Sweet Coincidence

Available HERE

By Landra Graf

Not often, in my short years on Earth, have I been able to say: “This went exactly the way I planned it.” Usually I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum and require several alternative plans to get me close to the end result I wanted. 

The ongoing joke in my family is that if I plan anything go ahead and make a backup plan because something will go wrong.  This happens with events, family dinners that I volunteer to cook, trips, and small home projects. Essentially, I’m the walking, talking and singing version of Murphy’s Law.

So, when I received an email stating my book would be published in February I jumped for joy—literally. Now I will tell you a secret. My publisher doesn’t know this, but my story’s setting occurred in the month of February. A rainy, not-so-cold February similar to those we experience in Northwest Arkansas on a yearly basis and please ignore the fact that this year has been the complete opposite of years past.  In original edits, the ones I did before submitting to the publisher, I cut two scenes from the opening that gave a clear picture of the timeframe (February).  Regardless of the editing I still crossed my fingers when I contracted with Decadent that the story would be published in January or February of 2014.

Who knew my wish would come true. 

As to sweet coincidences, my characters in my upcoming 1NS, What You Need, experience an extreme coincidence—Madame Eve pairing them together.

Blurb:

A sexual submissive, Royce wants a woman who’ll make his fantasies come true. The last thing he expects on his 1Night Stand is to be paired with Victoria, his ex-best friend.  Haunted by their past, he refuses to deny his newfound attraction or his need for answers.  This time, he doesn’t plan to let her go.

Victoria has loved Royce forever, but the sting of his rejection is not so easily forgotten. No longer the naïve girl he knew, she’s matured into a sexual dominant. This domme demands a chance to restart their relationship—on her terms. Knowing that one night will never be enough, she plans a seduction that will last forever.

  

 I don’t think Victoria or Royce planned on finding each other again, though secretly they hoped for it.

Author Contact Info:

Website: http://riseoftheslush.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landra.graf?ref=tn_tnmn

Twitter: @riseoftheslush 

Have a Romantic Halloween

Crow Magic available HERE

By Mary Quast

October has been one very full month. My tough football players wore pink socks in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness. I promoted my hunky crow shifter in Crow Magic to celebrate paranormal romance. AND we had one heck of a birthday party for the 1 Night Stand series! Now the month ends with the dark holiday of Halloween.

How about a “1 Night Stand” with your honey? Halloween should be seen as more than a night of candy and costumes for kiddies, but as a season to add some spice to your love life. Use the opportunity to bring guilty pleasures to life. Hide behind a mask, dress in a sexy outfit and role play. Become a sex kitten and explore fantasy for one night.

If that sounds a bit too risqué, then perhaps a simply romantic evening is in order. Light some cinnamon candles, pour dark red wine and carve a pumpkin together. Have fun in the kitchen and rediscover what all your hands can do to/for each other.  Hand out candy while sitting on the porch… snuggle on the step or sit on your honey’s lap. Once the porch light is out and the children have sorted their treasures, retire to the bedroom. Let your honey unwrap your Halloween surprise!

Always take time to add some spice to your romance. This is the perfect opportunity to offer your honey a change from the norm and find a new way to celebrate Halloween!

Romance author and artist, Mary Quast will be celebrating Halloween watching scary movies with her two eldest sons then taking her youngest trick or treating. She looks forward to relaxing with her husband in front of a fire and drinking Witches Brew.

When she’s not busy writing contemporary erotic romance novels, novelettes, and short stories, Mary Quast doles out sensual tips and yummy eye candy on her blog “RomanticInterludes”.

