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About Lace Winter

Author of sexy and edgy romance novels.

7 Essentials Every Author Needs to Know About Twitter

I’m still pretty much a neophyte when it comes to Twitter, but already I’ve been able to recognize many of the behaviors that Kristen Lamb writes about in her fantastic book ‘Rise of the Machines’ (http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Machines-Human-Authors-Digital-ebook/dp/B00DP7II4A) (haven’t finished yet, but already can highly recommend), and which her guest Marcy Kennedy writes about here, in this post. I hope I haven’t been too guilty of them myself! Whether it’s constant spamming of the same post, or constant mindless retweeting, or spamming Facebook with dozens of Twitter retweets… Anyway, there’s a lot of it going on, and it definitely turns me off, so I’m sure it does others, too. Read on, for Marcy’s words of wisdom on the subject.

Author Kristen Lamb's avatarKristen Lamb's Blog

Hmmm, looks like a ticket to TWITTER JAIL Hmmm, looks like a ticket to TWITTER JAIL

I’m still delusional that I might finish NaNoWriMo. I can write 16,000 more words in five days, right? Sigh. I’ve been away from the blog because I’m in the trenches with the fellow Nanos. Also I really needed to take a bit of a break. To help me with my pseudo-sabbatical? The AMAZING Social Media Maven Marcy Kennedy is here to help you learn how to use Twitter effectively. 

Using Twitter effectively is important. Twitter is a tool, but we can look like a tool or act like a tool if we rush in not knowing what we are DOING.

Great news is I have done all the dumb stuff so you don’t have to. Marcy might have, but I can’t speak for her (and she is kind of a Hermione) so she probably was smart enough to learn from MY dumb stuff…..

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FF: Wrong Side of the Tracks

Rachel is the Mistress of erotic and sensual flash fiction, coming up with well-drawn and fascinating characters and imbuing them with life while putting them in some steamy situations. Here she plays a little mind game with us… or are her characters playing mind games with each other? Either way, take a little trip over to the wrong side of the tracks with Rachel Woe…

Rachel Woe's avatarRW

The idea for this flash fiction piece spawned from a photo I discovered on Pinterest, originally featured on Vogue Italia. I can’t reblog it for copyright reasons, but you can view it here (SFW).

I decided to try for something a bit more sensual this time, perhaps even subtle. As always, feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Enjoy ♥


He adjusts his tie, tightening and then smoothing it into the collar of his brown corduroy blazer. Delivery trucks and early commuters rumble overhead just as the sun’s first rays illuminate the iridescent swirls of grease along the river’s edge. He scratches at the coating of scruff upon his jaw, wondering if he should’ve shaved for the occasion. Jagged stones threaten to punch holes into the soles of his scuffed loafers. He checks his watch.

She’s late.

The sun reaches higher, reflecting off the train tracks that run beneath…

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You’re The One For Me

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Sybil traced her finger slowly down Jack’s chest, luxuriating in the soft feel of the hair that grew there, in stark contrast to the lack of any on top of his head. His warm, solid presence comforted her, and for a moment she just soaked in it, breathed it in, letting her cares slip away.

Only for a moment, however. That old demon returned, as it always did, to nag at her. Was he really happy with her? Did his attention perhaps roam at times, caught up in someone more elegant, more beautiful, more slender, more… just more? Could she really still be enough for him, or would he seek someone who could do so much more for him than she ever could? She told herself this was silly, Jack had never once given any hint of anything like that, it was just her persistent insecurities talking to her. Still, she worried.

“Hey. I’m right here. Come back to me, sweetheart. What’s going on?”

Jack’s voice brought her back to the present, and his touch soothed her as he slid his hand along her side to her hip. His palm was calloused, the palm of a man who had worked hard with his hands, though his skin was not so rough as it had been. His firm grip on her hip reassured her, and Sybil looked up into his eyes, hovering only inches above her face. She saw only love there, and remembered why she was with this man. She ran her own hands down his body, tracing the contours of his back with her fingertips, before answering.

“I’m sorry, darling. Just… nothing. It’s nothing.”

His eyes questioned her, he knew it wasn’t just nothing, so to forestall any more questions Sybil leaned up and kissed his lips, still soft yet with their own touch of roughness to them. She brought her hands to his waist, gripped him there, and wrapped her legs around his.

It worked. Jack gave a soft moan against Sybil’s mouth and moved against her body. His hips rotated back and forth, and now Sybil gasped, sweetly filled and fulfilled, his heat warming her inside and out. This man, this beautiful man, making languorous and luxurious love to her, how could she ever doubt him?

She didn’t doubt him. It was herself she doubted. Oh, not her love for Jack. She loved him as passionately as ever, but how could he still desire her? So many other women were so much thinner, so much more graceful, had so much more energy.

