As promised, here’s a blog post originally published on the Daily Dose of Decadence blog site in January.  I’ve refurbished it a bit–added a little more eye-candy–and hope you’ll think about your version of Paradise.  There’s also a BIG contest at the beginning of this post, so read it thoroughly and check it out!

I’m offering a prize today, taken from the suggestion of commenter Michelle Vasquez from the beginning of May.  Her suggestion was for commenters to help spread the word about Almost Perfect and Read For A Cure: “They would have to tweet about it, blog about it, and share on Facebook to earn entries.”

Fabulous idea, Michelle!  You win that $5.00 card and a Decadent Book of your choice.

So here’s the Contest:  Spread the word about Almost Perfect.  Share with all your social media sites.  Share on Goodreads or any of your reader sites and blogs.  Let me know all the ways you have promoted this cause by listing them in a comment on this post or any post on the blog now through next Wednesday. (Give me links if you can so others can visit those sites too.)  Be creative!  What other ways can you get the word out about this worthy cause?  Let’s promote this campaign and really Read for A Cure.  Decadent is donating all of its proceeds and I’m donating 50% of mine to Relay For Life.  Come on!  Make me give up my money!  Let’s see those sale numbers rise. 🙂

The person with the most number of entries (1 promotion=1 entry; for example, if you FB, Tweet, post the message on a blog, and on Goodreads, you get 4 entries) by next Wednesday at Midnight will receive a $10.00 Gift Card, a Decadent Book of your Choice (except for Almost Perfect), and a copy of my other erotic contemporary, Hog Wild.

Paradise.  What images does that word conjure up for you?  I immediately envision a tropical island with lush foliage, pristine beaches, and azure waves lapping against a white shoreline.  When I started writing Almost Perfect, I decided I wanted my couple to be abandoned in one of the most beautiful, most romantic places possible:  an island paradise.

When Pam Kimball set up her 1Night Stand fantasy encounter, her movie-buff mind automatically turned to one of the major romantic tropes:  pirates.  She expected a Pirates of the Caribbean adventure at sea to include a gorgeous, sexy man, a pirate captain who would sweep her off her feet, making her forget the trauma of her divorce.  As her writer, however, I decided what Pam needed to fulfill her fantasy instead was another cinematic trope—a fantasy island.

Many women—me included—would love to be stranded on a deserted island with a hot hunky guy.  The movies have been showing us this desire for decades:  Father Goose, Blue Lagoon, Six Days Seven Nights, Castaway.  According to msnbc.com, the island paradise of Hawaii is the number one honeymoon destination, followed closely by Jamaica and the Bahamas.  There’s just something totally romantic about standing on a moonlit beach, feeling a warm gentle breeze beside the one you love.  The perfect recipe for a happily ever after ending.

I have yet to visit my island paradise.  How about you?  Do you dream about escaping to a secluded island or a beach resort with your significant other—or a sexy stranger—for a hot time that will make your toes curl?

Blurb for Almost Perfect:

Pamela Kimball’s birthday present, a 1Night Stand adventure, is supposed to help her jump-start her life, put a new man in her bed, and help her forget her ex.  Unfortunately, movie-buff Pam’s Pirates of the Caribbean fantasy goes wrong when she’s abandoned on a not quite deserted island with ex-husband Roger Ware.  When Pam is forced to accept Roger’s offer of dinner,  she recognizes that he’s  changed since their divorce and his newfound sensuality re-kindles an old fire.  When he challenges her to find out how much his amorous skills have improved, Pam is torn between self-preservation and desire.  With time running out before they’re rescued, Pam has to decide if her heart can survive the consequences of becoming Roger’s “almost” perfect 1Night Stand.

And here’s a little excerpt to further whet your appetite:

She inched into the lapping surf, searching for movement. Reflection off the water made this task harder than expected. Wasn’t the Caribbean supposed to be teeming with fish?  Now that’s something she’d had a lot of instruction in. Almost every marooned-on-an-island movie had a scene where the heroine learned to catch fish. Six Days, Father Goose, Blue Lagoon. All you needed was your hands and patience. She could do this.

Pam waded out further then stopped just before the water hit her now dry shorts. “Not gonna to have a damp crotch all night.” The words reminded her of exactly what she had hoped for tonight. “But not from wet shorts!” She headed back to shore to remove and drape them next to her shirt. The bandeau was a different story. Still damp, even after several hours, and uncomfortable. Might dry better if not next to her skin anyway. “Screw it!  Live dangerously.”

Standing as good as naked on the deserted beach, Pam smiled as the warm breeze caressed her bare body. The sense of being slightly naughty added to her delight in the sensual feel of the air as it dried her breasts. Her nipples peaked as the wind cooled them. She strutted down to the water’s edge to sink her toes in the sand, the salty tang in the air adding to the perfect moment.

“If you’re skinny dipping, you forgot to remove one very important piece of clothing.”

Pam whirled around. Roger stood on the beach behind her, a green bottle of Perrier in one hand. His gaze played up and down her naked torso and his salacious grin widened. “Mind if I join you?”

Hope you enjoyed this little piece of paradise.  And remember:  keep getting those entries!

Oh, I’m also being interviewed today over at Realmantic Moments by Lila Munro.  Stop by and leave a comment for another entry!  You can find out my favorite drink and the worst book I ever had to read!