Friday Free Read: Pet

 This Friday's Free Read is an experimental snippet from my current Work-in-Progress, Master Me.

 

 

She was called a 'pet'. Actually, there were many names for her, but 'pet' was most accurate. To Set and the men of his cult, slaves like she were prominent symbols of power. A man could not truly be honored as a master, until he had taken one of his own.

 

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Yet Another 55 Words

Welcome to the Wednesday Writing Challenge!

Every Wednesday, I pose a new writing challenge here on the blog. These challenges come from books on writing, classes I've taken on creative writing, or sometimes just from my own imagination. If you're an author, hopefully they will help you get your writing juices flowing and help you improve your craft.

 

Some of these challenges may be very good ones or may include an element I consider highly important for writers to learn...so occasionally I may cycle through some of my favorites more than once. 

 

??  Want to Participate  ??

The Wednesday Challenges are open to all readers. In order to participate, simply comment on the challenge post with your response to the exercise. Not only is it good practice, but you could win something nifty and fun!

 

January Prize: A $20 E-book Gift Card

~ For Full Contest Details, See Here ~

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talking Shop: Writing Fresh Erotica and Romance

Recently a fellow writer raised the question, how much sex is too much in an erotic romance?

 

 

This is actually a common question, I think. I know I often find myself wondering if there's enough plot in my porn, or vice versa. You definitely want your story to be hot, but some readers can find excessive sex scenes boring, and skip ahead.

 

How do you find balance? How do you know when your leading pair is fucking like bunnies just enough?

 

Friday Free Read - Share and Share Alike

It had always been a fantasy of Jack’s.  Since long before our wedding, he would sometimes whisper it in my ear when we were fucking.  Sometimes I’d blithely bring it up over coffee in the morning. I’d ask if he’d really meant it, and he’d answer with just a coy, unreadable smile.  He was like that… tempting and teasing, testing the boundaries, seeing how far I’d let him take it.  And that was how, after five years of happy marriage, I found myself celebrating my anniversary wearing Jack’s favorite, gauzy blue babydoll and white thigh-high nylons, standing in front of two strangers, blushing as they leered hungrily at my body.

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Transported

Welcome to the Wednesday Writing Challenge!

Every Wednesday, I pose a new writing challenge here on the blog. These challenges come from books on writing, classes I've taken on creative writing, or sometimes just from my own imagination. If you're an author, hopefully they will help you get your writing juices flowing and help you improve your craft.

 

Some of these challenges may be very good ones or may include an element I consider highly important for writers to learn...so occasionally I may cycle through some of my favorites more than once. 

 

??  Want to Participate  ??

The Wednesday Challenges are open to all readers. In order to participate, simply comment on the challenge post with your response to the exercise. Not only is it good practice, but you could win something nifty and fun!

 

January Prize: A $20 E-book Gift Card

~ For Full Contest Details, See Here ~

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday Free Read: The Bathhouse

On January 17th, my debut novel Lotus Petals turns 1! 

And we have just placed in the top ten for Book Cover Art in the 17th Preditors and Editor's Reader's Poll!

In honor of the book's anniversary and our win, this Friday's free read takes you into the halls of the Blood Lotus temple to meet Rhiannon and Aijyn, the leading ladies themselves!

***

Rhiannon closed her eyes, sinking a little deeper into the water, and then ducked her head under for just a second before coming back up. Aijyn tipped a nod toward a small wooden tray left by the rim of the pool, a tray containing soaps and oils for rinsing the hair. Rhiannon gratefully reached out for them.

"I am surprised the first thing you should want after such a long sea voyage would be a bath," Aijyn said.

"After weeks of hiding in a stinking cargo hold, picking off the deckhands, wallowing in the smell of men’s sweat and mildewing food?" Rhiannon growled bitterly, "What else could I want?"

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Picture Prompt

Welcome to the Wednesday Writing Challenge!

Every Wednesday, I pose a new writing challenge here on the blog. These challenges come from books on writing, classes I've taken on creative writing, or sometimes just from my own imagination. If you're an author, hopefully they will help you get your writing juices flowing and help you improve your craft.

 

Some of these challenges may be very good ones or may include an element I consider highly important for writers to learn...so occasionally I may cycle through some of my favorites more than once. 

 

??  Want to Participate  ??

The Wednesday Challenges are open to all readers. In order to participate, simply comment on the challenge post with your response to the exercise. Not only is it good practice, but you could win something nifty and fun!

 

January Prize: A $20 E-book Gift Card

~ For Full Contest Details, See Here ~

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talking Shop: Dressing Sexy Characters for Success

Normally I'm not the most fashion-minded of people. If I don't have to be dressed up I'm pretty much in a cartoon-character-like repetition of the same outfit day in and day out: jeans and a tank top. When it comes to describing a character's outfit, though, I am anything but lazy.

 

Why? Because it's costuming. I'm painting you a picture! While I couldn't care less how my closet ranks against the beautiful women of America's Next Top Model, when I have to describe a character's wardrobe my inner fashion designer arrives in a flurry of caffeinated enthusiasm.