Visit Mary's website www.maryquast.com or her blog at www.maryquast.blogspot.com

Connect on Facebook 

Twitter @MaryQuast  

1 Night Stand Books

buy Handcuffs & Silk HERE

buy Crow Magic HERE

  

A Flavor for Every Mood

By Dakota Trace

Hi all! Once again the lovely peeps at Decadent are being nice enough to let me come over and hijack the 1NS blog for the day. They are either desperate or brave considering the company I keep, but lucky for them this time I stuck Livvy in a closet and locked the door. So today you just get little ole me – the girl next door who penned not only the sweet but sizzling Blind Need book but also the dark minx that came up with down-right devious but sexy Wyk’s Surrender. How can one author go to such different ends of the spectrum? Well, I guess it’s just like life. Sometimes you’re hankering for some salt-water taffy and the next time it’s a huge piece of double chocolate fudge cake. There are as many different facets to us as writers as there are genres. *winks* Much to the benefit of the readers.

Which is why I love the 1NS line so much. There is no end to the possibilities – from the pairings to the genres. I never realized just how many though, until the other night when I was talking to Kali Willows during her Between Moonlit Covers radio blog show. She started naming off some of them – well as many as time allowed and it hit me. We have almost every genre accounted for in the 1NS line. You love sexy marines? Look up Heather Long’s Always a Marine series. You want some yummy shape-shifters needing Madame Eve’s help? Look no further than Rebecca Royce or Ann Mayburn.  Or perhaps you’re looking for some steamy m/m love. I have several personal favorites along that line – starting with Bear It All by Deanna Wadsworth. Or even if you’re a paranormal fan…there’s Jessica E Subject. I’ve got three of her 1NS books sitting on my reader waiting for me to have the time to read them.

In truth, as a reader I find it hard to pick one genre to read. I’ve read everything from dead doms to hunky men in Caribbean to athletes that choose to submit to sexy Dommes. And the list keeps growing. At times I wish I wasn’t such an avid 1NS fan-girl. Why? Well my muse is now whispering how I need to write a m/m/m 1NS book. She keeps telling me Madame Eve needs a new challenge. What do you think? Is the wily Madame up for such a feat? I’d like to think so, but only time will tell. :D 

Bad Girls Deserve a Spanking. Or, the Lovely Red Ass

The Playground is available HERE

By Sascha Illyvich

The art of corporal punishment more commonly known as spanking is one that many enthusiasts enjoy.  Nothing sexier than a red hot ass where the nerves have opened up and blood has rushed to the area to make someone feel the fun sting during sexual play.

The ass is mostly muscle, so it's harder to hurt than other body parts. It's also one of the strongest muscles in the human body.  It's also one of the most talked about features of the human body.  No man or woman can resist a hot, well-muscled or tight ass on the partner of their choosing.  With all the nerve endings in the ass and around the anus in particular, it's no wonder spanking fetishes are popular in sexual culture.

The fetish itself is versatile.  It can be involved in role play.  The priest and naughty nun fetish often involves discipline as does the school marm and student.  Or principal and teacher.  What's taboo to one person is often highly sexualized to another.

Some psychiatrists suggest that love of spanking stems from childhood issues and for many, that may be true.  Others simply find the fetish to be an extreme turn-on.  It's gender neutral, which means both men and women can get something out of it.  For women, the feeling of helplessness and submission makes her wet, because it stimulates those nerve endings.  The anticipation of sex from contact of one of her erogenous zones heightens the sensation for her.

For men, turning a sweet, hot bottom pink is more about control and dominance in addition to the above mentioned anticipation of getting laid. 

The bottom is a prime erogenous zone; however, unlike other zones such as the breasts and back of the neck, the sexual arousal nerves in the bottom are buried in a layer of fat and require harder stimulation to trigger them. Spanking is an obvious choice here, especially once blood has gathered near the genitals.  A woman clenches her legs together or squirms, often rubbing her clitoris against the knee or bench she may be bent over during the spanking, adding to the stimulation she receives. Siddella from Menage Bound knew this joy at one point.  As did Shelly from The Playground, my first and third Decadent 1NS stories.

When she's given permission to feel sexual, spanking reinforces those feelings. 

