Michelle M. Pillow - Featured Author

Degrees of Passion by Michelle M. Pillow
Release: November 25, 2008

Publisher: Virgin Books/Random House
ISBN-10: 0352345004
ISBN-13: 978-0352345004

Buy / Preorder Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Degrees-Passion-Michelle-M-Pillow/dp/0352345004?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210466136&sr=1-14


Blurb:

The second college student Sasha Matthews spotted Trevor Kingston she knew it was fate. He’s everything a girl could want—handsome, charming, rich. With student loans piling up and no clear idea what she wants to do with her future, he’s the best thing she has going. But, Mr. Perfect’s façade begins to crumble when she sees him photographed with another woman in the newspaper’s society pages. Breaking up with her high society boyfriend, a distraught Sasha finds comfort in the arms of moody, hard working Kevin Merchant whose cuteness is overshadowed by his know-it-all attitude. One drunken night of passion is hardly the start of a relationship and when Trevor wants her back the choice seems clear. In order to graduate Sasha must participate in an important internship. But, she’s paired with the very guy she’s swore never to see again. Forced to work alongside Kevin, long hours in the lab turn into tempting nights of seduction. Should she deny what’s between them and await the return of her ideal boyfriend, or will life teach her lessons this professional student never expected to learn?

Courage

I can just see the Cowardly Lion right now asking, "What do they got that I ain't got?" Well, you know the answer: Courage. I was thinking last night about how much courage it takes just to be yourself in this world. Especially in a place like I live, in the Deep South, in the middle of nowhere.

I admire people who have the guts to stand up and say, "This is who I am." No matter what it costs them. For example, when people say that a woman should get married, have a husband, a house with a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog. It takes courage to say, "No, I'd rather have a woman and if we want to adopt we will." Or for a man to say, "I'd rather have another man and we're getting a cat!"

Any deviation from the norm is, for the most part, met with extreme prejudice. I knew this, but I truly didn't understand it until I started writing romance. And holy shit, I signed my name to it! Well, of course I did, I'm proud of what I do. I have been blessed with a creative talent and a means to use it. That's fantastic! So, I told a few people because I was so excited. Big mistake.

I think the main reason I'm having trouble finding a side job right now (which many are having to do) is because people have heard I write "porn" on the side. Give me a break. To me as long as the sex in the story matters and isn't just there for the sake of sex, then it isn't porn. I believe this no matter how explicitly it might be described.

Well, besides looking for a side job, I'm also seriously considering writing erotica. All of the books I've got coming out in the near future are racier than the first two I had published. Actually, everything after the first two is pretty erotic. This was done without conscious effort. I simply told the story and that's the way it turned out. But, I've been thinking about deliberately writing something racier, something with a more seductive storyline right from the start. Why? Well, because I like it and I want to. The next few books I've got coming out, Original Sin, and especially Bitten and Eden could all be considered erotica. (Especially Bitten)

I don't want to alienate my readers by writing under a different name. But I'm not sure how my small southern community is going to take the news. Because whether I tell them or not, they will know. You can have a cold, tell no one and two weeks later people you don't even know are asking you if you're feeling better. No joke.

The thing is, it's what I want to do and I don't feel I should have to hide that. The stories will still be paranormal in nature. Some will just be racier than others. So what? And it's all romance. Besides, I've already got traceyhkitts.com going fairly good. I don't want to have to start marketing a whole new name just because of what people might say about me writing some more erotic works.

If I have the guts to do this then I've got the answer to that question. "What do they got that I ain't got?" Nothing.

The point of no return, an excerpt from Original Sin

Original Sin is the fourth book in the Lilith Mercury: Werewolf Hunter Series by Tracey H. Kitts, Coming this December from New Concepts Publishing.

