Her Real-life Hero - My Version of The Frog Prince

My erotic, contemporary romance with a paranormal twist will be coming out in July. If you take a peek to the right of my blog post, you will see the countdown to the launch of the Beyond Fairy Tales line from Decadent Publishing. I'm very excited about this line and still can't believe I obtained a contract for my story with it which should come out at the end of July.

Her Real-life Hero is the third erotic romance I've written. My first was a rather tame one which I self-published on Amazon a few years ago. The second is contracted with Decadent Publishing, due to come out some time in July. I think writing an erotic romance is much harder than a straight-forward contemporary romance. So, it's with nail-biting suspense and immense excitement that I'll be witnessing the release of my first two professionally edited erotic romances next month.

Beyond Fairy Tales books with Decadent Publishing are based on Grimm's or Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales. Upon request, we were assigned a Grimm's fairy tale and had to write our own twist on the tale - however we wanted. Usually, I struggle with coming up with book ideas but this one came to me fast. I was assigned The Frog Prince and Iron Henry. Think of kissing the frog and he becomes a prince. The fairy tale is about a young woman (a princess actually) who meets a frog who helps her retrieve her favourite object - a golden ball. In exchange, she promises to have him live in her home, eat her food and sleep in her bed! Of course, she doesn't actually expect the frog to expect her to live up to her promise. The consequences are dire. The Iron Henry part is a fascinating twist to the story and I enjoyed weaving that into the book. Love it.

Here's the blurb for Her Real-life Hero:

When Joanie buys an antique bureau to inspire her writing, the hero in her book comes to life after she promises him he can live with her. Outraged to be stuck with a man in her home when all she wants is to revel in her new-found freedom, Joanie tries her best to get rid of Theo. The magic of the bureau and Theo have other plans. Joanie resists Theo’s magnetic sex appeal but the more she resists, the more she succumbs.

Joanie was inspired by my sometimes deep-seated need for solitude. I have my family around me all throughout the day, and at times, have craved time to myself. Joanie has looked after her younger sisters and ailing aunt for years. She's looking forward to thinking only of herself and no one else. (Of course, don't we usually end up being happier when we have someone else to think of besides ourselves?) Plus her goal is to get a publishing contract and go on a much-needed holiday. When Theo comes into her life and the magic forces him to stay, a war rages in her heart between her need for space and her insatiable lust for Theo's hot bod. Joanie's suppressed her sexual desires for so long. She doesn't realise how good it can really be. Theo is about to show her a thing or two. With magic in the mix, you can imagine the sparks that fly!

Delicious Delay - Sale and Book Spotlight

Today I have Tara Quan, fellow Decadent Publishing author, talking about her book Delicious Delay. Here she is...

Delicious Delay by Tara Quan – 99c SALE!

Thank you for letting me share my multicultural contemporary romance, Delicious Delay. The book is currently on sale for a limited time. You can grab it for only 99c from Amazon, B&N, AllRomance, and Decadent.

After my own not-so-delicious delay in the Middle East, I set out to write something funny, sexy, and set entirely in an airport lounge. It’s a quick summer read meant to make your mouth water (from the food...) and your toes curl. I hope I’ve piqued your interest enough to give one of the links below a click. ~Tara Quan

Delicious Delay

Stranded in a Middle Eastern airport, Michelle Day finds herself the object of interest for an abrasive, but all-too-sexy stranger—a stranger who tempts her with the forbidden in a land where indecency could get her killed. But how does one say no to such a deliciously, relentless pursuit?

Khalid Al Dehri takes one look at the red-headed spitfire in the business class lounge and knew he’d either been transported to heaven—or hell. Her tart response to his surliness intrigues him beyond all propriety and the longer he spends in her company, the more he can’t deny his forbidden attraction. But will she explore the sensuality between them or will society’s rules keep them apart?

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | Decadent | AllRomance | GoodReads

About Tara Quan

Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, fantasy worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, her characters are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon

Excerpt 1 (Sexy)

He splayed his hand over the back of her head. She parted her lips to ask him where this would lead. But before she could make a sound, his mouth closed over hers.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been kissed. Even if she did, his mastery would have turned the memory to cinder. She faced a man, not a young boy experimenting with teeth and tongue. Instead of the comfortable joining of lips between two people more friends than lovers, he drowned her in a tangle of silk and steel.

