Writing BDSM

Of course everyone has heard about Fifty Shades of Grey now. Everyone’s whispering and giggling about mommy porn… or so the media wants us to think.

Meanwhile some of us have been reading and writing BDSM fiction for a very long time.

As with anything, there is well- and badly-written BDSM fiction out there. Whether you enjoyed 50 Shades or couldn’t get past all the blushing, mumbling and tripping without rolling your eyes, I’m thrilled that at least people are READING. Reading any book, reading BDSM, reading what floats your boat.

But if you’re coming into the craze late — and honestly, maybe you want to capitalize on the BDSM hype while 50 Shades is hot and write some yourself — then there are some very important things you should know before you set out to write BDSM. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve probably made mistakes. I’m not living the lifestyle.

However, I’ve always been drawn to BDSM fiction and was writing it in some fashion before I even really knew what BDSM stood for in the first place. That interest has only grown the more I’ve read and researched over the years.

Here are a few buzzwords to consider as you write BDSM.

Sexy. I’d say the number one thing I keep in mind as I write a BDSM sex scene: if I don’t find what the characters are doing smoking hot, then my readers sure aren’t going to be interested, either.
Don’t write BDSM because it’s shocking or titillating. That might get you so far, but it’s really the sexy, emotional BDSM that will keep your readers coming back. It’s only going to be sexy if YOU find it sexy. If you don’t find heavy S&M hot as hell, then don’t try to write it. There are already plenty of authors who can write the heavy, edgy scenes and pull it off wonderfully. Good BDSM fiction doesn’t have to be all whips and chains and latex, you know. There’s plenty of room for “softer” BDSM. Find what makes YOU blush and sweat and squirm…and write that instead.

Limits. Think about what limits you have as a writer and explore them, just like a good BDSM scene will explore a sub’s limits.
Maybe you once swore you’d never write XYZ. (A little known secret:
I once swore my characters would never say the f word. Yeah, they’re still laughing at me.) Maybe you really don’t find toys sexy but you wonder what the appeal is. Sit down and explore that. How could you make this scene sexy and emotional even if you’re uncomfortable?
Exploring your own limits will add emotion and believability to the story, not to mention help you grow as a writer.

Fear. Remember that at the heart of every really good hero’s journey is fear. Fear that we’re unlovable, that we’ll be abandoned and alone, and that we’ll ultimately fail the journey entirely. Fear has a place even in the most carefully contracted and fully consensual scene. Don’t assume that only the submissive is going to be afraid, either. Dominants have a ton of responsibility and may very well fear hurting the sub, failing to satisfy the sub’s expectations in some way, or even going so far in the scene that the sub is emotionally damaged. Play on those fears…and your own… to write the most emotional scenes possible.

Power. It may surprise you, but BDSM isn’t really about sex.
In fact, some really powerful scenes can play out without a single sexual act. At the heart of BDSM is a power exchange. The submissive chooses to give power to the dominant. In this regard, the control rests entirely on the submissive. The power is hers/his entirely to stop the scene with the safe word. The dominant uses that gift of power to play with the sub, whether with mind games, humiliation in some way, or sometimes but not always, sex. Think about the power that your characters are exchanging. Think about how it feels not only to be powerless, but to CHOOSE to be powerless. What kind of person would you trust to take your power away? Who would you trust to tie you up where you can’t move a muscle, let alone protect yourself? How would it feel to have someone look up at you while completely helpless and know that there’s absolutely nothing they could do to stop you (short of uttering their safe word)?

*shivers*

Now go write that, please.

Some recommended reads, both for research and for pleasure:

SM 101: A Realistic Introduction by Jay Wiseman

Sensuous Magic: A Guide to S/M for Adventurous Couples by Patrick Califia

The Sleeping Beauty Novels: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty / Beauty’s Release / Beauty’s Punishment by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)

The Dom’s Dungeon by Cherise Sinclair

Other websites to consider:

http://www.kinkacademy.com/home/profile/?user=6
http://passionandsoul.com/
http://fetlife.com

~ * ~
Joely always has her nose buried in abook, especially one with mythology, fairy tales, and romance. Find her on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.. Be sure to check out her freereads!

YOURS TO TAKE, The Connaghers #3, releasing May 8th from Samhain Publishing

Joely has graciously offered one ecopy of Yours to Take to one lucky commenter. Just let us know what your favorite BDSM read is, or what interests you about the BDSM genre. Giveaway is open internationally and ends May 15th. Good Luck!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Joely Sue Burkhart is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Susan is honored by enthusiastic readers who say that her books make them laugh, make them cry, and make the world a happier place to live. Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. She’s there for the coffee, not the weather.

Susan’s latest book is BAREFOOT SEASON, the heart-wrenching story of two wounded women who heal their friendship – and find love with two fabulous men – over one long, lovely summer on Blackberry Island, Washington. BAREFOOT SEASON is the first book of Susan’s new Blackberry Island series of women’s fiction novels.

Susan, what made BAREFOOT SEASON a story you had to tell?

I find female friendship endlessly fascinating. I feel very blessed to have several strong, supportive friendships that have endured for years. We celebrate each other’s successes, grieve for each other’s losses, nurture and praise and lecture – whatever is called for at that moment. I know how strong friendship between women can be.

