Friday 11 October 2013

I never really left, but I'm back now...

Hello everybody!

Apologies for my rather sporadic attendance on this blog throughout September. I've been working very hard, as I know we all must these days, but I return with good news. Not exciting news - not yet anyway! - but definitely good news. 

As I have stated before I've been working on a number of different stories over the last few months and recently I've made some really good progress. I hope to get a couple of shorts submitted to publishers during October, and I'm looking forward to finishing some of my longer stories before Christmas. I'm at the wrapping up and polishing stage on those now which is always a nice feeling. Also, October promises to bring an exciting new project - more on that later - which I can't wait to sink my teeth into. 

Also, also, I will be reopening my blog to some more lovely guest bloggers in the coming weeks so stay tuned for more updates from your favourite M/M authors, as well as from yours truly. 

Have a great weekend everyone, and stay tuned for exciting things to come. 

Douglas

Wednesday 28 August 2013

An Idea Out Of Nowhere

At half six this morning I was trundling around the country roads of my little corner of Scotland, making my leisurely way home when an idea came to me. I didn't have any plans for today, and I had dropped my boyfriend at work so I could have the car for the day, but my real intention was to carry on working on my current WIP The Flower Farm. Then, as I was driving a new idea came to me. An idea that I thought would be perfect for a short story. 

And alas, here I sit twelve hours later with 10,500 words worth of first draft for a new short story, and precious little added to The Flower Farm. 

Still, today's idea was one that I just didn't want to let get away. It's very simple (and very sexy) and I can really visualise the finished product which is nice. I'm a little annoyed that I'm lagging further and further behind on my other stories, but this little gem just had to be told. 

As a working title I'm calling it A Really Bad Idea, but as usual that will probably change. It's a short story essentially about a young man who goes to a nightclub with the intention of showing his ex just what he's missing, and then ends up meeting someone who makes him forget his ex entirely. Of course it's more complicated than that (I'll post more under my WIPs section) but that's the basic premise. 

So there you are. Another day and a completely unexpected new story is sitting saved away in the Graveyard folder on my laptop. I hope, although this may be ambitious, to spend tomorrow working on A Really Bad Idea. I think if I work really hard I could end up with a quick turn around on this story which would be lovely. As I said I can really visualise this one and I'm happy with my work so far so we'll keep all things crossed and see what tomorrow things. 

Writing is truly a wonderful, and very surprising, job!




Saturday 24 August 2013

I didn't mean to ignore you all, but...



I have been rather busy lately! 

In addition to trying to write every day (a habit I was in, but sadly let slide) I have been trying to finish work on my house. Regular stalkers  followers will know by now that my boyfriend and I have been in the process of completing a total redecoration of our house. And I mean total. Unfortunately, although that process has been in itself very rewarding, it has also been time and energy consuming. Now the end is in sight (except for heating. I still have no bloody central heating!) and my attention is turning once more to writing. 

I am still slaving away with a new novel (the one I am referring to as The Flower Farm) and I'm also trying to finish No Other. No Other has a Christmas theme so I am hoping to get it done and dusted soon so it can be winging its way to a publisher by the end of September. Fingers crossed that happens!

Anyway, I wanted to check in with you all and let you know where I'm at. By way of stats, I am focussing the majority of my attention at present on a second rewrite of The Flower Farm and am currently 30,000 words through my 100,000 word manuscript. Tomorrow, I hope to make an even bigger dent in that. 

BUT tomorrow is also barbecue day! 




Every Sunday when there is a race on during the Grand Prix season, my boyfriend and I invite over some friends and try to have a barbecue. Tomorrow will be no different (weather permitting!) So my writing will need to be done in the morning. Boyfriend will be working on finishing off the trim for our new wood flooring and our skirting boards leaving me with time to work. So we'll see...

Anyway. I hope all you lovely people are well. I don't want to take up too much of your time as you really should be out enjoying your weekend and not hanging around on the internet (!) I hope to have more releases to share with you all soon. Things are finally getting back to normal...

Fingers Crossed!

Thursday 22 August 2013

Wild West Weekend - R.M.Sotera & C.R.Moss


A warm welcome back to R.M.Sotera who was kind enough to pop by on Tuesday and show us where she does some of her writing. Today she's back to share an excerpt from Wild West Weekend with us. This is the first book in the Double D Series. Take it away R.M!

