Casual Smex Friday with R. Brennan #HotRead #amreading

Hello All,

Welcome back to Casual Smex Friday! I've been having a blast meeting all the ladies and gents over at Evernight Publishing. One naugthy author in particular was nice enough to stop by and share her latest release with us today.

For those of you unfamiliar with the CSF posts, here's a quick breakdown. On Casual Smex Friday you’re encouraged to sit back, relax and get smexy. Remember that Smex day posts consist of the following four segments:

1.) The Quickie- For those of you who only have time for some quick relief.

2.) The Afternoon Delight- For the reader who wants a little foreplay before smexing.

3.) The Midnight Grind-For those of you who want to go beyond foreplay and get to main show.

4.) The After Glow Strut- For those of you not afraid to show your love and go for another round.

So without further ado please welcome the spanktasticly naughty and deliciously raunchy author R. Brennan. As her bio reads if you're afraid to tread through NSFW waters, you may want to keep on walking. However, if you're in the mood for some seriously smexy reading pull up a chair, loosen that tie or hike up that skirt. It's gonna be gooood!

The Quickie…

Name: R. Brennan

Stats: R. Brennan is a subbie brat with a bitch streak, an IT geek for the state of New York, and reformed gaming addict raising her daughters in the rolling hills of Upstate NY. (You know, where it takes a ten minute drive to buy a gallon of milk, and the smell of cows lingers on the breeze.) The brave are welcome to follow her blog: http://bexbooknook.wordpress.com or stalk her on twitter: @bexbrennan Often sarcastic, blunt, and NSFW, but usually entertaining.

Latest Release: A Leap of Faith

Genre: Erotic Romance (BDSM)

A Leap of Faith: New submissive, Faith Daniels is completely infatuated with her amazing Dominant, Richard Halstead, so when he sends her a summons via text message a full day before they had plans to meet, she can barely contain her excitement.

But, Richard didn’t just invite her over for a play date. Not this time. He has a proposition for Faith. One that could change the rest of her life.

Availability: May 15, 2013 on ARe |Amazon | Evernight

Smex Quotient: I'm usually one for lots of control, but hell if this book didn't have me panting to be topped and begging for more please. This is definietely a great HOT read for anyone looking for an engaging read and scorching start to their weekend.

The Afternoon Delight…

BDSM relationships have so many interesting facets of trust. What made you decide to make Faith and Richard's romance a Dom/sub one?

I spent a good deal of my adult life in the BDSM and D/s lifestyle. I'm not immersed in it 24/7 anymore, but many of my previous sexual relationships had at least some sort of "lifestyle" dynamic. It's what I enjoy in the bedroom, so when it came time to write a "bedroom scene" it just came naturally. If I enjoy it and it gets me hot, I have to believe there are readers out there that would enjoy it as well.

What was your favorite scene to write, without giving too much away of course?

My favorite scene in the book, by far, is the dinner scene. It comes early in the story, and is not something I have actually ever experienced, but that being said, it's on my TO DO list. So sensual and submissive -- I don't want to say more than that and spoil anything, but I can't wait to see what readers think about it.

Richard sounds like a Dom any sub would love to bottom for. What was your inspiration for his character?

He is actually named for my Uncle Richard. Before you think that's weird, let me explain. Uncle Rich, "Unc" as we call him, had been teasing me because the paranormal romance I wrote under my "mainstream" pen name (Rebecca Hart) featured a main character named after my dad (Daniel). I promised him I'd name the next leading man after him. That leading man happened to be the sexy, oh so dominant, Richard Halstead. His traits are a melding of all the things I loved most about the Dom men I have "served" in my real life. I guess he's my idea of the perfect Dom.

If your main characters participated in Casual Smex Friday which segment would they enjoy the most? The Quickie, The Afternoon Delight, The Midnight Grind or The Aafterglow Strut?

I would have to go with the midnight grind. Richard doesn't seem to really fit into the quickie category and he is a businessman, so afternoons are probably out as well. I guess he could be part of the afterglow crowd... but that is more his partners than him. *grins*

Is there anything else you'd like to tell readers, or any new upcoming projects?

A Leap of Faith is my first stand alone piece with Evernight Publishing and the continuation of my story FAITH'S GIFT from the Vanilla-Free Christmas anthology. This will be the second story of hopefully many tales in what I've decided to call my Roses and Thorns series. Each story will feature Faith and Richard and follow the development of their Dom/sub relationship.

