One more excerpt from The Last Sorceress and a contest :)

So now you know what my hero looks like in Ogre form? But what does he look like as a human? Janet thought he was a hunk the moment she first saw as you'll read in this excerpt below:

Too embarrassed to say anything else, she wandered beside her son in silence. Third strike, no more chances to spend quality time with her only son. Janet sighed as she veered off and found a booth with guidebooks for the first and second Ogre Nation games, Ogre Nation: King Jerard’s Curse and Ogre Nation: the treasure of Carnitha.

The guy at the booth looked just like King Jerard. He wore an ogre costume with grayish green latex skin, a gold crown around his large head and a brown fur cloak. She stifled a giggle, thinking that the ogre get-up made him look ridiculous.

“Doesn’t that costume get a little warm?” she asked, handing him her credit card to purchase the guidebook to the first game.

“It does, but I don’t mind. King Jerard is my favorite character, and Mr. Bowden insists that all the vendors come in costume. It’s part of the agreement for booking the booth.”

“Thanks,” she told the mighty ogre king as he handed her the guidebook in a plastic bag.

She glanced around, and sure enough, all the vendors were dressed up. Janet counted ten King Jerards, seven Queen Lilianas, five ogress Princess Bannicks, six Adieals, and five Zoemith the Wickeds. There were quite a few vendors dressed in various unknown ogre, elf, sorceress, fairy and dwarf costumes. She assumed they were dressed as the characters they played in the game.

But it wasn’t just the vendors. No, there were King Jerards, Queen Lilianas, elves, evil and good sorcerers and sorceresses wandering around the convention hall. She suddenly felt a little out of place in her plain black T-shirt and blue jeans.

Janet walked over to the booth that Lissa pointed out as having the Ogre Nation movie petition and smiled at the kid manning the booth. He was a little older than her son and dressed as a simple country elf with light blond hair. Thick, Coke-bottle glasses made his brown eyes bug out, and she wondered why he didn’t just give in and get contact lenses.

“You really think this could make Hollywood interested in doing a movie?” She flipped through the thousands of signatures.

“Maybe. There have been rumors of a movie floating around the net for about a year now. I just hope this will get things moving.”

An Ogre Nation movie wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would probably make Glenn Bowden very happy, as the movie rights would bring in more money for him. She signed the petition as Spencer walked up with a cute auburn haired girl who wore a black Ogre Nation T-shirt.

“We added your name to the playoff that’s taking place after Mr. Bowden speaks,” Spencer said.

Janet guessed he wasn’t too angry with her if he’d signed her up. She only hoped she wouldn’t embarrass her son again. The girl standing next to Spencer grinned and said, “I’m Anita. Spencer has told me a lot about you. I hope you’ll be a member of our party when we play. We could use a good sorceress.”

She shook Anita’s hand. “I’ll be happy to be a member.”

Anita was a heck of a lot cuter than the Eolande girl at the registration counter. Silver, wire-rimmed glasses framed her soft blue eyes. She had a sweet smile too. Janet adored her instantly.

“We should go find a seat. Mr. Bowden will probably start speaking any minute,” Spencer said as he pointed to the stage at the back of the convention hall.

They managed to find seats in the front row. One by one, the folding chairs filled up with humans, ogres, fairies, elves, dwarves, sorcerers, and sorceresses. The curtain rose and revealed a backdrop of the gilded forest and a figure dressed as King Jerard. Janet wondered if he was the guy from the guidebook booth, but then glanced over and saw the vendor Jerard eagerly counting the money he had earned.

The Jerard on stage growled into the microphone in front of him. “Esteemed Ladies, Gentlemen, Ogres, Fairies, Elves, and Dwarves, it is my honor to introduce the creator of our world. Please give a round of applause to Mr. Glenn Bowden.”

The crowd went nuts as applause, hoots, and whistles filled the room. It was like they greeted a rock star when Mr. Bowden walked on to the stage. He bowed and waved to the audience as if he was really enjoying himself.

He’s actually sort of a cute geek. Janet had seen photos of him on his website but never noticed how tall he was or how gorgeous his eyes were. She had a theory on geeks. There were two different types. The cute ones looked nice on the outside, but once they started talking, then the nerd side shined through. Her ex was an average nerdy geek when they met and turned into a cute one after he lost weight and had his vision corrected. The problem with Dave was that his ego grew once he went from a regular geek to a handsome, but conceited, intelligent man.

She smiled as she looked Glenn over. He had golden-brown eyes, perfectly groomed ash blonde hair, and was dressed in a nice brown suit. Most of the pictures on the Ogre Quest Enterprises Website pictured him wearing a dumpy gray sweat suit that did not accentuate his sturdy build. When he took the microphone, she noticed no wedding ring.

Janet sighed as she flicked her long, brown bangs out of her eyes. For a moment, she wished she had Maurelle’s tanzanite eyes, velvet hair, and firm bosom. A woman like Maurelle would command the attention of a man like Glenn. A dull woman with mousy brown hair, gray eyes, and fat thighs would never get a second glance.

When he spoke, Janet loved the tone of his voice. Very smooth and masculine. Okay he had a sexy voice, cute, smart, and rich. Why wasn’t he wearing a wedding band? Maybe he’s divorced or a widower. Ah, cut it out, Janet. He’s way out of your league. Stop ogling him and pay attention to what the man is saying.

“As always, it is an honor to be here. Being amongst those who love the game I created is always a pleasure. Thank you for making Ogre Nation the bestselling online game of the past five years.”

He paced the stage as he talked, and Janet tilted her head to see if she could get a good view of his ass. Spencer muttered something under his breath about how he shouldn’t have brought his mother.

“I heard that, child of mine,” she whispered. “Just remember, you’ll still need a lift home. I could leave you here.”

