When I started the Forgotten Brotherhood series, I envisioned a unique group of paranormal assassins. They’re not the monsters lurking under the bed. They’re the ones the monsters under the bed fear.
They live by a strict code: Kill only those that truly deserve it and let their gods sort them out. Kill them before they kill you. Never, ever betray a fellow assassin.
It started with FURY UNLEASHED when a fallen angel named Maccus Fury stepped onto the page. Feared by both Heaven and Hell, he’s a force to be reckoned with. Now one of Hell’s bounty hunters has been sent to assassinate him. Trouble is, they’re falling for each other.
Next came ARCTIC BITE and Alexei Medvedev, a secy hybrid vampire/polar bear shifter. He’s been sent to hunt down a missing reaper, who is much more than she seems.
In BURNING ASH, we meet Asher, the father of vampires. He crosses paths with a human vampire hunter, and the both of them become embroiled in a conspiracy to harm the Brotherhood.
BJORNED CURSED—Ancient Viking warrior Bjorn Knutson, the father of werewolves, is tasked by Odin himself to return a woman who’s escaped from the Norse afterlife. Problem is, she’s his long-dead wife, his love. Now they’ll have to fight the gods and Lucifer if they hope to survive.
Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep, but someone has. Waking a sleeping drakon wasn’t in her plans. Neither was falling in love with him. Love and intrigue challenge their growing relationship in ANCIENT DESIRE.
Last, but not least, is HUNTER AVENGED. Immortal Viking hunter Sven Knutson is on the hunt for an angelic librarian suspected of being part of a plot against the Brotherhood, and she’d led him on a deadly chase. But there is a greater force behind it. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell. This time the Brotherhood will end the threat to their existence or die trying.
Fury Unleashed
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book 1
Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.
Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer––that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
The Redemption of Remy St. Claire was the third book I ever typed ‘the end’ on. Really, though, it should’ve been the first. I had a story in my mind – two single people, responsible for toddlers, finding their way to each other. I was so new to writing that I didn’t even know what a trope was. Truthfully, single-parent was big a decade ago and remains so today. With more than half of all marriages ending, it’s inevitable people wind up parenting solo.
I realized early on that this story would have a bit of angst – another thing I inherently understood but had never put a name to. Most of my books have some degree of angst. I’ve also learned a lot about warning people what might be in my books. I won’t get into the debate about trigger warnings. As an author, I’ve been called out for not warning people against things I didn’t even realize could be hurtful. Sometimes those mentions in the synopsis give away the critical plot points – but I don’t want someone to read the book who might be hurt by it.
Now, because of this book – and several others – I’ve learned to be careful what I name secondary characters. To me, Rusty’s wife was a throw-away character. A drug addict who’d endangered her baby. Someone who needed to be kept as far away from their daughter as possible. I even gave her what I considered to be a throw-away name.
I was so so so wrong. I was barely a chapter into Remy and Rusty’s book when Rusty’s soon-to-be ex-wife stood up and said hey, over here! Notice me! You need to tell my story! I’m not a throw-away. I have reasons why I am the way I am and I want you to tell my story. Right now, goddamnit!
I’ll admit I was at a low point in my life and, frankly, had never had a character talk to me like that. I pivoted. I tucked away Rusty and Remy and endeavored to write Sissy’s story. You want angst? I went there – prostitution, on the page drug use – I sank her as deep as I was. And then sank her lower. Even as I wrote her story, though, I knew she’d survive. That she’d find love. That she’d be redeemed. I don’t know if that book will ever be published.
Moving on, a story in the headlines caught my attention and I wrote the book that wound up as book 2 in the series. Finally, I was ready to move on to Remy and Rusty’s story. Sissy plays an integral part in the story, and I feel like her character is better fleshed out for having written her book. I rarely do that anymore – write out of sequence. But I’m glad I did, and I hope readers enjoy Remy and Rusty’s book.
I would love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card. How much angst do you enjoy in your stories? Is there such a thing as too much? A random commenter will win the prize. And thank you, Delilah, for hosting me!
