Happy Early Earth Day!

Happy Spring! I think it's finally here, and I'm thrilled. It's one of my favorite seasons, the other three being summer, autumn, and winter. :)

I do love all the seasons, each one for its own special contribution to the beauty of our dynamic earth. If I sound like a nature lover, it's because I am, so much so that I wrote an erotic romance, Second Nature, set mostly in the forest in which an environmental activist tries to resist the advances of an arrogant developer who is not what he appears to be. It's one of my first published novellas and was one of my favorites to write because of the nature theme and the abundance of passion Graham and Claret share, even when she despises him and all she thinks he represents.

In honor of spring, and since April 22nd is Earth Day, I thought I'd share the description and an excerpt from Second Nature in case anyone is in a green mood and looking for a red-hot read. :)

Enjoy, and Happy Earth Day!

DESCRIPTION: 

"Mate with me."
This is the insistent demand wealthy tycoon Graham Norton makes on passionate activist Claret McDaniel. Never, "Make love to me." Never, "Let's have sex," or even a crass, "Let's do it, baby."

But whenever he sees her, whenever they meet to argue over his recent land development plans to destroy her beloved forest, the only place she feels at home, Graham urges Claret, "Mate with me."

And all of Claret's attempts to remain professional and pure are slowly melting away under the persuasive gleam in his eyes. She begins to sense under his carefully groomed businessman's exterior beats an untamed heart. There's something primitive about Graham. Something mythical. Something not entirely human. And whatever it is, she is about to find, deep within her unnatural human body...its mate.

EXCERPT FROM  SECOND NATURE

“You know, Claret, you could stop this if you wanted to.”

Graham Norton’s hand reached for Claret’s, and she instinctively pulled it from the table, settling it gently in her lap. His intense gaze shot fire through her, but she straightened in her chair and cleared her throat.

“Mr. Graham, I have told you before that I am not interested in using those types of methods to convince you to change your development plans. If you met with me tonight thinking I would give in this time, you were wrong. Again.” Claret finished her practiced speech, her voice sounding even and polished, although her insides quivered and her throat felt suddenly parched. It was probably all the throat-clearing she had done throughout dinner.     

Claret forgot the danger sitting across from her and reached for her water glass, but with one deft move, Graham clasped her hand in his and offered a sinister smile.

“Why not?” he questioned her, his thumb finding the tender spot on her freckled wrist where her pulse throbbed. “Why not mate with me tonight and let me show you what you are missing, what you have missed for most of your life?”  His thumb rubbed gently across her soft skin in time with her heartbeat, which quickened at an alarming pace.

Claret shook her head and sighed, trying to pull her hand from its warm embrace. She had long given up trying to figure out why Graham’s arrogance allowed him to think that mating with him would be the highlight of any girl’s life. He was oddly handsome, yes, with dark chestnut hair that neatly curled above his ears, and the most sensual amber brown eyes she had ever seen. But really, did he think Claret was so inexperienced that she’d climaxed before?

And mate with him--why did he always say that way? He never said “have sex” or “do it” or “enjoy carnal bliss” or anything different. It was always “mate with me.”  Claret shook her head again. Why did she even come tonight? Did she really think that this time he'd would offer anything but another invitation to his bed?

“Claret, do you want to know a secret?”

Claret rolled her eyes and tried to tug her hand away, but Graham’s grip was strong. Gentle, but very strong. Her heart began to pound.

“Your eyes are like the greenest emeralds—I dreamt about them the other night, you know. And do have any idea how much I envy those black waves that tickle your face and neck? Your pixie cut suits you, Claret. Won’t you be my pixie tonight? I need you.”

Graham intensified his attentions at her wrist, and his steady gaze, infused with an odd hunger that intrigued and challenged her, caused her to shift uncomfortably in her seat to relieve the slight pressure she had begun to feel between her thighs.

“Mr. Norton, tell me one thing,” Claret started, trying to draw his attentions away from her wrist and back to their conversation.

