Sweet Saturday Sample–8/20 Only Scandal Will Do

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Sample.  My great thanks to all who’ve been coming by each week.  I appreciate your comments very much.  And thank you also to the first-time visitors.  I appreciate everyone’s feedback.

This week I’m continuing to post from my Georgian historical novel Only Scandal Will Do.  This week we go back to our heroine Katarina or Kat, whose situation has gone from bad to worse.  She’s been kidnapped and taken to a house  run by a ominous woman somewhere in London.  (I’m sorry but the picture’s abduction is a bit more pleasant than Kat’s is.)  Please enjoy the sample!

With a curt nod the woman lit their way with a single yellow candle down a shadowy corridor.  Opening a door at the far end, she lifted the brass candlestick high to examine Katarina’s outfit, then cocked her head.  The woman’s features were stark in the harsh light: ghostly white skin, delicate dark brows puckering over a petite nose, and the dark red mouth pursed, dispassionately appraising her captive. Uncommon beauty coupled with cruel detachment. Turning away she called, “Marco!  Change into the Roman costume now!”

A snarled a reply from the dim hallway caused the woman to step toward the surly voice.  “You’ll do it or I’ll turn your pretty face over to Nigel.” The discordant sound of the softest, most menacing voice imaginable sent a chill racing down Katarina’s spine.  The dark-haired woman thrust the candlestick into the other kidnapper’s hand and rushed off, her full skirts swishing in her haste.

As the woman disappeared into the shadows, Katarina was hustled into a narrow room barely wide enough to hold its plain washstand and wooden close stool.   They plopped her down on the convenience chair and untied the ropes.  As soon as her hands were free, she drew back for a blow to the nearest brigand, but the tall, thin man who stood over her pushed a sword into her face and shook his head.

“Lay a hand on either one of us, girl, and I’ll carve your face so your own mother wouldn’t know you.”  His flat voice and icy gray eyes told Kat he spoke in earnest.  She reached to untie the gag, and the sword tip waved dangerously close to her nose.  “Nay.  The gag stays until the deal is done.  Afterwards, you can try to talk your way out of it.”

Kat did not understand that last statement but lowered her hands as the other kidnapper, an unremarkable man with a jovial face, finally finished untying her legs.  She rotated her ankles and wiggled her toes, trying to force feeling back into them.  She needed to be able to run at the first opportunity.

The kneeling kidnapper grabbed first one and then the other foot, stripping off shoes and stockings with lightning efficiency.  He stood up, grinning, and Kat longed to kick him for his effrontery.  The man elbowed his companion, remarking, “I’m thinking that’s not all’s coming off before the night’s over, eh Nigel?”

The swordsman said nothing, but a lecherous gleam in his eye told its own tale.  Nigel.  The dark-haired woman’s threat to Marco now made sense.   The woman must employ them all.  Did she engineer my kidnapping?  Outrage warring with her fear, Katarina narrowed her eyes at the pair and concentrated on memorizing their features.  They would pay for their part in tonight’s assault when she got out of this predicament.

Katarina’s a resourceful girl, but can she overcome all these obstacles?

Thanks again for sampling my sweets.  Come back next week for another “Sweet Sample” or join in the fun with your own.  Follow this link to Sweet Saturday Sample to find more “sweet” offerings.

If you liked the above sample, you might also like some of my published work.  Heart of Deception, set in Victorian England, is available at Books to Go Now.  Hog Wild, an erotic contemporary retelling of The Three Little Pigs, is available at New Dawning Bookfair.  And both are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks.  Blurbs for both books can be found on my Published Works page.

Posted in On Only Scandal Will Do, On Sweet Saturday Sample, On Works in Progress | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Update: Name Game Contest–And the Winner Is. . .

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Hi, Everyone!  I have finally chosen a winning title for my erotic novella:

To celebrate, I thought perhaps one more little excerpt would be in order.  So here’s the bit where Ashley meets Hunter for the first time (that she can remember, LOL):

The bathroom door opened and closed.  “Damn it, Sam.  Why is it every time I take a shower you have to pee?  Couldn’t you just hold it for once?  Or pee in a cup for God’s sake?”

