Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 264

Genevive Chamblee: Romance, Erotica, Porn, & Other Adventures

Romance can be like an addiction. People crave it. Some people have it in their lives but desire more. Some want to explore new aspects of it that they have not experienced. Still, others who have only heard about or seen it from afar strive to introduce it into their lives. Books are a perfect way to do all of these things. And the best part is, readers can choose how it happens.

Want to be whisked back in time or catapulted into the future? Fine. How about being swept off one’s feet in a realm or universe that does not exist? It is possible. Perhaps it high action adventure on the rolling seas or the three of not knowing what lurks around every corner with that special someone at your side. Not out of the question. Or maybe love in the here and now with a sexy co-worker is the fantasy. Done. Romance novels have something for everyone.

Romance novels are also convenient. Traditional books can be purchased, of course, but also audio for listening while motoring down the cruise way, commuting on a train, or tuning out in a boring business meeting you’ve dread all week. (I’ve done all of these things.) They come in e-form and can be read on readers, laptops, smartphones, or tablets. And they can be read anywhere—in restaurants, parks, mountain cabins, backseats, airplanes, doctors’ lobbies, police stations… Well, maybe not at the police station. If one is there, chances are probably other issues are taking priority. The point is: romance is accessible in so many forms all the time if a person only reaches for it.

At one point in history, romance novels were the redheaded stepchildren of the literary world, branded to be a dirty little secret. Publishers and critics did not take them seriously, and the genre was chalked to be nothing more than a cheap thrill. Funny that one would consider Jane Austen’s writings to be lumped as a collection of soft porn. Fortunately, those days have passed. What has not passed, however, is a clear understanding of the difference between romance, erotica, and pornography.

Actually, pornography needs to be taken out of the equation of this discussion since no one seems to be able to define what it is exactly, including the judicial system. It seems to be a vague, catchall to snare anything offensive. But what is offensive to one is not to another. The best definition I have heard of pornography is it cannot be described in words but one knows it when it is encountered. However, for fun, one standard definition of pornography is the depiction of erotic behavior that is intended to cause sexual excitement or the depiction of acts in a sensational manner to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction. Now, isn’t that a doozy? Intense emotional reaction. Hmm. Moving on.

Erotica is a simpler term. In fiction, erotica is stories that the main focus is the sexual relationship and that relationship pushes the story forward. That does not mean erotica is without plots or subplots. It simply means removing the sexual relationship would cause the story to crumble. The sex in erotica is necessary and in the spotlight.

So, how is that different from romance? In romance novels, the focus is on the romantic relationship (which may or may not involve sex) between characters. If sex does occur between the characters, it is to deepen the bond between them. Removing this element from the story would not be detrimental. However, omitting the romantic relationship would dissolve the story. Many stories may have romantic subplots or themes. However, in those, the relationship is secondary to whatever plot is happening. In order for a literary work to be considered a romance, the relationship must take center stage. For example, in a movie like Bourne Identity, there is a romantic interest between Jason and Marie. If the writers and producers wrote this out of the script, the movie still would work. Why? Because the plot is not the romance but Jason discovering his past. It is about fight scenes, car chases, and things getting blown the hell up. Viewers are more interested in if he or won’t he learn the truth. Will the villains be caught? Will Jason live or die? This movie is clearly an action suspense with a romantic subplot. Now, consider another movie like 27 Dresses. If there were no spark between Kevin and Jane, what would be the point of this movie? Write out the romance, and the movie would be less than ten minutes. This movie is a romantic comedy.

For an example of erotica in film, think of a lot of the 1980s b-movies. Many focused on overly hormonal teenager boys looking for ways to score with their female classmates or strippers. The relationships between the characters really did not matter as long as they got freaky between the sheets.

