Cassandra Carr update, or why I’m losing my mind…

I figure every now and then I should give an update on what’s going on in my writing world. And hey, now’s as good a time as any, so here goes!

I’ve been busy so far in 2013 with releases, awards and appearances! Starting in mid-ShouldveKnownBetter 300 Cassandra Carr update, or why Im losing my mind...January I had a string of releases, including Only You, an anthology from Cleis Press; Unexpected Top, a novella that was part of the Ellora’s Cave special sub call titled Ball and Chain and received a four a half star review from RT Magazine; A Spanking Good Time, an anthology which tells a story two different ways, from Sybarite Seductions; Fondled and Gobbled: Someone Had to Do It, an anthology that’s book 1 in a series from Ellora’s Cave; See the Light, my first m/m book, released through Loose Id; Velocity, book four in the Buckin’ Bull Riders series; and Should’ve Known Better, a contemporary non-erotic sports romance from Twenty or Less Press.

Also, my book Cold As Ice won Best Book of 2012 in the Menage and More category of The Romance Reviews’ annual awards and Collision was a nominee in the Western category. I won three Sizzling CC SeeTheLight coverlg Cassandra Carr update, or why Im losing my mind...Awards, including Favorite Author, and was nominated for another award through Mary’s Menage Whispers blog.

I returned from RT Convention a few weeks ago and will be at Ellora’s Cave Romanticon in October, where Ann Mayburn and I will present Zero to Hero: How to Make Your Hero a Hero in Bed. Next year I’m committed to attend the Wild Wicked Weekend in San Antonio in February, where I’ll be co-sponsoring a major event with fellow authors Cara Carnes and Rebecca Royce, and RT in New Orleans, where I’ll be part of at least one panel.

As far as projects go, I sold a Quickie titled On Display to Ellora’s Cave for their Exotika line and I’m waiting to hear about a couple of others. I’m also participating in a special project with Decadent Publishing. In the pipeline (read: to be written), are: Underneath It All (Rob from Should’ve Known Better’s story); Inertia (book five in the Buckin’ Bull Riders series); Hiding in Plain Sight (second male/male story) and a bunch of other things.

Whew!

To learn more about me or my books, check out my website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com. You can also “like” me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr or follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.

Posted in A Spanking Good Time, Ann Mayburn, Blatant Self Promotion, Cara Carnes, Cold As Ice, Collision, Fondled and Gobbled, Only You, Rebecca Royce, See the Light, Should've Known Better, Unexpected Top, Velocity | 3 Comments

Thursday Thirteen 5/23/13- 13 Unusual Emotions to Make Your Writing Pop

Most writers are familiar with emotions like anger, happiness, or lust. But there are many emotions writers don’t use as often and thus can be very powerful when they do. I’m taking these from the awesome resource for writers called The Emotion Thesaurus. Do pick up a copy today!

1. Agitation:

Physical signals- hands moving in jerky motions, gaze darting from place to place, throat clearing, pacing

Internal sensations- excessive saliva, short & fast breaths, sweating

Mental responses- compounding mistakes, lying

Cues of suppressed agitation- making excuses, shifting attention to others

Agitation may escalate to- annoyance, frustration, anxiety, anger

2. Conflicted:

Physical signals- a smile that wavers, struggling to find the right words, soft head shaking

Internal sensations- tightness in the chest, sinking feeling in the stomach

Mental responses- seeking information, weighing pros and cons

Cues of suppressing the feeling of being conflicted- suggesting that a break is needed to regroup, making a joke to lighten the mood

Conflict may escalate to- confusion, overwhelmed, frustration, anxiety

3. Defeat:

Physical signals- chin lowering to one’s chest, becoming quiet or non-responsive, a long sigh

Internal sensations- heart thudding in the chest, lack of energy, a lump in the throat

Mental responses- a desire to be alone, feeling of shame, worrying that others will be disappointed

Cues of suppressed defeat- false bravado, using anger to feed strength

Defeat may escalate to- resignation, depression, shame, humilation

4. Eagerness:

Physical signals- speaking in a loud tone, rubbing the hands together, sitting on the edge of a chair

Internal sensations- fluttery stomach, increased heartbeat

Mental responses- focused listening, positive outlook

Cues of suppressed eagerness- forcing oneself to sit still, taking deep breaths

Eagerness may escalate to- excitement, impatience

5. Hopefulness:

Physical signals- squirming, straightening ones’ clothing, chattiness

Internal sensations- tingling limbs, a flutter in the body

Mental responses- a sense of calm, focusing on improving oneself

Cues of suppressed hopefulness- reminding oneself of obstacles, keeping one’s face blank

