C.A. Szarek's Blog, page 6
April 8, 2014
Tell Me About it Tuesday WELCOMES Jeanette Vaughan!
Today I have a lovely author that I met at LexiCon last year, a local conference I attended with one of my besties. We had a BLAST and will defo go back this year!
Meet Jeanette!
Jeanette Vaughan is an award winning writer and story teller. Not only is she published in the periodicals and professional journals of nursing, but also in the genre of fiction. Out on her sheep farm, she has written several novels and scripts. Her screenplay "Angel of Mercy" won the outstanding nursing research award from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. In addition, she was named Distinguished Alumni for the school of nursing in 2001 for her written work and volunteerism for the Sydney Olympic Games. Jeanette has practiced nursing in the fields of critical care and trauma. She is the mother of four children, including two Navy pilots. She lives in a Victorian farmhouse out in the pastures of northeast Texas with her sheep, chickens, donkeys and sheep dogs.
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn't do again?
It took me until age 50 to give myself permission to write what it was that I wanted to write. I had been published in my healthcare field since age 21. But those articles and research were always about someone else’s agenda. Not the subjects about which I was passionate. Passion makes for great writing. Thank goodness for an academic Dean who asked me the most profound question? Jeanette, when are you going to give yourself the green light to write what you love. At age 50, I did exactly that. The result? Two award winning novels so far. More to come.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
As a baby boomer, I can totally relate to the 60s and 70s. They were special times of radical change in our nuclear middle class existence. Because of that, I adore that time period. Average people challenging the norm. The boomer generation definitely has me hooked!
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I am most proud to say that I have recently completed the manuscript for the finale to my “Flying Solo” trilogy. All the questions from the first two books are answered. I am humbled to admit that the wife of the A-4 Skyhawk pilot whose writings helped shape SOLO VIETNAM was so enthralled with the books, that she has requested that I turn US MAC Captain Robert Lathrop’s manuscripts into a full length novel. I am honored to confirm that will be my fourth historical fiction. Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
I was captivated by the stalwart courage of my protagonist. Although fiction, my works can be considered faction. I knew the strong willed woman about whom my stories are written. She was an amazing person – able to make difficult decisions that might not be the cultural norm. That to me is fascinating and honorable. I admire her courage and strength. Could you? Would you steal a plane to get your children back? She did. Just read FLYING SOLO.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do?
What would you buy and why? First I would buy a brand new wheelchair access van for my son Harrison…souped up just like he wants it. He is my road trip companion. But we need the wheels to do it. Then, I would pay off my farm house as to keep it in the family. Then…I would book tickets for an around the world trip. . .including my favorite places on earth…..Australia, Africa and Europe. They are all on my son’s bucket list.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I love historical fiction set in the baby boomer years. It is called “Boomer Lit.” But I also like to read about Elizabethan England; the twenties; and any other autobiographical works of strong women who change their corner of the world. Scruples…anyone?
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
Although I love the big city life of Dallas, I am a country girl at heart. I love feeding my chickens, watching a sunset from my gazebo, and seeing my sheep grazing out in the pasture. Ah…pure relaxation and heaven. Have you ever skinny dipped in a hot tub and there weren’t people around for miles?
Jeanette has TWO books to share with us! looks like some
AWESOME reads!
A French Cajun Aviatrix. An A-4 Skyhawk pilot. Vietnam. Nora Broussard dares to earn her wings gaining liberty. Despite the heroics, her heart remains unrequited and broken. When she finds out her star-crossed lover is now free, yet thousands of miles away from New Orleans flying bombing missions in Vietnam, nothing will keep her away. The U.S. government won’t let her fly combat in a war zone, so she uses her next best assets – her vamp and her voice. Traveling with Bob Hope as a torch singing USO girl, she is thrust into the perils of the 1968 Tet Offensive. As mortar attacks and napalm shake her to the core, she quickly realizes the short-sightedness of her decision to stay and manage a USO club. The shocking realities of a senseless war catapult her values into place. But is it too late? When Steve is shot down over Laos and listed MIA, Nora is forced to accept one of life’s greatest lessons.
French Cajun Nora Broussard Greenwood was born with the wanderlust. Her adventurous spirit doesn’t fit the sedate expectations of catholic 1960s New Orleans suburbia. On a whim, she takes flying lessons to become a pilot. Experiencing the freedom of flight is liberating. However an illicit affair with her pilot instructor forces action. When she confronts her ruthless husband for a divorce, she is cast out sans her children and threatened with her life. Desperate to get them back and gain liberty, she steals her husband’s plane. Trials and tribulations erupt as she navigates the turbulence her life has become. In a bizarre twist of fate, she serves as caregiver to her lover’s sickly wife as a means to survive; hoping he will decide she is his soul mate. But is that to be? Nora must make the make the most difficult decision of her life in order to get things back on track.
Get them both on Amazon
More JeanetteWebsiteGoodreadsFacebookTwitter
Meet Jeanette!
Jeanette Vaughan is an award winning writer and story teller. Not only is she published in the periodicals and professional journals of nursing, but also in the genre of fiction. Out on her sheep farm, she has written several novels and scripts. Her screenplay "Angel of Mercy" won the outstanding nursing research award from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. In addition, she was named Distinguished Alumni for the school of nursing in 2001 for her written work and volunteerism for the Sydney Olympic Games. Jeanette has practiced nursing in the fields of critical care and trauma. She is the mother of four children, including two Navy pilots. She lives in a Victorian farmhouse out in the pastures of northeast Texas with her sheep, chickens, donkeys and sheep dogs.Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn't do again?
It took me until age 50 to give myself permission to write what it was that I wanted to write. I had been published in my healthcare field since age 21. But those articles and research were always about someone else’s agenda. Not the subjects about which I was passionate. Passion makes for great writing. Thank goodness for an academic Dean who asked me the most profound question? Jeanette, when are you going to give yourself the green light to write what you love. At age 50, I did exactly that. The result? Two award winning novels so far. More to come.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
As a baby boomer, I can totally relate to the 60s and 70s. They were special times of radical change in our nuclear middle class existence. Because of that, I adore that time period. Average people challenging the norm. The boomer generation definitely has me hooked!
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
I am most proud to say that I have recently completed the manuscript for the finale to my “Flying Solo” trilogy. All the questions from the first two books are answered. I am humbled to admit that the wife of the A-4 Skyhawk pilot whose writings helped shape SOLO VIETNAM was so enthralled with the books, that she has requested that I turn US MAC Captain Robert Lathrop’s manuscripts into a full length novel. I am honored to confirm that will be my fourth historical fiction. Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
I was captivated by the stalwart courage of my protagonist. Although fiction, my works can be considered faction. I knew the strong willed woman about whom my stories are written. She was an amazing person – able to make difficult decisions that might not be the cultural norm. That to me is fascinating and honorable. I admire her courage and strength. Could you? Would you steal a plane to get your children back? She did. Just read FLYING SOLO.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do?
What would you buy and why? First I would buy a brand new wheelchair access van for my son Harrison…souped up just like he wants it. He is my road trip companion. But we need the wheels to do it. Then, I would pay off my farm house as to keep it in the family. Then…I would book tickets for an around the world trip. . .including my favorite places on earth…..Australia, Africa and Europe. They are all on my son’s bucket list.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I love historical fiction set in the baby boomer years. It is called “Boomer Lit.” But I also like to read about Elizabethan England; the twenties; and any other autobiographical works of strong women who change their corner of the world. Scruples…anyone?
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
Although I love the big city life of Dallas, I am a country girl at heart. I love feeding my chickens, watching a sunset from my gazebo, and seeing my sheep grazing out in the pasture. Ah…pure relaxation and heaven. Have you ever skinny dipped in a hot tub and there weren’t people around for miles?
Jeanette has TWO books to share with us! looks like some
AWESOME reads!
A French Cajun Aviatrix. An A-4 Skyhawk pilot. Vietnam. Nora Broussard dares to earn her wings gaining liberty. Despite the heroics, her heart remains unrequited and broken. When she finds out her star-crossed lover is now free, yet thousands of miles away from New Orleans flying bombing missions in Vietnam, nothing will keep her away. The U.S. government won’t let her fly combat in a war zone, so she uses her next best assets – her vamp and her voice. Traveling with Bob Hope as a torch singing USO girl, she is thrust into the perils of the 1968 Tet Offensive. As mortar attacks and napalm shake her to the core, she quickly realizes the short-sightedness of her decision to stay and manage a USO club. The shocking realities of a senseless war catapult her values into place. But is it too late? When Steve is shot down over Laos and listed MIA, Nora is forced to accept one of life’s greatest lessons.
French Cajun Nora Broussard Greenwood was born with the wanderlust. Her adventurous spirit doesn’t fit the sedate expectations of catholic 1960s New Orleans suburbia. On a whim, she takes flying lessons to become a pilot. Experiencing the freedom of flight is liberating. However an illicit affair with her pilot instructor forces action. When she confronts her ruthless husband for a divorce, she is cast out sans her children and threatened with her life. Desperate to get them back and gain liberty, she steals her husband’s plane. Trials and tribulations erupt as she navigates the turbulence her life has become. In a bizarre twist of fate, she serves as caregiver to her lover’s sickly wife as a means to survive; hoping he will decide she is his soul mate. But is that to be? Nora must make the make the most difficult decision of her life in order to get things back on track.Get them both on Amazon
More JeanetteWebsiteGoodreadsFacebookTwitter
April 4, 2014
Friday Feature: COVER REVEAL! Jo-Anna Walker's REVEALED BY YOU!
So my bestie is at it again! She has ANOTHER upcoming release and is here today to share the cover!
Synopsis:The sharp edge of love… Brett MacLean was possessive. Even more since I became his. He was my desire…my ultimate pleasure…he was mine. As each day passed, he revealed a part of himself that had lain dormant. A broken childhood. A troubled man. One I was determined to help. After months together, I thought I knew him. But soon realized I was wrong. His dark secrets were only the beginning. The past was more disturbing than I ever could have fathomed. His deep seeded need for me came with a price that could have consequences. I needed him just as much. Because of this, we would be tested. My greatest fear was that it would take us beyond the limits of our love.