One of the best spots to swat an ass on either gender is where the ass cheek and thigh meet, often known as the sweet spot.  It's near enough the genitals to keep blood flowing there as the skin warms and stimulate that mental organ known as the brain. 

Not much spanking going on in MenageBound, but sure as hell there's kink!  

(Cowboy Dreamin’) – Back to cowboys

by Starla Kaye

I am thrilled to announce that I have a new contract with 1Night Stand for Cowboy Dreamin’. My first two books with 1NS didn’t have cowboys, nor did my Edge book, but my gay romance that wasn’t part of a series, The CEO and the Cowboy, got me back to writing about some of my favorite men: cowboys.

Cowboy Dreamin’ not only has one cowboy hero but two, plus a spunky heroine.

Kendra Barlow has a lousy good track record with love and romance, and she doesn’t have time in her life to try again. That doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it. Her dreams always include a hunky cowboy showing her a real good time in bed or out of it. And she envisions him eventually coming to her wearing a white hat, riding a white stallion, and carrying her off to a Happily Ever After.

But those are all dreams. It won’t ever happen to her, especially if she never even dates a cowboy.

Then her best friend convinces her to at least try Madame Evangeline’s matchmaking services for one special night with a cowboy. Kendra is resistant, unsure if she wants to have reality ruin her fantasies. What if he’s a jerk? What if he’s a real disappointment? What if….

But Madame Evangeline goes that extra step for Kendra. She makes an arrangement with two cowboys! They’re ranching partners with emotional baggage of their own. The Kansas cowboys are totally out of place when they come see her in Kauai. They are denim-wearing, six-packed, absolute stud muffins in low-tipped Stetsons. And they are hers! For one night only, God help her.

I had such fun writing about my purple-haired heroine who shakes up Shane’s and Carson’s lives from the moment Kendra comes hip shimming in a pink grass skirt into their world. Nobody gets what they expected. And nobody cares. 

Happy Second Anniversary to Maggie and Ian

By Starla Kaye

I can’t believe it has been two years this June since Maggie’s Secret Wish, my first release with Decadent Publishing, came out with the 1Night Stand Series. Where, oh wher,e does time go?

When we last saw Maggie and Ian, she had gone to Scotland to see if the stubborn Scot could fulfill more of her dreams…the rest of their lives kind of dreams. After he’d nearly hugged her to death on his doorstep, he vowed to never let her go again. Did he hold true to that promise? I’d like to take this opportunity to share in Maggie’s surprise for Ian to celebrate their second anniversary together.

Maggie’s heart skipped merrily about as she prepared to welcome her husband home after his recent book tour. She had trouble believing they’d been together for two years. So much had changed in their lives. She’d moved all the way from Kansas City to Scotland. She still did some website designing, but she could afford now to be real picky about whom she took on as clients. Ian had become her biggest and most important client. She had taken over his websites and most of his social media work, all chores he detested. She had also become the heroine in his new erotica series, something which had taken a little getting used to at first. But that fact really was their little secret.

She glanced at their enormous bed with four thick rich mahogany columns stretching from the floor nearly to the ceiling. Halfway up one of the bed posts was a big velvety soft ribbon, tied in a bow, waiting…

A shiver of a delicious memory crawled over her. She could be so “naughty” sometimes. Or was it Ian who behaved so naughtily when he tied her there, when he did such very wicked things to her. God, she loved her big, bad Scot.

She hurried over to the camel-backed antique trunk that had once housed small weapons of his Highlander warrior ancestors. Now it held their stash of goodies they’d been collecting. She’d added a few items while he’d been gone the last month.

Excitement tearing through her, she picked up the pink and black fluffy flogger. The downy softness of the faux fur sent a quiver over her buttocks. She could envision herself bent over the end of the bed, bare bottom out for Ian’s sensual attention. He would like this…so would she. Once he’d lashed her a bit beyond the light play and applied just enough sting, he would move on to something else. And she would lie there eagerly anticipating…

Next she picked out the little purple feather tickler. Ian would shift her legs apart, nudge her further  forward, and then he would tease her sensitized body. She would tremble and struggle for breath as he tickled her between her thighs, over her already moist lower lips, and flick her hardened clit.

