Guest ~ Ginger Simpson
We’re excited to welcome Ginger Simpson to our pages today to tell us more about her special blend of historical and romantic fiction.
Genres – What two do you think mix together best?
This is an easy question for me. I have to say historical and romance, especially if the setting is in the old west. For those who know my work, it’s quite apparent from my backlist that my favorite genre is western historical romance. In fact, my latest release, Odessa, adds to my collection and makes my sixth book published in the genre. Although I am a confessed genre-hopper, I always seem to migrate back to what I love and feel comfortable writing.
Here’s a blurb and excerpt from Odessa. I hope you agree that I can blend the genres together naturally and in an entertaining manner:
The wagon carrying Odessa Clay and her father overturns, killing him. Alone and scared in the middle of the desert, she faces finding her way to Phoenix and Aunt Susan. Food and water run out, and Odessa is near death when Zach Johnson finds her. Squinting up into his tanned and handsome face, Dessie believes she’s died and gone to heaven.
Would-be-outlaw, Zach Johnson finds an unconscious woman alone in the middle of nowhere. Where did she come from? First glance: she appears young, but the curves beneath the dusty gingham say otherwise. He didn’t plan to become someone’s hero, but how can he leave her stranded?
Will the promise of Odessa’s sweet lips lure Zach from the secret mission that has his gut twisted into a knot? His father’s ranch isn’t the only thing at stake—now it’s his heart.
Excerpt:
Bright sunlight and growing heat woke Odessa. She bolted upright, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. How could morning be here already?
A pain seared along her spine when she moved, and her neck refused to turn. Had she slept in the same position all night and fused all her muscles into a knot? A bit of discomfort was a small price to pay to wake up safe and alive. If a coyote had howled or a snake slithered across her, she’d not been aware of it.
She stretched her arms over her head, shrugged her shoulders and yawned. Her grandmother had always complained about ague and rheumatism. Was this how she’d felt? Despite Odessa’s aching body, a ray of hope broke through her despair, if only for a fleeting moment. She smiled and found hope. Prayer held power; she’d lived to see another day.
After finishing the last biscuit and a bit of salted pork, Odessa took a sip of water. She gathered her belongings inside the blanket, optimistic once again. Even with her stiffened joints and muscles, she’d had a good night’s rest and felt eager to get started before the sun rose higher. After a brief squat behind the rock, she arranged her hair back under Papa’s hat and set off, following a trail that twisted and turned then disappeared from sight. She hadn’t removed her shoes and socks for days for fear she wouldn’t get them back on again. Each step reminded her how far she’d come.
The heat grew fierce. Odessa’s dress clung to her like bark on the old oak tree next to her house—or what used to be her house. Papa sold the home to the bank for very little profit. His desire to leave Tucson was more important than money.
Money! She gasped. She’d left the small amount Papa had packed in his valise. The thought never occurred to her before now. Still, there was no way she’d backtrack to get it. Let whoever found her father reap the reward. Hopefully, they’d earn the few bucks by seeing to his remains. Guilt still gnawed at her for leaving him. She pushed onward, trying to think only of Aunt Susan’s smiling face and welcoming arms.
Odessa’s legs turned leaden. Salty sweat dripped from her brow into her eye and burned like blazes. She knuckled at her closed lid and grimaced. Instead of her usual sip, she whipped the canteen up to her mouth and took a long draw. She felt faint and hoped the water would wash away the feeling.
Ahead, everything blurred but not from rising heat waves. This was different. Dizziness clawed at her, making her unstable on her feet. Her head throbbed, and her neck sagged to her chest like a melting candle. The ground zigzagged beneath her gaze then rose to meet her. Helpless in a heap, her fingers stretched across the gritty dirt, searching for her rifle. She fought against the darkness that sucked her into an endless hole.
Zach Johnson kept his horse at a steady pace along the rutted trail leading towards Charleston. He’d left Phoenix before sunup yesterday. Swiping a sleeve across his sweaty brow, he arched his back away from the saddle cantle. Too much time had passed since he’d made a long trip by horseback.
With no end to the cactus and scrub brush, his mind whirred. Was he a fool getting involved with the outlaws? He had played poker with a friend of Pete Spence, a known fugitive from Texas, when the man passed through Phoenix and stopped at the saloon. He seemed a nice enough fellow, but too much corn whiskey made Zach loose-lipped about needing money to keep the bank from reclaiming his father’s ranch. By day’s end, Zach lost what little money he had in the game, and driven by desperation, accepted the offer to join Pete and his cohorts in a holdup.
The sun raged like a fire in a baker’s oven. Squiggly lines drifted upwards from dirt hardened by lack of rain, then dissipated into the sky. Zach squinted at a strange-looking dot up the trail and shook his head. People frequently lost their belongings that way. Whatever lay in the road most likely had little or no value. He pulled his canteen up and took a swig.
The spot in the road grew larger as he neared. The image resembled a heap of clothing until he closed the distance and realized he’d found a person. He widened his eyes. The red and white gingham wasn’t just discarded rags. The material was a dress worn by a woman—and a very young one it appeared. After reining in his horse, he dismounted and yanked his canteen from the saddle horn.
Zach knelt and cradled her head in the crook of his arm, then removed her oversized hat. Blonde hair spilled out and dusted the ground as he fanned her. She still had color in her face, but didn’t move. He bent and put his head to her chest and listened. Her heart beat slow and steady. Straightening, he released a pent up breath. She was alive. His gaze traveled the length of her.
Scuffed, dusty boots poked out from the tattered hem of her dress and the hands at her sides bore scrapes and cuts. Dirt stained the once-white cuffs at her wrists and smudged her cheeks. A rifle lay close by, along with a half-filled canteen, judging from its weight. Where had she come from? He scanned around for a hint but saw nothing but endless desert.
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I’d like to thank my host for having me here today, and I invite you to visit my blogs, Dishin’ It Out and Cowboy Kisses. You can also find all my work on my website. Odessa is available in print and download, as are most of my offerings. You can find them all on Amazon.
Spice Up Your Life with Ginger
Ginger Simpson
Guest Blogger ~ Beth Wylde
Our guest today is Beth Wylde, founder of the Sapphic Planet author group and co-editor of its new release by the same name. We’ve asked her to tell us how this all began – take it away, Beth!
I get ideas in my head that don’t leave me alone until I type them up. I am in no way, shape or form a plotter. My muse speaks and I listen and translate.
In early 2004 I was deeply involved in the fanfic community. Fanfiction fans are some of the best in the world. They give feedback unlike any other group I’ve ever been a part of. One of the readers happened to be an editor at a small new e-book publisher and she contacted me offline when she read one of my original spin-offs. The offer to submit a short for an anthology they were putting together both shocked and delighted me. It was the chance of a lifetime and even though I knew rejection was highly possible, and pretty likely, I had to try. The story I ending up writing was so far from what they’d requested it was frightening.