When Jo-Anna isn't working her Monday-Friday 9-5 job, she's spending her time reading, writing and with the love of her life. She's an all-around Canadian girl. Born and raised in a small city. If you don't see Jo-Anna writing, you'll find her with her nose in a book. Whether it's her words or someone else's, she's drawn to it.Jo-Anna loves stories with Alpha broken males and that need to be ripped apart and put back together again. Men that fall to their knees over a wink or a giggle from their females.Two things you will never find Jo-Anna without; her cell phone and lip gloss. If she has both of those items, you have a happy girl.Since starting her writing adventure in 2013, Jo-Anna has met many people, real life, online, in her head and she loves every single one of them. Without the support from others, none of this would be possible and she's grateful for all that has been given to her.To learn more, visit Jo-Anna on her
blog
, on
Twitter
,
Facebook
,
Goodreads
and Pinterest.Jo-Anna Walker is also author of
Break Me
,
Always Me
, Remember Me, In the Heart of Forever (A Heart Story) and
Possessed by You
and
Uncomplicated
that she co-wrote with Dawn Robertson.Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20824047-revealed-by-you
Synopsis:The sharp edge of love… Brett MacLean was possessive. Even more since I became his. He was my desire…my ultimate pleasure…he was mine. As each day passed, he revealed a part of himself that had lain dormant. A broken childhood. A troubled man. One I was determined to help. After months together, I thought I knew him. But soon realized I was wrong. His dark secrets were only the beginning. The past was more disturbing than I ever could have fathomed. His deep seeded need for me came with a price that could have consequences. I needed him just as much. Because of this, we would be tested. My greatest fear was that it would take us beyond the limits of our love.
When Jo-Anna isn't working her Monday-Friday 9-5 job, she's spending her time reading, writing and with the love of her life. She's an all-around Canadian girl. Born and raised in a small city. If you don't see Jo-Anna writing, you'll find her with her nose in a book. Whether it's her words or someone else's, she's drawn to it.Jo-Anna loves stories with Alpha broken males and that need to be ripped apart and put back together again. Men that fall to their knees over a wink or a giggle from their females.Two things you will never find Jo-Anna without; her cell phone and lip gloss. If she has both of those items, you have a happy girl.Since starting her writing adventure in 2013, Jo-Anna has met many people, real life, online, in her head and she loves every single one of them. Without the support from others, none of this would be possible and she's grateful for all that has been given to her.To learn more, visit Jo-Anna on her
blog
, on
Twitter
,
Facebook
,
Goodreads
and Pinterest.Jo-Anna Walker is also author of
Break Me
,
Always Me
, Remember Me, In the Heart of Forever (A Heart Story) and
Possessed by You
and
Uncomplicated
that she co-wrote with Dawn Robertson.Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20824047-revealed-by-you
April 1, 2014
Tell Me About it Tuesday Welcomes EriK Clarke!
I'm super stoked to have Erik Clarke here today! He's a fellow TB author and his books look so good! I have to admit I haven't read one yet, but I will!
Meet Erik!
Erik Clarke is still trying to figure out how to balance work, school, writing, and the ever-elusive “social life”. He’s also still trying to figure out when the outlandish plots and crazy characters he’d scribbled into the margins of his notebooks for years somehow coalesced into an actual novel.
Born in Ohio and now struggling through the constant love/hate relationship that is living in the beautiful but sweltering Arizona landscape, Erik is thankful every day for the incredible, supportive family and friends that surround him—and for the sheer joy that writing two characters to their happily ever after can bring.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I write paranormal erotica books, and it’s one of my favorite genres to read, too. I just love the freedom of it—contemporary books are great too, but in paranormal/fantasy, with all the magic and the mystery, you can really take stories in crazy directions that real life could never offer. It’s really rewarding to be able to create a whole new world, governed by rules that you create, and then fill it up with interesting and new people. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to take these big outlandish worlds and plots and then see how they hold up when you ground them in something very real, like a struggling relationship. Overarching themes like that can have a place in any genre, and it’s interesting to see how each particular one puts its new spin on the old tropes.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
Right now, I’m finishing up Wonder, the third book in the Spellbound series. Among other things, it helps tie up a lot of the loose ends that have been left behind from the two books that came before it, Night and Monster. It’ll follow a character who’s new to the series, but a lot of the people from the other two books will crossover, including his love interest, Adam Harkin. I added Adam as a secondary character in Night, but I’ve loved him ever since, so now he finally gets to have his shot at a romance this time around! It’s got a lot of mystery and action, which was a lot of fun to write.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Night, because it was the first book I actually managed to finish and the first to get published, but honestly my favorite would have to be Monster, the second book in that same series. In a lot of ways I made it almost as a response to the first book—the main character, Syler, is very different from Cole of book one. Initially, he’s completely irreverent, basically an asshole, but to my own surprise as I was writing him, it turns out to really just be something of a mask for a lot of very real, deep seated problems he has, and there’s a good guy under all the B.S. That was fun to write, which really helped lock it in as my favorite.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
My tastes run the gamut from science fiction to fantasy to historical, and in terms of romance books that I read, it gets even more broad. Most of what I read actually isn’t romantically-minded, but when it is, my only real requirement is that the struggle between the two characters be at the forefront. Although as a sidenote, any romance where one of the characters has some social anxiety issues draws me in immediately, since watching them get their act together is cathartic and encouraging given my own. Yay introverts!
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I have a completely unhealthy obsession with American flag apparel. Honestly, I have two shirts, a hat, a wallet, swim-trunks, and shoes that are all full-on stars and stripes. The hat in particular gets lots of mileage. It’s a relatively new problem of mine, but I’m already having to actively stop myself from getting more stuff before my entire wardrobe turns patriotic.
The American Flag seriously made me laugh. :)
My fave part: TELL US ABOUT that book! The cover is GORGEOUS!
Nightis the first book in the Spellbound paranormal erotic romance series. It follows the life of a Seer, Cole, after a gift from his friend Luke turns his life upside down. It was a lot of fun to write, mostly because I got to put the main character in such a bind—the ‘gift’ gives him an Incubus’s appeal, and he’s suddenly thrust into this situation where everyone, including Luke, wants a piece of him and he has no idea how to respond. It’s the first novel I actually managed to finish, and I hope everyone gets as much of a kick out of reading it as I did by writing it. It opens up a whole magical world full of all kinds of different creatures and adventures (not to mention some hot romance), and I can’t wait to get deeper into the series and the characters.
Blurb:
Given the powers of an Incubus, could you resist the urge to take the one man you’ve always secretly wanted?
Sex makes the world go round, right?
Or so it seems to Cole Turner, a Seer who can See everyone’s future except his own, when a gift from his Dreamwalking best friend Luke turns his world upside down. Overnight, Cole gains all the allure of an Incubus, drawing suitors to him like moths to a flame. But after a few days of reveling in the fun, reality takes a turn: the mysterious drug he took, known only as “Night”, had to come from someone, and that someone is pissed, on a homicidal scale. Each sexual encounter makes Cole’s attraction grow stronger, making it ever-more difficult to just walk outside. And Luke, the Seer’s go-to in times of need, now wants him like everyone else, a point made even worse by the secret desires Cole has for the friend he had always assumed was straight.
Swamped in sex, powerless to See if the future holds any hope for salvation, and at constant risk of losing both his best friend and his life, Cole is about to find out if he’s strong enough to beat the Night racing through his system—and if his relationship with Luke is strong enough to survive it as well.
BUY IT!
Totally Bound | Amazon | Barnes&Noble | ARe
Meet Erik!
Erik Clarke is still trying to figure out how to balance work, school, writing, and the ever-elusive “social life”. He’s also still trying to figure out when the outlandish plots and crazy characters he’d scribbled into the margins of his notebooks for years somehow coalesced into an actual novel.Born in Ohio and now struggling through the constant love/hate relationship that is living in the beautiful but sweltering Arizona landscape, Erik is thankful every day for the incredible, supportive family and friends that surround him—and for the sheer joy that writing two characters to their happily ever after can bring.
Q. What made you pick your particular genre?
I write paranormal erotica books, and it’s one of my favorite genres to read, too. I just love the freedom of it—contemporary books are great too, but in paranormal/fantasy, with all the magic and the mystery, you can really take stories in crazy directions that real life could never offer. It’s really rewarding to be able to create a whole new world, governed by rules that you create, and then fill it up with interesting and new people. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to take these big outlandish worlds and plots and then see how they hold up when you ground them in something very real, like a struggling relationship. Overarching themes like that can have a place in any genre, and it’s interesting to see how each particular one puts its new spin on the old tropes.
Q. What are you working on right now? Can you tell us about it?
Right now, I’m finishing up Wonder, the third book in the Spellbound series. Among other things, it helps tie up a lot of the loose ends that have been left behind from the two books that came before it, Night and Monster. It’ll follow a character who’s new to the series, but a lot of the people from the other two books will crossover, including his love interest, Adam Harkin. I added Adam as a secondary character in Night, but I’ve loved him ever since, so now he finally gets to have his shot at a romance this time around! It’s got a lot of mystery and action, which was a lot of fun to write.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Night, because it was the first book I actually managed to finish and the first to get published, but honestly my favorite would have to be Monster, the second book in that same series. In a lot of ways I made it almost as a response to the first book—the main character, Syler, is very different from Cole of book one. Initially, he’s completely irreverent, basically an asshole, but to my own surprise as I was writing him, it turns out to really just be something of a mask for a lot of very real, deep seated problems he has, and there’s a good guy under all the B.S. That was fun to write, which really helped lock it in as my favorite.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
My tastes run the gamut from science fiction to fantasy to historical, and in terms of romance books that I read, it gets even more broad. Most of what I read actually isn’t romantically-minded, but when it is, my only real requirement is that the struggle between the two characters be at the forefront. Although as a sidenote, any romance where one of the characters has some social anxiety issues draws me in immediately, since watching them get their act together is cathartic and encouraging given my own. Yay introverts!