Pulling her from her pleasant musings, she listened to the first of Ian’s heavy footsteps on the stairway. Home! Oh,yes!

He called out in his deep, husky brogue, “Maggie! My sweet Maggie, I’m home!”

She scurried across the room and tossed her toys on the bed. Then she moved to the doorway and said breathlessly, “I’m up here, Ian, waiting for you.”

His steps came more rapidly and she hurried over to the bed. Sitting down, she arranged her gifts to him, and sat naked on the edge to await her lover. At the last second, she reached up to her neck and fingered the soft white leather collar with “Maggie” emblazoned on it. He’d gotten it for her last Christmas but hadn’t worn it yet. He hadn’t pressed her to do so, knowing she would put it on when the time was right. To her, it was a symbol of her giving herself totally and forever to him, although she would only wear it when they were together in private. She’d made the decision while he’d been away.

Ian stopped in the doorway, filling it almost completely with his big body. His thick, wavy dark hair brushed his shoulders and he wore it loose in the way he knew she liked, making her fingers ache to thread through it. And he must not have shaved in the last day or so for he had a nice growth of beard stubble. But it was his eyes that captured her focus. They mirrored his desire for her, were heated with the promise of an intense reunion, something she would long remember.

He swallowed hard as he spotted the collar she wore. Immediately tears glistened in his eyes. “Oh, my precious lass, you’re wearing…” He choked up and walked slowly toward her.

She jutted out her chin and stood to face him. She took his hand and together they touched the collar. “I belong to you, Ian, only to you. Always.” 

Celebrate with Maggie and Ian! Leave a comment and one lucky commenter will win a copy of one of my ebooks, along with a fun, sexy suprise!

Since the release of Maggie’s Secret Wish I have published three more stories with Decadent: Starting Over came out 8-14-11 as part of the 1 Night Stand Series, The CEO and the Cowboy came out 7-7-12, and Acceptance was released 5-7-13 as part of The Edge Series. And I have just submitted Cowboy Dreamin’ to the 1 Night Stand Series.

Maggie’s Secret Wish

Genre: Contemporary, erotic romance, BDSM

Heat Level: 4

Decadent Buy Link

Wyk's Surrender

By Dakota Trace

So recently, well about six months ago, I was talking to my editor about the books I had planned to write this summer. (Or attempted to write, due to the kidlets being out of school). During the conversation, she’d asked if I was ever going to give my 1NS couple from Blind Need, Xaviera and Nate, another story…or at least check in with them.  I, of course, was stumped. I fell in love with my blind heiress and her hunky smoke-jumper, but I wasn’t sure where else to take their story or how continued it within the constraints of the 1NS series. So when I posted to the blog in February, I wrote an article about what happens after the 1Night Stand and about readers wanting to know more about what happened to the characters. I got several answers to that questions from other helpful 1NS authors and a few of the readers.

It did get me to thinking and I finally managed to answer that question. When I penned my most recent contribution for the 1NS line, Wyk’s Surrender, Xaviera and Nate along with Lucy managed to sneak their way into my story. Xaviera appears as the cousin of Venus Spinazzola-Navarro, my heroine.  While they may be cousins, they are quite different.  Not only is Xaviera a wine heiress, she grew up in sunny California, while Venus grew up on the streets of the Windy city and is an executive assistant to a department head of a lucrative firm in Chicago. While Xaviera was a bit of recluse, Venus is in your face, dares to tread where only angels dare and isn’t afraid of her size or sexuality. (And yes, she’s a what most consider to be BBW.) Because of her uniqueness it was a great fun to write Venus’s story.  Like her cousin, Venus has a take charge attitude and has no issue standing on her own two feet, or holding her own against her boss.  Which is probably why she’s a FemDom.

