Archive | guest blog RSS feed for this section

Cowboys+City Girls=Sexy Summer Reads! Guest blogger, Cristal Ryder!

29 May

Passionate Reads welcomes guest blogger, Cristal Ryder!

*****

A cowboy, city girl, mountains, horses and a little bit of danger to stir it all up. That’s what you’ll find in my newest release. A few years ago when my now 21 year old was in a marching band, we went to Banff. I was one of a bunch of parents that came along with the 60 odd kids. I wasn’t an official chaperone but one of the many groupie parents, which was perfect because it allowed me a little more freedom.The trip was in July, right at Calgary Stampede time. I had never been west before and was captivated. The band marched in the opening parade, and on the Stampede grounds, we saw all the rodeo activities and the kids bought their mandatory cowboy hats. Most of which didn’t leave their heads and they wore them all the way back to Toronto.

It was an overdose of cowboy, let me tell you and I was so hoping (more…)

Gooooood Morning!

20 May

Thought I’d give everyone a bit of delicious hotness to wake up to this morning…

Whaddaya think?

 :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m helping someone move this weekend, and it brought back memories of my own move alst July.

My blog for that weekend was “Stipper Poles and Sex on the Dining Room Table” .

Since I have to meet the moving truck shortly, I don’t have time to “reminisce”, but here’s the link if you want to see what “Stripper poles” had to do with my move… and why a particular someone is NOT helping with this move :-)

http://passionatereads.com/2011/07/17/stripper-poles-and-sex-on-the-dining-room-table/#more-4832

As for today, the one thing I did want to tell everyone is (more…)

What do you call a virtual nymphomaniac with exhausted fingers?

17 Apr

The Passionate Reads authors are pleased to welcome today’s guest blogger, Riley Murphy, author of Reclaimed Surrender, with the answer to the subject question…

An erotic romance author. J

Hey, it’s true. I’m not alone out here, am I? Some days I swear it’s all I can do to let my heroine get off again. Maybe I’m jealous. Nah! Can’t be. I love my heroines. So, what’s the deal? *thinking*

Okay, I get tired. I mean there’s only so many ways to make monkey sex without the actual primate interesting and fresh, right? You start doing the check list. Sex on table? Chapter two. Sex on floor? Chapter three. Sex bent over kitchen counter? Chapter four. Oral? Chapter Five. Group… Yeah, well, you get my point and it’s at these times you thank your lucky stars you have a wonderful CP who takes your pages of brilliance and gets to this part in your story and comments something like this, “Riley, your heroine is the one who’s supposed to be exhausted in this scene, not you. Get your head out of your butt and write a sex scene. Wait, maybe you should write a butt smex scene here.” *shakes head* Gotta love her persistence because sure enough, I did. Lol!

Persistence is where it’s at for an erotic rom author. Using myself as a perfect example for no other reason than I like to be the one talking behind my own back, I’m going to share a slice of my married life with you. Here’s the scene. I’ve worked all day on my WIP. The hero has gotten off three times and the heroine seven (I know what you’re thinking, but remember this is fiction). So there I am at bedtime. I slip between the cool sheets, close my eyes and sigh. Life is—

Wtf? Honey’s done the old one arm hooked-around-me thing where I’m literally dragged across the king size bed until I’m hauled up against him. I grumble with my nose pressed into his chest, “What are you doing?”

“I plan on claiming some conjugal rights.”

“Now?” To say I’m miffed would have been an understatement. I have people yakking in my head, a huge mental list of things to go over before tomorrow and oh yeah, I need to get some sleep too. So, me not feeling it? Check.

“Don’t tell me I forgot to schedule an appointment.”

I don’t know why I roll my eyes it’s not like he could see the gesture in the dark. “Didn’t we already do this today?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Wow, had it really come down to this? *wonders for a moment* Sure enough. I’d been writing sex all day and felt like I’d done the deed over and over again…but he hadn’t. *Deep breath* “Sorry, my hero and heroine are like freaking rabbits so my mind’s been far afield all day.”