The Redemption of Remy St. Claire
What’s better than love in the beautiful Cedar Valley in British Columbia, Canada? Find small town romances with a touch of angst, a bit of heat, and a lot of heart…
Each novel is a standalone, but they are best read in order:
The Luminosity of Loriana Harper (A small town interracial romance)
The Making of Marnie Jones (A small town enemies-to-lovers romance)
The Redemption of Remy St. Claire (A small town single-father fake-marriage romance)
Love without limits…
Remy St. Claire is engulfed in grief, overwhelmed with caring for her three-year-old sister Calleigh after the death of their parents. As an assistant crown prosecutor, she works to put monsters in jail. She can go toe-to-toe with the most hardened of criminals, but a distraught toddler might be her downfall.
Rusty Stevens has his hands full raising his three-year-old daughter Miracle on his own. Applying for the job to be Calleigh’s nanny solves two problems at once—more time with his child while still earning money, and a playmate for Miracle. He worries his new boss works too hard, but he’s proud to be able to provide a stable home for all of them.
Then Rusty’s wife appears, and secrets from both Rusty’s and Remy’s pasts threaten the fragile relationship that has developed between them. When all the secrets are laid bare, will their trust survive, or will the truth drive them apart forever?
The Redemption of Remy St. Claire is a second-chance, single-parent, marriage-of-convenience romance with a touch of angst and two adorable three-year-old girls. There is mention of a previous sexual assault. The book is the third in the Love in Cedar Valley series set in a small town in British Columbia, Canada.
Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance. She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.
Plagued with guilt after her brother’s death, a grieving woman has a chance at a second chance.
Living in a haze of mistrust and tragedy, Chosen Shaw has closed herself off from everyone. Once known for her ability to see things that can help others, she’s now the woman who killed her brother.
Bend Ryder is the new sheriff in town and has a mess to clean up after the last one met an untimely death. He’s eating, sleeping and breathing a cold case involving a mysterious kidnapping, and is willing to do anything to solve the case—even if that includes looking outside of the box. Truthfully, he doesn’t believe Chosen has a “gift” but enlisting her help might be his only hope.
But, she’s left that world behind. Can he convince her to help?
Soon, they find themselves embroiled in another kidnapping.
The two find a solid connection, despite the pressures all around them. As trust and romance grow, the demons of the past start to build walls. They have a tight hold on her emotionally and physically. If she has any chance for a future with the man she loves, she must absolve herself from the guilt and let love heal her heart…and help solve a crime that has been a dark cloud over Second Chance.
Protecting His Second Chance is a story of grief, guilt, angst, redemption, and a happily ever after. Love is the ultimate healer.
“It’s okay. This happens to all men.” The seductive blonde brushed her fingers down his bare abs.
Bend Ryder drew his hand away from his forehead and looked down at the woman curled up beside him in his bed. She peered up at him through a veil of thick eyelashes and her plump lips slowly eased into a teasing grin. Farrah was new in town, visiting after her uncle, Sheriff Jackson Mellough, met an untimely death on Snowbleed Mountain.
Two days after his private funeral, the town of Second Chance elected Bend to office—or rather dumped the duties into his lap and expected him to clean up the mess. Since then, he’d been busy undoing everything Mellough had done over his long career.
Farrah slid her fingers along the waistband of his boxers. “It’s the stress.” Her slight movement caused the sheet to slip away from her hip. A diamond glistened at her belly button and a quarter sized heart tattoo sat an inch above her pelvic bone. Sweat beaded Bend’s brow and he cursed under his breath.
“Maybe I can help solve the problem,” she purred.
She shifted to her knees, but Bend caught her shoulders in a gentle grip. Her chin snapped up and she nailed him with her brooding brown gaze. The tip of her tongue slid over her bottom lip as if to remind him what he was missing.
A woman as beautiful and desirable as Farrah had never faced this problem, he surmised, even if she tried to pacify his ego by saying this sort of thing happened all the time. A streak of disappointment sliced through him. Truthfully, he’d never had this particular issue before tonight.
Maybe it was the stress.
“I don’t think this is going to work.” He kicked the sheet away from his feet and slid to the edge of the bed. “Sorry.” He stood, glancing down at her. She now had the sheet tight against her breasts as if she were saving the view for someone worthy.
Damn. He was broken.
Grabbing his jeans off the floor, he stepped into them. He realized her gaze was still on him, maybe expecting him to change his mind? He continued to pull his clothes on.
