GUEST BLOG: N.J. WALTERS

Magick is in the Air!

It's only two days until Halloween, or Samhain as it is sometimes called. This is the day when the veil between our world and that of spirit is the thinnest. The nights are long and the days are short, giving us plenty of time to ponder if such things are real or imaginary.

Traditionally, Samhain is the celebration of the final harvest. It marked the end of the summer, of the lighter time of the year, and heralded the beginning of the darker time to come. Bonfires flared to drive back the dark. Turnips were carved and lit with candles to drive away evil spirits. (The jack-o-lantern has its roots there.) In some cultures people donned masks in an attempt to appease the gods. (You can easily see where the idea of trick-or-treating came from.)

It is also the Celtic New Year. It's also known as the Night of the Ancestors, a time to honor those who have passed. It's a time of fresh starts and new beginnings.

No matter what you believe, you know that on October 31 boys and girls will don costumes, masks and makeup and run door-to-door with the familiar refrain of trick-or-treat. Tons of candy and chips and bars will be distributed, and much fun will be had by young and old alike. The smooth sides of pumpkins will be carved into myriad patterns and flicker with the light of a candle, casting a glow in windows and on doorsteps. Nowadays orange and purple lights may adorn the home, along with life-sized zombies and ghosts and ghouls of every kind. It's all in fun.

But sometimes you can get a little more than you bargained for. That's what happens to the character in my latest book--A Touch of Magick--published, appropriately enough, by Samhain Publishing. Rhiannon is a witch, but she's not a very good one. She has trouble casting the simplest of spells. When her two friends join her one evening for dinner, they decide to cast a spell to bring them a lover. During the spell, Rhiannon changes the words and ends up asking for a love that is true instead. Who does she meet but sexy deputy Ryland Stone, who doesn't believe in anything he can't see or touch. It will either be a disaster or a match made in heaven. Maybe even both. What it won't be is dull.

Now I have to see what's going to happen with both her friends. After all, they were part of casting the spell too and deserve books of their own.

Whether you believe in magick or not, there is no denying the magic of love, when two people come together for the first time. Powerful stuff. It's what makes the world go round, what gives us our greatest joys and our most powerful heartbreak. I believe in love and happily ever after or I wouldn't write romance.

May your Halloween be filled with fun and laughter and maybe even a hint of magick. Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain!

N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks--all vie for her attention. It's a tough life, but someone's got to live it.


Check out all my books at my website.

N.J. Walters Blog

Newsletter Group

GUEST POST: JANICE SEAGRAVES

Hi, my name is Janice Seagraves.

Someone recently asked me why I decided to write. I gave the usual flippant answer that the characters in my head wouldn't leave me alone. Which to be honest is more or less true.

But actually I blame my insomnia.

As far back as I can remember I've had trouble falling asleep. At a very young age I started making up stories to pass the time. I'd close my eyes and imagine I was someone else having an adventure.

It had started innocently enough. My parents had taken my sister and me out to a movie. On the drive home, I asked my mom, “What happened next?” She told me to make up an ending.

So I did.

It became a habit with me to think of an alternative ending to a movie that I didn't like, or had a wimpy ending. Or just what happened next.

Then I started to think up brand new stories. I never wrote any of these down, but I would draw pictures. Hey, I was young and truthfully I didn't have a lot of faith in my grammar or spelling.

I finally started to write when I was twenty years old. The stories in my head had started to grow and I had to write them down just to remember them all. I've written short stories to larger pieces over the years, all having to do with the question: what happened next.

Then about eleven years ago I tried to take a class in accounting, but my daughter started to have trouble in school. My hubby and I decided I was still needed at home. Giving up the class wasn't a problem. Apparently I don't have the right stuff to be an accountant. Go figure.

Then I got the bright idea to start to write seriously toward publication.

It was hard at first, because I hadn't so much as taken a writing course. So I bought several books and got a couple of subscriptions to writing magazines. I study the craft of writing. Then I took a correspondence course.

Later I finally got online and the whole world opened up for me. I got a blog, joined writing groups, writer's forums, took (yippee) workshops and made friends with other writers.

Someone suggest I join a new group called Avoid Writer's Hell, started by Faith Bicknell-Brown. The owner had written three (now four) books with the same title as the group, to help writers. (The group no longer exists but the chatter's group and the blog still does.)

I learned so much from this group and had so much encouragement that I finally entered a writing contest. It was for a cover that I thought would fit a manuscript that I had wrote the year before, called Windswept Shores. It's about what happened next after a terrible plane crash.

To my surprise I not only won but I was also offered a contract.

Available from Pink Petal Books: Windswept Shores by Janice Seagraves.

