Lee Savino's Blog, page 2
June 6, 2019
The Pantheon
I’ve always loved Greek and Roman mythology. ‘Innocence’ is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades. ‘Awakening’ goes further, using the story of Orpheus and Euridice as a subplot, and introducing more of the re-imagined Pantheon. I held nothing sacred and pulled from Ovid, Hesiod, Shakespeare, Homer, and even the Bible (‘cause why not?). Some of the references are super oblique, but if you’re a nerd about this stuff like me, you’ll appreciate this abbreviated cheat sheet (the full one will be in the back of Awakening):
The Underworld:
Cora Vestian: Persephone, Proserpina. First name comes from Kore. Last name inspired by the Vestal Virgins.
Marcus Ubeli: Hades. Last name inspired by the chthonic god Eubuleus.
Sharo: Charon. Nicknamed The Undertaker.
The Shades: Marcus’ criminal army.
The Styx: a crime ridden area of New Olympus
Brutus: Cerberus.
The Chariot: Marcus’ private club where he conducts most of his business. Contains the office where he and Cora met.
Other characters in New Olympus:
Armand: Hermes. He has wing tattoos and owns a business called Metamorphoses, a reference to Ovid.
Maeve: Hectate, goddess of the Crossroads. She advises Cora.
Zeke Sturm: Zeus. The esteemed mayor of new Olympus. Last name (Storm) inspired by the lightning bolts Zeus used.
More characters coming in the rest of the trilogy...
The Underworld:
Cora Vestian: Persephone, Proserpina. First name comes from Kore. Last name inspired by the Vestal Virgins.
Marcus Ubeli: Hades. Last name inspired by the chthonic god Eubuleus.
Sharo: Charon. Nicknamed The Undertaker.
The Shades: Marcus’ criminal army.
The Styx: a crime ridden area of New Olympus
Brutus: Cerberus.
The Chariot: Marcus’ private club where he conducts most of his business. Contains the office where he and Cora met.
Other characters in New Olympus:
Armand: Hermes. He has wing tattoos and owns a business called Metamorphoses, a reference to Ovid.
Maeve: Hectate, goddess of the Crossroads. She advises Cora.
Zeke Sturm: Zeus. The esteemed mayor of new Olympus. Last name (Storm) inspired by the lightning bolts Zeus used.
More characters coming in the rest of the trilogy...
Awakening: Book 2 of the mafia romance trilogy
“Your body knows who you belong to.”
Fury lit up her eyes but his head was already descending, taking that lush mouth. Taming it.
Or at least he tried.She bit his lip and yanked her arms down from where he held them above her head and started pummeling him with them. Well, as much as a kitten can pummel a lion.
He easily caught her wrists again and pinned them above her head. She screamed out a roar of such fury and frustration, the Shades outside would surely hear and wonder what the hell was going on in here.
But Marcus didn’t care if they heard. He didn’t care about anything except the furious, bright, and shining goddess in his arms.
Awakening
I wasn't capable of love. Not until I met Cora. My angel.
I’ve claimed every inch of her body and I only want more.
I’m a man who craves control, but her power over me is absolute.
She holds my heart in her hands.
She can never find out.
The demons in this city want to destroy her.
It’s my job to protect her innocence. Lock her safe in my high tower.
But I’m the danger that she’s trying to escape.
The ruthless man in her bed.
A demon worse than all the others.
One who cannot save her from himself.
~~
Pre-order is up ! Book coming July 2!
Fury lit up her eyes but his head was already descending, taking that lush mouth. Taming it.
Or at least he tried.She bit his lip and yanked her arms down from where he held them above her head and started pummeling him with them. Well, as much as a kitten can pummel a lion.
He easily caught her wrists again and pinned them above her head. She screamed out a roar of such fury and frustration, the Shades outside would surely hear and wonder what the hell was going on in here.
But Marcus didn’t care if they heard. He didn’t care about anything except the furious, bright, and shining goddess in his arms.
