Romancing The H0P

Welcome to the Romancing The Hop Bloghop! As a romance author, I have the wonderful job of creating sexiness and romantic moments for my characters. It's a good job. ;) 

So what do I think is romantic?  Often times, it's the little things like the touch of a man's hand on my side when we're walking. No, it's not a huge PDA, but it's a subtle clue to how he feels about me.  I'm sure it must feel fantastic to have your boyfriend/husband buy the Times Square billboard and declare his love for you there, but for me, I prefer the smaller touches.

I remember the first romantic thing a boyfriend ever did for me. It was my junior prom and my boyfriend and I were seated with two couples we didn't know and my friend and her boyfriend, who fought the entire time we waited for the food to come. (Always adds ambiance when people are fighting like cats and dogs next to you. Sets the mood. LOL)

Well, I can tell you the fighting stopped (but then got so much worse after) when my boyfriend proceeded to feed me my fruit appetizer. I have no idea where he got this idea, but it silenced the table and the three tables around us. Even the adults in the room stopped to watch. It was sexy and romantic all at once. Very cool teenage memory. ;)

Now on to the giveaway! I'm in a romantic mood and now I'm thinking about being fed (Mmmm...), so I'm going to give away a copy of one of my Sons of Navarus series because I can't think of anything better than a romantic dinner with one of those vampires! It will be winner's choice, so they can choose Brandon, the sexy, lonely vampire from Vampire Dreams Revamped; Vasilije, the sensual hedonist from Blood Avenged; or Saint, the brooding, haunted vampire from Blood Betrayed. (If you're new to the series, the prequel, Vampire Dreams Revamped is a good place to start. The third book in the series, Blood Spirit, will be released on September 17, so you can be all caught up by the time it arrives!)

To be entered, leave a comment below and do as many of the Rafflecopter entries as you like. The more you do, the better your chances are of winning.The giveaway is open internationally, so an email gets you in. And after you finish here, be sure to hop around to the rest of the blogs. There are THREE grand prizes in this hop. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. You can enter over 100 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack!

Be sure to visit as many blogs as you can to be entered and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Love: Blood Spirit's Print Cover

Good Wednesday to everyone! It's a beautiful day in the Northeast, but I'm thinking safe thoughts for all those in Isaac's path. The crazy ABC weatherman who was standing in the 80 mile an hour winds said it would be a few more hours and then the coast should be clear. Stay safe friends! I hope that wonderful city of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast make it through with as little damage as possible. What a terrific part of the country!

Today I have Blood Spirit's print cover to reveal. Talina did another fantastic job capturing Terek and the very seductive vibe that sexy vampire gives off. Just like all he's ever believed in, Terek has the ability to entice.

The proof has been ordered, and it will be here in a few days. Then it's just a matter of checking it to see there are no errors before the book's release date of September 17. It's coming up quick. :)

Here's a taste of Terek and Ilona's story to get you in the mood:




Have a great day!

Time To Say Goodbye

That title sounds so melodramatic, doesn't it?  Let me explain. Last June, I published a little novella entitled Vampire Dreams. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it was a response to something I was dealing with in my professional life and gave me the catharsis that I needed. I never expected it to become what it grew into, but that little novella paid my mortgage for more months than even I can believe. However, now it's time to say my goodbyes to that terrific little story.

In truth, Vampire Dreams was the beginning of my Sons of Navarus series and the beginning of that incredible character, Vasilije. He's a hedonistic bastard and I love him. I still get the pleasure of writing him now because he's a focal character in the Sons series, but it all began with that little novella.

True confession time. It's not my best writing. Hell, it's nowhere close to my best writing. You want that? Try my other books, particularly the Sons of Navarus series and Destined Ones series. No, Vampire Dreams was just sexy. It has a lonely vampire who wants love and meets the woman of his dreams. At night, he visits her in her sleep and...well, Brandon may be lonely, but he knows how to seduce a woman.  The book was never meant to be more than it is. Unlike many of my stories, there's no underlying theme or meaning. It's just pure sexiness.

