Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Tuesday Teaser from Scary, Sexy Romance Author Megan Morgan

Wecome to this stop on the City Nights: One Night in Chicago BLOG TOUR
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Urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and erotica…scary, sexy!
That’s what describes what comes from the fantastic mind of author Megan Morgan. If you like passion, sex, and chills down your spine, she’s the gal to write it for you.

Welcome Megan! With me in Michigan and you in Ohio, we are like neighbors! Thanks for joining us today. Is this your first book?
- No, I have a paranormal erotic romance novella published, and I also have an urban fantasy series with Kensington Books. The first book, The Wicked City, was released on March 3rd of this year. The second will be released on November 10th. I also have several stories in various House of Erotica anthologies.

I spent some time in Chicago and fell in love with the Windy City and made some great memories! I read the blurb of One Night in Chicago and I was hooked. What inspired you to write your latest book?
- I love Chicago and I love to write about it! Many of the spots my couple visit in the story are places I’ve been to. The events and people are entirely made up, but the places they visit (apart from a fictional bar I created) are very real.

 The cover is very hot! How did you come up with the title?
- The City Nights series all start with ‘One Night in…’ So I didn’t have to think too hard!

You are such a tease; we’ll look forward to more ‘One Night in…’ stories.  Malcolm sounds like such a hottie. How do you come up with your characters’ names?
- Malcolm Darling is a name from another unpublished work I scrapped a while ago, but I love the name so I had to use it. Taylor Middleton sounds like a singer/songwriter to me, I was kind of thinking of Taylor Swift when I named her—although her stage name in the story is Gracie. Sometimes names are very hard to come up with, but thankfully these characters were easy.

If you could have any movie star take on a role as one of your heroes, who would it be?
- I definitely picture Malcolm looking like Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Mmm!

 Ohhhh… those shoulders… those arms… that chest!  Yeah, baby!!! I bet he could hold both of us at the same time. LOL How naughty do you get with your writing?
- I write a lot of erotica, though I’ve never written bondage. My sex scenes are pretty steamy and descriptive, though! I like to write about sex. It’s fun.

That’s what I always say! Sex is fun! Oh, wait… we’re talking about writing aren’t we. What were the hardest scenes to write for you?
- Ironically, the sex scenes. I have to ease into sex scenes, I can’t just write them cold or stand-alone—I suppose you have to be in a certain mood to write about sex. I do, at least.

I agree. What is the strangest thing you’ve Goggled while working the story? Some writers will go for a walk or do sit ups before sitting down. Others will have a glass of wine & chocolate handy. I know one writer who has a silly stuffed animal on her desk and can’t write without it.
- I don’t remember Googling anything odd for this story, but I’ve definitely done some Google searches for my writing that should have gotten some anxious government people knocking on my door. I hope they have a list of us so when something questionable comes up on a search engine they just say ‘oh, she’s a writer!’

Trust me, I know a few writers who have had a knock on their door. A couple of them are on first name basis with “their” agents. LOL Do you have any rituals or “must-haves” while writing?
I don’t have any particular writing rituals, but I do like to have a mug of coffee and I seem to do my best writing early in the morning. Oftentimes, my cat tries to ‘help,’ mostly by lying on my laptop.

I think every writer needs an animal “helper”.  Say, this has been fun! Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers?
- Don’t hesitate to comment, tweet me, email me, or get in touch with me in any way. I love talking to readers!

Megan was a good sport and left us with some Fun stuff:
Favorite drink: Coffee!
Favorite candy: Chocolate
Favorite food: Pasta. I love carbs, even though they’re bad for me.
Favorite article of clothing or jewelry: My pajamas—nothing beats sitting around lazy and comfy!
Favorite place to read: In bed.
Place you want to visit some day: Egypt

It wouldn’t be Tuesday without a TEASER!
Enjoy Megan Morgan’s latest book.
One Night in Chicago.


Blurb:
Breaking up is hard to do, especially after four years together.

Taylor Middleton, a singer striving for her big break, and her boyfriend Malcolm Darling, a mover and shaker in the music business, have decided to call it quits. Taylor wants to take her onstage persona—Gracie M—to LA, where she hopes bright lights and big dreams await.

But before they break up, the two decide to spend one last night in Chicago, the city where they once shared a passionate, romantic weekend, in hopes of preserving some good memories. In Chicago, Taylor realizes she’s not so sure about taking her talents elsewhere, as Malcolm reminds her why she fell in love—and lust—with him. Taylor may soon discover the right man, like music, can set her free and make all her dreams come true.

