Category Archives: Guest Blog

Why Greek Gods in Modern Times? by Sheri Velarde

Stealing Hearts: Gods Behaving Badly Book 3

Who doesn’t like some misbehaving Gods?

By Sheri Velarde

Blurb:

Stealing Hearts FinalSophia had fled New York and the feelings that a certain detective had stirred within her. Now she found herself alone in LA on New Year’s Eve, the former goddess of love reduced to having to look for a date. Hitting the Sunset Strip she finds the last thing she was looking for, but exactly who she was yearning for, Detective Bruce Stoker in the flesh. A night of passion leaves her with high hopes for the future, until an art heist threatens everything.

Bruce had followed Sophia across the country in order to rekindle the passion he felt during their one night together and to get some much needed answers from her about who he really was, what her really was. Just when he thought he would get his answers, Bruce begins to wonder if he can truly trust Sophia at all. Only time and a mystery will tell.

Buy Links:

Looted: smarturl.it/c1rs3m

Lost Souls: smarturl.it/puu78m

Stealing Hearts: smarturl.it/tl3f7k

Guest Post:

Why Greek gods in modern times?

When I decided to try my hand at an actual book series, the first idea that popped into my mind was that it should be about Greek gods. That is where the idea for the Gods Behaving Badly series started. People since then have asked me why Greek gods? Why not? Not only are there plenty of gods to choose from, which means lots of potential characters for a book series, but they are fascinating to me. I believe that you should write what you know and love, so ancient gods from mythology just made me want to write them. Plus let’s face it, all those overgrown personalities make for some pretty good fiction! Talk about drama! For my own personal deities of lore stories I chose to place them in modern times with diminished powers. Same egos, but more challenges. So far I am liking the results. Looted, the first in the series was pretty well received and I am hoping Stealing Hearts does just as well. I am loving writing this series and in the latest book have already brought in more gods and that means more stories to tell. Here is a little sneak peak from Stealing Hearts.

Author Bio:

Sheri Velarde lives in New Mexico with her husband and their two dogs.

Being an avid reader since an early age, she has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. She has been writing all her life, but only recently started to actually try to pursue her dream of writing for a living. She specializes in all things paranormal and that go bump in the night. Her heart truly lies in exploring unknown worlds or adding the supernatural to our world. If it goes bump in the night or has magical connotations, Sheri writes about it.

She is constantly putting out new material with various publishers, so it is best to keep up with her on her website www.sherivelarde.weebly.com.

In her spare time Sheri is an artist, jewelry designer, independent comic writer/artist and freelance non-fiction writer. Hiking in the mountains, going to live concerts, art openings, museums, and hosting intimate dinner parties.

Links:

Website/Blog: http://sherivelarde.weebly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheri-VelardeKelly-Ryan/632892500084202

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sher_V

Excerpt:

The next morning Bruce awoke feeling happier than he could ever recall feeling. Suddenly he snapped open his eyes to make sure that Sophia still lay beside him. Sure enough, she slept peacefully next to him, a slight smile played on her beautiful features, her long auburn hair mussed, making her even sexier. Thank god, or goddess in this case. He had been afraid she’d disappear despite her promise the night before. Now that his need for her had been abated ever so slightly, maybe he could get her to answer some questions that had been eating him alive since their first meeting. His stomach growled; he forgot when his last meal had been and he had certainly worked up an appetite the previous evening. Quietly, he slipped out of bed, praying that goddesses kept a fully stocked kitchen. Maybe a little breakfast in bed would make her more talkative about the magic she seemed to have awakened within him. He still needed to know what an empath truly was, what he truly was, and what he was capable of doing. It seemed too farfetched to believe he was anything but human. However, he certainly felt different when with Sophia.

Making it to the kitchen, he was thrilled to see Sophia had all the makings for a fine breakfast. He turned on the small television on the counter as he began to get the eggs and bacon ready to cook. Mostly, he just wanted a little noise as he got to work, but something suddenly caught his attention.

This is the highest profile art heist to hit Los Angeles in history. What is even more puzzling, there is no evidence as to who could have stolen the painting. All cameras and security systems are working properly, and the guards on duty didn’t see or hear anything. No alarms sounded, and the Getty’s systems show that no one entered or exited the premises last night. Van Gogh’s Irises is valued at over fifty-five million dollars, but many consider it priceless. If you have any information please contact the police. This is certainly not how we wanted to start off the New Year…”

Bruce’s heart sank. As he lay asleep last night, exhausted by lovemaking, it appeared Sophia may have been up to her old tricks. How could he ever learn to truly trust a creature such as her? She seemed to be getting bolder too, now she wasn’t just stealing from nefarious rich men, but from the Getty Center, and a high profile piece as well. He must not have provided her with enough excitement last night after all.

