Would You Feel Cheated?

I’m in one of those writer’s lulls, where nothing big is happening, just spending my days doing life stuff and writing the first draft of the second book in my MMA series.

I’m in that area of the book where I’m starting to wrap everything up and things are starting to get complicated (for me, lol). One of the biggest issues right now is the kiss. Yeah, you read the correctly. I’m starting to get toward the third half of the book and they haven’t even kissed yet. (Well, they have, but the first one doesn’t count.) That never happens with me. So I’ve really, really had to up the sexual tension between these two. Honestly, it’s smoking hot between the two of them, but they both have their reasons for not stepping over that “friends” line.  

The problem is I’ve spent so long writing the tension that now they are about to truly kiss, I’m clueless as to what happens. Unfortunately because of circumstances inside the book, things just can’t explode, which is what would happen in any other book. I’m telling you these two are in a rip-your-clothes-off-and-do-it-against-the-wall sort of emotional place. But I can’t go there. So I’m finding it very challenging to get that Castle/Beckett feeling.

*SPOILER* For the fans, you know what I’m talking about and the feeling we all had Monday night when it finally happened. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been frustrated this entire season waiting, hoping, then cursing at the TV when it didn’t happen. But Monday it finally did and boy, I had to rewind to watch again. And then rewind it again. Even though I had to wait as long as I did, when it finally happened it was worth the wait.

I’m trying to capture the same feeling in my book. Unfortunately, unless I rewrite an entire plot point, things just can’t explode at this particular time. So my question is…would you, as a reader, feel cheated if the kiss stayed sweet? Or do you feel like I should maybe wring out a bit more tension until they are in a time and place where it can explode?

Thanks!

Abby

Guest: Patricia Mason is giving away FREE books!

Patricia Mason is the award-winning author of steamy romantic suspense and thriller fiction. She also writes young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy under the pen name P.R. Mason. Pat escaped from the Midwest winters of her youth by moving, in 2001, to the strange and wonderful city of Savannah, Georgia. She now lives there, happily spending her days as the subject of her cat overlord's mind control experimentation. You can learn more about Pat and her work at her websites www.patriciamason.net and www.prmason.net. You can also find her on twitter @prmason

Q: Please tell us about your latest release, In Deep Shitake. 

Overview Take one devastatingly handsome movie star. Add in one outrageously sexy female private eye with a penchant for food-word obscenities. Mix in a dose of mistaken identity and a handful of Russian mobsters. And they're all In Deep Shitake.

Q: Do you have a review you could share with us?

A: "Once you pick up this great story, you won’t be able to put it down." - Lois Lavrisa, Amazon Kindle Top 100 Author

Q: This sounds fantastic! I also noticed this book has 15 five star reviews at Amazon! Wow congratulations! What inspired this story?

A: Ha ha. I laugh now, but the inspiration came from a particularly embarrassing incident. A few years ago, I was traveling a long distance by car with my two dogs and was trapped in a sudden white out. My car spun 360 degrees on the highway and came to rest off the road in the midst of a snow bank. I was towed out and got back on the road, but by the time I got home a few hours later, the doors of the car were frozen and I couldn't get them open. I was able to roll my window down to about the half-way point. From there, I climbed out, squeezing through the narrow opening. Since I was dressed for comfort in a skirt with slouchy socks and clogs, by the time I got halfway out the window, the socks and shoes had come off and my skirt was about up to my waist. My skirt snagged on something and I was stuck for a few minutes trying to work it free. All the while, I was praying that my neighbors didn't have a video camera or, if they did that it was broken, or....you get the idea. I used this incident, in a fictionalized way, in my new romantic suspense, IN DEEP SHITAKE. My heroine is trying to break INTO the car instead of out when she becomes stuck in a humiliating position.

Q: Oh no! LOL I would hate to be caught in that situation. How did your story’s setting impact your plot or characters?

A: My story is set in Savannah, Georgia, which is a weird and wonderful city. It's my home and I love it here. Savannah is so rich in texture and character that the setting is almost a character all on its own.

Q: I love Savannah! Why did you choose your setting and why was it perfect for your book?

A: The hero of the story is an actor who is extremely famous for one role he played about ten years before the story opens. Savannah is a city where many films and television shows are filmed. So Savannah was a perfect setting for the story not only because of it's great quirkiness but also because it's a plausible place for my hero to be making a comeback film. Savannah also comes into play in that hosts an annual St. Patrick's Day celebration that is one of the biggest in the U.S. The parade becomes a big part of the final part of the story.

Q: Did you choose the title of your book and if so how did you do it?