In fanfic my favorite pairings were the slash ones, the ones that put the guys with guys and occasionally women with women, but the story I had to write needed to be guy/girl. No big deal. I could do that. None of the places I bought books from sold gay stories anyway so to make it in the business I thought you had to write het or nothing. Was I ever wrong.
I didn’t sit down to write an erotic lesbian romance. I needed mainstream. You know the basic formula. A rather weak and whiny female finds herself in trouble. A strong man swoops in to save her. They fall in love and then into bed, and the rest is history. That’s what they expected of me. That was the kind of story I had to make come alive. My mind and my heart went a totally different direction.
I tried, I really did, but my main character wasn’t cooperating and one of the background characters swooped in and took over. She swept my damsel in distress off her feet and right into her dorm room where she introduced my shy little neophyte to the joys of lesbian sex. As I typed up the last sentence and sent the story off I knew my writing career had ended before it had even begun. Once again I was wrong.
The publisher took the story and included it in the anthology. It was the only lesbian story in a sea of heterosexuality. I got a couple good reviews but most of the places the book went did not read or enjoy same-sex stories and they were very open in their reviews about that fact. Not long after the book was released, the publisher closed down, taking everyone’s money and story rights with them. I never saw a red cent from them and neither did any of the other authors, but I learned two valuable lessons. One, do lots of research before submitting to a publisher. Two, if a small new publisher was willing to take a chance on a lesbian story there had to be other publishers out there that would do the same. Hopefully legit ones that wouldn’t screw me again, but I had no idea where to start looking.
I didn’t write mainstream stories and I knew I never would, but I was clueless about where to find others in the same boat as myself. I needed information about lesfic publishers and reviewers and I was desperate to connect with other authors in the genre. Hence the creation of Sapphic Planet, a group for authors and aspiring authors of lesbian fiction. Before I knew it the small group of twenty or so grew had grown to over sixty members and we’re still growing.
Our main goal is showcasing serious lesbian writers and providing them with a safe place to come together and talk shop. We want the world to know there is quality lesbian fiction available and where to find it. During one of our first chats we started throwing ideas around about a group project. Out of the brainstorming came Sapphic Planet, the anthology. A mix of sweet, sassy and sexy erotica designed with everyone in mind. There’s something in this book to please even the pickiest of readers.
The Sapphic Planet website is http://www.sapphicplanet.com/
For more info or to join the Sapphic Planet writer’s group you can email Beth Wylde at b.wylde@yahoo.com
We also have a readers group where fans can interact with their favorite SP authors. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sapphicreaders/
Thank you so much, Beth! Readers might also like to join Beth’s reader loop at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bethwylde/. To enter my contest for one free download of Sapphic Planet, check out my interview at A Naughty Reader’s Boudoir and leave me a comment. Contest runs through Saturday and I will draw a winner Sunday, February 26.
Sapphic Planet is HERE!!
Just released!
Come to our live chat at Night Owl Reviews, 7pm eastern tonight for a chance to win a copy – or stop by my interview at A Naughty Reader’s Boudoir and leave a comment any time this week to enter the drawing for a download!
BLURB
Welcome to the Sapphic Planet, a literary realm where women are free to love one another without fear of prejudice or reprisal. Inside these pages you’ll discover nineteen stories written specifically to tease and titillate your senses.
From a frolic in the rain with a Bathing Beauty, to a concerned sibling showing his sister some Brotherly Love, and everything in between – whether you’re in the mood for steamy romance or unrequited lust, we’ve got a story guaranteed to satisfy your cravings.
This anthology showcases just a fraction of the talent from the writers of Sapphic Planet, a group specifically created for authors and aspiring authors of quality lesbian literature. Now sit back, relax and enter our world. Afterwards, while waiting to catch your breath, take a moment to visit us online at www.sapphicplanet.com
Author———————Title
Allison Wonderland—–Bathing Beauty
Jean Roberta————–Fame
Kissa Starling————An Act of Passion
Jodi Payne—————-Licked
Jennifer Cross————Patience
Dylynn DeSaint———-Haircut
JT Langdon—————Eyes of Surrender
Nan Andrews————-Her Smile
Meg Leigh—————-Two Steps Back
Fiona Zedde—————‘Love, Zora’
Ann Cory——————Her Forever
Adriana Kraft————-Accidental Contact
Dalia Craig—————-A Secret Liaison
Stephanie Rose————Traffic Stop
Tenille Brown————-Taming Tildy
Kira Chase—————–Seduced
Moondancer Drake——-Top Priority
Roxy Katt——————The Ungirdling
Beth Wylde—————-Brotherly Love
BUY LINKS
Guest Interview ~ Tonya Kinzer
Today we’re thrilled to have Tonya Kinzer as our guest ~ an erotic romance author with her own special brand of soft, enticing BDSM. We’re sure you will enjoy her, and she’s offering a gift certificate to one lucky reader who leaves a comment between now and February 14. Good Luck, everyone!
Why don’t you start by telling us about yourself (Where are you from? What do you write/do in the publishing world? What do you do when you’re not writing — your “day” job, hobbies, obsessions, etc.?) I’m the sweetheart next door, of course! *wink* My friends and neighbors would never guess I write as Tonya! If they did, I’m sure their eyes would pop from their head in shock so yes, I use a pen name and love being Tonya and taking advantage of her personality here online! I began writing The Boss’s Pet series as a short story to my wonderful, supportive husband and as I added to the story, it’s grown into four books with more to come! Writing about office romance is easy for me because that’s where we spend most of our time. We have our own business with more than one location so it keeps us very busy but also allows us to travel for corporate conventions.
When I’m not writing, I keep my websites and net pages updated, design covers, web banners, post cards, blog on several sites, am part owner of Naughty Readers Boudoir (http://naughtyreaders.com) with Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle, a great erotic writing duo and I enjoy being in my garden when the weather warms. I also write in another genre where those friends and readers have no idea Tonya exists due to both genres being different from one another and I need to keep it that!
Do you own an ereader? Why or why not? If so, what’s on it? I own a Nook and love it. The color is the main reason I chose a Nook over the Kindle, but now they have Kindle Fire. I can take it anywhere and read anything without fear of being criticized for what I’m reading. My library consists of many genres including erotica, suspense, historical romance, contemporary romance and more.
Tell us one thing about yourself people would be surprised to learn. I’m more outspoken online than in person but I think most people are. In real time, I’m the one off to the side watching people rather than being the center of attention or giving out so much advice and being chatty.