His tongue delved. She closed her fingers over his broad shoulders before trailing them down his triceps. One of his hands cradled her nape as the other spanned her back. The contact melted her muscles. With his arms snaked around her body, she felt captive even though she sat on top.

She should be in charge. She should be taking the lead. Instead, his mouth set the rhythm and pace, guiding her through the sensual dance she only now realized she had barely known.

She reminded herself this was just a kiss—a single, sumptuous, seemingly endless kiss that threatened to turn her brain to mush.

Wow, you're a master with words, Tara! Love this excerpt!

Pre-release Blitz

Today, I'm going to give you a pre-taste of my up-and-coming new releases. As far as I understand, my first two erotic romances will be released in July.

The first one is a novella called "At Second Glance" and will be published by Decadent Publishing under the Ubuntu Line. Here's an extended blurb:

Four and a half years after Merryn’s divorce, she’s ready to build a relationship with a man but still wants to learn some tricks. She's changed her ideas about sex and wants to have fun. She joins an online singles group and meets “Panda.” They strike up an immediate connection. Within moments, she’s confided some of her past hurt from her divorce as well as insecurities and desires to this stranger. They agree to meet at a restaurant.

To her horror, her date turns out to be her ex-husband Kirk, who is still hurting from Merryn filing for divorce years ago. Before she can run away, Kirk puts aside his hurt and suggests they experiment sexually with each other for one night just to have fun. Against her instincts, Merryn agrees. Thus begins a sexual joyride for the two, but Merryn soon realises that she can’t separate the physical from the emotional attachment. She tries to run away again but Kirk has other plans.

My second one is for the Beyond Fairytales line at Decadent and is called "Her Real-life Hero." It's based on The Frog Prince / Iron Henry Grimm's Fairytale. It's an erotic fantasy novel. Here's a blurb:

Joanie wants to get her romances published but can't seem to get things right with her writing. She buys an antique bureau which the shopkeeper says has magic working through it. While using her new bureau, she begins to talk to the hero in her book, asking his advice on writing, all the while thinking it's her own imagination. She promises he can live in her home, eat at her table and sleep in her bed, if he helps her with her writing. She doesn't think he will actually knock on her door and insist she keep her promise.

Theo has also bought a magic chest of drawers that brings him into Joanie's life. He wants to settle down with one woman, tired of shallow relationships, and Joanie seems like the perfect candidate if it weren’t for her insistence on getting rid of him.

The magic forces them to live together and Joanie’s not happy. This is her first year alone and she’s been craving time to herself after looking after her younger siblings and an ailing aunt. Theo’s presence in her home, although unwanted, stirs up needs she’s suppressed for years. When they start to discover things about the magic and why it’s bringing them together, will Joanie recognize another type of magic at work? Will she succumb to the charm of Theo or will her need for breathing space pull them apart?

1Night Stand New Release

Today I have Leigh Ellwood with her new release with Decadent Publishing. It's a 1Night Stand Series story and came out today!!

A Different Class by Leigh Ellwood

a 1NS Story from Decadent Publishing

M/M Erotic Romance, 11000 words

From Leigh: I am thrilled to be part of the Decadent family! The idea for A Different Class came about after an invitation arrived for an upcoming high school reunion. I asked myself what might happen if somebody felt reluctant to attend because of bad experiences and memories, and how one night arranged by Madame Eve changes everything.

Right now I am halfway into the follow-up to this story, another hot M/M. I hope you’ll pick up A Different Class, and if you enjoy it drop me a line on Twitter at @LeighEllwood. J

Blurb

FDR High Class of 2004 graduate, Glenn Carson contacts fellow alumni to get a list of who will be attending the upcoming festivities. One call to a disgruntled former student leaves him shaken—apparently, not everyone is looking forward to the reunion. Hoping to ease his frustration, he contacts the 1Night Stand service for a relaxing and passionate encounter.

Known as “Mumbles” to former classmates, Rod Maloney would prefer to focus on the present and his successful business. However, past tragedies continue to haunt him, so he requests Madame Eve find him a man to show him a hot time and help him forget his troubles.

