Sunday, December 20, 2015

SATISFACTION – Reaching New Heights in TV Taboo


I’m such a fan girl of this USA Network series—Satisfaction—and I’m thrilled with the 2nd season. I hope to see more of this wickedly steamy show! As much as I enjoy the thrilling CSI/FBI-like crime shows, this drama series has excellent characters, great story-lines, superb writing, mystery, humor and a TON of incredibly sexy elements.

If you haven’t watched the show yet, this is the premise for Satisfaction:

The marriage between Neil Truman, an investment banker, and his wife Grace, has gone stale. Proof of this hits home when he discovers Grace is having an extra-marital affair with a male escort. After gaining possession of the escort’s phone, he learns what his wife is really thinking about Neil and their marriage. Will she leave him? The series answers the question: What to do when having it all is not enough?

Besides meeting Simon the escort, Neil runs into Simon’s business associate, the beautiful Adriana, who runs a variety of businesses including an escort service. Adriana convinces Neil to work for her as an escort to get a better understanding of what motivates his wife to cheat. This begins the twists and turns of this hot new series.

Is your sex life Vanilla or Cinnamon?

Finally! A TV series that delves deep into taboo and sexual themes 
between nice, ‘normal’ couples (fairly wealthy ones in this series, but even so). Neil and Grace have begun to explore other areas of their sexuality, while working through struggles in their marriage and relationship. It’s obvious they truly love each other. 

Here's a link to a short video trailer:


Here we have a straight couple who is beginning to cross over from their Vanilla world into the more adventurous side of sex—what I call Cinnamon. When you add a little more spice to your love life that is a straight monogamous relationship without elements of BDSM and other kink, multiple partners, etc. (Vanilla), you enter the (Cinnamon) side when introducing other sexual realms and lifestyles or role-playing.

Bravo to the writers of this series who can find humor and create the twists, drama and mystery in these episodes. What taboo topics are they exploring?
Ah, no stone is left upturned, well maybe a few. From the world of male escorts (essentially highly paid call-guys), swinging lifestyle, bondage and submission, bisexuality or some might call bi-curious in these situations, and semi-incestuous. Simon is having an affair with his step-mother. Just to start.

I can’t help but wonder if the sales of the blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey series prompted TV producers to step into this sexually-themed show. Considering the books by EL James have sold over 100 million copies, it’s safe to say there is a demographic of viewers who could be interested in this type of series.


Adriana is one of my favorite characters. Although she would be considered the bad-girl or antagonist, she is complicated, compelling, multi-layered and an intriguing character. As a writer, I LOOOVE characters like her! She’s manipulative, smart and a brilliant business woman. She’s as ruthless as any male CEO, but she’s beautiful, vulnerable and has a lot of heart. She does care deeply about people and is loyal to them, but also demands loyalty in return. Cross her and she’ll fight back like a rapid grizzly bear. Her loneliness is shown as she lounges in her gorgeous mansion, surrounded by handsome men and women who work for and admire her, but sadly she has no love interest…except perhaps…I won’t give it away.

This series has sparked ideas for future books. Readers always ask me: Where do you get your ideas from?

There isn’t an easy answer. Ideas can come everywhere in an overheard conversation, a place I’m visiting, a dream, a book or movie or series like this, just driving down the road an idea can stir in my head. Satisfaction has sparked an idea for a non-fiction book that I’m working on along with my current WIP fiction book, RED TAPE BETRAYAL, Book 3 in my FLC Case Files series. The non-fiction book has a preliminary outline and I’m working on research now. As it gets closer to completion I’ll share the news.

*NOTE TO READERS: You may have noticed some of my books missing from my backlist. They aren’t missing! I’ve received the rights back on them and plan to revise and republish them. I’ll keep you up to date as they are re-released, many into new series. Thank you for your patience and understanding.


I highly recommend Satisfaction for the entertainment value, but also as an introduction into a few taboo and kink topics that are portrayed in a positive light, and for the most part fairly accurate. Are you a fan???

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Passion's Hope by Julie Shelton Nominated for Golden Flogger #BDSM



PASSION’S HOPE by Julie Shelton has been nominated by BDSM Writers Con for its Golden Flogger Award!!! Congrats to Julie. Read on to find out more about this great book and about Julie.


