Q & A with Ian Smith!

Hello Ian!  Thank you so much for visiting Written Butterfly with me today!  It’s such a pleasure to chat with you.  So tell me…

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters?

Good question, and not easy to answer! I first created two of them in a 200-word flash fiction story, which proved to be a niggling idea I couldn’t help but think about.

I decided to let them “out to play” in a couple of short stories, and these let my imagination loose on the characters. I decided it might be fun to have a nice guy with the sort of physique which would almost always make him a dominant or alpha, involved with two women he finds really attractive and who are actually calling the shots.

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

It’s the second book in a series called “Merely Players”. Yes, that’s knicked from Shakespeare! My idea is that their three-way relationship develops across the series. There will probably be six stories in all, each related to a TV show they’re all working on. The first three books have been published and I’m well on the way to a complete first draft of number four. I’ve tried to make each as stand-alone as possible, but the later ones inevitably refer to the earlier ones. This is the story in which their three-way romantic relationship starts, after some angst. You’ve got to have angst in a romance, haven’t you?

Q) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

It’s a mixture of both. I don’t write notes or outlines, but I do think about my ideas for a while before sitting down to write. As I write, I try to let my imagination take over. As I worked on the first story, my ideas about one of the characters changed and I let these shape the dynamics of this second story. It’s an interesting challenge sometimes having two female characters, as I want to make them both seem “real” and have different personalities.

Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your books?

It varies a lot, but I’ve found that having a relevant “real life” experience to inform a scene does seem to help. For instance, I’ve been a keen horse-rider for years, so I can slip in details which make my character’s experience seem more plausible. My idea about the character being a jousting performer came from watching some genuine jousting displays, and I was treated to a “jousting 101” day as a birthday gift. I wanted my character to use a longbow, so I went along for a “taster day” and found a new hobby

Q) What are your upcoming projects?

Chipping away at book four in the series, but I’ve also got a completely unrelated draft 50k novel in revision, another half-written novel I want to return to, and another completely new idea niggling at me to work on it, and two other ideas for novels which would be developed from short stories Ive already written...

  

Blurb

 Paul is Hayley's lover and now her leading man. But acting and portraying a hero on a period TV show takes far more than a suit of armour. He's totally out of his depth, personally and professionally.

Help arrives with dramatic lessons in leadership and courage, when strange events put him and his friends in harm's way.

Hayley's happy when her best friend Becky books hotel rooms with a bed big enough for three, which confuses Paul. Sorting out their relationships is even scarier than acting, jousting, and stunt fighting in front of the camera.

Life doesn't imitate art. Life shoulders art out of the way. Discovering a secret threatens Paul's trust in Hayley and Becky, and forces him to face his doubts and fears. He must decide if it's braver to walk away, or ask for honest answers. Even if they may break his heart.

Excerpt (18 rated)

I slid my hands under her tee shirt and managed to undo her bra fairly slickly. Well, for me. She sat up, wriggled, and somehow removed her bra through one sleeve without lifting her top. She threw the bra aside, took my hands and placed them on her breasts. Through her soft cotton top, they felt lovely in my hands and her nipples were firm little buds. She looked down at me with something approaching open lust as I fondled her breasts. And she shifted her hips around, teasing my constrained erection.

"Can't decide whether I want to take you, or have you take me," she murmured.

"Suppose I get all overenthusiastic? You know, forceful and pushy."

She grinned at me. "You? Mister gentle and thoughtful?"

I pulled her down onto me and rolled us over so I was on top. I straddled her thighs and pinned her hands on either side of her head. "So? Who says I can't be thoughtfully pushy, too?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Prove it, big boy."

I pulled her arms up and held both her wrists with one hand, then tugged her tee shirt up. She wriggled to help me pull it over her head, but I left her arms in it, not quite trapped, but restricted. While she giggled and struggled with that, I unfastened her jeans and tugged them down to the top of her panties, then I rolled to one side and pulled her clothing down as far as I could.

"You're cheating," she grumbled, throwing her tee shirt to the floor.

"How am I cheating?"

"I can't put up a decent fight, but I want you be all forceful and overpower me. And I'm half-naked but you're still fully dressed."

"Well, let's sort that out." I jumped up and stripped quickly.