“I think I know what’s happening.” She bounced on the springy mattress, her smile returning.
“Then you mind explaining it to me?” What he wanted was for her to get dressed and leave so he could lick his wounded pride in peace.
“That case you’ve been working on. The cold case with the missing child. Something like that could just about wear down anyone.” She grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand and scrolled through the screen, giggling. “Do you have TikTok, cowboy?”
“Nope.” He turned his back to her.
“You should. These videos are so weird but they’re funny. Anyway, we could make a video with you asking the public for help. We can do that now.”
“I’ll think about it.” But he knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t want anything to do with social media, and he especially didn’t want to look at her. He was embarrassed, and no doubt this would be the first and last time he and Farrah would be naked together. She didn’t need to waste her time on a man who just dipped out on her.
The case of the missing five-year-old, Bradley Hoffman, did weigh heavily on Bend’s shoulders. Once he’d taken over as sheriff, he’d gone through the unsolved cases in the area and something about the information—or rather the lack there of—set off alarm bells in his head. For the last two months, Bend had been eating, sleeping, breathing the mysterious kidnapping. The boy had been riding his bike alone and he vanished from the dead-end road leading to the apartment complex where he and his mother lived. The bike had been found but the boy was gone. Mom’s call to Mellough didn’t come until the next day. Not one witness came forward and out of the ten or so people interviewed no one saw anything suspicious.
“It’s not called a cold case for no reason.” Farrah pushed herself off the bed, completely confident in her nude body.
He slowly fastened each button on his shirt while he watched her dress. She even did that with an air of seduction. He’d be kicking himself in the ass for days—maybe longer. He hadn’t been with a woman in months, and his dry spell wouldn’t be ended today. “I’ve turned over every stone, every piece of dirt, and I’ve found nothing. How can a child disappear without a trace?” He dropped down on the end of the bed and dragged over his boots.
Once she had her romper into place, she flounced over and plopped down beside him. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Jackson had been a lot of things, but one thing’s for certain, he loved the attention a solved, high-profile case brought him. Maybe this case isn’t solvable?”
Bend had never been a quitter. He wouldn’t have taken the job unless he knew wholeheartedly that he was a right fit, and had the right intentions. He agreed that Mellough loved his ego being stroked, but the man also had a lazy streak the size of Montana. “Every case is solvable.”
Farrah laid her hand on his shoulder. He liked her, but happily ever after just wasn’t in the cards for them. They enjoyed hanging out, grabbing a beer on occasion and discussing life. Although she could be a bit flighty and ran through men like an out-of-control bulldozer, she also had a good head on her shoulders. She had a lot of dreams for her future. Earlier, they’d been downstairs in Crew and Brew shooting some pool when out of the blue she asked if she could see his bedroom.
The rest was history…literally.
“Hey, it’s important that you stay ahead of this. You’re better than my bastard of an uncle. People don’t doubt this, so don’t doubt yourself. There will be plenty of cases.”
He offered her a smile. “You’re a good woman, Farrah.”
“I know.” She stood and jutted her chin at the crumpled bed sheets. “And that’s why I’m not going to let this bother me.”
The first book I ever typed ‘the end’ for is still sitting in the back of my closet. I’ve gone so far as to buy a cover for it and take a peek at the file. Then I close it, wallow in the knowledge of how much editing it requires, and I move on to another book.
The second book I typed ‘the end’ for wasn’t nearly such a disaster. Instead of an unwieldy 126k words, it sat at 85k – the perfect length for Harlequin Superromance. I devoured those books, with favorite authors such as Tara Taylor Quinn, Janice Kay Johnson, and Jean Brashear. After reading so many books, I understood the structure without having studied stuff like that. (I’ve since taken some great classes which have built from that inherent understanding…)
I named this bookThe Making of Marnie Jones. I printed it out and sent it to Harlequin – vaguely dreaming of contracts and seeing my book on shelves.
Quickly, I received an email from the editor I sent it to. She wanted a digital copy. I shot it off and waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, I gently poked, and she invited me to her office where we discussed the book in depth. She had tons of notes and invited me to do a R&R (revise and resubmit). I took a week off work and spent 12 hours a day for 9 days fixing that sucker. I sent it back, even more confident.
Crickets.
