Christmas is coming!

And I have been busy, painting, crocheting, knitting, quilling, and recently added hours of searching Pinterest for beaded snowflake designs and ideas. I've been working on the ornaments that usually help pay the bills this time of year, and the last of those will be leaving my hot little hands (okay, they're actually cold most of the time) tomorrow for their new homes. 

What does all of this have to do with my writing? Well... it keeps it from happening, of course.

But never fear... once Christmas festivities are over with and life calms back down to a dull roar, I hope to get back to Ishira and all its inherent issues, romances, joys, and dangers.  And I'll be brushing off the NaNo novel and getting it in shape for beta readers, in case it's something that I might want to publish.

Don't give up on me! I'm working on it, I promise. :D

taking a little break

Sorry that I have not been updating recently. I've been taking a wee bit of a break, since my hubby's been out of school for the holiday. :) I'll be back bright and early on Monday, hopefully with something juicy/good to report on or talk about. lol

In the meantime, please remember to shop local as much as you can, and if you're buying books for your loved ones, try to support independent booksellers, rather than the big-box stores. When possible, buy hand-made from artisans you know, to help support them and their art. All of us indie authors and artisans will thank you for your patronage!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend (heck, I know folks who are still traveling and spending time with family over the whole 4-day holiday!), and remember that Monday is Cyber-Monday, so save a bit of spending cash for that, too! :)

hugs and much love to you all! :)

oh, and for those that are interested in arts and crafts, I have started a separate blog (under my real name) for that kind of thing... reviews of products, crafts I try, and project processes for different kinds of crafts.

All Strings Attached!
check it out!

The Hat

here is The Fucking Hat (as my sweet hubby dubbed it)
This was his birthday present this year, for his 42nd b-day. *grin* Somehow, it seems fitting...

Please remember: HE picked out this design! I love my man! LOL

 Cuff down

                                         Cuff up

                                                                                                  Original pattern as it was graphed.

For those who are sick/twisted enough to want to knit this yourself, the graph can be found under 'fornicating reindeer' (i believe) on Ravelry.

I used Paton's Classic wool in royal blue and white, on size 7 needles, and did 3 repeats of the pattern. My hubby shaves his head, and this fits well, so if your recipient has a lot of thick hair, you'll probably want to either go up a needle size or two, or add a few stitches here and there to stretch the pattern.

Hmmmmm

yesterday, I worked my fingers off on the sub-plot for Brothers in Arms, second book in the Hearts of Ishira series. I was happy with what I wrote, but not.

The more I write about the sub-plot, the more it thinks it deserves its own book! WTF? You're supposed to be secondary to the main story, NOT primary! LOL

So now I'm thinking it might just be a third book. I just don't know, and not knowing is KILLING me! LOL

okay, it's not killing me, but it is ripping me apart inside, frustrating the crap out of me, and begging me to take each 'part' of this book seriously.

So do I write both stories, trading chapters? Do I put little pieces of the sub-plot into the main story, building up to where the two meet? Do I see where both lead, and if there's enough to each, make them their own separate stories? I think I have enough imagination to make that happen *grin*.

Ah well... All I DO know is that until I get it figured out, my beta readers are going to hate me! LOL

BTW... for folks who bought my book on Nook and Kindle, I've updated the cover to something a little more 'erotic', if you want to re-download the file to update it. :) If you like the waterfall, don't do a thing. :D

Today: trying to decide between knitting and writing/editing. It's my husband's birthday and I haven't finished his present yet. I will post pics of it when I do, though. Trust me... unless you're a prude with no sense of humor, you'll want to see this. :D (and when you do, remember that HE picked out the design! LOL )

Covers are a bear!!!!

Well, after fighting my computer and learning everything that a mouse can and can't do while photo-editing, I was finally able to get my cover for 'Hearts of Ishira' re-worked. I really should say 'new cover', since I didn't include much of the old cover in this, besides perhaps the font.

And I'm not even sure about that.

But it's done!!! I used royalty-free images, so no copyright issues (since I'll be giving proper credit per the terms of use from the photo site from which I snagged these pics). I just need to get that together and into the book.


Here's a peek at it. I'll post a 'full cover' tomorrow, once I've re-worked the Createspace version and have a front and back.