The day had started out beautiful, but on our way back storm clouds began to form. I touched Marco’s arm and sensed something different than I had expected. After what had happened with Peter, he was worried that I would be afraid of him now. Two men I had loved had now turned on me, one much more seriously than the other, and he was afraid I would expect the same thing from him. I pressed my face against his back to keep from crying, because I knew as I opened myself up more that Marco would have died the other day to save me. It was a price he went there willing to pay if he had to. He loved me without doubt, and I would never have to question his loyalty.

When we pulled back up, I made some tea and brought it out to where he sat on the porch. There are two white wicker chairs on the right side of my porch with a small matching table between. We sat there and talked and managed to just relax for a while. Believe it or not, The Big Bad Wolf likes blueberry tea.

As we sat there on the front porch talking, the storm was quickly approaching. So far, taking it slow was working for us. But as I looked at him I knew I had reached my limit. Marco was beyond a doubt the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Alfred was handsome and well built. Dracula was enchanting with his near perfect, unearthly beauty. But Marco had a sexiness all his own to which they paled in comparison. Every thing about Marco was exactly as it should be. There was no part of him that did not appear as strong and masculine as the rest. My muscles began to tighten in response to his nearness, and I felt my fingers grip the wicker chair arm in response to the sensation. Marco must have seen me stiffen and misunderstood the reasoning behind it. He rose quickly. “I should go,” he said as he walked down the steps.

“Wait.” I grabbed his hand.

He looked dangerous as he glanced back at me. His eyes seemed to glow in the growing darkness. He had been so careful not to cross the line. Marco had been nothing if not patient with me, and the need he had managed to hide was now evident in his eyes. “Do you really want me to stay?” His rough sexy voice had already begun to deepen with the change. He was close to the bottom of the steps and I was near the middle. This made our height almost even. We both knew what would happen if he stayed. There was no point in pretending otherwise, not this time.

For information on the other books in the series please visit http://www.traceyhkitts.com/

Research and rambling

I just finished a book a few weeks ago so it's not like I haven't been busy. Still, I'm doing some research and looking for new ideas. I'm always looking for ideas and I've got plenty, just none that scream out to be written at the moment.

As much as I try to take longer breaks between novels, I need something to occupy my mind. Sometimes reading does that for me and other times it can't. Things are bad all over right now, economy wise and I won't lie and say it hasn't affected me and my family. Of course it has. I've only been writing professionally for a little over a year and it isn't my only job. I don't think there's any shame in admitting I have to do something else for a full income. After all, it takes time and effort to build an audience. I'm just grateful for the readers I have:) And I hope to attract the interest of more readers as I continue to hone my craft.

But like I said, things are down for me. No point in pretending they're not. I'm doing the best I can as I'm sure many others are. I've just learned that my other job, which makes up the other half of my income, is about to be eliminated. Needless to say, I'm not in a good mood.

I know I'm not the only person going through tough times right now, that's why I decided to write about it. I normally don't get into anything too personal on my blog. I don't share anything that doesn't have to do with writing or the occasional random thought. But, I don't think it's unprofessional to let people know that I'm a real person just like them. I've got real issues just like them. I don't just sit around and write and live a charmed, bon-bon filled life. (Not that anyone ever accused me of it, but you get my point.)

A lot of people are hurting right now and I'm one of them. Like I said, I need something to focus my mind and energy on and right now it's research. There's something else that keeps coming to mind and I'd like to share it with you. I have watched Rocky Balboa about six times. I even bought a copy of the movie, which is something I don't do a lot of anymore. If you haven't watched it, it's worth seeing, even if you don't like the Rocky films.

At one point in the movie he tells his son, "You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. [taps on the inside of his hand] I'd hold you up and say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilege.

Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow.

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life.

I cry just reading that again. I keep telling myself that it ain't about how many times I get hit. It's about how many times I can get hit and get back up. This is me, getting up again.

2 chances to win one or more free ebooks!

Be sure to stop by the New Concepts Blog for their latest contests. One is a scavenger hunt, which sounds like a lot of fun. There are several different prize packages for this one. The other is asking what you are drawn to in a book title. All you have to do to be entered is reply:)

Have fun!

