Pictures of your art/craft treasures will be posted on Friday! Thanks to everyone who participated!

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Wisdom from the Kama Sutra

Everyone knows that the Kama Sutra is a sex manual, but did you also know that it’s an ancient etiquette manual, as well?

When I was writing How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride, I did some research and discovered that The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana is almost 2,000 years old. Written in Sanskrit, it wasn’t translated into English until 1883 by the famous explorer, Sir Richard Burton. The book was privately and quietly published, no doubt shipped in plain brown paper.

Once I’d decided to set a story in 1885, I found a copy of his translation and started reading. It’s a fascinating mix of sexual instruction and advice on courtship, combined with superstitions of the period in which it was written. In addition to listing various sexual positions, some with quaint names such as “splitting of a bamboo” and “fixing of a nail”, it also covers biting, scratching and striking, as well as “mouth congress”, i.e. oral sex, and threesomes.

Hindu society of the time was patriarchal and some of the advice is ridiculous by today’s standards. People also married very young at the time, so I suppose it’s no wonder that the advice for how the woman should behave sounds very juvenile by today’s standards. In one section, Vatsyayana, who was a monk, actually recommends kidnapping the prospective bride if all else fails! Something my civilized English hero would never do. Still, some of the courtship advice is timeless, and shows a basic understanding of the differences between men and women.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“Women, being of tender nature, want tender beginnings.”

“At the first time of sexual union the passion of the male is intense, and his time is short, but in subsequent unions on the same day the reverse of this is the case. With the female however it is the contrary, for at the first time her passion is weak, and then her time is long, but on subsequent occasions on the same day, her passion is intense and her time short, until her passion is satisfied.”

“… the man should do whatever the girl takes most delight in, and he should get for her whatever she may have a desire to possess.”

“Says Ghotakamukha, Though a man loves a girl ever so much, he never succeeds in winning her without a great deal of talking.”

“In Gramaneri many young men enjoy a woman that may be married to one of them, either one after the other or at the same time.  Thus one of them holds her, another enjoys her. . . and in this they go on enjoying her several parts alternatively.”

The same things can be done when several men are sitting in company with one courtesan, or when one courtesan is alone with many men. In the same way this can be done by the women of the King’s harem when they accidentally get hold of a man.”

Makes you wonder how often the women of the harem “accidentally” got hold of a man! And where they found him, in the first place. This quote may have been the inspiration for the Victorian erotic novel Three Nights in a Moorish Harem, by the prolific author Anonymous.

Even though he was a monk, Vatsyayana had a romantic streak: “If men and women act according to each other’s liking, their love for each other will not be lessened even in one hundred years.”

Last December, I reissued my short story, How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride, in which Victorian sensibilities collide with the sensual wisdom of the Kama Sutra. This was a fun story to write and to research, since I did, indeed, have to read the above-mentioned sex manual. It was the perfect way to spice up an arranged Victorian marriage.

How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride
(Romantic Historical Short Story)
by Lyndi Lamont
Rating: Spicy

A marriage contract, nothing more…until darkly handsome Evan Channing and demure Lydia Blatchford meet. Yet the rules are simple for an arrangement such as theirs. There should be no misunderstanding, no illusions of anything more.

But the rules are about to change when Evan is gifted with an intriguing copy of the Kama Sutra.  He sets out to win his high-born bride, blending seductive heat with exotic lessons in lovemaking. With a little help from Sir Richard Burton’s new, provocative translation of ancient wisdom on seduction and arousal, the cold marriage bed of an arranged union is about to combust into a blazing flame of desire

(Previously published under the title Love… By the Book)

4 Angels…” a scintillating mix of lust and sexual exploration… Ms. Lamont has done a very nice job of bringing a bit of the exotic into her writing.” – Dawnie, Fallen Angel Reviews

Available for 99 cents from:
Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Kobo Books, and Smashwords

Lyndi Lamont is the racy alter ego of romance author Linda McLaughlin. Since becoming Lyndi, she has discovered that writing sexy romance is a license to be naughty, at least between the pages of her books! Lyndi has written numerous short stories and novellas, including male/male erotica.

You can find her online at: http://www.lyndilamont.com/
Blog: Lyndi’s Love Notes: http://www.lyndilamont.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/LyndiLamont

I was supposed to have a guest today, but she must have forgotten, and I definitely forgot to remind her! So, here I am!

