Sorcerer's Lover Is Released

So this weekend, Sorcerer’s Lover was released from Amber Allure. I hope readers will enjoy the first part of the story of Warin and Benedict’s love. Their adventure and love story continues in 2009.

Next up for me is It’s Only Make-Believe coming at the end of October from Amber Heat. It will be my first Amber Heat release. I’ll probably do another blog post closer to the release with an excerpt.

For more information on my upcoming releases be sure to check out my website at http://www.authorshawnlane.com/.

And here is an excerpt from Sorcerer’s Lover:

Benedict tugged at the shackles locked to his wrists. It started to come back to him. Samson and the others were escorting him home and then…
“Fight all you want, you can’t get out of those.”
Lord, he was naked, too. Benedict stared at his bare flesh, lit by what seemed to be dozens of wall sconces. Yet where was the voice coming from?
“You might be a little dizzy still. It takes some adjustment to come back from that particular spell.”
Benedict blinked, and his head hurt. Spell? Then he really had been shrunk? And his men… Had they been killed?
“I’m not going to hurt you, your highness.”
That man. He’d fallen from the tree. A dark angel. But not an angel. Something far more sinister.
“I’m…I’m not a prince,” Benedict whispered, finding his voice, seeming to speak to no one.
“You are the king’s son.”
“A bastard son only.”
“Ah, but you are infinitely more than that to the king. You are well-favored.”
Benedict shook his head. “Who are you? Why do you hide yourself and where are my men and my…clothes?”
For several moments, a low rumbling chuckle was his only answer.
There was movement by the door, but still Benedict could see no one there. “What trickery is this?”
“I know not the current whereabouts of your men. Or whether they live to tell of their failure to protect you. If they did survive, no doubt your father will see to their execution. They are no longer a concern to you, your highness. As for your clothes…you do not need them for what I have in mind. You are my prisoner and are mine to do with as I please.”

Diving into a new genre

Anyone who is familair with my work knows I'm a die hard science-fiction, fantasy and paranormal fan, but you may not know is one of the very first stories I began working on when I started writing for publication was historical romance.

That story, called The Baron's Bride, never made it out of my own private slush pile, but since then, at the back of my mind, I've had a few historical romances floating around, waiting to work their way past the space ships and shapeshifters that populate my forebrain.

This summer I time traveled. I ended up in the early 18th Century on a pirate ship in the Indian Ocean, and there my imagination went a little wild. Here's the first of the two stories I wrote before I came back to the future.

A Rogue's Reward
by Jennifer Colgan
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-364-1 (Electronic)

In 1708, kidnapped and ransomed by the legendary lady pirate, Captain Fallon Robard, Sheppard York finds his only salvation in the kindness of the captain’s beautiful young ward, Rhea Galant. But when negotiations with Sheppard’s wealthy father go sour, Captain Fallon plans to exile him to a deserted island where he will have to fend for himself and face possible death.

After weeks of tending her captain’s handsome prisoner, however, Rhea discovers she can’t bear to part with him, let alone see him abandoned, and plots to help him escape.
What will be her reward for abandoning her shipmates for love?

EXCERPT: [My heroine, Rhea, has offered to shave the hero, Sheppard, who has been held captive in the hold of the Gabrielle for several days.]

He mumbled something incoherent, and she grinned, then brandished the razor. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

He rolled his eyes, but she noticed his muscles relax. He trusted her just enough to permit her to place the blade against his skin.

For a time, the only sound in the cell was the rhythmic scrape of the razor over his flesh. She worked carefully, less fearful of accidentally nicking him than of missing a spot. She tilted his head and skimmed the finer hairs below his ears, then, with precise movements, denuded his upper lip.

He sighed when she dropped the razor into the bowl.

“There. You’ve survived.”

“Yes.” He lifted his hands and rubbed his chin, smearing a bit of lather that remained. “It feels good.”

“And it looks good, too.” It did. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed his face since the stubble had taken over. She dabbed at his naked jaw, searching for minute cuts, but there were none.

“Where did you learn to shave a man?”

“In this room, milord. Sheppard.”

His brows knit, then shot up. “You’ve never…before?”

“No.”

He clutched his chest. “I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before you began.”

Rhea tipped his chin up and examined her handiwork. “I’m quite good. I believe you’re better looking now than when you came to us.”

He snatched the cloth from her hand and wiped all the remnants of foam from his face and neck. “I wasn’t aware I could get any better looking.”

She laughed. “I’ll bring you a mirror to admire yourself later. If you’d like your hair trimmed, I can do that tomorrow.” Without thinking, she ran her fingers through the silky waves of it, judging the length, imagining how it might look a little longer or shorter. He glanced up, those piercing eyes following her movements, all trace of humor gone from his expression.

The skin of his chest rose to gooseflesh, and she swore he shivered a bit when she trailed her exploring fingers down the side of his face. Lost in his gaze, Rhea stopped thinking. She saw only his face, earnest and still wet from her ministrations, and some unseen force seemed to draw her toward him.

Her lips touched his so briefly she might have denied it happened at all, except he pressed forward, increasing the pressure. Unbidden, she opened her mouth, and his tongue rushed inside to sweep over hers. He tasted salty, with a hint of the breadfruit he’d eaten for breakfast. His scent enveloped her—sweet tallow lather, honey and man.