I continue to have the honor and pleasure of co-writing a series with the talented C.R. Moss.  The Double D Series wasn’t our first attempt at writing together.  We first tried the co-authoring arena with two separately written books that we connected through the storytelling.  What I mean by this is we incorporated our characters into each others’ books in certain chapters.  Dirty Dancer and Dirty Little Demons was our trial at working together.  We loved it and wanted to continue the co-authoring relationship.  Our Double D Series came about next.  Our First book – Wild West Weekend – is about two best friends that spend a weekend on a working ranch in Las Vegas, Nevada -  where they attend a bachelorette party.  When you throw together a Broadway actress, an ex-dominatrix and two strong-willed, hard-headed sexy cowboys all hell breaks loose.  It’s a crazy ride through the Wild West. 



Wild West Weekend - Blurb

Two people scared to love again. Two others hesitant about commitment. A weekend in Nevada will change all that.
Bristol Ashcombe is swearing off men and taking a vacation with her friend, Cassie. Damon Dougan is packed and ready to leave the ranch for a trip, that is, until a long-legged, sexy woman steps out of a vehicle and he decides to stay. Will one sex-filled weekend be enough for either of them?
Cassie Harding travels to the Double D ranch to meet Bristol and looks forward to seeing her old friend, Dakota. Dak’s excited when Cassie, his former sweetheart, returns. Cassie and Dakota, though they’re heating up ‘the sheets’ in and out of the bedroom, have fears about commitment after years of being single. Will they find it’s better to dance together than apart?
Be Warned: light bdsm, sex toys.


Wild West Weekend - Excerpt

Bristol & Damon ~

            Bristol reached for his hand, tucked it comfortably between hers. “I want to go back to the love shack and fuck. I mean sex. No, what I mean is have lots of sex. With you and me.” She really needed to stop drinking as well as speaking. Soon.
      
            A sly grin slid across his face. His eyes sparkled with lust. “With you I like make love. It sounds better for you and me.” He leaned in close to her, his breath warmed her cheek. “Tell me again how you would like to take me back to the cave and have sex with me.”


Was it the booze that had her inhibitions running wild and free, had her saying things she couldn’t have ever imagined coming from her mouth? Plain and simple, she wanted the fuck part, not just the making love that consisted of gentle and boring. “I want you to fuck me, Damon. You’ve been kind and gentle, but I want more with you, I want so much more. I want the animal in you to release the animal that I know is somewhere inside me waiting for the right man to set it free. And it’s not the booze talking it’s me, the real me.”

His lips touched her hand. “The booze may have pushed you a bit, but I do believe the vixen in you is ready to shine. I’m going to set that animal inside you free, darlin’. I promise.”

During the drive, then short walk back to the cave, Damon held Bristol’s hand. They’d made it back in forty-five minutes with their scattered stops to kiss, grope each other, and Damon removing most of her clothes.

They came to a halt at the ladder.

“Stop.” Damon put his hands on her hips, and caged her between him and the ladder. His lips covered hers as his hands slid the last article of clothing she wore, her underwear, down her legs. Once the panties hit the ground, she stepped out of them, and he lifted her to sit on the third step of the ladder, spreading her legs with his knee.

A primal passion filled Bristol to the point she felt like she was drowning. She put her arms around his neck and placed her lips against his.

His finger found its way into her pussy. Slowly, he slid the finger in and out. The cicadas took up their nightly song as the desert night breeze brought her nipples to attention. He inserted a second finger inside her and moved his lips to her neck, sucking the area below her earlobe.

A nice hickey would probably await her in the morning. Hopefully several. “Take me, Damon,” she ordered in a husky voice, unbuttoning his shirt. “Take me out here in nature.”


Cassie & Dakota ~


He shifted, moved out of the tub and knelt next to it. Holding up a washcloth, he instructed her to sit back.

She reclined again, closed her eyes. Slow and steady, the material caressed her shoulders, her neck, skimmed down to her chest. With gentle movements, he washed her body, always making sure, much to her chagrin, only cloth touched her skin. The fabric, under his strong competent hand, danced along her chest, down and around her legs, graced her crotch. Her nipples hardened with desire, peaked in the water. She arched her back.

A low, seductive chuckle rolled from him. “Impatient, my dear?”

Through half-open eyelids, she gazed at him. She wanted him with an intensity that shocked her. The desire wasn’t just for the sex either. It was for the connection that would occur, the joining of their emotions, the merging of their souls while they loved and created a beautiful bond between them. “Why, yes, I am.” Cassie reached out and ran the palm of her hand down the mid-line of his chest.

