Love's Master-BDSM Romance #kindle #nook

Freed By Submission     Dominated By Love

My novella, Love's Master, has a brand new look! The wonderful Talina Perkins and I brainstormed some ideas and she ran with them. I love where she went with this cover. The red is so sensual, and the butterfly is so delicate. I'd wanted something to symbolize the freedom my heroine Lily found in submitting to her true nature, and the butterfly is just perfect!

Here's the blurb and an excerpt from the book to give you a feel for it. If you're looking for BDSM romance that's sexy, this is it.

Twenty-three year old Lily finds herself widowed and forced to live with her brother and his family, including his eight year old son William, who is nothing short of a terror.  Sure she cannot go another day with his behavior, she begins to search for a new nanny and tutor for her nephew with little success.  But when she happens across an advertisement in the Times that seems to be the answer to her problem, she is set on a path that will take her where she's never been before.  Victorian England is a place of strict social codes, and the sensual world she enters is strictly forbidden for a woman of her social stature.

Her guide in this world is a man named Kadar, and the feelings he stirs in Lily threaten to change her forever.  However, Victorian society is never far away, and her brother intends on seeing his sister remarried and settled into a home near him in Regent's Park.  Lily will have to choose between Kadar, who makes her feel more alive than she ever believed she could, and Captain Mason Danvers, the gentleman who can offer her security and comfort for the rest of her life. 

Excerpt:

“Lily,” he whispered against her lips, barely touching them.

In her desire, she craned her neck, desperate for the kiss he knew she waited for. Unable to deny her any longer, he greedily took her mouth, running his tongue over hers. Her lips urged him on to satisfy her need, and he began to lose himself in the warmth of her.  A quiet moan passed between her lips and he took it inside him, like a pledge she offered.

Before she could try to wrap her arms around his neck, he broke off the kiss and pulled out the ropes. He placed them in her hands, and confused, she dipped her head as if to look at what he’d just given her.

Tenderly stroking her cheek, he asked, “Have you ever been tied up?”

As the velvet ropes sat in her trembling hands, she silently shook her head. He had to carefully introduce restraints or he’d risk losing her right here.

“Follow me,” he ordered as he began to back up toward the couch. As he sat, she remained standing in front of him.

“Turn around, Lily.”

Lily rotated for him and returned to face him.

“You look beautiful. Blue is my favorite color.”

Smiling broadly, she fidgeted over her dress, smoothing it from the waist. “Thank you! I’m so happy you like it.”

Her words were met with silence. Kadar sat back on the couch and gazed up at the innocent creature in front of him. Now it would begin.

Standing up, he kissed her lips softly and quietly announced, “I want to see what you are under this pretty blue dress.”

He saw her stiffen in fear and whispered, “I would never hurt you, Lily. Trust me.”

“I do,” she said softly.

Kadar made swift work of her dress and undergarments and in seconds Lily stood before him naked. His breath caught in his chest, and he had to restrain himself from opening his trousers and pulling her down on his lap to bury himself as deeply as possible inside her.

Astonished by her beauty, he muttered “lovely” as he softly kissed her, explaining, “I’m going to bind your wrists together. Hold your arms out in front of you.”

Taking the ropes from her, he expertly wrapped them around her wrists, making sure she wasn’t hurt. Restrained, she was forbidden from holding him.

Slowly, he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the couch and pulled her to him. Unable to hold back any longer, he took a nipple in his mouth and gently sucked, feeling the tender skin harden into a peaked point against the flick of his tongue.

Pulling away, he looked up into her face now full of desire. “Beautiful Lily.”

He moved to the other one and began giving his attention to it, eliciting a soft moan from her. Just as with the other nipple, it grew hard in his mouth and he tenderly fastened his teeth to bite down, knowing he had to take care not to frighten her.

Cupping her full breast, he latched on and softly bit her nipple as he gently squeezed the supple skin around it.

“Ow!”

Looking up, he saw a frown on her face. “What did you say?”

“That hurt, Kadar.”

He slowly stood and stroked her face. “You told me you wanted to submit to me, Lily. Do you?”