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I have a completely unhealthy obsession with American flag apparel. Honestly, I have two shirts, a hat, a wallet, swim-trunks, and shoes that are all full-on stars and stripes. The hat in particular gets lots of mileage. It’s a relatively new problem of mine, but I’m already having to actively stop myself from getting more stuff before my entire wardrobe turns patriotic.
The American Flag seriously made me laugh. :)
My fave part: TELL US ABOUT that book! The cover is GORGEOUS!
Nightis the first book in the Spellbound paranormal erotic romance series. It follows the life of a Seer, Cole, after a gift from his friend Luke turns his life upside down. It was a lot of fun to write, mostly because I got to put the main character in such a bind—the ‘gift’ gives him an Incubus’s appeal, and he’s suddenly thrust into this situation where everyone, including Luke, wants a piece of him and he has no idea how to respond. It’s the first novel I actually managed to finish, and I hope everyone gets as much of a kick out of reading it as I did by writing it. It opens up a whole magical world full of all kinds of different creatures and adventures (not to mention some hot romance), and I can’t wait to get deeper into the series and the characters.
Blurb:
Given the powers of an Incubus, could you resist the urge to take the one man you’ve always secretly wanted?
Sex makes the world go round, right?
Or so it seems to Cole Turner, a Seer who can See everyone’s future except his own, when a gift from his Dreamwalking best friend Luke turns his world upside down. Overnight, Cole gains all the allure of an Incubus, drawing suitors to him like moths to a flame. But after a few days of reveling in the fun, reality takes a turn: the mysterious drug he took, known only as “Night”, had to come from someone, and that someone is pissed, on a homicidal scale. Each sexual encounter makes Cole’s attraction grow stronger, making it ever-more difficult to just walk outside. And Luke, the Seer’s go-to in times of need, now wants him like everyone else, a point made even worse by the secret desires Cole has for the friend he had always assumed was straight.
Swamped in sex, powerless to See if the future holds any hope for salvation, and at constant risk of losing both his best friend and his life, Cole is about to find out if he’s strong enough to beat the Night racing through his system—and if his relationship with Luke is strong enough to survive it as well.
BUY IT!
Totally Bound | Amazon | Barnes&Noble | ARe
March 24, 2014
My Writing Process Blog Hop. Process? WHAT the HECK is that? #AMWriting
So, my friend and fellow TB author, Noelle Keaton tagged me in a writing process blog. Kinda funny cuz most of the time I don't think I have one. LOL.
I have been writing for most of my life, and so fat every book has been different for me. So here I go...
Hmmm, when I think about those three little words, I get kinda stumped, because for a long time I wasn’t sure if I even had a writing process. I think as a writer, everyone does things differently, but more than that, there is no rightor wrong way. It’s all in how you want to do it. Whatever works for you. Every book tends to vary for me. My process grows and changes. The only things consistent are the tendency to freak out (my friends will laugh at me and attest to this) and that my self-confidence lives on a roller coaster throughout the life of the MS. (This is normal, right?) I’m working on a few things at the moment. Collision Control (Crossing Forces Book Four) which is actually about wrapped up (thank GOD…I had 2ndbook syndrome with it the whole way through, but THAT is another blog post). On deck (and I already started it) is The Fae Ring which is the 2ndbook in my *new* Highland Secrets Trilogy. I really can’t wait to hunker down and get to working on this one. Book One, The Tartan MP3 Player COMES OUT TOMORROW! YAY! (But it is available for pre-order everywhere) I write what I feel. Always have, probably always will, but I think my stuff can be like other books in the genres I write as well as different. I would like to think it’s the best of the best (of course…LOL). If even one person (okay, more than one is better) says they like what I write, I’m satisfied as an author. Bottom line I won’t ever stop writing/publishing so I hope a lot of people love my stuff like I do, really. I have always been a fantasy child. Even when I was really little, I always made up my own worlds in my head, and I grew up reading the greats, so the genre comes naturally to me. On the other hand, I have always loved cop stuff, and I have a background in it, work in the court and am surrounded by cops, so romantic suspense comes naturally to me, too. So when a story occurs to me, I will always write it. But I also have paranormal and YAs floating around on my computer. They’re a “someday” for me. I guess I’m not picky. I always write what I feel—no matter what it is. J As for the process itself, as I mentioned, it varies for me but I am a pantser—I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t plan much, I just write. I like to see the characters and the story unfold for me as I write. Really, the characters tell it. I navigate. Then again, sometimes they throw me for a loop. When I get something wrong, believe me. They tell me. My process will grow and change as I go on, I think. I guess that doesn’t matter as long as I keepwriting.
Next up, with her post March 31, 2014 is the lovely Lavender Daye. Here’s her newest release!
Bio:Lavender lives in Texas with her own private Prince Charming, two kids, two cats and a large brown rug, uh, dog. She spends her days writing sexy contemporary romance, sometimes adding a hint of suspense or tossing in a little dominance and submission. A member of RWA, she took first place in the Great Expectations Contest in 2011 for Bound by Trust. When she’s not writing or reading great romance novels, she can be found in the kitchen baking, usually with chocolate. Find her on facebook or the other sites she inhabits in her spare time by following these links:www.facebook.com/LavebderDayewww.LavenderDaye.comwww.LavenderDaye.Blogspot.com
Blurb:
Mark Harrison inherited a thriving oil business and built an empire that allows him to indulge in his hobbies, predominantly BDSM. He’s opened a new club in northern Texas, a private playground for adults.
When a young lady asks to base her college paper on the BDSM lifestyle, Mark reluctantly agrees, only because she’s the friend of a friend.
Kellie Windsor is determined to uncover a training ground for abusive men inside the new bondage club south of Dallas and scoring a meeting with the owner insured her success. When he offers to treat her as his submissive to help her understand the scene, she reluctantly agrees. It doesn’t take long for her to toss out her painful expectations and enjoy Mark’s dominance. But there are a couple of little problems. He doesn’t know about the paper she’d planned to write or the ex-boyfriend she wants to avoid.
Buy It:
Barnes&Noble | Amazon
Make sure you find her on FB and check out her website for all her fab reads!
I have been writing for most of my life, and so fat every book has been different for me. So here I go...
Hmmm, when I think about those three little words, I get kinda stumped, because for a long time I wasn’t sure if I even had a writing process. I think as a writer, everyone does things differently, but more than that, there is no rightor wrong way. It’s all in how you want to do it. Whatever works for you. Every book tends to vary for me. My process grows and changes. The only things consistent are the tendency to freak out (my friends will laugh at me and attest to this) and that my self-confidence lives on a roller coaster throughout the life of the MS. (This is normal, right?) I’m working on a few things at the moment. Collision Control (Crossing Forces Book Four) which is actually about wrapped up (thank GOD…I had 2ndbook syndrome with it the whole way through, but THAT is another blog post). On deck (and I already started it) is The Fae Ring which is the 2ndbook in my *new* Highland Secrets Trilogy. I really can’t wait to hunker down and get to working on this one. Book One, The Tartan MP3 Player COMES OUT TOMORROW! YAY! (But it is available for pre-order everywhere) I write what I feel. Always have, probably always will, but I think my stuff can be like other books in the genres I write as well as different. I would like to think it’s the best of the best (of course…LOL). If even one person (okay, more than one is better) says they like what I write, I’m satisfied as an author. Bottom line I won’t ever stop writing/publishing so I hope a lot of people love my stuff like I do, really. I have always been a fantasy child. Even when I was really little, I always made up my own worlds in my head, and I grew up reading the greats, so the genre comes naturally to me. On the other hand, I have always loved cop stuff, and I have a background in it, work in the court and am surrounded by cops, so romantic suspense comes naturally to me, too. So when a story occurs to me, I will always write it. But I also have paranormal and YAs floating around on my computer. They’re a “someday” for me. I guess I’m not picky. I always write what I feel—no matter what it is. J As for the process itself, as I mentioned, it varies for me but I am a pantser—I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t plan much, I just write. I like to see the characters and the story unfold for me as I write. Really, the characters tell it. I navigate. Then again, sometimes they throw me for a loop. When I get something wrong, believe me. They tell me. My process will grow and change as I go on, I think. I guess that doesn’t matter as long as I keepwriting.
Next up, with her post March 31, 2014 is the lovely Lavender Daye. Here’s her newest release!
Bio:Lavender lives in Texas with her own private Prince Charming, two kids, two cats and a large brown rug, uh, dog. She spends her days writing sexy contemporary romance, sometimes adding a hint of suspense or tossing in a little dominance and submission. A member of RWA, she took first place in the Great Expectations Contest in 2011 for Bound by Trust. When she’s not writing or reading great romance novels, she can be found in the kitchen baking, usually with chocolate. Find her on facebook or the other sites she inhabits in her spare time by following these links:www.facebook.com/LavebderDayewww.LavenderDaye.comwww.LavenderDaye.Blogspot.com
Blurb:
Mark Harrison inherited a thriving oil business and built an empire that allows him to indulge in his hobbies, predominantly BDSM. He’s opened a new club in northern Texas, a private playground for adults.
When a young lady asks to base her college paper on the BDSM lifestyle, Mark reluctantly agrees, only because she’s the friend of a friend.
Kellie Windsor is determined to uncover a training ground for abusive men inside the new bondage club south of Dallas and scoring a meeting with the owner insured her success. When he offers to treat her as his submissive to help her understand the scene, she reluctantly agrees. It doesn’t take long for her to toss out her painful expectations and enjoy Mark’s dominance. But there are a couple of little problems. He doesn’t know about the paper she’d planned to write or the ex-boyfriend she wants to avoid.
Buy It:
Barnes&Noble | Amazon
Make sure you find her on FB and check out her website for all her fab reads!
March 21, 2014
Friday Feature: COVER REVEAL for Jo-Walker's Remember Me!