Jack moved atop her, sliding his entire body first one way then the other, causing delightful little frissons of friction within her. Sybil brought her attention back to him, back to them, and she moved herself beneath him, squeezing him, pulling him in tightly.

“There you are,” he whispered against her ear, before gently biting her lobe. “I lost you for a moment, but I still know how to bring you back, don’t I?”

He did desire her. His body could not lie. After all this time, his passion for her remained unflagging. A tear formed in Sybil’s eye.

“Oh, Jack.” Her voice hitched, caught in an upwelling of emotion.

He stopped moving, pulled back just a bit to look in her eye.

“Darling, I know I’m not as young, not as strong as I used to be. I know you could have your pick of men, now as well as then, but you chose me, and I chose you. Nothing has ever made me more proud and more happy. Are you still happy with me?”

Sybil’s voice hitched again, this time in a choked off laugh rather than a cry.

“Oh, Jack,” she said again. “If you only knew the depth of my… well, you do know. You always have known. But it is you who could have your pick.” She turned her head, ran a hand through her grey hair against the pillow.

Jack cupped her face in his strong hand, brought her back to face him. “How long have we been married?”

She didn’t even have to think about it. “Forty-two years.”

“And do you remember what I said to you, forty-two years ago, that day we ran off, ignoring everything everyone told us, when we eloped off to Vegas? Do you remember?”

“I do.”

Jack laughed. “Yes, I said that, too, but before that.”

Sybil laughed with him, feeling much better already. “Yes, Jack, I remember.”

“It’s as true today as it was then, as it has been every day and every year since. What did I tell you?”

“You said, you’re the one for me.”

“That’s right, babe. I’ve gone bald, and you’ve gone grey, but around you I still feel like a twenty-two-year-old kid.” He grinned at her, randy and lascivious, and she loved it. She grinned back.

“You’re the one for me.”

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Distractions and a Quick Snippet

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I’ve been working on Partners and Crime lately, trying to expand it to a longer, single piece of, oh, perhaps 8000 words or so when done (for comparison, the three parts already posted here came to a total of about 3300 words combined). I have actually found it a little bit slow going, partly because I’m still figuring out where this story is supposed to end up (remember, it started as flash fiction and was never supposed to be more than a thousand words or so), and partly because I originally intended it for posting only to the blog, which I generally keep at no more than, um, somewhere between PG-13 and R rated, perhaps, and yes, it has now definitely crossed that border firmly into R territory, maybe even a little NC-17 in there.

Which is odd, because it’s not as if I haven’t written some very explicit scenes in other stories before (Switch). Why is this one different? Perhaps it’s because I’m actually thinking about how this one could appear as a short novelette on Amazon? Because I’m already thinking about potential beta readers and their reactions? Because when I first started writing Switch (which, so far, is much more explicit) a year ago, I didn’t ever expect to show it to anyone?

Or perhaps I’m just massively overthinking it.

Or spending too much time on social media. Yeah, there’s always that. Having trouble wordsmithing the next sentence? No problem! After all, someone just favorited my latest rambling tweet, and I need to go check that out. Oh, and look, someone just posted a very interesting article on — wait for it — social media strategy for authors; I’d definitely better read that. And hey, some of my favorite authors just got published in a new anthology; mmm, reading that sounds like much greater fun.

(On a side note, Chemical [se]X, edited by Oleander Plume, really is great fun to read.)

The blog could use an overhaul, too — really, I should put my excerpts together on an actual page — and gosh, I haven’t posted anything in a long time, and… well, I’m taking care of that problem right now, aren’t I? And distracting myself from finishing up a measly few thousand more words in Partners and Crime.

Ok, though, seriously, where do you think the story should go? When last we left them, Eileen McConnell and Daryl Travers had to dash into a shower stall in the women’s locker room at the police department where they both work because two other officers had just come in to the room. Oh, and Travers had been wearing Eileen’s handcuffs for most of the action up to this point, though she has just taken them off him (though that story point could change — what do you think?). Now, if you aren’t exactly clear on how these two ended up in this predicament, this would be an excellent time to go back and read the three installments I posted to the blog.

On another side note, Jade, I really did not have you in mind when I named one of the two officers entering the room Waters — the name just appeared from thin air as I wrote — but, hey, what would you do if you were in your namesake’s position? And yes, I know you aren’t nearly as crude and crass as the Waters in the story. You’re far too nice, and she’s… well, she’s not. At least, not yet.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a very brief snippet from the continuing story:

He tugged, and with a wiggle of my hips my panties slipped down my thighs. I tried to kick them away, but only succeeded in tangling them about my ankles. If Travers noticed, he gave no sign, and very quickly I forgot all about them too when…

When what? Ah, I’ll leave that to your imagination… for now.

