Afton Locke's Blog, page 5

Snippet Sunday - Rose, Exposed (adult)

(warning: adult content below)

“Did you feel his cock against you, Rose?”

She shook her head, unable to take her eyes from the enticing length of hard flesh sliding back and forth in his hand. He let go of himself and traced his wet fingertip along her bottom lip.
“You’re a poor liar, sweet girl,” he whispered.
In spite of herself, she extended her tongue and licked the essence he’d left on her mouth.
“Yes, I felt it,” she admitted, “but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to anger him by backing away.”
Her fear of Jonathan seemed silly now because the real danger was right here in the car with her.
These sentences are from Rose, Exposed by Afton Locke, a 1930s multicultural erotic romance.

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Buy eBook Link: http://www.ellorascave.com/rose-exposed.html
Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT9x9-Hlhw&feature=youtu.be
Blog Tour(3/26 - 4/9): http://www.aftonlocke.com/RoseExposedTour.html

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Snippet Sunday - Rose, Exposed

Happy Easter! Here's a snippet from my latest release, Rose, Exposed.

“You’re so…dark,” she exclaimed. Instead of the disdain he expected, he heard fascination.
Come on, lady. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a colored man before.
“Yes, I’m dark,” he agreed as he politely removed her hand, “which is why it’s not a good idea for us to sit alone together in this car. Someone might come along and jump to the wrong conclusion.”
A conclusion that could get him beat up or worse with the Klan close by on Oyster Island. 
But before he could stop her, she clasped both sides of his face and pressed her sweet mouth to his. Aw, hell. A man only had so much self-control, and she’d just shattered his.




Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com
Rose, Exposed - 1930s erotic romance - available now at Ellora's Cave!

Rose Exposed cover and video

 
 I just got my cover for Rose, Exposed , which releases from Ellora's Cave on March 27th!I love it. The mood of the book is captured perfectly.
I also put together a book trailer video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT9x9-Hlhw&feature=youtu.be

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Rose Exposed Blog Tour

I'm very excited to announce my most official blog tour ever. It's for my upcoming multicultural 1930s erotic romance release -- Rose, Exposed -- 27 March from Ellora's Cave!

Go here for all the details:
http://www.aftonlocke.com/RoseExposedTour.html


Now I've got to get busy writing articles!

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Two Times in Texas

If you have fun doing something once, you want to do it again, right? Last weekend I went to the the Sassy Seven Author’s Naughty Sleepover Celebration(NSO) in San Antonio and had a blast. It also reminded me of my first trip to Texas.

When I was 17, I won a competition for the state I lived in and got to go to Houston. (I won’t say what the competition was because it sounds antique!) Let’s just say I worked my butt off to win because I was already a huge fan of the west. Let’s compare, shall we?
WeatherI went to Houston in the summer and it was steamy. San Antonio in February is a hell of a lot better than February at home. I chucked off my coat, sat by the pool, and enjoyed spring fever early.

HotelIn Houston, I got stuck with a chain hotel. I can’t say enough good things about the Menger in San Antonio. Nicest hotel I ever went to for a conference. Beautiful Victorian furnishings and a western ambience. When I checked in, the guy behind the desk was dazzled that I was a writer. He even shook my hand and said writers sometimes demand special things like a certain drink. (I guess I should’ve demanded a Mojito delivered to my room every day.) The hauntings were cool too. I stood next to someone who had a ghost experience and saw some cool lights on one of the hall mirrors.

ChaperonesIn Houston, my chaperone did a disappearing act so I was on my own in the big city. In San Antonio, I didn’t need one. I explored the Alamo and the River Walk, and the hostesses (Regina Carlysle, Samantha Cayto, Cerise Deland, Desiree Holt, Allie Standifer, and Brenna Zinn) took care of every detail with finesse. You’d never know this was their first event. We’re hoping they do it again.

They even started the conference with a friendly fireside-type chat where they introduced themselves. At 17, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the big-girl games like ring toss with an inflatable phallic symbol or Pin the Junk on the Hunk. Wouldn’t have been able to watch the live BDSM demo either.
DrinksAs you can see in the picture, I’m holding a bottle of Jack Daniels, but I was too young to drink it. During the decadent chocolate event at NSO, I took advantage of the cash bar and also enjoyed some sangria and margaritas while people watching on the River Walk. Now this is the life writers dream about.

