I’m still making great progress on that BDSM story. Yeah, it’s sex, sex and more sex—but with a really yummy hero and a very messed up heroine. Cross McNally is just the sort of warrior-hero that knocks me off my socks every time. I’m hoping to be done with it tomorrow. My EC editor won’t know what to do with herself—having me turn in two stories so close together. Then it will be onto a mad rush of revision as I get a short story expanded into a short novella. Never any rest for the very wicked. 🙂

I was looking at the titles of the email in my spam filter:
Save with our cruise specials!
Italy travel deals!
Vacation in Hawaii!
Looking for an exotic vacation?

How’d they know I’m getting restless? Sure, I have a trip planned for nearly every month this year, but they are writing-related conferences. Maybe I’m feeling restless because my sis and family are headed to Italy today. I’m seriously jealous. It’s been forever since I was in Italy. I’d had dreams of going to Iceland with the hellion this year, but her life has gotten busy really, really fast, so that’s not an option, and I don’t want to go alone. What’s a girl to do?

What sort of trips do you have planned? Anything close to home? Or are you going pretty far afield for your next adventure?

Dreams are extremely important.
You can’t do it unless you imagine it.
~ George Lucas

Speaking of dreams, I had a doozy last night. And it feels familiar, like I’ve had it before.

I lived in a house in the very exclusive Dominion area in San Antonio, Texas. The house was huge with a pool just outside the door. I sat at a glass table eating breakfast and reading ads from the newspaper. Only these ads were “live” ads that talked and described the items on sale at a department store. I wondered aloud when they’d make ads interactive so I could ask useful questions like, “Would that TV fit in my entertainment system cabinet?” The Progressive woman looked up from her ad and said, “Well, have you measured the space?”

I have to put that in a book.

Yesterday, I got my butt in gear. I wrote nearly a chapter. All of it sex. And I really, really liked the sex I wrote. My hero’s a big dude with very commanding ways. *sigh* I’d like to finish the story today or tomorrow, but I can’t keep them in bed forever, so today’s likely to drag as I figure out what they’ll say to each other when they aren’t acting like bunnies.

Psst! Yesterday’s winner is named at the end of this post! ~DD

Using Romance Clichés for Fun and Profit

by Anitra Lynn McLeod

You’ll never believe what inspired my erotic Onic Empire series . . .

wait for it . . .

a romance cliché.

Yep.

You know the one where the woman is almost always a virgin and the man is a total slut? Yeah, that always bothered me because all the guys must be banging one very tired (and IMHO one very lucky) woman.

Now, this cliché has really gone by the wayside, but when I started reading, this was practically a standard part of romance novels.

So, I was thinking about virginity, and why it’s so sacred for a woman but not a man, and then I got to thinking about what if everyone lost their virginity in the same manner at roughly the same age, and what if the act of taking virginity was a religious rite?

And so the Onic Empire was born.

It’ll take more than one man’s love to tame her wild heart.

Bithia, newly crowned empress of Diola, indulges herself with as many men as it takes to satisfy her voracious passion. Now that it’s time to continue the family line, though, her advisors expect the unthinkable: for her to submit to one man from a sexually primitive planet.

Drahka disobeyed his tribe’s strict sexual rules once. The shame still haunts him. He longs for a fresh start, but breaking one cardinal rule—a man gives, a woman takes—is not an option. His struggle to learn local customs is complicated by a mentor whose eyes hunger for the empress…and for him.

Viltori is exhausted. He’s tried to teach Drakha that there are many ways to find pleasure, only to be met with anger, even violence. Touching the handsome primitive only sharpens his unbearable lust for Bithia, making him wonder if execution for failure wouldn’t be a blessing.

When Bithia witnesses the results of Viltori’s training, she realizes only these two men can fill her empty heart, inspiring her to take command of the throne at last. Except those who’ve held the reins thus far have a sinister reason for keeping Bithia—and her new consorts—in their place.

Warning: This erotic romance contains a lusty empress, a primitive alpha male, a dedicated acolyte with domineering tendencies, copious amounts of hot m/m and m/f/m sex, secret torments, burning desires clashing with duty, and a little bit of meddling by future gods.

Read an Excerpt

Yesterday’s winner is…Dawn Jackson! Dawn, congrats, and email me about your prize!

If you post a comment today, you’ll be in the running
for a free download of Jacq’s Warlord!

Nice, eh? THE WARRIOR will be out May 1st! And it’s a time travel back to an ancient time when women were in charge. And since we’re on the topic of time-travels, here’s the only other one I ever wrote (along with my sis, Myla)…

“…Set in the time and in the battles fought as Henry takes the English throne, the combination of battle action and sexy romance makes this story a standout.” 5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“…if you are looking for a book full of action, adventure and lots of humor I recommend that you suspend your disbelief and find yourself drawn into the vibrantly portrayed world of JACQ’S WARLORD…” 4 Crystals, Erotic Escapades

With proportions that would make Xena weep, Jacqueline Frazier despairs of ever finding a lover she can’t intimidate. Until the day she ignores an itty-bitty warning regarding the use of a family heirloom, and finds herself swept off her feet by a knight in not so shining armor, back to the twelfth century. Forced to accept the protection and sexual attentions of the overbearing, beast of a man, Rufus of Rathburn, Jacq struggles to find her place in the past while searching for a way back to the future. In the meantime, she aids Rufus’s war cause with a little 21st century ingenuity. Nothing like shaking up the warlord with lessons in bomb-making, guerilla tactics, and the Joys of Sex.

