30 April 2020

The Evernighties Weekly Blog Challenge - Week 18

City Living or Country?

I grew up in Southeast Missouri, in a country town. I call myself a hillbilly, although that's not entirely true. Growing up in a small town I've done some odd country things like night fishing, eating frog legs, and killed snakes with tongs and a butcher knife.

I couldn't wait to graduate school and explore the world.

A typical Sagittarius, I wanted to travel. My senior year in high school I moved from Missouri to Delaware. At the time, I thought this was fantastic. A stepping stone to spread my wings. And then I graduated and got married. All my plans to travel and see the world dried up. My marriage didn't last long. Only four years, and then I moved to from Maryland to Tennessee, then to Los Angeles. I lived in California for fourteen years and my boyfriend and in those years I traveled to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I finally was able to see the world.

I've lived in many places, and traveled across the USA several times. I now live in Las Vegas.

Would I go back to living in the country? Absolutely. When I retire and don't have to worry about making a steady paycheck. But the resources I need now are in the city. Plus, I have a teenager going to start high school in August.

I'll always be a country girl at heart, but city living is where I need to be right now. At least in Las Vegas I have the option of traveling over the southwest...in Utah, Ariazona, and ghost towns of Nevada.

29 April 2020

Wordsmith Wednesday... Why Erotica Romance?


I’ve had it all.  The raised eyebrows, the nose in the air, the disdain very present in the eyes.  Even the rolled eyes. Everything that screams disapproval.  All because I say I write erotica romance.  People can’t seem to get past the ‘erotica’ part of that statement and focus on the part that I’m published.  I write stories that are turned into professionally edited manuscripts with wonderful cover art, ISBN’d, copywritten, and marketed.  I work very hard to create characters that are real, flawed, and redeemed through love, all in the space of at minimum twenty thousand words.  My largest body of work so far has been about 157,000 words, which is 642 pages and represents two years of my time. 



And that book will probably never see the light of day.



Now, for anyone who has sat down to write down a story, carried it through days, weeks or even years to fulfillment, submitted to many (dozens) of publishing houses, received many (dozens) of rejections, revised under advice, changed or deleted characters or dialogue you love, resubmitted, to finally get one person who will give your work a chance…then lets talk.  Writing is a very solitary life because when submerged in my worlds I live in my imagination.  I hear the voices of my characters.  I dream the scenarios of their lives. 



And I do all of this working full time in retail, being a full time mother to a wonderful little boy, and maintain relationships with friends. I usually hike on weekends with my boyfriend and try to get in some exercise. Sometimes I sacrifice sleep, personal time and normal stuff that most people do in order to meet a deadline.



But I can’t NOT write.  I might explode if I’m not at my laptop trying to find a synonym for the words ‘gazed into his eyes’.  And why erotica romance?  Because I’m good at writing it.  The sex is graphic because the love is intense.  My stories are not about people who court each other, go to church on Sunday, and sleep in separate beds.  My stories are about people with problems…about an ex-soldier fighting PTSD, a woman who was raped at fifteen, a deaf woman trying to be normal, a woman dealing with the consequences of choices she made to deal with health problems.  These characters are raw.  Their emotions are encased in ice.  These people are helpless, hopeless…until love finds them.  So sex between these people and their partners isn’t going to have euphemisms like ‘manhood’ and ‘joined together in bliss’. 



What I write isn’t for everyone.  I know that.  Everyone has different tastes and opinions.  There are people out there who think the word ‘cock’ is vulgar.  Really, I get it.  But I am a writer.  I am a published author.  And I don’t deserve the eye roll.  None of us who write erotica romance do.  To my fellow sister and brother writers, I say give me more.  Give me more sex.  Give me more erotica.  Give me more happy-ever-afters.



Give me more.

26 April 2020

Blast From the Past...Run So Far by Elizabeth Monvey

When Kyle stumbles into a truck stop diner, he just wants a bit of time to try to remember the weekend that has changed his life. He meets trucker Delaney Vance and when the older man invites him to travel with him across the US, Kyle thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to relax and find his memories.  As the two men start to get comfortable with each other, unexpected emotions start to develop on both sides.  

Del is a man trying to forget the past and he’s done a pretty good job of it away from people, trucking for a living, and forgoing personal relationships.  But all of that changes as Kyle worms his way into Del’s heart. 

The past is about to catch up with both of them.  With Kyle’s memories come a difficult and scary decision to make…ruin his family or hide the truth.  Can Del help him navigate a future when he himself can’t shake the ghosts of his own past?