Awakening
I wasn't capable of love. Not until I met Cora. My angel.
I’ve claimed every inch of her body and I only want more.
I’m a man who craves control, but her power over me is absolute.
She holds my heart in her hands.
She can never find out.
The demons in this city want to destroy her.
It’s my job to protect her innocence. Lock her safe in my high tower.
But I’m the danger that she’s trying to escape.
The ruthless man in her bed.
A demon worse than all the others.
One who cannot save her from himself.
~~
Pre-order is up ! Book coming July 2!
Q. How yummy is Marcus?
~
Marcus’s thumb skimmed her jaw. “Gorgeous. Tell me you’re my girl.”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’m your girl.”
“You belong to me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“You gonna give me what I want?”
“Yes.” She swallowed, searching his eyes. “What...what do you want?”
“Everything.”
~
Answer: Very, very yummy.
I wrote the first part of Innocence in college. The dark mafia trilogy was the first thing I published. I pulled it down to fix it up--and now it's new and shiny and rewritten to be darker than ever...
★★★★★ Blazing storyline and electrifying plot
★★★★★ Enthralling
★★★★★ Pulls you in from the first page
★★★★★ Intense, emotional and steamy
★★★★★ Heart stopping love story
I’m king of the criminal underworld.
I always get what I want.
And she’s my obsession.
Cora is new to the city of sin.
Her innocent blue eyes beg for me to claim her.
But I’m not the billionaire she thinks I am.
There’s a darkness within me.
And Cora is a shining light.
She’s beautiful. A virgin.
I’m ruthless. A beast.
She found me for a reason.
Now, she’s my queen.
I’ll give her everything that her heart desires.
Except for one thing.
Her freedom.
She’s mine to keep, and I’m never letting her go.
~
One click now:https://amzn.to/2Mh4YK4
Marcus’s thumb skimmed her jaw. “Gorgeous. Tell me you’re my girl.”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’m your girl.”
“You belong to me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“You gonna give me what I want?”
“Yes.” She swallowed, searching his eyes. “What...what do you want?”
“Everything.”
~
Answer: Very, very yummy.
I wrote the first part of Innocence in college. The dark mafia trilogy was the first thing I published. I pulled it down to fix it up--and now it's new and shiny and rewritten to be darker than ever...
★★★★★ Blazing storyline and electrifying plot
★★★★★ Enthralling
★★★★★ Pulls you in from the first page
★★★★★ Intense, emotional and steamy
★★★★★ Heart stopping love story
I’m king of the criminal underworld.
I always get what I want.
And she’s my obsession.
Cora is new to the city of sin.
Her innocent blue eyes beg for me to claim her.
But I’m not the billionaire she thinks I am.
There’s a darkness within me.
And Cora is a shining light.
She’s beautiful. A virgin.
I’m ruthless. A beast.
She found me for a reason.
Now, she’s my queen.
I’ll give her everything that her heart desires.
Except for one thing.
Her freedom.
She’s mine to keep, and I’m never letting her go.
~
One click now:https://amzn.to/2Mh4YK4
May 12, 2019
Innocence
A modern retelling of the Greek myth: Persephone and Hades!
Hades is Marcus Ubeli, ruler of the criminal Underworld of New Olympus.
Persephone is the small town girl who comes to the big city. Marcus sweeps her off her feet, but must fight to keep her innocence in the face of his dark obsession.
I originally published this mafia trilogy in 2015 (and unpublished it over a year ago) but Stasia Black and I extensively rewrote Marcus & Cora's story and are rereleasing the books with new covers.
July 25, 2018
You're invited! My new Reading Room
Hey, ya'll, I was hoping to use this blog more but the format is so freaking weird (Goodreads in general is difficult for me to navigate).
I also wanted more of a discussion regarding books I was reading. So I started this group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/leesa...
In Lee Savino's Reading Room, we post about books we're reading with the goal of starting a conversation. I'm screening all posts now to make sure they're not just promos. I really want people to be talking.