Passion’s Hope is Book Three of The Doms of Passion Lake.
WARNING: This book contains material that could cause spontaneous combustion of both panties and electronic devices. Read at your own risk. You might (okay, honestly? There is no “might” about it—you WILL) need a bucket of ice water and an industrial fan to survive the reading experience. You have been warned.

BLURB
On the run from an abusive Dom, Charlotte Fielding has sworn off men and the BDSM lifestyle. She’s only attending this particular Open House for the free food. But when her abuser, who also happens to be at the club, confronts her, former SEALs Nikolai Rostov and Jay Gillespie come to her rescue and offer to help. But that would require her to trust the two hunkiest Doms she’s ever met. And Charlotte’s all out of trust.
But fate has brought these three people together—Nik, the big Russian Daddy Dom, Jay, the switch, and Charlie, the submissive who needs what both of these men have to offer. Just as they need what she has to offer. Can she learn to trust them?  Can she risk her heart? And when danger comes for her will she stay and let Nik and Jay risk their lives to keep her safe? Or will she run—and risk destroying the only happiness she’s ever known?

“THE PERFECT DADDY DOM”
“The Daddy Dom. I have always been fascinated by this concept. Who wouldn’t love an alpha man who loves you, takes care of you, nurtures you, protects you, and helps you be a better you? Julie Shelton absolutely nailed the idea, or at least my idea, of the perfect Daddy Dom in Passion’s Hope, her newest installment in The Doms of Passion Lake series.
I think I fell in love with former SEAL Nikolai Rostov, Nik to his friends, almost from the first page. With Nik, Ms. Shelton has created the kind of Dom that I have always dreamed of. In fact, Nik is pretty close to perfection. He is sweet and caring and loving toward his partners, Jay and Charlotte. Yet he is firm and demanding when called for. I pretty much melted into a big puddle while reading Passion’s Hope because of how much I loved Nik. I don’t think she could have written a more wonderful Daddy Dom.”

PASSION’S HOPE ADULT EXCERPT
Charlie yawned, curled into a little ball, and tightened her muscles. Then, straightening her legs, she raised her arms above her head, stretching in all directions, luxuriating in the feel of her muscles limbering up. Mmmm. That was—oh, my God! Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, looking around in a panic. Fuck, fuck, fuck, what time is it? Master will want his cock sucked! Where is he? Why didn’t he wake me? Oh, my God, he’ll be furious! Her throat thickened with tears of dread. I can’t take another punishment. I just can’t. I won’t survive it. Her heart plummeted and her muscles tensed as the prospect of yet another beating loomed before her. Until, suddenly, her memories came flooding back. Nik. Jay. The Club. A sob escaped her as she was flooded with a profound sense of relief, followed by a shaky sigh. She sank back down against the pillows
She wasn’t at Perry’s house. This wasn’t Perry’s bed. That should have been her first clue. If she’d still been his prisoner, she definitely wouldn’t have been afforded the luxury of being in his bed. She would have been in a wooden box under the bed, waiting for him to pull her out and force her to suck his cock. No, she wasn’t at Perry’s. She was someplace called Passion Lake Lodge. In Nik Rostov and Jay Gillespie’s apartment. Somehow she’d wound up here after witnessing their mesmerizing, \intensely passionate scene at Club Risqué. After which Perry had confronted her. Hit her. Called her a cunt and a worthless whore—
There were other memories, too, all jumbled together, some more vivid than others. Waking up to see Jay lying sideways across the foot of the bed, his head hanging off the edge, with Nik looking down at him tenderly, slowly fucking his mouth. Unfortunately, she’d sunk back into oblivion before getting the chance to watch Nik’s body convulsing in climax. She had dim recollections of being cradled after nightmares about Perry. Of begging for kisses—oh, my God, surely that’s a dream. Surely I never—her hands flew to her mouth as her sense memory kicked in. Nik and Jay. Their scents, earthy and masculine. Their touch, soothing and gentle. Their lips, sweet and tender, placing kisses on her mouth, her cheeks, her eyes, and the tip of her nose.
Okay, now I’m officially embarrassed.
She had other recollections, too. Of being carried to and from the bathroom, of being cradled in the tub and bathed by gentle hands, of being placed on the toilet and held so she didn’t fall off. All these things had happened more than once, although she had no idea how often. Time had definitely passed, but just how much time was lost in a fog. Everything was chaotic and out of focus.
Carefully, she looked around again. Thank goodness her head no longer hurt. But do not rejoice, ladies and gentlemen, she thought wryly, her lips twitching, because now everything else hurts. She felt like she’d been tied to the tracks and run over by a freight train.
She was alone in the massive bed. An IV needle had been inserted into her arm and a glucose drip bag hung from an IV pole next to the bed.
She heard the low murmur of voices and the sound of splashing water coming from the bathroom. Automatically turning her head, she stared at the closed door. Telling herself it was none of her business, she lay there for a minute gnawing on her upper lip and fighting her curiosity. Until it finally got the better of her. Her insatiable desire to know more about these two fascinating men had her pulling the IV needle out of her arm and sliding out of bed. A sudden wave of dizziness swept over her, forcing her to place a steadying hand on the side of the bed. Legs wobbling, she walked barefoot across the plush carpet toward the bathroom. Jesus! Why was she so weak? Silently she opened the door.
Nik Rostov was standing in the middle of the enormous, glassed-in shower stall. The glass was steamed up from the heat of the water, but Charlie could clearly see him. His head was thrown back in ecstasy, gripping the sides of Jay Gillespie’s head with his big hands, his long fingers twisting in Jay’s long hair. Jay was on his knees in front of NIK, his head moving downward as he sucked the Russian’s cock all the way to the back of his throat.
“Yes!  Yes!  Christ, malchik, that’s so good! So fucking good!”
Charlie’s eyes widened and she was swept by a wave of sheer lust. Holy shit! This had to be the sexiest thing she had ever seen in her entire life.
PASSION’S HOPE----only $2.99!      FREE on Kindle Unlimited!!!