“I’m not Sam.  And I don’t have to pee.”

Ashley’s eyes popped open and the bottle of body wash hit the tub with a loud “thunk.”  The husky voice she’d heard on yesterday’s video and in this morning’s dream was richer in person.  Sexier.  Her heart took off like a deer before baying hounds.  She peered at the shower door, seeing only a shadowy figure through the opaque glass. 

“Hello?  Are you there, Ash?”  The amusement evident in his tone brought her back to earth.

“Yeah, I’m here.  And just who the hell are you?”

“I’m Hunter Hopewell.  Sorry we didn’t get introduced the other night.”

“No, shit!”  Damn. The all-important name meant nothing.  She’d never even met the guy.  The spray from the shower roared in her ears and Ashley took a step toward the shower door.  “So who are you?  I mean, you say Hunter Hopewell, but I don’t know you.  And you seem to know me.”

“Yes, I do.  I’ve never met you, but I’ve been interested in you for a while now.”

Despite the hot water, chills raced over Ashley’s body.  Oh, my God!  A stalker.  I’ve attracted a stalker.  And she was shut in a bathroom with him.  Suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

 “You’re a beautiful girl, Ashley.  With lots of potential.”

Potential for what?  She gasped in air, finally needing to breathe or pass out.  “I think you should leave.”  Where the balls came from to utter that sentence she had no idea.

“Why?”  His voice rose in puzzlement.

“Because you’re scaring the crap out of me!”

His laugh was deep and genuine.  “Well I didn’t mean to do that.”  Through the frosted glass she glimpsed him moving, though she couldn’t see exactly what he was doing.  Was he actually going to leave?   A stab of regret streaked through her chest.

The shower door slid open.  Ashley screamed and backpedaled two steps until she slammed into the wall beneath the still pulsing showerhead.  She watched, unable to move, as Hunter shoved his big, naked body through the opening then slid the door closed.

“Hi.”

Talk about having balls!  And Hunter definitely knows how to use them. LOL

Seven Days of Seduction suggested itself to me based on the writing I did in Chapter 2.  So, because I didn’t use one of your great entries, a contestant’s name has been drawn at random to receive a copy of one of my books.  And the Winner is:

Lisa Kumar

Congratulations, Lisa!  If you would email me and let me know which of the four possible books you’d like a copy of (Heart of Deception, Hog Wild, Almost Perfect, or Seven Days of Seduction), we can discuss the details of your prize. 

My great thanks to everyone who helped name my novella!  I’ll keep you up to date on its progress and hope to have it submitted to New Dawning Bookfair in couple of weeks.

My published work is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks as well as the publisher websites.

Posted in Contests, On Seven Days of Seduction, On Works in Progress, On Writing Erotic Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Reader’s Corner: The TBR List

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Funny that since I started writing I have done less reading.  My crit partners and friends on Facebook or Twitter always talk about the books they are reading.  I feel like such a slacker!  I read at night, just before I go to bed, for perhaps half-an-hour.  Or if I’m out somewhere, stuck in a waiting room, I pull out my Kindle and read until it’s my turn.

As a result, my TBR list has grown in leaps and bounds.  Because I run across books all the time and say “I must read that!” and then don’t.  One friend in my local RWA chapter reads books at red lights!  I don’t know how she does that.  I’d be dead if I tried that–killed by drivers enraged that I sat through the red and green lights because I “just had to finish the chapter.”

I have always been a voracious reader and when I first started writing I went for weeks on end when I did nothing but read romance novels.  Didn’t write a word, but absorbed everything I could from those books.  Now the pendulum has swung to the opposite side and all I can think about is writing.  But I feel the need to go back, read more, maybe sleep less.  But I need to escape not into my fictional worlds, but into others’.

So here is my TBR list, or part of it–I don’t want you to spend the day on this blog. LOL  These are in no particular order, when I read I read according to my mood, not when I added a book to the list.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon  Recommended by a crit partner who also loves historicals

The Help by Katheryn Stockett  Looks like a lot of fun and I’m from the south.

