Cara Faith Donvovan's Blog, page 98

How Can Erotica Help Allow Fantasies to Make Guest Appearances in Your Life?

I think I would be correct in saying that we all have fantasies that we keep tucked away in an imaginary file cabinet in our minds to access when a little extra fuel needs to be thrown onto the flame of passion. That guy at the office who smells so good and has the look of mischief in his eyes, the actor who you swoon over (and watch that scene in Magic Mike over and over just to see his moves), or that book boyfriend that you wish they could come up with a way to make him real or clone him so he can be yours.

Anyway you look at it, fantasies add pleasure to life and they get to either stay just in your head or if you have an adventurous enough husband/boyfriend/lover, you can share them and live out the fantasies in real life.

Along comes Fifty Shades of Grey and suddenly ‘game on’, boys! Women are crawling out from behind their veil of secrecy into the public eye proclaiming their desires to take a walk on the wild side. “Kinky” is now somewhat trendy. Who knew?

I find it fascinating how erotic literature and the more explicit romance novels have allowed women who normally were fairly reserved in their bedroom activities are now able to take the leap into the fantasies that they are reading about on their Kindles and Nooks. She can share a sexy scene from a book she’s reading with her partner and gauge his reaction to see if this is something they can try together.


In much the same way, my erotic poetry books allows you to hide conveniently behind my words and yet gives you an opportunity to try some kinky ideas on for size. If the idea behind my poem gets things going, then fantastic. If one or the other of you feels shy about it, move on to the next poem.

Many of my poems take place in the “non-vanilla” arena. Things like spankings, toys, light bondage, Domination/submissiveness all playfully make their way into my poetry. With all the erotic and romance literature that is out there, it is bound to have an affect on the couples that are reading this material.

Fantasies fuel passion. I personally feel that if more people would live out their fantasies with their partner in life, there would be less cheating because the partner seeking sex outside the union is probably needing to fulfill fantasies that he or she is not comfortable sharing at home.

Thanks so much for reading this post! I’m thrilled and honored to be participating in this Book Blog Tour for my book, The Poetic Art of Seduction – The Erotic Poetry Collection.

Seductively yours,

Clarissa O. Clemens

The Poetic Art of Seduction(The Erotic Poetry Collection Volumes 1-3)by Clarissa Clemens
A collection of all 3 volumes of Clarissa O. Clemens' erotic poetry book series, The Poetic Art of Seduction, under 1 cover!

An erotic gift of lyrical rhyme to keep on every bedroom nightstand for play. Kinky yet classy erotic poetry painting sexy pictures and scenes with seductive words to read to each other and get the mood soaked in seduction.

What critics have said about Clarissa's poetry:

"...A delicious dance with words..."
"Impossible not to be aroused..."
"...mouth-watering feast of erotic rhyme..."
"...her words ebb and flow with a superb sensuousness."
"5 Stars is just not enough for this exquisite work of erotic art"

78 Passionate poems of seduction are waiting for you to be devoured with lust and desire.

41 Beautifully sensuous photographs have been included to heighten your visual experience with Ms. Clemens poetry.

A must-have for every couple looking for new ways to add the spark back into their flame.

Author Bio

Words have always loved to come play with Clarissa O. Clemens. As a young girl and teen, Clarissa wrote for her school paper and used the written word to channel all the angst and longing for love through her poems and short stories. After her divorce, she again took pen to paper to process all the emotions that were slamming into her head and heart to try and heal, have hope again for love and intimacy, and rediscover the sensual being that had been lurking unattended for many years. After she shared these poems with close friends they strongly encouraged her to find a way to publish them and share them with the world.

In 2008, Clarissa graduated with her BS in Accounting and had been able to land a great job as an Accounting/HR Manager for a private country club. In July of 2011 she self-published her 1st book of erotic poetry from the series, The Poetic Art of Seduction. In addition to her 3 volumes of erotic poetry she has written to date, Ms. Clemens has published 2 volumes of hopeful heart poems in the series, The Poetic Diary of Love and Change; she is currently working on the 3rd volume to be published very soon.