But friendship can also be fragile.

One day, I asked myself, What if you and your best friend fell in love with the same man… and then he chose her? Could you be truly happy for her when your heart is breaking? What would you do if he then came to you – this man you both love – and told you that he made a mistake, that he should have chosen you? Could you turn him away? From this spark came BAREFOOT SEASON.

As children, Michelle and Carly were as close as sisters, running free on Blackberry Island. Now, ten years after their friendship was destroyed by love, they’re forced together again by circumstances to save the Blackberry Island Inn.  Along the way, they’ll each find love with two great men and the sense of family they’d been missing for so many years. I do love a happy ending!

BAREFOOT SEASON is the first book of your new Blackberry Island series. What can you tell us about Blackberry Island, both the books and the place? 

On Blackberry Island, life is sweet and the happy ending is guaranteed! I’m a firm believer that life is better with romance, so you can rest assured that the women on Blackberry Island will find love with men who will make your toes curl. The Blackberry Island books will also allow me to explore other relationships. We women often define ourselves by the relationships in our lives. Not just by our romantic relationships, but by our friendships, our relationships with our mothers, our children, our bosses, our neighbors… For us, it’s not so much “what do you do?” as “whom do you love and who loves you back?” that determines how we feel about ourselves. It’s nice to stretch my wings a little to write about some of these other defining relationships, as well.

Blackberry Island is a quaint island off the coast of Seattle, a popular weekend escape for Seattlites who want to get out of the city. You can get to the island either across Getaway Bridge or by ferry. Locals are friendly hosts, happy to direct you to one of several wineries on the island, the daisy fields that have made it the Daisy Capital of the West Coast, and the Puget Sound Crane habitats. You can learn more about Blackberry Island at www.blackberryisland.com. And yes, it’s fictional, but it’s real in my heart, as I hope it will become real in yours!

BAREFOOT SEASON is more of a women’s fiction, then, rather than a straight romance. Are you moving away from writing romance?

Absolutely not! I love romance. There is still nothing more exciting to me than watching two people fall in love. I adore the first kiss, my heart always sinks when things are at their darkest and it looks hopeless, and I am as thrilled as ever when love triumphs in the end. My next romance will be SUMMER DAYS, book 7 of the Fool’s Gold series, which will land in stores on May 29. Well, that’s the next full-length romance. On May 1, I’ll release ALMOST SUMMER, a Fool’s Gold ebook novella. Then there will be two more Fool’s Gold romances in July and August, plus a Christmas gift-sized hardcover in October called A FOOL’S GOLD CHRISTMAS. If you’ll sign up for my mailing list at www.susanmallery.com/members/, I’ll send you an email on release day.

Do you think book clubs will enjoy BAREFOOT SEASON? Why or why not?

I do! I belong to a book club, and the books we most enjoy discussing are the books that feel like a slice of life. In BAREFOOT SEASON, the two women at the center of the story are both decent people who have legitimate reasons for feeling the way they do, which means that book club members can legitimately fall on either side of the issue that’s causing the conflict in the book.

I’m always very proud when readers and reviewers say that they really identified with the characters in my books. Those characters feel as real to me as people in real life – a fact which is endlessly confusing for my poor husband, who has to ask for clarification when I tell him about something that someone did that day. “Is she a real person?” he’s forced to ask.

I think readers will really connect with the characters in BAREFOOT SEASON. Carly is a hard-working, loving single mom. She would do anything for her daughter, including put up with the woman who betrayed her. If the inn goes under, Carly doesn’t just lose her job – she loses her home, the only home her daughter has ever known.

Michelle is sarcastic and funny and kind of crabby. I do love a crabby woman! Michelle is prickly, but beneath that prickliness, she’s loyal and has a heart that won’t quit. Wait until you meet the dog she rescues – and who rescues her.

I’ve included a readers’ discussion guide in BAREFOOT SEASON to help get the conversation started. There are even a couple of recipes! I’d be happy to chat about the book live via phone or Skype with any book club that selects BAREFOOT SEASON. Just email my assistant at jenel (at) susanmallery (dot) com to set it up.

What kind of research did you do?

In BAREFOOT SEASON, Michelle is struggling with post-traumatic stress after being wounded in Afghanistan. Since I’ve never served in the military, I wanted to be sure I got those details right, to honor the women who serve our country. I did a lot of research online, then I spoke personally with Sergeant Betty Thurman. What struck me time and again was how proud our soldiers are of what they do. Rightfully so. These are strong, resilient women. Although they are barred from certain duties, they can and do serve in war zones. They can and do put their lives on the line, and they do it because they love our country.

After I finished the book, I asked a fan of mine who has been deployed twice to read it for a “gut check.”  Did I get the emotions right, I wanted to know. She told me that she felt as if I was in her head. On top of being a soldier, she is a wife and mother to four children. She loved the book so much that she has preordered ten copies to send to her “battle buddies.”

What do you hope your readers take away from reading BAREFOOT SEASON?

Friends can become family. We’re not all lucky enough to be born with the family we deserve, but we can build a family by surrounding ourselves with loving, supportive friends.

How did you come up with the title BAREFOOT SEASON?

