Top 10 Reasons BDSM & Taxes are Similar

In honor of tax day I thought I’d share with everyone the top ten reasons BDSM and taxes are similar!

10. Restraints are used in both, especially when you do something naughty.

9. Both have clubs you can visit to learn more. BDSM clubs to get your kink on, and Club Feds for you tax lovers when you sharpened your pencil just a bit too much.

8. When you owe the IRS money your taxes are in the red, and what is one of the most popular safe words throughout the BDSM community?

7. One of the most common phrases used on this day is death and taxes. The French don’t call an orgasm “la petite mort” for nothin’.

6. Everyone involved must decide which philosophy they adhere to. Ask permission or beg forgiveness. Which camp are you?

5. When you get a good refund, or you’re—enjoying a scene to its fullest you scream the same thing. YES!!!!!!!

4. Auditor and Master rhyme for a reason.

3. Both have the power to make you anxious and Dominate your thoughts.

2. If you take 4, the highest single integer in 1040, and subtract it by 1, since this is my debut novel you get 3. The perfect ménage number and exactly what you’ll find in Together in Cyn.

1. For one of them you normally bend over and take it up the ass… The other is BDSM. 🙂

Wish everyone a prosperous tax day, and hope you’ll check out Together in Cyn being published by Ellora’s Cave.

Does anyone have a really great or really awful tax story?

A small book sitting out on a table shouldn’t incite fear in anyone.

But what if that book was your diary and you learned your two best friends, men you have ached for your entire life, have just read every last word? Pages and pages filled with dark fantasies and forbidden dreams so explicit they leave nothing to the imagination. And what if those two friends were included in every last one?

This is exactly where Cyn Andrews now finds herself. Stuck somewhere between wanting to hate Jared and Chris Kennedy for violating her privacy and just plain wanting to be stuck somewhere between them. She could never choose only one brother, so she’s kept her feelings buried for more than a decade, and a past mistake has kept her silent and alone…until now.

Everything she’s ever wanted may have just been handed to her in the form of an invitation to The Library. Not just a building filled with books, but a members only BDSM club the brothers own and have kept hidden from her for years.

Is it pity or desire that fueled the invitation? What other secrets have they been keeping from her? Can she protect her heart and face her biggest fear while discovering the art of submitting to two Doms?

It’d be a sin not to find out…

Unedited Excerpt

“So, Cyn, why aren’t you fucking anybody?”

I sucked a mouthful of beer down the wrong pipe, sputtered and coughed my way through it, and nearly knocked over the glass bottle as I got it under control. The beer anyways. After wheezing through another breath I moved my drink farther away. “Where in the hell did that come from?”

Jared Kennedy, one of my best friends, glanced at my fingers as I worried a heart charm at the bottom of a silver chain. A knowing smirk tilted his lips when he looked back up. “Oh, come on. Nobody creaming your Twinkie at the moment or do you not like sex in general? We want to know. So don’t be shy, just spit it out.”

The other half of the we he referred to was his fraternal twin Chris, who stood watching us across an empty dance floor and behind their bar thirty feet away. Still anxiously working the pendant back and forth, I turned once more to Jared.

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his broad chest and an expectant smile pulling at his full lips. The brothers had always done that. Known just the right face to make so I would answer anything. They acted broody or impatient, and I ’d give anything to make them happy. Pathetic—my middle name when it comes to these two.

“I like it, J. As much as anybody does, I guess. Whether I like it as much as you and Chris, I don’t know. Your appetites have always run on the high side according to the gossipmongers around town.” I squirmed in my seat. I admit it. One of my best friends was asking me if I liked sex and all I could think was…meh. My sex life…well, visualize the Titanic sinking and you get the gist. Most guys don’t appreciate being called another guy’s name—or two guys’ names—when you’re getting off. It’s a real deal breaker apparently.

“Uh huh. It’s Saturday night, and you’re here, just like last night. Guys hit on you but you turn them down flat. You work at the gym all day and help out here anytime we ask. Love our time together on the weekends, just you and me, and I know you’ve been helping Chris during the week too. CJ’s has gotten damn busy, and we dig the help, but you’ve been restless lately and we’ve both noticed. What gives?”

