I saw this yesterday on the Today Show, and it was so interesting I thought I’d repost it here.

Food and sex are two of the strongest and most closely linked human desires.

“The satisfaction from eating a delicious meal and the satisfaction from having sex both activate pleasure receptors in the brain,” says Audrey T. Cross, Ph. D., formerly a professor of nutrition at Columbia University’s School of Public Health. “This explains why humans often associate eating with sex.” And while the notion of aphrodisiacs is largely unfounded, there are certain foods that can energize you, trigger your libido, and give you stronger orgasms. Eat these foods regularly for a boost in the bedroom.

ENHANCE YOUR CHEMISTRY

Share a dark chocolate dessert
Order that post-dinner cup of joe. Coffee drinkers have higher libidos and hit the sheets more often than those who don’t indulge, according to a study conducted by Southwestern University. And add real sugar. “Sugar releases serotonin, a neurotransmitter that provides a brief euphoric feeling,” says Abby Aronowitz, Ph. D., author of “Your Final Diet.”

Interesting, huh? Who knows if it works, but I could definitely stomach everything on that list. Except maybe the sushi. Blah!

Forget the brouhaha between RWA and Harlequin. There’s a bigger, more vicious war going on and it involves princesses. Go HERE to see what all the hubbub’s about.

And since you’re popping around…Today I’m guesting at both Novel Spaces and Fresh Fiction. Stop by and say hi and enter to win a book!

Letter from the RWA President:

Dear Members,

Romance Writers of America was informed of the new venture between Harlequin Enterprises and ASI Solutions to form Harlequin Horizons, a vanity/subsidy press. Many of you have asked the organization to state its position regarding this new development. As a matter of policy, we do not endorse any publisher’s business model. Our mission is the advancement of the professional interests of career-focused romance writers.

One of your member benefits is the annual National Conference. RWA allocates select conference resources to non-subsidy/non-vanity presses that meet the eligibility requirements to obtain those resources. Eligible publishers are provided free meeting space for book signings, are given the opportunity to hold editor appointments, and are allowed to offer spotlights on their programs.

With the launch of Harlequin Horizons, Harlequin Enterprises no longer meets the requirements to be eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. This does not mean that Harlequin Enterprises cannot attend the conference. Like all non-eligible publishers, they are welcome to attend. However, as a non-eligible publisher, they would fund their own conference fees and they would not be provided with conference resources by RWA to publicize or promote the company or its imprints.

Sometimes the wind of change comes swiftly and unexpectedly, leaving an unsettled feeling. RWA takes its role as advocate for its members seriously. The Board is working diligently to address the impact of recent developments on all of RWA’s members.

We invite you to attend the annual conference on July 28 – 31, 2010 in Nashville, TN, as we celebrate 30 years of success with keynote speaker Nora Roberts, special luncheon speaker Jayne Ann Krentz, librarian speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon, and awards ceremony emcee Sabrina Jeffries. Please refer to the RWA Web site for conference registration information in late January 2010.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Gaylord Opryland!

Michelle Monkou
RWA President

Summary: The ludicrous terms of her father’s will have police officer Hailey Roarke breaking into her cousin’s house in search of a small bronze statue.

When her cousin turns up murdered, Detective Shane Maxwell is assigned the case. He’s not an unfamiliar face. Shane and Hailey met the year before at his sister’s wedding and the two almost had sex. Though Shane is not entirely certain that Hailey didn’t kill her cousin, he finds himself putting his job in jeopardy to help her unravel the puzzle her father left and to prove her innocence. Along for the ride are various family members, which adds to the couple’s growing tension. (LOVE SPELL, Jan., 320 pp., $6.99) HOT
—Susan Mobley, RT BOOKReviews, 4 Stars

Excerpted from STOLEN SEDUCTION
Release Date: December 29, 2009
Dorchester

Shane hadn’t spoken a word to her on the boat ride back to Marathon. Hadn’t asked if she was okay or even looked her way. And Hailey tried not to read anything into that. Tried to tell herself she didn’t care whether he was worried about her mental health.

But it was hard. Especially when they climbed on the Roark Bombardier and she gave the pilot the coordinates from her father’s letter, found out they were heading to Jamaica, told Shane, and he still didn’t say a single word in response. Just strapped in and waited for takeoff with clenched jaw and eyes that seemed to look off into space.

Okay, he was ticked. Didn’t take a brainiac to figure that one out. She twiddled her thumbs while the plane gained momentum and they shot into the air. The second they were high enough, she flipped off her seatbelt and hit the galley for something to drink to settle her nerves.

She was pouring her second shot when Shane picked her up by the elbows and turned her around to face him. The bottle of bourbon slipped from her fingers and hit the counter with a crack. “What the hell are you—”

His mouth was over hers before the words were even past her lips, but she knew instinctively this wasn’t a gentle kiss. Wasn’t a loving kiss. Wasn’t even an I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through kiss. It was hard and wet and a little bit mean as his teeth sank into her bottom lip hard enough for a lick of pain to shoot though her skin. He didn’t give her a chance to say yes or no or anything in between, because he was yanking her off the floor and pushing her through the door into the private cabin and shoving her down to the mattress before she even realized they were moving.