I’ve since learned that editors want you to take weeks, if not months. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like you’ve done the work. Only I had – I completely rewrote the book. And was convinced the book was better for it.
I gently poked. She said she’d see me in New York for the Romance Writers of America conference. Now, I’m not a fan of big cities, strong smells, or noise. NYC was so NOT my jam. But I enjoyed the conference, met the editor, met my favorite narrator, and came home, believing I was *this* close.
Still nothing.
Eventually, Harlequin held a Canadian Hero contest. Great! My hero’s Canadian. My whole book is set in Canada. After the contest ended, the editor reached out with a tentative yes. After two-and-a-half years, I wasn’t ready to party. Four months later I saw, in a tweet, that Superromance was being discontinued.
I never heard back from that editor – never got the rejection (or acceptance) I deserved.
When I tell this story to other writers, they question why I didn’t submit elsewhere. But if your number one pick expresses that much interest, why would you go elsewhere? Lesson learned. I submitted Marnie for contests. I pitched her to editors and agents. I got a few nibbles, but no bites. Three years ago, I decided I would go it alone. I hired a freelance editor. The next year, I secured a cover. Finally, I wrote a book to come before it – I just didn’t feel Marnie should be the first in the series.
One more thing I should share – best advice I ever got as a writer: write the next book. While Harlequin sat on my book, I wrote another 16 in that series. The first year I waited? I wrote a million words. I was convinced they’d take my book and then take the next stack. As you now know, that never happened. But I have (now up to) 20 books that need editing and are ready to publish.
I’ll always be protective of Marnie – I love the angsty story. I submitted her for a contest and the lovely Grace Burrowes was a judge. She tore the opening apart and made it a thousand times better. I kept her edits and dedicated the book to her – seemed the least I could do.
I believe in this book. I also warn readers that the subject matter is dark – but that’s often how I write. Now, I’m putting the book out into the world and am forever grateful I didn’t sell it to a publisher. I likely would’ve never found someone who’d take all 20 or so (with more to come). And because I knew this world so well, I’ve written several gay romances in the same world – just under a different penname. I’ve created a place I hope readers will return to again and again.
Okay, thanks for reading that. Thank you, Delilah, for letting me share my story. I hope other newbie writers can see that sometimes the long game is the best way to go.
I’d love to give away a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Tell me: what do you love about series? What makes you want to go beyond the first book? A random commenter will win the prize!
The Making of Marnie Jones
What’s better than love in the beautiful Cedar Valley in British Columbia, Canada? Find small town romances with a touch of angst, a bit of heat, and a lot of heart…
Each novel is a standalone, but they are best read in order: The Luminosity of Loriana Harper(A small town interracial romance) The Making of Marnie Jones (A small town enemies-to-lovers romance) The Redemption of Remy St. Claire (A small town single-father fake-marriage romance)
Love without limits.
Librarian Marnie Jones has reinvented herself. After horrors that changed her forever, she’s built a new life and has found what she believes to be safety and quiet happiness. She hopes she’s outrun her past, but all that changes when a stranger comes to the small town of Mission City, British Columbia.
Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance. She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.
What will you learn in 2023? That wasn’t a question that I expected to ask but found myself pondering after a friend stated she had enrolled in Japanese classes. She’s not planning on traveling to Japan or any area with Japanese as a primary language, but stated it was something that she always wanted to learn. A few years ago, she became an empty nester and found herself with mounds of free time. She also discovered that she had “lost” herself. Like so many mothers (and fathers), she had set aside many of her hobbies and interest to raise her children. Basically, she had gone to her nine-to-five and returned home in the afternoon to be wife and mother. Her days, nights, weekends, and holidays had been centered around her family and family duties. Then one day, proof, it was drastically changed. No longer did she need to transport little ones to sports practices and recitals. She didn’t have PTA meetings or costumes to sew. In the afternoons, when she returned, she had no need to prepare large meals or have piles of laundry waiting for her. Her house no longer was in disarray from discarded sweaters, toys, and game controllers strewn across furniture and floors. All was calm and quiet.
She didn’t complain that her life had changed and slowed. In fact, she welcomed it. She had looked forward to it for many years. But when it finally happened, it stunned her. Her once full life now had voids. She had nothing to do, nothing to occupy her time. It wasn’t until then that she realized how much of herself she had relinquished. For a long time, she had to reflect on her past to try to remember how she filled her days. She commented, “I don’t remember what I did or how I filled my days before I had children.”
