Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

On November 7, my Unwrap Me co-author Melissa MacNeal mentioned holiday themes, and how they can inspire you. Well, when Kensington asked me if I wanted to contribute a novella to the next Christmas anthology, I had my theme cut out for me, so to speak.

Hmm. What kind of sexy romance could I write that had something to do with Christmas? I brainstormed about all the things I associate with Christmas and ended up with a spicy mix indeed.
Lots of people love Christmas, right? Well, that would be my hero, Nick Buchanan (named after St. Nick). But others pretty much hate it. That would be my heroine, Jude Benedetto, who’s been abandoned on Christmas. Twice!

How would they meet? Well, how about a Secret Santa gift? Jude’s girlfriend rigs the Secret Santa draw so she can play matchmaker, and she gifts Jude with a hot firefighter (the girlfriend’s brother-in-law).

How’s a guy who loves Christmas going to persuade a Grinch to get in the holiday mood? Hmm. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (a.k.a. “A Partridge in a Pear Tree)? When Nick realizes he met Jude exactly 12 days before Christmas, he has the brilliant and sneaky idea of giving her a special gift each day, themed to match the song – but so cleverly that anti-Christmas Jude won’t catch on.

Day 1, the partridge in the pear tree is Nick himself, her Secret Santa gift. For Day 2 (two turtle doves), he gives her two orgasms that have her cooing (well, more like screeching ) her pleasure. I had so much fun thinking up gifts for each day. Some were pretty obvious, like five golden rings (specialty condoms, of course!). Others were more of a challenge, like seven swans a-swimming. (If you read my novella, see if you can pick out all 12 gifts.)

Anyhow, suffice it to say, much fun was had by my hero and heroine, and by me too, as we progressed through those very sexy 12 days. And as Nick slowly persuaded Jude to open her heart and trust in him, and rediscover the loving spirit of Christmas. And that, after all, is the most fundamental Christmas theme, isn’t it?

Do you have a favorite Christmas-themed book or movie (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa themed)? What kinds of lovely (or not so lovely) things do you associate with December holidays? To get us all in the holiday spirit, I’ll give away an autographed copy of Unwrap Me to one of the people who comments.

By the way, if you’d like to read an excerpt from my novella, “Unwrap Me,” check it out on my website at http://www.susanlyons.ca.

“Driving my man wild” in Satisfy Me Tonight drops in March 2009. Just saw the cover and I’m feeling it.

AND I was offered my own 3 novella anthology starring me, me and just me. I’m nervous, geeked, happy, but overall ecstatic as heck!

Birthday Celebration Weekend

I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Tina Turner in Atlanta over the weekend to celebrate my birthday. Guys, this woman looks amazing and moves like someone half her age. Just simply gorgeous! I would have given half my body, brain, your body, your brain and your first borne to the last (:twisted:) to be guaranteed to have that kind of sex appeal at 70.

That had me thinking how some things truly DO get better with time and…practice. I’m thinking looks in some, attitude, zest for life, wine, writing, chocolate and of course, sex. Especially married sex, since that’s the area I’m focused on now. How all the awkwardness of early encounters turns into a well-oiled (literally) machine over time. The nuances, the moves, the needs being met just as you need them to be. No quickie can beat that. So despite, the hard sell of easy loving, I’m still saying married sex is Simply the BEST!

**booty dancing**

I returned back a couple of weeks ago from a research trip in London, England. It was busy–trying to see everything in one week is hard. And only regency writers can be hanging against the window of a taxi like a salivating dog, saying, “OMG! I’m really on Park Lane! There’s Hyde Park. I set a scene in Hyde Park!”

The photo is of me on the steps of White’s Gentleman’s Club, which I’ve used in some of my stories. It was taken just a few moments before the doorman/bouncer came out and told me I was not allowed to stand in front of the door. Photos only below the steps, please. So I was “tossed off” the steps of White’s!