A:  I did choose the title. It comes from the fact that the main character, Imogene "Mo" uses food words as substitutes for obscenities. Hence the use of shitake mushroom. I though long and hard about the spelling and decided since one i in shitake is an acceptable variant, I would go with it because it is after all supposed to be her substitute for the more crass word.

Q: Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.

A: I love all the characters but my favorite has to be the cat since he is modeled on one of my babies. The cat's cameo was really fun to write and I love what the cover designer did in integrating the cat into the cover art. That cover cat looks so much like my kitty I can't help but smile when I see it.

Q: Please tell us about your other books.

A:  Imogene "Mo", the sexy In Deep Shitake private eye has a short story in the thriller anthology: Bullets, Brass and Babes. The story is called It Keeps Getting Shitakier and follows Mo's efforts to catch a suspected insurance fraud. 

In Deep Shitake and Bullets Brass and Babes are FREE (along with dozens of other ebooks) May 7-9th as part of the Spring Fling Free Par-Tay. Romances (sweet to hot), thrillers, mysteries and more by award-winning and best-selling authors are all free at amazon.com. Readers can go to http://www.freepartay.com for more details on all the books included in the par-tay.

Q: Wow! Readers are definitely going to partay and celebrate such a wonderful giveaway! :) What’s next for you?

A: I am writing a book called Cemetery Tree, which I hope to release in July. Cemetery Tree is a paranormal with more of a horror bent, but it also has romance.

Thank you so much for having my on your blog and for giving me the opportunity to connect with your readers.

Thanks so much Patricia, for being our guest today! And thanks also for the wonderful free books!

Everyone, please go grab those free books at Amazon (links above)!! Also please remember to visit Free Partay May 7 - 9th to find even more FREE books!!

Plaything Releases May 8th!

One taste of everything she ever wanted…how can she walk away?

When I first sold my Paolo's Playhouse series and the four stories were scheduled out over a year, the release of the last story, Plaything, seemed so far away. I've celebrated the release of each story in the series, drooled over the great covers, enjoyed the reviews and reader's reactions. Suddenly...here we are, at the end of the road. At least for these four short stories that make up the Paolo's Playhouse series.

Blurb:

Julianne’s the epitome of a successful businesswoman. But where her boardroom reality is full of decisions, her bedroom fantasy is the exact opposite—allowing a lover who knows what he’s doing to strip her of the need to make any decisions at all.

When she reads an ad for Paolo’s Playhouse, her long-ignored need twists inside her, too sharp to ignore. Trembling, she picks up the phone, and Paolo’s charm, lyrical accent and empathy soothe her fear just enough to agree to be the Playhouse’s bondage toy. One look at Paolo the following night, and she wishes she’d struck a different bargain. To be his alone.

Paolo can’t take his eyes off the brave and beautiful woman with hair like the fire he sees in her soul. Her sexual need to be bound matches his own powerful need to be the one to bind her. Tonight and always.

Except Julianne agreed to only one perfect night. Now he must convince her it could be the first night of many for them—if only she will trust him.


Excerpt:

Paolo’s Playhouse. A new playground for consenting adults. Playrooms for every interest or desire. Bring your own plaything or we can provide one for you. We’ll help your fantasies come to life. Inquiries, phone…

The newspaper in Julianne’s hands rattled and she dropped it to the table as if it had burned her trembling fingers. The discreet ad at the bottom of the page grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let her go. Her heart raced and her nipples prickled. Words seemed to flash before her eyes.

Playhouse. Plaything. Fantasies.

She flipped the paper over and pushed away from the table. The marinated chicken breast and tossed salad sat, uneaten, in front of her. She didn’t feel like dinner any longer, didn’t even want the Chardonnay she’d poured to try to relax. The jumbled nerves in her stomach left no room for food. But the words kept running through her mind.

Playhouse. Plaything. Fantasies.

Sure, she had fantasies. Who didn’t? Leather cuffs and silky ropes, sweaty skin and long-fingered masculine hands were the images that danced behind her closed eyes each night when she used her trusty vibrator. Sometimes she thought her fantasies were the only things that kept her sane. But that didn’t mean she’d ever try to act them out in real life. Not again.

Julianne paced her apartment, restlessness buzzing through her system like an itch she couldn’t scratch. What was wrong with her? She didn’t have time to think about her sexual fantasies now. She had work to do. Work was what kept her sane. Work. Not fantasies.

