Corsets, Competitions and Cavaliers

I've had a great time blogging about my corset-envy and checking out the most exquisite range of corsets - all in the name of work since TEB is running this great Couture Corset Competition for those buying any of the four novellas in the Bodices & Boudoirs collection.

It just so happened that I had been looking for a costume to wear to the Romance Writers of Australia's 'Diamonds are Forever' cocktail party, last week, so when I discovered this little 'Antoinette overbust' number, below, I had to have it. Especially as What Katie Did were having this mega sale.

The corset arrived, exquisitely wrapped, within a week, and as there was 45 minutes before the school run and my husband was at home (and I was leaving for the conference on Queensland's Gold Coast the next morning) he was very keen to lace me into it and do a photo shoot.

So, if you're into corsets, you might get a kick-start with 100 pounds towards one (though mine, on sale, was a lot less) through checking out the Bodices & Boudoirs Collection.

My story, The Cavalier, is set during the siege of my heroine's castle and has the following premise:

The Cavalier blurb

Drummond Castle, home of staunch Puritan Silas Drummond and his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, has been besieged by Royalist forces. In a bargain to spare her husband’s life Lady Elizabeth has agreed to spend the night with the commander of the hated King’s Men.

Second-in-command, Charles Trethveyan, has other ideas. He’s planned this moment since Elizabeth chose to marry Silas eight years before.

When Elizabeth discovers that her former Cavalier lover has taken the place of his superior, she must decide whether Charles is motivated by love or revenge.

Either way, her response will have devastating consequences.

Here’s an excerpt from a scene in which the depraved commander Reynolds has his eye to the keyhole. My heroine, Elizabeth, is in the bedroom with the man who was once her lover and whom she believes betrayed her, though she still has feelings for him.

Slowly, Elizabeth nodded once. “This is war,” she whispered, simply, “and I want to live. I’ll struggle and scream as I would if it were Reynolds but you have my permission to take me. I’ve dreamed of it.” She said it so he could be under no illusions as to her feelings and was gratified by the brief shock that crossed his face.

Immediately she tried to pull out of his arms. “You betrayed me!” she shrieked. “By God, I rue the day I set eyes on you. You betrayed me. Don’t touch me!”

The play acting had begun.

So, good luck if you do enter. And even if you don’t, you might just have fun checking out the corset range at What Katie Did. It’s my new favourite online shopping haunt.

Website: http://www.beverleyoakley.com

 Blog: http://beverleyeikli.blogspot.com.au/

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeverleyOakley/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeverleyOakley

 Buy the book here: http://is.gd/czJUn8

Dry Orgasms

With all the excitement and myths surrounding the female orgasm, the male orgasm is usually taken for granted. It's not that hard to make happen, (if circumstances are right) or to see/taste the evidence when it does. As an erotic author male pleasure is something I spend a lot of time writing about - the build up, the act, the final release and the post-coital slumber.

Let's just define the differences between orgasm  and ejaculation before we go on - An orgasm is the peak in sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by a release in sexual tension, often immense pleasure, and muscle contractions in the genital region. Whereas, ejaculation is the release of semen from the penis (or just inside the vagina - read my post on female ejaculation here)

Some of you have probably heard of the sexual phenomena for men called dry orgasm, which allows a man to have an orgasm without ejaculating.  I've just touched on this while working on my latest novel and was curious to find out more. Here goes... "A dry orgasm," writes Kate Hakala, "can mean multiple orgasms for men. After a man ejaculates, there is a refractory period - a recovery stage of the sexual response cycle - in which he cannot ejaculate again and most likely will want a snooze. He may be able to get an erection, but there is a bit of a waiting period that's different for all men, sometimes minutes and sometimes a day, before he can actually produce semen again."

But if he's not using up semen that is where it gets interesting...

Because while ejaculation causes the need for a refractory period, orgasm does not,  which means...hurrah!..the refractory/rest period is now defunct. Multiple orgasms for the guys too! 

It seems a dry orgasm, for men, can happen intentionally or not so intentionally. If intentional a well trained pubococcygeal muscle can lead to orgasm without ejaculation by voluntarily contracting it. Much like the Kegal exercises women do to strengthen their perineal core, guys can do exactly the same with their pelvis muscles to achieve the same results. Not only will we they be less likely to pee their pants, but doctors say it helps with erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and orgasming without ejaculating.