“I could find a ride home. I think Kevin’s here someplace.”

“If his mother didn’t ground him. I saw Mrs. Finnegan at the bank. Kevin stayed out too late on Thursday night.”

That shut Spencer up, and Janet smirked because she was able to bask in the smooth voice of Mr. Bowden without any more interruptions from her son.

“Before we begin the Ogre Nation Playoff Tournament, does anyone have any questions?” the very nice looking, wealthy, and with any luck, single guy up on the stage asked.

The elf from the movie petition booth raised his hand, and Glenn pointed to him. “Is it true that there is a movie in the works?”

“The rights have been sold but we’ve yet to read a satisfactory script. All of us at Ogre Quest Gaming Enterprises want a magical script, one that can truly transport the moviegoer to the Kingdom of Carnitha. We have not found a screenwriter capable of doing so yet. Are there any other questions?”

A teenage boy dressed as a dwarf with a long, gray beard raised his hand. “When will the third Ogre Nation game be released?”

“It’s still in the works. However, we hope to have a preview of the game in flash movie format soon. The title of the game will be Ogre Nation: The Last Sorceress, and the quests will deal with freeing the last of the mighty sorceresses from the lair of Adieal and Zoemith. Are there any other questions?”

Hold it, The Last Sorceress? Did that mean Janet wouldn’t be able to play Maurelle in this new game? She nervously raised her hand.

Glenn looked her way, smiled, pointed at Janet, and the next thing she knew, King Jerard handed her a portable microphone. Normally, Janet hated public speaking, but the fact that her beloved Maurelle was in danger of dying off overrode her nerves. When she grabbed the microphone and stood up, her only child hid his head in his sweatshirt. Sorry to embarrass you yet again, kiddo.

“You call the game The Last Sorceress. Does this mean that the players can’t play the sorceress avatars in the new game?”

To her surprise, Glenn’s amber eyes brightened. She wondered what was going through his head. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave her a dazzling smile that revealed two dimples. Her heart melted into goo.

“As I said, the game is still in development. I had no idea that the sorceress character was still popular. We might be able to keep that particular avatar in the game.”

Goose bumps raced down her spine as he raised his brow, and those yummy eyes looked her up and down. “Thank you for your question and your interest in the character. Can I ask your name?”

My name? Mister handsome multi-millionaire wanted to know her name? Somehow, she managed to squeak out, “It’s Janet. Janet Lind.”

“Ah, well thank you once again for your interest, Ms. Lind.” Heat raced through her body when he flashed his perfect smile.

“Now without further ado, let the tournament begin. In the next room, we have two hundred and fifty networked computers. If you signed up, please check in with King Jerard at the door before you enter. I will preside over the game dressed as Dazzart the Bold. Please see me if you have any questions or computer issues while playing the game. Thank you one and all for coming, and I hope you enjoy the tournament and the rest of the convention.”

The room erupted in applause. Janet finally caught a decent view of Mr. Multi-millionaire’s very nice behind as he walked away. Nice and tight, just the way she liked her buns. She wondered how a computer geek found the time to work out. Eh, with that boatload of money he probably had a personal trainer. Oh, how she would love to be that personal trainer. He’s gotta look great with his shirt off. I can see those muscles flexing... Stop it, Janet. You’ve got a game to play. You are not going to be able to concentrate when he walks by and you’re daydreaming about what’s underneath that ugly ogre costume.

She lined up behind Spencer and Anita at the door. When they got to the door, King Jerard asked what their real names were along with the avatar names.

“Spencer Marcus, Nidhogg Windhaven.” The mighty ogre king looked at his list and crossed Spencer’s name off.

Anita was next. “Anita Kenyon, Gilraen Elenzar.”

And then it was her turn. “Janet Lind. Maurelle Windhaven.”

The ogre king looked at his list, glanced at her, and asked, “May I see your invitation, please?”

“I came with my son. He did sign me up, didn’t he?”

“You are on the signup list but not on our main list. May I please see your invitation?”

“Spence, show the king your invite.”

“I told you not to come, Mother,” Spence grumbled as he rummaged through his pocket.

“I don’t need to see your son’s invitation. I need to see yours.”

“I don’t have one. Spencer brought me as a guest. Guests should have every right to play too,” she protested.

Someone dressed as Dazzart approached the king and pulled him away. When Dazzart winked with an amber eye, she knew he was Glenn. He’s coming to my rescue? I have to talk to him after the tournament. Mmm, he’s just so...

When the mighty ogre king returned, he grunted, “Mr. Bowden has allowed an exception for you to play, Ms. Lind. All three of you are free to enter.”

The doors opened, and Spencer and Anita walked in. Janet glanced around the hall for Glenn before she entered. Many ogres crowded the red-carpeted aisles, but no sign of her ogre. She wanted to thank him for making an exception, but he was gone. She only hoped she could thank Glenn for his kindness once they got inside, and that she wouldn’t do anything stupid. The last thing she needed was to run into Aideal first thing in the game and get killed off in front of the handsome game designer and CEO.

Hope everyone enjoyed the excerpts and thank you again to the gals at Goddess at Fish for allowing me to come and party :). Before I sign off for the night, I wanted to let everyone know about a little contest I'm having celebrating the release of The Last Sorceress
All you need to do to enter is e-mail me by midnight tonight with the answer to this question: What is the name of the RPG game from The Last Sorceress? The answer is in the excerpt above. You could win a flash drive loaded with the e-book version of The Last Sorceress in the format of your choice, a gorgeous desktop wallpaper graphic my cover artist sent me, and selected music from Midnight Syndicate's Dungeon and Dragon's CD because mood music is always fun to listen to while you read. Thank you again and have a great night :).