In the book, Michelle spots Carly’s young daughter in the back yard, barefoot and spinning in circles with her face raised toward the sun and her arms outstretched. It makes her long for the long summer days of her own childhood, when she and Carly ran barefoot around Blackberry Island. In her mind, being barefoot is closely connected with innocence, with the time in her life before she had been hurt, before she knew there was darkness in the world.

What’s next for you, after BAREFOOT SEASON?

This summer, I’m heading back to Fool’s Gold, California – the Land of Happy Endings – with four brand new full-length novels, plus an ebook novella. The titles and release dates are:

ALMOST SUMMER – May 1 (ebook novella)

SUMMER DAYS – May 29

SUMMER NIGHTS – June 26

ALL SUMMER LONG – July 31

A FOOL’S GOLD CHRISTMAS – September 25

Q&A with Susan Mallery is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

MAKING IT YOUR OWN

Hello, Bookpushers! Thanks so much for letting me take part in your Fantasy Celebration! My name is Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell and I’m here to talk to you today about a type of fantasy fiction you may not have tried before – namely, tie-in fiction.
Okay, first off – what is tie-in fiction? In technical terms, it’s fiction that “ties in” to some other media property, like a television show, movie, video game, or role-playing game. But put more simply, it’s the two entire bookcases in the science fiction and fantasy section of your local brick and mortar bookstore that are filled with Star Wars, Buffy, Warhammer and D&D novels. That’s the section where you’ll find my most recent book, The Shard Axe, which ties in to the world of Dungeons & Dragon Online (DDO).

You may have heard that tie-in fiction is nothing more than glorified fan fiction – usually from people who’ve never actually read any, or whose last foray into the field was during the Carter administration. I’ve rebutted that argument elsewhere, so I won’t waste your time with it here. Suffice to say that, when you have Hugo and Nebula Award winners writing tie-in fiction, the idea that it’s somehow of lesser quality than “original” work goes flying out the window faster than a sparkly vampire about to be caught stalking his underage girlfriend (heh).

So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’d like to focus on a question raised by Bookpusher’s very own MinnChica. Namely, how does a writer make tie-in fiction his or her own? As a tie-in writer, you’re writing in a setting someone else created, often using other people’s characters and/or plot lines. You might think those constraints would leave little room for creativity and that it would be harder to put your own stamp on a story because of them, but you’d probably be surprised to learn that it’s really no harder than doing the same thing with original (i.e., creator-owned) fiction.

With creator-owned fantasy fiction, the setting, character and plot may all be yours, but you still have constraints. For example, if you’re writing urban fantasy set in our world, then your Chicago has to resemble our Chicago, or you don’t get to call it that (at least not without annoying your Windy City readers). Things like gravity and the laws of physics have to work the way we expect them to, unless you’ve come up with a logical reason why they don’t – preferably a reason that’s integral to your story. Even when you’re writing in your own made-up world, you will still have rules you need to follow, and follow consistently. If magic exists in your world (and it probably will, since we’re talking about fantasy here), then it has to follow a set of rules that don’t change from situation to situation. And if they do change? You guessed it – you have to have a reason for it. And that reason can’t be “because it sounded kewl,” either, because readers aren’t stupid. They know when you haven’t taken the time to think out how your world works, and few things will make a fantasy reader throw your book across the room faster. After all, if you don’t care enough to build a consistent world, why should they care enough to try to make sense of it? Likewise, your characters have to have believable reasons for what they do, or else they ring false to the reader and – whoosh! Book across the room.

The same constraints hold true for tie-in fiction. If, say, the heroine of The Shard Axe (Sabira) spends a lot of time in the DDO city of Stormreach (and she does), then the Stormreach in the novel had better match the one in the game. If characters can’t fly in-game, then I can’t suddenly make Sabira sprout wings and jump off a cliff to escape danger. If I do? Book, meet wall. The only real difference with tie-in fiction is that the rules writers have to follow aren’t ones that they also had to make up.

And just as the story-telling constraints are the same, regardless of whether a book is tie-in or original fantasy fiction, so too is the way in which a writer goes about making a story stand out within the bounds of those constraints. For The Shard Axe, I chose to set a large portion of the story in a part of the world that hadn’t gotten much attention, and to focus on a race that had similarly been largely underutilized – namely, the dwarves and their homeland. I chose to tell a type of story that hadn’t been seen yet – the hunt for a serial killer, complete with some courtroom drama. I chose to add elements to the story that aren’t typically considered a staple of D&D novels, like a romantic subplot and an urban fantasy-type heroine who is equal parts snark and heart.

Now, granted, I had more freedom in the tale I wanted to tell in The Shard Axe than the person who writes, say, Criminal Minds tie-in fiction, but even that person (Max Allan Collins, aka the Tie-in God) is able to make those stories his own. How?

By doing the same thing any writer does, whether they’re putting out tie-in fiction or creator-owned work. Look for things that haven’t been done before, or new ways of presenting old ideas. Mix genres – The Shard Axe is fantasy noir with an urban fantasy feel and a murder mystery at its core. Give characters motivations readers can understand, and make the stakes matter. Sabira is driven by guilt, duty and a sizable gambling debt to accept a mission she doesn’t want, protecting a dwarf she can’t forgive, in a city full of memories that won’t stop haunting her. I’m biased, of course, but that’s a storyline that I would find compelling no matter what universe it was written in.