PS for those who have the original cover on their paper-backs, but want the new one, send me a private message or catch me on facebook and we'll figure something out. :) Though you WILL have the 'first edition' printing, should I ever become a household name or anything awesome like that. *wink*

oh, and don't forget my give-away for hand-made swag!!!! Check out the Mystery Swag Bag contest!!! Right now it's heavily leaning to one particular person, so you need to make with the clicks on the rafflecopter or she'll get it all! LOL

will they or won't they?

I'm often amazed by where my characters choose to go in a scene. I have learned that what I wish is rarely important... I can set the scene, but if they don't like it, they'll go elsewhere before letting me write. LOL

Today, for instance, I had a scene firmly in mind, of how my current lady (sub-plot) was going to make love with her companions for the first time. I figured she would make love to one of them, then days later, the other, with the two-fer not happening till later.

Apparently, she's a bit more adventurous than me. :)

Then she ended up with a nasty sunburn, or what her rescuers thought was a nasty burn. But apparently, since she's a ginger, sunburn isn't nearly as painful as so many years of abstinence. And there appears to be a great deal of fun to be had with burn gel, especially if it's from a society advanced enough to instantly diminish pain... but not pleasure. :D

And who knew that it took two sets of big, strong hands to cover a small red-head with burn gel? Huh. You learn something new every day. :D

Time to go back to knitting. And maybe go take a cold shower. Whew!

don't forget to check out my Mystery Swag giveaway, in the archives. Still 4 days to enter, and you can enter each day! :)
contest

Mystery Swag Bag!

I'm running a contest to get word about my book, Hearts of Ishira, out there! Book two will be ready hopefully by Christmas, and I'd love for folks to read book one first! :)

SO... I'm digging into my crafty bag of tricks and pulling out little things I've made over the years... earrings, bracelets, bookmarks... who knows? (That's why it's a mystery!)

FIVE winners will get a mystery gift!

Just enter the Rafflecopter stuff below. Enter as many times as you like!


One of the options is to comment on this post and tell me who your favorite sci-fi/romance author is! (don't say me just to win points *grin*... I'm flattered and I love you, but I'm trying to get ideas for possible future interviews! LOL)




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mini WIP Blog Hop

WIP Mini Blog Hop: Go!

I was tagged by Adaline Raine in the Next Big Thing:  Authors Tagging Authors...also known as the WIP Blog Hop.  Thanks for the tag!

Here are the rules:

• Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you
• Post the rules for this hop
• Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog
• Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

1. What is the working title of your book?


Brothers in Arms (book two of the Hearts of Ishira series)

2. What genre does the book fall under?

Sci-fi, romance/erotica, menage (f/f/m/m/m (no male on male!)

3. Which actors would you choose to play your characters for the movie rendition?

Joe Manganiello as Hunter


















Christian Kane as Jace

Chris Hemsworth as Sean.

Arianna would be played by Melissa Rauch (as a brunette, of course)
(She's the sweet Bernadette, wife of Howard Wolowitz on Big Bang Theory, in case you don't recognize her. :)  )

4. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

An abducted psychic Earth woman falls in love with the brother of her two Thorsani mates and combines psychic energies with the Readers of the Thorsani to find and bring their scattered refugees home before the Solvari eliminate them all.

5. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-pubbed, like the first one.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?


Almost done with it, but I was writing part of it while I was working on the first one... so about six months in all if I get it published by Christmas.

7. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
To be honest, I haven't read anything quite like it, so I couldn't say.

8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I've always loved sci-fi/fantasy, have adored romance and HEA since I read my first one in junior high, and have always had a bit of a naughty streak when it came to the sex. Hearts of Ishira explores all of that, with a strong love story, brilliant and talented men who adore their woman, and sex that is really no-holds-barred between them and their mate, Ri. In Brothers in Arms, Ri discovers that even her naughtiest fantasies are nothing to be ashamed of on her new world.

9. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are questions that arose in book one that will be explored more thoroughly in book two. There's a much larger force guiding them all, but they don't know who or what it is yet. What they do know is that the Solvari will stop at nothing to commit genocide of the Thorsani race... and any who mate with them.