He was pissed. She could feel the anger pumping off him in hot, rolling waves. Knew he was replaying what she’d done in that bunker and using it to punish her. And while her brain told her rough, angry sex was a really bad idea, especially after the way things had gone last night and this morning, her own adrenaline was still so high, she didn’t care.

Oh, God…

Bad, awful, really dangerous idea. So how come with him it felt so right?

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Excerpted from MARKED
Release Date: May 2010
Dorchester

The air chilled, and the hair on the back of Theron’s neck stood up before he could question the child in-depth. Destiny forgotten, he edged toward the opening of the loft that looked down over the burned village. Then cursed long and low.

“Marissa,” Acacia said in a forceful voice, “Did Theron put you up to this?”

Theron moved as quickly and quietly as he could across the floor and grasped Acacia by the arm, pulling her up to his side. “We have a problem,” he said quietly into her ear.

She looked over with irritated eyes. “What now?”

“Three daemons. They look to be on patrol.” Acacia’s face went ashen. “My guess is they watch this area for stragglers in the hopes they may lead them to the colony.”

“Oh, shit,” she whispered.

“Acacia,” he said brusquely as he she trembled against him. “Stay with me.” Wide violet eyes met his, but there was fear there—lots of it—as she obviously remembered their last run in with Atalanta’s henchmen.

Dammit, this was what he’d been afraid of the moment she’d set out on this stupid quest. “I can handle the daemons. But you have to get Marissa to safety.”

She glanced right and left. “All three? You can’t…back at the store—”

“I can,” he said quickly. “At the store I was worried about you. Trust me. I know what I’m doing. But only if we work together.”

“Oh, God.” When she sagged against him, he knew he was losing her.

He tightened his arm around her waist, while listening intently to what was happening outside. The daemons were moving closer. He was running out of time. “You have to pull it together right now because I want to hear all the other reasons you’re not really attracted to me.”

She looked up, swallowed hard. And as their eyes met the connection they’d shared from the first flared deep in his soul. He knew she felt it too. Just as he knew if something happened to her here, he would never be the same.

She nodded once, twice, and pulled her courage up like a suit of armor. “I…I’m not attracted to you.” But she gripped his shirt at the chest and didn’t make any move to let go.

“Liar,” he whispered, just before dipping his head and taking her mouth.

The kiss was fast, and not nearly as deep as he wanted. But they didn’t have time for anything more.

He pulled the spiked dagger knife from his ankle, unsnapped the holster and attached it to her calf. Then he opened the weapon that was shaped like a bowie knife with menacing spikes sticking out of the underside of the handle. “Take this. Hold it here.” He positioned her fingers. “If any get past me, this won’t do you any good unless they get close. Swing like this. Away from your body.” He moved her arm to show her what he meant. “The spikes tear up the flesh and the blade does the rest. It won’t kill a daemon, but a good solid hit will incapacitate one long enough for you to get away.”

“Theron, I—”

“We don’t have time.” He shoved a penlight into her pocket, then grabbed Marissa and pushed her toward Casey. “Wait until you see me out front, then take the back ladder and head for the mountain across the stream. Try to find a cave or shelter to hide in. I’ll find you after.”

Shaking, Acacia slid the knife into its holster, lifted a frightened Marissa into her arms and cradled the child against her chest. “But how will you know where we are?”

He crossed the floor and stopped at the edge of the shadows, just out of sight of the daemons below, and took one last look at her. “I’ll always find you, Acacia. That is a promise.”

“Theron—”

He didn’t wait for her response. Instead he stepped off that second floor and landed against the cold earth one story down. All three daemons turned his direction with surprised, glowing green eyes.

“Hello, boys,” he said, reaching for his parazonium strapped to the small of his back. “You look a little lost. Let me direct you back to hell.”

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Shane tugged the baseball cap lower over her face and frowned. “Couldn’t you have found a Cubs hat on that rack? Shit, I’d even settle for a Red Sox cap at this point.”

“You don’t like the Yankees? They’re like America’s team.”

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at her like she had three eyeballs. “You’re sick, you know that?”

Hailey couldn’t help it. She laughed. “It’s only baseball, Maxwell.”

He slapped a hand against his heart. “Only baseball? Only baseball? That’s only my heart you’re ripping to shreds and throwing on the sidewalk.”

She rolled her eyes and kept walking. “Please tell me you aren’t one of those guys.”

“What guys?” he said, catching up.

“Those guys. The ones who don’t have a life from March to October because they’re either at the ball field or glued to their TVs. The ones who base their year on whether their team wins the pennant, then plot ways to murder their Yankee neighbors when the Yankees take the World Series. Again.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

She shook her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Dammit, she liked him. More with every passing hour.

My birthday cake, courtesy of the DH. (And yeah, I know it’s missing letters. But he gets points for trying.)

I am obsessed with this:

How was your Halloween? Did you dress up? And I have to know…did you already know about the LFL????