A Perfect Proposal cover reveal

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Craig had an urge to call out “hey honey I’m home“ as he walked into the kitchen and tossed his keys into the bowl where he always threw his keys.

Sounds from the living room indicated that Lysia was watching TV. Returning to noise was nice. It made this house not so empty and lonely.

He paused when he entered the living room. Lysia had been busy, she still was.

Colorful paper chains, garlands of popcorn and cranberries covered the tree. Small origami ornaments hung from the branches.

“It’s beautiful. How did you do all of this?” Craig stepped up to his tree, admiring all the work that Lysia had put into decorating it. He turned to look at her. Her hair was a mess, half in and half out of a ponytail. She had flecks of small cut paper on her cheek. She bit paper clips that she had twisted out of shape, and flags of tape hung off the edge of her hand. Magazine clippings surrounded her. A stapler lay on its side. The tape dispenser was almost empty. Paper clips were scattered everywhere. Popcorn spilled out of a microwave bag and onto the floor. A hotel-room emergency sewing kit lay open on top of an empty plastic bag that used to contain fresh cranberries.

She focused on the construction in front of her. Craig could make out aluminum foil, coffee filters, and cardboard. The rest was sheer magic. Lysia constructed an angel from recycling and found objects.

“There.” She said triumphantly as she placed the last piece of tape along the back between wings she had formed from, where those leaves?

The smile she gave Craig made him stupid. How had he managed to pass over the offered third date reward? Oh right, he wasn’t going to pressure her, and last night he had fallen asleep like a dork.

She bounced up and presented him with the angel. “You’re home just in time to place her on top of the tree.”

Home. It sounded warm and inviting coming from her lips. This was just a big house. She was making it a home by being here. By decorating his tree, by bringing her presence into his life.

He took the angel from her and pulled her to him for an embrace. She tipped her face to him, and he took her lips. “This is beautiful, thank you.” He said after ending the kiss.

He held her to him as he reached up and crowned the tree with her art. “It’s perfect.”

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. A Perfect Proposal.

Meet Jason

Amy started to apologize again before Jason cut her off. “I like that.” He paused. “I like you.”

She blushed. She was drawn to Jason, more than she had ever been drawn to anyone she had known for such a short time. But did she care? Yes, she cared what he thought of her, but did that mean she cared about him? Too many emotions swirled in and around her skull. Whatever she felt, she hoped he did make good on his offer to seduce her. She wanted it more than anything she could imagine.

Jason led Amy out of the restaurant. He dropped her hand and then spun on the ball of his foot, completing several full turns. He stopped with a jump, planting his feet. “Whoo!”

“I guess you enjoyed your supper?” Amy ran after him as he danced down the street.

Ignoring the crowded sidewalk, Jason leaped onto a planter before landing with another spin.

“If you were singing, I would think I’d been transported into a musical,” she said, looking up at Jason as he spun around a lamp pole.

He smiled down at her.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re dancing up the street like a mad man.” She laughed.

Jason twirled and executed an undulating body wave before coming to a stop in front of her.

The breath caught in her throat as he merged their personal spaces. “You are music that makes me feel like dancing,” he confessed in a low whisper.

Amy expected her face to burst into flames with the heat of her flush, but instead it was suddenly cold and wet. She lifted her face to the sky to watch the downpour overtake them.

She smiled into the rain. “It is like a musical, and now it’s raining.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?” Jason asked. She shook her head and looked into his eyes.

“It means the hero gets to kiss the girl.”

“Are you my hero, Jason?” Amy asked, focusing on his lips.

“If you let me.”

Amy closed her eyes as Jason’s mouth covered hers. His lips felt hot in the chill of the rain. She leaned into him, tasting his lips and his tongue. His kiss pulled at her core, her entire body flaring up like liquid fire. She wanted to feel all of him. His lips and arms were not nearly enough. Her entire being shook with need, with want. His arms tightened around her.

Her brain disengaged, and her perception of the world went fuzzy.

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. Five Glowing Rings from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas. Available Now

Meet Thorne

Meet Thorne from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas

“You’re in a club, twenty-one and over, and you’re drinking a kiddie drink. Designated driver?“ A gravely male voice, low and somewhat sexy, asked me.

I turned, tilted my gaze up, and froze. Any semblance of a witty retort evaporated from my tongue. Long black hair, dark eyes, heavy eyeliner, full lips, square chin. My idea of the quintessential rock star stood smirking at my drink.

I dropped my eyes and stared at his hands. Tattooed knuckles bedecked in heavy silver rings gripped a steaming mug. I couldn’t look directly at him. I already felt the wobbles of turning into once-human goo deep in my gut. I followed his hand to a wrist wrapped in leather and chain bracelets and a few dripping scarves.

“Coffee?” I managed to say.

“Yeah.” He held the mug up in salute before taking a sip. That ‘yeah’ was really quite a sexy sound.

“You’re picking on me for drinking a Roy Rogers, and you’re drinking coffee? Trying to get sober?” I’m not sure how I was able to form words. My throat was dry, and my tongue felt swollen. I always lost the ability to speak coherently around good looking men. It was a good thing I was sitting down, because I know my knees had forgotten how to work.