GUEST BLOG: C.R. MOSS

Immersed in Fantasy

Ah, Las Vegas, a wonderful city. It can be a great place for a writer with its many different opportunities for observation and glimpses into the personas of others. At triathlon races and marathons, I’ve seen the sun rise several times over Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, and the strip. I’ve people watched on the boulevard and downtown while traversing around, frequenting the restaurants, and gambling into the wee hours of the morning. I’ve stargazed with others deep into the night at Red Rock. I’ve gone to school here. Then, of course, there are my writing cronies and we can be in a whole category of interesting people ourselves.

Las Vegas is a place where dreams can be made one day and broken the next. A place where if you have the money and/or the right connections your every wish can be met, your fantasies fulfilled, and even if you don’t have the big bank roll or connections, you can still pretty much live out your desires. Las Vegas—a city where you have many chances to become engrossed in fantasies and become inspired.

And one of the easiest ways to become immersed is to see a good show. What constitutes a good show?

That, my dear, is up to your personal taste, and since there are many shows to choose from, it shouldn’t be hard to find what suits you. I’ve had the chance to see quite a few. My favorite Cirque show is Zumanity  followed close by Ka.  I loved Phantom of the Opera.  And, now my favorite male revue show is Chippendales.  Talk about fodder for one’s fantasies. Yowza!

The show/theater was a very high energy venue and loud. My friends and I had a booth toward the back, separate from the main feeding frenzy of excited women. (Yep, I wrote feeding frenzy. I’ll explain in a bit.) The booth seats were an excellent location to watch the show, away from the noise of the crowd, good vantage point…that is until a group of women decided to stand on the chairs. Luckily, the ushers took care of getting them down pretty quickly. Aside from the craziness of the audience, the show was awesome!

Before the performance, there were clips of the Chippendales’ public appearances and photo shoots that played on screens hanging over the stage. Something to whet the appetite before the countdown began, then once it did, audience members were in for a smokin’ hot good time. Twelve scantily clothed men strutted their stuff for about 75 minutes or so. Skits ranged from an 80’s number to men in military dress uniform to firemen. I have to tell ya, though, my favorite scenes were the ones with the vampires and the one with the white couch, the motorcycle and the bed covered in what looked to be white satin sheets. Oooh baby, the three guys gyrating on those props—a triple whammy of sexiness to really get the heart rate up. The emcee, Bryan, had a great voice and James, who played the guitar, was swoon worthy. The dancers also interacted with the audience. For some of the skits, there were ladies who were chosen to go up on stage and there were points when the men fed through the audience and paid attention to the women in/near the aisles. The show was tasteful. The dancers’ naughty bits were always out of sight. That night we were lucky enough to have handsome dancer Juan come and say hello to us. He’s an absolute sweetie and was also fortunate enough to be Man of the Month for September.

After the show, all of the dancers we had the pleasure of meeting were very personable, taking their time to visit with the women in Flirt. Hanging out in the lounge was an experience, too. R.M. Sotera and I hung back while our other two friends obtained autographs and photos. R.M. and I watched the swarm of women go from one man to another as the dancers came out to mingle. I made the crack that the situation reminded me of a fish tank I once had. When it was feeding time, the fish would go nuts at the top of the water in a feeding frenzy—acting out, vying for position for the food... Good thing the men were gracious. Then again, with all those beautiful women, perhaps the men felt like wolves in a huge flock of sheep where they could have their pick. Eventually, the men filtered our way. And, somehow, for the third time in two days, I ended up in front of the camera. (Those who know me know I currently HATE having my picture taken, which is a story for another day.) But that’s okay. We all had a great time that night.

R.M. and I have had the pleasure of visiting another revue show and from the inspiration garnered there we developed a couple of stories. Check out the trailor:



So, if you’re ever looking to be immersed in fantasy, keep Las Vegas and its shows in mind. You won’t be disappointed.

Chippendales is the premier provider of entertainment for women and is currently the #1 Male Revue in the World. www.Chippendales.com features a free site offering a wide array of editorial and pictorial content and the Chippendales’ store, which sells branded products. For more information, please visit www.Chippendales.com. 

Chippendales performs nightly at 8:00 p.m., with additional shows on Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.95 and $49.95. For tickets, call (702) 777-7776. Locals can receive tickets for $25 nightly with a valid Nevada I.D. for any performance.

C.R. Moss, an eccentric and eclectic writer, pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers Worlds of Possibilities. For more about the woman behind the keyboard, visit: www.crmoss.net

GUEST BLOG: JAN IRVING

When I signed up for a knitting class this fall, my instructor’s bio said she knitted for the same reason she did yoga—for the meditation of the experience. The way that unrelated things can somehow organically connect is kind of how I write.

For example, in June I visited a favorite Chinese garden with a good friend, showing it off to her. The picture I took there wound up as part of the illustration for an upcoming book, Sahara Blue.

In my upcoming holiday novel, Sam’s Reviews, I had fun giving my ex-marine hero a yarn shop to run. What better way to write about the beautiful wool and silks I liked to work with and the joy of discovering a new craft?