Hayley got into her bed and grabbed the duvet to stop me getting in with her. But she didn't try all that hard, and squealed when I won and threw the duvet back. We cuddled and giggled, then she stroked my face tenderly.

"Paul, I know you're very conscious of being a lot bigger and stronger than me, and I love it that you try to be gentle. And you're probably trying to avoid me feeling too dominated. But sometimes I want you to be a bit rougher. Like we were in that feed room last night. I know you won't hurt me and if I want to give in to you, that's not you dominating me." She kissed me gently and ran her fingers through my hair, all the way from my forehead to where it was spread across my shoulders. "Sometimes, I just want to feel that you're completely hugging me, every little bit of me."

I took both her hands in one of mine, stretched her arms up above her head and kissed her slowly and deeply. "Yellow and red, okay?"

She nodded and smiled shyly.

Buy links

Universal Amazon link - myBook.to/KCMP2

Fireborn - http://bit.ly/2bULeWN

Smashwords - http://bit.ly/2bJtBgv

Kobo - http://bit.ly/2c0rT6c

B&N Nook - http://bit.ly/2bY4X99

Bookstrand - http://bit.ly/2c6nGRR

To date, 10 reviews have been posted on Amazon.com, all giving my book four or five stars.

Author links

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ian.d.smith.writer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ians2005

E-mail: ians2005@gmail.com

Biography

I'm a professional scientist by day, madcap writer in my spare time. I’ve lived in various parts of England, and am now settled in Cornwall, in the south-west corner of England. Not far from Poldark country, and only a few miles from the real Jamaica Inn.

My education was obviously science-based, but I've always been a keen reader - thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, a few classics, and even some romances.

My writing started with scientific papers and technical reports, but one day I knew I wanted to do something different. I started writing general interest factual articles and giving public talks. Then I decided to try fiction and joined a constructive critiquing group, whose feedback convinced me to stick at it.

To date, I’ve had three novellas published by Fireborn, and six short stories published in anthologies.

Where the Hell Am I?...Amboy CA

We took my car on this drive because it has good gas mileage and Mike’s truck doesn’t. I thought we were heading back to California to the volcano at the lava tubes (previous post), but much to my surprise, he directed me away from Interstate 15 once we crossed over from Nevada into California.  At this point, I had no idea where we were headed.

One thing I’ve learned once you go off the beaten path is that the further you descend into the unknown, the weirder things become.  Our trip to Rachel, Nevada for instance.  We stopped to get a bite to eat in the Lil’ Alieen’ Inn. I swear they were trying to serve me alien meat instead of roast beef.  I’ve never seen anything so shiny green in my life.  But I digress…

Several hours after our start, we pull into this tiny area that had a broken hotel, a café that didn’t

serve any food (except the prepackaged snack kind) and a post office. The post office declared it Amboy, California and it was only then that I realized what we were exploring.  The Amboy crater! 

It is hikes like this one where I challenge myself, because even though it was an easy mile to tread from the parking lot to the bottom of the extinct volcano, the problem was the hike to the top.  I am scared of heights, and it’s not the oh I’m so scared but I’m still going to ride the rollercoaster kind of scared but the I’m the breaking down into tears can’t move kind of scared.  However, I don’t want this fear to stop me from doing what I love doing, which is exploring with Mike.  I tackled the accent with the same mantra that I use whenever I want to climb…one foot at a time, don’t look behind.  If I concentrate on my feet, I can get through it.

Reaching the summit, I stepped into the center.  Yes, the volcano has long been extinct, and there’s no danger of it suddenly erupting.  But it was so amazing to walk through the part that had blown off a millennia ago. People had created drawings out of the rocks and I always respect other’s art. I even added a rock to the one of the designs to add my own energy.  Mike went ahead of me and climbed to the brim, and I wanted to do the same. But halfway up, I messed up my mantra and looked to the side, and I realized how high I was.  My concentration was shot and I froze. My brain kept screaming to move but my body was on safety mode.  If I was a turtle I’d have withdrawn into my shell.  Mike asked if I needed help but I said no. I wanted to move past this on my own.

Eventually I did, and I reached the brim. I had conquered the fear instead of letting it conquer me…this time. Every hike, every climb is different and I can’t promise myself that I’ve beaten this gameshow called acrophobia, but I’ll definitely play another round of it soon.