Website: https://www.jenniferkacey.com/
Email: jenn@jenniferkacey.com
Book Page: https://www.jenniferkacey.com/index.php/books/together-in-cyn

Social Media –
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-Kacey/100002469553420
Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/JenniferKacey
Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/jenniferkacey/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16370223-jennifer-kacey

My author page on EC
https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/jennifer-kacey

Book Trailer Video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iamccnEVoKc

The Joys of World-Building: Mapmaking

I write gay romance; it’s what I’ve been known for since day 1 in 2005. I’ve written in countless genres, too—from sci-fi to contemporary, bdsm to fantasy, and everything in between (maybe except steampunk…haven’t gone there yet). My biggest love, though, in reading and writing, has always been—and always will be—fantasy. I’m huge fan of it and its subgenres: sword & sorcery, epic fantasy, high fantasy, historical fantasy, urban fantasy, the list goes on. When writing it, I take my time on the world itself. I have several books and websites that I refer to when I need to jog my brain on details of the cultures, the lands, and so forth.

One of my favorite aspects of world-building is the mapmaking. I’ve seen some amazing hand-drawn maps from fantasy authors, but I’m not quite that talented. So I use software for it. Profantasy.com has several great programs you can buy, from fractal maps to campaign maps, and only the gods know what else. While I’ve used the trials of a few to get a feel for them, my all-time favorite program is actually an open source program called AutoRealm. I don’t remember who introduced me to it at this point, but I’ve used it for years.

I’ve made maps for Aurora (Magic & the Pagan world) and Socendor (Secrets of Socendor world), and now I’m working on a huge one for a new fantasy world I’ll be playing in under a different pen name.

Once I’ve created my basic land masses (usually with the polycurve fractal tool), there are several categories of icons I have to choose from with which to decorate the lands: vegetation, city/town/stronghold markers, land features like mountains, etc. When I’m happy with the placements, I move the file into Paint.Net and color it, adding labels for towns, cities, rivers, etc.

I can easily spend hours and hour, day after day, working on a single map. I make notes of directions, distances between places, even how big certain notable places are. In the end, I rarely share these maps. I create for my own personal reference, to be honest. Maybe one of these days, I’ll recreate the maps for Aurora and Socendor (since the originals went missing) and share those.

Mapmaking is very time-consuming, but like any art, it’s well worth it.

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Bio:

What do online gaming, Spongebob, cooking, writing, and an unnatural addiction to Mountain Dew all have in common?

Not a damn thing, which is what makes Mychael Black an interesting bird indeed.

Born in north Alabama, Mychael now resides on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Having run the gamut of labels in regard to gender and sexuality, Mychael now shuns society’s views on normality and embraces a poly-everything attitude. Call Mychael her or him—it doesn’t matter. Just keep reading the books.

https://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/
https://www.mychaelblackbooks.com/category/blog/
https://www.facebook.com/mychael.black
https://www.shaynetheauthor.com/

* * * * *

Click on the cover to buy it!

Book 1, The Lost Son, is available now. Book 2, Dragonblade, is due out July 2, 2013.

Dragonblade

Secrets of Socendor, Book 2

Winning this battle requires a faith stronger than steel…

Legends tell of a dragon-forged weapon so powerful, it possesses the ability to traverse time itself. Knowing the havoc it could wreak, the dragons sealed it deep beneath the mountains.

No one was meant to find it, let alone wield it.

General Kalen Ysindroc, leader of the human king’s armies and the long-lost son of Socendor’s most feared wizard-king of old, is in a race against time. His half brother, Braen, is searching for the sword as a means to return their father from the grave. Kalen must not let that happen. Joined by his elven lover, wizard Micheil Thierauf, he sets out on a journey beneath the mountains to stop Braen from doing the unthinkable.