I can't personally testify for this, but apparently if men flex this pubococcygeal muscle right before they feel they are about to ejaculate, they can sometimes have an orgasm without coming. (If they haven't come, they can go onto have another orgasm.) The medical term used to describe the point of no return, in which a guy is hitting that wall of sexual pleasure and he will/must ejaculate is called "ejaculatory inevitability". But if a man can continually bring himself almost to the point of no return, and then back away, he can experience the blissful muscle contractions associated with orgasm up until he finally does decide to  ejaculate. And when he does reach orgasm, it could be even more incredible than usual. The effect of this is akin to the multiple orgasms experienced by some women and wow, isn't this great that men can have the same fun!

Are there any drawbacks? Mmm, unfortunately there is, retrograde ejaculation. That’s when semen flows backwards into the bladder through the urethra instead of coming out the normal exit. His pee may be a little cloudy, which isn't a problem but it could mask more serious diseases like diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Just something to be aware of.

So with my new found knowledge of dry orgasms, and the fun my heroes could have with orgasming over and over before ejaculating I'm off to continue writing. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments box. I'll be hanging around all day :-)

Lily x

The Right Direction available at TEB

Do you like stories about men loving other men? About commitment and loyalty beyond the very first wave of infatuation? About BDSM? About a dom who isn’t dripping self-confidence from every pore and a sub who loves him exactly for that reason?

And do you like the idea there’s quite a bit of hotness going on in the story?

Then I’m happy to tell you that The Right Direction, part two of the Calling the Shots-series is now available for VIP members at Total E-Bound.

So, if you already started reading about Isaac and Tom and you’re eager to know how their journey continues, I invite you to take a look at The Right Direction.

You haven’t read part one yet? Then please start with Facing the Truth to get the full enjoyment of the story. 

A small, intended for adults, excerpt:

They were a good couple, though Isaac had doubted a serious relationship with a lover eighteen years younger would be such a great idea. Tom, being Tom, had refused to listen to Isaac’s objections, and one night of sex had resulted in two years of more happiness than Isaac had ever believed to be possible. And a few weeks ago they had embarked on yet another journey. Their already extremely satisfying and far from tame sex life had taken on a new dimension. Isaac thought being the Dominant in a BDSM relationship was equally scary and exciting, but there was no one he wanted to wear his collar and kneel at his feet other than Tom. To Isaac, it wasn’t just about spicing up sex with some mundane adult toys and a bit of spanking. He wanted to bring his lover, his sub, to a state of mind and a place Tom had never been before. He also wanted to bring himself to a point where he would truly be the Dominant, the Master. No matter how new he was to all this, that much he already knew.

He wanted…

To see Tom kneeling between his widespread thighs, worshipping his Sir’s cock with lips and tongue, while Isaac browsed through the adult website. They already owned a nice collection of restraints, butt plugs, cock rings, vibrators and anal beads, but there was definitely room for more. Thus far, Tom had chosen and bought everything, but, as a self-confessed Dominant, it was high time for Isaac to do some shopping of his own.

The Right Direction is available the right direction

Part one of Calling the Shots, Facing the Truth, is available facing the truth

Jane...Uncovered

I was so tickled to be involved with Total-E-Bound’s Clandestine Classics program!

Since then, I’ve been asked if maybe I thought the classics were sacrosanct and perhaps they should have been left in their original state.

I can tell you that I took the project seriously. I’ve chatted with other authors and found a similar sentiment. No one seemed to approach it with anything less than total respect.

Before penning a single word or compiling my thoughts, I did tons of research. I immersed myself in the book and in reviews, in blogs, in scholarly writings. I also read bios of the author.

I knew that Jane Eyre was a cherished book, and I tried to imagine what might have happened if Charlotte Bronte had lived in a different time and era, if she hadn’t felt constrained to originally publish the book under a male pseudonym.  

Everything old is new again! From Abraham Lincoln fighting zombies to the remakes of films, from Jane Austen novels being made into mysteries, the modern writer gains energy from the telling of tales and from combining two different ideas or genres. In my case, I experienced a creative surge of energy when I combined a BDSM element with a classic. The story was already rich with tension and fraught with scandal. (If Mr. Rochester contemplating the idea of making Jane his mistress and committing adultery wasn’t shocking enough…!)

Not everyone will agree that adding sex to the classics is a good idea. I respect their opinions. But there are those of us who are tantalized by the question of, “What happened when…?” When Rhett carried Scarlett up those stairs? When Jane and Mr. Rochester were alone at night, their rooms just down the hall from one another?

