Who but a Viking could survive the harshest climate—a planet encased in ice? Or at least in my imagination they were the perfect people to populate my world. New Iceland is covered in snow, its ocean coated with a thick layer of ice. On the surface, it appears to be uninhabitable. I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the rugged world and men of New Iceland.

“Perfect Read.” Fresh Fiction

“A steamy and fascinating adventure…” Romance Reviews Today

“Clash of cultures, clash of myths, clash of powerful personalities…how many authors can bring out on paper the excitement and more-than-willing suspension of disbelief that old fashioned adventure stories once brought us?…a wonderful, action-packed, emotional roller-coaster of a read.” Alien Places

“With the intriguing meshing of the past with the future this was an engrossing read…” Top Pick!, Night Owl Reviews

What a Viking wants, a Viking takes.

When his younger brother goes missing, Dagr, Viking warrior and Lord of the Wolfskin Clan, will do whatever it takes to get him back. But nothing could have prepared him for Honora—a feisty, intelligent woman who is nothing like the women of his world—women who are content to serve their men in all things. Drawn to her despite her recalcitrant nature, Dagr is determined to show her who’s boss both in bed and out.

When the two enemies-turned-lovers join forces to find Dagr’s brother they are thrown into a rousing adventure full of danger, intrigue and erotic abandon. Can their passion truly unite them or will their different worlds lead to destruction for them both?

Eirik Ulfhednar glared into his opponent’s reddened face and adjusted his hand, just a slight movement to improve his grip, and then bore down with all his might. The muscles of his forearm and bicep burned. A spike of adrenaline seared his blood.

Harald, who had boasted his prowess over drinks, didn’t seem so confident he’d win this contest now. His lips pulled away from his teeth in a feral snarl, but his bushy red brows rose, betraying his surprise that the man in front of him, so much younger and more privileged than he, hadn’t already crumpled.

A smile eased up the corners of Eirik’s mouth, and he narrowed his eyes. He would prove he was every inch his brother’s equal and deserving of respect from the crew at the mining camp. Respect that they’d denied him since his arrival that afternoon.

However, respect had to be earned from these fierce, rough men. An accident of birth didn’t grant an Ulfhednar, a Wolfskin, any special favors inside this clan. Further, Eirik’s status wasn’t helped by the fact that the last time he’d visited the camp, he’d been a gangly teen with blemishes on his face, tagging behind his elder brother.

But Eirik wasn’t a boy anymore. This challenge was a good place to prove it.
Read the rest of this entry »

Recurring themes

My books seem to have several recurring themes: China, vacations, water, and gardens.

“Changing Cherry”, “Chinese Love Triad”, and “Terracotta Warriors” (releasing 30 March) are all set in China. I have spent some time in China on business and love their centuries of tradition, the polite, helpful people, their beautiful country. Also, I write a lot of two men/one woman ménages, and in a country with many millions more young men than women, because of their one-child policy, such ménages make excellent sense.

Everyone loves a vacation and vacations leave time for people to discover more about each other, spend long hours having fun together (in and out of bed) and are a great way to move the story forward. “Summer Sizzle”, “Vivienne’s Vacation”, “Huldah’s Two Hikers”, “Three for the Road”, and “Double Satisfaction” are all set during vacations. “Combustion”, and “Flash Flood”, include mini-vacations.

As for water and gardens, my characters love the beach, lakes, the countryside. The “Sex Odyssey” series is set in Resort City, a beachside town. “Dance for Three” has a hot beach scene, “Summer Sizzle” is set at the beach, and the heroine in “Flash Flood” gets caught in a tidal wave. “Tempting Tenealle” involves a courtyard garden, the gardens in “Double Satisfaction” are purely awesome, and “Huldah’s Two Hikers” is set on a hike through a national park.

My newest release, is “Strung Tight” the final book in the “Sex Odyssey” series. Jeff lives in the trailer Park at Resort City and Pete arrives there as a tour guide with a group of very demanding clients.

After a scorching night of sex and sin, two men need to make a decision in their lives.

Jeff works nights playing guitar at a strip club. Pete works days as a tour guide. Neither man is happy and both search for fulfillment. Can they find it in each other’s arms?

While the sex is great, and the orgasms body shaking, how can their relationship survive if they’re separated by time? Surrendering to wild emotions is easy. Real life is messy but the fight for love is worth it.

The two men gazed into each other’s eyes. Lust exploded like a visible force, and Jeff took two hurried paces to close the gap between them. Pete stepped into Jeff’s embrace and wrapped his arms around the taller man’s waist, lifting his face for a kiss.