Tell us about your writing: How long have you been writing? What genre(s) do you write in? What have you written (short stories, novels, etc.)? What works are currently for sale? Where? Since I also write in another genre, I’ve been doing that for 20 years but only decided to self publish a few years ago and that’s been a great learning experience. I love marketing and sales so that part comes easy for me. I’m a computer geek, too, so am always learning no matter what I’m into be it a new way to upload books, a new site to sell my work or helping out new authors trying to find their way. Other authors helped me when I started and I enjoy giving back.
In a few months, I’ll probably begin book five in the series and take Nick and Sondra on another adventure where she will learn more about this lifestyle she now craves. I plan to do a few books outside the series completely different perhaps, I’ve not yet decided on that. Will I decide to one day submit a manuscript to a publisher? I’m also undecided on that. Follow my blog and visit my website to find out what’s happening with me.
What made you chose to write erotic literature in particular? Is there any other genre you’d like to write? And if so, why? Erotic literature allows us a license that normal romance writing doesn’t. We can push the envelope, so to speak, and write pretty much anything we’re comfortable with. Our readers love to let us know what they think and send us ideas on what to do next. I love it! Writing about the Dom/sub lifestyle interests me although I’m not into the pain and torture like some areas of the lifestyle include. I prefer writing about the soft bondage and sensory deprivation areas as well as the concept of having control taken from my characters and accepting what is done to them and being forced to enjoy it…which in turn creates a need within the submissive to continue and to please their Masters. In future books, I’m sure many will be the erotica and not always about BDSM.
Which comes first when you’re starting to write a new story: character, setting, plot, or theme? The plot and theme come first, then the setting and once those things are in place and I know where the story’s going, the characters begin to show up in my head. I’m pretty visual and can see what characters look like, hear what they say and feel what they feel.
Any advice for those who want to write? Ask for reviews and interview/guest spots on blogs. Many authors are looking for guest authors and many also enjoy helping those new authors get a chance to be in front of readers. Get your website up, Facebook, Twitter, blog, and get your name out there by commenting and tweeting! Find a good critique partner who will help read through for errors and give pointers. Read your work out loud. If it doesn’t read smooth for you, it won’t read smooth for your readers! Learn POV and strive to stay in it. Head hopping makes the reader dizzy and/or they’ll toss the book against the wall! I have a few articles on my website for new readers and enjoy helping where I can.
What’s the sexiest feature on a man to you? And on a woman? Why? That’s hard for me to answer because there are so many things that can be sexy on a man…his jawline, his eyes, the way he looks at a woman, broad shoulders, the muscles of his forearms as he reads a paper or holds a hammer, strong thighs…mmmm….okay, I’ll stop! LOL Oh, I can’t forget confidence. Whether you’re male or female, your confidence alone is sexy!
What’s your own sexiest feature? I’ve been told it’s my eyes and that I talk too much with my eyes. They’re hazel and most days more green.
Are you a book hoarder? Yes, I’m awful. I have cases of read books in the garage and storage and shelves in the office full of books. I can’t let go of my books, especially if I love the cover! Hubby hopes having a Nook will help with the space issue I have!
Tell us about your latest release – we’d love an excerpt, too! I write BDSM and soft bondage so readers won’t find gruesome, painful torture in my books, I’m just not into that. I hope by reading some of my books, readers will get brave enough to ask their partners for more in their sexual life together and not be afraid to discuss what interests them. Holding your needs inside isn’t sharing with your partner and they’ll never know what you want if you don’t speak up.
Their Submissive Switch is book four in the series and although I’ve numbered them, they can be read alone and still make sense. Sondra has learned so much from Nick as he’s trained her along the way but I don’t think he realizes just how well she’s learned and paid attention. She surprises him by taking charge during a few sessions and takes what she wants for a change. There’s also a female/female scene where Sondra realizes that a woman’s touch can create a need that she can’t control…and Sondra’s all about control until it’s taken out of her hands! I have to warn the readers…the excerpt is rated XXX and can be found HERE!
Book Trailer at YouTube
Buy Links
B & N Amazon: US UK DE All Romance & OmniLit
SmashWords Xcite E-books Erotic Escapes E-books
Is there a way for fans and others to contact you? (email, social networking links, etc.)
Website: http://tonyakinzer.com
Blog Site: http://tonyakinzer.blogspot.com
FB Fan Page: http://tinyurl.com/4sh37tk
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_163160073732655&ap=1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/tonyakinzer
BookBuzzr: http://www.freado.com/users/26001/tonya-kinzer
IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/tonya-kinzer.html
Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/tonyakinzer
Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/TonyaKinzer/
More about Tonya ~
Tonya Kinzer is a self-published erotic romance author whose books are quickly climbing the charts at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you’re looking for a romance with a little more spice than the average hot read, you won’t want to miss taking a look at her work. She writes erotic romance for readers who love to become a silent character within the story! You will be pulled into scenes to partake of the activities along the lines of soft bondage and Dom/sub relationships, to feel what her characters feel and taste what they taste…strong sexual desires much like your own! Be prepared to enter a world you’ll not want to leave and can’t wait to get back to…worlds where new submissives and demanding Doms entice you to read more!
Her series, The Boss’s Pet, will take you on a journey alongside Nick and Sondra as they venture into a lifestyle that pulls them deeper into a world of sensuality and submission. You’ll not want to miss any of the books in this series so stay locked on her website to know when the next books get released.
When she isn’t writing, she’s the pet for her own Boss, where she works a few days a week. Her day job is seasonal so this allows her to write during the off season as well as design covers, websites, and promo items. She also enjoys helping other authors where she can with their editing and being a critique partner when time allows.
Bk 1 – The Contract Bk 2 – Office Training Bk 3 – Sharing Among Friends Bk 4 – Their Submissive Switch
Guest Interview: Erotica Author Malia Mallory
Today we welcome erotica author Maria Mallory to our pages!
Why don’t you start by telling us about yourself? Thank you so much for hosting me today! I started self-publishing my writing last year. I’ve been writing on and off for a long time but only got serious recently. In previous careers, I’ve been both a proofreader and a copyeditor and these skills have been very useful. I live in Hawaii with my husband and our cutie dog. I’m hoping that I can make writing my new day job J. I spend my “free” time, such as it is, cooking, reading and watching documentaries.
Do you read primarily print books, ebooks, or both? I have both but I’m buying more ebooks to save space. I am even replacing some of the physical books I have. We have a large number of bursting bookcases in our house and it really helps.
Do you own an ereader? Why or why not? If so, what’s on it? I do! I read on my Kindle, iPad and iPod touch. I was a late adopter but it is a great way to carry many books at one time and it doesn’t take up much space. My husband and I have a huge collection of books and it is nice to cut down.
I have all sorts of things on my ereader. I have cookbooks, writing books, fiction. I’m very enamored with the idea that I can have lots of books without having to find the space for them. It is also nice to have something to read on hand when I get held up, say in a line at the post office.
