Fiona Zedde's Blog, page 2

June 2013 Newsletter

Happy June!
I'm still riding high from the parties in celebration of my new book, first in Tampa and then in Atlanta over the last couple of weekends. The reception of Broken in Soft Places has been mostly good so far. I hope that trend continues. 
Don't forget that if you enjoyed what you read, please don't keep it a secret. Post your reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Lulu, Goodreads, and any other places you can think of.
Over the past few months, I've been steadily writing and have barely raised my head to look out into the world. The book and its parties have thrown open the door to my cave. It's been nice to socialize with people, chat about literature, eat cake, and see what's going on around me. Who knew it was so nice out here?
- Fiona
To read the rest of the June newsletter, go HERE.

Happy May, loves!It's not only National Masturbation Mont...

Happy May, loves!
It's not only National Masturbation Month, it's also the month my new book - BROKEN IN SOFT PLACES - comes out.  I'm super excited as always for both. National Masturbation Month gives us an excuse to pay attention to our pleasures and to our bodies, enjoy them, explore them and learn what we like so we can offer ourselves and our partners a knowledge of our own bliss.
And I'm also excited - WAY more excited, actually - that it's time for another book of mine to hit the shelves. When a new book comes out, I celebrate another year of living and of being able to do what I love, which is keep writing and sharing my stories with readers new and old.
With this new milestone, I raise my glass to every one of you who has borrowed, purchased, shared, talked about, and otherwise spread the word of my work. Thank you so, so much.
**cheers!
To read the rest of the May newsletter, go HERE.

New Fiona Zedde Novel, May 14, 2013

The instant Sara Chambers meets the seductive and sinful Merille Thompson, she falls hard; but knowing the difference between love and a dangerous, all-consuming desire is just one of the lessons Sara must learn before it’s too late.
**Coming soon from Bold Strokes Books, May 14, 2013.

March Newsletter!

These days, I find myself in an in-between state. Not happy, not sad. Just coasting. Don't get me wrong, the world is still beautiful and I do manage to pop out of this ennui every once in a while to share a long laugh with a friend, shake my butt on the dance floor, or simply bask in the simple beauty of an afternoon on the beach. But there's something hovering just beyond my reach that I feel I need to grasp. Or, maybe I'm just getting restless again.
In this new and radiant month of March, I'm challenging myself to break out and grasp after that indefinable something that I seem to be looking for. Why not? If there's something eluding or bothering YOU these days, make an effort to fix it. Make an effort to find your contentment. Life is too short not to.
Fiona
To read the rest of the newsletter, click the link HERE.

Vampire Bite Blog Hop

The Vampires I’ve Loved and Will Love Again
I’ve loved vampires almost as long as I’ve been able to read. So, after happily devouring fanged tales by other writers for years, I finally decided to write my own vampire novel. That book is Every Dark Desire.