He delved deeper, and she let him. She put her hands on the now-smooth sides of his throat and held him there. The faint rattle of the chain accompanied his movement as he lifted his wrists and placed one palm flat against her chest. Though her tunic covered her, the very tips of his fingers met naked flesh above her collar, and the heat of that touch seared her. Something inside her seemed to melt, and molten liquid trickled through her to pool in the same spot that had been hot and damp each morning when she awoke from dreams of him.

Rhea gasped and broke the kiss.

Sheppard stared at her. York. Lord York. He didn’t smile or comment. He merely licked his lips and let his hands drop back into his lap.

“You kissed me,” he said, as if she might not have realized what she’d done.

“And you kissed back.”

Silenced stretched between them until Rhea found the courage to speak again. “I’m finished here. I have other duties.”

He cleared his throat, and the moment faded away. He cast around for his shirt and clenched his fingers in the material. “Can I put this back on?”

She nodded, unable to keep from glancing at his chest. His brown nipples had hardened, just as hers had beneath her tunic. Below the buckle of his belt…

* * *
For more information about A Rogue's Reward, visit Amber Heat!

Lycan Lore 2: Offspring

The awaited sequel to Amber Heat’s best seller, Lycan Lore, is out!

Title: Lycan Lore 2: Offspring
Author: Shannon Leigh
Publisher: Amber Quill Press—Amber Heat
Publisher Site: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/LycanLore2.html
Author Site: http://www.shannonleigh.org/
Genre: Erotic/Dark Fantasy / Werewolf / Shapeshifter / Ménage (M/F/M) / Group Sex / Series
Heat Level: 3 Length: Novella (23k words)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-360-3
Price: $3.75 (25% new release discount!)
Retail Availability: ebook/downloadable
Release Date: September 7, 2008
Pages: 121

BLURB:
Nine months ago, Heather’s life took a dramatic change. She became a werewolf. Shortly thereafter, a lycan hunter named Cray murdered her sire, leaving her to struggle through her horrible existence alone. But if turning into a bloodthirsty, ravenous, beast of the night wasn’t bad enough, she'd also conceived a child on the evening of her attack. With the next lunar cycle about to begin, the hunter hot on her heels, and her unborn child at stake, she's desperate to stay alive. Hoping the hordes of partying females will mask her scent, she flees to the crowded shores of South Beach, right into the arms of a local college student named Mike, a man who could prove more than a one-night stand.

Born a lycan, bred a hunter, Cray McCorbin has learned to control his inner beast, as well as accept the responsibility of eliminating other wolves who can't. He's not proud of his job—killing isn't something he enjoys—and prefers to consider himself a protector of humanity, despite his own heritage. Nine months ago, however, fate intervened in his miserable life and fulfilled the old Lycan Lore, presenting him with a mate. Cassandra, Heather's best friend, is all Cray's ever dreamed of and more. But destiny can sometimes come with a cruel hand. Though he'd gladly give his life for her, his duties as hunter comes first. He can't allow any renegade werewolf to escape, not even Cassandra's best friend...

***

Shannon Leigh "Giving readers the O in their erOtica."
Website: http://www.shannonleigh.org/
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shannon_Leigh_Newsletter
My Space: www.myspace.com/author_shannon_leigh
Blogspot: http://authorshannonleigh.blogspot.com/

Older women and younger men

DREAM ON is my newest release featuring an older woman with a younger man. Throughout the story, Nina and Alex face different challenges from family and friends who think that their relationship will not work. When I conceived of this story, I was inspired by my brother and sister-in-law. There is a twelve year age difference between them and they met because she accepted a dare from friends. I was also inspired by the character Samantha Jones from one of my favorite shows, Sex and the City.

Not too long ago, fellow author Brit Blaise had a discussion on her blog about older women-younger men, etc. and it got me to thinking. I remember back in the eighties, when Cher went public with her romance with her much younger boyfriend and all the diaper changing jokes made the rounds. I wondered then as I do now, why older woman-younger man is so much more shocking than an older man-younger woman. It’s not so shocking now, but it does still seem that older men who date or marry younger women have a certain aura about them that makes it sexy. No one batted an eyelash when Michael Douglas hooked up with Catherine Zeta Jones yet everyone seemed to lose their minds when Demi Moore showed up with Ashton Kutcher and their age difference is less than Douglas and Jones. I wonder why this is.

Some of my female friends have a strange outlook about this subject. When asked, my three friends said they draw the line at five years younger but they have no stopping point in terms of older when dating men. I get this “Oh older guys are always so mature, it’s sexy.” Males on the other hand, friends and friends of friends included, had a mixed response. Of the ten guys I talked to, four had no qualms about going out with older women but had a stopping point of ten years older. One said absolutely no way was he ever going out with an older woman because they were too much work. (I accidentally on purpose spilled my drink in his lap.) Three said they didn’t care and two said they never really thought about it.

Older women with younger men is not a new phenomenon, certainly. My old neighbors, she’s 76, he’s 60. They’ve been together now for forty years. Even when I was in high school, a classmate had girlfriend who was sophomore in college and we were juniors.

With the advent of shows like Sex and Desperate Housewives, I hear the term cougar all the time. The media and others use it to describe a sexy older woman on the prowl. Excuse me? Why can’t she simply be a single woman? What’s the term for sexy, older man on the prowl? Oh wait, there isn’t one, unless it’s mature. Some have used dirty old man, but I’ve only ever heard it used to describe the senior citizen perverts that try and cop a feel or stare at breasts or expose themselves.