MoneyYou can also see some dollar bills stuffed into my bodice. At the NSO, I saw LOTS of dollar bills -- mostly being stuffed into the G-strings of the talented male dancers from Hard Bodies. We had cowboy/cop guy, smooth city guy, and Native-American guy who even played with fire.

Romance NovelsAt 17, I passed the time reading a romance novel by Rosemary Rogers. I even sat at the desk with pen and paper, demanding myself to write a novel. Even then I knew I wanted to be a romance author. Now I know trips aren’t for writing but for being open to the book ideas that hit without warning. And I’m happy to say I achieved my dream. I am a published romance author.

FriendsAbandoned in Houston, I participated in all the group activities and made some new friends. I spent a day with a girl and her family at a nearby amusement park, and we exchanged letters for many years afterward. I met a lot of new friends at the NSO too, only now I connect with them on Facebook.

MenWhich brings me to the best subject of all. Men! In Houston, I attended the group event to go to a ranch for BBQ and western dancing. On the bus, I sat with a gorgeous male teacher from Kentucky. When I mentioned I was cold from the icy air conditioning, he enfolded my arm in his and rubbed it to warm it up. His wife and kid were sitting only a couple of seats behind us. Needless to say, I wasn’t cold after that. I was downright hot, in fact. On another night, I met a cute guy from Nevada at a group dance. We were lip-locked for hours. Unfortunately, I never heard from him again.

At NSO, we got to hang out with David Nieves and Cole Reilly, the perfect guys for the job. And may I say that the state of Texas has the hottest men around? I was even enjoying the male scenery at the airport.

PackingIn Houston, I had a smaller suitcase and didn’t take that much with me. Different story for NSO in San Antonio. I had to bring sexy shoes for the contest, denim and glitz, pink for the breast cancer fundraiser luncheon, and layers for all weather. Not to mention the shopping at the River Walk. At home, I’m too busy writing to shop so I sort of went wild.

I also won wine and a book by A.B. McKinley. Did a lot of strategic arranging to get it all to fit and barely got the suitcase closed. Wouldn’t you know that’s when my suitcase got searched? I must say they did a pretty good job of putting things back in the right place. Not sure what they thought of the swag that said things like -- so many men, so little rope. It’s a good thing I didn’t take home any sex toys from the demo. My poor cowboy hat will never look the same now.
Home Again
I miss Texas even more than I did after the first trip. Brenna Zinn told me I look like a native, which I take as a huge compliment. I will be back a third time…
For some great pictures of the NSO event, check out Dalton Diaz’s blog post:
http://naughtyauthorchicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-promised-pics-from-sassy-seven_28.html?zx=5cb0d93bce4f8c34
Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com
Rose, Exposed -- 1930s erotic romance - coming soon from Ellora's Cave!

My Trading Card Adventure

Even though I took a break from writing over the holidays, I kept up with promo.

Before I went to RomantiCon last October, I'd never heard of a trading card. Browsing the promo tables, I spotted the nifty little cards and picked some up. When I got home, I looked up the official web site and said, "I've gotta try this."

I happily designed a card for Plucking the Pearl, my interracial historical erotic romance novel -- putting my blurb on the back and my book cover on the front.

The book cover is very explicit, which I believe helped sales. However, it didn't help when I tried to get my trading cards printed. Vendor A had reasonable prices but declined to fulfill the order due to the cover. Okay... So I contacted the publisher who suggested some other vendors. Turned out those didn't do trading cards but one thought it was a great idea, so that could change.

Next I went to Vendor B, one that had printed bookmarks for my first book. Their price was higher, but something was better than nothing. However, they couldn't handle the cover either.

At that point I was pretty frustrated. Then I got on iStockPhoto and found a bunch of images of the same couple that appeared in my cover. I happened to find a very nice one that is suggestive but not nearly as explicit. I bought it. To make sure it would pass the vendor's censors, I even cloned part of her nightie to remove any hint of shaded nipples showing through! I also put a moustache on my hero because he has one. Vendor A printed it, no questions asked. Hooray!

The result is above. What do you think? I can't wait to distribute them at shows.

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

My New Year's Resolutions

The holidays were a whirlwind this year between shopping, cleaning, family, parties, and cooking. That's right, cleaning. Something I usually avoid. Next year I'm hiring a professional. Scouring a dirty kitchen doesn't exactly put me in the holiday spirit. To keep things interesting, the car broke down on Christmas Day away from home. I'm glad to say there are good folks out there and the Christmas spirit is still alive and well.

