Stronghold Now Available on Amazon.com!

HOORAY!

Amazon fixed the problem (and it turns out there were a LOT of authors having it so it was nice to know that it wasn't just me - although it did seem to be mostly indie authors and small publishers having the issue... but I'm not sure I'd find that suspicious if it hadn't been for that petition going around about stuff... anyway, I digress) and Stronghold is now available on Amazon.com!

Very excited!!!!  Remember it's only 99 cents until I get back from vacation so you've got a little over a week to purchase it at the discounted price =)  After that, the price goes up to $2.99.

Please, as ever, if you have a minute leave me a review!  Good, bad (please include constructive criticism ;), I'm dying to know what people think of my first ever standalone full length novel!  Granted, yes, it does have quite a few references to the Venus Rising Quartet, but you absolutely don't have to read those in order to read and enjoy this one =)  So that makes it different from anything I've ever written before.

Also in good news... I submitted Chapter 18 of Marriage Training to Literotica today, so that should come out sometime next week while I'm on vacation =)  I won't be here to blog about it so keep an eye out!

Well Color Me Annoyed

Stronghold was submitted to Amazon last night and I got an email this morning say that it's now available for purchase... but when I clicked on the link it said that the requested web page didn't exist.  And when I tried to search for it on Amazon, it didn't come up as an option.

The webpage that is used to see all my author stuff says it's available...

So I don't know wtf's going on.  I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with the whole Amazon banning erotica thing and picking on indie authors or if it really is just some kind of technical problem going on with their site.  I filled out their contact form and it says they're supposed to get back to me within 24 hours, so here's hoping.

I really will do my best to get this worked out before I go on vacation... and hopefully I don't end up having to hate Amazon.

Keep posted on the blog / twitter for updates.

Editing Mania

So I've got about a third of Stronghold edited at this point, which means I'm right on track to submitting it to Amazon by this weekend =)  YAY!  I love it when I manage to do things on time! hahahaha.  This is also basically a re-read of my work for me and as I'm re-reading it, I'm pretty happy with what I've put together.  There are times when the characters get a little bit frustrating because, of course, without conflict a book is kind of boring, but I really do adore how Angel and Adam turned out and how their story has turned out.  I can't wait to share it with you all =)

I'm working on the next chapter of Marriage Training, which, if I'm very lucky, I will complete and submit by the end of this week.  I hope so, because next week I'm going to be out of town so even if I finish it while I'm out of town I won't be able to submit it until I get back.  So here's hoping I have time to complete both my projects for this week!

I'm also looking forward to getting focused back on the Domestic Discipline Quartet, seeing as I've been looking forward to Cynthia's character ever since the beginning of the books.  She and Wesley crack me up.  And there's a lot of little dramas going on between the other characters as well, things that were basically wrapped up in the last two books but still need that little finishing touch to make the story complete =)  As well as getting a little further into what's going on with Alex and Grace.  Yay!  I've barely been working on that world while I was so focused on Stronghold and I've missed it.  At the moment I'm still aiming to have it out this winter, but I don't know if it will be out before the end of the year or not (I'm guessing not...).  So we'll see!

In the meantime, I'll update later this week once I've submitted Stronghold to Amazon so you can keep an eye out for it!  The first week (the week that I'm away on vacation) it's going to be available for the special price of 99 cents.  After I get back from vacation on November 3rd, the price will be $2.99.

Hope everyone's having a good week and getting excited!

Toy Review: Ben-Gay & some Stronghold stuff

Oh the things I do in the name of research... 

LOL.  So.  I tried the toothpaste after reading about it in a book and I've seen Ben-Gay on sensitive bits in more than one story.  I tried to use my imagination and used it in one of my stories... Office Play, I think.  One of those chapters.  Maybe.  If I'm remembering correctly

I figured it was time to finally get my act together and actually try it out.  Especially because I've been trying some of the more pain-pleasure toys lately, like nipple clamps.  How much worse could Ben-Gay be?

Ok, so... I was kind of in the mood for a little bit of pain/pleasure and I figured "let's do this!"  

Just like the toothpaste, I put the Ben-Gay straight onto my nipples first.  After a couple of seconds it started to tingle and it felt rather nice, just like the toothpaste, and I got a little overly enthusiastic and decided to test out two other regions that I'd read about - my anus and my clit.  

Tingle tingle tingle BURN.

It's not a slow burn, it's a lot of tingling and then OMGOODNESS it's burning.  A lot.  And it made me hot as hell, not just physically.  Grabbing the hitachi and getting myself off helped, but then I had to sit around for at least another fifteen to twenty minutes, still tingling and burning, before the effects finally melted away.