I wrote DREAM ON because I wanted an older heroine who was not a Hollywood type, someone I would know. She’s not a cougar on the prowl, either; she’s a normal forty year old woman looking for a loving relationship and happens to find it with a younger man who does not see age, only a beautiful person. What about all of you? Have any thoughts on this subject?
Melissa
http://www.myspace.com/melbwrites

One-Way to Happily-Ever-After

I know I do!

But life isn't always so easy...

In fact, some days it's a challenge to get out of bed in the morning.

Everyone wants a little bit of happiness...

Is there a road to happiness?

I know the way!

You'll find happily-ever-after in the romance section of your local bookstore.

Or online at your local ebook site.

It A SURE THING!

I promise.

EXCERPT

http://www.britlaise.com/

www.myspace.com/britblaise

Happily-Ever-After is at your fingertips...

A few reviews for Passion's Victory by KC Kendricks

I met a friend for lunch recently and received this in my fortune cookie: “Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you: you must acquire it.” Not a bad piece of wisdom for $5.99. It has nothing to do with my blog, but it’s a worthy tidbit to share.

Some fine reviews for Passion’s Victory have been posted. I wasn’t sure how some parts of this story would be received. Maybe that’s because there are a few personal truths in there. Facing the fear of love changing is a difficult step toward maturity in any relationship.

That’s one of the reasons we love the romance genre. The shared emotional experiences of the joy of budding new relationships, the inner turmoil when things we can’t control go wrong, the overwhelming relief when the train stays on the track, the deep, abiding love that comes from walking through fire with another person. Those things transcend the gender of the writer, and the reader.

My sincerest thanks to Bryl Tyne of The Romance Studio for the 5-heart review of Passion’s Victory. “The author, KC Kendricks, accurately portrays some real-life circumstances and insecurities many of us face when we decide to cruise for more than "just sex", and I found this story beautifully moving in all the right areas.”

And from Rainbow Reviews – “Passion’s Victory is a story with heat and heart.” Thanks go to Nikki, there.

“Passion’s Victory is a touching, thoughtful, and realistic love story.” Thanks to Literary Nymphs for that.

With Passion’s Victory launched, it’s time to concentrate on the third, and final, installment in the Victory series, Shining Victory. I went ahead and filled out all those blankety-blank forms publishers need while I’m waiting on the contract to arrive. You think writing is easy? Fill out those forms, baby. (I will admit that Amber Allure is more user friendly than most when it comes to that stuff.)

For more information about Passion’s Victory, and 2008 Amber Heat Winner, Surrendered Victory, please visit my website at http://www.kckendricks.com/. I have a few excerpts posted there. You’re also invited to join me on MySpace at www.myspace.com/kckendricks . KC Kendricks’ personal blog can be found at http://kckendricks.blogspot.com/ .

See you next time around!
KC Kendricks

M/M Versus Gay Fiction: Are Straight Women Co-opting the Gay Male Experience?

"As far as I’m concerned, gay men do not write M/M----only straight women do. Gay men are writing about their lives!

"I’m all for diversity, you know? But this phenomena of straight women co-opting our literature for their own pleasure has really got me befuddled. It’d be like us taking over Black Writing lists and telling Toni Morrison and Spike Lee how to write books and movies. NOBODY would do that to Black authors----why are these doofuses doing it to gay people?

"I have not ventured this opinion or told these fears to anyone else, and I’m discussing it here because it’s my hope that I’ll get feedback that helps me to understand this new phenomena. I feel, suddenly, like GLBT works --- and the writing of gay men in particular --- actual gay men, I mean --- is being overwhelmed and redefined by straight women who seek not to explore and understand the real gay world, but are largely interested in creating sex-infused pornographic moments for prurient interest. Soon, the Real Gay Truths that so many of my gay male friends are writing will be so irrelevant that presses won’t bother to publish them anymore. Instead, it’ll be straight women who’ve defined the gay experience. And it’ll be defined as all about sex, which is just what anti-gay forces would LOVE to be able to attack us for."

These words were written by a writer whom I will keep anonymous on a discussion board that revolves around serious gay literature. And it's words like these that keep running around in my head and making me wonder about the whole growing phenomenon of straight women writing about gay men. It wasn't that long ago that I was surprised by the fact that there were many straight women writing what, in the business, is referred to as m/m. It wasn't that long ago that I was surprised by the fact that their audience was not gay men, but straight women as well.

But I thought all of that was all right. There's room for lots of different viewpoints and writers in the world and if readers are buying gay male fiction written by straight women, then that just means more pie for me. Because surely, these straight women readers would want to hear my viewpoint as a card-carrying member of Gay Guys with a Penis (GGP). After all, I had the benefit of real experience under my, er, thumb. Then I read this in the same discussion group:

"Gay fiction has languished for quite a while, now, and shows little sign of reviving, while M/M fiction, by and for women, is booming. Consider this: only a few short years ago, these women mostly adopted male or gender neutral bylines - Pat Brown, e.g., or initials. Now, Perseus Books (may their names be cursed for a thousand years) invite me to submit for their new M/M line, but with the proviso that I must use a female byline."

