was a laugh-out-loud story with a good amount of suspense. Well worth reading!" - Sara Sawyer, The Romance Studio

"…A delightful contemporary romance...a well-rounded plot and an engaging cast of characters...this romance will certainly appeal to contemporary romance lovers." - Mireya, A Romance Review

"Fisher writes with an easy charm that makes a reader smile. She does not go for big laughs or slapstick but, instead, enjoys her characters and brings the rest of us along for the ride. Fisher's delightful style, sweet yet scarred hero and gift for storytelling shine through." - HelenKay Dimon, Paperback Reader

"...thoroughly enjoyable, has engaging and in-depth characters and all around wonderful writing. The sassy and charming Drew is a superb character who really learns to explore and take chances in this story. She and Max have a smoldering tension between them waiting to be explored. The suspense and danger add a more riveting quality to the story which balances very well with the enjoyment and romance. All I Ever Wanted, while a quick page-turner, it also flows gracefully from start to finish...Pure satisfying enjoyment and fantastic writing by Ellen Fisher can be found in All I Ever Wanted…what more could we readers ask for?" - Tracey West, The Road to Romance

About Me

2010-02-03T09:12:00.001-08:00

I'm an author of romance who writes, or tries to, around plenty of distractions. I have four kids ranging from six to fifteen, and two young and energetic Australian shepherds (see the above photo) named Big Blue Hero and Electric Blue Impulse.

I've been writing since fourth grade, and produced my first romance (which thankfully was never published) in college, when I should have been writing term papers instead of fiction. My first book (a colonial Virginia romance entitled The Light in the Darkness) was published by Bantam in 1998. A few years later, I started writing ebooks. Overall, I've published thirteen novels and novellas, ranging from historicals to sci-fi romance to contemporaries.

In late 2006, family and health issues caused me to go on an extended sabbatical, and I lost my literary agent in the process. I also spent much of a year finding a house closer to our extended family and moving (and packing up a house when you've lived in it for twelve years is not a short process!). All this had an adverse effect on my writing, so I quit writing professionally for quite a while.

But the itch to write never goes away. So, after a break of several years... I'm back.

You can contact me at ellymeg@yahoo.com .

More dog pictures (because you really can't have too many):

Impulse, full grown. Those eyes are the reason his full name is "Electric Blue Impulse."

Hero at seven or eight months, Impulse as a baby. Hero thinks he's the daddy!

Hero at three months. He was a cute little fluffball!

In the Mood Reviews

2010-02-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

"...a fantastic sensual romance that is well written and breathes with everyday life. Alyssa has been hurt and these emotions are exceptionally defined, while Jude’s gentleness will touch any woman’s heart. The sex scenes are romantic and steamy hot....a great read for a night’s getaway." - Love Romances (four stars)

"...a charming book that explores the damage that past relationships can do. Ms. Fisher brings two complex characters that each must overcome the past in order to get the love they deserve." - Fallen Angels Reviews (four stars)

"A sexy story…may just be the fix for people looking for quick read with a little something extra as added value in their usual sexy contemporary romances."- An 80 from Mrs. Giggles

In the Mood excerpt

2010-02-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

Copyright 2005 by Ellen Fisher. Previously published.

Norfolk, Virginia

“I didn’t know you were a guy.”

Seated behind a metal table stacked high with copies of his contemporary romance, Jude Patterson looked up at the beautiful woman in front of him and affected an injured look. “Damn. And here I was hoping that was obvious.”

The corners of her mouth turned up with amusement, and he looked at her with more interest. This book signing had been pretty dull up till now, but her appearance was enough to liven the afternoon up. She was more than beautiful… she was gorgeous. Sable-brown hair fell loose in a glorious, wavy cascade around her shoulders, and she possessed an incredibly lush mouth. Her worn jeans clung to her broad, decidedly female hips like a second skin, and her T-shirt had the state motto “Virginia is for lovers” emblazoned right across her damned impressive breasts. The provocative location of those words simply couldn’t help but give a guy ideas.

“You know what I mean,” she answered. Her voice was low and husky, sending a bolt of heat straight to regions better left unheated in public. He was glad he was seated behind a table. Smiling, she tapped a manicured fingernail on the bright yellow cover. “It says your name is Judy.”

“I just changed a letter,” he said, forcing himself to look away from her breasts--a real test of his willpower. “Not a very big difference.”

“Oh, it’s a very big difference. It’s an entirely different gender.”

He shrugged a shoulder and returned her smile with a wry one of his own. “It’s not easy to get a romance published when you’re a guy.”

“I had no idea you were a man. I love your books, though. I’ve read most of them.” She picked up a copy of his book, In the Mood, and flipped through it. “But this is a contemporary romance,” she said, wrinkling her forehead. “I thought you wrote historicals.”

“I have, up till now. This is my first contemporary.”

She paused on a page and read silently for a moment. Her eyebrows went up. “Wow. That’s, um, sexy.”

He sighed. Writing contemporary love scenes had been the hardest thing for him to accomplish, and he was uncomfortably aware he hadn’t done a terrific job with it. “No, it’s not,” he said honestly. “My sex scenes all suck. And I don’t mean that in a good way.”

“Oh, they’re not that bad.”

He shook his head. “They’re not that great, either. Writing contemporaries is a little different. The editor wanted me to use, uh, blunt language. I had a hard time with that.”

She glanced at the page again. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I’ve never seen anyone use the words ‘creamy orbs’ in a contemporary.”

Just the phrase was enough to make him cringe. “I know that sounds stupid. I just couldn’t figure out how to make it sound more modern.”

“It doesn’t sound stupid,” she said loyally. “Just, you know, not too contemporary.”

“Thanks.” He sighed again. “I’m working on another contemporary now. I wish I could figure out how to make the love scenes better.”

“Want some help?”

His eyebrows shot up so fast they practically parted company with his head. “Excuse me?”

She laughed, a rippling sound that caused an answering ripple deep in his body. “Not what I meant. I mean, maybe I could give you some suggestions. Although I’m not a professional.”

“Not… a professional?” he repeated, his eyebrows lifting even higher.

Amusement brightened her vivid blue-green eyes. “I mean, I’m not an editor or anything, but I read lots of romances. Contemporaries and historicals.”

Jude turned that over in his mind for a moment. Actually, he mused, it wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe what he needed was input from someone who loved the genre and who was clearly comfortable with her own sexuality. He shot another glimpse at her and snorted to himself.

Yeah, right. The fact was, he didn’t want to let her get away without more conversation.

“Great,” he said. “If you’ve got some suggestions, I’m all ears. I’d love to hear what you’d do differently.”

“Uh...” She looked surprised that he’d agreed to the idea, but she gamely started to flip through the pages.

“Not now,” he said. “I’m trying to sell some books here. Care to join me for a bite to eat after I’m done?”

“And give you ... suggestions?”

“Sure. The only thing is, you’ll have to buy my book.”

A wide grin broke over her face. “You’ve got a deal.”

In the Mood

2010-02-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

Novella, 24,000 words. Re-release. Jude Patterson is a sexy but shy romance novelist who discovers the flowery language he's always used in historical love scenes doesn't translate well to contemporary romances. Alyssa Stone is a beautiful fan who offers to help him learn to write better love scenes.

Jude is fascinated by Alyssa, whose confident and sensual demeanor conceals a very vulnerable interior. Before long, he's the one showing her how to write love scenes... and maybe even how to write happy endings...

Buy it in Kindle format on Amazon.

Read an excerpt here.

Read reviews here.