And that’s probably the most important answer of all. How do I make a book stand out, be it tie-in or creator-owned? By telling a story I want to read. And hopefully, if I’ve followed my own advice, it’s one that you’ll want to read, as well.

BIO:

Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell is the author of the forthcoming Dungeons & Dragons Online novel, Skein of Shadows, a sequel to The Shard Axe (Wizards of the Coast, 2011). She has also written another unrelated novel, Legacy of Wolves (Wizards of the Coast, 2007), set in the same universe. Her creator-owned work includes a female-centric series of Arabian-flavored sword & sorcery stories, Tales of Sand and Sorcery, put out by Musa Publishing. The first two installments, “Shaala, Made of Stone” and “The Jade and Honey Harlot,” are available now and the third, “Both,” releases in May. In addition to her fiction writing, she is a poet, editor, engineer, Navy (Seabee) wife and the mother of three wonderful sons. She lives in Arizona in the shadow of an improbably green mountain with her family, the requisite black lab, a sizable collection of Wonder Woman figures, and far too many books. You can find out more about her latest projects here: www.marsheilarockwell.com/.

Marcy is offering one copy of The Shard Axe to one lucky winner. Just leave a question for Marcy about tie-in fantasy, or tell her your favorite tie-in fantasy book to be entered. Open internationally and ends April 19th. Good Luck!

Fantasy Celebration: Guest Post & Giveaway with Marsheila Rockwell is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Thanks for inviting me to be a guest!  I’m delighted to share some thoughts about writing fantasy with your readers.

My newest novel, Swords Over Fireshore, is the third book in the Blood of the Kindred series, which begins with the meeting of two young ælven, Eliani and Turisan. They discover they share the rare gift of mindspeech, and are called to use this talent in service of the ælven people. The morning after their handfasting, Eliani travels to the northernmost ælven realm of Fireshore to try to contact the governor there, while Turisan stays behind to deal with an invasion of kobalen (a lesser, but intelligent, species).

In Swords Over Fireshore, Eliani has found the governor but he has been taken prisoner by the alben, former ælven who were cast out thousands of years before as a result of the Bitter Wars. The alben drink the blood of the kobalen, a practice the ælven consider against their creed. After spending many centuries in exile, the alben have now returned to reclaim the capital of Fireshore, their former homeland.

Eliani’s cousin Luruthin is also a prisoner of the alben, and she is determined to rescue both him and the governor. While Turisan is racing to bring an ælven army to Fireshore, Eliani must effect this rescue without being captured herself. She and Turisan hope to be reunited despite the chaos of an approaching war with the alben.

All this grew out of a short story I wrote, “Kind Hunter,” which appeared in the anthology Elf Magic (now out of print, but “Kind Hunter” is available in my short story collection Coyote Ugly).  The germ of that story was an elf hunting a vampire, and the idea came from my pondering the similarities between those two kinds of beings. When the story was finished, I wasn’t done with the idea, so I wound up writing The Betrayal which was the first book in the Blood of the Kindred series.

Approaching that novel, I wanted to make it a fantasy with strong female characters. I’m a big Tolkein fan, but Lord of the Rings is really a guy story and the females are mostly in the background. A lot of fantasy fiction is dominated by male characters. So I created a culture that’s based on merit rather than physical strength, where females could be equal players on all levels. There’s also less physical disparity between males and females in the ælven race than in the human race, so their culture isn’t dominated by the difference the way ours is.

Speaking of humans, they don’t yet appear in this fantasy world.  I wanted to focus on the ælven, because I love elves and because they’re usually given supporting roles.  In this series, they are the stars.  The setting is many millennia in the past and humans haven’t come on the scene yet.

The ælven society is an honor-based culture so there’s a lot to live up to. While the ælven have social freedom, with that comes a lot of responsibility. Motives of greed and personal gain aren’t acceptable. It’s not all right to do something that harms someone else. The ælven have very little tolerance for misbehavior. They don’t have a penal system like ours, so serious misbehavior results in an attempt at mediation, and if that fails, ostracism: the misbehaver is cast out of the culture. Sort of like shunning except more extreme.

While at times the ælven world may seem grim, I want readers to come away with a sense of hope. No matter how awful things are and no matter how badly people behave, there is a lot that’s good and noble and beautiful in our world and its people, and the ælven world is meant to reflect this. The ælven culture reveres beauty, harmony and selflessness. In that respect, it’s a world I wish I could live in.

For readers who are interested in the ælven’s role in the modern world, I wrote Immortal and its forthcoming sequel, Eternal.  These are geared a bit more toward young adult readers. I had a lot of fun exploring how the ælven cope with our crazy human world, and the difficulties faced by potential lovers from these two very different cultures. Unlike the earlier world of the Blood of the Kindred series, this world is dominated by humans and the ælven are pretty much just struggling to survive.  And of course, the alben are still around making trouble.

Pati Nagle was born and raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico. An avid student of music, history, and humans in general, she loves the outdoors but hides from the sun.

She writes in a variety of genres, but is most often drawn to fantasy or (as P.G. Nagle) historical fiction.  Her stories have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and in various other magazines and anthologies.

Pati Nagle still lives in the mountains in New Mexico with her husband and furry feline muse, where she loves to walk in the woods and look up at the stars.

