It's with my great honor to help my friend, Desiree Holt celebrate her 100th title, Downstroke with this sneak peek excerpt into this really hot story. It released TODAY so run over and check it out.
Blurb:
It’s been twenty years since Charley Roper and Dallas Creed parted with great bitterness. In that time she’s made a career for herself with the FBI and private security and he’s been a country rock music icon…tumbled to the bottom and risen again. Now someone’s trying to kill him and Morgan Creed wants Charley to protect his brother and find out who’s after him. When they meet again after all this time it’s obvious the chemistry is still there, stronger than ever. They’re older but are they wiser? Caught up in the bitter wash of memories and the tension of a killer in stalking mode, Charley and Dallas begin a roller coaster ride that is emotional erotic and suspenseful. Is their love strong enough after twenty years to pull them back together?
Excerpt:
I could feel the energy sizzling through the crowd. Well, why not? If nothing else, Dallas Creed had always had an electric presence. Add in the staging, his suck-my-tongue voice and the electricity of his music and you had a knockout winner.
The soft notes of a viola floated in the air from behind the curtain, joined immediately by violins, and I wondered what the hell? Violins? Then I realized it was a synthesizer. And obviously a damn good musician coaxing music from it. The sound that mimicked violins seemed to hold the audience in thrall, as if they were expectantly awaiting a grand moment. The music built and built as the magician behind the synthesizer added the full-throated sounds of woodwinds and the rich tones and powerful chords of an organ, swelling to a crescendo. The last note held and held and held, flowing out into the crowd, pulling at us as if to say, Wait for it, it’s coming.
Then I heard the familiar first downstroke of the rhythm guitars as they began the intro to the first song. The curtain drew back slowly to reveal the band onstage, the bass guitar and keyboards now adding their voices, the drums accenting them with a syncopated beat.
All sound ended abruptly and the crowd stilled for a breathless moment. The band launched into a rich intro to one of Dallas’ hits, an upbeat tune called Cowboys Get It Right, a song I realized the synthesizer had laid the foundation for. The spotlight came up and the man himself jogged onto the stage.
To my dismay, my traitorous heart tripped at the sight of him and an emotion I refused to name clogged my throat. Dallas Creed was definitely a lot older, forty-three to the twenty-three he’d been the last time I saw him in person. Newspaper photos had kept me up with his aging process, but no picture could do justice to the energy still radiating from this man. The energy that had drawn me to him in the first place.
Can you tell us a little about how you started writing; was it something you have always wanted to do?
Mine was probably an unconventional start to writing. It was the end of 2008 and I decided I’d done the corporate executive thing for long enough. I really wanted to spend more time with my kids. I had this very romantic (and completely unrealistic LOL) idea of what it would be like to be a stay at home Mom. I thought I would get more involved at the kid’s school, I’d take pottery classes and I’d finally get fit. Yeah, right. Well, it wasn’t long before I realized I needed something more, something more mentally challenging. I’d always read romance and I decided I would write one. I think I uncovered the thing I was meant to do with that first book. I loved it! Now, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Who or what has been your biggest influence as a writer?
I can’t pinpoint anything specifically apart from those wonderful writers who make me think and feel with their writing. I aspire to be able to do that for my readers.
What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?
When I read a book, do I think about the story or the characters long after I’ve finished it? That’s the criteria I use to determine if a story has been great or not. I think there’s probably many things that have to be present for a great story, but for me it’s as simple as - has the book left some kind of impression beyond ‘the end’?
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
How many people make decisions every day, never thinking about the consequences years in the future or how they could change their lives? Picture This is about a hero (a rude, crude, demanding hero who’s used to getting his way, especially when it comes to women) and a heroine whose choice many years earlier has come back to her in the most unexpected of ways.
How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?
I have a bit of a convoluted writing approach. I kinda hope it becomes more efficient over time, but for right now it seems to work. I spend a great deal of time on the characters, going so far as to fill out what I call a ‘character map’. Many of the details I add to create the character profiles never make it to the book explicitly, but I know them inside and out at the end of the process. I usually start the story with the start and end in mind. I usually have an idea about what happens during the book. I guess you could call it a rough outline, but it’s certainly not a plot at all. I also write ‘all over the book’, which means I write the chapters or scenes completely out of sequence depending on what I feel I could write on any given day.