Will their one night together lead to a reunion after all?

Excerpt

“Mr. Maloney? I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Who is calling?”

The voice—deep and rich, anything but a mumble—intimidated him. Maybe the guy had been a jock, a several-foot-wide football player who helped the school win the championship senior year. He hadn’t attended many games and had skipped homecoming. “Um….” Right, we’re planning a reunion here. “I’m representing the reunion committee of the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Class of 2004. You can probably guess our big tenth is coming up—”

“You know what? I’m going to save you the sales pitch,” Mumbles Maloney said. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a shit. It’s taken me a long time to get past all the crap I put up with in high school, and if you think I’m going to show up at some rented ballroom all smiles as though the hell you assholes you put me through never happened, forget it.”

What? The man’s anger surged through him and sped up his heartbeat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“F*** you, f*** FDR High, and f*** every last piece-of-shit homophobe in that backwater town. I hope you all get cancer.”

Click.

Beth burst back into the room, waving a thick tome with a scaly blue cover. “Found it,” she chirped.

“Never mind.” Glenn pushed away from his workspace. Mumbles Maloney’s palpable rage lingered in the quiet of the small office, invoking a sense of doom in an otherwise dull place. He doubted he’d forget the voice for a long while. The man had pent-up issues with his former schoolmates, no doubt, yet for all the vitriol burning through the airwaves and sizzling in the veins, Mumbles had sounded…well….

Sexy.

About Leigh

I am Leigh Ellwood. I write smutty stories about people who like getting naked and having sex. Some have more sex than others, some have sex with people of the same gender, some have sex with more than one person, and still others have sex with toys and things that require the use of batteries. My stories range from a few thousand words to well past 70k. My books are available at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Kobo, and ARe. 

Buy Links for A Different Class:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Decadent Publishing

Add to Goodreads

Connect with Leigh online:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Authorgraph

Book Spotlight with Nana Prah for Midwife to Destiny

Midwife to Destiny

by

Nana Prah

Destiny Series, Book 1

Contemporary Romance, Multicultural

BLURB

Ghanaian nurse Aurora ‘Ora’ Aikins never expected to find the love of her life while on vacation in South Africa. Engaged to another and believing that love has no place in her life, she returns to Ghana, and puts duty and honor first.

Three years later, Dr. Jason Lartey still can’t get Ora out of his mind or his heart. After learning she never married, he takes a risk and moves to Ghana hoping to rekindle what they started. His sudden appearance in Ora’s Emergency Department sends sparks flying all over again.

They’re in the same country, working in the same hospital, and together but distance creeps between them. Can they make their destined love one for the ages?  

Buy Links

Amazon | Decadent |ARe | Barnes and Noble| Smashwords 

Add to Goodreads

The pain pulsing through Aurora ‘Ora’ Aikins’ injured wrist transitioned into a delicious, unfamiliar tingle when Dr. Lartey touched it.

“It’s just my luck to come on vacation and get hurt,” she huffed in frustration as she forced herself to not sigh at the pleasure his gentle probing touch evoked.

“You were very lucky. The x-ray shows your wrist isn’t broken, but you sustained a very bad sprain so you have to be careful with it,” he said, sounding all business-like.

Each time he touched her wrist, her stomach twisted and her awareness of him as a man, with the need to get to know him better, intensified.

These sensations unnerved her but the gorgeous man she had the privilege of calling her doctor seemed unaffected.

His confident stride had drawn her attention when he’d entered the consulting room. His spicy, with a citrusy undertone, cologne filled the sterile hospital air, making her nostrils flare to take in more of his unique scent. Deep brown eyes had perused her chart as she’d taken in his short-cropped hair, high cheekbones, and thick lips that brought kissing into her mind. Dark smooth skin rivalled the richness of high quality chocolate.

Ora scanned the emergency room cubicle, which had become smaller with the doctor’s broad-shouldered, towering stature, for cameras. Could she be on a reality TV show? Starring in one had never been a life objective, but the crew might have caught her unaware. No visible cameras, but those producers were sneaky and could place one inside a stethoscope.

