Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

In the insanity between Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Yule or…pick your winter holiday), it’s rough to get any writing done.

I mean, it’s exciting and awesome to get to see friends and family that you might not keep as close in touch with as you should. But this one time a year, you get to see them. That’s fabulous! Something to be truly thankful for.

However, amidst the holiday shopping sales, wrapping paper, holiday parties, family visits, etc it’s rough to squeeze in some you time. For me, the you time means writing time. And I have a Januray deadline! I’m not freaking out at all. No siree, I’m on top of stuff. This holiday thing isn’t sending me into a grab a paper bag and hyperventilate style panic. Pshaw!

All I can say to you is, enjoy your holidays, try not to panic too much, and make sure to pamper yourself as much as you pamper your loved ones. You deserve it too!

Happy holidays!

Well! I’m a bit late posting, and I apologize. I’m hung over from a number of things (but not alcohol!) I’m recovering from Thanksgiving, black Friday (this morning!) and just finishing up with jury duty this week (it was a bigger case than I expected and went on for awhile, and that’s all I’m saying!).

Did anyone shop today? I sure as heck did for a bit, but quickly realized the best deals were online! Hello, Star Trek for $9 at Amazon? I think you can STILL get that deal! The malls were crowded and I found nothing that had me drooling.

So since I’m still a bit mentally drained, how about I share my new cover for Need Me? This is for the second book in futuristic series (following Take Me, but each is stand alone!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US and Canadian friends, and a happy holiday season to the rest of the globe

I’m currently under a very tight deadline to turn in the first book of my two book deal to Berkley called Seducing the Succubus, which is the first book in the Sisters of Darkness Series written as Cassie Ryan.

However, I didn’t want to let a blog day pass, especially since it fell on Thanksgiving, so here I am

And since I’ve got to be at work bright and early at 430am in the morning, I’m going to cheat just a bit and post a small teaser excerpt for Seducing the Succubus… I don’t have a release date yet and it is not edited – which means any mistakes you see are totally mine! But thought you might like a small taste of what I’m working on.

Stay tuned for details, or you can get daily updates on what’s going on with me by following me on Twitter or on Facebook.

Enjoy!

Excerpt:

“Dinner time, gentlemen,” Jezebeth said to herself as she raked her gaze over the many men crowding into the darkened club.

The heavy beat of hip hop music thumped through the souls of her knee high lace up boots and made her heart beat faster as anticipation curled deep inside her belly.

A long mahogany bar ran the length of the back wall and dozens of men crowded around jostling for their turn to order a drink. In the middle of the room scantily-clad women gyrated on four raised platforms while colored laser lights panned over the audience in regular intervals briefly illuminating the smoky atmosphere. Not that Jez needed the light. One of the perks of being a succubus was being able to see in the dark¾not to mention sense and smell the sustenance-giving potential of those beings around her.

Her searching gaze fell on a large human male sitting at a back table with broad shoulders and just the right amount of muscle. A glowing aura of nearly white energy surrounded him like a pulsing mist, and Jez’s skin ached with longing¾the succubus equivalent of a stomach growl. The size and general health of the man’s aura told her he’d not only feed her well, but that taking his energy and tainting his soul would also give her great brownie points with her boss, Lilith, the succubus queen. Especially since Jez was behind quota this month–again.

Jez concentrated on the man and a slow warm tingling flowed through her as her body shifted to become whatever form the man most desired.

She glanced down to see her now-overgenerous breasts nearly spilling out over a tight-laced blood-red corset, her skin milk-pale and her body fully curved. She wore a tight black mini skirt and short black ankle boots which displayed a winding rose tattoo that snaked up her right leg to disappear under her skirt.

This body was shorter than she was used to, and she had to crane her neck and stand on her tiptoes to keep the man in her line of sight over the tightly-packed crowd.

Jez reached up and tried to fluff out her hair, surprised to find it short and spiky instead of long and flowing. She shrugged as amusement spilled through her. The preferences of men were wide and varied, and as long as they provided her with what she needed, she didn’t care what form she had to take to get it.

Well–that was almost true.

There had been forms she’d outright refused to remain in.

She shuddered in memory of some of the more bizarre bodies men had desired her to take and wrangled her thoughts back to the situation at hand–dinner.

Jez started forward, weaving her way through the crowd, her gaze fixed on her target where he sipped his drink and watched the dancer on the nearest platform as she spun expertly around the golden pole using only her muscular thighs.