Through the Rabbit Hole by Lisa Kumar  One of my crit partners’ books; I read excerpts that really intrigued me–and the cover is gorgeous!

The Sins of Viscount Sutherland by Samantha James  New romance by one of my favorite authors

11/22/63 by Stephen King  Comes out this fall, about a man who travels back in time to prevent the Kennedy assassination.  I love Stephen King and this story had me at hello.

Mariner’s Coveby E. Ayers  A member of my local RWA (not the red-light reader, however) whose excerpt I loved.  It seems a very gentle love story and we all need that every once in a while.

The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney  Another one of my fave authors.  This is a reprint, but I haven’t read it.  A fun story line.  I’m a sucker for romance. 🙂

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  I don’t actually want to read this book, but have been told by too many people that I must.  It sounds incredibly brutal to me, but I’ll probably read it right after I watch Gladiator for the first time. (I may be the only person who hasn’t seen it.)

Black Dorn by Daryl Devore  An erotic historical by another crit partner.  Set in a Scottish castle and again, a gorgeous cover.  Don’t even know what it’s about, but the cover sold me (see what they tell you is true!).

Memories of Murderby Lara Nance  Another member of my local group (still not the  red-light reader) whose blurb intrigued me.  A paranormal romance, about a witch, set in Virginia.  Yep, I was going to bite.

Well, that’s a small part of my TBR.  At least with my Kindle I’m not knocking them over as I rush to get to my computer and write.  I promise to do better and whittle down this list.  Just as soon as I finish my next book.

What’s on your TBR?  When is your time to read?  Do you find yourself reading more or less these days?  Why?  I’d love for you readers to share!

Posted in On Reading, Reader's Corner | Tagged , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Come to Your Senses: The Art of Using the Sense of Touch in Romantic Writing

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

This post is a re-print of the post I did for Savvy Authors earlier this month.  I’ve changed it a bit, so please enjoy it again!

Romance writers are always encouraged to use all five senses when they write, in order to draw their reader deep into the point of view of their characters.  I have been exploring the importance of each sense and suggesting how  writers can use the senses more effectively in their work. Today’s blog continues that series with a look at the most sensual sense:  touch.

The mechanics of the sense of touch are different from those of the other four senses.  Sight, smell, taste, and sound are each located in one specific part of the body.  Touch is located everywhere.  This sense originates in the dermis, the deepest layer of skin.  It contains thousands of nerve receptors that, when stimulated, carry messages of pain or pleasure to the brain via the spinal cord.

Of greatest interest to the writer, however, is the fact that touch is experienced over every inch of the body.  Immediately, the possibilities for the use of this sense explode.  Any part of a character’s body can be described as feeling some stimulus and can therefore be affected by it.  Heroines can delight in cool sand between their toes, revel in the heat of the sun on their face, or shiver as an ice-cube slides down their back.

Describing an intimate touch is the stock in trade of the romance writer.  We’ve all written love scenes and, from sweet to scorching hot, the sense of touch figures prominently.  A kiss is a mere touch of the lips—but in the hands of a skilful wordsmith, it is an event that will rock the reader to her soul.  Well written, smokin’ love scenes transport the reader into the scene most often through depiction of the sense of touch.  Catherine Texier, in the article Awaken Her Senses, describes exactly how revealing a man’s touch can be: “The touch of a man is his imprint, his signature.  How soft or callous his hands are, how dexterous his fingers, how insolent and bold, how sensual or rough his handling of your body. . . .  Each one of his moves reveals his character, his mood of the moment, and his knowledge of you.”

When all is said and done, however, what we are talking about is the skilful use of language.  Writers create everything using the exact words that will evoke the senses in the reader.  Channel that language into your writing and your readers will “feel” right along with your characters.