Nodding, she bit her lower lip nervously, and he knew she feared she’d done something to displease him.

“It’s all right. But you will have to be punished now.”

Instantly, he saw a look of terror cross her features. How wide her beautiful green eyes must have been when she heard she was to be punished!

“Please, no, Kadar.”

Cradling her face in his hands, he felt emotion tug at him. Most of the time when he announced to a woman that he intended to punish her, he had to fight to ensure he was seated before they flung themselves across his lap. Lily simply stood trembling in front of him.

“I promise it won’t hurt for long, love.”

Reaching down behind her, he ran his hand over one cheek, then the other, loving how full and firm they felt under his palm. Then he drew back his hand and let it land with a hard slap on her skin.

Kadar held her upright as the shock of his slap wore off, leaving only the warmth growing where his hand had landed. Although he couldn’t see her eyes, he was sure tears began to well up in them.

Gently, he rubbed his hand over the skin, soothing her. “See? Not so bad.”

“That hurt!”

Again, he pulled back his hand and smacked her skin just as loudly. He knew she wanted to fight as every muscle in her body tensed, but with her wrists bound and his arm holding her, all she could do was bury her face in his chest and whimper.

He soothed her skin with the hand that had just reddened it, whispering, “Someday you’ll ask for this, my Lily.”

“Never!”

Holding her to him, he began to repeatedly spank her, ignoring her soft cries and pleas to stop. Each time he inflicted pain, he followed it with the loving caresses she needed to know he cared. Slowly, she stopped protesting and pressed next to his body, grasping at his shirt to find the closeness she craved.

Finally, she reached up to kiss him, aroused by the sensations he was inflicting on her. Unable to hold him, she tugged desperately at his shirt to bring his mouth to hers.

Kadar let her devour his mouth as she pressed against his swollen cock, grinding against it with her moist cunt. She was reacting just as he’d hoped—even more so, to his surprise. She was opening for him, her body begging his to fill her.

But he wasn’t ready for that yet. Her body may desire him, but her mind still didn’t trust him. He needed her body to convince her mind, and that wouldn’t happen if he took advantage and merely fucked her.

He stopped the spanking knowing that one or two more would send her over the edge, and he wanted to prolong this moment. Gently, he stroked her skin with his hand, easing the sting out.

“That’s my Lily,” he cooed in her ear.

“Please, Kadar,” she begged.

“How quickly someday has come,” he teased.

She was so responsive that he didn’t want to stop. But he could give her what she wanted and still be in control. Sitting on the couch, he guided her onto his lap.

“Sit on top of me, legs apart.”

She did as he commanded and positioned herself on his legs, straddling him. His hands glided up and down her sides and over her back, carefully avoiding her still pinkened cheeks.

Just as she became relaxed, he landed his palm on her warmed skin, harder than before. She didn’t cry out or plead for him to stop but returned to kissing him, her mouth desperate to express her need. Sure she was close, he caressed her and then slapped her skin one last time.

Then he waited.

His hand tenderly rubbed the skin and he slid a finger between her pinkened globes. Her body tensed and her lips began to tremble against his. Moaning into his mouth, her release began to take over. Her body sought his as she pushed her pulsating clit against his hard cock to extend the sensations he’d created in her.

© 2011 Gabrielle Bisset

I've been reading a lot of BDSM romance in the last few months. A lot of it is quite dark, which is great if that's what you're looking for. However, if you're looking for a little lighter BDSM, try Love's Master. I think you'll enjoy it. Readers can find it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Wednesday Treats

I'm over at Whipped Cream's Yahoo group today chatting, so if you want to come over and ask a question or just shoot the breeze, drop on by.  Check it out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whippedcream2/

I finally caught up on True Blood after missing two weeks while I was on vacation.  I realize this may be blasphemy, but I have to confess I'm getting quite sick of the Sookie/Eric thing.  He used to be so bad and hot, and now he looks like some lost frat boy.  And the dream she had?  Ugh...now as for the naked Alcide, oh my God!  Sweet Lord!  I do love that man! 