Tell us about your writing: How long have you been writing? What genre(s) do you write in? What have you written (short stories, novels, etc.)? What works are currently for sale? Where? I’ve been writing since I was a child but didn’t publish anything until last year. I have many notebooks of partially completed ideas hanging around. I’ve had the idea for working my way through the ABCs thematically for quite a few years. I had opportunity to take some time to do this so I dove in and that is where I started last year.
My blog tour centers around my series called The ABCs of Erotica. So far, I’ve published A is for Anal, B is for Beach, C is for C*ck Ring, D is for Domination and R is for Revenge. A through C are also available as a combined volume.
I have also written a few stand-alone stories including Santa’s Backdoor Baby and Mia’s Cop Craving. I’m working on the sequel for Mia’s Cop Craving as well as a steampunk erotica novella entitled Clockwork Caning.
I’ve also been published in two anthologies, The Big Book of Smut Volume 1 and Plump & Sexy: BBW Erotica Anthology.
My published work is available at most major ebook retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AllRomance Books, iTunes, Smashwords, Sony, Diesel, Kobo, Bookstrand and Xcite.
What made you chose to write erotic literature in particular? Is there any other genre you’d like to write? And if so, why? I think I started focusing on erotica because I already had some written that I could begin to work with. I also am interested in mainstream romance, erotic romance and historical romance.
What do you like most about writing? Least? I find it difficult to find the time. I am a terrible procrastinator. I need to be more disciplined about putting aside specific blocks for writing. It is so easy to fritter away time. However, I really enjoy hearing from people that they were entertained by a story I wrote. I also like the feeling of satisfaction I get when a story is complete.
Are you a plotter or a pantser? I’ve written posts about this. I’m a pantser…who is desperately trying to become more of a plotter. I’m hopeful that a little prior planning will help me be more productive during my writing time.
Any advice for those who want to write? Practice, practice, practice and read all you can both about writing and in the genres you are interested in. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Do things professionally. Get edited. Get good covers. Put your work out for beta readers. Present the best possible product you can.
What’s the most useful book on writing you’ve ever read? You know, Stephen King’s book On Writing is quite good. He is very inspirational and had a great deal of terrific advice.
Which is your most popular work in terms of sales? Critical acclaim? Which is your favorite book you’ve written and why? I think the bestselling book thus far has been Santa’s Backdoor Baby followed pretty closely by Mia’s Cop Craving. They are almost neck and neck. I was very fortunate that I received some nice reviews for both of those.
Is there a way for fans and others to contact you?
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/@MaliaMallory
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/MaliaMallory
Blog – http://abcsoferotica.wordpress.com/
Web Page – http://www.maliamallory.com
Tell us about your latest release – we’d love an excerpt, too!
My most recent release is The ABCs of Erotica – R is for Revenge. This is available as a stand-alone title and it is also part of the Plump & Sexy: BBW Erotica Anthology. It was originally entitled R is for Rubenesque but beta readers commented that the theme was much more focused on the revenge aspect and they were right so I changed it.
The story is about a woman who is working as an assistant to a very difficult boss. Eventually she cannot take it anymore and quits. Luckily she lands another position immediately but winds up in the arms of her new boss. He offers her the chance to get back at Victoria (her former boss) and she can’t resist.
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EXCERPT – The ABCs of Erotica – R is for Revenge
He gave Victoria a questioning look. “Well?”
Her face was flushed, and her eyes bright. She simply nodded
“Put your hands together over your head.”
Victoria stepped underneath the hanging ends of the scarf. She crossed her wrists and lifted her arms over her head. Michael wrapped the silken scarf around her wrists and tied them in place. He returned to the drawer and fished out a black eye mask and then returned and tugged it in place over her eyes.
“How do you feel?”
“Excited … Michael, what are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure yet. I guess you’ll have to find out.” He waved his hands around her eyes testing the eye mask. When he was satisfied that Victoria couldn’t see, he crossed to the closet and opened the door quietly. He motioned Grace to come out, but he held a finger to his lips. Grace slipped off her shoes and tiptoed across the room.
Michael returned to Victoria. “You look a little warm. I think you have too many clothes on.” He moved behind her and grasped the waistband of her skirt. He undid the button and lowered the zipper. As it fell to her feet, Victoria’s matching red panties were revealed. Grace moved behind her and could see they were not just panties, but a thong, and Victoria’s ass was exposed.
“My, my, those panties show off your ass. It looks so inviting.” Michael laughed and removed the ping pong paddle from the drawer. He pressed the nubbed rubber face of the paddle against Victoria’s ass. “How does that feel?”
Victoria only gasped in response.
****
Malia Mallory is the author of The ABCs of Erotica series, which includes so far A is for Anal, B is for Beach, C is for C*ck Ring D is for Domination, and now, R is for Revenge. The ABCs of Erotica covers the erotic spectrum from BDSM to ménage and everything in between. More releases in the series are on the way. She has also released Mia’s Cop Craving and Santa’s Backdoor Baby. She has hit the bestselling erotica lists at both Amazon and iTunes. Her books are available in electronic format at major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and AllRomance Books.
For a free copy of B is for Beach from The ABCs of Erotica, head to her website and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.maliamallory.com/Join_My_Mailing_List.php.
Equality for our stories ~ and all LGBTQ persons
I write erotic romance with my husband under the pen name Adriana Kraft. Most of the heroines we love to write and read are bisexual. In addition we’ve written some lesbian heroines and an occasional bisexual hero. So our pairings include M/F, F/F, and M/M, plus ménage, in a range of combinations.
Authors who write stories like ours have just been excluded from entering the “More than Magic” fiction contest based on those pairings – giving us a taste of the discrimination our characters so often struggle with. The contest is an annual one sponsored by the Romance Writers Ink chapter of RWA (Romance Writers of America). In previous years, all romantic pairings have been eligible to enter, but this year, the entry guidelines state that the contest will “no longer accept same-sex entries in any category.”
We’ve been members of RWA for over a decade, and we’ve celebrated two victories with that organization across the years. The first was an attempt by some members to define romance as between “one man and one woman.” Thankfully that went down to defeat, and the organization’s official definition of romance focuses on the following two elements, period:
A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel.
An Emotionally-Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.
The second was the creation a few years ago of an on-line RWA chapter formed by authors of LGBTQ romances. We joined immediately.
Rainbow Romance Writers has been visible and active over the last two days spreading the word about this problem – and, once the first wave of anger settled out, chapter members and chapter leadership have been strong advocates of finding solutions to the problem.
It’s gone viral – several of our members blogged on Friday, Smart Bitches blogged about it yesterday, Suzanne Brockman has been posting on FaceBook, and it’s all over Twitter.
What can you do? Our chapter president, Heidi Cullinen, posted a blog today filled with things authors and readers can do to be part of the solution to the problem. If you care about LGBTQ romance and LGBTQ people, please take a look and get involved.