That it took off like it did still surprises me. It spent months on the Amazon Top 100 Erotic books list along with the Top 100 Vampire Romance books list, and even made it onto some private lists by readers. There have been a fair share of souls who didn't love it. One person accused me of writing rape because Brandon seduces Arden under hypnosis. But for every time I got a complaint, I got 20 raves. I've gone back and read it a few times and you know what? It's not me at my best, but it's damn sexy.

I rewrote Vampire Dreams to be an official sequel to the Sons of Navarus series, and that book, Vampire Dreams Revamped has gotten rave reviews. If you read both, you see the difference not only in the story but in the writing. As they say, I've come along way, baby.

So now it's time to say goodbye to the original Vampire Dreams. As of September 1, it will only be found in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, along with its sister novellas Love's Master and Masquerade. They'll remain as novellas found on their own and in the Trilogy, though.

I will always appreciate that first book and its success. While Vampire Dreams Revamped is a much better book, there will always be a place in my heart for that little novella that started it all, Vampire Dreams.

Sons of Navarus Goodies!

I promised when the Sons of Navarus Facebook page got to 300 likes that I'd do another giveaway. I'm about 18 likes late, so I figure it's about time to give something really cool away. So here goes. One winner will get Sons of Navarus swag (trading cards, signed bookmarks, cover flats, and even a Blood Avenged poster) along with a Sons of Navarus travel mug from my store at Zazzle.

So how does one enter for such goodies?  Just leave a comment below and make sure you tell me what name you liked the Sons page under. If you haven't liked those sexy vampires' page yet, hop on over and like and then come back and enter for some cool stuff. You can find their page HERE.

I'll choose a winner on Saturday, September 1. Good luck!

Monday, Monday...Back To Work

It's another Monday, but in an effort to keep the Monday blues to a minimum, I'm thinking cheery thoughts today. Yes, it's true I have to go back to the day job this week. (If I don't think about it, it's not there. Repeat twice more. Ah...okay now.) But there are good things to focus on, so let's stick with those.

I'm usually pretty bad about announcing giveaway winners. I send the emails and they get their prizes, but I forget to announce. :( However, the ladies who ran the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop are keeping my feet to the fire on this one, so I already chose the winners and emailed them. Talk about being productive on a Monday morning! Congratulations to Lona and Juana!

And if you haven't already, check out the other giveaway going on now. The Sizzling Books of Summer Giveaway Hop runs until midnight on August 22, so there's still time to enter. I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and an ebook of any of my books (excluding Blood Spirit and Blood Prophecy, which aren't out yet). And I have a great drink recipe there too, so don't miss it!

I'm busy getting posts written for my big blog tour that begins on September 24 to celebrate Blood Spirit's release and a special box set that will be available for the month of October only. The Blood Spirit/Sons of Navarus Paranormal Fall Fling will have weekly prizes, grand prizes at the end of the tour, and posts daily at lots of blogs, so don't miss that either! I'll be giving more details on that in the near future, so keep an eye out. 

Blood Spirit is just about finished in edits, so now it's on to formatting for the ebook and print versions. My goal is to have both formats out for the September 17 release day. And Blood Prophecy continues on course. :)  Ramiel is very different than Terek, so it's been a challenge getting used to him now.

And finally, I want to give a special shout out to my street team, the newly named Gabrielle's Goddesses, for all their fantastic support. Because of all their requests, I opened up a store at Zazzle for my Sons of Navarus merchandise called Gabrielle Bisset Gifts. If you like things like t-shirts, mousepads, travel mugs, frosted mugs, and even regular coffee mugs to show your love of all things Sons, head over there to take a look. It seems like there are only 8 items, but when you click on things the store gets bigger. I have to figure that out.

