A big thank you to Delilah Devlin for hosting me on her blog. It’s an exciting day, as my new series, Hawaiian Heroes, debuted yesterday at Samhain Publishing.
This series is a new sub-genre for me. It’s still paranormal, and still red hot romance. But the story takes place in contemporary Hawaii, on the Big Island’s beautiful Kona coast.
Writing the story was noooo hardship. There were many cold, dark, rainy Pac NW days and evenings when I sat down at my computer and booted up Pandora Internet Radio with my personal Hawaiian station, and was instantly transported back to the warm, humid, flower-scented islands.
In fact, music can be an incredible mood enhancer. My personal soundtrack for writing the book includes such Hawaiian music greats as:
Listen to a few of these lovely melodies, and you’ll be so relaxed all you can do is call for another mai-tai. Or book tickets for the Islands!
But, not everyone can travel, I know. It’s a tough economy, and we have families to care for. I waited a long time to get back to these islands myself. And the visit from which we just returned will probably be our last for a while, as life takes me and my husband in new directions.
So, I concentrated on soaking up the soft, warm island ambience and researching locales for the second and third books in the Hawaiian Heroes series. If I use a real place in the books, it’s as true to life as I can make it.
If you’ve been to Kona, look for some familiar places in Book II; Rolling in the Deep and Book III. And if you haven’t, come along with me and the Ho’omalu ohana, family. Let us introduce you to a place you can visit again and again, in the pages of the Hawaiian Heroes stories.
Recipe for terror—take one Hawaiian hunk, light him on fire. Wake up to find all your dreams come true.
But instead, Malu invaded her dreams, as he had since that first night. It was the same dream as the one this afternoon, almost as if it hadn’t been interrupted by waking.
And this time, she went to him, as helpless to resist him as if she were bewitched. He stood framed by the mountain, glowing with that red-gold light. He wore a crown of leaves, but they were red with fire. So was the brief kapa cloth around his hips. Geckoes scampered around him like living sparks on the ground.
As she gazed at him in awe, he turned and held out his hand to her. His dark gaze, the sensuality in the slow smile he gave her were so compelling, her body reacted helplessly.
So aroused that she was breathing in ragged pants, Melia climbed the path to him. The geckoes scampered back, making way. Slowly, she reached out her hand, wanting desperately to lay it in his. But the heat that surrounded him became too much.
She hesitated, yearning to let his heat envelop her but afraid of the results. Would his passion burn her up, leaving her empty?
Melia woke with a gasp. She lay on her back in the bed, her heart pounding, desire twisting inside her. The dream had been so real.
Rain beat on the roof overhead, trickled down the gutters and splattered on the windowsills. But only on one side was she cool. Her other side was hot, uncomfortably so, as if she were too near a fire. And the heat was emanating from the man sleeping at her side.
Melia turned her head and stared. Her breath froze in her throat; her heart skipped a beat and then began to pound even faster. Was she still dreaming?
Malu still lay on his side, facing her. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful in slumber, his big body relaxed. And she could see all this clearly, because he was glowing.
She closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly shut, willing it to be her imagination, a trick of the storm, of the Hawaiian night. But when she opened them again, it was the same. The night was dark, the rain blotting out any moonlight that might have strayed in the windows. The only light was the red-gold glow that shimmered not around, not over, but from Malu.
Slowly, clumsy with fear, Melia pushed back the blanket and began to inch away from him. She made it to the very edge of the bed, had one foot on the floor, when his eyes opened, and he looked at her. It was like gazing into the heart of dark fire.
“Damn,” he rumbled, his deep voice husky with sleep. “Didn’t mean to do that yet.”
You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. Ménages are popular. They’re hot at the moment, right? Everyone says so. I’m talking about them within the context of erotic romance and erotica, of course 🙂 . I hear all the time about how great they sell and they do seem to be a very popular topic of conversation on some of the loops I frequent/lurk. Is it just something that is of interest at the moment or is it a sub-genre that will continue to grow in regards to reader demand? Is it very much a niche market or it is gaining in popularity? Predicting trends like this is pretty much impossible, but I do think about different story lines and scenarios to try as a writer. To date, I’ve written strictly M/F romances. Sure, they’re hot and steamy, but at their core is the development and growth of the emotional relationship with a HEA or at least a HFN guaranteed. I’m not sure I could get my head around the emotional threads needed when three people (or more) are involved for it to be still considered a romance. Plus, those sex scenes? I have enough of a time keeping track of 4 arms, 4 legs and…er…other body parts, without factoring in more LOL! Of course, I could write erotica. I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s not where I want to focus my efforts, it’s not what really “talks” to me. Not at the moment, anyway. I really love to explore the complexities of a couple. I want to be as successful as I can be with my current writing and I intend to continue to write erotic romance. This plays on my mind somewhat, so I thought I’d just throw it out there:
Do you have to write ménages to be really successful as an erotic romance writer? What do YOU think?