I’m keeping it short and sweet today. Just a question for you to answer, because your opinion matters!

If archeologists could somehow discover the location of and dig up anything—an object or some lost city—from any time in the past, what would you want that thing or place to be?

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Psst! My Lost Souls blog tour starts today! Check out the links to the websites here. You know there will be prizes and plenty to keep you fascinated, dah-lings! 🙂

Just Don’t Wash Their Socks

My aunt told my girl cousins to date men—let them take you dancing, to dinner, to movies, for midnight strolls. That part, the romantic part, was all good. But don’t marry them and wash their socks.

She and my uncle were married for almost fifty years when he died. They had ups and downs and were oddly suited. He was a dreamer, she was the practical one, but she loved him. Early in their marriage, she’d get up early and make his breakfast—bacon, eggs, biscuits from scratch and home fried potatoes.

She hated making potatoes every morning. He hated eating them. But this went on for years before one of them said something, afraid to hurt the other’s feelings but letting resentment grow and fester. I don’t know which one finally said something first, but they both independently told me that story years later, as a complaint about the other.

He wooed her when they met. He was a wonderful dancer and they went to dinner, dancing, picnics, the beach. Then they got married and the realties hit. Babies, potatoes and washing socks.

She read voraciously, not all romance but some. She was looking for that feeling of youth, that feeling of love. She knew she was loved, he told her often, but she still washed his socks instead of going dancing.

We all want romance, and if it’s not fully attainable, that’s better because it can go into our secret selves. And better yet, we control when it comes out.

Whether it’s sweet romance, historic romance or erotic romance, it’s ours and we imagine it in our own way.

Probably most of us wouldn’t make it living in a drafty stone castle in Scotland’s rainy and cold weather, using privies, never bathing, wearing the same clothes for months on end. But the lure of adventure is strong, and these facts won’t distract from the clash of swords and the sight of strong men running to the battlements. Not to mention running to our bedroom.

No matter where we see ourselves in romances—dusty western towns, Regency England, in the Caribbean with pirates—we have it to ourselves. It’s improbable and impossible, but that’s the appeal.

In my SNAP paranormal romance series, the impossible is a 500-year-old vampire named Jean-Louis. He’s beautiful, he’s cultured, he’s uber-wealthy, he’s brave and he has household staff to wash his socks.

We all need that secret place to go when the realties overwhelm us.

What’s your secret place? And who’s your secret lover?

Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism—as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers—she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her mystery Edited for Death, called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review is on Amazon and the second book in the Amy Hobbes Newspaper mysteries, Labeled for Death, will be published in June.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, is available in ebook, paperback and audible at ebook retailers.  All have received “must read” reviews from the Paranormal Romance Guild. SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story and Danube: A Tale of Murder are available singly and in a boxed set at Amazon, B&N and Kobo. The fifth book, SNAP: Love for Blood rated 5 stars, is now out. She’s writing SNAP: Happily Ever After? for release in fall 2013 and a seventh book later in 2013.

Visit her website: http://www.micheledrier.com or Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier or her Amazon author page, http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

 My random number generator picked a winner—Janie McGaugh! Janie, congrats! ~DD

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 This week’s topic is “love hurts.” No couple I’ve written has been through more heartache than Darcy and Quentin. In fact, I wrote two books that document their travails, and I think there’s probably another story waiting to be written whenever I get off the current contract schedule. Enjoy reading about the first time Q thinks he’s lost his love.

If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book!

“…congratulations to Ms. Devlin for creating a masterpiece. This story has all the elements that a Gold Star book has in it. The novel has intense suspense that was thrilling and delightful…” ~Gold Star Award, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“… LOVE BITES is a delicious, emotional romp of a story, a tale that builds powerfully on the old, often-used love triangle and succeeds beautifully in creating something new and exciting.” ~Sensual Romance

On the trail of a serial killer, vampire Quentin Albermarle is mistaken for the killer by a police special task force. Once the smoke clears, Quentin finds himself in a delicious position-atop one of the unit’s crack officers, Darcy Henry.

In need of Quentin’s access to the vampire sub-culture, the task force leadership invites Quentin to join the crime unit as a special advisor, much to the chagrin of the men in the unit, and especially, of Darcy.

