Showing posts with label Dark Mind Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark Mind Book Tours. Show all posts

Friday, July 6, 2012

Author Interview/Giveaway: Maid For Pleasure by Lucy Rodgers



Describe your book in five words or less.
Kinky sex, hot island paradise.
How did the ideas for your books come to you?
Sometimes, they’re sparked by something that happens in the news. Other times, they just seem to spring up from nowhere.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Hm, not really. I’m not all that interested in messages, just in giving readers a good story.
What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest part of writing is finding exactly the right words to express the ideas and feelings I want to convey to the reader. The easiest part is when those words are just there. I wish I could figure out what makes them there sometimes and impossible to find at others .
What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I have a third Maids for It novella, Maid for Submission, that I hope to release sometime this fall. After that, I have several other novels in mind, but we’ll see which one percolates to the top of the pile before I decide which one to tackle.
Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I find dark erotica appealing and freeing to write because I don’t feel I have to worry about being too shocking or “out there.” I have a pretty twisted imagination, I guess, and I like to explore those ideas. I wouldn’t want to explore them in real life (probably!), but in fiction, I can go anywhere my nutty little mind takes me and not worry it’s too far.
What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Oh, that’s the best feeling ever. It really makes it all worthwhile.
What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Wow, I can’t think of one. I have to admit I make a terrible interviewer myself, though. I can NEVER think of good questions to ask people. For whatever reason, my mind just doesn’t work that way .
What was your road to publications like?
Since I self-publish, my road was more about learning all the ins and outs of formatting my books and the various rules/procedures to follow at each retail outlet. I didn’t really go through that whole rejection thing, because I knew I wasn’t interested in having a publisher take control of my work.

