Be still my beating heart 💓

I know some shun this day for its commercialism, but you don't need to spend a cent to celebrate it. Use this day as an excuse, if indeed you need one, to cultivate loving relationships; with others, and yourself. As the late but great Whitney Houston used to sing, Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all.

Never pass an opportunity, however small or fleeting, to honor love. Today, why not do something, anything, that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster. (I'm going to devote this afternoon to writing.)

Happy Valentine's Day, dearest denizens. 💋

My heart is ever at your service

 Tender Valentine's, sweetie darlings. 💋

Heart-shaped world

Droplets start falling, steam gathers all around. The radio down low, some oldies but goldies station, up next: Heaven by Bryan Adams. He takes my hand, gives a cheeky wink and I know, I just know he’s going to say something cheesy, or stupid, probably both.
“Tunnel of love, baby.”
Where are we?
The car wash.

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetie darlings, wherever you are. 💘
(I sincerely hope not the car wash. Should you be, I sincerely hope there’s bubbly. For you. The one in the driver's seat can lick the windows. 😉)

Dance Me to the End of Love

Tonight I Celebrate My Love

Valentine Love

Can You Feel the Love Tonight

Oh My Love

I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song

A Love Song

A Million Love Songs

Silly Love Songs

When You’re in Love

Everything Sounds Like a Love Song

L-O-V-E

Love

Love Love

Love Love Love

LOVE.

I Believe in Love

Is Anybody Out There in Love

Ever Fallen in Love

Oh to be in love

What Is Love

I Want to Know What Love Is

There’s More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

Love is Strong

Love is Madness

Love is Reason

Love is Noise

Love is Blue

Love is a Battlefield

Love is a Shield

Love is a Rollercoaster

Love is a Stranger

Love is the Drug

Love is Like an Itching in My Heart

Is This Love?

(Love is) Thicker Than Water

Love is in the Air

Love is All Around

Love Changes Everything

Are You Ready For Love

The Book of Love

Words of Love

Sounds of Love

Lessons in Love

The Look of Love

Vision of Love

Love Long Distance

Love at First Sight

Love in the First Degree

Moments in Love

Generations of Love

The Power of Love

Glory of Love

Genius of Love

Hounds of Love

Cradle of Love

The Origin of Love

Satellite of Love

Higher Love

Big Love

Skinny Love

Mother Love

A Father’s Love

Baby Love

Modern Love

Burning Love

Radar Love

Digital Love

International Love

Cosmic Love

Love in a Vacuum

Love in an Elevator

Love in a Store

Love in Stereo

Love Rollercoaster

Love Shack

Love Train

Backseat Love

Lucky Love

Puppy Love

Popcorn Love

Saturday Love

Summer Love

Homemade Love

Forbidden Love

Strangelove

Reckless Love

Crazy Love

Secret Love

Jungle Love

California Love

Young Love

Old Love

Same Old Love

Flames of Love

Embers of Love

Summer of Love

Streets of Love

Tunnel of Love

River of Love

Sea of Love

Mountain of Love

A Little Bit of Love

A Big Hunk O’ Love

Lotta Love

Whole Lotta Love

One Love

My Love

Your Love

My Love Is Your Love

How Deep is Your Love

Now That We Found Love

Love on a Two-Way Street

Love Street

Can’t Get Enough of Your Love

A Woman Needs Love

Show Me Love

I Want Your Love

I Need Your Love

I Need Your Love Tonight

Need Your Love So Bad

Your Love Is King

This Love

Our Love

I Like It I Love It

I Love It

When We Make Love

Kissing My Love

Feel Like Making Love

You Give Good Love

Keep It Coming Love

Lay All Your Love on Me

Let Your Love Flow

Love You Out Loud

Love You Inside Out

Love You Up

Love You Down

I’d Love to Lay You Down

After We Make Love

I’m in the Mood for Love

I’ll Make Love to You

I Was Made to Love Him

I Was Born to Love You

The One I Love

Love of My Life

Do You Love Me?

Love Me Do

Love Me Two Times

Love Me Tender

Because I Love You

Because You Love Me

People Will Say We’re in Love

We Must Be in Love

So in Love

So Much in Love

Crazy in Love

Why Can't This Be Love

It Must Be Love

No Ordinary Love

A Groovy Kind of Love

A Sunday Kind of Love

A Love So Beautiful

Love Will Never Do (Without You)

Love Hurts

Love Really Hurts Without You

Before Your Love

Never Knew Love Like This Before

This Must Be Love

All This Love

All the Love in The World

The Way You Love Me

I Can Love You Like That

Baby, I Love Your Way

How Your Love Makes Me Feel

A Love Unreal

Greatest Love of All

Endless Love

Everlasting Love

Forever Love

Love Never Dies

My Love Will Never Die

Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You

I Will Always Love You

Say You Love Me

Say Hey (I Love You)

As Long as You Love Me

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

This Is Love

What About Love?

