Portia Da Costa's Blog, page 23

I like them short and naughty...

Am thrilled to announce that I've now got three new short and naughty mini novellas in the pipeline from Harlequin Spice Briefs! I love writing these frisky 10K or so stories - they're such a fun length, and crafting a trilogy gives me chance to develop the emotional arc of the central couple right to their delicious happy ending.

THREE COLORS SEXY is a trio of linked stories about Suzanne and Simon, sexy loving couple who discover, almost by accident, that they have a mutual passion for BDSM games. While on holiday, they find THE BLUE BOOK, a portfolio of intensely erotic punishment images that inspires them to try the activities depicted on the pages for themselves. Back home, they develop daring new scenarios with the help of a beautiful antique, THE RED CHAIR, and then, vacationing again, at a glamorous hotel, they experiment anew in the luxurious setting of THE WHITE ROOM.

THREE COLORS SEXY is published in April, May and June 2013.

Most unexpected...

I write like
H. P. LovecraftI Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Exciting news!!!!

A bit of exciting news to announce...


WALK ON THE WILD SIDE BOOK is a collective of seven authors, all launching themselves into the exciting new world of digital self publishing. I'm proud to be part of this very strong group, in company with Alison Kent, Anne Calhoun, Charlene Teglia, HelenKay Dimon, Sasha White and Saskia Walker. 
WotWS has a bunch of exciting new titles launching during the month of May, including my own offering, an extended short story called GLINT, which will be released on 9th May.

Check out the web site today to participate in an exciting launch competition, with the grand prize of all the first releases from the WotWS authors!

Look what just appeared on Amazon!

A TOUCH OF HEAVEN just popped up on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk for pre-order!

You can read an excerpt of my interpretation of a sexy angel here.

On entering a brave new world...

What's this? A new Portia Da Costa title? Why has this suddenly appeared when I've posted no advance news, tweeted no tweets? How come it's appeared out of the blue?

Well, the answer is that I've entered a brave new world for me, the exciting realm of digital self publishing. It's something I've had on my mind for quite a while now, but I've hung back, and hung back, afraid of messing up the technology, to be honest. But in the last few weeks, circumstances have propelled me into learning about how to do the "stuff" and this unexpected new release - THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT - is the result. It's only really a "test" publication, a fairly short story - I just wanted to understand how the processes worked on a variety of platforms. But it'd still be rather nifty if I sold a few!

THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT has already been published as part of an anthology, PASSION edited by the wonderful Rachel Kramer Bussel, but if you just fancy reading my story alone, here's your chance. [I'd still heartily recommend getting the anthology, though, if you like what you've read in my story]

So, here's the blurb of THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT

Still stinging from a stringent efficiency review, office girl Susie encounters the very last man she wants to meet when she hits the bar to relax and unwind. Hunky Noah Stevens is the ruthless company troubleshooter who's been making her life hell for the last three weeks, but Susie soon finds that after hours, and in the bedroom, Noah's devotion to "efficiency" yields a delicious erotic bonus.
You can read a short excerpt here, or take the plunge and buy it from:

The Efficiency Expert - Kindle UK

The Efficiency Expert - Kindle US

The Efficiency Expert - Smashwords [Lots of formats here]

Please bid on my books at OPERATION AUCTION!

There's a fantastic auction going on at the moment, in aid of a much loved member of the romance community who has suffered a horrific tragedy...

"Fatin has been an integral part of the romance community for years – she owns and runs the RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk blog, is an administrator of the WriteMinded loop, an author assistant and a tireless advocate for romance novels. She is also a friend to many in this community.


On Tuesday, March 8th, she lost her husband in a senseless act of violence, leaving her alone with four children. You can read more about the tragedy here: 

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9233067/"

There's not much anyone can say to make Fatin feel better in the wake of such a horrible personal disaster, but people have gathered together to show practical support for her at this tragic time through the means of OPERATION AUCTION.

My own small contribution is a couple of signed books in the auction - NAUGHTY BITS 2 and GOTHIC HEAT - so please consider bidding on them to help this most deserving cause.

Portia Da Costa - 2 signed books [auction ends Apr 01, 201100:01:58 PDT]

While you're there, please bid, bid, bid on the many other stupendously fabulous lots on offer! You have to see the selection to believe it, so get stuck in!

I've been interviewed again!

I've been interviewed again, this time at Fierce Romance, with the lovely Natasha Moore asking the questions. It was a fun Q&A and I really enjoyed the experience. :)

Guest Interview with Portia Da Costa at Fierce Romance

Why not pop over and leave a comment?

Authors for Japan

UK author Keris Stainton has organised a huge auction to raise funds in support the stricken people of Japan. The money raised will go to the British Red Cross to aid survivors and those affected by the earthquake and the tsunami. The bidding is in UK pounds but many of the prizes are items such as online mentoring, artwork, critiques etc etc that can be enjoyed globally, and I'm certainly happy to ship my book prize to anywhere in the world, so I'm sure all the other authors are too.

There's a *massive* selection of prizes here on the blog, page after page of goodies: Authors for Japan

And here's my contribution, a copy of KISS IT BETTER [my last ever Black Lace, boo hoo, surely a collectors' item?] and one of NAUGHTY BITS 2, the Spice Brief print anthology containing my story CHANCE OF A LIFETIME [many other authors too!]

Bid on books signed by Portia Da Costa!

[NB. As many of the items in the auction are books for children and young adults, the saucy adult blurbs of my books are inappropriate for the listing. But you can find out about the items by clicking the links above, before bidding on them.]

As I say, I'm happy to ship anywhere in the world and might fling in an extra pot luck book or two.

Please consider bidding. The situation in Japan just seems to be getting worse and worse by the day...  

Currency converter here if you're outside the UK and want to know how much you're giving.

Thanks for your attention.

Another fantastic Poirot!

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fantastically convoluted crime, and a really rather chilling murderer. Dame Agatha portrays a person completely without remorse in an audaciously believable way. Genius!

This is also the first Poirot story I've read that's narrated by Captain Hastings, and he's such a dear. :)
View all my reviews

I've been interviewed!

Romance Writers Behaving Badly: Best Interview Ever from a Legend: Portia Da Costa...: "APRIL: Portia, I'm so excited to meet and talk with you today. Your name and brand have been around for a long time and when I first started..."

Want to hear more about how I began as an author and how I think romance writing has changed since I began, all those years ago, back when the dinosaurs roamed? Want to know a bit more about my latest release FAR FROM PERFECT and its hot alpha hero Nick Lisitano?

Check out my interview by April aka R. A. Morelock, over at Romance Writers Behaving Badly! :)