Jeff gently pressed his lips to Pete’s, then swiped his tongue along the seam of the blond’s mouth. He opened and Jeff slid his tongue inside, enjoying Pete’s taste of coffee and mints and something spicy.

He trailed his tongue behind Pete’s teeth, and along the insides of his cheeks, then tangled it with the blond’s in an erotic dance, before sucking his tongue into his mouth.

They didn’t break the kiss until both of them were breathless. Even then Jeff nibbled on Pete’s lower lip and ran his hands up and down the man’s spine, wanting to get closer, needing to be inside him, right now, but not wanting to seem to be rushing or coercing the blond.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have another call for submissions to any writers out there—and its short-fused! If you get your submission into me early enough, and if it requires changes to make it acceptable, you’ll get the chance to resubmit. I’ll work with you. Also, I need a sexier title. Anyone have any suggestions? I’d love to hear your ideas!

And don’t forget about Beastly Babes—those short stories are due at the end of July. Read more about it here: Beastly Babes ~DD

The Cowboy
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Publisher: Cleis Press in Fall 2012
Deadline: August 30, 2011 September 10, 2011
The Cowboy (tentative title) is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for hetero cowboy stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled The Cowboy.

There’s a reason Western romance novels never go out of fashion. The cowboy is an iconic figure that embodies the dichotomy of the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male and the male as a nurturer. Given a picture of a man on a horse, wearing Wranglers, chaps, and with a broad-rimmed hat shadowing his face, women melt.

Even when he’s up to his knees in mud freeing a calf from a wallow, his image doesn’t tarnish. The imagination sparks, filling in the details—the scent of horse, cow, and crisp, clean sweat; the sight of sun-leathered skin and crows feet; the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms; and the sound of a deep-voiced, Texas drawl.

The Cowboy will seek stories that satisfy the reader who craves the romantic idea of that gruff, capable man while exploring stories in the American West as well as lesser-known international settings. The stories will be primarily contemporary with the possibility of a few historical Westerns. While traditional themes are likely to be featured, writers will be encouraged to imagine greater in order to create tales that, while featuring that iconic hero, may also surprise, like the rodeo clown seducing the cowboy-crazy “buckle bunny” or a Quigley Down Under story set in the pampas mired in a South American range war.

Published authors with an established Western world may use that setting for their original short story.

The stories may be as kinky or vanilla as the writer wants—but a deep sensuality should linger in every word. Exotic locations and scenarios are welcome. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. We are seeking original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the page, include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 words or less bio in the third person to cleisthecowboy@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond in October 2011. The publisher has final approval over the stories included in the manuscript.

Payment will be $50.00 USD and two copies of the published book upon publication.

About the editor: Ms. Devlin has published over eighty erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. Her published print titles include Into the Darkness, Seduced by Darkness, Darkness Captured, Down in Texas, Texas Men and Ravished by a Viking. Her short stories are featured in Zane’s Purple Panties, and Cleis Press’s Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Carnal Machines, and Dream Lovers. She is published by Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. In Fall 2011, she debuts her first anthology with Cleis Press, Girls Who Bite.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at cleisthecowboy@gmail.com.

The Promo Ho and Cabbage Rose Fairy contests continue! See details here! ~DD

Thanks to Delilah for having me on her blog again! I always love visiting here. And I went all fangirl when I met her at RT. (Hope I didn’t make a fool of myself!)

Yesterday my latest book came out. Restraining the Receptionist is a follow-up to Training the Receptionist. A lot of people tell me this series reminds them of the movie Secretary. (Not to be confused with Secretariat, which would be truly disturbing.) Secretary, which I loved, is about a lawyer who hires a troubled young woman. Their relationship turns intimate in a BDSM kind of way – it’s never spelled out in those terms, but they’re playing with the power dynamics of the boss/secretary relationship, and falling in love in the process.

I can see the resemblance, given the office setting and the BDSM element. But there are many differences. First of all, tone. Dana, my heroine, is sassy and quick with a comeback, whereas Maggie Gyllenhall’s character was on the depressed side. Maggie had only one boss, James Spader. He was more than enough, by the way. The two of them smoked up the screen.

But Dana has two bosses. In Restraining the Receptionist, she already has a strong, loving, trusting relationship with Simon, who trained her in the first book. But Ethan is the senior partner and not accustomed to taking second place. He’s going to pull out all the stops to win a place for himself in Dana’s heart. And when he sets his mind to something, watch out. But he’s taking a chance … what will happen to their blissful triangle when Dana and Ethan get in deeper than they intended?

Despite the major differences between my Receptionist books and Secretary, I’m honored by the association. And I can’t help thinking, what if they made a Receptionist movie? Who could do as good a job as Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader?