Who’s to say what the author conceived when she wrote the book? Who knows which pages ended up in the garbage bin? Who knows what revisions she made to suit an 1800s Victorian publisher? Who’s to say, really, what kind of story Ms. Bronte would have penned herself?

My ideas are only one of many. Maybe someone will conceive of Jane as vampire slayer….

The Mudpie

By A.J. Llewellyn

It's no secret I am addicted to sweets and my ongoing series with Serena Yates pays homage to the delicious mudpie. It is perhaps apt that the gooey dessert's origins are obscure, nay, a mystery, which is fitting since our story, The Mudpie: Elemental Superpowers 3 (coming to Total-e-Bound on September 10) contains a huge mystery and of course, lots of yummy desserts.
From research I have done this dessert recipe first started showing up in the 1970s but great cooks I know swear it goes much further back.
My niece and nephew scoff at the suggestion that the recipe is recent. They say that cave children created mudpies as a form of a game and enjoyed smooshing the end results into the teary faces of their foes.
I am sure they are right but for a more...er...palatable version of the pie, I am certain that the Mississippi Mudpie is the origin of this wonderfully amazing treat.
It involves chocolate (don't all the best desserts?) with a frosting that's cracked, apparently representing the Mississippi's dried riverbed.
Today's incarnation often involves layers of goopy wizardry with a cream topping drizzled with chocolate.
Growing up in Australia, I'd never heard of a mudpie much less tried one. In fact, I didn't, until
my friend Rosie took me to lunch at Claim Jumper last year. We shared a Jumper's Mudpie and I still dream about that thing.

In my humble opinion it is truly best not to consider the calories whilst consuming - therefore they do not count. It is wisest not to fret afterwards because then the calories come back three-fold. You can imagine I delude myself a lot where dessert is concerned. Especially mudpies. Though I've only eaten one, the memory holds strong and Serena and I have enjoyed concocting our own version of a mudpie.
Our story is set in the Earth Element and mudpies are about as earthy as you can get. Good, solid, comfort food. Our characters, Whip and Mitchell are involved in a paranormal world of wrestling and mud.

Mitchell is proud of his new wrestling persona and trading card, but he hadn’t planned on actually facing his wrestling hero, Whip "Mudshark" Jackson, in the ring...

Geeky Mitchell Dykins loves his new job as marketing manager for a wrestling federation’s participants. After creating a huge online campaign for his company’s wrestlers, he befriends the most fearsome warrior of them all, Whip "Mudshark" Jackson. Whip is so thrilled with Mitchell's work, he demands that the company create a wrestling persona for Mitchell and therefore he’ll get his own trading card. Mitchell is tickled. This is all good, right?Unfortunately Mitchell soon finds himself transformed into his wrestling persona, "Mudpit Madman". When he starts waking up covered in mud, Mudshark lying beside him, he begins to worry. The worst of it is when he defeats Mudshark who then puts a contract out on Mudpit.Whip claims he knows nothing about what his alter ego is doing. He likes Mitchell. But his muddy wrestling character seems to have a mind of his own...can he be telling the truth?Is Mitchell completely nuts to still like a guy who probably wants him dead?

The Mudpie: Elemental Superpowers 3 is available for pre-order here: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1786

As always my books with Serena come with a reader advisory. Our stories will induce feelings of hunger. Keep some chocolate handy. The calories won't count. I promise. I swear...

Aloha oe,

A.J.

The Art of Plotting and Sex

Hello all on this happy hump-day. While I was surfing around the web the other day, I ran across a quote that engaged me, and I want to share this with you today...

"Plotting is like sex. Plotting is about desire and satisfaction, anticipation and release. You have to arouse your reader's desire to know what happens, to unravel the mystery, to see good triumph. You have to sustain it, keep it warm, feed it, just a little bit, not too much at a time, as your story goes on. That's called suspense. It can bring desire to a frenzy, in which case you are in a good position to bring off a wonderful climax."

 ~ Colin Greenland

Enjoy your day!

~Ayla

http://www.aylaruse.com 

Not finishing....

I was going through my ebook library the other day. There is so many books I've read and enjoyed. I particularly love series. LOL. I know I have a few of my own I'm writing. As I checked over the titles I found this one that I was meaning to see if it continued because there were a few characters I wanted to read their story. I went and looked on the author's site and didn't see anything about another book in the series. So I emailed the author to ask.