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Go Far

Ama Dablam and Kangtega in the Solukhumbu range of the Himalaya

Ama Dablam and Kangtega in the Solukhumbu range of the Himalaya

A thousand miles and more
Beyond the Bosphorus and the Levant,
Far along the Karakoram Way,
Past the ancient city of Tashkent.

Dusty Kathmandu beckons,
With Thamel’s every trackless street,
Spin the wheels at Boudhanath,
And the temple monkeys to greet.

Looming distant beyond the valley,
Rising above the smoke and haze,
Gleaming, jagged, white with summer snow,
The Solukhumbu commands your gaze.

From Lukla’s first tilted landing,
And the winding paths of Namche Bazar,
Along narrow depths of the Dudh Kosi valley,
Steep trails promise to take you far.

The welcoming arms of Ama Dablam
Smiling over the milk river below,
Guarding over the school in Khumjung,
Tengboche’s chanting, yet still far to go.

The Pheriche valley is a welcome path,
Stone homesteads and herds of yak;
A sombre memorial at Thokla Pass
For those who didn’t make it back.

Wild horses roam Lobuche;
Gorak Shep, last chance for tea;
The Khumbu Glacier is now the road,
High Himal everywhere to see.

Nuptse looms, Pumori beckons,
Kala Patthar provides the view,
Yet still you press on farther,
Unsure of what you came to do.

The Khumbu continues upward
Beyond the grim and frozen fall,
Inexorable, rising, air ever thinning
Beneath high Lhotse’s mighty wall.

Steeply ascending, jumars on the rope,
South Col will be your final rest,
A camp too high for long to stay,
So press on to the final test.

Lamplight climbing, past Hillary Step,
Sunrise on the last ridge line,
Gleaming on all the peaks below,
You stand now there in bright sunshine.

Sagarmatha holds you in her arms,
Upon her grace you now depend;
The Roof of the World, Peak Fifteen,
Look quick, it’s time to descend.

The world all lies below you,
Nothing now stands as high;
Yet you cannot stay, it’s not your realm,
If you linger you will die.

A fast descent, a steady walk,
Back down the valleys below,
The villages and teahouses greet you,
Another traveler, with their welcome glow.

Of the high places of the world,
Stories you now have to tell,
Yet what you will remember best
Are the people who helped you well.

Tsering, Pemba, Pasang, Phurba,
Without them you would surely fall,
Lhakpa, Dawa, Mingma, Dorje,
There beside you, and sturdy all.

In your armchair by the fire,
You still see their faces clear,
The Sherpa of the Solukhumbu,
To your heart remain forever near.

Safewords and Spankings

[Yet another excerpt from my work-in-progress novel, Switch. If you haven’t read the previous excerpts, you can find them at https://lacewinter.com/category/novels/switch/. In this scene, Nicholas has just delivered Olivia’s first-ever erotic spanking, and while it thoroughly aroused her (and hurt like hell), it left her confused about her feelings with regard to submission. This gives her an idea, but things never seem to work out quite the way Olivia plans.]

 

“Maybe you should have a safeword,” I said.

“Oh, really? And why is that?”

“Because just maybe I might want to tie you down instead, and spank your bottom. After all, I think you’ve been a very naughty Dom.”

Nicholas laughed. “Naughty? How have I been naughty?”

“Well, to use your own metaphor, you may steer the car and hit the accelerator, but only I have the brake pedal. Well, I’m not the one who put the brakes on just now; that was you. I was ready to press on, but you are the one who slowed things down. So, it seems to me that your foot strayed over the line onto my pedal, and therefore you were out of bounds and deserve a spanking.”

He truly looked amused. I don’t think he took me seriously. Of course, I’m not sure that I was being serious, I was just riffing on his own line, but now that we’d gone there, why not? I tapped his chest with my forefinger.

“So, big boy, what’s it going to be? Will you bend over that bench like a good boy and take the punishment you deserve, or do I need to restrain you?”

“And if I decide not to cooperate, little girl, just how are you going to bend me to your will?”

I took his hand and pulled it between my legs, placing his palm against the heat emanating again through my panties.

“You want this, don’t you?”

A fire gleamed in his eyes, and he didn’t pull his hand away.

“Well, if you harbor any hopes of getting that reward, and make no mistake, it will be a reward, then you had best be a good boy and do as you’re told.”

I couldn’t quite believe my audacity. Did I actually just do that? I sat there, holding his palm against my sex, staring him down, daring him. My heart was beating a hundred times a minute with nervousness and excitement, and I felt something hot pooling down low in my belly. I might have been blushing and sweating a little, because I was pretty sure he could feel the dampness that I just knew had to be soaking through my panties. I didn’t back down, however.