Hopefulness may escalate to- eagerness, excitement, disappointment

6. Indifference

Physical signals- leaning away, speaking in a flat voice, being unresponsive

Internal sensations- lack of energy, slow breaths

Mental responses- wandering thoughts, a lack of empathy

Cues of suppressed indifference- pretending to pay attention, asking token questions

Indifference may escalate to- irritation, annoyance, contempt, resignation

7. Loneliness:

Physical signals- slumped shoulders, doing nice things to curry favor, rambling in conversations with others

Internal sensations- Onset of tears, insomnia, fatigue

Mental responses- avoiding social situations, a desire to be included

Cues of suppressed loneliness- committing quickly to anyone who shows interest, coming across as desperate

Loneliness may escalate to- sadness, hurt, resignation, depression

8. Nostalgia:

Physical signals- unfocused gaze, small smile, eyes that fill with tears

Internal sensations- breathing slowing as memories take over, dulled awareness

Mental responses- losing track of time, satisfaction at having experienced the event even if it brought pain or loss

Cues of suppressed nostalgia- lack of mementos of the past, rejecting opportunities to revisit the past (not attending a reunion)

Nostalgia may escalate to- sadness, depression, happiness

9. Overwhelmed:

Physical signals- waving people away, a voice choked with tears, shaking, dropping things

Internal sensations- a need to sit down, difficulty breathing

Mental responses- retreating inward, wanting to be alone

Cues of suppressing being overwhelmed- verbal denial, false smiles, feigning a malady rather than admitting to weakness

Being overwhelmed may escalate to- anxiety, depression

10. Paranoia:

Physical signals- darting eye movements, flinching, pallid skin, looking over one’s shoulder

Internal sensations- heightened senses, tense muscles

Mental responses- irrational responses, sensation of being followed

Cues of suppressed paranoia- avoidance of social situations, a smile that is frozen or manic

Paranoia may escalate to- fear, anger, rage, hatred, desperation

11. Regret

Physical signals- bent posture, apologizing, squeezing one’s eyes shut

Internal sensations- a knotted belly, lack of appetite

Mental responses- self-loathing, reliving past events

Cues of suppressed regret- making life-altering decisions as a way to start over, putting on a happy face

Regret may escalate to- shame, frustration, depression

12. Scorn

Physical signals- a disgusted snort, sarcasm, eyebrow raised

Internal sensations- adrenaline rush, rising body temperature

Mental responses- elation at delivering a blow to an opponent, arrogance

Cues of suppressed scorn- tightening of the jaw, shaking head

Scorn may escalate to- anger, hatred, elation

13. Unease

Physical signals- shifting in one’s chair, pulling at clothing, shaking voice, throat clearing

Internal sensations- shivering, fluttery feeling in the stomach

Mental responses- feeling of being on the edge, heightened sense of awareness

Cues of suppressed unease- rolling the shoulders, keeping one’s distance, talking too fast

Unease may escalate to- nervousness, worry, fear

 

If you’re a writer, how do you portray these emotions? If you’re a reader, do you appreciate an author’s attempts to use less common emotions to tell their story?

To learn more about me or my books, check out my website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com.

Until next week…

Posted in Thursday Thirteen | 6 Comments

Welcome guest author Berengaria Brown

I’m excited to have fellow Ellora’s Cave author Berengaria Brown on the blog today.  She’s here to tell us about her hot, hot book.  Take it away Berengaria.

 

Berengaria’s Naughty Book.

I’m excited that Ellora’s Cave has released my naughtiest book yet.

“Four-Way Split” is the story of two bored couples and how they entertained themselves one very, very naughty weekend.

Logan and Zara have been married twenty years. Their sex life is boring. Dead boring. They love each other but they want more excitement in bed. The answer? Ask another couple to join them for a very dirty, smutty weekend of darkly naughty sex.

Wicked fantasies and forbidden desires are shared. Girl on girl action? Double penetration? Every dark craving comes vividly to life for an orgasmic weekend.

fourwaysplit msr 182x300 Welcome guest author Berengaria Brown

WARNING ADULT MF Excerpt

 

“I was thinking about brightening up our sex life.”

His big body went still against hers, and she could feel his muscles tensing up.

“Yes?”

“You meant it when you said we could try out some new things, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

His voice was firm but his body was still tense. She wrapped a leg around his hips, wiping her damp cunt along his upper thigh.

His big hands grabbed her ass and ground her pussy hard against him.

“What about a foursome? The two of us, and another married couple. All four of us in bed together, everyone doing everyone, two men, two women, the four of us in a daisy chain, whatever we all want to try out.”

He lifted her up slightly and slid her down on his cock. It filled her completely, stretching her tissues. “Hmm, someone likes that plan.”

