I know I don’t need to convince any readers here to read erotica, but, believe it or not, some people need convincing, so I thought I’d share my recent experiences in trying to do just that.

I write and edit mostly lesbian erotica, often with elements of romance, but usually marketed as erotica, and usually for Cleis Press. My publisher’s promotional staff has lately been hooking me up with romance publications, resulting sometimes in rather puzzling interview questions (more on that later,) but I did get one request, for Romantic Times, that genuinely interested me: “Why Read Erotica?” I think they wanted an emphasis on lesbian/gay erotica, but in my experience lesbian readers’ reluctance to read anything labeled erotica is at least as great as that of straight folks. There’s some difference, but not all that much, so I chose to broaden my topic, while including specific benefits from lesbian erotica. Whether my piece will see print is still in question; I was told that they were aiming for an October publication, but I haven’t had any feedback. In any case, you can have a look right now! Here’s what I wrote.

__________

Why Read Erotica, Straight, Lesbian, Gay or Beyond?

Sacchi Green

Reading erotica is good exercise. Not quite as strenuous as actual sex when it comes to circulation and deep breathing, but with the added benefit of exercising the imagination. An erotic story that sweeps you along, draws you into the emotions and physical sensations of its characters, gives both mind and body a workout. We read for the sensations aroused, for emotional and sensual charges as well as mental ones. Pure romance can provide these, to some extent; the heart seems to swell, the pulse quickens, the face flushes, there might even be a hint of tears. No wonder we call something with emotional appeal “touching”. But taking it to the unabashedly erotic level builds on this physical response, accelerates it, intensifies it, racing toward an ultimate, overwhelming goal.

Good exercise.

Broadening your horizons is good exercise, too. A new perspective, as with erotica outside of your own orientation, has the entertainment value of novelty and variety, while revealing the ways in which erotic and romantic desire are universal. There’s an educational component, too. Men reading lesbian erotica can learn more about female eroticism from two (or more) women than from one, and women can widen their understanding of the range of pleasures they can experience—and fantasize about. The same applies, reversed, for gay erotica, and with transgender stories the whole variety benefit is amplified.

You may also discover excellent stories and writers. Erotica has a bad reputation, some of it deserved, but there’s nothing inherent in the genre that prevents good writing. Straight and LGBT erotica can be as well-written and stimulating to both mind and senses as any other branch of writing. Erotic interchanges are essential parts of character development, dealing with heightened emotions and, in some cases, heavily weighted baggage from past experience. Shyness or confidence, impulsiveness or self-control, tenderness, vulnerability, repression, unapologetic sensuality; these are only a few of the traits that can surface in the heat of a sexual encounter. When both characters share the same gender, they can have as wide a range of personalities and characteristics as any other pairing. Women are as multi-faceted, fierce, and passionate, as men, and often better at expressing their emotions; men can be as vulnerable, complex and empathetic with each other as women.

I edit lesbian erotica anthologies, looking for stories about more than sex, but with sex flowing naturally from the story as a whole. I want a variety of voices, fully developed characters, vividly drawn settings, intriguing plots or story arcs, and originality. The complexity inherent in the very nature of life for lesbians (and the whole LGBTQ+ spectrum) adds an edge of potential risk, whether overt or unspoken.

That complexity and risk in lesbian and gay lives makes reading erotica especially important for us. The reflection of our own desires, fantasies and identities is both validation and celebration, even more essential than the physical and emotional charge.

Tastes vary, and the best writing may be hard to find, but explore a bit. Exploration, too, is excellent exercise.
__________

Getting back to the matter of puzzling interview questions, in the context of an editor of lesbian erotica, I won’t bore you with the whole thing, but here’s a link to my recent appearance on Everafter Romance. I did my best to go along with it, and found some parts fun to work with; I did, for instance include Eowyn from Lord of the Rings in my list of “Book Boyfriends.” My publisher blurbed the link on Facebook, calling my answers “surprising and fascinating,” so I guess it worked out well enough. http://www.everafterromance.com/qa/

I do very occasionally write heterosexual erotic romance, under the name Connie Wilkins, which I used for my story “A Falcon in Flight” in Delilah’s fascinating anthology Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors.

