Sommer Marsden's Blog, page 12

It's here! The Romance Story Bundle. A bundle full of goodness :)

(NOTICE: buy links won't be live before midnight 2/4) You get all these lovely smexy books in one bundle. Want more info? Here's where you go:
http://storybundle.com/romance

I'm so excited to be in this bundle with Kiki Howell, Alison Tyler, Selena Kitt, and Skye Warren. I'm also extremely excited about tonight's bundle blog party on Facebook. Come check us out for fun, games, prizes, adult beverages (since it's virtual you'll have to show up with your own) and various other goodness. I, personally, have three giveaways including a freebie code for the very bundle we are celebrating. Please stop by at 7 pm (Eastern time) to see me!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1613386295556807

And now, a word from the Romance StoryBundle curator Kiki Howell :)



THE EROTIC ROMANCE BUNDLE
Curated by Kiki HowellI'm a fan of each and every author who graciously agreed to be included in this Erotic Romance StoryBundle, and so I will admit to being a bit star-struck to have my stories published beside theirs. As you will read, I met each one through a series of intertwining, very fortunate events.I've had the privilege to work with New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Selena Kitt, since the beginning of my writing career. After first being published by her company, Excessica, I then began working for her in various aspects of the publishing industry. I consider myself very lucky to have learned so much from a writer as prolific as Selena, one of the best guilty pleasure authors out there with over a million books sold!Through working for Selena, I had the blessing of meeting, Sommer Marsden. Over time, and little "water-cooler" chats via emails if you will, we've found ourselves alike in a multitude of ways. I now have the honor of calling her a good friend even though we've never met in person. Referred to as "unapologetic" by another author in this bundle, I couldn't agree more with that description of her writing. Her stories are both profound and witty, sexy and fun with a myriad of characters from a to z, adventurous women to zombies, and back again.Thanks to one of Sommer's social media posts, I signed up to review one of Alison Tyler's books, and I've been hooked by her writing ever since. A prolific writer of several stories and talented editor of many kinky anthologies, her works offer passion and heart along with vital doses of all things sexy. Just following her blog, appropriately titled, Trollop with a Laptop, is exquisite fun, a true indulgence.It was also through Selena that I was recently introduced to New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Skye Warren. And, though I'm just getting started into her dark romantic fiction, I can't wait to indulge in more of her stories. Her work described with such words as "perversely tender" and "haunting and beautiful" I couldn't agree more. I've found her stories to be both complex and raw, emotional and enticing.I'm pleased with the wide array of genres represented by these authors and their stories in this bundle. While all erotic romance, you will be further tempted with subgenres like: contemporary and historical, paranormal/pagan and fairy tales, bondage and femdom, to name a few. Enjoy! – Kiki HowellThe initial titles in the bundle (minimum $3 to purchase) are:The ESP Affair by Alison TylerTorn Asunder by Kiki HowellTemptation: Under Mr. Nolan's Bed by Selena KittOn the Way Home by Skye WarrenAngry Sex by Sommer MarsdenIf you pay more than the bonus price of just $10, you'll get another four books:Alison on Top by Alison TylerRituals by Kiki HowellModern Wicked Fairy Tales by Selena KittBittersweet by Sommer MarsdenThe bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.Pay what you want (minimum $3): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We're currently featuring Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now.Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you're you're getting nine total books!StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, Tweet us at  @storybundle , Like us on  Facebook , and Plus us on  Google Plus . For press inquiries, please email  press@storybundle.com .

Come join us this hump day!

When our new Erotica StoryBundle releases! Wednesday night is a fun FB chat. Click ATTEND here for fun, prizes, steamy excerpts, and more. I typed funk the first time. There'll probably be some funk, too ;) Bundle participants include me, Alison Tyler, Kiki Howell, Selena Kitt and Skye Warren. I plan to chat with wine so you never know what I might say. ;)

Come join. It'll brighten up the hump part of the week. After Wednesday, we're on a downward slide to Friday, baby, yeah! (to borrow from Austin Powers).