But speaking of her boss, Chadwyk, or Wyk as he prefers to be called, was a challenge to write, and why? Well because Wyk, the epitome of a successful black businessman, kept whispering in my ear how he wanted to explore his sexually submissive fantasies with his assistant. Talk about a real eye opener.  So not only did I have a strong female character…who was a FemDom, I had a strong alpha male in the boardroom who wanted to submit.  Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? One would think.  But of course my muse, Livvy, had to make it difficult for me.  She decided that I just couldn’t give them a straight forward story – you know Venus walking into Wyk’s office for a little afternoon delight. No they both had to have reasons why they couldn’t give into their obvious desire – the same reasons Madame Eve had to step in and arrange their…date and a reason to head out to Vegas. 

Well, that’s how Xaviera and Nate snuck in.  I won’t spill the beans about why Venus is meeting her cousin and sexy man in Vegas…or even why or how Wyk ends up in Vegas at the same time but needless to say…in the city of love…anything is possible. Even a chance to believe the impossible can happen. 

Finding Balance in BDSM

Buy The Perfect Sub HERE

By Jayson Locke

While writing The Perfect Sub I found myself thinking about balance. My submissive hero, Drew, isn’t submissive in every area of his life. He owns his own business. He hasn’t let his family’s rejection of him for being gay stop him from being a success. Drew balances the part of his life where he has to be in control with the parts of his life where he gives up all control to his Dominant. And his Dominant, Holt, doesn’t mind this at all.

I’ve read many books where the submissive gives up control of his entire life to his Dominant. I’ve read many books where the D/s dynamic is solely in the bedroom. The Perfect Sub lies somewhere in between. And from what I’ve seen and read of couples in the leather community, every level of D/s you can imagine exists. Part of what makes this community and lifestyle so attractive is its flexibility, its ability to be whatever each person needs. All you have to do is find a partner whose needs match yours.

Striking that balance in a book means that the author must delve into the psyche of each main character. Drew is in control of his business life. When he comes home, he wants to give up that control to his Dominant. He doesn’t want to be the decision maker. He enjoys following orders and pleasing his lover. Letting go of his control, giving it to another person is how he finds enjoyment in life. It is also how he gets off.

Holt, on the other hand, has a deep seated need to always be in control. As a fireman he understands the value of control. It helps him do his job and helps him save lives. In his relationship with Drew he thrives on making sure Drew has what he needs at all times. Every order he gives Drew is calculated to give his submissive pleasure whether it’s the simple pleasure of cooking a meal his Dominant enjoys or the pleasure of being bound and tied to a spanking bench.

Now, much of what I just wrote is about the relationship Drew and Holt build together off screen. You see it in action only in the epilogue. The meat of ThePerfect Sub is the 1Night Stand where Drew and Holt finally get together and the truth of their feelings for each other come to light. Madame Eve forces them together and that leads to them facing what has simmered between them unspoken and not acted upon for a year.

An author needs to show the reader why each character is who he is and when you write in the world of BDSM, the characters need to ring true. The motivations behind their behaviors must ring true. If they do not, readers don’t identify with them and they end up not liking the book. I’m sure some readers don’t like Drew because he lied for a year to get something he wanted. He forced himself to be perfect in order to win Holt. That’s some pretty selfish behavior. I’m also equally sure that some readers won’t like Holt because he saw something he wanted and didn’t go after it. Someone will think that’s not very Dominant behavior.

Finding and creating the balance in a BDSM story is imperative. Probably more so than in a non-kinky romance. There are elements at work in a BDSM story that the author has to incorporate and explain in a way that the reader understands without info-dumping. When it’s done right, readers come away with the sense that they know the characters.

That’s what I strived for with The Perfect Sub. Even in a short novella like this one, I wanted the readers to understand Drew and Holt, understand why they wanted each other and what they needed to do to make their relationship work.