An Excerpt from Maid for Pleasure
by Lucy Rodgers

Two hours later, I’ve changed my mind. I do hate this and him. My knees are screaming in agony, my back and arms ache, and my hands are raw. And I’m not even halfway done.
I pause and straighten, stretching my arms above my head. I want to quit. I want to take this bucket of water and throw it in his face, walk out the door and find the driver who brought me here and demand he take me back to the airstrip. Hell, I don’t even have to do that. All I have to do is utter the safe word we’ve agreed on and everything will come to a halt.
So why don’t I?
Because I haven’t gotten what I came for, and every nerve ending in my body tells me I will get it if I can just get through this test.
Gavin turns my crank. Even more than I expected. Before I came, I worried that even though I’d seen his photos and found him attractive, the chemistry wouldn’t be there in person. But it is. And despite the fact that he hasn’t touched me yet, not even in an asexual way, I can feel the thickness of the air and the crackling of the tension between us. He wants to do all the things he’s promised to me.
Even now, as I arch my back and roll my shoulders, I’m aware of him watching me. After I got down to scrub the floor, he took a large roll of paper out of a file drawer and spread it out on the large dining room table. He’s been there since, working on a project, I presume, while I’ve been on my hands and knees. I imagine he’s been getting a pretty good show, given my lack of panties and the way my breasts jiggle when I scrub.
In a way, demanding that I prove I really want to submit myself fully to him, without conditions or hard limits, is the act of a gentleman.
At the moment, however, that thought doesn’t make me any less impatient or resentful. I drop the scrub brush into the bucket. I’m done, and I’m willing to accept the consequences. What I’m not going to do is use my safe word to escape those consequences.
“Are you quitting?” Gavin asks.
I was right. He’s definitely been paying attention the whole time I’ve been working. “Yes, Master.”
God, saying that word sends a bolt of lust straight to my pussy. I’ve spent years wondering what’s wrong with me. How I could possibly be turned on by behavior other people would classify as controlling and abusive. Now, I know it doesn’t matter. I am. That’s enough.
“You know you haven’t finished what I told you to do yet.”
I somehow manage to get to my feet, which isn’t easy because I’m stiff from hours in one position, and turn to look at him. The expression on his face—cold and implacable—makes me so weak in the knees, I fear I might fall back down to them.
“I know, Master. But I need a break. I’m not used to this kind of work.” I try to keep any hint of whining or complaint out of my voice.
To my relief, the lines around his mouth ease. “I did ask rather a lot of you for a first day, didn’t I?”
Instinct tells me it isn’t wise to agree with him. I need to let him know that nothing he asks of me can be too much. “No, you didn’t ask too much. I just can do too little.”
A smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. He gets up from the chair and starts toward me. “Well played, pet, well played.”
There’s no mistaking the thick erection pushing against the zipper of his jeans. I close my eyes, swaying with anticipation. Something is finally going to happen.
“Open your eyes,” he commands, soft and low.
Even before I obey, I know he’s only inches from me. Heat radiates from him as though he’s an open flame, and his warm, cinnamon-sweet breath caresses my face. When I do open my eyes, I find he’s removed his glasses, and his eyes are an even more startling blue than I expected. Almost the same shade as the ocean that surrounds his island, and just as cutting.
I shiver, which makes no sense, because I’m burning up.
“You know there will be consequences for not completing your task.”
Oh God, I hope so. “Yes, Master.”
He reaches out and tucks a hair behind my ear. “I should make you finish, I think. I’m afraid you’ll consider the punishment I have in mind more of a reward.”
That sounds promising.
“Get on your knees.”
I blink my surprise as my knees scream in protest at the idea. “Master?” I can’t keep the note of pleading out of my voice this time.
“On your knees,” he repeats. “Now.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I do what he tells me. As soon as my knees meet the cool, hard tile, I want to cry. They may not be bloody, but they’re definitely bruised. It’s even more agonizing than I expected.
“Does that hurt?” he asks softly. And, I can’t help thinking, with a hint of delight. He’s enjoying my pain.
“Yes, Master.”
“Good. It wouldn’t be punishment if it felt good, would it?”
I shake my head. “No, I guess not.” My knees throb in protest, but my clit throbs more. I’m enjoying my pain as much—maybe more—than he is.
With my eyes still closed, I await whatever else he has in store for me. There’s a rustling sound and the unmistakable scritch of a metal zipper. I know what’s coming, and I lick my lips just as he brushes the velvety head of his cock against my cheek. Not waiting for his direction, I turn my head and open my mouth.
He grabs the back of my head and pulls me to a halt. Wincing because his fingers are threaded up under the bun over which my lacy French maid’s cap is pinned, I look up at him in confusion. Have I misunderstood his intentions?
“The first thing you need to learn, pet, is that you never do anything unless I tell you to. All the initiative is mine. Understood?”
Swallowing hard, I nod even though I’m not sure it’s a rule I can easily obey. I’m a little too Type A to never take the initiative. But for two weeks… Maybe. I’ll try.
“Good. Now, you’re going to open that pretty little mouth of yours, and I’m going to fuck it until I come down your throat. You are not to participate in any way. You’re just providing me a hole to fuck. Got it?”
I nod again. Every part of my body is tingling with arousal.
“And one more thing.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You are not allowed to come unless I tell you to. And I’m warning you right now, I’m not going to tell you to come today. If you do come, you’ll finish the floor.”
I stare up at him, stunned and terrified by this order. Because I’m so lit up, I’m not sure I can keep myself from coming. And the thought that I can’t makes the need even harder to suppress.
“Now, open wide, pet.”
I open. And pray.



About Lucy Rodgers

Lucy Rodgers writes dark erotic tales that explore the three C’s: consent, coercion, and captivity. Her stories always include some combination of forced seduction, questionable consent, lack of safe words, indoctrination, and slavery/ownership. Lucy’s books are intended for mature readers who understand the difference between fantasy and reality and who are looking for erotic literature that explores not just the physical but also the psychological and emotional elements of sexual bondage and domination.


How To Connect with Lucy

Website

Twitter

Email


Giveaway (International)

There will be one ebook copy of this book given away to one lucky winner. Please leave comment to be entered (leaving a way to contact you)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Book Tour: Author Guest Blog & Giveaway (Dark Mind Book Tours) The Progeny by Ashlynne Laynne




Writing Outside My Race

My life is an eclectic mesh of bi-racial, same sex and mixed gender relationships. This rich tapestry of cultures, ideas and people grounds me, letting me know what's truly important in life. These unique relationships were a catalyst in my creating an interracial couple for my Progeny Series.