 

So I get rather grumpy with romance authors who keep falling back on this is the only way a woman can dress sexy:

 

 

Google Image Search: tight clothes short skirt killer heels sexy

 

Friday Free Read: She

A little sci-fi Lovecraftian Horror

for today's Free Read

He’d first seen her from the walkway connecting The MGM and Excalibur casinos: she was below, in the milling flow of the sidewalk that ran the length of the strip.  Her dark, wavy hair was held back from her face by a pale blue headband; she wore a loose, short white blouse which had slipped down on one shoulder, and a black vinyl mini-skirt.  Her eyes, scanning the crowd, were the deep, liquid color of fine green glass, shaded by long, feathery black lashes.  But it was her lips he focused on: sensually glossed, they parted slightly in patient anticipation.  Perhaps she was only waiting, unaware of the tantalizing shimmer of her pout—but he doubted it.

This woman was a killer.

Upcoming New Release by Shelli Rosewarne!

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

 

When Natalia rents a holiday cottage she is looking for peace and quiet, a place to reassess her life and recover from her failed relationship. Instead she finds a man who turns her world upside down.

However, people and things are not as they seem, and Natalia begins to find that legends are real and fairy tales have a basis in reality. As she grows closer to the enigmatic Damian she finds herself tested as danger and passion go in hand in hand, and everything she thought she knew about the world will be questioned.  

After years of waiting Damian had given up hope that he would ever find his destined mate, and he certainly never expected her to be a sassy American who has no idea that his world even exists. Can he convince Natalia to believe in the impossible, and more importantly, can he protect her from those who seek to destroy his people.

Excerpt:

Natalia eyed the shining water with fresh appreciation. She had to admit it would be nice to do something to take her mind away from all the crap.

"I didn't bring a suit," she murmured, a bit regretfully.

His grin turned wicked. "You don't need one. There's no one around."

She glared at him. "You're around!"

"I won't look." His eyes were teasing.

Yeah, right! She snorted. "I don't believe you!"

"Okay, how about this. I may look, but I promise I won't touch. Unless you ask me to, of course."

Natalia burst out laughing, surprising herself. Ten minutes ago, she'd been sobbing her eyes out.

His gaze softened. "Come on, you could do with it."

The water did look calm, she thought as she eyed it up. "You're sure it's safe for swimming?"

"Sure, I used to come here as a kid."

She shot him a quick glance at that. It was hard to imagine him as an innocent child. He grinned back at her as though he knew exactly what she thinking—which, quite frankly, shouldn't surprise her after today, but she wasn't going to go there right now.

"Look, if you're that bothered leave your underwear on. It's such a warm day you'll dry out afterward."

Really, it wasn't much different than a bikini, was it? She found herself nodding before she thought better of it and he reached a hand down to tug her to her feet. A half smile tugged at her lips. It might be a bit old-fashioned, but she liked the little gestures he made like that. Then he pulled his shirt over his head and she stopped breathing.

His body was like something out of a magazine, or like the Greek statues at the museums she'd been to for tedious fundraisers. Bronzed skin covered sculpted muscles with a dusting of hair leading down into his pants—which, oh Christ, were coming off as well! She closed her eyes a moment, and then couldn't help herself and had to peek. So much for wondering whether he was going to keep on his underwear as he wasn't wearing any. He seemed completely comfortable in his nakedness, and when he bent over to neatly place his clothes on the rock she had to clench her hands to restrain from reaching out to that tight ass. Jeez, you could market that! He turned back to meet her gaze and her cheeks flamed at the knowing amusement in his eyes. Before her fuddled brain could even start to think of something to say, he leaned forward and brushed a quick, hard kiss across her lips.

"Don't worry. You have the exact same effect on me," he whispered to her and then stepped back. "See you in there," he told her with a grin, before turning and jumping off the rock straight into the shining water.

Bio: 

Shelli Rosewarne had always had a dream in the back of her head about wanting to be a writer. However, like with so many things, life and paying the bills got in the way and she worked in various jobs from call centers to shops to offices. She eventually realized that life is too short not to try and follow your dreams, and has since had two stand alone novellas published with Breathless Press, along with several submissions in anthologies, and various works in progress in the pipeline. Yup, she's having to pinch herself as well! She's currently lucky enough to live in Edinburgh, where she can be constantly inspired by Scottish folklore and see castles every day. When not writing she loves reading, music and photography.

 

You can follow her at:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelli-Rosewarne/364962230246715

Twitter - @shellirosewarne

Blog – http://shellirosewarne.wordpress.com

 

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Refresh Your Descriptions

Welcome to the Wednesday Writing Challenge!

Every Wednesday, I pose a new writing challenge here on the blog. These challenges come from books on writing, classes I've taken on creative writing, or sometimes just from my own imagination. If you're an author, hopefully they will help you get your writing juices flowing and help you improve your craft.

 

Some of these challenges may be very good ones or may include an element I consider highly important for writers to learn...so occasionally I may cycle through some of my favorites more than once. 

 

??  Want to Participate  ??

The Wednesday Challenges are open to all readers. In order to participate, simply comment on the challenge post with your response to the exercise. Not only is it good practice, but you could win something nifty and fun!

 

January Prize: A $20 E-book Gift Card

~ For Full Contest Details, See Here ~

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spotlight on "When Dark Falls", by Pippa Jay

In a city where Dark Technologies Inc. now runs the show, Kadie Williams has more immediate concerns than the fall of Blaze, their guardian superhero. Almost every morning for the last few months she’s woken up with cuts and bruises on her body, and no idea how she got them. There are no nightmares. No evidence that she sleepwalks, or any sign of a break in. And nothing to tell her who’s been cleaning up after her. As just one of thousands of civilians conscripted to slave away in the labs of Professor Dark, she knew there'd be trouble ahead. But  she never expected it to be so bad, or so personal.