I do much the same with many of my stories. Born to be Wylde’s Ken Ito is a Japanese-American potter and I have studied with a potter very much like that. Right now I’m still trying to learn something of making a tea bowl which is very complex. Do you know that for Matcha tea bowls need to have a little dip at the bottom for the residue of the tea? You don’t know how complex something is until you try to make it.

In Jesse, I had a great time this summer exploring the world of the carriage ride business. I visited a tourist town and told the driver I was writing about people who guide horses through city lanes—next thing I was sitting up next to the driver, feeling the lines connecting him to his horse, experiencing exactly what it is like to drive a carriage. It was a beautiful day and a really memorable experience and best of all I made a good friend whom I now email when I want to check some detail in the horse world.

Like my exploration into painting and crafts, I like to explore different worlds with my stories which is why this fall I’ll be writing my first ménage romance. In the mean time, some of those strange connections came together for a western historical out recently. I have a young doctor who loves to read poetry, a wandering man with an enigmatic scar and even scenes in the story where a bear is given first aid—before the time of stun guns. It was quite an adventure to write but I hope that will be true of everything I do.

Jan Irving has worked in all kinds of creative fields, from painting silk to making porcelain ceramics, to interior design, but writing was always her passion.

She feels you can’t fully understand characters until you follow their journey through a story world. Many kinds of worlds interest her, fantasy, historical, science fiction and suspense—but all have one thing in common, people finding a way to live together—in the most emotional and erotic fashion possible, of course!
Visit Jan’s website at: www.janirvingwrites.com

GUEST BLOG: PINK PETAL BOOKS

Best Sellers, Genres, and A Damn Good Book

While I admit to some planning once the manuscripts started hitting my inbox, October turned out to be an all M/M month at Pink Petal Books. Can't say I'm disappointed. We have the next installment of Lex Valentine's Tales of the Darkworld Series, a steampunk story by Angelia Sparrow, and the second installment of Jaime Samms' Ageless series. And while gay male romances continue to be large sellers for us, the truth is a recent review of our top ten lifetime bestsellers shows one thing: some genres may be considered "sure things", but a good book is a good book.

Since Pink Petal Books publishes romances of all heat levels, I can tell you that really there isn't separate critera for what makes a "good" erotic romance versus a "good" sweet or sensual romance. The storytelling has to be there along with the emotion. Obviously in an erotic romance the heat level has to be cranked to scorching, and any sexual content must be considered as part of the overall story. Take out the sex; is there still a story there? If so, then an author might want to make sure the sexual content advances the story, rather than simply fills up words.

Career-minded authors are always looking at the trends and sales numbers to see how to boost the bottom line and provide a wider readership. That's just good business sense. I'd also like to encourage authors to write the stories that speak to them; the ones they want to write. Don't write to hit the "hot" genres because you want to. Write them because you love the stories. Looking at all three of our authors for August, there's skill, talent, and a history of writing in those genres. It's the something extra editors and agents want to see, the passion that lies beneath the story, the passion an author has for her story.

It's that passion that can't be faked, and it makes for a really good story. For us, I'll admit that paranormal, cowboys, ménages, and yes, gay male romances are our top sellers. It seems to be that way across a large proportion of publishers, and right now that's what the reading public wants. I know I enjoy a hot cowboy and sexy paranormal creatures to read about. And, I suspect, especially since for so many of us reading is an "escapist" activity, that this is the case.

However readers are almost universal in that they say a good book is a good book, regardless of genre, and we've all picked up books outside our reading comfort zone, only to say "hey, this is a really great book." So I don't think authors need to think only about the bottom line. The truth is that if authors write a good book, there are more ways than ever to reach audiences. So yes, while sometimes coincidences happen and there is a theme for our releases, really, we're just looking to put out great books with one thing in common. The belief that love (and of course a good book) are beautiful things!

GUEST BLOG: MYSTI HOLIDAY

I Dare You

My first erotic romance release, “Shut Up and Kiss Me”, was written on a dare with my writing partner, Kealie Shay. We’re both insanely busy people with work and family taking up a huge chunk of time. Some days it was just impossible to engage our muses and put pen to paper. So – we challenged each other to write a complete story of at least 7500 words in two days. Sounded crazy, sounded impossible and I don’t think either of us thought we could do it.

But we did. Both of us. Kealie’s “Appearances”, which she’s currently editing, was her end result of that challenge, and “Shut Up and Kiss Me” was mine. I polished it up nice and shiny and sent it in – it was my first official erotic romance so I wasn’t expecting a contract. Apparently, no one mentioned that to my editor, who liked my voice and had faith in my ability. The rest is history.

But what about other dares – ones I wouldn’t do and ones I want to try...

Of course I have them. I mean, who hasn’t played a little Truth or Dare in their lives? I had some crazy times when I was in my twenties, times that I seldom discuss now that I’m all grown up and responsible.