Excerpt:
      All through Del’s nightly ablution, Kyle feigned sleep, catching only glimpses through half-opened eyes of wet, tanned skin. When he climbed up to his bed wearing only low riding flannel pants, he revealed a heavily muscled chest and arms with a smattering of hair that tapered down and disappeared into the waistband. Several tattoos decorated his biceps and back, mostly military in design.
      Was it wrong to lust after a man he’d just met? Kyle had met lots of men he’d been instantly attracted to, but the impact Delaney Vance had on his senses was unlike anything he’d felt before. It made him hesitate, however, because he wasn’t sure if it was simply the situation that made the allure all that more potent. Still, he seemed to be in a constant state of arousal around Del and if he’d been alone, he would’ve taken his dick in hand and eased the pressure from his lustful thoughts.
     So instead of focusing on Del’s magnetism, he tried to steer his thought back to the problem that had landed him here. Once again, he tried to concentrate on the events that happened last weekend, going step by step through the time line. Somewhere along the way the fog had to clear so he could remember every detail and sent a silent curse to his cousin, Brian, for placing him in the situation in the first place. Had he known what Brian was up to that night he never would have tagged along. Of course, had he known what was going to happen, he would never have snapped the picture.
     But he had and he did.
      Kyle rolled over onto his side. He wished the night would last forever. Simply hide in Del’s rig and forget the outside world. Forget his family. Forget the picture in his camera.
What could he do now? What should he do?
      He could never go to the police back home because he couldn’t trust the police in Baltimore. But if he went to the police in Richmond, would they have jurisdiction rights?
     Did murder trump state lines?

24 April 2020

Flashback Friday ... The Alpha Gladiator (MF fantasy romance)


Warriors of the Arena, 1
Ravage is the fierce Alpha of his people, the Lycans. During the mating celebration, while their guards are down, his people are attacked and twelve are captured for the gladiator games of Kappuah, including Aleirah, the woman Ravage wants above all others.
He tries to resist, but he’s unwilling to see his men and his female harmed by the ruthless tyrants of the game. He must make the ultimate sacrifice of taking lives if he’s to protect his people.
But there is one secret no one knows, and Ravage is more than willing to show how some myths are based in truth, by letting his inner wolf come out to destroy all those who enslaved them.



Where to Buy


“I remember you from when we were children,” he murmured. 

“I remember you too,” she said softly.

He grinned, pleased with her answer.  She may deny that she wanted to be his mate, but the pheromones coming off her body indicated otherwise.  Aleirah found him desirable.  Whether or not she wanted to be his mate, her body had already begun changing to accept his claiming bite.  Now, he just had to get her to admit it, and he wasn’t above using seduction on his part.

He halted her by a big tree and pulled her around to face him.  He tilted her face up.  Even though he couldn’t see her in the absolute darkness under the branches, he traced her face with his fingertips.  Her breath hitched. A heady aroma wafted from her, not a true scent but one layered under the pheromones. Her arousal had spiked. He pressed his cock between her thighs to let her feel how hard she made him. 

Aleirah,” he whispered, a moment before he bent his head and captured her lips with his. One hand came up to hold her immobile while the other swept around her waist to pull her close to his chest. Ravage slid his tongue into her mouth to twine with hers, jolting a salacious moan from her.  She tasted like ambrosia, addictive and sweet.  When he broke the kiss, they were both panting.

“I want you,” he managed to say, although it was difficult to talk when his wolf clamored to take over. 

“Yes.” She gasped and pulled his head back to hers.


23 April 2020

The Evernighties Weekly Blog Challenge - Week 17

Excluding the usual no-nos, are there any topics you won't write about?

Yes, I won't write about BDSM. Not because I'm a prude or anything, but because it's a relationship dynamic that I'm not well versed in so I wouldn't be able to write about it truthfully.

I did write one book that had bondage in it, titled Paper Kisses. In the book, the heroine Alannah visits her hometown after twenty years. She's just broke up with her husband and is basically rudderless. There's so much going on in her head, she can't hear herself anymore. The hero is into bondage, and ties her up in order to bring all the chaotic thoughts in her head to a standstill. I did a lot of research on the book before writing it, and I hope that I did justice to that world. 

One of the best BDSM books I've ever read is "The Reluctant Dom" by Tymber Dalton. It's a gut wrenching story that is amazing. If you've not read it, I highly recommend it. 

If anyone is confused about the usual no-nos that's in the title, that means rape as a romantic element, any romantic story involving minors (under 18 years), and bestiality (not meaning shifter stories).  

