Monday, March 27, 2017

71 pages of romance - A Taste of Tina #FreeSampler #TinaDonahueBooks


Can't decide what you want to read? 
I'm making it easy with my free sampler A Taste of Tina.

Features first chapters from my bestselling romances, including:
CONTEMPORARY
HISTORICAL
PARANORMAL
PARANORMAL-ROMANTIC COMEDY

Something for everyone's tastes.

Click here to download your free PDF copy.

Enjoy!


Website  –  FB  – FB Fanpage  – Twitter  –  Amazon Author Page

Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Fascinating and Illogical World of Time Travel Romance


Are you a fan of Time Travel romances? Most time travel romances are fish-out-of-water stories. The hero or heroine travels through time and ends up falling in love with someone from a different time period, quite different from their own. Most involve travel back in time, like Jude Deveraux’s Night in Shining Amour, or Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander.

I’ve read and enjoyed several time travel romances and see them more as paranormal romances than science fiction because they usually gloss over the technical details and mechanics on HOW the characters manage to get from one time to another. Usually there is no time machine, little or no scientific theory or explanation.

Some Mechanisms Used in Romance Time Travels

Magical amulets, stone circles or monuments, tomb stones, enchanted dreams, car crashes, casting spells, angering a sorcerer or witch, falling overboard into the sea and being rescued by pirates from another century, mysterious mirror, dimensional portals at a secret location, etc.

Butterfly Effect in Time Travel Stories

An author can get themselves tangled in the logical or illogical details of time travel. Best to keep it simple when writing these stories. Decide how to handle your world ahead of time, and how will the story end? The Butterfly Effect states that small changes can cause large effects. In time travel, a small change could cause catastrophic effects in the future. Read Ray Bradbury’s story, A Sound of Thunder demonstrates this very well. A time traveler literally steps on, and kills, a prehistoric butterfly and when the character returns to present day, society has completely changed in horrific ways.

How would you handle going back in time only a few years and meeting with your younger self? Watch Back to the Future movies. They also dealt with the Butterfly Effect. A current TV series Timeless goes back in time to major historic events and tries to stop an enemy from changing history.
Inspiration for Edge of Passion
 
Inspiration for the cottage in the forest

Bunratty castle gave me the idea for the story location 

Ancient Irish brooch is used in the story
Edge of Passion and Time Travel

Edge of Passion is my novella in the Naughty Novellas anthology. It takes place around an ancient Irish castle and a mysterious cottage in the nearby forest. This story does deal with a time travel element but neither the hero or heroine are from another time. But they both have to deal with people who are, and events and a cottage that are connected to the past. The mechanism I used in the story are ley lines. Ley lines are supposed to align spiritual, mystical and the earth’s electromagnetic energies. Many ancient monuments are built on ley lines. The cottage appears and disappears and those who reside inside are from another time. The hero has had a past relationship with a woman from the past and that plays into the story. I liked how the characters from the past interact with those from the current time and would like to add more stories in this world.


Read Edge of Passion in Naughty Novellas:

Amazon   B&N    Kobo     iTunes
Find Kathy Kulig:

Hot New Mailing List: http://smarturl.it/KathysHotNews




Monday, March 20, 2017

An Introduction to Lynn LaFleur

Hello, and welcome to the Naughty Literati blog! I'm author Lynn LaFleur, a brand new member of this wonderful group. I'm very proud to be included with such talented authors.

I want to take this opportunity in my first blog to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me. I've been published since 2001 with four publishers (two e-pubs and two New York pubs). At one time, I hit the 50-published-books mark, until Ellora's Cave closed and I received the rights back to my books. I'm in the process of revising and re-releasing them as quickly as I can. I currently have 30 published books available, and hope to hit that 50 mark again soon.

I live in Texas, 17 miles from my hometown and only remaining sibling (a sister). I'm a full-time author, and love spending my days spinning tales that I hope will entertain my readers.

Check out the following places for even more info about me. Happy reading!

Website: lynnlafleur.com/home
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lynn.lafleur
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lynn_lafleur
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lynnlafleur

Lynn

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Using where I've been and what I've done--Setting in the Novel by Suz deMello (#iamwriting #romantic suspense #writerscraft)


Outstanding books are memorable for a variety of reasons. Perhaps in one it is the romance we find so compelling.  In another, the characters stay with us for a long time. 

But for many readers, the sense of "being there" is the aspect that draws them into the book and keeps them there despite distractions.  I call this a sense of place, or setting.


Its importance can't be underestimated.  Some genres, such as certain subgenres of romance, are based totally on a unique or special setting, such as the English Regency or American West.  Some readers will purchase nothing but books placed in their favorite setting. People will read books in their favorite setting--Middle Earth, Hogwarts--over and over again just because they want to again experience the feeling of being there.