Hot Silk, my October release is on the shelves, and I recently turned in my next vampire story. I’m posting a small excerpt of Hot Silk, where the hero becomes a little vulnerable…

She leaned in more to reach his hand, pushing her breasts against him. He opened his mouth as wide as he could to take a big mouthful of breast. He suckled hard on her skin and heard her desperate whimper of pleasure.

The linen slid around his wrists, which he held together behind his back for her convenience. He moaned at the sensation, the sound muffled by the breast filling his mouth. Her hands worked, brushing his skin. He couldn’t see what she was doing; he could only feel it, and that sensation had him tense and coiled on the seat. It was as though he could explode like gunpowder on the spot.

Her body swayed as she worked, her breasts pushing forward and pulling back. He sucked hungrily at her skin. The fabric went tight around his wrists. Her knee bumped his hard cock and rested on his thigh. She had to be getting leverage to tie him tight.
Damn, he was so aroused.

Her knee kept smacking his cock and he grimaced, fighting for control. He couldn’t come at just the brush of her knee, could he?

“There.” She wriggled on him, moving sensuously, teasing his face with her tits. Then she moved back and he had to let her breast go.
With her teeth nibbling her lower lip, she gazed down at him. A lovely, curvaceous goddess limned by firelight.

“It’s so arousing to see you with your hands bound,” she whispered. “That’s terrible, isn’t it?”

Sweet Grace, revealing her fantasies and so uncertain and shy about them.

“It’s not terrible. It’s natural. We all have fantasies and our most private fantasies can be dark, shocking ones. And sometimes we have ones that are just damned odd.”

Her shy smile made him catch his breath. “After all,” he said, “I’m revealing mine to you.”

“Why would you, a swash-buckling pirate, want to be tied up by a woman?”

“I want to be wanted by a woman that much.”

He heard her soft, surprised gasp, and he watched the deliciously fetching confusion on her face. Then she gave a coquettish smile. “What do I do now, then, Captain? You have a rather upright mast.”

Excerpt from Hot Silk © Sharon Page 2008

I love double entendres. I love clever bumper stickers. I really love headlines that are open to interpretation. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
2. Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say
3. Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
4. Drunks Get Nine Months in Violin Case
5. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
6. Is There a Ring of Debris Around Uranus?
7. Would-be Women Priests Appeal to Pope
8. Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
9. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
10. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
11. Clinton Wins Budget; More Lies Ahead
12. Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told
13. Miners Refuse to Work After Death
14. Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
15. Stolen Painting Found By Tree
16. Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Line
17. War Dims Hope for Peace
18. If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last a While
19. Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
20. Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
21. New Study of Obesity Looks for Large Test Group
22. Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Space
23. Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
24. Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
25. Typhoon Rips through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

I mean, don’t you feel sorry for the high school dropouts in #23? And isn’t the tree in #15 clever?

Want to win a copy of my November release? I only have one copy left. Go ahead and find an ambiguous headline from the news. I bet there are some good political ones lurking just beneath the surface. Or make one up, I don’t care. Post it as a comment, and your might win a copy of my November release, RUNNING WILD!

November release

After twenty years of writing books that range from racy to extremely explicit, I can tell you it’s sometimes a challenge to be up for the sex scenes (sort of like real life, after 30+ years of marriage… Here are some tips for keeping those scenes fresh for your readers–and for you as a writer, too.

**Try different H/H combinations: While, yes, you can explore same-sex and multiple partner scenes, you can also vary the heroes and heroines you write. In “Naughty Noelle” from UNWRAP ME, I created an older woman/younger man, and Noelle and Andy’s romance plays against her mom and his uncle falling in lust, too (at their age! Imagine!)To keep myself fresh story after story, I vary the personality matches a lot, and I vary the secondary characters. In “The Captain’s Courtesan” from THE PLEASURE OF HIS BED, privateer Damon is a friend of Blackbeard–who then kidnaps Sofia, the love slave heroine, for his own nefarious uses. I also like to mix ethnicity, because describing a Latino or an Asian or a Native American offers varieties in accent, skin color, and cultural expectations about sex.

