The Spice of Life
By Nina Pierce

“Wow, Nina, you’re a writer? What do you write?”

“Romance.”

“I love romance. Boy meets girl. Girl plays hard to get. Sunset moment when everyone finds true love.” *sigh* “I’d like to read yours.”

“Just a caveat…mine are spicy romances.”

“Of course they are. All romances are a little naughty.”

“Weeellll, it’s more than a little. Mine are true romances with the bedroom door wide open. There is no fade to black when it comes to the sex scenes.”

Heavy pause. Whispered response, “Erotica? Why didn’t you say in the first place? What’s your website addie?”

I can’t tell you that’s how all the conversations go when I reunite with old friends and tell them about my new career. But it amazes me how many women of all ages are enjoying erotic romance. This genre that began in the back rooms of small internet publishing companies a decade ago has exploded in the digital age and has now gone mainstream with Berkley, Harlequin, and Kensington, just a few of the NY publishing companies that are jumping into bed with this genre.

But what’s the allure? What fascinates women enough to seek out erotic romance books?

Well, for one it’s the quality of the storyline and the writing. Erotic romance is not pornography. Let me repeat that lest you become confused. Erotic romance isn’t about writing a story around one gratuitous sex scene after another (that’s pornography). In erotic romance, the character’s love story, as in all romances, is the primary push of the plot. The conflict of emotion and the tension between the central characters is high even if the relationship is consummated. It’s the journey of the characters to find—if not their happily-ever-after—at least their happy-for-now ending. The plot may be central to the character’s sexual awareness, but having lots of sex is not what’s driving the main characters.

Also, the length of erotic romances varies immensely. Harlequin’s Spice Briefs and EC’s Naughty Nooners can be as short as 5,000 words and all publishers accept erotic romance stories up to a full novel length of 90k and everything in between. This means there is something for every reader from the “quickie” to the satisfying “take-it-slow-lounge-in-bed-for-the-whole-weekend” story.

Secondly, I think women are more in touch with their own sexuality. We know what we like and what gets our juices flowing and we’re not ashamed to seek it out. Our fantasy lives are as diverse as the authors and their stories. Want a vampire to seduce you? That’s out there. How about a little public sex? Oh, yeah available by the truckload. A little seduction with leather bindings and a ball gag? Bondage/Dominance/Submission/Masochism (BDSM) is one of the highest grossing erotic romance genres. Perhaps the idea of two men finding love through a vigorous sexual experience is what you’re looking for. The m/m erotic romance abounds. And of course the fantasy of multiple men intently focused on satisfying one female is growing exponentially. (That’s my personal favorite—both to read and to write.)

So what is it about erotic romance that draws you or makes you shy away? What component keeps you coming back to the genre as an author and/or a reader?

I want to thank Delilah for letting me hang out on her blog today. If you want to find out more about my erotic romantic suspense stories you can visit:
my website
my blog
Or follow me on:
Facebook
Twitter

Nina’s newest release A Touch of Lilly, a futuristic ménage, is available from Ellora’s Cave.

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Ex-Chicago detective Lilly D’Angelo is part of a secret alien race living on earth. With a gentle caress she can elevate the sexual energy of any male. Apprehending criminals lost in an erotic fugue is almost too easy—until she uses her gift on the wrong alien. Kidnapped and shipped into deep space, Lilly barely escapes with her life. Now she travels the galaxy alone working as a bounty hunter and hoping to find a soul mate unaffected by her touch.

Agent Dallas Sawyer works for QAL—deep space’s version of the FBI. After a disastrous mission that left a president murdered, his team member executed, and Dallas near death, he’s determined to take down the assassin targeting government officials. When a sexy human female gets between him and his goal, Dallas and his alien partner find themselves on the receiving end of some wild sex and a proposition that may very well blow up in their faces.

Because in deep space…true love can happen with just a touch.

Fantasy ~ What is it really?
By Taige Crenshaw

I looked up the meaning of fantasy and there were so many meanings and variations to this it was eye opening. I’m going to start with my least favorite then go on to my most favorite.

My least Favorite:
Fantasy~ An unrealistic or improbable supposition.