Nana Prah was born in Ghana, West Africa, raised in the US and currently resides in Ghana where she loves her job as a writer and nurse educator. She has been writing since she can remember (in her journal) and has been an avid reader of romance novels since the eighth grade. She has finally been able to utilize the years and years of inadvertent research into writing her own romance novels where love always conquers all.

Blog : www.nanaprah.blogspot.com

Twitter: @NanaPrah

Facebook: Nana Prah, Author

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Who Said It Was Easy?

I remember reading a blog post about a year back from a sweet romance writer. I love sweet romance. I read it all the time and have nothing against it. I also have written several sweet romance novels.

What I don't like is someone giving an opinion without actually having tried something themselves. This writer said that erotic romance writers were lazy - that they weren't very good writers who used sex scenes to fill up the page.

I'm a little like a caterpillar undergoing transformation. I started off as a writer in a different form. I actually started off with very chaste inspirational romances and slowly started dipping my feet into the pool of erotic romance. I'm a newbie. Not to romance, but to writing sex. I've written sweet romances - I have five published under another name. Yes, it was hard to get that first publishing contract. It was very hard to edit my books and make them worthwhile but none of them were any bit as hard as writing erotic romance.

I've recently revised one of my novels to resend back to a publisher. They asked me to up the heat - to bring in more sex and longer sex, to add more sexual tension. Whew, it's been a very intense road. I sent off my revisions today but I added and changed things many times before I was ready to send it.

Because you can't just write sex scenes. It goes much deeper than just the technical side. And believe me, the technical side isn't easy also. You don't only have to make it hot, but you have to make it believable and true to life of your characters. Your imagination has to rise to a new level. Your writing skills are put to the ultimate test. You can't use the same overused phrases. You have to come up with something new and fresh without being wacky and stupid.

And technical details aside, you still have to touch the emotions in each sex scene. Every scene has to bring the characters closer to that "happily-ever-after." It's not just sex for the sake of sex. It's part of the plot.

Erotic romance requires weaving in many coloured threads - the romance, the plot, the conflict, the character arc, and the sexual tension.

So, I'd like to say to those who have only written sweet romance and who think that erotic romance writers are lazy, think again. Before you jump to conclusions, try it yourself. You never know, you may get hooked on a new thrilling genre. I know I am.

Cover Reveal of Keeping Secrets by Kiru Taye

Keeping Secrets

By

Kiru Taye

Series: The Essien Trilogy, Book 1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural

Length: Full length novel

Release date: May 12, 2014

The Essien Trilogy - Series Blurb

Secrets, Scandals, and Seduction under the African skies.

The Essiens are the kings of African finance. A close-knit family, their father is the patriarch of a finance dynasty that ranges from retail to investment banking spanning the African continent. Yet all is not as it seems as the three brothers—Felix, Mark and Tony—soon discover when their family is rocked by secrets and scandals. Blood ties or not, family is family.

If you like your book boyfriends to be tall, dark and handsome billionaires, then say hello to the Essien brothers.

Keeping Secrets – Blurb

Have you ever loved someone and didn’t even know it?

That’s the dilemma facing Felix Essien when he wakes from a coma to find he is married to the most beautiful and sensual woman he’s ever known. He cannot remember her or their wedding. He who had sworn never to get married or to give his heart to another. Yet he feels an intense bond with her that he intends to explore fully.

Ebony can’t believe her good fortune when her paper husband wakes not remembering the temporary marriage arrangement with no intimacies he’d proposed but is now the adoring husband she’s always dreamt of. She plans to make the most of the passion blossoming between them.

However would he still feel that way when he regains his memory and realises she’s been keeping secrets and their marriage is not what he thinks it is.

Teasers

About the author

A lover of books, as a teenager Kiru Taye used to read novels under the blanket during lights-outs in boarding school. These days, with a young family to take care of, she's still sacrificing sleep for the pleasures of a good book.

During the day though, she transforms her wildly vivid imagination into sensual, atmospheric romance stories with passionate characters.

When she’s not writing or reading, she'd hanging out with family and friends or travelling. Born in Nigeria, she currently lives in the UK with husband and children.

You reach her via her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest

Follow her blog for latest news and giveaways: http://kirutayewrites.blogspot.com

Read book excerpts and free short stories on her website: http://www.kirutaye.com

Link to her Amazon author page

a Rafflecopter giveaway