For instance, take the time I was dating a man 15 years my senior. He was not only older than me, he was quite wealthy and loved the finer things in life. He also had some difficulty with the idea of black and white when it came to business, far preferring all those lovely shades of gray.

He once asked me to make a list of places I’d love to have sex, but was afraid to. I think his idea was to help me check them off, one by one. I had things like:

* In a hotel elevator
* Under a table at a wedding reception
* In the Louvre
* In a movie theater
* In Central Park
* In a moving car while one of us was driving

While none of these things came to pass, they have sparked my imagination for my stories and I’m willing to bet that at least a couple of these will show up in a story sooner or later.

He also decided he was going to start a very upscale escort service with men and women. He wanted me to partner with him, and offered as incentive the opportunity to “interview” the male escorts (did I mention he wasn’t the jealous type?). As tempting as that job was ... I declined the offer. And, I also broke things off with him, discovering that I wasn’t so fond of those gray shades after all.

Still, he made me realize that being a sexual person wasn’t a bad thing or something to be ashamed of. I admit to preferring monogamous relationships (much to the delight and relief of my husband), but that doesn’t mean sex has to be boring.

Maybe I’ll share that list up above with my hubby... I bet he’d be game for at least some of them. We live quite a distance from Central Park and the Louvre, but we have wilderness and museums here. *winks*

What about you? What are some things you were dared to do, but didn’t and wish you had? What are some things you were dared to do ... and DID? What was the outcome? I’d love to see what kinds of crazy other people have indulged in.

Mysti Holiday is the pseudonym of a very busy SAHM who dreams of warm climes and hot bodies. Most people know she writes, but not what she writes about: sexy men and the wanton women who love them.


She's married to a wonderful man who happily sacrifices himself for research, and she spends most of her days dreaming of interesting and unusual situations in which to place her characters. But most of all, she's a sucker for a happy ending.

Blog:  http://www.menagerieauthors.blogspot.com
Website:  http://www.menagerieauthors.com

GUEST BLOG: CHRISTINE LONDON

Welcome Kyle Matthews, a world renowned music promoter and one of the two main male protagonists in Shadows Steal the Light, releasing February 2011.

I never claimed to be the most patient man in the world, but damn if that Jenna wouldn’t drive a lesser man to drink.

Jenna Lindstrom is my newest client, a vocal mystic like none I’ve ever heard and possibly one of the most exasperating women on the planet.

Er…okay. Most men would probably take one look and fancy getting her between the sheets, but that wouldn’t be a professional man like me. I am her manager after all and we’ve got a lot of work to do to launch her career. Even a rich alto voice such as hers needs exposure. You know…people need to hear her.

That’s where my other more senior client comes in. Actually I’ve known Colin, yeah--Colin Dunlow since we were lads and it didn’t take much to convince me I’d be the best manager for his hard driving rock style. Him and the boys—Dumbarton. They’ve had more platinum albums now than any other band in modern history.

So I get to thinking. Wouldn’t it be the best possible platform to launch Jenna? Albert Hall London is having a benefit concert for AIDs research and all the top acts are pitching in. Dumbarton is the headliner of course, but I’m figuring that slipping in one more act---Jenna---would wow the crowd. Take ‘em by surprise. You know—like that old movie A Star Is Born.

I’ve got the best sixth sense in the business about sure things and this woman is about as sure as Ice in Iceland.

What? You say Iceland is a volcanic country riddled with steaming cauldrons of magma like so much Swiss cheese? You might be right there actually. Dangling Miss Jenna in front of Colin is like catnip to the feline. The man simply has no self-control when it comes to beautiful women.

That’s the last thing I need. Two clients getting involved. Especially these two. Incendiary would be an understatement. Colin’s not allowed anyways. His AA sponsor says so. No women. Not for a year. He needs to recover. Get his head screwed on right and stay away from anything--or anyone-- that could drive him back to the bottle.

‘Nice for me’, you say? Nah. I’m nothing but professional. I’d stake my reputation on it. The real one---not all that rubbish the press puts out about Kyle Matthews the Lothario of the music industry. Nonsense. Not where this woman is involved.

Can’t afford the headache.

Can’t afford the bad press.

I simply won’t allow it. Not for Colin—not for me.

What’s that you say? They’ve written a book about it all? Never read ‘em. Trash the lot of it.

Coming out in February, is it? Well, I won’t be any part of tall tales even if it means more exposure for my clients. If you want to interview either Mr. Dunlow or Miss Lindstrom you’ll need to go through me.

Fine. Until February then.

Goodnight.

-----

Shadows Steal the Light

By Christine London

Coming February 1st from MuseItHot

http://museithot.blogspot.com/

And Ms London can be reached at:

http://www.christinelondon.com/

Christine London was born in Chicago, Illinois, but left the long winters of the Midwest as a child to find her roots in the sun and charm of California, both North and South. Her adopted home became Great Britain when she spent a year of college in the east end of London with three male flat mates; one from each country on the main island. Her fascination and love affair with all things British has grown over the years, facilitated by summers spent trading houses.

