Love fan fic? Love kinky romance? Suz deMello has a couple of great shorties for you! (#Sherlock #romance #sexy #99cents)

One of the ways in which publishing has changed since the advent of digital are rights, licensing, and reissues.  Time was that a publisher bought a license to publish an author's book almost indefinitely. With epublishing, that changed. Most of us recognize that the vast majority of sales take place within a couple of weeks of initial publication. Little if any promo would happen after those two weeks--it wasn't cost-effective for publishers to do anything more.

It was not a great business model for writers to allow books to languish in that manner. Most epublishing contracts provide for a much more limited licensing term, that is, the length of time a publisher has the right to put out an author's work. These days, a term of more than two years is very unusual, and often viewed as unfair to the writer

The vast majority of my books and stories have returned to me, and I'm busy reediting, re-covering them and putting them out in new editions for your reading pleasure. And here they are!

Sherlock's Scandal

(historical fan fiction; short story)

A bored Sherlock is a dangerous Sherlock. His twin vices of cocaine and sex could prove his undoing, until he meets his match in elusive, enigmatic Irene Adler. Hiding her heart, Irene deserts Sherlock in the midst of their affair. He schemes to win her back, but the lady won’t come easily to hand. Instead, she forces him to compete for honor, glory and love.

What others have thought about this story:

Five Stars! A heady and enjoyable romp

--JMyersBook, Amazon reader

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More than spicy!

--Tammie, Night Owl Reviews

***

Captivating!

--Brenda Talley, Romance Studio

Find it here:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/878264

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Toe Cleavage

(short story)

Genre: contemporary erotic romance

Shelbie Nathanson resents Rick Saldano's ascension to C.O.O. of her family's shoe company, a job she's wanted all her life. But she can't resist his red-hot, sexy style of lovemaking--one that focuses on her passion: shoes.

What others have thought of this story:

“Deliciously hot!”

--Author Justine Elyot

“This book was great…very believable fun story…Thanks for the quick romp.”

--Black Disaster Fairy

“Five stars…brought me into a world I don’t have a clue about. Very well-written short story.”

--Kurt Wannanut (The Erotic Critic)

Find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MDLQ0O

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Hope you love reading them as much as I loved writing them! 

I'm especially proud of the Sherlock cover--I just created that one, and it was my first foray into using MSPaint3D. Let me know what you think!

Pets in romance stories

Do you like your hero or heroine to have a pet or two? Does it make them more real to you if they cuddle a kitty after yelling at their true love? Or cry into their horse’s mane? Or maybe she owns a really clever pet bird that frightens away a would-be bad guy? Do you like the thought of your hunky hero going for a run with his dog?

I can think of one mystery author who always includes a cat or two in her books and the cats’ characters are every bit as vivid as that of the humans. And sometimes far more interesting to me, as a reader too.

I know of another author who adores animals and it shows in every line she writes about her shapeshifter wolves.

Then there are books I’ve read with a pet introduced in chapter one and never mentioned again in the book. I’m always left wondering, “What happened to the pet when the lovers hooked up? Is the pet going to get an HEA or not?”

There are a group of well-known authors who have written entire series of books where the hero or heroine is basically just a foil for the animal character that solves the mystery/ saves the world. That is another entire genre of book.

According to the God of all Knowledge, WikiAnswers, 63% of American households have a pet, the vast majority of them either a dog and/or a cat. Hamsters, fish, mice, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, bunnies, iguanas and ferrets are all in the top ten pets depending on who you believe.

So this is where I came in. If so many people own pets do they want to read about them in their books? Because they have a pet do they feel better if the hero/heroine has a pet?

Or do they see pets as something a kid needs to grow up with, rather like a bike and a football? Or just another household chore to perform? Do the laundry, cook the supper, walk the dog?

Many animals offer their human endless love, trust and companionship. They don’t fuss about unwashed blankets or unironed clothing. They adore being petted and at least pretend to listen when you talk to them. But does this uncomplaining attitude then make the hero or heroine look bad when they are upset at how their lover is treating them?

So what do you think? Should book characters be pet-owners? Or is this likely to make them be less appealing to their lover? After all, it is hardly romantic for the heroine to say, “I can’t go out without you tonight. I have to clean out the bird cage.”

Speaking of birds, in “Blue Bird of Happiness” Roland Clarke has a cat, Mr. Claws. Michael Taggart inherits two lovebirds, Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie can open the cage door and escape. Every time Roland and Mike try to get together the animals come between them. As you can imagine, their path to a happy ending is as much about the animals in their lives as the lust and love in their hearts.

“Blue Bird of Happiness”: https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Paint-Publishing-Classic-ManLove-ebook/dp/B00NEWXO2W/
“The Paint Store Boys” series: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=the+paint+store+boys+Berengaria

Berengaria Brown
Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
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