Psst! See my note at the bottom of this post! ~DD

Thanks so much to Delilah for the chance to visit! I write hot Regency romances as Maggie Robinson for Kensington Brava and hotter ones as Margaret Rowe for Berkley Heat. Since March is Women’s History Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about my historical heroines and the difficulties they face simply because they are women.

Some readers complain when a fictional character exhibits too much of a 21st century sensibility, but it’s easy to see why a writer rewrites some boundaries. We’ve sure come a long way, baby. A Regency era wife could own no property of her own; anything she might bring into the marriage belonged to her husband. And even if he was head-over-heels in love with her, he could only leave her money after he was dead, but not gift her property in life. If they were not head-over-heels, a wife could not sue her husband for divorce, even if he was unfaithful or beat her. After 1857, he could sue her, though. If they did separate, the kids belonged to him, no matter what his sins might be. A husband and wife were considered one person in law, and woe to the independent woman who did not marry. Her father would be bossing her around instead.

Sounds pretty grim, doesn’t it? And we’re not even talking about voting. No wonder I don’t want to write about these poor creatures who were totally dependent on men. So my heroines sometimes walk on the wild side of the street, perhaps historically inaccurately, but I can’t help it. They’re not sitting in the parlor stitching samplers waiting for a suitor to come to dispel the boredom, marry him and then die in childbirth.

My current heroine Frederica Wells in Margaret Rowe’s erotic March release Any Wicked Thing is a medieval scholar who writes (accurate) history books, but she finds herself the ward of her childhood friend and adult nemesis Sebastian Goddard, Duke of Roxbury. Devilish Sebastian is the last person in the world who should be in charge of demure Freddie, so sparks fly. Pretty soon Goddard Castle is on fire as Sebastian teaches her all the things he’s learned while she stayed home. But Freddie is a quick learner and gives as good as she gets, doing any wicked thing and then some. ;).

Which Regency ladylike activity would you excel at? Sewing, singing, playing the pianoforte, painting, archery, riding or perhaps something else? Comment to win a copy of Any Wicked Thing!

One disastrous night…

At twenty-one, Sebastian Goddard, heir to the duke of Roxbury, desperately sought diversion from a life smothered by peerage and position. His quest led him to one night of reckless passion, resulting in betrayal by his oldest friend Frederica Wells, and the discovery of his father’s darkest secret. Reeling from the devastation, he embarked on a ten-year debauch that well earned him the nickname–”Lord of Sin.”

One delicious bargain…

Now Sebastian has returned to find his late father’s estate in ruins and Freddie more seductive than ever. He’s determined to drive her from Goddard Castle to pay her back for her deception and to protect his own dark secret. But Freddie makes him an offer he can’t resist…she’ll be his mistress for a month if he’ll consent to sell her the crumbling castle afterward.

Everything he could desire…

The Lord of Sin plans to shock and scandalize Freddie—to tease her every desire and leave her wanting. But his fiery-willed lover soon teaches him the past may not be what it seemed, the present more tempting than he could have imagined, and the future filled with more promise than he dared dream. For thirty-one nights is not nearly enough when you’ve been given a license to do any wicked thing…

www.margaretrowe.net
www.maggierobinson.net

[It always happens! My Access Romance blog doesn’t follow a regular schedule, so I couldn’t plan this in advance. Maggie’s my guest today, but you can also find me at Access Romance, with a pretty picture for you to “Tell Me a Story”. Be sure to say hello to Maggie before heading over to the Access Romance blog. ~DD]

Hey there! I’m heading out of town for a conference, so I’ll only have spotty access to email and this blog. To keep you entertained, I have guests arriving every day. Check out the schedule!

Thursday: Cindy Spencer Pape
Friday: Margaret Rowe
Saturday: Snippet Saturday (moi!)
Sundy: Taige Crenshaw

Enjoy! ~DD

IF THE SHEATH FITS

A brief overview of condom history
By Cindy Spencer Pape

A question that often arises among romance authors is whether or not to have their heroes suit up. Dress the soldier. Wear a raincoat. In other words, use protection, act responsibly, practice safe sex. The condom has become one of the more debated aspects of the romance genre, especially erotic romance.

Arguments on both sides can be fierce. Many authors and readers argue that it’s irresponsible of fiction to not show characters engaging in (and presumably enjoying) safe sex. Others maintain that the romance novel is inherently a fantasy, and to interrupt the moment with mundane precautions would detract from the reader’s enjoyment. While both sides have valid points to be made, the decision gets even trickier when writing a historical romance.

Condoms have been available, in one form or another, for a long, long time. Whether or not our historical heroes would have had ready access to them or any inclination to use them depends on a lot of variables: when and where the hero lives being the most important. Wealth, religion, educational level—all of these can factor in. And of course, depending on how it was made and what it was made of, the efficacy varied wildly. So to get it right, an author actually needs to know a little bit about the origins of the little foil packet.