Now where do I even begin on this one? This is such a cold, analytical way to look at fantasy. From time we are born we are taught to believe in many things that would from this meaning be considered “unrealistic” or “improbable”. The tooth fairy, Santa clause, Easter bunny, and sandman are but a few of the things we grew up with. It is a part of life that we believe at least until such things as this meaning makes us realize different. As a writer this meaning is totally out of my scope. I create living fantasy for readers and enjoy the hell out of doing it {grin}.

Now my most favorites are more like my way of thinking.

My most favorites:
Fantasy~ Imagery that is more or less coherent, as in dreams and daydreams, yet unrestricted by reality.
Or
Fantasy~ An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need.

All Hail the Fantasy brigade.

Ahhh. Now this is more like it. I create novels that are unrestrained by reality. Heck I build worlds that defy definition and enjoy each and every improbable part of it. I love fulfilling a wish. Wishes of a great story with lots of sex, fantasy and escape. Yes escape from the norm. I enjoy the forays of an alpha male hero type, kick butt heroine whether they be human, vampire, shapeshifter, witch or anything else. Becoming free of the restrictions of the imagination is what I strive to achieve. Take a risk. Become a daredevil. Love, fight and live with all those characters of fantasy. Isn’t this really what it is all about.

I tap into the fantasy I enjoy and bring it into reality at least for the time you read my stories and then after when it is remembered by you. Here is my definition of fantasy.

Taige definition of fantasy:
Escaping the constrains of reality and making a reality of your own. A reality where your deepest desires, needs, wants and all things your imagination can think of is real as long as you believe.

Novels are always an adventure and isn’t that why you read. To be drawn into a fantasy. At least for a time before real life issue take over. Fantasy is all about imagination and using it to escape. I enjoy bring a little escape to you.

So tell me what does fantasy mean to you….

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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 heroines, and sexy heroes. 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 or blog

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What happens when a woman who doesn’t know how to relax meets a man whose lust for life will change her and make all her deepest desires come to life?
Buy here at Total-E-Bound.

Those who follow this blog know that I’m traveling today to Canada to vacation with a close friend of mine, Sasha White. It’s a mixture of business and pleasure. We’re billing it as a writer’s retreat and expect to get quite a lot of work done, but we won’t forget to have fun too. When I come back, I’ll share tons of pictures and no doubt have some funny tales to tell!

While I’m gone, I have a line-up of guest bloggers who are some of the brightest talents out there. Here’s the schedule of their appearances. Please stop by to read their posts and leave a comment. I’d love for you to welcome them as warmly as you have me over the years. Who knows? You might find a new obsession!

8/6 — Taige Crenshaw
8/7 — Nina Pierce
8/8 — Ari Thatcher
8/9 — Adele Dubois
8/10 — Vivian Arend
8/11 — Lissa Matthews
8/12 — Cris Anson
8/13 — Tibby Armstrong
8/14 — Meg Benjamin
8/15 — Ella Drake
8/16 — Naima Simone
8/17 — Cathryn Cade
8/18 — Mardi Ballou

Enjoy! And I’ll see you in two weeks! ~DD

This is the finalized Call for Submissions! Please copy and paste to your friends!

Girls Who Bite (Lesbian Vampire Erotica)
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Publisher: Cleis Press in Fall 2011
Deadline: November 1, 2010 (earlier submissions preferred)

Girls With Bite is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for lesbian vampire stories for a romantic erotica anthology entitled Girls Who Bite.

“Dark hungers, shocking thirsts… For blood, for connection… A sharing of nourishment and comfort… Infliction and acceptance of pain…”

A vampire is the ultimate bad girl. The word invokes images of dark, shadowy liaisons, forbidden desires, and sensual blood lust. Whether the story depicts a traditional blood-drinker seducing a meal, a psychic vampire stealing life-force from an unknowing host, or a real-life sanguinarian seeking a partner to share a ritual bloodletting to cement a bond, the stories should be varied and unexpected. Writers are encouraged to investigate vampire myths from around the world, looking for something fresh to add to the pantheon. Published authors with an established vampire 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 2,000 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Times or Times New Roman, 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. Include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 word or less bio in the third person to girlswhobite@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 to you in November 2010. The publisher has final approval over 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 sixty erotic stories in multiple genres and lengths. Her published print titles include Into the Darkness, Seduced by Darkness, Darkness Captured, Down in Texas and Texas Men. Her short stories are features in Zane’s Purple Panties, and Cleis Press’s Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, and will be featured in Carnal Machines and Passion. She is published by Avon, Kensington, Atria/Strebor, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, and in 2011, Berkley.