As Jez neared, the man turned his head and she could tell the exact moment he became aware of her. His movements stilled and his gaze did a slow and very thorough exploration of her from head to toe and then back again. When he was finished, his lips parted in surprise and the bulge just behind the fly of his jeans grew larger in response.

Jez smiled at him from under her lashes and wet her bottom lip with her tongue, suppressing a small giggle as she tasted strawberry-flavored lip-gloss.

His blue gaze burned into hers for a long moment before Jez stepped close and straddled him making her already short skirt ride up high around her hips. She sat on his lap and pressed close against his erection. The sensation of rough denim against the sensitive skin of her bare pussy was exquisite. She rubbed herself against him and laid her hand over his chest, noting how his heartbeat thumped a strong pulse under her palm and the energy surrounding him surged higher, tingling against her skin in tiny static electric shocks.

To her surprise, he didn’t push her away or show any signs of protest. For someone with such a clean aura, she’d expected a bit of a challenge, but she definitely wasn’t going to complain.

She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Buy me a drink?”

His strong hand settled against her lower back, the heat from his skin burning through the corset and making her pussy throb in anticipation of what was to come. She pulled back slowly, allowing her breath to feather against the side of his neck until she could look into his eyes.

“Only a drink?” he asked with mischief and lust dancing in the blue depths of his eyes.

Jez smiled and leaned forward again so her breasts pressed against his chest as she brushed her lips over his.

His lips were warm and he growled deep in his throat and then deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth long and slow.

The tangy taste of Jack Daniels made her smile. That explained his lack of restraint. A few more drinks would probably make her job all that much easier.

His kisses were a bit sloppy and clumsy, but he made up for that with enthusiasm and the promise of a great energy payoff in the end. With one large hand he cupped her breast roughly, the hot possession making her gasp against his mouth.

She kissed him again, hard, and the familiar tingling and liquid warmth sensation of his life-energy siphoning into her hummed through her veins, ripping a long moan from her throat. Jez sighed against his lips as her clit hardened and slick moisture formed between her labia.

This was only an appetizer, but already her gnawing hunger receded and her skin tingled with vigor. She threaded her fingers into the man’s soft hair capturing him close as she continued to kiss him.

Two sharp taps on her shoulder surprised her and she turned, ready to deal with a bouncer or an angry girlfriend.

Instead, she found a four-foot imp.

It was shamrock green with two tiny yellow horns poking out the top of his knotty head. His glowing red eyes reminded her of twin laser pointers and he smiled revealing jagged yellow teeth. “Mind if I cut in for official business, Jezebeth?”

“What the hell is that?” The man stood abruptly, dumping her off his lap so she landed hard on her bare ass against the cold concrete floor.

The days surrounding release of a book are hectic to say the least. Reviews come in, guest blog spot reminders show up in your inbox and your addiction to your book’s Amazon rank rears its ugly ugly head. (I fool myself that I’ve got this one beat, but it never really goes away. If you’re an ex-smoker, it’s like the scent of outdoor cigarette smoke…alluring but oh-so-bad for you.)

So, here I am taking up a blog day to share some of my reviews on my newest anthology, BREATHLESS.

It’s been twenty-two months since THIGH HIGH came out so I’m particularly pleased by the review of BREATHLESS that came in from You Gotta Read Reviews and got their highest rating! Rating: You Gotta Read

Reviewer: Sashet
In Bonnie Edwards first release in almost two years you don’t have to worry that she’s lost her magic touch. Each story in this book will have you wanting to turn on the air conditioning no matter how cold it is outside. She takes you on the gamut of emotions, worry, fear, determination and most importantly shell make you fall in love with her too sexy for a woman’s good heroes.

So, if you like your books scorching hot run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore and pick this one up. Because this one – You Gotta Read!

From Harriet Klausner: (5 Stars)
These three fun erotic novellas are tied together by undergarments and plenty of sex. . . .

I’ll be back on my regularly scheduled day to blog here, which is the 6th of each month. In the meantime, please enjoy your Thanksgiving and not gain a pound!

And may there be no injuries come Black Friday. Shopping should be good for you!