She sat up a little, flicking her blonde hair off her face, pushing the bedding off her back, and braced her hands on his chest. Although his sandy brown hair had a few gray threads in it these days, he was still a solid wall of muscles, his daily gym routine had kept his body toned and fit. His nipples stood up under the tweaking of her fingers and his cock thrust up inside her, high, hard and longer than it had been a few moments ago.

She swiveled her hips so his cock scraped over her G-spot, then leaned forward to press her clit into Logan’s pelvis. His hips thrust up under her, his thighs raising and lowering her, faster and faster, his hands tight on her hips.

“I do like that idea. We’ll have to choose the couple wisely though. It has to be people we’re compatible with and trust.”

“Condoms,” she gasped, her orgasm rising inside her as she wiggled her hips again. “Don’t want any worry about health risks.”

“Agreed.” He pinched her clit, and rammed up deep inside her. With a small scream, Zara shattered and came, her juices flooding Logan’s cock. He groaned, and rammed into her again and again. Then a burst of hot cum blasted into her cunt as he stroked raggedly a couple more times before pulling her down on top of him.

“Excellent idea. You deserve a reward for thinking of it,” he whispered, thrusting a finger deep into her ass, and sucking her nipple and the entire areola into his mouth. His cock was still half hard inside her, and he moved his hips enough to stimulate her pussy too as his finger pressed wickedly deep into her dark channel, the nail teasing every nerve ending there. His mouth was busy licking, sucking, nibbling her breasts, switching from side to side, adding a tiny bite here and there teased her sensitive skin.

Zara felt another orgasm rising in her core, hotter and harder than the previous one.

Logan redoubled his efforts, his hips pumping, his cock growing inside her, and three fingers now thrusting inside her ass.

“Yesssssss,” she sighed.

He bit down on a nipple as a fingernail dug into her clit.

She burst apart, her toes curling in the most delicious way as her body thrashed in spasms of delight.

“God, you’re good at that,” she murmured.

 

Buy link: http://www.ellorascave.com/four-way-split.html

 

Berengaria Brown

http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/

http://berengariabrown.com/

Friend me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter.

 

 

Posted in Guest Posts | 1 Comment

Enjoy a hot summer night with some hot memories!

HotSummerNightsMay Enjoy a hot summer night with some hot memories!

Welcome to the Hot Summer Nights blog hop!

My favorite summer memory is my honeymoon. I got married in early August and we went to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for our honeymoon. We stayed in a lovely Marriott hotel and had a great time snorkeling, shopping, eating…and kayaking.

Well, that part isn’t my favorite memory, but it is pretty funny! They were two-person kayaks, and my hubs had never been on a kayak or a canoe or any similar boat before. The guides put him in the back because the stronger person should be in the back. Why? Because the stronger person steers, and the ocean can get kind of choppy. Unfortunately, my husband didn’t believe me that he was supposed to steer and kept arguing with me, telling me to steer. If you’re familiar with these boats, you know you CAN’T steer from the front. You can put your oar on one side or the other, but you can’t really steer.

So what happened? We crashed into the mangrove trees. More than once. I’m pretty sure that was the most fun those guides had had in months. But it was a good test of our new marriage!

We are offering two Grand Prizes!! In order to take part, you must leave your comment with name and email address on each blog.  Two winners will be chosen at random and notified no later than May 31, 2013.

1st Grand Prize: (1) Kindle Fire!
KT slate 01 lg noVid. V401027115  300x289 Enjoy a hot summer night with some hot memories!
2nd Grand Prize: (1) $100 Amazon Gift Card
Amazon GC 300x154 Enjoy a hot summer night with some hot memories!
In addition to those great prizes, I’m offering a $10 GC to the ebook retailer of the winner’s choice! Simply click on the link to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here for the rest of the blog hop participants…

For more information about me or my books, check out my website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com.

Happy hopping!

Posted in Blog Hops | 9 Comments

Author Feature: Siobhan Muir

BIO:

Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shape-shifter, though he’s never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she can be found looking down a microscope at fossil fox teeth, pursuing her other love, paleontology. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked for good.Siobban 150x150 Author Feature:  Siobhan Muir

In previous lives, Siobhan has been an actor at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, a field geologist in the Aleutian Islands, and restored inter-planetary imagery at the USGS. She’s hiked to the top of Mount St. Helens and to the bottom of Meteor Crater.

Siobhan writes kick-ass adventure with hot sex for men and women to enjoy. She believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.

Siobhan’s recent release, Not a Dragon’s Standard Virgin, is from Siren Publishing, and she has published Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack through Siren, and Her Devoted Vampire through Evernight Publishing. She also has a free read out entitled A Hell Hound’s Fire introducing her new Cloudburst, Colorado series.