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

Yesterday’s winner is listed at the bottom of this post!

Okay, so the cover is a complete tease, and not quite accurate, but we couldn’t fit the other guy on there without having to give up more of the hot girl’s ass. The book’s out September 7th, and I will give you a taste or two as we approach the release date. For now, just feast on the cover.

And in case you’ve forgotten that I can write a ménage, here’s my latest review for Raw Silk…

“I was absolutely blown away… I have never read anything so enticing and exciting… Delilah Devlin is a master at writing erotic stories and Raw Silk is one of her very best, off the charts, books I have read in a long time…”
Silver Dragon from Veiled Secrets Reviews

Read an Excerpt from Raw Silk

Yesterday’s winner (by random number generator) is…Michelle U! Michelle, congrats, and be sure to email me about delivery of your prize!

If you post a comment today and you’ll be in the running
for a free download of this book!

I’m feeling a little lazy today, so I’m pulling out something I’ve already written to entertain you! Enjoy!

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“…In [UNBRIDLED]…we are following the sexy machinations of Justin, and he does sexy so well it isn’t difficult to picture him doling out love to his two subs. It’s also remarkably easy to see why they’d be eager to do his bidding. However, it is totally refreshing to watch Dani and Rowe slip the noose and insist on him obeying them for a change of pace…If you are seeking an intensely erotic short read, UNBRIDLED is the one for you…”
5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews

Tough…or tender? If she plays her cards right, she won’t have to choose.

Dani Standifer arrives home at her West Texas family ranch a day early, ready to pick up where she left off with Rowe Ayers, her high school sweetheart. However, when she opens the door to their line-shack trysting place, it’s clear she waited a day too long. Rowe’s with someone else—another man. And not just any other man— Justin Cruz, the bad boy with whom she shared one wild encounter, years ago.

Justin’s waited a long time for this moment. He knows his reputation, but since he seduced Rowe, he’s been a one-man cowboy—waiting for Dani to return and become the delicious fulfillment of his and Rowe’s needs. If she’s up to the challenge.

To her own surprise, Dani finds she’s more than ready to have both men in her life—as soon as she and Rowe teach Justin a lesson or two about love.

Their small town may not be ready for their kind of relationship. And Dani’s brother Cutter’s mile-deep grudge against Justin throws in a complication that could break the foundation the three of them have built…

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

Justin stared at the silent house, taking in the understated wealth it represented. The Standifers were old money in these parts. Old money—and spoiled and unappreciative of their advantages.

Eyeing the pristine white Victorian, he thought about the crummy apartment in town that he’d kept after his mother had died—the only thing he could afford with the odd jobs he’d worked until he’d landed the job as a wrangler at the Ayers ranch.

He’d have liked to go to school, just like Dani and Rowe. He’d had the grades. Could have ridden a football scholarship, but his sister had needed him to provide a roof over her head until she’d finished school. Now that she was attending a community college in San Angelo, he was free at last to pursue his own path.

Funny how he’d always thought he’d leave Two Mule in the rearview mirror of his pickup truck first chance he got, but things hadn’t worked out that way. When he’d hired on as a wrangler on Rowe’s family ranch after high school, he’d been happy for the employment. He’d discovered an affinity for working with horses and cattle, skills that had quickly gotten him noticed by Rowe’s father, who took him under his wing and groomed him to assume more responsibility. Over the years, he’d thrived on the attention, enjoying the respect he earned that didn’t have a thing to do with how well he tossed a football or how popular he was with women.

