Saskia Walker's Blog, page 150

Off to North Wales

I'm away from the desk for the next few days as we make our escape into beautiful North Wales. Amongst other plans, we'll be visiting Portmeirion, which won't be exactly like this...but it will be a bit like it. ;-)



Have a great week!

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE'S first release!

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE'S first release is a sexy duo from talented Charlene Teglia, and it's now available!


From the jungles of South America to a big city high-rise, where there's trouble, you'll find...MEN OF ACTION.

Shoot to Thrill
Gabriel Everest had a simple plan; infiltrate, attack, exfiltrate. Unfortunately, he encountered a major complication in Dr. Miranda Gray. Blowing the target would have to wait until he could rescue the hostage, but saving the girl and getting away without alerting the opposition is harder than it sounds when she's determined to take direct action of her own.

Third Time's the Charm
Loving a cop isn't easy. Faced with an emotional distance their physical attraction couldn't bridge, Lynn Taylor walked away. Twice. But Nick Logan isn't ready to let her go. When an elevator mishap leaves them trapped together in the dark, can two lovers find a way to make the third time the charm?

Originally published in The Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance and Passion: Erotic Romance for Women, these stories have been revised and expanded for this ebook edition.

Go HERE to read an excerpt and find buy links.

Publication news! DREAM LOVER is out.

Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance is now out! This gorgeous book of short stories is edited by the awesome Kristina Wright and pubished by Cleis Press. It contains my rather dark and gothic tale, Where the Heart is, which was inspired by the moors near where I live in Yorkshire.

Supernaturally sensual and captivating, Dream Lover is a feast of fanciful delights. Kristina Wright, editor of the popular Fairy Tale Lust presents a potent potion of fun and sexy tales filled with male fairies and clairvoyant scientists, as well as darkly erotica tales of ghosts, shapeshifters and possession. Dream Lover asks the reader to explore the realm of the otherworldly and answer the question... who is your dream lover?

Now available from book shops and online retailers such as Amazon.com. It should also be at Amazon UK any day now.

Here's an excerpt from my story!

Raw fear hit her. She was out on the moor and dusk was fast turning into night. The folklore witches were probably the least of her worries. Who knew what madmen were out here? Never mind the UFOs, more recent reports of big, wild cats preying on the local farms had hit the news. The tradition of the dark moor had called to her regardless, that fatal attraction of fear and desire latching her to the place, beckoning to her relentlessly. It was no one's fault but her own, whatever happened. Hot, futile tears stung the back of her eyes.

She'd strayed from the path. It felt significant.

The sound of footsteps focused her. She recalled the sound from earlier.

"Hello?" It was a feeble effort that caught in her throat.

A dark shape blocked out the remaining light—a figure looking down at her. It made her think of the local TV news, a man scared witless by what he thought was a big cat, an escaped panther, a few weeks back. Was she going to find out why he'd been so afraid? Friend or foe? That's what they called out during the war. Halt, who goes there, halt, friend or foe? As if any fool would say "Foe," and get shot on the spot. So she didn't ask if it was friend or foe, she just hoped, and prayed to a god she didn't believe in.

The figure moved across her line of vision, squatted and leapt—on all fours. She gulped for oxygen, her heart hitting panic rate, her mouth drying. It thudded down into the ditch, the dark shape moving toward her, but as it did, light spilled behind it, haloing it. Moonlight—had she been out that long?

"Please, don't hurt me." Her voice was barely audible.

The creature, whatever it was, started to move towards her leg, where it was hurting so badly. Oh, Christ. She could feel it touching her, moving against her, nudging up the torn fabric of her combat pants. She writhed when she felt the flap of torn fabric lifting and then the rasp of a hot, damp tongue over her sensitized flesh, broad and wet.

Healing you now.

The words shot through her mind as her hands grasped at the earth. When she tried to rise up the creature moved, swift and sure, and began to run his nose along the length of her leg, toward her groin, like a wild animal in heat. Vulnerability and humiliation suffused her. Every nerve ending was wired, her blood rushing. She had to do something. She lifted up on her elbows and as she did, she came face to face with him.

He — undeniably he — was feral, wild as the moor itself, but she recognized him as the man she had dreamed about. He was strong and he had her held down, his body squatting over her, as fit and feral as a big wild cat, pure feline. His eyes were black, his hair long and unkempt shrouded his face, his clothing covered in a long cloak making his shape indistinct. He cocked his head on one side, and opened his mouth, breathing in her scent across his tongue, audibly rasping it in. Never had she felt so much the object of someone's attention. Someone, or something. His face, to all intents and purposes was human, and yet…

"Edgar?" The question came out of somewhere deep inside her, and she reached out and stroked his head, instinct driving her.

His head lifted and he nodded at her. That simple sign sent relief flooding through her. His eyes were glistening with some secret inner power. The spirit of the moor? The suggestion whispered around her mind. Was he the truth behind the big cat reports, this feral, half-man creature?