What caught me up short was that a publisher wanted this gay male writer to use a pseudonym so readers would think he was a female writing about gay men! Now that made me think even more and worry a little: are we real gay men writing about real gay experiences going to get crowded out by straight women writing about us? Why else would this publisher insist that this established male gay writer use a female nom de plume?

What really hit home with me is what the female writer above said about white writers deciding to go in and take over writing about the black experience. That made my feelings of their being room for everybody at the gay male table a little shaken. She has a point. Good gay male fiction, not erotica about macho guys like soldiers, firefighters, cowboys and the like, is increasingly hard to find.

I think it's an open marketplace and if straight women want to read other straight women's fantasies about two guys getting it on, then so be it (although I think there would be more of an uproar if this newer phenomenon were about straight men writing lesbian erotica to titillate other straight male readers). But what worries me is that these stories, penned by women, will push the stories written by gay men off the bookshelves...and then a part of our history, documented in art, could be lost.

I don't really know where to come down on all of this. I myself have written stories from a lesbian perspective, from a woman's perspective, from a toaster's perspective... But I like to think the difference is when I write about a gender or orientation different from my own, I seek to get inside that orientation and gender, I seek to understand it, and represent it honestly, and to use emotions, desires, and fears that are common to all of us as human beings. I'm not sure the influx of m/m fiction (as opposed to gay male fiction) is doing the same thing. I worry that in m/m fiction, we gay men are being objectified as sex objects. As flattering as that sounds, it's really not.

So what am I trying to say here? I wish I knew. I know I am not calling for a halt to straight women writing about gay men. I would never want to dictate to anyone what to write about. I still believe the bottom line in any story is that it's well told, that its characters are truthful and consistent, that its emotions are sympathetic and, hopefully, universal.

Maybe what we really need is not so much a halt of the proliferation of straight women writing sexy stories about gay men, but more gay men coming forward to tell their stories, as only they can.

I wrote this blog not to incite controversy or to provoke, but to open discussion on this topic, one that I've been thinking a lot about lately and for which I, at least, have no easy answer.

Visit my website.

THIS TIME FOR KEEPS

I think you'll agree that Trace Edward Zaber has designed a truly beautiful cover for my paranormal m/m THIS TIME FOR KEEPS which is to be released by Amber Allure at the end of October, just in time for Halloween.

The story is about Josh and Pete who were always breaking up and getting back together. The last time it happened, they swore their ten-year affair was over for good. Although Pete moved out, and Josh took a job overseas, Josh figured it was simply a matter of waiting to see who would give in first--the same routine they’d gone through a dozen times before. Except Pete didn’t call, and when Josh tried to contact Pete, it turned out both of Pete’s numbers had been disconnected. He tried telling himself Pete didn’t love him any more, that Pete had found someone new and moved on. But ten years is a long time--too long to just dismiss like it was nothing. If Pete no longer loves him, then Josh needs to hear that from Pete in person. Determined to find out the reason for Pete’s silence, Josh returns home to the mind-numbing news that Pete is dead.

Christiane

"The Positions of Love Book 10: Lotus Position" by J.M. Snyder

NOW AVAILABLE

The Positions of Love
Book 10: Lotus Position
by J.M. Snyder

Buy your copy today!

BLURB:
Matt thinks a vacation down the shore would be the perfect toast to the end of summer. When Vic has a few days off from work, the two decide to visit Wildwood, New Jersey, a tourist town Matt used to frequent as a child. Though Vic isn't keen on crowds and would prefer to spend his downtime at home, Matt entices him with the offer of sex on the beach ... and he doesn't mean the drink, either.

However, a moonlit tryst on the sand bestows another strange power on Vic. On the boardwalk, Vic's new ability attracts the attention of a young kid, whose delight at discovering a real-life superhero almost leads to disaster.

EXCERPT:

After dinner, Vic turned one of the loveseats around, away from the television-he couldn't imagine they'd be turning that on any time soon, not with the view they had. They cuddled together, a couple of cold beers in hand, and watched the last rays of light dip below the swells of the ocean. The beach took on a wild, windswept beauty as one by one, the people enjoying the sand and surf called it a day. Vic had a nice buzz building inside him, a warm, pleasant feeling brought on by the alcohol and Matt's hand resting on his belt buckle, the palm pressed against the slight erection hardening at his crotch. A half-formed thought wafted through Vic's mind ~ the two of them nude in the bed, the lights out, the drapes still pulled wide. No one outside would see them in the darkness, but they would be able to watch the sea roil beneath the moonlight as they made love ...

A damp kiss on his chin roused him. He turned to find Matt grinning at him, eyes glistening with anticipation and drink. "I've got a better idea," he said. He caught his lower lip between his teeth as if he couldn't wait to tell Vic what he had in mind.

But when Vic brushed over his lover's thoughts, he just picked up a blur of lust, nothing definite. Even one beer was enough to make Matt horny, and from the look on his face, he was ready to rumble. Vic felt his own libido rise at his lover's desire. Downing the last of his bottle, he asked, "What are you thinking?

The hand on Vic's belt slipped to squeeze his dick through his jeans. "Slip out of these," Matt commanded, "and put on a pair of swim trunks."

"What?" Vic frowned at him. "Why?"

With a shrug, Matt said, "In case you get wet."

"You better get me wet," Vic growled.

Matt laughed. "Come on, play along. Let's start with a walk by the water and see where it leads."