XOXO
Sommer

A Crunchy Entry: keywords FUN and SURRENDER

*photo by moi
I warned everyone a while back that I was on a journey? A mission? A quest? Pick any grand, descriptive word you like, but I’m trying to figure out who I am now. Or who I’m becoming. I’m a caterpillar!
This won’t be a long blog, by any means. Just a drive by share of something that really hit home with me this week. The key words in life should be: Fun and Surrender.
Now, I think of myself as a fun person. But I am learning fun should go into everything. Life, raising kids, cooking, driving, thinking, writing. And it’s that last one that I was having difficulty with lately. I had quite a few days these last few weeks where I wondered where I was going with my writing. The ‘game’ as it were was feeling too overwhelming to me. Too confusing and too tumultuous. You don’t have to be a writing/publishing genius to figure out that the publishing industry is topsy turvy at the moment. Some stuff is good. Some stuff is bad. It all sort of swirls and whirls together at any given moment and can feel like that time, when I was in my teens, that my sister and I got stuck in a riptide.
We both got sucked out and my sister (very short) decided (because she is insane) that she was going to swim (against a riptide) and threw her raft away. I had no choice but to drop mine because she, well…started to sink. So there we were, not touching ground, me bobbing up and down in the water taking breaths when I could with her on my shoulders so she could breathe. It was overwhelming, confusing and terrifying. 
That’s how publishing and the whole game of being a writer has felt to me lately.Part of it is my mood. Part of it is what I’ve just been through in the last 18 months. And part of it is just the nature of the beast.
I wasn’t having fun. I was, in fact, quite miserable and considering quitting. For real. Not a melodramatic fling of the hand and “I’m so awful at this I’m going to quit” kind of thing. Just quietly…stop.
The problem is, I can’t stop. I’m a writer. I’ll write whether I’m paid or not. If no one knew my name or my work, I’d write. If they outlawed writing and I could face jail time for doing it, I’d still write. It’s how I process the world, my emotions, my dreams, my hopes, my fears and all the stuff in between.
So I thought, something’s gotta give.
I went with my intuition. I created a new pen name and I started a book I really wanted to write for…FUN. There are no expectations, from myself or readers, for an unknown name. Just a chance to spill out a story that’s dying to be created and put it out there. So, fun—check.
The next thing is, I started brainstorming with another writer who I admire and love and think is amazing and we started to have fun with our ideas together. What a jolt. Like being electrocuted, but ya know—in a good way.
I felt lighter and excited and vibrant. Everything I was not feeling when I was focused on what I THOUGHTI should do and what I was convinced I NEEDED to do.
Which brings me to the surrender part. I put it out there that I was unhappy and wanted to be happy again. I wanted to feel a visceral reaction to my writing again. To the process. I wanted to wake up eager to hit the keyboard and get shit done and let my brain gallop like a runaway horse and love every minute of it.
So, I surrendered the shoulds, the needs, and the thinks and went with my gut. I’m still doing it. I have to practice it every day, because, this might come as a shock to you (prob not) that I am an uber control freak. An uber control freak who just cared for her husband for 18 months during a debilitating, cruel, painful illness before watching him die. All things I could not control. No matter how hard I tried. It was beyond my control and I had to surrender to the process with as much love, compassion, patience and gratitude for our nearly 20 years together that I could muster.
That lesson has gone beyond the whole caregiver thing now. It’s passed into the rest of my world. I am surrendering all my preconceived notions and all the ideas that I should be telling the universe how things should happen and instead, doing what I do best, focusing on the joy of my work, working my ass off (you still gotta do the work) and waiting to see what opportunities pass my way and what unfolds.
I gotta tell ya, it feels good. Much better than the closed in, claustrophobic misery I was experiencing a few weeks ago.
I’m glad I didn’t have to quit, or at least, fade out of publishing. I’m glad I was able to listen when that door opened and that voice whispered, and I’m glad I got the chance to run with what seemed like crazy ideas but are turning out to be rather lovely.
More than glad, I’m grateful.
XOXOSommer p.s. If you’re wondering, my sister and I were rescued by a buff lifeguard. She got to shore, went “Whew, that was crazy!” tossed up her hand, grabbed a coke and was fine. I collapsed on the beach and sobbed for what felt like an eternity after keeping my shit utterly together the entire time we were constantly on the verge of drowning. The thing I learned that day: I panic after, she panics during. If you think about it, it’s actually divine. We balanced each other out and we both survived unharmed. Our rafts were even recovered ;)p.p.s. Sorry, this was way longer than I originally thought. So, I sorta lied to you ;)

Good Fun, Good Excitement. Also, Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Long time no blog, folks. Sorry. I've been caught up in RL and buried in paperwork.

