THANKSGIVING HUNKS & REVIEWER TOP PICK: "SEXY GAMES"

Before I start and you get to see the Thanksgiving Hunks near the bottom of the blog, here's a reminder: Vote 12-30 November in NIGHT OWL ROMANCE'S KISS SCENE CONTEST! Go to: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/contests/authorcontests.aspx

MARIANNE STEPHENS' ENTRY IS #4

Reviews can both deflate an author's ego or give it a giant boost. My latest erotic romance book, "Sexy Games" by April Ash, received a great review...one I'm very thankful for receiving!

Diana Coyle of Night Owl Romance gave it a 5 HEARTS, REVIEWER TOP PICK. She said:
"I thought this was a fantastic story from the start. I loved the creative storyline and enjoyed that Sloane and Stacy were going to “work” together for one whole week. I hoped that even though they were using the games as the excuse for their spending time together, that they would open up to each other and see where they really stood with one another. I thought Stacy was perfect for Sloane and I only wished that he would eventually see that himself. Ms. Ash is a very talented storyteller and she knows how to transport you into her storyline with ease. Well done, Ms. Ash!"

BLURB:

Naughty Games Company Invitation: Test new games. Consenting adults. Male-female. Company penthouse. One week. Associates of NGC only.

Invitee employee Stacy Newman accepts. Betrayed by a past ex-fiancé, her goal is to concentrate on her career, sell a game idea to NGC, and open her own store.
Invitee Sloane Hoffman, son of NGC’s CEO, accepts. He knows his dad wants him to take over the company. He’s been hurt and used by past lovers only after his money and what he could do for them.
Months earlier, they shared a night of passion but a panicked Sloane left without a word when Stacy inspired thoughts of “commitment” and “settling down”. His disappearance left her heartsick.
As game partners they’ll test games that require role-playing and sex. Undeniable lust and mutual desire quickly resurfaces, and they agree to a business-only venture. They choose games called “Hot Sands” (sheik and bride-to-be), “Teach Me” (nerdy professor and stripper/lap dancer) and “Royal Romps” (Lady and butler).
Spending time together offers chances to learn more about each other, fall in love, and share passionate sexual adventures. But, two misunderstandings occur, threatening to pull them apart once again, this time forever.

Here's a Thanksgiving treat for you:

Photo By jd_the_linguist

http://www.mariannestephens.net
Cerridwen Press:
http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=13
Breathless Press:
http://www.breathlesspress.com
"Anything You Can Do" Release Date TBA
http://www.aprilash.net
Ellora's Cave:
http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=11
“SEXY GAMES”
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7393-sexy-games.aspx
5 HEARTS, Diana Coyle, Night Owl Romance, REVIEWER TOP PICK

HALLOWEEN "HUNKY BUNS" COSTUME

Men in sexy costumes. Before I start on that:
ALERT - I'll be adding a hunky Halloween photo at the bottom of my blog...but it's a naughty one! Don't look (well you can peek) if you're easily offended!

My latest book, "Sexy Games" by my other pen name, April Ash, is an erotic romantic adventure of a hero and heroine testing new adult games for the Naughty Games Company. they agree to don costumes and role-play three different scenarios. In my blogs on August 8th and September 8th, I interviewed both the heroine, Stacy, and hero, Sloane.

Costumes and role-playing allow you to fantasize incredible erotic encounters, as my hero and heroine discover. Think about Halloween. It's not just for children. Don't adults dress up and act out roles? How about those sexy pirates, cowboys, whatever?

Only once did I get my husband to wear a costume...but for a very sedate group on a military post so costumes were "tame". We went as Raggedy Anne and Andy. Nothing sexy there. But I knew that going as sex vamp Elvira and my husband wearing tight pants, an opened shirt and looking like a swashbuckling pirate wouldn't fit the atmosphere at this particular party.

So, do you have plans to dress up for Halloween? Perhaps, you'll be creative and do something similar to what the hunky guy in this picture decided to do to impress someone (certainly got my attention!).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Marianne/April
www.mariannestephens.net
www.aprilash.net
Buy Link for "Sexy Games":

http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419922978

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The uses of erotica--21st century freedoms!