About Kaily
Kaily Hart, a seemingly straight-laced mother of four left corporate America and a high-powered, lucrative career to be a stay at home mom. Ha! That lasted about four weeks, during which time she realized she had a deeply repressed dream—to write. And (gasp) romance at that! Who knew? By day, Kaily plays conservative wife and soccer mom, but at night crafts hot and steamy tales of romance and love with gorgeous heroes who wouldn’t dream of leaving the toilet seat up. Ever. She’s smart and sassy, at least in her own mind, and is creating as many happy ever afters as she can, one hot story at a time. Kaily never would have thought she’d be doing this, but now that she is? Well, you couldn’t pay her enough to do anything else.
Kaily’s books, PICTURE THIS, PAY UP, PLAY ME & POINT BLANK (yeah, she has a thing for book titles that start with ‘P’), are all currently available from Ellora’s Cave and all other ebook outlets. Kaily’s first paranormal romance, the first book of a new series, releases from Carina Press in August!
If anyone would want to contact me (which I would love by the way) or just keep up with what I’m doing, you can find me all over:
Psst! Yesterday’s winner is named at the top of yesterday’s post! ~DD
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New Release, Contest, and Book Giveaway!
Thank you, Delilah. It’s a pleasure to be a guest on your blog. I’m Randi Alexander and I write cowboy erotic romance. I’m published with The Wild Rose Press’ Cowboy Kink line. My second Cowboy Kink, Her Cowboy Stud, was released March 23.
It feels rather odd to be blogging about erotic romance on Easter Sunday, but I’m up to the challenge! We do celebrate Easter, a holiday to gather with community and family. The kids, though, love searching the house to find where the Easter Bunny left their baskets full of candy.
Since then kids are now ten (Miss Fussy,) eight (Little Man,) and six (Pink,) we enjoy finding creative and hard-to-find places to hide the baskets. Taped underneath the kitchen table, hung amidst the coats in the foyer closet, or inside the air intake grate.
We’ve found a way to get the kids to work together to find them. We mark each basket with either a circle, a triangle, or a square. Once all three baskets have been found, we let them know which one is theirs. That way it becomes a team project.
A few years ago, we had the brilliant idea of giving the kids a rabbit. First off, one tiny bunny rabbit and three kids—the little fluff ball was held so much that first week, I don’t think his tiny paws ever touched solid ground. Because he was tan and white, the kids settled on the name, Butterfinger Blizzard. (Blizzard for short.)
We built a big pen for Blizzard by the garden where the kids could hang out with him and feed him early spring vegetables. The day we thinned out the garden, we set all the culled seedlings in his pen, thinking it would take him a week to get through all of them.
What we didn’t realize is that rabbits will eat everything in front of them, especially if it’s fresh veggies. Two hours later the kids ran in the house, yelling, “Blizzard turned into a basketball.” Sure enough, the poor thing looked like a furry, multi-colored blimp. It took another day for his belly to return to normal size. Lesson learned!
Another year, my brother gave us three chicks. Rhode Island Reds. Tiny little things that the kids named Birdchick, Dog Face Peep, and Colonel (after KFC’s founder.) After a few weeks, we decided to return them to my brother’s farm and keep visitation rights. We don’t know exactly what happened to the three Rhodies, but I imagine the KFC scenario is probably accurate.
I’m laughing right now as I look out the window and watch Little Man using his remote control Jeep to chase Pink around on the trampoline. They’re very good at finding ways to amuse themselves, but I’m thinking their lives would be much enriched if we try the animal surprise again this Easter.
Will I be able to talk hubby into another addition to our family? Every kid needs a puppy, right? Wish me luck!
I’d love to hear your stories of Easter baskets hidden in bizarre places, or gifts of animals that either didn’t work out well or did work out and have made a difference in your life. Leave a comment for your chance to win an e-book!