Today's been a good day. Good because it's Friday. Good because I bought tickets to attend an event this summer with my mom (more about that later) that I've dreamed of for thirteen years. Alert the media! I'm leaving the house of my own volition. ;) Also good because after a few weeks of really being on the fence about writing in many ways (sometimes considering not doing it anymore, TBH) I made some plans with a fellow writer for the near future and I am now suddenly excited and buzzy with anticipation.

I also started a novella I shouldn't be writing as a whole new persona and that put a little hitch in my giddyup. I am trying not to ponder the novel I AM supposed to be writing while I bang this out. A little nerve wracking but worth it. Plus, I think the novel is still baking in my brain. It'll ding when it's done. Heh.

That's about it. Not the most earth quaking update, but since I'm here I'd like to THANK YOU if you purchased my new lovely Lucky Streak . I was so excited for this collection and turns out some of you were too. So thank you, thank you, thank you if you bought and read it.

Happy Friday!

XOXO
Sommer

Event: Smut Luton

Wish I could go, but for those of you in the area/who can travel to the area...




Smut Luton 7th March 2015
 The Hat factory, Luton will host the first smut event of 2015 sponsored by House of Erotica. Smut Events are fun, safe, inclusive days out when erotica & erotic romance readers and writers get together to socialize, exchange ideas and inspire one another.
The theme for Luton is Kinkification. We’ll be adding a little kink to your life with some great workshops, demonstrations and performances. Not to mention the book stall where you can pick up some sexy reading material and the erotic raffle where you’ll be able to win prizes from Bondara.co.uk , Segzi.co.uk and a special something from Smut UK.
Charlie J Forrest will be showing off some rope tricks and answering your questions on getting your lover all tied up, Zak Jane Keir will be talking about taking your hobbies and giving them a naughty spin for your erotic writing and sexy play and Victoria Blisse will be exploring all the senses and how they can heighten your sexual arousal on the page and in the bedroom.
We’ve got readings from Lucy Felthouse, Jennifer Denys, Charlotte Howard, Bella Settara, Charlie J Forrest, Meg Philip, Anna Sky, Cara Sutra and Victoria Blisse that are sure to tempt and tease.

Pick up your tickets at Smutluton.co.uk and join the facebook event to keep up with all the event news.

Right on the heels of my release day, Frenchy and Quinn...

Get a big ole' 4.5 star review from Manic Readers. This is not the first time a reviewer has favored Frenchy in a review. How can you not favor a spunky, seventy-something, former burlesque dancer who still knows how to twirl a tassel and shake a tail-feather. ;)

"Marsden has a great sense of humor, and I’m sure you’ll like The Mighty Quinn ." 4.5 stars




You can read the full review HERE .

Release Day Polka Dance!

It's here! It's here! Lucky Streak is out on Amazon, B&N and of course Excessica. Probably other places, too, but I haven't had time to hop around. So excited I can't stand myself. ;)

Ever been so excited about something that it doesn't matter a lick if anyone else is excited about it? Yeah? That's me with this book. I mean, obviously, I am hopeful that others are excited to read this little ditty, but I think I might be excited enough for everyone.

This is one of the last projects I worked on when Jim was alive. If you're a constant reader, you know that I always, always, always dedicated my books (if I was allowed a dedication) to "The Man". When I came on the scene everyone called their husband, "the husband", "hubs", "husbo" or "Mr. ___fill in the blank___". So, I chose "the man" because no one else had. Thus, you can find an entire slew of books dedicated to said man. It was only after he'd gotten sick that I changed it to Jim. With his permission. Actually, he loved it. So, again, if you are a constant reader, you will see that this book is dedicated to him too. Because, like I said...nothing really changes when you're in love. Love you, baby.