Did your book require a lot of research?
No. It’s a contemporary story and didn’t require much research at all.
If you could have any vice without repercussions, what would it be?
Well, I’d love to be able to eat anything I wanted and not put on any weight! Does that count?
Out of all your books, do you have a favorite one? If not, then which one is closest to your heart? Actually, my favorite book is usually the one I’m currently working on. I totally bond with the heroine and fall madly in love with the hero, each and every time. If I didn’t, I don’t think the book would be any good. The book I’m currently working on has a hero who’s very soul has been wounded. He’s such a hard case, but incredibly vulnerable and I find it hard to resist a hero like that. I’m finding it very satisfying to give him his Happy Ever After.
What character out of all your books is the closest to your personality? While I don’t base any of my characters on myself, each of them must have something of me in them, even if I can’t pinpoint it.
What do you feel is the most important aspect a new author should remember when writing/creating their own stories? Any advice for aspiring authors?
I think aspiring authors need to just write. Recently at the RWA Nationals conference in Orlando, I was shocked to hear the statistic that only 3% of people who say they’re going to write a book actually do. If you’ve written a book, regardless of how good/bad it is, you’ve accomplished a tremendous milestone. The only thing that will make you a better writer is writing and writing complete stories. My advice? Don’t give up. If you really want it, you have to keep at it and expect rejection to be part of the journey.
You come back from the dead as a spirit, what message are you trying to get across?
It probably depends what being dead was like, but hopefully it was a pleasant experience and I’d want to reassure everyone about it J.
If you were a world ruler and you were given a choice of 3 laws to enact, what would they be?
Mmm, well, if I really had the power, I would eradicate poverty and war. Oh, and husbands have to rub their wives feet daily,
If your muse were to talk behind your back, what secrets would he/she tell?
Oh gosh, that’s a scary thought. Probably that I mess around too much on the internet!
If you were a Super heroine/hero, would you wear tights and a cape?
LOL. No, I’m not the exhibitionist type.
Please tell us about the projects you are currently working on; what can readers expect to see in the coming months?
I have my next book about to go through final edits and am currently finishing up another one. I don’t have release dates for these, as yet. They’re both hot and steamy contemporaries with the same feel as Picture This. I also have a couple of paranormal series outlined. No vampires or werewolves, though. I’ve developed what I hope will be a unique idea. I also have a couple of full length novels I’m pursuing and outlines for about three other contemporary romances.
Where can readers find out what's new and how can they contact you?
I have a website and a blog. I keep the blog updated and readers can find out what I’m up to and what I’m working on from that. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter and I love people to reach out to me!
Oh my God, Samuel Steele was a walking, talking wet dream.
She’d drooled from afar plenty, but up close he was downright gorgeous. Every woman in the place, and even some of the guys, had checked out his tight butt, flat abs and broad shoulders, and although he’d never worn anything but a suit to the office, that didn’t stop imaginations from running riot. His hair was dark and thick, his skin tanned, and regardless of the time of day, his jaw always seemed darkened with at least a day’s beard growth. And his eyes. She’d never been close enough to make out their color before, but they were a dark, piercing gray. They should have looked cold, but the way he was looking at her made her wonder if someone had turned off the air-conditioning.
“I love romance. Boy meets girl. Girl plays hard to get. Sunset moment when everyone finds true love.” *sigh* “I’d like to read yours.”
“Just a caveat…mine are spicy romances.”
“Of course they are. All romances are a little naughty.”
“Weeellll, it’s more than a little. Mine are true romances with the bedroom door wide open. There is no fade to black when it comes to the sex scenes.”
Heavy pause. Whispered response, “Erotica? Why didn’t you say in the first place? What’s your website?”