But can anyone tell me why Sam's brother went to see the wolf guy?  I must have missed something there.  That entire storyline is bizarre to me, but it had some more Alcide time in it, so I was good for it. 

In my continuing effort to give readers what they want, I did a little research and not only found this fantastic picture (love the collage of Alcide naked butt!) but an entire page devoted to the idea of him on this week's episode.  Isn't the Internet great?  It's called You Know You Care.  And just in case you're still a fan of the other butts on the show, there's even a poll asking whose buns you'd butter, Alcide's, Eric's, or Lafayette's. What a great age we live in!  Thanks to that wonderful link for this wonderful pic.

Although I'm not sure I can follow that up, I'll try.  I'm over at Felicity Heaton's blog today giving readers a little taste of Love's Master, so click on over.  And the wonderful Madame D. over at her blog, Madame D.'s Boudoir, has listed me in her post on Great Authors.  Thank you so much, Kim, and if any of you haven't been to her blog yet, go check it out. 

Finally, I uploaded Masquerade to Amazon and Barnes and Noble last night at around 11, so I'm hoping it will go live sometime today or tomorrow. I'm all smiles! :D

More You Tube Vids, Some Whipped Cream, and News!

While I was away, Romance Novel Junkies put out a You Tube video about her two reviews for Vampire Dreams and Stolen Destiny.  A great reader of all romance genres, she's been a terrific supporter of my books since the beginning, and I can't thank her enough!  Take a look at the video below, and if you haven't read her reviews, she has included them on the You Tube site under the video. 





All I can say is, I love it, Monique! 

I'm at Whipped Cream being interviewed today, and if you want to chat, look for me tomorrow on the Whipped Cream Erotic Romance Reviews Yahoo group.  I'll be popping in and out all day, so stop by!

Finally, I have big news.  The edits have been done on Masquerade for weeks and I've been impatiently sitting on the book to give Love's Master its time in the sun, but now the last novella in the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy will get its time.  With total sales for the first two novellas in the trilogy bouncing past 2000 yesterday (just 17 days after reaching 1000 sales!), I'm looking forward to letting this new story join its sisters out there in the world. I hope readers love this story as much as they have the first two because I know I do.  Look for Masquerade before the week is out, depending on the speed of Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

With Masquerade, the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy comes to an end, but later in the year, Vasilije from Vampire Dreams gets his own story set in modern times.  He's aged another 150 years, but it's only made him badder and sexier.  ;)  And between you and me, his story is the most erotic one I've ever written, so far. 

1000

1000.  This morning when I woke up I checked my sales numbers for Vampire Dreams and Love's Master and they totaled to just over 1000 sales. 

When I began writing, it was because it made me happy.  I had a story to tell, so I wrote it down.  Then when I finished it, I decided I'd try to get it published. When that happened, it wasn't what I'd expected but it was a milestone and I appreciated it. 

Then I made the decision to indie publish, and on June 1, Vampire Dreams went up for sale at Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, and Amazon (B&N took until June 11 to come online).  The first month I sold 150 books.  As I wrote on July 1, I had no idea what to imagine when I began this, so 150 was a number I could feel good about. 

On July 11, I put Love's Master up at all four outlets.  I must have done something right that time because it came online almost immediately at all four stores.  That book has been out for three weeks, and it's currently doing better than Vampire Dreams did in its first month. (Note:  Vampire Dreams was sold at $1.99 for the first month of its release, so that skews the data a bit here.)  Next Friday, I'll have the numbers for Love's Master, but I'm very pleased with how it's doing.

I knew it would be a challenge selling a trilogy of books that are only linked by the period in history in which they're set.  Vampire Dreams is an erotic paranormal historical romance (light on the history and heavy on the vampires), while Love's Master is an erotic historical romance with some light BDSM.  Masquerade, the third novella in what I've named the Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy, is an erotic historical romance, with no paranormal or kink involved.  It's also a bit lighter than the first two, and almost twice as long as Vampire Dreams at 30,000 words.  That novella is due out on August 30, and hopefully readers of the first two will enjoy it just as much, even though it doesn't have vampires or kink.  :D  It does have an incredibly sexy Russian and the most headstrong heroine I've ever written, so readers should expect passion.