As secrets come to light that test Kalen’s faith in every way possible, including his trust in the man he’s loved nearly all his life, the right path is as clouded as the murky, dragon-blood-tainted waters of the Ebon Sea. And Kalen is forced to make a decision that could very well be his last.

Sloan—The Country Town With Heart

Back in late 2003 I started reading erotic romances and, in particular, books from Ellora’s Cave. I also started wondering if perhaps I could write one of these hot and spicy romances. Not a bad idea, I decided. My mind turned to aliens crash landing near a small country town, and my first Ellora’s Cave book Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters was born.

Along with the characters, the country town of Sloan where I set my story took on a real personality. I liked the town so much I’ve set two different series there. (Talking Dogs and Fancy Free)

Here are a few interesting snippets about Sloan:

1. It’s a reasonable size town, not far from Auckland, New Zealand, but surrounded by countryside.

2. The café is the place to go for great coffee and to pick up all the local gossip.

3. UFO sightings are a common phenomenon in this area. Strangely enough, the sightings often occur just after a juicy piece of gossip starts circulating. I wonder why?

4. Some of the locals make big money, taking tourists to view crop circles.

5. The Women’s Division usually sets up a stall and sells tea and scones.

6. The Thirsty Cricket, the local pub, is also a good place to catch up on gossip.

7. One of the main employers in the area is Fancy Free. They manufacture condoms and sex aids.

8. The board of directors of Fancy Free consists of retired people who took a chance investing in their school friend’s dream of developing a condom company.

9. The Children of Nature cult also makes their home in Sloan. They are totally against the use of birth control and often stage demonstrations.

10.  Unknown to most residents, aliens live and love among them. There’s even a talking dog.

11. There are lots of great picnic spots around the town. Couples can picnic by the river, swim at the waterfall or find a private spot to get romantic. They should, however, watch out for Peeping Toms!

12. Sloan is a vibrant town with a lot of younger people who live in non-traditional relationships. Watch this space.

In Biding His Thyme, book four in my Fancy Free series, readers get their first inside look at the Children of Nature cult. Things are not as they seem! There’s definitely something strange going on.

Question: I’ve given you a list of things that have occurred in Sloan to date. Use your imagination and tell me what you think should happen in the town of Sloan next…

Contest: Complete the rafflecopter and go into a draw to win a $20 Amazon OR All Romance eBooks voucher (winner’s choice). Winner will be drawn on 15 April 2013.

Rafflecopter code – a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note – if the code doesn’t work use this link – https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGU2NDU3NmU4ZjgyMDYyNTRhYTFjNjRiOGU1YWYxOjc=/

Blurb: Biding His Thyme

Born in the Children of Nature cult, Sorrel “Bitter” Thyme is destined to spend the rest of her life there, but not if she has her way. She’s perfected the dream cream that enhances orgasmic pleasure in those who use it. Now she must approach Fancy Free management with her invention while making sure the cult leader doesn’t learn of her idea and steal Sorrel’s chance of escape.

Jake Ramsey, a Special Air Services soldier on sick leave, agrees to go undercover in the cult to help local police close a case against the leader. Sorrel is his inside contact, a woman who is constantly ridiculed by the other cult members.

The partnership works well and kisses meant to cement their cover take on new possibilities. Jake uncovers secrets, and their loving heats up, passion coalescing into more than friendship. Then Sorrel is tossed into danger. What began as a favor is now deadly serious—-a game Jake must win to keep Sorrel safe.

Books set in Sloan:

Talking Dogs:

1. Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters – https://www.ellorascave.com/talking-dogs-aliens-and-purple-people-eaters.html

2. Never Send a Dog to do a Woman’s Job – https://www.ellorascave.com/never-send-a-dog-to-do-a-woman-s-job.html

3. Romantic Interlude – https://www.ellorascave.com/romantic-interlude.html

Fancy Free:

1. Fancy Free – https://www.ellorascave.com/fancy-free.html

2. Christmas is Coming – https://www.ellorascave.com/christmas-is-coming.html

3. Feeling the Buzz – https://www.ellorascave.com/feeling-the-buzz.html

4. Biding His Thyme – https://www.ellorascave.com/biding-his-thyme.html

Bio: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.

