Amanda Jean Kelly

Two Weeks Left

Amanda — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 16:47:03 +0000

I’ve been counting down for a while now, both on my MSN Messenger and Gmail statuses. Today I hit the number 14. So, it’s like, for realz, now. Two weeks left until matrimony! Crazy…

We’ve definitely gotten a lot done, but there’s still so much to do. My to-do list from the Knot is a relentless and unforgiving task master. You see, if you were supposed to do something, and you haven’t, an exclamation pops up to show you the List’s indignation over your impudence in not completing that task in a timely fashion. My current insults to the List are as below:

Make or buy favors. Allow extra time for custom-made favors (i.e., chocolates in a preprinted box).

The favors have been purchased and just arrived from UPS. The containers I’ve had for a while. So technically, this one is done, but I won’t check it off until my Mom and I have stuffed the boxes and tied/glued on the ribbons. They will be cute, but they’re not quite done yet. Hence, the exclamation point.

Set aside some time to write thank-you notes for gifts received at the bridal shower.

Leaving this one up until my shower, which isn’t until the weekend of the wedding.

Discuss music with ceremony musicians and agree on final choices.

Our ceremony musician is our DJ, and I’ve made all of the choices and have the music, but I haven’t sent him the information yet, because we haven’t done a couple of the items that need to be included with that yet (must/must not play lists).

Pick up wedding rings and check the inscriptions before you leave the store. MUST do this today.

Have not even brought rings to jewelry store for engraving yet. MUSTDOMUSTDOMUSTDO.

Wrap all gifts for the wedding party and write each attendant a nice note.

Girls are done. Guys are not. At least I have all the gifts. The giftboxes I have for the guys are too small so I have to get new ones. Today, hopefully.

Work on a list of “must-play” (and “must-not play”) songs for your DJ or band.

Yep.

Get a head start on those thank-you notes (it will feel great to get a batch out before the wedding).

Thankfully, nothing to do here, yet.

Brides: Make sure you have your garter and “something old, new, borrowed, and blue” if you want to include these customs in your wedding.

Well, I’ve got my new and blue, damnit. I don’t have anything old or borrowed and neither does my Mom, who is my only local female relative who might have something old that I could borrow. What to do, what to do…

Call or email wedding party to relay critical info related to rehearsal and wedding (dates, times, directions, duties).

I have an email sitting in my Gmail drafts. It’s just not done yet.

Work out wedding day timing and details (who will get the bride there, where the wedding party will dress, etc) and draw up a schedule.

Same said email as above.

Brides: Get final prewedding haircut, if necessary.

Not sure if I will do this.

Do paperwork for official documents if you are changing your name.

I’m not changing my name until after the wedding, anyway. And I found a website that will do all of it for you for 30 bones. Not too bad, but I wonder about the personal privacy of it all.

So, as I said, plenty to do.

As for Paul… For weeks, his best man and groomsman have been planning his bachelor party, unbeknownst to him. Yesterday afternoon they showed up at our place to kidnap him for a weekend trip to San Francisco. His bags were already packed (thanks to Halo 3, he was distracted enough for me to do it without him walking in on Thursday night), and I put some cash in his wallet. Getting the trip going was plagued by a few mini-disasters, but after last-minute fixes, they were on their way to the City by the Bay.

Hope you have a great weekend, honey!

Time for a Post

Amanda — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:02:35 +0000

I was looking at my fiance’s blog this fine Saturday morning in LA. In reading how diligently he has been updating it, and with such well-written and interesting material, I felt shamed at how little I have updated the beautiful website he made for me. Thus, today, an update from me.

The last few days in the City of Angels have been really beautiful, the way I wish summers always could be. Before that, it had been incredibly, throat-cloggingly, ass-to-leather-upholstery-glueingly hot. Especially up in northern Los Angeles County, where I work. Freaking high desert. So now that it’s at least ten degrees cooler, it feels positively balmy out there.