22 April 2020

Wordsmith Wednesday...How to Write a Kiss


One of the things I have to do as a writer of erotica romance is describe the art of a kiss.  After all, a kiss is everything.  The dictionary defines a kiss as to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion.  How romantic does that sound, eh?  There is a Chinese Proverb that says “kissing is like drinking salted water, you drink and your thirst increases”.  After all, a first kiss represents the spark of love, the hope of the future, quivers in the belly, and tingly sensations all over the body. 



It should be easy, right?  Writing a kiss should be the easiest thing in the world for someone like me.  But capturing the beautiful act of kissing can be extremely difficult to describe.  A written kiss has to be just the right blend of romantic and Oh la la! with no hint of being wet, sloppy or smacking (as I’m sure we’ve all experienced at least once in our lifetime!)



In my first novel, Black Leather Pants, this is how I wrote Kiley and Penny’s first kiss:

Kiley's tongue slid into her mouth, twined with hers, danced, jolting a salacious moan from her. He explored each hidden corner. In and out he plunged, sweeping aside any doubt that this was exactly where she needed to be at this moment.”



Also, writing such a monumental step as a kiss in the love story of two people has to be stimulating for the reader.  It’s my job to not only write a believable love scene, but to bring that love scene to life.  So sometimes dragging out that first prolonged moment can be sweet torture. 



In A Silver Lining I wrote:   His hand hit the wall next to her head, trapping her. He leaned in so close that she felt his breath on her face. An answering need rose sharply inside her, and she itched to touch him, to bring his lips down upon hers. Fire ignited her blood. Her heart thumped almost painfully while her pussy creamed for the hard cock that pulsed through his heavy denims, pushing against her thigh. The overwhelming urge to fall to her knees and suck him into her mouth for a feast had her reeling.”



So how does a writer write a kiss?  We close our eyes and jump back to that first moment, when we experienced that soul shattering kiss that changed us forever.  We write them from our heart, from our hopes and wishes, we draw them out from every movie and book that turned us on.  We study kisses, deconstruct them, fantasize about them.  And we read…a lot!



While there are many ways to write a kiss, and many different scenarios to engage in a kiss, perhaps the most rewarding is that kiss when the happily ever after starts.  Love stories start with a kiss, and though they may not end specifically with one, the reader knows that the kiss is there, waiting in our imagination when we turn the last page.


19 April 2020

Blast From the Past...Dark Journey by Elizabeth Monvey

Cax, Alisander and Hark are mated, but the true test of their devotion for each other awaits.  

The three warriors must face the challenge of joining the Mercenary Guild.  Since their union is unusual, they must undergo a test, one that will show if they are worthy of being Mercenaries.  

A potion sends them into an alternate world where they each must confront an inner demon.  
Ali must find his warrior self, Hark is sent to confront the dragon he never got to slay, and Cax can’t stand the thought of losing either mate, until he is sent into a battle with both Hark and Ali needing help.  He must choose one, but how can he?  

It is a journey each must face…alone.
 1)      How long did it take you to write?
Dark Journey is a continuation of a story I wrote years ago. It’s part two of my book Dark Rider. I loved writing this very medieval type story set in a fantasy world. As a whole, it needed work, so I broke them into two stories which made it easier to manage the narrative.
     
      2)      Do you have a writing quirk, or a habit when you write?
I like to listen to classical music or soundtracks when I write. Music puts me into a certain mindset which evokes emotion, which allows me to tap into the soul of the story.
     
      3)      How do you keep yourself motivated to finish your stories?
My book sales are a supplement to my incomes, so my motivation is a monetary one, but also, I love completing a story. Of getting what’s in my head onto paper.






When Lord Hark is stabbed, his uncle, the Governor of Eyvindar, hires a Mercenary to protect his heir. Hark resents having a babysitter, but when he meets Cax he’s unprepared for the spark of attraction between them.

Cax is a Mercenary, living by the code of his Guild. He is hired to protect Hark, even though it seems Hark’s biggest enemy is himself as he drowns in moon-ivy wine every day. But Cax can’t deny his attraction to the warrior, nor can he deny his attraction to Hark’s loyal servant, Alisander.

Alisander has been by Hark’s side almost his whole life. He is in love with Hark, pining over the impossibility of their relationship, but when he meets Cax he sees a future away from the servant life he’s been confined to—and even more than that in the Mercenary’s arms.

They are all three from different walks of life but manage to find love. Yet they need to discover the truth of the threat closing in on Hark, before it’s too late.