If you’ve read my book, I welcome your comments about it. If you haven’t read ThePerfect Sub, let me know in comments and tell me who your favorite BDSM authors are. I’ll enter you into a drawing to win a copy of The Perfect Sub. The contest is open until midnight Eastern time on June 2nd. On June 3rd, I’ll post a winner in comments. 

Thank you for coming by to read my blog post. Have a kinky day!

Jayson Locke      

Dom of the Dead Cover Reveal!

By Virginia Nelson

I don’t even have words for how excited I am to share a little about my coming release with you today. Inspired in a chat in the Decadent Publishing Book Club group on facebook, this story had simple beginnings. I mentioned to Heather Bennett that someone should write a BDSM ghost story. She said, “Write it.”

What started out as a vague idea grew into a story that left me in tears when I penned the first chapter.

Initially titled The Spirit of his Touch, I kept calling my hero Dead Dom when chatting with my author pal, Heather Long. We discussed that the working title just didn’t have the tangy zip of the story, the power of what I created on the page, and she said, “Dom of the Dead.”

How could I not use an awesome title like that? Thanks, Heather. *giggle*

Today, I’m pleased to share a little teaser blurb and the absolutely stunning cover the artists at Decadent created to represent my story.

She couldn’t imagine living without him.

When Carson Black’s longtime crush and best friend dies in a bike accident, she openly weeps at his funeral. Never expressing her feelings for him, she thinks she might be going mad from grief when his voice, his scent, his desires…seem to fill her apartment.

He was afraid to demand what he needed.

Randall Stokes loves Carson but didn’t express it while he was alive. A dominant, he didn’t dare dream the sweet girl next door would do the things he needed to find satisfaction.  When tragedy strikes, he not only has nothing to lose but a suddenly clear view into what she needs, wants, desires.  Is it too late to take what they’ve both longed for?

A ghost of a chance…

Love lingers, though his body is gone.  Can Carson and Randall find love in the Dom of the Dead?

You can look for it coming soon to the 1 Night Stand series!

About the author:

Virginia Nelson spends her days chasing three very active kids around. When she is not doing this, or plotting taking over the world, she likes to write, play in the mud, drive far too fast and scream at inanimate objects. She can often be found listening to music that is far too loud and typing her next fantastic tale of blood, sex and random acts of ineptitude. Romance, in Ms. Nelson’s opinion, is not about riding off into the sunset on the back of a horse with the knight in shining armor— it is about riding the dragon. If the knight can keep up… well, that is love.

Check out my website http://www.virg-nelson.com

Freedom Through Submission

Buy The Playground HERE!

By Sascha Illyvich

In all my 1Night Stand stories, the heroine tends to submit, giving of herself to the man in charge with hopes of a higher degree of love.  Since the stories are short, love is a hard bit to portray but I try my best and hopefully have hooked readers into my world, where I have much longer stories awaiting you.

The thing about submission, straight up is that it is NOT a weakness.  Submissive people are far from doormats, we cannot express this ideal enough.  I as a dominant am merely an actor, portraying a God, a figure, an Idol that controls, but the fact is, in this Lifestyle, in my stories, the true power is held by the submissives.

Buy HERE

Yet what is that power given to them by their so called gods?  In Surrender toLove, the outcome is hopefully one where Livia learns to find her own inner power, thus freeing her of her creative block.  She also seeks as an artist to understand the human condition from a powerful position, and from the experience of an oddball in her world.

A male submissive.

That's right, Bruce is the opposite of that poseur, Christian Grey (from 50 Shades infamy) in that he's giving over true power to someone else, while seeking release from his hectic life and past.  Also, unlike Grey, Bruce is a REAL master of his world, hence why he feels comfort in coming to Livia through the 1Night Stand series.   They form a harmony in his education of her on true power, and the scene I chose, having her face the window while only wearing lingerie and being tied to a chair, emphasizes the beginning of trust.  Romance novels are after all, the epitome of the heroine's journey, which is about trust.  When Livia allows this handsome, well dressed man to show her the ropes, literally and figuratively, she is allowing us a glimpse of who she can be, and showing herself what the pinnacle of her life could be.