There are paperback giveaways, live discussions (right now just me and my author friends on camera) and fun posts. I'm getting some great book recommendations from there and I think it's going well.
You're invited to join!
I also wanted more of a discussion regarding books I was reading. So I started this group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/leesa...
In Lee Savino's Reading Room, we post about books we're reading with the goal of starting a conversation. I'm screening all posts now to make sure they're not just promos. I really want people to be talking.
There are paperback giveaways, live discussions (right now just me and my author friends on camera) and fun posts. I'm getting some great book recommendations from there and I think it's going well.
You're invited to join!
March 1, 2018
February 27, 2018
On writing multiple heroes...
My first menage book was really a reverse harem novel (sorta, there's usually less sex in the current fantasy romance novels that are popular reverse harems). It's called A Slave To the Servants and as of this writing, it's free on literotica...and SO VERY GOOD.
After that, I read Vanessa Vale's Bridgewater series (menage cowboys) and it was all over. Multiple heroes is my calling (WRITING THEM...not sleeping with...ya perv). I love writing sex scenes--my word count per hour goes way up--and having more than one characters meant I could fufill every fantasy. One guy is more strict, one guy is sweet, one is fun, one is serious, etc.
So I decided to write menage. But first, I wrote Pearl's Possession (get free- https://dl.bookfunnel.com/l8jycmth4s) and reached the upper limit of sex scenes one can stuff into a novel. I wrote it when I was pregnant and still have blissful memories of all the men. Fans agree, even with the endless sex, it has all the feels.
Ahem. I was going to talk about writing multiple guy characters. I follow a lot of screenwriter's advice about character arc and so think through where each character starts out, what main flaw or weakness they have that keeps them from getting what they want. By the end they have to face their deepest fear to find love.
So each guy has that going on, but the main character is always the lady so I usually focus on her journey more. So the guys...with them I can just have fun.
I'll give you an example. In my release tomorrow
I have 4 guys. FOUR GUYS. That's a lot, you might say, and you'd be right. But in my head, each guy is super distinct and has a VERY DIFFERENT personality from his warrior brother. The magic makes them stick together like glue and...cough...share the same woman. The magic and world-building is another story. Let me tell you about the guys.
Tristan
First I knew I would write Tristan. I always knew the mate for Yseult was Tristan (Yseult is a form of the name Isolde...look it up). :D
Tristan is the leader. He's very honorable, and very conflicted about his newfound loyalty to this woman who appeared out of nowhere (a spell drops her in a field outside his liege's castle). He knows his king is a BAD GUY and he's trying to be a good guy. So in every scene, he's giving orders, he's leading and the other guys fall in line. That doesn't make them any less dominant...
Magnus
Okay, I have to say. Tristan was my favorite, then this guy came along. He's the giant one of the group. If you think physical characteristics don't matter, think again. When I write it's like a move in my head. Google "Dwayne Johnson barbarian" and you've got Magnus. Except the character Magnus has a lot less going on in his head than The Rock (who I think is a pretty smart dude). If Magnus had a motto it'd be: FOOD FIGHT FUCK. Not necessarily in that order. His arc is cool because he's gone battle mad and his mind is lost until Yseult... well, I shouldn't spoil these things. But, of all the guys, he's the most basic. Big dude, big problem, swears undying fealty to Yseult after she saves him. And for this, even though he gets LESS SCREEN TIME than any other of the dudes, I bet he'll be reader's favorite. Funny how that works right?
Magnus cracks me up because in the ending scenes he's like "ME MAGNUS. ME EAT MEAT AND FUCK LADY." But his straightforwardness, his great size and brutality are what endear him to me.
Lars
Lars is the fun one. Let's be honest, the book is intense. I set myself a challenge to have all the events unfold in 24 hours. YIKES. That was dumb. (Remember, there are FOUR guys). But he came into my head, blond and laughing and how could I not fall in love? He has the most fun with Yseult. And she needs some fun in her life. He's the guy most likely to be adventurous in bed and obsessed with her boobs or butt.