If you’d like a brief taste of the kind of anthology I edit, you could check out the Blog Tour I’m currently running with my writers for my latest anthology, Me and My Boi: Queer Erotica. Details, and some of the writers’ posts, are at www.sacchi-green.blogspot.com. You can even comment on any of the posts to be entered in a drawing for a free copy of the book.

My two most recent anthologies are shown below.

A quick whee and we’ll move onto the contest!
And thanks to everyone who bought a copy of With His Pack!

Whee!

Tell me a story!

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. I’ve used it only once—here! “Story Cubes” is (that looks wrong, but I promise it’s not) a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear face up are the ones you use to riff off a story.

Here’s the roll…

Do any of these symbols tell you anything? You can pick some or use all of them. Tell me a story, or just a glimmer of an idea, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!  

Do you like alpha men? Hot, damaged heroes? Unlikely alliances? Yes? Then my novella, Locked and Loaded: Knights of War MC Book 1, just might be for you.

One more term paper and Holly Farris will have her graduate degree in journalism. When her research lands her in a seedy bar in Dallas, she crosses paths with an alluring ex-Army Ranger turned enforcer for an outlaw motorcycle club.

Hunter McKay doesn’t like reporters nosing around his club but he’s drawn to the petite blonde with the big attitude. When Holly’s inadvertent involvement in an FBI investigation provokes a prison gang to put a hit on her, Hunter must decide how far he’s willing to go to save her.

Just in time for Fourth of July, I’ve teamed up with some of the hottest NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors to offer 15 stories filled with love, romance, and smokin’ hot men sure to get your temperature rising.

Field Stripped!

Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances is available for preorder for just $0.99 and releases June 26!

Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/zbbjc2k
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/j79vcjs
Amazon CA: http://tinyurl.com/gnmppom
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/hrtfm78
iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/jeg8wfl
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/jleayfd

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, subscribe to my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/bPAbOL and then tell me who your favorite alpha male character is! I’ll pick a random winner from the comments on June 30, 2016.

About the Author

Alyssa Breck is an award winning author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

UPDATE: Stepbrothers Stepping Out: With His Pack is live!
Get your copy at Amazon!

* * * * *

I dawdled posting this blog today because I was hoping I’d have a live link for the book, but it hasn’t happened yet. So, I’m going to let you peek inside the story now, and when the link is live, I’ll update this blog. If you leave a comment and click that little box that asks if you want to see responses to the blog, you’ll know when the link is live!

You know I’ve been writing a series of stepbrother/menage stories these past months, and they’v e been doing well. But I thought I might play with the concept and add one more trope/theme that I hope you’ll enjoy. Check it out!

Cammi didn’t realize when she dropped out of college that her pack alpha, her stepbrother Corbin, would demand she choose a mate.

Angry, she chose three…

Read an excerpt:

There’s nothing more unnerving than waking up naked on your hands and knees in the middle of your brother’s pack—unless it’s waking in the middle of all the single males of that pack.

I blew a lock of hair from my eyes, dusted my hands of leaves and dirt, and slowly moved to sit on my haunches, trying my best not to give in to the urge to slide a hand between my legs and an arm over my breasts. My embarrassment would only sharpen their still-feral, mirrored stares.

“You couldn’t have ended the run closer to our cars?” I asked, turning to glare at my stepbrother Corbin. He and his friends had somehow managed to cull me from the larger pack during our run—a deliberate move, I knew, because he never did anything without calculation.

“Wouldn’t have been as much fun,” he said, lifting his upper lip. His teeth were always slow to shorten, so his smile was especially wolfish.

“You’re an asshole.”

“And you haven’t given me a name.” His gaze went to the males who formed a semi-circle around me. “Choose one. You’ve had time to get to know them. Weeks. You have a duty to fulfill.”

I licked my bottom lip, stalling for time, just as I had every day since I’d returned to the North Carolina mountains. If I’d known that dropping out of college in my sophomore year meant I had to immediately choose a mate, I might have gutted out the remainder of my degree—and then sought a place in a graduate program. I wasn’t ready to choose. Wolves mated for life. None of the men in front of me had held my interest during our supervised dates. How the hell was I supposed to shackle myself to one of them for the rest of my entire stinking life?

