*Includes Excerpt of an adult nature*
READERS GONE WILD! They’re way better than pink lemonade shooters, shirtless beach volleyball players, or Bon Jovi cover bands. I’m talking about that instant gratification an author gets from a reader recognizing their name and reacting to it. I’ve been keeping track of responses and I either get gasping squealing or the slight head turn, one-eyed squint.
There’s every good chance the gasping could be from the fact that if I’m in a rush, I sometimes forget to mascara both eyes. I’ve learned to just smile and tell them I’m such a huge Mary Kay fan that I do it so readers can see the marked difference between applying Lash Love and going without. It usually has a great impact.
The squealing used to startle me. Until I learned the truth behind it. Alas, it’s not my mere presence at the autographing table. No, not in the least. It’s the hot, hard bodied men that grace my promotional luggage tags and postcards that bring forth the high-pitched acknowledgements.
Then there’s the cocked head and surveying squint of the seasoned reader. Sometimes it’s like the gunfighter’s “sizing up” scene from an old western movie. Is there room in that reader’s time or on their shelf for one of my romances? Should they square off and take the four steps that will bring them within talking distance?
They’re all responses I look forward to, and I’m hoping my upcoming trip to Lori Foster’s Readers & Authors Get Together will offer each and every one. It’s one of my favorite conferences to interact with readers, and in my opinion, that’s what writing is all about. I love the spectacular that is the Romantic Times Conference, but when you get right down to it, I’m a simple girl who loves that one-on-one time you get with a more intimate event. Although this year, it’s goody bags for over 500, so Miss Lori’s event has certainly grown rapidly over the past few years.
I’m flying in ahead of time and visiting dear friends in Kentucky, where I was fortunate enough to live for five years during my corporate wife stint. I love the people there. Love their honesty and hospitality. And their yeast rolls. It’s been fodder for a book or two, because I’ve learned I can’t write a story if there isn’t some mention of food within the pages.
The event itself is Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9. There’s tons of time to talking to readers from the past and hopefully some new fans. You never know what they’re going to say or do, much like those crazy stories about Spring Breakers in Daytona, but no matter what, it’s an author’s dream. You’ve got editors and agents and panels galore. And if that weren’t enough to have you boarding a plane and paying outrageous airfare, there’s the opportunity to reconnect with other writers I don’t get so see on a regular basis. That camaraderie and the surge of creativity produced by socializing with your peers is priceless.
I’m super excited to garner opinions on romances with BDSM elements that focus on existing relationships. I’ve written two that have had surprising results, one with friends (DEEPER THAN INK) and one with a married couple (KINK IT UP) and want to see if it’s a viable trend.
If any of you Coffee Time fanatics are at the Lori Foster Readers & Authors Get Together, come up and say hello. Gasp or squeal or give me the squint. Just don’t do them all at the same time or I’ll be forced to vault over the table in fear that you’re having a seizure and try to administer CPR!
And for anyone who wants a quick read that includes elements of bondage in a committed relationship, I offer the following:
KINK IT UP by M.A. Ellis – maellisromance.com – Twitter @AuthorMAEllis – Facebook Author M.A. Ellis
Blurb:
Kelsey and Smith have allowed life to get in the way of romance. Later-in-life career changes for her, more work responsibilities for him and staggered work hours for both are taking their toll. When their disconnect becomes too much, headstrong Kelsey confronts her husband with the perfect solution: kink it up.
Smith quickly learns his wife isn’t talking silk scarves and spankings. She’s thinking more in the line of wrist cuffs and nipple clamps. No matter her fantasy, he wants it to be perfect for her. And if that means an in-home tutorial with his old friend””and local Dom””he’s up for the challenge.
Never one to drag her feet, Kelsey makes her own plans to spice things up, only to find them derailed in the hottest way, yawning awake one minute and bound to her vintage ottoman the next. But when the smoldering heat clears from their light foray into bondage, will Smith and Kelsey regain their intimacy or will the kink factor form a rift they aren’t likely to overcome?