There are many!
I can hear you saying, wow, where has she been?
Thinking a lot about this lately (as I approach writing my 8th and 9th erotica stories), I began to see how far women have come in the past 40-odd years since Harlequin took off, Avon bought Rosemary Rogers and other publishers saw the value of developing their romance lines.
In the 70s, romances for women were known as "bodice-rippers" and some said they gained their shelf-prominence because the stockers were men. That is such a male-centered statement. Those of us who bought the books did not buy them because they sat so prominently on the shelves. No, the fact is that we bought them because we wanted sexual adventure, men who could love a woman and accept her for all that she was and could become. Remember, in the 70's many college-edcuated woman first went to wrok--even if they had babies! In the 70's, safe sex was a novel idea. Condom sales were not high. (Pharamcies still hid them behind the counter and men had to ask to buy them.) The Pill was still considered unsafe for your health (but we took them anyway). And btw, there was no such thing as equal pay for equal work, maternity leave with pay, family leave for illness-and in many cases, no one ever heard of time off for a death in the family.
So...again...why did we buy those books?
We bought them because, consciously or subconciously, we WANTED men to get a grip, see us, hear us for what we needed: equality in work and play, joy in the relationship, more than slam-bam-thank-you, ma'am in bed!
Romance in all its forms gave us that. Men saw us reading them. Laughed, at first. Read one or two themselves. Then something else happened: They saw that we had more courage to ask for what we were entitled to. Fair pay. Fair play. In the boardroom, kitchen and the bedroom.
I remember the comment/aka uproar in the industry when condoms were first used by men in books, first requested by women, when euphemisims for body parts became boooooring and more honesty in use of terms became more acceptable. But editors still sat on the erotica-meter and cut and slashed those racier parts. (I was one whose scenes were edited down in my historicals and who mourned the loss of exciting diversity in the bedroom!)
But as our children grew to young adults and acted responsibly as we had taught them to do, we saw that they read romances, too. Yep, even the males. Perhaps not as many volumes, but still. This meant we had another generation who understood the dynamics of sexual relations--and who not only read about it, but acted on it.
Enter Virgin Books' Black Lace in the 90's and their huge success in sales in English-speaking countries.
Enter Ellora's Cave at the turn of the century and their huge success in the market with their focus on electronic publishing and sales.
Enter so many other e-publishers into a market that grew by leaps and bounds along with the internet--AND the huge demand for erotica.
What has the latest surge in erotica and e-publishing done for women?
Let me count the benefits!
First, we have truth in packaging! (And what a delight it is to see that FLOWERs are no longer the preferred concept cover for a romance or an erotica!) Now we have, for the ladies, MEN. Men in delicious poses. Men in naked splendour. Men with women in scrumptious tangles that imply the novel's content. And we have naked women, posing with other women. Multiple naked bodies, where the story carries it.
Now we also have an easy, quick and safe method to buy the books we love to read without fear of censure. What is on your Sony Reader or your computer can be locked up, baby, and sequestered from those who might spy on you, your need for a little get-away time, and your need for an affirmation that you are strong, needy and entitled to great sex. On paper. In your bedroom. From a partner who cares.
More importantly, we now have the ability to "view" other means of sexual enjoyment. What was once taboo, unavailable to us by any delicate means is now out there. I remember going to an "art house" with my husband in the 80's and being the only woman in the theater. Urrr. I remember enjoying Debbie Does Dallas and Behind the Green Door and not being able to discuss it except with my husband...and later my writing collaborator who was an educated woman with an open mind. I remember, too, going into Adult Video stores and asking for different tapes. i was asked if I wanted videos "For a Bachlorette Party" or "For a Bridal Shower" and being shown to the large book, subdivided that way. No lie. The entries, yes, I tried them-- were not as good as Dallas or Green Door. And yes, the acting was truly terrible.
But the writing of most erotica fiction I have read in the past few years is absolutely mouth-wateringly LOVELY. DYNAMIC and thrilling! Gratifying beyond any video I ever saw. Including Door and Dallas.
So what else do we get for our freedoms to buy, read beautifully written fiction and enjoy the hell out of it?
We get a boldness to ask our sexual partners for what we want.
We get the ability to know what turns us on.
We get the variety, written out for us, by those with more experience or greater imaginations than ours.
We get to understand that there are many ways to enjoy our own bodies. And others'.
We get to understand that what some want--multiple partners, same sex partners, toys--might be something we want to try. Or not. Living vicariously does make you stronger and more intelligent.
We get to read, enjoy our own imaginations and then we get to decide what makes us happy.
What does reading erotica do for you?
Has it helped you grow out of shell, a habit? Has it brought you new ways to think about the human condition? Might it have improved your primary relationship?
I would love to hear.
Thanks for reading my pov on this wonderful genre.
And do read my newest, a menage, HER THREE-WAY MERGER from EC!
CIAO!