Besides her passion for writing, Clarissa loves to play golf, travel, read, explore music, and spend time with family and friends. Her hope in sharing her poems and written works is to help put passion back into people's lives and rekindle the flame in their hearts for love and desire.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarissaClemens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClarissaClemens

Websites: http://www.pleasureportalpress.com/ (erotica)
                http://www.clarissaclemens.com/  (hopeful heart poetry website)

Amazon Purchase links:

U.S.
http://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Seduction-Erotic-Poetry-Collection-ebook/dp/B00GZATVHW/ref=la_B008MFS5J8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402106701&sr=1-3

U.K
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetic-Seduction-Erotic-Poetry-Collection-ebook/dp/B00GZATVHW/ref=la_B008MFS5J8_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402106887&sr=1-4




Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

TEMPTED BY HIS TOUCH Historical Anthology

About the Book:
A boxed set with ten sizzling historical romances from ten bestselling historical romance authors. Fall in love with fabulous tales of intrigue, suspense, wit, and passion featuring dukes, rogues, alpha heroes…and the women who can’t resist them. JUST 99 CENTS from July 27 - Sept. 21---then it disappears FOREVER!

Purchase Links: Amazon  Barnes And Noble  Kobo  Smashwords All Romance


Scoundrel Ever After by Darcy Burke - Once upon a time there was a very bad boy who met a very nice girl....
Lady of Pleasure by Delilah Marvelle - Educating a man in the art of love takes time. Lots of it.
Sonata for a Scoundrel by Anthea Lawson - Passion and secrets simmer against the glittering backdrop of 19th century musical celebrity.
To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield by Bronwen Evans - What's a lady to do when a notorious rake wins her estate in a game of cards?
Undone by Lila DiPasqua – One steamy, emotionally charged retelling of Rapunzel…Rescuing this beauty from the ‘tower’ is only the beginning…
The Problem with Seduction by Emma Locke - Elizabeth Spencer needs a man. She doesn't need to like him—because while she needs a man, she doesn't particularly want one.
A Dangerous Invitation by Erica Monroe - Daniel O'Reilly returns to win back Kate Morgan’s heart and prove he's innocent of murder.

Excerpt from "A Dangerous Invitation:

This Kate, this hardened woman who spoke like there was nothing between them at all, baffled him.
Daniel moved his thumb on the broadsheet to cover up the word “murder.” From the soft texture of the paper, she’d read the contents many times, the oils from her fingertips smoothing the print.
“Why did you keep these, Kate?”
She flushed, fists balled up at her side. “I kept them to remind myself of the truth.”
“Whose truth, Kate? The constable’s? Mine? Yours?”
She flinched, eyes narrowing warily. “I don’t even know anymore.”
“Then help me find Tommy Dalton’s murderer. We’ll find the truth together.”

About “A Dangerous Invitation”

Struggling to survive in London’s dangerous rookeries, Kate Morgan is determined not to give into the temptation of past love Daniel O’Reilly when he returns to win back her heart and prove he’s innocent of murder.


Once Upon a Duke by Eva Devon - A widow looking to get seduced. A duke more than willing to oblige.
Great & Unfortunate Desires by Gina Danna - A marquis with a guilty past takes a bride in a world where love is fatal.
Dark Surrender By Erica Ridley - Trapped in darkness…. Their passion burns bright!