Pati has offered one ebook copy of Swords Over Fireshore to one lucky winner. Leave Pati a comment to be entered to win. Open internationally and ends April 11th. Good Luck!

Fantasy Celebration: Guest Post & Giveaway with Pati Nagle is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Delete That Tweet?

Hi Book Pushers! Thanks so much for having me again. The last time I visited, I shared a list of Author Don’ts. So I’m back today with a related topic: Uh-oh Tweets.

As I said before, my online behavior is far from perfect. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and will continue to make them. I enjoy learning, discussing, and debating on the internet. I’d rather say the wrong thing, from time to time, than never say anything.Being outspoken has led me into trouble, of course. Here are some examples of tweeting gone bad:

1.Negative review tweets. About a year ago, Dear Author posted a DNF review of one of my category novels. I retweeted it for a couple of reasons. First, I was one of their reviewers at the time, and I felt proud to be part of a team that didn’t give me special treatment. Really! I also wanted to show my support for honest reviews, dnf reviews, negative reviews, etc. The review generated a lot of comments, some defensive on my behalf. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my retweet encouraged my followers to go there and disagree with the reviewer. Oops.

2. Religious/political tweets. I usually keep it light on twitter, but I’ve been known to talk about women’s issues, gay rights, and whatever else is on my mind. If you love Rush Limbaugh, we won’t get along. The other day I tweeted about virginity and how the focus is on girls to stay pure. This turned into more of a heated debate than I’d anticipated. I ended up apologizing and bowing out. Shortly after, someone following me made hurtful remarks to the opposition. I decided not to step back in. I think that was a mistake. I felt responsible for the insults, having opened up the discussion.

3. Jealousy tweets. Although I write reviews at various sites, I rarely make critical remarks on twitter. Recently, Jennifer Weiner snarked on 50 Shades of Grey, and regretted it. I haven’t read the book, and don’t agree that female authors should always be nice to/supportive of each other. However, I also tweeted some negative impressions of the first page of 50 Shades. Looking back, I think my opinion is marred by jealousy. The amount of publicity and reader response has been staggering. I want to be happy for this author and celebrate her success. If I can’t, I should probably stay quiet.

So there it is! My shameful twitter expose. Don’t even get me started on unfortunate blog comments. I could go on and on about those. I also want to make it clear that I’m not trying to tell other authors how to behave or what to say. There are consequences for speaking out on controversial issues, and I accept them.

Questions: Should authors avoid getting into heated debates or making negative remarks on the internet? Are some topics off-limits at Twitter and other social media sites? Does author behavior affect book sales?

If you’d like to win a copy of Caught in the Act, let me know in the comments. Thanks!! Giveaway is open internationally and ends April 2nd. Good Luck!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Jill Sorenson is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Leather jacket.  Those two simple words mean a lot of things.  Rugged.  Independent.  Armored.

It makes sense to put Jake, the hero of my post-apocalyptic romance THE LAST NIGHT, in a leather jacket as he rides across the wasteland on his motorcycle.  He needs to be protected by the ever changing terrain that is torn apart by earthquakes.  And that’s not the least of his worries.  Ancient viruses have been released from deep in the soil, transforming many of the surviving humans into stone-skinned mutants known as ashers.  A leather jacket is his armor as he battles his way through these beasts to find a better life with the heroine, Erica.

 But what I didn’t do was describe Jake’s jacket.  I’m a writer who loves specifics, but in this case, I wanted to leave it open to the reader’s imagination.  Each person has an ideal picture for a tough guy’s leather jacket and that’s how Jake should be dressed.  He’s wearing the leather jacket that you think is the most badass and most sexy.

There are different jackets for different kinds of heroes.  Start with the classic motorcycle jacket, as seen on Brando from The Wild One.  The ultimate rebel.  Add the element of reckless speed and you get the modernized moto jacket Hugh Jackman is filling out as Wolverine.  If you want to imagine a man who stands up for his beliefs, you dress him in a bomber jacket like Harrison Ford wears as Indiana Jones.  And if the hero is stylish and still tough, you get a vintage leather coat like Richard Roundtree is sporting as Shaft.

So my question to you is: When your hero rides out of the wastelands on his motorcycle toward you, what kind of leather jacket is he wearing?

I’ll pick one commenter to win a PDF of THE LAST NIGHT. Contest open internationally and ends February 20th.

You can purchase the book here:

Carina | Amazon Kindle | Barnes and Noble Nook

You can find me here:

Website  | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Guest Post & Giveaway with Nico Rosso is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

His Dark Bond

I love fallen angels. As heroes, fallen angels are dark, sexy, and so damned alpha. The heroes of my book are take-charge warriors who, despite their Fall from heavenly grace, have a bedrock core of honor and a fierce desire to do what is right. The hero of my current release, His Dark Bond, is also an unrepentant bad boy—my favorite kind of hero, especially once my heroine gets her hands on his heart. She’s his last hope for salvation, whether he wants to be saved—or not.

Clearly, I’m not the only one in love with the bad boys of the angel world. My “first” was J.R. Ward’s Lassiter; after him, I’ve spent hours lost in other fallen angel books by J.R. Ward, Michele Hauf, Gena Showalter, Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh, Kristina Douglas and Cynthia Eden. I was hooked.

