The contest continues! Post a comment here today to qualify for one contest. See details in Thursday’s post about the prizes and how to win my newsletter contest too!

Can you stand it? The wait? Okay, so maybe you’re not as excited as I am. The last Dark Realm book, my last book for Avon. And I threw out all the stops. Which means, if you want a really wild, no-holds-barred erotic novel, this is the one. I promise. And it won’t be like anything you’ve ever read, because I swear only my deepest, darkest fantasies were written into this one story. Don’t worry about payday. You don’t want Starbucks today. Go order the book!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sand beyond the fortress undulated like a lover’s curving back, dunes lifting and falling, swept side to side by the sighing wind.

Marduk searched the ground beneath him, frantically seeking some sign of her passing, but the wind had obliterated her tracks.

Not until he saw the lillum circling like vultures, did he release a deep relieved sigh.

He flattened his wings, diving toward the ground beneath them, then pulled back to settle on the sound beside Gabriella.

Three female lillum landed opposite to Gabriella’s writhing body, folding back their black wings. Aya, the leader of their small flock, stepped forward, her toe touching Gabriella’s buttocks. “Is she precious to you, Master?”

As always, he was careful to hide his interest. If I treated her well, do you think she’d flee to the desert to escape me? he said, sending the message with his mind.

Her face, as shiny and dark as obsidian, was split by a smile. Long black fangs slid from beneath her upper and lower lips to interlock. “Can we taste?”

She’s weakened. Why not wait until later in Irkalla’s chambers?

“Our queen will likely drain her beyond use for us. It’s been so long since any of us tasted of the living.”

Aya, take your drink, but only a sip. She must appear tonight, and I have to make her presentable.

As the lillum surrounded her, bending their slender, dark forms over Gabriella, Marduk suppressed his revulsion. Lilith’s children were among the oldest demon hybrids in this realm. Their appetites and minds were primitive and rapacious.

Aya rolled Gabriella to her back. Gabriella’s eyes remained open, but unfocused, no doubt still in the thrall of her escalating nightmare. He’d warned her what would happen. Yet, if he touched her now, wakened her from her dream, she’d have another nightmare to add to the one currently gripping her mind.

So he left her in that other world while the three demons bent over her neck and both wrists, their black incisors sinking deeply as they supped. Wings stiffened as their voices joined in an eerie chorus that seemed to intertwine and become one, in a high ululating tone that pierced his ears.

Enough, he said softly.

Their disappointed sighs sounded deceptively soft and girlish, but their heads rose, blood drenching their lips. Then they spiraled straight into the air, laughing as they darted toward the fortress.

Marduk studied Gabriella, noting the quivering breaths, her widened eyes. When he pulled her from Hell, she’d have little relief once she caught sight of him. Still, this was all part of the lesson she must learn. She might have continued to think him as just another man—easily led by his desires.

Now, she’d think twice about defying him again. He reached out and touched one taloned claw against her hip.

Gabriella sucked in a deep breath, her eyes blinking as she returned. Her face turned toward him. Then her mouth opened around long, shrill scream.

She rolled from under his talon, then froze.

He knew she was sunk again in the dark time. He touched her again. Only when you are with me, when I touch you, are you free of Hell.

She remained rigid beneath him, her face turning to peer at him over her shoulder. “Marduk?”

I will take you back.

Her eyes filled slowly, and fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “I can’t stay here. With you. I want to go home.”

You accepted my invitation.

“You compelled me to touch that glass.”

If you hadn’t been ready to leave, ready to be seduced, you would never have succumbed to my lure. Come, you are tired and thirsty. Let me care for you.

She broke with his gaze and stared ahead of her. “I’m afraid of this place. Of the terrors it holds. I don’t know how to go about making a life for myself.”

So long as you obey me, you have nothing to fear. I will protect you. Provide for you.

“I’m afraid of needing you,” she said in a soft, broken voice.

Heady satisfaction filled him. If she feared it, then she was tempted to surrender. Climb onto my back, darling, but never let your touch leave my skin.

She scraped at her tears, leaving streaks of dirt staining her cheeks. Her lips curved downward, but her hand lifted to the top of his leathery claw while he pulled it up to help her rise. She came shakily to her feet, her eyes wide as her gaze swept his dragon form. “I saw your aura before, when I looked into the mirror. I knew what you must be in truth, but…you’re more beautiful than I could have imagined.”

Marduk’s mouth opened, stretching back. He was pleased she wasn’t frightened of him in this form. That she found him “beautiful.” Climb onto me. We must head back and prepare for Irkalla’s feast. Another day I will fly with you here if you like.