When I started writing Marry Me, Marietta, for a special Ellora’s Cave project a few years ago, I had to do some serious digging to find out what my Victorian physician hero would have access to and use. Of course, once I started, I became fascinated by the research and had to know more.

Nobody knows exactly when the condom was invented. There are Egyptian hieroglyphics roughly 3000 years old that show a man wearing what looks like a linen sheath over his penis. Nobody is sure if this was to prevent disease or pregnancy, or just for decoration. There are rumors of the Romans using this or that for contraception, but no definite references to what could be considered a condom. Cave paintings in France dated to around 100 AD again show men wearing a colored sheath, but again, we have no idea why.

However, people have been trying to not get pregnant, for one reason or another, almost as long as others have been trying to get pregnant. And it’s just common sense to put a barrier between the sperm and the womb. So the use of homemade condoms could go back—well—as at least as long as humans have been making sausage. Given the obviousness of a length of sheep gut with a knot tied in it, it seems likely that these relatively risky versions have been used for a very long time. Keep in mind though, that most of Europe was Catholic through the Middle Ages, and that the Catholic Church considered contraception of any kind (even withdrawal) a major sin. So while the concept may well have existed, it probably wasn’t discussed publicly or in common use.
Read the rest of this entry »

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

My Lines

By Kate Hill

Everywhere you turn, on movies and in magazines, the message always seems to be there’s something wrong with getting older. Whether it’s face cream, thigh cream or plastic surgery, we’re surrounded by products offering a magical solution to the aging problem. While it’s great to be well groomed and fit at any age, there’s nothing wrong with mature looks, either. Regardless of the outer package, everyone ages and there’s a unique beauty to people who age naturally.

Last night I saw a commercial for face cream that suggested anyone with lines can use their product. Personally, I like my lines. I’ve waited almost forty years for these crow’s feet and I have no desire to turn back the clock.

Even when I was younger, I preferred older partners. There’s nothing sexier than a man with lines around his eyes that show he’s lived. The rugged look most definitely does it for me.

If the media is any indication of the way most people feel about aging, then I’m probably in the minority, and I don’t mind at all. How do you feel about aging and “imperfections?”

About Kate

What do trips around the world, endless nights of breathtaking sex, and a muscular, 6-foot 3-inch, brown-haired, blue-eyed significant other have to do with Kate Hill? Absolutely nothing, but she can dream, can’t she? In reality Kate is a vegetarian New Englander who loves writing romantic fantasies.

When she’s not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, and researching vampires and Viking history. Visit Kate online at https://www.kate-hill.com.

Mate Marks Cursed: Wild Woods by Kate Hill
Coming in March 2011 from Changeling Press

The pain will come later.

After a magical artist tattoos an intriguing demon on her skin, Madison meets a gorgeous stranger with an alarming reputation and a fiercely sexy winged creature with an attitude. She senses they are one and the same. Despite the danger surrounding them, she’s drawn to them by an inexplicable force.

Half-human and half-demon, Brody has spent his life fighting against his evil birthright. Despite the hatred of the townsfolk, he uses his supernatural powers to defend them from his foul bloodline.

Neither Madison nor Brody can fight their lust or deny their love, but hell is out to get him. When everyone close to him, especially his destined mate, is targeted by eight generations of Blazewood demons, the only way to fight evil is with evil.

“I can smell you. Delicious. I could eat you,” rasped that sinister voice.

“Eat this!” Madison leapt up and, wielding the branch like a golf club, slammed him in the gut.

He grunted and doubled over, but at the same time managed to rip the branch from her hand.

Madison took off running again, hoping she’d hurt him sufficiently to delay the chase long enough for her to find her way back to the path toward the town.
Read the rest of this entry »

See the bottom of this post for the name of yesterday’s winner!

Erotic Romance – Life Affirming

by Michelle Polaris

My mind is on babies and the miracle of birth. My sister, bless her soul, just had her third little boy. She has three now under the age of four. Oy! And although I’ve heard the advice to avoid the subject of children in erotic romance for the mood killer it may be, I made a decision to throw that advice out the window in my last release. In all truth, no actual babies appeared in my story, but the subject of fertility and the goal of becoming parents were explicit in the plot.

I believe the sexiest erotic romance involves deep emotional bonds between the characters, and authenticity behind the painful struggles and incredible emotional risks those characters must take together. Children and the commitment they symbolize are a loaded risk. But they provide one of the greatest sources of hope imaginable. And hope translates to a sense of future. If I want to create a story where one feels my characters standing on the precipice of their future, balancing, eagerly or fearfully reaching out despite their risk of falling, dangling a baby out there in front of them does the trick.

