Caught In The Act
By Adele Dubois

I grew up in a household filled with drama—and I mean that in the most literal sense. Ours was a family steeped in theatre, art, and creative writing. We were voracious readers, too, and curled up in the family room with our books in the evenings. I was one of those kids who read with a flashlight under the covers when bedtime came too early.

You might think a family of artists would be disorganized and untidy, but our house was as neat as a pin. Every night my mother would remind us to put our things away, saying, “The elves and fairies won’t clean our house for us.” That bit of training stayed with me the rest of my life.

The last time I warned my own kids, “The elves and fairies won’t clean for us,” the story concept for DO ME GOOD popped into my head. What if the elves really did help? What if they completed chores in the middle of the night? And what if they were handsome and sexy and…available?

And what if one accidentally got caught?

To my surprise, with a little research, I discovered that such immortals existed in Norse mythology. These pre-Christian celestials, called Nordic Light Elves, “came from the place between heaven and earth” under the rule of a fertility god. They were “fairer to look upon than the sun” and interacted with both gods and mortals. Their sole purpose was to work for the benefit of humankind.

Though I’m still waiting for the elves and fairies to clean my house, I thought it would be fun to offer the fantasy of capturing a handsome immortal who does chores to romance readers. I hope you enjoy DO ME GOOD.

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Penny throws her hot, but worthless mooch of a boyfriend out on her front lawn with his clothes, and vows never again to be a bum magnet. Exhausted by overwork and mountainous debt, Penny pleads for divine intervention.

Gunnar, a rebellious Nordic warrior cast into servitude by an angry god to learn humility, answers. While Penny sleeps, the celestial arrives to complete her chores, but she awakens and finds him. The handsome immortal kisses her, sparking a passionate, forbidden sexual encounter.

Dark forces seeking vengeance for Gunnar’s past misdeeds mark Penny as a target. To protect his lover, Gunnar tests immortality in a death battle using a god’s magical sword. But the strength of Penny’s love and passion might be what saves them both.

Adele’s Website
Adele’s Blog

Distractions
By Air Thatcher

Why is life so full of distractions? Or is it not as full as I think, the problem being mine alone?

I think I set myself up for distractions. When I’m not writing or reading, I am at the sewing machine. I’m a quilter, and I tend to work on quilts as I do on my stories. A pattern or a line of fabric appeals to me (read: screams “buy me!”) so I buy it and tell myself I need to finish what I’m working on before I can start it.

Then someone will issue a challenge or a swap and I’ll set everything aside to work on that one. I’m great at finishing in the nick of time, which really isn’t something to be proud of. An organized person would finish well ahead. For example, I’m working on the wedding quilt for my daughter who married last August. My goal is to finish it by her anniversary. This week. It looks like I’ll get there, and the quilt is coming along beautifully, but I wish it were done already!

My writing follows the same pattern. I have a vampire menage I have been working on for most of the year. It’s a novella, not a novel, and should be finished three times over. But as I work on it, a zombie YA and a quirky vampire tale, heat level unknown at this point, keep sticking their faces and voices into my head. And a group of EC authors suggested a series that I dove into with a BDSM menage.

I’m way beyond the age where I can get away with the scattered blonde personality! I do hope to get control over this. Perhaps the BDSM will rub off on me and I’ll whip these characters into submission, at least long enough to stand quietly in line. And I suppose I should be grateful to always have another idea in the works. At this point in the year, I’d prefer another manuscript sent off to an editor.

My summer reads played nicely, thank goodness! You can download MAUI HEAT for free at Ellora’s Cave or on Amazon for Kindle. It’s the prequel to MAUI REKINDLED, a novella available at Ellora’s Cave. Here are the blurbs for both:

MAUI HEAT

It’s the final night of her summer job on Maui. Her last chance to see him alone. Maggie plans to make it a night she’ll never forget—one of amazingly hot sex with her coworker Gabe.

Gabe wishes he’d said something sooner, taken their friendship to the next level. He’s more than willing to slip away with Maggie for a private farewell. But he’s the one all the other summer workers turn to when the party gets too wild, and this is definitely the wildest party of the summer. Is the island big enough for them to escape their meddling friends and release the passion burning inside them?

MAUI REKINDLED

“I’ll call you.” That’s the last thing Gabe said fifteen years ago as Maggie prepared to fly home from a summer in paradise. When he didn’t call, she packed away the memories of their sexual romp and relegated him to vacation fling status.

Now, as the ink on her divorce papers dries, Maggie returns to that Maui resort hoping to find the carefree woman she once was. When Gabe walks out of the waves on her first afternoon at the beach, she isn’t sure whether to laugh or run away. Hot, crazy vacation sex with no strings attached would be the perfect remedy for her bloody divorce.

