Giselle Renarde's Blog, page 145

Quick Six PRO with TORY RICHARDS

Quick Six PROInterview with TORY RICHARDS

Q: What's the most time-consuming part of a writer's life? TORY RICHARDS: For me it's real life. Seriously! I work full time days so that leaves a little time in the evenings and weekends. Some of those hours are filled up with family and friend time. Finding time for writing is difficult.



Q: How do you handle a bad review? TORY RICHARDS: I don't take it personal, and with a positive attitude. I try to learn something from it, too.



Q: What do you look for in a publisher? TORY RICHARDS: Longevity and reputation!



Q: What makes an editor great or...not so great? TORY RICHARDS: I've worked with both. The not so great senior editor was brash and definitely not a people person. She didn't get my book until it had already been edited by someone on her staff and then she cut the final work to ribbons. Said it was riddled with errors. Wasn't that what her staff editor was supposed to do? Go through it and let me know of any issues so I could fix them? Which I thought we had. These days I am so lucky to get to work with some great editors! We work together to put out the best product we can. I like to think I learn something from their criticism and use any constructive feedback to help me write better.



Q: Do you have a preference for short stories of longer works? TORY RICHARDS: I used to think I didn't have a short story in me but I'm beginning to like writing them more. I write erotic romance and short stories are good for a quick fix! LOL



Q: Any promo tips for fellow authors? TORY RICHARDS: Be prepared to spend a lot of time doing it! And it never ends.



Tory Richards is author of:The Promise Shannon Hayes' husband David was killed in Iraq nearly a year ago, and now she must face her first holiday season without him. With a toddler in tow, she travels to the Vermont farm where the rest of the family has gathered for the holidays. There she comes face to face with the man who was with him when he died, and her destiny, his older brother Ryan. For the first time in years, Ryan returns home to keep a promise he made to David -- to take care of Shannon and their daughter. It's a pledge Ryan is reluctant to keep because he's been secretly in love with Shannon since first setting eyes on her. Their attraction to each other is instant, intense and soon the promise isn't the only thing between them.

Tory Richards Author of sizzling romances! Website Blog Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Six Sentence Sunday - Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On

This Sunday's Six Sentences are fresh from Friday's new release, Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On . Not much set-up: this is just your typical college-girl-walking-in-on-her-roommate's-father-naked scene. Enjoy.

Kicking off her cross-trainers, Savannah slid down the waxed wood hallway and opened the door to her room.

"Oh, Jesus!"

Savannah gasped as Stacy's dad shrieked like a five-year-old and shielded his penis with his hands. He was naked. Why was he naked? Hell, besides that, why was he in her room?

It's all very innocent, of course... *wink*

As an aside, I think that's the only time I've ever written the word "penis" into an erotic book. LOL I have a preference for other words, words that POP, but here it felt situationally appropriate.

Hugs,Giselle



Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

New Release: Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On

I wrote Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On last summer, thinking I'd put together a nice little fluffy sex romp about a geek girl and her roommate's father. And, in essence, I suppose that's what it ended up being, plot-wise, but I didn't expect the characters to take such firm hold. I didn't expect them to flesh out quite so fully. But they were insistent.



After I'd written this book, I realized it wasn't just for the nerdy girls who want to express themselves sexually in a non-Girls Gone Wild sort of way (like me) but it was also very much for those who grew up with addiction in their households (...like me).



There's something that stays with you all your life if you were raised by a parent or guardian with an addiction. It's a quality of trepidation, an immediate mistrust not only of people but of the potential impact of all substances. In this book, Savannah, the girl who falls for her roommate's dad, is all about clean living, and probably more out of fear of what alcohol and other things might do to her...or make her do.



But she really resents the assumptions other people make about her based on her choice not to drink or do drugs--people ask her to her face if she's a recovering alcoholic, or if she's a religious nut. She's been so focused on school and high achievements that she hasn't given much thought to guys, even though GOD does she love to get laid when the opportunity arises.