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/wordpress/

I wasn't aware that I wrote porn

You heard me. Which is strange to me since I wrote it ... right? I'm at a bit of a loss for words but I'm a writer so I'll get over that. The strangest thing happened to me yesterday and as I started my coffee early this morning and wondered what to blog about, I figured I might as well share.

Let me point out first that I'm not angry and this is not a post against anyone. I'm not going to mention names or tell any conversations that happened after the initial facts. This is just very, very strange and I can't help myself. Actually, I keep thinking about it and laughing.

Here's what happened. I realize that not everyone is going to like what I write. That's a hazard of the job, so be it. This isn't about that. My mom and I were in the car yesterday on our way to pick up my son from school and she started telling me this. One of our neighbors, whom my parents grew up with, was at my aunt's house. (Now, all of these people are my neighbors and some of them are my family which to me makes this even stranger.) My aunt had a copy of my first book, Red, on hand. So, they started talking about it. My aunt (God bless her) is very supportive of me which I greatly appreciate. She offered to let this neighbor borrow her copy of the book when he expressed interest. After all, he's known my parents for years, it might be neat to see what their kid writes, huh?

Well, I'll be honest and say I'm not sure of everything that happened between him leaving and him returning. Apparently his wife (who we've all known for years too) freaked out. She wouldn't let him even bring the book in the house. She snatched it out of his hands and took off back toward my aunt's house. (My aunt lives around the block.) This neighbor called to warn my aunt about the kind of mood his wife was in and that she was on her way. So, my cousin (God bless him too) met her at the door and accepted back the book.

That's weird enough, but get this. Throughout this entire incident she was waving the book around and screaming and I quote, "It's goddamned porn!" She kept repeating that her husband couldn't read the book because it's "goddamned porn." (It's okay to laugh at this point if you want, because I can't stop.)

First of all, anyone who knows how the rating system at NCP works will understand that the book is definitely not porn. And if you've read it I'm sure you'll also agree. It isn't even considered erotica. Which is also not porn, but some people have that definition confused as well.

Honestly, I can't pick my jaw up off the floor over this one. My parents, myself, and much of my family have known these people for years. She was one of the first people I told about my first contract while out riding my bike one day. I told her all about the book and she said she couldn't wait to read it, that she loves that sort of thing. WTF?

Like I said, I get that not everybody will like what I write and that's fine. I don't like everything I read either. I'm just at a loss here. I've been trying to figure out since yesterday what would cause a grown woman to behave this way. Especially a grown woman who reads (or has in the past) romance novels. Once again, a great big WTF? LOL

Anyway, this was so bizarre I couldn't resist sharing it with you guys:) Any thoughts ... or medication suggestions? LOL

Happy first day of November!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. I had a stomach ache, so we stayed in and watched Goosebumps. LOL Not as bad as it sounds. I actually enjoy Goosebumps.

It's been a few days since I've been online. But in that time I finished the book I was working on and have done a lot of research. Plus, I've started on my TBR (to be read) pile again:) I'm going to take a few weeks to catch up on other things before polishing my manuscript and sending it to my publisher. I feel like my editing efforts always work out better that way.

Anywho, the book I just finished is called Diary of an Incubus. Here's my favorite paragraph.

He watched me for several minutes before saying anything else. I took the opportunity to observe him more closely too. I couldn’t help myself. He put his hands on my hips as we moved and I liked it. His touch was possessive, yet gentle. And the more I was near him, the more I wanted his hands on me. The top few buttons on his shirt were open and I moved my hand to touch that small expanse of flesh. I shuddered at the contact and so did he. Skin against skin, it was so wrong, so sinful to touch him. He was the monster underneath my bed and all I wanted to do was pull him under the covers with me. Every move, every smile, every subtle gesture spoke to me. And they all said, “I want to do bad things to you.”