A quick excerpt from my WIP Only Scandal Will Do, the hero and heroine’s first kiss hopefully illustrates that all important sense of touch:

She felt every magnificent swirl of his tongue, not only in her mouth but in the deep, private places of her body as well.  Katarina moaned into his mouth, the low, guttural sound coming from some unknown reservoir of need.  Pressing him to her, her hands slid up the steely hard muscles of his back, evident even through his cloak and clothes. 

Do you include the sense of touch in your writing as much as you should?  Do you create opportunities for your reader to feel everything right along with the characters?  Please leave a comment and thanks for sharing!

If you’d like to see more of my work, below are links to my two published short stories.  Click on the cover to purchase a copy !

Posted in On Writing, On Writing Romance | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Reviewed by Jenna: “When Heroes Break Bad”–“An Arranged Marriage” by Jo Beverley

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Good Morning, fellow readers.  I’m actually cheating a bit today.  I’m reviewing a much older book than usual, Jo Beverley’s first in the Company of Rogues series, An Arranged Marriage.  This is for two reasons: first, because I love the book, and second because I wanted to use it as a jumping off point for a discussion of Heroes I’ve been itching to do. 

I’m actually piggy-backing off of two postings from the past few days.  One was on a Goodreads post Leia Shaw did last week that ended up talking about heroes.  The other is a blog posted yesterday by fellow writer Casea Major over on Tabitha’s Nocturnal Nights.  Her post was entitled “What is It About the Hero that Captures Our Imagination?” and she gives us reasons why we instinctually seek a hero.

My question is:  what happens when heroes fail?  Not necessarily fail in accomplishing the task they are set, but fail to live up to the ideal we have of them as hero?  We put heroes up on pedestals by forcing expectations on them, especially in romance novels.  Real life heroes we cut some slack–they are human after all.  But our romance heroes are held to a higher standard, well, because they are the higher standard we want others to measure up to. 

So what happens when the hero falls off that pedestal?

Nicholas Delaney, the hero of An Arranged Marriage, does fall and though he tries to climb back up, he never quite makes it, in my opinion.  The novel’s premise, for those who may not have read it, is Nicholas is pressured into an arranged marriage with Eleanor, a woman who his twin brother raped but cannot marry.  Nicholas is engaged, at the time, as a government spy, trying to prevent another rise to power by Napoleon.  In order to do this, he must seduce a former lover and courtesan to get her cooperation in this delicate matter.  So he’s having a very sordid affair for three-quarters of the book, cheating on his wife, who of course finds out about it.  Well, but it’s just an arranged marriage, so no big deal, right? 

 Wrong, because during the course of the book, Nicholas and Eleanor fall in love.  But he continues to carry on the affair, for God and country.  In the end, though, he does break with the courtesan and come back to Eleanor, who learns the truth and forgives him.

I have read the book several times and the character of Nicholas Delaney is as charismatic and charming as they come.  He is the hero’s hero, the leader of a band of very powerful men–including the heir of a duke, a speaker in Parliament, soldiers, others of high-ranking nobility–called the Company of Rogues, a schoolboy band of friends whose friendship remains steadfast long past the schoolroom.  Nicholas is also a ladies’ man–a renowned lover with a handsome face and beautiful body.  And he is an extremely compassionate, warm, loving man.  The perfect hero.

But how does the perfect hero cheat on his wife, cause her untold misery, pain and humiliation, and still remain the perfect hero?  Does his single-minded devotion to his country outweigh his duty to his wife?  And why, at the end when he is seeking forgiveness from Eleanor, does he not seem quite contrite enough?

This last may be my biggest beef with Nicholas (and by extension with Ms. Beverley who created him).  I might be able to forgive this hero for continuing his affair in the service of his country.  But he never seems to try to atone sufficiently for his sins when he and Eleanor are reunited.  And I, as reader, am left feeling that he gets off too lightly in the scheme of things.  I still love the book–I recommend it as a deeply romantic novel–though it has given me a love-hate relationship with its hero.

So what do you do with a flawed hero?  A hero who falls off his pedestal, who doesn’t quite live up to your expectations of hero-like behavior?  Are there other heroes out there like Nicholas Delaney who you love to hate?  Please share your thoughts with me on this topic.  I’d really like to get some perspective–am I holding Nicholas to too high a standard?