“Anything you wish, Claret.” Graham’s response was filled with mirth. He was humoring her.

“You are not unattractive, as I am sure you have noticed every woman in her staring at you throughout our meal.” An amused smile played across Graham’s face and his eyes flickered dangerously. “So I don’t understand why you can’t just bang one of them? Why does it have to be me? What is it? Haven’t you ever had an activist before?”

Graham stopped rubbing her wrist and sat back in his seat, his hand lightly touching her fingers and his gaze as intense as ever. That’s one for me, thought Claret. Graham Norton hated coarse language; she had figured that much out over the last few months, and he especially seemed to not like it coming from her. Finally, after a minute, he spoke.

“That’s common, Claret, and not like you at all. I offer you something beautiful and you try to make it ugly. Was the idea of mating with me beginning to appeal to you that much that you had to make it seem so…so human?”

Guest - Alice Gaines : Ferocity

Today our special guest is Alice Gaines. Welcome, Alice!

Ferocity

I love that word and its counterpart, fierce. It suggests intensity and passion. Total concentration on conquest.

I often wonder what it would be like to have a lover who brought the same ferocity that he uses in battle into the bedroom. Imagine your warrior returning from the fight – adrenalin still pumping – to take out all that extra energy on you. As gentle as he might be at other times, as polite as he can act when the situation requires, right now the heat in his blood means he can’t take no for an answer.

Okay, that sounds a bit like Bruno Tonioli critiquing a tango, but I think you get my point. This is fantasy, not reality. If I want reality, all I have to do is get up in the morning.

For real life, I want a considerate lover – a guy who’ll run a bath and pour me a glass of wine when work was rough. I want a guy who’ll listen to my worries and tell me everything will work out. Oh hell, I want a man who’ll take my car to be smogged.

In fantasy, I want the Viking warrior who’s just breached the castle walls and now charges up the tower stairs to find me at the top. Not only is that sexy as all hell, but it relieves me of any responsibility for what happens next. “I had to have hot, luscious sex with that stranger. He gave me no choice.”

My novella for Red Sage Publishing, My Lady’s Pleasure, isn’t quite that extreme. But, the Lady Josalyn has no choice but to marry the Viking Ulric, and she has the mysterious minstrel Trey to ease her way to lust with her husband through his music and his aphrodisiac potions. For a while, she has the good services of both men and ends up with a life of passion with her fierce Viking.

Close enough to fantasy for me.

What about you? Do you love fierce heroes?

P.S. My Lady’s Pleasure is part of the Three Kinds of Wicked series.

Please visit Alice's website at: www.alicegaines.blogspot.com

The Better to Eat You With

Did Red Riding Hood get the story wrong when she said her grandmother had been eaten by a wolf? When Nicholas Wolfe surprises Elise at her lonely house in the forest, she decides to use him for sex like he did with her before he left years ago. They didn’t want the same things from life back then, but Wolfe is back to convince Elise to give him another chance.

THE BETTER TO EAT YOU WITH released from eRed Sage on November 1st. I had a great time writing this little twisted take on the Red Riding Hood story. I love reunion stories and I loved giving these lovers a second chance. I promise you'll never think about Grandmother and the Big Bad Wolf the same way again.

Excerpt:

She reached out her hand to him. “Come to my bed, Wolfe.”

He caught her gaze, held it, as if he was trying to read her mind. Elise thought she could almost read his mind, read the need burning there. He dove his fingers into her thick hair and grasped the back of her head, all the while studying her still. Silently. Intensely. She shivered, pinned beneath his gaze.

Then he crushed his lips to hers, demanding, claiming. She clutched his shirt and whimpered. Such a weak, foolish response. She tried to pull away, but he growled deep in his throat and changed the angle of his mouth, his lips moving roughly against hers, demanding her surrender. She melted against him then, opened to him, even though she knew she shouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She simply had no choice. He nipped at her bottom lip, then abruptly released her, leaving her dazed and needy.

Without a word, he stood and pulled her to her feet. He kept his hold on her hand and they crossed the yard together and walked into her house.

