Sorry this is soooo late! Life’s been nuts the past 24-hours. Last night we had a hellish thunderstorm and my daughter, her husband and the little ones wound up sleeping all over my bedroom. Today, I had the housekeeper underfoot (I live in rural Arkansa—it’s not that expensive and so worth it!) and my daughter going nuts because she found baby squirrels that had fallen out of a tree. I took pics and will share—but only if they survive. It’s too sad otherwise.
In the meantime, I promised the grab bag winner would be announced today, but I’m too tired to tally up all the comments to enter into the random number generator, so you have two more chances to enter! I posted blogs at the following two places. Go comment!
Just a quick reminder! The Grab Bag Contest ends tomorrow! Click on the link for details!
This past week was pretty much a bust writing-wise. I did finish writing my short for Beastly Babes (which is being renamed, darn it!), and I powered through reading Cowboy entries. Most of the week was eaten up with family things and yesterday’s two trips to Little Rock—one for the DSRA meeting, and the other to place a rescue dog with a loving family. So, worth the lost hours of writing.
This next week, I have to get serious about wrapping up Beastly Babes and making decent inroads into my new cowboy story. Thanks to everyone who bought A Four-Gone Conclusion. Remember, you can help an author out by writing reviews wherever you buy and “tagging” the story on Amazon.
Also, I do have another story releasing this week. If you like vampires and/or lesbian fiction, you won’t want to miss Bitten in the Big Easy!
And because I need to get my week planned out, here’s something to keep you busy…
If you were completely blind, but could somehow see for just one hour each month, how would you most often spend that time?
Whoa, Nellie! Yesterday, I hoped for a few suggestions to mull over for a title for my cowboy anthology, but who knew there were so many creative and crazy people out there? I’m heading to the Diamond Stare Romance Authors meeting in Little Rock this morning, but when I get home, I’m sharpening several pencils to list my favorites from the many wonderful suggestions you all gave me! Thanks again for all the help.
So while I’m otherwise occupied, here’s a little video my dd shared with me. LMAO! Thought you might enjoy it too. Sometimes, over-sharing can kill a good thing!
I LOVE that you all enthusiastically voted on yesterday’s poll. Studs ‘n’ Spurs is the overwhelming favorite. Too bad I can’t use the title! As one reader pointed out to me yesterday, it’s a great title, but Cat Johnson’s using it for a Cowboy series she’s writing—which would be awkward in the extreme if I went forward with the title for reasons that will be apparent when I make the announcements in a couple of months! Lips zipped!
Sooooo, I need another title to give my editor—something just as catchy, just as “cowboy”. Wanna help me? Remember, that grab bag prize is still on the table and you need to keep commenting anyway!
This is what I sent to my editor in the first place. Let’s not spend any more time on these:
* Sex in the Saddle
* Rawhide
* Ride a Cowboy (way too over-used)
* Studs in Spurs
* I Like My Cowboys Naked
So…we’re off! Give me your suggestions. No idea is a stupid one when you’re brainstorming! Think—cowboys, leather, horses, attire, ropes, saddles…
Hey, did you see? 4-Gone’s #1 at Samhain! Thanks again, for making that happen.
I’m a little tired today. I’ve been working damn hard. In the past week, I finished a book, something I know you’ll like, Five Ways ‘Til Sunday. I wrapped up a short story yesterday, something for my Beastly Babes book for Cleis. Let me just say I invented new ways to enjoy a tiger’s tail. Today, I have to read through and edit more of the BB stories so I can get them back to the authors. I really, really want to put Beastly Babes to bed by next week. But of course, I have to be writing too. Something sexy. I owe an editor at Samhain a follow-up to True Heart, and she’ll come after me if I don’t give it to her soon. 🙂
So you’ll understand if I’m not as chatty as usual, right? I do need some help though. The next Cleis collection I have to turn my attention to is The Cowboy. That was always a tentative title. My editor there likes two titles I proposed, and wanted me to ask y’all what you thought. Keep in mind, these are sexy, hetero cowboy stories.
Which title do you prefer for an anthology of erotic cowboy stories?
We all have them. Those sexual fantasies that get you hot when you close your eyes and let your imagination fly. I used to think there was something wrong with me when I became aroused while I imagined a faceless man tying me up and touching me. Or when I fantasized about more than one set of hands on me, more than one mouth pleasuring me.
Then I discovered erotic romance, and I will be forever grateful. It wasn’t just me! Other women had fantasies too, and even if we never wanted to live out those fantasies in real life, we could read about them. I could write about them! And while I’ll never experience all my fantasies for real, my sex life with my husband quickly became better and more inventive. And I give all the credit to erotic romance.
I can let my imagination run wild. I can live out any fantasy I desire. There’s such freedom in that. We don’t need to be ashamed or embarrassed. We can enjoy our fantasies, feel safe as we use them in our imagination, use them for our own pleasure.