**Use the conflict to your sexual advantage: When Noelle’s duffel rips and her faded old panties fall out, Andy quips that while many women have dropped their panties for him, none were as hot as she is. And what better excuse for him to buy her a sparkly red thong as a Christmas gift? Noelle is ordinarily a very capable competent woman but this first Christmas without her dad, her husband, or a job makes her vulnerable. The last thing she needs is a too-cheerful, too-cute Santa who’s determined to lift her spirits as he lowers her jeans. In my WIP, identical twin heroines are so dissatisfied by their husbands’ sexual performance, they swap mates–which creates more conflict!

**Draw upon the H/H’s occupations: Andy’s rehabbing bungalows (which offers plenty of places for nooky, where only he has the key…) and Noelle ran an interior design biz with her ex (whom she caught in bed with a client and her college-age daughter. Talk about conflicted!) I’ve also written a female loan officer who turned the hero down for a mortgage on his mama’s ranch, not just because he ruined her small-town rep at Prom fifteen years ago, but because she has the clout over a high-dollar male model with a cash flow problem. Some occupations, like rodeo rider or striptease artist, are sexier by nature, but the real fun comes from creating a computer geek or a librarian who sets your pages and his/her partner on fire.

**Play up the setting: Andy lives in large beach home with his uncle, and the two bachelors have a doorknob code for “don’t come in now.” Noelle’s mom has a broken leg, which will confine her to the upstairs of their rental house (and Andy appears as the White Knight who carries Mom up all those steps when they arrive, which incites Mom’s matchmaking tendencies. I’ve written stories set in snowed-in cabins and isolated ranches, but the large desk in a banker’s office, a cocktail lounge on a cruise ship…places that seem too public–or too dangerous–created heat that was fun to write, too.

**Got a holiday or a theme? Christmas, Halloween, office parties…even cemeteries, offer unusual times and places to do it. When invited to write a novella, let the theme direct your naughty mind to wherever it’ll go before you write the proposal, so you can milk every opp for setting, language, season, and life circumstances to play a part in the hanky-panky.

**Write to a different kind of music: I have a CD of Yo Yo Ma playing Argentinean tangos that is just hot and passionate. I like the soundtrack from “Chocolat” (now there’s a fantasy, with Johnny Depp as a wandering gypsy-trash hero… ) for playful moods. And when I was writing “Naughty Noelle,” I was surprised at how much sexy dialog lines of Christmas carols provided. The lyrics to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” inspired a lot of this story, because Noelle was pouting and crying and all of those things “ya better not” do when Andy Hathaway happened along in his Santa hat.

**Toss in some personal experience: I always smile furtively when asked if I’ve tried every sexual thing I write about! My husband, while a devoted fan and supporter, is not the model for my erotic heroes. I’m writing fantasy, after all! So the faces in my collages tend to be rugged, hot, provocative models from ads who inspire my imagination. And yes, when I close my eyes in a tub of hot bubbly bath water and let my mind wander, they always come through with fascinating flashes of do-it-to-me scenes. My cruise vacations gave me great stuff for ALL NIGHT LONG and HOT FOR IT. “Naughty Noelle” is set in the Outer Banks, NC, where I’ve spent many a wonderful week enjoying those huge, fully furnished dream homes.

**Dirty movies: Yes, I do watch the occasional porn flick to pick up on some costuming or positions or situations (certainly not for the plot or dialog! “Oh, God…oh, yeah baby…yeah, baby…(insert moan).” But it’s a lot more fun to create characters with believable personalities and conflicts!

And gee, seeings as we all do this for our books…why not share YOUR most outrageous/daring/unusual encounter now? We could all use a little fresh fantasy…and I’ll send a signed copy of UNWRAP ME to the two who share the best stories! How’s that for some early Christmas spirit?!

Thanks for coming out to play today! I’ve enjoyed it!
Melissa Mac

I’ve had an interesting thing occur. But it’s probably only interesting to me and won’t effect much of anything in terms of sales or my career. But it makes me scratch my head just the same.