The Midnight Grind…

I should have known that Mzzz. Brennan wouldn't stop by without dropping some serious heat our way. The warning here is clear...The following excerpt is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. If the idea of being topped by a hot Dom and having their sole purpose be your pleasure, then please again step away...That's right it's only for the grown and smexy...and obedient...

Strong hands grabbed hold of her kneecaps, startling her. Richard jerked her legs apart until she knelt in an exposed V position. His voice arrived close to her ear, sending a chill through her. “When I ask you to kneel for me, this is how you are to do it. I want you to display your desire. Show your need with the pride of a submissive. Do you understand me, Faith?”

Her body ached for his touch. The brush of his hand, the caress of a breast. Anything. She’d even welcome the slap of his paddle if it meant he’d touch her again. “Yes, Sir.” Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.

“That’s my girl.” He slid a finger along her wet opening. Half a breath later, she heard his lips smack together, as if he’d just finished eating barbeque ribs. “Sweet nectar.” His hand returned to probe her slit. A finger entered her.

A gasp of pleasure tore from Faith’s throat, contorting into a whimper when he withdrew from her quivering pussy.

He traced a fingertip over her mouth, coating her lips with the evidence of her arousal.

The carnal scent of her juices surrounded her, pushing Faith toward the mindless black abyss of wanton need. Her nails dug into the flesh of her forearms as she willed herself to resist reaching for him again.

Two fingers forced their way into her mouth. “Taste your desire.”

Faith sucked them clean, her tongue swirling sensually around each offered digit.

Richard abruptly withdrew his hand and moved away.

Solitude rushed in to fill the space he left behind, leaving Faith breathless.

He signaled his return a few pounding heartbeats later with the ‘snap’ of his leash on her collar. “Come, pet,” he commanded.

A Leap of Faith, Available Now Via ARe |Amazon | Evernight

The Afterglow Strut…

You know you want more so don't be too shy to beg (sweetly of course). As demonstrated above, sometimes a walk on the dark side can be oh so good. If you enjoyed your naughty interlude with Ms. Brennan, you can find her strutting around the web or her blog and causing twitter mayhem. Stop by her website for more info on all of her books and upcoming releases.

Website: http://rbrennan.weebly.com

Blog: http://bexbooknook.wordpress.com

Twitter: @bexbrennan

Facebook: bexbooknook

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rebelhart69

A Smex Author's Office

Hello Lovelies,

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm still in the process of setting up my home office in my new home. The color palette I've chosen is a combination of turquoise and pink. Yes I know...but hear me out...I LOVE IT!!! I'm affectionately calling it a throw up of color, because I'm also going to be adding in some orange accents. Why? Because I LOVE IT!!! :)

I ordered some table legs from Home Depot and purchased some paint, a 2 x 4 foot mdf board and some 2 X 1 inch poplar and with a drill, some paint, and a grumbling hubby have a ridiculous hot desk:

To round out the color explosion I decided that I just HAD to paint some of my book cases. I figured if the whole experiment failed I could get new ones. I've had these for years and they aren't exactly the best quality. I'm prettty sure they were less than $40 bucks each at Walmart. Plus now that I have a wood saw, drill and some DIY swagger I may be able to build some new ones (possibly). Either way it was off back to the store for some more paint:

So yes, I still have to put the actual shelves back up, but doesn't this just look pretty? There are three of these tall bad boys just waiting for some love. I have three white smaller bookcase that will remain white, just to give the color explosion a break :). I even spray painted my dry erase board (you can totally see who's coming up in the guest blog post line-up):

Once the shelves are all good and dry I'll finally unpack all of by books and feel somewhat settled. I'll post the final picks once I'm done.  

As much fun as I've had getting my office ready, I can't wait for it to be done! I want to get back to hours of solitude and muse wrangling.

Oh and FYI...
The turquoise: Bali Bliss by Behr paint and primer in one (eggshell)
The pink: Pink Salmon by Glidden paint and primer in one (eggshell)

Talk to you soon,
Laurel

The Romance Reviews Top Pick!

It looks like May is just a good month for me. In addition to getting my next book, Persuasion Skills, contracted by Evernight I had the happy fortune to receive a 5 star review for Negotiating Skills from The Romance Reviews and be labeled as a Top Pick! Color me stoked! I can't believe that only ten months ago I was still hyperventilating about the release for Negotiating Skills, and here I am only a few months away from the release of my second book, and I'm finishing up work on my third. What a crazy year!