A no-nonsense cop with no time for romance, Darcy suddenly finds herself embroiled in a steamy love triangle between her mortal partner, Joe, and the handsome vampire. Going from abstinence to wantonness, she is unable to resist the two men’s relentless seduction or her own sensual curiosity about a vampire’s special “kiss”.

When the real killer threatens the life of someone close to her, Darcy makes a choice that forever binds the three of them together.

Quentin watched from the shadow of the cockpit, his hand tightening around the puny stake he held. Nicky had a gun pointed at Darcy. Quentin didn’t dare make a move or he might distract her.

Nicky took a step toward her.

“Don’t come any closer,” she warned.

He sniffed the air. “I smell Quentin. He’s been all over you, hasn’t he?” His smile sent a shiver down Quentin’s back.

“You’re surrounded,” Darcy said, her voice steady. “You may as well lay down your weapon. You aren’t stepping off this boat.”

Quentin’s chest filled with pride at her courage.

“But I have you, therefore I have the advantage.”

A soft click and the blur of her arrow flying toward Nicky’s chest happened so quickly, Quentin didn’t have time to react.

The arrow sank only to its tip. Read the rest of this entry »

See the pics below? That’s the sort of thing I do when I’m trying to unwind. I can play with color and make what I see in my head happen. Something I can’t really do when I write. Making jewelry isn’t nearly as time-consuming either. The earrings took maybe an hour, because I kept putting things together, then cutting the wire because I didn’t like the length of the dangles. The pendant took a week because of having to leave it to dry in between applications of paint and ink and varnish, but only about an hour of real labor. The bracelet took a couple of hours because I played with dangles, trying to figure out what I liked putting together.

It’s therapy, and I’ve shared pics of things I’ve made since I started working with jewelry over a year ago. (You can see more of my jewelry on my Pinterest page.)

My question is, are you crafty or artistic? And would you like to share pictures of what you make here? If you send them, I will add them to this post! OR if I get enough, I’ll put together a post next Tuesday to showcase your artistic/crafty efforts! And if you have Pinterest pages where you show your work, send me those links!

Make sure your pics aren’t huge files, you can resize them so they don’t take forever to load. And please keep it to 2—so choose your best! Don’t be shy or think you have to be professional—I’m not! Email your pictures to me at Delilah@delilahdevlin.com.

I’ve seen a lot of interviewers ask authors how they decide which quirks or kinks their characters will have. The answer differs from author to author, but for me, the characters tell me as I write.

Obviously, it’s all coming out of my brain but it’s not a conscious decision. I sit down, start writing and stuff pours from my brain through my fingertips. Although, most days it’s more like a slow drip than a pour but you get the picture.

I don’t consciously decide, ahead of time, that my characters like to be spanked or like to perform fellatio, etc. I don’t know much of anything until it’s staring at me on the screen.

Sometimes, I say, “Ooh. Awesome.” Other times it’s more like, “Ew. Really?” But whatever. My characters let me know what they want and I usually give it to them.

In Araya’s Addiction, my first erotic paranormal romance, the heroine, Araya, a Sempire demon, wants love and monogamy. Her hero, Kean, has no such notion. In between him being a prisoner and her trying to refuse his advances, they end up experiencing scorching sex and an incredible happily ever after. But, there was one scene in Araya’s Addiction that made me blush. Seriously, I considered cutting it from the story but Kean insisted it stay and I reluctantly agreed.

I’m sure that scene won’t work for everyone but it worked for my characters and was a turning point of sorts. I hope you’ll check out Araya’s Addiction. The series title is still in the works but I have two more stories planned for this universe. One has already been accepted for publication and the other is being considered.

Thanks to Delilah for having me on her blog today! I’m honored.

Title: Araya’s Addiction
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

When Kean wakes up naked, collared and locked in a cell, he knows thinking with his dick has finally gotten him into trouble. Part Incubus, Kean enjoys scorching sexual liaisons, a habit that has found him trapped, forced to help a Sempire rescue her daughter from certain death.

Unwilling to aid in anyone’s imprisonment, Araya initially refuses her mother’s “gift”, but the passion simmering between her and Kean is undeniable. As they explore their shared lust, both Araya and Kean enact schemes to save each other. Their best laid plans may awaken emotions that will bind them forever.

*Note: A Sempire is a female demon who requires semen to survive.