Join Us for a Four-Way…Conversation
Today we welcome Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle – another couple, like us, writing erotica and erotic romance together. We thought a four-way would be a treat – conversation, that is! We settled into our virtual living room, being hosted at both our blogs today, to share this adventure of writing the sex we love to read with you, our readers – and we have a double give-away today! Readers who comment on Brenda and Steve’s Blog will be entered in a drawing for our newest release, Pushing the Limits, and readers who comment here at our blog, in a drawing for Brenda and Steve’s latest, Rainie’s Lake (a yummy erotic tale with paranormal features, I loved this book!). CONTEST RUNS THROUGH MIDNIGHT EST SUNDAY 1/29.
What is the most exciting thing, for you, about writing this genre as a couple?
Brenda: Hi Adri Ana, love your site and its comfy here! *settling on the sofa beside Steve, places her hand on his thigh* The open communication we have! We ask each other questions that other couples wouldn’t dare ask. Writing with Steve is awesome and the research is well……very good. *winks*
Steve: *placing his arm around Brenda’s neck* Communication is the key but writing with Brenda is a dream job. I’ve learned a lot from her by being able to discuss sexual things other men only wonder about. The wish-bone questions that if they ask their lovers, could take them into a new direction in the relationship.
Ana: Hi back atcha, and thanks for joining us in this four-way… *grins* conversation! Typically, romance is written by women, for women. However, about twenty percent of the readership of romance is men, and I’m guessing that percentage is higher in the more sexually explicit end of the romance spectrum. I also suspect a lot of women who read romance wish their partners could get interested in it and join them – in much the same ways many couples use explicit videos together. Adri and I got excited about writing as a couple, for couples, offering a little something for everyone. We highly recommend that couples read our books together, and for me, that’s exciting. Well, and we love the research, too.
Adri: What will the characters demand of us next? That’s the question that often drives the plotting, the writing, even the editing. The excitement boils over in the process of getting stories on the page until we all – the writers and the characters – agree that we’ve got it down the best that we can. We are often awakened in the night with a new plot twist that a heroine won’t let us ignore. Or an imposing hero has taken umbrage with how his role is shortchanged. The excitement is definitely in the process. Hopefully some of that excitement seeps through the narrative and into the dialogue and action.
How did you get started writing together?
Steve: Brenda and I had classes together in high school. When our 30th reunion was getting close, we both were looking for old friends. Brenda found me on MySpace but I didn’t include my last name, just that I went to Bradwell. She asked me which Steve I was and I asked “How many Steves do you know?” She started naming all the Steves she knew but not me. I told her I was in the band and she knew exactly who I was. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. As we emailed back and forth, cell numbers were exchanged and we found ourselves talking several times a day. I asked Brenda what was on her ‘Bucket List’ because the movie was out at the time. We learned we both had written poems and wanted to be published.
Adri: We’d done a lot of writing together in over our careers, both critiquing each other’s work and co-authoring, so when we got around to writing fiction we already had a fair amount of experience with trying to put thoughts down on paper as a team.
Ana: Well, and much like Brenda and Steve, each of us had harbored dreams of writing fiction since at least our teen years. About ten years ago we had some serious “what do we want the rest of our lives to look like” discussions and this was one dream we decided to commit to. We started plotting and drafting our first novel (which has never been published and probably never should be), I shopped it at my first RWA meeting, we took workshops together, kept submitting and honing our skills, and finally in 2006 our first erotic romance was published.
What made you decide erotica/erotic romance was what you wanted to write?
Brenda: I had written a story, just a few pages, back in 2004 hoping to submit to Harlequin or a romance pub house. I really didn’t think the story would be good enough to publish, so I set it aside. When Steve and I reconnected, we discussed our ‘Bucket List’. Mine was to be published. I mentioned the story, he asked me to email it to him and from there “Best Lover in Town” was born.
Steve: After I read Brenda’s story, I asked her what she thought about making it erotic. After researching to see if there was a market for erotica, she agreed. We used this opportunity to discuss all of our fantasies, likes and dislikes as we wrote “Best Lover in Town”. This allowed us to reconnect and learn about each other. We wrote BLT apart from each other by connecting our computers, Brenda was in Portland, OR and I was in Dallas, TX. The final chapter was written together on the road when I moved her to Dallas.
Adri: When agents and editors assessed some of our early non-erotic fiction manuscripts, we consistently received very positive feedback about our love scenes and our ability to write sexual tension. Then one asked, “have you considered writing erotic romance?” We hadn’t. But the question spurred us on to ask, “why not?” And so we embarked on an even more amazing writing journey.
Ana: Another clue we were on the right track was the realization, for each of us, that our erotic scenes turned us on. We always read all our scenes out loud as we progress through drafting each of our books, and if the scene doesn’t succeed, we know we have to go back to the drawing board (or, perhaps, the choreography *grins*).
What do you hope readers take away from your books?
Brenda: I hope readers will be able to share with their significant other the secret fantasies they crave to try. Our books are very sexual and we don’t hold back on anything under the sheets, in the kitchen or in the shower!
Steve: We write as a couple with both the male and female point of view. This gives the reader a realistic insight to what is happening. Even as a writer, I’m learning how a woman thinks and what she feels. I hope the reader will learn from all the exhausting research we do. *wink*
Adri: We hope readers – individuals, couples, and more-somes – will be affirmed and inspired, perhaps giving themselves permission to dream fantasies that they thought were verboten, or giving themselves permission to try something different, to experiment, to risk to spice up their sexual journey/s. Our characters often do that for us. When we assume we are writing their stories they tend to remind us sometimes rather sharply that we are but the scribes writing the stories they wish to share with us. There have been many moments when our characters take us down paths that we remain uncertain about following. Usually they prove to be trustworthy and true, and we benefit from their adventuresome natures. We sincerely hope our readers also reap those benefits.
Ana: Couldn’t have said it better. Our characters have a great time and get very inventive in their sex lives – we want our readers to come along for the ride and have a good time, alone or together. Above all we hope readers are inspired to enjoy their own sexuality across their entire life span. We surely intend to!
Who do you consider your target audience to be?
Brenda: Hard question. I see more 30 yrs of age and over purchasing our books.
Steve: I thought our sells would have been more females, but the numbers have been about equal. We have sold several books to men who gave them to their girlfriends or wives.