Although I had to admit that, naked, they looked a whole lot more interesting. All were young and well-built. Some lean, some burly. Dark and light.

Unwanted, desire stirred inside me. “Can I narrow my choices? Will that satisfy you for now?”

My brother’s jaw firmed. But then, he gave a curt nod. “Name them.”

I glanced around the circle, passing Scott, Doug, Jason, Mathias, Howie, and finally, I rested my gaze on Corbin, all the while thinking. This was just another stall tactic, and Corbin knew it, but he’d allowed me more time. Why? He didn’t have to. As the newly appointed alpha of our pack, he could simply make a decree and give me to one of his friends. As a breedable female, a rare commodity among werewolves, I understood my responsibility. Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t resentful of my fate.

Since he was forcing me to narrow my field, I decided I wouldn’t let him see me as beaten, not even a bit. I pushed up from the ground. “Form a row,” I said to the handsome wolves surrounding me.

Scott glanced at Corbin. “You know you could just assign her a mate. She doesn’t understand her place.”

I stepped toward Scott and made sure he registered the fact I was as tall as he was. Our gazes collided. His pupils flared, nearly consuming the bright green irises. Brown shaggy hair tickled the tops of his shoulders. The days-old stubble framing his mouth gave him the look of a pirate, which fit given the fact we were all descended from Edward Teach’s crewmen, who had intermarried descendants of Jean Lafitte’s—all cursed by a Haitian witch, because they’d managed to steal her greatest treasure—her daughters.

Interestingly, Scott’s cock lengthened the longer I held his hard stare. It was lovely really. Long and thick, with a broad head. His balls were a little on the large side though. I almost passed him, but I liked the fact he was the most aggressive of the group. And one of my brother’s closest friends. The bitch inside me wanted to lick those big balls. My witchy DNA from my mother’s side wished Corbin would watch while I did it. I eyed his cock then arched a brow. “You,” I said softly.

He cupped himself and smiled.

An image flashed of those balls hitting my clit every time he stroked…

Maybe he read my mind, because his smile stretched, and his strut was especially cocky as he walked to stand beside Corbin.

I continued down the line.

Doug’s smile was open. Too honest. The last thing I wanted as a mate was a nice guy. I’d walk all over him and make his life a hell he didn’t deserve.

I moved to Jason. His smirk raised the hairs on my arms. I couldn’t stop myself, I growled deep in my throat and let him see my inner bitch, flashing him a glowing glare.

Next, I paused in front of Mathias. Quiet, watchful, golden-haired Mathias. Another of Corbin’s besties. Something about the way Mathias looked at me with his nearly purple eyes hinted at a sensual patience I found intriguing, right along with his arrow-tipped cock. Almost as intriguing as the plan building in my mind. “You,” I said.

Without a smile, his chin lifted, effectively cutting his gaze from mine because he was taller by a head. He strode to stand by Scott.

In front of Howie now, I sighed. Howie was a puppy. Playful. Happy. Ever eager to stick his nose where it wasn’t invited… I heard his sigh as I turned away.

I strode toward Corbin. My black-haired, burly brother. His expression was as hard as granite. Did it bother him to see my choices? Or was he bothered for another reason? I glanced at his cock, still flaccid. Was he truly uninterested or did he have that much control? Didn’t matter. He’d forced my hand. I’d give him back some of his own medicine.

I reached out and scraped a sharpened claw across his chest, watching as goose bumps lifted on his skin. A low warning sounded in the back of his throat. And his dark eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t.”

I shook back my hair and stood on my toes so that my lips were even with his. An inch apart. Close enough I felt his harshening breaths against my mouth. “You,” I whispered.

*~*~*

And in case you haven’t already sampled my previous SSO stories…click on the covers!

UPDATE: The winner is Shirley Long!

* * * * *

Once upon a time someone told me a story idea about a Gladiator style fight club that I just HAD to write. I said no. For a year and a half. He just kept saying what a good idea it was and how I could call it Gladi-Rapers. Yes, you read that right. Gladi-Rapers. Politically correct and I parted ways a while ago. I LOVED the name cause it was so filthy, but writing a historical **gag** book was just not something I want anything to do with so I said no again because it’s historical. My guy blinked and said, “It’s not historical. It’s modern day. Like MMA meets a super dirty underground sex club.”