What’s new?  Not a Dragon’s Standard Virgin is about a young woman who’s facing the Virgin Sacrifice tradition. While she doesn’t want to be an outcast, she doesn’t want to die. So she decides she’d rather be a ruined woman alive than a good virgin dead, and searches for the best looking stranger (since she can choose) to take her virginity and save her from the dragon. This would be fine except she manages to find the only real dragon in town and offers her virginity to him. icon smile Author Feature:  Siobhan Muir

What’s next?  The next book coming out is the second in my Cloudburst, Colorado series, The Beltane Witch. It releases on June 24th and is about a witch being invited (or rather ordered) to perform the warding rituals for a sacred site because the Summer Court of the Fae will be attending. She’s not too thrilled about it, but these things have a way of working themselves out after much trial and error.

What do you enjoy most about writing?    I think my most favorite part of writing is getting the story down – I can always fix it, but getting the main ideas and the overall creativity of writing it is what I love best. Editing is harder, but it makes the previous draft so much better. icon smile Author Feature:  Siobhan Muir

 

MY LINKS:

Website: http://siobhanmuir.com

Bloghttp://siobhanmuir.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/siobhan.muir.35

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SiobhanMuir

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5760938.Siobhan_Muir

Google Plus: http://plus.google.com/u/0/118081545120488658410/posts

 

sm notadragonsstandardvirgin 200x300 Author Feature:  Siobhan Muir

BLURB for Not a Dragon’s Standard Virgin:
Sacrificial virgins are so sixteenth century, but unless Isabelle finds a man to take her innocence, she’ll likely be next.

For Isabelle Andersen, being a virgin in a dragon-plagued Scottish village is dangerous. Potentially the next dragon sacrifice, Isabelle’s only solution is to lose her innocence, and fast. All she needs is one handsome stranger she can coax into bed, but Lochmore Cott doesn’t get much in the way of visitors.

Jonarrion Swiftwind has sworn off virgins. The last time he took one to his bed, his family paid the price for his lust at the hands of her demon-possessed father. He’s made it his mission to destroy all demons. Nothing distracts him from killing this demon until lovely Isabelle offers him tea. And her virginity.

Just one night of passion makes Jon realize he doesn’t want to let the independent beauty go. But will Isabelle accept him when she discovers the only real dragon in her village… is him?

Excerpt:  

Jonarrion Swiftwind took a deep breath of the early spring wind and caught the rancidness of a demon’s decay, just as he’d suspected. The stories coming out of this part of the human country of Scotland had suggested demon activity, but the scent on the wind confirmed it. He narrowed his eyes and grimaced a silent snarl as he resumed his walking pace down the road toward the little village of Lochmore Cott.

Bloody bastard is here, all right. I’ll have to permanently relocate him.

Feral excitement shot through his veins. He looked forward to the fight. Trudging through the frozen lands of the Scottish clans had never been his favorite activity. Daft Scots are crazy to live where it’s so damn cold. The Irish are far more sensible.

Jonarrion reached the bend in the road leading away from the Loch and slowed, scenting something sweet on the wind. He raised his gaze to a hillock above the Loch and scanned the trees, searching for the beguiling scent. When he saw the lass, he stumbled to a stop, transfixed.

She was lovely and ethereal, like the Fae, though she had an earthiness grounding her. Deep auburn hair escaped the tight hold of the shawl wrapped around her head, and pale skin glowed gently in the fitful light of the moon. She stood taller than most lassies he’d seen, and generous curves filled out her clothes.

That lass would pleasure any male, and carry his progeny without trouble. Jonarrion’s cock responded by hardening to the thought of sliding into her heat. He could picture her glossy auburn hair draping across the bedding while he pounded into her.

A panicked warning screamed through his mind, and his blood froze despite the girl’s beauty in the moonlight. His cockstand shriveled like a kick in the balls. It’d been fifty years since he’d last slept with an unbedded human female, with disastrous results.

Aye, now your sister-by-law is dead, your brother is a widower, and you roam the world, killing demons and seeking forgiveness. How is that working for you? He never stayed anywhere too long, and no matter how much he wished for a family of his own, he couldn’t allow himself such pleasure when he’d destroyed his brother’s happiness. He’d reached seven hundred years now, and he had a job to do here at the village of Lochmore Cott. Family fantasies were just that. Fantasies.

Jonarrion shook his head, trying to clear it of memories. He watched the redheaded lass square her shoulders and nod sharply as the moon sent one last shaft of light to illuminate her. She became a glorious angel, her beauty a gift from the Goddess for the work he’d done. The light disappeared, and she vanished into obscurity over the edge of the hill toward the village of Lochmore Cott.

