 | |
Archive for 'short story'
Thursday, June 5th, 2025
Hello, Delilah! Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the latest charity project I’m involved with! This is my fourth year involved in the Love is All project, and the eighth edition of this great series.
When Xio Axelrod invited me three years ago, I was so honored. I was a newbie queer author, but my first book had been noticed by someone who knew someone and an offer was extended. I can still remember getting the message inviting me to be part of Volume 5. The rest, for me, is history. I fully intend to participate in every future anthology until either the franchise folds or they become tired of me (or I die, retire from writing, or… fill in the blank). In other words, I’m completely committed to this. We’ve raised thousands of dollars for various LGBTQ charities, and this year we’re going to raise even more!
So…my story…
I’m doing two anthologies this month. One is a wedding anthology, and one is this one. I took ‘gay wedding’ to Plot Whisperer, and we had a blast plotting out an enemies-to-lovers brothers of the brides romcom romp. Basically, the two guys don’t get along, but their sisters are in love and getting married. So, the brothers, both standing up for their beloved sisters, agree to bury the hatchet for as long as it takes for their sisters to wed. Only…things aren’t quite that simple. Now, the anthology that the story appears in comes out later this month (drop by this blog later in the month for those details).
Great! I had my story plotted.
Plot Whisperer and I communicate what is early morning for me and late evening for her. That just works (because she’s literally on the other side of the globe). I went off to work, and she went to bed.
Or so I thought.
About ten minutes later, she came back and said, “Please write me a lesbian wedding short story.”
Huh.
Of course! While the brothers are getting up their shenanigans, I had another story to tell! Let me tell you, writing two short stories that take place at the same time was much, much, much harder than I thought it might be. I managed — but with lots of note taking and some rewriting, stops and starts as I tried to figure out which story needed to be written first. Truthfully, at this point I think they were pretty much written at the same time, and I can’t even say which hit the end first.
I had approached Xio and asked if she had a preference for a sapphic or gay story for Love is All. She said she’d love to read the sapphic wedding short story, so I was happy to give that to her. The New Romance Café was thrilled with my gay brothers of the brides’ story, and I was just so relieved I pulled it off.
I hope people enjoy Stephanie and Taryn’s story. Epic proposal through to a fun romp through wedding festivities. All the while, the brides are trying to figure up what their brothers are up to.
Never fear — Cooper and Lachlan’s story is coming soon!
I had a blast. I hope readers have just as much fun reading the stories. And we’re also raising money for a worthwhile cause, which makes things all the sweeter for me.
Thanks for hosting me, Delilah. And for letting me share my story! As a thank you, I would love to give away a $5 Amazon GC to one lucky winner. I’d love to hear — have a cute wedding story? Safe for work, of course! I have a friend who has a story about wayward cows on the road. I don’t have anything that entertaining, but I’d love to hear your story. Random will select one commenter to win. Good luck!
Love is All