Enjoy the excerpt, hopefully you'll pick up the story and come begging back for me…er, more.  

Leave a comment for a chance to win one of Sascha's ebooks from Decadent Publishing. Make sure you leave your email address!

Dreaming Up a Fantasy

Buy Maggie's Secret Wish HERE

By Starla Kaye

The first thing I come up with when I start a new story is the title. Every writer is different about that, many working with just a temporary title or simply calling it “Work In Process.” Not me. My title defines the story. My characters come from it.

When I came up with the title Maggie’s SecretWish, I knew two things immediately (as did the reader). First, there would be a heroine in the story named Maggie. Second, she had a secret wish. It needed to be special, something she wouldn’t flat out admit to almost anyone else.

Most of us are like Maggie, in that we lead lives where we present a certain image to those we work with, have acquaintances with, or share our basic lives with. A lot of us have another side that we show to very few people, if anybody else. That protected image of ourselves knows our innermost fears, longings, dreams…secret wishes. Maybe that “secret” person inside you wanted to be a grand adventurer, to travel to other worlds, or to be a super spy. Or maybe you have a bit more wild “secret wish,” something you wouldn’t want everyone to know about.

This is my Maggie. She leads a somewhat dull life as a website designer who spends a great deal of time alone. The men she typically dates are nice, but oh-so-boring. Deep inside her she wants more. With a basically lackluster love life, she reads erotica, dreams of doing much more than just slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am sex.  Beyond that she discovers an interest in light BDSM, mainly about spanking. She’s not particularly interested in anything harsh or super painful. She just wonders what it would be like to experience a bit of sting from a man’s hand connecting with her bare bottom. This isn’t something she would share with her family or friends. Yet she fantasizes about having at least one encounter with a man who is not vanilla, a man who is willing to show his dominate side.

Fortunately for Maggie, Madame Eve somehow knows her secret wish…and she knows the right man to fulfill it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Leave a comment admitting whether or not you have a slightly spicy secret wish of your own. You don’t have to do more than say “yes” or “no.” I’m the first to admit that YES I have one. One lucky person who leaves a comment will win an ebook copy of Maggie’s Secret Wish AND a small container of Rose Petal Soap Flakes. You can take a nice bath; maybe read of a hot romance while you soak, 

or just do some dreaming about your “secret wish.”

I like my men “hot” and vulnerable

by Starla Kaye

I admit that there are plenty of everyday men who make great everyday heroes. I’m even married to one of them, what he refers to as “just another boring accountant.” But he is so much more than that. Still, even though he likes to tell everyone that he is the model for the heroes I write about, he really isn’t. I write fiction, stories in which my readers and I escape from reality. Stories where I create men that can excite and stimulate and …well, you understand.

Ian, my Scottish hunk of a hero, was going through that typical “I just turned forty, Oh My God!” moment in Maggie’sSecret Wish. He was floundering, questioning what he was doing with his life and what he really wanted to do. (Something many of us, myself included, have faced in our lives.) His life wasn’t awful as an erotica writer and as a professional Dom. But he wanted more. There had been a time when he’d hoped to one day settle down with a woman and have a family. After his years of living with his quirks, he didn’t think he was suitable husband material. He is depressed about his future and certain the one-night-stand arrangement he’d reluctantly agreed to couldn’t work out well. Yes, he could satisfy Maggie’s secret wish, but other than that… She deserved a better man than he.