Shelley is also a writer blessed with a VERY vivid imagination and lives with her very own hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary, paranormal and historical genres.

You can learn more about Shelley and her books at https://www.shelleymunro.com. Also, feel free to drop her line via her website or join her newsletter via the link from her blog to hear more about new and upcoming titles.

https://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

https://www.facebook.com/shelleymunro

https://www.twitter.com/shelleymunro

Collaboration and a Strip Club

Thank you for having me on your blog today, Delilah!

Recently, I’d been asked to join a brand new blog, along with nine other authors. Being a relative newbie to the industry, I was honored by the request and jumped at the chance to be a part of this talented group. This was the opportunity to interact and collaborate with other writers that I’d been looking for.

The idea of writing an anthology started with a chain of e-mails that was mostly kidding around. The discussion started with a note about Valentine’s Day and progressed to the topic of St. Patrick’s Day. Of course (we are romance writers, after all), the discussion then shifted to a sexy leprechaun and the “treasure” at the end of his rainbow, to which the response was “Lucky Charms!” It was mentioned that Lucky’s would make a great name for a strip club…with its strippers called Lucky’s Charms. Then, someone said, “Hey! We should write that!”

See, folks? This is one way plot bunnies are born. Collaboration, even when unintended, can be magical.

After the initial shock of agreeing to write an anthology wore off, we got to work. With four weeks to go until St. Patrick’s Day, the clock was ticking. Unlike other anthologies, our stories are connected to each other through common theme. All of the stories are set in or around Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. We were able to quickly hash out the details and interworkings of the club. Our resident attorney checked into the laws that govern strip clubs in NYC. Not that some of our guys didn’t (accidentally) break them, but it’s always good to know the rules.

We utilized Dropbox as a way to share documents. This is an invaluable tool for long-distance collaboration. It gave us a central location to store things such as marketing materials and cover art. It also helped to keep things on track as we went through the editing process. And it reduced the number of “Lucky’s Charms” titled emails in my inbox. 🙂

Have you ever wondered how things can come together so perfectly, despite writers block, time constraints, surgeries, illnesses and general life stuff? Because all of these things occurred during the process of creating Lucky’s Charms.

Synergy.

We came together as women. As writers, sisters, and friends. We worked together and got the job done. Through collaboration, we’ve created a blog and an anthology I am very proud to be a part of.  I can’t wait until we do this again!

A Love, Lust and Laptops Publication:

From the ladies of Love, Lust and Laptops comes a special anthology filled with sexy tales of the men and women of Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club.

Anything could happen at Lucky’s Bar and Strip Club. Underneath the neon lights, the loud music, and the tear-away costumes, new lovers meet for the first time and old flames ignite anew. Shifters claim their mates, and leprechauns pay unusual gambling debts. Undercover operative solving crime? Advertising executive seducing the boss? All business as usual at Lucky O’Reilly’s.
Have you gotten lucky tonight?

Currently available for FREE at Smashwords.

Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Sex and the Strong Woman 

I’ve never cared for stories that feature mistreated women waiting to be rescued. I prefer books where the victim turns around and bites her abuser. I guess that’s why when I started writing my own heroines they all kick butt and resist taking orders.  🙂

In my recently released Eclipse Heat series title, Wolf’s Tender, Naomi Parker, my heroine, is a school teacher who uses her wits and limited powers of seduction to save her kidnapped students. Do I think such a scenario is possible? Yes. I think history proves that women have always used seduction as a means of survival.

Do I think Naomi chooses well when she picks Charlie Wolf McCallister to seduce? Double yes. Naomi finds the best tracker in Texas and uses sex to persuade him to help her. Why? Because we all know that saving her students is a lot more important than saving her virginity. (And besides, Charlie Wolf is a half-Kiowa hunk who makes her blood sizzle.)