Ah well, you knew you couldn’t have her. He sighed and resumed walking again along the road. Perhaps he’d see her while he stayed in the village, looking his fill from afar. He knew it was all he could do, because any girl with such beauty and obvious breeding had a family looking out for her. And they’d never give such a girl to a dragon. He chuckled ruefully.

Jonarrion wrapped his Dublin plaid, a special blend of pale turquoise, oxblood, and crimson, with a single strand of yellow for his family, around his head and shoulders to keep out the wind. The weight of his bastard sword thumped gently against his back as he walked. He adjusted the thick leather belt, securing it to his hips so it wouldn’t rub against his subsiding cockstand.

Seven hundred years old and the bloody thing still has a mind of its own. He pushed his six-foot-three-inch frame against the wind and hoped the village boasted a decent inn. He could use a warm bed and a hot meal, not to mention a bath. His last bed had been the heather for which the Scottish Highlands were famous, and it had left him smelling like a windswept moor.

If he had luck on his side, he’d see the Fae-like girl once more. Even if not, she’d certainly feature in his dreams that night.

 

Posted in Author Feature | 5 Comments

Welcome guest blogger Riley Murphy!

Riley Murphy is here with me today to discuss her sexual bucket list, and her latest book.  This one is steamy so take it away, Riley!

 

WHAT IS ON YOUR SEXUAL BUCKET LIST?

I’ll tell if you will. Meh, knowing me, I’ll probably spill even without you having to say a word. *shakes head* No one has ever accused of being introverted, that’s for sure. But for the purposes of getting some of you guys to leave a comment I shall refrain. Zip it up. Lock the vault as it were.

*Rubs hands together* Alrighty, where to start? Well, I guess I could start by telling you there was only one (realistic) item left on my list that I hadn’t done with Honey because once I made the list? I was dying to do all the stuff on it. Yeah, no one ever accused me of being patient either. icon smile Welcome guest blogger Riley Murphy! So, here’s the deal. I had twelve things on my list in 2004 and by January of 2013 I had done all of them except for three. Admittedly two out of those three were/are..? Well, you be the judge.

The first: Brad Pitt joining Honey and I for a threesome while Joe Manganiello stood by to take over for the first guy who petered out. I had in side notes to stock up on bananas (for potassium) and lots of Gatorade (for hydration)…for me, as I wasn’t quitting on this until I literally died of exhaustion. Heheheh

The second: Having hot, sweaty, animal-type sex with Honey on the oval office desk. Have you seen how big that sucker is? (Talking about the desk—cough, cough— not about Honey’s big—Oop, never mind about that) I had in side notes on this that it would be a piece-of-cake to accomplish if I became President of the United States first. So, you know, I guess it’s not TOTALLY out of the realm of possibilities.

Okay, now on to the third. I’m not going to lie. This was challenging as it’s tough to give your guy a mind-blowing experience when you’ve been married for as long as we have, but I had to get this one done. So my challenge became twofold. Come up with something that would be fresh, inventive and legal. (Hey, don’t judge me. There was only one time when we inadvertently broke the law by…well, never mind about that either. And if you discount all the other stuff we did before we had our children then I’d say, we’ve been good, law abiding citizens. Swear) Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, my challenge. Find the lawful nasty and do it, was first on the to-do list. Second? Write it into my next book. So I did. Aww, don’t look at me like that, it’s true. There’s a scene in Stare Me Down that details what I came up with. I’m not going to go over it in this post. But I will share one detail with you. The experience involved tennis balls. Sounds smexy, right? Well, it was! So now that I’ve knocked that one off the list I’m down to corralling Brad and Joe for a night of bliss and becoming President.

*insert light-bulb moment here*

“Holy flaming thongs of purgatory, Batman!” If I became President I could summon those guys to the oval office and kick my last two items right off the bucket list. Wow, I wonder if I kept my hand-guide to the constitution? I hope so as they’d probably quiz me or something before they’d let me run for office. Ya think?

Anyway, this giveaway is simple. Just tell me what’s on your sexual bucket list or if you don’t have one you can tell me why you don’t. Seriously, they are so much fun. Everyone needs a list. Maybe if we all pooled our ingenious minds I might get some new ideas to make another list. Come on, guys. Help a poor girl out. Oh, and whoever leaves the most interesting comment gets a copy of Stare Me Down and they can see for themselves what I did with those balls. (Not Honey’s the tennis balls) *sheesh* you guys are so bad! icon wink Welcome guest blogger Riley Murphy!

