The winner of yesterday’s One-Day-Only Contest is at the bottom of this post!
Thanks, everyone, for playing! ~DD

Sexual Tension in Books

by Sayde Grace

Hello everyone! First let me just say a huge thank you to Delilah for letting me take over today!! I’m really excited to be here! Today I’m going to talk about different forms of sexual tension. A few months ago I did an online chat where I talked about adding emotion to your sex scenes. During the chat one of my side topics was sexual tension. Since then I have started a new manuscript where the sexual tension is thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

There are many ways to add sexual tension. Such as adding more serious conflicts between the main characters or on the other end of the spectrum having the characters have no conflicts except wanting each other can add tension. I prefer to have my characters bickering. Now, I was once told that bickering isn’t an element strong enough to build a plot on. That’s true, however using that as a character trait is different. Having a couple with a major plot is your main concept but giving them a trait where when near each other they bicker can create friction between them. That friction can be just the beginning to passion.

That is just one way to create sexual tension. Some authors keep characters touching. A stroke of a hand down an arm will do it. Sometimes the gentle press of lips near flesh but never touching. And even a certain glance will create tension. Little gestures go a long way in tying characters together with readers.

Adding an emotional element to any form of creating sexual tension will draw your readers deeper into the relationship. As a reader I know that what ties me to a character is how something affects that character emotionally. When that character is fighting with the other how does she feel? What are her hidden emotions? By bringing those hidden emotions to your readers they will connect your readers to your characters.

Those emotions can be presented in the smallest ways. Just a thought here or there. A slight sigh. A cuss. A blink. Those little actions can reveal emotions that are behind the sexual tension.

What are things you look for as a reader when it comes to tension,
relationships, or traits?

The winner (by random number generator) is…Christy M! Christy, email me with your address so I can get your package into the mail! Congrats!

For those rest of you, remember, the Fugly Ring Contest continues!

Myla Jackson’s Cookin’ up Some Summer Fun!

I’m getting tired of the same-ol’-same-ol’ when it comes to recipes and cooking. And as hot as it’s been I’m looking for something that will give me fresh interest in eating meals. So I went online and found these two recipes and I’m going to try them today.

The first is a recipe for Bruschetta, a light appetizer I learned to pronounce while in Italy last March (hint: the ‘ch’ is pronounces with a hard ‘c’). I had some amazing Bruschetta in Venezia (for those who haven’t had the fortune to go to Italy, that’s what they call Venice). Okay, so here’s the recipe. Let me know what you think.

Roma Tomato Bruschetta
• 6 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (no stems)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
2. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
4. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
5. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Now, since I’m a meat and potatoes kinda gal, I was looking for something I could grill and keep the heat outside. I’m not a stickler segregating my food by country of origin, so I found this great kabob recipe online as well.

Teriyaki Kabobs

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak, cut 1 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 12 cherry tomatoes

Directions
1. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and salt; mix well. Pour half of the marinade into a large sealable plastic bag or shallow glass container; coat beef in marinade. Seal or cover; refrigerate for 4-8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.
2. Drain the meat, discarding the marinade. On metal or soaked bamboo skewers, alternate meat, green pepper, onion and tomatoes. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.
3. Baste with reserved marinade. Continue turning and basting for 8-10 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness (for rare, a meat thermometer should read 140 degrees F; medium, 160 degrees F; well done, 170 degrees F). Serve meat and vegetables over cooked rice.

Let me know what you think and Happy Eating! While you’re waiting for the food to cook, try one of these short reads….

Myla’s Most Recent Releases

She’s ready to leave Temptation behind…

Welcome back to the Ugly Stick Saloon with this short story about Charli’s first erotic adventure.

Charli Sutton is tired of the same-ol-same-ol in Temptation, Texas and her job at the Ugly Stick Saloon. Her itchy feet tell her that if it ain’t happenin’ here, it’s time to go back to Austin and raise a little hell.

I know Iowa was in June, but I wanted to wrap up the trip highlights. I have three more trips planned for August. THREE! What was I thinking?

Anyway, one of the highlights of my trip to Iowa was a chance to get some new ink with my daughter. We made appointments months ago. The artist at the Iron Heart cleared his schedule for us. My brother entertained the 6-year-old while we spent the afternoon getting stuck with needles. Fun, fun! Here’s the tattoo parlor in Des Moines that we went to.

My daughter has a thing for garden gnomes and decided to have both of her daughters made into gnomes. The lighting is bad, so is the swelling. The colors today are beautiful. I’ll have to have new pics done so you can see them better.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m late getting this up, but I’ve been busy rearranging my bedroom. I did some shopping the past few days with the Red-Headed Hellion. Her new hubby is busy in the next room putting together my new TV cupboard. She’ll be consolidating all my jewelry (did I mention I love sparklies?!) into a new standing jewelry hutch. I also have a new TV he has to install and a bookcase/curio cabinet that’s arriving this afternoon.