Gods Behaving Badly Series 3

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Cover Reveal: Underneath the Gargoyle Part Two by Christina Harding

UtG2CoverFinalAfter much anticipation, Christina Harding has published Part Two of her Underneath the Gargoyle series!!

I have been waiting to find out what happened to Trisha after the cliffhanger of part one. Underneath the Gargoyle was one of the hottest paranormal/monster erotica that I have ever read and I can’t wait to dive into this one.

How hot was Underneath the Gargyole Part 1? You can read my own review at my blog to find out!

Release Special!
Download Part Two for FREE from Smashwords. Use coupon code WN77F at checkout. Be sure to act soon, the coupon expires on February 2! If you download it for free and enjoy what you read, please write a review with your favorite retailer.

Find Part Two Online

*Amazon
*Smashwords
*Coming soon to more locations!

Genre
Paranormal Erotica/Dubious Consent

Synopsis
Part Two of Christina Harding’s Underneath the Gargoyle paranormal erotic series: What happens to Trisha in the catacombs?

Also in the Series
*Underneath the Gargoyle: A Prologue
*Underneath the Gargoyle: Part One
*You can subscribe to Christina’s mailing list for updates on her newest releases.

Advance Praise for Underneath the Gargoyle: Part Two
“The first installment in this series is what got me started on reviewing with Christina, and my only complaint was that it ended much too abruptly. This was certainly one of those stories that cries out for a sequel, and Christina has finally delivered.

The story picks up right where we left off, with naughty Catholic schoolgirl Trisha carried off into the catacombs. Her boyfriend Kyle and best friend Olivia are searching for her, though it’s not clear she even wants to be rescued: A new series of stone creatures is keeping her very busy. What will they find when they finally locate her?

Go pick this one up, you won’t regret it.” ~5* review by Michael Dalton

“I do love the update to your story.” ~First Pass Editor

“Would it be improper of me to admit that I enjoyed this?” ~Second Pass Editor

AliasAbout Christina Harding

Christina Harding is a pseudonym. She is a guest blogger for Romance at Random of Random House and the author of Underneath the Gargoyle, a paranormal erotic series. She also blogs at www.christinahardingerotica.blogspot.com and tweets @tinaerotica. Christina is happily married and enjoys reading sexy stories with her husband.

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Guest Blog by Christina Harding

Writing BDSM as a Feminist

by Christina Harding

 

I am a self-descried feminist, yet at the same time I also enjoy reading and writing BDSM. These two traits seem to contradict each other. On one hand, feminism is about the equality of the sexes, while on the other hand “dominance and submission” is literally in the definition of BDSM. And so, it has been a bit of a grapple for me to figure out how to rationalize these two opposing values.

In this rationalization, I think it’s important to keep in mind exactly what feminism entails. For this, I would like to refer you to this speech given by Emma Watson to the UN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rymHYhlbBmw. If you have not yet had a chance to watch this powerful and eloquent speech, I highly recommend it. Ms. Watson perfectly encapsulates my views on feminism. Unfortunately the word “feminism” has become synonymous with “man-hating” and with cold-hearted women who only care about their career. But this is not the integrity of the ideology which feminism stands for. Feminists simply believe that both sexes should be treated with the same respect and privileges. It would be hard for me to list an ideal which I hold closer to my heart.

However, I remember back to when I was as young as seven years old having dreams in which I was a slave being whipped, which I strangely enjoyed. At that time, I didn’t have the understanding or vocabulary to describe this strange joy, but in my later years I came to realize I was experiencing arousal. This type of dream reached an apex for me many years later when I was traveling in Venice, Italy (strangely enough). In this dream I was being gang-raped by three different completely unattractive men. They were practically fully clothed and I was naked. Over the years I’ve learned to have some control over my dreams, and so I manipulated it to make the scenario as vulgar as possible. I woke myself up, soaking wet. I had to go to the restroom to dry myself off. When I woke up the next morning I had completely forgotten the dream, until I discovered I still needed to dry myself off.