Graduating from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Chris continued with family, teaching, singing in a jazz sextet and running foot races (and winning) before discovering her true passion….the romance and adventure of writing.

It took one Scot to awaken her poetic appreciation of Scotland's natural beauty, and another Scot to ignite her passion for writing. Thank you, gentlemen.

GUEST POST: RAINE DELIGHT

Werewolves, vampires, zombies Oh My!

            Halloween is here and that means all those beloved creatures of the night are front and center the entire month of October. What creature of the night makes your heart go pitter patter? Is it those sexy and wild werewolves? Is it the seductive and sinful vampires? What about those ghosts that make you shiver? I love all things spooky and here are my top three favorites (and the books that I adore) to wet your appetites and maybe to add to that reading list of yours.

3) Ghosts: I love those spooky ghosts especially in Mary Winter’s Dangerous Spirits series from http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/  It is one of those series where you go “ooohhh” in one breath then scramble to see what happens next. It is sexy, fun and a worthy book to read over again. :-)

2) Werewolves/shifters: Frankly with all the fuss over Twilight’s wolves, I have to say they are one group that can bring a man/woman to their knees as they find the Inner wild woman/man. I love my shifters and I have a soft spot for Rodrick Dracon (my wolf shifter in Haunting Magic). He was such a playboy until the one woman brings him to his knees. *grins* (www.aspenmountainpress.com)

And the number One favorite is……..

Vampires: What is it about these guys that keep a reader enthralled? Is it their seductive powers that have you in their grasp? Is it the way the exude sex? I love reading about them and have to say my top vampire book to read is LA Banks Vampire Huntress Series. This series is one where a vampire turns to good, finds himself fighting a battle of good and evil next to the one woman destined to keep the Armageddon from happening. I can read these books countless times and each time, the emotions go into overdrive and I am intrigued to the very end. Ms. Banks definitely delivers vampires in a unique sort of way.

So what is your favorite Creature of the Night to read?

Raine Delight is a pseudonym of a self professed book lover and after one too many TSTL characters, decided to see if she could write something a little better. Well many drafts later, Devon Falls series came to together. It was originally was to be one book but somehow ended up to 4 with a 5^th and 6th one being planned for sometime in 2010. I write a paranormal contemporary series for Aspen Mountain and I am also branching out to other genres as I continue to listen to the voices in my head. Check out my book pages to see what is going on with me. My muse is a male nut who likes to leave me to go sip mai tais on the beach and leave me foundering for words; though eventually he takes pity on me and gets my words flowing and characters start settling down.

Personal notes: I live with my own boytoy and two kids. I love Johnny Depp movies and enjoy hiking, reading and watching movies with my family.

My links:

Website: http://authorrainedelight.com

Raine’s Book Nook Blog: http://Rainedelightbooknook.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Raine_Delight

Author/Reader Loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Author_Raine_Delight

Email me: rainedelight@yahoo.com

Where to buy my books:

Aspen Mountain Press: www.aspenmountainpress.com

Fictionwise: www.fictionwise.com

All Romance E-books (Are): www.allromanceebooks.com

1Romance E-books: www.1romance.com

Amazon Kindle: www.amazon.com

GUEST BLOG: ASHLEY LADD

Today is a happy, happy day for me. Another one of my babies is being born.

“Bon Appetit!” is my 27^th book at Total-E-Bound and my 58^th published book of all time.

It’s a challenge after so many stories, however, I work hard to create unique and sympathetic characters for each of my stories as the characters are what draw me into a tale. Although Hogwarts would still be somewhat interesting it wouldn’t be mesmerizing without Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron. What would Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat be without Joseph the dreamer? What would Gone With The Wind and Tara be without Scarlett O’Hara? Or Rhett Butler?

I don’t want my readers to read one of my stories and think “Different title, different names, same heroine (hero)”. Ditto for the plots.

Thus I wanted Demi Summers in “Bon Appetit!” to be someone really special, really different. And she is. Demi tastes words, for good and bad. Penises taste like her favorite ice cream – mint chocolate chip. Meanwhile, the taste of sex toys is dry and dull as unbuttered toast.

Even names have flavors. Alex’s name (her husband) tastes like delicious sweet apples. Matt’s name (Demi’s other lover) tastes like a luscious chocolate malt. Her friend’s name – Veronica – tastes like sweet strawberries. Unfortunately, her friend’s husband’s name – Simon – tastes like sour lemons.

The story has a different twist than anything I’ve ever read or written, either. I’m taking a chance with this one. Alex, the heroine’s husband, is impotent. Due to severe diabetes, Alex is unable to get an erection. Despite this, Demi and Alex have lots of hot sex, just not as hot as Demi longs for. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never read about an impotent hero in a romance novel, erotic or otherwise.

Don’t worry. This story is very erotic.