While I was editing professionally, I sometimes came upon a submission in which it was impossible for me to know where the book was set because the author assumed way too much. In one, for example, I had to go to the author's website to discover where her werewolf/vampire series was set. 

Fortunately for any of my readers who like to feel deeply grounded in a book, I love to travel and then put my observations and experiences into my writing.

http://a.co/j79CdEA
I set a couple of recent re-releases in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I lived for about five years and still visit frequently. Here are a couple of snippets from those books:

...she took the handset and walked to the window, hoping to see a street sign so she could tell her partner where she was. Unfortunately, the view four stories below showed only a small back garden, typical of homes in San Francisco. It was beautifully landscaped with Japanese maples and azaleas, which were in bloom. A small stone bench sat by a pond.

The above is from Phoenix and Dragon, a novel set in San Francisco, and the description of this courtyard is based on one I saw years ago, in the Marina District, I believe. 

http://a.co/eklA2RJ
And here's one from Spy Game, which takes place farther south. This clip describes Skyline Drive, which is off Highway 17 between San Jose and Santa Cruz, which I call Santa Laura in the book. It's best not to be too tethered to reality when writing. Otherwise one gets letters from irate readers stating that "I've been there and it's not like that!"


The wooded, two-lane road wound up a hill past a playground and a park. A swing set and a jungle gym were nearly invisible in the night, lit only by a few dim streetlamps. At the lane’s crest a row of mailboxes sat with a whimsical stuffed or carved animal perched atop each. A wooden bird with brightly painted, outstretched wings roosted on the box marked #2730...a little cottage that screamed “hippie heaven.”

I would never have dreamed up the mailboxes with the sculptures, so visiting the area while I was writing was a really good idea. Touches like those add a sense of reality to a book, which is really an imaginary construct even if it's a contemporary set in a recognizable place.

It's hard to make it as an author these days, and every aspect of the writer's craft must be well-honed and perfect, including setting in the novel.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Kindle Fire Winner

Congratulations to Jan T  from Dover on winning the Kindle Fire loaded with books by the Naughty Literati authors. Our sincere thanks to all who entered and help us celebrate the release of Naughty Novellas: Seven Sensuous Romances.

Happy reading!

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

To condom or not to condom?



To condom or not to condom is a tricky question. Many readers say they hate the stopping of the action while the hero grabs the latex. Other readers say if there is no condom they are basically waiting for the baby to arrive.

Some authors make rolling the rubber down an erection part of the foreplay. Others use ribbed, colored, flavored or otherwise unusual condoms to add to the action.

Many publishing houses insist on condom usage unless there are specific reasons why one is irrelevant, such as vampire or werewolf heroes who cannot get the heroine pregnant nor carry human diseases.

I write for several houses that require condoms to be used and mostly this suits me. I certainly don’t want an unplanned pregnancy entering the action and it’s pretty much a given in an erotic romance, that with lots of sex happening, pregnancy is very likely.

Then there is the disease issue. Very few of my characters are virgins so realistically, with them all having had several partners, disease is an issue that ought to be considered. So yes, condoms work for my contemporary characters.


In historical fiction this can be tricky, as French Letters (the forerunner of the modern condom) were very expensive and not easily purchased outside of very large towns. This wasn’t a problem in the first book in my “Virgins No More” series as the heroine was a virgin and the hero hadn’t been in a relationship recently. But in the second book the heroine herself opened a discussion on the topic with the hero, makes to his surprise.