I can’t tell you that’s how all the conversations go when I reunite with old friends and tell them about my new career. But it amazes me how many women of all ages are enjoying erotic romance. This genre that began in the back rooms of small internet publishing companies a decade ago has exploded in the digital age and has now gone mainstream with Berkley, Harlequin, and Kensington, just a few of the NY publishing companies that are jumping into bed with this genre.
But what’s the allure? What fascinates women enough to seek out erotic romance books?
Well, for one it’s the quality of the storyline and the writing. Erotic romance is not pornography. Let me repeat that lest you become confused. Erotic romance isn’t about writing a story around one gratuitous sex scene after another. The character’s love story, as in all romances, is the primary push of the plot. The conflict of emotion and the tension between the central characters is high even if the relationship is consummated. It’s the journey of the characters to find—if not their happily-ever-after—at least their happy-for-now ending. The plot may be central to the character’s sexual awareness, but having lots of sex is not what’s driving the main characters.
Also, the length of erotic romances varies immensely. Harlequin’s Spice Briefs and EC’s Naughty Nooners can be as short as 5,000 words and all publishers accept erotic romance stories up to a full novel length of 90k and everything in between. This means there is something for every reader from the “quickie” to the satisfying “take-it-slow-lounge-in-bed-for-the-whole-weekend” story.
Secondly, I think women are more in touch with their own sexuality. We know what we like and what gets our juices flowing and we’re not ashamed to seek it out. Our fantasy lives are as diverse as the authors and their stories. Want a vampire to seduce you? That’s out there. How about a little public sex? Oh, yeah available by the truckload. A little seduction with leather bindings and a ball gag? Bondage/Dominance/Submission/Masochism (BDSM) is one of the highest grossing erotic romance genres. Perhaps the idea of two men finding love through a vigorous sexual experience is what you’re looking for. The m/m erotic romance abounds. And of course the fantasy of multiple men intently focused on satisfying one female is growing exponentially. (That’s my personal favorite—both to read and to write.)
So what is it about erotic romance that draws you or makes you shy away? What component keeps you coming back to the genre as an author and/or a reader?
I want to thank Dawn for letting me hang out on her blog today. If you want to find out more about my erotic romantic suspense stories you can visit:
Blurb: Ex-Chicago detective Lilly D’Angelo is part of a secret alien race living on earth. With a gentle caress she can elevate the sexual energy of any male. Apprehending criminals lost in an erotic fugue is almost too easy—until she uses her gift on the wrong alien. Kidnapped and shipped into deep space, Lilly barely escapes with her life. Now she travels the galaxy alone working as a bounty hunter and hoping to find a soul mate unaffected by her touch.
Agent Dallas Sawyer works for QAL—deep space’s version of the FBI. After a disastrous mission that left a president murdered, his team member executed, and Dallas near death, he’s determined to take down the assassin targeting government officials. When a sexy human female gets between him and his goal, Dallas and his alien partner find themselves on the receiving end of some wild sex and a proposition that may very well blow up in their faces.
Because in deep space … true love can happen with just a touch.
Sneak Peek excerpt of A TOUCH OF LILY:
Lilly D’Angelo could have been walking into any of the seedier establishments lining Forty-fifth and Wester on Chicago’s south side. Except for the clientele, the tavern’s owner had managed to replicate nearly every detail right down to the blue haze and the soft crooning of a jazz band on the corner stage. The acrid stench and gruff hum of a Friday night crowd tripped Lilly down memory lane—a place she had no desire to travel at the moment.
Lilly pushed the sour thoughts of home out of her mind and focused her energy on the patrons at the bar. Morphing her features into her sexiest vixen pout, she moved gracefully toward the long bar on the other side of the room. Her voluptuous breasts, spilling temptingly from her silk blouse, led the way. The eyes watching her ass sashay around the battered tables were clustered on various life forms—none of them human.
Yeah, definitely not Chicago. Shit, this wasn’t even Earth for chrissake.