I am so excited to welcome one of my best friends in the entire world to the blog today. I'm super excited she's sharing the cover for her upcoming release, Remember Me (Shattered #3)
It is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!
And the book is a fab read, too!
Synopsis:
To learn more, visit Jo-Anna on her blog , on Twitter , Facebook , Goodreads and Pinterest.Jo-Anna Walker is also author of Break Me , Always Me , In the Heart of Forever (A Heart Story) and Possessed by You and Uncomplicated that she co-wrote with Dawn Robertson.Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18194413-remember-me
It is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!
And the book is a fab read, too!
Synopsis:
To learn more, visit Jo-Anna on her blog , on Twitter , Facebook , Goodreads and Pinterest.Jo-Anna Walker is also author of Break Me , Always Me , In the Heart of Forever (A Heart Story) and Possessed by You and Uncomplicated that she co-wrote with Dawn Robertson.Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18194413-remember-me
March 18, 2014
Tell Me About it Tuesday Welcomes Tori Carson!
Today I have lovely fellow Totally Bound author, Tori Carson!
Meet Tori!
Tori lives a romance story every day of her life. She and her husband were high school sweethearts. Told by friends and family alike their relationship would never last, they were determined to prove that true love can stand the test of time. Thirty years later, their marriage is stronger than ever. Her handsome hubby is all things to her—lover, confidant, and most of all, her best friend. If there is one thing that Tori knows about it is everlasting love. And they always say to write what you know.
Tori calls the beautiful Sonoran Desert home. She wakes up each morning to the howls of coyotes and the barking of her family dogs wanting to join the fray.
When Tori isn’t writing, she’s either spending time with her two, wonderful adult children, or creating stained glass art.
She likes her love stories scorching hot. She tries to infuse a fire and passion between her characters that rivals the blazing summer sun that Arizona is known for. Tori encourages you to bask in the heat between the covers of a Dominant/submissive, happily-ever-after, erotic romance.
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
I began writing over twenty years ago, but Bondage Anniversary was my first published piece. Throughout the years, I’ve submitted several books and I have the rejection letters to prove it. After each ‘you suck’ letter, I would laugh it off to friends and family and tell them every great author has had a few of their works turned down. Inside, those letters ate away at my confidence and it would take several months, in some cases a few years, before I would be back at the computer trying again. If there was one thing I wouldn’t do again, it is allow those setbacks to cripple my creative spirit.
Q. What advice do you have for someone who wants a career in writing?
First and foremost--never allow someone to squash your dream. Read everything you can get your hands on. Be willing to listen to advice, but always follow your heart.
Q. What other interests or hobbies do you have outside of writing?
I create stained glass pieces both small and large. My husband turned my favorites into furniture—curio cabinets, coffee table and windows.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
My favorite so far is Bondage Wedding. The characters were amazing. They really wanted their story told and refused to leave me alone until I gave them their happily ever after. Seriously, they visited me in my dreams, in the shower, even on a day trip I took with my family. I spent the whole time typing on my laptop. My kids still tease me about it.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
The first thing I’d do is buy homes for my kids. They are awesome. Love them to death, but it’s time for me to experience empty nest syndrome. I want to know what it’s like to miss the pitter patter of little feet. Most nights I have a house full of college kids, baking until all hours of the morning and crashing on my couch. Having said that, I doubt it would take more than a week or so before I’d miss the sink full of dishes and garbage overflowing the pail.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I don’t have a ton of time to read these days. So when I get the opportunity, it’s usually an erotic romance. I’m a huge fan of Lexi Blake’s Master’s and Mercenaries series and almost anything by Christine Feehan.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I live right up the road from a nudist colony.
Please tell us about your recent release.
Bondage Wedding came out last Friday. It’s the third in the Desired Discipline series. This book is about the bodyguard, James, we first met in Bondage Celebration and the receptionist, Amanda, at the BDSM club, DiscipliNation. Poor Amanda has a stalker and James is assigned as her bodyguard. Amanda has a weakness for bad boys and she tries to stay clear of them. She’s looking for a poet or an artist. Little does she know, she’ll find a little of both in James. Now if she could just break him of his spanking and rope fetish, life would be good. Or so she thinks.
Buy it!
Totally Bound
**this book goes on General Release, available EVERYWHERE on Friday, 3/21/14***
Excerpt:
Bondage WeddingTori Carson
James faltered as he walked into the security office and saw Amanda, the dark-haired, blue-eyed temptress who had haunted his dreams for the last three months, with tears streaming down her face. As the receptionist for the kink club, DiscipliNation, Amanda was the primary reason he spent his evenings off wandering around the great hall. It was pathetic and it made him feel like a damned fool, since she barely gave him the time of day. Not that he expected anything else from a collared submissive.
“André,” James greeted the owner of DiscipliNation and nodded to Amanda. It was bad form to speak to another Dom’s sub without their permission. Though he had virtually stalked Amanda for months now, he had no idea whose collar she wore. Ashamed to be fixated with a taken submissive, he didn’t allow himself to investigate her. Except for little tidbits of gossip, he knew nothing of her past. Instead, he spent every available minute of his time in her proximity.
“James, thank you for coming. We’ve got a situation here and we need your help.” The gentlemen shook hands and André waved James to a chair beside Amanda.
The office was small, not much wider than a hallway. Amanda was sitting with her back to a bank of video screens documenting the activity both inside and on the grounds of the club. Tonight, DiscipliNation was hosting a special public event. To keep security manageable, the privacy rooms were closed, thus the screens for those cameras were turned off.
As James sat down, he caught a whiff of Amanda’s perfume. It was hard to describe. Without meaning to, he leaned closer, inhaling the elusive, but alluring scent. Damn it. He didn’t need another reason to be obsessed with her.
“Someone’s threatening Amanda and using the club’s closed circuit video system to do it. Show him the latest picture.” André pulled James’ thoughts back to the business at hand.
His protective instincts went into hyper-drive. He’d been a bodyguard long enough to know he needed to stay detached, yet with Amanda that wasn’t going to be easy. She had the girl-next-door look in spades. Her body had delicious curves that sent his imagination working overtime. But her innocent, pixie face made him feel world-weary. Though they were only a few years apart, he felt like a dirty old man. He would gladly protect her from any threat, but how would he protect her from himself?
Amanda scooted the envelope and the eight-by-ten color photo she’d received that afternoon toward James. The picture had been taken outside the club’s main building in an area that had been set up for fire-play. It was obvious the photo had been tampered with. Amanda’s face had been superimposed over another woman’s body. The picture was artistic in nature—red and orange flames contrasted against the grey smoke and black night. It was clear this frame of the video had been chosen with care. Why?
As many times as he’d visited the club, he’d never spotted Amanda in a play area. It looked to him like she never ventured beyond her desk in the lobby area. He knew that couldn’t be true. Why would anyone work at a kink club and not at least occasionally enjoy the benefits the facility had to offer?
James took a closer look at the photo. While he wasn’t into fire-play, he understood the scene wasn’t one of violence. However, the words ‘Roast Bitch’ written across the photo in red marker left little to the imagination. He doubted there would be any evidence to be garnered by the photo or envelope, but he was careful not to touch them anyway. Using the eraser head of a pencil, James removed the picture from the envelope. He noticed it was addressed to ‘DiscipliNation, Attention: Amanda’. “Is this the way most mail comes addressed?”
“No, some of the suppliers use my name if we’ve been working on something special, but normally mail is sent in the club’s name only,” Amanda explained.
“You said this was the latest threat, what else has happened?” And why the hell wasn’t I notified after the first one? Bringing it up at this point would only muddle the issue, but he did intend to make damn sure he was aware of each development from here on out.
“First, I received an email. It wasn’t such a blatant threat.” She shook her head. “I thought maybe it was a joke or something, so I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Bring it up on the laptop. He needs to see it.” André pointed to his computer lying at the end of the counter.
Amanda pulled it onto her lap and brought up her email. The image showed her face superimposed onto another woman’s body. The woman was tied to post and receiving a whipping. Across the bottom was written ‘Let’s Party, Bitch’.
“It was sent by a Master X. Do you know anyone who goes by that name? It sounds a little melodramatic.”
Amanda gave him a tenuous smile then shook her head. André confirmed what James had assumed. “We don’t have any members who use that name.”
“What else has happened?” He knew there was more. Amanda looked like hell. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hands had trembled as she’d logged into the computer. This had been bothering her for a while. James looked at the date on the message. She’d received it over a week ago.
More Tori:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Meet Tori!
Tori lives a romance story every day of her life. She and her husband were high school sweethearts. Told by friends and family alike their relationship would never last, they were determined to prove that true love can stand the test of time. Thirty years later, their marriage is stronger than ever. Her handsome hubby is all things to her—lover, confidant, and most of all, her best friend. If there is one thing that Tori knows about it is everlasting love. And they always say to write what you know.Tori calls the beautiful Sonoran Desert home. She wakes up each morning to the howls of coyotes and the barking of her family dogs wanting to join the fray.
When Tori isn’t writing, she’s either spending time with her two, wonderful adult children, or creating stained glass art.
She likes her love stories scorching hot. She tries to infuse a fire and passion between her characters that rivals the blazing summer sun that Arizona is known for. Tori encourages you to bask in the heat between the covers of a Dominant/submissive, happily-ever-after, erotic romance.
Q. How has your journey in publishing been? Anything you would or wouldn’t do again?
I began writing over twenty years ago, but Bondage Anniversary was my first published piece. Throughout the years, I’ve submitted several books and I have the rejection letters to prove it. After each ‘you suck’ letter, I would laugh it off to friends and family and tell them every great author has had a few of their works turned down. Inside, those letters ate away at my confidence and it would take several months, in some cases a few years, before I would be back at the computer trying again. If there was one thing I wouldn’t do again, it is allow those setbacks to cripple my creative spirit.
Q. What advice do you have for someone who wants a career in writing?
First and foremost--never allow someone to squash your dream. Read everything you can get your hands on. Be willing to listen to advice, but always follow your heart.