"Back here to this bed," Vic replied. And if that were the case, why not cut out the walk and just get to the loving already?

But Matt shook his head. "It's dark out there. No one will see us ..."

Trailing off, he waited for the implications to sink in Vic. The beach was dark, empty this time of the night, and they would be very much alone ...

::Sex on the beach,:: Matt prodded mentally.

As if goosed, Vic surged to his feet. He tried to play it off with a stretch, but Matt snickered at his eagerness. "What the hell are we waiting for?"

Buy your copy today!

A new Cave Creek Cowboy story!

READ MORE...

This the ninth story in the popular series.

Cave Creek Cowboy Total Top

by Brit Blaise ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-373-3 (Electronic)

One man’s past bisexual lifestyle has significant and lingering consequences, and the total top becomes a total mess when his past collides with his present...

Spence is on top of the world, a golden boy, rich and used to getting his own way. His fate, however, is about to change. Just when he finds the perfect cowboy to love, he’s blindsided with a complication of epic proportions. A pregnant woman claims he’s her baby’s daddy...and his "perfect cowboy" is the woman’s unsuspecting half-brother.

Paul never knew falling in love could be so complicated. When the man of his dreams also knocks up his sister, can Paul get past it? And can he also get beyond his hot-blooded Latino prejudices against rich white men who don’t have a clue how the other half lives?

Genres: Gay / Contemporary / Cowboys / Western (Modern Day) / Interracial / Multicultural Heat Level: 3 Length: Extended Amber Kiss (13k words)

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/CaveCreekCowboyTotalTop.html

Shifting Tides: Song of The Sea Book Release Party!

Song of the Sea
by Cassandra Curtis

Woo-hoo! Song of the Sea, book two in my Shifting Tides trilogy, is finally out! Readers of Beneath A Midnight Sea will be happy to know that some of your favorite characters are back with cameo roles in book two.

In book one, readers learned of a mermaid princess who was missing. In Song of the Sea, I tell her story.


Sequel to Amber Heat best-seller Shifting Tides: Beneath A Midnight Sea...

When a mafia don's bride-to-be goes missing, Peter Varien is hired to find her. Varien, an ex-cop turned private eye, takes the job despite the warning bells going off in his head.

He manages to track down the missing woman to a nightclub in Memphis, where she's belting out jazzy torch songs with the boys in the band.

She's every man's desire, with a body born of sin and a voice that enthralls, putting men under a sexual spell.

But it's a spell under which Peter is determined not to fall.

Vivilyn Ondine is having the time of her life, given the power over human men through the control she wields as a sea siren. She's never fallen in love, never truly surrendered–until she meets the handsome private investigator.

Soon, Peter and Vivilyn are in a race against time, and must join forces to defeat a dangerous enemy who will stop at nothing, even murder, to capture Viv and force her to reveal the location of the magical pearl known as the Soul of The Sea.


Want to read an excerpt?

Warning Adult Content! (Must be over 18 to read! If you are not over 18, please skip)

...He slid a finger down her fabric-covered arm. “Silk. Looks good on you.”

“Thank you.” She put the coffeepot under the automatic drip and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to her. “I saved you a place,” she said, grinning.

“I see that.” His thigh muscles bunched as he knelt on the bed.

“You seem distracted—or nervous. I don’t make you nervous, do I?’

“Maybe I’m anxious.”

“Well, I hate to keep a man waiting…” Her hand brushed his bicep and shoulder, then pushed him onto his back. She straddled his hips, unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled it from him in a single, elegant motion. She flung it on the sofa, then started on his belt and zipper.

He watched her greedy hands make quick work of his clothes. She looked her fill, moistened her lips with that pretty pink tongue, and he imagined all the other things that sexy tongue of hers could do, places it could roam, and fought to stifle a groan.

Her nails teased his flat nipples, tormenting them into tight peaks. A sorceress bent on his surrender, she traced a path down his tight abdomen. When her small fist encircled his ridged cock, he broke out in a sweat, fighting the pleasure, prolonging the agony. What kind of game was she playing?

“I’m going to make you feel so good, Peter.” She scooted down, trapping his thighs tight between her own. Her strength surprised him. She cupped his balls with her other hand, teased him with her nails again until he thought he’d explode.

“Ahh…God, Viv.”

He leaned up on his elbows, watched her trail a path of liquid fire from the base of his shaft to the crowned head with her flicking tongue. The air in his lungs burned as he arched his hips. She lifted her head a little and began to hum against his swollen cock.

The melody pulled at his senses. Strange, almost alien thoughts spun through his brain. He belonged to her…she was his goddess to adore. And he could not lie to her. Must tell her everything…anything she wanted. Part of him wanted to give in to the seductive song, to submit and allow her complete control. But he knew if he lost himself now, he’d never find the way back. The vibration of her song against his turgid flesh changed, became more demanding, her fingers so soft, yet tight.

No! He fought the raging need to obey the strange, drug-like effect. His dick pulsed—wanted so bad to come against those tormenting lips. She nipped the thick vein on the underside of his cock, and then laved it with her tongue to intensify the pleasure-pain. He gritted his teeth, and pushed her away. Unbalanced, she tipped sideways, her eyes wide with shock. Had every man she met groveled at her feet? About time then for her to experience something new.