Gabe thinks of Maggie as the one that got away, and he’s not about to let it happen again. The passion between them is as fiery as ever, but is it hot enough to rekindle the romance he knows they could share? He’s got one week to prove to her it is.

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You can read excerpts for these two and all my other books at my website.

Or follow my quilting and sewing progress on my alter ego’s blog. I’ll have photos of the wedding quilt up as soon as it’s done!

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.

Psst! Yesterday’s contest continues. If you post today, you have two chances to win! ~DD

I want to give Delilah a huge thank you for inviting me today. Delilah’s an author I first started reading shortly after I decided to get serious about writing, now quite a few of her books stand side by side on my keeper shelf. I wonder if it was a sign that I’d write Texas Tangle when I picked up a copy of Delilah’s Tempted by a Cowboy anthology last year.

I’ve always loved cowboys—there’s something about them that I find so attractive, despite how they must smell of the barnyard by the end of the day. From way back to the days of Gunsmoke and Bonanza (I had a wicked schoolgirl crush on Little Joe) to modern day cowboys, I’ve always had a softspot for those Stetson wearin’ fellas. That’s probably what inspired me to write Texas Tangle (although I have to confess, neither hero is technically a cowboy, though they do both ride horses.)

But what is it about cowboys that we find so sexy?

I know first-hand that there’s something sexy about hearing a soft southern drawl of a guy asking if they can do something for me. Or maybe it’s just the way their “ma’am” drags out in a much sexier fashion than it does up north.

Or maybe it’s those chaps that highlight that cute tight butt by the absence of leather? (I used to think this until my eldest son bought a pair of chaps to wear while riding his motorcycle. Now I view chaps in a whole different light.)

Is it the slightly bow-legged amble after they’ve climbed off their horse?

Or knowing that they can make a thousand pound animal do their will?

Does wearing a Stetson automatically make a guy sexier? Well, in Matthew McConaughey’s defense, I don’t think the hat had much to do with how sexy he is. 😉

I love the cowboy on the cover of Texas Tangle – in fact Delilah must too, since it looks like he’s the same guy in her banner.

So tell me, why do you find cowboys sexy?

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Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an overdrawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

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“No, no, no!” With steam billowing from the hood of her truck, Nikki maneuvered blindly easing the vehicle to the side of the road, making sure the horse trailer she was towing wasn’t blocking traffic. “You can’t die here. We’re so close to home.”

With a sigh, she killed the engine, climbed from the cab and kicked the front tire. “You couldn’t have held on for another three miles, could you? No-o-o, you had to blow out the rad here, you piece of shit.”

She waited in the inky black night for ten minutes before a vehicle crested the hill, its high beams blinding her until the driver dimmed the lights. She moved to the side as the Jeep zipped past, not even slowing to see if she needed help. A half-dozen cars zoomed by over the next half hour without a single one slowing. She was starting to consider unloading her newest horse and riding him home when a familiar white pick-up slowed then parked in front of her truck.

First a long, booted leg, then the rest of the driver’s body unfolded as he clambered down. Dillon Barnett jammed a dusty black cowboy hat on his head before he ambled over. “Hey, Nik. Need some help?”
Read the rest of this entry »

Psst! Yesterday’s contest continues. If you post today, you have two chances to win! ~DD

Note from Emma:

I have a split personality. I write contemporary romance, romantic suspense and historical romance as one name, and erotic romance as Emma Jay. Because I’m a teacher, and thanks to my enthusiastic principal, people know I write romance, and they know my other pseudonym.

I can’t let them know about this side of my life. In fact, very few people do. My husband, but not my son. Some writer friends but not others.

This has resulted in me having a split personality. I have two Twitter accounts, two Blogger accounts and two email accounts. In fact, today I was on the same email loop as both personas. I was getting whiplash changing from one to another! I haven’t actually found a balance yet, and I’m glad to be on summer vacation as I’m trying to work it out. Any suggestions on managing a split personality would be much appreciated! ~ Emma

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University teaching assistant Jamie Winston is ready to break out of her shy, unadventurous shell by finally approaching Brady Lane—the sexy Iraqi war vet seated in the front row of her journalism class. He’s brave and outgoing—something Jamie is not—and good looking to boot. Her shy flirtation with Brady at a frat party leads to a deliciously sinful tryst that leaves her wanting more. Each breathless encounter with Brady peels away a layer of Jamie’s insecurity, leaving her more wanton and willing each time. But eventually, all good things must come to an end. When Brady finally leaves for an internship, will Jamie be brave enough to let him go?

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He checked the room, then turned to face her. “You think I was playing around about that fantasy? Every time you walk by my seat, I get a hard-on, smelling you.” He leaned in to take a deep breath, then frowned a little. “And you walk by my seat a lot.”