Q. What other interests or hobbies do you have outside of writing?
I create stained glass pieces both small and large. My husband turned my favorites into furniture—curio cabinets, coffee table and windows.
Q. Do you have a favorite story of the ones you’ve written, either published or not? Why?
My favorite so far is Bondage Wedding. The characters were amazing. They really wanted their story told and refused to leave me alone until I gave them their happily ever after. Seriously, they visited me in my dreams, in the shower, even on a day trip I took with my family. I spent the whole time typing on my laptop. My kids still tease me about it.
Okay...enough with the business questions! How about some fun stuff?
Q. If you won the lottery, what is the FIRST thing you’d do? What would you buy and why?
The first thing I’d do is buy homes for my kids. They are awesome. Love them to death, but it’s time for me to experience empty nest syndrome. I want to know what it’s like to miss the pitter patter of little feet. Most nights I have a house full of college kids, baking until all hours of the morning and crashing on my couch. Having said that, I doubt it would take more than a week or so before I’d miss the sink full of dishes and garbage overflowing the pail.
Q. When YOU read, what do you like to pick up?
I don’t have a ton of time to read these days. So when I get the opportunity, it’s usually an erotic romance. I’m a huge fan of Lexi Blake’s Master’s and Mercenaries series and almost anything by Christine Feehan.
Q. Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us...it can be a secret...we won't tell. :)
I live right up the road from a nudist colony.
Please tell us about your recent release.
Bondage Wedding came out last Friday. It’s the third in the Desired Discipline series. This book is about the bodyguard, James, we first met in Bondage Celebration and the receptionist, Amanda, at the BDSM club, DiscipliNation. Poor Amanda has a stalker and James is assigned as her bodyguard. Amanda has a weakness for bad boys and she tries to stay clear of them. She’s looking for a poet or an artist. Little does she know, she’ll find a little of both in James. Now if she could just break him of his spanking and rope fetish, life would be good. Or so she thinks.
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Buy it!
Totally Bound
**this book goes on General Release, available EVERYWHERE on Friday, 3/21/14***
Excerpt:
Bondage WeddingTori Carson
James faltered as he walked into the security office and saw Amanda, the dark-haired, blue-eyed temptress who had haunted his dreams for the last three months, with tears streaming down her face. As the receptionist for the kink club, DiscipliNation, Amanda was the primary reason he spent his evenings off wandering around the great hall. It was pathetic and it made him feel like a damned fool, since she barely gave him the time of day. Not that he expected anything else from a collared submissive.
“André,” James greeted the owner of DiscipliNation and nodded to Amanda. It was bad form to speak to another Dom’s sub without their permission. Though he had virtually stalked Amanda for months now, he had no idea whose collar she wore. Ashamed to be fixated with a taken submissive, he didn’t allow himself to investigate her. Except for little tidbits of gossip, he knew nothing of her past. Instead, he spent every available minute of his time in her proximity.
“James, thank you for coming. We’ve got a situation here and we need your help.” The gentlemen shook hands and André waved James to a chair beside Amanda.
The office was small, not much wider than a hallway. Amanda was sitting with her back to a bank of video screens documenting the activity both inside and on the grounds of the club. Tonight, DiscipliNation was hosting a special public event. To keep security manageable, the privacy rooms were closed, thus the screens for those cameras were turned off.
As James sat down, he caught a whiff of Amanda’s perfume. It was hard to describe. Without meaning to, he leaned closer, inhaling the elusive, but alluring scent. Damn it. He didn’t need another reason to be obsessed with her.
“Someone’s threatening Amanda and using the club’s closed circuit video system to do it. Show him the latest picture.” André pulled James’ thoughts back to the business at hand.
His protective instincts went into hyper-drive. He’d been a bodyguard long enough to know he needed to stay detached, yet with Amanda that wasn’t going to be easy. She had the girl-next-door look in spades. Her body had delicious curves that sent his imagination working overtime. But her innocent, pixie face made him feel world-weary. Though they were only a few years apart, he felt like a dirty old man. He would gladly protect her from any threat, but how would he protect her from himself?
Amanda scooted the envelope and the eight-by-ten color photo she’d received that afternoon toward James. The picture had been taken outside the club’s main building in an area that had been set up for fire-play. It was obvious the photo had been tampered with. Amanda’s face had been superimposed over another woman’s body. The picture was artistic in nature—red and orange flames contrasted against the grey smoke and black night. It was clear this frame of the video had been chosen with care. Why?
As many times as he’d visited the club, he’d never spotted Amanda in a play area. It looked to him like she never ventured beyond her desk in the lobby area. He knew that couldn’t be true. Why would anyone work at a kink club and not at least occasionally enjoy the benefits the facility had to offer?
James took a closer look at the photo. While he wasn’t into fire-play, he understood the scene wasn’t one of violence. However, the words ‘Roast Bitch’ written across the photo in red marker left little to the imagination. He doubted there would be any evidence to be garnered by the photo or envelope, but he was careful not to touch them anyway. Using the eraser head of a pencil, James removed the picture from the envelope. He noticed it was addressed to ‘DiscipliNation, Attention: Amanda’. “Is this the way most mail comes addressed?”
“No, some of the suppliers use my name if we’ve been working on something special, but normally mail is sent in the club’s name only,” Amanda explained.
“You said this was the latest threat, what else has happened?” And why the hell wasn’t I notified after the first one? Bringing it up at this point would only muddle the issue, but he did intend to make damn sure he was aware of each development from here on out.
“First, I received an email. It wasn’t such a blatant threat.” She shook her head. “I thought maybe it was a joke or something, so I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Bring it up on the laptop. He needs to see it.” André pointed to his computer lying at the end of the counter.
Amanda pulled it onto her lap and brought up her email. The image showed her face superimposed onto another woman’s body. The woman was tied to post and receiving a whipping. Across the bottom was written ‘Let’s Party, Bitch’.
“It was sent by a Master X. Do you know anyone who goes by that name? It sounds a little melodramatic.”
Amanda gave him a tenuous smile then shook her head. André confirmed what James had assumed. “We don’t have any members who use that name.”
“What else has happened?” He knew there was more. Amanda looked like hell. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hands had trembled as she’d logged into the computer. This had been bothering her for a while. James looked at the date on the message. She’d received it over a week ago.
More Tori:
Website
Blog
March 13, 2014
Friday Feature: Lisbet Sarai's Rough Weather! CONTEST!!
I am really stoked to welcome back fellow Totally Bound author, Lisabet Sarai! She has a delicious new release to share!
Make sure you scroll down to see how to enter Lisabet's Contest (Super easy, promise!)
This novella is ABSOLUTELY delicious!
Rough Weather by Lisabet Sarai Paranormal M/F erotic romance Totally Bound, 2014 Approximately 15,000 words
Tagline and Blurb
Destiny hides in the tempest’s heart
Ondine has always felt at home in the sea. Orphaned at birth and raised by her grandmother on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, she has never really questioned her extraordinary affinity for the watery world. She concentrates on her work as a marine biologist, spends her weekends relaxing among the waves and worries about human threats to her beloved ocean environment. Fears of a deadly pregnancy like her mother’s make her cautious about sex.
When she encounters an attractive but arrogant engineer on her private beach, surveying the site for a prospective off-shore wind farm, anger is her first reaction. A casual touch, however, transforms that emotion to incomprehensible, irresistible, terrifying lust.
Ebony-skinned Marut has his own talents—aside from his uncanny ability to swamp Ondine with desire. He can control the winds and summon storms. He informs Ondine that they share a supernatural heritage and claims she is his destined mate. She responds with scepticism and tries to resist the charismatic Haitian, but ultimately her scientist’s training won’t permit her to deny the evidence of her senses—and her heart. As a brutal northeaster batters the island and Marut’s life hangs in the balance, Ondine learns that true power lies in surrender to her elemental nature.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of light bondage.
Excerpt:
“Ondine.”
She whirled to face him. She hadn’t heard the squeak of the old screen door hinges, yet there he was, tall and dark as a thunderhead—gloriously naked. His piercing eyes pinned her in place. His noble forehead arched up to the explosion of frizzy curls that framed his skull. His skin gleamed as though it had been oiled. He stood before her—no, loomed above her—his muscled legs parted, his arms crossed over his chest, sniffing for her all-too-obvious scent. His nostrils flared like a thoroughbred racehorse and his prominent lips curled into a confident smile.
And there, rising from its nest of inky fur, was the cock she’d caressed out on the beach, a proud cylinder of dark flesh with a slick, mauve cap. In their frenzied groping upon the rocks, she hadn’t really seen his organ clearly, but now…
She’d read that primitive cultures worshipped the phallus as the source of all power. Now she understood, in a most visceral sense, how this could be. She wanted to fall on her knees before this vision of male potency, to beg for a touch, for a taste. Use me, something in her cried, though in fact his beauty and vitality struck her dumb. Helpless, terrified, swamped by need, she waited for him to make the first move.
The strange wind blew around them. Marut’s eyes glittered like chips of hematite. He stared into her soul, asking questions she didn’t dare acknowledge. Unable to bear his scrutiny for more than a few moments, she dropped her gaze to his bare feet, graceful and strong as the rest of him, and waited for him to take her.
“Ondine.” Her name on his lips was moonlight on a tropical lagoon, a gentle surf kissing the shore.
He won’t hurt me, she realised with sudden conviction. Then why was she so afraid?
He reached for her. She sucked air into her lungs, tensing against that first touch that she knew would drown her in irresistible lust. Instead, without any skin-to-skin contact, he took the T-shirt dangling from her hand and pulled it over his head.
Startled, she looked up. His massive erection bobbed against his white-clad belly, more prominent than ever.
“I’ll go now,” he told her. He turned to pull his pants off the line, sending clothes pins flying. As Ondine watched in fascination, he struggled into the tight garment and zipped away his swollen member. “I’d rather stay, but I don’t think you’re ready yet to face who and what you are.”
