10 Days to The Year of Living Shamelessly

The Year of Living Shamelessly is a New Year’s Eve romance, but it starts off with some Christmas events and traditions. This reminds me of the first Christmas romance I wrote, which was “Snow Day” in Merry Christmas, Baby.

When I was invited to participate in the anthology, I had no clue what my story was going to be about. I knew I wanted the story to be sexy and romantic, but most of all, I wanted it to be joyful. I came up with “Snow Day” because those days always made me so happy when I was a kid.

But a snow day wasn’t much of a story unless something goes horribly wrong, like being stuck in a house when you made a stupid mistake and needed to get away. An example would be if you went to the wrong bed and accidentally had sex with the one guy you’ve been trying to avoid, only to wake up to a) discover your mistake and b) find out you can’t get away on account of snow.

I pitched the story to my editor with this opening. “Show up naked and willing in the wrong bed and no one will let you forget about it. Wind up in the wrong guy’s bed twice and consider yourself branded for life. For someone like Karen Price who’s tired of being an outsider, she could do without the bad reputation. She’s not really a slut–she just has bad luck and a bad sense of direction.”

I would like to point out that “Snow Day” is not based on personal experience. I have not wound up in the wrong bed, not even once, let alone twice. But if I did, I would make sure I wound up in Javier Bardem’s bed.

Merry Christmas, Baby is a contemporary erotic romance anthology. Library Journal said “this collection will be just the thing for readers who like their romances on the spicy side.” This anthology is very hard to find, but I have a signed copy to give to one reader. For a chance to win the copy, answer this question:

Which celebrity’s bed would like to accidentally wind up in? Tell me in the comment section before Monday, September 28 at midnight Pacific Time. I will pick one person to win a signed copy of Merry Christmas, Baby. Contest rules, guidelines and fine print can be found here. Good luck!

**Update: Congratulation to Miranda (commenter #4)! She wins a signed copy of MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY. Thanks to everyone for sharing. I have to remember some of these guys the next time I need inspiration for a hero!**