“Regent’s ale, straight up, hold the brenic.” She spoke English, hoping the two-headed Xerick behind the bar had a cochlear translator in one of those eight holes that passed for ears. Satisfied when one head nodded, she settled on a stool, making sure her fur jacket and blouse parted enough to offer a seductive view of her cleavage. Lilly shifted just enough to let the black leather skirt ride up her thigh and expose a little more silky real estate. Surreptitiously checking her image in the mirrored glass behind the liquor bottles, she was pleased she looked every bit the part. She wasn’t trying to attract anyone in particular, perhaps something on the less offensive side that could offer her a bit of entertainment to help fritter away the next couple of hours.
Lilly wasn’t a xenophobic bigot by any stretch of the imagination. But six months in deep space, working these kinds of joints, wasn’t really long enough to become accustomed to the scenery. The Nebulae Galaxy’s spaceports overflowed with aliens of all sizes and genders. Only that wasn’t really a fair term here in deep space.
Alien inferred the life forms didn’t belong. On the contrary, it was humans who were invading their territory. The treaties of 2253, signed well over forty years ago, had guaranteed the safe travel of humans in deep space. After the snafu of ’34, which saw the first major space disaster since light travel had been discovered, humans had insisted on protection for their species. They’d formed some bullshit board of security, guaranteeing humans could run roughshod over the universe like everywhere else. Though most people referred to them as the QAL, Lilly nicknamed them the alphabet mafia. At one point she’d actually considered working for them until they’d discovered who she was—or more specifically what she was. It didn’t matter. They could all go fuck themselves if they didn’t appreciate her gifts. Lilly had found a way to use her talents and still bring down the bad guys.
Of course in deep space, bad was a relative term.
There was the kind of bad that got a person lost on the ice caps of Dallas Eight without a backup plan. Or the bad that forced someone to stow away in the engine room of a Drikspa alien tanker bound for unknown destinations, praying not to get caught. Or the bad that got a human female imprisoned as a sex slave on the mining colonies of Krystallos Three, hidden from even the long arm of the QAL. Lilly shivered at that one. Even her talents wouldn’t free her from that kind of torture.
She was just happy to be here on Garalon Five where bad meant nothing more than crossing paths with every brand of space pirate, ex-con or fugitive looking for a new start. As one of the more recent colonizations in the Nebulae Galaxy, the G-5 government turned their collective back on past offenses on other planets and allowed anyone to start a legitimate business. It’s what had brought her here.
Okay…so I stretched this a little. Actually, yesterday was National Tell a Story Day…but work with me on this!
As a child, I enjoyed books of adventure, and then as I grew, biographies caught my attention. In High School, I was fascinated by Shakespeare (no kidding!). I loved his “thee” and “thou” words, along with lines I sometimes couldn’t figure out. But, he intrigued me enough so that in college, I took 5 or 6 Shakespeare courses as electives.
Then, I discovered romance books and was hooked. I got started reading Barbara Cartland and Georgette Heyer books, and couldn’t find enough to keep me busy. From there I went on to read contemporaries and paranormals. Life is good as long as I have a romance book to read!
Tell me a story with a good plot to hold my interest, and a blossoming romance exploding with passion. I want to “see” your story in my head, and “feel” the heroine’s emotions. I want to relate to her, no matter what her age is…or mine. Romance has no age boundaries.
Tell me a story of a hero and heroine who know each other already, or have just met. Unrequited love and the desire to have someone love you set the stage for many romance books. The chase is all part of the rocky road to love.
Tell me a story of an adversarial hero and heroine thrust upon each other because of some situation. That thin line between love and hate can be crossed, enough so that fighting ceases and lovemaking begins. Fighting a powerful attraction dissipates as passion takes control.
Tell me a story that has a “black moment”…that awful turn of events that split the hero and heroine, and their relationship appears to be doomed. Let me want to scream at them to settle their misunderstanding, mend broken hearts, and enjoy each other’s embrace once again.
Tell me a story of their first encounter/or having already met. Add what’s wedged between them to cause heartache, resolve their differences, and give me that “happily-ever-after” I want to read.
I pattern my books after these desires. I know what I want in a romance book, and use these elements in my books. In my two erotic romance books, I take the passion and lust to greater heights, adding graphic details of the hero and heroine’s journey to love.