He knelt on the bed, changed from supplicant to dominant, and untied her silk robe. It slithered off her shoulders. He scooped her into his arms and deposited her closer to the headboard.

God, she looked so adorable and sexy, that stunned, near comical look still on her face. He grabbed the silk tie, cinched it around her wrists, and tied them to the slats of the headboard. Then, he leaned back on his heels, knees bent, his eyes devouring the feast set before him.

“If I’m going to die for my sins, then we’re doing this my way. I want you under me. I’m going to take you slow and hard and deep...”


Did I mention my heroine is a bit naughty? LOL. But it sounds as though Peter had things well in hand... :D


Swim Up to The Bar and Have A Drink!

Oh cool, the band is here!

\\

There's something very fun and festive about steel drum music, don't you agree? ::grins::

Prize Patrol #3

All drinks are on me. ::wink::
Leave a comment with your order and you'll be entered for a drawing.
The prize is a blue abalone shell bracelet and a packet of sea breeze cone incense.

If you go to my website's blog, you'll note I'm having a limbo contest, and giving away a special prize to the winner. Can you get down? Check it out! I will also be stopping by the Midnight Moon Café today and giving some love. :wink:

The party continues through Monday morning, and I plan to brighten someone's day, so remember to stop by my website Monday for more fun! Contests officially end Tuesday a.m. and I'll announce the winners on my personal blog. Enjoy!

In a FUGUE state: what's the difference between porn and erotica?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the difference between porn and erotica. I've also been thinking about the difference between right and wrong, left and right, republican and democrat, master and slave, chocolate and vanilla...but those are all beside the point.

What made me think more about the difference between porn and erotica is an ongoing discussion on one of those Yahoo groups. You know: those ubiquitous groups that could overwhelm your e-mailbox if you're not careful. There's one for every stripe. I even think there's one for People Who Watch the Hair on Their Legs Grow, but I digress. It's a morning for digression.

Anyway, the members of this group were all twittering endlessly on erotica versus porn. To my mind, it seems pretty simple, if not pretty simple to put into words. Like art, I know porn when I see it. Describing it is a whole 'nother matter. But I'll take a stab at it. Porn to me is writing that is there specifically to make a basic sexual connection. It is not there to engage a reader's mind, but there to lend a literary (and not-so literary) hand to a reader seeking release. Porn is no different than a big fleshy dildo, vibrator, or butt plug. It's utilitarian.

Erotica, on the other hand, may have this in common with porn: it can, and often does, make a basic sexual connection. Like porn, it can even sometimes be employed in an effort to facilitate what I will shyly refer to as "one-handed reading." But erotica has higher aspirations. I think erotica wants to offer the reader more than just physical stimulation, but intellectual and emotional as well. Erotica seeks to offer sustenance beyond the sexual, while at the same time saying, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with the sexual, I just want to bring a little more head and heart into it. And, no, porn, I am not talking about the kind of head you're thinking."

I have a new ebook coming out next week called Fugue. It's all about a master/slave relationship and includes some very explicit dungeon scenes, complete with graphic mention of whips, masks, candle wax, submission, domination, and all that good stuff. It also has a cerebral element in that it goes into another, parallel story taking place in the mind of the slave while he's being tortured. This second story is probably even more graphically sexual than the first, but I think the whole thing adds up to erotica. I hope you'll buy a copy for yourself when it comes out and decide for yourself: simply go here to purchase.

I'd like to leave you with a little taste from Fugue (careful...this is strictly adults-only stuff) and see what you think: erotica or porn? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Even better if you can say why...