Blurb:

Zer is no angel—well, not anymore. He’s explored every flavor of sin imaginable, drinking in the pleasures of humanity. But now he must find the woman who carries his salvation in her very blood… a woman like Nessa St. James.

Nessa has considered the bargain the Fallen offer. Anything she wants in exchange for accepting Zer’s bond? No way. Not her. Not when she finds out about the mind-blowing ritual involved, and the marks of surrender that will ink her skin. But with a serial killer to stop and centuries of experience on his side, this is one job Zer’s going to nail.

Excerpt:

                        The erotic stillness of her body as she tried to make sense of an overload of sensations rocked his world, teasing all his senses with sensual promise. And then she melted into his embrace.

                        Good. “First time, baby,” he promised. He moved up her body, bit lightly at the smooth skin of her throat, marking her. Next time she wore that damn chignon of hers, the whole world would see his mark of possession. Would know that she belong to him.

                        He shouldn’t be doing this, but the pleasure was a torment now. So long since he’d felt this sense of welcome. Homecoming. As if, in all the universe, this was the one place he belonged. A male could drown in this pleasure.

                        Christ, he wanted this to be right for her. For him to be her fantasy the way she was his.

                        Ruthlessly, he stripped off his boots and pants. Shot a look at the shadows. Solid as a rock, there was his boy. Nael hadn’t moved from his position in the darkness. Safe. So, he slid his weapon under the pillow but didn’t remove the pair of blades strapped to his upper arm. Nael had his back, but no way would Zer risk Nessa now. She was worth too damn much. Losing her wasn’t an option, and for reason he didn’t want to explore. Not now.

                        Covering her, he deliberately bore down with his weight, pinning her to the bed. Her husky feminine moan went straight to his head.

                        “Bond with me,” he growled.

                        Her answer, when it came, rocked his world.

                        “Yes,” she groaned, licking at his ear. “You bond with me.”

Which fallen angel book sticks in your heart and your memory? I’d love to give away a signed set of Fallen books (Bond with Me and His Dark Bond), so leave a comment and tell me which story you can’t forget. Giveaway is open internationally and ends February  10th. Good Luck!

Guest Post & Giveaway with Anne Marsh is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

It was too good a chance to miss. So we’ve arranged a little “Ode to Matthew”—five lovely little tidbits proving these cowboys are very good at a lot of things. We hope you’ll enjoy taking a ride with our boys! (The full list of places to visit to read tidbits is listed at my blog.)

In this post we’re going for Cowboys Are Great Kissers…

~~**~~

Matthew

 Circle Eight, Book 1

By Emma Lang

A man learns to hold what is his…

It is a vast spread in the eastern wilds of the newly independent Republic of Texas, the ranch their parents fought for … and died for. To the eight Graham siblings, no matter how much hard work or hard love it takes, life is unthinkable without family…

In the wake of his parents’ murder, Matthew Graham must take the reins at the Circle Eight. He also needs to find a wife in just thirty days, or risk losing it all. Plain but practical, Hannah Foley seems the perfect bride for him . . . until after the wedding night.

Their marriage may make all the sense in the world, but neither one anticipates the jealousies that will result, the treacherous danger they’re walking into, or the wildfire of attraction that will sweep over them, changing their lives forever.

~~**~~

Enjoy a snippet from MATTHEW:

She felt herself falling into his eyes. They were very green in the low light of the hall. It was as if they’d stepped into another place, without their entire noisy family only feet away. His thumb grazed her lips and a skitter of heat slid down her body. Her stomach felt funny and her woman place grew warm and tingly. Hannah could hardly catch her breath.

“Are you going to kiss me?” she blurted.

He smiled and leaned down, his lips slowly approaching hers. She didn’t want to close her eyes and miss it, but the closer he got, the more she fell into a whirlpool of unfamiliar sensations. His lips were softer than anything she’d felt before. Just a brush against hers, and then the second pass was a true kiss.

A small moan burbled up her throat as the second kiss turned into a third. Her body throbbed to the frantic beating of her heart. Hannah didn’t want to even take a breath and miss a bit of the most erotic moment of her life.

His arms closed around her and she pressed up against him. Oh my. He was hard from head to foot, harder than she expected. Matthew was a man who worked for a living, covered in muscle with callused hands and a firm grip.

~~**~~

Buy links: Book releases January 31, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | B-A-M | Chapters | IndieBound | Powell’s

Emma Lang/Beth Williamson: Website | Blog | Twitter

~~**~~

Rocky Mountain Desire
Six Pack Ranch, Book 3
By Vivian Arend

Nothing comes easy. You’ve gotta work for it.

Matt Coleman always figured at this point in his life, he’d be settled down with a family. Since his ex split for the big city, though, no way will he give anyone else the chance to drop-kick his heart. Physical pleasure? Hell, yeah, he’ll take—and give—with gusto, but nothing more.

Hope Meridan is working long hours to hold on to her new quilt shop, going it alone since her sister/business partner ran off. Sex? Right, like she’s got the time. Not that she doesn’t have the occasional dirty fantasy about Matt. Fat chance he’d dream of knocking boots with her—the younger sister of the woman who dumped him. Nope, she’ll just have to settle for the F-word.