If you want to join the street team and meet the great people who help me get the word out about my books, head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/335056663240398/ and sign up. They're an incredible group and I can't thank them enough for all their support. Love you Goddesses!

Vampire Dreams Revamped at USA Today

I was fortunate to have the chance to talk about one of the real perks of being an indie at USA Today's Happily Ever After blog yesterday. It can be a lot of work being a one woman show (okay, few woman show--I can't forget my editor, Talina who designs all the great graphics for my books and swag, my betas, Nicole, my street team leader and promotion guru, and my street team members who do such a terrific job of getting the word out about my books).  But one of the joys of being an indie is being able to give readers what they want when I can.

Over the past year, so many readers contacted me to let me know that they'd loved Vampire Dreams but wanted more. More Brandon. More Arden. And especially, more Vasilije. It was from those requests that I was spurred on to write the Sons of Navarus series.

I can't tell you how great it was to hear from readers and know how those wonderful characters had affected them. It made me want to give them more of that original story, so Vampire Dreams Revamped came about. Because I'm an indie author, I have no restraints concerning publishing timetables other than my own ability to get things completed. Usually that means worrying that Amazon won't get a book up when you said it would (prayed it would), but this time it meant literally giving readers what they'd asked for.

Stop over at the USA Today post and read more about what I consider to be one of the best things about being an indie author.

And on the topic of making readers happy, I'm over at Hesperia Loves Books with the Top Five Reasons to Love Saint on Blood Betrayed's book tour. Stop over and comment to be entered to win some great Sons of Navarus swag and a $10 Amazon giftcard.

And tonight I'm going to be a guest on Author's Corner with Elaine Raco Chase. Head on over to http://www.trianglevarietyradio.com/ and click on Blog Talk Radio to hear me talking all things sexy and Sons between 8:25 and 8:55 tonight. ;) Hope you'll give it a listen.

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

Sizzling Books of Summer H0p

Thanks to Taryn at My Secret Romance for coming up with such a great idea for a giveaway hop. Sexy books and drinks. Delicious. Mmmm...what's better than a smokin' hot book and a great drink?  Only a sexy man waiting for you after you finish the book and drink. ;) Welcome to my stop on the Sizzling Books of Summer Hop! I write those sizzling books, so I can tell you I often need a drink after writing an exceptionally hot scene.

So here are the rules for this hop: I have to choose a sizzling hot book and a drink that I believe would go perfectly with it.

My newest release in my Sons of Navarus series, Blood Betrayed, has been steaming up ereaders since its release in late May. My hero, Saint, and his stunning heroine, Solenne, enjoy some very sexy moments as they take a chance at love for a second time. As a French woman turned vampire in the early 1920s, Solenne knows a thing or two about good drinks. Since my vampires enjoy food and drink in addition to blood, I asked Solenne for a recommendation as to what drink would go perfectly while reading Blood Betrayed and her answer was? The French Martini, of course.

Isn't this a gorgeous drink? I could go for one right now. ;) In case you want to run out to the liquor store for the necessaries for this, here's the recipe:

1-1/2 ounces Chambord flavored vodka
1/2 ounce Chambord Liqueur
2 ounces pineapple juice
fresh raspberries, for garnish
Add the vodka, Chambord and pineapple juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well-chilled and strain into a petite martini glass. Garnish with raspberries.
(Recipe from thebubblygirl.com)

Okay, onto the giveaway. (Sorry, I got lost in the drinking.) Since you're probably going to need some cold, hard cash after shelling out some bucks to get the Chambord, how does an $10 Amazon giftcard sound? And since drinking goes so well with reading, in addition to the giftcard the winner will choose one of my ebooks too. (Check out the right sidebar for your choices. Not including Blood Spirit or Blood Prophecy because they haven't been released yet. You shouldn't have drunk so much. LOL)

So how do you get your hands on some $$ and a sexy ebook? First, leave a comment with your email address. Also, do as many of the entries in the Rafflecopter as you like. The more you do, the better your chances of winning.