It should be noted that I don't include my novel, Stolen Destiny, in my sales numbers.  This is because I have no control over where it's sold and how much it's sold for at any place.  My publisher determines this.  So for the first four weeks, the book was only sold at Siren's site, but it's recently been moved to Amazon also, but not Barnes and Noble or All Romance eBooks.  In addition, I have no reliable sales numbers yet from my publisher concerning my Amazon sales.  There the book has ebbed and flowed between the mid 50K rank and the mid 100K rank, but I don't know any official numbers.  Therefore, none of the sales from that book figure into the 1000 sales milestone of today. 

Nine weeks ago, I took a step into the indie publishing world.  I hoped it would turn out well, but I can't say I was sure it would.  For me, this has been an incredible journey, and it's only really just begun.  Masquerade comes out in a little over three weeks, Destiny Redeemed is scheduled for an October release, and I'm working toward a mid-December release of Vasilije's story.  I hope readers continue to stick around because I'm just getting started.

Midweek Mojo

First off, this picture has nothing to do with this post.  I just loved it and felt like posting it, even though it's grammatically incorrect because of the run on. Poor Floyd.  No mojo for him. 

I've become a household warrior this week as I get ready to go to the House of Mouse.  I'm one of those people who cleans only when necessary, but I'm crazy about coming home to a clean house.  I've had everyone in my house working like dogs to get the place spic-and-span, but today is the office/classroom.  Trust me when I say that it's a huge task.  If I took a picture of just my desk area, you'd be appalled.  This room looks like it's trying hard to get on that show Hoarders. (Incidentally, if you haven't seen that show, oh, you don't know what you're missing.  There's nothing like a heady dose of filth smoothed over with pseudo-psychology.  It's television at its best!)  If you don't hear from me in a few days, I succumbed to the avalanche of paper and books. 

On other fronts, I'm over at Blak Rayne's blog with an interview we did and at Elaina Lee's again today, this time with an excerpt from Love's Master.  Hop on over to each of them and check out two fabulous blogs!

It's time for me to go into the mess and I won't be coming out until the room sparkles.  Wish me luck...

Closing In On A Milestone

It's a gorgeous day where I am, and I hope you're surrounded by sun and the best things summer offers too.  I'm trying not to get down about the fact that summer will be over so soon.  Just have to remember vacation is in 11 days...think Mickey, Eeyore....there, it's all good now. 

I'm closing in on a milestone in my writing.  This morning I was another step closer, so that's definitely something to like.  I can't wait to celebrate that, hopefully this week sometime.

And I'm over at Elaina Lee's blog today and tomorrow.  Today, I'm talking about why I choose to stay indie pubbed, and tomorrow she's showcasing an excerpt from Love's Master.  For anyone who doesn't know, Elaina is the incredibly talented cover artist who makes the faces of my books look so good. She's the one who works the magic with the mess I send her.  She's also an author, so head over to her blog and check out what I'm dishing about and then take a look at what this multi-talented woman is up to!

Mmmmm.....Monday

Happy Monday, blogworld!  It's already August (oh God, please say it isn't so!), and the dog days of summer are about to come upon us.  Bring it on!  In what's becoming my Monday morning quarterbacking of True Blood, this week I'm not so much hating on the show as I was last week.  Sexy, naked Eric is good.  Sad Bill is not.  Clothed Alcide is definitely not, but I don't think I've ever seen a man wear a shirt like that man does. He's the stuff dreams are made of...(Yes, I know that's Eric in a shirt, but that blue shirt Alcide wore last night looked incredible on him.) The rest of the show is crazy witches, crazy shifters, and crazy Tara.  I'm not sure I'm all about the crazy.

What else is new?  Well, I'm closing in on a big milestone in my writing soon.  I'll definitely be posting about that when it happens. 

I'm on Chapter 4 of Vasilije's book (got over two chapters written this weekend), so that WIP is rolling along.  I do need a title for it, however. Masquerade is almost ready...typing is such a drag!  And once Masquerade is sent off to be edited, it's time to begin edits on Destiny Redeemed, Amon's story.