When she attempted to revisit past joys and hobbies such as painting, sketching, and collecting, she found that she didn’t enjoy it as much anymore. Other pasts interests had evolved or disappeared, such as internet comic chatrooms and writing to pen pals. She had moved away and lost contact with many of her friends. Places she used to visit to spend time had long ago shut their doors. She found herself with nothing to do, and no one to do anything with.
“The crazy thing is,” she admitted, “I had been preparing myself for the day my children left. I used to tell them all the time that once they were grown that I would do all the wonderful things that I wanted to do. I intended to do them, too, only I didn’t know what those things were. I went from having dozens of texts and my phone continuously blowing up to days without a single message. And all of this was compounded by the shutdown. It was tough and depressing. Then I thought, I’m not dead. There must be something that I could do, that I wanted to do, that I would enjoy. That’s when I decided to learn Japanese. It had always been a language that fascinated me. I thought, ‘Why not? I have time. My brain still works.’”
This conversation prompted me to ask other people if they were learning any new hobbies in 2023, and I was surprised to learn just how many of them were. Most pointed to the pandemic as the motivation. “I never want to be confined like that again,” one friend admitted. “It seemed once I couldn’t go anywhere that I wanted to go everywhere. I’d watch social media, and there was so much that looked interesting. The problem was that I didn’t know how to do any of it, and I didn’t have the materials needed to try to learn. I vowed that once the world returned to normal, I would join in it—not as a bystander but as an active participant. YOLO.”
In total, over the span of two months, I asked sixty-one people what they were learning new in 2023. My closest compadres heard me ask so much that they began asking people and sending me emails and texts of the answers. It was insane how one question grew. However, once I had the answers, I didn’t quite know what to do with them…that is until today when I sat down to write. So, here I am sharing and hoping others find this useful and/or interesting. Here is a list of the top answers.
Hogwarts Legacy
Cloud computing
Foreign language
Content creating
Genealogy
Skincare
Martial Arts
Landscaping/Gardening
Car restoration
Video editing
Digital marketing
Geography
Piano/Musical
Singing
Sky diving/Parachuting
Yoga
Home brewing
Pottery
Meditation
Cooking/Baking
Magic
Rock climbing
Scuba diving
Sailing
Wine
One final note, on March 31, Out of the Penalty Box, the first book in my Locker Room Love steamy sports romance series will be available for free download for a limited time only. To get the link and be reminded when it is available for download, sign up for my newsletter which will contain all of the information.
And that’s all that I have. Now, it’s your turn to sound tell me you think? Are you learning anything new in 2023? If so, what is it and what has inspired you to do so? Have you had feelings like any of the people described in this post? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
If you like this post, please click the like button and share it. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read. If you’re not following me on Creole Bayou blog, what are you waiting for? There’s always room at the bayou.
Get ready. It’s time to hit the ice again. Future Goals has arrived and is available for download.
When a college hockey player needs the help of an attractive older attorney, he gets more than he bargained for when trying to sort out the troubles in his career. Falling in love was never part of either man’s plan, especially as Corrigan’s and Sacha’s lives should never have collided. Now they’re left questioning if they’re standing in the way of the other’s future goals, or if there’s room for redirection.
Missed the first four books in my hockey romance series? No frets.
Out of the Penalty Box (book #1), where it is one minute in the box or a lifetime out, is available at http://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links on where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit http://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.
For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays, and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.
Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.
Author Bio
Genevive Chamblee resides in the bayou country where sweet tea and SEC football reign supreme. She is known for being witty (or so she thinks), getting lost anywhere beyond her front yard (the back is pushing it as she’s very geographically challenged), falling in love with shelter animals (and she adopts them), asking off-the-beaten-path questions that makes one go “hmm”, and preparing home-cooked Creole meals that are as spicy as her writing. Genevive specializes in spinning steamy, romantic tales with humorous flair, diverse characters, and quirky views of love and human behavior. She also is not afraid to delve into darker romances as well.
When Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he is quoted as saying, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.” While Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred the hearts and minds of many against slavery, Mary Ellen Pleasant struck an actual blow against it.