The response to the book has been strong; my readers either really LOVE the novel or they’re frightened of it and won’t try it. I had one long-time reader buy the book just to support my work; but she only read it a few years later in desperation when she couldn’t sleep and couldn’t find anything else to read in her house. She said once she read the book, though, that it became her favorite of all my books. Hands down. That story blew my mind. How many other people who otherwise love my books didn’t even pick up Every Dark Desire simply because of its vampire content? Before, I used to think, “who doesn’t love vampires?”
Check out the excerpt from Every Dark Desire below and please LIKE the Facebook page for the sequel, Desire at Dawn, which will be in stores in 2014. Besos!
"Swimming"
Her blood was ambrosia. Spicy. And hot. It flooded into Naomi’s body in a rush, washing her with power and joy. Under her, Julia chuckled, encouraging her to take more, to suck until she was full.“I fed well tonight, just for you.Naomi intended to feed well, too. She pulled deeply at the soft flesh under her mouth, her body unconsciously undulating over Julia, until the pleasure from her feeding and the tingles of arousal tripping across her flesh were one and the same. Julia’s hand clenched in her hair, alternately pulling and pushing at Naomi. Soft gasps tumbled from her open mouth. Julia’s legs widened and Naomi’s thigh easily fell between them and curled up until it slid against the slippery slit under the dress. Her own body burned brushfire hot. Still sucking, she pulled at her own blouse, ripping away the stolen clothes in her haste to be naked, to find a relief from the heat building inside her. A cooling breeze rippled over her naked skin, but still she burned. Julia’s gasps grew louder with each pull of Naomi’s mouth and press of her thigh. The new vampire’s hands tightened. Julia’s orgasm jetted more blood into Naomi’s open mouth, but still she couldn’t stop. The smaller woman began to fight her, to push at her shoulders, pull her heavy hair, and even buck under Naomi’s heavier body. She started to make desperate mewling noises.“Stop—!”Naomi ignored her and sucked harder. Then something plucked her from her feast and sent her sailing through the air. She landed in the sea with a massive splash and a different salty wet filled her open mouth. Naomi choked and tried to catch her breath before she remembered that she didn’t need to breathe anymore.“Stop means stop, puppy. You don’t want to kill her, do you?”Naomi looked up from her sprawl in the water and flipped her heavy wet hair out of her face. “She’s dead already anyway,” she said.The vampire who’d spoken looked down at her with contempt then shook her head, turning back to the slight woman still whimpering in the sand. This beast was even taller than Naomi, quite an accomplishment since at almost six feet she’d always been considered ridiculously tall by most. “And you,” she said, reaching down to help Julia stand up. “Why did you give this thing your blood?  You should have drained it and left it to die.”“But, Silvija, she—”Julia’s head snapped back from the force of the giant’s sudden slap. She rocked back on her heels with a blossom of blood appearing abruptly at the corner of her mouth, but she did not fall. Silvija’s grip on her collar saw to that. Naomi watched them for a moment before dropping back into the water with a splash. She felt divine. Up above, the moon was an incandescent sliver in a sky that was layer upon layer of dark. Dark clouds, dark corona of the moon, dark universe.  Darkness slid inside her, burrowing under her skin to settle into her hollow spaces, filling them. Changing them. She didn’t even feel like Naomi anymore. Her pupils widened. The stars above her were tiny daggers of light, piercing her with their beauty and distant burn. Water lapped against her bare skin, cooling, cleansing. She lazily swam backwards, aware of the two, no four, women on the beach and their talk, but was uninterested in it. The giant, Silvija, still towered over Julia with her wide hands straddling her own hips. Three others stood slightly behind her, rather like lackeys or lieutenants, watching the giant and her slight companion. No one paid any attention to Naomi. She laughed softly. Then was struck by the musicality of her own voice, rather like a siren’s with its high breathy quality. It had never been like that before. She laughed again, just to hear the sound, and then turned to dive to deeper water. A large hand dropped to her shoulder and held her back. Naomi growled and lashed her fingers across the face looming over her shoulder. It was Silvija. Scarlet trails of shredded flesh and blood opened on the broad face. Then the cuts healed.“Let that be the first and last time you raise your hand to me, child.”Naomi glanced at her in disdain. So what if Julia let this woman toss her around like a crocus bag full of breadfruit? Naomi sure as hell was not that cowardly to let that happen to her. She and Silvija were almost the same height, only the giant’s body was broader, more solid and muscular than Naomi’s, rather like a brute, crude and roughly made.“Fuck off.”Silvija laughed. Then threw her farther out in the water. “You first.”
  

February 2013 Newsletter

February greetings!
So, it's not really my birthday anymore. January 24th has come and gone in a blaze of glory, leaving empty wine bottles and pastry containers strewn all over the place. But, the Aquarius cycle continues on until February 18th and so do my festivities.  
A little dancing, a bit more wine. Hopefully a day above 80 degrees so I can go for another swim in the ocean.
So, in honor of living a full and gorgeous life, celebrate with me; celebrate your love and celebrate Blackness. Celebrate you.
Blessings!
- Fiona 

To read more of the newsletter, click HERE.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop Continues...