About Darcy Burke:A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and two Bengal cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She’s also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge.
Website: http://www.darcyburke.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarcyBurkeFansTwitter: https://twitter.com/darcyburkeGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823441.Darcy_BurkeNewsletter: http://www.darcyburke.com/newsletter/
About Bronwen Evans:USA Today Bestselling Author Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Her debut Regency romance, Invitation to Ruin won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2012, and was an RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee Best First Historical 2011. Her first self-published novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield, was a FINALIST in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance Book of the Year 201,2 and a finalist in the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2013. Her first contemporary released December 2012, The Reluctant Wife, won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Category 2013.
Website: http://www.bronwenevans.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bronwenevansauthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/bronwenevans_NZGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4331713.Bronwen_EvansNewsletter: sign up at the top of Bronwen’s website
About Lila DiPasqua:Lila DiPasqua is a multi-published, national bestselling author of historical romance with heat. Her novels are published by Penguin/Berkley, as well as having self-published works.She is best known for her critically acclaimed Fiery Tales series. Her books have been featured on Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs.She lives with her husband and three children in Canada and is a firm believer in the happily-ever-after.
Website: http://liladipasqua.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilaDiPasquaAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/liladipasquaGoodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3234450.Lila_DiPasquaNewsletter: sign up on the sidebar of Lila’s website
About Delilah Marvelle:Delilah Marvelle is the winner of the Reviewer's Choice for Best Sensual Historical Romance of the Year and had Booklist name her historical romance 'Forever and a Day' one of the TOP 10 Romances of the year. When she isn't writing, she's digging through inappropriate research books that include anything in history having to do with courtesans, brothels, sexual contraptions that were never properly used and other fascinating forms of dirty history that didn't make it into college textbooks. She includes all of her research in her books to ensure countless hours of entertainment and continues to take pride in knowing more about dirty history than most people feel comfortable with.
Website: http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Delilah-Marvelle/73234401876Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelilahMarvelleGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1423331.Delilah_MarvelleNewsletter: http://delilahmarvelle.wordpress.com/
About Erica Ridley:Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up. She is the author of three Gothic romances, Too Wicked to Kiss, Too Sinful to Deny and Dark Surrender, the vampire romance "Never Been Bitten" in the paranormal romance anthology Born To Bite, contemporary paranormal romances Charmed and Midwinter Magic, and the holiday fantasy romance Let It Snow.When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.
Website: http://www.ericaridley.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericaridleyTwitter: https://twitter.com/EricaRidleyGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3087787.Erica_RidleyNewsletter: http://bit.ly/EricaRidleyVIPs
About Emma Locke:Emma Locke is a writer and engineer living in the Pacific Northwest, where she loves hiking with her dog, hot yoga and riding out the annual 330 days of rain. Hiking and yoga give her time to plot, the lack of sun makes for perfect writing weather, and as for her day job, the dichotomy seems to work: her analytic side ensures her passionate, satisfying love stories don't mulch under her bed, and her author side forces her to keep writing more.
Website: http://www.emmalocke.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEmmaLockeTwitter: https://twitter.com/EmmaLockeAuthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6749632.Emma_LockeNewsletter: sign up at the bottom of Emma’s website
About Gina Danna:Gina has spent the better part of her life reading. History has been her love and she spent numerous hours devouring historical romance stories, dreaming of writing one of her own. Years later, after receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, writing academic research papers and writing for museum programs and events, she finally found the time to write her own stories of historical romantic fiction.Now, under the supervision of her three dogs and three cats, she writes amid a library of research books, with her only true break away is to spend time with her other life long dream – her Arabian horse – with him, her muse can play.
Website: http://ginadanna.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GinaDannaAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/GinaDanna1Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7141882.Gina_Danna
About Erica Monroe:Erica Monroe is a bestselling author of emotional, suspenseful romance. Though she has a Bachelor's degree in writing, she's been a secretary, a barista, and a retail assistant. Now Erica spends her days crafting lovable rogues and feisty heroines for her historical and new adult series. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina, and the Beau Monde Regency Romance chapter. When not writing, she is a chronic TV watcher, sci-fi junkie, lover of pit bulls, and shoe fashionista. She lives in the suburbs of North Carolina with her husband, two dogs, and a cat.
Website: http://ericamonroe.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EricaMonroeWritesTwitter: https://twitter.com/ericajmonroeGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7280359.Erica_MonroeNewsletter: sign up on Erica’s website sidebar
About Eva Devon:Author of sexy and laugh out loud funny Regencies, I'm also Maire Claremont, creator of dark and angsty Victorians!
Website: http://www.maireclaremont.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eva-Devon/1464806663776356Twitter: https://twitter.com/evadevonauthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8333263.Eva_DevonNewsletter: http://eepurl.com/YoZbD
About Anthea Lawson:Anthea Lawson, called "a new star of Historical Romance" by Booklist, has won readers with her combination of spicy love scenes and elegant prose. Her first novel, PASSIONATE, was a Best First Book finalist in the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA awards.Anthea also writes award-winning YA Urban Fantasy under the pen name Anthea Sharp.
Website: http://anthealawson.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntheaLawsonTwitter: https://twitter.com/AntheaLawsonGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2436762.Anthea_LawsonNewsletter: https://tinyletter.com/AntheaLawson



FACEBOOK PARTYhttps://www.facebook.com/events/250318105177956/Wednesday, July 30th6PM-11PM ESTChat with the authors and win prizes!
Also, be sure to like each author’s Facebook page so you’ll see the WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS they have going on while Tempted by His Touch is on sale. You don’t want to miss an exciting moment of this extravaganza!



GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Grand prize: iPad Mini (16GB) with surprise bonus print books [Open to US/CA] Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway Or if your blog does not support rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway Tour Schedule:
July 27:Embracing Romancehttp://embracingromance.com/Love Historicalshttp://www.lovehistoricals.com/Buried Under Romancehttp://www.buriedunderromance.com/For The Love of Bookendshttp://loveofbookends.blogspot.com/
July 28:Dashing Duchesseshttp://dashingduchesses.com/What I’m Readinghttp://sillymelody.blogspot.com/Love Saves The Worldhttp://www.lovesavestheworld.com/Rakes & Rascalsrakesandrascals.wordpress.com
July 29:Hawt Readshttp://hawtreads.wordpress.com/Doing Some Readinghttp://doingsomereading.wordpress.com/Tears of Crimsonhttp://www.tearsofcrimson.com/Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romancehttp://romancingrakes4theluvofromance.blogspot.com/
July 30:Romance Reader Girlhttp://romancereadergirl.com/History Hoydenshttp://historyhoydens.blogspot.com/Mary Gramlichhttp://marygramlich.blogspot.com/
July 31:Adria’s Romance Reviewshttp://adriasromancereviews.blogspot.com/Swanangel15s Book Reviewshttp://swanangel15home.blogspot.com/Historical Romance Loverhttp://historicalromancelover.blogspot.com/What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing On A Blog Like This?http://nicegirlonablog.blogspot.ca/


August 1:Bookworm 2 Bookwormhttp://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com/Rookie Romancehttp://rookieromance.blogspot.com/Book Obsessed Chickshttp://book-obsessed-chicks.blogspot.com/Pretty Girls Read Bookshttp://opinionatedperson.wordpress.com/
August 2:Eskimo Princess Book Reviewshttp://eskimoprincess.blogspot.com/Ramblings From This Chickhttp://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/Book Loving Mamashttp://booklovinmamas.com/Historical Fiction Obsessionhttp://historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com


The tour schedule can also be found here: http://www.romancewrangler.com/2014/07/TemptedByHisTouchAnthology-BlogTour.htmlThanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

7 Things To Motivate Yourself as a Writer! #FF Love

The weekend is here and it's time to stop waiting for great things to happen, instead do something to put your work in front of those readers!  We've all gotten caught up in the world around us and left our writing behind at some point in our lives.  These 7 tips are ideas to get you motivated and heading back down the road toward your goals.  I know there are tons of excuses I use not to work, but even on my bad mood days I try to kick myself in the tush and remember what my goals are.  So here we go!  Who's with me?  
 Make it a goal today to write at least 1,000 words.  Stop procrastinating and put something else on hold while you get that word count up.  Make sandwiches for dinner, or whatever else you can do to give yourself that time to work on your book.  It's hard to sell a book if you haven't written it yet!Update your twitter profile, Facebook page, or other social media.  When's the last time you took a look at how you're branding yourself?  Give yourself a update and give your followers something new to talk about.Try out a new method of promoting.  If you're book sales aren't where you want them to be why not look for something to get them kick started.  A Blog Tour, Facebook Campaign, Rafflecopter giveaway, create a Quiz on Goodreads, or start a twitter campaign using Feed140 to create 24/7 tweets!Create a blog post about what your working on right now and get readers interested before you publish.  Or heck, even do one telling your fans thank you for all their support.  Don't forget the people who are standing as your cheer squad when the rest of the world had no idea who you are!Are you blocked?  Inspiration is all around you.  Think about a life event that left you breathless or even a little teary eyed and incorporate it into your WIP.  Nothing shows off your writing skills like adding a little piece of yourself into the story!See what's working for the top sellers. Go to your favorite book site and look at the top ten books in your genre.  What are they doing that you're not?   By no means copy another author!  But you can get ideas about what readers seem to be purchasing at the moment and get a theme idea in your mind.Covers can sell books, what are yours saying about you?  While you're at your favorite book site, look at some of the bestselling covers and compare them to yours.  Where are you falling behind? Does your cover look like it belongs on a bestseller list?  If not maybe it's time to start shopping around for a great cover artist?  If you're a DIY yourself person, then study some of the top covers and see how you can improve your craft.Feel free to share these tips with friends who might be having a little trouble getting motivated.  If you have other ideas to kick the lazy bug, I'd love to hear about it and I'm sure my readers would to.  Leave a comment!  Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

Plagiarism Gone Wrong

Since Plagiarism is never write, yes that's a play on words, how could it ever be good?  The fact of the matter is, it can't.  I've debated on bringing up this horrible topic again, because to be honest it makes my stomach churn.  As many of my readers here will remember I wrote a book series a few years back, the first being titled 10 Nights. This book did very well on the Amazon Charts, reaching the top 100 books sold.