The giveaway is open internationally, so an email gets you in. After you do your entries here, be sure to hop around to the other blogs and good luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hot Summer Heroes H0p

Welcome to my stop on the Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop sponsored by Caris Roane, H.D. Thomson, and Bella Media Management! As this is a heroes hop, I want to share with you what makes a hero hot to me. I'm all about the Alpha hero. My heroes are strong. They handle their business and take care of their women, have brains and use them, and above all, are leaders. 

My Sons of Navarus heroes are all that AND vampire. What a combination! I love writing them, and even though each one is different, they're all Alpha males. Vasilije is the sensual Alpha male. Saint is the brooding Alpha male, hardened from the past. Terek is the mystical Alpha male, seductive and spiritual. Ramiel is the violent Alpha, a warrior by birth. Add to them Thane, Sion, Dante, and Nico, and you have eight very sexy vampire warriors.

So now that you have a taste of those delicious heroes, here's a chance to win an ebook copy of the prequel to the Sons of Navarus series, Vampire Dreams Revamped. You'll find Vasilije and two of his fellow Sons in that story, and it's a perfect start to the series before the third book, Blood Spirit, joins the first two, Blood Avenged and Blood Betrayed, in mid-September. In addition to the ebook, I'm also giving away a swag pack, including Sons trading cards, featuring Vasilije, Saint, Terek, and Ramiel.

To enter, leave a comment with your email address and do as many of the entries in the Rafflecopter thing. The more you do, the better your chances of winning. :) The giveaway is international, so nobody's left out. The hop runs from August 13 through midnight August 19. Be sure to hop around and visit all the great blogs and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Paranormalromance Friday #amediting

I'm smack dab in the middle of edits for Blood Spirit and I'm enjoying what may be one of the last times I get to spend with Terek and Ilona before the rest of the world gets to meet them. I don't know if other authors feel this way, but there's something special about those last days with my book before it releases. Each book is a different creature, and Blood Spirit has been a very thoughtful one for me.

I'm almost done with the book trailer too, but until then, here's one of the songs that were in my mind while I wrote Blood Spirit. I love this song's vibe. :) Enjoy and have a great weekend!

An Interview With Saint

Blood Betrayed's book tour continues today with a stop at Claire Ashgrove's place, For The Muse. Saint's story was tough to write, but he's always great to interview. He even gave up what cologne he wears (I have a thing with men who smell good and he has impeccable taste). Stop over and comment to be entered to win a set of signed cover flats from the first three Sons of Navarus books and a $10 Amazon gift card.

The tour continues tomorrow at Wicked Readings by Tawania, so be sure to check back then. And if you want to get a taste of Blood Betrayed, head on over to my website where the first chapter is available to read.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

#WIP Wednesday: Difficult Heroes Edition

Welcome to another Wednesday! Blood Betrayed's book tour continues today with me over at All I Want And More so stop in and say hi. I'm talking about how I interact with my characters. In fact, that seems to be the theme for today. :)

This WIP Wednesday is full of Ramiel making this author uncomfortable. See, I'm a plotter. That's who I am. I plan things out. They work better that way. I'm not a fan of the flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants thing. Chaos happens that way, and then my books would end up as some stream-of-consciousness thing nobody but I would understand.

No, it's much better I plot things out.

However, (and I have to admit I've never run into this with a character--even Vasilije was more willing to go with me) Ramiel is not having any of that plotting business. I sit down to write what I believe is a scene I've plotted out and no go. Why? Because my dear, angry Son wants a different kind of scene with a character I've never even heard of.

Bad Ramiel. (Well, as I look at him from this vantage point, he's not too bad. ;)

So now I've got a scene in the first chapter with him and one of his vampires that sets a far different tone for the book than I had planned. I went into Blood Prophecy knowing I'd be encountering one very willful character, but now I have two. And for God's sake, they're supposed to get together at some point!

