Ninette Swann's Blog, page 4

Romance Thesaurus - Part III

Okay, so we've gone over penis and breasts, and we've gone over nipples and balls, but there is so much more in this wonderful world of romance writing to tackle.

Let's start today with butt, shall we?

 Butt: You can refer to this body part as a butt. Shocking, I know. Also acceptable would be buttocks, backside, ass, rear end, behind. You could even get away with buns or rump on occasion. That should be enough right there, no?

Booty is acceptable in certain cases, according to your tone. Obviously not for use in historicals, etc.

"The queen's pert booty..." No.

Tush is okay. But steer clear of tuckus/tuchus or any other childish derivative.

If you use cheeks, make sure you have made it absolutely clear in the context that you are talking about butt cheeks. Otherwise you'll have some confused readers on your hands.

Please, God, do not use terms like pooter or patootie. Use your judgment. And, guys, we have enough one-word ways to refer to butt. You don't need to go all descriptive on us.

"The tear-drop shaped orbs place right below her spine." Really?

Okay, so how to describe the butt?

Smooth is good. Round, pert, tight, perky, athletic...these all work. Feminine is okay. They do look different from masculine butts in most cases.

Try to avoid fruit comparisons. I've seen apples, pears, melons, pumpkins. No. Just no. Unless you can find a way to compare a butt to a spaghetti squash. That I'd like to see.

So, what do people do to a butt?

They can enter it, cup it, fondle it, touch it tenderly, knead it (though I'm not really a fan of this one), rub it, pull it close, etc.

They can ram into it, butt up against it (see what I did there?), caress it, squeeze it.

I, personally, would avoid ass-to-mouth. I mean, yes, it is done, and yes, some authors write it, and yes, some readers read it. And like it. But not me, though. Just, I mean, there are so many other things to do with a butt than lick it and then kiss the other person. Right? Just throwing that out there.



So, what's next. Hmm. Oh, logically, the hole.

This one is really tough.

How do you sexily refer to an asshole?

Okay, acceptable terms, in my opinion, would be asshole, hole, opening.

I'm less a fan of puckered entrance, or anything puckered really, but I've seen it done and I've made it past it.

And don't forget him and/or her, instead! This is truly a lifesaver. If the context is right, you can totally say, "He pushed gently into her, stretching her, readying her," and you never have to specifically refer to what what up the butt butt. Wonderful.

Okay, and the actions. Let's take this bit by bit.

Ways to get a finger inside a butt:

You can slip it in, push it in gently, insert it, slide it in. Try not to ram it in. Studies show readers appreciate not being pummeled up poophole right away. They like to be eased into it. Sometimes you'll want to massage the area first, or tease the skin around it, or, you know, something.

Once you've got that digit in there, go ahead and push a second one on up. Then you can stretch him or her, seat your fingers, scissor them, get her body used to the intrusion, whatever you like. Usually two fingers is enough before the main event. No need to draw it out more than that.

Ways to describe a butthole or what it does to your character's penis:

Tight, hot, searing, clenching, enclosing around, sheathing.

I have seen pulsating. I do not think it means quite what they think it means, but it works in a pinch. Close enough, right?

Save "milking" for PIV. Something about poop shoot milking just doesn't sit right.

Above all, folks, above all, remember: Do not forget the lube!

Feature Follow Friday Time

It's time for a little feature and follow Friday.

The rules are as follows:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}(Required) Follow our Featured BloggersPut your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followedFollow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followersIf you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!


This week's question is: If you could choose one supernatural being to exist, what would it be?

I would choose angels. I like the comforting goodness of them. (For those of you who think angels already exist, this is not meant to offend.)

Okay, here's the linky list. Go ahead and join!

Gifting Books Giveaway WINNERS

I'm so happy to announce the winners of Finding Home, from the Gifting Books Giveaway!




Julie Kornhausl and Ki Pha!

CONGRATULATIONS, and I hope you enjoy it!

Gifting Books Giveaway Hop!

#XmasGIVEAWAY 
Gifting Books Christmas hop was organized by Reading Romances!Time for a great giveaway hop! Look below for lots of freebies and new friends! The question is what's the best book you've gotten? For me, it was Jane Eyre. My favorite book.