The amusement and fire in his eyes gave way to uncertainty, and then curiosity. He didn’t answer right away, he just sat there, looking me in the eye. He didn’t move his fingers, he just kept his palm still against me, and the heat between us grew nearly unbearable. If he didn’t break soon, then I would.

He broke.

He took a deep breath before speaking, opened his mouth, paused, closed it again, then finally spoke.

“You make a highly convincing argument, little sub, but I am only going along with this because it pleases me to do so, and because it pleases me to please you.”

He stood up, holding me so I didn’t dump onto the floor, then releasing me. I stared up at him with a confidence in my gaze that I didn’t yet feel in my heart.

“What’s your safeword?” I asked him.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m going to need a safeword, do you?”

“You just delivered a fine-sounding lecture about how a submissive retains the ultimate power, but only because he has a safeword. You’re the submissive now, and I’m your Domme, even if only for a few minutes. Do you really wish me to have that much absolute power over you? Because if so, I’m fine with that, but don’t come crying to me when you can’t handle what I dish out.”

His eyes danced with amusement. Of course he thought he was just humoring me.

“Very well. My safeword is obstinate, as in you’re an obstinate little sub who seems to like getting her own way.”

I smiled and followed him back over to the bench where, minutes earlier, he had me tied down and wondering what on earth had gotten into me. He kneeled and bent over the horse, looking just a little uncertain about it once he was in that position. Admittedly, being a big guy, he looked a little funny like that, but I thoroughly enjoyed the sight. I patted his ass affectionately, noticing how firm it felt through his blue jeans.

“Hmm, I think these are going to need to come off. After all, fair is only fair.”

His head whipped around, looking over his shoulder at me. “Oh no, I don’t think so. Don’t you think this is enough?”

“You have a safeword if you don’t like it. Otherwise, boy, I’m calling the shots.”

He scowled, thinking about it, then after a moment reaching to unbuckle his belt.

“Ah-ah. Keep your hands on the bench in front of you, unless you want me to tie them. I’ll take care of that.”

He pulled his hand away, leaning fully over the bench. I stood close behind him, leaning over him so I could get my arms around his hips, and took the belt buckle in my hands. As I undid it, and unbuttoned the fly of his 501s, I was hyper-aware of the closeness of his incredibly sexy ass to my hips. I think I even unconsciously pressed against him a bit. Well, maybe not all that unconsciously. I needed to get this lust under control if I wanted to do this right.

Very carefully I avoided touching him more than I needed to as I slid the jeans over his hips and down around his knees. Well, it seemed our oh-so-dominant Nicholas liked to go commando. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I took a deep breath, feeling almost a little light-headed, looking at that bared male vision before me. No flabbiness on this man, that was for sure. His glutes and quads bespoke a man who either spent much time in the gym, or a lot of time on his feet, using his legs. I bit my bottom lip and reminded myself of my task.

I stood up and knelt one knee on the bench beside Nicholas, leaning down to speak into his ear with one hand on his back.

“Are you ready, not-so-little sub?”

He hung his head, took a deep breath, then replied. “Yes, Mistress.”

Ooh, I liked the sound of that. A little thrill ran through me when he said that. Deeply satisfied, I ran my hand down his back, caressing him, until I felt his shirt end and his bare skin lay under my palm. I pulled his shirt-tail up out of the way, letting it bunch up around his waist, and following the cue from when our positions had been reversed, rubbed his right cheek in a circular motion, preparing him.

“How many spanks do you think you deserve, my sub?”

“As many as Mistress deems appropriate.”

“Good boy.”

I spanked him.

He barely flinched, but oh wow, my palm stung. I ignored the pain, rubbed his cheek, and then spanked the left one. Again, I really felt that in my hand, while he hardly seemed to notice. I didn’t even see much redness on his bottom, just the barest impression. I gave him two more swats, one to each cheek, in fairly quick succession, and then I had to stop.

My hand was on fire. Something was not right in this scenario.

I stood there a minute, shaking out my wrist, until I noticed him looking over his shoulder back at me, a gleam of laughter in his eye.

“Is something wrong, Mistress? Have we begun yet?”

Partners and Crime: Your Opinion?

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Several of you have commented upon and ‘liked’ the little bit of unfinished serial flash fiction I’ve published on this blog, Partners and Crime. That is actually quite gratifying, considering I started it on a whim, with no real concept of where it would go. Eventually I stretched it to three ‘parts’ and roughly 3,000 words, and of course it’s still unfinished, ending on a little bit of a cliffhanger. Partly that is because I’ve been working on other things, and partly it’s because the next natural step in the story seemed likely to get somewhat more explicit than I thought I could get away with on a blog not flagged ‘mature.’