In Starting Over, I had two strong, yet vulnerable heroes. Corbin is now divorced after many years of trying to make a marriage work, one that really never had a chance. Now he is struggling to begin a new chapter in his life, get back into the dating game…as a gay man this time. He is scared to death; especially about going through with a one-night-stand arrangement his ex-wife had more or less pushed him into. Matt is dealing with the pain of losing the man he’d been certain was his mate for life. His family had written him off years ago when he’d admitted to being gay. He’d searched for someone who love him and whom he could trust with his love, finding it with Henri. Now he goes home alone, has no one to share things with. Loneliness clawing at him, he decides to take a chance at finding a man much like himself…even if only for one night.

The CEO AndThe Cowboy also involves two very special, “hot,” and vulnerable heroes. Calhoun has just witnessed the wedding of the woman he’d been engaged to for five years and never could walk down the aisle with. He has had a secret longing that he has never acknowledged and is still afraid to embrace. He meets a friend of his ex’s husband at the wedding, a striking man with a sexually enticing scrutiny. The man unnerves him even as he arouses him. Daniel is immediately drawn to the ruggedly handsome cowboy, his “hot guy” inner warning system going crazy. But he’s not really on the hunt for a new man in his life. He’s still dealing with the hurt and betrayal of his last lover.

Do you have a favorite “hot” hero that haunts you with moments of “if only”? Share at least his name in a comment and take a chance at being the one lucky commenter to win a Surprise gift. The winner will be chosen September 12, but the gift won’t be sent until after September 27 (when I get back from vacationing in France).

True Power in the form of a Dominant

by Sascha Illyvich

Welcome to my world.  I'm an erotic romance author with thirteen years of Lifestyle/BDSM experience and am going to share with you what I think makes a successful dominant outside of our reading experiences in erotic bondage. 

What makes a successful man?  If we’ve muddled through Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, we’ve probably figured out a great sleeping method!  The book was written in 1920 something and language-wise, was a sleeper.  But there are factors here that help us define the successful man and Dominant in BDSM too.  But most of you are probably readers of erotic romance

The following factors I believe are key to writing successful dominant men in erotic fiction:

Confidence – In himself first and foremost.  If he can handle any situation that comes his way, then he can obtain his life’s dreams, which may include that woman who is just for him and the family they want.  When a man is confident, his image clearly demonstrates that.  His actions demonstrate that.  In any Lifestyle choice, the man must be confident of himself.  He's allowed to not know answers, that's just part of learning.  But a successful male or female dominant exudes confidence, not ego. 

A healthy Ego – Ego driven by desire helps get the ball moving in life.  I desire something so strongly that I’ll do anything to get it.  Ergo, so will our dominants.

Desire or Passion – Not just passion for the Lifestyle or regular bullshit, if we don’t desire anything, what is there for us? 

Purpose – A man with a purpose is aware of himself and why he’s here.  He doesn’t spend time questioning himself.  He knows where he's going and who should accompany him on the journey as the submissive gives him a special gift that will empower them both. 

Support – From loved ones.  From anyone who constructively helps and motivates us. 

A sense of right and wrong – Notice I did not say morals.  Morals are subjective to different whims. One of my Dominants wants me and another male. By “moral” standards, that’s wrong.  I don’t get how but some folks don’t see it that way.  However, we both have a sense of right and wrong.  No child harmed, always try to do best for everyone involved, etc.  A man with a sense of right and wrong trusts his gut.  More often than not, he’s powerful in his own right.

Lastly, successful Dominants aren’t afraid of Failure. They understand that it’s an event that triggers a learning experience and a chance to grow.

In my upcoming release Menage Bound, Jason and Chase are two strong, successful men who seek reaffirmation that the oddity of the relationship they share with a woman is acceptable.  Siddella seeks two strong men who know what to do in and out of the bedroom.  With her grueling corporate job, she's lacked support in the areas of her life that count.  When presented with Madame Eve's 1Night Stand service, she jumps at the chance to find a fulfilling fantasy that may last only for a night. 

But will Chase and Jason see the full potential in Siddella?  

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