I should have seen this coming. While Ramiel has been easy to write until now, he was always fighting someone. I guess I was just hoping he'd be like Vasilije. He was an absolute dream to write, with the words flowing from my pen so fast I could barely keep up. Then Saint put me through the wringer with his book. Terek, on the other hand, was divine to write. I felt like I was back with Vasilije again. Now Ramiel is twice as difficult as Saint. At least Saint was willing to go where I wanted to go. He just made it so emotionally draining to go there.

I'm afraid things are going to be very different than what I had planned for this Son's book. Stay tuned...

Author Tonya Kinzer Guest Post

Spend a week in the Bubbles with Us!

 Welcome to my tour stop with Gabrielle Bisset. Woman, thank you so much for having me as your guest! Come get into the tub, we have lots of room and lots of bubbles! Champagne is flowing, too, so grab your glasses. We have a sexy bartender who will keep your glass full til Friday night! At the bottom, be sure to get in on the contests - drawing is late Saturday! If you’ve already entered the Grand Prize contest, there’s no need to do that again. I have your entry.

This gives me a chance to introduce my two characters from Master’s Email. Readers, thank you for stopping in to read and meet Colt and Alexis. Colt owns his own security company, specializing in video surveillance. Hmmm…kind of helps him with his hobby! Alexis is his live in who loves performing for him and has slowly learned her way into the submissive world.

Welcome back to the tour you two and thanks for answering a few questions for our readers.

Tonya:  Colt, how is Alexis doing as your submissive? Was it hard to get her to join your lifestyle?

Colt:  Alexis is a hottie in her own right and the more time we spent together, her sensual side came out. That’s when I discovered she like being pinned down to the bed when we made love. Sparks happened, one thing led to another and….my ties came out! * he squeezes Alexis’ knee * She’s the one who brought them into the bed!

Alexis: * blushing * Colt! How can I not want to be tied down when I have such a handsome Master. He just bring out my bad girl side. I’m really prim and proper, honest!

Tonya:  I understand you now write for an online BDSM magazine, doing articles and a reader column. That must be easy when you also live the lifestyle.

Alexis:  It does help and I love writing for them. Colt keeps me full of ideas to write about so I have lots of material for my readers and now have quite a following for the magazine.

Tonya:  Colt, does Alexis misbehave on purpose so she has to be punished?

Colt:  * laughing * Yes she does! She knows part of the punishment is being videotaped so even though she says she doesn’t like the camera on…she’s not being honest. Her performances are top notch! Personally, I love re-watching the tapes…she just gets me so heated up and I get to see her body over and over in the positions I love…with her tied and immobile! But she loves it, don’t you, pet?

Alexis:  You are so bad! I do have to admit that being restrained and forced to do what he says, within my limits, is exciting. When he blindfolds me, my other senses become stronger. Not knowing where he might touch me and how….mmmm. One has to experience that in order to understand. I hope your readers will allow their partner to blindfold them. It’s an easy way to get started. Now if your hands are also bound and you’re blindfolded….look out because you’re in for the night of your life, ladies!

Excerpt for Master’s Email - xxx rated!!

(ONLY for those OVER 17!!)

Tonya:  I’ve tried to tell my readers that. We have to ask for what we want and that means you guys out there, too. Slowly ease your partner into the blindfold or hold their hands over their head while you make love to them. Tell them they aren’t allowed to open their eyes until you say so. Colt, you have an addiction to watching Alexis by camera. Do you also enjoy watching her perform with another Dom? Doesn’t that bother you?

Colt:  The other Doms understand that this isn’t about swapping. It’s about the sexual experience you give another person who enjoys being manipulated. Some do it for sexual pleasure; some do it because they need pain in order to enjoy the sexual experience. Watching another Dom train Alexis so she can experience what he has to offer her puts me over the top. She enjoys it or it wouldn’t have been included in her contract. Right, hon?