Actually, that’s another thing I’d like to get some opinions on, too. Namely, just how awful is it to have WordPress flag your blog as ‘mature?’ From the documentation, it seems like it would make it essentially unsearchable and unfindable except for those who know the URL exactly (i.e., no Google search will find it, and it won’t show up in WordPress Reader — is that true?). Since that seems like it would be death for a blog in which an author is trying to promote her work, I don’t think I want to go there, but it’s certainly possible I’m misunderstanding how this works.

So, for now at least, while I certainly do get a little bit steamy here (or at least I hope I do), there’s a blurry line I’m trying not to cross.

The main question I have at the moment, however, is about publication. Although I am working on a longer story, in novel format (a little bit of which I excerpted for you earlier today), I am considering taking a little bit of time to finish up Partners and Crime, perhaps rounding it out ultimately to about 8,000 or 10,000 words, and then publishing it. Really publishing it, I mean, as in making it available for purchase on Amazon as an e-book.

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Would you pay 99 cents for an 8,000 word story? I know plenty of authors have short pieces out there, and they seem to do very well. Personally, I’d be fine with that, as long as I knew I was buying a shorter piece up front, so yes, it would be clear to everyone just what they were getting.

Another option is to enroll the story in Kindle Unlimited. This would mean that Kindle Unlimited members would be able to read the story for free, but for everyone else it would need to be priced at Kindle Select’s minimum of $2.99 (not counting the five free days per quarter). Matthew Kadish wrote a very interesting article recently about author marketing strategies around Kindle Unlimited, and from his findings, it seems like Partners and Crime could be a good fit.

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It’s hard for me to justify charging $2.99 for an e-book that isn’t at least novella-length. So, this would really be marketed at Kindle Unlimited readers. Of course, I would make a point of highlighting the free days for everyone else.

Kindle Select also requires exclusivity, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Some have interpreted this to mean you can’t even have excerpts on your website, but I don’t think this is what was intended by the clause. Even if that’s true, the story will no doubt change a bit in editing to make it a little less episodic than its present form, plus about 70% of it isn’t even written yet.

What do you think?

Olivia Finds Her Hot Button

[This is the fourth excerpt from my work-in-progress novel, tentatively titled Switch. Before continuing, you may want to go back and see the earlier excerpts at In Which We Meet Olivia and Say Goodbye to PaulSecond Chances, and Second Chances (continued). After a disastrous attempt at figuring out if she’s into kinkier things with an ex-boyfriend, Olivia visits a local club that offers lessons. There she meets one of the instructors and is more than intrigued by the contrast he offers to her ex, but his calm detachment and polite refusal of her advances confuses her. In this scene, she has returned to the club for a second visit and decided to join, only to find a class has just finished (always a day late, that’s our Olivia).]

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Nicholas noticed me looking around and leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Would you like to see some of what we were doing in class?”

Again, my heart caught in my throat. What had they been doing in class? Something about rope-work. Well, my imagination could run wild with that. Obviously somebody was getting tied up, or tied down, or something.

“Yes, please.”

He waited. I just looked at him quizzically. Finally, he said, “Yes, please,…?”

I was thoroughly confused, and that must have shown on my face. He relented and said “Yes, please, Sir.

Oh.

Right. That. I had so much to learn.

He was still looking at me expectantly.

“Yes, please, Sir,” I said.

He grinned. “I think that’s another five swats added to your punishment, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ok, now we were talking! He could take me from aggravated to confused to relieved to absolutely drop-dead hot in a matter of moments.

“My my, little Olivia, I do think we’ve found a hot button for you. Do you even realize how much your whole demeanor changed when I mentioned swatting you and punishment?”

Was my heart ever going to slow down to a normal pace again? He leaned down close and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to spank you.”

I’m fairly sure I squeaked.

Oh So Lovely Blogs

one_lovely_blog_awardTwenty-three days ago the lovely and talented Felicity Johns nominated my little site for the “Oh So Lovely Blog Award.” I think this is the same as the “One Lovely Blog Award,” but you know, I kind of like the way Felicity worded it.

Twenty-three days is a long time to wait to accept something, isn’t it? In that time, Felicity has been nominated for the award again by someone else. I told you she was both lovely and talented.

My delay had a few factors in it, but one was, I admit, that I was at first a bit nervous about this award. I had heard of it, and of its cousin the Liebster, and I feared it might be a lot like the dreaded chain letter: “Forward this award to fifteen people within five days, or terrible, terrible things will happen!” I knew, of course, that this is not at all the spirit in which Felicity nominated me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to perpetuate something if it would only aggravate the people I nominate.