Excerpt:
She bought a shot glass, some postcards, a pen, and a keychain with her name on one side and the Chicago skyline, lit with little lights, on the other.

She dangled the keychain in front of Malcolm's face. "Come on, this is a work of art. Look at the lights."

"They'll burn out in two days." He batted it. "You're the worst impulse shopper I've ever met."

"Some of us like to have fun." She strolled to the windows. "Just because you're a boring old man doesn't mean we all have to be."

"I'm far from boring. I would think after four years you wouldn't use that word to describe me."

"You can be overbearing, sometimes." She pulled her phone out of her purse. "A wet blanket."

"I'm reasonable. You can be a bit of a child, if we're gonna go there. Sometimes you don't think about the consequences before you act. You just jump in."

"Don't worry, after tomorrow I won't be your problem to babysit."

He sighed. "I don't think of it as babysitting. I just thought…maybe after four years we learned something from each other. You know, you help me loosen up, I keep you grounded."

She took a picture out the window with her phone. "I guess not."

"You don't think we've rubbed off on each other at all?"

She turned and snapped a picture from a different angle. "It doesn't seem like it, does it? I mean, here we are, still arguing about the same crap."

"Surely we're taking something good from this." Malcolm followed her as she moved along the railing. "It wasn't all bad, was it?"

She turned to him. "No. But when it was bad, it was really bad. That's why this is happening."

"You're supposed to say I made you a better person." Forced humor tinged his voice. "That you'll always be grateful for the things you learned from me."

She dropped her phone back in her purse. "Is that all you're concerned about, that I 'learned' something from you?"

"No. But I was hoping we changed each other for the better."

"Are you changed for the better?"

"I am, actually."

She gazed out the windows, across the vast expanse of water.

"I feel like I'm not the uptight jerk I once was. Like you taught me how to have a little fun."

"Yet, you're still a workaholic."

"It's my job! Tay, it's okay to have fun, but you gotta put in some hard work to have good things. You know that better than anyone. You're gonna have to work hard in California. Your dream will still take time."

Anger tightened her chest. "I know that."

"But it's okay to dream. It's okay to look forward to the day when everything you want comes to you."

"If it does, right?" She snorted. "This could all be a losing game. Why, I might be back in New York and in your arms again before the end of the year."

He turned toward the window, placing his hands on the railing. "I want you to have your dreams. I wouldn't mind if you were still in my arms."

Purchase at:


Author Bio:
Megan Morgan is an urban fantasy, romance, and erotica author from Cleveland, Ohio. Bartender by day and purveyor of things that go bump in the night, she’s trying to turn writing into her day job so she can be on the other side of the bar for a change. She’s a member of the RWA and author of the Siren Song urban fantasy series from Kensington Books, as well as numerous other shorter, sexy, smutty works.

*****
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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday Surfing for a Good Book - RAIN by Taryn Kincaid

If you are like me, you are spending a lazy Sunday afternoon surfing for some good books to order or download. Let me recomend one that is top of my list.


Decadent Publishing offers a variety of twisted romance stories based on Grimm’s Fairytales. Beyond Fairytales are like none you’ve ever known.  Trust me… these tales aren’t the ones from your childhood, these are adult only reads with sexy heroes.

Taryn Kincaid has her own version of Sleeping Beauty coming June 2.


Blurb:
            Sleeping Beauty in a post-apocalyptic land…

            In a world gone mad, where little remains but a vast wasteland of sand, the leader of a troop of roving warriors welcomes a brave young woman into his midst.
            Much as he burns for her, Major Clay Worthington swears to keep his distance from the mysterious woman, so sensitive even the stinging rain can wound her.
Rosina Brierly is besotted with the formidable soldier and will gladly trade her life for one torrid night of blissful passion in his arms.

       But when sleep overcomes them, will true love prevail?

Pre-Order Now!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Author Erzabet Bishop Blogs About Writing

My writing process is a mix of plotter and pantser. I rely heavily on my foam core board and colourful sticky notes to get the idea framed out then a legal pad to scribble out notes. The sticky notes are a wonderful way to go because you can move them if the plot switches and you still have a structure going.

Other tools:

Pinterest: I create a board for almost every new project I start. It helps me get into the story visually. For Club Beam, it’s all about hunky Doms, sexy witches and fairy tale fetish wear are alive and well in this fun tale.


Music: Find mood music that fits your story. For this tale I listened to lots of Maroon 5, Sia, Evanescence and other moody, witchy tunes.