17 April 2020

Flashback Friday...In A Chord (MFM menage romance)





Keaton Gates and Ashland Lance are lovers and musicians in a band called Endymion. Keaton believes there is something missing, not only from the sound of their music, but also in their lives. When he hears Momo Willows singing Endymion’s signature song, he knows she’s the muse he’s been waiting for.

At first, Ash Lance is jealous of the new girl in Keaton’s life until he meets her. Momo is unlike anyone he’s ever met and they soon discover that they connect on many levels. But he’s reluctant to take her away from Keaton just as Momo refuses to come between them.

Keaton is quick to assure them he wants all three of them to learn to be in a ménage relationship, but as they learn how to live and love together, another threat is moving between them, threatening to take Momo away….forever.



Where to Buy



“Keaton, Momo and I…we, um, kissed.”
He saw Keaton shoot a look at Momo, then down at her hand on his knee, then back to Ash. “What?”
“Keaton,” Momo murmured, shame shining on her face. “It just happened and I’m so sorry. There’s something tangible between he and I, just like I felt toward you, and that’s why I don’t think I can be with you—”
“She knows about us,” Ash interrupted her, picking up her hand. He saw Keaton’s gaze follow the gesture. “She doesn’t want to get between us.”
“What?” Keaton said again, his tone going a bit deeper.
“She figured it out but it felt right to tell her.” He ran an agitated hand through his hair. Momo took her hand back and placed it in her lap. “Keaton, man, I don’t know what to say.”
He sat silent for a moment, obviously thinking things over. “Is that why you tried to bail earlier?”
She nodded.
“Is that all you did? Just kiss?”
“Yeah. That’s it, I swear. I mean, I wanted to do more, but I know she’s your girl—”
“Ash, it’s okay.”
Ash waited because he knew something more had to be coming. If Keaton were to tell him to stand and take a punch, he would be jumping up and bracing himself.
“No, Ash, it’s really okay,” Keaton assured him.
Ash saw the surprise he felt mirrored on Momo’s face. Keaton just smiled at them.
“For a while I knew that something was missing in our lives,” Keaton continued. “Not between you and me because I love you, you know, but I knew there was something out of place. I just didn’t know what, and then, when I heard Momo sing, when I talked to her and heard her passion for our music, it all kind of clicked.”
“What clicked?”
“That missing element in our music, in our lives, was her.”

Be Warned: menage sex (MMF), anal sex, spanking, m/m sex


16 April 2020

The Evernighties Weekly Blog Challenge - Week 16

Online Shopping or Go to Stores?

For every day things, like groceries?

Go to stores.

But to get the hard-to-find items, I prefer to shop online. Like vitamins. My doctor wanted me to take fish oil for high triglycerides, but I can't stand the fishy after-taste. Even the so-called "burb free" ones have a bad taste. Then I discovered that hemp oil caps have just as much good omega oil, so I switched over. I researched and found a hemp oil capsule I really like and I order that every three months. Between that and Red Yeast Rice capsules, my cholesterol and triglycerides have gone significantly down.

Anyway, the whole purpose of that diatribe was to say that you can't find hemp oil capsules at Walgreens, so I order online.

I do almost all my Christmas shopping online.

Yes, I know, small business and all that, but unfortunately, the way of the future isn't small business. It's not even big business like WalMart. It's going to be online shopping. I work in retail and our store has a tremendously high rate of theft it's ridculous. I'm afraid stuff like that, on top of high overhead, will be what drives retail stores right out the door.


15 April 2020

New Release by CR Moss!

Thank you for having me on your blog! I’m happy to share with you and your readers my latest release.
First is some information about the series and the book…



About the Series
Nestled within the hills of central Texas is a special ranch. A place that defies the laws of physics—that of time, space, and dimensions. It’s a place where normal morphs with the paranormal and supernatural. A place that seems to know what a person’s true desires and needs are, and then allows the right circumstances to occur to fulfill those wishes.
Welcome to the Gateway Ranch.
Your gateway to all things possible…


Q&A

Q) Is your book part of a series?  If so, can you tell us about it?