Posted in On Writing Historical Romance, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Six Sentence Sunday 8/14–As Long As You’re Mine

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome back once more to Six Sentence Sunday.  I truly appreciate everyone’s comments each week.  Thank you to those old and new who choose to visit my blog.  I hope you’re having as much fun as I am.

This week, as promised, we see more of Rafe and Samantha’s first official meeting.  This week Rafe has just asked to accompany Samantha on an early morning ride to discuss some rather personal and pertinent things.   Enjoy!

“I can hardly think what we have to discuss, sir, either in public or in private.”

He cocked his head to the side, looking suddenly whimsical, like an elf contemplating mischief. “True, there will be no real discussion.  But there is information I believe you should be made aware of, and having just endured half-an-hour’s interview with your father I assured him I would speak with you forthwith.  If you would care to have the information laid before you in such a busy room I will oblige you; however, I advise you I do not take well to hysterics.”

“It is fortunate then, Mr. Beauregard, that I have no intention of having any.” 

Samantha would be the  last person to have hysterics, I imagine. LOL

Hope you’re still enjoying the six each week from As Long As You’re Mine. Next week we’ll probably have a little of the meeting Rafe is requesting, before I change gears and begin something completely different.

For more great snippets please go to Six Sentence Sunday.  Or join in the fun next week with six of your own.

And if you liked my six, perhaps you’d like some of my published work as well.  Heart of Deception, is available for purchase from Books To Go Now!, and Hog Wild from New Dawning International Bookfair.  Both are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks.

Posted in On As Long As You're Mine, On Six Sentence Sunday, On Works in Progress, On Writing Historical Romance | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Update: Name Game Contest

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Good Evening, Everyone!  I have an update today about my untitled erotic novella (yes, I think it may actually hit 20K now).

I finished chapters 1 & 2, then promptly combined them to make Chapter 1, titled Saturday Afternoon.   I’m now thinking I need to have a chapter for each day of Hunter’s seduction of Ashley, each one named for a day of the week and time of day when most of the action of the chapter takes place.  Theoretically, then, there should be seven chapters.  That’s my thought for now, though everything’s open to change.

I also wanted to give you a couple of images to help with the search for a title.  One is of Hunter and Ashley:

I had actually thought about this photo for the cover, but went with the other shower scene instead.  I still love this shot.  She’s the perfect image of my idea of Ashley.

Here’s the blurb  again to give you an idea about what’s going on to match with the above  photos:

Ashley is known for her outrageous parties and last Friday night was no exception.  Only this time she wakes to find a video of her in the middle of a menage a trois with her ex-boyfriend and a gorgeous stranger.  Unable to remember anything about the night, other than the hot sex she sees on the computer screen, Ashley begins a search for Mr. Hunk.  She has no luck until he unexpectedly shows up–in her shower. 

Hunter Hopewell, Mr. Hunk in the flesh, would love to initiate Ash into a variety of sexual experiences he finds exciting, but fears his tastes are too wild even for her.  As the week of escalating sexual encounters intensifies, will Ashley let go of her final inhibitions and join Hunter in the promise of a truly unforgettable Friday night?

And a little snippet to give you an idea about Ashley.

WARNING:  R-rated excerpt (language).

“Oh, shit!”  The pounding in Ashley Thompson’s head had a fast, staccato beat to it, not unlike the new Nikki Menaj song on the radio.  She clapped her hands over her eyes to shield them from the bright morning—maybe early afternoon—light that filtered through the dusty mini-blinds.  She breathed slowly, trying not to throw up.  That was always the worst fucking part of Friday night—throwing up Saturday morning.

Ash turned her head to the right in slow increments, already aware of the body lying next to her.  “Oh, Jesus.  Just let me know the guy.” 

Hope this gives you more ideas for possible titles.  Throughout the week I will continue to post snippets of the work and on Thursday announce a winner.  Even if none of the suggestions seems exactly right, a contestant’s name will be drawn at random to receive a copy of one of my books.