Because, of course, the terms of acceptance state that you must nominate others. Thus the similarity to the erstwhile chain.

I set out to do a little research into the origins of the award, and the main thing I found is that quite a few other bloggers, upon being nominated, have set out to research the origins of the award. If you Google “one lovely blog award origins” you will find numerous blogs in which the authors relate their inability to find much out about it. This was also the case for me. The origin seems to be shrouded in mystery. However, in the conduct of this research I did find one blogger who had some interesting things to say that changed my mind. Lorraine Reguly pointed out that, despite the chain nature of the award, it actually does carry some real, tangible benefits that the original chain letter (or chain email) does not: it is seen by many other people, not just the victims nominees.

In nominating me, Felicity highlighted my site to her own readers, and some of those readers (perhaps not many, but at least a couple) have come over to check me out. In accepting the award, I am highlighting her site, and perhaps some of you reading this now will click over to check Felicity out (you should, you know; she’s totally worth it). And when I nominate others, which I will do, and all of whom are absolutely deserving of your attention, I will be highlighting their sites, and again, I hope that some of you will be inspired to perhaps find a new writer, poet, artist, or thinker that you hadn’t previously encountered and with whom you will fall in love, just as I have.

So, all reservations now put aside, let’s jump right in! The rules for “Oh So Lovely Blog” (or “One Lovely Blog” if you prefer):

  1. You must thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog. (Thank you, Felicity! You are a dear heart! Now, everyone, go visit her at The Dark Night Chronicles: Roam the passages of erotic fiction.)
  2. You must list the rules. (Um, like this, eh.)
  3. You must add 7 facts about yourself.
  4. You must nominate 15 other bloggers and comment on one of their posts to let them know they have been nominated. (At 15, this might seem a little spammy; use your judgment, I say)
  5. You must display the award logo and follow the blogger who nominated you. (Logo above, and OF COURSE I’m following Felicity! Duh!)

Seven facts. Hmm.

  1. I have visited fifteen countries on five continents and lived in four of them. I still only speak one language fluently, however, and know just enough of another to order food in restaurants and maybe get what I expected.
  2. I once flew in a commercial jet over the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, and although I was by then getting pretty close to 30,000′, I couldn’t help but wonder about what was happening on the ground at the time.
  3. Every time I see the golden glow of the setting sun on the city towers of downtown Seattle, I am inspired to write poetry.
  4. I never actually intended to publish any poetry on this blog — or photography, for that matter. It was meant to be purely about erotic romance stories, and the process of writing them, and of course my never-ending work-in-progress. However, the few poems I’ve put out seem to gather the greatest number of likes, and so I can’t help it, because, hey, I love the attention. 🙂
    1. I am definitely not a poet, however. I’m a scribbler at best.
  5. Naturally, I read a lot of erotica and erotic romance. It’s a genre (or set of related genres) that I absolutely love and simply cannot get enough of. However, I also read a lot of science fiction, fantasy, and spy thrillers, and have just wet my toes in steampunk. In the non-fiction department, I read a lot of history, of different periods, and although not so much lately, I used to read a lot of philosophy, especially eastern philosophy.
  6. I am very much turned on by themes of dominance and submission, and bondage in general (especially bound wrists, for some reason that I’m sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with). If you’ve read my short flash fiction pieces, you already know this.
  7. I never use two words when two-hundred will do.

Ok. the nominations. I’m going to bend the rules a bit here. Don’t worry, I will list fifteen for you, but I want to say that I really see this post as a way to highlight them. These are fifteen artists who have touched me in one way or another, and so I want to give something back to them. I could easily name more than fifteen, but some of those I would name have been nominated before and already have big followings (so don’t really need my help), or they have made it clear on their blogs that they don’t accept awards (and I want to respect that — and if I missed that for someone I nominate, please accept my apologies here). Some of those I list here do already have big followings, but I a) couldn’t find any indication of an award already on their site, and/or b) I just want to list them anyway, because I love what they do.

Some of these artists are educational — they write so well, and with such a command of knowledge and experience, that I learn heaps of fascinating things from them. Some of them write with such heart and raw emotion that I am deeply touched by them. Some of them are wickedly (and naughtily) funny, and I have to struggle not to laugh out loud when reading in the company of others. Some are so steamy and hot that I dare not read them in public — I want to carry them with me in secret and experience the full lushness of their prose and poetry, and yet I will share these delightful secrets with you. Some wander the field so widely that I am amazed at the wonderful workings of the human mind and the many places it can go. Some produce images of such stunning beauty that I want to just stare at them for ages and ages.