Question #10

Tag, you’re it!

I ’tagged’ the following authors:

Kerrigan Byrne
Angela Drake
Robin Delany
JD Faver
Kiersten Fay

For election day distraction...

hi folks! Trying to ignore election day stuff?? Ready to turn off the computer and go for a good book to kill the day??
www.bethanyaan.com
And spread the word!!! :D I'll send a free e-pub of Hearts of Ishira or, if you already have that one, Brothers in Arms or my NaNo book when they're ready, to a random person that shares this!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

Teaser for Brothers in Arms... just because I'm mean like that...

The PERFECT quote for Ri!

"And though she be but little, she is fierce"...♥
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream

*grin* Because she's just cute like that! :) 

**********************************************

I've been working on Brothers in Arms today, instead of my NaNo, but I've got my word counts in for that for several days, so I refuse to feel guilty!

But here's a teaser from Brothers in Arms for you. I don't THINK I've posted this before...  Enjoy!

*****************************************
“Sean,” Ri said, rolling her eyes at him in exasperation. He grinned and winked at her. She narrowed her eyes on him. “Are you ever going to stop flirting with me?”

“Never,” he promised, smiling wickedly at her. “Unless you turn me down. Then I will slink off and nurse my broken heart in private.”

“Broken heart,” she scoffed, not looking at him.

The tension in the room expanded suddenly as Sean reached across the island, grasped her hand, and sent her a shaft of his emotions, the love he already felt for her. She felt the turmoil he’d been in for the past few days, Read his thoughts, his longings, even the erotic naughtiness that he’d been indulging in within his mind.

She raised stricken eyes to his, stunned.

“Oh.”

“I have made no secret of my feelings,” he reminded her gently, rubbing his thumb along her hand, holding her gaze with his. “I know you think I am being impulsive. I am not. What I feel for you cannot be explained rationally, but I know it. I feel it.”

Energy hummed between them where they touched. Ri’s face was flushed with color. Sean cocked his head to the side, studying her. His eyes went wide in sudden wonder and joy. “And… you feel the same. Why, then, do you fight your feelings for me, sweet Arianna?”

“I don’t know!” she cried, tearing her hand away from his and throwing her arms in the air in frustration. She paced behind the island, agitated, while their water boiled. “I just don’t know. And the worst part is, Hunter and Jace took great delight in informing me that the only person who might be able to help me figure it out is…”

“Me?” Sean sighed, offering her a rueful smile. She glared right back at him.

“It’s frustrating as hell.”

“Why?” he asked, his voice logical.

“Because you’re the one that’s confusing me!” she told him wearily, rolling her eyes.

“Then should I not be the one you talk to about it?”

How could he be so damn pragmatic about the whole thing? Ri wanted to storm over and shake him.

Or kiss him.

She wasn’t sure which impulse was stronger at the moment.

“I would much prefer the kiss, if I am allowed a vote.” Sean’s grin told her that she hadn’t shielded nearly enough with that last thought.

“Get out of my head!” Ri muttered with a scowl.

Sean’s heart melted at the fierce little growl of her voice. Slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, he stood and rounded the island, coming to a stop right in front of her. No stranger to being loomed over by tall, muscular warriors, Ri held her ground and kept glaring up at him. She had to swallow against the desire to run away, though, when he brought a hand up to touch her cheek. His brows came together as he contemplated her.

“We will have some tea,” he said softly, stroking the backs of his knuckles over her creamy cheek. “We will sit on the balcony and enjoy the warmth of the sun. We are going to work on you, little kimi, until we both understand why you are fighting a battle you do not wish to win.”

Ri felt moisture gathering in her eyes, her throat tightening with emotion. Sean felt her thoughts, sensed her unreasonable fear, and smiled gently down at her. Slowly, so that she had plenty of time to stop him, he widened his stance and brought his other hand up until he was cupping her jaw between his palms. She sucked in a shuddering breath as he held her face and tenderly brushed his lips over hers.

Energy, pure and raw, arced between them, an almost electric shock that stole both of their breaths. Ri whimpered and clutched his arms, though whether she was holding him or pushing him away, neither of them knew. Sean’s lips opened over hers, rubbing gently along the slick velvet of her lips. The shimmering energy moved with him. Ri’s head fell back, her mouth opening for his exploration as his tongue flicked out to taste her for the first time.