Whew! That’s enough, right? When it’s all done, I’ll have to have her over with a drill to rehang all my painting and prints. My bedroom is a cross between a harem, a Morrocan tea room and an art gallery. Yeah, extremely crowded, tons of collectibles, but I need all my stuff! I love colors—reds, organges, yellows, deep blues, greens and browns. I promise it works better than it sounds.

So, no writing today. RHH is also working on my stack of mailings. I’ll get to the Post Office on Monday. If you’ve been waiting on something from me—it’s on the way. Next week. Promise!

While your week is winding down, spare a thought for the chaos that is my life. 🙂

Obsessions

Thanks so much for having me back, Delilah!

One thing I’m really good at is obsessing. Some of my obsessions are fun, and some are less-so, and a lot of them keep me awake at night.

The most recent is what kind of new couches I want. I’ve spent hours looking online but all the ones I like are the wrong colors.

And before that it was a steam mop. Of course as soon as I bought one at Walmart, I found one on Amazon $20 cheaper.

And there are the strawberry lemonades at McD’s. Some days nothing else will do.

But let’s talk about the fun ones.

Last summer, it was The Tudors. I watched every episode, bought the first three seasons (Charles Brandon lost his appeal in season 4) and started reading Phillipa Gregory books.

Then it was Hawaii Five-O, or should I say Alex O’Loughlin. I even bought The Back-Up Plan with him and J-Lo because he was just so adorable in it. I watched some terrible movies just to catch a glimpse of him.

After that it was Jason Aldean. I must have listened to Wide Open (the CD) a hundred times, especially the song “This I Gotta See.” SUCH a romantic song.

Then it was Justified, or…Timothy Olyphant. I watched the first disc from Netflix, then bought the first season and watched it in something like three days, and I have season 2 on its way from Amazon. I watched all HIS movies (some were pretty good—I bought The Broken Heart Club, Catch and Release and The Perfect Getaway).

I wish I could get obsessed about something like exercise or healthy cooking or keeping the house clean…heck, what’s the fun in that?

What are some of your obsessions?

Check out my new release, Riding Out the Storm, my first ménage from The Wild Rose Press!

Jill Gavin is trying to overcome her bad girl reputation. After a year of celibacy, she’s ready to start a grown-up relationship with Ethan Dewitt, one of her co-workers at the Strait Advertising Agency. A weekend conference seems the perfect chance for a romantic weekend. Jill didn’t count on her boss sending her former lover Zach Purser with them, and she certainly didn’t count on the spring blizzard that strands them in a motel room along the way. She’s stuck in a room with her past and future lover. What’s a former bad girl to do? And if Jill acts on her desires, what will the men think of her?

By the way—my husband knows I write erotic romance, but he DOESN’T know I wrote a ménage, so let’s just keep that between us!

Emma Jay

I swiped this pic from SlavFolklore’s weblog! Love it!

Because so many of you have said you need just a little more time to wrap up your stories, I’m extending the deadline for submissions for Beastly Babes. Here’s a refresher for the guidelines:

Beastly Babes
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Publisher: Cleis Press
Deadline: July 29, 2011 August 15, 2011

Beastly Babes is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for lesbian shapeshifter stories for a romantic erotica anthology entitled Beastly Babes.

The concept of shapeshifters—beings both human and animal—ignites our imaginations with visions of primal passions and insatiable hungers. Most commonly seen as dark, masculine demons, shapeshifters are in need of a metaphysical overhaul—a new feminine/Sapphic blending of physical power and inescapable desires.

Beastly Babes will re-envision common and not-so-common myths and deliver a fresh perspective from the storytellers. Traditional lycanthropes and feline familiars are welcome, if told with a fresh twist, but writers are encouraged to imagine greater, and perhaps explore more obscure, lesser-known mythologies from around the world to create inventive tales celebrating feminine power, lust, and erotic love. Concentration primarily focuses on the lesbian relationship, although ménage and secondary m/f depictions will be permitted. Published authors with an established shapeshifter world may use that setting for their original short story.

The stories may be as kinky or vanilla as the writer wants—but a deep sensuality should linger in every word. Exotic locations and scenarios are welcome. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. We are seeking original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of th epage, include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 word or less bio in the third person to cleisbeastlybabe@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. Delilah will respond to you in October 2011. The publisher has final approval over the manuscript.

Payment will be $50.00 USD and two copies of the published book upon publication.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at cleisbeastlybabe@gmail.com.

I’m being just a little lazy today. My office and bedroom are trashed. I emptied them of furniture to give to my grandmother for her new apartment/suite, and am now shopping for replacements. So all my many things are strewn about. I can’t think it’s such a mess.

The winner of the Tag It contest is…Shadow! Shadow, email me with your choice of one of my downloadable Samhain or EC titles!

So, here’s the question…

If, for one month, you could live at any famous residence or house
in the entire world, which one would you pick?