Friends would be far easier if there wasn’t something combustible going on between them. And when casual interest starts to grow into something more, their tenuous bond strengthens in the heat of desire. But it may not survive the hurricane-force arrival of the last person either of them ever wanted to see again…

Warning: Small-town rivals, men in pursuit and family meddling—in good and bad ways. Look for a cowboy who knows how to rope, ride and rein in a hell of a lot more than eight seconds of sheer bliss.

~~**~~

Enjoy a snippet from ROCKY MOUNTAIN DESIRE:

She leaned in as close as possible without making her actions too noticeable. A deep breath let her soak in the scent of his freshly washed body. The soapy fragrance clinging to him made her want to eat him alive.

It also reminded her of his very blatant display in the shower the other day.

Three weeks and counting. They’d made it this far without falling into bed, but it was getting tougher to remember why she’d insisted they wait in the first place. Not counting all the times he’d dropped in at the shop or she’d been around the ranch, they’d also gone to a movie and had a couple of game nights with his family. Each activity confirmed how much she enjoyed his company, but now that pleasure seemed to highlight their rising sexual frustration.

“Did you just sniff me?”

Hope looked up guiltily. “Maybe?”

Matt laughed softly. “Come here.” He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in, not stopping until she was flush with the front of his body. He lowered his head slowly, giving her tons of time to retreat.

Like that was going to happen.

That first brush of his lips against hers made a shiver race over her entire body. The teasing rub of his whiskers against her lips made her hungry for more. She grabbed his belt loops, twining her fingers through them to resist sliding her fingers farther back to clutch his ass and grind them together.

Sweet kisses followed, accompanied by not-so-sweet mental images. Even as his tongue slipped between her lips, she was imagining his lips and tongue on other parts of her anatomy. The fine scratch of his facial hair dragging over sensitive skin.

“Hmm.” He pulled back, his dark gaze captivating her.

~~**~~

Buy links: (ebook releases March 13, 2012)

Rocky Mountain Desire: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Vivian Arend: Website | Blog | Twitter

Wow! That is some hot Matthew kissing action going on. Vivian is also offering a givaway: winner’s choice of the the first two books in the Six Pack Ranch series. Just leave a comment to be entered. Open internationally and ends February 6th. Good Luck!

Emma Lang and Vivian Arend Guest Post and Giveaway is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

Touch Me

If you know me at all (either as Callie Croix or Kaylea Cross), then you know how much I love and admire military personnel. And you’ll also have figured out that I’m crazy for military heroes in romance novels. With Touch Me, I got to combine a yummy alpha military hero with one of my all time favorite romance tropes: the friends-to-lovers theme.

Along with the steamy romance, I also touch on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD, serious issues that a growing percentage of our men and women in uniform face on today’s battlefields. Once they return, their families suffer right along with them; collateral damage that is often overlooked. In Touch Me, you’ll see one example of this in how the heroine, Tianna’s life was affected by her ex-husband’s injuries sustained in combat.

Blurb:

Arriving home on leave from his tour of duty, Army Captain Alex Montoya knows there’s a beautiful woman waiting for him—his best friend’s sister. She’s always been off limits…until now. He fully intends to move them out of being “just friends” and encourage her to release the sexual needs he senses she’s buried deep.

Tianna McIntyre is starting over after her marriage ended. Her ex-husband weakened her self-esteem and caused her to deny her true sexual desires. But being around Alex brings all her dormant fantasies to the surface, and now Tianna feels the stirrings of her secret, submissive wishes.

Determined to help repair the damage Tianna’s ex did to her self-worth, Alex will use whatever means necessary to convince her they’re meant for each other, including tying her down to make sure he has her full attention while he takes her to the heights of pleasure she’s always dreamed of…

Excerpt:

She swallowed, mouth too dry to speak.His seductive touch wreaked havoc on her nervous system, but she was still unsure of his motives. Did he feel sorry for her now? Was she so lonely and desperate for his touch that he could tell?

“Alex.”

“Hmm?”

“What are we doing?”

His thumbs pressed deep on a spot that made her toes curl, and she bit back a moan. “Enjoying each other. Is that okay?”

She nodded. But was that all they were doing? Was that all she meant to him? She’d never had a fling. Didn’t think she could be just that to Alex.

Those clever fingers stroked higher, behind her knee, and paused. Her heart drummed loudly in her ears as she stared at him. God, she was already wet and throbbing for him, and all he’d done was touch her leg.

“Stop.”

She licked her lips. “What?”

“Stop thinking.”

Impossible. Her brain was whirring like a runaway carousel.

His fingertips moved a few inches higher, up her inner thigh. “Just feel.”

More than the words, the tenderness overlying the command in his voice sent a ribbon of heat curling through her. Her leg muscles drew tight while he continued to caress her over-sensitized skin in a lazy, slow pattern. Lighting up her entire body with no effort at all.

Alex’s eyes seemed to glow in the soft lamplight. “Feel good?”

She nodded, afraid to speak. God, it’d been so long for her. She wasn’t sure she could get through this without crying. He meant so much to her. This meant so much to her. But under the heat the nerves crept back in, those vicious little doubts that pricked her with sharp claws.

You take too long. You’re too much work.

You’re not sexy enough.