BUY LINKS FOR PASSION’S HOPE
Amazon Global Link: getBook.at/PassionsHope
Amazon.AU: bit.ly/1EmGSg6
Amazon.IN: amzn.to/1CQhNQC
Amazon.De: amzn.to/1Gu3qMY

You can read the entire first chapter of Passion’s Hope at: http://drb1stchp.com/2015/08/passions-hope-by-julie-shelton/

Passion’s Hope is Book Three of the series The Doms of Passion Lake. Book One is Passion’s Dream, Book Two is Passion’s Fury, and Book Four is Passion’s Triumph. Each book is a stand-alone read with a HEA. But time does pass from book to book and the characters all appear in each other’s books, so you might enjoy reading them in order.

Don’t miss the other books in the series:

PASSION’S DREAM, BOOK ONE
Blurb
When Clay “Raven” Nighthorse is offered a job as bodyguard to a woman being stalked by her vengeful ex, he’s ready to turn it down.  Until he discovers that she is the woman he met on a beach three years ago.  The woman with whom he felt an instant connection.  The woman who has been haunting his dreams ever since. 
Leah Stanhope has never forgotten the day she found her husband in bed with another woman.  Nor has she forgotten the kindness and compassion of the complete stranger who’d simply held her in his arms and let her cry herself out on a public beach.  She despairs of ever seeing him again until fate brings them together in a conflagration of desire and smoking hot passion.  Can Clay convince Leah to risk her heart?  And when her stalker finds her, will Clay be able to stop him in time?
PASSION’S FURY, BOOK TWO
Blurb
When Simon Rafferty finds Kylie Ferrell sleeping in her broken-down car by the side of the road near Passion Lake, Virginia, the connection between them is instantaneous and combustible.  He recognizes her as the woman he and his two brothers have been searching for all their lives.  Their lifetime submissive.  And the fact that she’s homeless, injured, and targeted by the mob?  Minor details.
Identical triplets and former spec ops soldiers, Caleb, Simon, and Ash Rafferty are more than capable of handling anything life throws at them.  Including a sweet, sexy, lusciously curvy woman who has sworn off all men and who is clueless about the darkness of their needs and desires.  Clueless…but intrigued.  These dominant alpha males will do whatever it takes to get her into their bed, their hearts, their lives…and their dungeon.
But Kylie has secrets that put them all in deadly danger.  And when that danger catches up with her, Caleb, Simon, and Ash must launch a desperate search to find her before she is ripped from them forever.