The wedding countdown is getting lower and lower. As of the moment, there are 35 days left until the Big Day. Still tons of stuff left to do, thanks to my running checklist at the Knot, but for today, we’ll be focusing on the following:

send wedding rings out for engraving
marriage license
wedding day schedule
must play song list
must not play song list
~~event songs~~
ceremony song list
print/fold ceremony programs
TY cards for attendants
haircuts
shop for honeymoon
hot glue candles/stick on names

That’s just our immediate “together to-do list”. We each have our own, as well. Which means tomorrow, I’ll be…

writing bachelorette thank you cards
~~deciding on hairstyle and makeup style~~
~~making hair/makeup consultation appt~~
picking out jewelry
picking out evening bag
wrapping the other wedding party gifts
thinking of a gift for paul
buying apple red card stock
~~finding someone to do a reading~~
~~buying a sharpie~~
figuring out what papers I need for a name change and filling them out (ready to go after honeymoon return)
getting garter, old, new, borrowed, and blue things
~~buying red ribbon for escort candles~~

Wowzers. Lots to do, and that’s just the things that need to be done right away.

On the more relaxing front, I’ve finalized the booking for our trip to Jamaica. It’s the very end of the hurricane season, so we’re just going to have to hope that Hurricane Felix will be the closest we come to a hurricane hitting Jamaica this season. Thank God for trip insurance.

Da dum da dum (or why I refuse to be a bridezilla)

Amanda — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:48:57 +0000

I’ve never posted about the wedding planning before, and why not? Probably because I live and breathe it, and don’t also want to write about it. I can’t wait to be married, but planning the ceremony by which we get there? Well that’s no piece of… wedding cake.

Top ~~Five~~ Four Things I Hate About Wedding Planning

The Looming List - Even the most dis-organized gal in the wedding trenches with me has a yucky little (paper or mental) list of things she hasn’t done yet. Large or small, if there are items on that list the bride feels should already have been completed, it will burn her until she takes care of ‘em.
The Budget - This one can be scary for two reasons. Either you have no budget and you can’t get all of the things you want for the wedding…or you have a budget and you get all of the things you want…and you keep getting them…and your budget just keeps going up…and up…and up…
The Etiquette - Need I say more? Weddings are like etiquette minefields.
The Guest List - How do you invite everyone you want to invite and still stick within your budget?
Umm… - I guess I only have four.

Top Five Things I Love About Wedding Planning

The Countdown - Nothing makes me happier than to gradually grow more and more excited together as Paul and I count down to the biggest day in our lives so far. It’s very romantic.
The Dress - Going to the bridal shop with my mom and sis to try on gowns was an emotional trip, but it was also really fun. The look on my mom’s face when she saw the dress I came out in and knew it was the one is something I’ll always remember.
The Look for Less - I love putting together a cohesive design for the big day. Coordinating is really fun for me and it’s so exciting to come up with an idea and then try to execute it to the best of your ability within budget. I like a good challenge!
The Honeymoon - Nerd-time here, but I have to admit, I’ve always liked shopping for exotic vacations, even when I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I can spend hours just poring over discount travel sites, scanning hotel reviews and flipping through candid user photos of the resorts we might go to… Planning the honeymoon is so much calmer an experience than planning a wedding. No matter what you have, you can get a pretty good trip somewhere, and I intend to make ours a great one! Plus, I love finding great bargains.
Cake Tasting - Tasting cakes at the shop of our choice of vendor for our cake was actually the easiest and most enjoyable part of the planning so far. We found a vegan baker in Los Angeles (which is way harder than you might think it should be) and we got to taste-test several delicious cakes of a wide variety. Kahatija over at Ghalia Organic Desserts made some delicious choices for us to choose from (based on my overall taste ideas for the cake) and then we went to check them out. Decision made. Time: 45 minutes. Not bad at all.