Whatever your preference in reading…sweet, sensual, erotic, etc., romance books…choose books that tellYOU a story and transport you into the hero and heroine’s love affair!
A few weeks ago, I hosted a party on my publisher’s yahoo loop. On it, I had one of the gals interview my husband about military couples and cybersex. Now, as a military wife whose husband has been deployed, I have to say, times can get pretty lean, sexually speaking.
Thank God for the internet. Years ago, we didn’t have that luxury. Mail got crossed and a letter you’d written just a few days ago would be delivered the next week, yet one you wrote a few weeks ago, could be delivered three weeks after the second. This is particularly amusing (that’s the only word I can use in good company) when you are sending updates of family life or whatever. However, another difficulty is trying to be sexy for your man thousands of miles away.
For those of us in that situation, the internet in all its corrupted glory, has been a God-send. I mean, not only can you send emails, but on occasion, you can actually instant message each other. And, not to go into any detail, but those dang cameras can get pretty hot—if you’ve got one. Better than any porn I know for sure. Beyond all that, I’d hate to think that some military person is monitoring this stuff, ‘cause like my husband mentioned, all soldiers do this. They have to in order to stay sane. Well, and to prevent a case of blue balls. (Sorry, there’s no better way to put this.)
What’s funny, though, is some of the stories my husband has told, and some of the difficulties. Guys try to find a private place (as the at-home spouse, it’s a little easier for me and others), but that’s not often possible. Apparently the guys try to give each other as much privacy as they can, but when the need arises, they go for it. Thing is, some forget others can hear them as they often have headphones on and when they get in that erogenous zone, well, I’ll let your imagination take over here. (If you’re wondering, yes, my hubby was careful but a lot of the guys aren’t. And let’s face it, a lot of them are young and either aren’t thinking about it or are more like my husband and don’t give a you-know-what at the time. They are talking/interacting with their significant other, and that’s what’s important to them. It what reminds them of where they are and what they’re doing and why. And quite frankly, it talks to both partners of the sacrifices they make. And know that when a soldier goes to war, their family does sacrifice, too. It’s hard. And one of the hard parts is being a temporary single person. But the internet helps with that in a big way.)
Now, being a writer, it can be doubly interesting. You see, my husband also has other benefits. When he’s gone, I write a LOT of sex scenes. It’s my outlet for the lack of my husband being here. And guess who my first line editor is for these? You got it. It’s my husband. He loves reading this stuff when he’s gone (when he has the time). And I always sent them to him. The funniest part is he takes on the persona of my hero and his responses can be hilarious because he makes believe I’m the heroine. His latest is Rurik, my alien space hero—sexy, strong, and definitely virile. The one before that was Jake Colder, small town sheriff and ex-special forces. So you see, in this, we can still have fun together and enjoy each others company—even though we’re so physically far apart. (And I bet you didn’t realize the other fringe benefits the average romance novel had!)
So there you have it. Cyberspace and marital bliss.
Thanks, Dawn, for having me. There are many reasons people use a pen name. For me, I wanted to differentiate between my regular action/adventure romances and my erotic ones, but it’s strange. Although this began as a way to connect with readers and let them know it was a certain kind of book, as I started writing these, I’ve actually connected with myself in deeper, more sensual ways. I’ve discovered more about myself, and have actually ‘fleshed out’ this person, Elle Amour. I like it. It’s fun. And it’s a discovery. I love discovering new things, so this, I add to my list. Now, to tell you more about this ‘inner’ me, I’ve copied by bio below, however, if you get a chance, please check out my new website: www.elleamour.com, or my old one for that matter: www.lisefuller.com. I’ll still working on them, adding new things. One of the new things I intend to add is some free reads. One of the characters, Rurik—the hero’s son in CLAIMED, will have a journal. He wants to document his findings because, as an Earther, this whole galaxy thing is new to him and he’s stunned by his revelations.
Yes, the book CLAIMED is an erotic futuristic romance, and the first of an initial three that I have planned. You can check out Dawn’s blog on March 2nd for more on that, but here’s the link to the publisher if you want to read more: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8214-50-claimed.aspx. And there’s an excerpt after the bio—a hot (but not too hot) one so beware. I love to hear from readers so email me if you’d like at elle@elleamour.com and let me know what you think!