Alexis:  I do have limits included, too. Don’t use needles on me or a cane to make me bleed or mark up my body. Otherwise, pretty much everything else is fun to experience so I go with it. Some of the other Doms are very good at what they do. They push your limits to experience even more.

Tonya:  Do you truly enjoy performing for Colt?

Alexis:  Just knowing that the cameras are motion activated throughout the house gets my juices flowing. To know that he could be watching me at any given moment is fun. So I will stop in front of one and give him a little show that he can watch as many times as he likes.

Tonya:  Are you afraid someone else might see the videos?

Alexis: I trust Colt when he says that no one else has access to the videos he stores in his files. I’m fine with that.

Tonya:  Colt, have you taken Alexis to any bondage parties yet with other couples?

Colt:  Funny you should bring that up…I did receive an invitation to a party in Palm Springs. Alexis doesn’t know them so it’ll be fun to introduce her and let them get to know her body.

Tonya:  * wicked laugh * Have you attended any of those parties in Palm Springs? I hear they have a huge mansion in the hills where those parties are held.

Colt:  It’s been awhile since I’ve been there so it’ll be nice to rejoin old friends!

Tonya:  Thank you both for being here with us this weekend. Readers, I hope you enjoyed meeting Colt and Alexis. Stay tuned to my website for information on upcoming stories. You never know where these two will show up! Now, don’t forget the contests below! Who wants a gift card??

     If you’d like to get in on the contests during my tour - July thru September - follow me to each stop and get your entry in. My schedule is listed on my blog’s left sidebar. There’s a contest for this blog stop listed below on Rafflecopter and don’t forget to also click the link for the Grand Prize drawing to be held Oct 2^nd!

GRAND PRIZE ENTRY

$50 Gift card

Rafflecopter HTML: (give away is $10 gift card and swag bag of goodies!) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Blood Betrayed's Book Tour Starts Today!

Today's the start of a two week book tour for the second book in the Sons of Navarus series, Blood Betrayed. Saint and Solenne's story, the book gives readers their romance and the continuing story of the civil war in the vampire world. Readers are also introduced to the villain who will take center stage with the Archons for at least the next few books, Marc Verrater.

Each stop on the tour will have a giveaway, so be sure to pop in at each one and leave a comment. The first stops are at Guilty Indulgence, where the bloggers there wanted to know what my guilty indulgence is, and Journey With Books, where I was asked about indie vs trad publishing. I hope you'll stop by each one!

Here's the schedule for the rest of the tour:

August 7:  Erotica For All
August 8:  All I want and more
August 9:  The Muse
August 10:  Wicked Readings By Tawania
August 13:  Ramblings From This Chick
August 14:  Melissa Keir's Blog
August 15:  Bookin' It Reviews
August 16:  Hesperia Loves Books
August 17:  Novel Reflections

Vampire Dreams Revamped F*R*E*E

A special treat for the dog days of summer! Grab a copy of the prequel to my Sons of Navarus series, Vampire Dreams Revamped, for one week only until midnight, August 12, at Smashwords. Get started on the series today and be ready when Book #3, Blood Spirit, is released.

Click HERE for the coupon code and happy reading! But be sure to have a cool drink nearby. Those vampires will make you hot!

#Paranormalromance Friday: #Mythology

It's been a few weeks since I did Paranormal Romance Friday. It's been all blog hop Friday for a while. This week is all about mythology and vampires. Greek and Roman mythology, to be specific.

While Terek sits in the editing pen and Ramiel hangs out with me as I write his book, one of the favorite Sons, Dante, has been nagging me to talk about him. If you've read the series so far, this won't surprise you.

The youngest of the Sons of Navarus, Dante was turned in the 1980s when he was just 20 years old. His brashness is reflective of the decade when greed was king and hair reached for the heavens (courtesy of Aqua Net!). But his cocky nature isn't just because he's a product of that decadent decade. It's also because he's a clyten.