Trace McGonagall’s quiet life on his Houston stud ranch is shaken up when gorgeous Macy Veralta arrives to claim an inheritance left to her in his uncle’s will. Trace sees her as just another gold digger, but he also can’t resist her curvy body. When she hints at being the perfect submissive to his Dom, he has to have her.
Macy wouldn’t have been three months late to claim her inheritance if she’d known Trace was sin in jeans. The cowboy’s dominant bearing and the smoldering glint in his eyes send shivers to her toes and stirs images of being bound in his bed and disciplined at his hand. But could Trace’s perfect seduction be part of his plan to reclaim her inheritance?
EXCERPT: I chose a romantic excerpt today, but if you’re in the mood for more spicy, the first chapter of the book is on my website.
Pulling Macy on top of him, Trace grinned. “You won the bet. Anything you want is yours. You just need to ask.” His heart gradually slowed to normal while his body tingled with a major afterglow.
She kissed his shoulder. “Anything?” Her voice purred.
He pulled a pillow under his head to look down at her, combed his fingers through her soft hair. He would give her anything. His house, his horse, his heart. “Name it.” Read the rest of this entry »
I wrote my first romance novel about a million years ago. Since then I’ve penned thirty others, and I’ve loved every one of them. But eventually, when my kids ran away from home (a.k.a. grew up) I decided to try writing some other things. A lot of other things. I wrote a story about a talking cat (weird). I did a twisted Cinderella story (sad). I believe there was even an odd little tale about a Martian (super weird). Not to mention a host of other “stellar” ideas.
Meanwhile, I was in the market for a new agent. One of those agents read through my string of masterpieces like a real trooper, gave me a call, and informed me that she could sell the mystery. The mystery! The mystery? I was pretty sure I hadn’t written a mystery. I went through the list in my mind, made sure my talking cat wasn’t a mystery pet and said, “That’s great. That’s fantastic. Ummm, in your opinion, which one do you think might be a mystery?” She replied, “Unzipped.”
Hmmm, Unzipped wasn’t a mystery. It was about Christina McMullen, a sassy psychologist who has an ongoing love/hate relationship with sexy police lieutenant Jack Rivera. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was…maybe a romantic suspense or a chicklit or a…mystery? Okay. Well, thought I cleverly, if she could sell it as a mystery…then a mystery it was.
That was seven years ago. Bantam published Unzipped in 2005. Since then there have been six other Chrissy McMullen novels. Uncorked was just released, and after all this time I’m still not sure it’s a mystery. I mean, we have a feisty female lead looking for love in all the wrong places. We have a cop with a lot of attitude and a great assss…spect on life. We have romance, sexy dialogue, and secondary characters that I adore. Then again we do have a pretty healthy body count by the end of each book. So you tell me, is it a romance or is it a mystery?
I’m giving away an Amazon gift card to one much appreciated commenter.
Here’s a little video to help you decide about the genre.
And a small clue: Francois is actually a battery-run device that has appeared in several books and sometimes gives us quotes. I can’t resist snarky battery-run devices.
One of my favorite people on the planet is this lady, Cathryn Fox. We’ve known each other for years and have shared space in anthologies. She’s an all-round good person with a great book coming out next Tuesday, April 10th!
Public relations specialist Allison Cooper is more than ready to handle a career make-or-break assignment: to develop and market a charity calendar featuring hot men. Her only problem is Mr. July, a sexy cop who happens to be her ex-lover.
Trying to keep his image squeaky clean a must for her promotion raises all sorts of challenges, especially when this bad boy is throwing a little kink into her plan.
Image is the last thing on Carter James’s mind. He agreed to be Mr. July on one condition that during his promo month, Allison never leaves his side. He wants her back, and to make that happen he needs her undivided attention to teach him good from bad. Unless bad is what the lady wants
After excusing herself, she made her way into the back room, stopping at a few tables along the way to chat with her old friends. Happiness welled up inside her as she took a quick moment to catch up with the boys. She really did miss this place, and these men.
In the back she found Madison racking the balls, and Blaine had disappeared into the crowd. She couldn’t help but think that was a good thing. Unlike Carter who’d joined the force right out of high school, Blaine had joined later in life, and Carter always seemed agitated around the new rookie. Allison always assumed it had something to do with her, and the fact that she and Blaine went way back.
