It's time for Round 4 of Alison's Smut Marathon. For those of you that have been playing along, I've managed - through the grace of God and lovely voters - to stay in the game.
For those who haven't, well, here are links to the first three rounds. Obviously voting is over, but don't deprive yourself of some wonderful reading.
Round One - Once Upon A Time challenge. Pen an opening line. Just one. We all know how important that opening line can be when grabbing a readers attention.
Round Two - Take two. Using a line from the previous challenge, one other than your own, pen a 250 word story start. The line didn't have to be the opening one, just as long as it was in there. Talk about tough!
Round Three - The musical challenge. To write 300 words inspired by a song, any song, but not to reveal what it was (silly me - my song title wound up being the title of the piece - D'OH!)
And now here we are at Round Four. For this round, Alison gave us this story as inspiration. There is no summing it up - well, I'll try anyway. Cindy Sherman, artist, found this note card in a trove of old photos that she had bought in a junk shop some years ago. It's an interesting card, a telling of a lovers deception discovered before her marriage was to take place.
Her challenge was for us to pen a "notecard" that would intrigue someone enough to keep it around for almost a century, to be found by a treasure hunter, such as Cindy.
So go on over, take a look, and as you read, imagine which one you would pick up years later, and wonder...
It's always such a pleasure to have the wonderfully talented, and incredibly funny Sommer Marsden drop by. But even more so when she's brought with her another set of characters for us to fall in love with. She's here on her "pseudo-blog" (her term, not mine) tour to share her latest offering Poster Boy for Average. Which, let me tell you, is anything but. Just as Sommer is exquisite and unique, so is this tale of a modest man who must be shown that he is, indeed, above average.
And so, without further gilding the lily, and with no more ado (bonus points if you can tell me what movie that was from), I give you Sommer Marsden!
Longing
is lovely. Don’t you think? To write it is a pleasure. To write it
about two characters I adore is heaven. So when I wrote this scene I
made sure to pause and savor that painful little ache it triggered. But
the breathy kind of want that followed swiftly on its tail…
XOXO
Sommer
Excerpt:
Once she’d fed Bruce and made arrangements for Bradlee and Laura to come get him after school, she marched across the lawn that separated her and Mike and knocked.
“What are you doing?” she muttered. “This is ridiculous. This is just an excuse to see him.”
And
it was. She knew it was and she didn’t give a shit. She wanted him to
know she’d be gone for various reasons. They ranged from in case someone
broke into her house or it burned down, to if he needed her she
wouldn’t be there. And yes, part of her hoped beyond reasonable
sane-person hope that he would miss her. Some. At least a little.
A bit.
It
wasn’t even seven a.m. so she rang the bell. Best for him to hear her.
When she heard the chain slide back her heart jack-rabbited and she had
the irrational urge to flee. Instead, she straightened her spine and
stood there waiting.
Mike opened the door and regarded her with bloodshot eyes.
“Hi,” he said, leaning forward against the door jamb.
“You look like shit,” Aubrey blurted.
“Why thank you. Did you stop by just to tell me that?”
She snorted and quickly covered her face. “No. I actually came by to tell you…” Her tongue didn’t want to put the words out.
He opened the door wide and stepped back. “Why don’t you come in and tell me? It’s weird keeping you out there.”
She’d kept him out there the night before. But it had been midnight and she’d been—
Hurt. Unsure.
Aubrey
stepped inside and realized she’d never been inside before. Her eyes
went to the sofa. It was milk-chocolate brown, deep, cushiony and
rumpled all to hell. A throw lay tangled at one end as if he’d camped
out there all night. An infomercial ran on TV, so she was pretty sure
her guess was accurate.
“Tell
me what?” He hooked a finger at her and went into the downstairs
half-bath. He took a swig of mouthwash, swished it and recapped it.
“Sorry, didn’t want to kill you with my dragon breath.”
“I
wanted to tell you,” she said, so close to him in the small room she
couldn’t seem to draw a deep enough breath, “that I’m going away for
three or four days.”
“Is
it three or four?” He grinned at her. Between the grin and the
unreadable blue eyes and the sleep corkscrews in his hair, she felt the
draw of attraction in the pit of her stomach. She tried to shake it off
but it refused to be shaken.
“Not sure. Can’t remember.”
“Can’t
remember?” He touched the underside of her wrist with his fingertip.
Simply stroked gently above her pulse. That small gesture nearly undid
her.
“Yeah. I just got the call. I’m going to Key West.”
“Business or pleasure?”
The word pleasure made her knees feel all buckly
and such. “Business. Shooting a calendar. Which reminds me. They want
to use one of my shots of you. For December. But I was thinking when I
get back I could…” She was staring at his bare chest. He’d slept in his
jeans, but that was all. Aubrey realized she could see the tanned skin
jump softly with each beat of his heart. Judging by the pace of the
jumps, his heart was beating a little fast.