Later I told hubby about it - this was one I didn't want to do with him cuz... well, I thought he would think it was weird.  He was amused.  And a little disappointed that he didn't get to help out with this one. Sometimes I think I bring out his sadistic side.  Which is fine since I like that a bit.  I have to admit, I'm glad I did it on my own at first, so I would know what to expect, but now I'm having fantasies about being tied down, wrists and ankles, and having him do it to me and just letting me burn while he whips or spanks me.  I really liked it, as much as I hated it.  Which is the best kind of pleasure-pain toy in my opinion.

Anyway.  I have finished the writing part of Stronghold.  It's currently coming in at about 145,500 words.  Definitely the longest book I've written to date, which makes sense because it's also the first standalone book that I've written.  Their story doesn't continue in another book, the way Jessica's or Eleanor's did, although we'll see them again (and often).  I had an incredibly good time writing this book.  I'm really happy with it at the moment... but editing is still important.  At the moment, I'm saying that it's going to be published and available next weekend.  Keep track of the blog / twitter to know what's going on with it =)

Amazon Banning Erotica & Indie Authors

So, the whole thing with my covers?  Yeah, I resubmitted them and they're back up on the site, with no explanation as to why they were taken down in the first place.  They made it through the "review"... again.

But apparently it's part of a larger problem.  Lexi Blake, who is one of my favorite authors and whom I just did a blog on last week, has had one of her books Their Virgin Captive, removed from the site because apparently it's offensive.  This is the same sight that sells Game Theft Auto... not to mention a ton of sex toys... also graphic movies...

Apparently they're mostly targeting independent authors, like yours truly.  Delightful right?  Some of Lexi's fans suggested emailing the CEO directly (jeff@amazon.com) and there's also a change.org petition here - http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-barnes-and-noble-kobo-drop-the-clause-of-removing-erotica-and-self-published-indie-authors?share_id=ecrKvjPzoD&utm_campaign=twitter_link_action_box&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition

Honestly, I have no idea how much the change.org petitions can do, but it can't hurt to spread the word, because it's absolute BULLSHIT that erotica can be pulled when the graphic murder mysteries and horror stories get to stick around, not to mention the fact that erotic romances by publishers AREN'T having the same problem.  This is basically targeting the people they think won't be able to fight back and don't make the same sales that the authors who go through publishers do... so if you have a minute to write an email or sign the petition, please let them know that that's not true.

Marriage Training Ch. 17

So, Chapter 17 of Marriage Training is now available on Literotica.

I know some of the chapters can get a little repetitive as they expound on the same themes, but Vivian and Gabriel took me for a little unexpected twist on this one which was fun.  I didn't know how their evening was going to go when I started writing the chapter and they surprised me =)

Having a bit of trouble with Amazon's self-publishing program... apparently there was something wrong with my cover art for the 3rd and 4th books of Venus Rising.  I have no idea WHAT exactly, since the email they sent me didn't say anything except that it didn't follow their guidelines and I definitely didn't think those covers had anything offensive about them.  I bought the rights from bigstock for them so it shouldn't have been a copyright issue.

Anyway, I've re-submitted them with different covers so they should be back up in the next day or so.

I was hoping to get more writing done this weekend, and I have gotten a bit, but I'm also super sick.  Enough so that I actually went to get checked out yesterday (which is extremely unusual for me, I usually just deal until it's over) and I'm now on anti-biotics... wooo.  *sigh* Unfortunately I'm not feeling much better today.  I'll still try to get some writing done though. 

Angel Recommends: Lexi Blake

Lexi Blake writs a series called Masters and Mercenaries that I just love - and every book gets better and better - as well as being one of two authors who writes a series about menage BDSM romances.  Personally I like her better on her own, but I compulsively buy both series whenever a new book comes out.  She's right up there with Cherise Sinclair in getting me into the storylines and I read her books over and over again almost as often as I do Ms. Sinclair's.  

Masters and Mercenaries is about a team of Mercenaries, some of whom used to work for various government agencies, and the women that they get involved with.  All of them are sexy hot Dominants, some of them are straight up assholes, and I've got a soft spot for each and every one of them.  All for different reasons.  The best part is that every story is very different, every dominant and sub is very different, and the danger that each of them ends up being in is very different.

 

Even better, there's a story arch going over the entire SERIES, not just each book.  An arch that has nothing to do with the romances, but which is revealed a little bit at a time as the series progresses.

 

I think I've often said that I usually don't like romances with danger plots - these are definitely one of the big exceptions.  I absolutely adore these books.  And because of the line of work that these men are in, I find the danger plots totally believable and acceptable, not to mention really well written.  And the sex scenes are hot, hot, hot. 