What you can win here: Finding Home Number of winners: 2 Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): INT How to enter: Use the Rafflecopter below!

Check out Finding Home!


Jessica Deitermeier is on the run from her family and from herself. The rings her mother bequeathed to her upon her untimely death are worth money, and her uncle will apparently stop at nothing to get them.
She makes her way from Boston to Minnesota and finds work on a small farm. Everything goes smoothly for four months...until the farmer's “prodigal son” comes home. The dark, moody Ben Elkers shakes Jessica on a level she doesn't understand.
Ben Elkers is a failed businessman. When he loses all his money in bad investments, he makes his way home to Sauk Centre. After leaving his parents without so much as a phone call for the holidays, he's surprised when they welcome him with open arms, but even more surprised at the fiery red-headed girl sleeping in his old bed.
Together, they discover the importance of family and decide to do whatever it takes to find home.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finding Home RELEASE!

I'm so proud to announce the release of my next book, Finding Home, today!

It's a holiday romance with some suspense thrown in, the story of two people desperately searching for home in their own different ways. It's got farm living, a bar fight, coveted family heirlooms, dark family secrets, city life, Christmas and of course, sexy tension etc.

The cover is beautiful. At this point, you've seen it, but let's show it again, shall we?

 Here's the blurb, and below the links, I'll give a new excerpt!  Jessica Deitermeier is on the run from her family and from herself. The rings her mother bequeathed to her upon her untimely death are worth money, and her uncle will apparently stop at nothing to get them.
  She makes her way from Boston to Minnesota and finds work on a small farm. Everything goes smoothly for four months...until the farmer's “prodigal son” comes home. The dark, moody Ben Elkers shakes Jessica on a level she doesn't understand. 
 Ben Elkers is a failed businessman. When he loses all his money in bad investments, he makes his way home to Sauk Centre. After leaving his parents without so much as a phone call for the holidays, he's surprised when they welcome him with open arms, but even more surprised at the fiery red-headed girl sleeping in his old bed.  Together, they discover the importance of family and decide to do whatever it takes to find home.  Buy it HERE at Resplendence Publishing today to get your holiday romance read on!  If you'd like a little taste, here's an excerpt from the first few chapters.  **** Ben inhaled the steam as he stepped into the recently used bathroom. What a vision his parents had procured. And as a farmhand? That girl should be royalty. Her crimson hair curling around her face where the tie couldn’t hold it back, her delicate features and little snub nose, the way she held herself—they all spoke to good breeding and wealth. And her eyes, a vibrant emerald that nearly held him hypnotized. He saw from her hands she wasn’t accustomed to life on the farm and from her sweater and posture she had style and grace. His mother had said from the girl was from Boston but she never talked about home. Ellie had been warning him not to broach the subjects during his father’s arrival and their homecoming dinner, but Ben didn’t know if he could hold back. He wanted to know everything he could about the beautiful creature helping his mother cook downstairs. He’d had a lot of girls in the city, especially in the beginning when he was so confident he’d spent loosely, out to impress. Fancy dinners, investor meetings, penthouse suites…Ben had done the whole thing. On his own dime. A dime he didn’t even have yet and now probably never would. But none of the wealthy blondes or brunettes had called to him the way this girl was after only a brief meeting. She had an innocence about her, tied to a protective barrier he couldn’t quite make heads or tails of. He got the impression she wasn’t in Minnesota because she liked the weather. Her accent was fully Massachusetts. He wondered what had brought her all the way out here.  He folded a towel around his powerful hips and went out into the small hallway. From habit, he headed for his old room. And he ran straight into Jessica. The girl had just been coming upstairs, and Ben reached out his arms, grasping her to stop her from falling backward. The feel of her soft sweater on his naked skin sent goose bumps down his spine, and he felt an unwelcome arousal creeping up beneath the towel.  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice a bit breathless. “I almost killed you.”  She looked up at him, those soulful eyes capturing his own and not letting go. As they stood there, a crazy impulse swamped Ben and before he could stop himself, he drew the girl against his chest. She gave no resistance, just a soft whimper of surprise. Her head rested on his damp shoulder. She smelled of cookie dough, the old farmhouse and everything he loved. His heart rate quickened, and he dropped his arms, allowing her to step back.  She glanced at him again, under her long fiery lashes, before moving past him, holding up the bundle in her hands. “I was just going to replace the linens.”  She closed the bathroom door behind her before he could respond.
 ****   When Jessica returned downstairs, Ben was waiting for her, his hand on the banister. He was dressed in a black button-up and tight European-style jeans. He’d combed back his black hair, and it stayed that way because it was still wet. He looked sleek and sure of himself, a lazy smile on his bow-shaped lips.  “My lady, the parents of the house request our presence at the dinner table.” He swooped out his arm with a flourish, twirling his hand and taking a mock bow.  She giggled and slipped her fingers into his palm, her nerves tingling at the touch. He led her to the dining room, rubbing the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb. Every muscle in her body tightened at his movements.  “A true family dinner?”  Ben stopped and turned her toward him. “Is there any other way?” he asked.  Jessica thought about it. She was an only child, and before her parents had died, they’d treated the Christmas holiday like any other time. Sure, on the day itself, there had been presents, maybe a few carols, but certainly no special dinners. No visiting with relatives, either. That had been completely out of the question. Her father didn’t have any family, and while her mother had a brother who lived a half hour away, just outside Boston, they didn’t speak. Even the mention of Uncle Travis’ name had put her mother in a huff. Jessica had learned early on that she would never meet her family, that she shouldn’t want to. She only knew she had some young cousins from the note Travis had written her after the funeral. Whatever had happened in those years before Jessica had been born, it was unforgivable.  A throat cleared from the other room, and Jessica found Ben's father, Harold, staring at them from his spot at the head of the table. She felt sure he would reprimand them for stalling until the stern lines of his face softened into a smile.  “It’s time to eat,” he said gently, “but before you head over here, look up.”  Hanging above their head was a sprig of white berries and dark green leaves, tied to a hook on a string.  “The mistletoe?” she asked.  Harold nodded.  Strong arms drew her close. Of all the ways she could have spent the Christmas season, she’d never imagined she’d be in the arms of a dark, handsome stranger, sharing a kiss.  