Just like hers.
“Could what?”
She
did two things simultaneously. She took a step back but she reached out
to touch that leaping skin. Her fingers came in contact and he stepped
toward her just as she retreated.
“Could set up one of my fake trees and take some shots. So you really look all Decembery.” Her hand was now splayed against his warm skin. She could feel his heartbeat now. Not just see it.
“That’s
fine.” He looked down at her hand and she glanced at his jeans. He was
hard. She could see it. And the visual coaxed a shivery little sigh out
of her. “You’re touching me.”
“You’re wanting me,” she replied. Why had she said that?
Indie
photographer and book cover artist Aubrey Singleton is living up to her
last name. A long summer at the lake has cured her of her recent
breakup, and she’s embracing life as a single woman. What she’s not
prepared for is to come back home to find she has a handsome new single
neighbor.
Mike
Sykes is a roofer—though he’s afraid of heights—a father of two and
recently divorced. Oh and one might classify him as smoking hot.
The
photographer in Aubrey is smitten, the single woman in her is
breathless. She’s ready to make Mike a star—on book covers and, though
she’s wary of a broken heart, in her life. He’s not so sure. Mike sees
himself as a life complication due to his younger son’s illness, and not
hot by a long shot. In fact, he thinks he’s the poster boy for average.
But a “business” trip to Key West, rife with hunky models, sets a backdrop for a shot at true love…
Professional
dirty word writer, gluten free baker, sock addict, fat wiener dog
walker, expert procrastinator. Called "one of the top storytellers in
the erotic genre" by Violet Blue, Sommer Marsden writes for HarperCollins Mischief, Ellora's Cave, Excessica, Xcite Books and Resplendence Publishing. She's the author of numerous erotic novels including Poster Boy for Average, The Accidental Cougar, Lost in You, and Learning to Drown. Visit http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com
Well, not the way you're thinking. Not yet anyway. :P
What I mean is, it's time to brag. Once again, Alison Tyler has seen fit to include me in one of her amazing projects.
Back in 2008 (wow - has it really been THAT long?), a snippet of mine appeared in her guide for couples Never Have the Same Sex Twice. The book was intended to use as a tool to put the spark back in the bedroom. There were stories from amazing authors such as Sommer Marsden, Thomas S. Roche, Jeremy Edwards, and Kristina Lloyd, to go with chapters of advice from the number one Trollop - Alison herself.
It was in such great demand that she decided to do another one. This time around, Never Say Never picks up where the first left off...which was somewhere off the beaten path. Alison is a huge believer in the practice of monogamous kink, which is to say that just because you're with the same partner, it doesn't mean that you have to keep having the same sex. (Hence the titles). Like it's predecessor, it's not a step-by-step guide on what to do, but rather advice on how to let your imagination guide you and your partner into some incredibly sexy scenarios. And, following the tips, an erotic example (fictitious of course *wink wink*) of what can be done.
I'm incredibly proud to say that I'm not just a snippet in this book, but I'm a whole story! My contribution Bring Me the Dark, is included in the chapter on Exhibitionism.
Here's a little taste (tee-hee - you'll get the joke in a minute)
“Mrs. Miller? Welcome to Le Chat Noir.” My panties got damp. Dining
in the dark. The newest trend at the hottest spot in town. She put my
hand on her shoulder and led me inside the pitch black room. I could
hear others around us, chewing, talking, and giggling softly. Without my
sight, it was kind of scary, but very sensual at the same time. “Stand
here for just one moment please.” I felt an absence of presence, if
that makes any sense. I realized it was dark, but it felt like everyone
was staring at me anyway. I felt very vulnerable. It must have only been
a few seconds, but it seemed like forever until a pair of unseen hands
grasped my waist and guided me into a chair. “I hope you
don’t mind.” Daniel’s breath was warm on my ear. “I took the liberty of
ordering for you.” His voice was husky and had my heart doing flip
flops. “Of course I don’t mind. Daniel, this is ...” He
cut me off with a kiss. A tender, moist, slow kiss that had my toes
curling. A wine glass was pressed into my hand. The full bodied liquid
trickled down my throat, and I felt around for the table. After placing
it down, and making sure it was far enough away from the edge, I reached
out, sensing Daniel’s body heat. My hand landed high up on his thigh,
and he placed it higher, allowing me to feel his hard cock beneath his
dress pants.
My pussy twitched. “Thank you for the lovely lingerie. It’s very
beautiful.” His voice was knowing and evil. “Oh it’s more than beautiful
my dear. It’s got a dual purpose.”
I gasped as my clit
began pulsing. So that’s what the disc inside was. He bought me
vibrating panties. And obviously, he had the remote.
I almost came right then and there. The pulsing changed to a light steady vibe, and then shut off. "Surprise.” I
heard the waiter come up behind me.