Note: I didn't put any anal sex in this book because OMG IT ALL HAPPENS IN 24 HOURS AND THERE IS NO LUBE. OR TIME FOR BUTTPLUGS. That was my reasoning. Ass-play takes prep and planning.
I can't believe I'm blogging this.
Onward!!!
Ivar
Of all the guys, it took me the longest to warm up to Ivar. He's just so intense, and he hangs out with Lars all the time (they shared a wetnurse so they're literally 'bosom buddies', and yes, I loved figuring out the etymology of that term).
So how did I make him likeable? (The first step being for ME to like him, so then I could write him properly for the reader to). MAGIC. Literally. I made him a seer. He inherited the Gift from his mom, who died (which is why Lars' mom nursed him). So his backstory gets some flavor from that. It also gives him a voice among some pretty strong characters--Tristan the Leader, Lars the Fun, Magnus the Giant.
So there you have it. Four guys, four personalities. I hope this comes across in the book. I could write a million more words with them.
Perhaps I shall.
Smooches,
Lee
After that, I read Vanessa Vale's Bridgewater series (menage cowboys) and it was all over. Multiple heroes is my calling (WRITING THEM...not sleeping with...ya perv). I love writing sex scenes--my word count per hour goes way up--and having more than one characters meant I could fufill every fantasy. One guy is more strict, one guy is sweet, one is fun, one is serious, etc.
So I decided to write menage. But first, I wrote Pearl's Possession (get free- https://dl.bookfunnel.com/l8jycmth4s) and reached the upper limit of sex scenes one can stuff into a novel. I wrote it when I was pregnant and still have blissful memories of all the men. Fans agree, even with the endless sex, it has all the feels.
Ahem. I was going to talk about writing multiple guy characters. I follow a lot of screenwriter's advice about character arc and so think through where each character starts out, what main flaw or weakness they have that keeps them from getting what they want. By the end they have to face their deepest fear to find love.
So each guy has that going on, but the main character is always the lady so I usually focus on her journey more. So the guys...with them I can just have fun.
I'll give you an example. In my release tomorrow
I have 4 guys. FOUR GUYS. That's a lot, you might say, and you'd be right. But in my head, each guy is super distinct and has a VERY DIFFERENT personality from his warrior brother. The magic makes them stick together like glue and...cough...share the same woman. The magic and world-building is another story. Let me tell you about the guys.
Tristan
First I knew I would write Tristan. I always knew the mate for Yseult was Tristan (Yseult is a form of the name Isolde...look it up). :D
Tristan is the leader. He's very honorable, and very conflicted about his newfound loyalty to this woman who appeared out of nowhere (a spell drops her in a field outside his liege's castle). He knows his king is a BAD GUY and he's trying to be a good guy. So in every scene, he's giving orders, he's leading and the other guys fall in line. That doesn't make them any less dominant...
Magnus
Okay, I have to say. Tristan was my favorite, then this guy came along. He's the giant one of the group. If you think physical characteristics don't matter, think again. When I write it's like a move in my head. Google "Dwayne Johnson barbarian" and you've got Magnus. Except the character Magnus has a lot less going on in his head than The Rock (who I think is a pretty smart dude). If Magnus had a motto it'd be: FOOD FIGHT FUCK. Not necessarily in that order. His arc is cool because he's gone battle mad and his mind is lost until Yseult... well, I shouldn't spoil these things. But, of all the guys, he's the most basic. Big dude, big problem, swears undying fealty to Yseult after she saves him. And for this, even though he gets LESS SCREEN TIME than any other of the dudes, I bet he'll be reader's favorite. Funny how that works right?
Magnus cracks me up because in the ending scenes he's like "ME MAGNUS. ME EAT MEAT AND FUCK LADY." But his straightforwardness, his great size and brutality are what endear him to me.