I consider myself a ‘Gothic flower child’ and listen to a broad range of music—pop, top 40, heavy metal, decade music. I’m a huge Rob Zombie fan, though I'm not in his target audience. My play list contains a diverse mix of Bruno Mars, The Whispers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster the People, Jay-Z, Tonic, White Zombie, Maroon 5, Muse... to name a few.

Hosts of experiences have shaped me into the person that I am today. As a gifted youngster, I experienced racism on its most elemental and basic level. This taught me to love everyone and gave me intolerance for prejudice. In my twenties, I wrote country songs for the shock value of seeing people's faces when they realized that the person behind the words and melody wasn’t quite what they expected.

My late mother challenged me to be more than my surroundings, and encouraged me to remember my past but never let it dictate who I wanted to be. Coming from the less desirable side of my town, that was easier said than done. Today, I choose to remember my roots but aspire to be so much more.

It's no wonder that most of my characters are younger and have little racial resemblance to me. Writing outside of my race has its challenges. Those who support black authors don't necessarily take me seriously because my characters aren't all black. While my characters don't look like me, I do a lot of injecting of myself into them. For instance, I gave Shauna a love of the color pink, a fear of heights and a very open mind—a lot of the things that she thinks and feels, mirror my attitude.

Ascher and Shauna resemble a growing number of relationships in society. I wanted my couple to mirror this trend and to be different. If you aren't instituting change and acceptance for our differences, what's the point?

I'm accustomed to being different and too much of a rebel to ever conform. When I was a teenager, being different got me picked on and made me unpopular. This gave me a thick skin and the attitude that it was better to be myself than to graze with all of the other "sheep."

Being different gives me an unusual insight and a deep respect for those who are different from me. I have a close circle of friends who support and encourage me, listen to my whining about my characters and love me to my core. I think of my friendships in terms of quality, not quantity. Those in my life, I trust and are there for a reason.

So to the subject of this blog...Why do I write outside of my race when it makes things more difficult for me?

1. I do it to be different. Sure, I could fill twenty books with all the drama I've experienced, but there are already black authors doing that (and doing a great job at it too, I might add).

My heart just isn't there.

2. I do it to be rebellious. I love the look on someone's face when they realize that the person behind the story isn't who they expected.

Most importantly...

3. I do it because this is where my heart is. I've always read that an author should write what they love. For me, writing edgy, erotic tales appeals to the misfit in me. To me, it's important to push the envelope, shake things up and stretch myself beyond what is familiar. When I finish a novel, I need to feel like I've grown both as a writer and as a human being.

<<<<>>>>

The Progeny Blurb (The Progeny Series #1)

“No fate other than the one I choose.”

The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.

Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.

Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.

Blood Bonds Blurb (The Progeny Series #2)

“Forever. For always. For eternity.”

The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.

It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity. But Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.

When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.


The Progeny by Ashlynne Laynne (Book One of The Progeny Series)
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

The Progeny Blurb
“No fate other than the one I choose.”
The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.

Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.

Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.

About Ashlynne:
Ashlynne Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.

There is no shortage of romance, steam and surprises in The Progeny Series. These books are for adults and contain adult sensuality and themes. She loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres, and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked and damned version of Romeo and Juliet.

Ashlynne is currently working on books three and four of her Progeny Series, book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled WIP. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write full time one day soon.

Book one of the Progeny Series—The Progeny—re-released on May 7, 2012. The “revamp” is a second edition full of extended scenes new details and tighter editing. Book two—Blood Bonds—will release Summer of 2012.

Ashlynne lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.


Connect with Ashlynne Online:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/qlane


Facebook Progeny Series Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series/129418917161599?bookmark_t=page


Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Ashlynne-Laynne/118945981513261


Romance Book Club Author Page: http://www.romance-book-club.com/ashlynne-laynne.html

Author Blog: http://ashlynnelaynne.blogspot.com/

Website: ashlynnelaynne.com

Email: ashlynnelaynne@aol.com


Buy Links
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-ebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328127665&sr=1-1


Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-Ashlynne-Laynne/dp/1470141604/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330639326&sr=1-1


Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Progenyebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_2


Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-progeny-ashlynne-laynne/1108540255?ean=2940014108355&itm=1&usri=the+progeny+by+ashlynne+laynne


Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/128489


All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theprogeny-726383-139.html


Sony e-book: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/ashlynne-laynne/the-progeny/_/R-400000000000000646821



Praise for The Progeny...