Next on my to-do list is to finally get my home office up and officially running. The DH  and I moved into a new house this year and it's taken me much longer than I anticipated to get around to my office. In the past I've been able to write pretty much any where, but ever since I've become more strict about my writing schedule, a dedicated space is MUCH needed.

I'll post a few quick pics of my new space, soon. I've decided to decorate it in what I affectionately call a throw-up of color :).

Anyhoo, thanks for dropping in and reading my gushing rambling!

Talk to you soon,
Laurel

Casual Smex Friday with D.C. McMillen

Hello All,

Welcome back to Casual Smex Friday! Spring is officially in full swing, and what's spring without a few formal occasions and some weddings? Today's Casual Smex Friday will give you a lesson on how to enjoy all of those boring formal events you may attend this year. For those of you unfamiliar with the CSF posts, here's a quick breakdown. On Casual Smex Friday you’re encouraged to sit back, relax and get smexy. Remember that Smex day posts consist of the following four segments:

1.) The Quickie- For those of you who only have time for some quick relief.

2.) The Afternoon Delight- For the reader who wants a little foreplay before smexing.

3.) The Midnight Grind-For those of you who want to go beyond foreplay and get to main show.

4.) The After Glow Strut- For those of you not afraid to show your love and go for another round.

Today I’m bringing you an interview with the wikedly naughty and oh so talented D.C. McMillen. So slip on your favorite pair of F#$% Me! shoes and your naughtiest outfit, we've got a wedding to attend, and trust me, this one is so far from boring...

The Quickie…

Name: D.C. McMillen

Stats: D.C. McMillen is writer and blogger living in Toronto, Canada. She enjoys writing about dirty sex in questionable places but has been known to write about other subjects, on special occasions.

D.C. is featured in MuseItHot’s Short and Spicy line up with The Rental, A Decent December and her latest release, The Wedding. In addition, she can be seen in several anthologies and writerly blogs. D.C. is obsessed with Twitter and invites you to look her up at @mcmillendc, her e-rotica blog or on Facebook.

Latest Release: The Wedding

Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

The Wedding: Karen is not the type to attend a wedding with a guy she’s only slept with once but, in a rare display of empathy, she agrees to accompany her new landlord Allan to this sure-to-be-boring function. Fortunately, Karen knows how to have a good time, and she’s pretty sure she and Allan can make their own fun...even if they have to do it in the outdoors just steps away from a couple hundred stuffy wedding guests.

Availability: ARe |Amazon | MuseItUp

Smex Quotient: I'm officially looking foraward to my next formal event! Who knew they could be so...stimulating. This is definietely one HOT read. It's a great mini escape for those of you in the mood for a spring heat wave...

The Afternoon Delight…

Karen seems to have some interesting ideas regarding wedding entertainment. What were your inspirations for her character and her actions?

I’d love to reveal some super creative and entertaining train of thought that led to my idea to place Karen at a stuffy wedding. The truth, however, is that my boyfriend and I just have a habit of sneaking off during boring functions. Karen, well she just seems like the type to do the same. Please don’t think that this means I’ve based Karen and Allen’s characters on that of myself and my boyfriend. I simply thought it would be push her into a situation I’ve been in once or twice, while giving the scenario a special Karen twist

Why did you choose a wedding as the backdrop to your story?

Weddings do have the tendency to suck, don’t they? The only thing more annoying than a stuffy wedding is a stuffy wedding with a cash bar. While I couldn’t possibly subject Karen to that situation, I did want to drop her in a place that would bring out the fun, slightly bitchy side of her personality, and at the same time show how well Allen just goes with the flow. Opposites do attract if placed in the proper setting. ;)

Allen's character is an interesting blend of wicked and sweet. What made you decide to write his character this way?

Many romance stories involve men who are inwardly facing some personal demon/s from their past. They meet nurturing, patient, sweet heroines who somehow just know that their alpha males are hurting. These selfless women become determined to save the men from themselves even though it causes self-doubt, emotional torture, misadventure and a comedy of communication errors along the way.

Yeah, Karen is definitely not that type of heroine. Nothing makes her run from a guy faster than an excess of personal baggage. And Allen is not only suffering from a very heavy load of personal problems, he wears his issues like a cape instead of hiding them beneath bravado and obvious masculinity. Fortunately Karen does not seem to have to do anything other behave like her naturally fabulous self to draw out his lurking confidence and oh so appealing dominant sexual nature.

