As always, I want to start by thanking Delilah for letting me come hang out here with you all. It’s always a lot of fun to play here.
It’s a shiny new season, which makes people sometimes want a fresh start in different areas, maybe something big like a job, or a new home, or smaller like a hobby, or just cleaning out a closet—my mom and grandma always did huge, empty-all-the-cupboards spring and fall cleaning every single year, and I never understood it; after all, who cleans things that are already clean. But sometimes that fresh start isn’t by choice. Maybe an employer has to down-size, or, worse, close. Maybe a family member far away needs a caregiver and there isn’t anyone else willing. Lots of us have experienced some of these fresh starts, by choice or by necessity. It’s part of life.
Spring seems like a good time to get some of the by-choice fresh starts underway. Mini-house cleaning (the windows always need a good scrub after winter, right?), or getting rid of old clothes we no longer wear to make room for a few new pieces. Culling a collection that doesn’t mean as much now as it did when we started it. Those are reasonable, I think. Some of us set bigger goals—redoing a room, or planning a vacation.
I’ve seen a lot of (and written some) books that start with one of the main characters undertaking a fresh start in their life, some voluntarily and others not, that sets them on a collision course with something they never planned for, sometimes something that turns their fresh start upside-down so they wind up with yet another fresh start. It’s one of the things that keep us reading, I think, watching how they adjust to the unplanned roadblocks that pop up and make the characters rethink what they thought they knew or wanted.
One of the things I’m starting over this year is my publishing plan–my publisher closed their doors a couple of months ago, so a whole lot of authors had to add some major tasks to their to-do lists for the year. I’m still trying to rework my writing goals for the year while I figure out what to do with Hunting Medusa and the other two unpublished books in the trilogy. I have a lot of (scary!) options on my plate so have been doing research to whittle down that list and make the best choice I can for my books.
In the manuscript I’m rewriting now, the heroine has chosen to make a fresh start—she’s accepted a new job in a state where she doesn’t know a single person. But she has a few months to wrap things up before she goes—sell the house where she grew up, find a place to stay in the new state, get in as much time with her BFF as she can. Romance is definitely not on the list for now, but when her BFF’s older brother sets his sights on her, what can she do? She’s had a crush on him since they were kids, but he never really saw her…until now. It’s sure going to make that fresh start a lot more difficult, though, when she has to leave.
What are some of your favorite ‘fresh start’ stories? I have a signed copy of Hunting Medusa to give away–everyone (US residents over 18) who comments will be entered into a drawing via RandomResult.com.
About the Author
Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was old enough to read. She read her copies of Little Women and the Little House series so many times, the books fell apart. As an adult, her book habit continues. She has a room overflowing with her literary collection right now, and still more spreading into other rooms. Almost as long as she’s been reading great stories, she’s been attempting to write her own. Thanks to a fifth grade teacher who started the class on creative writing, Elizabeth went from writing creative sentences to short stories and eventually full-length novels. Her father saved her poor, callused fingers from permanent damage when he brought home a used typewriter for her.
Elizabeth found her mother’s stash of romance novels as a teenager, and—though she loves horror—romance became her very favorite genre, making writing romances a natural progression. There are more than just a few manuscripts, however, tucked away in a filing cabinet that will never see the light of day.
Along with her enormous book stash, Elizabeth lives with her husband of more than twenty years and two young adult sons, though no one else in the house reads nearly as much as she does. When she’s not at work or buried in books or writing, there is a garden outside full of herbs, flowers and vegetables that requires occasional attention.
Hunting Medusa
The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1
When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.
Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind—together. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester on Andi’s trail…
UPDATE: The winner of this contest is…Alyssa Drake!
* * * * *
I collect photos like some folks collect baseball cards or Fenton glass. In my down time, it’s not unusual for me to peruse the stock photo sites, looking for a little inspiration for future stories. I found this photo, and while I didn’t have a particular project in mind (still don’t!), the woman, the misty setting—they intrigued me. So I downloaded it.
Writers often use “photo prompts” to kickstart the brainstorming process. Today, if you’d like to play, you can try your hand at coming up with your own story idea. Doesn’t have to be long or involved. Just have fun!