Elle/Lise
Bio for Elle Amour ~
A woman poised on the edge of discovery. That is who I am. If we watch close enough, we find who we are by what we do. I love to write. I love the alternative worlds that the mind drops into when dreaming. It’s liberating, it’s invigorating. It is an exploration. It’s a creation. I believe in dreams. I believe in the power of dreams to motivate you. Dreaming is a gift. Pursue it, pursue the thoughts, I say to myself.To whatever end. For who knows where the journey will take me? I’ll never know what I can achieve until I garner the courage and take the first step.
So in this, Elle is a woman of discovery, an explorer, an adventurer. Now, I must admit, I developed the nom de plume so that readers will know they’re getting a different kind of book from my others under Lise Fuller. Yes, I still love the action and adventure, and will always have some of that in my works, but as I kept writing as Elle, more things of wonder came to me, and I hope, as you read my works, the same will come to you. As to Elle Amour, the name? I took it from the French—“Elle” for “she” and “Amour” for love. She loves.
That is what I do, who I am. Join me on the journey.
Elle
Book: Claimed, 1st book of the Mate Seekers series
ISBN: 9781419925023
Author: Elle Amour
Excerpt:
Lead In: Trista's been wounded by Rurik’s enemies and Rurik has taken her to his ship to heal. No one but a trusted few knew where he would be. Rurik knows he has a traitor in his midst and realizes his woman can only be safe with him. Thank the ancestors the healer was not only able to cure Trista's wounds, but was also able to restore the youthful lines of her body. Unfortunately, due to the memory erasing ray he had to use every time he visited her, Trista still believes him a dream. Yet Rurik won’t risk losing her again. He's waited too long. Per the Svendian ritual, Rurik moves to claim Trista as his bondsmate, a practice that concludes with their sexual joining. However, before he takes her, this time she must agree to the union. So how is he going to get her approval if she thinks he isn’t real?
Excerpt:
Trista moaned again and turned toward him. She batted her eyes then peered at the ceiling.
“Hello.” He listened to his voice, knowing it was the translator implant in his body allowing him to speak her language, yet the sounds of the ancients always intrigued him.
She looked at him. “You’re…here again.” Her voice wavered.
He strode to her and sat on the bed. “How do feel?” He fingered the soft strands of her hair.
“I…” Her green eyes narrowed. “Am I dead?”
Her voice grew stronger. Rurik sighed in relief. “Hardly. You’re fully restored. Well, almost. When you’ve rested more, your healing will be complete. There will be nothing wrong with you. Nothing.”
She lifted a brow. “Really?” The word echoed with sarcasm. Then she laughed softly to herself. “Well, this is the most interesting fantasy I’ve had in a while.” She gazed at her naked body then looked at him. “I guess I like to be nude. In my dreams at least. Or is that some condition of yours?”
He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “I prefer it.”
“Ah.” She rubbed his leg. A come-on smile graced her lush lips. “This is a dream then, some inner fantasy, because when I’m awake, I certainly try to stay covered as much as possible.”
He wondered why she would hide her luscious body. “You’re not in a dream, woman.” He worked to keep the anguish from his voice, the pain of almost losing her. He caressed the side of her waist then slid his hand across her belly. The lines she’d had there were gone now, one of the effects of full-body restoration. Alaric had said those marks were the ancient signs of childbearing. Good. He knew she’d already had two children. He’d seen them often from a distance. Knowing they’d been there reassured him that his match with her would bring forth a needed heir and people to replenish their clan.
His fingers traversed her rib cage to her breast. The silky feel of her skin made him ache for her. His cock stiffened. He worked to control his breathing. He couldn’t simply take her this time. For one thing, for all intents and purposes she was a virgin again. He wanted her to enjoy their mating.
More importantly, she had to agree to this. He wasn’t about to erase her memory. He needed to mate, bring an heir to life if his sperm could impregnate her. Yet before she could agree, she had to realize this was real, not some dream. There was no going back to her world. Not now. Not when he was this close to the claiming, the ancient rite of choosing a life mate.