A Romantica® contemporaryerotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Excerpt:
Kelsey glanced across the room to where the paddle lay, knowing he was purposely delaying their foray into obedience. All the articles she’d read had stressed the importance of the tease. Of the mental byplay that was as important as the discipline itself. But she wanted to get to the meat of the matter. For him to tell her how she had misbehaved. To see how it would feel to have a real smack land on her naked ass.
Smith turned his head and met her gaze. She purposely raised her chin, silently challenging him to make a move. The ever-present twinkle in his green eyes was beginning to dim and Kelsey’s heartbeat sped.
“It’s not going to be that easy, Kelsey.” His gaze narrowed and she knew he’d read her mind. “This isn’t going to be the simple bind me, spank me, then fuck-me fantasy you’re thinking about.”
Her heart stumbled. She wasn’t sure if it was from his frankness or the thought that he had something more complex in mind than what she assumed. There was only one way to find out.
“But we agreed”””
“We agreed on the ground rules,” he interrupted. “Get back up on your hands and knees. As you so disobediently pointed out, you’re not the only one with a fantasy here.”
Kelsey resumed her previous position, his firm tone setting her nerves on high alert. She knew all about his fantasies and she was going to see to their fulfillment herself. Very soon, in fact. But thanks to Smith’s call-to-action attitude, something excessively hot was apparently on her erotic horizon. She stole a glance at the leather paddle and heard him chuckle.
“Not so fast, sugar.” He brushed a wisp of hair that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. His fingertips danced along the sensitive skin of her lower lobe and she couldn’t hide the shiver that swept through her body.
“This would be a whole lot hotter if you canned the southern endearments, you know.” She goaded him, wondering why she felt as if she had to divert his attention from the fact his simple caress had affected her. Was it self-preservation? A simple reaction from what she perceived as his lack of interest in her of late? Kelsey expected him to offer up another laugh and a little more banter and her mind raced, trying to think of what to say that would incite him more. Get him to move it along.
Suddenly, his strong fist closed around the length of her long red hair, forcing her head back so quickly she lost her breath. Gone was the teasing glint in his eyes or the crooked upturn of his lips. Kelsey met his stern gaze, furrowed brows making it clear the time for lighthearted chitchat was over. It was a look of power. A look of control. So fucking hot and unexpected, dampness trickled downward, teasing her folds until she was forced to shift her hips.
“Stay still,” he commanded, twisting his wrist so the shorter hair at the base of her neck stretched just to the point of pain. His little finger stroked the patch of skin between her shoulder blades and she focused on not tensing her back muscles.
“If I want a response from you, I’ll ask for it. Until then, be quiet.”
The drumming in her chest increased until it echoed in her ears. She didn’t know if she should nod her head in the affirmative or answer him out loud. If she spoke, what would he do? A part of her truly wanted to find out, but another part, the one that was connected to the throbbing in her pussy, wasn’t so sure.
This is what you wanted. What you’ve dreamed about for so long. What you finally had the balls to throw out there. He’s stepped up and what are you ready to do? Raise the safety flag and bail?
Smith released her hair as quickly as he’d grabbed it and the discomfort turned into a pleasurable tingle. She breathed deep, only to have it cut short when he moved to her side to slowly trail a solitary finger down her spine. Heat followed in the wake of his caress, snaking outward along her nerve endings as he worked his way toward the divot at the small of her back. Memories of how he used to stroke that exact spot after they’d made love, no matter the position, assailed her. Was he remembering as well how that simple gesture had conveyed an array of feelings? Comfort. Satisfaction. Possession.
The sweetness of the past dueled with the titillation of the moment. She wanted to embrace both emotions, somehow meld them into one entity that would rekindle their intimacy but possibly take it a step farther. Happily ever after with the occasional ball gag and riding crop.
Instead of pausing at the small of her back as she hoped he might, Smith continued lower, not stopping until he touched the cleft of her ass. He caressed the fleshy valley, each downward stroke seeming to delve deeper between her cheeks. Sweat broke out along her brow as a flush of heat shot through her body. He moved a little further and the muscles in her glutes involuntarily tightened.
“You afraid, Kelsey?”
His finger dipped lower, pressed a little harder. “No,” she quickly responded.
“Liar.”
Leave a Comment