If Karen and Allen were to participate in Casual Smex Friday which segment would they prefer. The Quickie, The Afternoon Delight or The Midnight Grind?

Karen and Allen would definitely participate in the midnight grind above all else. Why? Well, to begin with, the midnight grind just sounds dirtier doesn’t it? A little more intense? And Karen approves of a little intensity to keep her sex life interesting.

Are there any new or upcoming projects you'd like to tell the readers about?

Yes! But first let me tell you about The Rental. While it is not a prerequisite read for The Wedding, it does explain how Karen and Allen met. It’s a super fun and sexy story so if you like the excerpt I’ve provided, why not consider picking up both The Rental and The Wedding?

I have also written a follow up to The Wedding and recently submitted it to the publisher. Hopefully it will be accepted and I can share an excerpt from The Alley in an upcoming Casual Smex Friday post.

The Midnight Grind…

So D.C. is just proving that she's the ultimate tease...She's left us a little snippet of Karen and Allen and their smoking chemistry. These two definietly know how to heat up a page and each other...

Carefully balancing the overflowing glass in one hand and a smutty paperback in the other, I sauntered into the living room. After placing both beside my open laptop on the modern glass coffee table in front of me, my body sank into the ridiculously comfortable sofa. Where did Allan find such a gem? My landlord—and guy I had sex with once—had excellent taste. I kicked off my hot pink stilettos, tucked my feet under me and wrapped a cream coloured cashmere throw around my lower body.

I reached for my book but paused when the familiar bloop bloop of Skype announced someone was video calling. Scooping up my laptop, I clicked accept. Allan’s charming face appeared on screen.

“Hello Allan, It’s nice to see you,” I said, amused. The guy just Skyped me three days ago. This was starting to become a regular thing. Truthfully I didn’t mind. If it were not for the fact that Allan was in Philadelphia while I was stuck here in Chicago, the guy would be much more than just a one-time lover.

“Hi Karen, I’m not, uh, interrupting am I? I can call back later...” his voice trailed off. I rolled my eyes.

“No, Allan. What can I do for you? Would you like me to get naked for the camera again?”

His face blushed to the colour of my heels. “Well, that was a fun experiment. Perhaps I could hold off my question until later,” he answered. Even through the shitty quality of video, his eyes flashed, complimenting the wicked smile smeared across his face. Good. Confident Allan was back, if only momentarily.

“What question is that, Baby?” In the little corner of the screen that held my image, I could see my lips curled upward, matching Allan’s expression.

“Oh, um, I’m going to be in town next weekend,” he said.

“Mmm, I like where this is going,” I interrupted.

“I have to attend a wedding. My best friend from childhood is getting hitched that Saturday.”

“Not the one you caught in the shower with your ex and his wife?”

Allan’s eyes dulled. “No, not him,” he answered. “A real friend.”

A tiny stab of guilt landed in my gut. I considered apologizing for bringing up the painful memory, but dismissed the thought. That happened, like, eight months ago. The guy should just get over it.

“So what, you want to meet after the wedding? I’m free on Sunday so that could work out perfectly.”

“Well, no...er...”

I rolled my eyes again, a twinge of annoyance fluttering in my stomach.

“What can I do for you, Allan?”

“Come to the wedding with me?”

What?!

“As your date? To the church and everything?”

“Well that’s generally how it works, yes,” he said, his tone dry and a little hurt.

The Wedding, Available Now Via ARe |Amazon | MuseItUp

The Afterglow Strut…

You know you want more, don't be too shy to ask. If you enjoyed your naughty romp with D.C., you can find her strutting around the web and her blog. Check out her website for more info on all of her books and upcoming releases.

Website: www.dcmcmillen.com/

Twitter: @mcmillendc

Facebook: DC-McMillen

Great News #amwriting #ambreakdancing

Hello Lovelies!

Tonight I have super duper awesome news! Yes dancing bear worthy news! Drum roll please.....Persuasion Skills has been picked up by Evernight Publishing!!!

Yes I did a fair imitation of the dancing bear this afternoon, when the email hit my inbox and I got over the initial shock and giddiness :)

So yes the contract has been signed and I am officially an Evernight team member. I almost fainted when I saw my name on their Coming Soon page. I will have more info on this soon I promise! For now I'm prepping for tomorrow's Casual Smex Friday post, and pinching myself like crazy. 

Talk to you soon,
Laurel