I took my obligatory photo from the top and then sat down on my butt and scooted the entire path

down.  I wore denims because I knew something like this was possible. I take away the center of gravity so I feel safer by sliding down on my butt.  I’m so thankful for Mike for understanding and lets me navigate this fear the way I need to in order to handle it. He’s an amazing partner in life.

 

Amboy might not be much to some people, but I found it really cool to explore. I hope you like the video I made, so make sure to follow the link at the bottom. And please come back next Sunday for another adventure with us!

Thanks for visiting! If you'd like to see the video I made of this trip, just click the link:

https://youtu.be/9MFs3b4UqSI

Need a Spring Fling? Come check out this Romance Collection featuring Lynn Burke!

Spring Fling

A romance collection

Winter is fading into the distance and the season of love is upon us.

With desires building, passion explodes in this collection of steamy and must-read romances.

Come and join us, won’t you? Spring is in the air…

 Featured Stories:

Bossy Boots by Nicole Morgan

Hero by Stacy-Deanne

Inner Girl Rising by Jan Springer

An Unexpected Twist by Krista Ames

Love Potion by Cara Marsi

Fiery Kisses by Khardine Gray

Mister Write Now by Nikky Kaye

The Millionaire by Lisa Marbly-Warir

Why Not by Dana Kenzi

Without Reservation by Lynn Burke

Tempting Asher by Ja’Nese Dixon

Without Reservation

Sandy Ridge #1

by Lynn Burke

MMF Contemporary Romance

 Art studio vandalized and her mother in a fresh grave, Meg Winters heads off on vacation with her two best friends. She hopes for peace from her grief and the return of her muse. She doesn’t expect to run into the two men she idolizes, Trevor and Jack, the secretive wonders of the art world whose work she’s long admired.

She certainly doesn’t expect them to be sex-on-legs gorgeous and determined to fulfill her number one sexual fantasy.

They not only awaken her slumbering body, but also her creativity and the life she used to wield with her brushes. However, Meg carries a secret of her own which holds her back from surrendering herself fully to their desires. Will Trevor and Jack be able to overcome her reservations, or will the truth of her past ruin their chance for love?

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM WITHOUT RESERVATION!

Meg’s feet moved on their own accord, turning her around. She grabbed her pen flashlight and the throw off the foot of her bed to cover her nakedness, slipped on her flip flops, and made her way silently out of her room and toward the back door. It closed with a click behind her.

Heart racing and the inside of her lip between her lower lip, she picked her way through the blueberry bushes, her gaze flitting to the lit bedroom window. The floodlight flared to life as she stepped up onto their patio.

Their back door opened before she reached it, and she pulled up short.

Jack stood in the doorway, shirtless, his jeans slung low on his hips.

The silence rang in Meg’s ears as energy crackled between the short distance separating them.

“Just one night,” she finally whispered, her need moving her forward.

Jack opened the door wide and stepped back, his hazel eyes glued to her while holding his hand out.

She slipped her hand into his while crossing the threshold, and he tugged her forward into his arms. Jack’s full lips swiped across hers, slow and completely knee-weakening. The flashlight clanked as it fell to the floor beside them. Meg sagged against his hard chest and grasped at his back with her free hand, her hold on the throw covering her slipping enough it fell from her shoulders.

He licked the seam of her lips, and Meg opened with a sigh.

A groan sounded from beside them, but Meg was lost to the taste of Jack’s sweetness, inhaling his exhales as their tongues sought the other’s taste.

The door clicked shut behind Meg, and Trevor pressed against her back, his lips finding her neck, his hands grasping the flare of her hips, keeping the slipping throw from swishing to the ground and leaving her naked.

Jack’s hands tangled in her hair, angling her head to deepen their kiss.

Wetness coated her thighs, and she wiggled between the two hard bodies, needing to find the release she’d been riding the edge of since making her decision to give in.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since I first saw you,” Trevor whispered against her ear, tugging the blanket from around her.

Jack released her lips and tilted his forehead against hers. “God, yes.” He grabbed her ass and picked her up, and Meg wrapped her legs around his waist, her soaked core settling against the hard ridge inside his jeans.