Thanks again for your help and please check back for more updates and excerpts from the book throughout the week.

Available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks as well as the publisher websites.

Posted in Contests, On Works in Progress, On Writing Erotic Romance, Reader's Corner | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sweet Saturday Sample–8/13 Only Scandal Will Do

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Sample.  My great thanks to all who’ve been coming by the past couple of weeks.  I appreciate your comments very much.  And any newcomers, let me thank you as well for sampling my work.

This week I’m continuing to post from my Georgian historical novel Only Scandal Will Do, which is out with an editor and an agent.  This week we meet the hero, Duncan Ferrers, Marquis of Dalbury, and find out his woes. His best friend is trying to tempt him to go out carousing and Duncan tries awfully hard to resist.  Please enjoy!

Duncan shook his head.  “But what invitation are you talking about, Tom?  My aunt’s masquerade?”

“God, no!” Tommy grimaced.  “The one to Madam Vestry’s latest auction.” His smile widened into a leer.  “The madam has hit upon a fresh idea for an auction.  Tableaux.”

Duncan doubted he had heard right.  “She’s auctioning off tableaux?  Of what?  And why?”

Tommy’s bright blue eyes glittered with excitement.  “Tableaux of your deepest desires or darkest fantasies.  Haven’t you imagined having a fantasy come true, Duncan?  A slave to your master?  A pirate with a captured maid?  A Roman soldier and a vestal virgin?”  The young man chuckled at that.  “I doubt you’ll find a virgin there tonight, though I understand some of these girls are new.”

Duncan’s smile widened at the images suggested, but shook his head.  Perhaps if things had been different.  “What time’s the auction?”

“Due to start at eight, as usual.  Didn’t you get the invitation?”

“I received it, but I didn’t open it.”  Avoiding his friend’s astonished face, his eyes slid to the mantel clock.  “It’s gone seven now.  I can take you to Madame Vestry’s on the way to my aunt’s.”

His friend gawked at him, mouth open.  “You’re really not going?  I would have believed you’d be keener on this, after the long voyage.”

“Oh, I’m keen enough, but I can’t be seen at Amorina’s.  You know that.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Duncan?”

“Left it in Italy.”  Duncan stared intently at the fire for a moment.  “You heard about my cousin, Roger Ferrers?”

“Killed in that hold-up out on the Guildford road.  Sorry, Duncan.” Tommy’s gaze was now also absorbed in the dancing flames.  “That’s what brought you back?”

“Yes,” Duncan frowned at the memory and his jaw tightened.  “My aunt wrote telling me it was my duty to return, marry and produce an heir.  Which is true.”  He scowled.  “Easier said than done though.”  After the series of scandals that had rocked him last year it might be a cold day in hell before he could convince a woman to walk down the aisle with him.

Not a very pretty picture for Duncan.  Should he choose duty or desire?  Decisions, decisions. 🙂

Thanks again for visiting me for some Sweets.  Come back next week for another “Sweet Sample” or join in the fun with your own.  Follow this link to Sweet Saturday Sample to find more “sweet” offerings.

If you liked the above sample, you might also like some of my published work.  Heart of Deception, set in Victorian England, is available at Books to Go Now.  Hog Wild, an erotic contemporary retelling of The Three Little Pigs, is available at New Dawning Bookfair.  And both are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks.  Blurbs for both books can be found on my Published Works page.

Posted in On Only Scandal Will Do, On Sweet Saturday Sample, On Works in Progress | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

Reader’s Corner: Name Game Contest

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Good Morning, Readers!  I have a little request for all of you in the Reader’s Corner today.  I have just started writing a new erotic contemporary romance, called. . .

But that’s the problem.  I’ve just been calling it “About Friday Night” because it was inspired by Katy Perry’s current hit single “Last Friday Night,” about the aftermath of a wild party.  But I need a really hot, sexy title to put with the hot book cover I’ve been given:

I just love that cover!