~ The inspiration for the Gateway Ranch series stemmed from a trip Jo & I went on where we stayed on a working ranch. There were ranchers/cowboys, horses, trail rides, campfires, cattle, and food cooked outside. Our muses started asking, "What if?" When we returned home with a handful of ideas, we went to Austyn and said, "Guess what we're going to write about." From there we started brainstorming and writing stories. Granted, that took place a decade ago and the stories and series have morphed since then. My first book, To Be Yours, had been previously published under the title Wild West Weekend, but I explained the changes in a letter in the book and why it’s more like new than old. To Be His had also been previously published as, Keep You Safe, for a short time in a multi-author anthology, but as I did with the first book, I reworked TBH to fit the Gateway Ranch world. Austyn Sherrie, Johanna Riley, and I also made the ranch have a supernatural aspect to it so we could add our own spins to our own stories that take place at the GR. More information can be found here: https://threeflamespublishing.com/books/gateway-ranch-series/

Q) What type of research did you do for your book?

~ Like I mentioned in the other question, some of our inspiration stemmed from a trip Jo & I went on where we stayed on a working ranch, so it was first-hand info. Then there were a lot of google searches in regard to the abuse and police aspect.

Q) Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

~ Each book in this series should be able to stand on its own, but I am including subtle connections between each just because the stories are taking place at the same location and around the same time period.

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

~ My next book, To Be Mine, will be another republish of a story I’d written ages ago. I’m taking out the northeast references and setting it in the Gateway world. TBM will be another Contemporary Romantic Suspense. After that, I’ll put out two time travels and some chick lit stories set in the ranch world. One of the time travels will be a revamp of a previously published story called Wild West Hauntings and be like new. Lots to look forward to in this series!


About the Book

To Be His by C.R. Moss
I’m Professor Arianna Perez, and I’ve been asked if I’ll ever trust, let alone love, another man again. After dumping an abusive boyfriend, I doubted I would. At least, that’s how I felt until fate had sexy wrangler, Gavin Bishop, reappearing in my life in a way I never expected.

Against my better judgement, I fell hard for the cowboy, believing everything he said, including how he wanted to treat me like a queen and keep me safe. Little did I know, though, that the circumstances that brought us together could also tear us apart…
And possibly claim my life.

Now a peek into the story…

Excerpt for To Be His by C.R. Moss

Smiling, I studied him some more. Every time I looked at his chiseled chest and the strip of hair going in a line from his belly button to a spot hidden by his jeans, my heart fluttered. Sure, I’d seen a lot of him in class, but this was just the two of us.

This was intimate.

I wanted to run my fingers along his skin. Play with the patch of hair. See where my caresses would lead to. I wanted to create with him. I’d felt this way with other boyfriends, even Chad, but never had the urge been so strong. Nor had I been able to gather the courage to do anything about it in the past. Except once. When my relationship with Chad had started imploding, a friend of mine gave me an art kit, one designed to help couples grow closer to each other. I’d shown it to Chad. He’d then called the gift, my idea, and me stupid, telling me I must be an idiot to think he’d be interested in such a “childish, preposterous activity.”
Asking him if he thought my career were those things, as well, spurred on a multi-hour argument that ended with him leaving and not returning for two nights. When he’d finally come home, he’d seemed remorseful and promised to do better by me. He had, too. For a couple of weeks. But we never had used the present.

Now would be a good time to make some new memories surrounding those art supplies.
After all, I seemed to have a very willing participant, who happened to be gorgeous in my opinion, beautifully proportioned in a trim, well-toned way, and desired little ol’ me. Gavin wanted me, had admitted to dreaming and fantasizing about me. Despite my concerns about our ages and how we used to know each other, I realized I felt the same about him.
I hungered for him.

“God, I want to paint you,” the awed words fell from my mouth before I could stop them.

“Thought that’s what we’re doing,” Gavin responded.

Clearing my throat, I jerked my attention from him, went to my paints, and faked looking for one. “Well, yes, but…” Spit it out, girl. Be brave. Have some fun. Gathering my resolve, I continued, “I want to get out a gift a friend of mine had given me a while back. It contains non-toxic paints. This way I can paint you. Use you as both palette and canvas. And, if you’re up for it, you can paint me.”
An impish grin stretched his face. “Sounds interesting. What do we need to do?” 



Buy To Be His by C.R. Moss here…

About the author…
Author Bio
An eccentric and eclectic writer, C.R. Moss pens stories for the mainstream and erotic romance markets, giving readers a choice of sweet, savory or spicy reads, usually within a sub-genre or two — paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy, time travel, or western flare. She also has a passion for penning dark fiction. Writing as Casey Moss, she delves into the darker aspects of life in her work, sometimes basing the stories on reality, sometimes on myth. No matter the path, her stories will take you on a journey from the lighthearted paranormal to dark things unspeakable. What waits around the corner? Come explore…

Author Links