He huffed. “Trying to stay sober. You?”

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. Calling Bird from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas. Available October 2017

Meet Marmalade

Marmalad Prize Rooster

Tyler stalked thru every last tent, and he literally crawled between them as well. Still no bird. And no one had seen any more roosters running around.

He checked out the main entrance and wished he hadn’t left his jacket in the pickup. A fine drizzle and diminishing light were going to make the next half of his search miserable. For Kolby, he would do this in his bare feet in the snow. She had kissed his face, and her lips had felt like clouds. He stepped out into the weather.

After a fruitless search that took longer than he wanted, and probably not half the time that was needed, Tyler returned empty-handed to the rooster tent.

Kolby sat on the table. Her torso and arms draped over the crate holding the smaller of the two roosters. Her dark hair, in a thick braid, hung limply over her shoulder. She wiped at her nose, still sniffling.

His heart broke to see her so sad. He had watched, from too far away, as she established herself as a Marans breeder. Her birds consistently produced the desired dark brown eggs. Her hens were full and fluffy with dark feathers, and the roosters were picture-book quality. To lose her spokesmodel and top show bird had to feel like a kick in the teeth.

And here he was again, watching her from too far away.

He would give anything to be her hero but he’d failed miserably.

“Kolby?” He didn’t want to startle her, didn’t want to cause her any more grief.

Her puffy red eyes lifted to meet his steady gaze. When she saw he had no bird in his arms, she didn’t smile the way she usually did when she saw him.

He shook his head and opened his empty arms. He was so sorry, so unbelievable sorry. He would give anything to see her smile again, but he was only able to deliver bad news.

Kolby rushed into his arms, holding onto him as fiercely as if he was the only person who could save her.

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. Three French Cockerels from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas. Available October 2017

Meet Tom

Meet Tom. The Twelve Strippers of Christmas by Lulu M Sylvian

“How’re you doing?” The man she’d inadvertently ogled had a square jaw lined with a thin beard, nice lips, and a voice like liquid chocolate. He gave Alexa a little upward nod of his head. It was a shapely head with close-cropped, tightly curled hair. He had everything nice, and that was why Alexa figured he had mesmerized her as he carried cases of beer and water from a delivery pallet on the sidewalk into a building.

“No, no, I’m good,” she stammered. Oh my God, wrong answer stupid. And he’s wearing a Santa hat.

Red stocking cap with white pom-pom, tight jeans, and a T-shirt with the long sleeves pushed up. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold. Alexa sighed as she watched him pick up another box and disappear into the dark of the building. His jeans displayed his ass to perfection. He even whistled. Could he be any cuter?

“You sure you don’t need anything?” he asked again. This time she registered hints of a British accent.

“Just enjoying the show,” Alexa gushed.

“By all means, enjoy away.” He rolled his shoulders, did an extra flex of bicep, and carried another box into the building.

Alexa’s brain, not firing on all cylinders, took a moment to realize that she had just come across as the vilest, most sexist pig ever. Had she been a man doing that to a woman, she should have been slapped. Instead, he flexed for her.

“I just objectified you in a very demeaning manner, and you don’t mind?” she asked him after he jogged down the few steps to the sidewalk.

The man paused. Damn, he was tall. Then he shrugged. “It’s all part of the job. Look, if you want to objectify me without guilt and enjoy a real show, come by tonight. Doors open at eight.” He pointed to the marquee on the building behind him. Manfred’s Manly Male Review.

“Oh. Right.” Alexa felt a little awkward, but she smiled. Alliteration always made her happy. Manfred should have used manifestation instead of review…more Ms that way. She had been ogling a stripper in his day wear, and he had just invited her to ogle him some more. “I think I just will.”

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. Perfect Cup from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas. Available October 2017

Meet Seth

Meet Seth, The twelve Strippers of Christmas by Lulu M Sylvian

Bethy stared mournfully at the remnants of Christmas tree selections. The live trees were all dead and brown, and of the pre-lit trees, the only choices were too big and expensive or unnatural colors. She was not convinced this was going to be a good idea.

Seth tossed another box of frozen appetizer snacks in the cart. “I don’t know about you, but on Thursday I think snacks and movies all day sounds perfect.” His smile faded when he looked at her.

“Whats wrong, Bethy girl?”

Bethy sighed, the sweet and the bitter all mixed up into one. Seth already had a nickname for her, that made her heart soar. But the lack of tree options felt like a holiday kick in the backside. “No trees.”

“What do you mean no trees? There’s this one over here.” He gestured broadly at the huge example.

“Too big.”

“Okay, then we go avant-garde and get the white one and do all black and silver ornaments.”

Bethy giggled. “That sounds too chic for me.”

“Then we do white with candy colored ornaments. It will be festive.”

“A white tree? Will it work? Maybe no tree is best.” She shook her head skeptically.