Fallen Angel Reviews
http://fallenangelreviews.com/2012/February/teresa-theprogeny.htm

Paranormal Romance Guild
http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/reviewsashlynnelaynn.htm



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 30, 2012

Blog Tour : Giveaway/Interview - The Last Girl by Kitty Thomas



1. Describe your book in five words or less.

Kitty: Dark, disturbing, emotional, thought-provoking (hopefully, LOL)


2. How did the ideas for your books come to you?

Kitty: A lot of them have been dark/twisted fantasies for awhile now... little stories that run through my head.


3. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Kitty: In The Last Girl I think it’s a sort of “sympathy for the devil” set up. I want readers to understand Christian, that he’s not human and he isn’t sorry about that. But while he is a predator, he does want to love. And he doesn’t want his pets to die. So there is a real internal struggle for him, and though a lot of the book is in Juliette’s head, I hope that comes across.

And the reason it’s in Juliette’s head is because I want readers to be able to put themselves in her spot and STILL have “sympathy for the devil” because that’s more powerful than having that sympathy from a totally detached place.


4. What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?

Kitty: The hardest part is actually sitting down and doing it. (fighting through procrastination and fear). The easiest part is when I actually start typing.


5. What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

Kitty: I have tons of ideas I want to explore, but I don’t like to talk about books too soon.


6. Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

Kitty: I never intended to write this genre, but I had the idea for my debut novel, Comfort Food, and I just HAD to write it. I didn’t even really intend to publish it. (Or told myself I didn’t.) I just had to get it out. But once I did, I let a friend read it, who is actually a psychologist and not kinky. She thought it was brilliant and that gave me the courage to publish it.

I expected Comfort Food to not be received well and for people to not “get it” because people are SO obsessed with “safe, sane and consensual” even within BDSM fiction (though I don’t technically class my work as “bdsm fiction”). I mean... it’s fiction. Fiction should be a safe space for fantasy.

Rape/kidnap/slave fantasies (which are common female sexual fantasies) shouldn’t have to be diluted with safe words inside the context of an imaginary story. No real people’s rights are being violated. And nobody (least of all, me) is “condoning” the activities of fictional people. Besides that, erotica is generally written BY and FOR women. While there are male readers, they are in the minority, so that should be kept in mind, IMO, by those who think books like mine “send the wrong message”. What message would that be, exactly? And to whom? The female readers who have fantasies exactly like this? Fantasy and real life are different things. Fantasizing about it doesn’t mean you want to DO it.

So I was prepared for heat. But then, with the exception of very isolated cases, it just didn’t come. Instead, people loved it and wrote me these long super personal emails about how much it meant to them and that gave me the courage to keep going and to let out some of the other stories that have been waiting... so... another writing identity (Kitty) was born. LOL


7. What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

Kitty: Sort of surreal. I mean I’m certainly not famous, but I have a little bit of a cult following now. And the Kitty fans are pretty intense! And I sit there and I am thinking: “You know I’m just a person, right?”


8. What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Kitty: You know, if you hadn’t asked me that... I would have an answer for you. LOL. My interviewers tend to be pretty astute and ask a lot of the right questions. Every interviewer doesn’t ask every question, but over the course of all the interviews I’ve done, I think most everything has been touched on!


9. What was your road to publications like?

Kitty: Well, early on, I had the idea I would go the traditional route (Not with Kitty because Kitty wasn’t going to exist LOL) because it was what everybody was doing. But then I started to read about self-publishing and it really seemed more my style. I really like to be creatively in charge of my whole project. I get to dictate all my marketing, my cover art concept, my book title (publishers usually control that and my book titles for both of my pen names are important to the books themselves), side materials like book trailers, etc.

It’s just really important to me to be able to produce my own work. I started indie publishing under my other pen name, Zoe Winters. I was SUPER loud (and perhaps even a little bit obnoxious LOL) about my views about the validity of being indie. But I was so loud because people were letting others tell them they weren’t real writers simply based on who financed the project. Which made NO sense to me. Now I’m not so much in the “indie rah rah” scene. I’m more focused on writing and producing my work and cultivating my fan base.