Their dinner that night was a simple one, as they had to leave early to attend a musicale. John very much feared it would be nothing but a lot of barely talented daughters playing the pianoforte or harp poorly, with the possibility of a screeching soprano to further torment his eardrums. It wasn’t quite that bad, but it in no way inspired him to attend such an event again in the near future. Besides, all he wanted to do was take Theodora to bed and tell her he loved her. Tell her she was precious to him. And, hopefully, hear her repeat the words to him.
It was hard to believe he’d never said them, yet he knew he hadn’t and the words “I love you” needed to be said as soon as possible. Unfortunately, her mind seemed to be running on a different track. Once they were alone, just as he was getting ready to drop on one knee and tell her of his adoration for her, she asked tentatively, “May I ask you a question? I’m afraid it’s not at all ladylike, but Mama wouldn’t answer it for me.”
“Of course.” He was confused, but willing.
“Have I ever mentioned my friend Patience to you? The one who married Farmer Entwhistle?” If he’d been confused before, he was completely confounded now. He had no idea in which direction her mind was going. “I think so. She has several small children.”
“Yes, that’s her. She was very beautiful at age seventeen when she married him. Now, five years later, she has four children, she’s always tired, and she looks forty years old.”
She seemed to expect him to respond. He had no idea what to say, so settled for, “Ahh.”
“I’ve heard there’s something called a French letter that will stop a woman having a baby. Can you tell me about them?”
She was blushing furiously. Her face and neck, even her ears, were bright red. She looked adorable and his dick was demanding he take her to bed right now, but for some reason this Patience woman was important to her, so he answered her question. “Women in bawdy houses use them to prevent pregnancy. As do some noblemen with their mistresses. Casanova is said to have always used one. A French letter is a sheath made of sheep’s intestines, which the man ties over his cock so the seed stays inside the sheath instead of making a baby in the woman.”
“Oh. Why must they not be spoken of? Why don’t women know about them?”
Now it was his turn to blush. “Theodora, you must understand I’ve never used one, but I know men who have, and still do. Some men say they make the experience less pleasurable for both man and woman. Although I suspect Casanova did not find it so. Other men believe it is wrong to prevent pregnancy, and it’s not a thing a woman can do in secret, like take herbal concoctions to prevent babies.”
“There are herbs that stop a woman increasing?”
“So I’ve been told. But that is woman’s lore and not something I know much about. It could be not that Patience hasn’t heard of French letters, but that her husband does not approve. French letters are also quite expensive.”
She nodded and looked thoughtful, then said, “To take herbs and prevent a baby might not please the husband if he found out either. Such secrets could be very hard to keep besides being quite deceitful. I expect such decisions should be made together, in which case a French letter would be a better solution. And surely they are much cheaper than the cost of rearing a child.”
“I agree. Will you tell her about them?”
“Oh yes. Both she and Farmer Entwhistle might be quite eager to have a few years of peace before there’s another baby, and if they haven’t heard of such things or can’t afford them, I would like to help Patience. Um—”
John couldn’t prevent the huge smile that broke out over his face as he read in her eyes her next question. “Yes, my love, I daresay I could buy some French letters to give your friend. Now, may we talk about us?”
“Almost a Virgin” Virgins No More book 2.


Series Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Berengaria+Brown+Virgins+No+More

Berengaria Brown
Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown

It's time to Double Down - Two Books, One Volume!

Now Available - Double Down  by Nicole Austin

My Greatest Fantasy & Make Mine A Double--two great stories in one thick volume to fulfill your menage fantasies. M/M/F/M, M/F, M/F/M, M/M...
Amazon https://goo.gl/ggTkNi
Nook https://goo.gl/DmItD3
iBooks https://goo.gl/CdJlvh
Kobo https://goo.gl/UCmoE1

My Greatest Fantasy

Contemporary / Menage (M/M/F/M)
My name is Isabella Blackburn Stillman, and I am a voyeur. At least that’s how it all began. Along the way, I’ve developed a taste for exhibitionism, foursomes and role-playing. Okay, I confess. I’m obsessed with sex, the more taboo the better. If there’s a cure you can keep it. I don’t want to be saved. Not when there are three sexy younger men ready, willing and able to satisfy my carnal appetites. Yeah, baby! I’m having the time of my life and acting out all my wicked fantasies down to the most decadent details. All three men heat me up but one of the guys drives me absolutely wild. I might have to hang on to Rhys for a while, even if he does make me act a little crazy at times. *This previously published title has been revised and reedited*

Click here to read an excerpt from My Greatest Fantasy 

Make Mine A Double


Contemporary / Menage (M/M/F) – A standalone sequel to My Greatest Fantasy No doubt about it, Kaylie Ward’s a loser magnet. And yet give her some tequila to wash away those man troubles and she’s more than ready for a hot ménage fantasy. But somehow dream and reality collided because there are two naked hunks in bed with her, not that she’s complaining. Best friends, business partners, lovers—Max Lockhart and Brayden Sinclair share everything, including women. Like a bad country song they went looking for love in all the wrong places only to find it waiting for them at home, in their bed no less. Kaylie’s plans for the future revolve around having a “normal” life, whatever that is. Going after it means living with a broken heart, or can she have her double order of beefcake and hang on to them too? *This previously published title has been revised and reedited*

Click here to read an excerpt from Make Mine A Double


Monday, March 6, 2017

A (Very Condensed) Bit of Historical Background for Walpurgis Night.

My novella in the Naughty Novellas anthology, "Walpurgis Night", is set in England in the 10th century. Of course they didn’t call it England back then. In fact, until the end of the century, England (from Angle-land, or land of the Angles) wasn’t really a nation as we know them today at all. The area was in a rather chaotic state, carved up into smaller kingdoms and being overrun by various factions. War was almost constant, though it moved into different places at different times.

The Angles and Saxons had driven out the Roman invaders and pushed back most of the Britons, Celts, and Picts (who probably weren’t the original indigenous peoples themselves) into Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. Incursions by various groups of Norsemen, or Vikings, had left settlements scattered over parts of the northern reaches by the late 9th century, particularly in the area that came to be known as the Danelaw. At the end of the century Alfred expanded his base in Wessex, defeated the other factions, including the Danes, and became the first “King of All England.”