Her head lowered, not responding to his suggestion, but she smoothed her hands over his shoulders and stepped on the edge of his wing, which he held rigid until she was seated on his shoulders between the wings.

Then he lifted his wings and flapped downward, ignoring her gasp and the way her hands found purchase on the ridged scales at the back of his neck. He lifted into the air, soaring, and turning slowly back toward the fortress.

He felt her lean forward, scanning the ground they flew past and heard more gasps.

Beneath them lay bleached bones of creatures large and small, half-buried in the sand that hid then revealed them as the wind surged. The desert was a graveyard for demons, and she might have remained among them if he hadn’t found her in time.

As the setting sun burned brightly at the horizon, they rushed toward the fortress walls. He tilted his wings, aligning his body with the narrow street outside his tower door and set down.

She climbed down without encouragement. When she turned back, he was once again in his human form. As naked as she was. Her glance slid over his body, snagging on his growing erection.

Her body reacted to the sight, her posture easing into a feminine stance, with thighs clamped closed and breasts lifted.

Her nipples tightened, peaking instantly.

He hid a smile and held out his hand.

She slipped hers inside his and turned toward the door. But she stumbled and stared straight ahead at the people who’d climbed down from their stoops to catch a glimpse of the dragon and his woman.

Her gaze clung to two men in particular, who seemed equally frozen until one of them grabbed the arm of the taller individual and pushed him toward an alleyway.

Marduk wondered at Gabriella’s fascination, but she shook herself, turned to give him a tight smile, and entered his tower without saying a word.

The contest continues! Post a comment here today to qualify for one contest. See details in Thursday’s post about the prizes and how to win my newsletter contest!

Need more reasons to click on the cover and go order your copy? So you do know the sex is gonna be hot, right?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Note for Readers: You must be of legal age in your country of origin to read this excerpt.

For Gabriella, the passage of time was measured by the pounding of her heart as blood pumped through her body in a heavy, wanton beat. Her skin, tender still from the lashing she’d received by the vines, was hot and exquisitely sensitized to every caress of The Master’s hands and lips. Her reddened nipples never receded, remaining hard and distended. Her clit stayed engorged and throbbing. She restlessly scissored her legs, craving friction to heat her core.

He’d carried her to the bed, water streaming from their bodies, and laid her in the center before coming over her. Just as she’d envisioned, she’d watched him over his shoulder in the mirror as each flex of his shoulders and back animated the dragon tattooed on his back, making the wings raise up and down and the tail undulate with every rise and fall of his buttocks. He’d fucked her again on the bed, without preliminaries, thrusting straight, powering so hard her lungs expelled air in harsh gasps.

Feeling languid, boneless, and drifting toward sleep, she moaned when his large hands parted her again, and she gazed down between their bodies, watching as he smoothed over her skin, his burnished hand caressing pale, pink curves.

For the first time, she noted the ring he wore on one hand. A raised crest with a six-sided star, a large blood-red cabochon at the center and small multi-colored jewels studding each point of the star—all sitting atop a crudely made ring that looked forged from brass and iron. Light refracted off the center of the cabochon and the smooth stone seemed to glow for a moment until he moved his hand again and the illusion faded.

She quickly lost interest in the ring when his hand slid down her belly and cupped her pussy. Two fingers eased inside her, and she sucked in a breath that hissed through clenched teeth.

“Have I hurt you?” he asked, his raised brows showing no particular concern, only curiosity.

“No, but your fingers feel cold inside me.”

“That’s because your woman’s channel is hot.” Long, thick fingers swirled inside her. “And wet. I find I’m very, very thirsty.”
Read the rest of this entry »

The contest continues! Post a comment here today to qualify for one contest. See details in Thursday’s post about the prizes and how to win my newsletter contest!

I overslept today. Not a bad thing, I guess, since I’m trying to kick this cold. Anyway…back to the book. What’s not to love about a story where a woman is torn between two men—one the honorable werewolf warrior, Guntram, and her captor, the mysterious and compelling Marduk, the Master of the Demons. Haven’t met him yet? Read on!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gabriella pounded the demon’s back, her head still tucked close, until she grew weary. Her body shuddered with her strained, quivering gasps and soft sobs. The pummeling was only tiring her, while the monster that carried her didn’t flinch once or slow his steady pace. When sunlight warmed her upturned bottom, she turned her head to take a peek.

They’d left the dim hall and entered blazing sunshine. Beneath her was a walkway paved with golden sandstone and framed by crenellated rock. Beyond the notched wall to one side spread a sandy desert, to the other side stretched a fortress so enormous it took away her breath.

This was Hell?