Against all odds, and much to my bewildered satisfaction, this book blossoms into a romance when Savannah, who is so like me in so many ways, finds someone who understands the quirks leftover from childhood and still a driving force of her life and personality. Let's just say it surprised me, and I always love it when a book can do that.

Stacy's Dad Has Got It Going On

By Giselle Renarde



Savannah vaguely recalls meeting her roommate's father years ago, but it isn't until Eric shows up unannounced one evening that she realizes a fundamental truth about him: Stacy's dad has got it going on! His career in humanitarian relief makes him college-girl catnip, and his good looks and hot body only sweeten the deal.





Eric doesn't visit as often as he should, but after catching his wife red-handed with a younger man, he doesn't know where to turn for consolation. He's hurt and vulnerable, and though Stacy does her best to cheer him up, no amount of daughterly compassion's going to heal Eric's bruised ego. Savannah knows he needs a special woman to lick his wounds. Too bad nobody warned her Eric would bring more baggage than she'd bargained for.



Excerpt:



"I'm not going to the hospital."



"Yes you are," Eric replied simply. But instead of pulling off his pajama pants and pulling on his jeans, he collapsed beside her on the couch. "Just give me five more minutes."



She sighed and reached again for the remote, this time with more care. "See?" she said, turning down the volume. "As long as I don't move too quickly, I'm fine. I'll just put another round of ice on my ankle and in the morning I'll be healed."



Eric's eyes popped wide open at the mention of ice. "You know, that's not a bad idea." Pressing both hands down on the couch, he pushed himself up and hobbled to the kitchen. He sighed as he opened the freezer. The cold seemed to revive him. He brought the tray out and snapped it back and forth before dumping the ice into a metal mixing bowl. Even before leaving the kitchen, he picked up one piece and traced it along the base of his jaw and down his neck. "That's better," he said. "Nothing like ice dripping down your neck to wake a guy up."



"If you say so." Savannah chuckled. "That's never been my game."



He brought the ice to the TV room and sat on the coffee table before placing the metal bowl on her ankle. She flinched, but she didn't move her foot away. Anything so unnerving must be a help.



"How does that feel?" Eric teased.



"Like hell."



He moved the bowl from her ankle and set it on top of a magazine. From it, he swiped a single cube. Savannah cringed as she watched it coming for her, but when the ice made contact with her skin, she was surprised it wasn't painfully cold. If anything, it tickled.



"How about this?" Eric asked, tracing the cube around her slightly swollen ankle. "How does this feel?"



The ice melted quickly between his fingers and her flesh. Droplets of water trickled down her foot and dripped from her heel onto the throw pillow underneath.



"Good," she said. To her surprise, it was true. "It feels really good, actually."



"What if I do this?" Eric asked, picking up a fresh cube and tracing it up the inside of her calf. Shifting her robe aside, he circled it around her knee before drawing it slowing up her thigh. The cold made her tremble now. She felt its effects more between her legs than she had against her ankle. A whole line of water droplets tumbled down her inner thigh, soaking the terrycloth beneath her. She knew where he was going with this, and she wanted to show him she was on board.



Savannah untied her belt and let her robe fall open at the front. Her breasts were warm and soft with sleep. "Do my tits," she bid. "With the ice. Make them hard."



A churlish grin bled upon Eric's pink lips. "You want me to?"

Now Available from eXcessica, All Romance ebooks, Amazon and many other e-tailers.

PAPERBACK Now Available through CreateSpace and Coming Soon to Amazon!



Hugs,

Giselle



Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Wonderful Review for My Mistress' Thighs

I'm pleased to announce that my anthology of erotic transgender fiction and poetry has been reviewed by Sally at Bibrary Book Lust:

Whether this is your first encounter with Giselle's work, or simply your latest, I daresay there's nowhere better to find yourself than between (the pages of) My Mistress' Thighs.