This is where Matt, the third member of their trio, comes in. When Demi slips and lets onto Alex that her friends are having lots of hot ménages, he reads between the lines. He knows he has to do something drastic to keep her and invites his younger, very virile cousin Matt into their bed.

I’m looking forward to feedback about this story. I’m a risk taker and according to my boss, an A-type personality. I like to keep things active. I like to try new things. I like to be adventurous. And I like to forge new frontiers. But most of all, I hope I created a romance you’ll find romantic and sexy in “Bon Appetit!”

“Bon Appetit!” is available at Total-E-Bound.

Here’s an X-rated excerpt. Beware this isn’t for the faint of heart. Read on at your own risk.

Demi Summers squirmed and writhed as her husband, Alex, suckled her nipple, and his thumb massaged her clit. Yearning for more, she pushed her breast deeper into his mouth.

At forty-five, her husband had finally grown into his skin. His shoulders were no longer bony with his skin stretched taut over them, but strong and broad like his Viking ancestors. When he glanced up at her, passion filled his normally laughing, slate grey eyes, showing more than a hint of the storms that brewed. Moonbeams glanced off his hair, making it brighter than it already was.

Around her breast he asked in a ragged voice, “What else would you like me to do?”

“Fuck me. No mercy,” she longed to say but bit her lip.

Ever since Alex’s diabetes had grown severe, he hadn’t been able to get an erection solid enough to fuck her. His doctors were afraid to give him the miracle medications on the market because of his poor health. Instead, she said on a moan, “Lick my pussy.”

Alex lifted his head and with a twinkle in his eyes, rubbed his chin across her breast grazing her flesh with his scratchy five o’clock shadow. “Would you like me to get the toys?”

The toys were a poor substitution for what she longed for. The word ‘toys’ made her ‘taste’ dry toast with only the merest hint of butter. But fearing she’d never get the real thing again, afraid she’d slaughter his feelings if she slipped and admitted that, she nodded. “Yes.”

When he left her and dug around in their private drawer, the mattress shifted and she rolled to her side. She let her gaze drink in her sexy hubby, let herself wish his cock would get hard enough to fuck her, wish she could feel a man’s big, hot cock driving into her. Two years was a long time to go without being one with a man.

Although she’d never say it to him, she imagined their trysts must be the same as having lesbian sex. It felt good. She had orgasms. But she sorely missed having a real cock plunge her pussy. She missed the full union of being with a man. She missed the rapture and the ecstasy.

Guilt and shame overcame her. It wasn’t Alex’s fault he couldn’t get an erection. He was still a sexy, loving man in every other way. His name tasted like delicious sweet apples on the tip of her tongue. He understood her rare condition, Lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, and he’d never treated her like a freak or made fun of her for tasting words. His kisses rocketed her to heaven, and she still longed for the day he would fuck her until she was in utter bliss.

Her mother had warned her about marrying a man twelve years older, had predicted this very thing. But Alex was only forty-five, not seventy. His diabetes had become debilitating early in life.

Alex turned to her with a wicked smile. He crawled onto the bed, pulled her into the middle of the mattress and buried his face between her legs. His head dipped until she could only see his springy hair, then his tongue swept her slit, long and sensually. He lapped at her and sucked her clit.

GUEST BLOG: BREATHLESS PRESS AUTHORS

SEXY GARGOYLES AND DARES
by
Shirin Dubbin

Every now and then we all need a good kick in the pants—it’s good for us no matter what the form—and today I’m reflecting on that most insidious of motivators -> The Dare.

[cue ominous music]

HERE’S THE SET UP: I write urban fantasy romance with lots of action and hard loving couples at the center of it all. My friend, Abby Wood, writes erotic romances with lots of “oh my lawd!” hot loving at the center of it all.

HERE’S THE ISSUE: During one of our marathon confabs Abby suggested that I write an erotic short for a Halloween contest she was entering. “Egad, Abby, I don’t know...” I said. You see, I read just about everything but writing the harsher colloquialisms for genitalia doesn’t come easy to me. Plus, I’d rather choreograph an action sequence than a sex scene. Don’t get me wrong my sex scenes are hawt [blows on fingernails and shines them on shirt] but true erotic romance is a lot more risqué than anything I’d ever written.

That’s when it happened. Abby challenged me. I gaped. And in a moment of sheer melodrama replied, “Dare you challenge me?” (the “me” went up several octaves at the end). Oh, she dared and I’m not a wussy pants. I would rise to the challenge…but it wasn’t until after I’d read both of Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter books that I realized one could balance action and fully descriptive sex scenes without blushing profusely.

And I did it! Thankew! Thankew verra much... In the interest of honesty, it took a little help from another friend, Celia (not her real name) Sweet (actually her real name), but the result is an “oh my lawd”-hot-loving-urban-fantasy-romance with lots of action. I couldn’t have written this book without my co-author, Celia, and you can thank her for the high heat factor.