The Varying Elements of Alpha Males

Hello all, this is my first time writing on the Goddesses blog so let me introduce myself. I’m Ava and I write erotic romance (big surprise there!). There are a few reasons why I choose to write in this genre rather than any other. Creating hot, hunky alpha males is one of the very main factors.

All of my heroes tend to be alphas, but please don’t get me wrong. My definition of an alpha male is one who is confident but not arrogant, protective but not overbearing, successful but not necessarily hugely wealthy. He knows his own mind and he goes after what he wants. He’ll do anything for my heroine. He can be a cowboy, a werewolf, a vampire, a businessman (or a combination of all the above).

He’s also well-equipped, sometimes abnormally so, but that’s just part of the fun ;).

Anyway, I usually have a certain man in mind when I’m writing a book. A face or a piece of clothing that takes my fancy and urges me to write. Below is a picture of a cowboy that inspired me to write a western. You can probably guess why I found him so inspiring.

And last night, I saw Duplicity in the cinema. It stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, the man below. As soon as his gorgeous face appeared onscreen, I was desperate to write about a secret agent. The cut of his suit drove me wild through the whole movie. And I wanted him to be one of my heroes.

So tell me, what makes an alpha hero for you? If you write, do you use images of models or actors to inspire you or is it purely imagination? And readers, what’s your favorite type of hero? Are you a werewolf gal? Or do you prefer a man in a cowboy hat and breeches?

And by the way, I really enjoyed Duplicity. It’s a lot of fun and not just because Clive looks so devilishly handsome in it.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Ava

Coming Soon from Ellora's Cave - Cyr's Revenge
Available Now from Liquid Silver- His Lying Eyes
Available Now from Loose Id - Beauty and the Beasts

www.avarosejohnson.com

The funny thing about families is...

You never know just how they'll react to new projects. Will they think you're crazy? Out of your mind? Ready to be committted? Or very supportive of their crazy parent and having a big chuckle over it. When I first started writing erotic romances, I thought I had to hide my computer when the kids came over (all grown and out of the house, thank the goddesses and fates).

"What's that, Mom?" they'd ask as I hastily downsized or closed out a document.

"Oh, nothing." (Shrugging and trying to conceal a blush.) "Just something new I decided to take a flyer on."

I chose to write under a pen name, wanting to keep my anonymity safe where the family was concerned, only that didn't work out too well! LOL! The minute they got a whiff of what I was doing, they were all over the place, shouting, "My mom writes erotic romance! My mom earns 'porn pennies'." So much for the big secret. At the custom home builder where our oldest daughter works, apparently the hot pink pens are a choice commodity even with her proper English bosses. Still, it's really nice to have their support and encouragment, and they help me bring a real joy of writing to my work.

Not that they've actually read any of my stuff, you understand. They are all adult children, and certainly know what sex is about. But come on. This is Mom, after all. Still, they aren't above giving out suggestions.

Among other things, I am a huge Chicago Cubs baseball fan (the sport's perennial losers-but with style and class), and our son, who is as much a sports nut as I am thought I should incorporate that into one of my stories. What I ended ujp with may not have been exactly what he had in mind, but Letting Go, about an Older Woman/Younger Man, let me bring it all together-the Cubsm, the excitedment of the game, the thrill of new exploration, and a leap of faith that allows my heroine to fonally just.....let go.

Check it out today at our favorite site, http://www.jasminejade.com/

Blurb:

For Kari Loftin life was all about control, in every aspect of it. But she realized that at forty two she had managed to shut out every form of pleasure b y keeping a tight rein on herself. With her beloved Cubs on a winning streak, she tossed away her control for one night and ventured into the world of Petey’s Sports Bar. Little did she expect to meet a hot young stud like Riley Tucker, who showed her a side of herself she’d never dared to explore. One night together and Riley wanted more. Much more. Could Kari get past the age difference—something that didn’t seem to bother Riley at all?