As though they had been tazered, a bolt of incredible power shot through them at the touch of their tongues to one another. Arianna’s throaty cry was one of longing, fear, and ecstasy, all rolled into one. Sensing her deep inner struggle, Sean forced himself to pull back from her. Power still crackled along his skin where he touched her, so he broke the contact. It was an actual physical pain to no longer be connected to her.

For a long, tense moment, they stared at each other, breathing heavily.

Finally, Ri pulled herself together, closing her eyes so that she could focus, center herself, and calm her racing heart. When she looked up at him again, she was in control once more. Her eyes dark with confusion, she cleared her throat.

“Tea,” she said softly, holding his gaze. “Balcony.”

“Then?” Sean asked, his voice just as low, husky with the power still thrumming through him from their kiss.

“Then…” she took a deep breath, steeling herself against the urge to hide from him for the rest of the day. The week. The rest of her life. “Then, we talk. And we figure this out. It’s obvious that there’s something incredibly powerful between us, but… I want to know why I’m so scared.”

“So do I, little one,” Sean murmured. “So do I.”

********************************************

A peek at chapter three of the NaNo book...

I spent a wonderful autumn afternoon writing in a used book store with my Asheville NaNoWriMo group. We had a nice little area that we later found out was called 'Middle Earth', which just rocked our socks. :D So we talked, wrote, talked, joked, wrote, drank wine and coffee and mimosas and just had a grand time.

I managed 3,000 words, so yay for that, and I'm working on more tonight with my friends online, but here's a snippet I wrote today. (Again, for those just joining us, this is unedited and from the hip!)
**************************************
        "Take it back?” Maddie whispered toward Mac's energy, incredulous. “Take it back?”

“Maddie, calm down,” Nate rushed back into the room, his concerned gaze on her vitals strips. “You’re going to open your wounds again.”

“Take it back?” Maddie cried, ignoring Nate. “Mac, damn you! Manifest, you miserable glob of fog, so I can strangle you!”

“Maddie, you really do need to calm down, baby,” Mac said urgently through the com unit.

“Don’t you dare call me that!” she cried, angry tears pouring down her cheeks. “You bastard! You put me through the past ten years of heartache because you couldn’t figure out how to take it back?”

“It’s not that simple-” Mac attempted, but Maddie overrode him.

“It’s easy as hell!” she gritted out through clenched teeth. “You say, ‘I’m sorry, Maddie. I was a complete jackass scaredy-cat, but one moment of idiocy can’t erase two lifetimes of love, so… I’m an ass, I’m sorry, and I don’t want to leave you ever again!’” She sobbed once, swallowed the next one. “That’s how you take it back, you moron!”

Caleb stopped at the door, having heard her rant. Nate was staring at her, stunned at her outburst and troubled by her tears.

“And you two!” Maddie said, turning on them from her bed. “I am not a history lesson, a dusty archive, or a legend. I’m a woman! You can like the idea of me, you can even think you love the person you imagine me to be, but you can’t be ‘in love’ with me, because you have no idea who I am! Mac knows me, and even he couldn’t love me enough!”

The sob she let out at the end of her rant was enough to break all their hearts.

“Maddie,” Mac began. She shook her head, laying back on the pillows and turning her face away from them all.

“Just go away, all of you. Leave me alone.”

********************************************

On my way out, I talked with a lady about her lovely sweater (which she bought hand-made from a lady in Galway), and was given the business card for the guy that organizes book signings and readings and such. If I can figure out how to make that happen, I might have a local book signing! Squeee!

And finally, I tweeted my book to one of my favorite actresses when she asked for recommendations. LOL I doubt she bought it, but who knows? If she reads and likes it, the squee I emit might just kill all the bats in our little valley! LOL 

Off to write some more! Wheeeeee!!!!!

 

Rollin' along...

Not much going on today, other than writing, but I've already passed the NaNo daily goal.