Dak grasped her hand, kissed the backs of her fingers. “What about your hair?”

“Already washed today.” She slid her gaze down to his sexy lips. A tiny sigh escaped her. Before she could take her next breath, he clasped the back of her head, claimed her lips with his own.

His free hand slipped into the water and fondled her breast as his lips moved sensuously upon hers. She reached up, took his head in her hands and threaded her fingers in his silky hair. Their tongues warred and sparred in ardent foreplay. She wished the tub wasn’t between them.

She pulled away, observed his darkened and hooded gaze fill with desire. As they stared into each other’s eyes, he massaged the back of her head while the other hand moved to the junction between her thighs. He stroked and tweaked her clit, slid a finger within her slit. Her mind whirred with passion. She moaned and writhed as he brought her to the edge of ecstasy and over the cliff. Her body tensed, vibrated with release.

Her breath caught in her throat. No man had ever done what he had. None had ever watched her with such rapture, looked at her with such devotion, while she came. He cupped her face, pecked her forehead with a kiss.

“God, Catherine, you’re beautiful. I want to make love to you, cherish you, treat you like a goddess. I want this experience to be different than what you’re used to, no domination or submission or kinky role playing. Just two people loving each other. Can you handle that?”


You can grab your copy of Wild West Weekend from the following websites:




R.M.Sotera - A Biography

R.M. Sotera is a romance vixen stuck in the body of a prim and proper woman.  A transplant to Las Vegas, by day she is a wife, mom, taxi driver, counselor, and psychologist to her wild and, at times, crazy friends.  But when the family goes to bed and the house is dark, she seeks refuge in her office where her deepest desires take hold.
And…ultimately a story is born.
~~Read a story by R.M. Sotera ~

~~Where Happily Ever After Is Just The Beginning~~

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Where Writers Write - R.M.Sotera

Today we welcome R.M.Sotera who has kindly agreed to show us the places where she likes to write. R.M. will be back on Thursday to give us a sneak peak of Wild West Weekend. The first in the Double D Ranch Tales series. 





For me writing spaces can be anywhere. You will find me with notepads everywhere.  For me, when inspiration hits I need to be able to document the thoughts that run ramped through my mind courtesy of my muse, Styxx.

So here is how my writing transpires – Most stories I map in a notebook.  When I’m sure of the direction I want to go I make a storyboard on poster paper and hang it in my office. Also a story bible for me is a must to keep track of characters, setting, and all of the good stuff that comes with developing a world and the people in it.  

Step two - I usually sit with my laptop and story bible in my living room listening to music on my I-pod.  The television is usually on, but only for show.  



If I’m having trouble with a scene I will relocate from the living room to the floral garden in my backyard and try to clear my mind.  



Once my story is finished and I’ve completed all the revisions and edits needed before submission to a publisher or agent, I transfer my work to my office and the desktop computer.  Here I type my query letter and other documents that must go with the submission. 


When my stories are accepted and the assigned editor’s revisions and edits are returned to me everything is completed on my desktop computer.  It isn’t my space that is as important to me as my process.  I’m also a school teacher and I think my obsessive behavior toward concrete steps in my writing process is juxtaposition to the creative side of me.

It’s important to note that while I do practice a very structured developing process with my writing, once I have the proper setup the creative juices take over and the chapters flow organically.  I’m a contradiction in every sense of the word. 

R.M. Sotera - A Biography

R.M. Sotera is a romance vixen stuck in the body of a prim and proper woman.  A transplant to Las Vegas, by day she is a wife, mom, taxi driver, counselor, and psychologist to her wild and, at times, crazy friends.  But when the family goes to bed and the house is dark, she seeks refuge in her office where her deepest desires take hold.



And…ultimately a story is born.

~~Read a story by R.M. Sotera ~

~~Where Happily Ever After Is Just The Beginning~~

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Thursday 15 August 2013

Wild West Promise - C.R.Moss & R.M.Sotera

I hope everyone will join me in welcoming back C.R.Moss who - on Tuesday - was kind enough to show us the places where she does most of her writing. Now she is back to introduce a new story to usWild West Promise Thanks for coming back C.R. Take it away!



Wild West Promise ~ book 3 in the Double D Ranch Tales series ~ a contemporary, western, erotic romance story with a hint of the supernatural set in Nevada and written for Evernight Publishing’s Romance on the Go line ~ Available Now!

