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.
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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!

Amazing what you can find on the internet when you do a simple google search…

Tomorrow and Wednesday, I’ll have two guest bloggers, but on Thursday I’ll be back with some really bad photos of my trip to Memphis (my daughter took the pics). And I have two gifts I bought there to give away. So, I need to dream up a special Elvis contest…

But for now, Happy Valentines, everyone! I’d love to hear what others did for you or what you did for yourself to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

On Friday night, I ate Chinese food with the fam. Not my favorite cuisine. I like a lot of spice. However, it’s always fun to get to the end of the meal and open those crunchy shells to read the fortunes inside. This time, mine made me smile.

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence.

How strange and appropriate was that? I’m not one to dwell on what’s not real. Yes, I did stand in the dark during that last eclipse at 2:00 AM, hoping to soak up a little magic. Yes, I have been known to do a “hand spell” when I can’t sleep because I’m waiting for something to happen. Heavens, I’ve even been known to talk to the air, hoping some entity is listening and will grant me solace or a wish. What I don’t do is put too much stock in anything other than my own strengths.

However, every now and then, I get those little wake up calls. Those little coincidences that surprise, amuse and make me wonder. I told you about the feral cat I met and befriended on the night of that lunar eclipse. The last time I did a hand spell, I got a contract with Berkley. My confidence has been a little shaken lately, but now, I have an answer from the ether. Autograph my work with excellence.

Today, I’m blogging at Access Romance about, what else? Vikings!
Join me if you can. I’d love the company.
Access Romance

“The biggest sin is sitting on your ass.” ~ Florynce Kennedy

I’m hoping she meant that figuratively or I’m screwed.

It’s the day after Snowmageddon. We got a paltry five inches. Not that five inches isn’t enough to halt all traffic (including school buses!). Yesterday, I had the hellion and her kids here because they were “bored”. Like I’m the entertainment? Little high-pitched voices screaming, “She hit me!”, “No-ny! No-ny!” (she can’t say Nina), and the sounds of things crashing to the floor, sent the muse into hiding. I should have unpacked the Pack ‘n’ Play and given them both boxing gloves.

Still, no excuses. Today, I will pay the price with double the pagecount to make up.

I’m sure what Florynce meant was that the greatest sin is doing nothing. Doing nothing when it’s time to speak. Doing nothing when it’s time to act.

Well, I’m acting now. Just on my ass. 😛

Yeah, disturbing, huh? But wait, if you look long enough you… No, never mind. I don’t know why that picture seemed to call to me today.

I’ve been back in my vamp world the past few days, writing a quickie for Moses Brown from the My Immortal Knight series. No bats there either. The story’s coming very naturally. It’s fun, it’s sexy. I’m hoping to get to scary, but sexy might be all that Moses has. Poor man’s been waiting a long, long time for his Happy Ever After.

Snowmageddon’s supposed to be happening right now. Forecast keeps saying 6-8 inches, and that’s surreal for this part of the state. I’m hoping we keep our power, because being cooped up due to bad roads is bad enough. Being cooped up without Internet or TV—with two little ones—well, just shoot me now.