It was right after the sensationalized book Fifty Shades of Grey released, and readers took to it looking for the next great sexy read.  A second book was released, Beyond 10 Nights, and had the same type of response from readers, who seemed to eagerly await the third book in that series.  That third book never came to fruition, and much of my original fan-base was angry.  Those that followed the story know what came next.

I'd made a very bad mistake in trusting a person without legal backup to keep things in check and put the editor of this novel as a co-writer on my books.  It was an error in judgement that haunted me for the next year as that editor decided his contribution to proofreading and copy editing was worth 50% of the profits, and he felt the recognition of his name and the 25% I originally offered was not worthy of his work, even though I'd written the original product.

Why did I do this in the first place?  Because I was ignorant of the way things worked in the book world at the time, and I trusted this person to keep his word.  It turned into an ugly battle of wills that ended up with me pulling these books from shelves and basically watching all my hard work slowly slide down the drain. I contacted several legal advisers after he put these books up under his name, taking credit for the work I'd done.  The fees were more than I could afford to pursue legal aid.  After deciding that it wasn't worth the cost to my family to take this further, I bit back my hurt feelings and began writing new books.

As far as I was concerned, I'd done all within my power and needed to look forward.  That mind set paid off well for me as I ventured forth and created several bestselling books, and eventually the pain of losing my work drifted into the past.  So why am I discussing it again today?  Things have gone very well for me this last year, I'm comfortable in my place as a full-time author, what could bring about my need to discuss this again?

I was tagged in a Kindle Board Post and the context put my name and Karl Jones as questioning us as the same person.  Obviously I wasn't going to allow that association to remain.  What I discovered thanks to an author who alerted me to this topic, was yet another author had been plagiarized by Jones.  Only this time he had taken a series that Geraldine Evans had written in 2003 if research is correct, the RAFFERTY & LLEWELLYN SERIES.  Jones managed to change the names of her characters and stole the rest of the book.  Such effort on his part (insert scathing sarcasm here).

Obviously there is no love loss between me and Jones, after what he did to my work, but what really disturbed me was he still had no remorse about claiming rights to work he did not do.  In my opinion, one cannot call themselves an author if they are not writing the book.  Several disturbing facts came to light about this person after my work had been destroyed, and while it doesn't weigh in with the plagiarism, it disturbed me greatly as a mother of five children.   Child abuse charges that he was convicted of, really made my blood boil, considering that I'd allowed one of my teenage daughters to be in a video for one of his books.  On that note I was very thankful that YouTube understood my concerns and removed that video link.

As far as the book that he plagiarized from author Evans, it was titled Murder In The First (O'Malley's Mystery books #1), showing that he also intended to continue on his road down thievery and continue the series.  And he did put out the second book Murder By The Tiffey (OMalley Mysteries #2).  As this is a 15 book series, one would have to wonder if he planned on taking all those titles as his own work.

Of course what I didn't expect to find was that he'd plagiarized 10 Nights, yet again by changing the title to Lessons (In Love, Lust and Life).  Since my heart was hammered the first time he attempted this and I could find no help through Amazon, yes it opened up old wounds.   As of this post all of the books listed are still being sold on Amazon but I do believe they will remove them.  As with Ms. Evan's books, the only changes to 10 Nights now listed as Lessons, was a few name changes.  I stated above that 10 Nights was pulled from shelves so you certainly won't see my book listed on Amazon.  There is a sense of disbelief that he can post my work while my material is basically banned.

It brings to point that what work has he written that actually belongs to him?  I would not be surprised to find all the works under his name plagiarized in some form.  If you're an author, I would look at the titles not mentioned here to verify you are not the next victim of this man who seems to be allowed a free hand to publish other peoples work.


Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

A Day in the Life of an Author

Being an author might seem glamorous looking from the outside in, but believe me it's not all wonderful days of typing away on your keyboard.  There are days and nights when I'd like to tell the Muse to just shut up and let me relax, of course he rarely listens.  I can be sitting at a BBQ with the family and an idea will hit me so suddenly, that I have to pick up the first available pen and scribble down notes.  I've gotten the eyes rolled at me several times when this notion hits. Or when I can't stop talking about my characters like they are my best friends.

In ways they are my best friends, because while I'm writing them, I delve into their innermost secrets and try to bring them to life for readers.  And television shows or movies?  Most people hate to watch them with me because I will tear apart a plot and explain what they should have done differently!  It's like dueling with your imaginary friends all the time, balancing them out against the reality you're living.

On a positive note, writing keeps my mind young.  Often my characters are just beginning their adult lives, so I never age.  That little tidbit can get me in trouble at times too, because I have to force myself to remember I'm an experienced adult, not to mention a wife and mother!  Very few days go by when I'm not pulled out of fantasy land and forced to deal with the very real life I lead.  Jumping from romance in a scene you're writing to kids screaming that there's not enough junk food in the cabinet can be a bit of a challenge.

I've had friends ask me how I have all these sexy male friends (I post pictures online of what I see my characters looking like) and still be faithful in my marriage.  That still makes me giggle, because I don't know these people, but the fact that people think I do? Yeah that tickles my funny bone.  So to set the record straight there are no half-naked men sitting around feeding me grapes while I relax on a chaise being fanned. The reality is more like I've got kids dumping soda on the floor and screaming that I need to get it up before their socks get dirty!

My world of fantasy is no different than the world I hope I help readers escape too.  I just get to write it out before they read.  You might find it comical the things going on around me as I write, because most people would go insane.  I might be writing gorgeous, sexy hunk, but what I'm hearing around me is a television blaring to loud, video games that my kids are fighting over, or one of them asking when they can have their turn at the computer.  Did I say asking?  What I meant was mom would you get off the computer now, I have a game to play!

On the flip side, I've been blessed beyond belief.  In 2009 when I penned my first novel, I had no idea anyone would actually read what I wrote.  Laid off from my job in respiratory, I was concerned about how I was going to help support our family even though my husband makes a decent wage.  When my books started selling, and believe me that took a few years, I was simply amazed.  Now in 2014 I actually make a living from book sales, and that blows my mind.

I think everyone, outside of my mother, thought that writing was just a pipe dream that I'd give up after failing miserably.  My mom had stuck with me through a singing career prior to respiratory, so she always believed I could do whatever I wanted.  Instead of my husband asking when I'm going to pull my head out of the clouds these days, he's asking when he can retire.  It's been one heck of a beautiful ride!

So that's in a nutshell, a day in my life as an author.  Sometimes I ask myself how I manage to write in all the chaos, but then I really think about it and I couldn't do it any other way.  Silence really makes me nuts and I need all the insanity going on around me to really fulfill my artistic vision.  Of course if any guys don't mind beating my husband off and dealing with all the screaming kids, feel free to come bring the fig leaves to fan me as I write! Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

$500 Giveaway and One HOT book Bundle

Summer Daniels does it again with the 3rd What To Read After FSOG Gemstone Collection and she's offering up an incredible giveaway with over $500 in prizes to introduce you to the new boxed set!  11 incredible authors, 11 sizzling stories, for only 99 Cents!

Billionaires, Bikers, Bad Boys?  The Gemstone Collection Part Three, has them all!  Head on over to Amazon to get your copy now: What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3)  Then enter the HUGE giveaway below!



Combine one sexy tattooed bad boy with one headstrong girl for a heart tugging read in LOVE ME FOR ME by New York Times and USAT Bestselling Author Lauren Hawkeye.

Wealthy real estate tycoon Jack Gordon has it all ... fast cars, faster women, and cold hard cash. But when he steps through a door one hot summer afternoon, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever ... HOUSE RULES by Liz Crowe.

One sexy as sin movie star. One woman putting her life back together. One hedonistic vacation. Beverly Preston's NO MORE WASTED TIME is a sensual story you don't want to miss!

What happens when secrets and broken hearts collide? Find out in MOVING FORWARD by Erika Ashby.