Inspiration
The inspiration for the Double D Ranch Tales series stemmed from a trip I went on where I stayed on a working ranch. There were ranchers/cowboys, horses, trail rides, campfires, cattle and food cooked outside. My muse started asking, "What if?" When I returned home with a handful of ideas, I went to RM and said, "Guess what we're going to write about." From there we wrote Wild West Weekend, followed by Wild West Hauntings and now we have the short story Wild West Promise available for readers while we continue to work on the next novel length Double D tale. Wild West Promise is Kent’s story. He’s one of the ranch hands on the Double D who’s played small parts in the first two books. When RM came up with the idea, I agreed we should go for it. She whipped up the first draft, we tweaked it and now it’s out! :) There’s also a bit of a paranormal subplot in it that we’re hoping to expand into a longer story down the line.



Blurb
In life and the afterlife, on the Double D Ranch, one belief holds true—the power of desire changes lives.

A rugged wrangler. A feisty Irish woman. A day full of promise. Times are wild on the Double D, and one ranch hand is in for the ride of a lifetime.
Little does Maggie O’Hurley know her life is about to change. She visits the ranch to attend a friend’s bachelorette party and meets a wrangler named Kent. Her immediate attraction to him revs up her libido, and she plans to do what’s needed to snag the sexy cowboy…including making a decision she never thought she’d deal with again.
As a workaholic, Kent Samuels hasn’t been with a woman in ages. When a bewitching redhead steps into his path, his world tilts, and she’s all he can think of. He doesn’t know if he’s able to give her forever, but he will give her what time he has. Once he does, he knows he can’t let her go.
Past experiences war with ideas for the future, but can the pair make promises they can keep?


Excerpt
The entrance to the cave had the most vivid red rock she’d ever seen. Cascading colors of orange, dark brown, and shades of grey slipped by beneath her as she climbed the ladder after Kent. When they’d reached the inside, he walked to a plywood wall that read Boys Only in big black letters. He opened a makeshift door, then slipped to the side allowing Maggie to enter full center.
In awe, she cradled her sore thumb with her other hand and surveyed the space. “It’s quite the bachelor pad, wouldn’t you say?”
Kent set the picnic satchel on a wooden table near a painted sign on the wall stating, ‘Girls stay out! This is the Dougan brothers’ place!’
To the left of the table an array of ropes and riding crops of different shapes and sizes hung on the wall. Beneath them sat a chest with an engaged lock keeping it closed to inquiring minds. In the corner, a plastic crate full of flashlights and batteries lay next to a small generator. Something purple and wrinkly looking poked out of a hole of the bin. She screwed her mouth to the side and furrowed her forehead. Homing in on the item, she gained a better look and made an O shape with her mouth as understanding dawned.
Kent glanced her way, down at the realistic looking dildo, and back at her. “The place caters to the grown Dougan men now.”

No doubt. She advanced to the wall and ran her fingers through the dangling ropes. Stealing a look at Kent, she raised a brow. “I guess the stories about the Dougan men are true.”
“They’re a feisty bunch for sure,” he muttered under his breath but loud enough for her to hear.
“Feisty is good for the soul.” She made sure to lock gazes with him after the words left her throat.
And finally, something she’d tried worked. Kind of. He stared at her, the amber in his brown eyes sparkling with untold secrets. A flutter started in her stomach then fanned out through her entire body. She ached to wrap her arms around him and kiss his lips. But she wouldn’t because, other than the passion in his gaze, the tell-tale signs that he thought of her in a sexual way were non-existent at the moment.

Stubborn man. Still running hot and cold. I’ll have to rethink what I need to do to snag him.
Resigned to enjoy their excursion as just a friendly gesture on his part, she sighed and moved to the back of the cave to survey the other goodies.
A section of bottled water and a variety of other drinks caught her attention. Before she could open her mouth and comment, strong arms wrapped her body from behind silencing her mind and voice.
“I struggled last night, and I’ve fought my feelings all morning to keep my hands off you,” his deep voice murmured against her ear. He pressed his pelvic region against her ass. “And as you may notice, I’m losin’ the fight.”

Grab your copy of Wild West Promise on the links below!


C.R.Moss - A Biography
An eccentric and eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers ‘Worlds of Possibilities.’

Find C.R. Moss and her social links at http://crmoss.com/


~ Come out to the hottest readers’ conference in the west, Hot Mojave Knights, and meet C.R., RM & other great authors ~ Las Vegas, NV – October 2013 ~ http://www.hotmojaveknights.com/