Chocolate: What? You’re saying it’s not a tool? (snickers) Oh yes it is.

My books:

I love to write erotic romance and you can find me all over the spectrum from a BBW sweetish retelling of Beauty and the Beast (Lucky Stars box set), dark carnival experiences (Written on Skin) to lesbian urban fantasy (Sigil Fire). I am a finalist in the Goldie Awards this year for Sigil Fire and two other anthologies and am also a finalist in the Lammy Awards for my work in Forbidden Fruit. I am currently working on some Halloween tales, a new fairy tale with dragon shifters and a psychic and an erotic romance trilogy with cowboys. Writing is an adventure and I love crafting new stories. Under my other pen name I’m delving into YA and some darker fairy tale retellings that will have readers (I hope) wanting more. Can’t keep a good fairy tale down…
You can find  the whole list of my anthology and single title works
 on my Amazon page


Writing advice:

The one thing I would tell any new writer is this. Keep writing. Don’t stop.

Consider everything in life for sources of inspiration.

 Learning to look at publishers I liked to find out what their submission calls were was a helpful thing too. In this case, I was assigned a fairy tale and had to construct a modern day romance around it. Talk about fun! I’ve already asked for a new one!

Start small. Ray Bradbury said something that has always resonated with me. If you start with a short story a week, sooner or later you won’t be terrible. It works. Trust me.
Rejection. Learn to deal with it. If you want to be a writer, it’s going to happen. What you can do is learn from every one and do better on the next trip around. Put the piece to the side and go back to it later. There will be things you’ll notice, you’ll fix them and bam. You have a story someone will love. I can’t tell you how many of my works (many under a pen name) that have gone from rejection piles to published. You grow a thicker skin, listen to helpful criticism and grow.

Fit the publisher to the work. Not everyone likes the same things. If the publisher likes romance, don’t send them a picture book. If they like horror, no fluffy bunnies-unless they have fangs.

Format the work. If the publisher has submission requirements, please read them. They are there for a reason, and no that reason is not to drive you insane. If you don’t follow them, your hard work very likely will be passed over.

Join support groups.  Writers are a breed unto themselves. RWA (Romance Writers of America) is one of the hardest working groups I have come across and they want everyone to succeed. They have local branches as well as online and are always having classes to inform their members of changes in the industry. HWA (Horror Writers Association) is also a great group if you are horror bent.

Stay tuned for Sci Spanks in June and watch for the anthology with a special exclusive story from my Shadow World featuring Gideon, Miles and Syd as she learns the art of spanking. Sign up with the Facebook group so you don’t miss a thing.

Sci Spanks Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/scispanks?fref=ts

Thanks for having me on the blog today. I wish you good reading and hope you will enjoy Club Beam.

XOXO

Erzabet Bishop

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

#HumpDayHottie - Handcuffs & Silk

He wanted more from a woman he would probably never see again...unless he got himself arrested. Laughing to himself at the thought, he shook his head. A lawyer doesn’t want to tangle with the law, and besides, his brothers would kill him. He would simply have to figure out how to find her. After all, how hard could it be to find a sexy, lady police officer in Vegas?



Stephanie "Stiff" Johnson, is a tough Las Vegas cop who many men find too intimidating to date. Steph begins to wonder if something is wrong with her so she turns to Madame Eve to find a man who could be the yin to her yang, even if it's just for one night.

Hunter Mason left behind years of living as a sub to a female Domme in New York. Upon return to his hometown, he questions whether he wants to continue with the "lifestyle" or find something different. Turning to 1 Night Stand, he hopes to sample his options.

A simple one-night stand opens a whole new sensuous world to both.

Stephanie "Stiff" Johnson, is an intimidating Las Vegas cop who turns to Madame Eve to find a man who could be the yin to her yang, even if it's just for one night.

Hunter Mason left behind years of living as a sub to a female Domme in New York. Upon return to his hometown, he questions whether he wants to continue with the "lifestyle" or find something different.

 A simple one-night stand opens a whole new sensuous world to both.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Take Time For Romance

"Being over-scheduled is the biggest killer of romance, because when we're tired and frazzled we have nothing left for each other." - D.P. Washington


Can couples find the time and energy for romance 
and still cope with commitments,s tress, and even fatigue?  

YES!
Establish priorities and set goals by making better use of the time they have by creating time they thought they didn't have.

*Make a lunch date together

*Take a shower or bath together

*Make time for pillow talk

* Set aside one night a week - no interruptions, no appointments

*Plan your weekends in advance - put them on your calendar in ink

*Take control of your time - unplug the electronics