It's my fault! Why Etta Stark writes the spank!

I just read a charming book from a new spanking author, Etta Stark called His Lordship's Apprentice . I loved it from start to finish!  Set in Victorian England, Lord Hardcastle (and really, shouldn't every spanking hero's name have the word "hard" in it?) a lord and celebrated magician, takes his scullery maid on as his apprentice. This is a light, playful story with amusing scenes of mischief and delicious spankings.

Violet, the heroine, is charming with plenty of pluck. Neither wimpy nor bratty, she has courage and stands up for herself when necessary, but accepts the cane from her master when necessary. It has a fairy-tale romance quality, packed with humor and delightful, entertaining characters. I highly recommend this book!

I liked it so much, I invited Etta over for a guest blog.  I didn't know she was going to talk about me (blush).  I am very honored she claims me responsible for her new career as a spanking author!

Here's Etta...

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I’m very excited about being invited on to Renee Rose’s blog. It’s probably Renee’s fault that I ever got round to writing a spanking romance in the first place. I’ve always been into reading about spanking but mostly the stuff I read wasn’t all that, well, competent. Then I read The Westerfield Affair and my mind was literally blown. Well maybe not literally, that would have been messy. And uncomfortable.

 I was so excited to read something so well written and romantic and deliciously full of spankings. And set in the Georgian period, to boot. I just love a historical drama! I just checked my Amazon kindle history to see when I bought The Westerfield Affair (June 2013) and have just realised that the next FIVE books I bought after that were all by Renee. There was a week and a half last year when I was clearly spending a LOT of my time catching up on Renee’s back catalogue.

Over the next few months I discovered other great spanking fiction writers like Annabel Joseph, Maddie Taylor and Maren Smith.

It wasn’t until the end of last year that I properly decided that writing spanking romance was something I could do myself. His Lordship Apprentice is my first book. It’s set in the late Victorian period and concerns the relationship between a Lord (who is also a stage magician) and his scullery maid (who becomes promoted to his onstage assistant.) I have finished my second now – tentatively entitled Like the Lightning and set in 1870 – which is currently being edited.

I think my writing style is quite different from Renee’s. I am bringing that up because I have started to worry that I’ve made it sound like I admired Renee Rose so much I DECIDED TO BE EXACTLY LIKE HER in a creepy ‘Single White Female’ way. However, she is, without a doubt, an inspiration. And I mean that in the non-creepiest way possible.

[from Renee;  I'm totally freaking out--is that Etta sitting in a station wagon outside my house??!]

 His Lordship’s Apprentice   When beautiful Violet Plover is forced to take a job as downstairs maid to support her ailing father, she resigns herself to a life of drudgery. But a chance to catch a glimpse of her enigmatic employer becomes a turn of fortune when he decides Violet's spirit and uncanny athleticism can be put to better use.

Lord Hardcastle's wealth allows him to live an unorthodox life as a magician, hobnobbing with the likes of Harry Houdini as he wows audiences all over Europe. Taking Violet as his assistant means investing hours of training, and demanding complete obedience to his will. And while Lord Hardcastle may have an unconventional profession, he is very conventional in his views on discipline. As a schoolboy, he endured the cane and considers it a useful tool for the correction of his headstrong assistant.

As Violet's training progresses, her existence literally becomes a balancing act between her life as a commoner and her growing romantic role in Lord Hardcastle's life. Will this strict, wealthy aristocrat effect the biggest transformation of his career by turning a scullery maid into Lady Hardcastle?

Excerpt

Lord Hardcastle turned to Violet. "Very well," he said. "To business. Your name's Violet
Plover, is that correct? I understand that you have been in my service for two months." 

"Yes, my Lord," Violet replied. Her nervousness rendered her throat so dry that she could
barely speak at all. Was that a sufficient response? Should she provide more information when
addressing a lord or speak as little as possible? She honestly had no idea. Much as she had been warned that Lord Hardcastle was highly irregular compared to other men of his station, she hadn't imagined that a scullery maid such as herself would have to interact with his Lordship face to face. Certainly not this soon. Ah well, it hardly mattered now. She fully expected to be fired without a reference and doubted she would need to interact with the nobility again.  

"Well, Violet," continued Lord Hardcastle, oblivious to Violet's internal panic. "Firstly, I
want to thank you for the swift way you dealt with my escaped dove. I should not have left her
on the table like that and it was understandable that you disturbed her. You dealt with the
recapture very professionally. I was impressed. She is a trained bird and very valuable. I should have hated to see her injured or upset. Thank you." 

Violet stared at Lord Hardcastle in shock. This was not what she had anticipated. 

"However," Lord Hardcastle continued. "There are standards of behaviour – and of course, language – we uphold to in this house. I reserve the right to entertain visitors in my own home without them being subjected to the kind of words that would shock a sailor." 

Violet's heart sunk once more. "I am very sorry, my Lord," she mumbled. 

"I am sure you are," responded Lord Hardcastle. "I am also sure you are a valuable member of staff here. I have no desire to terminate your employment over this incident. However, you will be punished." 

"Yes, my Lord." 

"I'll offer you the choice, Violet. Either you can forfeit a day's wages or submit to a spanking." 

Violet's head was a confusion of different emotions. While she was elated that she still had a job, she was truly terrified at the prospect of being physically punished by Lord Hardcastle, but what choice did she have? She could not afford to lose a day's wages; her family was relying on her. 

 "I will take the spanking, my Lord." 

"Very well," Lord Hardcastle replied. He walked to the corner of the room and to Violet's wide–eyed horror, removed a long thin cane from the umbrella stand. 

"Bend over the desk," he instructed.

 Buy His Lordship's Apprentice today (you won't be sorry!):
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