When I got the response I was disappointed. The author didn't plan on doing anymore in the series. I was bummed because I wanted to read more. Know about some of the characters I liked happily ever after. I was curious on why they weren't continued the series but didn't ask. So my curiosity on why the books aren't continued and the characters I liked will go unfulfilled because the series will not be finishing.

Talia Carmichael
http://taliacarmichael.com/
Fill Your Cravings

Blog: http://taliacarmichael.com/blog
Newsletter:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taliacarmichael

Social media me

Hi all!

Remember me? I've been hiding under a rock for quite a while now, writing and doing other (day-job related) stuff and I've sadly neglected this blog and my own blog A DARK KIND OF DESIRE. I'm glad my fellow TEB authors have been holding up the flag here at Hitting the Hot Spot while I was away frolicking. I know, I know, shameful behaviour. Shouldn't leave poor little blogs to fend for themselves for so long.

But that is all about to change. I'm on the brink of becoming an all new me - a social-media personality. I've created a Facebook profile and a Facebook author page. I've also joined Goodreads and created an amazon.com author page. I've been thinking about joining Twitter too, but I usually need four text messages (in a row) to get my message across to my family and friends (they can tell you all about that) so I don't see how I could restrict my wordy self to a mere 140 characters...

Anyway - I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole social media thing and I could use some help with that. Care to tell me how you use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Goodreads, amazon? Mind letting me know what kind of stuff you like to see on author pages and what information you usually look for?

I'm not asking you to do all the work for nothing. I've brought an incentive: I'm giving away a copy of The Accidental Sub.

Here's what I'd ask you to do: Drop by and join my blog, like my author page on Facebook or amazon.com or friend me on Goodreads. Then come back here and leave a comment with your e-mail address and insights into the whole soical media whatchamacallit. Help a desperate newbie out?

Here's the blurb for The Accidental Sub:

Catherine has been on the run from her abusive husband and former dom for years. Unable to trust anyone. She has also left the BDSM lifestyle. Or so she thought. Until a strange but powerful voice told her to get naked and kneel right there, in the middle of her office. After hours. Will she give in to her sweet urges and submit to a strange dom if only for one night? Can she trust her own instincts, which had let her into a disastrous marriage?

Jon has been a dom for years, but recently he has become bored with the lifestyle – until he sees Catherine kneeling in her office stark naked and in a beautifully submissive position. Jon knows he has to have her. Can he convince the gorgeous submissive to trust him? And will he be able to keep her safe from the demons in her past?


The Accidental Sub is also part of the Subspace anthology which just got a five-star review from Night Owl reviews. Read the full review here.

I'll be back here next month on the 19th. I promise.

Start of a new birthday year

Last Monday was my birthday. Another year passed and reflection on where I was on my last birthday. I can honestly say that I am proud of what I have accomplished in the last year and I’m looking forward to what is coming up.

Each year on my birthday I like to take sometime and think of previous birthdays and what moments has happened throughout them. One of the things I think on is if I have anything I haven’t done that I wanted to. This past year I have done many things I wanted too. There are some still left undone but in progress. The year between now and my next birthday I have lots I want to accomplish and I’m revved to do it.

Have a great day!

Taige Crenshaw
http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/
…increasing the sizzle factor

Blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog
Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crenshawcafe
Newsletter: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/newsletterandgroups.shtml
Free Reads Site: http://www.satinnotes.com/

Horrible History :(

Well, no...not really.

But.

I write M/M romance and I foolishly decided to write a series. The series is entitled 'The Endersley Papers' and three of the four books are historical. The first novel, 'Lord of Endersley' starts off in India in 1857, immediately before the Sepoy Uprising, the second is mainly set in Russia before, during and after the Russian Revolution and the third takes place before and during World War Two. I've made life easy for myself, because the last in the series will be contemporary.

Doing the research has been a bit of an experience and a bit of a challenge - 19th Century lube*, anyone? What about the Anti-Sodomy Act? How can you give your characters an HEA when the law of the time dictated that homosexuality was illegal, at the very least resulting in prison, and worse, hanging. I did manage it, but it took some digging. Of course, if you want to see how I managed it, you'll have to read 'Lord of Endersley' when it's released.