Adri Women and men of legal age who find reading about the sexually adventurous to be entertaining. We seldom write pure erotica, so we write for an audience that enjoys sexually explicit romance. While our characters often have to deal with real life challenges and tragedies, we write happy endings—or at least endings suggest the characters will work out satisfying endings, whether we are watching or not. Within this broad audience of people curious about the sexually adventurous, we do single out at times older heroes and heroines as our “boomer” characters meet the challenge of nurturing and maintaining sexual lives throughout the lifespan. More and more, research and anecdotal evidence suggests that while sexual practices may have to adapt to the inevitable changes of aging, they do not need to be tucked away in a closet of memories, but can continue to be embraced and acted out in many rewarding and uplifting ways. Therefore, our characters offer the hope of sexually fulfilling lives at whatever age.
Ana ‘Nuff said.
Has (or, how has) writing this genre together impacted your relationship with each other?
Brenda: Besides being able to talk about everything, we are very close. So close, we don’t like to be apart for very long. Steve’s my best friend.
Steve: That’s why we write together; eight hours away at a job is too hard for us. When we did work at separate jobs, we talked on the phone during all our breaks. We also complete each other’s thoughts in everyday conversations and when writing. Since we write erotica, we always have sexual conversations. This keeps our relationship in tune and interesting as we research all desires many couples keep secret.
Ana: We had to get comfortable with challenging each other and taking honest critique in ways most of the rest of our marriage hasn’t required. Coordinating and agreeing, not just on the syntax and writing style, but on how a scene unfolds, what a character might be experiencing, which words to best convey it to the reader – it can easily be a tussle, not for the weak at heart. On the up side? Writing erotic romance together has directly fed our relationship, deepened our bond and spiced up our own love life. Sometimes our characters come up with things we’ve never thought of trying – never mind whether we do everything our characters do; even the fantasies are definitely worth it.
Adri: There is little doubt that our relationship, sexual and otherwise, is more robust given that as writers we must live and breathe what we write. That doesn’t mean we’ve tried everything our characters find themselves doing. But at the very least it means they continue to stretch our imaginations! We’ve had the fun and good fortune of visiting many places around the globe that spawn plots and twists and enticing characters—at least, enticing for us. For example, we often say and almost expect Meghan from the Meghan’s Playhouse series to pop in and surprise us one of these days for a weekend romp.
What special qualities do you believe you offer readers because you are writing as a couple?
Brenda: I think our readers/fans see our happy relationship in the comments and post we do on FB and blogger. That we are real, very down to earth and caring of others and each other.
Steve: Brenda and I are each other’s biggest fan. We can discuss anything openly without fear of being put down. I hope the reader can learn from us as a team to please their significant other by seeing both points of view.
Adri: We hope we offer experiences that both halves of a couple can identify with and fantasize about.
Ana: What he said. We hope we’re able to reach inside both genders to write realistic characters, and that we’re able to plumb the depths of real relationships.
Do you have any advice for other couples who’d like to write this genre together?
Steve: Ask questions to each other and answer honestly to get their point of view. When Brenda and I first started writing there were several times when we said, “A man/woman wouldn’t say that, or feel that way”. By talking it out thoroughly, we’ve learned more and more. Don’t be afraid of deep, open talks with each other. What you’ll learn will make you a better writer, lover, and friend.
Ana: It’s pretty crazy and fraught with danger – don’t go there unless your relationship is really solid.
Adri: I’m not sure I see it as so dangerous—but I definitely agree if your relationship isn’t solid, don’t go there. Once you begin to seriously write erotic romance together it will never be just the two of you again. A new heroine, a new hero won’t let you rest until you at least begin to tell their story. They will share your lives completely.
Ana: I can’t resist adding – the extra (fictional) bedfellows sure make life interesting! To clarify, though – the danger I meant was the risk of relationship conflict that might arise from having to challenge each other’s creative products in order to make the combined product even better. What’s fascinating is how frequently it’s the characters who fuel the conflict, and who then resolve it, if we listen to them.
~~~~~
Brenda & Steve: Thanks Adri Ana for having us on your blog. It’s been very fun chatting with another couple who writes together. We’d like to let the readers know about our fifth release, Rainie’s Lake.
Blurb –
Taking a long overdue vacation, Art Instructor Dylan Bishop is eager to start his trip to the cabin in the mountains. When he saw the photo online with the rental ad, he knew this was his destination. Being drawn to the lake nestled behind the cabin with a private dock, Dylan hopes to regain his inspiration to paint.
His vacation takes an erotic turn when he meets Rainie Marks on a foggy morning by the dock. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. However, there is sadness and a mystery about her. Finding his inspiration, he sketches her one evening and unable to resist the passion that has sparked between them, Rainie and Dylan share a sensual night together.
When Rainie tells him the truth about her past and the lake, the mystery she hides unfolds. The key to everything is the lake. Will Dylan be able to help her put the past to rest?
Readers, you can read a free sample here – http://www.freado.com/book/11871/rainies-lake
Purchase links –
All Romance http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-rainie039slake-672449-144.html
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123476
Erotic Escapes Ebook http://www.eroticescapesebooks.com/catalog/Rainies_Lake.html
BRENDA AND STEVE ON THE WEB:
Blog http://brenda-steve.blogspot.com/
Web site http://brendawoodyandstevetindle.webs.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/brendaandsteve
Amazon Author page http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Woody/e/B0058AQHHC/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1324856083&sr=1-1
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/brendaandsteve
ARe Author page http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Brenda+Woody+and+Steve+Tindle
Smashwords Author page http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/brendaandsteve
~~~~~
Adri Ana Thank YOU so much for joining us for this conversation and hosting us at your blog today! We’re sure hoping for more four-ways like this one – it’s just exciting to be connecting with another couple who thinks the way we do about exploring and sharing what keeps us sexually alive through writing erotica/erotic romance!
Pushing the Limits, Book Eight in our Swinging Games series, was just released at Extasy Books and is also available at Amazon.
We started writing the series about three years ago because we were fascinated by the Swing Lifestyle and thought it would be a fun device to deliver a wide range of ménage and other hot sex scenes for our readers. We created our lead characters – a Baby Boomer couple whose kids are grown. Brett and Jen Andrews have decided to try swinging to spice up their sex life, and because Jen has newly realized she’s bisexual. Here’s the blurb for their latest adventure:
BLURB: Their new Unicorn Sarah Creston may be out of town, but that doesn’t stop Jen and Brett Andrews from burning up the wires with some scorching three-way phone sex. While they’re waiting for Sarah, Ryan eagerly pursues Brett for some hot male action, followed by a house party that challenges Jen and Brett’s stereotypes. Sarah finally arrives, exhausted and drained from weeks spent helping her aging parents. Jen and Brett provide total tender care for three days—but when Jen invites Sarah to move in for the whole summer, Brett asks himself, is there a limit?
Here’s a link to an excerpt: https://adrianakraft.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/weekend-dirty-dozen-pushing-the-limits/
Other places to find us:
FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/people/Adriana-Kraft/100001944980679
Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft
GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1578571.Adriana_Kraft
Midnight Seductions http://midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com/
Sapphic Planet: http://www.sapphicplanet.com
Newsletter http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adrianakraftnewsletter/
Adriana’s Author Pages at Amazon.com and All Romance Ebooks
DON’T FORGET!