But some people do want to live out their fantasies, and sometimes they NEED to. That was the idea behind my new series, Paolo’s Playhouse. An exclusive club with playrooms designed for any fantasy. In each of the four stories in the series, the couples are at a crossroad, and while the sex is hot, the emotions are intense. For I believe in erotic romance, the characters and their emotions are as important, if not more important, than the hot, kinky sex.
The first story, Flaunt It, released from Samhain on Aug 30th.
When it comes to sexy and sassy, Piper, the most popular waitress at Ben’s bar, has it all going on. Now that they’re dating, though, Ben wishes she’d dial down the skimpy clothes and flirty attitude, and her habit of dancing and flashing to her favorite song. Every teasing peek at her body, every a laugh at some customer’s lousy joke, is certainly good for business—but it sends his jealousy meter into the red zone.
Sure, they’re dating, but he’s no muscled, tattooed stud with diamonds in his ears. How can he compete, especially when she refuses to even spend the night at his place?
Desperate, Ben books a room at his friend Paolo’s fantasy club, hoping an erotic night in front of a two-way mirror will get her exhibitionist streak out of her system. Praying it won’t prove his greatest fear—that she lives only to show off. And he’s not that special to her at all…
The second story in the series, Risk It, takes place in the playroom on the other side of the two-way mirror. It will release Nov 15th.
On the outside, Amy has the American dream. Two busy kids, a job she loves, a big house thanks to her husband’s climb up the corporate ladder. What she hasn’t had in a long time…is sex. Sure, she’s too exhausted at night to think about it, but maybe Will’s long hours at work aren’t the real reason he rarely touches her anymore.
Feeling her marriage teetering on the edge, she rents the voyeur room at Paolo’s Playhouse. Maybe bringing back the memory of the one wicked thing they used to do together will relight the sparks.
Will loves his wife, but she’s never been one to take chances—except for the time before kids, when they’d camp out in a club’s back booth, getting all worked up watching the dirty dancers. Their careers have seriously cut into their “us” time, and if she’s booked them a sexual playroom, it sounds like she’s serious about solving the problem.
When Will shows up way, way late, Amy wonders why she bothered, and if her plan to relight the flame has only made it painfully clear that it’s too late to try.
Let’s talk about the fantasies. First there’s exhibitionism in Flaunt It. Then voyeurism in Risk It. February will see the release of Birthday Girl, which has a ménage and a bit of BDSM. The final story, Plaything, scheduled in May, deals more strongly with BDSM. I did mention I’ve had that bondage fantasy going on for years.
So is anyone out there willing to admit to their own fantasies? What kind of stories do you like to fantasize about? I plan to be writing erotic romance for a long, long time and I’d love to play with your fantasies too.
Thanks to Delilah for having me as her guest today!
Really, who doesn’t? But, when I’m writing, that seems to be a major sticking point for my muse. The hero. He has to be perfect. Not for me, of course—some of the heroes I’ve written wouldn’t make it a month with me—but for my heroine. So what is it that makes a good hero?
In Ravenborne, I needed someone the heroine, Saraphina Raven, could trust. That was crucial. Sara had grown up a piece of power in a political game of chess. And potential mates had always been more interested in her family’s power and money than her. It was just a fact of life. One she didn’t fully appreciate, though, until raiders murdered her family and destroyed their keep.
Second to trust was loyalty. She needed someone who was loyal to her above anything and anyone else. In a world filled with conceded, power-hungry families, this was a definite problem.
And lastly, she really needed a champion. In the seven years that followed the raid, she’d fought all her battles alone. Sure, she’d made some friends along the way, but none that could help her with the challenges life continued to throw at her. And she really needs help, even if she believes she can do it all on her own.
So is Kavin Hunter the man for the job? Being the King’s Right, he’s already sworn his loyalty to the crown. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s the brother of the bastard she’d been betrothed to. But he does have a couple things going for him. Sara does trust him. And the pesky man insists on fighting her battles, even the ones she wishes he’d stay out of.
It’s not much but, in a game where the pieces are stacked against them, it might just be enough to give them a fighting chance.
So what about you, have you ever had to hunt for specific characteristics when looking for your hero? I’m giving away a download of Ravenborne to someone who answers. Just leave your hero requirement(s) and your e-mail address in the comments for a chance to win.
And, just in case you were curious, mine was loyalty. I needed someone who’d always be on my side. And yes, I found him. We’ll be celebrating our fourteenth anniversary this November.
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On the outside, Amy has the American dream. Two busy kids, a job she loves, a big house thanks to her husband’s climb up the corporate ladder. What she hasn’t had in a long time…is sex. Sure, she’s too exhausted at night to think about it, but maybe Will’s long hours at work aren’t the real reason he rarely touches her anymore.