At first unwilling, and downright ungrateful, Rufus begins to see merit in Jacq’s odd ways. Through Jacq’s eccentricities and willfulness, Rufus learns she is a woman to be reckoned with, not to mention she is a lusty handful in bed. Will his admiration of her cunning, strength and uninhibited sexuality grow into a love that breaks the barriers of time? And will their love be strong enough for Jacq to plot a different future in the past?

“Damnation!”

Rufus landed on his rear at the entrance of his tent. He saw the silvery glint of stars for a moment before he realized the flashing metal was the water ewer bouncing away. Instinct saved him a second knot on his forehead as his arm came up to deflect the next object lobbed at his head. He rolled to his knees and lunged upwards to face his angry adversary.
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I have pics from the booksigning in Shreveport, but I’m lazy today. It was only a three-hour drive back, but I’m still tired from all the schmoozing. We recluses drain like a battery when we’re around so many people. Loved it though. The NOLA folks fed us well. 🙂

Click on the cover and find chapter five of the next installment of Bad Moon Rising! It’s interesting how this serialized story is working out. I try every time to make sure the chapter will hold your interest (meaning I have to cram it with sex for all you sluts!), but also move the plot forward. Hope you enjoy! Those of you who have been participating in helping plot this one will note I didn’t get our girl, DiDi, to the island yet. Sorry about that, but I couldn’t seem to get her out of bed with Mason…

Leave a comment and let me know how you like the story so far!

Spin on Reality

By Taige Crenshaw

One of my favorite parts of writing is being able to put my own spin on reality. Taking something that is not of the real and making it so. Making it real to this world that readers want to live in that world. Be a part of the story as it unfolds.

To do this I can make it up totally in my thoughts and build it or take pieces of history, folklore and other interesting tidbits and molding it into what I want to. Doing this is a powerful aphrodisiac. The balance of creating a story that brings a person into it is just like a seductive dance. First you have to let them get a feel of your rhythm. Once they do then you move to the groove. Spinning it around. Weaving that reality to bring them deeper into the reality you’ve built. This is what I strive for in each world I build.

In the world and myths of my upcoming release Indigo Rain this is what I’ve done. I’ve taken many parts of history, folklore and other interesting tidbits to create the world of the story. In writing the book I sank into the myths that I was creating. It was fun to bring in various things I find fascinating. Kalina Erutan, my heroine is an Amazonian Warrior and I was able to create a mythology of her. This mythology is embedded into the very earth. Ryne Garon, my hero is a firebird and I put a major spin on what they are. I’m being deliberately vague about both because I don’t want to give away anything too much about the story. In building the world of the Phoenix Intelligence Agency there are so many beings and things to explore. I’m having a wonderful time laying down the layers of the world.

Each time I write a new book I wonder where I can go next. That is the thing with writing you get to do a spin on reality.

****
Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: https://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: https://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

To save the world and humanity from extinction from a being that can herald Armageddon a woman must trust a man whose race destroyed the people she held most dear. There’s more at stake… their hearts.

Buy March 14, 2011 at Summerhouse Publishing.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a sucker for warrior. You know they guy. He couldn’t sweet-talk or romance himself out of tight spot, but he’s the one you want on your side when danger’s around. I love him because he’s hard, proud and it takes him a long time to figure out that there’s more than lust going on when he sets his eyes on “the one.” Tetrik from Warlord’s Destiny is just such a warrior. When he falls, he falls hard. It’s a lovely thing to watch. 😉

“…In Delilah Devlin’s WARLORD’S DESTINY, a strong man is brought to his knees by an equally strong woman. Interesting, attractive personalities make this read especially powerful.”
Nominee for Best Paranormal Erotic Novel of 2005 by Romantic Times BookClub Magazine!
TOP PICK! 4 1/2 Stars, Page Traynor, RT BOOKreviews

“Watching these two grow is both amusing and touching… I found Warlord’s Destiny to be a very well-written novel, and ultimately a very entertaining story to read.” Book Review Network

Promised in marriage for a decade, Mora has no illusions she is anything other than the sacrificial lamb to ensure peace between her peace-loving planet and the warlike world that demands her union with one of their own. No great beauty, she resigns herself to a loveless marriage with a man who will only do his duty by her. However, when she meets the rugged warlord who will be her husband, Mora feels an immediate stirring of lust. She decides in that moment to win his heart—she’ll settle for nothing less!

Lord Tetrik finds his bride more than the scrawny handful he had expected. She has hips to breed him strong, sturdy sons, and intelligence that is a gift worth more than a pretty face. When he suspects his wife harbors tender feelings for him, he wonders if he can be the husband she desires. After all, love for a woman is a frivolous thing—and not a Warlord’s Destiny.

So, that’s what Kronaki warriors look like!

Every story ever whispered about the fearsome warriors came rushing back to set Mora’s body trembling. How they fought like ravaging beasts, cutting bloody swaths through Graktilian mercenaries during the war. How they lived in rough stone fortresses made of blocks carved from their frozen mountains. How they fostered their children to rival clans so they would be raised without gentleness.

How they fucked with such fury their women’s screams echoed throughout their valleys.

Mora felt a tremor rumble beneath the polished, marble floor of the great hall, so explosive was the swell of conversation that arose at the warriors’ arrival.

They were seven, dressed in furs and leather, armed with bows slung across their shoulders and scabbards at their sides.

She couldn’t drag her gaze from the man at the head of their formation, striding toward her—her husband in name, if not yet by deed. Although she had never seen him before this day, she knew it must be him, for he looked the fiercest, the strongest—only one such as he would be chosen to rule from amongst their ranks.

He was from a race of barbarians, seemingly as proud of their reputation for brutal warfare as their orgiastic sexuality. The latter Mora could well believe for the man stalking her now looked every inch a sensual marauder.

A shiver of awe bit the base of her spine and trembled upward until the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood erect.
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