 

I absolutely recommend that if you like my books that you check out hers, because she's one of the writers - along with Cherise Sinclair - that I aspire to.  Especially because, like me, she started out as an indie author and she's really making a name for herself.  I'd love to be able to do that eventually.

 

Also, good news, last night I submitted chapter 17 of Marriage Training =)  So, you know, YAY!  I think it's going to end up being 20 chapters total.  So we're VERY close to the end!

What's Going On?

That's a question that I like to answer from time to time on this blog.  What IS going on.

Well mostly Stronghold has consumed my attention.  I'm about halfway through the next chapter of Marriage Training but I'm honestly having trouble trying to work on it from time to time because I'm so invested in Stronghold right now.  Partly because it's a heck of a lot of fun.  Angel is hilarious and her roommates crack me up and her effect on Adam's life and the Stronghold Dom entertains me so... and also, I really would like to finish it before the end of this month and I'm stressing about that a little.

I'm so close to the end.  I can taste it.  But things keep getting stretched out a little... I absolutely do NOT want to rush the ending just because I'm on a time crunch, but sometimes it's hard to decide what scenes need to be written out in their entirety and what can be condensed down to a paragraph describing "Adam had a conversation with Justin about such and such..."  Ya know?  Or maybe you don't know, but trust me.  I don't want to disappoint and I feel like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself since this is the first book in a new series, even if you all have met the characters before.

Like, what if it sucks?  What if it's not as funny as I think it is?  What if everyone hates it?

Which is silly, because I do have a couple of beta readers who have been helping me out in large amounts among the way and who have been very complimentary, but it's just something that I can't help but think about.  I get nervous.  Especially with something like this because I'm seriously putting so much time and effort into it.  Not that I didn't with the other books either, but when I start something on Literotica - like the Venus School of Sex - then I get feedback from tons of people consistently as I'm writing.  Waiting to put it all out at once and THEN finding out what people think is a little nerve-wracking.  Also exciting and wonderful, especially when people like it.

I've had readers comment on the humor that they "consistently" see in my stories and how that's why my stories stand out and why they're wonderful... I have never had a comment effect me more than that one.  Mostly in the fact that I'm now constantly worried that my humor hasn't worked its way into a piece.  I especially worry about that sometimes with Marriage Training, but I feel like with that one it's okay.  With Stronghold, I want a lot of it to be humorous.  Kind of need it to be, to be honest.

Another thing this book is doing is giving me even MORE ideas for spin-offs.  I already knew I wanted to write a novella - possibly a full length book - for Jake, Lexie's brother.  I've now come up with novella storylines for Angel's two brothers as well.  I'm seriously starting to consider doing a book called "Stronghold Siblings" or something to that effect where I write about all the siblings.  But then there are other side characters that I have stories for too...

Gah.  I wish I could just write ALL THE TIME except I know that even if I had the time to, I wouldn't have the focus.  Things flow pretty easily when I'm in the groove, but that doesn't happen 24/7.

Right now I'm at the beginning of the end of Stronghold, wrapping up Angel and Adam's story and setting them on the right path so that I can feel like their book has concluded, pushing Lexie and Patrick a little closer to their book, and continuing to set up some of the other characters for their stories (especially Mr. Rick Winter, whose book is coming up next).  Plus, giving all the ladies some more time together.  I have to admit, I do particularly enjoy girl time.

So yeah.  That is what's going on with me.  I am trying to finish the next chapter of Marriage Training this week and get it submitted to Lit.  And I'm trying to finish Stronghold.  I'm still not sure how many chapters there are going to be total, but I'm getting closer to being able to guess... My current guess is 28 and I'm currently working on 23... so yeah.  But Angel and Adam keep pushing things to be longer, so really, it could end up being more than that.  We'll just have to wait and see!

Final Stronghold Teaser

Hopefully this is my last teaser before I publish.  I'm in the middle of Chapter 21 right now, I have no idea how many more chapters to go before it's done... although I have an outline, some things take longer than I think they will.  I'm guessing maybe 30 chapters at this point?  I'm already at 110,500 words.  WOOT!  That's a lot.  And so much more to come.  I'm guessing I'll tap out somewhere between 120,000 and 140,000 words.   I'm still aiming for getting it done before the end of this month which, for me, means getting it out by October 26 because I'm also going on vacation at the end of this month.  

So... because I'm a big meanie, while I'm giving you a new teaser, I'm actually not giving you a new scene ;)  If you read my last teaser that I posted, then you'll recognize a lot of this because it's the same scene from Adam's POV.  Enjoy!:

Adam had studied the survey and information that Patrick had sent him on Angie, and hoped that the Introduction Scene wouldn't be as frustrating as his one with Stephanie. From the survey, as long as she had filled it out truthfully, it seemed like it should be an enjoyable scene for him.  And from the amount of question marks and indications of "never tried, would like to" answers that she'd given, he assumed she was being truthful.  Stephanie’s survey had been full of confidence that she would like her fantasies, Angie obviously didn’t have much experience but wanted to try a whole lot.