This limited-edition anthology features fifteen swoon-worthy novellas and short stories by award-winning and bestselling authors, including A.D. Ellis, Carrie Ann Ryan, Connor Peterson, Gabbi Grey, Jodi Payne, J.R. Gray, Lee Blair, M.A. Wardell, Piper Malone, R.L. Merrill, Skylar M. Cates & Rinda Elliott, Sophia Soames, Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer, Tara Conrad, and Xio Axelrod.
All proceeds from the anthology will benefit an organization dedicated to defending LGBTQIA+ rights.
Love Is All: Volume 8 is only available for a limited time.
Links:
Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/LIAV8
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Love-All-8-Xio-Axelrod-ebook/dp/B0F8VTG8JP
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-is-all-xio-axelrod/1147487039
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-is-all-volume-8
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/love-is-all-volume-8/id6745848319
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234243118-love-is-all
Bios for the authors
Xio Axelrod
Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of different flavours of contemporary romance. She also writes what she likes to call strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.
Chantal Mer
Chantal Mer never set out to write books. Yet here she is, and she’s having a blast. Happily ever afters for everyone make her heart sing.
When she’s not writing, Chantal can be found walking her adorable dog, going to musical theater with her daughter, observing the night sky with her husband and his telescope, and learning about the latest advances in video games with her son. Give her a book and a glass of wine and she’s in her happy place. Chantal lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, two teens, her sweet pup, Miss Toffee and her big orange tabby, Simba.
JR Grey
Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes romance sprinkled with kink, and hot as hell, dark and angsty characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after. Gray uses He/Him pronouns.
Jodi Payne
Jodi Payne takes herself way too seriously and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her queer MCs are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can’t help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after. For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi’s addictions include lattes, a nice cabernet and tequila any way you pour it.
Lee Blair
Lee Blair is a queer author and screenwriter from Oregon who writes low-angst, LGBTQIA2S+ contemporary romance full of sweet, steam, fun, and laughs. She’s constantly amused by the antics of her two ginger cats, spends too much time daydreaming about her next trip to Scotland, and considers starting hobbies its own hobby. Much like buying books and reading books are separate hobbies.
Piper Malone
Piper Malone’s award-winning novels enchant readers with heartfelt, authentic romances. Her stories include a cast of unforgettable characters in a variety of romantic pairings. With snappy one-liners and witty banter, Piper wants her readers to laugh, swoon, and enjoy a well-deserved vacation.
Gabbi Grey
USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.
Susan Scott Shelley
USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Scott Shelley writes romance with heat and heart that celebrates love without limits. She enjoys watching hockey, training for her next run, reading romance novels, and binging episodes of her favorite British TV shows. A city girl who likes being out in nature as often as possible, she has yet to meet a plant she hasn’t wanted to take home and she really wants a pet crow.
Tara Conrad
Tara Conrad is the author behind dark, seductive love stories that burn with passion and power. Her novels dive deep into the shadows of desire, blending emotional intensity with morally gray characters, high-stakes drama, and gripping plots that refuse to let go. Known for her hauntingly beautiful prose and unforgettable love stories, Tara crafts romances where obsession, betrayal, and devotion collide, leaving readers breathless from the first page to the last.
Tara’s married to her soulmate and Dominant, George. They are about to celebrate their 30th anniversary and are more in love today than yesterday. George encouraged Tara to start writing, and with each passing day, she’s more thankful for his insistence that she tell her stories and his partnership on this journey. There’s no one else in this world she’d ever want by her side. He is her happily ever after.
A.D. Ellis
A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as a teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of nearly two decades haven’t driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.
She loves chocolate, wine, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don’t leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.
A.D. uses she/they pronouns.
R.L. Merrill
Whether she’s writing contemporary romance featuring quirky, queer, and relatable characters or diving deep into the supernatural to give readers a shiver, R.L. Merrill loves creating compelling stories that will stay with readers long after closing the book. Ro writes inclusive romance for the Happily Ever After collective, contributes paranormal hilarity to Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, and pens horror-inspired tales and music reviews for HorrorAddicts.net. A mom, wife, daughter, and former educator, you can find her rocking out in her Bronco with Great Dane pup Velma, being terrorized by feline twins Dracula and Frankenstein, or headbanging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area! Stay Tuned for more…
Skylar M. Cates
Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is happy to drink coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Her novels feature strong and passionate men. Skylar loves to craft stories where realistic characters are challenged with emotional situations. Although lately the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar loves to chat with folks from all around the globe.
Sophia Soames
Sophia Soames is a Scandinavian, UK-based, author of contemporary MM romance. She writes stories of everyday people with kids and families living real life fairytales.
Carrie Ann Ryan
Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She’s the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
Connor Peterson
Connor Peterson is a USA Today bestselling author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and dark, paranormal romance, local to the Philadelphia, PA area. The madman behind Deathspell and Temptation in Neon, Connor has also contributed to the story cycle Red Phone Box – published by Ghostwoods Books – and the anthology Nocturnal Embers – published by Crimson Melodies Publishing. He is also an active participant in the Philadelphia writing community,
MA Wardell
Writing as M.A. Wardell, Lambda Literary Award nominee Matt writes spicy queer rom-coms.
His goal is to tell adult gay love stories with a diverse representation of flawed and damaged characters who find healing through love.
Matt loves rom-coms and has always wished for better representation, so he’s writing the stories he wishes existed. The queer men in his stories are flawed and messy. Helping them find their HEA is Matt’s passion.
Rinda Elliott
I write in many genres, always with a love story in the mix. That love story can be M/F, M/M, M/M/F and more. I tend to read more M/M than anything else, so that’s what I mostly write. I’m also an AVID reader, collector of music, and love cozy games!
While all of my books are romantic and sexy, most lean toward erotic. For adult books that are just sexy, there are my Beri O’Dell books and if you’re looking for sweeter, but still sexy, there’s the young adult trilogy I wrote for Harlequin Teen. All of the others? Expect some heat because I love it. I also love unusual stories and credit growing up in a family of curious life-lovers who moved all over the country. Books and movies full of fantasy, science fiction and romance kept us amused, especially in some of the stranger places. For years, I tried to separate my darker side with my humorous and romantic one. I published short fiction, but things really started happening when I gave in and mixed it up. I have several ongoing series, both contemporary romantic suspense and paranormal. You can find out about them in the links above and to the right. When not lost in fiction, I love making wine, collecting music, gaming and spending time with my husband and two children.
“Too Much in Love to Care” inside Love is All by Gabbi Grey
Stephanie
I’ve been in love with Taryn from the moment she climbed out of her tow truck to rescue me and my broken-down car. She’s strong, fearless, and damn beautiful to boot. I have the rings, she said yes, now all I need is to get her to the altar. But our respective brothers, Cooper and Lachlan, seem determined to wreck our wedding.
Taryn
Helping stranded motorists is my superpower, and rescuing Stephanie turned my world upside down. Loving her is the easiest thing in the world. Managing to get married while our brothers fight like cats and dogs is a whole other thing. I can’t decide if I want to elope, or to lock the guys in a bathroom together till they learn how to get along. It’s worse than a six-car pileup, trying to make this wedding and this blended family work out. So will we manage to merge our families seamlessly or are our brothers destined to be enemies forever?
“Too Much in Love to Care” is a 10k short story about a classic engagement, crazy wedding planning, two headstrong brothers, and a lesbian wedding to remember.
Tagged: anthology, contemporary romance, gay romance, lesbian, LGBTQ+, short story Posted in General | 9 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: BN - Debra - Theresa Privette - Mary McCoy - flchen -
Monday, June 2nd, 2025