You’re not even wet. You need serious help. Her ex’s voice.

The hand around her ankle firmed, and she sucked in her breath. “Your skin’s so soft.” He sounded almost reverent, and it made her throat ache. Watching her, almost daring her to look away, his fingers trailed back and forth over her inner thigh, just inches from the edge of her damp thong. “I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.” When she didn’t answer, he finally spoke again. “Are you wet right now, Tia?”

Blood rushed to her cheeks, engulfing her face in heat.

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled slightly. “Are you?”

She didn’t know how to respond. If she said yes when he’d only been touching her legs, would she look pathetic? Chickening out, she broke eye contact. “Alex…”

“Tell me.” The heat of his fingers seemed to brand her skin.

Avoiding his gaze, she stared hard at the blanket covering her lap and nodded, praying it was the answer he wanted.

“Look at me.”

The ring of command in his voice brought her head up. What she saw in his eyes stole her breath. They were molten, full of raging hunger. For her. The knowledge shocked her.

“I’m going to keep touching you,” he said. “I want to find out what makes you squirm, makes you beg. And what makes you come for me.”

His words wrung a primal shiver out of her. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. How could he be attracted to her when he could have any woman he wanted?

His fingers paused, resting hot against her thigh. “Unless you want me to stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop.” Her voice was a mere thread of a sound.

One side of his mouth curved up. “Okay. But I don’t know what you need unless you tell me.”

Her heart fell. He expected her to say it out loud? The thought terrified her. “What I need?” God, did he somehow know about her secret fantasies? Did he think she was depraved or weird?

He nodded slowly. “I want to know what you need from me. Romance and candlelight aren’t my style, querida, but I’ll give them to you if that’s what you want.”

The endearment made her lower belly flutter in desperate longing, gave her hope. He’d never called her that before. “I don’t need them.”

One coal black brow rose. “Yes you do, and you deserve them. But that’s not the real me.”

Her throat dried up, her heart skipping frantically. Was it possible he wanted the same thing she did? “What…what’s the real you?” she asked before she could stop herself.

A sardonic smile curved his mouth. His tempting, edible mouth that had given her such pleasure this morning. “Not sure you’d like the answer to that.”

Oh yes, she might. Gathering her courage, Tia sat up and placed her hand over his. Her pulse hammered in her ears. “Then show me.”

I’d love to give away a copy of Touch Me to a commenter here, so please tell me a favorite military hero you’ve read about to enter the contest. This contest is open to international readers and will close January 18th. Good Luck!

Happy reading!

Callie Croix | www.calliecroix.com

Guest Post and Giveaway with Callie Croix is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter

My New Years Book Resolutions

Um. Okay, so this shouldn’t be a New Years thing.  I don’t do resolutions cuz I never stick to them.  If I’m going to do something, I need to just do it.

But in the spirit of New Years, let’s make some book resolutions.

Fun ones, though.

I can’t make one like… I’m not buying another book until I finish my TBR stack.

I’m a compulsive book hoarder and I have no shame about it.  I covet, hoard and greedily buy many, many books.

But I do need to read more of them.

So.  My resolutions:

• I always buy new to me authors and then forget to read the books, and end up giving them away because I forget why I wanted to try them.  Need to stop doing this so much.
• I need to quit leaving books I buy in the car because kids tear them up.
• I need to try reading more horror books again.  I fell out of it a few years ago and keep telling myself to read more…used to love horror.  Dunno why I’m not into it now.
• I need to go through my shelves and get rid of the books I’ve read that I won’t read again. Why? Because it makes room for more books…

Okay… how about you?  What’s your book resolutions?

And since I’m kinda supposed to be mentioning my books…let’s get that out of the way. J

THE DEPARTED…I keep telling people this is the story of an asshole…Because the hero took a very long time to grow on me.  I wasn’t going to write a book for him. Ever.  But I kept getting asked.  And Asked. And ASKED.  And people kept asking why is he like that…

After hearing it so many times, I finally started to wonder myself…just why was he like that?

And he finally told me.

This is his story…

As Dez lowered her gaze to stare at the glass of whiskey, Taylor stared at her. She was still off–her color ashen, her hands shaking. Every once in a while, a shudder would wrack her body and he’d glimpse something in her eyes that just about tore his heart out.

Whatever it was, he couldn’t protect her from it, either.

“What happened out there, Dez?” he asked softly.

She shot him a look through her lashes. “I . . .” Her voice trailed off and she sighed, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. “I’ve been aware of something ever since Tristan moved on. A ghost. Old. Faint. Her presence . . . she feels young.”

Taylor tensed. His heart slammed against his ribs. Casually, he leaned back against the windowsill. “She?”

“I think.” She gave him a strained smile. “And I can’t even be sure that’s who I touched today. I do know today was a girl.” She lifted the glass to her lips but her hands were shaking so hard, the whiskey was splashing out.

Taylor went to her. Dread curled through him, flooding every last inch of him. Not Anna, not Anna, not Anna . . .

Read More…

And if you’re curious… LOL… I’ve got another book out at the end of the month.  IF  YOU SEE HER, the second book in my ASH trilogy.

So.  Now…about those book resolutions… what are some of yours?

Guest Post with Shiloh Walker is a post from: The Book Pushers | Book Reviews | Book Chatter