His gaze bore into her back as she turned and shut the door behind her, hotter than the sun had ever been. Before the click of the latch had even registered, he’d grabbed her by the shoulders and whirled her around to face him. His breathing was as rough as hers. Was his heart pounding as hard as hers too?

“Wolfe,” she breathed and stepped into his arms.

You can get your copy here.

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

Cover Envy

This past week I was lucky enough to see several drafts of covers for my upcoming Red Sage Presents short story, The Better to Eat You With. Lucky, because my editor asked for my opinion and input on the cover. The first cover idea, although it was a nice cover, just didn't fit the story and my editor agreed. (If you can't tell from the title, it's a twist on Little Red Riding Hood and my editor and I have taken to calling it my "big bad Wolfe" story.)

Now I have such admiration for cover artists. They take the few bits of information we give them and design marvelous works of art that will hopefully give readers an idea of the story and tempt them to want to read the story. While I may be somewhat creative with words, I have no visual creativity at all. I simply can't imagine what a cover should look like, but in this case I did mention I'd love to somehow depict a "big bad Wolfe."

I was given two options and they were both awesome. One, my editor and I agreed, was perfect for my Red Riding Hood reunion story. And I'm posting that sexy cover below for your sneak peek. But the other option...wow, was it hot!!! This cover, a headshot of a wet, sexy guy, made my mouth water. I wanted this cover too! I knew it would attract readers. I knew I wanted a hero who looked just like that, who took brooding bad boy to a whole new level. So I may have begged to my editor, only half in jest, to let me have both covers. And I promised an awesome story to go along with the second cover.

Here's the cover for The Better to Eat You With, a November 1st release from eRed Sage. I love the muscular, slightly older, definitely wolfish hero.



And no, I can't show you the other cover yet, but the wonderful art department is holding the cover for me. So now I'll have to write this hero's story. I can't wait. I've already printed out the headshot for inspiration. :-)

So how important do you think covers are?

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com.

Ellie Marvel & Megan's Choice... an unusual erotic romance

Today I'm talking to Ellie Marvel about her new book out from Red Sage Presents.

Megan Malone, the quadrant’s fastest zip ship pilot, is overworked, overtired and craves the surf, sun and sex of a paradise planet vacation. When her employer receives an urgent commission from the government requesting Megan’s services on a diplomatic mission, she’s all set to refuse--especially when she finds out her domineering ex-lover Yusef Gunnen will be part of that mission.

Nicole: Welcome, Ellie! You have a new and unusual book out this month with Red Sage (with a sexy cover.) Congratulations! Please tell us about Megan's Choice and what makes it different from most erotic romances?

Ellie: Megan's Choice is a futuristic erotic romance with a space ship pilot heroine. That part isn't unusual, but the fact it's structured like a choose your own adventure story is a bit out there. In a good way, I hope. At the end of each scene, the reader gets to tell Megan what (or who!) to do. I noticed Red Sage had described it in some promo material as "One Story--Nine Endings!" and I think that's pretty cool.

Nicole: Wow, that is amazing! You are so creative! Do you have reviews you could share with us?

Ellie: None for Megan yet. I'm busily trying to rectify this error. If any interested reviewers are reading this, for example...

Nicole: Come on, reviewers! Please help Ellie out! What was the most difficult thing about writing this story?

Ellie: Fine-tuning the continuity from thread to thread almost did my editor at Red Sage and me in. Seriously! I wanted the story to be believable and fleshed out no matter which path was chosen, so all the heroine's story arcs had to be hinted at in earlier scenes but not so much that the story could only have one possible resolution. IE, no guns on the mantel unless each story arc could deal with the gun in some fashion.

Nicole: You're a brave lady for tackling such a complex project! I admire you! What is your favorite thing about this story?

Ellie: I loved how easy it was to write. This may seem to contradict the previous question, but writing the rough draft of Megan was like playing a highly entertaining game. What should happen next, this or this? Oh, heck, how about both? The story really became about Megan as a character and how she responded in various situations, situations I might not have been able to put her in believably if I'd stuck with a linear plot.