I'm trying REALLY hard not to merge my universes! It would be so easy for me to do, and even plausible. But I'm resisting... so far. :) Working in chapter three of the NaNo book... I think. LOL These things start out as one chapter and end up as another, once I get going and the back-story introduces itself. Then it's a matter of going back, plugging in more details, extra scenes, etc, and adjusting the rest of the story accordingly. At least, that's what happened with Hearts of Ishira. I'm hoping that since I have a tentative outline in place already for What the Soul Desires, I'll be able to keep on track a bit better. :)

And it keeps wanting to turn into another menage erotica, instead of just sci-fi romance. I blame Jenna! :D

Here's another snippet of what went down last night. I kinda like posting these. Let me know if I should stop... wouldn't want to give away too much!



***************************************************

         That was a bit of an adventure, Mac’s voice startled her, causing Maddie to drop her washcloth as she squeaked.

“Mac, dammit! I’m in the shower!”

And I’ve seen you naked many times before, he reminded her, his mental voice mischievous. When did you get a tattoo on your hip? And what does it…

His voice trailed off and Maddie waited, knowing what he was going to say.

Maddie…

“Just drop it!” she gritted out, her teeth clenched as she plopped the washrag on its shelf and started dragging her fingers through her wet hair.

But that’s my name on your hip, he pointed out.

“And it’s John’s on my shoulder-blade,” she snarled. “What’s your point?”

You said you’d never get another tattoo, after his, Mac reminded her quietly.

“Yeah, well then you had to go and get executed.”

You don’t put people’s names on your body unless there’s deep emotion involved, he said, trying to puzzle it out. She could feel his curiosity, but wasn’t ready to explore that part of their past.

“Mac, what do you want?” she all but yelled.

I want to know why you followed my order so easily, he said, his voice all business now. She rolled her eyes, knowing he would see it.

“Because we were partners for more than forty years, you idiot,” she sighed. “And you were my mentor before that. During. Whatever! Either way, I’ve been following your imperatives for far too long to not immediately do as you say, especially when you’re in my head like that.”

Fair enough, he allowed. So what’s our next move?

“The next move?” she asked, incredulous. “The next move is for me to get some freakin’ sleep. I haven’t slept in three days now. I need rest, if we’re going to find out just what’s going on, and you need to find a spare outlet and overload.”

He chuckled, the sound warm and sweet in her mind.

Are you sure you want me to have more power? he purred at her ear with a tiny rush of cold air. Shivers shot straight from her ear down to her core, just as they always did when he whispered to her like that. Just as he knew they would.

“Stop that!” she said, trembling. “We have a lot to do. Besides, you broke it off ten years ago. This is not a good time to start something up again.”

Why not? He probably thought he was quite reasonable in asking the question. Maddie wished he was corporeal, so she could smash his face. Not that she was normally a violent person, but Mac had always brought out her emotional extremes.

“Because you’re a flippin’ ghost,” she pointed out, trying to get her body under control as she roughly toweled herself off and hurried into a flight suit. At least she’d have some sort of barrier against him if she was dressed.

And a ghost is all I’ll ever be, if we don’t find my body, he reminded her gently.

***********************************************************

Back to it! Feedback is, as always, welcome. :) Just remember that the snippets I'm posting for NaNo are unedited, straight from my head. They're not perfect, nor are they complete. The finished scene in the book will most likely be much different. Unless it works. Then I'll try to leave well enough alone! :D

Success!!!

Well, I've been playing with some new writing software, and I'm loving it! There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get past that, it's fairly easy. I like the organizational options, love being able to see just what I need to see, right in the same 'binder'. It has areas for character sheets/pictures, same for places and research.

The only thing I'm having issues with is the title page, but I'll get that figured out, I hope! :)

So onward!

I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year!!! It's my first time, but people are being gentle. :D

The first night, I stayed up till midnight of 11/1 so I could do a 'virtual kick-off' with several local writers. That was interesting, but my google hangouts wasn't working so great, so I just wrote. Went to sleep, woke up, and wrote some more with a different set of writing friends, and ended up with 6454 words for my first day.

I'm thinking the second day will have considerably fewer, but the night is young, so who knows?