Naturally, many of these talented writers write in the erotica category, so if that’s not your thing, be warned. However, not all of them do. That isn’t my only interest, after all. Most of them write prose, short and long fiction, while others are poets (true poets!), and a few cross the lines and write both. A couple are photographers, who I think found me because I put a few paltry pictures up and tagged them photography, and that led me to find them, in turn. Many are published, some are not. Some are aspiring to paid publication, and some prefer to put their work out here, in their blog, or make it otherwise freely available. Some are (I think) living on the proceeds of their publication, but some are not (but some of those would like to be, and I would love to see that happen).

All are extremely talented and thoughtful and put their hearts into their work.

In no particular, in fact rather highly random, order:

  • Delilah Night
    • Erotica Author, Undercaffeinated mom. I first came across Delilah’s short fiction in the Summer Loving anthology with her story Baby It’s Hot Outside. I made some comments on her blog about it, and before I knew it I was beta-reading for her submission to another upcoming anthology (coming out in 2015). Trust me, you’ll love her pirate story!
  • GlobalUnison
    • Naima is a poet and social commentator who, although she has gone quiet for a while, still remains top commenter on my blog. Naima challenged me with a one-word prompt that resulted in my poem Blue, and I challenged her back to produce Water, which she did with finesse and aplomb. Come back to us, Naima!
  • MsTranquility
    • All About Life, Love, and Relationships. Serena writes beautiful poetry, usually stemming from her own life and experience. She writes in the moment, expressing whatever emotion, whether light or dark, is hitting her then. She writes prodigiously, often creating several pieces per day. Her work is frequently uplifting and inspiring, but even when it goes to a dark place it is moving and touching. Serena is also one of the sweetest and kindest people you are likely ever to meet.
  • Rachel Woe
    • Erotica & Erotic Romance Writer. Although not yet published, it is only a matter of time before Rachel’s name is on everyone’s lips as one of the greats. She has been honing her craft, and it shows. Rachel enjoys putting her characters in ‘real life’ situations and injecting them with sexual tension (her words, but it’s a perfect description), and she is one of the best at putting the reader inside the protagonist’s head. I found her through her story Condolences, and that’s a good place to start.
  • Rajiv Chopra
    • A Gypsy, Bismillah & Esmerelda The Spider Sit With Yama At The Vaitarna. Rajiv is not easy to classify, like a handful of others in this list. His is mostly a photography blog, and his photography spans several subjects and styles. He is most definitely a talented artist with a camera, and you can spend quite some time browsing around his collection. However, he is also something of a deep thinker and philosopher, and he writes about… well, whatever he feels like writing about. Sometimes he writes what looks like pure whimsy and fun, but you usually have the sense there’s something deeper going on, if only you could put your finger on it.
  • Shehanne Moore
    • Smexy Historical Romance. Shehanne has published a number of historical erotic romances (see The Unraveling of Lady Fury for a delicious taste), and she maintains a blog that is perhaps the most unusual I have encountered to date. For one thing, it is apparently overrun by a group of highly demanding and mildly psychotic hamsters (don’t tell them I said that about them, though), and she spends some effort keeping them corralled. Shehanne’s main character, Lady Fury, also maintains her own blog, and that one is infested with pirates.
  • The Muscleheaded Blog
    • The “Bastion of Bad Taste.” Chris is another one who is not classifiable. He’s an iconoclast (with big biceps!) who writes snarky humor and about odd things found in the news, or whatever else he feels like. He also enjoys finding and posting vintage pinup art highlighting sensuality of a prior age. At the end of the day, though, he’s a sweet guy with a big heart who doesn’t give a damn about political correctness.
  • Tamsin’s Superotica
    • Tamsin Flowers writes erotic short stories and novels that are definitely cut from a different cloth. With titles like I Was a Teenage Zombie Virgin and Pow! It’s Shibari Girl!, well, you see what I mean. I just finished reading her collection of zombie erotica Zombie Erotoclypse — wait, did I just say “zombie erotica?” Let’s just say I never thought a zombie could be sexy, but Tamsin has taught me otherwise. She has a lighthearted and refreshingly fun approach to erotica that I know you’ll enjoy as much as I do. She has been published in anthologies too numerous to count, and is one-third of the team (along with Malin James and Jade Waters) that make up Pillow Talk Writers.
  • Catherine Winther
    • Dark Otherworldly Romance Author & Poet. I have only recently discovered Catherine’s blog, but her snippets from works in progress have me hooked. She writes dark paranormal romances, and the cover picture of evergreen trees dimly seen through mist on her blog captures the tone and spirit of her prose. She also writes about the process of writing, which I think a number of us do, and it’s always interesting to see the different paths on this shared journey that we each take. Her current work-in-progress is Rain.