Born free in 1814, Pleasant was brought to Nantucket to work as an indentured servant for the Husseys, an abolitionist Quaker family in whose store she developed a knack for business. While with the Husseys, Mary encountered the blacks of Newtown who grew into a prosperous middle-class thanks to the whaling industry. She married James Smith, an abolitionist who identified as Hispanic. They hobnobbed with the abolitionists of Boston and helped runaways get to Canada. Upon Smith’s death, Mary inherited a sizable fortune and continued her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. In 1848, she married John Pleasants, a former slave and abolitionist who worked with her for twenty years against slavery.
She moved to San Francisco during the gold rush of 1849 and created wealth as a commodity trader, a money lender, and owner of businesses like laundries and lodgings and the Bank of California. She continued her abolitionist activities by using her money to help slaves escape from their masters who brought them there. Her ultimate contribution to the cause of ending slavery came in 1858 when she went to Canada and gave John Brown $45,000, $1.3 million in today’s dollars, for the raid on Harper’s Ferry. She laid claim to being the author of the note found on him when he was executed. She dictated an account of this in 1904’s How A Colored Woman Aided John Brown.
Her fight for civil rights in San Francisco continued when she brought two racial discrimination suits against streetcar companies in San Francisco, both ultimately settled in her favor. She established black schools and fought for the repeal of Jim Crow laws, earning her the nickname, “The Mother of Human Rights in California.” In his book Black Fortunes, Shomari Wills shares how she amassed a fortune of $30 million dollars, making her one of America’s first black millionaires.
It never ceases to amaze me how women like Mary Ellen Pleasant used the skills they had, in her case, the talents of a cook and domestic with a keen eye for business, to make life better not only for themselves but for others as well. Being a philanthropist was just a way of life.
In Black Fortunes, I learned her last days weren’t free from the drama racism wreaks upon the lives of pioneers like her, but thanks to this video done on her by a local San Francisco TV station during Black History month she at least has been given her due for posterity…
For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, leave a comment on what you think about Mary Ellen’s life.
Better to Marry than to Burn
Wife Wanted: Marital relations as necessary. Love not required nor sought…
A bridal lottery seems the height of foolishness to ex-slave Caesar King, but his refusal to participate in the town council’s scheme places him in a bind. He has to get married to avoid paying a high residence fine or leave the Texas territory. After losing his wife in childbirth, Caesar isn’t ready for romance. A woman looking for a fresh start without any emotional strings is what he needs.
Queen Esther Payne, a freeborn black from Philadelphia, has been threatened by her family for her forward-thinking, independent ways. Her family insists she marry. Her escape comes in the form of an ad. If she must marry, it will be on her terms. But her first meeting with the sinfully hot farmer proves an exciting tussle of wills that stirs her physically, intellectually, and emotionally.
In the battle of sexual one-upmanship that ensues, both Caesar and Queen discover surrender can be as fulfilling as triumph.
Excerpt:
Why would a woman of obvious education and means be willing to brave the hardships of life out West as an ex-slave’s mail order bride? With grave ceremony, he withdrew, unfolded, and then read the letter.
Dear Mr. King,
My name is Queen Esther Payne. I read your ad and found your inquiry both refreshing and intriguing. I stand five feet six and weigh one hundred forty pounds. All of my six brothers will attest that I am no wallflower and do not fear hard work. Also as I come from one of the most respectable families on Lombard Street, my Philadelphian stock guarantees I have the ability and the requisite knowledge to help you establish a legacy in Douglass. I can commit to the two years you require, provided the marital relations are limited to the “as necessary” stated in your ad. I am willing to negotiate if more than two years are required.
I have only had relations with women, so you need not fear I will fall in love with you. Thus your “love neither required nor sought” dictum proves no obstacle. However, my woman-loving-woman proclivities may disqualify me in your eyes. If so, I await your refusal. If not, I anticipate your proposal.
Sincerely,
Queen Esther Payne.
Caesar read and reread the line again.
I have only had relations with women, so you need not fear I will fall in love with you.
His Emma had only known women too until she united with him. Could fate be so kind as to smile upon him twice?