Comment HERE to enter for a copy of Rainie’s Lake,
and comment at Brenda and Steve’s Blog today to enter for a copy of Pushing the Limits!
The Key to Unlocking Creativity
THE KEY TO UNLOCKING CREATIVITY
Author Elizabeth Kyne talks about trying to hit the magic zone
from where great stories flow
Have you ever had one of those moments where you get lost in your work? Where, somehow, your brain becomes detached from your body and is absorbed into whatever you’re doing. You don’t have to be a writer to experience this, you could be a painter, a model maker or even a dancer. People will often say, “I lost track of time” and that’s because they were so in tune with their task, it’s almost as if it controls them, not the other way round.
As a writer, it’s those moments I strive for. It’s like my inner self has a connection to the page without being manipulated through the filter of my conscious mind. I can tap into my emotional core and express that through my characters, whether they are experiencing love, loss, anger or joy. It’s a very freeing experience and something that – when it happens – gives me that buzz that makes me want to come back for more.
Not as if everyone agrees with me. Some theories of writing great fiction state that every single word should be sweated over; that each sentence needs to be expertly crafted before it is committed to paper. The classic Irish writer James Joyce subscribed to this theory and is said to have a told a friend he had a good day working on his novel as he had written “three sentences”. Clearly, this approach has led to some highly regarded and influential works of literature, but is not the way I want to work or the sort of book I want to read. Indeed, I tried to read James Joyce’s Ulysses once and gave up half way through.
What I want from a book is a good story, characters with real emotions and to have a bit of fun. This, I would argue, comes from tapping into the inner self and letting that creativity roam free on the page. Because, deep inside me, are memories of all the books I’ve read, all the films I’ve seen, all the things I’ve experienced and all the emotions I’ve had. Where else should fiction come from?
Tapping into that creativity, however, is not always easy. These are some of the tips I try (but don’t always succeed) in following:
- Distractions: Don’t have any. It’s obvious to say, but not always simple to implement. You can’t enter the creative zone if you’re constantly bothered by the email or the phone. This is why some writers chose to work in the dead of night. Personally, I like my sleep too much, but whatever works for you. When distractions are a serious problem, I sometimes use a program like Write or Die which fills up the whole screen and nudges you when you’ve stopped writing. Others recommend Freedom for Mac or Windows, which turns off the internet on your computer.
- Dare to be bad: Don’t fret about every single word, sentence and paragraph. Just write it. If you start worrying that you’re writing is a load of rubbish, you’ll stop writing entirely and never find that link between your creative mind and the words on the page.
- Don’t worry about it: This sort of follows on from ‘dare to be bad’, in that the most important thing is maintaining the flow, getting into ‘the zone’. So what if it’s bad? Bad can be improved, whereas nothing is still nothing at the end of the day. Also, don’t get hung up on details. For example, don’t spend half an hour trying to think up a name for your new character, just call him John or something and make a note to think of a better name later. Similarly, don’t stop to do some research. Make a note to check what Paris airport looks like or what type of gun a farmer would have in 1914 (or whatever it is) and keep writing.
- Have a plan: This is somewhat counter intuitive to the above, but for me I’ve got to know what I’m going to be writing before I start. If things are going well, my plan might simply be a sketch of the scene I’m about to write. Eg., “Fred gets involved in a pub fight and breaks his arm”. If I’m struggling a bit, I might sketch it out in more detail: “Fred goes into pub, meets old girlfriend, gets a bit amorous, her new boyfriend turns up…” etc. I can then launch into writing my planned scenes for the day without having to stop and break the creativity.
If all is well, you will slip into that magic zone where the words flow, and you may surprise yourself at what you can write.
I say it like it’s easy, which isn’t always the case. Like many things, the theory is all very well and good, it’s not so easy to put into practice. Nevertheless, it is something to strive for, and something I continue to strive for every day. Sometimes I get hung up on details I shouldn’t be worried about, sometimes I take phone calls or check my email when I shouldn’t. Other people may have different distractions (I have great admiration for people who work at home while looking after small children, for example). The knack is to put them aside for your allotted writing time (be that as short as fifteen minutes or as long as a whole morning) and try to get into the zone.
Because life in the zone is amazing and what can sometimes come out of it is better than when you’re sweating over every word. When everything comes together, it seems like the novel is writing itself and, when you step away you have something which you know has come from somewhere special inside of you. That is what your creative brain has done, it has funnelled your instinct, your experience and yourself into the words.
Like the mountain climber, I try to reach it every day, and like a human being I do not always make it to the summit. But, for the days I do, it is worth the struggle.
*****
Rachel re-invents herself when she moves back to her home town of Aylesbury; with a new job, a new house and a new haircut. But people’s eyes glaze over when she tells them about her life as a forty-something singleton who works in accounts. So why not spice things up a bit? Why not tell her new hairdresser and her new friends about her fantastic husband? Everyone wants to hear about Darren, the man who cooks her amazing meals, cleans the house and takes her to bed for orgasmic sex three times a night! What a shame he doesn’t exist…
…Until she comes home one night and finds Darren sitting in her lounge. And everything she said becomes true: from his sensuous food to his skill in bed. So real, that she believes it.
Not as if living with a perfect is man is… well, perfect…
She can’t find anything because every time she puts something down, he tidies it away. Then there’s the shock of the credit card bill from buying all that gourmet food. Not to mention the sex! Three times a night is great at first, but sometimes all she wants at the end of the day is a sandwich and some sleep.
Then Rachel decides that Darren has to go – and that’s when her troubles really begin.
Elizabeth Kyne takes the absurdities of the modern woman’s quest for love and turns them into an enjoyable romp. She finds the comic in everyday situations, from buying a dress to experimenting with hair dye at home. While, underneath, she comments on the pressure to find the perfect husband and how that quest is doomed for us all.
PAPERBACK
EBOOK
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92446
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/if-wishes-were-husbands/id475075856?mt=11
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/if-wishes-were-husbands/id475075856?mt=11
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-wishes-were-husbands-elizabeth-kyne/1106913246
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ifwisheswerehusbands-606059-150.html
*****
Elizabeth Kyne trained to be a radio journalist and spent her early working years reading news bulletins and writing for magazines. Later, after learning the meaning of “mortgage” and “gas bill”, she decided to do the sensible thing and drop the freelance lifestyle to get a proper job. The job, however, all went horribly wrong and she returned to her first love of writing, and worked on several novels before finding success with “If Wishes Were Husbands”.
Don’t Waste Your Money!