So, here are my picks. For the strong but tender, green-eyed Simon: sexy Clive Owen.

For the blond, blue-eyed, force of nature Ethan: the one and only Daniel Craig.

And for lucky Dana, I’m leaning toward Emma Stone. Someone with a lot of spunk, who can handle two dominant men like Simon and Ethan.

Of course, the only way they’d make a Receptionist movie would be as a training manual for how not to behave at work. But hey, I can dream, right?

Restraining the Receptionist is available now from Samhain Publishing. (Click on the cover to purchase!)

And if you leave me a comment – I love comments! –
I’ll put you in the drawing for a $5 Amazon gift certificate.

Yes, admire that image—the dark sky full of ominous portent, the hero tenderly shielding the heroine, the woman clinging to her man…

Okay, so it’s one of my stories. You know she’s going to give a bit of fight. And this time, she’s the one in the duster. Here’s what the story’s all about…

The best defense is no match for desire this hot…

Kate McKinnon’s Sanctuary is an island of refuge in a western frontier shrouded in post-apocalyptic chaos. Her only escape from her crushing responsibilities is occasional radio contact with other pockets of survivors. Especially one man whose deep, raspy voice cuts through her exhaustion, straight to her heart. A man whose face she has only imagined.

When she and her ranch hands are surrounded by renegades, she doesn’t recognize the leader of the militaristic band that rescues them, but knows that voice.

Ty Bennett is already half in love with the human woman whose voice haunts his dreams. His impulsive offer to add muscle to the Sanctuary’s defenses is dangerous to them both. Helping her may redeem some of his sins, but proximity only increases his hunger to possess her—body, soul…and blood.

Without hesitation, she welcomes Ty and his men into the Sanctuary…only to discover the reason why they only ride at night. Yet the survival instinct that screams at her to drive them off is no match for Ty’s seductive powers. Or the need for protection from the threat that howls at Sanctuary’s gates.

Warning: Expect a dark, violent world where a vampire driven by uncontrollable lusts strikes a bargain with a strong woman willing to succumb to the carnal pleasures only a vampire can provide.

Read an excerpt

I have two new contests. Both contests end June 27th!

1) The Cabbage Rose Fairy Contest

What can you win?
The last of the lovely fairy journals I purchased to share. It has a velveteen cover, heavy, stock blank paper and artwork sure to thrill you every time you reach for it!

What do you have to do?
Post comments on my blog and or her Facebook page. Every comment you make over the next two weeks will count as one entry. How easy is that?

2) The Promo Ho Contest

What can you win?
I’m giving away one $50.00 Amazon.com gift certificate.

What do you have to do to enter?
See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by happy readers. So I’m offering a tempting bribe. You know there won’t be as many entries for this contest as for the last one, but wouldn’t you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give a review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn’t matter if the review is on the Samhain’s or Ellora’s Cave’s website, Smashwords, Amazon, Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that.

Did you know I have a book releasing tomorrow at Samhaim? One that includes two of my very favorite things—cowboys and vampires? The story is available for pre-order now at a reduced price. Click on the cover to read more!

As many of my cowboy adventures are, the story’s set in Texas. It takes place in the near-future after war has darkened the sky to perpetual night. My heroine is a strong, lonely woman, tired of shouldering staggering responsibilities while she tries to keep her ranch and the refugees she shelters safe. The hero has secrets. Big, dark secrets. But that’s the way we like ’em, right? Trying to get the heroine to put her trust in him will be his biggest test. Take a step into a dark, new frontier.

I’m giving away the first of the $50 Amazon gift certificates for the Promo Ho contest today. The second will be awarded in two weeks. Check out tomorrow’s blog for details about how you can win it! The first $50 gift certificate goes to…Amanda Chambers! Amanda, be sure to email me to let me know what email address you want your prize sent to!

If you loved the fairy and want one of your own, you can contact Christi at 870-230-1877.

The Promo Ho and Red Ribbon Fairy contests END TOMORROW! See details here!

That picture just about sums up my week. I did complete copy edits on Girls Who Bite and get them shipped. I unpacked from my trip. I swam. A lot.

The question for me this week is whether I can remember how to be a writer. It’s not hosting contests (although that’s fun). It’s not tweeting or FBing. It’s not being “me” on line.

It’s sitting my butt in the chair. It’s fingers poised over the keyboard. It’s isolation. Because only when I find that happy subspace (submissives aren’t the only ones!) can I create. So what I need now is a writer’s Dom to whip me until I feel good and ready to do my muse’s will. Okay, so maybe I should be saving the words for a new book. Later!