The bulge under the denim taunted her. Her mouth watered at her recollection of his smoothness, his hardness, his overwhelming maleness. Still she couldn’t bring herself to speak, to ask for what she wanted.
“I’ve left my mobile number for you on the kitchen table.” He headed in that direction and she followed like some mute animal. “If you call, I can be here in less than half an hour. I’m staying in Edgartown.”
“Um—ah—thanks.” She walked him to the front porch, where he’d left his boots. As he crouched to tie the laces, she marvelled that such a simple act could be so incredibly sensual.
When he was shod, he hoisted his pack full of equipment and faced her once more. He reached out to cup her cheek, following the curve without actually touching her. “I’m so grateful I found you,” he murmured. “I’ve been alone for a very long time.”
Sparks prickled across the gap between their flesh.
“But you need to realise that you’re in control. I won’t make a move unless you ask. I respect you, Ondine. I know before long that I’ll love you, as I did in my last life, and that you’ll love me.” Love? This awful craving doesn’t feel like love. More like some disease.
Buy it!All Romance Totally Bound Amazon Amazon UK
Win a copy of Rough Weather plus a copy of its sequel, Hot Spell , the book in which Ondine and Marut first made their appearance. To enter, send an email to contest [at] lisabetsarai [dot] com with the subject line “Rough Weather Giveaway”. Contest closes on March 31, 2014.
About Lisabet:
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – more than fifty single author titles, plus dozens of short stories in various erotic anthologies, including the Lambda winner Where the Girls Are and the IPPIE Best Erotic Book of 2011, Carnal Machines. Her gay scifi erotic romance Quarantine won a Rainbow Awards 2012 Honorable Mention.
Lisabet has more degrees than anyone would ever need, from prestigious educational institutions who would no doubt be deeply embarrassed by her chosen genre. She has traveled widely and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her indulgent husband and two exceptional felines, where she pursues an alternative career that is completely unrelated to her creative writing.
For more information about Lisabet and her writing, visit her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com). She also hangs out at the group blog Oh Get a Grip (http://ohgetagrip.blogspot.com), writes monthly reviews for Erotica Revealed (http://www.eroticarevealed.com) and contributes to the ERWA blog (http://erotica-readers.blogspot.com).
Make sure you scroll down to see how to enter Lisabet's Contest (Super easy, promise!)
This novella is ABSOLUTELY delicious!
Rough Weather by Lisabet Sarai Paranormal M/F erotic romance Totally Bound, 2014 Approximately 15,000 words
Tagline and Blurb
Destiny hides in the tempest’s heart
Ondine has always felt at home in the sea. Orphaned at birth and raised by her grandmother on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, she has never really questioned her extraordinary affinity for the watery world. She concentrates on her work as a marine biologist, spends her weekends relaxing among the waves and worries about human threats to her beloved ocean environment. Fears of a deadly pregnancy like her mother’s make her cautious about sex.
When she encounters an attractive but arrogant engineer on her private beach, surveying the site for a prospective off-shore wind farm, anger is her first reaction. A casual touch, however, transforms that emotion to incomprehensible, irresistible, terrifying lust.
Ebony-skinned Marut has his own talents—aside from his uncanny ability to swamp Ondine with desire. He can control the winds and summon storms. He informs Ondine that they share a supernatural heritage and claims she is his destined mate. She responds with scepticism and tries to resist the charismatic Haitian, but ultimately her scientist’s training won’t permit her to deny the evidence of her senses—and her heart. As a brutal northeaster batters the island and Marut’s life hangs in the balance, Ondine learns that true power lies in surrender to her elemental nature.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of light bondage.
Excerpt:
“Ondine.”
She whirled to face him. She hadn’t heard the squeak of the old screen door hinges, yet there he was, tall and dark as a thunderhead—gloriously naked. His piercing eyes pinned her in place. His noble forehead arched up to the explosion of frizzy curls that framed his skull. His skin gleamed as though it had been oiled. He stood before her—no, loomed above her—his muscled legs parted, his arms crossed over his chest, sniffing for her all-too-obvious scent. His nostrils flared like a thoroughbred racehorse and his prominent lips curled into a confident smile.
And there, rising from its nest of inky fur, was the cock she’d caressed out on the beach, a proud cylinder of dark flesh with a slick, mauve cap. In their frenzied groping upon the rocks, she hadn’t really seen his organ clearly, but now…
She’d read that primitive cultures worshipped the phallus as the source of all power. Now she understood, in a most visceral sense, how this could be. She wanted to fall on her knees before this vision of male potency, to beg for a touch, for a taste. Use me, something in her cried, though in fact his beauty and vitality struck her dumb. Helpless, terrified, swamped by need, she waited for him to make the first move.
The strange wind blew around them. Marut’s eyes glittered like chips of hematite. He stared into her soul, asking questions she didn’t dare acknowledge. Unable to bear his scrutiny for more than a few moments, she dropped her gaze to his bare feet, graceful and strong as the rest of him, and waited for him to take her.
“Ondine.” Her name on his lips was moonlight on a tropical lagoon, a gentle surf kissing the shore.
He won’t hurt me, she realised with sudden conviction. Then why was she so afraid?
He reached for her. She sucked air into her lungs, tensing against that first touch that she knew would drown her in irresistible lust. Instead, without any skin-to-skin contact, he took the T-shirt dangling from her hand and pulled it over his head.
Startled, she looked up. His massive erection bobbed against his white-clad belly, more prominent than ever.
“I’ll go now,” he told her. He turned to pull his pants off the line, sending clothes pins flying. As Ondine watched in fascination, he struggled into the tight garment and zipped away his swollen member. “I’d rather stay, but I don’t think you’re ready yet to face who and what you are.”
The bulge under the denim taunted her. Her mouth watered at her recollection of his smoothness, his hardness, his overwhelming maleness. Still she couldn’t bring herself to speak, to ask for what she wanted.
“I’ve left my mobile number for you on the kitchen table.” He headed in that direction and she followed like some mute animal. “If you call, I can be here in less than half an hour. I’m staying in Edgartown.”
“Um—ah—thanks.” She walked him to the front porch, where he’d left his boots. As he crouched to tie the laces, she marvelled that such a simple act could be so incredibly sensual.
When he was shod, he hoisted his pack full of equipment and faced her once more. He reached out to cup her cheek, following the curve without actually touching her. “I’m so grateful I found you,” he murmured. “I’ve been alone for a very long time.”
Sparks prickled across the gap between their flesh.
“But you need to realise that you’re in control. I won’t make a move unless you ask. I respect you, Ondine. I know before long that I’ll love you, as I did in my last life, and that you’ll love me.” Love? This awful craving doesn’t feel like love. More like some disease.
Buy it!All Romance Totally Bound Amazon Amazon UK
Win a copy of Rough Weather plus a copy of its sequel, Hot Spell , the book in which Ondine and Marut first made their appearance. To enter, send an email to contest [at] lisabetsarai [dot] com with the subject line “Rough Weather Giveaway”. Contest closes on March 31, 2014.
About Lisabet:
Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – more than fifty single author titles, plus dozens of short stories in various erotic anthologies, including the Lambda winner Where the Girls Are and the IPPIE Best Erotic Book of 2011, Carnal Machines. Her gay scifi erotic romance Quarantine won a Rainbow Awards 2012 Honorable Mention.
Lisabet has more degrees than anyone would ever need, from prestigious educational institutions who would no doubt be deeply embarrassed by her chosen genre. She has traveled widely and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her indulgent husband and two exceptional felines, where she pursues an alternative career that is completely unrelated to her creative writing.
For more information about Lisabet and her writing, visit her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com) or her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com). She also hangs out at the group blog Oh Get a Grip (http://ohgetagrip.blogspot.com), writes monthly reviews for Erotica Revealed (http://www.eroticarevealed.com) and contributes to the ERWA blog (http://erotica-readers.blogspot.com).
March 10, 2014
COVER REVEAL: The Tartan MP3 Player!
I am so excited about this one! This is the first book in a new trilogy for me.
I did a custom cover for the first time, hiring the FABULOUS Lindee Robinson and I actually got to use something of my own in the cover.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
LOL. I'm just [a little] excited!
The plaid you will see wrapped around the gorgeous model (Michele LaMontagne) is my very own! I sent it so they could use it.
Okay, without further ado, look at this gorgeousness:
Claire gets sucked into 1672, naked and scared. Duncan rescues her only to realize she's the key to finding his brother who was kidnapped by the Fae. Can they work together and both get what they want? Will sudden passion for each other change their goals?
Full Blurb: Book One in the time travel, fantasy romance series, Highland Secrets!
She never believed in magic…
Claire McGowan, Scotophile and historical romance novel addict, finally saves up enough for her dream vacation to Scotland.
She never imagines she’ll get sucked back to the seventeenth century while running on the beach—that’s what she gets for exercising when she should be relaxing.
He knows with a harsh certainty magic exists...
The Fae have taken his brother—Laird of his clan. Duncan MacLeod finds a bonnie naked and confused lass. He’s convinced Claire arrived in 1672 through the Faery Stones—a magical portal he’s been scouring the lands for over the past six months.
At last, he has someone who’s been through the Faery Stones and can help him find them—and get his brother back.
Duncan promises to help Claire get home, even though his desire to have her wars with his vow.
Torn between familiarity of the present and what she wants in the past, can Claire help Duncan find his brother and get back to the future? Will she even want to?
Want more? I have an excerpt, too!(by the way, this is an EXCLUSIVE first look!)
Excerpt:
“Who goes there?” A deep, accented voice made her jump.
Her MP3 player crashed to the sand, the wires from her headphones ripping over her shoulders as they flew away from her body, but she didn’t go after the devices.
Claire’s heart kicked into overdrive, and she shot her arm across her naked breasts. Plastered her palm over her bare sex.
“Okay, don’t like this dream anymore.” Her voice jumped up an octave.
Why can’t I wake up?
Maybe a touch of fright would make her wake the hell up.