I’ll be checking back periodically so I hope you will too, as I’ll be replying to all comments today. J Right now I must away and find my constitution notes. Yep, nothing could make me bone-up on a subject better than having three possible bone—nah, I’m not going there. You guys are already bad enough.

Riley

StareMeDown 600x900 200x300 Welcome guest blogger Riley Murphy!

Stare Me Down

She swears it’s only her curiosity.

He swears it’s because she’s curious.

A Dom stuck in anger management classes meets his match in his court-appointed therapist. Their attraction is off the charts. Unfortunately though, the timing is bad for both of them. Or at least it is until he discovers his little vanilla doll isn’t vanilla at all. Then it’s a matter of timing be damned. He can’t keep his hands off her. A definite problem as she has a past to deal with and he has a goal to seize. So when the present rears its ugly head they are both blindsided. Now they’re forced to stare each other down if they hope to have any chance of a future together…

Excerpt

Doctor Jaxx Gavin stared into the steel-grey eyes of her court-ordered patient without flinching. She knew what kind of power shift was at stake here if she didn’t hold her ground. Ramsey Taylor, Aries to his friends, was a popular Dom, and she knew why. Not only was he gorgeous, built like a brick shithouse and had a presence that charged the energy in the room, he was also smart. Really smart, and that was a shame, because a guy’s intelligence was her kryptonite. Looks came in as a distant second to a great brain. And she was sure Ramsey Taylor had one. Not that she’d be pressing to find out. Because even without a great brain he was tempting. Dangerous. Powerful, especially when he gave her one of his “looks” which effectively took her breath away, but his voice? That got her hot and made her heart bash against her rib cage.

“Hello? Earth to therapist. I’m counting on you to be an expert on understanding certain things.”

Damn. Busted. One look at him and she gauged his expression. Smug. Was he gloating?

“Understanding of what things?” He’d better not be thinking that they were going to discuss certain intimate—

“The underlying factors that contribute to my specific kinks.”

Sex. She should have known that a man like him would stick it to her for making him do the extra three hours. “I don’t see how that will help you work through your aggression issue. Maybe we should start with some of your day-to-day stresses instead.”

“Boring.”

She would have rolled her eyes but she was still trying to win their staring contest, since she’d lost the last one. “These sessions weren’t ordered by the court to entertain you.”

“True. The court only ordered six. You were the one who added more.” Thank God he looked away. She nearly wilted in her chair. It wasn’t easy holding her own with a force like him. She was just mentally patting herself on the back when he added, “Be that as it may, if you play your cards right, you might find you’re the one who’s entertained.”

The smooth timbre of his voice melted her insides and she almost smiled. Smiled?

Oh, no. He wasn’t going to charm her. “I take my job very seriously, Mr. Taylor.”

“I know. That’s why I think you need to lighten up a little. Call me Ramsey.”

She didn’t know what to say. It was as if the words got lost from her lips to his ears. “I think you suffer from selective deafness on top of everything else.”

His slow grin made her pulse quicken so she added, “And I will not call you Ramsey.”

“No, you’re right you shouldn’t. Call me Aries.”

Now he wanted them to be friends? She folded her arms across her chest and glared.

“Oh, come on, don’t get mad. Just look at this situation from where I’m sitting.”

“I can’t help but look.” She was going for an even tone, which was hard to maintain while speaking through her teeth. “You’re sitting at my desk.”

“Yes, and about your desk. Next week I’ll bring a cork leg shim for it. I imagine it’s annoying.”

Not as much as he was at the moment. “Don’t trouble yourself. I can pick it up.”

He sat back and purposely mimicked her position. The whole scenario would have been laughable if he weren’t getting to her.

“Then why haven’t you?”

Not that she had to dignify that with an answer, but… “I haven’t had the time.”

“Yet you’ve had the time to fold bits of cardboard up and wedge them there? By the look of that mangled piece, I’m guessing it’s been there for months.”

It was a year, actually, but who was counting? “I’ll take care of it.”

“Suit yourself. Back to the situation at hand. I’m assuming you read the court transcripts?”

She nodded, trying to guess where this was going. In the time she’d already spent with the man, she knew he didn’t say or do anything without purpose. He paid attention too. Close attention. The Dragon Lady, he’d dubbed Maggie, after only briefly meeting her friend what, twice at the most? Worse he had the whole depressing situation figured out.

“So you know that I didn’t assault that guy. Surely you saw through the bias of that judge. He didn’t like me because of who I was and what I did for a living. That’s why I was sent to your class. As to why I’m here for extra psycho duty I have no clue, but since I’m here, I may as well make the best of it, right?”

“How magnanimous. I think you’re the first patient I’ve ever had to accept ‘mandated therapy’ so well.”

“Seriously? Well, try going into the marriage counseling business. I bet you’d have a ton more, as invariably one party or the other is dragged to it.”