As she spoke quietly to Madison, detailing the events for next week’s launch at the beach, she could feel Carter’s eyes on her. It rattled her more than she liked to admit.
What would you do if a killer were hunting you? What if you’re child was the target? What if the killer was someone you knew?
What’s it like to look into the mind of a killer?
Ask any author who writes dark, romantic suspense and they’ll tell you, it ain’t no walk in the park at times.
I think even for writers who create fictitious killers it’s still a little disturbing to consider that there are really such depraved people living in the world amongst us. To make a believable killer you have to do your homework.
To quote Friedrich Nietzsche: He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
For me, I love to watch Forensic Files and 48 Hours Mystery on TV. You can gain a great deal of knowledge into the mind of a killer simply by studying old case files. I know it’s certainly been insightful for me.
So why do people kill? Well, most psychologists will tell you there are two fundamental reasons someone will take another life.
Love and money.
Both truly are the root of all things evil.
But there is another type of killer that is far more evil and cunning than all the others. He’s extremely intelligent. He can blend into society well enough to be your co-worker, your high school English teacher. Your neighbor next door. He lacks anything resembling a conscience. He’s a sociopath known as the serial killer.
The FBI estimates that today there are some 50 active serial killers working among us in the US alone. That’s a frightening statistic to consider.
For me, writing about the dark side of romance is both rewarding and challenging. The characters I create leave their mark on you and make it hard to move on to the next story.
And if they’re really chilling, they make it hard to sleep with the lights off at night.
“The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.” -Robert Louis Stevenson
I’d like to pause a moment and ask this question: what things are necessary for us to have a peaceful, drama-less life this week? Today?
It’s been my observation that the great dramas of life take our attention: shenanigans in politics, rudeness on the net, which artist died this week with whom we had no personal acquaintance but an abundance of feeling – these things become real for us, immediate, because they engage our emotions.
But not our brains. The checkbook that needs balancing, the tax deadline looming, the editing of a manuscript, the folding of laundry – these are the things that truly require our attention but that, because they are not accompanied by a ring tone or a twitter feet, become neglected.
Here are my thoughts that apply to my own daily round, but that I thought I would share for others in the hope that they, too, might find them relevant. Five things, when done daily, can change the tenor of our week.
1. Put things away when you’re done with them. If you have books out, put them back on the shelf. Put the shoes in the closet or by the door. End tasks, so that when you’re done, they feel done.
2. Floss your teeth. We all know we should do it, but how many of us do? Be honest now. If we called our dentist and made an appointment today, would they be amazed at what they found? Or would they want you to brush before they touched you?
3. Smile at everyone you meet. If you ride transit, smile at the conductor. Smile at the receptionist, or the checker at the store. Smile even if you have to fake it – and if you do have to fake it, make sure to include your eyes in it. Really make it a smile to be memorable and see what happens.
4. Eat your vegies. We know we should, but how many have you eaten today? Doctors recommend between five and nine servings every day, and those should be from the five different color groups.
5. Take a walk. Even a twenty minute walk can change our relationship to our bodies and to the day.
What do you do to maintain the sanity of your daily round? I’d love to know.
A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder BlogWebsite
Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available now from Samhain Publishing.
Watch for EMERALD FIRE, coming soon from Torquere Publishing.
Kaily Hart, a seemingly straight-laced mother of four left corporate America and a high-powered, lucrative career to be a stay at home mom. Ha! That lasted about four weeks, during which time she realized she had a deeply repressed dream—to write. And (gasp) romance at that! Who knew? By day, Kaily plays conservative wife and soccer mom, but at night crafts hot and steamy tales of romance and love with gorgeous heroes who wouldn’t dream of leaving the toilet seat up. Ever. She’s smart and sassy, at least in her own mind, and is creating as many happy ever afters as she can, one hot story at a time. Kaily never would have thought she’d be doing this, but now that she is? Well, you couldn’t pay her enough to do anything else. 
I wrote my first romance novel about a million years ago. Since then I’ve penned thirty others, and I’ve loved every one of them. But eventually, when my kids ran away from home (a.k.a. grew up) I decided to try writing some other things. A lot of other things. I wrote a story about a talking cat (weird). I did a twisted Cinderella story (sad). I believe there was even an odd little tale about a Martian (super weird). Not to mention a host of other “stellar” ideas.