I vented in the top ~~five~~ four worst things, but the top five best things about planning a wedding are the reasons why I refuse to be a bridezilla. Why make people remember you as a beeyotch when they could remember your sweet, clad-in-white self, in love and about to join in marriage to your perfect match?

I love you, honey.

Long weekend

Amanda — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:41:37 +0000

So our trip was really wonderful, a total break from our workaday lives. We tasted wine, we walked along the moonlit beach… We even went to a museum, which we’ve never done before as a couple, and that was very nice. Something about touching things (you’re not supposed to touch) that are older than Jesus with the one you love. It’s quite a bonding experience.

The weather was perfect and the drive up was fairly brief. I left my camera’s battery charger at work in Santa Clarita, so we trekked up the 5 to pick it up and then took the 126 west to where it meets the 101 and got there about noon.

I did my obligatory vegan prepwork before we went and found this site. Very informative and had a nice big list of restaurants that were either vegan or vegan-friendly. Even a pizza place that offered non-caseinate vegan cheese and wheat crust options. I’m sure it was really nice for Paul to have more choices and it was definitely freeing for us as a couple to be able to go to a multitude of different places and know we would both enjoy it.

We were very budget-conscious on this trip, but there were plenty of things to do for free or on the cheap, one of which was wine-tasting. We went to two of them while we were there: one at the Santa Barbara Winery and the other on the wharf. The former was our favorite. For only five bucks, you got to sample six different wines, ranging from their lightest white to their deepest, darkest berry-licious red, Lagrein. Loved it.

All in all, it was really nice to have some time together, which we were sorely needing, what with Paul’s work schedule and all. Only 133 more days and that sand right there will be from our week in Jamaica… or maybe Hawaii.. or maybe Mexico… or maybe…

A Much-needed Break

Amanda — Sat, 26 May 2007 23:56:02 +0000

Usually, when a three-day weekend comes around, I’ll request one day off to go ahead and make it a four-day weekend. Might as well get the most time off for as little vacation days as possible, right? Well, this year I kind of forgot about Memorial Day until the last minute. Suddenly, I realized that if I took Tuesday off, Paul and I could actually have two days off together… That we might even be able to go out of town.

So I decided that that was just what we would do. By this time Monday, we’ll be sitting on the beach in Santa Barbara, getting ready to watch the sunset. And I couldn’t be more excited about it.

I want to tread the wooden planks of Steam’s Wharf, soak in the sand and sun on East Beach, and enjoy the history of the old mission. Hell, after spending some time there, I might even expand Match-Up, my novella set in Santa Barbara, to a full-length novel, or at least to a category romance, using some of the delicious scenery as inspiration. After all, it’s only 200 or so more words. Maybe I can spice up the plot, make it a bit more complex, add more back-story, more get-to-know you time.

Hmm…

I’ll definitely be thinking about it, but that will take a backseat to turning my brain off and enjoying the time away, however brief.

A Very Busy New Year

Amanda — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:21:14 +0000

The 2007 publishing schedule is lining up quite nicely for Cassidy Kent! Starting February, a new book will be released each month:

February - Dear John (ebook) from Amber Heat

March - Dolce & Diana (ebook) from Phaze

April - One Wicked Winter (paperback) from Amber Heat

May - Fortune’s Fool (paperback) from Phaze

Unlisted above, but sure to come out somewhere within the first half of the year is Tropical Trysts, the paperback collection that includes Sunset Key, Raleigh in Rio, and Dolce & Diana.

It’s really great to know that the first half of the year will be full of releases. Lots of promotional fun is in the works, including contests (of course), signings, and maybe even a release party… Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Now to finish Miranda Writes (novella for Fortune’s Fool) and Dolce & Diana. Don’t worry, don’t worry… Almost done! In the meantime, check out all of the new cover images on my Books page, including a beautiful cover for Fortune’s Fool, created by my very own Paul Johns!