The Master of the Demons ducked, and she grabbed for his waist to keep from swinging against doorframe. The stone-walled passage led to a stairwell that circled downward. At a wooden door, he kicked it open and strode inside, bending farther to deposit her in the middle of a nest of satin pillows.

She scrambled backwards on a large bed as soon as he released her, scraped away her tears with the backs of her hands, and narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what you think is going to happen,” she said, her voice low and fierce, “but I’ll fight you.”

His strange dark eyes glittered, and he snorted. Then he turned away, and at last, she drew a deep breath, ready to gather her scattered wits and figure out just how bad her situation was.
Read the rest of this entry »

The contest continues! You have two more chances to win today! Post a comment here and at Everybody Needs A Little Romance. See details in yesterday’s post about the prizes and how to win my newsletter contest!

Want one really good reason for why you have to read Darkness Captured? One name. Guntram Brandt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What are they doing?” Udo whispered harshly. “They know we’re here, and that we tortured one of their own. Are they so cowardly that they won’t come out to fight us?”

Guntram peered through the spokes of the iron gate as the lights inside the mansion were extinguished one by one. “Tell the men to prepare themselves.”

“But I don’t see them.”

“You won’t. Not until it’s too late.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the breeze rustling the branches overhead built. He turned his gaze toward the canopy above him, and then heard a sound that made his blood run cold.
Read the rest of this entry »

From now until the end of September, you have several chances
to win as part of the release party to celebrate the last of the Dark Realm books, Darkness Captured.

Newsletter Member Contest

This contest is intended for my newsletter subscribers. If you aren’t already one, here’s the link! DD’s Newsletter

I love finding out more about your preferences, so come take a tour of my site and answer some questions. Email your answers with the subject line Newsletter Members Contest to: delilahdevlincontests@gmail.com.

There will be two lucky winners chosen by a random number generator from the answers to the questions below, plus one winner chosen from the comments on my blog from now until and including September 21, 2010 comments. Winners will be contacted privately by email and listed in the next newsletter. (Please note that your privacy is important, so only your first name will be used in the announcement.)

Prizes: 1) A tote bag signed by the authors attending Lora Leigh’s Readers Appreciation Weekend filled with: a one-of-a-kind beaded bookmark and necklace, an assortment of Delilah’s latest print releases, autographed of course. 2) A gift certificate from Amazon.com for $50.00. 3) AND…a separate blog commenter prize of a surprise gift pack from Lora Leigh’s Reader’s Appreciation Weekend

Questions…

1. What do you like best about my new website and/or newsletter design?

2. Which book or series of mine is your favorite? If you’re new to my books, which book or series is on your wish list?

3. Read an excerpt on my site and tell me what you liked best about it. If you became suddenly addicted to reading excerpts at my site, tell me how many you read in one sitting.

4. Have you read any of my free reads? Tell me your favorite. Not sure where they are? HINT – check out the extras section at my site, which includes more ‘free stuff’ for readers and booksellers. If you haven’t read any yet, tell me which one you just downloaded and hope to read soon.

5. What’s the title of my book that releases on September 21, 2010 and where can you buy it? What makes you want it most: the cover, the blurb, or the excerpt?

6. Please include your full name, mailing address, and a statement that you’re over 18 years old to speed up the delivery of your prize should you be chosen. Your mailing information will only be used if you win.

Email your answers with the subject line: Newsletter Members Contest to delilahdevlincontests@gmail.com. They must be sent to the special contest email address to be included. All entries must be received by September 30th, 2010. Thanks and good luck!

What is space opera?

Ask a few fans, and you’re most likely to hear a different answer from each person. Space opera, when the term was first coined in the 40’s, was meant as an uncomplimentary jab at bad sci-fi, a comparison to the radio soap operas of the time. By the 60’s and 70’s, space opera had come to be associated with sci-fi adventure novels, and as time has worn on, the original pejorative sting has faded away almost entirely.

A highly scientific sampling of opinions (from my friends who happened to be paying attention to Twitter when I asked) yielded up the following thoughts about what space opera means to fans these days:

piratenami
Probably not the correct definition, but to me, it’s sci-fi that’s less about the tech than the characters, relationships and adventures.

impossibly
Dramatic music composed only with the percussive properties of the space bar.
—
Seriously, space is vast, awe-inspiring, and boring as hell. Space opera uses human elements to highlight the first two.

pezazul
Good science fiction 🙂 Science fiction with well developed characters that you can relate to.

And when it was revealed that I was writing about the connection between space opera and romance:

peroty
OH! Then clearly my response is “an orgy set to the Imperial March!”

impossibly
The Fifth Element: a good example both of what I consider space opera, and how to choreograph an orgy.