Mind. Blown.

Within 24 hours Gladi-Rapers was outlined and ready to be written and a complete secret because I didn’t want to say anything about it until it was done and wrapped up like a dirty little present. I couldn’t write it fast enough. I definitely let my kink flag fly high on this one. Can you say filthy ladies???

Once it was written I could think of anyone one else I wanted to edit this story but Delilah Devlin. She was wonderful and gracious to fit me into her already crazy schedule. So thankful!!

And I started work on the cover with the amazing Syneca Featherstone. She created one cover with my female Gladi-Raper on it and I loved it. LOVED it!! Then I sent everything to my formatter to get it ready to go. Yea! Until he pulled the break on it with a huge warning that Amazon would more than likely NEVER let my book see the light of day because of the title and the tag line about consent. DAMN YOU AMAZON!!

So I changed the title to Her Creed, the series name to The Cage, the tagline and the cover and WHAMMO! I had something amazing that depicted the story perfectly and I couldn’t be happier with the finished product.

But you see I have a problem. I had a handful of eval print books made with the other cover so I was hoping somebody might want a copy to help me out. You know. Help me clean them out of my office. So the following bit of awesome is up for giveaway for the next couple days. And if I get a large enough response I’ll give away two prize packages to two different winners. The first prize pack has a print book, swag, a bag of dicks CAUSE WHO DOESN”T WANT A BAG OF DICKS and a dick bowl to put your bag of dicks in. WHERE ELSE WOULD YOU PUT THEM???? And I have an amazing bag from the Wild Wicked Weekend 2016. All of the signing authors are on there and the male hosts have all signed the back. So I need to find the goodies a good home. Want to help me out?? (Please note no one was harmed in collecting the bag of dicks, and I only have one bag, so comment early!!!)

To enter all you have to do is sign up for my newsletter which you can find here and comment below that you’ve signed up. Super simple!

http://jenniferkacey.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f09bd32b8c279cebcc930950e&id=2a45c210e8

And I’ll leave some deliciousness below to tempt your kinky appetite…..

Amazon – http://goo.gl/fnXfr7
Amazon Print – http://goo.gl/hPMMVJ
B&N – http://goo.gl/wfBf1Z
Createspace Print – https://goo.gl/YFnfCE
Kobo – https://goo.gl/u0Se7B
Smashwords – https://goo.gl/Lz3c88
Are Café – https://goo.gl/N0QTVs
Ibooks – https://goo.gl/ZNLrfH
Website – http://goo.gl/JKdSvO

Fighters take the ultimate prize for victory…

Underage KC snuck into the underground fight club called The Cage. But it was no ordinary fight club. The participants didn’t battle for titles or a useless belt to collect dust. The men and women brawled for only one thing. To be the victor and take the spoils of war they’d earned with their blood, sweat and tears. Not for money or jewels. They fought for the right to take the loser in any way—and any hole—of their choosing.

But KC was discovered by one of the bouncers and taken to a room with no way out. To the office of the owner, Creed, who held more than just her fate in his hands…

He’d seen hundreds of warriors find their way to his door with visions of grandeur and conquest. But it took a girl not yet a woman to remind him why he worked so tirelessly day in and day out. Her eyes. They would haunt him long after he threw her out of his arena and told her never to return.

Years later, they meet again, and KC is ready to take her place amongst his fighters. Creed wants nothing to do with the woman she’s become, but their fate has an interesting way of setting things right.

Consent has never seen this kind of fight club…

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.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

I have a new release in my SWAT Series called TO LOVE A WOLF and I’m so excited! Because this is Cooper’s story!

I know, I always say I don’t have a favorite hero in my books, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say SWAT officer/werewolf Landry Cooper doesn’t hold a special place in my heart. Because Cooper is inspired by my hubby!

Like Cooper, Hubby is former Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal— twenty years), and has a lot of the same personality quirks as Cooper. He can be a bit snarky, seems to have a somewhat laissez-faire attitude toward explosives, is steady when things get stressful, and is usually a calm sounding board for people who want to talk about their problems.