“How far afield?”

“Table, floor, counter, oral.”

“Talk to me about the floor. Was it tile or wood because you know carpeting is not great for the back or knees. Rug burn’s a bitch.”

So we spent the next hour *cough, cough* talking about my various scenes and it wasn’t until I was well and truly exhausted that I realize it wasn’t just erotic romance authors and their CPs who have to be persistent – their husbands have to be too.  

This is probably why I chose to write about a married couple rediscovering their kink in Reclaimed Surrender. I love the dynamic of a successful and fully committed partnership. Anyone else tackle marriage in crisis theme? If so, did you find it easier to write the sexy stuff or harder?

Thanks for having me here, it’s been fun!

Reclaimed Surrender blurb:

Things take a sizzling turn when Rene Tanner finds himself neck-deep in marital unbliss. He’s fully prepared to do whatever it takes to reclaim his wife’s surrender. The way he sees it? He’s been putting her on a pedestal when all she really wanted— needed —was for him to put her on her knees.

Alexis Tanner has felt alone and unfulfilled for quite a while. So when their marriage counselor suggests a week of “As You Wish” therapy, she’s expecting to be wooed with chocolates and flowers. Instead she winds up in leather restraints and a silver collar and realizes she must surrender to her darkest desires, or be forced to let Rene go forever.

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9904-reclaimed-surrender.aspx

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-tAJRlJ08U

Reclaimed Surrender excerpt:

He took a deep breath and straightened. Now that he understood what the stumbling blocks were he was ready to annihilate them. She needed to be reminded that they had certain boundaries in their relationship and he needed to impress upon her that he was totally prepared to hold her to them. (more…)

Ready for a Wicked Weekend?

23 Mar

The Passionate Reads authors are pleased to welcome today’s guest blogger, Gillian Archer, author of Wicked Weekend.

A while back I stumbled across a blog post that gave me a little kernel of an idea which quickly morphed into a massive hulking plot bunny with fangs that wouldn’t let go. The blog post was about flagging. If you’re not familiar with the subject, here’s a quick, informative video…
The thought of hot and sexy guys openly displaying their sexual preferences but in a subtle way got my creative juices flowing. (Although I did take *some* artistic license as the hanky code is primarily used in the gay leather community.)

The plot bunny eventually became my novella WICKED WEEKEND out now with Carina Press. And available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and ARe.
Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party—while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for “seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive.”

Lauren can’t take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.
But Jamie is a complicated man. He can’t handle how desperately he wants her in his bed—and his life. It’s up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.
As Mistress Matisse said, the colors run the gambit and include some seriously extreme stuff, golden showers and cutting though probably not at the same time! You also need to be careful if the room is dark—you wouldn’t want to confuse mauve with magenta since it’s the difference between an armpit and a navel *grin*.

You can read more about the different colors online. Are there any you find interesting? Let me know in the comments (or just say hi!) and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Wicked Weekend!

About Gillian
Gillian Archer lives in Northern Nevada with her amazing husband and two goofy dogs. When she’s not writing (but probably should be) Gillian is usually thinking about naughty things, doing naughty things, or watching reality tv (hey, don’t judge! LOL). You can find her at her website, on Facebook , or Twitter.

Smart is so sexy!

26 Jan

Hot GeekHiya. It’s Regina Cole. I’m new around here. Question for you guys:

Have you ever met a guy that was completely gorgeous? Chiseled jaw, piercing eyes, perfectly tousled hair, tall, muscular, the picture of perfection? What happens when he opens his mouth and says, “Hay babe, you wan’ go git somethin’ ta eat?”

Obviously, if you don’t live here in the sticks with me, he might sound a little different.

“Hey babe, how’s you like to git wit me?”
“Hi sexy, you broked your wings when you falled outta heaven, amirite?”