XOXO
Sommer

She Started as a Scary Editor...

And became the best friend I've never met. You know I'm talking about Alison Tyler, I'm sure.

When I say she started as a 'scary editor' what I mean is, she didn't know me from Adam. I was another brand-spanking-new erotica author when I answered her public call for subs. I saw the call (it was for Love at First Sting) on ERWA and I nervously, but with great determination, finished and polished a story to send her called "She Looked Good in Ribbons". It is, to date, my favorite story ever.

I was terrified. Not because Alison was terrifying but because Alison was...well, everywhere. And vivid. And vocal. Awesomely welcoming, and, yes, instrumental, from what I could see, in the genre I wanted to be a part of. So yeah, I was petrified. But she took the story with gorgeous, kind acceptance letter, (I sat and cried when I got the email. I had never at that point willed a story to be in a publication before but that's what I did. And my will and wish came true.) and we started a slow, funny, friendly email back and forth. Voila! A true friendship was born. When I say true friendship, I mean like, a person who holds your hand and walks you through your husband's illness and then death from 3,000 miles away. True friendship. Which is why I'm so excited and honored that this is actually happening:





"As I move into a brave new world of publishing, I came up with a series of titles dedicated to showcasing my favorite stories from my favorite authors. First up (to nobody's surprise, I'm sure) is Sommer Marsden." ~Alison Tyler

You can read all about it HERE .

Just another happy, shiny thing to be excited for in 2015. Hope your 2015 is off to a great start.

XOXO
Sommer

A Sneak Peek at Lucky Streak!

Hey, that rhymed. :)

Today I'm putting up a little snippet from Lucky Streak due out this Friday (1/16) from Excessica. I'm so excited for this anthology I couldn't quite contain myself. So, I'm post a little taste today just to satisfy myself.

It's raining here. Hard. And it's gray. I have a headache and I just got off a 3,900 writing tear so I'm pooped. Alas, none of that dampens my excitement, so onward and upward and onward to that little bit of what's to come :)


From Blue Lights and Love Bites (Lucky Streak)