Anyhow, just to prove I write stuff other than 'Ishira', here's a sneak peak at the new story:

*********************************************************************
         Maddie paused as she passed a small shuttle. There was an energy somewhere nearby, something familiar. It set her mind on guard, though, prompting her to raise her personal shields against an attack of some sort. Intrigued and wary, she took a capture unit from her thigh pocket and set it to accept, should she need it.

Not all ghosts were to be captured… just the dangerous ones, the ones with enough knowledge and evil within their souls to do physical damage if allowed to be set free. But the small temporary unit she held looked much like a ball-point pen from her time at the turn of the century, two-thousand. This unit held a soul long enough for her to determine whether it was rogue or ‘safe’.

“Halt!” a Guard stopped her as she set foot on the ramp up to the shuttle. She turned, her luminous breast badge flashing her credentials at him. “Do you need assistance?”

“I’m not sure yet,” she told him. “Stand by.”

“Aye, Marshal.” He took up a position at the base of the ramp, watching as she slowly ‘felt’ her way up and into the ship.

Once inside, she let her eyes adjust to the darker interior. The landing bay of the station was brightly lit, but most ships had more natural lighting that was easier on the eyes for long periods of time. Opening her senses, Maddie quickly found a bearing and hurried through the main cargo/personnel area, heading for the engine room. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Whoever was back here was foolish, if they were an escaped soul. Everyone knew that the first place a soul would seek was a place of power, an energy leak of some sort or simply an outlet to plug into.

She sighed when she got to the energy, her eyes moistening.

Mac, this is a very bad place to hide, she said softly in her mind, not wanting to alert the Guard outside to what she’d found.

Mac was instantly alert and in defensive mode but Maddie blocked his burst of mental energy, an attack they’d practiced on one another many times.

Maddie! He cursed, fluently and at length. She held back a snort of laughter. Maddie, you’re not taking me back there.

It’s my job, she reminded him.

I’ll get away from you, he warned and she could feel his energy gathering just for that purpose. But she had placed a mental hold on him, surrounded him with her own shield, before he awakened. When he realized that, his energy stilled. She got the feeling that if he had eyes, he’d be using them to plead with her.

Mac, she said, what are you doing? You know they’ll send their best to find you.

You’re not turning me in? He asked carefully. She smiled sadly to herself.

I couldn’t do it three months ago, and I won’t do it now.

You know I’m innocent.

I don’t know what to believe anymore, Mac, she admitted. The files…

The files are doctored, Maddie, he said urgently. Take a look for yourself.

I can’t do that and let you wander free, Mac. You know that.

Maddie… nothing’s leaving the station for another four hours because of the solar flare. Just… promise me you’ll look into it.

I can’t let you go, she repeated, aiming her capture unit at his energy.

I can’t let you take me, he said softly. Before she could combat it, Mac used a fierce burst of power, augmented by the generators in the hold, and smashed through her shield. Maddie cried out at the instant of pain as her shields were torn through, but then glared around the hold, trying to find him again.

Mac! Dammit, that hurt!

Find the truth, Maddie. Then find me again and we’ll talk.

  **********************************************************************

 I'm hoping that this will be a pre-Christmas release. Depends on my support staff. :D Oh, and my work ethic. *grin* And my Christmas/Yule present list. Need to get those made somewhere in all this! No, I don't sleep. Why do you ask? LOL

But I'm so jazzed! I've already got a tentative outline for this new book. It won't be as long as Hearts of Ishira, but it will be more than 50,000 words. Not nearly as long, but I'm sure that it will be far more than 50K. That's just how I roll.

So yeah... let me know what you think about the new story so far!

And be gentle.

Remember... it's my first time! :D

we interrupt this halloween blog hop for a special announcement...

A friend turned me on to this last night, and I wanted to share. I figured a blog-hop was a great way for other authors to find it, if they don't already have Scrivener:

http://literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo.php

They're having a special... instead of the normal 30 day trial, since this is NaNo, they're letting us use the trial version (which includes a special template just for NaNo) until December 7th. If you complete the 50K words, you will be able to buy the full version of Scrivener for half price!!!!

I downloaded the trial last night and played with it using an existing manuscript and so far I am loving it!!!! The corkboards are awesome, the character sheets are great, and I love that I can work on just one scene, separate each 'part' into chapters and further separate the chapter into scenes. That makes it so much easier to find what I need to work on! :)

I'm in love so far!