Love Will Keep Us Together

Love Will Tear Us Apart

Love and Anger

Love & Pride

Love/Hate

Love in Vain

Limits to Love

Tainted Love

Chains of Love

A Love Bizarre

Bizarre Love Triangle

Love Hangover

Killer Love

Victim of Love

Drunk in Love

Stoned in Love

Hooked on Love

Addicted to Love

Lost in Love

The Game of Love

If It’s Love

If It Isn’t Love

In and Out of Love

You Must Love Me

You Owe Me Some Kind of Love

No More I Love You’s

No Love

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore

A World Without Love

All Out of Love

The End of Love

Too Much Love Will Kill You

This Ain't a Love Song

This is Not a Love Song

Where is the Love?

Bye Bye Love

You Give Love a Bad Name

Can't Buy Me Love

Love Don’t Cost A Thing

Love Takes Time

You Can't Hurry Love

Who Needs Love (Like That)

What’s Love Got to Do with It

The Things We Do for Love

For Love

Love or Something Like It

I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)

Never My Love

Let My Love Open the Door

Let Me Love You

Love Yourself

Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)

It’s Your Love

All is Love

Get That Love

True Love

Real Love

100% Pure Love

I Believe in A Thing Called Love

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

It’s A Love Thing

And So is Love

Love Makes the World Go Round

Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong

Love Burns

Love Shines

Love Spreads

People Need Love

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

Love Somebody

Somebody to Love

When You Love Someone

When Somebody Loves You

You’ve Got the Love

Heart to Love

Don’t Let Go (Love)

Hang on To Your Love

Let There Be Love

All You Need Is Love

Love, Truth and Honesty

Time, Love and Tenderness

That’s the Way Love Goes

To Sir with Love

To Know Him is to Love Him

We Love You

I Think I Love You

Fuck It I Love You

I Love You

I Do Love You

I Honestly Love You

All My Love

All My Loving

Best of My Love

Love, Me

Friends, family, countrymen, lend me your ears

"[L]ike a sunrise or sunset...we appear and we disappear, and we are so important to some, but we are just passing through."

~Natalia in Before Midnight

Happy Valentine's Day, fellow travelers. 💋💓
 

Anytime you need a friend

For erotic romance authors love and lust, sweet emotion and hot sex, are inseparable. Can't have one without the other. Relationships are not sealed with a mere kiss, unless it's one that touches everywhere, and desire is no good without devotion. That is our cocktail of choice, one we serve in flavors ranging from vanilla to spicy hot.

Of course love is more protean, more multifaceted than that. We know that, but our craft is crafting tales of hanky panky with a happy ending so love's other facets and faces tend to get less coverage, often none. Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Or in this case, when in Scandinavia, do as the Norsemen do.

These bastions of brotherhood, these champions of equality, dedicate the 14th of February as much to friendship as courtship, maybe more. Maybe they're just not that into romantic antics, you say? They're just not into imported festivities, especially those that come with costly commodities attached, I say.

I find friendship one of the dearest faces and loveliest flavors of love. To do as the Norse do, I now use Valentine's Day to celebrate the gift of good friends. My oldest friendships span over three decades. Yeah, that's how young/old I am. It's a case of till death do us part with these two women, women I've grown up with and women I plan to grow old with. I have friends. And then I have them.

They know who they are. You know who you are because I will never tire of telling you how much I love you and admire you for who you are and respect what you do for others. What you've done for me. Without you, where would I be now. That's a dedication I stamp wherever I can. That's a dedication waiting to see the light of your e-reader's screen. I have...I had...have...gah...two Romantica WIPs where friends play an important part. Friendship is a theme right up there with courtship.

They say authors should never use a friend as a plot device or a mouthpiece. They can stop right there. I mean, what did you just say? Use. A. Friend. Use a friend. What kind of girl, what kind of author, do you take me for? I would never use a friend. My characters would never use a friend, unless they're monsters who would use and abuse a friend in which case they are headed for a world of hurt. My characters can speak for themselves, thank you very much, and the plot advance just fine without puppets. That's not what friends are for, how can you say that, how can you even think that?!

I am shocked. Taking a moment to breathe in and out of a paper bag, that's how shocked I am. Use a friend. Tut-tut. Share with a friend. Trust. Be loyal. Be honest. Dependable. Offer an ear and a shoulder, a place to stay, sustenance. Have fun. Get serious. Get mad without fearing disapproval. Get sad without fearing rejection. Travel. Talk. Keep a secret. Keep in touch regardless of geography, or life situation, or lifestyle. Be there. Be here now.

That's what friends are for. That's what a friend is. Someone whose heart and door are always open.

Just push play

Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie darlings!
Love, D.

The Ballad of Saint Valentine

It weren't for lack of faith
Or the sweet bye and bye
For love's sake and love alone
Bishop Valentine would die

I am the higher law, the Emperor
You will bow to I and only I
Who dares go against me?
Bishop Valentine must die

To Valentinus man's greatest strength
To the Emperor a weakness, a lie
For his beliefs and his blessings
Bishop Valentine did die

Hate be no match for dogged hope
A roar for a lover's sigh 
For those who still believe
Saint Valentine won't die