I've discovered that, if I'm writing a novel in an historical setting, I really really need major, world-shattering events to hang my plot on. I binned the original second book in the series because I couldn't really  find anything exciting to throw my main characters into. I tried to write an M/M version of a Gothic romance but I just couldn't get it to work, so I skipped a generation. I haven't found a title for the new second book yet, but I have a hellacious amount of research to do. So, if anyone knows where I can find anything about the daily life of a doctor in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, I'd be much obliged if you can point me in the right direction.

Until next month (when I promise to post on time).

S.A.Meade

*see the above picture

Summer Loving!

Summer is a fickle mistress here in the UK and this year more than ever. We saw more rain in June and July than we had in over a hundred years. August has given us a bit more sun but yesterday the heavens opened once again. No wonder we Brits are always talking about the weather, we're never sure what's going to happen next!

So here are some reads guaranteed to brighten your day. Whether you're stretched out on the beach or taking refuge inside from the storm these sexy summer stories will cheer your day!

Need something tasty? Get your teeth into this tale of love, lust and linguini.

She wanted pizza, she got love.

Fiona was bored with her life but she didn’t realise that simply deciding to visit the local Italian restaurant for dinner one night would change it forever. When she laid eyes on the fit, young Italian waiter she fell instantly in lust. Carlo returned that ardour but how could their relationship develop when he had to move back to his home in Italy?

Tasty Italian is available from Total-E-Bound 

Dreaming of an Indian Summer?In need of Bollywood heat? Then Silver Screen Dream is the book for you! 

Book one in the Djinn's Amulet Series

When true love conquers all, what is a djinn to do?

Johnny is a djinn, and he has a hard life. His master, Rahul, is a massive Bollywood star who’s run off to England to avoid an arranged marriage, a marriage Johnny has to make happen. It’s his job.

Rahul further complicates matters by falling for a British Bollywood fan, Laura, whom he meets at a film premiere. How can Johnny get his master back to Mumbai to marry the woman to whom he is pledged and away from the English hussy who is steadily taking more and more of his attention?

Johnny will use revenge and jealousy, but how will he cope when true love is thrown into the mix?

Grab Silver Screen Dream here.

And the great news is that book 2 in the series, Bollywood Nightmare will be released in December to heat up your winter! 

Now it wouldn't be a post about summer and holidays without me mentioning Scarborough, my favourite place in the world. Sweet Surrender is set in the seaside town and has some seriously sizzling BDSM action!

She doesn’t know what she wants but he does.

How do you mend a broken heart?

Helen goes on holiday to Scarborough and meets Tom. He is an attractive local artist who takes Helen on a tour of the sweet seaside town. Tom becomes more than just her guide as his dominant nature brings out her own submissive side and a shared joy of exhibitionism.

Sweet Surrender is available now.

And a last mention to the anthology myself and Lucy Felthouse have edited called Smut by the Sea. Full of sexy seaside fun and available now. Join is in June next year from Smut fun in Scarborough in the flesh. Smut by the Sea event details to be found here.

Aural Fixation

Everyone needs a little inspiration now and again - or a lot - depending on one's mood. When I’m writing, I go through these phases where I have to have a certain type of music to keep, and/or get me in the proper zone. Since I’m notoriously eclectic, there is quite the mish-mosh of genres in what I listen to.

Recently, while working on a new M/M novel with firemen and a mysterious arsonist, I needed music with a harder edge. The soundtrack from the film Hanna, by the Chemical Brothers, and some classic Led Zeppelin did the trick. While working on the edits for “A Spirit of Love”, an MMF contemporary paranormal that’s coming soon, I fancied a lot of soulful girl music. Adele, Florence & the Machine, and Imogen Heap worked nicely.

 If I go over the list in my library, there are many other twists and turns that can provide the right backdrop to whatever story I’m writing. There’s Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Pink Floyd, Goldfrappe, Charlotte Martin, Nine Inch Nails, Elbow, Mumford & Sons, Bush, as well as a myriad of classical and soundtrack music.

 All of this is pretty standard – the listening to music part I mean – but the real confession here I think is that I have an aural fixation. You see, to me, sex and music are all part of the entire package. When I’m getting down and dirty – or soft and sensual – music greatly adds to the overall experience. The same way some crave nipple clamps, whipped cream or filthy lingerie to complete their naughty interactions, I need the musical strains of one of my favorite artists to heighten my experience. It’s only natural that listening to these songs that do it for me in the heat of the moment will help to get the juices going when I’m writing. I hope, dear reader, that when you read the results, you will feel the same.

So how about you – do you have an aural fixation? What music do you want in the background when you’re feeling frisky? Until next month, stay naughty!