If you do decide to play, there’s a free story in it for one lucky winner! You can choose any story from among my most recently released series, Night Fall, Cowboys on the Edge or Uncharted SEALs.
I’ve been publishing romance and erotica for more than fifteen years, but I’ve never had anything like a “best seller”. I shouldn’t complain—I have loyal readers and receive lots of five star reviews—but commercial success has eluded me.
I’m not alone. The majority of my author peers are in the same boat. We slave away at our computers, pouring our passions onto the page. We devote scarce cash and scarcer time to the uncomfortable task of blowing our own horns. We blog, tweet, facebook (is that a verb?), run tours and giveaways, make guest appearances (like this one), all in the hope that readers will notice us and buy our books.
Sometimes it feels like a pretty thankless effort. I’m willing to bet that most of my colleagues have fantasized about being the next FSOG. TV appearances. Movie deals. Parties with the elite. And of course cash, lots of cash, enough to pay the bills with plenty left over for luxuries. I’m certainly guilty of this sort of day dreaming. It’s a heady vision.
Rationality returns after a few minutes. I’d never want to give up my day job. If I were famous, I’d probably be forced to. Plus, given the heat level in my work, I’m not sure I want the whole world to know who I really am. Best selling authors have to be seen, and there’s some comfort in being invisible.
Still, fame and fortune sparkle, seemingly just out of reach, whenever I release a new book. And I can’t help wonder what it would be like if those fantasies came true.
Those imaginings were the genesis of my new BDSM erotic romance, DamnedIfYouDo. My heroine writes fabulously kinky romance novels, but for the most part labors in obscurity. Then one afternoon, a mysterious stranger offers her the success of which she dreams.
He keeps his part of the bargain. As her sales soar and her star rises, though, she discovers the down side of getting what you thought was your heart’s desire.
Here’s the blurb and an exclusive excerpt for you to enjoy.
Sometimesromancecanbehell
Wendy Dennison is tired of being a starving author. The royalties from her critically acclaimed romance novels barely pay her bills. Her devoted agent Daniel Rochester may be smart and sexy, but he can’t get her the sales she needs. Then a charismatic stranger appears at her coffee shop table, promising her fame and commercial success, as well as the chance to live out her dreams of erotic submission. But at what cost?
Nothing you can’t afford to lose, my dear.
Seduced by the enigmatic Mister B, she signs his infernal contract. He becomes both her Master and her coach, managing her suddenly flourishing career as well as encouraging her lusts. Under her mentor’s nefarious influence, she surrenders to temptation and has sex with Daniel. The casual encounter turns serious when she discovers her mild mannered agent has a dominant side. As the clock ticks down to her blockbuster release and Mister B prepares to claim her soul, Wendy must choose either celebrity and wealth, or obscurity and true love.
ExclusiveExcerpt(RatedR)
“Gwen, my dear! What are you doing out here?”
Mister B didn’t come from inside. She would have heard the party noise as he opened the door. He simply appeared beside her, as he had that first day in the coffee shop.
He wore a tuxedo with a purple brocade cummerbund, and shiny black shoes with pointed toes. His tourmaline eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. When he strode closer to settle an arm around her shoulders, his movements had a taut, ferocious energy, like the tread of a panther. Despite her tiredness, arousal flickered through her, curling into a glowing knot in her pelvis.
“Too many people in there,” she replied, extricating herself from his companionable embrace. “And I’ve drunk too much as well. I wish I were at home, away from all this.”
“I’m afraid I can’t grant you that wish, not tonight. We have business to attend to—as I’m quite certain you recall.” His chuckle sent a chill down her spine. “You wanted fame, my dear. This sort of public performance is part of the price. However, I should think you’d find some consolation in your bank balance.”
He stepped behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her buttocks toward his lean hips. He was hard. He was always hard. Wendy cursed her traitorous body as excitement flooded her pussy. She was like Pavlov’s dog, salivating in response to a meaningless stimulus.
He rubbed his erection against her satin-sheathed buttocks. She struggled not to squirm. Honestly, she didn’t want to encourage him. But then, what she wanted hardly mattered.
“So tonight…you’re going to take my soul?” she murmured as he sucked and nipped at the tender skin of her neck, just above his diamond-studded gift.