Reviews

Gaele @ The Jeep Diva:

…With several steamy to downright scorching scenes, clever dialogue, humor and the potential for a happy ever after, this was a really fun and clever read. Dex has created a new sexual demon, and made them lovable, if not a bit outrageous in their attitudes and thinking. The desires and emotions of the characters were easy to relate to as the characters were well-defined and voiced, a nice addition to this novella.

Anna @ Book Lovin’ Mamas:

…The chemistry between Araya and Kean was smokin’ hot and they were great individual characters too. And I LOVE the sister and Mom. They were quite entertaining! … Overall this was a great read! Lots of fun and very very sexy! I can’t wait to read something else from this author and I will be impatiently waiting for more! 😉

Geraldine H:

…The story line kept me interested, the description of the characters as well as the scene were so well written, I could picture myself there. I became engrossed in the main characters as well as some of the “supporting” characters. I really didn’t want the story to end. The detail in the sex scenes were incredible! I am anxiously waiting on the next book and hoping it includes more on Araya’s fabulous sister.

Author Bio

Jocelyn was born in Iowa and currently resides in Texas. She shares her home with her very own 6’4″ alpha male and varying numbers of spoiled cats and dogs. Teaching one of her dogs to file his nails is one of her all-time favorite accomplishments. Jocelyn loves to paint, loves to read, and loves to write sizzling erotic romance about yummy demons that would make your momma blush.

Here’s where you can find Jocelyn on the web

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Blog  * Goodreads

Here’s where you can buy Araya’s Addiction

Amazon * Ellora’s Cave * Barnes & Noble * ARe

Writing in Many Genres, or the Delights of Diversity

I stand in awe of those who can write book after book in a single genre. How can they bear to do one story, then another, then another, then another ad infinitum that each follow the same structure? That is not an “all genre writers are formulaic” slam; however, the fact that each genre has certain expectations of structure/tone/ending is what makes it a genre.

That said, I still don’t see how a writer can keep writing the same set of expectations – however different each individual book might be. A cozy mystery is a cozy mystery. A romance is a romance. A horror is a horror. Etc. I love them all, but cannot even read just one genre. Or write.

I write romance and horror (as Janis Susan May), cozy mysteries (as Janis Patterson), children’s (as Janis Susan Patterson), and non-fiction and scholarly (as J.S.M. Patterson.)  Usually all at the same time.

Yes, I bore easily. It’s a character flaw. During my time in the 8-5 workforce I did everything from acting/singing to being a multi-magazine publishing group Editor in Chief (two groups, actually!) to being Supervisor of Accessioning in a bio-genetic DNA testing lab to checking documents in a travel agency. I’ve been a talent agent and a jewelry designer and more, but I won’t bore you with a complete list. Our home libraries (yes, plural – two currently extant and another in the works) bulge with research books on WWI/WWII and Egyptology and travel and photography and cooking and history. How this pertains to writing is that not only does this diverse knowledge pool give me a wealth of personal experience  to draw upon, it is a constant reminder of my need for variety.

People have asked me how I can switch from one genre to another and my only answer is how do you switch from any one thing to another in your life? From a manual shift car (my personal fave!) to an automatic? From cooking in a plain old skillet to using a microwave? From a simple desk-top single line telephone to a Smart Phone? We very seldom do the same thing all the time, from cars to cooking; why should writing in different genres be regarded as such an impossible task?

I’m not going into the branding thing here, but will suggest that readers are a lot more forgiving of genre-jumpers than some publishers – and some writers. I know I would read anything some of my favorite authors might care to do, including a re-write of the telephone book!

In my personal experience genre-jumping keeps my writing fresh, as does having several projects going on at once. When one goes stale, I switch to another which, even though it might have gone stale in the past, now appears a different book with a fresh look. This is not always easy when I am juggling two deadlines, but it has never failed to work, and I have never missed a deadline yet. Currently I have on my computer – in various stages of completion – a romance, a time-travel romance, two cozy mysteries, two romantic adventures and a section of a scholarly tome destined to be a college text. Needless to say, the two that are under contract are getting the most attention at the moment, but I know the others are there, patiently waiting to help me over any rough spots that might manifest or to stimulate my flagging imagination.

Did I mention that I bore easily? I would never restrict myself to reading and/or writing just one genre any more than I would consider having just one job for my entire working life. I cannot help but think of my patron saint Auntie Mame’s unforgettable words, “Life is a banquet and most poor fools are starving to death!”

Enjoy and explore what you can when you can.