I guess it makes sense that when I started thinking about Cooper’s love interest, I patterned Everly after me. She’s certainly in line with the kick- butt heroines I’ve portrayed in my other books, and when those she loves are in danger, she can be fierce in her own way. But Everly also has a soft side. Like me, she draws and paints. She also seems to have a thing for doing nude figure studies. That was my favorite class in art school too, by the way. Everly has a very boho style, she’s emotional, and is quick to give her heart, which means she can fall for a guy really fast (like I did with Hubby!). In addition to all that, she’s somewhat of a free spirit, just like me.

For readers who know my hubby and me well, I hope you see a bit of us in Cooper and Everly. And for readers who don’t know us, I hope I gave you a glimpse!

HE’S FOUND THE ONE…

SWAT officer Landry Cooper is certain Everly Danu is The One. The problem is, she has no idea what Cooper really is. And as much as he wants to trust her, he’s not sure he can share his deepest secret…

BUT CAN HE KEEP HER?

When Everly’s family discovers Cooper’s a werewolf, her brothers will do anything to keep them apart-they’ll kill him if they have to. Everly is falling hard for the ridiculously handsome SWAT officer, and she’s not about to let her brothers tell her who she can love… Until Cooper’s secret is exposed and she discovers the man she thought she knew is a monster in disguise.

Read the First 6 Chapters FREE!

http://bit.ly/25bBShP

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Nle1wY
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-love-a-wolf-paige-tyler/1122684311?ean=9781492625964
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/to-love-a-wolf/id1075923464?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/to-love-a-wolf-1
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-toloveawolf-2054215-152.html

*hugs*
Paige

Meet Sharon Hamilton’s Newest Bachelor!

Band of Bachelors: Alex by New York Times Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton is now on sale!

Adrenaline junkie and Navy SEAL Alex Kowicki is one of four bachelor SEALs trying to navigate his successful military career while achieving his goals as a first class connoisseur of beautiful women. He isn’t ready to jump back into anything but his free falls, HALO drops or his missions overseas. He trusts his buddies to fix him up with another blind date that won’t be as dangerous as his last ones.

But Sydney Robinson has other plans. A beach volleyball player who can spike better than most men, she knows how to execute a series of events that include stalking the handsome SEAL all the way to Sonoma County, capturing him in a winery and delivering his carcass to her bed for keeps. Along the way, the two of them fight a home-grown terrorist cell in a duel that might cost one of them their lives.

This is Book 2 of Sharon’s Band of Bachelors series and was preceded by Band of Bachelors: Lucas (Book 1). Sharon’s bestselling SEAL books include the following series about the fictional SEAL Team 3: SEAL Brotherhood, Bad Boys of SEAL Team 3, Band of Bachelors, True Blue SEALs, and Nashville SEALs.

And now a Special Excerpt from BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX…

She hesitated. He was good at brushing people off. Regardless of their world-class evening and morning, he could separate that. He could walk away. Her heart fluttered slightly as she realized perhaps she could not. Or just didn’t want to.

“So what do you want to know?”

“Who are you, Sydney?”

And boy was that the right question! Not who are you dating, who do you hang around, what do you do all day? It was usually the question that came up after the second or third date, just before she was about to exit stage right.

Her answer was measured, and well practiced.

“I want more out of life than life’s given me so far, but I’m not complaining. I just want more of it. I want the juice of life, not to live life. I’m looking to get a good partner and travel the world playing volleyball until my knees ache and my back or shoulder gives out. And after volleyball? Who knows what I can do at eighty?” She gave him the smile she’d given so many other dumbstruck men over the few years since she’d been dating. It was always the same. It also usually got same reaction.

But this time, she saw something ignite inside Alex. The backdrop of lonely sea gull cries, the salty gentle breeze and the sounds of metal clanging as work began late at the docks, only enhanced the excitement brewing in her belly. She was struck with the beauty and power of something maybe dangerous about this man. And also something so beautiful, her eyes watered.

Can’t wait to keep reading? Get your copy of ALEX now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
(Print & audio coming soon!)

About the Author

Sharon Hamilton is a NYT and USA/Today bestselling author most known for her SEAL Brotherhood series. She also writes Golden Vampire and Guardian Angel series.

A lifelong organic gardener, Sharon lives with her husband in the Wine Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place. When she’s not writing, she’s getting verra verra dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.