I don’t know about you, but for me, when I hear that? It knocks about eight points off the hotness factor. The heat that started to build disappears faster than a Cinnabon at my house. (HANDS OFF. YOU WILL DRAW BACK A NUB IF YOU TOUCH MY ‘BON.)

Then think again. You meet a guy who’s nice looking, but kind of average. When he opens his mouth and says things like,Dear Addi by Regina Cole “Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve got two PhD’s.” I get all melty inside. INSTANT gain of twelve points on the hotness factor. Suddenly that average height got a little taller, and those muscles got a little bigger. Is that a calculator in your pocket, or are you just happy to meet me?

BUT, if you take guy A, remove his brain, and insert guy B’s instead?
Congratulations. You just hit the lottery. THAT, or you’ve met Jackson Poole, star of DEAR ADDI.

Smart guys are so sexy. What about you guys? Do smart guys turn you on? Give me your favorite smartie hotties in the comments. ;) And if you want to read more about Jackson, Dear Addi is available on Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.

Ciao!

Regina

Pitch Ahoy!

26 Sep

One of our pitch participants from our last contest, Anya Richards, recently released her first book with Ellora’s Cave! That’s right, from her pitch to our editor, Grace Bradley, she was able to walk her manuscript into a contract, and then a published book. Exciting, yes? I got to talk to Anya recently about what made her sign up for the pitch contest, what it was like for her, and what she got out of it.

KJ Reed: When you entered the contest, what was your original goal?

AnyaRichards: When I entered the contest, I had a few goals. First of all, the possibility of a personal, line-by-line critique of the first three chapters of a book by a successful editor is nothing to sneeze at! It’s not something that falls from the sky every day…and I would have been very happy to win it. But, beside that, my overall writing goal for 2011 was to expand my audience, and one of the best ways to do that is to be published by new companies. Since I’d never had a release through Ellora’s Cave, I hoped to get my work in front of an EC editor, pique her interest and hopefully avoid the slush pile. Even if Grace didn’t eventually ask to see the full manuscript, there was always the possibility she might like my voice and request I submit future works to her. Another goal was to see if the idea I had for a book outside my usual genres sounded viable enough to attract the editor’s attention. To be completely truthful, I also was trying to work my way out of a writing slump that had lasted far longer than any other I’d ever been through, and hoped the contest aspect of it would stir my competitive juices! 

 

KJ: It sounds like you had very realistic goals and hopes! How long did you work on your blurb for the first round of the judging?

Anya: I was lucky, in that the beginnings of the blurb already existed, so I didn’t have to work on the original blurb for the first round very long. I had done a very brief, one page outline for the story idea and really only had to cut it back (well, hack it to pieces actually!) to meet the contest guidelines. Like most authors, I complain bitterly about having to write blurbs, but at the same time I’ve gotten fairly good at it, so it only took a couple of hours to beat into shape.

 

KJ: Blurbs are a weakness of mine. I envy you and your “fairly good” level. Did you use any resources for the blurbing process?

Anya: The best resource I used for this process was my awesome critique partner, who helped to keep me on track and occasionally talked me down off the ledge. 

 

KJ: Critique partners are the greatest, right? Thank God for ‘em.  Once your manuscript placed second, what happened?

Anya: Once it was announced that I was one of the finalists on February first, I had until the sixth to sub the first three chapters of the book. I sent them in on the fifth and, to my surprise, on the tenth I got an email from Grace saying that although the winner wouldn’t be announced until the twenty-first, she’d like to see the full!

 

KJ: Wow, so you weren’t even sure if you had placed, but you knew Grace wanted more. That’s fantastic! From the end of the contest to the day your book was published, how long did it take?

Anya:  From the day I got the email requesting the full until date of publication was seven months, almost to the day!

 

KJ: Pretty darn fast. Do you think pitch contests are the way to go?