A sense of calm descended on her, briefly. "You are Edgar, and you are in my dreams."

He growled low in his throat, his hands clutching at her arms, as if pleading for her recognition. Then his head dropped back, and she saw his handsome face in the moonlight. His lips lifted back and he bared his teeth.

When she saw the fangs, her blood pressure dropped away into nothing. She was jolted back again barely moments later, because he hauled her body over his shoulder and lifted her. He moved fast, scrabbling out of the ditch with her body easily latched over his shoulder.

Publication news: WITH THIS RING I THEE BED is now available!

With This Ring I Thee Bed is a new collection of delcious wedding themed erotica edited by the lovely and talented Alison Tyler. What better theme for the week of the British royal wedding?! :)

This book is a
In this sizzling new treasury, erotica maestro Alison Tyler has assembled over two dozen titillating tales of couples taking each other to new heights of happily bedded bliss. Imagination and experimentation are the watchwords as sexy spouses live out fantasies both intimate and elaborate: naughty new settings, new toys ... even new partners. There are virgin brides, wicked wedding nights, impetuous swingers and some kinky couplings that give "tying the knot" a whole new meaning! Seductively spun by such genre luminaries as Kate Pearce, Kristina Wright, Cheyenne Blue, Portia Da Costa, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Janine Ashbless -- plus a teasing little tale from the editor herself -- these stories prove that the honeymoon is just the beginning!


Here's an excerpt from my story, One Last Time:

Why have you come back, Frank?

The last customer had left and I slid the bolts home, closing the world out. We were alone. Turning my back against the door, I stared across the pub at him. He sat at the bar as he had done all evening, brooding and watchful. When I'd gone about my business serving the other customers, he'd followed me with possessive eyes, making no attempt to hide the fact he wouldn't be leaving when time was called. I'd requested space and yet here he was, back again—and on a Sunday night when he knew it would be quiet and I'd be locking up alone. Frustration welled in me. Why did he have to make splitting up even harder than it already was?

As I walked back to my post I was unable to stop myself noticing the breadth of his shoulders through his worn leather jacket, the way his thick, dark hair brushed his collar, and the outline of his buttocks through snug jeans.

"What do you want, Frank?" I stepped behind the bar, picking up the bar cloth as I went. Moving quickly, I rubbed the cloth across the polished wood surface of the bar, trying to ignore him, but his hand shot out and closed over my wrist, halting me.

My back stiffened, tension beading up my spine. The demanding grasp of his hand on my wrist made my heart trip. I silently cursed myself, because this is what he did to me, so easily. I was aroused by this simple action – an action that merely hinted at the immensity of his power and self-control. My resistance faltered, as he knew it would. My hand fisted inside his grip.

"I want you," he whispered.

I tried to tug my hand free, but couldn't. "I told you, it's over."

I'd told him that the week before, and he'd stared at me for the longest moment, then nodded and left. Not even a goodbye kiss. I'd shoved my emotional amour into place, but deep inside I was hurting, badly. And now, a week later, he was back. Did he want to say goodbye, properly, or did he think I'd buckle and give in to him?

"Mel, you also told me that you loved me." His eyes blazed across the bar at me, so intense that I couldn't look away.

My chest tightened, my hand slackening inside his grip. I did love him, and I knew that would never change, but Frank's a long distance trucker and he loves the road.
"I need a man who is there for me at the end of the day," I responded, as levelly as I could, "not someone who passes through every couple of weeks to show me a good time."

"One last time, here and now," he said. It was a statement of intent, not a request.

Our eyes remained locked, and everything that had been between us surfaced in my memory. This man knew me, inside and out. He could tell what I was thinking, and his thumb stroked the side of my hand. Even though I knew it was wrong, heat pooled in my groin, my body anticipating him. I opened my mouth to object but my core clenched, showing me how much I needed him, and I couldn't deny it. Instead of words, I heard only my own labored breathing.

Taking charge, he pulled the cloth from my hand and cast it aside.

Reaching into his pocket, he brought out his handcuffs and put them down on the bar between us.

"Frank…" It came out on a whimper, because I knew that if he restrained me I'd be begging for him. That's how it was. I tried to level my breathing, closing my eyes for a moment, before glaring at him. He knew my weaknesses far too well. When I looked back at him, he nodded at me. I withheld a plea.

He clasped both my hands and drew them across the bar towards him, making me lean forward onto my forearms. Threading the cuffs through the decorative brass rail that ran along his side of the bar, he made ready to tether me to it.

"You may think that you can deny this thing between us," he said, and I felt the cuffs slide into place. He paused, and I heard one click and lock, before he moved his attention to the other hand. "But I noticed the way you were looking at me tonight, and I know that you want this is much as I do." He clicked the second cuff into place.