When I try to put it together as a concept, I think I come down to a lot of the same themes. Space opera, to me, is generally character-driven, frequently focusing on unlikely protagonists who find themselves in larger-than-life situations. It tends to play to the underdog archetypes, the damaged or reluctant heroine who wins in the end, not despite her flaws, but so many times because of the humanity those flaws lend to the otherwise vast, awe-inspiring, and ultimately cold universe.

I’d argue that the space western genre, rolicking adventure stories where a space ship replaces the trusty steed, is firmly a part of the space opera family. Firefly is probably the most popular recent example, but nobody is likely to forget the place that Star Wars has in that company. In contrast, as my friend mentioned above, the slick grandeur and messy future sprawled out for us in The Fifth Element is every bit as much a space opera, complete with actual opera.

Of course, there have also been more ambitious, and literal interpretations.

So, how does that relate to romance?

The themes in space opera tend to be huge. Saving the universe, or at least their own small part of it, is often the grudging lot of the space opera hero. Reluctant or unlikely, your space opera protagonists are often fringe dwellers; criminals with a heart of gold, idealistic young men and women who believe in doing what’s right, even if it’s dangerous. It’s a common bond that space opera shares with romance, where the bad boy or girl is almost always driven by a greater cause, or a personal demon they can’t shed.

The science in space operas isn’t always, or even generally, the focus. Small groups of flawed people navigate tense situations, and depending on the story, the technology can be integral to the plot, or shiny window-dressing, a costume drama set in a nebulous future. I love space opera for many of the same reasons that I like period romances; the details it adds to the world around the characters, the chance to see themes of love, loyalty, and adventure in another situation that lets them shine.  In The Balance of Silence, the trauma that Ducks faces is a purely human one, and the story could easily have been recast in a contemporary setting, without losing he and Riv’s essential struggle to find a life after violent tragedy, and the love they stumble into along the way.

Space opera also gives you a great chance to play with expectations about sex, gender, and social mores. Most of the characters in our Ylendrian Empire stories are bisexual, with some skewing the scale towards gay or straight, and one of the founding races defaults to gender neutral, shifting to more masculine or feminine aspects as they wish.  Lois McMaster Bujold, as an offshoot of her incredibly popular Miles Vorkosigan series, wrote Ethan of Athos, about a planet where the population is exclusively genetically male, and what happens when Ethan is elected to travel off-world and first meets and interacts with women.

I find the genre so appealing because I like romance that makes the same old tropes seem fresh. I like sci-fi that grounds itself in people. I like adventure, and life on a grander scale. I like seeing that no matter how far out into the universe we go, there’s always the push to go farther. A good space opera is about the people who inhabit it, and I think the best of them are all about the romance of life in the stars.

Recommended authors and books:

The Balance of Silence by S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
The Liaden Series by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee
The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

Recommended movies and TV:
Firefly
Star Wars
The Fifth Element

~-~-~
S. Reesa Herberth is the co-author of “The Balance of Silence”, a m/m space opera romance, just released by Samhain Publishing. You can read more about the Ylendrian Empire at their website, or more about Reesa at her personal blog.

I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn’t last long.
~ Shelley Winters

I feel like I’ve been away a very long time, but I haven’t gone anywhere. I tell you, I’m addicted to my blog. If I don’t start the day with a new post (of my own!), it’s like I woke up in someone else’s bed. Icky. Disoriented. Ooh. I feel a story coming on.

So I didn’t get to go to Lora Leigh’s big party. Everyone who went is sending messages to each other saying what a nice time they had, and I know the experience is like meeting a sister you never knew because you have EVERYTHING in common—or at least a love of books. I really hate that I missed it.

I wish I could say that I spent the time I was supposed to be gone working productively on writing the stories I have looming, but I can’t. In the back of my mind, I had set apart those days for play, and there was no reprogramming me. Didn’t help that I felt like crap too.

Fun stuff did happen though. Like until today I was #1, #6 and #10 on Samhain’s MBaM site after Four Sworn released. (That’ll change as soon as the new releases come out today!) And Pleasing Sir is cooking along on Kindle. I have a brand new obsession—hitting the refresh key on the sales reports on Kindle. Seriously, thanks to everyone who bought the books. I have serious cash flow issues coming up—something fun to add to my website that will cost me a bundle, but that I hope will add to your enjoyment of my new series starting in January.

In the meantime, I’m ramping up for the release of Darkness Captured next week, and I will be starting a countdown contest on Thursday to celebrate. If you want to win something, you better be paying attention!

Don’t you love today’s quote? Now, there was a woman who lived with no apologies for her excesses in men or food.