When he’d been asked to step in as foreman when the ranch foreman retired and moved to Florida with his daughter, the promotion had been a mixed blessing. He’d liked the authority, the trust invested in him, but he’d felt bound to stay, especially after Rowe’s father died. He’d managed everything, moved into the house, so that Rowe could finish his education. After he’d returned, Rowe asked him to stay, saying his house was too big and lonely without the company.

When Rowe had snagged his lustful attention after taking over the ranch, no one would have been more shocked than he was. Justin had never known he could be aroused by a man, had run through a string of girls in high school and an equally impressive list of women afterward, but other than his very brief fling with Dani, no woman had ever held his attention long.

Catching his boss skinny dipping in a newly dug cattle pond on a particularly hot summer day had opened his eyes to whole new world of sensual pleasure.
Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s the official release day of Lesbian Lust! My short story, The Weekend, is included in this collection. Get your copies now!

For readers who crave stories of uninhibited, unrepentant sex between women, Lesbian Lust delivers. This is real lesbian sex: sensual, inventive, and nothing less than breathtaking. Butches abound, baby dykes learn important life lessons, femmes and fatales bring each other to the brink. The ultimate in eroticism, the relentless, raw stories of Lesbian Lust leave no fantasy unfulfilled.

An excerpt from The Weekend…

I placed the grocery bag on the counter, set down my purse, then glanced around the airy living room of the cabin. It was early Friday evening—the first night of a lover’s weekend I’d planned down to the last detail.

The view through the large picture window was of the small lake, the water shining without a single ripple to mar the mirror-like surface. A lone figure walked along the bank, hands thrust deep into pockets, while the rising wind tore at her pale hair.

I swallowed hard and hesitated. Did she want company? Did she need more time to think about us, about whether we still “worked”?

That’s what this weekend was all about. A last chance to renew our connection. Or maybe this was goodbye. I could no longer read from her expression what went on inside her head.

I wiped my hands along the sides of my thighs and pushed open the glass door that led down steps to the path winding to the narrow beach.

Kari didn’t look my way as I approached. Her arms wrapped around her middle as she stared at the water. “No problem getting away?”

“No. I had the days.”

“Good. Have you unpacked?” At last, she glanced my way. Something in her eyes gave me hope. For the first time in a long time, she met my gaze and really looked at me.

I smiled. “Not yet. But would you like a glass of wine before we get settled?”

“That and a fire. It’s colder than I thought it would be.” She stepped closer. Her arm settled at my waist and she leaned in to hug me from the side.

Kari was the kind to kiss friends on the lips or offer a tight hug, so I couldn’t rely on the gesture to mean anything. I draped an arm around her waist, and we walked slowly back to the cabin.

Inside, the fire took me only minutes. I placed several logs and kindling in the grate and as soon as the crackling fire built, the air inside the cabin lost its crisp edge. I pulled my sweater over my head, and dressed only in a tank and my jeans, I sat cross-legged on the hearth rug.

A glass dangled in front of me. “Thanks,” I murmured. “I was supposed to get that. Sorry.”

She sat beside me. “This was a good idea. This weekend.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t know what else to say, hoping she’d let me know what had been on her mind. We’d been so busy working, too tired and stretched to hook up, that we’d drifted apart. I didn’t like feeling as though I was in this alone—the only one worried that our relationship was on its last legs.

Friends had introduced us, knowing that both Kari and I had dated women before and knowing my preference for waif-like blondes. We shared a lot of the same interests, were close to the same age. I’d ended a long relationship and hadn’t really wanted to fall directly into another, but I did want companionship.

We’d landed in bed together that same night, the attraction so hot and fast that it took my breath away. She was like that. A bolt of lightning not easily captured. Even from the start, I began preparing myself for it to end.

I must have stared at the fire too long. A kiss landed on my shoulder. A hand slipped beneath the hem of my tank and glided upward to cup a breast. Kari moved closer and her body snuggled against my back.

Again, that urgent desperation to connect filled me. I leaned away and drew the shirt over my head, then leaned back again, letting the fire warm my front, her supple body heat my back. I reached behind me and sank my fingers in her silky hair, waiting.

Lips trailed along my neck. “Wanna fuck?”