She took refuge in the spare bedroom she’d converted into her workshop. Usually she felt happy there, but tonight the room seemed smaller, darker. The air was stale and stagnant. Still, she flipped through sample after sample, searching for the perfect drapery fabric for her current project. Nothing seemed right tonight. Everything felt flat, boring. But she couldn’t admit that work wasn’t enough anymore.

What would she have then?

She finally found a beautiful gold-and-green brocade that would be ideal for the draperies in the Olsons’ new dining room. And she had the perfect drapery ties to go with it. She’d gotten them on sale months ago, waiting for the right project. She opened the cabinet drawer and pulled out a length of braided cord.
Her breath caught as she ran the silky gold cord through her fingers. Slowly, without even realizing it, she wrapped it around her wrist, once, twice, and pulled tight. She stared at the dark gold cord wrapped around her pale skin as if wondering where it had come from. She tugged it again. Illicit thrills shivered over her skin, prickling her nipples and sending her sex throbbing.

We’ll help your fantasies come to life.

Bondage. She could admit to herself that being tied up during sex had always been her secret fantasy, but could she admit it to someone else? She’d tried once, with a guy she thought she could trust. She’d gathered up all her nerve and timidly asked him to tie her wrists to the headboard before they had sex. Bill had recoiled in shock, horrified that she would think he’d ever want to abuse a woman in that way. He’d stared at her as if there were something wrong with her and had refused to listen as she’d tried to explain about fantasies and consensual kink.
She’d never mentioned it again to another soul.

In fact, she’d buried it so deep she’d thought it had been forgotten, but the emotional scars from that disaster had probably colored every lousy relationship she’d had since then. She’d never again dared ask for what she wanted in the bedroom. Never dared believe she could actually experience real bondage, even once. She’d resigned herself to a boring sex life and inventive fantasies of her own making.

Somehow Julianne found herself back at the kitchen table, the cord still wrapped tightly around her wrist. She flipped the paper back over and read the words again. Could this be her chance to live out her fantasy? She grabbed the glass of wine still sitting on the table and drank in down in several long gulps. Then before she could think twice, she snatched up her phone and punched in the number.

“This is Paolo’s Playhouse. How may I help you?”

Another excerpt can be found on the Samhain website.

And just because this is the end of the Playhouse series doesn't mean there won't be other hot, sexy stories coming. I've sold another novel to Samhain about an erotic artist and his former lover titled Silken Canvas that should be out by the end of the year.

And I've just started writing a bigger story with Paolo and Julianne so I hope you'll be seeing that book on down the road.

Plaything is available for pre-order now and will release tomorrow! I'm so excited to have Paolo's story released, the one that gave me the idea for the entire series. Have a great week!

Natasha
PLAYTHING
BIRTHDAY GIRL
RISK IT
FLAUNT IT
www.natashamoore.com

Bittersweet Mysteries

Odd title, I know, but kind of appropriate, considering my topic. I got to thinking the other day (uh oh) about the past because of a story idea rolling around in my head, and I remembered something that had somehow slipped into one of the untidy little closets of my mind. There are many, so it was lost for a good long while, but I apparently opened a cognitive door and out it tumbled.

Before I go further, let me ask you: Do you remember your first kiss? How intense the whole experience was? I know some of you do, because we've blogged here about it before and the comments were wonderful. Well, my first kiss was wonderful, too. It was the whole crush-on-the-guy-who-didn't-seem-interested-after-the-date that sort of ruined the rest of the year for me. Oh, it was one of those puppy love kinds of things, and the truth be known, I dated him on the rebound from another crush, so I was vulnerable. I spent hours thinking about him and what I'd done or hadn't done to make him lose interest and why the kiss didn't mean as much to him as it did to me and blah blah blah--all that boy drama. I learned a great deal about myself from this one little event, and, like many experiences in our teen years, it shaped me and my ideas about romance and love and, of course, kissing.

Great heroine stuff, eh? lol

But that's not the mysterious part. The memory that came back to me was that just before he asked me out, I found the prettiest little ring. It looked like a gemstone, but it was cheap and fake. I liked it, though, because I'm easily distracted by sparkly things, and since I found it on the sidewalk, I just slipped it on my finger and made it mine. So, right before this incredibly intense experience in my life, I found this mysterious little ring. Months later, after I finally figured out what a creep the guy was and my better sense prevailed, I realized the ring was gone. I went to put it on one morning, and it had disappeared from my dresser. I never saw it again.

Being a writer, I think I always wondered if it was coincidence, or was there something about that ring that put those events in motion that changed my life forever...with one kiss? Strange, isn't it?