Throw in the fact that I write BDSM erotic romance and this may seem strange. But I firmly believe BDSM story lines are an awesome opportunity to explore honest communication and vulnerability between characters. And, hey, kinky people have children too.

Putting aside that twist, am I the only one who feels this way about the subject of babies in erotic romance? How have they worked or not worked for you as you’ve read stories touching on this issue?

Check out my newest release, Fettered Love, at Ellora’s Cave to see if I’ve managed to pull off this idea without killing the sexy, kinky, tantalizing pull between my three characters. My novella is part of the 1-800-DOM-help series new to EC—BDSM at it’s best from a group of talented Ellora’s Cave authors.

Kirk, Master to his long-time lover Evan, decides it’s time to place his permanent collar around Evan’s sexy cock. But when he proposes, he faces a surprise. Evan wants a child. So where will they find a kinky woman to help?

A mysterious card with the 1 -800-DOM-help number advertises assistance for unusual problems in the BDSM community. When Evan calls, he recognizes the voice of Sarah—Kirk’s best friend from childhood, Evan’s Mistress of several years in college. They both loved her and suffered betrayal when she walked out of their lives.

Now she proposes to be the mother of their child. No strings, just a chance to have the men she respects and loves back in her life. Evan embraces the idea while Kirk rages with mistrust.

At Evan’s request, they share one night of passion, Kirk and Sarah working together to dominate Evan in the scene of his erotic fantasies, hoping it will be enough to rekindle trust and make all their dreams come true.

Safe, sane and consensual,
Michelle Polaris

The winner of yesterday’s prize is…Sarah M! Congrats, Sarah, and be sure to send me an email to collect your prize!

I first fell in love with the Bard in Junior High. A very ambitious—or possibly insane—drama advisor selected Julius Caesar as the school play. I was cast as Portia, Caesar’s wife, and spent hours learning my script and practicing my lines and blocking.

Unfortunately, I was the only cast member who felt the same way. The play was cancelled several weeks into rehearsal.

The beauty of the language and my fascination with the characters stayed with me, though, through high school and college, through Shakespeare in the Park productions and community theater, through Helena and Viola and Desdemona. It stayed strong as I became a junior high teacher myself, with the requirement that I teach Romeo and Juliet every year. (Side note: why Romeo and Juliet? Do school boards not know the play? Is it really the best idea to teach kids that you can find your true love at 14 and if your families don’t want you to be together, might as well off yourselves? I’d much rather have taught one of his comedies. But I digress.)

I can still remember entire monologues from performances I was in. I was devastated when I found out that my favorite actor was going to be in a Shakespeare in the Park performance of Much Ado About Nothing—on the other side of the country—and I was going to miss it. When it comes to Shakespeare, I’m an unabashed fangirl.

In case it’s not clear, I’m passionate about Shakespeare, and was thrilled to work a subplot about his plays into my newest book, Take a Chance On Me. In it, my heroine Jessica teaches Shakespeare and directs the school play—though with a lot less enthusiasm initially for the task than I would have had! Eventually, though, the Bard works his magic on her as well.

Do you like Shakespeare? What’s your favorite Shakespeare play/movie/performance?

Accept no substitute…for love.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Jessica Martin is determined to earn a permanent teaching position at Summit High School. That means hard work, dedication, and even volunteering extra time to direct the school’s Shakespeare play. Which leaves no room for romance—especially with a co-worker. She didn’t factor in the school’s sexy security officer and the delicious fantasies he inspires.

Too Much Of A Good Thing
Former cop Tom Cameron likes his job. Or he did, until the new substitute busted his orderly life right open. Now, he can’t seem to avoid her—deserted hallways, empty theaters, classrooms after dark—but he’s got too many skeletons in his closet to risk his heart again. Asking her out to distract her from the play’s, well, drama is a friendly gesture. Nothing more.

The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth
Their chemistry could melt down the science lab, and before long they’re burning up the sheets off-campus. And uncovering raw emotions—a stark reminder that love isn’t in their curricula. When a troubled student goes over the edge, though, the need to stop a tragedy brings them right back where they started—face to face with fate.

Warning: This book contains sexy encounters in classrooms, inappropriate use of school facilities, backstage shenanigans, and illicit activities on a ferryboat.

The winner of yesterday’s prize, a copy of Caridad Pineiro’s THE LOST, is listed at the bottom of this post!

The More the Merrier

By Juniper Bell

During a recent author-reader chat, I asked the question, “When it comes to M/F/M stories, how many M’s are okay?” My favorite answer: “You can’t have too many M’s.” I loved that! My last book, MY THREE LORDS, featured three handsome noblemen, and my newest Ellora’s Cave release, GO WILD, stars four sexy, rugged Alaska men.

Not that I’m trying to one-up myself—the story just worked out that way.