Cruising the web last week to update buy links and review links for my back list, I ran across a reader’s review for the first book in our Swinging Games series at Extasy Books, Anticipation. Let me say first that, like most authors, I’ve developed a tough skin for negative reviews of our work. I’m not writing this blog to refute a negative review – everything this reader wrote is, in fact, true about this book. Here’s her one-star review:
This is a short story about meeting another couple that they never actually meet. I read it in about 15 minutes. Don’t waste your money.
My husband and I write erotic romance together, mostly ménage, and mostly with heroines who are bisexual. We started writing our Swinging Games series about three years ago because we were fascinated by the Swing Lifestyle and thought it would be a fun device to deliver a wide range of ménage and other hot sex scenes for our readers. We created our lead characters – a Baby Boomer couple whose kids are grown. Brett and Jen Andrews have decided to try swinging to spice up their sex life, and because Jen has newly realized she’s bisexual.
Anticipation is a 5,000 word short story that sets the stage for the series. It drops in on our couple just before their first lifestyle encounter. We get to experience with them the delicious buildup of fantasies, expectations and sexual tension – not to mention the tantalizing impact of those fantasies when Jen and Brett make love, just the two of them.
So, if you only want to spend money on actual ménage, absolutely, don’t waste your money on this one – plunge right in anywhere in the series and taste the decadence with Jen and Brett in any number of swinging adventures. By now they’ve been active for three years, and six more books have followed Anticipation.
We’re excited to announce that Book Eight, Pushing the Limits, is scheduled for release this coming Sunday, January 15, at Extasy Books. Here’s a blurb and a link to an EXCERPT:
BLURB: Swinging Games Pushing the Limit
Their new Unicorn Sarah Creston may be out of town, but that doesn’t stop Jen and Brett Andrews from burning up the wires with some scorching three-way phone sex. While they’re waiting for Sarah, Ryan eagerly pursues Brett for some hot male action, followed by a house party that challenges Jen and Brett’s stereotypes. Sarah finally arrives, exhausted and drained from weeks spent helping her aging parents. Jen and Brett provide total tender care for three days – but when Jen invites Sarah to move in for the whole summer, Brett asks himself, what’s the limit?
Guests: Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle
We’re so excited to have as our guests t0day Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle – like us, they’re a couple writing erotica and erotic romance together, with a special emphasis on male and female points of view. Watch these pages in late January for a four way conversation about writing erotica as a couple!
Hi Adriana! Thank you for featuring us on your blog and introducing us to your followers. First we’d like to tell the readers how we began writing together and a little bit about our books. BTW, there’ll be a drawing for one lucky commenter. See details below!
Steve Tindle and Brenda Woody were high school friends in Georgia who reconnected, on a social network, after 30 years of leading separate lives. During their re-acquaintance, they found their past and interests were similar; they had written poems, songs, and both had the desire to be published. Their combined experiences and fantasies inspired their first erotic novel Best Lover in Town, published June 2010 by Charles River Press. The rights for BLT were reverted to Brenda and Steve July 2011. Best Lover in Town was re-edited and re-released with a new cover.
Janet Anderson is searching for sexual magic in the man who can match her in the bed. Janet suspects all this and more lies within her handsome boss, Nathan Lovett. During a work-related visit to Janet’s home, Nathan and Janet give in to an attraction beyond their control, and soon find themselves immersed in a pleasurable night of uninhibited sex and heated passion. To their dismay, their luscious interlude is interrupted, and Nathan must leave on a plane to a far away place; their whirlwind coupling on hold.
Three years pass, and with Nathan gone, Janet’s co-worker and best friend, Madison, urges Janet to end her mourning and explore other possibilities. Janet attends parties and events to fill the void left by Nathan, meeting four other men. Though she experiences new sexual delights and discovers more about herself; her suitors fall flat, and Janet is left longing for the touch of her Nathan. Will the best lover in town return to finish what he started?
Brenda moved to Dallas in 2009 to be closer to Steve, start a new chapter of her life and work on future books. Their second book Temptation Triggers, an anthology of seven erotic short stories, was released June 2011.
Temptation Triggers captures the wickedness of sexual fantasy, the mystery of unexplored territory and the fulfillment of open communication. Among these thought-provoking stories, two friends find themselves drawn into a dark erotic world, a woman encounters a mysterious man and a mature couple discovers hush-hush desires about each other. With different styles of writing, Temptation Triggers reveals erotica that is passionate and spellbinding.
Their latest release Triangle of Secrets, Book One, a ménage M/M/F story, was published October 2, 2011.
Triangle of Secrets, Book One, is the story of three ordinary people trying to make their way in the corporate world and keeping their personal lives out of it. Morgan, the Vice President of a prestigious company, dates her best friend and co-worker, Derek, to hide her secret affair with Scott, the much younger mail clerk. Derek appears with Morgan socially to hide the fact he is gay. He is afraid his lifestyle will hinder promotions. Scott wants out of the mailroom and will do anything his lover asks of him. What happens when Derek and Scott meet at Morgan’s house to fulfill her wildest fantasy? Will the triangle break or will it be completed?
Black & White Affair, submitted in a holiday contest 2010 and received 3rd place, was expanded and is available as a short read.
Works in progress include Rainie’s Lake to be released December 31 and Scarlett’s Cowboy tentatively to be released before the end of the year, but may be in January when we actually finish. Scarlett’s Cowboy, well an erotic cowboy story, was requested to be written by a close friend who loves cowboys. We want to make sure this story meets her wish! Also in 2012 there will be future installments of ménage relationships for Triangle of Secrets.
As you can see we’ve been busy since we met up again. Our stories are penned with the perspective of both male and female point of view regarding sexual desires and pleasures. We both write the POV for male and female, and have been told by readers they can’t tell who wrote what. We compliment each other is this area. This is why it’s awesome writing as a team. We’re both open-minded and not worried at all about asking each other questions. And fans have told us how we met again is the start of a romantic story and we should write a book. Who knows maybe we will. *both of us smiles*
Adriana, thank you again for allowing us to visit! Readers, there’ll be a drawing. All you have to do is leave a comment with your email address. That’s it! The lucky winner will receive a copy of Triangle of Secrets, Book 1 (ebook format their choice from Smashwords). Leave a comment by December 19, 11 PM PST. We’ll draw on December 20. Winner will be drawn through Random.org.
Our links:
Facebook Fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Authors-Brenda-Woody-Steve-Tindle/155085384532803
Blogger http://brenda-steve.blogspot.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/brendaandsteve
Web site http://brendawoodyandstevetindle.webs.com/
Purchase sites:
All books on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/3da3vkb
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/brendaandsteve
All Romance http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Brenda+Woody+and+Steve+Tindle
Xcite Books
Temptation Triggers on B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/temptation-triggers
TT on Fictionwise http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b123962/Temptation-Triggers/Steve-Tindle/?
Adriana Kraft 