This month has been more than a little interesting, so I have to share. On the 14th, I had the opportunity to participate in a wonderful book signing event in Albuquerque – Celeste Bradley, me, Amanda McCabe, Mary Buckham, Dianna Love, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. What a blast! Sherrilyn has very devoted fans who show up in costume and carrying lots of things for her to sign, as well as gifts. We all signed books, and I met a whole slew of vampire fans. Some had already read one of my books and bought another there. All in all, it was one of the most exciting events I’ve participated in. I could have signed all night (you should hear the music from My Fair Lady here)…

Like the month of November in New Mexico, where the cottonwoods and aspen are sporting spectacular colors at the beginning of the month and look like skeletons by the end, I’ve had a few highs and lows. I’m writing this from my desk with a box of tissues at my side on my 5th day of the flu. As bad as it has been, however, I expect to survive, so I know this low is only temporary. When it’s over, I’ll still have the pictures of the book signing to look at and recall how much fun I had.

I’ll keep this short because I’m running a fever and under a writing deadline. I hope you all have had wonderful things happen to you this month. Anything you want to share?

Have I mentioned, Kensington rocks. I’ve known this for years, long before I started writing erotica for the Aphrodisia line. In another life I wrote category romance for the publisher and met several of the fab editors including the late and beloved Kate Duffy.

But today’s blog isn’t about the past. Its what Kensington is doing right now in a tough financial climate. Just this week, Nov. 16 to be specific, Publisher’s Weekly ran a piece called Kensington Has a Winning 2009 by Jim Milliot. The whole article is at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6707070.html_
Here, IMO are the highlights.

1. At the end of their fiscal year K was ahead of budget and sales were up about 7%
2. Although mass market paperback accounts for more than 50% of revenue, trade paperback (that’s Aphrodisia) is the fastest selling segment.
3. K does about 20 trade paperbacks a month (focus on literary commercial fiction) which means the list remains small enough to develop individual marketing plans. This has resulted in attention from independent booksellers and more reviews.
4. Romance and thrillers drove the mass market paperbacks but there’s been improved western sales, particularly William Johnstone’s books. (hmm. I do love a good western)
5. Leading the way to increased sales are different kinds of in-store displays and online promotions, including e-blasts. K sales are up 10% at Borders and overall sell-through was up and returns down.
6. K uses free e-book promotions to help sales of e-books. Granted, e-books are expected to be only 2.5% of revenue in 2010 but this is a still-developing arm of the industry. So far all e-releases have been derived from print titles but that will change when the right project comes along.
7. K’s first film, The Company We Keep based on a book by Mary Monroe is in postproduction and looking for a distributor.
8. And last before your eyes blur, K is in its 35th year and considered the largest independent trade publisher based in NY. Adam Zacharius (grandson of founder Walter Zacharius) “remains bullish on the book market, targeting a 10% incease in sales in fiscal 2010.

And I’m damn proud to be part of this energy.
Vonna
www.VonnaHarper.com

We all want our heroes to be heroic, and traditionally romance readers love heroes who are SEALs, covert ops guys, police officers, and firefighters.

Okay, but seriously… What’s it like to be in love with a man who risks his life on a regular basis? To have kids with him and hope he’ll be around to see them grow up? To hope that when you both swear those vows “till death you do part,” that death is going to be a long, long way off?

Do women just try not to think about it, or do they recognize the fear but find the strength to handle it?

In my November story “Too Hot to Handle” (in Men on Fire), heroine Jade Rousseau’s dad was a cop. When he was almost killed on the job, she and her mom were so traumatized that her mom persuaded him to switch to a desk job.

Jade herself became risk-averse. If you play it safe, you can’t get hurt, right? Well, her beliefs are challenged when her girlfriends “buy” her the wrong guy at a bachelor auction. She needs a faux fiancé and wants a nice, traditional white-collar guy. Instead, she gets sexy Quinn O’Malley.

Quinn lives on a sailboat, rides a motorbike, and – oh, yeah – he’s a firefighter. Not only a firefighter, but one who has a personal vendetta against fire. It claimed his family, and it’s not going to take any more lives if he has anything to say about it. So, on the job, he’s a risk-taker.

What does a woman like Jade do when she starts to fall for a man like Quinn? Well, to find out how that particular romance turns out, you’ll just have to read the story. Okay, you know how it turns out – it’s a romance, after all! – but to find out how the two of them resolve their pretty major differences, you’ll have to do some reading. If you’d like to start with an excerpt, go to the MEN ON FIRE page at my website: http://www.susanlyons.ca. I also have behind-the-scenes notes, blurbs for all 3 novellas, a discussion guide, and recipes for the “it’s raining men” cocktail and decadent chocolate Nanaimo bars!