I used examples from movies, but the same principles apply to books. If one ever wonders if a book is truly a romance, just ask can the story exist without a romantic relationship between characters. If the answer is yes, it’s not a romance. With that being said, romance isn’t only fun. It brings people to life. It eliminates boredom. It allows people to feel special and that someone cares. It is not dirty or frivolous or something that needs to be hidden. And it sure as heck isn’t easy to write. Some people are fortunate enough to experience this daily, weekly, or monthly in their lives. Others may not, but that does not mean one cannot live vicariously through books. Therefore, no one should ever be embarrassed to purchase or be seen reading romance novels. Get your piece of romance. You deserve it.

Don’t forget to visit Creole Bayou again. New posts are made on Wednesdays. If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors.

Enjoy sports romance? Check out my new adult romance, Defending the Net, being released in November. It is the second in my hockey series and guaranteed to melt the ice. Preordering information coming soon. Crossing the line could cost the game.

Missed the first in my hockey romance series? Don’t worry. Out of the Penalty Box, an adult romance where it’s one minute in the box or a lifetime out is available at http://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit http://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.

Life’s Roux: Wrong Doors, my steamy romantic comedy, is available at Red Sage Publishing. To order, follow the link to http://bit.ly/2CtE7Ezor to Amazon at http://amzn.to/2lCQXpt.

Copies of all my books and stories are available in paper, eBook, and audio on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. The links are listed in my Writing Projects page (http://bit.ly/2iDYRxU) along with descriptions of each of my novels or stories.

NEWSLETTER! Want to get the latest information and updates about my writing projects, giveaways, contests, and reveals first? Click on http://bit.ly/2zJjUdb and signup today.

My email address for reader contact is: genevivechamblee@outlook.com
My website is: www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com

Vonna Harper: Midnight Touch

I haven’t taken a psychology course for mumble-mumble years but assume Freud’s teachings/theories/observations are still part of psych programs. Back when I was a student, his beliefs were presented pretty much as gospel, but I’m here to announce he didn’t know what he was talking about, at least when it came to one thing.

Back in 1908 Freud declared that a happy person doesn’t fantasize, only a dissatisfied one. Well, he was dead wrong.

As an erotic romance writer, I’ve written a lot of stories with submission/bondage themes. Not BDSM so much as capture and helplessness because, being honest here, the theme pushes my personal buttons. I’m also the product of a very conservative upbringing which means I used to ask myself if there was something wrong with me. There probably is, just not when it comes to the directions my fantasies take me. I came to that conclusion after doing some research and want to share some of what I learned since I know a lot of erotic romance readers are drawn to the same themes I am.

According to psychiatrist Ethel Person of Columbia University, 51% of women imagine being forced to have sex and another third are turned on by pretending to be a slave who must obey a man’s every wish.

What’s behind those mental journeys? Psychologists Harold Leitenberg and Kris Henning state that women who find submission fantasies arousing have no wish to be raped. Thanks to fantasy they are able to control every aspect of what happens. Via thoughts of ropes and bondage, they’re the ones in charge. University of California Santa Cruz professor Eileen Zurbriggen’s research led her to conclude that women who fanaticize about submission have a more positive attitude about sex and are less sexually guilty.

My latest erotic romance, Midnight Touch, is probably the darkest story I’ve ever written. The true darkness took place during Sara’s past when she was married to an evil man. She’s now free and determined to forge a new life, but the past won’t leave her alone. It first appears in the form of Mace Seeger who knows more about Sara and her husband than he wishes he did. He’s as trapped by a man who might not be truly dead as Sara is.

Vonna Harper

www.VonnaHarper.com

https://www.facebook.com/vonna.harper.35

Not a Lazy Saturday…

My daughter and her family left this morning on a family vacation to the beach. How I wish I could have gone, but someone has to watch their six dogs, six cats, and two guinea pigs… Yeah, that would be me.

Opal Carew: Burn Out (Free Books!)

If you want to join Opal on Patreon, you’ll get 3-5 free books and you can receive some great rewards, including receiving a new ebook every month! Just click on the picture!

*~*~*

Hi. Sometimes you hit a bump in the road, and after falling on your butt, your need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get rolling again.