“Ummm….hello?” Claire ventured even though her pulse pounded in her temples. She didn’t see the voice’s owner, but she was stuck now.
Not like I can run and hide.
She wasn’t fond of a stranger seeing her nude, even if gym time had given her a rockin’ body.
Claire smirked. Her sister would’ve declared her egotistical right then and there.
Three figures came into view, standing atop a grassy overhang and staring down at her. Two men and a boy.
“Lass?” One asked.
Lass?
Okay, no more Scottish Highlander romance novels before bed for you, Claire McGowan. But at least she’d placed the accent.
All three were dressed in period clothing. Like—seventeen hundreds or something. The tallest one had a tartan kilt on.
The man who’d spoken was older, wearing a thick grey beard he was currently scratching, as if he was trying to figure her out.
Well, duh. Naked girl on the beach at the ass crack of dawn should do it every time.
The boy looked about ten. He scrambled down the incline, stopping about three feet from her and staring. Wide blue eyes. Dark, messy hair that needed a good cut.
Claire backed up, squeezing her eyes shut. “Seriously, wake up.” Though she should pat herself on the back for the vivid imagination—if she didn’t have to cover her tender parts—she would’ve so been on that.
This place looked and felt real.
“Are ye Fae?” The kid’s brogue was thick, but his voice was high, making him sound younger than she’d guessed.
“Wh-what?” Claire asked, taking another step back.
“Angus, hush.” The last man admonished. His voice was familiar; he’d been the one who’d called out first.
He jumped down to the beach with little effort.
Claire almost forgot to cover herself as she gazed upat him.
Had to be about six-five or six-six.
Definitely had a foot on her, for sure.
Blue eyes, like the kid. Long black hair that flowed in the wind. He was wearing a kilt, and had the same tartan pattern strewn across his body, shoulder to waist and held down with a belt, but no shirt beneath. A huge, defined pec peeked out and her stomach fluttered.
Good job, Claire. At least you dreamt up someone yummy. The model on the cover of the book she’d been reading before bed had nothing on this guy.
“Lass? Are ye all right?” His voice was concerned, as was his expression. He spoke gently.
“M-m-m-me?”
Way to go on the stutter, Clair-bear. Her sister’s nickname popped into her head with ease. It should’ve grounded her, but she still didn’t wake up.
“She talks funny, uncle!”
How can he tell?
She’d said two words, literally.
“Where am I?” Claire whispered. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made her shift on her feet.
“Isle of Skye.” The boy jumped up and down. “We were supposed to go fishing. But I found ye, instead.”
“Hush, Angus MacLeod,” the man said, but there was amusement in his tone. However, he didn’t take his eyes off Claire.
A tremor slid down her spine when his gaze travelled her frame.
Still. Naked.
She wanted to sink into the sand, her earlier confidence about her body gone. Claire shivered, her teeth chattered.
“Jesu, lass. Yer freezin’.” The huge man unbelted the plaid from his waist and whipped it off his torso. It was a separate piece from his kilt, and now he stood before her bare chested. His accent was as thick as the boy’s, but she could make his words out clearer.
Sexy as hell.
“Yeah, kinda naked over here.” A nervous titter fell from her lips and made Claire wince.
“Is she Fae, uncle?” Angus asked.
“Ye’ve been spending too much time with my father. Da, stop clouding the lad’s head with faery tales,” the man called.
The old guy on the hill chuckled. “Och, then ye shouldna leave the lad with me when you go off.”
“Like I have a choice.”
I am super excited about this series!
It will release 3/25/14.
BUTTTTTTT
You can already pre-order it.
ARe | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | KOBO | Smashwords
***It'll be on B&N and Apple, too but I don't have links yet***
I did a custom cover for the first time, hiring the FABULOUS Lindee Robinson and I actually got to use something of my own in the cover.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
LOL. I'm just [a little] excited!
The plaid you will see wrapped around the gorgeous model (Michele LaMontagne) is my very own! I sent it so they could use it.
Okay, without further ado, look at this gorgeousness:
Claire gets sucked into 1672, naked and scared. Duncan rescues her only to realize she's the key to finding his brother who was kidnapped by the Fae. Can they work together and both get what they want? Will sudden passion for each other change their goals?
Full Blurb: Book One in the time travel, fantasy romance series, Highland Secrets!
She never believed in magic…
Claire McGowan, Scotophile and historical romance novel addict, finally saves up enough for her dream vacation to Scotland.
She never imagines she’ll get sucked back to the seventeenth century while running on the beach—that’s what she gets for exercising when she should be relaxing.
He knows with a harsh certainty magic exists...
The Fae have taken his brother—Laird of his clan. Duncan MacLeod finds a bonnie naked and confused lass. He’s convinced Claire arrived in 1672 through the Faery Stones—a magical portal he’s been scouring the lands for over the past six months.
At last, he has someone who’s been through the Faery Stones and can help him find them—and get his brother back.
Duncan promises to help Claire get home, even though his desire to have her wars with his vow.
Torn between familiarity of the present and what she wants in the past, can Claire help Duncan find his brother and get back to the future? Will she even want to?
Want more? I have an excerpt, too!(by the way, this is an EXCLUSIVE first look!)
Excerpt:
“Who goes there?” A deep, accented voice made her jump.
Her MP3 player crashed to the sand, the wires from her headphones ripping over her shoulders as they flew away from her body, but she didn’t go after the devices.
Claire’s heart kicked into overdrive, and she shot her arm across her naked breasts. Plastered her palm over her bare sex.
“Okay, don’t like this dream anymore.” Her voice jumped up an octave.
Why can’t I wake up?
Maybe a touch of fright would make her wake the hell up.
“Ummm….hello?” Claire ventured even though her pulse pounded in her temples. She didn’t see the voice’s owner, but she was stuck now.
Not like I can run and hide.
She wasn’t fond of a stranger seeing her nude, even if gym time had given her a rockin’ body.
Claire smirked. Her sister would’ve declared her egotistical right then and there.
Three figures came into view, standing atop a grassy overhang and staring down at her. Two men and a boy.
“Lass?” One asked.
Lass?
Okay, no more Scottish Highlander romance novels before bed for you, Claire McGowan. But at least she’d placed the accent.
All three were dressed in period clothing. Like—seventeen hundreds or something. The tallest one had a tartan kilt on.
The man who’d spoken was older, wearing a thick grey beard he was currently scratching, as if he was trying to figure her out.
Well, duh. Naked girl on the beach at the ass crack of dawn should do it every time.
The boy looked about ten. He scrambled down the incline, stopping about three feet from her and staring. Wide blue eyes. Dark, messy hair that needed a good cut.
Claire backed up, squeezing her eyes shut. “Seriously, wake up.” Though she should pat herself on the back for the vivid imagination—if she didn’t have to cover her tender parts—she would’ve so been on that.
This place looked and felt real.
“Are ye Fae?” The kid’s brogue was thick, but his voice was high, making him sound younger than she’d guessed.
“Wh-what?” Claire asked, taking another step back.
“Angus, hush.” The last man admonished. His voice was familiar; he’d been the one who’d called out first.
He jumped down to the beach with little effort.
Claire almost forgot to cover herself as she gazed upat him.
Had to be about six-five or six-six.
Definitely had a foot on her, for sure.
Blue eyes, like the kid. Long black hair that flowed in the wind. He was wearing a kilt, and had the same tartan pattern strewn across his body, shoulder to waist and held down with a belt, but no shirt beneath. A huge, defined pec peeked out and her stomach fluttered.
Good job, Claire. At least you dreamt up someone yummy. The model on the cover of the book she’d been reading before bed had nothing on this guy.
“Lass? Are ye all right?” His voice was concerned, as was his expression. He spoke gently.
“M-m-m-me?”
Way to go on the stutter, Clair-bear. Her sister’s nickname popped into her head with ease. It should’ve grounded her, but she still didn’t wake up.
“She talks funny, uncle!”
How can he tell?
She’d said two words, literally.
“Where am I?” Claire whispered. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made her shift on her feet.
“Isle of Skye.” The boy jumped up and down. “We were supposed to go fishing. But I found ye, instead.”
“Hush, Angus MacLeod,” the man said, but there was amusement in his tone. However, he didn’t take his eyes off Claire.
A tremor slid down her spine when his gaze travelled her frame.
Still. Naked.
She wanted to sink into the sand, her earlier confidence about her body gone. Claire shivered, her teeth chattered.
“Jesu, lass. Yer freezin’.” The huge man unbelted the plaid from his waist and whipped it off his torso. It was a separate piece from his kilt, and now he stood before her bare chested. His accent was as thick as the boy’s, but she could make his words out clearer.
Sexy as hell.
“Yeah, kinda naked over here.” A nervous titter fell from her lips and made Claire wince.
“Is she Fae, uncle?” Angus asked.
“Ye’ve been spending too much time with my father. Da, stop clouding the lad’s head with faery tales,” the man called.
The old guy on the hill chuckled. “Och, then ye shouldna leave the lad with me when you go off.”
“Like I have a choice.”
I am super excited about this series!
It will release 3/25/14.
BUTTTTTTT
You can already pre-order it.
ARe | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | KOBO | Smashwords
***It'll be on B&N and Apple, too but I don't have links yet***
March 7, 2014
Friday Feature: It's all about LOVE'S CALL!
So, no matter how many books an author has out, when you get your newest one in your hands, it's really a moving experience.
It's weird, cuz when I read (in the last few years anyway) I have been all about the ebooks. I don't read print anymore, tho I have about 1500-2000 books in my house. (Always been an avid reader)
I collect signed books, and I have them on a special shelf.
But, I digress.
Books. Real ones. That *I* wrote. When you hold it in your hand for the first time, it just DOES something to you.
It's an accomplishment in person.
A good story from my head, to the computer, then in my hands!
So, I wanted to share what came in the mail yesterday:
LOVE'S CALL!!!!
The 2nd book in my fantasy series is GORGEOUS! Take a LOOK!
YAY! I am so excited!
These babies will see the light of day TOMORROW!