“Don’t think about that part, my sweet. Focus on the pleasure.” One of his hands crept up to cradle her breast. The other raised her skirt. He hooked the elastic of her lacy panties and dragged them down to bare her rear cheeks.
“No, don’t…” She struggled in his clutches as he exposed her. “Please, not here!” A finger slid down her rear crevice and tickled her sphincter. “No—wait…!”
“I’m going to consummate our agreement in the most appropriate manner, my dear. With my cock splitting your tight ass.”
“No!” Somehow she found the strength to wrench herself from his grip. She backed away, into the corner where the rail made a right angle. “Get away from me!”
Mister B put his hands on his hips and shook his head, his expression one of wounded disbelief. “I’m surprised at you. After all we’ve been through together, you reject me? Do you really want to give it all up? The adoring fans? The five star reviews? The fat advances and the hefty royalties?”
“Um…no, no, that’s not what I’m saying…” Panic swept through her. To lose everything she’d worked for? Unthinkable.
~~~
Get your own copy of DamnedIfYouDo at your favorite bookseller:
LISABET SARAI occasionally tackles other genres, but BDSM will always be her first love. Every one of her nine novels includes some element of power exchange, while her D/s short stories range from mildly kinky to intensely perverse.
You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website, along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance , she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads and finally, on Twitter.
So, I was listening to one of my favorite bands the other day on my iPod while I was doing some online research (er, I was surfing photo sites for bookcover hotties–tough job, I know). Anways… Train’s song “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” was playing, which always makes me smile because the video is so damn funny (David Hasselhoff makes an appearance, so yeah, guilty pleasure, I’m always there). I had to watch the video.
Then YouTube showed a list of Train songs, and I had to click on a nice feel-good tune called “Play That Song”. It struck me while I listened that my fingers knew that tune. Eons ago, I played piano, and that tune was one of the first I ever played. So, I Googled. Listen first to Train’s song. You’re here already so I know you don’t have anything better to do… 🙂
Sure enough, the song that sounds like Train’s “Play That Song” is Hoagy Carmichael’s “Heart and Soul” (I think it’s from the 40’s—and no, I’m not that old, but my piano teacher was!). Listen for a minute and you’ll see. And no, Train didn’t lift it. They scooped that tune and gave it new life. Now, another Train song is on my “Happy Songs” list…
I know I’ve asked this question before, but for a chance to win a small Amazon gift card, have you heard any tunes lately that made you happy?
Posted in Contests!, General|11 People Said|Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: ButtonsMom2003 - Jen B. - Donel Gerrard - Mary Preston - Eileen -
Our Rules is out next Tuesday……Seeing that gives me a thrill like I can’t even tell you and it’s not just because it’s the first book in a new kink series!!
It’s because this series has been in the works for more than two years!
Because this series idea was born from a VERY DIRTY conversation I had with a customer of mine at my day job. (Psst which Book 4 will be based on!)
And because it makes me think of the rules I adhere to within my kink relationship.
Some of my rules just might show up in Our Rules…..*insert angelic smile here*
When the foundation of their marriage falters, Michael and Tabitha must rediscover what it means for her to be his hot wife.
Tabitha is a hot wife. Not just a sexy wife. A hot wife. A wife allowed to be with other men with the permission of her husband.
Michael couldn’t love his wife more. Which is exactly why he shares her with others. Because she’s his.
On the cusp of everything they’re worked for—years in the making—a shattered promise threatens the foundation of their marriage. A foundation Michael had thought unbreakable until he lets Tabitha down in more ways than one.
Taking her submission for granted could lose him everything he’s strived for, and winning back her trust is the only thing that matters.
The Giveaway
In honor of the above kinkilicious debauchery I’m going to have a HUGE giveaway! Three print books by some of my favorite peeps and lots and lots of other swag and kinky goodies!
**GIVEAWAY – US ONLY** – Just look at all the awesomeness you could win!! Tell me one kinky rule you’d LOVE to live by! And this can be anything you’d have to do or something someone else would have to do to/for you! (Give a blow job everyday….be naked when your man/woman got home every day…anything!)