Nicole: Easy?? I'll take your word for it. :) It certainly does sound like fun! And so is this excerpt.

And here is a very interesting age 18+ excerpt. (Wonder what Megan will do when a hot guy shows up?? Decisions, decisions.)

Where to buy.

Thanks for being our guest today, Ellie! This has been fun!

Cameo Brown explores Second Nature

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Anne Rainey serves up some Forbidden Fruit

Hi, today I'm happy to say we have Red Sage author Anne Rainey as a guest here!

Anne lives in a small town way out in the middle of no-where-ville. She is a gorgeous blonde with wonderful curves and a money tree in the backyard. She never wants for anything and she always loves everyone. Of course, she wasn't always this way.

It all started on one Rainey day, as she was sitting on her comfy couch, reading a romance novel and sipping a hot chocolate. She realized the book she was reading seemed to lack a certain 'vavavoom!'. Thus, the talented, beautiful, and rich Anne Rainey was born.

Clearly, Anne is a mere figment. A ghostly figure that pops in and out of my head like a drive-by author. Nevertheless, I do so love it when she's visiting, because her imagination really is wickedly delicious! She'll bring you fantasies and erotic delights that will have you grabbing the ice water!

Nicole North: Welcome Anne! What a sexy cover! Please tell us about Forbidden Fruit out now from eRed Sage.

Anne Rainey: Veterinarian assistant, Ava Sweet has lusted after bad boy Luke McGiffin since high school and she's tired of him treating her like a kid sister. It's time to show the hunky roofer her feminine side.

The plan: let Jen, her best friend, give her a makeover, then tempt Luke right out of his sexy jeans. But can Ava handle a man with such strong appetites or is she in over her head?

Nicole: I love reading about those bad boys. What inspired you to write this story?

Anne: I’ve always wanted to write a ‘makeover’ story and I loved the idea of writing about a heroine who was such a huge tomboy. Totally sexless. It was interesting to give her that makeover and watch Luke, the hero, get all hot and bothered. LOL

Nicole: Sounds like fun! What element of story creation is your favorite?

Anne: The love scenes. I enjoy the many emotions, involving all the senses and watching the scene come alive in front of me. It’s exciting for me to watch two people come together in such a beautiful way. Does that make me a voyeur? LOL

Nicole: If it does, I must be a voyer too. LOL When did you know you wanted to be an author?

Anne: It sort of sneaked up on me. LOL! I hadn’t really thought about it until one day I was reading a book that had zero pizzazz. I wanted to read hotter scenes and more aggressive heroes and what better way than to create them myself? So, I started a book...then reality hit as I realized there’s a lot more to it than sitting down and writing. LOL

Nicole: But you've succeeded! Do you have any advice for those yet unpublished?

Anne: Yes. Research your craft. The internet is such a great tool. There’s tons of information at your fingertips and it’s all free! Another tip: join the RWA as well as your local writing group. Become an active member and get your face out there. Show people you’re serious about getting published.

Nicole: Great advice. What's next for you?

Anne: I’m currently working on a vampire romance series (not erotic). It’s so much fun because it’s such a break from my normal erotic contemporary stuff. The first one comes out later this year with The Wild Rose Press and my editor there has expressed an interest in the whole series, so that’s exciting!

Nicole: Congratulations!!! Would you like to ask blog readers a question?

Anne: What’s your favorite part of a romance? Is it the sexual tension, the love scenes, that first attraction scene, the happy ending, or something different entirely?

Nicole: Good question! Thanks so much, Anne!! It's been a pleasure interviewing you!

Anne: Thanks for the chance to talk about my writing! It was a pleasure.

Nicole: Please click here to buy the book. Hey, it's only 2.99. What a great price!

Links to Anne's website, Myspace page or to join her newsletter...
Website: http://www.annerainey.com
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/annerainey
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annerainey