That bump in the road for me was cancer. I was diagnosed about eight months ago. I’m lucky, though. It was treatable with surgery and required no radiation or extra therapy.

So my story has a happy ending. I had the surgery in late January and I’ve had the follow-up where the doctors informed me they’ve gotten it all and there’s only a 5% chance of it recurring.

Relief and smiles all around!

In the months leading up to the surgery, I did alternative treatments to ensure I had every chance of getting through this with the best possible outcome. I’m still doing some of them because… well, they’re making me healthier.

I’ve lost 65 pounds, which my doctors and alternative practitioners are thrilled about. My high-blood pressure is down to normal and I’ve gone off all but one of my prescription drugs. I seem to be healthier than I was a year ago. And as I continue to lose weight (yeah, I still have a ways to go), I’ll keep getting healthier.

The whole thing has been stressful and terrifying, though. The initial diagnosis was a punch in the gut, then there was the agonizing uncertainty leading up to the surgery… and afterward until the final results came in.

I’m sure that the crazy stress I put myself under over the past few years trying to release a book or more every single month played a part in me getting sick. People close to me kept telling me to slow down or I’d burn out but my answer was that I had to keep going. Keep bringing in income. There was no choice.

But now I realize that nothing is worth losing your health. I was amazingly lucky, and now I really understand that there is always a choice. And I’m making it now. I’ve vowed to slow down and give myself downtime every day.

I know that sometimes I’ll slip (it’s already happened), but then I’ll re-evaluate and figure out how to proceed in a better way.

To help, I’ve decided to take up art to keep me excited about doing something other than work. I’m taking SkillShare classes to learn to draw, starting with some really fun stuff, like drawing a friend as a Disney princess. I want to draw mermaids, fairies, angels, and beautiful princesses. Maybe even some sexy men.

I love working with colour and am using Copic markers right now. I’ll expand to watercolour and other media as I proceed. Hopefully, next time I guest blog with Delilah, if I’m brave enough I’ll share something I’ve done.

So if you find yourself really stressed, taking on too much, finding it hard to breathe you’re so piled under, I urge you to take a moment, decide that ultimately your health is more important than anything else, and find a way to lighten your load.

Start by doing something for yourself. Grab an adult colouring book, go for a walk, meditate… anything that gives you an hour or so to relax every day. Even pick up a good book!

About Cheese…

“There should be a burnished tablet let into the ground on the spot where some courageous man first ate stilton cheese, and survived.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

I read that quote and had to laugh. I can soooo relate to it in a couple of different ways.

First, this idea of someone taking a leap of faith with regards to food… I think it was my dd who once asked me, “Who do you think the first person was, who saw a chicken lay an egg and said, ‘I’m going to eat that!'”

And then there is my love of cheese that she finds inexplicable. The smellier, the greater my joy. I have no idea why. You’d think the smell would be off-putting, but for me, the moment I smell a really stinky cheese, I drool. Cheese is my favorite kind of food. Even more so than chocolate. Does that make me weird? My red-headed hellion certainly thinks so…

But this isn’t really a blog about my love of cheese. That quote’s not really about cheese. It’s about the spirit of adventure that lurks inside us. Some of us have more of it than others, but it’s that spirit that makes us try the cheese in the first place.

So, tell me something about cheese, or about some experience you tried out of that spirit of adventure!

And yes, I BOUGHT a picture of cheese.

Elle James: Brotherhood Protectors

Out with the old in with the…well not so new?

With the closing of Kindle Worlds, authors have been scrambling to get their books back up. Many authors and readers didn’t want to see the books in the Brotherhood Protectors World go away. So I created a publishing company to allow authors to continue to write in my world (including my lovely sister, Delilah Devlin!)

TwistedPage.com will be the website for the publishing company. It’s a work in progress and will be live soon. But the books are back up!!! Get your copies if you haven’t already. And they are available in Kindle Unlimited! We’ll also be publishing more books in this year so stay tuned!