“You know your mother’s going to want an invitation to dinner for this,” I said under my breath as Roy, the giant, oven delivery man, maneuvered our new oven into place.
Noah nudged me with his elbow. “And is that so bad?”
“Depends on the day,” I snorted.
Roy began leveling our new shiny oven. Black with chrome, two power burners, a simmer burner and what had sealed the deal for Noah—a grill. Roy was efficient, and I could tell he was doing everything by rote. When the clock lit up, I clapped and laughed.
“That amuses you?” Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The clock lights are blue,” I said. “Cobalt blue. Blue Christmas blue. Elvis blue.”
Noah raised his upper lip in the classic Elvis sneer, and I smiled. I was an Elvis freak, and I loved blue. He loved the grill…I loved the clock.
“All this bad assery,” he whispered in my ear, the fine hairs along the back of my neck raising from the stimulation. “And you’re excited about the light?”
I kicked him lightly. “I am.”
“You’re a weirdo, Maggie.”
Roy, who had been eavesdropping, stood, eyeballed the oven and brushed his hands on his workpants. “All done. You’re hooked up, the oven’s level, the warranty and the receipt are in the folder, and since it’s all paid for, we’re good to go.”
Noah handed him a folded twenty and thanked him for his time. We ushered Roy out, watched him climb into his gigantic truck, off to his next delivery and installation.
“New oven,” Noah said, brushing his hand along my back.
“New oven,” I echoed. “Courtesy of your mom. Which, I guess, means…dinner.” I pretended to be beleaguered because it was fun. The worst that would come of our gifted oven would be her asking me a thousand times how I liked the new oven. Then having to prepare a dinner for her. Which I could live with.
“Let’s go stare at it in awe and wonder once more,” he said, taking my hand.
In the kitchen, I approached it, something way nicer than Noah and I could ever have possibly afforded. I put my hands on the edges, bent to look at the wrought iron grates, the smooth shiny grill top, and the lovely glow of the blue numbers on the readout.
Noah came up close to me, pushed his hips against my ass, leaned over and kissed my neck. It was getting dark in the kitchen and sleet began tapping at the windows. “It’s cold and dark, I should cook something warm and comforting.”
He rocked his hips, and I felt his stiffening cock press the crack of my ass.
“Or maybe not…” I murmured, liking the feel of him hard and warm against me.
“What’s that?” His hands came around to cup my breasts through my thin, well-worn sweatshirt. My nipples stiffened instantly. I never failed to get excited when my husband touched me. Even if it was semi-playful.
Semi-playful often turned to breathtaking with us. Even after all these years.
“You heard me.” I pushed my ass back against him, welcoming his advances.
“You know what I think?” He tugged my nipples through my sweatshirt, and lust swirled down from my breasts to my pussy.
“Hmm?” It wasn’t even a word. Not really.
“I think we need to christen this here oven. We need to fuck like animals in front of these blue lights that seem to mesmerize you so much.” He bit the place where my neck met my shoulder, and I shivered and let out a little moan. His teeth on me always did me in. Always made my mind shut down and my body turn on.
The phone rang. A shrill interruption of our christening.
“That would be your mother.” I snorted.
His teeth came down on me again, this time on the back of my neck. Pain sizzled down my spine, quickly morphing into a warm heavy pleasure. “Ouch,” I said, but we both knew I didn’t mean it.
“Nothing but love bites,” he said, doing it once more.
My nipples grew almost painfully tight. Just as he knew they would. He found them with his fingertips and stroked them through my sweatshirt. I felt my heart beat between my legs. My hands began to shake.
Noah slipped his hand down into my leggings and breached my panties. He pushed a finger into my cunt and spread the gathered moisture over my clit, stroking me. I hummed softly, pushed my ass back to get better contact. The kitchen had grown darker which meant the blue lights shone brighter.
“I think you agree with my theory of celebrating our oven with a good kitchen fuck,” he said, his voice rumbling against my earlobe. He darted his tongue out to lick me there, and another shiver rocked me.  
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Noah chuckled. 

Into the ether, baby! Yeah!

I am so flipping excited right now. I just hit send on the final-final-FINAL of Lucky Streak. I'm over the moon, to steal from Alison Tyler. The follow-up antho to my original Lucky 13 is out this coming Friday (talk about flirting with disaster on a deadline, eh?) and contains 13 all new stories that have never before been published...anywhere!





Here's the blurb:




Bondage and love bites, rag ropes, spanking and sex al fresco, it’s all at your fingertips in this new collection by Sommer Marsden. Lucky Streak is the follow-up book to the original anthology Lucky 13--#9 in Violet Blue's Ten Hottest Sex Books of 2009. It’s chock-full of brand new stories, never before published, from sinful to sultry to sweet, just waiting for you to dive in. So, the question seems to be, do you feel lucky? Well…do you?
And the TOC:
Blue Lights and Love Bites
The Cheerleader
House Sitting
Off Sex
Earth
The Silent Danger of Paper
This Moment
Two Pies
We Bring It
Spoon Marks
This is Just a Love Story
A Type-C Christmas
Wag for Me
 I'm also super excited because more of my crunchy clothes arrived. They are beautiful. Fabulous! And they make me happy. The purple one in the middle is my favorite. Especially once I touched it. It's sinfully soft and so adorable. It's on deck to wear on my bod today :) If you're curious they all came from Super Love Tees found on Etsy. 

All that being said, to celebrate finally getting this manuscript off my desk, is a trip to the New Age store for some candles, a CSI marathon with girl child and...um...taking down Christmas stuff. Actually, come to think of it, that last one isn't much of a celebration, but it must be done. I'm tired of banging into a tree when I work out. And I want my ugly pink chair in its proper location after 5 weeks. Just call me crotchety and set in my ways ;)
Happy Saturday.
XOXOSommer