And now, back to the blog-hop! If you're here for that, keep scrolling! :)

Wicked Blog Hop!

Welcome to my stop on the Wicked After Dark Blog Hop! 

Thank you to Nikki of Close Encounters and author Natasha Blackthorne for hosting this hop.

So the theme for this is something Halloween related or Wicked. I hope this counts... :) 

How Wicked is wicked??

I've always been asked why in the world I would want to write erotica/romance. Even twenty years ago, when I first tried to get serious about my writing, it was always something that a lot of authors seemed to feel obligated to do. I kept my mouth shut back then, not wanting to seem like I was the odd-ball (though of course I was), but they all blushed and said how hard it was to write the sex. I wanted to jump up and ask them how they managed to keep from writing the fun parts??


I guess it's wicked of me to admit that I've always been fascinated by reading and writing about sex. I'm a romantic at heart, so I love the sex mixed with a good love story. No, I don't like smut. I don't like the nasty stuff in a lot of adult magazines or anything like that. I LIKE the cheesy names for genitalia, like a little bit of dirty talk here and there, but I don't like the smut that is often printed.

And even more wicked? I've always had a fascination with multiple partners at once, males specifically. I don't write about males having sex, and I doubt I ever will. I don't know what that would be like, being firmly of the female persuasion, and there are plenty of people who write about that. But I do know about having sex with men, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I quite like it!

So my answer to folks who ask why I write what I write? No, I'm not trying to follow in the footsteps of recent erotica *cough* shades of what? *cough cough*, and no, I'm not jumping on a bandwagon. Some of the things I'm working on are from stories I've been writing for the past nearly 20 years, when that kind of thing wasn't published by any 'reputable' publishing house and such books were kept out of the reach of children, in hard-to-find areas of the bookstores. It's only been in recent years where erotica has been allowed to creep into romance, sci-fi, etc, in the mainstream customer base. And I'm so very glad!!! I can finally, FINALLY write the kinds of stories I've always wanted to write.

The simple truth is, I LIKE writing about sex. I love it when emotion and physical sensation swirl together into an incredibly intimate experience for the people involved. Very rarely will you see me write about sex without a relationship already in place, and almost never on casual sex or one-time 'hook ups'.

When sex is done right, it's awesome. When it's between people who genuinely like and respect each other, who love each other for all the right reasons, it's amazing. And in a story, when you throw in an extra heart or two... well, the more, the merrier!

Here's a sample, from my first book, Hearts of Ishira:

Shocked, she gasped and leaned back, looking at the two of them. Hunter stared at his brother for a moment, then grinned and nodded. As one, they rose. Hunter carried her back to their quarters and straight into his bedroom, her legs locked around his waist. She giggled all the way home. Jace stripped his clothes off as he went through the living area, then took over kissing her breathless as Hunter dumped her on the bed and took off his boots and pants. When the men were naked, they went to work on Arianna, leaving her gasping in constant surprise when one of them nipped a piece of flesh or kissed something he’d just bared to his view. Within minutes, they were all naked and she had a man on either side of her, looking down at her with twin expressions of desire.

“Oh, wow,” she whispered, looking up at both of them, her heart pounding in anticipation.

“If you do not wish this, little one,” Hunter breathed, his big, warm hand on her stomach. Jace was nibbling on her shoulder where it joined her neck, “Now is the time to say so.”

             She couldn’t speak, so how could she possibly say no? 

*   *   *   *

And a little bit later in the book:

Ri bit back a nervous giggle at their playacting, then choked on it when she felt Hunter’s long finger slide down her spine, not stopping at the bottom, but moving into the crack of her ass, dragging her gown down her hips as he did so. She sucked in a shivering cry as the finger continued right down until it slid neatly into her already wet core. Her head fell back as he sank his long finger into her depths and expertly dragged his fingertip over her G-spot, making her shudder in reaction with each firm pass. Her hips shivered and jerked involuntarily.

“What have you found there, brother?” Jace asked, his voice overly curious.

“I believe I have found an internal mechanism for making her wiggle,” Hunter said with delight. “Look, if I do this,” and he added another finger, using both of them to tickle her inner spot, “Her thighs shiver and her hips jerk.”