“Please make sure the area in front
of you is clear. Scallops for your appetizer.” His hand brushed against
the side of my breast as he set the plate down. My body tingled in a
way that had absolutely nothing to do with the remote control.
Now, I'm not an official blog-tour stop, so for those, head on over to - yep, you guessed it - Alison's blog and start from the very beginning. *grin* For us Canucks, I can't think of a better way to start the long weekend. Yes, the long weekend. An extra day to stay in bed and...
And at the end of round three, I'm still on the island!
Thanks to all who came out and voted. (All three of you - heh)
I wound up in a three-way with the oh-so-sexy Poetic Desires and Kal Colbalt. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to another three-way group: Beck Fletcher, Jade A. Waters, and Senda Selgado. Follow the links - check 'em out. (Beck and Senda are newbies, but if they decide to send me links, I shall update).
If you were able to figure it out - my inspirational tune was Empire State of Mind (not very hard - I forgot to give it a different title, which is what happens when you forget about deadlines). While I like the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys duet, I prefer this version of the song, from the lovely songstress.
New York is on my mind lately. In 29 days I leave for the city that never sleeps for a week of checking items off my bucket list. Now, will the particular scenario I wrote about be checked off? Not a chance. But it is up there. Maybe one day....
In the mean time, while y'all are waiting for Round Four, there's a ton of stuff going on in the erotic blogosphere.
Sommer Marsden just released two amazing books back to back - The Accidental Cougar, which she is currently blog-touring with (Day one is here - you'll find some fascinating stuff so follow along) and Poster Boy for Average. Y'all know I love Sommer, and I can guarantee you'll love her books - that is, if you haven't picked any of them up yet, and if not, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Here's her author page at Amazon. Close your eyes and click, and you're bound to pick a winner, no matter what. And since she's always writing, there's new stories coming from her all the time, whether it's short stories in anthologies, or novellas, or full length oh-my-god-did-she-really-just-write-that novels. She's a superwoman, dealing not just with her writing career, but a full personal life full of pitfalls and reality-sucking situations. She truly is a marvel. (follow on twitter @sommer_marsden)
Alison Tyler is EVERYWHERE these days. And I'm not just saying that because she's one of the best authors and editors in the genre. Her book Dark Secret Love won the Gold Ippy for Erotica! (Category 46 if you're checking it out). She was also mentioned briefly in Variety's piece on NewsCorp buying out Harlequin (Oh dear....). She was also interviewed for the Huffington Post! And there's always a ton of fun stuff going on over at her blog Trollop With A Laptop. Not only the Smut Marathon - which is turning into a yearly thing - but she's always running another contest or two. She now has a new feature on her blog for Mondays - Trollop with a Question. The woman always comes up with a fun, intriguing question to ask her readers and friends. There's also another new feature called Eat Me (yes it sounds naughty, but it's really not, unless you're doing stuff with your food that maybe is kinky or ...). Not to mention she's always pimping out new writers, or Etsy stores, or music....(I can't tell you how many artists I never would have thought to listen to before Alison brought them to my attention). I could gush for hours about her generous soul and wonderful life-affirming spirit. But I won't. Just visit and follow the woman, will ya? (follow on twitter @AlisonTyler).
Stranded In Toronto is right in my backyard, and is a gem. Not just erotica, it provides amazing stories in other genres such as humor, sci-fi and horror. Not to mention he's just funny and sexy as hell to follow on twitter. (follow @stranded_in_to)
Author H.K. Kiting offers all sorts of services on SexyFic.com. NOT THOSE KINDS OF SERVICES. Geeze. Once in awhile the brain has to come out of the gutter. Anyway, there's not just a slew of free sexy reads under the categories BDSM, Breath Control, Gay, Lesbian and Straight, but there's also editing services and podcasts for writers. (follow on twitter @HKKiting)
AND there's more. If you check out my sidebar, there's a list of blogs that I follow that are incredible. People like Violet Blue, who's not just an amazing erotic author and editor, but also writes for CNET, Zero Day, ZDNet, and CBS News. She's a foremost expert in sex and technology. (follow on twitter @violetblue).
Following any of those lovely people on twitter will also lead you to a plethora of other amazing authors and experts to follow.
As for me, well, stay tuned here. I know I keep saying that I'm going to post more, and I fully intend to. Personal matters have kept me from posting more of my writing, but I am self-censoring no more.
Onward and upward, and I'll see y'all really soon!
**All written materials featured on this blog are protected under copyright. Any use of part or all of this material without the express written permission of the author is an infringement of personal creative property and subject to legal action**
I write sexy, fun, kinky things that make people...smile. (And I act and sing too. :P) Lover of books, food, and people. Crazy - creative - stubborn bitch. Fiercely loyal even when not deserved. Love me at my worst - you get me at my best. And baby, my best is better than you know.
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