But it did make me wonder, what is it about an “extended ménage” that’s such an appealing fantasy? (I should add that not everyone finds that fantasy as attractive as I do.) I’ve thought of a couple theories.

1. Ménage a trois stories often involve a three-way relationship, with all the complicated dynamics that come with it. An extended ménage—hey, that’s just sex, pure and simple. Attempting a full-on relationship with four men—yikes! In GO WILD, Lars and Katia are contemplating marriage. They have a strong emotional two-way relationship. The other men are extras in their story. The ménage encounter is about pleasure and freedom, not emotional entanglement.

2. The more M’s, the more clear that it’s a fantasy. Statistics are hard to find, but an ABC News sex survey says 14% of adults have tried a threesome. An Australian study says that threesomes are by far the most common form of group sex, although some respondents say they’ve had up to five partners. So sex with two men is within the realm of possibility, but once you start adding more M’s, it becomes more unlikely—for most people.

3. Women (speaking generally, of course) love to be adored. There’s a part of us that wants to be treated like a goddess. We want to be seen as beautiful, irresistible sex divas. Because that’s what we are! All of us. But we generally keep that side of ourselves confined within a relationship. When you dive into an extended ménage story, you can let that side loose. You can imagine being the object of lust of any number of men – without harming your own personal relationship. Talk about safe sex!

4. It’s crazy, forbidden, rule-breaking behavior – exactly the kind of thing it’s fun to read about!

So what about you? Do you enjoy extended ménage stories, and if so, why? Is there a reason I haven’t thought of? I’d love to hear your comments! Leave one, and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a download of GO WILD.

Lars loves Katia. Katia loves Lars. Lars wants to marry Katia. Can he convince his free-spirited lover that marriage will be as fun as her sexually adventurous single days?

Never before has Katia been tempted to give up her carefree ways. She’s deeply in love with Lars, but she doesn’t know if he can handle her wild side—or wilder needs. But Lars is a hard man to resist. The former Olympic champion won’t give up, not when he knows just how to please her.

The people of Wild, Alaska, know the best way to survive winter is to let off a little steam. When his buddies hit town for Wild Nights, a notorious winter festival with one rule—“anything goes, nothing counts”—Lars has the perfect opportunity to prove he’s the man for Katia.

Lucky for Katia, “proof” includes four rugged Alaska men and one wildly erotic night.

Reader Advisory: Features an extended ménage (M/F/M/M/M) and references to bondage experimentation and sexual escapades of all types. Woohoo!

“If anyone treats her wrong, they’ll answer to me,” said Lars, still behind her. He gave her a little spank on the ass. Katia felt her flesh tremble and her nipples perk up— more. A warm, melting feeling spread through her. The feeling of an adventure about to begin.

Lars took Katia’s arms and held them behind her. Her mouth fell open in astonishment. He drew her up on the tips of her toes so her back arched and her breasts protruded in blatant display. The three men appeared riveted by the sight of her naked body presented to them so invitingly.

Through her haze of surprise, she wondered what they saw. A slim, taut, pale body, long dark hair, erotically aroused nipples. A shadowed triangle between her legs.

“This woman,” Lars said in a husky voice, “has been making me crazy since the moment I met her. She’s the most sensual, most passionate, most lovable wild thing you’d ever want to meet. And she has the idea that I’m a straight arrow who can’t handle her free-spirited ways.”

For the first time, Eagle made a sound, something between a snort and a cough.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have to confess. I am a hopeful romantic. I believe that love can conquer all. Even an Aztec demi-goddess like the one that terrorizes the hero and heroine and assorted others in a Mexican jungle in AZTEC GOLD.

The AZTEC GOLD novella was influenced by a business trip that I took to Mexico several years ago. I was able to visit some Mexican pyramids and learned about how the indigenous people in that area lived. You can see some photos from my trip and also find out about my fear of heights, as well as my climb to the top of the pyramid, by visiting the Carina blog

I also was able to read up on the gods and goddesses of the Aztecs and their way of life. All of those things inspired me to write not only AZTEC GOLD, but THE FIFTH KINGDOM, a romantic suspense that comes out from Carina Press in July 2012.

But what was even more fun was including some of my favorite things and hopefully some of yours. A strong heroine, although Cynthia has a fear of adventure (kind of like my fear of heights). A very alpha action-adventure guy in Rafael, Cynthia’s ex-love who had gone missing in the jungle thanks to the actions of that bad ass Aztec demi-goddess.

And even though Cynthia and Rafe have their issues, and have to stay alive somehow in a creepy Mexican temple, love does conquer all.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by! I hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day.

We have a little bit of a surprise giveaway today since I was lucky enough to get some early copies of THE LOST, the next book in the SINS series which will be out in August.

Leave a comment and you could win a copy!