devonrhodes

Looks like these guys might need a bit of help to finish getting undressed.  Any volunteers??

Diving into the craziness that is NaNo, and even more crazy, I had to log a 10K day yesterday to wrap up a manuscript before I could even think about starting my NaNo project!  My fingertips are almost blistered, lol!

Had to think about whether to work on my Cold Hands het contemp novel, or start my spicy het historical, but received a sign that pointed me in the historical direction. More details to come! 

Meanwhile, you can watch my progress at my NaNoWriMo home page.  If you're a participant, feel free to buddy me, DevonRhodes.

Happy writing!

Feeling the Halloween spirit!  Simply respond to this or any other my ohter giveaway threads today or tomorrow, and I will round up & choose two winners to receive a copy of A Pint Light on 11/1!   Happy Halloween!

Just in time for Halloween, my sexy and sweet vampire story, A Pint Light, is now available in e-book from Total-E-Bound!

Valerian stole Raine's blood, his magic...and his heart.

What's a vampire to do when every day is the same old dull quest for blood? Head to Maui, of course. But before Valerian can hit the beach, he needs to get rid of the sultry mage seducing him in his sleep. She may have fooled his subconscious, but he doesn't need a mate complicating his life. Imagine Val's shock when he finds out she's a he, yet still has the power to arouse him beyond anything he'd ever imagined.

Raine faints at the sight of blood and isn't looking forward to being a vamp's chew toy. Still, family duty calls, and Valerian turns out to be the hottest, and most powerful, male on two legs. Raine is crushed when the sexy vamp of his dreams runs from their rough play in horror. But his pride can't stand in the way when Valerian accidently steals his magic along with his blood.

Now, with time running out, Raine needs to seduce him one last time to even up the score, and maybe this time, they'll exchange more than blood and power. Magic is in the air, and sometimes love only needs a little nudge.
 

Devon Rhodes--Humor, Heat, and Happy Endings
http://devonrhodes.blogspot.com/
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When I arrived at the airport to retrieve my mom's car that my brother had left in the long-term lot for me, I thought I would be prepared to dash to the SUV and pull on the winter gear he had promised to leave waiting inside for me to use. The sun was long gone, one of the last arrivals of the night at the small regional airport, so there was nothing to counteract the numbing wind that eagerly sought my body heat as plunder the moment I stepped out the automatic door.

Fingers suddenly claws around the keys in my hand, I shook off my shock and wedged my spare hand with effort into the tight front pocket of my jeans, still holding the keyring. My other hand was forced into exposure unless I wanted to abandon my bag, and I abruptly came to my senses and ran for it, all dignity lost as I searched frantically for the vehicle in the sea of snow-covered cars and trucks.

I clicked the unlock button over and over from inside my pocket and was finally rewarded with the blinking glow of parking lights from under a coating of rhime and snow one row away. Relieved, I ran that direction, which took me directly into the fierce, uncaring path of the wind. The snow had drifted and bunched up around the car in a seeming effort to swallow it whole, and I could feel the icy burn of the snow against my bare skin, pitifully covered by my cotton socks, as I waded into the pile, sinking up to my knees before I could reach the back door release.

"Fuck, it's cold, fuck, it's cold," I muttered over and over like a mantra. I yanked twice, then was forced to the realization that I would have to try another door as the ice had frozen the hatch closed. I knew from past experience that if I wasn't able to at least hear a crack as I pulled, it wouldn't be opening any time soon.

Wishing I had thought to wear a turtleneck, I alternated breathing through my mouth and nose as I tromped around to the lee side of the car, hoping against hope that the south-east side would not have frozen shut. The membranes in my numb nose cracked in that peculiar way that happens below zero, but anything was better than the cold that burned my lungs when I inhaled through my mouth.

I pulled the door handle and my tingling hand slipped off, barely able to curl my fingers without feeling like the skin on the back of my knuckles would split and bleed. I surveyed the abandoned lot and knew that if I didn't get a door open this time, I would have to run back to the shelter of the airport to warm up before I tried again. Panic gave me impetus as I bettered my chances at the passenger side back door by raising my foot, bracing myself on the car next to me, kicking the door with the flat of my foot as hard as I could.

This time, when I yanked on the door, I was rewarded, and I tumbled thankfully to the seat, pulling my bag in on top of me, so pathetically grateful to be out of the tearing jaws of the wind that I just lay there for a moment, stunned. I was cushioned by a large stack of clothing, and I came to my senses, closing the door and trying to see past the cloud of my breath in a fog around me in the dark, chill cavern of my shelter.

Unable to untie my laces, I managed to toe off my running shoes and pull off my socks, my feet blocks of ice, only moving because my legs willed it. I carefully pulled fleece socks on, trying not to get any fresh clumps of snow packed on my jeans inside. Even inside the car, the snow wouldn't be melting any time soon.

I gratefully stomped my feet into mom's snow boots then finally tried to brush some of the snow from my jeans. Gloves, hat and jacket were next, and I paused to look around the car. The lot lights shone weakly through the layer of snow on every window. Leaning over to the driver's seat, I encouraged the car, "C'mon, c'mon," as I tried the ignition. At fifteen below and dropping, I knew that it was entirely possible that the SUV wouldn't start at all, even though it had only been there for a day.

It protested weakly and then caught. "Yes!" I found the huge combination ice scraper and snow brush and steeled myself for the plunge back out into the cold, clearing the car in record time as all the years of winters lent experience to my efforts. Top down, to the side, not to the hood. Make sure the wipers aren't frozen to the windshield, front and back.

I tamped down a path behind each rear tire with my boots and made sure the tailpipe was clear. Then I dove back into the relative shelter of the backseat, trying to rid myself of some of the snow before I crawled into the driver's seat. My legs were numb and burning inside the folly of my wet jeans, and I briefly thought about pulling on the snowpants I saw in the backseat, but knew better than to try to maneuver my clinging jeans off in the car, an impossible task I had tried in the past. I would change at the hospital.