Excerpt
He settled his hands, big and warm, on her shoulders, the heat from them burning through her t-shirt. While she watched with wide eyes he bent his head and licked her lips. Just a very, very light sweep of the tip of his tongue but she felt it all the way through her breasts to her womb. Heat crept over her skin and the beat of her heart tripped over itself.
“Mmm, good.” He licked his own lips, then slid his hands up to cup her face. “I knew you’d taste delicious.”
His mouth came down on hers again, his lips like rough velvet. She was sure he’d be the kind to attack voraciously but instead he seduced her mouth. He nibbled at each lip, his teeth teasing around the shape of her mouth, his tongue touching each tiny bite. He rubbed his lips against hers, then drew in her bottom lip and sucked on it gently.
Her bones felt like wax and more liquid soaked her panties. She felt as if she was suspended in space, attached only to his wonderful mouth.
When his tongue pressed against the seam of her closed mouth she opened with a sigh and thought how good he tasted. It swept inside, pleasantly shocking her as it stirred the nerves on every inner surface. Not an inch was left untouched—the roof of her mouth, the insides of her teeth and her cheeks, the pebbled surface of her own tongue. Tentatively she stretched it out to touch his and in seconds they were tangled together.
He kissed even better than he looked. She couldn’t breathe. Every bit of air was trapped in her throat. She lifted her hands and wrapped her fingers around his wrists, not to pull him away but to hold him in place. Her brain felt fuzzy, her body weightless and she wanted this kiss to go on forever.
Then a switch snapped on in her head and she tore her mouth away from his. Inbred insecurity reared its head and skittered along her spine.
“Wait,” she gasped. “Wait, wait, wait.”
He lifted his head and took a step back. “For what? What’s wrong, Kari”
“I have to tell you something. Please.”
He frowned at her. “Like what? You’re married?” He lifted her left hand, the ring finger glaringly bare. “No ring, unless you’re one of those liberated women who doesn’t think they’re necessary.”
“No, no.” She yanked her hand back. “It’s not that.”
“So what else could it be? You’re really a man who loves cross-dressing? Hell, I think it would be very hard to fake luscious breasts like those.” He skimmed the palm of one hand over her. “Yup. Real and made for touching.”
She took a step backward, wet her lips and let out a breath. “I’m forty-two.”
Riley stared at her, confused. “And?”
Why is he being so stupid? And why did I come upstairs with a man eleven years younger than me?
“I’m forty-two years old,” she practically shouted. Get it out now and get it over with.
“And that’s a problem how? I’m sorry. I don’t get it.”
She clenched her fists in frustration. Why wouldn’t he understand. “How old are you, Riley? Thirty? Thirty-one?”
He shocked her by bursting out laughing. “Jesus, Kari. For a minute you had me scared there. I thought there was a real problem.”

Do You Trust Me?

That's the question McCall demands of Rina in a heart-stopping erotic romantic suspense. If you like fasy-paced plots and hot, hot sex, come on and take a look.

Just released from The Wild Rose Press

Available at http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.barnes&noble.com/
http://www.alibris.com/
http://www.booksamillion.com/
www.thewildrosepress.com

And visit me at my web site http://www.desireeholt.com/
BLURB:
A cryptic message from her brother leaves Rina Devargas with a secret and no one to trust...
Carrying the fate of a nation in a locket next to her heart, Rina's life is turned upside down as her brother’s partner, McCall, moves into her home under the guise of keeping her safe. Though she surrenders her body to his dark desires, someone betrayed John, and until McCall gives her a sign, Rina can't be certain that someone isn't him.
Assigned to protect her, Connor McCall must gain Rina's confidence the only way he knows how...Having once shared a night of forbidden pleasure, McCall reawakens her submissive appetite for dominance. However, keeping his mind on the job and his hands off Rina proves difficult--remaining aloof from his feelings for her, even more so. He’s been down that road and paid a handsome price for it—the life of a fellow agent.
With an assassination plot brewing and killers after Rina, will McCall gain her trust before it’s too late? Or will their dangerous desires ultimately destroy them all?
EXCERPT

Available at http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.barnes&noble.com/
http://www.alibris.com/

And visit me at my web site http://www.desireeholt.com/

The Edge of Monring-when the wolf appears

I first fell in love with the wolf three eyars ago, and I;ve never lost my fascination. I'm very, very excited about my new shapeshifter series, The Sentinels, written as Desiree Holt for Total-e-bound. Released this week,The Edge of Morning is Book One in the series. I hope you love my wolves as much as I do.