Here are the books in Brotherhood Protectors World. Read all of them! They are wonderful and the authors will love you for it! Happy Reading from Elle James and all the authors of the Brotherhood Protectors World.

Anne L Parks, Conrad: https://amzn.to/2usPIP8

Christine Glover, Falling For Her Bodyguard: https://amzn.to/2Nkmfhh

Christine Glover, Falling For Her Temporary Bodyguard: https://amzn.to/2NWSAM3

Cynthia D’Alba, Texas Marine Mayhem: https://amzn.to/2Llhcww

Cynthia D’Alba, Texas Ranger Rescue: https://amzn.to/2NmjZGg

Debra Parmley, Montana Marine: https://amzn.to/2JtvTeU

*Delilah Devlin , Big Sky SEAL: https://amzn.to/2zMfdjw

*Delilah Devlin, Reaper’s Ride: https://amzn.to/2JyVdR6

Desiree Holt, Hidden Danger: https://amzn.to/2NngWNW

Donna Michaels, Elite Protector: TBA

Heather Long, Chasing Katie: https://amzn.to/2JrkWe4

Heather Long, Shielding Shayna: https://amzn.to/2moSXCI

Heather Long, Wrangling Wanda: https://amzn.to/2Li4n9g

Ilsa J. Bick, Soldier’s Heart Part I: https://amzn.to/2NTXLMR

Ilsa J. Bick, Soldier’s Heart Part II: https://amzn.to/2uGDrFV

Ilsa J. Bick, Soldier’s Heart Part III: https://amzn.to/2JyVcfQ

Jen Talty, Rough Justice: https://amzn.to/2LkN8nI

Jesse Jacobson, Guardian Ranger: https://amzn.to/2NmPxvM

Jesse Jacobson, Rainhorse: https://amzn.to/2NYIHh2

Jesse Jacobson, Steele Ranger: https://amzn.to/2JuOHKX

JM Madden, Wish Upon A SEAL: https://amzn.to/2NpT9Nr

KaLyn Cooper, Snow SEAL: https://amzn.to/2NmCTNi

Kat Mizera, Catching Lana: https://amzn.to/2Jw3k0B

Kate McKeever, Saving Sidewinder: https://amzn.to/2Jt6IJz

KD Michaels, Montana Gypsy: https://amzn.to/2Lepbi4

Kendra Mei Chailyn, Fear the Reaper: https://amzn.to/2NUXARt

Kris Norris, Carved In Ice: https://amzn.to/2LqUH9e

Kris Norris, Midnight Ranger: https://amzn.to/2L3UtsN

Layla Chase, Ranger In Charge: https://amzn.to/2NWd5IN

Layla Chase, Ranger Loyalty: https://amzn.to/2NruAzA

Leteisha Newton, Protecting Hawk: https://amzn.to/2NmOGLA

Linzi Baxter, Grayson’s Angel: https://amzn.to/2NnI4N5

Margaret Madigan, Broken SEAL: https://amzn.to/2JwuHrz

Mary Winter, Protecting his Cowgirl: https://amzn.to/2NlhGTL

Mary Winter, Roped & Rescued: https://amzn.to/2NixCpQ

Mary Winter, Wild Horse Rescue: https://amzn.to/2L5DqXi

Paige Yancey, Hot Colorado Nights: https://amzn.to/2LtkTQK

Regan Black, Lost Signal: TBA

Regan Black, Moving Target: https://amzn.to/2NSC5Rg

Regan Black, Off the Radar: https://amzn.to/2NWd47Q

Silver James, Montana Moon: https://amzn.to/2Lvm028

Sue Coletta, Fractured Lives: https://amzn.to/2JyHCZJ

Tiffani Lynn, Rescuing Reya: https://amzn.to/2uviazM

What do the Ferryman, the Fates, and the King of the Underworld have in common?

You’ll just have to pick up a copy of Gargoyle’s Embrace to see! Do you love mythology as much as I do? Greek, Norse, Egyptian… I could get lost for hours in books about mythical heroes! So, I wrote one. It’s very naughty! Consider yourself warned!