  • Willow Snow
    • Stephanie is another talented poet, and by chance the daughter of Serena from MsTranquility. She has, at times, used the pen name Rosalie as well as Willow. Where Serena’s poetry is usually grounded in her own experience, Stephanie’s can fly to the farthest reaches of her imagination. She writes about rainclouds and umbrellas, dragons and automatons, love, fear, longing, and loss. Many of her themes resonate so well with me that her mother has suggested we should work on a duet (I’m game!), and indeed her piece Clockwork Heart moved and inspired me to write Clockwork Love as a response.
  • The Great American Landscape
    • A Photographer’s Journey Honoring the Spirit and Light of America’s Great Lands. Rick Braveheart doesn’t need awards or nominations from me. He has been artist-in-residence with the National Park Service twelve times. His landscapes are currently featured in the US Embassy in Niger to share the beauty of America with visitors. To say that he has earned his recognition is an understatement. Nevertheless, I cannot not mention him here, as his photography is stunning in its awesome beauty.
  • Malin James
    • Erotica. Sex. Culture. Three simple words, yet Malin James infuses them with meaning in her writing. She goes on to introduce her site with “Erotica is a hungry genre. It invites, quite deliciously, the reader’s participation. I look forward to sharing it with you.” Besides erotic fiction that has been published in numerous anthologies, Malin also writes essays on sexuality and society that are as educational and insightful as they are entertaining and captivating. Every time she posts something, I learn something. What she doesn’t know is that I lurked on her blog for months (well before starting my own blog) before gaining the nerve to comment, as I was so in awe of her. Now I wonder why I was so afraid, as Malin is not only friendly and welcoming, she is also very encouraging of the efforts of others. It is easy to see why her friends and colleagues treasure her so. She is also, along with Tamsin Flowers and Jade Waters, one of the three founders of Pillow Talk Writers. Be sure to ask her why she loves old laundry dryers so much.
  • Charlotte Cuevas
    • While perhaps Charlotte would blush to be included with such company here, I do hope she won’t mind. She describes herself as a children’s librarian and teacher who is “pretty old school” and spends her time in coffee shops or city parks in “typical librarian fashion: reading, writing, cleaning my glasses, and shushing people who are having too much fun. ;)” She then goes on to have a whole lot of fun publishing a poem a day and a piece of flash fiction a week. She recently completed her “365 Poetry Project,” a poem a day for a year, and due to popular demand she is now extending it to a second year, along with “52 Flashes of Fiction.” She also just recently published her first poetry anthology, Candy Pizza. Charlotte’s poetry spans a wide range of subjects, from Faramir (you do know the reference, right?) to being Funky Fresh, and of course the Candy Pizza of the anthology’s title.
  • Jade Aurora Waters
    • I suppose you could say that I was introduced to Jade by Malin and Tamsin through their participation on Pillow Talk Writers, but I have definitely come to love Jade’s writing on her own behalf. Whether she’s describing how she discovered her love of exhibitionism while introducing another writer’s book, or expressing her sexuality through erotic poetry (see especially Owned, which was recently featured as a spoken performance on the Kiss Me Quick podcast), or discussing stripper werewolves finding themselves in orgies, Jade delights in the kinkier side of life and invites you along to delight with her. Her short stories have appeared in a number of anthologies, and some of them are right on her website.
  • Tess MacKenzie / Lust Hurts
    • I’m Tess. I write smut. And so Tess introduces herself in her trademark rambling, I-hope-you-don’t-mind-well-whatever-here-goes style and proceeds to entertain in a delightfully naughty and hilarious fashion. She really has two different blogs, one featuring most of her fiction, and the other sort of an experiment, much edgier, a bit darker, and possibly semi-autobiographical. She isn’t saying whether it is or isn’t. Kind of a Diary / Not All of This is True, she writes on the front page of that site, and she leaves it to your imagination to figure out which is which. Tess explores her deep fantasies in her writing and shares them with us, and along the way we get to discover a very kinky, deliciously lovable young woman who just may lead you right over the edge.

There you have it. I could nominate many more fabulous writers and artists I’ve come to appreciate through my time here, but I had to stop somewhere. Please visit them, as I have little doubt you will love them all as much as I do.

Thank you again, Felicity, for your nomination. 🙂

The Lady of the Lake

My dear friend Shehanne, the lovely and talented author who brought you “The Unraveling of Lady Fury” and other “smexy historical romances,” and whose hamsters were getting a bit out of control and needed something to… ahem… calm them down, invited me to be a guest over on her blog. I recounted for her a trip I took a few weeks ago, traveling deep into mountain wilderness by mailboat, in search of… well, something, I’m sure. Hop on over to Shehanne’s blog and take a look. 🙂