“Well, what if I were to do … this?” Jace asked, adding his finger to her core with no warning. She cried out, feeling so full, then again when Jace made another exaggerated sound of discovery, his thumb brushing over her clit. “I have found my own little mechanism! I wonder what happens if I push this little button right here...”

Her body bucked as he brushed his thumb over her clit again, and she cried out softly. He did it again and again, just for his own amusement. Her hips moved of their own accord and her channel pulsed around their fingers.

“I wonder what would happen if you work the inner one and I work the outer one?” Jace asked curiously.

“We should find out,” Hunter said decisively.

“For science, of course.” Jace affirmed. “We are dealing with an unknown species, after all. We must discover everything about the workings of her body, I think.”

“I think you’re right,” Hunter agreed. “On three?”

“Yes. One, two… three.”

The assault on her senses was devastating. Jace’s thumb circled her clit, then pressed, as both of their fingers slid back then delved into her, brushing firmly against her G-spot. Ri sobbed their names and trembled between their wonderful hands.

“Well, that was quite a reaction,” Jace said with satisfaction. “I wonder what else would make her twitch like that? She has an amazing nervous system. Everything seems to be connected in a very intriguing way.”

“I can see that,” Hunter said, playing along. “I wish to try something new that I read about in one of her books.”

Ri sucked in a ragged breath as his fingers left her, slowly moving to the tight little rosebud of her ass. He spread her juices around the little pucker. Ri’s heart threatened to leap from her chest when he dove two fingers back into her channel, moistening them and gathering more of her natural lubrication, then spreading it liberally on her anus. Her eyes met Jace’s, hers a bit apprehensive.

But Jace merely met her gaze and, when she would have jerked her hips away from Hunter’s  intrusion, he held them tight, leaning down to take her nipple between his sheathed teeth and bite down on the turgid peak. She let her head fall back as electric shock speared from her nipple straight to her groin, bringing her to a new level of throbbing awareness. Hunter used that moment of distraction to gently press his finger into her virgin ass, giving her a moment to adjust to the feeling.

He breathed softly into her ear. “Do you trust me, little one?”

Arianna hesitated, then nodded. She was anxious. She’d never done anal before, but she’d read about it and had been intrigued. Hunter moved his other hand around to splay on her tummy, holding her steady as his long finger delved further into her, loosening her. The pressure was… strange. She didn’t quite know what to make of it, but she wasn’t given much of a chance to think about it. Jace, seeing her distraction, began lavishing her breasts with attention, biting, sucking, and licking at her until she was a mass of throbbing need. While his mouth played with her nipples, his hand was working her below, two long fingers inside her, his thumb still torturing her sensitive clit. She reached her peak quickly, both orifices filled with their fingers, and felt the sensations of her walls gripping both of them tightly in orgasm. Her eyes flew open.

If it felt like that with just their fingers…

“Brother,” Jace said, watching her face with growing delight and hunger, “I believe she liked that.”

“I think you’re right,” Hunter groaned behind her, having sensed her intrigue and her curiosity.

She knew when he gave up the game, when need overtook play, and she found herself breathing faster with anticipation. 

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(A reader review from Barnes and Noble)

I might have to change my ID to AanReader. This was a terrific

I might have to change my ID to AanReader. This was a terrific read. Good storyline and great characters who make you care about what happens to them. Although...I may have to "adjust" my views on marriage. Still, if it works for the Thorsani.... OK, whens the next book? Write faster.
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www.bethanyaan.com

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*My blog-hop give-away will be for a free kindle or nook e-gift of my book, Hearts of Ishira!

*Prize will be chosen randomly from comments left on my blog. You have to do more than just say hi in order to qualify!

Just answer this question:
If you were the heroine of a sci-fi/fantasy romance/erotica, what would your 'super-power' be, and how many mates would you have? 

Remember... it's another world, with different rules and none of them involving who can mate with who, so be imaginative! :)

*Give-away ends at midnight on Halloween, so get your comments in by then!
*Prize will be sent out the week following contact with the winner.
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And thanks once more to Natasha Blackthorne, author, for hosting this wonderful hop!

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