In 1776 at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa was founded to honor academic excellence and encourage liberal arts and science education. It took one hundred and twenty-three years to induct an African American woman into this society who exemplified their motto, “Love of learning is the Guide to Life.” It took another one hundred and fourteen years for that same woman to be given credit for being the first African American woman so honored. Well, better late than never.
Mary Annette Anderson was born in Shoreham, Vermont, on July 27, 1874. Her father, William John Anderson, was formerly enslaved. Her mother Philomine Langlois was of French Canadian and American Indian heritage. Mary’s younger brother, William John Anderson, Jr., became the second African American man to serve in the Vermont Legislature.
At Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in Massachusetts, Mary excelled in her studies and graduated as her class president in 1895. Upon graduation, she enrolled in Middlebury College. This made her one of the first African American women to attend a New England college before 1900. In 1899, she became the first African American woman to graduate from Middlebury College. She addressed her graduating class as its valedictorian with a speech entitled, “The Crown of Culture.” She also wrote the class song, “Tenting on the Old Camp Ground.”
That same year on December 17, this highly accomplished woman was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa by the society’s Vermont chapter. This made her the first African American woman elected to the society, an honor originally attributed to Harlem Renaissance writer and editor, Jessie Redmon Fauset.
In 2003, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education published biographies of the first blacks to graduate from high-ranking liberal arts colleges. Mary’s 1899 graduation from Middlebury was listed along with her Phi Beta Kappa standing. Thus, an historical inaccuracy was corrected. You can read about this discovery and more about Mary here: https://2024.sci-hub.se/2841/756fc6db1a7880015736393065ee58d5/titcomb2004.pdf
After graduation, Mary taught at Straight College (now Dillard University) in New Orleans then moved to Washington D.C. to teach English grammar and history at Howard University from 1900 to 1907.
On August 7, 1907, Mary married fellow Howard University faculty member Walter Lucius Smith. She appears to have retired from teaching then. She and her husband kept homes both in D.C. and Vermont. Mary died in her hometown of Shoreham on May 2, 1922, at the age of 47.
In 2015, Middlebury College established the Anderson Freeman Resource Center in honor of Mary and Martin Henry Freeman, the first African American president of a college in U.S. history.
An article on Mary appeared in the 2005 winter issue of Phi Beta Kappa’s periodical, The Key Reporter. It shared that among her grandniece Myra’s prized possessions are a copy of Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa key and this handwritten reflection: “I’d like to add some beauty to life—I don’t exactly want to make people know more—but I’d love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me—to have some better joy or happy thought that would never have been experienced if I had not been born.”
She has certainly achieved that aspiration with me. Learning about Mary added beauty to my life.
For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share your impressions of Mary in the comments.
“The $5 Kiss of Life”
By Michal Scott inside First Response