Destiny Redeemed has been complete since late March, but because of my choice to go indie instead of continue with an epub, it's had to patiently wait while the novellas took center stage.  Come October, however, Destiny Redeemed gets to show itself to the world.  As it's Amon's book, he's obviously a repeat character from the first book.  However, there are others who make a second appearance, such as Gethen, Markku, and even Aunt Jean.  And readers get to learn more about the Council in this book too. 

As I told someone the other day, I gave Amon a female who can handle him.  Thea is as ancient as Amon (in her 45th lifetime), but with a very big difference: she's an Aeveren healer.  But they share a major thing in common: they were both born with their powers, so they feel a kindred spirit between one another.

And the bad guy in this is one bad son of a bitch.  I don't know if I've written a nastier bad guy.  The murderer in Stolen Destiny isn't nasty so much as crazy.  Kiril from Destiny Redeemed, on the other hand, is a real bastard.

I hope to have the cover sometime very soon, so when I get it, I'll be putting it up all over the place.  Let's just say that the image of the male for Amon is smokin hot.  :)  (fans herself)

Ok, back to Monday.  I'm over at Shannon Leigh's blog talking Love's Master there, so check it out.  That story is a nice little light BDSM romp, so if you have $.99 and like a little blindfold and spanking action, snap it up. It's not hardcore, but it's sexy. :D 

What A Difference A Year Can Make

Today is an important day for me.  One year ago, I woke up as I always did, but I had dreamed the most fantastic dreams all night.  I was perplexed by them because while they were vivid, they weren't terribly coherent.  I began writing down what I could remember, only bits and pieces really.  But these bits and pieces were nothing like my usual dreams.  A few days later, I had to go to see my son at Family Night at his Boy Scout camp and on the way there, I told his father (my ex, but still a nice guy) all about what I'd dreamed.  He was intrigued (he was also a captive audience), and as I explained about the people I'd dreamed about, I realized that they were something entirely new that I'd never heard about. 

On the way home from Family Night, I scribbled names down on an envelope I'd stuck in my purse days earlier when someone had given me a birthday card.  I needed a name for my people, and after numerous versions, I decided on the name Aeveren.  When I got home, I began writing like a mad person, finishing over 200 pages within the next month. 

Then, right after Labor Day, I was in the shower one morning and an idea came to me.  From that idea came Stolen Destiny. Then around Thanksgiving the idea for the next book came to me.  Well, to be honest, my character whose book Destiny Redeemed is wasn't going to let me go without writing his book. 

Now, a year later, that first novel I began back in July 2010 still sits as the beginning of the Destined Ones journey.  Stolen Destiny is published, and Destiny Redeemed will be published in the fall.  And I've written my novellas too in that year.  Vampire Dreams is selling wonderfully in its 6th week of release, and Love's Master continues to stun me every morning as I check the numbers in just its first week of release.  The third novella, Masquerade, is complete and in the typing/first edits stage.  Finally, Vasilije's story has been calling me, and I'm making good progress on that book, which is looking to be a novel length story. 

I hear people all the time say they don't have the time or they'll get to it later.  I was one of those people before last July 18.  I tell people that they shouldn't wait if they want to attend college when they complain it will take four long years.  My answer is always, "Well, that time will pass whether you go back to school or not. Wouldn't it be great if you had something special to show for it?"  I'm glad I finally took my own terrific advice.  One year later, I have so many special things to show for it. 

I'm at Katie Salidas's blog today talking about the necessity of promotion, so click on over and check it out.  I hope you have a wonderful day and begin something special in your life too. 

'Round The Blogs

Happy Thursday everyone!  It's cooled down just a little in PA, so it's not sweltering anymore.  This is a good thing.  :)  Not that I hate the heat.  I don't.  In fact, I love it.  I can see myself definitely moving south after my son graduates.  But I don't have air conditioning now, so it can get a little sticky. Ewww....

