Pushing the Envelope

I have to admit, I don’t 100% understand that saying. Yes, I have a vague understanding of what it means (I’ve watched The Right Stuff). I’m just not that mathematically inclined so, to me, the saying is completely abstract. I get that it’s about pushing boundaries. And boy oh boy am I doing that lately. Only, in my world, they’re usually social or moral boundaries.

When I first stared writing for submission, I decided I’d write romance. One of my writer friends told me one of my strengths was tension and I should capitalize on that. It sounded like a good idea to me. And, with the romance industry of today, there was so much freedom to write really any subgenre you liked. I could write the story I wanted and not have to worry about formulas or trying to make my story fit into a subgenre I didn’t want to write. I did, however, that I wasn’t going to write erotic romance…yet. I think there’s a blog about it somewhere in the archives. I didn’t want to write erotic romance not because I thought it was cheap or tawdry, though, quite the opposite. If I was going to write something, it was going do the best possible job I could. I was only starting to write seriously and writing erotic romance was tricky. I wasn’t sure I had the ability to write it and write it well.

So for my first couple of books I wrote seductive romance. And I loved the books. I loved the characters. I loved the stories the characters told. While writing though, I read tons and tons of erotic romance. I read fantastic stories that got my heart racing and my kept me on edge as I turned each page. I read some that introduced me to ideas and positions that I was not aware of. And, of course, I read some that had me rolling my eyes at the characters all the way through. Each book I read critically, cataloging what I liked and what I didn’t. I made mental notes of how I thought the story could be stronger or the characters more consistent and believable. And then, when I felt I’d grown enough to do it well, I started writing my own erotic romance.

This month, my first ever erotic romance-Bond Betrayed-was released by Ellora’s Cave and I must admit, I love the book. I love the story. And yes, I love the characters. But it wasn’t easy for me to write. Chapter seven of that book was me really pushing the envelope—then. It wouldn’t be considered pushing the envelope if you stopped, though. The story I’m working on now, Molly and Thomas’ story, continues pushing. In Nikki and Isaac we have some sex toys, handcuffs, and spanking. But in Molly and Thomas we have so much more. Molly and Thomas’ story will be my first real attempt at a permanent ménage. 

I’m not writing it for shock value or to try to sensationalize the book, though. It’s written as an ménage because I honestly think that’s what Molly’s character needs. It’s also, because of his magic, what Thomas needs. We’ll see if I can continue to push the envelope and finish this story. I hope I do justice to Molly and Thomas. And I hope to continue to grow and embrace new challenges as a writer.

Bond Betrayed

So I've spent most of last week alternating between panic and denial as I was coming to terms with my newest release. Panic because this is my first ever erotic romance and denial because it all happened so fast it's hard for me to believe it's actually almost release time!  Okay, the story didn't happen quickly. This particular story is actually the one I've spent the most time on but it went from acceptance to edits to release in record time. Record time for me, at least.

But, now that I'm finally starting to come to terms with its release, I find I'm experiencing a new emotion-excitement! I mean, not like 'new in my life' emotion. I'm human, I've been excited before about other things. But now I'm starting to get really excited about people reading this book. Yes, it's nerve-racking. So much so, I just had to google if it was nerve-racking or nerve-wracking. Yep, that's my state of mind right now. But if I didn't love the story so much, I wouldn't be so nervous. And that I'm this nervous tells me how much I really do love this story. 

Just like being a parent, I don't think authors are supposed to pick a favorite book. It's not fair to their other books, right? And I could never pick a favorite between my two children, but (and please don't tell my other stories) I think this story actually is my favorite. Should I feel guilty about that? I'm undecided. 

Why is it my favorite? It's simple really, this book is exactly as I wanted it. I refused to think about my mom's reaction or my ex-boyfriend's condescending comments or even about the shocked expressions of my RL friends as they read it and I just wrote. I felt I owed it to the characters. They're just so strong and real in my head that I couldn't tell Nikki to cover up as she pranced around Isaac's kitchen in nothing more than his button down shirt and a pair of panties. I couldn't even make her feel shame when other people saw her in nothing but the skimpy ensemble. And I most certainly couldn't force Isaac to hide his cuffs. She's a seductress and he's an enforcer. If she didn't seduce and he didn't enjoy a woman in cuffs, they wouldn't be themselves. If I ignored their personalities, I would be doing a great disservice to them. 

So I embraced not only them, but their story. And so, without further ado, here's the blurb:

Isaac Marrow doesn’t care that Nikki Rathe is a seductress. She’s the only member of the Community who can help him get his sister Molly back from Nikki’s father, who holds the rest of their kind under his spell. But he doesn’t expect her to help willingly. Instead, he tricks her into giving up her blood, bonding her to him in an effort to compel her support. 

Nikki could have told Isaac that bonding himself to a seductress was a foolish move, but he never asked. Now, a powerful lust ties them together, driving them both mad. Isaac is hot, but the desire is a distraction she doesn’t need. Nikki wants to free Molly and bring down her father just as much as Isaac, if not more. The Community banished her as a child while letting her power-hungry father grow stronger. But Isaac’s betrayal of her trust can’t go unpunished. And a seductress can deliver a powerful punishment.

All this week I'm going to be counting down to the release and on Wed, November 7th (release day) I'm going to be giving away a digital copy to a commenter so keep stopping by!  Maybe I'll even release a video of me doing my happy dance. I know I'll be doing it all day Wednesday :)