The other mystery is much sweeter and way more romantic and has to do with kissing as well. Last week, I got an idea for a scene in a story and, as usual, asked my DH to help me with a little research. He, as usual, happily obliged. :)

The scene calls for the heroine to have her eyes closed and for the hero to unexpectedly kiss her. Not original, but still kind of sexy. So I closed my eyes and told DH to kiss me when he felt like it. He waited a second, and then brushed my lips with his. My knees went weak, among other physical reactions. It was WOW. We tried variations thereof, like his touching my face and taking me into his arms, all with my eyes closed and not knowing quite when the kiss would happen. It was amazing!

The mystery is why this type of kiss affected me so, and I have to tell you that until I find the answer, I plan to be a super sleuth and keep replaying the scene until the mystery is solved. lol

What about you? What little mysteries are hidden inside you? Anyone care to share? Please do, and happy, happy reading!

Give To a Wonderful Cause

If you're not aware of it yet, Entangled Publishing has put together an anthology to help spread Autism Awareness. 100% of the net proceeds will got to Autism Speaks for autism research. For only $2.99 you will help raise money for a great cause and get three fantastic stories written by three very talented authors. That's pretty dang good if you ask me.





To learn more, please go to the Entangled Publishing website.

How to contribute?

For Amazon users.


For Barnes and Noble users


This charity is very special to me. My nephew is autistic, and I'll do anything I can to help make his future easier. The only way to do that is by understanding a condition that is affecting 1 out of 88 children.

Here's a little about the stories that are included in the anthology:

TWEET, BY BOONE BRUX 

When ultra-shy pushover Faye Albert decides to live a little, she inadvertently binds her soul to Satan by following him on Twitter. And overnight, her dreams of being confident, beautiful, and adored by men are coming true. No longer is she overlooked, pushed out her place in line, or just plain pushed over.

But it comes at a price: if she doesn’t figure out how break the contract, she’ll lose her soul to the Dark Prince forever.

With time running out, and no idea how to unfollow Satan, she enlists the help of Christopher White, a gorgeous photographer from work. All the while, Satan’s little helper dogs her every step and offers her things she’s only dreamed of, tempting Faye with a lifetime of earthly treasures. And unconditional love. But will she yes to a love
that knows no bounds?

Entangled Publishing--Tweet
Boone Brux's website. 
To read more on the cause.  

BITTERSWEET, BY BROOKE MOSS 

Anna Kirkpatrick isn't looking for love. Being a single mom to Bowan, her eight-year-old autistic son, takes up all of her time...leaving no room for romance. Willing to do anything to help her son come out of his shell, Anna agrees to take Bowan to cooking classes with a world class chef.

 Motorcycle-riding pastry chef Leo Mancini isn't exactly searching for "the one", either. After losing every penny he had, his business, and his girlfriend, he's moved to northern Idaho to sulk, restart his career, and pay his sister back for a loan that no amount of money could ever really suffice.

 When Anna and Leo discover that Bowan's fondness for the kitchen extends beyond his peculiar cookbook collection, Leo quickly becomes the one person who can break through his barriers. But will Leo and Anna's attraction lead to more than just a weekly cooking lesson? 

Entangled Publishing--Bittersweet

Brooke Moss's website.  

REMEMBER ME, BY NINA CROFT

Unable to bear the thought of losing his mortal wife, Caden Wolfe steals the Elixir of Life and offers her eternity. But the theft is discovered, his wife is slain, and Caden is stripped of his angel’s wings and cast down into the Abyss.
 

Having drunk of the Elixir of Life, Phoebe Little’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Unaware that she has lived countless lives, Phoebe is haunted by the loss of a love she
has no memory of.

 Caden has spent a thousand years searching for his wife. Now he has found her, and only Phoebe’s love can redeem them both. But Phoebe fell in love with an angel, and Caden is now a demon of the Abyss. Can she see past what he has become, remember the love they once shared, and have a second chance at forever?

Entangled Publishing--Remember Me

Nina Croft's website.

Thanks for letting me share!

Abby

A Nature Walk

 Iris cristata

I live in a beautiful part of the country, the Blue Ridge Mountains. My husband and I took a hike recently, not too far from where we live. I love hiking because not only is it good exercise, I get to breathe fresh air and get energized by the beauty of nature.

There is a small field of these native wild Irises at the top of the ridge. When they're all in bloom it's an amazing sight, a sweep of lavender-blue.

I took these photos and combined them with some beautiful nature quotes. Hopefully they will inspire you to take a walk in nature and notice the tiny flowers, the tree bark's texture and the dew drops on the leaves.

Since I am a writer, I have a good excuse for enjoying nature at every opportunity...