Face buried in Jack’s neck, breathing in the woodsy remnants of his cologne, Meg gave over to the shivers of nerves pebbling her skin and sending tremors through her body. “I’ve never done this before,” she whispered against his skin. “Don’t worry.” Jack strode across the living room and toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. “We’ll take good care of you. Promise.” 

ABOUT LYNN BURKE 

Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.

Website: https://www.authorlynnburke.com/
Blog: http://authorlynnburke.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Lynn-Burke-555282497937461/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLynnBurke

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Where the Hell Am I?...Kaiser Springs AZ

   Sometimes you just want to take it easy, and that’s exactly what this hike was.  An easy, fun day trip into Arizona.  Mike’s brother, Matt, joined us, so I didn’t video tape anything just in case he didn’t want to be on camera.

 Our first sight of Kaiser Springs had been last year, when Mike and I took an amazing trip to his old military stomping grands at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista.  He kept a mental memory of the placard he saw on the side of the freeway, offering a nice little reprieve from more of the daunting hikes we’ve scaled.  The drive was about three hours, located outside this little town called Wikieup, and which calling it a “town” is a stretch. We ate lunch in this diner that was owned by one of those conspiracy theory nuts who was proud to boast of his shooting skills, so make sure you don’t try to steal anything.  Surprisingly, however, the food wasn’t half bad, and we left to hike on a full stomach. 

 It was a bright, sunny day, so the sun beating down made the air warm. To get down to the path, the first hurdle is climbing down a rock face to reach the canyon path below.  It was fairly easy, but you must pay attention where you put your feet.  Once down, you are in a wash, so if you go on a rainy day please note these canyons can be hazardous from flash floods.  On sunny days, however, the heat is trapped between the walls so make sure to bring extra water.

 The path is easy to hike, and prevents some amazing views. About forty-five minutes later, you reach the hot springs. The water trickles out of the rock to soak the ground, meandering through grass and mud to eventually meet up with a small river.  The water here is ice cold. I took off my boots and socks and put my feet in, only to pull them out seconds later.  It’s the bone freezing cold that actually hurts. Mike and Matt went off boulder hopping but I stayed behind on a rock and took a ten minute nap.  With the sun above, the sound of rushing water, and weariness from the hike settling in, I relaxed almost immediately. 

 Once the boys came back, we decided to head home.  All along the path were droppings I thought

belonged to wild horses or perhaps burrows (like we have in NV), but as we rounded a bend, we saw a wild cow (more accurately a bull with no horns). Now, I have no idea if cows/bulls can be wild but as far as I knew, there weren’t any ranches around. We were on Federal land. So, either the bull was wild or managed to escape from his home.  In any case, we stood calmly as he passed by us, giving us the stink-eye. 

If you’re looking for fun and easy, this is definitely the hike to take.  Make sure to check out my video on the trip! 

To watch the video click the link: https://youtu.be/gPeQ-SROthk

Thanks for stopping by! Come back next Sunday for another adventure with Mike & Beth!

So Why Write Erotica?

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   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. 

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.

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.

Where the Hell Am I? ...Goldstrike Hot Springs Trail

When you think of Nevada, gold and silver comes to mind. In gambling, in mining, and in being a beautiful state. I suppose some people wouldn’t like the barren landscape, especially if you’re used to seeing grass and trees and having humidity, but I find the starkness of the Nevada skyline breathtaking.

So having a hiking trail by the name of Goldstrike popped up on our radar, Mike and I were like “Heck, yeah!” (Although we used more colorful metaphors).

Goldstrike Hot Springs Trail starts off easy. A nice path of packed sand and gravel, through a winding

weave in a wide canyon. We did have a moment of utter disbelief as we came across the wreckage of two cars and a SUV (or truck), flipped upside down and flattened.  The horror dawning as we realize that the only way they could be there was as if someone drove them off the nearby freeway. I’ve never seen anything like this and it made me very sad.

Once past that sight (knowing we’d have to walk past them once more to reach our truck), we reached the part where the easy path turns hard.  A landslide of boulders (nicknamed the Boulders of Death) blocks the path and must be traversed with care.  It’s very easy to twist an ankle or even break a leg.  It’s here that you’ll find the first rope to help you scale down this massive roadblock.