Hm. Speaking of being dragged. It was clear that he was going to continue to fight her every step of the way unless she came up with a compromise. She supposed he deserved one, as she had read those transcripts. The truth was he hadn’t done anything wrong. That much was obvious and the very reason she felt guilty about tacking on these extra sessions. She took a deep breath and let it out loud enough he’d hear it. “All right. We’ll discuss whatever you want in the last two sessions on a couple of conditions. First—”

“I’m not good at following orders, but I’m great at giving them. Why don’t you let me handle things from here?”

She ignored that chipper offer and repeated, “First off, you will sit on the sofa and not at my desk.”

“Couch.”

“Fine couch.”

“Why do you let that woman push you around?”

She wasn’t going to be sucked into that conversation. “Second, you will refrain from attempting to analyze me during our future sessions, understood?”

He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. “Why, you don’t like to be analyzed?”

“Correct.”

“Well, neither do I.” His tone dropped causing her adrenaline to rush until her heart fairly hammered with his next quiet words. “Are you going to answer me?”

Even though she knew what he was asking, she said, “I already did. I don’t like to be analyzed.”

“And I don’t like to be ignored or brushed off. Two things that you’ve managed to accomplish in less than fifteen minutes.”

She watched as he slowly dragged a hand across her desk before he smacked his palm sharply against the surface. The move was a clear imitation of a spanking. Was he warning her? The very idea had her tingling.

A man’s attention had never made her tingle. Ever.

Breathe Jaxx. Focus. “I did not ignore you.”

“So you admit you brushed me off.”

She shrugged. She wasn’t going to lie. “Yes.”

His jaw didn’t exactly drop, but the side of his cheek ticked as if he were chewing on it. Poor guy. Woman no doubt collapsed at his feet without the least provocation.

A full thirty seconds went by and when he didn’t say anything she figured she better.

“Oh dear, are you okay?” She leaned forward and tapped his hand. “You don’t look well. Should I get the smelling salts or will we require a coroner?”

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Stare-Me-Down-ebook/dp/B00CSHVS04/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_KK9X

About the Author

Riley Murphy writes sexy, humorous and emotional romance, happy ending guaranteed. An optimist, she believes life is awesome, people are complicated, but in a good way, and we should never stop learning. Riley currently resides in Florida with her gorgeous husband. She has two wonderful kids and one very bossy English Bull terrier. When Riley’s not working she enjoys reading, oil painting and getting to the Sunday crossword puzzle before anyone else does—so she can fill-in all the easy answers first. If Riley wasn’t a writer she’d be an international spy with top-level security so she could have a peek at Area 51 and decide for herself if those green guys are for real.

Riley LOVES to hear from readers!

You can visit her website at www.authorrileymurphy.com or email her at write2rileymurphy@gmail.com

Posted in Guest Posts | 13 Comments

We’re Gettin’ Wet & Wild

wildhop Were Gettin Wet & Wild

Welcome to the Wet and Wild Blog Hop, hosted by Skye Warren. When you think wet and wild, what images come to mind? Sexual? Surfing? icon wink Were Gettin Wet & Wild For me, honestly, the surfing images come to mind more quickly than sexual ones. I know, I know, strange for an erotic romance writer, but it’s true. And isn’t that a bikini the girl in the pic above is wearing? So hey, not so far-fetched after all, is it?

Now that we’ve gotten the silliness out of the way, how about we talk about why you’re here (other than my witty repartee). Prizes!

WetAndWildGrandPrizes Were Gettin Wet & Wild

My giveaway

Comment below with whether you’d prefer to be wet or wild to be entered to win an ebook copy of your choice from my back list. BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO YOU CAN BE CONTACTED IF YOU WIN!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s the link back to the home page for the hop: http://www.skyewarren.com/hop/ so you can continue hopping for more prizes!

Posted in Blog Hops | 79 Comments

Sneak Peek Sunday 5/19/13- Revisiting A Spanking Good Time

stuff

Posted in Sneak Peek Sunday | Leave a comment

Welcome guest blogger Cornelia Amiri

I am pleased to have Cornelia Amiri on the blog today with some information on her newest book and a contest.  Take it away, Cornelia…

eversobonnieavampire msr 3 181x300 Welcome guest blogger Cornelia Amiri

My new release has a hot highland hero and a fresh take on vampires. Ever So Bonnie A Vampire is the third book in my Dancing Vampire Series with Ellora’s Cave. http://www.ellorascave.com/ever-so-bonnie-a-vampire.html

Blurb:

Calin has fantasized about Ever’s warm, curvaceous body since dancing with the vampiric fey woman a year ago. When they meet again, he wastes no time in claiming and capturing her. Once the sun rises, Ever can’t leave the earthly realm and is bound by fey lore to Calin. His lovemaking excites her like no fey man’s ever has, but she’s consumed by the vow she made to her sisters—that she would never leave them for a mortal. Fighting her feelings for Calin, Ever seeks help from goddess Morrigan.