Frustrated by his ability to be so sure when I was awash with doubt, I blurted out my feelings. "Of course I want this, but that doesn't mean this is good for me. This is stopping me from meeting another man, a man I could settle down and make a decent home life with."

He didn't respond to that.

Instead, he put his thumb on my lower lip to stop it trembling. I glared up at him, half in anger, and half in pent-up desire. One corner of his mouth lifted and he stroked his thumb over my chin in a tender, affectionate gesture. Then he stepped away, and as he walked the length of the bar and joined me behind it, I swallowed down the mental resistance, because I did want him. Badly. That was part of the problem. When it came to Frank, I was an addict.

Closure, this would give us both closure. I twisted my head and looked back at him. "Promise me, this is the last time."

Giveaway winners announced

Many thanks to everyone who entered the contest to win an advance copy of THE HARLOT! I asked the Man of the House to call out three numbers between one and fourteen.

The winners are

1 - Sam Crescent
4 - Nina Pierce
8 - Lisa D K

Mail me your postal addresses via the link in the right hand column and I'll get the books in the post this week!

Thank again to everyone who entered!

Sales news! Two new novels in the pipeline...

Okay, it's official now, & my agent has given me the go ahead to share my exciting news. I'm giddy! :)

I have a new two book deal with Harlequin, and I'll be writing the next two for the HQN line. This means that they will be available in mass market format. Wooohooo!!!

The books are linked to THE HARLOT (which is coming soon) & the titles are THE JEZEBEL, and THE LIBERTINE. More adventures, hot romance & forbidden magic in the time of the witch trials in Scotland. :)

Here's the official Publisher's Marketplace announcement:

Saskia Walker's THE LIBERTINE, and THE JEZEBEL, continuing her historical series about magical siblings during the time of the witch trials in Scotland, to Susan Swinwood at HQN, in a two-book deal, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

Once I've pulled myself together and partied myself dizzy, I'll post about the new books and how they fit with THE HARLOT's story. Right now this has to be done...

Look what I've got! (Book giveaway for The Harlot)

Squeeeeeeeee! My author copies of THE HARLOT have arrived, over a month before it's due in the shops!



Spice books are always gorgeous, and this one is no exception. Wow! I keep turning it over in my hands (with a stupid grin on my face :o) because I LOVE the way the book looks and feels. You can't see it in the photo but the colour on the back cover and spine is picked up from the heroine's skirt and it works so well. I'm absolutely thrilled to bits with it.

Okay, so who wants to read a copy before it's officially out and gets to the bookstores? Leave a comment on this post and I'll give away three copies by asking the Man of the House to shout out random numbers. We'll do the draw at 8pm GMT on Easter Monday.

And if you haven't already found it, there's a giveaway running over at Good Reads too.

COVER COPY:

It is a Dark Era, one when a lusty lass will do what she must to survive. Even if it means bartering flesh for a palmful of coins…

Forced to watch her mother burned at the stake and separated from her siblings in the aftermath, Jessie Taskill is similarly gifted, ripe with a powerful magic that must stay hidden. Until one night when she's accused by a rival, and Jessie finds herself behind prison walls with a roguish priest unlike any man of the cloth she has known.

In reality, Gregor Ramsay is as far from holy as the devil himself, but his promise of freedom in return for her services may be her salvation. Locked into a dubious agreement, Jessie resents his plan to have her seduce and ruin his lifelong enemy. But toying with Gregor's lust for her is enjoyable, and she agrees to be his pawn while secretly intending to use him just as he is using her.

Who do you write like..?

This fun writing analyser came via Sommer Marsden, who writes like Stephen King, and Alison Tyler, who writes like James Joyce. Me too on the Joyce! Give it a try, it's fun!


I write like
James Joyce

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Ready to take a walk on the wild side..?

I'm very excited to announce a new project I'm involved in, Walk on the Wild Side Books! Under this umbrella you'll find steamy fiction by a group of authors who are established in print and who are now exploring the adventurous world of independent digital publishing.

Click on the image below to check us out! You can find out about who we are and what we'll be doing, and you can get a taster of the range of titles coming up through May. In the welcome message you'll also find a launch contest. Simply tell us how you read your ebooks and enter the contest to win the first Walk on the Wild Side title from each of us!




And just because we're celebrating the fact we're live... :)

Coming Together with Sommer Marsden

Check this out! Sommer Marsden is an awesome writer, and if you treat yourself to this book you're not only guaranteed an excellent read, you'll be supporting a very worthy charity.

Description: Psychic medium Martee Hollywood and the Seekers tackle three cases in this compilation to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Together, they face a house full of lusty ghosts who don't want to cross over, an Indian girl who lost her love and then her life, and a mysterious intruder who can't seem to be hurt or stopped -- all while falling in love, into bed, and into one strange case after another. The paranormal world has never been sexier.

Find it here.