On to more pleasant ideas.  I've been over at Selena's place, The Enchanted Book, all this week with the chance for one reader to win a copy of Stolen Destiny.  Love her blog!  It's so purple.  And yesterday I was over at Erin O'Riordan's blog, Pagan Spirits, talking about my hero from Stolen Destiny, Varek, and his being a "bad" good guy.  Check both of those out for more info on that book. 

Today I'm at the wonderful Talina Perkins' blog, Bookin' It, talking about my adventures in publishing.  Not an entirely happy story, but it turns out well at the end.  I'm giving away a copy of Vampire Dreams or Love's Master to one lucky commenter, so check that out too.  (Talina is the talented woman who creates my banners.  Love her!)

Ok, I'm off to do some work on Masquerade today.  One of my editors suggested an idea that was out of this world fantastic, and I've run with it. It meant changing a chapter or two, but the idea was so yummy that I had to try it.  So far, I'm loving it! I'm also off to get my driver's license picture taken, a far less enjoyable time than writing.  Let's hope the DMV and I don't have to spend too much time together.   Have a great one!

Here and There and Love's Master Live

It's Monday again, and although I usually don't like the first day of the workweek, this Monday I have reason to celebrate.  I woke up this morning and found Love's Master for sale at Amazon and Barnes and Noble...and had already sold copies of it!  What a wonderful way to start a week!

Love's Master is the second novella in the erotic romance trilogy set in Victorian England.  While Vampire Dreams is a paranormal, this is more historical with a little twist-some light BDSM (nothing too deep, just some spanking, whipping, and blindfold action).  It's also much longer, at over 27,000 words compared to the 17,000 for Vampire Dreams. 

The idea for Love's Master came from a column that ran in the Times of London for years in the 1800s called the Agony Column.  If you've ever read any of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, you know what I'm referring to. Each morning, Holmes would comb the Agony Column for clues to cases.  All sorts of notices would be posted in the column, such as messages to secret lovers, posts to inform people of events, and even employment ads.  Often the notices were written in code or a foreign language, like German, French, and even Latin. 

I ran across the Agony Column online one day a while back and as I read through the years of notices, one jumped out at me.  I had been reading a lot of BDSM stories and when I saw a post that said, S.B. “is a STRICT Disciplinarian, and not afraid of a rather unruly Pupil" I immediately thought that this would be a great idea for a follow up story in what was quickly shaping up to be a trilogy of erotic romance novellas set in Victorian times. 

I had so much fun writing Love's Master, and much of that enjoyment came from the research I did.  Everything from foods found in Victorian England and Afghanistan to BDSM information was researched, in addition to the basic information that is needed to write about the past. 

To buy it, check out Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I plan to have it up at Smashwords soon, along with All Romance eBooks too. 

In addition to the good news about Love's Master, I'm over at Danielle Ravencraft's blog, Ravencraft's Romance Realm, today talking about all three of my books out now.  Check that out and possibly for the first time, my picture is posted. (Let's hope none of my students see it. Now that's an office visit discussion I don't want to have!)

I'm also at Harris Channing's blog with an interview with Amon, the sexy bad boy from Stolen Destiny, so check that out too.  And have a fantastic summer day!

Masquerade Cover Love

While I've been busy finalizing Love's Master for its release early next week, my cover artist, the incredible Elaina Lee, and I have been working on the cover for the last erotic novella in the trilogy set in Victorian Times, Masquerade.  Yesterday, it was completed, and today I'm basking in love for my new cover. 

I'd found the gorgeous mask a few weeks ago, and after hours and hours of searching for a couple, I found this one, which I love because the female conveys the strength the heroine Annelisa possesses.  I sent them to Elaina and she did that magic she always does and voila!  Another stunning cover that I adore. 

I'm off to wrangle with the Smashwords grinder thing this weekend, along with the contraptions at the other outlets, but I couldn't wait until Monday to show off the new cover. I'm in cover love! 

Another Year

Another year has gone by and I'm celebrating another birthday.  Unlike many people I know, I love my birthday.  This is probably due to the fact that it was always a very big deal when I was a child because I shared it with my father.  He's gone ten years now, but I think of him often, especially on our day.  I'm very much like him, not surprisingly.  My father was a tough son of a bitch, and anyone who's ever gone up against me on an issue I truly believe in can tell you that I'm my father's daughter in that way. (Check out Nadja's post I link to below for a little taste of that toughness when it comes to my hero in Stolen Destiny.) He never got to see me reach the success I've reached today, but I hope wherever he is, he can see all that I've accomplished in my day job and my writing. 