The review is incredibly thorough, touching on all 11 stories in the collection, and I invite you to read it in its entirety at http://bibrary.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-my-mistress-thighs-by-giselle.html



My Mistress' Thighs is available in print:







and as an ebook:





Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Quick Six PRO with DC Juris (Part Two)

Q: What do you look for in a publisher?

DC Juris: Dependability. An author needs to be more than a dollar sign, and the publisher needs to understand that they don't exclusively own their authors. We're not cattle - we're free to publish anywhere we like. One publisher might be able to meet an author's needs, but then again they might not be. That, and answering my e-mails in a timely manner is always appreciated.



Q: What makes an editor great or...not so great?

DC Juris: The editor who is willing to get to know an author is a great editor. The editor who invests themselves in the characters and the story, who pushes the author to give a better story is a good editor. On the contrary an editor who dives into edits on, say, book two in a series, without having even glanced at book one, shows a lack of professionalism. Getting to know an author is key. If they're a published author who is new to you - read something of theirs. Get to know your author's quirks. And don't be insulting - sometimes, it's not a massive slap in the face to the rules of writing. Sometimes, it's just a typo. :-)



Q: Do you have a preference for short stories of longer works?

DC Juris: Shorter, definitely, both for reading and writing. I don't have a ton of time to read, so stories with piles and piles of details or long, run-on story lines don't appeal to me. Tell me what I need to know - what I absolutely need. I can fill in the rest of the small things myself.



Q: Do you find yourself writing for the market and not for YOU, or self-censoring in any way?

DC Juris: I don't censor at all. I write my stories as the characters tell me they happened. If they make people squeamish, well, that's what warning labels are for.



Q: How have the people in your life reacted to your career as a writer?

DC Juris: My husband and my sister are the only family members who support me. The rest are just "glad I don't use the family name." My friends and co-workers are supportive, though.



Q: Any promo tips for fellow authors?

DC Juris: I'm the last person to give promo tips, but I will say, be honest and approachable to your readers. They like to know you're real.

DC Juris is author of:





Finding Sanctuary is the story of Vincent, a typical, average guy who has begun to unravel. He has a respectable, mainstream life, with a solid job, nice girlfriend, comfortable house-all the material trappings. What, then, is causing this restlessness, these blackouts? The first revelation is that his best friend Eric is also his heart's desire. But then Eric invites him to a weekend at a BDSM playhouse ... There Vincent will confront his fears and test the limits of his sexual boundaries. Eric has his needs, too-needs that conflict with Vincent's. Will their fragile new bond survive the weekend? Will Vincent find the sanctuary he so fervently desires?

Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Six Sentence Sunday - Faithful John and the Dungeon Ravens

I was going to pull 6 from my WIP this week, but it's on my other computer and I'm tired so...that's not going to happen. Instead, I have a saucy 6 sentences from an older BDSM/rope bondage fairy tale release with Xcite ebooks: Faithful John and the Dungeon Ravens (which, btw, is now only $0.99 and that's pretty killer because I think it used to be $2.49)

In this loose adaptation of the Grimm Brothers' tale Faithful John, the queen's untimely death leaves her son in charge of the brothel-like castle dungeon. Though her devoted servant, Faithful John, promised the queen he would keep the young man from the cursed Mistress Mei, nothing can divide royalty and young love. When the young king asks for her hand in marriage, she realizes her acceptance is a death sentence and says yes even so. Can Faithful John save Mistress Mei from her prescribed fate, or will his devotion see him turned to stone?

6 Sentences from Faithful John and the Dungeon Ravens:

"Nothing in my ass, if you don't mind."

"Don't worry, not my specialty," Mistress Mei replied, her aroma heavy with spice but uplifted by the scent of oranges. When she breathed, her silk top rippled against her chest. Her dark nipples were hard and amply visible through the fabric.

The king smirked. "What is your specialty?"

Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Now Available: Red Velvet and Absinthe

This book is WOW! Just take one look at the cover and you want it--most people do. Red Velvet and Absinthe has been much-publicized, but it's not just hype, I can tell you that for sure! I've got a story in it, one I wrote last year at Christmas when I was "vacationing" at my mother's house and pressed firmly up against a deadline. I wrote it sitting at the rather ornate desk in my younger sister's old bedroom, looking out across the snowy expanse of a mid-winter yard.

Red Velvet and Absinthe explores love and lust with otherworldly partners who, by their sheer fantastical nature, evoke passion and desire far beyond that which any normal human being can inspire. Although the greats such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and Daphne du Maurier are long dead, these contemporary authors keep the Gothic spirit alive and well by interpreting it in new and exciting ways. Red Velvet and Absinthe offers readers a collection of unique and original stories that conjure up the atmospheric and romantic spirit of the Gothic masters (and mistresses) but take things a bit further by adding to the brew a generous dosage of eroticism. Lie back and listen to the wind howling outside your window as you read these stories in the flickering light of a candle, the absinthe you're sipping warming your body like the caressing touch of a lover's fingers . . .

My contribution is "Milady's Bath," a lesbian story of adoration and desire, of wild streaks, of a maid bathing her mistress. It's dark and brooding and sensual, and it starts like this:

No sense asking me why she does it. Why scamper out the window every time the moon is full? Why flee the comforts of a warm feather bed knowing she'll return with her gown tattered and her flesh torn to shreds? Like I said, I'm not the one to ask. I've never lusted for any man, and certainly not with such hearty devotion as Milady lusts for that beast she seeks to tame. If ever I had sought the rough touch of man, I might understand why she puts herself in harm's way every second fortnight. If my inclinations were anything like hers, I wouldn't be so quick to judge Milady. I also wouldn't be so quick to run her bath on those nights she returns from the forest wounded but happy as a meadowlark.

She wakes me by the rustle of her skirts if I've fallen asleep, but it's rare I should slumber on the nights Milady sets off into the woods. I worry about her something dreadful when she's gone away. And I always know when she's gone because, though it in't the custom with proper folk, I end my day in Milady's bedchamber.

Most girls who work in great houses share sleeping quarters with other maids. Those lodgings are far away from the family's own rooms. I am far luckier than all those other chambermaids and servants. Me, I share a bed with the girl I adore more than anything else in the world: Milady, my love.

Visit the book's website here: http://mitziszereto.com/redvelvetandabsinthe/

Now Available from Amazon. Keep an eye out in your local book store, and if they don't have it in stock...ask. Red Velvet and Absinthe is worth the risk. ;-)

Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Keywords Are Kewl...and Hilarious!

It's 3 o'clock in the morning, and what is party girl Giselle up to? Why, she's checking her blogger webstats, of course. That's just the kind of gal she is. (And, apparently, also one who refers to herself in the third person, but we'll leave that for now)

So, keyword searches, right? They make me laugh. It's pretty enlightening to see what the biggest draws are on this blog and what kinds of search terms people type into Google. In a lot of cases, I bet people aren't finding quite what they're looking for, here at Donuts & Desires, but I hope at least a few of them get hooked. (Hey, maybe YOU found me through a search engine. What do I know?)

Favourite search terms that landed web surfers here in the past few weeks:

ellie may clampett interracial (I think I was talking in my Beverly Hillbillies voice one time)hairy legs (I can haz hairy legs--there are pictures to prove it)hallmark birthday postcards (I specifically recall this post--it was about how Hallmark wouldn't let me send an e-card with the word "cunt" in the text)lesbian "black lace" story or stories -$ site:blogspot.com (I wrote a story called "Black Lace and Wood" but there were no lesbians in it...and I'm sorry, but I have no $ for you)lesbian knife play (Actually, yes, in my story...dang, what was that story called?...Oh right, "Waiting in Vein")lesbian trans erotica (Yes, I write LOTS of that. Glad you found me!)naked ugly lesbian (My lesbian eating disorder story "Ugly Naked People"?)first shower sex story (Free story at Oysters & Chocolate about shower sex. What was THAT one called? Right--"Shower Fittings")beach "hairy legs" (Those too...but no pics)big leg fétish (They're not that big, but they are partially French, yes)birthday sex (My first e-book was called "The Birthday Gift")mmf erotica (Yes! I write that too! We can be friends) femdom bride (I TOTALLY had some great femdom bride porn posted here, but Google AdSense suspended my account because of it, so I took it down. And do you think they ever re-instated me? Hells no! Maybe I should bring back the explicit pornography)