Excerpt from Holiday Romantic Suspense, Finding Home

I have a new holiday romantic suspense coming out, and the cover is so gorgeous. Heather at the Red Headed Bookworm agreed to release an excerpt from the book, which comes out on December 19th!
Go take a look!

Finding Home Cover REVEAL!

I'm excited to show you the cover of my new book coming out on December 19th! Not only is this my favorite cover of all time (so far) it's also my favorite book (of mine, lol).

It's a great little piece, in my opinion. Probably my best work (and seriously, check out that hero. Nice job, artists.) So without further ado: Finding Home!

   "Jessica Deitermeier is on the run from her family and from herself. The rings her mother bequeathed to her upon her untimely death are worth millions, and her uncle will apparently stop at nothing to get them.She makes her way from Boston to Minnesota and finds work on a small farm. Everything goes smoothly for six months...until the farmer's 'prodigal son' comes home. The dark, moody Ben Elkers shakes Jessica on a level she doesn't understand.When she sees the way the family pulls together, she makes a decision. Even though she wants to stay and see things through with Ben, she has to go home and stand up to her own family.
Ben Elkers is a failed businessman. When he loses all his money in bad investments, he makes his way home to Sauk Centre. After having left his parents years ago without so much as a phone call for the holidays, he's surprised when they welcome him with open arms, but even more surprised at the fiery red-headed girl sleeping in his old bed.After a whirlwind Christmas, she up and leaves, and Ben starts to understand what he must have done to his small-town family and friends. When a business decision finally goes right, he takes off to find Jessica, this time taking pains to stay in touch with his roots.
Will either of them ever find home?"

Fall in Love Giveaway WINNERS!

Congratulations to:

Cindy Mucha Barton,

Kimberly Holgate,

Sherry Strode

and May


for winning Body Combat or Hit and Stay as part of the Fall in Love Giveaway Hop!