In the world of the Sons of Navarus, a clyten is a vampire who can walk in the sun. Before you go googling the world, I should tell you it's made up. Like the name Navarus, the term clyten is my creation. So what does this have to do with Greek and Roman mythology?

Clytie was an ocean nympth who was in love with Apollo, the god of the sun. However, her love was unrequited since he fell in love with another. (Side note: Clytie should probably have been happy about this since to be loved by Apollo quite often meant very unhappy times ahead or death. Poor Hyacinthus, Daphne, Sibyl, and Cassandra, to name just a few.) But back to dear Clytie. She watched as Apollo drove his chariot through the sky each day, wishing and praying he would notice her, but he didn't. For days and days, she didn't eat or drink as she waited for him to finally see how much she loved him. The gods saw this and turned her into the sunflower. To this day, she still looks to the sun god each day, still in love with his golden rays.

As an English major in undergrad school, I was in love with mythology. The university I attended didn't have a classics department, or I would have been a classics major and studied the ancients. But I had to settle for the one class I could take and as many books as I could devour on the subject. Naturally, when I began to write, I waited for a chance to include my love of mythology and the Sons series gives me ample opportunities.

So, that's the story behind the name clyten in the Sons of Navarus. When I had to come up with a name for vampires who could walk in the sun, I looked no further than Greek mythology and immediately found lonely Clytie.

Now I can tell Dante the world knows about his kind. :) Knowing him, though, he'll still be bothering me to talk about him. Young vampires are so arrogant.  But I'll be talking about Dante and his story more as we get closer to his book, Blood Eclipsed.

Have a great weekend!

Author Malia Mallory Guest Post

Welcome to fellow author Malia Mallory today!

Sex and Food

It's common knowledge that food and sex go hand-in-hand, isn't it? We as humans have appetites for both. Eating for sensual purposes generally fall into one of two categories. The first category is foods that are thought to be aphrodisiacs. In the second category are foods that you might actually incorporate into your sexy time.

Can food be an aphrodisiac? A lovely meal in an enjoyable setting with some inspiring company can certainly put a person in the mood. Just don't let the meal be too heavy. Here, it is the experience, more than the food itself, which inspires romantic thoughts.

Some foods are rumored to have a more direct effect on the libido. Oysters and chocolate are two foods that top this list. There is evidence that certain nutritional qualities of these foods might have an impact. For instance, oysters contain zinc, which can have an impact on testosterone and sperm production. Chocolate contains compounds that affect the brain in positive ways. In general, it is no secret that a good, healthy diet leads to better overall health. Better health tends to equate with better sex.

Let's turn to the use of food during sex. Not only does eating chocolate make you feel good, it can be fun. A very soft milk chocolate bar can be used on one's partner and followed up with a tongue. Chocolate syrup also works, but can be overly sweet and large amounts. I highly recommend whipped cream. The kind in the spray can has the positive quality of being easily aimed and can even be applied in patterns. It is also rather light so an overabundance isn't usually a problem. Fruit makes a lovely body decoration to be nibbled off and I'm sure you can think of something to do with bananas or carrots…or even cucumbers!

There are even BDSM aspects to the utilization of food during sex. Figging would fall into this category. This involves the use of the ginger root. Fresh ginger root is peeled and then pared into the desired shape. When inserted, the ginger produces a subtle burning sensation that grows over time. This practice is often accompanied by a spanking or caning.

There is really no limit to how to use food during sex, except the limits of your own imagination.

Have you ever incorporated food into your sex life? What foods arouse you?

*****

For your reading pleasure today, I'm including an excerpt from my most recent release - The ABCs of Erotica - G is for Gigolo. I have incorporated food into this book. Our couple has a nice dinner to relax and get to know each other. They also enjoy a little fruit and wine…later.