Who doesn't love a tattooed rock star? Join indie band The Stabs in the sexy story THE DEVIL'S TATTOO by Nicole R. Taylor!

Join good girl Nicole, bad boy Jase, and the Sons of Mayhem for a full throttle ride in SONS OF MAYHEM by Nikki Pink, a romantic suspense biker romance.

A secret office affair. A best friend who wants more. Julianne had no idea that she was going to have to make these kinds of decisions ... HOW HE REALLY FEELS by Lisa Suzanne.

The lines between fantasy and reality blur in INOPERATIVE by Charity Parkerson.

Pregnant Julie Miller returns to her hometown only to come face to face with a sexy, mysterious stranger in FINDING HOME by Lacey Wolfe.

FSOG with a twist ... in SKYLER TOWER by Khelsey Jackson, Evangeline is the CEO ... what happens when she meets sexy reporter Angelo Giovanni? A sexy romantic suspense.

And saving the best for last ... join WTRAFSOG founder Summer Daniels on her journey of sexual self-discovery, a well written, intelligent and sexy series about the beginning of her sensual, sulrty love affair with life, and all the joys of being a woman ... SUMMER'S JOURNEY VOLUMES 1-4.

(love story, contemporary romance, new adult romance, alpha heroes, bikers, rock stars, movie stars, beach reads, sexy romance, bad boys, falling in love, billionaire, interracial, BDSM, romantic suspense)


  a Rafflecopter giveawayThanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

Southern Belle Blog Tours

You know what the say about Southern Belle's?  They don't stop until they get the job done.  This is a new virtual book tour group and they are currently looking for great bloggers like you to join the Belle's.  If you're a blogger and love books, then I hope you'll take a minute to hop on over to their site www.southernbellebooktours.com and give them a look.  Since they are just starting out, the one thing they need most is great bloggers.  Signing up is easy and I think you'll find the Belle's have a knack for promoting great books.  How do I know?  Well you might say that I've taught them everything they know.  My mom and daughter are heading up this company.  I'm the not so silent partner.

What I can promise you as a blogger, is the easiest set up imaginable.  They'll send everything you need including the html to copy and paste for every tour.  If you're looking to promote your blog, this is a great way to do that.  The Belle's will send readers your way to help promote great books.  As most of you know I started this journey with nothing but a great love of writing, and the one thing I know is that virtual book tours work.  This venture is something I've thought about for years, but couldn't make come to life without help.  Now with Susan and Kayla taking the lead, I can help out and still do what I really love, write!

To sign up as a Belle Blogger you can visit this quick link:  Blog for the Belles to find out more about what it means to become a Belle this easy guide will help:  Blogging for the Belles PDF  It's really a win for everyone if you run a blog.  You get great posts sent to your email and content for your readers.


Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

Thanks For an Amazing Birthday Month!

Thank you all so much for a wonderful birthday month!  June has been filled with excitement and as you can see from the photo above, Amazon has had me listed as a top author for the entire month!  Fantasy's Bar & Grill and 5 Nights are still in the top 20 of anthologies!  So many incredible things are in the works, and I thank you for the emails, facebook comments, and just the general encouragement that you continue to give!

To answer a few questions that I've received from several emails, the second book in the "You Don't Know Jack" series will release September 1, 2014.  There will be more books in the Fantasy's Series, I just don't have a date to give yet for that.  I will be releasing a new paranormal romance hopefully in Fall of 2014, but that date is not a promise, just an intention.  My daughter and a dear friend asked me to write a Werewolf Romance, so I'm doing my best to make that wish come true for them.

Yes I will be in New Orleans for Halloween to celebrate my twin daughters 18th birthday, but at this time I don't plan on doing book signings.  As of yet we aren't sure about the Vampire or Witches ball because I'm not sure what the age restrictions are, and that weekend will be all about my twins.

I really enjoyed working with Summer Daniels for the What to Read After FSOG, Gemstone 2 collection. She's been a wonderful supporter of sexy romance and a very talented writer as well.  This was obviously the second book bundle and hopefully there will be many more to come.

Summertime around the Hughes Ranch is always a little chaotic with all the children home, so I've had to cut back on my social media somewhat.  We just returned from a vacation in Florida so it's time for me to get back to work on the writing!  To my incredible beta readers, thanks so much for keeping me on my toes!  You guys have no idea how inspiring it is to be asked when another chapter is being released!  