The story is called DUSK TAKES DAWN and it won a spot in the Halloween contest I mentioned. Look for it on October 22nd from Breathless Press.

Celia and I are excited to share our story and its dreamy gargoyle hero, DUSK—he knows his way around a night of passion. The blurb is below, but first I have to tell you how glad I am I met the challenge. The process of letting go and writing this naughty tale has freed me up as a writer. Now ain’t that a kick?

~Shirin

DUSK TAKES DAWN by Celia Sweet & Shirin Dubbin
Book Blurb:
Paranormal peacekeepers, Dawn Maza, the witch with a capital ‘B’, and Duskan Entreri, one helluva beast, are partners and lovers… Actually, they are in love. They’re not lovers yet. Stone separates them, making her a statue at night while he turns to granite by day, and the two have never consummated their love. Instead, they communicate via video and voice mail. That travesty will change tonight.

Under the advisement of a crone—who may or may not have ulterior motives—the pair must freeze time for a single chance at igniting the All Hallows sky with the fires of their passion.

Dusk and Dawn are up for the task. Halloween is about to get sexy.

More on the authors: Celia, although naughty, is a luddite (sad) but Shirin is always ready to chat. Catch up with Shirin and maybe Celia too on the web at www.fan-fatale.com, on Twitter, and Facebook.

You can learn more about Abby Wood and her Breathless Press Halloween release at her website.

~*~*~



Keeping It Sexy
by S. E. Holden

They say sex tapers off once you say, "I do." Sure, during the honeymoon the sex is rockin'. Most couples barely leave time to eat, drink or even breathe they're so consumed with each other. The first year is great too. Couples focus on each other every day and night. They don't have too many distractions keeping their thoughts far from how they will attack their partner and rip their clothes off when next they meet.

Over time, though, life layers issues and concerns that occupy their thoughts. Where once dwelt only thoughts of their spouse or significant other in various positions and states of undress, now roam stress over little Johnny making it to baseball practice on time and paying the mortgage, which are unsexy no matter how you look at them. And these are only two small examples of the myriad of mundane, distracting thoughts clouding an adult married/ committed mind. The sheer number of which overwhelms the visions of the super-sexy spouse with whom they chose to spend their life. If left unchecked, these sex-averse concerns will devour all others, leaving quivering, flesh-colored husks as the only evidence they ever existed.

Life is a harsh mistress and moves on with no remorse at the loss of a couple's sensuality. But that doesn't have to be the case. We can save those thoughts and feelings, build for them a storage bunker firmly entrenched in our mental landscape, securing them for all time. If they are safe, they can be recalled. If they can be recalled, they can be envisioned. If they can be envisioned, they can be relived or even improved upon. Now those hot, wet summer nights of sexual abandon on the back patio can be used as idea generators for new and exciting possibilities. All it takes is an open mind, loving commitment and one partner asking the other, "Remember when we used to…?" This will get the ideas and juices flowing. While it may not cause a stampede out to the patio, it may strike the spark that will lead to a fun romp in the living room or a trip to the bedroom. Either way, score!

Watch for the signals and little things that turned you on in the beginning. Did she look at you in a certain way that got you instantly hard? Did he sneak up behind you, grasp your shoulders and kiss the back of your neck? These simple signs and actions occur every day, but we can easily miss them as distracted as we are. Stop. Remember what you used to do to drive them wild and do it. Squeeze his arm in passing, let it linger and trail up to his shoulder. Cup her face when you kiss her, focusing your complete attention on her in the moment. You'd be surprised at how a couple of spontaneous sensual reminders stoke those banked coals into a raging inferno.

S.E. Holden's Thursday Night series showcases committed couples battling issues and challenges life throws at them. In their struggle to overcome, they not only learn something about themselves but get the chance to explore and expand their sexual relationship. The first story in this series, The Presentation, will be released from Breathless Press on November, 19th. Check it out.

Links:

Email: seholden@verizon.net

Web: www.SEHolden.com (coming soon)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Se Holden

GUEST BLOG: KC BURN

To Scare or Not to Scare

Blogs, for me anyway, are like mini essays. Of course, they’re easier to write than when I was in school, because I can talk about whatever I what. In some ways, though, that makes it harder. There’s a certain freedom in “Discuss the major themes in Gulliver’s Travels” that one doesn’t have in “WHAT am I going to write about now?”

Today I’m going to write, a bit, about horror as a theme. I enjoy being scared, I enjoy watching or reading a good horror. I’m a little old school – I enjoy the original (not the recent movie version) Van Helsing style hero fighting monsters. Or even the beleaguered amateur thrown into the role of hero. Which is why I chose to make my werewolves and vampires evil. My books aren’t horror by a long stretch – they’re definitely romance – but with monsters as the antagonists, there’s a need for a wee bit of the horrific, a hint, or flavor, if you will. This doesn’t mean it needs to be filled with slash and gore in true Friday the 13th fashion.