*****

The ABCs of Erotica — G is for Gigolo

Candace travels the world and happens to be stopping over in L.A. with one thing on her mind: red hot sex with no strings attached! After losing her husband, this sultry seductress is finally discovering herself. Widowed but wise, and ready for action, Candace knows what she needs and she will take it right now. The old boundaries from her marriage no longer hold her back.

Gavin is a gigolo. Sex with women like Candace is his job. Gavin is about to accompany Candace on a journey down an erotic path she never would have dreamed of.

*****

"This…situation is rather new to me. I haven't done this."

"Don't be nervous. You're the boss. You are in charge. Let me know what you want. What you need."

Candace sighed. "That would be so much easier to do if I knew…what I wanted." Her voice contained frustration.

Gavin reached out with his finger and lightly caressed her cheekbone. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out together." He leaned in toward her and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

Candace almost moaned. It had been so long since she had felt an intimate touch. "I wouldn't mind some more of that."

"As you wish." He shifted his body closer to hers, heating her skin. He took her lips in a kiss that was both tender and thorough.

Candace pulled back and looked into his eyes. All she saw was honest need. She wanted more. She wanted him to touch her. Candace unbuttoned her blouse, slowly, one button at a time. Gavin's eyes were riveted on her as she exposed creamy skin and a lacy, flesh-colored bra. She pulled her blouse from her skirt and dropped it on the couch. After slipping the straps of the bra off her shoulders, she reached behind and unhooked the bra. The lingerie fell from her body onto the floor.

*****

Malia Mallory lives in Hawaii with her husband and daughter. She's been working with words since alphabet blocks rolled into her crib, not only writing her own work but copy editing and proofreading the work of others. She has loved to read about relationships since she first sneaked off with her mother's Harlequin.

Malia Mallory is the best-selling author of The ABCs of Erotica series, which covers the erotic spectrum from BDSM to ménage and everything in between. More releases in the series are on the way. She has also released the Mia's Cop Craving series and Santa's Backdoor Baby. Malia’s books have hit the bestselling erotica lists at both Amazon and iTunes. Her books are available in electronic format at major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, Smashwords and AllRomance Books.

For a free copy of B is for Beach from The ABCs of Erotica, head to her website and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.maliamallory.com/Join_My_Mailing_List.php.

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#WIP Wednesday #amwriting #erotic

Happy Wednesday and the beginning of a new month! August is always a little less than thrilling for me since that means I'll be going back to the day job soon. Yeah, I know. No tears for person who gets the summer off. I feel that. :)  But August 1 means the summer is almost over.

July was the best month of sales for me so far in my career, so I'm sorry to see that month go. The Sons of Navarus series had a stellar month, so things are looking good for Terek as he gets set to make his appearance on September 17.

As for WIP, there are two on my plate: the 4th book in the Sons series, Blood Prophecy, and the Hades short I'm writing for a free read for my website. Even though I've had so many people ask me if I plan to make Hades the star of a new series, the answer is no. At this time, he's just a character who will show up in the Sons series soon.  As the father of one of the first vampires, it was inevitable he'd come on the scene, but I have no plans for even a full length book for him. I can say, though, that the story on my website will be much hotter than the one that will appear in the September issue of BTS eMag. ;) (BTW, for a look at the current issue of that great magazine, scroll down to the bottom of this page.)

Blood Prophecy will include some pretty big developments in the series' story arc, so I'm taking it nice and slow with this one. My former Visigoth turned vampire has been very willing, despite his usual surly attitude, so the writing has been good.

I've also been playing around with Blood Spirit's book trailer for a few days. I have the music and here are some of the images I'm considering working in:

And finally, here is the banner the wonderful Talina made for the release of Blood Spirit:

My editor believes she'll have the entire book back to me soon, so the countdown begins. 48 days until Blood Spirit's release!

Have a great Wednesday!