I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 24th!! Good Luck!! PS –It’s always great to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you! Hate not being able to give winners their goodies!!
Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey
About the Author
Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.
I used this image for a recent cover. Solve the puzzle, then send me an email naming the title of the book, and you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! And no cheating! Have fun!
Send your answer to me privately at delilah@delilahdevlin.com!
So, have you read any of my Night Fall series? The 11th story in the series is set to release on April 25th! Woot! I promise if you start with that story, you won’t be lost, but wouldn’t you rather immerse yourself in the darkness? All the stories, except for Silent Knight and My Sweet Succubus are novellas. Those two are novelettes—slightly longer than short stories. So, you really do have time to blow through the books before Bad to the Bone arrives…
And it should go without my saying that ALL the stories are sexy as hell. Because I’m a tease, I’m letting you look inside the beginning of Bad to the Bone. Read all of chapter one below. See if you can resist ordering so you can have the rest of the story… 😉
For a chance to win your choice of one of my previously released
Night Fall series stories, answer me this!
Do you love paranormal romance? If so, what flavor of heroes
do you prefer—vampires, werewolves, other shifters, witches, fairies?
(Click on a cover if you’d like to learn more!)
Bad to the Bone
One night of pleasure…
His name is Viper–a dark mysterious enigma who rules the seedy, dangerous vampiric underworld. For one night, he will escape his murky prison and tempt an innocent.
…can last a lifetime…
Beautiful Mariah haunts him. Lures him from his den with a glimpse of his past. One she doesn’t remember. This night, he’ll be her dream lover. He’ll seduce her, make her fall in love with him–then leave her. Again.
One night of pleasure is all they must know.
But Viper leaves her a clue. One he hopes deep down will lead her back to him although he dreads the consequences, because he’s not the same man he was. He’s not a man at all…
Pre-order your copy here!
Excerpt from Bad to the Bone…
One week ago…
Slim hips swished beneath a short, flirty skirt, drawing his gaze like iron filings to a magnet. The splash of large pink flowers on white stood out like a beacon in the darkness. Beneath the hem stretched a pair of nude legs, toned, and nicely curved at the ankles. Perfectly made to lightly clasp a man’s waist as he slid into moist heat…
He suppressed a low, rumbling growl from the beast rising inside. Something he rarely bothered to do in the squalid dens he roamed most nights. The creature lurking deep within was a sexual animal, a lustful, ravenous host who found partners only too willing to let him feast. But this woman was different. Her soul was pure. Her mind unawakened to the darkness.
He followed her as she left her apartment, sticking to the shadows, ducking into stairwells when she looked behind her as though checking whether someone followed. A frown marred her smooth brow, and her lips tightened. The clip of her heels on the pavement quickened.
Shoulder-length, flyaway brown hair bobbed across the tops of slender shoulders. The creamy skin of her exposed arms and legs swung in a rhythm that his heart picked up and matched, beat for stride.
Feeling more than ever like the true predator he was, he tamped down the shame that burned like battery acid in his stomach and continued stalking the woman who walked more briskly now along the darkened sidewalk.
When she turned onto a crowded walkway, her shoulders sank and her footsteps slowed as she relaxed.
Now, as she mingled with others strolling along the promenade, she believed herself safe. Little did she know, but her “spontaneous” decision to leave her apartment had been at his suggestion—a message telegraphed with tantalizing snippets of the smell of fresh salt air, the caress of a soft breeze, and a glimpse of sensual pleasure.
She hadn’t heeded her own natural inhibition. Hadn’t paused to check the clock and note the waning evening hours. Instead, she’d made her decision, wriggled into a sexy little skirt and snug pink tee, slid her feet into strapless sandals and bounded down the stairs, ready to kick off winter’s gloom in an unseasonably warm spring night.
He’d made sure she didn’t glance even once at the calendar resting on the bureau in her foyer. Nothing would trigger a fleeting memory. And while he’d provided himself the opportunity to see her, he’d decided days ago he wouldn’t use his persuasive gifts to bring her straight into his arms.
LISABET SARAI occasionally tackles other genres, but BDSM will always be her first love. Every one of her nine novels includes some element of power exchange, while her D/s short stories range from mildly kinky to intensely perverse.