I’m collectible.

Not exactly me, you understand. One of the anthologies I’m in, The Hard Stuff is in its fourth printing, which is really great, so thanks to all the readers who purchased!

I was skipping around on the ‘net and noticed that there were a couple of books available for sale as collectibles. HMMMM. What could this mean, I wondered, then clicked over to see that indeed, a couple of first editions are now for sale. One of them has even been autographed by Sunny.

These first editions are priced at somewhere close to the original cover price. Very cool all around.
Makes me wonder how much people would charge for those few that have all three autographs. In the summer of 2006, Karin, Sunny and I were all at the RWA Conference Literary book signing and several people made certain to collect all our signatures. (I say several but in the interest of accuracy I should say four or five)

I don’t think we’ve all been at the same book signing with first edition copies available since then. So, wow.

Makes me think that maybe those few books may actually be worth, oh, say as much as $5.00 above original price, or maybe that’s a stretch. Either way, it feels a little weird to be included in a “collectible”. I think it would be akin to earning a lifetime achievement award at thirty-five.

And Hallelujah! I heading into the last days of work on BREATHLESS, my next Aphrodisia. As soon as I have a release date for the “first edition”, I’ll let you know.

Bonnie Edwards

Why, you ask? Well, for those of you who are American citizens, at least, it’s election day, and in my entire life, I’ve never known a time in our country when exercising the right to vote was more important. (And since I’m getting closer to sixty every day, there have been a lot of election days in my past!) If you’re at all like me, you’ve watched enough political stuff to be sick and tired of the rhetoric, but please don’t be so sick of it that you decide not to take the time to vote. I live in a rural area where we don’t rate a polling place, so I voted by mail last week, but I will admit that I still break out in chills when I finally finish marking my ballot and stick it in the envelope. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to express our personal choices in open and free elections. Men and women have died for our right to cast our vote–in other countries, where voting isn’t a right, people are still dying for the chance to one day democratically select their own elected officials. Don’t let anyone cheat you out of your right to vote–there are a lot of scams going around right now–mailers to people saying that because the polls are so busy, Democrats should vote on November 5, (WRONG!) or that it’s okay to vote by phone. (IT ISN’T)! If you haven’t already voted early, Tuesday, NOVEMBER 4 is your last chance. It’s pretty important stuff, when you come down to it. Elections have been won and lost by just one vote–don’t let it be yours, the one you didn’t cast. No matter who you support or whether you lean left or right or plant yourself firmly in the middle, please remember to go to the polls November 4. This is too important to leave to someone else…do it for your friends, for your kids, for your grandkids, for your significant other…but most of all, do it for yourself.

Pssst! Don’t forget! Aphrodisia Authors will be doing a live chat tonight at Writerspace at 9 PM EST!

Yes, it’s finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s getting some fabulous reviews, which is a relief (I’ll share them below!). Mostly, because it’s the first in a series about men who live in a little town in Texas called Honkytonk. If I get my wish, I’ll be writing about those sexy cowboys for a long, long time.

“…HOT! HOT! HOT!…All I wanted was more, so I read DOWN IN TEXAS again, enjoying it for a second time…DOWN IN TEXAS is now a book in my permanent re-read pile…”
Recommended Read, Emmy, Joyfully Reviewed

“Delilah Devlin’s DOWN IN TEXAS is a fabulous anthology that kept my attention throughout each and every story…The stories are all special in their own right but together they’re truly spectacular…Ms. Devlin has proved herself a capable storyteller before but with DOWN IN TEXAS she’s cemented a place on my ‘most watched authors’ list.”
5 Blue Ribbons, Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies

“…one of the most decadent reads of the year for me…Delilah never fails to deliver on any front, and this is just another testament to an extraordinary writer. As always, I look forward to more of her extraordinary novels…”
5 Angels and Recommended Read, Darksnite, Fallen Angels Reviews

“Devlin delivers in this anthology of love in the Lone Star State… This is a good, hot and sexy read.”
4 Stars, Devon Paige, RT BOOKReviews

But you don’t even have to take their word for it. Check out the first chapter on my website before you make up your mind.