While 2010 and 2011 were not good years for me, 2012 was. At the end of every year, I like to look back and find things to be thankful for. Here's to 2013 and hoping it's a good one.

So what are my New Year's resolutions?
1) put out more books per year
2) exercise more (Doesn't everyone say that after pigging out during the holidays?)
3) clean more? (Nah, takes too much time from writing.)
4) blog more

So why is #4 so hard for me?
-It's hard to see a direct connection to benefitting my career. Does anyone actually read this?
-It takes time away from writing.
-I can never think of what to say.
-Everyone else's blog pictures always look so much better than mine.

Even though it's hard, I'll try to do it more. I want to be accessible to readers and share my life, boring as it sometimes may be!

So if you're out there and you're reading, give a shout-out.
By the way, what's your New Year's resolution?

Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com

6 Sentence Sunday - Plucking the Pearl

Plucking the Pearl by Afton Locke -- now in print at Ellora's Cave!

He groaned when her hand clasped the hard ridge of his trousers. Inside, his organ strained against the fabric and ached for release.
“I need to see you too,” she said.
“Pearl,” he warned.
“I bet you have a naughty word for it too. Tell me.”
“It’s called a cock,” he replied.
Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com

Tribute to Dallas

I’m sorry to hear another great star passed this year. Larry Hagman, better known as J.R. on Dallas. I grew up watching Dallas. It was great family time on Friday night, after a hard week or school or work, to get wrapped up in the drama. I remember when everybody wore “who shot J.R?” T-shirts.

This is the show that inspired me to write. The emotions and twists and turns of the plot drove me to pick up the pen for the first time. I remember buying a theme book of blank notebook paper where I hand wrote my first novella. A western, of course. And who can forget the character Afton, the sultry songstress who tangled with both J.R. and Cliff?
The inspiration didn’t stop there. I bought a cowboy hat, boots, and a pack of bandanas. I rode a horse every chance I got. When I won a trip to Houston, I was beyond excited. The men handling the bags at the airport wore hats and boots too.
Need I mention that Texas men are especially hot? There’s nothing sexier than a cowboy wearing tight designer jeans with a big belt buckle and a half-buttoned shirt. Dallas had plenty of men to drool over and nice ranch scenes for overall western flavor. I can’t wait to go back to Texas in 2013 to The Naughty Little Sleepover reader event (http://sassyseven.com/naughty-sleepover/).
I’m a retro TV fan, so I’ve been watching the Dallas reruns. Having experienced more of life, I get even more out of them than watching them the first time. I watched part of the sequel that aired recently, but it just didn’t have the same magic. The power, the elegance, the something I can’t even define.
You might be gone, J.R., but never forgotten.
Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

RomantiCon 2012 was a blast!

Last week’s RomantiCon 2012 was a blast. I met up again with authors I hadn’t seen in a few years and met some new ones. The fun workshops make learning painless. And may I say the cavemen this year were particularly gorgeous. On Thursday night, there was a meet and greet party with my fave, karaoke. I was way out of practice but I managed not to clear the room with my singing. The cavemen danced with us as we sang.

Friday, we learned how to use hula hoops, which is a great calorie burner. Who knew? My favorite event of the whole convention was getting to pose with the male models as if it would go on a book cover. Imagine my surprise when I was lifted into the air! The camera, everyone watching, and being sandwiched between two shirtless hunks is enough to put a girl into sensory overload. That night we dressed up, celebrating Mayan Carnival. I finally got to wear the dress I’d been sewing and struggling to finish since June.
Saturday, we had a zumba lesson from the caveman who ultimately won the Alpha Caveman title. I’d heard of zumba but had never done it. I’ve never had so much fun working out. If only I could get that instruction every week. After that, we learned how to give lap dances and the volunteers had us in stitches of laughter.
That evening was apocalypse night. Since I don’t have any camo, I dressed like a vampire zombie. To my surprise, I won an award for my last book, Plucking the Pearl. It was great to meet fans. I felt like a celebrity!
Sunday, I had the best book signing ever. The four hours flew by with performances from the cavemen and Cleveland Exotic Dancers. After experiencing book signings early in my career where I sold no books or maybe one or two, this was fantastic. That night was the pizza and bingo party. We were all laughing so hard from the antics of the cavemen.
It was sad to see it end, but after four nights of partying I needed some rest. I realized I hadn’t danced or worn a fancy dress in a couple of years. Life had been too heavy and serious. This convention reminded me what FUN is and that it’s necessary. I’ll be back.
Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com