Gently, with almost a loving caress, my master undoes the shackles and the bonds that meld my arms to the ceiling’s pipes. The release is a moment of pure transformation. I breathe out, a great whoosh of air, almost involuntarily, as I lower my arms. They tingle with the pinprick of a thousand needles. It’s a pain that I welcome because it’s evidence, once again, of my master’s devotion. But with the tingle, there is numbness and I wonder if I can move my arms the way I did before they were bound to the ceiling pipes. Sensing this, my master rubs my arms up and down with his own strong and calloused hands.
“On your knees,” he commands. His voice is deep, rough, scarred with smoke.
Grateful, I drop to my knees, sensing him in front of me, his animal heat close enough to sear me. I can see, in my mind’s eye, the leather he wears, the hard muscles beneath the animal hide. I want to reach out and touch him, but do not dare. Yet, I can imagine how those muscles feel, rippling beneath the shock and silk of cold leather and skin.
“I said you deserved a reward. Are you ready for it?”
“Yes, sir.” I wait for a beat, on my haunches. The air is charged with expectancy. When a minute or two passes in silence, I am dismayed to hear my master hiss with impatience. I have forgotten, in my excitement, that it is my duty to anticipate his wants.
“On your hands and knees, boy. Don’t make me mad.”
Quickly, I comply, assuming the position: my ass poised in the air, waiting. I listen as my master fumbles with a foil packet, knowing he is sheathing his sex in latex. Just this act makes me feel almost queasy with desire and anticipation. I am open to him. I belong to him. I feel empty without him inside me. It’s corny, but I know that once he stakes his claim in my hidden territory, I will be completed.
I listen to the quality of his breathing, how, ever so slightly, the breaths he takes are now coming more quickly. He’s excited by me! Only me!
I feel him pressing near, the coarseness of the hair on his thighs rubs against the smooth skin of my ass, abrasive. I feel the turgid proof of his love pressing at my opening. He pulls away for a moment and slowly works his pointing finger inside, gently, listening, I’m sure for my breathing to ease, then a little farther, a little farther. He moves the finger around, pulling slightly at my sphincter, making it welcome him. Then, he slips another finger inside and waits again for my body and my breath to signal I am ready for more. Finally, he allows himself to work a third finger in. Then, one by one, he pulls his fingers out of me. The air is charged. I close my eyes, sucking in some air as I feel him begin to penetrate me, slowly at first, just the head, then burying the shaft deeper and deeper within me. I shut my eyes tightly as a tremor of white pain rushes through me, wanting to reach back and place a hand on his thighs to slow him down. But I don’t dare. I breathe through the pain and slowly it eases, then disappears, transforming itself into a delirious gift. The transformation would not have happened as quickly if my master had not taken the time to so lovingly prepare me.
He begins to thrust, pulling himself nearly all the way out, then plunging back in. He cannot hurt me now, no matter how hard he pounds me, and for this, I am a little sorrowful. But this road is well-traveled and almost immune to pain.
But just knowing I am giving my master this pleasure is enough for me and I push back against him, urging him toward a final moment, a moment that will be all for him.
My pleasure must come later.
Finally, with a hoarse groan and a shout, my master tenses and fills me with his seed, gripping my hips, bucking and writhing, pounding into me so much that there, at the very end, it does hurt…just a little bit.
“Thank you, sir,” I whisper.
He rests his sweat slicked body atop mine, his breath coming out ragged, spent. He pushes me down to the grimy floor, his body stretched out over mine like a hot, hairy, and heavy blanket. We lay like this for several minutes, as my master comes back, as his breathing and heart rate return to normal.
Finally, he gets up from me and the cool air that rushes in to fill the absence of his body feels good. I hear the strike of a match, smell sulfur and a burning cigarette.
“Time to get you chained back up, boy. The lashes have only begun to be wielded.”
“Yesss…” I hiss. And quickly remember to add: “sir.”

Now Available :: "Wanted" by JM Snyder

NOW AVAILABLE

WANTED by J.M. Snyder

Part of the Saddle Up Pax collection!
Buy your copy today!

BLURB:
Jesse McCray ekes out a hard living cutting cattle from the local beef baron of Defiance, Texas. He's known for his quick draw and his steady aim; no one outguns him. Whenever he and his ragtag group of friends known as the Rustlers ride into town, the local cowboys hold their breaths, waiting for the men to ride through. But one evening, while playing faro at Billy's Saloon, Jesse's attention is drawn to a new face in the crowd.

Ethan Phillips is an idealistic tenderfoot from back East, passing through Defiance on his way to the California coast. He's heard tales of the gold that enriches the west coast, and he's looking for a way to make his dreams come true. When his horse pulls up lame, he offers to sing for the cowboys of Billy's Saloon to earn a few coins, but the men jeer at his song until a man in black quiets them. With one look into Jesse's dark eyes, Ethan finds himself falling for the man.

Ethan's horse heals but he stays in Defiance, enamored by his outlaw lover. But the cattle baron has a grudge against one of Jesse's outlaw friends, and a gunfight in Billy's Saloon puts a price on the Rustlers' heads. Can Jesse protect Ethan from the lawmen gunning for him and his friends?

EXCERPT:
The first crystal notes from the piano filled the air as Ethan tested the instrument, and Jesse frowned at his cards when the noise in the bar seemed to increase. The more Ethan played, the louder the cowboys got, as if deliberately trying to drown out the music. When Ethan began to sing softly, his voice was lost in the ruckus around them, and Kit laughed. "He ain't getting a penny in this shithole tonight."

The cowboys teased the young tenderfoot, disrupting the song that quivered beneath their raucous catcalls and mocking words. Jesse could barely hear the sound of Ethan's voice, a ray of angelic light cutting through the noise. "Stuff it, pretty boy!" someone cried.

Laughter followed as Ethan's voice faltered on the opening strands of "Nearer My God to Thee."

"Pick up the pace!" someone else shouted, and a few cowboys close to the piano leaned over Ethan, their fingers reaching for the keys. Discordant notes plucked from the instrument to strike the air, and Ethan blushed beneath the rough men pushing him aside. Someone else started up a round of a familiar drinking song, winking at Marie until she laughed like a bell in the crowd.

Jesse had had enough. Tossing his cards into the kitty, he stood and pulled his Colt .45 in one fluid move. Without taking aim, he fired a shot into the air.

The loud report silenced the room.

Diego and Kit looked up at him, Joey turned from Marie, and Ethan's warm gaze enflamed Jesse's senses. He dared another half-smile; the cowboys in the room shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his pale blue eyes. "If you don't mind," he drawled, his voice dangerously low, "I'd like to hear this song."

Someone tittered, and with lightning speed Jesse leveled his revolver at a lone cowboy, sitting with his back to the wall. "The next person who speaks, dies," Jesse promised.

He cocked the gun slowly, drawing the sound of clicking metal out into the sudden silence of the saloon. When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he lowered his weapon and nodded at Ethan. "I'd suggest starting over again," he said, taking his seat. "I missed the beginning."

Clearing his throat, Ethan ventured, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Jesse said again.