Miranda Writes

Amanda — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:24:33 +0000

...Their eyes met over the sparkling sphere and Miranda saw that he had been as affected by their touch as she. His lips parted and she couldn't help imagining what it would be like to press her mouth to his, moan as his tongue slipped between her lips, pant when he began to touch her body. Maybe he would pull her onto his lap, work his hand up from her knee to her thigh, hike her Gypsy skirts around her waist. She would beg him if she had to. Beg him to touch her breast, cup the curls of her mound, slip his long, thick fingers between the lips of her pussy and— "Mmm, I see," she began again, running her index finger over his palm and ignoring the moisture between her legs. "You have long fingers and…" She took another glimpse of the cheat-sheet. "Large, square hands. You're obviously intelligent, Archer. You have no problem thinking clearly in a difficult situation. As for your girlfriend…" "Fiancée," he corrected. "Right." Miranda blushed. "Relationships are important to you, but your unfailing logic sometimes gets in the way of your feelings. You're very reliable and a bit of a perfectionist." She studied the long dark lashes that swept his cheek whenever he blinked. "You're a… stimulating companion." This reading was getting her more excited by the moment. "And I can't think of why she would leave you," Miranda muttered beneath her breath. "What was that?" "Oh, just a spell for good luck in love," she covered. "Where was I?" He smirked, heating her core yet again. "I think you left off at stimulating." She could tell he wanted her. The comment said so. But, why then the unrequited love story? What was he hiding? She decided to give as good as she had gotten. Might as well have some fun. "You are a stimulating companion," Miranda continued, inspiration striking her. "And yet I sense the problem with your fiancée was a sexual one. You are both under a powerful curse, a dark spirit that hovers over your shoulders. You will need a spell for…sex magick." It was one of the more costly psychic solutions Edith had taught her. She would have earned her extrasensory salt if she could get him to buy it. He deserved it for lying to her. "Take off your shirt," she commanded. She selected an incense stick of the aphrodisiac variety. Lighting it, Miranda returned her attentions to Archer. Surprisingly, he complied with her command, and the effect left her breathless. A scattering of dark, crisp hair covered the expanse of his solid chest, the rippling muscles of his arms and abdomen indicating he took care of himself, but wasn't vain. His facial tan continued down his neck and torso. Miranda gulped, but continued on. "Generally, a sex magick spell requires both of you here, but in this case, I will be her stand-in spirit." She noticed her accent had slipped a bit and strived to regain it. "If you feel desire during the spell, do not attempt to crush it. It is what will reunite you and your lost lover." She waved the incense around his partially nude body. When its ash had fallen into the holder, Miranda dipped her finger into it and gathered her courage. "You must be surrounded by sex magick in order to bring her back." She began to lightly dust his body with the ash on her index finger, swirling it in light patterns over his skin. His nipples tightened and she pretended not to notice, dipping her fingers dangerously close to his belt buckle. She wished her tongue could replace her fingers, minus the ash, and not stop at the line of his pants. Why did this man drive her to fantasy like no other had before? Archer adjusted his weight and Miranda thought perhaps she had lingered too long. She grabbed a candle from a nearby shelf and began waving it around his body in circles. "This is the hot breath of your lover, destined to remind both of you of the heat you once shared." Apparently, that one seemed to have worked, for his even breathing became heavier and more erratic as her movements increased. Miranda had just circled his body for the last time when the flame came a hair too close to his ribs. Archer seized her by the arm, startling her into dropping the candle. Hot wax sprayed across his abdomen and he gasped, his face a contorted mixture of pleasure and pain. His eyes opened and Miranda saw the fiery desire in their depths. She backed away but he followed until she lay upon the velvet tablecloth with his body covering hers. "This is me, not crushing my desire." He blew out the candle, leaving them in near-darkness. She realized he looked just as surprised by his actions as she was, as if he wasn't in control of his own mind and body. The evidence of his words pressed into the hollow between her thighs and she jerked away, shocked by the insistent throb of his cock. Her elbow connected with the crystal ball and sent it flying. It crashed into a thousand pieces on the hardwood floors. "Oh, shit!" Miranda covered her mouth. She realized that she sounded more like a naughty teenager whose parents were out of town than a Gypsy fortune-teller out to seduce a client out of his money, but all she could think of was what Edith would say…or do. "Um, okay, just…just wait here a minute." She slid out from beneath him and laughed awkwardly. "I guess I'm a real ball-breaker, huh?" Edith had told her never to go into the private meditation room behind the curtain, but desperate times called for desperate measures and she had to find a replacement sphere...