“Of course it will work. It will be Whoville meets Willy Wonka. Ridiculous and sweet. C’mon.” Seth spun a pirouette in front of the tree then slid across the floor on his knees to be right in front of Bethy. “I’m begging, can we can we can we? Huh?”

Bethy’s face felt like it was going to crack in half with her smile. An older lady paused and said, “When a boy that good looking is on his knees in front of you, you had better say yes.”

Bethy started laughing. “Okay, okay, we can get the white tree.”

©2017 Lulu M Sylvian. Partridge in Her Pear Tree from The Twelve Strippers of Christmas. Available October 2017

BIG NEWS

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Happy Birthday to Me!

That’s not my big news- but it is my birthday. My big news is BIG, lots of moving parts! This post is just like an awesome birthday present to me!

Part One:
I am super excited to announce I’ve become part of the Griffyn Ink family! I’ve featured interviews here with several of their authors (Savannah Kade, D.B. Sieders, and Victoria Raschke) and now I’m one of them!

Super happy dance!

via GIPHY

Part Two:
Cover Reveal!!!
Did you see it yet?

Twelve Strippers of Christmas coming October 2017

Isn’t it awesome? It’s awesome! I’m excited!

http://lmsylvian.com/the-twelve-strip…mas-cover-reveal/

Part Three:
The Twelve Strippers of Christmas has a release date!
October 26th, it will be available in paperback and as ebook.
Pre-sale information coming soon!

It’s really happening guys! So freaking excited!

Part Four:
I’m excited to announce I will be one of the participating authors in November’s holiday release of St. Helena Vinyard Kindle World.
I will share more details as we get closer to the big event and roll out.

Each one of these announcements has me hand flapping happy!

via GIPHY

The Twelve Strippers of Christmas- Cover reveal

Twelve Strippers of Christmas coming October 2017

The Twelve Strippers of Christmas is a collection of short stories all around the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

With a twist

and a thrust

and some break away snaps.

Available in paperback and ebook October 26, 2017. Presale info coming soon.

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Teaser Tuesday-The Twelve Strippers of Christmas

Whoo hoo, Christmas in July! Well, not really. But I am listening to a lot of Christmas music as I finalize this collection of short stories.

Here’s an excerpt from Les Poules Françaises

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“Dancing Queen.” Nick purred as Katie approach the front of the club. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

She placed a hand over his kiss and blushed slightly. It was cute.

He glanced behind her checking to confirm she had not been followed by the grabby Gwinney.

“Just you?” He asked.

“I told you it would just be me. Disappointed?” Her smile lit up her face. Her eyes looked bigger and brighter with sparkling gold make-up. He wanted to poke his fingers through the loops in her hair style.

“Thrilled it’s just you. That Gwinney is like some excitable puppy who doesn’t understand the commands sit, stay, leave me the f*k alone.” Nick paid for their entrance into the club.

“She thinks you’re hot.” Katie explained as she followed Nick further inside.

“Of course she does. I am hot, and I work damn hard to make sure people know it.” Nick stroked his hand in the air down the front of his body, displaying the artistry that went into tonight’s outfit.

His hair had been shaved on the sides and piled high in the middle. Braids with beads and peacock feathers lined the side of his mohawk and draped down his back with the longer lengths of blue and black hair. His make-up was all in shades of black and silver. He wore a cropped leather biker jacket with a tight peacock print t-shirt. Everything else was black leather and silver studs.

“Modest much?” Katie laughed. She shoved her gloves into her coat pocket and passed it to the coat check girl.

“Oh, you should talk, Miss Victory Curls and swishy skirt. I don’t see you here in scrubs and nursing shoes. Why should women have all the fun in dressing up and looking good?”

“Point taken.” Katie agreed. “But it lures in hapless victims like Gwinney. And it confuses her. She sees the pretty, she wants the pretty, she doesn’t understand why the pretty doesn’t want her back.”

“Are you calling me pretty?” Nick looked down his nose at her.

Katie shook her head and bit her lower lip. He needed to get her on the dance floor before he pushed her against the back wall and messed up the makeup they both wore.

Teaser Tuesday: All I Want

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Jason led Amy out of the restaurant. He dropped her hand and then he spun on the ball of his foot, completing several full turns. He stopped with a jump, planting his feet. “Whoo!”

“I guess you enjoyed your supper?” Amy ran after him as he danced down the street.

Jason leaped onto a planter before jumping and landing with another spin.

“If you were singing, I would think I’d been transported into a musical,” she said, looking up to Jason as he spun around a lamp pole.

He smiled down at her.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re dancing up the street like a mad man.” She laughed.

Jason twirled and executed an undulating body wave before coming to a stop in front of Amy.

The breath caught in her throat as he merged their personal spaces. “You are music that makes me feel like dancing,” he confessed in a low whisper.

Amy expected her face to burst into flames with the heat of her flush, but instead it suddenly was cold and wet. She lifted her face to the sky to watch the sudden downpour overtake them.

She laughed. “It is like a musical, and now it’s raining.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?” Jason asked.

Amy shook her head.

“It means the hero gets to kiss the girl now.”