It's been a big year for me.  Since last July, I've written two novels and three novellas.  The Muse was with me. The first two of those five to be published, Vampire Dreams and Stolen Destiny, were released last month, and in just a few days I'll release Love's Master.  Then in August I'll release Masquerade, the third novella, and in October, I'll release Destiny Redeemed, the sequel to Stolen Destiny.  

So what's in store for this new year?  I've begun writing Vasilije's story, a novel that has grown out of Vampire Dreams.  I'm in the thinking/planning stages for a novel that was inspired by a very hot blacksmith I met last month, and the third novel in the Destined Ones Series, Destiny Unbound, awaits completion at about 50% finished status.  But the lure of the novella always calls, so I can never tell what will happen with that.

Writing has become my second full time job, and hopefully, it can be my only full time job someday soon.  As it is, I write when I can, and for every word that ends up on paper I find I'm enjoying it more and more.  Now that's a job I can look forward to! 

I'm over at my friend and fellow author Nadja Notariani's blog today talking about standing my ground with Stolen Destiny, so check that out.  And I want to give a big shout out to friend and fellow Siren author, Bree Younger, whose first book, Burn, is being released today.  Best of luck to you, Bree!  7-7 has always been a very lucky day for me, and I hope it's just as lucky for you. 

And for my birthday, I'd like this, please.  No bow is needed.  ;)  (Is that a tag or a tattoo on his right hip? Mmmmm....)

ROW 80 Check In 6-8

Another week gone by, and another ROW 80 check in to discuss.  It's been a busy week here, and I just barely made my 3500 words for the week in Masquerade.  This novella has been yet another one where the research is almost as much fun as the writing.  That shouldn't be surprising, though, since I have studied history for years, but this time I've gotten to spend some time checking out the finer details of Russian history, which has always intrigued me. 

In grad school, I took a course on Soviet Russia taught by a Jesuit who had lived there, in secret, of course, since the Soviets were nothing if not thorough in their efforts to eradicate religion from their state.  I had become interested in Russian literature as an undergrad after reading some of Chekhov's short stories, and I'd fallen in love with Dostoyevsky's work then too. Chekhov is so understated, yet so powerful in his work.  The struggle and torment his characters experience don't hit you over the head repeatedly, but with just a few very well chosen words, he conveys a depth of feeling I rarely find in stories today. 

As luck and the fates would have it, one of my closest friends speaks Russian fluently, and her sister lived in Russia for a long time teaching there.  So I have two fabulous translators who supply me with the correct words for my hero whenever I need them.  I don't include many in Masquerade, but when he becomes irritated with the heroine and when he's feeling passionate, he slips into Russian.  Thank you Ris and Michele for all your translation work! 

Promotion continues, as does editing on Love's Master.  I unveiled the cover for that novella yesterday.  I love that cover.  In truth, I love every cover I've had so far, and this one's no exception.  It's over in the right sidebar, so take a look. 

My critique partner and I had separate but almost simultaneous ideas for upcoming stories on Saturday.  It was quite interesting!  Mine came when I was volunteering at an arts festival for the museum board I'm on, and there was my inspiration, doing his thing at a blacksmith area near the booth I was working.  What incredibly fascinating work I saw!  Thanks to that blacksmith, who was just as good looking as he was talented, I have an idea for my next story.  From a tiny kernel of an idea grew the beginning of a novel or novella (I haven't decided which.).

Nat from Reading Romances has posted the first part of the interview she and I did the other night online at her blog, so take a look.  We had a great time, and I want to thank her for such a fantastic job with it!  She's also the organizer of the Small Blogs, Big Giveaways Hop I'm involved in, so take a look at that too for a chance at some really great prizes. 

Here's to another week of summer weather and good times.  To see how everyone else is doing with ROW 80, click HERE.