He was okay with that.

Especially cuz, going by the survey, she was interested in trying a lot of his favorite things.  There was nothing more that Adam liked than playing with a woman’s ass and Angie had indicated that she was familiar with and enjoyed anal play and sex.  From the survey she looked a lot more compatible to him than Stephanie from his last Intro Scene had been, so he'd tried building himself up on the drive over.

It almost worked.  At least he wasn't dreading the evening.  When he stepped into the club Jared grinned at him in an encouraging way, which was good.  Lexie was behind the desk, her expression rather grumpy.  She looked at him in surprise as he approached.

"I thought Andrew was doing the Intro scene tonight."

"He had to take Irene to the airport."

Lexie scowled.  "Nice of Patrick to let me know."

"You two need to learn how to play nicely," he teased. 

"I will if he will," she retorted.  Adam just grinned.  He wasn't one hundred percent proof positive that Lexie had feelings for Patrick that went well beyond sisterly, and that Patrick was fighting his own feelings in that regard, but lately it seemed more and more likely.  

Which was a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Just then, Patrick stuck his head out the door. "Jared..." His eyes swept around the room and landed on Adam.  "Oh hey, good you're here.  Never mind Jared." 

Adam walked around the desk, heading for Patrick. 

"I've got a situation downstairs... Tom offered Ellie a club contract last week but she refused."

"Of course she did.  Ellie never signs club contracts."  In fact she was almost as well known as Andrew around the club for her refusal to participate in anything that even resembled any kind of relationship.  Even Adam had had some short club contracts since Brooke, usually not lasting more than a month and he'd never been interested in taking them outside of the club or extending them.

Club contracts were for people who wanted to play inside the club, exclusively with each other, for a certain amount of time.  Some could last up to a year or more if the participants felt they had the right chemistry.  The contracts clearly outlined what was expected of each party, but they only existed for inside the club.  It was for those people who wanted stability in their play but weren't interested in a relationship outside of the scene. 

"Yeah but she's been scening with him a lot lately, I think he got his hopes up."

Adam snorted.  To his knowledge, Andrew and Ellie were rather unique in that they never signed club contracts.  They only scened.  Still it had been obvious to most of them that Tom was more than a little interested in Ellie; if she really had been scening with him on a regular basis then he could understand how the man got his hopes up.  They had good chemistry, although he sometimes thought that Tom might be a little softer on her than she wanted.  She and Andrew scened together on a fairly regular basis; since he was a sadist and she was a masochist they were well matched.  It just never went beyond the scene.

"Anyway, she turned him down for a scene tonight and accepted an offer from Will, so now I've got to get downstairs because Tom's throwing a hissy fit, Ellie is making it worse by ignoring him, and Will is pissed."

"As he should be, if Tom's interfering with a scene over a sub that he has no claim to."

"Yes, thank you for telling me what I already know."  Patrick gave him a look, but Adam just shrugged.  "Anyway, Angie's in here, so you can chat with her before choosing a room for the scene.  Interrogation, jail and school are all open."

"Okay, thanks."  Maybe school.  He hadn't been there in a while and that was always a good scene for an Introduction.

Patrick moved out of the doorway heading for the club and Adam walked into the door of his office, a room that he was very familiar with.  Angie, the submissive, was sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, and she started to rise as he walked in. 

Brown hair, piled on top of her head to show off her unadorned neck, she was a vision in white.  The corset pushed up plump breasts, offering them up despite the thin, high-necked top she wore underneath in.  In fact, that top only invited someone to rip it away and reveal the lush curves underneath.  A short white skirt flirted around her thighs, white fishnets clinging to her long legs, and the white high heels were the kind that would dig into a man's back when she wrapped her legs around him. 

She was innocence and sin, wrapped together in a sensuality that couldn't be denied.  She was a fallen angel. 

Adam's fists clenched as adrenaline and anger rushed through him in equal measure, a roaring sound filling his ears as he sucked in a deep, shocked breath. 

"You."

Tottering on those thin, high heels, Angel sank back down, her eyes incredibly wide as she stared up at him.  Those pouty lips opened in shock, temptingly pink and inviting.  All too easy to remember how he'd fantasized about sliding his cock between them on the very first night that he'd met her. 

"Oh my god..." Her voice was breathy and high, nothing like he'd ever heard her sound before.  "What are you doing here?"