H.P. Lovecraft was a great story teller, and the stories he wrote were incredibly creepy while being extremely intellectual. No sensational gore, no sudden jumps, but true psychological terror. I have two others, which for me, were the ultimate scares. The Breathing Method by Stephen King (it was a novella) and the movie Fear Dot Com. Stephen King’s got some great horror, but that one particular story made me need to walk out in the sunlight. Awesome scare! And I had nightmares about Fear Dot Com. That may not seem like a glowing recommendation, but since I use my dreams extensively for inspiration, occasional nightmares are a good thing.

But horror, whether it’s classed as such, can be found in many other venues. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds – some might classify that as a thriller or suspense, but it’s got many horror elements. Into The Storm by Suzanne Brockmann – it’s clearly a romantic thriller, but the serial killer elements are borderline horrific. Even if it’s not horror, many different stories can give you a small jump. A little bit of a scare can be just as thrilling as a hot sex scene, and it means the creator has sucked you into the story – success! Which brings me to the question – what’s your favorite horror movie or story? Or if you don’t care for horror, what about a non-horror featuring traditional horror monsters (and I’m not talking about vamps & werewolves as misunderstood heroes)?

Here’s a short excerpt (because it was hard to find a longer excerpt that was clean… ahem…) from MIA Case Files: Wolfsbane, available from Loose Id – with evil werewolves. As of writing this, I don’t have approved excerpts for the soon-to-be released MIA Case Files: Blood Relations (evil vampires) but I’ll post on my site (www.kcburn.com) as soon as I can. Check it out.

Agent Lachlan Carmichael has a job to do. A portal is open in Rothburg, and this time the Umbrae passing through it are creating werewolves. He needs to close the portal, even if it means losing two-thirds of the people possessed by the Umbrae.

So what if Adam Farelli, the town's screw-up, is the sexiest man he’s ever seen? Carmichael’s been content to live with 'don't ask don't tell' for most of his life. A gorgeous, shiftless layabout isn't going to convince him to step out of the closet.

But when Carmichael needs Adam's help to close the portal, he's unable to resist the temptation Adam represents. But his lies and lack of trust put Adam in danger when one of the werewolves, obsessed with Adam, kidnaps him. Even if Carmichael can save the man he's grown to love, he's going to have to convince Adam to forgive him.

Excerpt:

“Doesn't look like a hotbed of satanic activity, does it?” Agent Lachlan Carmichael asked his partner as he put the SUV in park. It didn't, at all. In fact Rothburg resembled the complete opposite of evil. Agent Oliver Cardoso gave him a blank look, which, after a year working together, Carmichael had no problems interpreting. And the interpretation wasn't flattering.

“You should know better by now,” Oliver replied.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Things aren't always as they seem. But are you sure your mystic antenna isn't on the fritz?” Carmichael looked through the windshield at the only lodging the town had to offer. He wasn't sure he'd ever used the word quaint before, but it had repeated in his mind over and over since they drove into town. The bed-and-breakfast was almost terrifying in its storybook perfection -- two-story white farmhouse, lacy crap edging the roof like a gingerbread house, and complete with a stereotypical white picket fence. The sight of the place gave Carmichael hives.

“Mystic antenna?” Sarcasm infused Oliver's tone.

Carmichael didn't bother looking at his partner. He still wasn't used to all this paranormal stuff he'd been recruited for. No matter how often he'd tried to convince both his partner and his superiors at the agency that he had no particular skills in this area, they hadn't believed him. He'd spent six years as military police and never heard a whisper of a government agency dealing with weirdness like this. Despite that, it had only taken one case to convince him that the unbelievable wasn't. In any case, he'd yet to impress Cardoso with his continued derisive remarks about both of their livelihoods.

“C'mon, look at this place.” Carmichael gestured in front of them. “This is where rich folk go to escape the big bad city. This is where they wallow in their bland, orderly existence. There's no way anyone here would tolerate something as chaotic as satanic rituals.” Every other case they'd investigated delved into tenement houses, the projects, the slums. Places just like where Carmichael grew up. Places he'd been determined to escape by joining the army.

“Stop with the 'satanic' already, Carmichael,” Oliver drawled. “We've been over this. People into satanic rituals are like children playing dress-up. Satanism wouldn't create a blip on the agency's radar, and you know it.”

“So what is going on here? How come you never know?”

“Carmichael…” There was an edge to Oliver's voice, the one that told him he'd almost gone too far. But he couldn't help it. Why couldn't they tune their paranormal receivers, or whatever the hell they used, properly? Cardoso could talk all day about the effect of open portals on electronics, but Carmichael had trouble understanding why detecting and tracing those portals was so inefficient, considering all the gadgets they'd lugged along in the trunk.

With a sigh, Carmichael opened the door and got out. Disappearances. When it wasn't straight-out dead bodies, it was people disappearing. Trouble was, they rarely reappeared. Well, alive.