Though there was a great deal of back and forth about who controlled which bits of territory during the entire century, most of that didn’t impinge on the everyday lives of the common people. Occasionally an army would come through and lay waste to the countryside or a local noble would call up groups of men to help him defend some area, but for the most part, day to day life was about the crops, the animals, the weather, keeping the houses standing, preparing for local celebrations, and personal interactions.

For a long time Angle, Saxon, and Norse settlements (and sometimes a few other peoples as well) coexisted side by side. Despite considerable differences in culture, including language, religion, methods of agriculture, etc., inevitably contact and some mingling began to occur. It wasn’t always friendly, of course, but sometimes it was rather more than friendly and produced children who might have a Saxon mother and Norse father, or vice versa.

Walpurgis Night takes place against that background. A group of Norse young men indulge their curiosity and sneak over to an Anglish celebration, resulting in one of them being chosen by a local healer, Fianna, to be her partner for a night of revelry. With Henrik, Fianna discovers a kinky sexual connection that surprises them both. But neither expects anything more to come of their night together, until Henrik’s brother is gravely wounded, and he turns to Fianna for help.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Naughty Novellas Contest

To celebrate the release of NAUGHTY NOVELLAS, the Naughty Literati are giving away a 7" Kindle Fire loaded with books by our fabulous authors including:

The Naughty Literati’s complete boxed-set collection
Alpha vs Alpha by Francesca Hawley
Charming the Masters by Katherine Kingston
Chocolate Coated Reunion by Berengaria Brown
Desire in Tartan by Suz deMello
First Comes Desire by Tina Donahue
My Greatest Fantasy by Nicole Austin
Not Too Tall To Love by Berengaria Brown
The Pleasure Device by Regina Kammer
The Woodsman by Belle Scarlett (Audible audiobook)
Trip My Switch by Nicole Austin

 
There are many ways to enter, including a daily bonus entry, so come back every day to increase your chances of winning. Good luck and happy reading!

Contest begins March 1st and runs for two weeks.
 

NAUGHTY NOVELLAS - Available Now!

Naughty Novellas

Available Now!

Naughty Novellas Ebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAX4UXZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_4jPJybBFT1JJT https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/naughty-novellas/id1200018761?ls=1&mt=11https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/naughty-novellas
    

Purchase Naughty Novellas in Print 
https://goo.gl/QL4H4D


Including BDSM, Contemporary, Fairytale, Fantasy, Futuristic, Historical, Paranormal, Shape-shifter & Threesome from bestselling authors

The Woodsman ~ Belle Scarlett
Once upon a time in the Enchanted Forest where cursed beings are consigned until the spells that bind them are broken… What if the Big Bad Wolf was the good guy?
*This title, previously published as The Woodsman, has been revised and reedited.*



Kahn’s Haven ~ Nicole Austin
Anita Bennett’s fight to solve the mystery of eight lost days leads to a hunt for the jaguar-man who haunts her fractured memories. Her plan is simple—find and seduce him. What she didn’t anticipate is his resistance.
*This title, previously published as Rakahnja’s Haven, has been revised and reedited.*



Anything You Want ~ Tina Donahue
At a hedonistic resort, her indecent cravings will be sated…
With the big three-o days away, Jamie’s had it with dieting, exercises, and being alone. Off she goes to Wicked Desires, a decadent Caribbean resort where carnal appetites rule and billionaires Creed and Tav crave a woman exactly like her.
*This previously published title has been revised and reedited.*



Tropic of Pleasure ~ Tina Donahue
The one woman they shouldn’t want. Two Doms she can’t resist. Bondage, submission, punishment beyond her wildest desires. Cara’s wanted Hud and Ryder forever. Her dream finally comes true during a smoking-hot weekend on a private island.
*This previously published title has been revised and reedited.*



The Property of Twin Dragons ~ Berengaria Brown
Twin dragons Drake and Dragun are convinced Lois is their mate. But is she stealing from the company? And why won’t she talk to them?



Walpurgis Night ~ Katherine Kingston
The Viking who captures Fianna demands she heal his brother of a grievous wound. He didn’t ask for her heart as well, but he steals it anyway.
*This previously published title has been revised and reedited.*



NY TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Edge of Passion ~ Kathy Kulig

Jack recognizes the submissive smoldering beneath Dana’s demure exterior. Under Jack’s skillful commands, Dana explores her darkest erotic desires in the ancient Irish castle. But a mystical energy surrounds them. Is she an unwilling participant in a supernatural conquest?
*This title previously published as Emerald Dungeon, has been revised and reedited.*