I will be at The Book Carriage in Roanoke Texas with two other FAB fantasy authors, Scot C. Morgan and Matthew Bryant!
Would you like to join us? (I sure hope all my local peep will!)
The Book Carriage304 N. Oak StreetRoanoke, Texas 76262
From 1p-3p SATURDAY MARCH 8.
I will be having a Virtual Signing for Love's Call (King's Riders Book Two) in April. Sign up for my Newsletter (Link top right) to catch the announcement WHEN, and keep up on all my other news.
To read an excerpt of Love's Call and see all the buylinks, check out the page on my website!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!
It's weird, cuz when I read (in the last few years anyway) I have been all about the ebooks. I don't read print anymore, tho I have about 1500-2000 books in my house. (Always been an avid reader)
I collect signed books, and I have them on a special shelf.
But, I digress.
Books. Real ones. That *I* wrote. When you hold it in your hand for the first time, it just DOES something to you.
It's an accomplishment in person.
A good story from my head, to the computer, then in my hands!
So, I wanted to share what came in the mail yesterday:
LOVE'S CALL!!!!
The 2nd book in my fantasy series is GORGEOUS! Take a LOOK!
YAY! I am so excited!
These babies will see the light of day TOMORROW!
I will be at The Book Carriage in Roanoke Texas with two other FAB fantasy authors, Scot C. Morgan and Matthew Bryant!
Would you like to join us? (I sure hope all my local peep will!)
The Book Carriage304 N. Oak StreetRoanoke, Texas 76262
From 1p-3p SATURDAY MARCH 8.
I will be having a Virtual Signing for Love's Call (King's Riders Book Two) in April. Sign up for my Newsletter (Link top right) to catch the announcement WHEN, and keep up on all my other news.
To read an excerpt of Love's Call and see all the buylinks, check out the page on my website!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!
March 4, 2014
Tell Me About it Tuesday welcomes back Ayla Ruse!
I'm stoked to have fellow TB author made of awesomesause, Ayla Ruse! She's blogging about age difference, something I myself explored in Chance Collision, but mine was younger female.
Check out her post, and her cover which is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!
The Situation of Age Differences
Does it matter if you’re in love with someone considerably older or younger than you? In today’s day and age, we’re supposed to shrug our shoulders with an indifferent attitude. If someone raises their brows or comments, we’re supposed to hug our lover tighter and ignore the nay-sayers.
But, if one of us were to enter this type of relationship, most of us would probably find ourselves burdened by questioning the rightness of the involvement or yes, how others would view our pairing—as if other opinions should matter.
For one, there are certain expectations that seem to come up in age difference situations. Despite the gender, the older partner is expected to be the one with the experience, the knowledge, the control and the capability to be honest, trustworthy, dependant and sure of self. The older one is expected to guide the younger one, mold them if you will, into the consummate lover and mate.
Now is this always true? I have a new release with Totally Bound called Raspberries and Wine, in which the characters are caught in this age difference situation. As part of the Paramour Collection, the theme is an older woman-younger man involvement, where the man is the Dominant partner. Hmm…interesting. This was my first thought, at any rate, when the call came through.
In developing this story, I flipped ideas over and over in my mind. I knew what I wanted, but I wrestled with a flaw—the heroine, Stacy, is obviously uncomfortable with the age difference between her and Graham. She argues this point with both herself and Graham. This was hard for me to write at first because I told myself that readers would want a heroine who wouldn’t care that she was attracted to someone younger. That the heroine should flip off anyone raising their brows or commenting on their relationship. In the end, I listened more to my character and less to “what’s expected” and discovered that despite the way she should be, Stacy IS uncomfortable. She does have a hard time accepting that she wants a younger man—and even more, that he wants her.
Now, take not only her discomfort on a one-on-one scale, but Stacy also tells herself that she knows what the social expectations of their attraction means…it means she should be the one making the moves, initiating contact, and coming onto him. Being older, she’s the more experienced one, right? Or is she?
As I wrote Stacy, I grew more comfortable in her honesty in that she didn’t want to go against the norm.
Graham, on the other hand, is the charming twenty-something young man who wants to take her to dinner, is a man who is comfortable with the differences between them. He’s sure of himself and what he wants. He gets a sense of what’s bothering his new lover, and despite her arguments, he knows there’s a deeper reason for her hesitations.
Only Graham can prove her wrong, and he will stop at nothing to break down her walls so she can see the potential of a future for them.
Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Following is a snippet from the story, one I hope you will enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thank you, C.A. for having me stop by today.
It’s always a pleasure. And if anyone wants to chat me up, you can find me and all my haunts through my website, http://www.aylaruse.com.
Ayla
**COME BACK ANYTIME Ayla!**
Let's check out that book!
Raspberries and Wine
By Ayla Ruse
Publisher: Totally Bound
Contemporary Erotic Romance, light BDSM, Older Woman-Younger Man, Novella
When Stacy opens her door on Valentine’s Day, it’s not to the man she expected, but to the man who’ll give her what she needs.
It’s Valentine’s day and newly liberated divorcee Stacy Dalton has a plan: seduce her former classmate and end the post-divorce intimacy drought. She’s cooked a meal, she’s dressed to the nines, and she is crossing her fingers that tonight she will not go to bed alone. There is a slight hiccup in the plan when it’s not her former classmate that shows up with an easy smile and a hungry look--but his drop-dead gorgeous son.
Twenty-nine year old Graham Rosen has always been attracted to older women. So making last-minute plans to take out his father’s cancelled date seems an effortless and enjoyable task--especially when he sees the sable-haired beauty who opens the door. Unfortunately, Stacy seems hung up on their age. Even after giving in to Graham’s erotic attentions, the beautiful cook refuses to acknowledge any possible future to their relationship.
Some women need a strong man--with an even stronger hand. Graham is no mere boy to shy away from a challenge and he is more than willing to show Stacy he’s serious about his desire for her beyond just one lustful night. But will his erotic discipline succeed in dissolving Stacy’s hesitations and bring her closer to him? Or will it scare her away?
BUY IT!Totally Bound, Amazon, All Romance eBooks or Barnes and Noble
Check out her post, and her cover which is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!
The Situation of Age Differences
Does it matter if you’re in love with someone considerably older or younger than you? In today’s day and age, we’re supposed to shrug our shoulders with an indifferent attitude. If someone raises their brows or comments, we’re supposed to hug our lover tighter and ignore the nay-sayers.
But, if one of us were to enter this type of relationship, most of us would probably find ourselves burdened by questioning the rightness of the involvement or yes, how others would view our pairing—as if other opinions should matter.
For one, there are certain expectations that seem to come up in age difference situations. Despite the gender, the older partner is expected to be the one with the experience, the knowledge, the control and the capability to be honest, trustworthy, dependant and sure of self. The older one is expected to guide the younger one, mold them if you will, into the consummate lover and mate.
Now is this always true? I have a new release with Totally Bound called Raspberries and Wine, in which the characters are caught in this age difference situation. As part of the Paramour Collection, the theme is an older woman-younger man involvement, where the man is the Dominant partner. Hmm…interesting. This was my first thought, at any rate, when the call came through.
In developing this story, I flipped ideas over and over in my mind. I knew what I wanted, but I wrestled with a flaw—the heroine, Stacy, is obviously uncomfortable with the age difference between her and Graham. She argues this point with both herself and Graham. This was hard for me to write at first because I told myself that readers would want a heroine who wouldn’t care that she was attracted to someone younger. That the heroine should flip off anyone raising their brows or commenting on their relationship. In the end, I listened more to my character and less to “what’s expected” and discovered that despite the way she should be, Stacy IS uncomfortable. She does have a hard time accepting that she wants a younger man—and even more, that he wants her.
Now, take not only her discomfort on a one-on-one scale, but Stacy also tells herself that she knows what the social expectations of their attraction means…it means she should be the one making the moves, initiating contact, and coming onto him. Being older, she’s the more experienced one, right? Or is she?
As I wrote Stacy, I grew more comfortable in her honesty in that she didn’t want to go against the norm.
Graham, on the other hand, is the charming twenty-something young man who wants to take her to dinner, is a man who is comfortable with the differences between them. He’s sure of himself and what he wants. He gets a sense of what’s bothering his new lover, and despite her arguments, he knows there’s a deeper reason for her hesitations.
Only Graham can prove her wrong, and he will stop at nothing to break down her walls so she can see the potential of a future for them.
Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Following is a snippet from the story, one I hope you will enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thank you, C.A. for having me stop by today.
It’s always a pleasure. And if anyone wants to chat me up, you can find me and all my haunts through my website, http://www.aylaruse.com.
Ayla
**COME BACK ANYTIME Ayla!**
Let's check out that book!
Raspberries and Wine
By Ayla Ruse
Publisher: Totally Bound
Contemporary Erotic Romance, light BDSM, Older Woman-Younger Man, Novella
When Stacy opens her door on Valentine’s Day, it’s not to the man she expected, but to the man who’ll give her what she needs.
It’s Valentine’s day and newly liberated divorcee Stacy Dalton has a plan: seduce her former classmate and end the post-divorce intimacy drought. She’s cooked a meal, she’s dressed to the nines, and she is crossing her fingers that tonight she will not go to bed alone. There is a slight hiccup in the plan when it’s not her former classmate that shows up with an easy smile and a hungry look--but his drop-dead gorgeous son.
Twenty-nine year old Graham Rosen has always been attracted to older women. So making last-minute plans to take out his father’s cancelled date seems an effortless and enjoyable task--especially when he sees the sable-haired beauty who opens the door. Unfortunately, Stacy seems hung up on their age. Even after giving in to Graham’s erotic attentions, the beautiful cook refuses to acknowledge any possible future to their relationship.
Some women need a strong man--with an even stronger hand. Graham is no mere boy to shy away from a challenge and he is more than willing to show Stacy he’s serious about his desire for her beyond just one lustful night. But will his erotic discipline succeed in dissolving Stacy’s hesitations and bring her closer to him? Or will it scare her away?
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