One Wicked Winter

Amanda — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 05:08:11 +0000

A sexy first date, an unexpected encounter, and a torrid reunion. Three smoldering stories of reckless passion stoke the fires of one very wicked winter…

Dear John

In her last year of high school, Dane Harley, a foster kid with no direction, met John Stratton, a Pittsburgh rich kid with a penchant for trouble. She visits him a decade after disappearing from his life, only to discover he’s moved on. Their subsequent affair speaks of the torrent of passion and love that still binds them.

Santa’s Helper

CEO Noel grants a boy’s Christmas wish by escorting sexy single mother Maura around Manhattan on Christmas Eve. The spark between them is immediate, but the distance between Park Avenue and the Jersey suburbs is immense. Are their worlds too dissimilar to merge or can they bridge the distance with love?

What Lies in Winter

Workaholic Hayley vacations in the mountains and meets author, Nicholas. He might be a solitary beast but Hayley is hell-bent on disrupting his peaceful balance. A blizzard makes them share quarters and their fiery personalities melt the ice caps off the mountains.

DOLCE & DIANA

Amanda — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 04:18:42 +0000

Everything physical about her had been closed off, clenched, blocked until the moment his lips met hers. This kiss, however, was nothing like their last. She seemed to have braced for a repeat performance, but he surprised her by gently, delicately invading her senses. His lips merely pressed against her lips, to start, but her gasp of surprise forced her lips apart and he took the opportunity to slide into the pink recesses along the corner of her mouth. When his tongue languidly slipped over hers, Diana's arms dropped to her sides, her rigid jaw suddenly slack, her body pliant as Chance slid his arms around her. His towel fell to the floor and all he could feel was the sensation of satiny silk sliding over his hardening cock. His desire ran away with him, filling his cluttered mind with visions of taking her right here on her swanky porch, for any passing tourist to see. He tore his lips from hers and bent her over his arms to trail kisses all down the graceful, swan-like column of her neck. Something about her pale, creamy skin drove him absolutely crazy and he desperately needed to know how that skin looked on the rest of her body. His kisses to her neck slipped down into the danger zone, in the low-sloping vee created by her robe. Chance stopped, for a just a moment, and he heard Diana's breathless panting. Good, he thought. Wait for it. When her breathing began to regulate, he quickly took action. It wasn't time for her to leave the trance yet. He dragged an index finger down her mid-section between the gapping fabric of her robe's neckline, following it with his tongue. He slipped and slid down over the exposed sliver of opalescent flesh, groaning with desire as he passed through the valley of her breasts. Their peaks beckoned to him beneath the fabric, two pebbled beacons in a sea of blue silk, but he pressed on, slipping even lower down her body… When he came to her navel, he dipped his tongue in so lightly, so briefly, it must have nearly killed her, for she uttered just one wretched, keening moan that tore him apart. A shiver from her was all it took to separate the folds of her robe. For fifteen seconds, he held a naked Diana Radford in his arms, as pale and luminescent as a moon goddess should be and twice as beautiful. An errant breeze blew in from the Caribbean Sea and the moment was lost. Diana realized her display and straightened up, pulling the robe together. Chance felt utterly bereft from the lack of her touch. Judging by the shock on her face, Diana might have felt the same, but she would never say. He leaned down to pick up the towel, unconcerned if she should see his blatant erection. Diana found her voice. "What was that for?" Chance ran a hand through his wet hair and smiled, handing her the towel. "I didn't see any endangered entrées around so I figured I'd finish what we started. Good luck, Red. I know you won't need it." He sauntered off down the beach, confident that her eyes would be glued to his ass every step of the way.