Anya:  I think well run pitch contests are one of the best ways available for writers to get their work in front of editors. Editors are busy. Publishing houses are inundated with submissions. The chances of getting noticed by an editor during the course of a pitch contest are, in my estimation, far superior to getting noticed in the slush pile! And, if you’re serious about growing your career, the opinion of an editor from a house you want to be published by is worth its weight in gold so, although you may enter hoping to be noticed and eventually have the piece acquired, the prize in a contest like this is nothing to be sneezed at. Really, what do you have to lose?

 

KJ: You have nothing to lose! Was your book finished when you pitched? How far along were you? And if you weren’t finished, did this encourage you to finish up?

Anya: The book was no where NEAR complete when I pitched it!! I ran one step ahead of the deadlines for each round. When I pitched, I had the above-mentioned outline and the beginnings of the first chapter, which I hastily buckled down to and finished. With hope in my heart, I continued working on the three chapters, just in case. The very hardest part for me, no word of a lie, was writing the synopsis, which was to be submitted with the three chapters. The reason that was so difficult is because I’m definitely a pantser who, a) usually has no idea where a book is going until it gets there and b) only writes a synopsis when the book is complete. When she requested the full, Grace very nicely told me that if the book wasn’t finished I should take my time getting it done, but knowing she was waiting gave me great impetus to finish in a relatively reasonable time. 

 

Anya, thanks so much for joining us today at Passionate Reads. And for everyone else, I hope this encourages you to give the contest some thought. What better way to get your work in front of an editor and possibly skip over a few slushy steps on your way to publication??

Cook Naked: Oh Canada! French Toast!

8 Sep

20060530 french toast 01

Ah, bonjour, mes amis, I want to thank all of you who are helping with the search for Nara. I know everyone is anxious to see the winner of today’s drawing for their choice of a $10 gift card from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. But first, we need to feed the search parties and Kelly Jamieson, who is desperate to get her crit partner back, joins me today to help support your efforts.

I don’t know if you knew, Kelly is from Canada. She’s a hockey fanatic too and she shares her love of country and hockey in her newest erotic romance, Face Off, out tomorrow from Ellora’s Cave.  To celebrate the release of Face Off,  Nara had scheduled us to do a Cook Naked blog together. And let me just say, mes amis, Canadians do French toast better than the French. I look at the list for ingredients, and my mouth waters.

1 dozen eggs

½ cup cream

½ tsp vanilla

Zest of one orange

2 tbsp Grand Marnier

1 loaf of French bread, sliced 1 “ thick

Bond:  Kelly, tell me about Face Off while I locate the ingredients for this recipe.

Kelly:  Faceoff is a quick little read and features Tag Heller. You might recognize his name – he’s the oldest brother of Jase Heller from my book Breakaway. The Heller family has four hockey playing brothers and this is Tag’s story.  Tag is back in his home town because the NHL team he plays for has been sold and moved back to Canada. As the returning “home town hockey hero” he has a lot of pressure on him to put positive spin on this move. When his family convinces him to take a week off and spend it at the lake cottage, he meets up with Kyla MacIntosh. They grew up together because their parents were best friends. She was like a little sister to him…but she’s not any more. Now they’re both all grown up and ready for a hot week at the lake.

Bond:  This makes Kyla the love that got away, n’est-ce pas?  Obviously, Tag was not going to let the perfect woman be lost to him. Neither would I. We don’t give up around here, mes amis. We don’t allow stale to take over. And that’s what pain perdu, the lost bread, or French toast as you say here, is about. Recovering what is lost.

It could be about wooing back the love that got away, or maybe your love life needs a little spark, something to make that passion fresh again. You make this Canadian French Toast,  serve it as breakfast in bed for your lover and the sparks will fly, flames will crackle.

And of course, Kelly would bring us a recipe that requires using the whip. We all have our little fetishes. *winks at Kelly* Who do you wish to wield the whip Kelly, vous ou moi?

Kelly:  Oh vous, Bond, s’il vous plait –  I like watching you yield the whip. Please, whip it good. Tag, in Faceoff, has a bag of toys he brought to the lake with him (apparently he wanted to be prepared for anything during that little holiday). He doesn’t have a whip but he does have a few other fun things that he and Kyla make good use of. Because they’re there with their families, they end up spending most nights together in a tent Tag sets up. Have you ever had sex in a tent, Bond?  ___ How about in a boat?