At this point, it’s important to backtrack. Both of the stories I have provided have been dreams. The reality of the matter is that truly whipping a slave or gang-raping a woman are horrible crimes which will have lasting effects on the physical and mental well-being of the victim. Nearly ten years ago I was home alone at around 12:30am when a stranger tried to break into my home with the intent of hurting me. Fortunately the criminal was unsuccessful in his ploy, but it left me terrified of being home alone at night. It’s a fear that has lead me to install alarm systems in my home and avoid being home alone at night whenever possible. This close call nearly ten years ago has made me feel uncomfortable in my own home ever since. I can only imagine the impact it would have had if this criminal had actually been successful.

Clearly I become aroused when BDSM graces my dreams, but pushing this line in reality is a completely different matter. However, that’s where the important distinction lies. Dreams, much like fantasies, are not reality. Many little boys love the fantasy of killing a dragon, but if faced with the “reality” of a huge fire-breathing dragon, would probably feel otherwise. This is the same case with BDSM.

There are many authors who refuse to write BDSM because they “know too many people who have been raped.” I completely sympathize and respect this concern. However, I think psychotic men who would actually rape a woman would do so regardless of whether or not they read my work. A man who would do such a thing has a lot of other problems which have little to do with my writing.

Additionally, I personally found I could only truly appreciate my own sexuality when I learned to embrace my desire for the fantasy of BDSM. Finally learning to embrace and express this fantasy originated in the very safe place of reading BDSM. Then it progressed into role-play with my husband. While this may seem more like “reality” the fact of the matter is that I’m in a loving, committed, trusting relationship, and I know that if I ever seriously conveyed any kind of discomfort my husband would stop immediately. This is fantasy because we’re “pretending.” Finally, I continued to explore my thirst for BDSM by writing some of my own in the form of a paranormal erotic novelette, Underneath the Gargoyle. The fact that this is a paranormal novelette couldn’t underscore more the fact that this is a fantasy. Embracing and exploring my love for BDSM has enriched my sex life and strengthened my relationship with my husband.

I am a feminist who also believes that sexuality is an integral part of human existence and a happy marriage. Sometimes fully embracing our sexuality entails accepting and cultivating a desire for BDSM. I write BDSM because I believe enacting our sexual fantasies in a committed, trusting relationship is another way to express our love.

gargoylecoverChristina Harding is an erotica reviewer and author of Underneath the Gargoyle available from Amazon and Smashword, and check out Christina’s blog where she reviews erotica and follow her on twitter @TinaErotica. You can read my review of Underneath the Gargoyle on my blog.

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Guest Blog: The Hypocrisy of Amazon

The Hypocrisy of Amazon
By Deana Michaels

Censorship is alive and well in modern America and the world, coming down hard on the genre of Erotica. There are a number of genres that Amazon does not want erotica Authors to publish on their sites such as incest.

Now Amazon has no problem posting books that are non-erotica that deal with this topic, the best selling Game of Thrones and its sequels comes to mind with depictions of incest between twin siblings that could be ripped right out of the pages of any hot erotica. Or How I Live Now depicting first cousins getting hot and heavy in the aftermath of world war three.

But you want to write a hot story about a brother and sister, both adults and both consenting, that want to get it on, and suddenly your book is banned from Amazon. Why? Censorship. They make claims like it’s illegal, its immoral, it results in inbreeding. All of these points are easily refuted.

If you couldn’t write about something that is illegal than half of literature would be gone. From stories of vigilante justice, to murder, to serial killers, to vampires would all be banned. And immoral? The scarlet letter, anyone. And, sure, incest can lead to bad outcomes in the real world, but that isn’t what erotica is about. It’s about fantasies. About doing things you couldn’t do in the real world, having experiences that you couldn’t have for a lot of reasons.

So what’s an erotica author going to do who wants to write about an adult daughter and her father getting together, or siblings, or mothers and sons, or fathers and sons, or any combination in between? Simple, we call them ‘step-brother’ or ‘brother-in-law’ or ‘adopted father’. But everyone really knows what your doing, including the readers that eat up the ‘taboo’ books on Amazon, knowing it’s code for what the pseudo-incest substitute for what they really want and what Amazon is too scared to give them.

And that’s a shame. Censorship never is good, it limits the world, limits discussion, stifles growth. And those that are being censored will find ways around those forces, thinking outside of the box to find ways around the limitations and get their art out there.

About the Author: Deana Micheals is the newest author to join Naughty Ladies Publications and is the author of the upcoming Taboo Summer Vacation, the taboo story of love and lust as Kylie and Scott celebrate their engagement with their adopted families. After a night of drinking, taboo lust is kindled when Kylie slips into the wrong bed.

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