PASSION’S TRIUMPH, BOOK FOUR

Blurb
Former SEAL Dr. Lucas McKay and his brother Alex, former FBI agent, have been looking for their lifetime submissive. And they may just have found her in the new Director of the Passion Lake Library. She’s sweet. She’s curvy. She’s adventurous. She’s a green-eyed, freckle-faced redhead with the world’s sexiest glasses. And she’s chock full of secrets. Not the least of which is the fact that she writes steamy BDSM romances in her spare time. She’s also a virgin who has never done any of the kinky stuff she writes about.

When they discover this, they offer to act as her temporary Doms, giving her lots of first-hand experiences designed to enrich her writing and make her D/s scenes more authentic and emotional. Since she’s as attracted to them as they are to her, she leaps at the chance. Unfortunately, Lily has another, even deadlier secret. One with the potential to destroy not only her but the two men she’s grown to love. Will death triumph? Or will love?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie has always loved stories, both reading and writing them. A career as a children’s librarian eventually led to her dream career as a freelance storyteller and puppeteer, a business she operated successfully for twenty-five years. During that time she created and wrote all the original material for Kidstuff, a monthly language arts resource newsletter for early childhood educators. For that endeavor she won the prestigious EDPRESS Award, given by the Educational Press Association of America. She has also written other resource materials for preschool and early elementary teachers.
Now she writes erotic romances. Go figure.
Q. What were some early influences on your writing?
Nancy Drew and Mad magazine.

Q. Where do your ideas come from?
Everything I’ve ever seen, read, heard or done. I wrote an entire medieval romance just from seeing a blue gown worn by a minor female character in the movie Becket. The entire novel just sprang into my mind fully-blown. I could hardly write it down fast enough. I wrote it on 3 x 5 index cards, since I was in college doing research and that was all I had to write on, one sentence per card. They took up an entire shoebox. After carrying that shoebox around for forty years, that novel eventually became Dark Warrior.

Q. Do you feel humor is important in romantic fiction?
I feel that humor is important in everything! I can’t imagine how dreary life would be without it.

Q. Are sex scenes easy or difficult to write?
Easy in that I know where all the parts go. Difficult in finding exciting and interesting new ways to describe how the parts get there and what happens as a result. Otherwise what you get is a medical treatise. After all, there are only a finite number of words in the English language suitable for describing an orgasm. And they’ve all been used ad nauseum.

Q. Name three things that inspire you?
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, the Smoky Mountains, the full-length ballet Romeo & Juliet, and medieval illuminated manuscripts. Okay, that’s four things. So sue me.

Q. Dogs or cats?
Cats

Q. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Pistachio

Q. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke. Definitely Coke.

Q. Leather or Lace?
Lace. And Velvet. And silk. Oh, and satin. Yeah, satin…with lace…

Q. Guilty Pleasure?
Edwards® Hershey’s Chocolate Crème Pie. OMG! You know how most people cut their pies into six pieces? I cut this one into…two. Most of the time.

MY LINKS
Website: http://bit.ly/Nn2gPE
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/IEAADL
Facebook Fan Page: on.fb.me/19nGsh2
Twitter: @JulieCShelton

OTHER BOOKS BY JULIE SHELTON
Loving Sarah
Owning Sarah
Keeping Sarah

Dark Warrior

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Wassailing a Holiday Tradition



The Wassail Bowl is usually a Christmas tradition, but I decided to cook one up this year for Thanksgiving. Everyone really enjoyed it so I will probably repeat it for Christmas too. Wassailing has been an old tradition, as far back at the 1400s. It's an ale-base drink seasoned with spices and honey. Traditionally it was served in silver or pewter bowls.

The term wassail comes from an old English word "waes hail" meaning "be well". A Saxon custom at the start of the new year, the lord of the manor would shout "waes hail" and the crowd would answer "drin hail", drink and be healthy.

In future times around the holidays, people would go door to door sharing good wishes and a hot drink.

If you do a search, you'll find a variety of recipes. The one I made was very simple:

Wassail Bowl Recipe

5 parts apple cider
1 part cranberry juice
sliced orange and/or lemon slices
cinnamon sticks
whole cloves to taste (I added about a tsp.)