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!  I'd love to hear about your summer plans, so please feel free to leave comments.  Take care and here's wishing you nothing but the best summer ever!

Truly,
MichelleThanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

Amazon fire Phone! Tears of Crimson approves!

This news hitting my inbox today thanks to Summer at WTRAFSOG was mind blowing!  I'm a huge lover of the Kindle Fire so when I discovered they were debuting a new phone?  Okay my nerdy little heart beat a little faster!  You can get all the tech facts here Amazon's new fire phone as I'm just going to give a run down of why this is the gift I'm demanding for my birthday now (yeah I know I'm a little pushy when I want something).
So why does this have my hands aching to hold it?  For one it just looks cool!  Yeah I'm a girl, sue me!  It tilts, it scrolls, and peeks all with a turn of the screen.  It's from Amazon, and like I said I already love my Kindle Fire so I know how hot this new little gadget will be.  A full year of Prime is included, and for people like me who already subscribe, you get another full year.  I can read on it, browse, check my mail, and oh yeah answer the phone!  
13 mp Camera and 1080 p video, Let's just say that these won't be the blurry photo's you get with that other device I stopped using the moment I got the Kindle! If you're like me you're a battery hog when it comes to devices.  The fire Phone doesn't let you down there either!  Quoting from Amazon's own site, "285 hours of standby time, up to 22 hours of talk time, up to 65 hours of audio playback, and up to 11 hours of video playback."  
This is my new toy, or it will be after I do the little puppy dog eyes to my husband.  If you want to learn that trick, let me know.  It hasn't failed me yet!


Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!

My Obsession with Eric Northman

That man, vampire, beautiful demon God that I would gladly kneel down and kiss his feet any day of the week.  You know, Eric Northman!  If you've hung out at Tears of Crimson from the beginning you know that I would offer myself up as a living sacrifice for whatever he needed.   Do I know Alexander Skarsgard isn't really a vampire?  Duh!  Because if he was, I'd probably got on a full stalker trip with my girl Brandy Dorsch, and we'd teach him how vampire groupies were supposed to act.  Did I just get off topic a bit?  I think so!

So you get it, I LOVE Eric Northman.  This is where I rant a bit.  What the hell is True Blood thinking.  No Eric for the 1st episode, according to Eric and Sookie Lovers  Seriously I don't watch this show for Sookie and Bill, couldn't really care less if they both fell into a vat of acid and suffered horribly while doing so.  So imagine my anger when I discovered my gorgeous Vampire crush wasn't even going to appear in episode one?  If rumors are true, not even in episode two!  True Blood, whatever your drinking, let me suggest you give it up.

Fact!  True Blood airs on my birthday this year, June 22nd.  And I won't be watching, because the thought of wanting to throw my television out a window when the gorgeous Eric didn't show up would not make for a good birthday present.  Personally I think they should send Eric to my door on my birthday for so seriously screwing it up!  And don't even get me started on the books.  The crack pipe should have been laid down before writing the ending to that series.

I've gotten over the books ending of Sookie and Sam being together, mainly because she didn't deserve him anyway.  Same with the whole Edward Bella crap.. Jacob definitely deserved better, but putting our gorgeous viking out like that was a kick in the virtual balls to all fans.  Shame!  Now I'm really getting off topic!  You'll have to forgive me, I just watched the entire Saga of Twilight yesterday so I'm a little off kilter.
I'm not one of those fans that goes ballistic when directors, or writers do stupid things, but I will speak an opinion.  A lesson to True Blood, be very careful where you leave our Viking at the end of this season.  I'm pretty happy with a scenario where Eric tells Sookie to go jump off a cliff because he deserves better than some cheating ho like her LOL.  It's all about Eric.  Wise people will remember there are many other people like me that feel this way and if you want us to watch, read, or think about you again for your other ventures, get it right!

Did that sound a little bad ass?  It did, didn't it?  I'm getting ready to work on a new book and the characters are taking over my personality!  So True Blood?  We're watching you!  Don't screw up Eric, unless of course you would like the majority of your viewers to never watch, or read anything you're part of again *giggling*  That's my opinion for the day :)Thanks for joining us at Tears of Crimson. Home to Bestselling Author Michelle Hughes,and all the Friends of Crimson!