I think one of the greatest compliments I’ve received for Wolf’s Tender was from a reviewer who said “…This entire book has a gentle message of female empowerment that appealed to me greatly, [a surprise] since it was in a historical Western that normally features damsels in distress…” [Book Vixen: Reviewer: J9]

About the Author

Gem Sivad is an award-winning author with a reputation for creating multi-faceted characters simmering with passion in the Old West. Dubbed by many reviewers as the “Queen of Historical Naughty Romance” Gem loves turning up the heat.

Preceded by Quincy’s Woman, Perfect Strangers, and Five Card Stud—Wolf’s Tender is the fourth book in Gem’s Eclipse Heat series published by Ellora’s Cave. Trouble In Disguise, the next Eclipse Heat book, will release in summer, 2013.

Subscribe to Gem’s monthly Dreamcatcher Newsletter
Visit Gem’s website
Like her Face Book Author Page
Follow her on Twitter
Find her @ Amazon

A book in the Eclipse Heat Series

Charlie Wolf is half Kiowa, all bounty hunter and a no-nonsense man—until he meets a schoolteacher with cornflower-blue eyes. After marauding outlaws attack Naomi’s school and kidnap her students, she’s desperate and will do anything to rescue them, even seduce the best tracker in Texas to secure his help.

Naomi offers one night of sexual favors, underestimating the power of Charlie’s predatory charm and his determination to claim her as his mate. She’s impatient with his decisions, questions his authority and generally ignores his warnings. But she melts in Charlie’s arms when he makes love to her.

Blood is spilled, past murder avenged, desperadoes captured and lust assuaged as the two set out to rescue Naomi’s young ladies.

A Romantica® historical Western erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Wolf’s Tender Buy Links:

Ellora’s Cave: https://www.ellorascave.com/wolf-s-tender.html

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Wolfs-Tender-Eclipse-Heat-ebook/dp/B00BR070N2/

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolfs-tender-gem-sivad/1102940087?ean=9781419938061

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wolf039stender-1114154-340.html?referrer=203d1555227662f5a48dc2e310466f41

The Grand Adventure Continues for Sabrina York. Also, Win A Tiara.

Long ago, in a time shrouded in myth and mystery (circa April 4^th, 2012), a virgin author, a tender soul, ventured out into the cold, hard world, unsure of what she would find. Would there be slavering wolves with long glistening fangs? Hideous trolls? Wicked witches cackling with glee at every misstep?

Oh, sure. There were a couple of those.

But to our heroine’s delight, she met come champions along the way, valiant souls who became companions, and then friends.

And Delilah Devlin is one of those souls.

Okay. Yeah. I am waxing poetic. But I’m in a poetic mood, damn it all.

It’s been a year since the release of my first book (Adam’s Obsession). A year since I dipped my toe into the publishing pond. A year since I wrote my very first blog (for one Delilah Devlin, in fact).

As I reflect on all the other firsts of the past year—the glorious triumphs as well as the…ickier moments—I can’t help but smile. It has been a rollercoaster ride, for sure—but a grand adventure. Now I have nearly a dozen titles with many more in the wings and, I am delighted to report, fans all over the world.

Who knew?

I wanted to thank you, Delilah, for welcoming me into your welkin, for embracing my work and encouraging me giving me opportunities to succeed. You are a champion. An inspiration.

And because of your encouragement, and that of many others, I am about to embark on another adventure (one that has me nibbling my fingernails to the nub).

I am releasing my first self-pubbed book.

There were a lot of reasons for trying this—not the least of which is the ability to offer a book for free once in a while to THANK MY READERS for their loyalty. But to be perfectly honest, my secret motivation is to prove to myself that I can.

Yep. Yet another grand adventure for a girl who always dreamed of being a writer but was told she was far too dyslexic to try.

There are always people willing to tell you reasons you shouldn’t take a dare.

It’s a good thing I never listen.

(Pssst! I had to include this screen shot! ~DD)

Sabrina’s First Novel-Without-A-Net…

Rebound is Book One of the Tryst Island Series—following the romantic adventures of a group of friends sharing a vacation house on the fictional Trystacomseh Island in Washington State’s San Juan archipelago. The series was inspired by my visits to a family cabin on the coast. I’ll share a picture of the view, so you get an idea why I couldn’t stop myself from writing these stories.