Heat all to simmer and serve! I heated it in a large crockpot.
Add a little rum if you like to spike it up.





As the holidays approach and you hear that Christmas Carole:

Here we come a-wassailing 
Among the leaves so green; 
Here we come a-wand'ring 
So fair to be seen. 
Love and joy come to you, 
And to you your wassail too; 
And God bless you and send you 
a happy New Year.
Classic Charles II Period Wassail Bowl 1

You'll now know what Wassailing means.
Want to know more history? http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/holiday06/wassail.cfm 


Thursday, November 19, 2015

SERIES: Why I Like Them #romance



By guest blogger Lynn LaFleur

I’ve written six series so far, plus a collection of books which takes place in my fictional town of Lanville, Texas. I love writing about Lanville, and plan to set more books there in the future. I enjoy revisiting my characters, letting my readers know what those characters are doing ever since they received a happy ending in their own books.

I feel the same about my Anything Goes series, which takes place in a sex club on the outskirts of Dallas. I like to bring back characters my readers have already met and give them their own happy ending, or introduce you to brand new characters.

That’s what I’ve done with Three’s Perfect, the 5th book in my Anything Goes series. Those of you who have read the series will recognize some of the names, but I’ve also introduced brand new ones.


Here’s a little taste of Three’s Perfect. I hope you enjoy it.

* * * * *
Sean sat back in his chair, at a loss as to what to say next. His friend had gotten married at a sex club. Sean had been out of town visiting his parents in Seattle when Gabe and Debra married. He’d hated missing their wedding, but his mother would’ve hurt him severely if he hadn’t gone home for Christmas and New Year’s.

He’d assumed the couple got married at a church or special wedding venue. Finding out his friend’s wedding had been at Anything Goes made him doubly sorry he’d missed the ceremony.

Sean cleared his throat so he could speak clearly again. “You and Debra had your wedding at a sex club?”

Gabe nodded. “Lisa Cline, one of the owners, works with Debra at the hospital. She offered the club as the venue, which included all the food, decorations, and a three-tier cake. We couldn’t say no to such generosity.”

“So, what’s it like in there?” He propped one elbow on the island, rested his temple against his fist. “I’ve heard it really is anything goes.”

“Like I said, I’ve never been a customer, but Lisa has told Debra about the club. If you can think of a sex act you want, you can do it there. Including bondage.”

Sean’s cock gave an interested leap at the mention of bondage. He’d never done that with a lover, but it had always been in the back of his mind as interesting to try.

“Want to go?” Gabe asked.

“I’ve heard it’s a closed membership.”

“I can get you an invitation as a guest.”

“Do you know if there will be other gays there?”

Gabe nodded again. “Lisa told Debra and me that several of the attendants are bi or willing to play with the same sex. Plus, a lot of the members like same-gender sex. There’s a huge play area where anyone can play with anyone. Or if you meet a member or guest you want to be with, there are private rooms available. You won’t leave unsatisfied.”

The thought tempted Sean. An evening of sex with someone—or someones—he’d never have to see again. No danger of having his heart trampled. Nothing but pleasure without any expectations of starting a relationship. “You really can get me an invitation?”

“Sure. Lisa is a good friend. So is her brother, Alex. They own the club together. Either of them would give you an invitation in a second. The club is open Friday and Saturday nights. I can get you an invitation for either day this week. As your doctor, I can verify that you don’t have any nasty STDs.”

Gabe held up one hand, stopping Sean before he spoke again. “Before you ask, everyone is tested yearly. All attendants, members, and guests have to supply a medical report proving they’re clean. The club provides condoms, and all the men are required to wear them.”

After five years with Mason, it would be weird to use condoms again. Sean loved the feeling of a guy’s cock sliding into his ass without any kind of barrier between them. However, he knew that could never happen with someone he barely knew. Common sense had to prevail over hormones.

“Do you want to go this weekend?” Gabe asked.

Why not? Maybe an evening of hot sex will wake up my muse. “Yeah. Set me up for Friday night.”

* * * * *
Lynn

Find out more about my series and connected books by visiting the special page on my website:


http://lynnlafleur.com/home/series-connected-books/ 

Other books in the Anything Goes Series:


Luring_Lisa   DeliciousBurn_6  Panties_Optional_6  AnythingGoes_6