Lars
Lars is the fun one. Let's be honest, the book is intense. I set myself a challenge to have all the events unfold in 24 hours. YIKES. That was dumb. (Remember, there are FOUR guys). But he came into my head, blond and laughing and how could I not fall in love? He has the most fun with Yseult. And she needs some fun in her life. He's the guy most likely to be adventurous in bed and obsessed with her boobs or butt.
Note: I didn't put any anal sex in this book because OMG IT ALL HAPPENS IN 24 HOURS AND THERE IS NO LUBE. OR TIME FOR BUTTPLUGS. That was my reasoning. Ass-play takes prep and planning.
I can't believe I'm blogging this.
Onward!!!
Ivar
Of all the guys, it took me the longest to warm up to Ivar. He's just so intense, and he hangs out with Lars all the time (they shared a wetnurse so they're literally 'bosom buddies', and yes, I loved figuring out the etymology of that term).
So how did I make him likeable? (The first step being for ME to like him, so then I could write him properly for the reader to). MAGIC. Literally. I made him a seer. He inherited the Gift from his mom, who died (which is why Lars' mom nursed him). So his backstory gets some flavor from that. It also gives him a voice among some pretty strong characters--Tristan the Leader, Lars the Fun, Magnus the Giant.
So there you have it. Four guys, four personalities. I hope this comes across in the book. I could write a million more words with them.
Perhaps I shall.
Smooches,
Lee
February 24, 2018
Night of the Berserkers
Whelp, Yseult's getting a book.
I had in mind an idea for her detailing her past with Samuel and Daegan's pack, but My friends wanted to do a cool "not series" where we all get similar covers and help each other market. the "Night of" books were born and then I wondered...could I write a reverse harem love story that takes place in one night?
"Reverse Harem" is a hot new genre, usually an urban fantasy or fantasy romance setting, with a strong heroine and a bunch of guys who are after her. I love writing menage, so figured...what's a few more guys?
Making the story take place in 24 hours was definitely a challenge, but I hope you like how it turned out! Yseult uses a spell to travel back in time to confront the Corpse King before he was the Corpse King.
I have one night to meet the mage...
One night to destroy him...
One night to break the Berserker's curse...
One night to save them...
I woke in a field, surrounded by warriors. The spell had brought me to the threshold of the Corpse King’s fortress. When the men seized me, I reached for my power, but none came to my aid.
I was a thousand years from home, a captive of the Corpse King’s guard, and I had no magic.
Night of the Berserkers: A Reverse Harem Romance
The first scene is inspired by Macbeth's opening. The blurb was inspired by Tolkien's "One ring" poem. There's a castle, mad king, a powerless witch (Yseult) and of course lots of Berserkers!
Come visit me in the Goddess Group and let me know what you think! https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeeSa...
Smooches,
Lee
I had in mind an idea for her detailing her past with Samuel and Daegan's pack, but My friends wanted to do a cool "not series" where we all get similar covers and help each other market. the "Night of" books were born and then I wondered...could I write a reverse harem love story that takes place in one night?
"Reverse Harem" is a hot new genre, usually an urban fantasy or fantasy romance setting, with a strong heroine and a bunch of guys who are after her. I love writing menage, so figured...what's a few more guys?
Making the story take place in 24 hours was definitely a challenge, but I hope you like how it turned out! Yseult uses a spell to travel back in time to confront the Corpse King before he was the Corpse King.
I have one night to meet the mage...
One night to destroy him...
One night to break the Berserker's curse...
One night to save them...
I woke in a field, surrounded by warriors. The spell had brought me to the threshold of the Corpse King’s fortress. When the men seized me, I reached for my power, but none came to my aid.
I was a thousand years from home, a captive of the Corpse King’s guard, and I had no magic.
Night of the Berserkers: A Reverse Harem Romance
The first scene is inspired by Macbeth's opening. The blurb was inspired by Tolkien's "One ring" poem. There's a castle, mad king, a powerless witch (Yseult) and of course lots of Berserkers!
Come visit me in the Goddess Group and let me know what you think! https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeeSa...
Smooches,
Lee