“I thought you were interested in what I was teaching.”

“Oh, yeah. But I’m also trying to see what you look like under those clothes.” His gaze traveled down to her breasts. “This is much better.”

She tilted her head and smiled. “You clearly don’t have much of an imagination.”

“We’ll see what you say about that when I’m done.” He opened another door, looked inside, and gave her hand a gentle tug.

Heart pounding, she tried not to stumble as her feet failed to meet the enthusiasm of the rest of her body. When he closed the door behind them, she attempted to swallow her doubts.

He’d chosen the library, only one small desk lamp illuminating the room. The room smelled of books, then Brady crowded her against the door, filling her with his scent, a spicy soap mixed with the softer yeasty scent of beer.

And he was big, so big. Even in her wedge heels, her nose only reached the middle of his chest as he edged closer. His shoulders blocked the light as his breath washed warm over her skin. Her pulse leapt like a rabbit at her throat as he lowered his mouth to brush over her parted lips, once, twice, before settling over them.

Oh, God. His lips were firm, and molded to hers, learning the shape of her mouth. His tongue teased the entrance of her mouth, then he delved deeper.

She glided her hands up his chest and curled her fingers through his shaggy hair, letting her body slide up his as she opened herself to his kiss, bringing his tongue deeper. God, he was hard everywhere, his shoulders, arms, chest, thighs, cock.

Wow, it was big. She circled her belly against it until he groaned, his fingers tightening on her hips before easing up under her blouse.

A note about the contest! Yesterday’s contest continues today. And since I find myself in a bit of a dilemma, you have additional chances to win. I double-booked today. So if you post here today and post at Access Romance’s blog, you will have additional chances to win. And to make this a little more interesting, I will add a second prize to the contest. In addition to the download of Ride a Cowboy, I will add a download from the Jasmine-Jade site—any book you want. So post away. Now there will be two winners!

Note from Tory:

Hi everyone! I’m honored to be here as a guest today. My first Ellora’s Cave Quickie was released in May and I’m excited to announce that so far it has received some great reviews. I hope you’ll check it out. It might be a Quickie but short isn’t always a bad thing.

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Lilly has been in love with her brother’s best friend Blake for years. She lost her virginity to the oil driller on her eighteenth birthday, only to wake the next morning to find him gone. After he pulled that stunt twice more, she swore never to see or talk to him again. But now he’s back for her brother’s wedding, and he’s as sexy as she remembers.

Blake thinks Lilly’s even sexier than ever. Unable to resist one another, they don’t make it out of the airport parking lot before taking up where they left off. As the two rediscover their passion for each other, nothing and nowhere is off limits!

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Lilly drove her little car around the airport at least twice before finding her way to Southwest arrivals. Parking wasn’t allowed so she could only hope Blake was waiting for her somewhere outside. She drove slow, searching through the crowd on the sidewalk for him. Desire churned in her stomach.

And then she saw him.

Her body reacted instantly, thinking about him was one thing but seeing him in the flesh was even more powerful. Awareness exploded through her body, as she remembered all the times and places they’d had hot, naughty sex. How Blake had taken her to paradise a thousand times. Her panties became soaked as she clenched her legs together hoping to ease the need that was becoming unbearable. A pleasant prickling in her full breasts caused her to raise her arm and brush it over them to try to ease some of the ache.

Blake hadn’t changed at all. He was still the sexiest man on earth. As she sat there staring at him she felt her breathing become erratic and her heart rate pick up speed.

Blake was six feet tall, and lean. Yet his black polo shirt revealed he wasn’t lacking on muscle power. The gray slacks he was wearing gave evidence to the strength in his thighs and stretched across the prominent outline of his cock. He looked dangerous. He was dangerous, only in a way that had always drawn her in. His dark hair was shorter than he used to wear it, military cut. Lilly couldn’t see his eyes for the dark sunglasses covering them, for which she was thankful. Blake had the kind of eyes that could look right through someone, into their very soul.

He’s just a man, he’s just a man, Lilly repeated to herself. Flesh and blood and as mortal as she was. He had emotions, he could be hurt. He had needs. Her cheeks grew hot when she thought of their last night together, and how they’d made love like two wild animals trying to consume one another. Then he’d left the next morning for an assignment on an oil rig in the North Sea. And she’d tried to convince herself that she hated him ever since.

Now she knew how futile that had been.

Reviews:
Manic Readers
My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Whipped Cream Erotic Reviews
Seriously Reviewed

My second Quickie with Ellora’s Cave, Breathless Surrender, will be out soon! Thank you for having me today Delilah. Readers interested in learning more about my books can visit my website!

Tootles!

Tory Richards
Author of sizzling romances!
Tory’s Website
Tory’s Blog