Sigh. I know. Right?

Here’s a taste of Rebound. It’s scheduled to come out April 4^th on Amazon. I hope you check it out.

Rebound by Sabrina York

A Tryst Island Erotic Romance

Kristi Cross has had the hots for her friend, Cameron Jackson as long as she could remember, but she knows she’s not his type. She’s nothing like the women he dates. So when he suggests they play for a kiss over a game of Hearts, Kristi can’t resist. Even if she loses, she wins. Because she’s finally going to taste him.

Of course, one kiss can quickly become something altogether steamier, especially when both parties are on the rebound…

An Excerpt of Rebound

Cam nodded and dealt the cards. They were halfway through the first hand when he broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we played?”

“You had to teach me.”

“Took me all night.”

“That was hardly my fault.” She rearranged her cards. “You kept pouring me shots.”

“You’re the one who kept drinking them.” Read the rest of this entry »

Writing a Series

A friend recently suggested I read FOREIGNER by C.J. Cherryh, a popular sci/fi writer. It’s the first book in a series and has a fascinating premise. A spaceship from Earth has gone off course into an alien universe. A colony is sent down to live on a planet populated by the atevi, an intelligent group that resembles humans, but are taller, stronger, and have black skin and yellow eyes. The hero, Bren Cameron, is a human translator who has learned the atevi language and culture. He wants desperately to maintain the peace between the two diverse groups, but things never run smoothly. By the end of the book, he’s so badly injured he’s on his way to the hospital for surgery, but for the moment, he’s out of danger. The second book, INVADER, begins with Bren leaving the hospital and right back into deep trouble. I don’t usually read sci/fi, but this series is so fast-paced and exciting, it drew me right in. Bren is such a sympathetic character, I couldn’t stop after the first book!

Having one continuing character works well not only in sci/fi, but also in mysteries and thrillers. Sue Grafton has pushed Kinsey Millhone through the alphabet. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum humorous mystery series is on NOTORIOUS NINETEEN. Fans know they won’t be disappointed when they read the next book in a popular series.

When a family friend married a bullfighter’s daughter, I thought it a great premise for a book, but I hadn’t anticipated a series when I began. Wealthy men often have multiple wives and create new families, and a matador was a perfect fit for the role. My goal in FIERCE LOVE was to tell the story of Magdalena Aragon, a young woman in her twenties who’s meeting her famous father for the first time. She’s the daughter born of his brief marriage to an American woman, and this is her first visit to Spain. That she has half brothers and half sisters she’d also never met added near endless complications to her reunion with her father. When she falls for a matador herself, he’s the very last man she wants to love. The story is set in Barcelona, a city I love, and the book was a joy to write.

When I sent the finished the book to my editor at Samhain, it proved impossible to leave Maggie’s eldest brother, Santos, behind. He’s the bullfighter’s son, and deserved a book of his own. FIERCE PRIDE is an entirely different story. He’s a matador himself and someone wants him dead. That he falls for Maggie’s half sister, Libby, strengthens the ties created in the first book and gives characters I’d grown to love a chance to come back for an encore.

You can probably see this coming, but Maggie’s father had a mistress, a super-model with an independent spirit, who demanded a book of her own, FIERCE PASSION. This series grew from the characters and their complicated relationships, and I had to run to keep up with them. I do believe the FIERCE series is complete as a trilogy, but Maggie has twin half sisters who may someday get a book of their own.

Do you love to read books in a series? I’ll be happy to send pdf copies of FIERCE LOVE and FIERCE PRIDE to someone who comments.

FIERCE LOVE is available in both ebook and print from Samhain. FIERCE PRIDE, a February 2013 ebook, and will be in print in February 2014. The beautiful mistress’s story, FIERCE PASSION will be a November 2013 release. Rest assured, no bulls were harmed in any way in the writing of these books.