He glared around the room, challenging anyone to meet his gaze or make a sound. None of the cowboys met his gaze, and no one dared speak. Satisfied, Jesse picked up his cards and studied them as Ethan started playing the piano a second time. This time, his young, clear voice filled the saloon, and Jesse let the music fill the hollow places inside of him.

Then he got a good look at his cards, and frowned at Diego. "I had a full house."

"You lie," Diego said softly, spreading his hand out in front of him. "I have a full house."

Jesse sighed and tossed his cards back down. "You cheat," he said, but his voice held no threat. This was nothing new to him.

"You should watch your cards more carefully," Diego pointed out, scooping in the pile of money and chips from the center of the table, "instead of letting yourself get distracted by a pretty face."

Buy WANTED today!

DREAM ON Available Now

Here is a little bit about my new release DREAM ON, available now. Enjoy!

SYNOPSIS
Nina Rozek has one big nightmare of a fortieth birthday. She’s overslept, is late for work and manages to get herself pulled over by the hottest young cop she's ever laid eyes on. And if that weren’t enough, she looks like something her dog would dig up in the backyard. Not that it matters, though, since the handsome police officer is much too young for her…
Alex Torres feels the heat deep in his gut as soon as he locks eyes with the sexy speedster. But, as a police officer, he knows using her info to get a date is oh-so-illegal…
When the two unexpectedly cross paths at a rock concert later that evening, the intense attraction between them boils over into a night of scorching passion straight out of their wildest fantasies. In spite of their many differences, Nina and Alex forge an unlikely relationship that quickly changes everything. Their own problems aren’t the only obstacles they face, however, as friends, family and career threaten to tear them apart.

EXCERPT
Nina was drowning. There was no other way to describe this rush of taste, scent and heat. Like the song said, she wanted to stay right here, just like this. She’d never imagined for one second that she would be in the arms of a hot young stud, making out with him. Or that she would consider inviting him back to her place. Sensible, forty-year-old accounting managers didn’t do these things.

Why not? The little devil voice danced inside her head.

She moaned as Alex’s tongue swept inside her mouth, twining with hers, exploring, savoring her like a gourmet treat. Her heart knocked against her chest in a primal jungle beat. His hands squeezed her rear tighter, pressing her belly against his erection.

He groaned and tore his mouth from hers, gulping in air like a winded runner. He touched his forehead to hers. “We have to stop. We can’t… Not here.”

Nina wanted to scream. “I know,” she whispered instead.

They stood there, arms around each other, cheeks pressed together trying to control their racing hearts.

Nina wanted this to continue. Between cowardice and desire, she felt her nerves stretch to their limit. Situations like this just didn’t come along.

So go for it. There was that blasted little voice again.

She decided to take a chance. “I don’t want this to end.”

“Neither do I.” Alex caressed the skin of her lower back just above her jeans. “But I did drive my friends.”

Nina worked out the logistics in her head as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Athena drove, and I really have to go home with her. Give me your cell phone.”

He slipped it off his belt clip and handed it to her.

She was freaking crazy. Blaming it on the beer wouldn’t help because she’d only had the one.
Before she lost her nerve, she flipped open the phone and keyed in her name and number.

“You want me to call you tomorrow?”

“No.” Nina pressed “save” and handed over the phone. “Tonight. After you take your friends home.”

Alex stroked a thumb across her cheekbone. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

He lifted her against him, and kissed her hard and quick. “I want to leave right now.”

Nina couldn’t have agreed more and moved in for another kiss. It went from zero to sixty in three-point-five seconds. She put her hands on his chest and pushed herself away. “You are dangerous.”

Alex bent at the waist, hands on his knees. “Shit! No more touching.”

Her body screaming at the loss of contact, Nina agreed. As she sank down beside Merrilee, she reflected that it was going to be a very long concert.

Melissa Bradley
MICHAEL'S KEEPER
http://www.myspace.com/melbwrites

Music and Writing

The other day I wrote a blog on My Space talking about music and how it affects every aspect of my life. My latest release, DREAM ON, was inspired by the Aerosmith song. I got a vision of my heroine, Nina, as I listened to it earlier this summer. In fact, Nina and her hero, Alex, meet at an Aerosmith concert. I listened to salsa and some Mexican ballads like La Consecuencia as I conceived the night club scene.

Love scene are moving and lyrical, so of course I must have musical inspiration to put me in the mood so to speak. Some of my favorites are Cry to Me by Solomon Burke, Girl by the Beatles, At Last by Etta James, When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack and Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers.

Now as for those flat out sizzling scenes, I have a whole other selection. Some of these tunes include Need You Tonight by INXS, Mercy by Duffy, Moi et Toi by Abdel Ali Slimani, Lili S’en Fout by Toufic Farroukh and Red Light Special by TLC. These definitely keep my fingers cranking out the words.

When I’m writing involved scenes with fights and battles nothing beats The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator soundtracks. I also like hard driving tunes here such Highway to Hell by AC/DC, Don’t Tread on Me by Metallica, I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty and Rise Above This by Seether.

MICHAEL’S KEEPER had plenty of musical inspiration that I wasn’t able to include like Elevation and Beautiful Day by U2 and Back in Black by AC/DC as Ryanne takes on a demon with her restored power.

Does anyone else out there write or work to music? Come on a share your favorite tunes.

Melissa
http://www.myspace.com/melbwrites