The goddess might like to claim the handsome mortal for herself, so she frees Ever to return underhill. It isn’t until Ever is back with her sisters that she realizes her heart is still held captive by Calin. But Calin has spurned a goddess’s attentions…and now Morrigan’s lust has turned to vengeance.

Here’s a quote from Ever So Bonnie A Vampire: “Don’t tell my dad, but I got into some trouble with the goddess.”

My heroine is Ever. She’s a baobhan sith, a vampiric fey woman who roams the Scottish highlands and drains the blood of their victims, men they dance with. They are also called the dancing vampires. She’s torn between her family, her baobhan sith sisters, and the love of a man. If she chooses him,Calin, she will have to give up her immortality and become human.

My favorite secondary character in Ever So Bonnie A Vampire is Goddess Morrigan. To me Goddess Morrigan is an – I am woman – goddess. If she wants to sleep with a god, she sleeps with a god, if she wants to sleep with a human man she finds attractive, she sleeps with him. She can be a beautiful woman or a crone and it doesn’t matter she still demands respect and acknowledgment of her femininity in either form. In this story she is actually trying to take Ever’s man but she can’t fight true love. No one can, not even a goddess.

Please visit Cornelia Amiri at

http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CelticRomanceQueen

Twitter: https://twiter.com/CorneliaAmiri

Contest: Please comment below with your email so I can reach you if you win. One winner will be chosen for the prize of two PDF eBooks, the first of the Dancing Vampire series, Dance With The Vampires and Vampire Highland Fling.

Posted in Guest Posts | 6 Comments

Are you against homophobia and transphobia? Then check this out…

 2013 2 Are you against homophobia and transphobia? Then check this out...

The Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia (HAHAT) was created last year to spread awareness of homophobia and transphobia, and to stand together as a writer community against discrimination of our works. The hop takes place at the same time and is in support of:
IDAHO Logo Are you against homophobia and transphobia? Then check this out...
So how do you combat homophobia and transphobia? By being an example to those around you, be they your friends, peers, or children. By speaking up, especially when you witness what they term “passive homophobia” – that’s when someone isn’t making a direct gay slur, rather, for example, making fun of a teammate by calling him a fag. It’s actually that kind of homophobia that I believe is more damaging because it’s still so prevalent.
Who you love should not be something anyone else but you have an opinion about. Help us stop homophobia and transphobia.
Giveaway: One commenter will win an ebook copy of my debut m/m novel See the Light. Be sure to leave your e-mail address in the comments section so I can get a hold of you if you win! The contest ends on May 27th.
Here’s a snippet from See the Light:

Jason stared at the other man, the lust burning him where he stood. He moved even closer, like a moth to a flame.
What the fuck am I doing?
Apparently Patrick didn’t know either, because his expression became alarmed. “What?”
I can’t stop.
“I need to do this.”
Not giving Patrick a chance to react to his words, Jason grabbed him, one hand palming the back of Patrick’s head as Jason’s other arm snaked around the man’s waist, pulling him into Patrick’s rock-hard body. It was obvious the man kept in shape, despite his playing days being over, and a tortured moan escaped before he could stop it. Jason dived into Patrick’s mouth as the passion flared, melting him from the inside out. He hadn’t kissed a man in years, and he realized how much he’d missed it as the kiss went on and on, neither man willing to let the other go.
He could feel Patrick’s cock as it lined up with his, and even through layers of clothing Jason felt the heat pouring off the other man. It made him want to submit to anything Patrick desired, which confused him. Honestly Jason couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a man’s dick in his mouth, but right now he’d give just about anything to suck Patrick off.
Patrick pushed them backward until they crashed into the wall, never letting their lips separate as he took control of the kiss. With a growl, the older man reached down and cupped Jason’s ass, pulling their cocks even closer and rubbing them together. Jason turned his head to the side with a gasp to break the kiss before he passed out, but Patrick kept at him, scoring his teeth down Jason’s neck to his pulse point.
“So fucking hot.”

Copyright 2013, Cassandra Carr

And the lovely cover:

CC SeeTheLight coverlg Are you against homophobia and transphobia? Then check this out...Thanks for hopping and for supporting equal rights for everybody.

To see the other fabulous participants, check out: http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com/
To find out more about me and my books, see: http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com

 

Posted in Blog Hops, See the Light | 16 Comments