Bond:  Non, not in a boat or a tent. A boat? This is true? I have to read this book.

It is hot in here and we haven’t even preheated the oven. Set it to 375, cherie.

Kelly will slice a loaf of french bread while I do the whipping. I just use the wire whip, no need for fancy mixers or blenders. There is something so satisfying about the steady beat of the whip and churning up the froth.  We start by mixing the base ingredients for the recipe. And I don’t mean base the way you think, mes amis. Always you take my comments and you think sex. I mean the foundation of the recipe. Eggs, cream, and vanilla. Get the finest quality for this. To rescue something you let get away you need quality ingredients. Isn’t this so, Kelly?

Kelly:  Yes that is so. Tag and Kyla were friends a long time ago. She always wanted to be one of the guys and followed them around everywhere, but she was never really one of the guys and as she got older Tag started noticing her as a woman. But Kyla has two older brothers and Tag knew if he ever laid a hand on her, they’d probably beat him up. So he left town for his pro hockey career. Now he has another chance to be with her and this time he’s going to take it.
Bond:  Tag sounds like a man with dominant leanings. Letting a lover know  she is what you want, is so sexy. A little lover’s game of take what you want, is a nice spice to the love life now and then too.  Once the foundation is prepared, then we add spice, the unique flavor that grabs attention. Orange zest brings spark to these base flavors, but the Grand Marnier breathes it to life.

Kelly:   I love the way you say Grand Marnier with that sexy French accent. *sigh*

Bond: Ah, you tempt me, Kelly. Now like any romantic endeavor, foreplay is key. You put the lost bread in a low sided pan or dish and drizzle the mixture over. Okay, you don’t have to drizzle, you can pour, but drizzling is sexier, gets your mind thinking of slowly immersing your lover in something delicious, giving her time to soak up the pleasure. We give this dish an all night soak, so I put a tray in last night to have ready this morning.

Kelly:   I’ve made this recipe many times but never thought of it as foreplay. You’re right…it’s a long slow build up to the finish.

In the morning, take the slices and place them on a well-greased cookie sheet. They will have soaked up all the luscious liquid. Then bake them at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. During that time you can return to bed for a little snuggling before breakfast. When it’s done, it’s amazing how it becomes a little crisp, the inside of the bread creamy and delicious.

Bond:  *Grabbing towel, mopping forehead.* The only thing hotter than cooking with Kelly, is reading her books. I’m sure her husband can add more items to the Kelly hot list. Sex in a boat? You researched this, cherie?

Kelly: Let’s stick to cooking, Bond.

This is wonderful served with strawberries (or other fruit) and of course because it’s Canadian French toast, you must serve maple syrup, which is sticky and sweet. Be careful if you’re eating in bed. On the other hand, if some gets spilled, licking syrup off each other could be fun…

Bond:  Licking, now there is my favorite sport. Enjoy French toast Canadian, mes amis.

Until next time, go stir up something different. Don’t forget to grab Kelly’s new book, Face Off,  when it releases tomorrow.

~Bond

Oh, oh, almost forgot. The drawing. I put the names in a hat and Jolie pulled one out. The winner is…….. Cara Micheals!  Congrats to you, cherie. Please leave in the comments your choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Next week’s prize is a $15 gift card and we only have one player with enough points to get in that drawing. Get clicking, mes amis. You only need two hundred points. If you do the extra credit challenges for yesterday(comment on my interview with Siobhan Muir and follow her blog) and today(comment here and subscribe this blog), you’ll be halfway there. It’s not too late to join the hunt for Nara. As you can see, I’m generous with ways to earn points, and we have 5 more weeks of adventure and prizes to go. The grand prize, a Nook Color, is both an e-reader and a small tablet computer. Looks to me like your chances of winning are superb.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 293 other followers