With bridled passion, he molded his fingers around her breast, squeezing the mound gently as he slipped them toward her nipple.
Her back arched in pleasure. She lifted her breast to him. Her eyes grew heavy-lidded. “It’s been too long,” she crooned, her voice roughened with desire.
“Too long?” He wasn’t sure what she meant. From all indications she had conjoined with a man many times.
“Too…long since…” Her eyes opened. She stared at him with lust.
He pinched her nipple. She moaned as her lids closed once more.
“Since this?” He licked the peak of her breast as he rolled the knob between his fingers.
“Yes.” Her breathy voice stirred him, made his hard-on throb as the blood filled his organ.
Why had she waited so long for sex? Curious. Still, for some reason her confession pleased him. He wanted to tease her more. “And this?” He pinched her clit and tugged on the flesh.
“Oh!” Her hips shot straight up.
He grinned. “As usual, you are ready for me. Almost.” A sure indication that the fates meant for them to be together.
Panting, she lifted her head. “As usual?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. “Ready for what?”
He arched a brow, amused by her muddled state, one caused by her recent healing and intense sexual reaction. “To fuck you, of course. And complete the claiming ritual.” He slid a fingertip to the entrance of her vaginal canal, stopping before he hit her newly restored hymen.
“Oh,” she purred with seduction, “of course. We’ve done this before.”
“Yes, my lady.” With that he released her and stood to shed his coverings, not able to resist her any longer.
When his member sprang free, she rose on her elbows and smiled. “Thank God I have an imagination. Otherwise I’d never get any sex.”
He wanted to question her about her abstinence but the thought left him as she touched his steel-hard dick. With her last breath, she caressed his rod then placed her lips over the soft flesh of his tip.
By the ancestors. He almost lost his precious semen in her mouth.
Thanks everyone for joining me. I thought I’d share a bit from my new book, Claimed, the first book in the Mate Seekers series out this Friday, March 5th with Ellora’s Cave. If you like, check the rest out at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8214-50-claimed.aspx. And hey, give me your thoughts on my new website at www.elleamour.com! As always with this kind of book, over 18 please!
Many blessings and enjoy!
Elle/Lise
Book: Claimed, 1st book of the Mate Seekers series
ISBN: 9781419925023
Author: Elle Amour
Blurb:
Trista is living every middle-aged woman’s fantasy—she wakes to find her body is pre-kids, pre-stretch marks and pre-gravity. Oh yeah! What’s more, the lover sharing her fantasy—blond hair, piercing turquoise eyes and a sculpted body to drool over—makes her feel like the sexy teen she was back when he first visited her dreams. Except this is no fantasy, and Rurik the Conqueror is no dream lover. He’s real, he’s not from Earth, and this time he’s come to claim her.
Rurik had known Trista of Earth was his by the Svendian way—her scent. A war and fears for her safety were all that kept him from staking his claim years ago, but no longer. He needs her like he needs his next breath. But unknown forces intrude on his plans and Rurik finds she’s in greater danger than ever. This time he’s not giving up, and he’ll die to protect the woman who completes his soul in a way he never imagined.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
His woman.
He could smell her in the mists. From behind a tree he watched her lope through the woods, gliding like a nymph. She’d grown older since he’d last spied her. He knew she would have a few lines on her face, a few white hairs she tried to cover up within her dark hair, but his blood still yearned for her.
Hidden, Rurik watched a trickle of sweat roll down her face. She’d lost some weight since he last came. How many of Earth’s years had passed now?
Too long. It was time he claimed her.
She came closer, her head bowed toward the ground, seeming deep in thought.
A green light whizzed past, almost nicking him. The laser struck a tree near the woman, causing her to lift her head and stare straight at him.
Another shot fired as he pulled his pistol. His enemies had found him. “Run,” he yelled at her, wanting, needing her to get away.
Another silent volley. Rurik grabbed her and ducked but too late. The laser had wounded her.
“You,” she whispered, and collapsed into his arms.