I’ve also come to understand that being indie isn’t for everybody, and I respect that. But I know it’s for me. :) And though it’s stressful sometimes, I love it!


About The Author

Kitty Thomas writes dark literary erotica that explores power. This work is fiction and meant for an adult audience. The author does not endorse or condone any of the behavior carried out by characters in her stories.

Her work is not “erotic romance”. Often on some level it is about love and/or obsession. Often the couple in some way ends up “together”, but the work should not be expected to follow the conventions of any type of genre romance, erotic or otherwise.

Inspiration for Kitty’s work comes from many sources including Story of O, Nine and a Half Weeks, and the work of Claudia D. Christian.

Check out her website

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blog Tour: Demon's Slave by Danielle D Smith (Dark Mind Book Tours)


Why a BAD BOY Makes a GOOD HERO


“I bear the most charming of names...”
--Skriker, Black Dog and Rebel Rose



Ladies, we all know them: THOSE guys. You know, the ones that have the great hair, the hard-muscled prison bodies (sometimes acquired in prison), and the tat ink that we want to examine up close. The ones who can make our hearts skip a beat with a single glance, a cocky eyebrow raised in acknowledgement.

And all that before they get us into bed.

What I’m talking about is the Bad Boy. We all know the type…hell, I married one. And to this day, I tell my naughty, pain-in-the-ass beefcake alpha that he’s just bad for me. Even though I know he’s bad for me in many ways, he’s like crack. I just can’t get enough…or so the song goes.

But can a bad boy make a good hero? Wouldn’t that mean that the guy would have to stop being a bad boy?

I had to ask myself this question when I sat down to write my second book, the notorious cult-followed Black Dog and Rebel Rose. The hero of this sordid, blood-splattered tale is about as bad as they come. Not only is he a hard-sculpted, heavily-tattooed, Harley-riding, Camel-smoking supernatural hunter who blows vamps to bits and lays as many fine ladies between his sheets as he can when he’s not hunting. He’s also half-demon. Which *technically* should make him…well, just bad. Right? Right???

Not so. Sure, when we first meet Skriker, he’s a bad boy in the truest sense of the word. He bangs-‘em-and-leaves-‘em, one after the other, and thinks nothing of ripping a woman’s heart out and dashing it across the wall before blasting off into the night, full-throttle, never to be seen again. Selfish is Skrike’s way…that is, until he meets Rose.

Rose is the woman that won’t jump into his arms the moment she exchanges a word with him. In fact, she’s the black-haired bitch on wheels who has a gun in his face when he first meets her. The fact that she is the most beautiful and alluring woman he has ever seen matters little to her—his banter and his charm does little to crack her tough exterior. And yet, as they hunt together, Skriker begins to feel something very genuine for his aloof new companion: affection. Love. He begins to fear for her safety, even though Rose has no problem taking care of herself. And when he finally does crack through that wall and she falls into his arms, it isn’t, as they say, just a fuck.

After sex, he doesn’t turn tail and run. In fact, it is Rose who makes this attempt. And what does our bad boy do? Chase after her, crying for her to stay with him, just stay. And when his new lady love falls into the hands of those who would do her harm, Skriker suddenly finds himself willing to sacrifice anything, anything, to save her and have her running at his side once again.

This is how the notorious bad boy is redeemed and made the hero, at least in my story. He discards his selfishness and, for the first time, finds himself really, truly, falling in love and willing to give himself wholly to another. Does this mean that he has discarded all of the deliciously naughty bits of his style that make him “bad”? Hell, no! There’s still the Harley, and the ciggies, and the tattoos. There’s still the cocky glance, the smirk that could melt butter. The ten-inch kielbasa that lives in his pants…

So, what’s your point, Dani? That’s what you ask, right? Well, in simple terms, the bad boy makes a good hero because he’s redeemable. Because the heroine can take him and help him become a better man. Not change him or sculpt him, mind you…I have never prescribed to the concept of a woman taking a man and making him what she wants him to be. I’m talking about a woman helping her bad boy to better himself, to gain new depth, to become bigger, badder, than he ever could be without her.

And isn’t that what real romance is all about?