Anyhow, what I’d like to know today is how you feel about high-risk heroes and the women who love them. Or, in reverse, women in high-risk occupations and the men who love them. In fiction, and in real life, what kind of person does it take to love someone who endangers their life on a regular basis?

And, as a reader, what’s your favourite kind of hero: the high-risk ones, the billionaires, the brilliant scientists, the doctors who save lives, the lawyers who fight for justice, or ????

There are two things I hate doing in this world. The first is starting a book. The second is…finishing a book. One of the hardest things in the world for me is to sit down and write page 1. I will literally fiddle for months, allowing time to burn away and deadlines to rush near before I finally sit down and write. Why? The opening scares the living poo out of me. My biggest fear is that I will bore the reader from page 1, and that my book will get tossed into the trashcan by page 2. I struggle for months to get the opening of a book just right, and even then I’m never really satisfied.

The middle of a book is great for me. By time I hit chapter 3, I am in my zone and cruising along. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn’t the oncoming train.

And then it happens. The end arrives. That happened this weekend on Siren’s Call, the first of my NAL books. That book was hard to start and now that it’s done, I find myself wondering what to do next. It’s gone. It’s over. The characters I’ve invested myself in for months have suddenly moved out, leaving my brainspace all empty and bereft. Yes, I know I was frothing at the mouth to write those two tiny words that signal a job well done. But now that I’ve tacked “the end” onto the first book, I feel a little bit let down. Why am I depressed? The book is FINISHED! But now I’ve got to worry. What if it sucks??? (Yes, it tested well with readers, but still…) Just looking at the massive 504 page behemoth I’ve now got to print and proof is giving me hives!

On another note, I received the page proofs for Soul of the Wildcat. This novella will be in the Sexy Beast 8 anthology, which I am in with Kate Douglas and Kathleen Dante–both writers I admire very much. The book’s out April 2010. Originally Heart of the Wildcat was to appear in SB 6, but a scheduling glitch caused me to miss the anthology–which is why the follow up, Soul of the Wildcat is out first. I’m hoping readers doing Soul of the Wildcat first will still want to read Heart of the Wildcat, which begins my stories about the lost Cherokee tribe of cougar shifters. I have to admit I enjoyed creating this shifter world and hope to revisit it someday.

To get readers started, I’ll post a bit from Heart of the Wildcat. (The entire first chapter of which appears in the back of Soul of the Wildcat):

Chapter One

Kathryn Dayton didn’t like the looks of the men walking into her camp. Sometimes you could tell with a glance that certain people in this world were bad news. She had no doubts about these two.

They definitely weren’t up to any good.

Gaze steady and unflinching, Kathryn stayed down in a crouch, leaning in closer to her campfire, establishing her territory. She didn’t say a word, nor make a reach toward the hunting knife strapped at her hip. She just watched as the men casually ambled into the perimeter she’d staked out as a place to roost after sundown. Other than members of her own crew, she hadn’t expected company this far into the back country.

One of the men stepped boldly up to the fire. “Howdy.” The second man lingered a few steps behind, as if watching his partner’s back. One hand wrapped tightly around the strap of the rifle slung over his back.

Kathryn’s gaze narrowed. “Howdy.” Both wore backpacks and bedrolls and walked with the gait of men who spent a lot of time on foot in treacherous terrain. Hardcore mountain men, right down to their ruddy skin, shaggy beards, faded jeans, flannel shirts, jackets and heavy hiking boots.

But that wasn’t what disturbed her.
The guns did.

Both carried hunting rifles. Both had dangerous looking knives strapped on for ease of access. More horribly, each man carried a set of claw-tooth traps commonly used for large game such as bear. Illegal traps.

A chill scurried down her spine. Shit. She was all too familiar with those vicious creations. Once an animal got a limb in, it didn’t get loose. Men carrying weapons and traps meant only one thing.

Poachers.

They were fairly safe from prosecution because of the remote location. No towns existed in the immediate region, and it had taken a helicopter to get her and four crewmates into the remote area. An isolated remnant branching off the Appalachians and carved out of the Blue Ridge by erosion, much of the South Mountains of North Carolina were almost as pure as the day God created them. Even the rush of gold fever in the eighteenth century hadn’t inflicted much of an impact on the old growth forests.

Still, snakes lingered in paradise.