Gargoyle’s Embrace

Lust trapped them in darkness…only love can free them…

Petra Pedersen has lived as a recluse all her life thanks to a shameful power inherited from the father she will never know—the power to incite lust in men and women with just a touch. Exploring the garden of the mansion she’s just inherited, she comes across a fascinating stone gargoyle whose raw, passionate expression draws her to caress its powerful body. Her imagination follows her fluttering fingers. As she closes her eyes and gives herself up to the arousal, something shifts beneath her touch.

Long ago, failure to stop a demon battle trapped Octavius in a prison of stone. Freed by the woman’s incendiary touch, he doesn’t hesitate to unleash his pent-up rage and desire in a blistering fury. Yet once the haze of lust clears, he discovers he isn’t really free after all. They are both trapped in another realm where he must choose between his last chance for redemption or returning Petra home…

Warning: Sex with inanimate objects, lusty m/m/f ménages with gods… It’s all good when the reward is freedom.

Get your copy here!

And…what readers are saying about Cochise?

“This series of books [Montana Bounty Hunters] is one of the author’s finest.”

“Cochise (Book 4) was exciting, fast paced, scary, filled with plot twists…”

“Heart pounding action and a VERY satisfying read!”

A hunt deep in a national forest forges bonds between a bounty hunter and a woman desperate to find her sister…

Get your copy here!

For Authors! New Call for Submissions — Stranded

 

STRANDED: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY

Editor: Delilah Devlin

Deadline: November 15, 2018

STRANDED is open to all authors.

Editor/Author Delilah Devlin (me!) is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled STRANDED: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.

Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I have several thoughts…

Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscle! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series.

You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!

It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”

And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand it into a novel!

Here’s what I’m looking for…

STRANDED: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories about women who find themselves in extremely challenging circumstances—vulnerable to the elements and/or to their rescuers! But don’t create damsels in distress who don’t have an inner core of resolve to save themselves. Heroines must be strong characters, otherwise, how will they attract and capture the love of a strong alpha hero?

I’m eager to work on my next delectable anthology—this one filled with stories about women who find themselves—STRANDED. Your heroine could be a castaway on a desert island, have her car break down in the mountains, be stranded in the ocean while snorkelling, crash land in the jungle or on an uninhabited planet… Don’t limit your imagination to these ideas! Have fun with the concept.

I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the woman is in jeopardy, and 2) the story is a romance, and 3) you have a bad boy somewhere in the pages! Should you write that LGBT story, consider making the couple’s adversary or helpmate a roguish man—because, hey, I’m looking for men who behave badly.

The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story, so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.

I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.

Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short story.

This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink, but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. I want original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch, and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-words or less bio, written in the third person, and send to boyswhobehavebadlystranded@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will respond no later than December 30, 2018 with decisions.

Payment will be $25.00 USD ninety days after publication at the end of that month.

Who am I?

Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of erotica and erotic romance. She has published nearly two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths, and is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors and Sex Objects. She also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to me at boyswhobehavebadlystranded@gmail.com.

Words I Write

Yes, I have a book coming on Tuesday. Something very, very dirty. If that’s your thing, see the post below and order your copy now!

If you’re looking for something to exercise your gray matter on a lazy Sunday, look no farther than the puzzle below! When you’re finished, you’ll see so many of your favorite words. You’re welcome!

Psst! Don’t forget to enter yesterday’s contest! It’s still open!!

Gargoyle’s Embrace releases next Tuesday! (Contest)

I’m releasing a story I wrote a while ago that was part of a series, but I’ve revised it to stand on its own. It’s one I loved writing, because I let my imagination run wild inside the stories I read when I was a child and completely in love with mythology. This is mostly based on Greek mythology and, of course, the reader gets to meet the dark and dangerous God of the Underworld, Hades. Well, you get to see quite a bit of him, actually.