Trapped by the small-town conventions imposed on her, a pastor’s spinster daughter finds rescue in the town bad boy’s very public kiss.
Excerpt:
Beverly sighed. “I’ve always admired that about you, Rob. You don’t care what people say about you.”
He snorted and waved that off. “Sure, I care. I’m just better at handling the slights.”
“No, really,” she insisted. “You don’t seek anyone’s approval. You live by what you’re for, not what you’re against.” She looked at the rates on the booth kissing chart, considered the card in her pocket. “I admire you.” She cast her gaze down. “I wish I were more courageous like you.”
“No time like the present,” he teased.
Beverly looked up and saw him thumb toward the kissing rate chart.
“Do you have the courage to be seen getting a kiss before God and everybody from the town bad boy?”
His cheeky tone stirred amusement in her troubled breast. “I have been toying with buying one or more of these kisses.”
“One of these?” Rob leaned forward. “Or the one on that card in your pocket?”
Buylink: https://amzn.to/3dRvwLE
Tagged: African-American, anthology, Guest Blogger, short story Posted in Contests!, General | 19 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: BN - Debby - flchen - Mary McCoy - cindy bartolotta -
Tuesday, May 27th, 2025
I’m getting back into the writing/publishing groove. It’s been a while, I know. Ignition, the last of the Delta Heat stories, is in the near future (I’m shooting for release in late June!). Then I’ll be working on the next We are Dead Horse stories, Built Like Mack. I’m hoping I can have it ready for late July, but it might be August. It just depends on…well, how I feel, how the story comes together, and how long it takes for me to reawaken my muse. 🙂
In the meantime, I’ve published a compilation of some of my sexier short stories in Ultra Strokes, Vol. 2. For the short term, it’s FREE in Kindle Unlimited. So, if you’re wanting a copy, do it now! Ultra Strokes, Vol. 1, is also in KU, for now, if you haven’t read that anthology yet. Links for both are below. In August, both will go wide to all the usual publishers. Even at $4.99, that’s a nearly $7 savings, if you were to purchase all individually. Both volumes will be available in print in June!
So, if you were looking for something sexy to read, something with a variety of genres, this should do the trick! Happy reading! Wish me luck as I get back on the writing merry-go-round!
Ultra Strokes, Vol. 2

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Delilah Devlin, comes another sinfully hot collection for your reading pleasure…
From the author… This compilation includes twelve stories in a variety of settings and genres. Something for all tastes—so long as you like your romance sexy. Most are contemporary stories, but there are historical, paranormal, and a for-grown-ups-only fairy tale included in the mix. The collection is intended for bedtime reading. Read the stories while you’re alone or with your partner. Read them to your partner. I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.
This compilation includes:
The Bounty
Runaway Bride
Invite Me In
Drive Me Crazy
In the Wild
How to Train Your Skaldmaer
Hunk of Burning Love
Ripples
Dreaming By the Sea
Quincy Down Under
One Track Cowboy
The Obedient Wife
Get your copy!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Ultra Strokes, Vol. 1

Get your copy here!
Also, FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Tagged: anthology, bounty hunter, contemporary romance, firefighter, gods and goddesses, historical, short story, vampire, vikings Posted in About books..., Cover Reveal | 3 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Laura Bowles - Terra Oenning - Delilah -
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025

BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline Extended: June 15, 2025
BURN is open to all authors.
Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.
Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, many times, but here are my thoughts…
Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscles! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series of books.
You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!
It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”
And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand your short story into a novel.
Here’s what I’m looking for…
BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories about those sexy, alpha men who face danger without hesitation and who love unconditionally. Perhaps, he’s the new firefighter in a small town who rescues a woman from a burning building. Maybe he’s an arson investigator, hunting for a predator targeting a local business owner. Or a vulcanologist studying an awakening volcano. Is he an alien from a fiery planet seeking a mate, or an astronaut searching in a mysterious solar system for a new home for colonization? Could he be a fire dragon living in the human world? There are so many ways to go.
BURN will seek stories with varied settings here on Earth—present, past, or future—or on another planet or moon in this solar system or in a galaxy far, far, away. Heroes and heroines might be more than human—supernatural creatures or even aliens and cyborgs.
I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy/girl somewhere on the pages!
The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.
I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.
Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short stories.
This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind that there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please, no reprints. I want original stories.
How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12-point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.
In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-word or less biography, written in the third person, and send to bbbaburn@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than August 15, 2025, with decisions.
Payment will be USD 25.00 ninety days after publication at the end of that month.
Who is Delilah Devlin?
Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance and erotic romance. She has published over two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths and has been published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.
Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, and Sex Objects.
She has also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.
Direct any questions regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bbbaburn@gmail.com.
Tagged: anthology, Bad Boys, erotic romance, firefighter, short story Posted in Call for Submission | Comments Off on Call for Submissions: BURN! Deadline Extended: 06/15/25 | Link
Thursday, March 20th, 2025
It’s Thursday! The week’s nearly over, and my To Do List is getting longer! I spent too long yesterday rewatching episodes of Eureka. I forgot how addictive it is, and I’ve missed Jack Carter. Anyway, I’m popping in here just to do a quick giveaway. If you’re looking for a quick, hot read, look no further! Get your copy now!

When a social media star decides to surprise her rocker stepbrother while he’s on tour, she’s the one shocked…then seduced…by two sexy rock gods…
Get your copy here!
Tagged: contemporary romance, erotic romance, menage, short story Posted in Free Read | 3 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: cindy - Theresa Privette - Debra -
Tuesday, March 4th, 2025

BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline: May 15, 2025
BURN is open to all authors.
Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.
Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, many times, but here are my thoughts…
Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscles! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series of books.
You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!
It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”
And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand your short story into a novel.
Here’s what I’m looking for…
BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories about those sexy, alpha men who face danger without hesitation and who love unconditionally. Perhaps, he’s the new firefighter in a small town who rescues a woman from a burning building. Maybe he’s an arson investigator, hunting for a predator targeting a local business owner. Or a vulcanologist studying an awakening volcano. Is he an alien from a fiery planet seeking a mate, or an astronaut searching in a mysterious solar system for a new home for colonization? Could he be a fire dragon living in the human world? There are so many ways to go.
BURN will seek stories with varied settings here on Earth—present, past, or future—or on another planet or moon in this solar system or in a galaxy far, far, away. Heroes and heroines might be more than human—supernatural creatures or even aliens and cyborgs.
I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy/girl somewhere on the pages!
The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.
I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.
Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short stories.
This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind that there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please, no reprints. I want original stories.
How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12-point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.
In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-word or less biography, written in the third person, and send to bbbaburn@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than July 15, 2025, with decisions.
Payment will be USD 25.00 ninety days after publication at the end of that month.
Who is Delilah Devlin?
Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance and erotic romance. She has published over two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths and has been published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.
Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, and Sex Objects.
She has also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.
Direct any questions regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bbbaburn@gmail.com.
Tagged: anthology, Bad Boys, BDSM, erotic romance, short story Posted in Call for Submissions | Someone Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: flchen -
Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

Today is Tell a Fairy Tale Day! I’m here to tell you fairy tales aren’t just for children…
Fairy tales aren’t what I usually write, but years ago, I did write one for an anthology entitled Fairy Tale Lust! My story was a cross between “Beauty and the Beast” and “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” It’s the story of a very naughty woman who was willing to do almost anything to escape an ordinary life. She’s not the nicest person and is impulsive. It gets her into trouble, of course.
To celebrate today’s fun holiday, go grab your copy of “The Obedient Wife” and enjoy! But be warned: It is an erotic tale!
The Obedient Wife

Find out what really happened between The Beauty and The Beast. Hint: It’s not your children’s fairytale!
Get your copy here!
Tagged: anthology, erotic romance, fantasy, paranormal romance, short story Posted in Free Read | 2 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: cindy - Debra -
|