Kathryn ran a quick mental check of her own supplies. Aside from basic food and water, she carried a few hunting knives, a walkie-talkie, a small tent and sleeping bag. She’d deliberately turned her radio off, detouring away from the rest of the crew to spend the night alone. She’d needed some time to herself. The recent news her team had received hadn’t been encouraging.

Her mouth quirked down. So much for time alone. The knot of automatic distrust settled deep in her guts.

Kathryn had no respect for men who committed brutal crimes against nature. There were plenty of other places to hunt throughout the state. Legal places. Not that she condoned killing wildlife for pleasure. She found nothing sporting in shooting down beautiful animals through the sights of a high-powered scope.
___
So this post won’t be all boring, I’ll give away a copy of Soul of the Wildcat. Just leave a comment to be entered. I’ll draw a winner on Nov 18th and announce it here–as well as inform the winner via email.

I’m so excited! I’ve shared it on facebook, but I wanted to share it here as well. Isn’t it pretty? I love the colors, very sexy.

I’ve always wanted to write a story about three friends. In Body Rush, Lydia, Roni and Jeanette are as opposite as night and day, but that doesn’t keep them from being as close as sisters. So, when one of them offers up a wicked bet, even I was curious who would walk away the winner! Would it be Lydia the practical one? Roni the determined one? Or Jeanette the quiet one? You’ll find out June 2010!

In the meantime here’s a little (unofficial) blurb:

Body Rush
Three restless women…one naughty idea

Secret Desires

Legal secretary Lydia Burke spends her days taking orders from a bunch of men who seem to think her world should revolve around them. When she finally reaches her breaking point and marches out, things go from stressed to downright wicked. As she steps through the doors of a local BDSM club and meets the three darkly handsome owners who want to own her, the wild night out she needed takes a turn into the forbidden.

Turn Me On

Psychologist Roni Smart is tired of men seeing dollar signs next to her name. Going to the Opera and sipping champagne was never her idea of a hot time. Just when she thinks all men were born wearing three-piece suits, computer tech, Jake pushes his way into her office. His jeans are deliciously tight, his attitude is just this side of offensive, and Roni’s never been more turned on. Office sex is one thing though; bringing the cocky man home isn’t part of the deal…right?

Tasty Treats

Coffee shop owner Jeanette Williams isn’t the type to throw herself at a man. In fact, just talking to a man can leave her flushed and shaking in her sensible sneakers. But the mysterious hottie who pulls into her parking lot every morning on his sleek back motorcycle leaves her aching. When she spies him watching her as if she were a caramel latte, Jeanette decides to give him a tasty treat he’ll not soon forget.

warning: this story contains lots of hot lovin’, multiple partners, anal sex, oral sex, toys, and Dom/sub situations. NOT for the faint-hearted!

Please, tell me what you think! And to read an excerpt go here

We all love heroes! Historical heroes, contemporary heroes, paranormal heroes, heroes of every persuasion in many attractive shapes and sizes. But there are heroes and then there are HEROES.

Here in the US, November 11th is Veteran’s Day (its Remembrance Day in Canada so Susan Lyons tells me). It’s a day we recognize our military heroes that have served and sacrificed for their country. In honor of Veterans Day, I thought I’d take a break from talking about our wonderful imaginary heroes and talk about the real things and three ways you can show your support today.

1. Find a Boy Scout

One of the easiest things you can do to support our troops currently serving is track down your neighborhood Boy Scout and ask about Operation Popcorn. For a range of donations Trail’s End will send a variety of popcorn treats to U.S. Soldiers and families during the Boy Scouts current popcorn drive.

2. Give to a Historic and Romantic Organization

An organization with a very romantic history of service is the USO whose motto is “Till everyone comes home” For 47 years the USO has meant a little piece of home to our troops in faraway places. Their mission is “to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to service members and their families.” Check out their how to help page.

3. Go Shopping

My first thought when I think of veterans is my grandfather but there are now many veterans younger than I am. And there is a band new organization dedicated to “ honor and empower wounded warriors”. The Wounded Warriors Project provides “services and programs that ease the burdens of the most seriously wounded and their families, aid in the recovery process and smooth their transition back to civilian life.” You can help them by going shopping. They have teamed up with Overstocks.com. All net proceeds from the sell of WWP logoed Adidas gear goes to the project.

So on this Veteran’s Day, track down a boy scout, check out a bit of nostalgia, buy some cool threads and support our true heroes. Do you have a true hero in your life?

Chloe Harris
www.authorchloeharris.com