I love writing novellas for The Wild Rose Press. When the idea for the Passport to Pleasure series came up, I seized on the opportunity to write a story. I set Valentino in Vancouver in my beloved Vancouver and also placed it in the world of the film industry, pulling in characters I’d created previously. I wrote that gay romance under my penname Gabbi Grey. Then, because I was so excited, I wrote another novella set in that world—You See Me. Only that was a lesbian romance for the Jelly Beans and Spring Things call – again, for The Wild Rose Press. (Coming out next month!)
I wasn’t finished, though. I had so much fun with the Passport to Pleasure book, I needed to write another one. Steamy story? Lots of sex? Exotic location? Sign me up! The parameters were: erotic story, American tourist, stamp in a passport.
Where to start? I have a friend who lives in Argentina who spoke lovingly of her country, so I decided to ask her for advice. She said she’d sit down for a chat about Argentinian culture and, more importantly, read my book for inaccuracies. Okay, so I had an American, an Argentinian, and…? I realized I needed a Canadian. I’d written a couple of books (for The Wild Rose Press’s Deerbourne Inn shared world series) with just Americans. Well, my first book My Past, Your Futurehad a dead Civil War soldier as a ghost and a Scottish professor. You get where I’m going—I had very little experience writing without Canadians in my stories. This new book had to be under my penname Gabbi Black. To that point, I’d only published a trilogy under that penname—set in Vancouver in the BDSM community.
My mind whirled. Why not make this a ménage story? With an American, an Argentinian, and a Canadian? More specifically, a Texan, a Vancouverite, and a hot person from Buenos Aires.
I rolled up my sleeves…and realized I didn’t know who was who. Slowly, I began to work through the possibilities in my mind. Eventually, in one of those BOOM moments I often have, I realized my three: Joaquin the Argentinian, MacKenzie the Texan, and Kimberly the BDSM Domme from British Columbia, Canada. I wanted this to be a true MMF story—and pulled on my writing experience of gay stories to develop a strong triad with lots of hot sex. I was also adamant there be three strong sides to the triangle. This relationship wouldn’t work without all three of them and all three have major roles to play.
I spent half an hour plotting the story (which went out the window by chapter two, big surprise), and I sat down to write my story. Unlike my dark erotic BDSM romances, I wanted this one to have very little angst—I wanted this to be a tourist (or tourists) having a good time. Throw in a whip, some bondage, lots of sex, and a virgin…and I had my story. I wrote it in a week and a half, pushing through to get the words to craft a story I hoped readers would like. My Argentinian friend came up with the perfect title, and I submitted it to the publisher.
My editor loved it. We made some minor changes, but the book got approved and then I had to wait for just the perfect moment to release it. And that would be today! I fell in love with the cover instantly because it so accurately portrays the relationship between the three main characters.
The question posed is—can three people from three different countries have a happy ending? You’ll have to read the book, of course, but I think I ended things perfectly. Obviously, I hope readers enjoy it.
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card, let me know: have you ever ventured into the world of threesomes (or more)? MFM, MMF, MFF, FFF, MMM…the possibilities are endless. Is there one you think I should check out? And if you haven’t ventured there, what would entice you to try one…? Drop a comment and a random commenter will win the gift certificate.
Thanks again, Delilah, for letting me talk to your fabulous readers!
Bonding in Buenos Aires
From a ménage of friends to forever lovers.
Argentinian Joaquin Perillo met MacKenzie and Kimberly at a cybersecurity conference two years ago. Another conference in Houston and video chats sealed his attraction for them both. Now they are visiting him in Buenos Aires, and he has so many plans for them—in and out of bed.
Canadian Kimberly is a security analyst by day and a Domme at Vancouver’s premier BDSM Club Kink at night. She can’t wait to see her men again so she can whip them into shape.
Texan MacKenzie is a computer geek who spends all his time with code. That is until he meets the beguiling Kimberly and the fun-loving Joaquin. Suddenly, he’s ready to break out of his self-imposed exile.
The triad have ten days to enjoy their ménage before they have to return to their prospective countries. Because their relationship can’t cross borders or become permanent…right?
Even though Gabbi Black is a firm believer in happy endings, she makes her characters work for it in every romance she writes, no matter what the genre. From contemporary to BDSM, they are penned early in the morning in her home in beautiful British Columbia while her trusty ChinPoo dog keeps her company. She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary small town romances as Gabbi Powell.