Dear John

Amanda — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:50:09 +0000

Dane yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She’d barely had a good night’s sleep since she’d stepped foot into town and the deprivation was taking its toll on her. Tonight she was determined to get some Zs, even if she had to inhale a bottle of Nyquil. Pulling her robe closed, she headed to her bedroom when a soft knock made her pause. Who the hell is knocking at this hour? The knock grew louder and more persistent. If they didn’t stop soon the sound was going to wake Roxy. Dane stomped to the door and looked through the peephole. “What the…” She’d know that tight ass anywhere. Within seconds, she had the door open to confront the man who seemed obviously too dense to take a hint. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. Dane had caught John off guard just as he was walking away and he whirled around to face her. “I…well, truth is, you made it obvious you want nothing to do with me, so I thought it was time to clean out my closet. That’s when I found something that belongs to you.” She crossed her arms, her hip against the doorframe. “Couldn’t you have put it in the mail?” He blew out a breath and said, “No. This delivery needed to be personal.” “Fine. Give to me.” Dane held out her hand with an attitude. John nodded, fishing for the item in his front pocket. He finally pulled out the object, but before she could take a good look, his huge hand covered it. With a gentleness she didn’t expect, he placed the item in her hand and closed her fingers around it. “Goodbye, Dane.” His voice cracked when he spoke. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and pulled away from her. John turned to walk down the steps and she opened her palm, staring blankly at the silver band. She held it up to the light and caught some sort of inscription within the inside of the ring. The words “D+J=Forever” were beautifully embedded around the circular loop. Her body fought an internal battle and she knew if she let him walk away from her without keeping some memory, owning some small part of John, she would regret it for the rest of her life. “Fuck it,” Dane mumbled under her breath. “If I’m going to hell, I might as well enjoy the hand basket.” She ran down the steps as she yelled, “John, wait!” He stopped and turned slowly toward her just as she launched herself into his arms. “Please don’t go. Stay with me. Stay with me tonight, John.” She watched his grim features transform when he smiled. “You’re making it difficult for me to say no.” “Then don’t say no. Don’t make things more complicated. Just agree and see where the moment takes us.” Dane returned the smile and she knew he never could resist the puppy dog eyes she was giving him. She didn’t know when or how it happened but they ended up naked, standing before each other, two adults facing an intimate moment together. Dane shivered from the fear and anticipation of being with John. Ten years came with many changes and she felt suddenly shy. He must have sensed her uncertainty and enveloped her in his arms, softly kissing her neck, her chin, and her cheek until his lips pressed gently against her temple. “Don’t be afraid, baby.” She craned her neck to look at him and the soft glow of the moon shone through her window to outline his oversized frame. John was big and strong. He was built like a football player with thick muscles, all hard planes and unforgiving lines. She was happy to know he took care of himself, had continued to stay in shape. Dane couldn’t resist running her hands up and down the expanse of his chest and abs. The smooth, delectable creases sent a tingling sensation between her legs. Feeling bold, she allowed her hands to slide lower. She brushed her fingers lightly through the soft dust of hairs and continued downward. He took in a sharp gasp of breath. Dane reached the object of her attentions and wrapped her hands around his thick, oversized shaft. He was bigger than any of her previous partners. In fact, he was much more endowed than she’d ever remembered him to be and her body only craved to taste him. John let out a groan when she began to stroke him, exploring and teasing him with her touch. She knew how her ministrations were affecting him and loved every moment of being in control. Loved the weight of his phallus in her hands as she controlled the amount of pleasure he would receive. Her desire gave her courage to want to do things to him she didn’t want to do with others...