I signed a contract for my three book deal with Kensington today, so that’s what’s on my mind right now.

Whenever I get a new contract, I buy myself a little present. It has to be something I wouldn’t normally buy for myself, but that I really want. It’s an extra, an indulgence. Most of my advances go to very practical things, promotion, paying bills, etc, but I get one really nifty thing each time.

The first time I sold, I bought myself a digital camera. Yes, I was in the Stone Age and didn’t have one. I’d wanted one forever, but it seemed like such an extravagance because I didn’t really need it.

But I deserved something nice, don’t you think? I did. Behold the booty for that contract. It’s even lime green…my favorite color!

For the contract I just signed, I got myself a new cell phone. My old one was dying, so I bought it a bit early, but it still counts!

It has all kinds of neat features that make me squeal and jump up and down and hug it. It plays music, interfaces with Bluetooth, has speakerphone, and let me download the Boston Pops playing the Pink Panther theme song as my ring tone. I always have Pink Panther, you see, though my old phone had just a tinny midi file. I tried the standard rings, but it just didn’t register that my phone was ringing. So, I got the awesome new version of my ring tone.

Isn’t it pretty? I love getting presents, and I love buying myself presents. Now if only I could find a good reason to send myself flowers, I’d be all set. Hmm…

-Crystal Jordan
http://www.crystaljordan.com

CARNAL DESIRES - Nov 08
ON THE PROWL - May 09

Lyon, The Lords of Satyr

An author I know, who is also good friend and sometimes crit partner, has an interesting philosophy about life versus career.  She has one set of clothing for her “author life” and another for her “real life,” as she calls it.  When I heard this, I was reminded of the series about London call girl Belle Piper titled Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which aired on Showtime this past summer.  I don’t know about you, but I was riveted.  More to the point, Belle has separate wardrobes for her “call girl” side and her “real life” side.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went out and bought wigs on a lark.  Long and sultry, multi-hued.  I’d never owned a wig, so I went grocery shopping in mine, to give it a test run.  I went from mildly embarrassed to confident when the check-out clerk asked me (in an admiring tone) where I’d gotten my hair done.  I replied, “It’s a wig. Can you tell?”  She said it looked amazing and wanted to know where I’d gotten it.  How fun!  I could hardly wait to tell my author friend.  Afterward, we did a book signing together and had a hoot wearing our twin wigs.  It’s amazing what a pick-me-up such outer trappings can be.

Now my author buddy is after me to go clothes shopping at some resale shops.  Who knows what kind of trouble we’re going to get into with that?  For some reason, she really envisions me in boots.  As with the wig, I’ve never worn boots.  And I’m not really enthusiastic about them.  But that’s my “real life” side talking. If you see me in boots sometime, you’ll know my “author life” took over on a shopping jaunt.

I think I’d define my ideal “look” for both real and author lives as professional-sexy. I don’t think I achieve that, but I’m working on it.  My “author” side thinks sexy, but my inner core—the one that allows me to meet deadlines and outline books—is all professional.  When I go shopping, the two are at war.

How about you other authors?  Do you cross-dress?  How do your “author clothes” differ from your “real life” ones?  Higher heels?  Boots?  Tighter?  Lower-cut?  Higher-cut?  Corsets with jackets?  Poofy hair?  That is, are your “real life” clothes the same as your “author life” clothes?  If not, what are the differences?

Elizabeth Amber
NICHOLAS, THE LORDS OF SATYR
RAINE, THE LORDS OF SATYR
LYON, THE LORDS OF SATYR (Aug 2008)
DOMINIC, THE LORDS OF SATYR (March 2009)
erotic historical paranormal romance
Kensington Aphrodisia
www.elizabethamber.com