So I wondered if you would help me by leaving title suggestions in the comment section?  I’ll even make it sweeter by offering a copy of this book, when it’s published, to the person suggesting the title I like best, or, if you don’t want to wait that long, a copy of either of my published works. 

I will tell you that this book is not currently under contract to be published, although I plan to submit it to New Dawning International Bookfair, the e-publisher who brought out my other erotic contemporary, Hog Wild, in June.  And I certainly hope it too finds a home there.

Here’s the blurb for my untitled work, to give you an idea about what’s going on to match with the above steamy photo:

Ashley is known for her outrageous parties and last Friday night was no exception.  Only this time she wakes to find a video of her in the middle of a menage a trois with her ex-boyfriend and a gorgeous stranger.  Unable to remember anything about the night, other than the hot sex she sees on the computer screen, Ashley begins a search for Mr. Hunk.  She has no luck until he unexpectedly shows up–in her shower. 

Hunter Hopewell, Mr. Hunk in the flesh, would love to initiate Ash into a variety of sexual experiences he finds exciting, but fears his tastes are too wild even for her.  As the week of escalating sexual encounters intensifies, will Ashley let go of her final inhibitions and join Hunter in the promise of a truly unforgettable Friday night?

I’d love to have your suggestions and will post the winner next week in the Reader’s Corner.  Throughout the week I will post snippets of the work, again to help you put on your thinking caps.  At the end of the week, if none of the suggestions seems exactly right for the work, a contestant’s name will be drawn at random to receive a copy of one of my books.

Thank you so much for your help and please check back for updates and excerpts from the book throughout the week.

Available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks as well as the publisher websites.

Posted in Contests, On Works in Progress, On Writing Erotic Romance, Reader's Corner | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Reviewed by Jenna: “Paying the Piper”: I.O.U. Sex by Sandra Nachlinger and Sandra Allen

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jenna Jaxon

Would you call your high school boyfriend, the one you kissed and teased, but left unsatisfied all those years ago, and finally say, “Okay, Buddy, I’m ready to pay my dues now?”  A hilarious, scandalous, crazy idea?  Probably.  But would you do it? 

After reading a diary from their graduation year of 1965, three high school BBFs, June, Kiki and Peggy, decide that they owe those patient, long-suffering boyfriends a good ole roll in the hay, make a pact (just like in high school) and set out to accomplish just that in Sandra Nachlinger and Sandra Allen’s funny, sexy, and poignant book, I.O.U. Sex. 

The girls have weathered a lot of life since they last saw their sweethearts and have learned some hard lessons. The pact, and a couple more of life’s unexpected curve balls, brings them to a deeper understanding of themselves and each other that allows them to move forward and embrace their lives as they were meant to be. 

Though the premise sounds terribly funny, and the humor of the situations run throughout the book, what captured the reader in me was the relationship of the three women.  Even though the book is subtitled:  A Baby Boomer Romance, the women in the book and their goals and dreams are timeless.  Everyone has that one boyfriend in high school, the one who got away, who you’d love to track down and reminisce with, even if no sex was involved.  Every reader has dreams that didn’t quite come true, and hopefully friends to share that loss with.  The friendship between the three women that shines throughout this book is the friendship I certainly wish I’d had. 

The women’s romances, skillfully intertwined with their personal growth stories, also touched me on a deep level.  Because there is always that one man you think of and say, “What if…”  June, Kiki, and Peggy all get to experience the thrill of what might have been.  And the reader is fortunate enough to be taken right along with them.

June, Kiki, and Peggy each contact their former sweethearts.  All three have secrets to keep from their men and all of them confront obstacles in keeping their pact.  Do they all go through with it?  Can each one put paid to her account by the end of the book?  Or was this just another one of Kiki’s hair-brained schemes?  I.O.U. Sex offers the answers in a funny, sexy and thoroughly entertaining read. 

Come on and pay the piper!  

I.O.U. Sex is available in paperback on CreateSpace, and as an e-book on Amazon and Smashwords.  You can also check out the website for I.O.U. Sex, to learn more about the book and its authors.

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