Thanks for joining me on this latest stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, week 28. I’m taking the baton from the groovy Karis Walsh, who was generous enough to tag me at the last minute as I ran around in a tizzy of my own making.
The purpose of this hop is to expose folks to writers and their work that perhaps they haven’t heard of, whether a new release or a Work in Progress (WIP).
According to the rules of the hop, I will be answering some questions (the same ones for every other blog hopper) about my newest release, Broken in Soft Places (May 2013, Bold Strokes Books). At the bottom of the post, I’ve listed authors who will do the same thing in their blogs next Wednesday January 9th.
What is the working title of your book? I just released a long, short story called “Return to Me” (which is only available digitally for now) and will be publishing a collection of erotic lesbian stories this June in both print and ebook formats. But the book I’m focusing on here is called Broken in Soft Places.
Where did the idea come from for the book? The plot for Brokenis a combination of dozens of ideas I’ve had over the years, but the seed of the story comes from a conversation I had with some friends while drinking far too much red wine. The question came up: What would you do if you ended up in an unwanted threesome simply for the sake of pleasing your lover?
What genre does your book fall under? The book is classified as “general fiction” although there is an unconventional romance at its core.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? If I could time travel, I’d bring in a fierce and nubile Eartha Kitt to play my seductress, Rille. Gabrielle Union gives good virgin, so she’d so a great job as Sara.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A young woman falls under the spell of a gorgeous, older co-ed and ends up involved in a long-term threesome.
What is the longer synopsis of your book? 
Some mornings, Sara Chambers wakes in bed next to her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s lover wondering how she ended up there. Beautiful, successful, and a force to be reckoned with at her Atlantalaw firm, Sara is still powerless in her attraction to the rebellious and reckless, Rille Thompson.As college girlfriends, Sara and Rille’s relationship had been incendiary, burning away Sara’s innocence and self-respect even as it widened her world beyond her wildest imagination. Now, almost twenty years later, Rille still pushes Sara beyond her limits, bringing a third lover into their bed and domestic lives when their monogamy gets stale. The hold Rille has over Sara—and their new lover—becomes as powerful as it is dangerous. Can Sara pull herself free in time, or will her life turn to cinders in the wake of Rille’s powerful flame?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? The novel is being published by Bold Strokes Books.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Years and years. It’s the longest time I’ve ever taken to write a book.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? An ex-girlfriend of mine was always encouraging me to stretch myself with the type of fiction that I write. She supported my lesbian erotica but practically dared me to write something different. I wrote a young adult novel over a year ago and now I’m trying this in hopes that the audience that has supported me since my first book in 2005 will follow me with Broken.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The book is sexy, atmospheric, and has plenty of food porn. Are you piqued yet?
Next Wednesday check out the blogs of Skyy and Brook Blander to find out about their Next Big Thing.

Happy 2013. The Year of Eros.

I read online today that 2013 is the year of Eros (defined by The Free Dictionary as “creative, often sexual yearning, love, or desire.” Personally, I think every year should be devoted to the principles of Eros. Life is simply much better with these forces actively at work within us. Love and yearning push us to create. They inspire us to be better for the beloved who is within our sights and in our hearts – even if that beloved is a long term partner and has already seen us at our worst.

If you've been cheating yourself of love and desire in recent months or years, this is your excuse to treat yourself better. Love well in 2013. Create. Give everything. Explore.

- Fiona
To read and subscribe to my latest newsletter, go HERE.

New Bliss/Hunter Short Story in January. Neruda Love. New Book for 2013

Greetings!

Last month was so hectic that I completely forgot to send out (or write) a newsletter for November. So I'm making sure that - even though I'm still crazy busy - I make time to send my greetings far and wide.

My first fall/winter in Miami has been uneventful so far. Days of work and simple pleasures, nights of deep rest. My new neighbor thinks I work too hard and never leave the house, so he's always trying to get me to go out and "enjoy life." On this quest for enjoyment, I'm heading to an AquaGirl meet and greet this Sunday afternoon at The News. Anyone in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area feel like a little company after church, come on down and join me. I'll be the one drinking the fuzzy navel and looking at everybody else like they're aliens.

If I don't see you this Sunday, enjoy the last month of 2012. Chat at you in 2013!

- Fiona


To read the rest of the newsletter and subscribe, follow the link HERE.

Love and Lust in Miami!

Greetings from Miami!

It's been an interesting and hectic transition from small city to metropolis over the last few weeks but, little by little, things seem to be settling down into a working rhythm. Writing, unpacking, planning my first trip to the beach, and writing some more.

I've been swamped with projects this month - a short story and two novels in progress - that threaten my sanity even as the characters surprise and delight me on their journey to what I hope will be a perfect ending for all three. The short story, "Return to Me," is available now on the Kindle and Nook and the first of the novels, Broken in Soft Places will be in stores May 2013.

With all this writing, I'll be missing out on Atlanta Black Pride this year. For all those who will be there and enjoying the festivities, have at least one hair-whipping, sweat-dripping, hip-gyrating dance for me. I'll be at home imagining the glory of the streets and clubs of Atlanta packed with my beautiful people.

Happy September!

- Fiona

To read the rest of September's newsletter, click HERE.