I’m a pretty demanding reader. I want heart-stopping action, authentic characters, well-rounded villains, and tear-jerking romance. I want to learn and I want anything that is written as a fact to really be a fact (or to be so farfetched I know it can’t possibly be a fact). A bay horse, for instance, better be brown with black points and not palomino, chestnut, pinto or something in between, though if it’s a unicorn, it’s your call as to what is an acceptable color. Get my point? If the hero or heroine is shooting a gun of some sort, unless it’s a prototype, you better count your casings ‘cause I know how many most clips can hold (and if I don’t, one of the men in my life does).
After studying those demands, you can envision a writer developing socially unfriendly stress habitstrying to meet them.
Luckily or unluckily I write. A lot. Nonfiction. Technical documents. Fiction…and more specifically romance. Odd combination? You wouldn’t be the first to tell me such. AndI hold myself to those same high standards I demand from my favorite writers.Do I always succeed? Probably not (but I do have a lot of nitpicky fact checkers verifying my work before I submit a piece). Do I try? 100%.
One of my fact checkers, however, has the attention span and reading pace of a seven year old. If the story becomes bogged down, he lets me know. Imagine my surprise when my largest (to this date) completed work of 120,000+ words, The Genesis Clock, not only captured his attention, but held himthe entire ride and inspired him to ask for a sequel when it was finished. Since he was reading the copy as I was writing it, this made me want to swiftly bonk him on the head with a ream of paper.
So what’s this “riveting” paper-wasting behemoth about? First off, it’s from Cerridwen Press and thus an e-book, at least at this time. Secondly, while I hope it captures other people’s attention, there’s always the possibility you’ll pick it up and later wished you’d have opted for a more fulfilling but cheesy SyFy flick (and dear God, if that’s the case, please don’t tell me ‘cause I’d like to think my heroines and villains are a little less paper-cut).
Let’s start with the monsters: dragons, leviathan, angry goddesses, and most of the men in the heroine’s life thus far. Add a couple secret societies, one who wants to use Evie (the heroine) and one who wants to see her dead. Throw in some world travel. Naj Tunich, Easter Island, the Alpilles anyone? Add the requisite plane, horseback, and boat travel.Don’t forget the evil dude with the cash who knows how to manipulate the heroine and the torn hero, in love with but sent to kill the aforementioned heroine. Enough angst and action for you?I hope so.
While The Genesis Clock will be my most recent release (available February 25that www.jasminejade.com), I do have other short stories and novels to my credit. See my website, www.ChristineMcKay.com for details. Judging from what’s there, I have a fetish for Wiccans, magic, dragons, light kink, and contemporary sexually uninhibited characters. It’s frustrating to try to pin me to one genre, though in whatever I write, romance is the unifying theme. My publishers include: Harlequin Spice, Samhain Publishing, Champagne Books, Carnal Passions, Ellora’s Cave and its tamer division, Cerridwen Press.
Beforeyou become too bored with this post, I want to mention my 2nd latest release, Loch Dragon’s Lady, a Harlequin Spice Brief available now at www.eharlequin.com. Has the glut of vampire, werewolf, and zombie stories finally gotten to you? Love the paranormal world, but want something fresh? Okay, so dragons might not be totally fresh but I’m willing to bet you haven’t read anything set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. And yes, the place does exist. Check out National Geographic’s pictorial spread: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/hebrides/warren-text/2. and tell me those photos don’t pique your interest. Now picture a kilt-garbed , shape-shifting Scottish hunk of a dragon man inhabiting one of the ruins. All I can say is “yum.” Sign me up for that Loch Ness monster hunting trip.
Speaking of trips, this year I’m planning on attending the Romantic Times convention in Columbus, OH, as well as the National Romance Writer’s conference in Nashville, TN, and Ellora’s Cave’s Romanticon, also in Ohio. So if you’d like to meet the insanity behind the keyboard, get my autograph, or buy me a drink (don’t I wish!), look for me in those locations. In lieu of that, you might also find me strutting my stuff (and about 30 lbs or 12 yards of fabric-hogging skirts) at the Bristol Renaissance faire.