That was fun! Let's do this again, the next time I'm procrastinating at 3 a.m. Although, posting other people's search terms makes me a little self-conscious of my own. Maybe next time I'll post some of MY online searches, just to be fair.

Good-natured ribbing, right?Hugs,GiselleGiselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Call Me A "Sexpert" ~ Shoshanna Evers Did!

Although, I think that may be a typo and she meant for the "t" to be a "v"--I really am more perv than pert.

No, I'm kidding. Shoshanna Evers (erotic romance author, advice columnist, registered nurse, the list goes on) has put together a kick-ass collection of writing essays called "How to Write Hot Sex" and, as you'll see in the blurby below, my advice on writing fetish and niche market sex will be included. And that makes me a sexpert. As Homer would say...."Woo-hoo!"

In my essay, I've answered questions that aspiring authors have contacted me with over the years, so readers ought to find this information helpful. Also, fetish and BDSM are areas where many novice writers go very, very wrong and inadvertently represent practices and practitioners so inaccurately they get themselves blackballed by editors (it's true!) so I've provided advice on how to prevent that from happening.

"How to Write Hot Sex" has not been released yet, but stay tuned and I'll let you know when it hits the shelves.

From Shoshanna's website:

Here's the blurb for the upcoming book "How to Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors"

This collection of essays by multi-published erotic romance authors details the art of writing sizzling hot sex scenes.

Whether you're writing sensual, steamy, or full-on explicit sex scenes, writers can learn from the authors who write and sell sexy books for a living. Do you want to write erotica? Or an erotic romance? Perhaps you just want to add some hot sexual tension to your romance novel.

This is the book for you.

Here you'll find essays on the art of writing smokin' hot vanilla sex, gay sex, BDSM, kink, and ménage, as well as essays on how to find paying markets and publishers for your books and short stories.

"How to Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors" gives you all the information you need to write sex well and get published!





Featuring the following multi-published authors' essays:





L.K. Below - The Law of Attraction Christine D'Abo - Boys Will Be Boys: Writing Male/Male Romance Kate Douglas (NY Times bestselling author) - Writing the Fine Line Between Erotica and Porn Delphine Dryden - So You Think You Can Kink? Shoshanna Evers – Getting Published Desiree Holt – Five Sexy Senses to Rev Up Scenes Jean Johnson - Biology: The Good, The Bad, & the Sex Scene Isabo Kelly - Fighting Sex Cara McKenna - Real Ugly Giselle Renarde - How To Write Convincing Fetish and Niche Market Sex Charlotte Stein - Sexy Sentences Cari Quinn - Rx for a Sagging Sex Scene

Giselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...

Watch New Book Trailer: My Mistress' Thighs

I got busy with iMovie over the weekend and created this book trailer for my anthology My Mistress' Thighs: Erotic Transgender Fiction and Poetry , available as an ebook and in print:







You can also watch the video directly on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/gisellerenarde

And, authors, I wonder if you could help me out. I remember people mentioning other video upload site on the Yahoo groups, etc, but I can't for the life of me remember any of their names, let alone their urls. If you know what I'm talking about, help an author out and post it in the comments?

Thank you so much!Hugs,GiselleGiselle Renarde
Canada just got hotter!

http://www.wix.com/gisellerenarde/ero...