"Nature is a writer's best friend."  ~Agavé Powers

"A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart."
Hal Borland

One of my favorite wildflowers, cranesbill geranium.

 "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."  ~Albert Einstein

The view from the top of the ridge. Now you can see why they're called Blue Ridge Mountains.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."  ~John Muir

"I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees.  The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.  It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day.  It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful.  Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy."  ~Hamlin Garland, McClure's, February 1899

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy.  Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.  Look at the flowers - for no reason.  It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are."  ~Osho

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."  ~Kahlil Gibran

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive."  ~Eleonora Duse

A million baby oaks.

 "In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia."  ~Charles A. Lindbergh, Life, 22 December 1967

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature will bear the closest inspection.  She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.  ~Henry David Thoreau

"The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man."  ~Author Unknown

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!"  ~John Muir

"I know the thrill of the grasses when the rain pours over them.
I know the trembling of the leaves when the winds sweep through them.
I know what the white clover felt as it held a drop of dew pressed close in its beauteousness.
I know the quivering of the fragrant petals at the touch of the pollen-legged bees.
I know what the stream said to the dipping willows, and what the moon said to the sweet lavender.
I know what the stars said when they came stealthily down and crept fondly into the tops of the trees."
~Muriel Strode, "Creation Songs"

I hope you enjoyed this trip through nature.
Thanks!!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com

PS I've donated a Scottish gift basket to the Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes. Click here to see what it contains!

BDSM Backlist - Nothing to Fear

One of the great things about e-books is that they never go out of print. With all the recent mainstream interest in 50 Shades of Grey, I thought this would be a good time to remind readers of the BDSM releases I’ve had over the last few years. Then I realized I really have too many to list in a single post, so I’ve decided do BDSM Backlist once a month for the next few months. It's been fun to go back and remember these stories, re-read the excerpts and think, hey, these are good! :)

My very first release from Ellora’s Cave, Nothing to Fear, has a BDSM theme. This Halloween set Quickie is still one of my most popular. I wish all my stories would come as easily as this one did. Once I had the hero, the heroine and the premise, the story practically wrote itself. Yeah. I really wish they would all flow like that.

Here’s the blurb:

Mason Blake's dark good looks and domineering personality give Kelly Long all sorts of forbidden fantasies that frighten her. When she agrees to help out at the community Halloween haunted house, she never expects to be tied to a bed, playing damsel in distress to Mason’s masked, whip-wielding villain.

Kelly can’t run away from Mason this time. He knows she’s fighting her sexual needs and he hopes that a few hours of playing out her fantasies with him will prove to her that bondage - and Mason - are nothing to fear.

And a little excerpt for you:

“I have to tie you to the bed now,” he said smoothly, picking up the first length of rope. He lifted her right arm and ran his hand along her skin from shoulder to wrist, his fingers causing hot shivers to run in their wake. His fingers easily ringed her wrist. “I have to make it tight enough that it won’t come undone while you’re thrashing about.”

The thought of thrashing about underneath him made a hot flush sweep over her body. She swallowed. “Do what you have to do.”

The rope wasn’t as rough as she thought it would be. He wound the other end around the tall bedpost, and gradually stretched her arm almost straight up and to the side, then tied it off.
“Okay, give it a pull. Will it come loose?”

Kelly yanked with all her might, but it didn’t give a bit. Mason nodded and glanced at his watch.

He grabbed another length of rope and ran his hand down her leg, starting up at her hip, smoothing out the skirt of her dress as he went along. When he reached the bare skin of her calf, she shivered at his touch. He reached her ankle and lifted her leg a bit, looking at the sparkly pumps with the high heels. “Hot.”

She wanted to blurt out that they weren’t her shoes. She’d never owned anything so blatantly sexy. She’d been raised to never draw attention to herself like that. But she couldn’t force any words out of her mouth at the moment. She could only feel his hands on her leg, the rope slowly wrapping around her ankle, the gentle tug as her leg was stretched out and Mason secured it to the bedpost at the bottom of the bed.

He slowly rounded the bottom of the bed. She may have been covered with this cotton dress, but she felt naked as his gaze roamed over her body. He caught her left foot with his hand, lifting it from the mattress and rubbing his hand over the high instep, the arched top. “I love you in these shoes. You never wore shoes like this when you were with me.”

“They’re Lisa’s shoes. I don’t own a pair of shoes like this.”

“I’ll buy you a pair.”

You can download your own copy of Nothing to Fear through the links below and at other e-book sites:

Ellora's Cave
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

Have a great Monday!
Natasha
Plaything - Coming May 8th!
www.natashamoore.com