I hope you enjoy it, and come back for more!

Fall in Love Giveaway Hop!

The Fall In Love Giveaway hop was organized by Reading Romances!Hop around for the best free reads money can't buy!
Well, this is my first giveaway hop, so go gently with me!!

At this stop you can win a few of my romances!

First up, Hit and Stay!

"Jake Harrison has a bad habit of swooping to the rescue. Once burned, twice shy, the detective prefers to do the saving...and the leaving. But when he finds socialite Andrea Wadsworth collapsed in the street, he wonders if this time he won't be able to get away so easily, especially since his past is coming to find him.
Andrea Wadsworth thought she had everything she ever wanted—an ambitious and gorgeous fiance, stability and looks to kill. One suspicious phone call leads to her life's undoing and she finds herself on the run from all she once adored, the only person able to help her being a complete stranger. The smoldering Jake Harrison.
Together they unravel an unlikely political plot, but in this game of love and loss, with all the betrayal surrounding them, will they ever be able to trust again?"

Buy it from the publisher.

Buy it from Amazon.

Buy it at Barnes and Noble.

Next up: Body Combat!


"Charles Whitaker is taking his fall from grace hard. Once the top architect in San Diego, his business partner cooked the books and ran off with all his earnings. When the money left, so did his wife. To help Charles' re-focus his energy on the future, he's taken a Body Combat course. Only he
can't focus on anything but the beautiful instructor, Sammy Logan.

Sammy doesn't date clients. Even if she did, she's sure they'd run in the opposite direction as soon as they found out that she has no money and spends all her time protecting her mother from her drunken father. Still, the well-built man in the third row catches her eye and won't let her go without a fight. When her father crashes his car, Sammy has nowhere to turn and runs smack dab into Charles Whitaker.

Together they try to mend a 25-year family rift, caused by greed and stubbornness, by proving that love is more powerful than money.

But is it?"

Buy it from the publisher.

Buy it on Amazon.

Buy it at Barnes and Noble.


Lots of ways to win right here! Thank you for stopping by!

What you can win here: Romantic Suspense Hit and Stay AND Contemporary Romance Body Combat (Ebooks)Number of winners: 4Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): InternationalHow to enter:
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop and find more prizes!

My Life Map, Kate Marshall - Book Review

My Life Map: A Journal to Help You Shape Your Future by Kate Marshall
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well, I didn't really like this book, but, you know, it's my own fault.

I'm a pantser. I don't make plans. Why? They always fall through. And the bigger and more detailed the plan, the worse it goes.

I had a big plan once. I was going to be one damn successful broadcast journalist. I was going to produce the hell out of news, in New York, no less.

And I almost made it; I really almost made it.

But here I am.

An accidental twin pregnancy, a layoff, a crumbled economy and a husband later, I find myself here in Gainesville, where they don't even HAVE a news market. (Seriously, we're market 169)

I'm home, taking care of my kids, and slowly, with no plan in place, I've begun to branch out again, taking on odd jobs that turned into regular jobs, writing, blogging, expanding my resume.

I just got into grad school. But I don't have a plan. It's just something to do that will hopefully pay off in the future. That's the only way life works for me.

And I want a plan, I really do. So I was excited to get this book. But with questions like, "where do you see your friendships in ten years?" I mean, I guess I was just a bit disappointed.

My answers got more and more vague.

Basically my life plan is: Keep my family, add some money and success.

That's it.

And I'm not going to project my death date, sorry.

One of the questions asked me to go through my pictures and make a collage with me in the center.

I skipped it.

Because in my currently plan--which is get as much shit done a day as humanly possible--I don't have time for an art project. I already know what is important to me, the question is what am I going to do with it?

And to get to those answers, I'm going to need a lot more probing questions than, "what have you given to service in the past five years?"

If I'm going to make a plan, I'm going to need to be ninjaed into it.

This book didn't do that.

There's a great discussion going on about planning right now at the Blogher Book Club. http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-r...

**This review is part of the Blogher Bookclub review initiative, but the thoughts expressed are my own.

View all my reviews