After that you’ll face the Wall of Doom, which has no rope so brace yourself and expect a long jump to the bottom.  About a quarter of the way in, we come across a bookshelf of water and food (remember this reference).  Now, anyone who knows me knows I have a massive fear of heights. The paralyzing and debilitating kinds, so I knew I would be pushing my fear boundary with this hike. The first major rope scale came not too long after this, a drop of about six feet.  Not bad, not great. But some nice person at some point, put notches in the stone to help those of us slightly handicapped to get down this obstacle.

Feeling proud of myself, I follow Mike to the hot springs, and this beautiful natural springs coming from the ground and rests at a nice hundred degree Fahrenheit. As we move further down the path, the hard trail suddenly turns very difficult as we reach a plateau that overlooks a huge stepping stone of boulders that go down, down, down to reach the lake at the end of the trail. And this is where we run into a lot of people because these next couple of ropes are hard to get up and down.  Mike spent a good ten minutes just helping other women and girls come up.  It was at this point I decided to call it quits because we were waiting for a good half hour just to go down the fifth rope. We did manage it, but it was on a wet, slippery boulder that gave no quarter.

 Remember, on this hike, what goes down must come up.

So up we went, heading back to end the hike that has thus far pushed me physically and mentally as I had to overcome several moments of heart palpitating fear.  Mike has always been my rock (no pun intended!) and has helped me breathe through these moments by letting me know he’s there if I need him.  Being afraid of heights can be embarrassing and exhausting. I’m lucky to have such a wonderful partner in life.

On our way back to the parking lot, we pass by the bookcase of water and realize that we’ve gone

through our entire stash of H2O. Now we understand why the hikers before us erected this precious stand. The final push to our truck did us in. We kept stopping to catch our breath, while being passed by young Millennials and the Generation Z pack, not feeling old at all! I think it took us twice as long to get back because my legs were shaky and my arms felt like noodles after traversing the ropes upward (thank goodness no pics were taken of Mike pushing my ass up those f**king boulders!

Would I go back?...absolutely! This has become of my favorite hikes. Unfortunately, the trail is only open through the winter months so I probably won’t be back until fall. I may not have made that last rope but it’ll give me something to strive for next time.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THIS HIKE: https://youtu.be/UCNl3zvNO2c

Thanks for visiting! Come back next Sunday for another adventure with us!

Mike & Beth

Where the Hell Am I? ...Lava Tubes in National Mojave Preserve California

It started out with, "Where would you like to go Saturday?"

Most of the time I ask the question and let Mike take the lead, doing the research on where we should go adventuring next. He loves the hunt for the next interesting hike, whether it be a hard one or something easy to traverse.

He also uses the app All Trails.

Today we headed to California, down Interstate 15, stopping in Baker to grab some lunch, use the bathroom, and buy a lottery ticket.  Of course we have to buy a ticket -we don't have the Powerball in Nevada.  Once I won $391.

Baker, CA is famous (or infamous) for having the tallest thermometer in the world and for the Mad Greek Café, which was feature in the movie "Play it to the Bone". It's also home to Alien Jerky, which looks cool but it's just regular beef jerky.


Anyway...after our pit stop we head east on Kel Baker Rd, a nice paved road that we eventually have to leave and turn onto a dirt road.  Those of you that have cars can certainly take it on this road, but you might come to regret it since lava rocks gradually encroach onto the road.

If you've never seen lava rock, it's pumice...basically black, porous rock that is lightweight but is usually a bitch to walk upon since it likes to roll.  I'll warn everyone to be mindful of your footfalls so you don't twist your ankles.

Follow the road all the way down and you'll see a small sign pointing toward the lava tube. A small parking lot is at the end.  It's only about a hundred feet to the fork where you should take a right, and be careful of the holes.  These holes will be where you'll be walking underground.


After taking a quick detour to the base of the nearby extinct volcano that Mike has affectionately dubbed "Beth's Boob", we decide that hiking it will have to wait another day.  When we leave the dirt road, instead of going immediately back to Interstate 15, we head south east to a town called Cima, where all that's there is a mysterious train depot where many cars were parked.  Where does the train go? And where did all these people come from?

Along our way back to Las Vegas, we stop by The Mojave Cross, a memorial erected to honor those
who gave their lives in war.

So ended our short, but fun adventure through part of the Mojave Desert.



To see the video of today's adventure. click:
https://youtu.be/mTDMdK4cqEE