You can find it at http://www.total-e-bound.com/

BLURB:

The cabin in Maine her grandfather left her is the perfect place for Sierra Hart to take a good long look at her future. She’s just quit her job and ended yet another relationship. Surrounded by five thousand acres of pristine forest, the place gives her the solitude she need. The only other sign of life is a gorgeous silver wolf hanging out at the edge of the clearing. When Luke Spencer knocks on her door, she has no idea he’s going to fulfil all of her erotic fantasies. But can she ask for his help when the lumber people become more aggressive or will he turn away because of the secret he’s hiding?EXCERPT:
By evening, when the sun had dipped well past the horizon, the temperature had dipped along with it. Sierra built a fire in the huge stone fireplace and warmed some cider. She was about to stretched out in front of it on the thick cushion s she’d tossed on the floor when a knock sounded on the heavy wood door.
Now who? But this time I’m prepared. And tomorrow I’m getting a chain to go with the deadbolt.
Who’d have thought she needed it way out here?
She picked up the loaded handgun from the table where she’d left it and held it behind her back with one hand. Flipping on the porch light she opened the door with her other hand, barely cracking it two inches.
“Yes?”
“I think I’m lost.”
The voice was like melted chocolate, deep and warm and enveloping.
Sierra opened the door a little wider, looked at her visitor and every bit of saliva in her mouth dried up. The man on her porch was well over six feet, lean and broad shouldered. Dark brown hair with traces of silver dusted his shoulders and framed a starkly masculine face—high cheekbones, square jaw and unusual amber eyes. A long-sleeved black T-shirt and well-worn jeans clung to well-defined muscles.
Holy shit!
After three tries she found her voice, and then it came out sounding like a squeak. “Lost?”
“Yes. I’ve been hiking in the woods, and I probably got disoriented. Listen, I promise I’m not an escaped murderer or a rapist on the loose. It’s safe to let me in.”
Clutching the gun behind her back, she swung the door wider and he stepped inside. Up close his presence was even more overwhelming. She felt surrounded, all her breath trapped in her lungs, her legs suddenly shaky. She backed up until her legs hit the table behind the couch where she carefully placed the handgun.
The thick, dark eyebrows rose questioningly. “Were you planning to shoot me?”
She wet her lips with her tongue. “Only if I needed to.”
He grinned, a smile that somehow reminded her of the silver wolf. “I’m certainly glad you didn’t need to. I promised you I’m harmless.” He held out his hand. “Luke Spencer.”
Gingerly, she reached out to shake hands. “Sierra Hart.”

Please come visit me at

http://www.desireeholt.com/

www.myspace.com/judithdesiree

www.twitter.com/storywscribe

And leave me a comment about the wolf. do you kove him? Hate him? Want to take him home with you?

Do you want to get Down and Dirty?

My latest release from Total-e-bound, DOWN AND DIRTY, is out today. Check it out. (and gawd, do I love those Texas hunks.)



New to Texas, Krista North reluctantly let her friend drag her to hot, wealthy cowboy Clint Brody’s famous annual barbecue. When he found her in his family room trying to clean off a spilled drink, he convinced her taking a shower would be a better idea. With him. Krista thought it the most erotic shower she’d ever taken until Clint’s friend Shane made an appearance. Then things really got interesting.


EXCERPT:

Setting her hat on the bar, she slid behind it and turned on both faucets. Wetting her hands, she splashed water everywhere the drink had landed.
“I’ve got what people tell me is the biggest shower in the world. It would probably do a better job than that.”
The voice was rich as sin and warm as melted chocolate. Krista’s head snapped up, and she nearly melted into a puddle at what she saw. Six foot five of the most mouth-watering male she’d ever seen. Thick, curly black hair crowned a face that the word ‘rugged’ was made for. Lashes equally as dark shaded eyes of smoky silver. A thin cotton plaid shirt and soft jeans barely concealed the hard musculature of his body. Crisp dark hair peeked out where the shirt was open at the neck, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed arms with well defined muscles that didn’t come from any gym. As her eyes automatically swept over his body, they strayed to his crotch where an impressive bulge pushed against his fly.
“Would you like a closer look?” There was amusement in his tone.
Krista felt heat rise in her face. Was it possible for the floor to open and swallow her?

“Sorry. I’m just…” She wildly looked around for paper towels or a cloth or something to wipe herself with. Remembering the bandana, she pulled it out and began blotting herself.
“Here. Let me.”
He was so close to her now that she felt as if he surrounded her. The heat of him, the male scent, clogged her senses. A smart woman would probably move or push him away. Actually run from the room. Except her feet seemed glued to the floor. Here he was, right in front of her, the type man who starred in all her darkest fantasies. She wondered if he noticed her suddenly hardened nipples poking against the thin fabric of her top or the way she squeezed her legs together to still the throbbing that beat in her pussy like a jungle drum on adrenaline.
He took the bandana from her unresisting hand then gently wiped the places she’d splashed water on herself.

Check out this and other great books at http://www.total-e-bound.com/
Come visit me at http://www.desireeeholt.com/
www.myspace/com/judithdesiree