I'm Getting Married Tomorrow!

Good morning,

Just a real quick post to say that I am still around, just very swamped with my very own personal real-life romance. I am marrying the man of my dreams tomorrow. It's been a whirlwind of planning and life the past few months, preparing for the big day. I, of course, got sick last week, and have had a nasty chest cold for 7 days. I'm finally feeling better, so here's hoping I'll be in tip top shape for the wedding day (and night ;-p) That would never happen in a romance novel - the bride getting sick just before her big day! Though I suppose it could be a chance for great conflict in the book! It's certainly been a hell of a thing, trying to work, and get better, and finish up all the million and one little last minute details.

But I am off now to go get ready for my rehearsal and dinner! Wish me luck!

~Rach

Author Interview with Rachell Nichole

Good morning readers,

I found some great interview questions, some of which I think I've answered before when I was interviewed, but several answers have changed, and I got some new questions. I thought I'd give you a behind-the-scenes peek into my head! BEWARE. Actually, you should all probably run screaming from the room right now....



Oh, still here? Well, aren't you the brave one. Well, here it goes. A (sort of self-)interview with me!

·         What project are you currently working on? 

I’m currently on a bit of a writing hiatus. But my WIP is Adirondack Avalanche, a sequel to Break Through the Ice which focuses on Lexi “Lex” an actress trying to change her image, who gets snowed in with Clark, a man dedicated to helping underprivileged youth who can’t stand the prima donna prissiness of an actress.

·         What is your favorite snack?

POPCORN! I have a rampant popcorn addiction, and my (almost) husband and I have a legit homemade popcorn popper machine.

·         I have heard from numerous authors that chocolate is the staple of their diet. Is it in yours?

Of course it is. I’m a woman, aren’t I? As favorites go, I LOVE brownies. And other forms of chocolate like that as well as regular chocolate bars like Twix.

·         Will electronic readers ever take the place of the humble paperback?

Maybe in 50 years. But not just yet.

·         If you could be one of your characters – Who would you be?  And why?

I really love damaged characters and ones with really big flaws. So I’m not sure I could be any of them, because I know what all of their issues are. But I wouldn’t mind Layla Morgan’s life. She was the heroine of An Affair Across Times Square. A lawyer with a large trust fund and a true wild side. I could live that life. I love to argue, so trying cases would be right up my alley. In fact, in my day job, I work at a law firm. ;-p

·         Who or what influences you when you write?

EVERYTHING. Any book that I’m reading when I write a book can influence the way I see the book and also the writing style. I’ve found myself coming up with new spinoff ideas from the books I’ve been reading through the course of the creation of the new novel. And sometimes if I start a new book in the middle of writing a manuscript, I have to go back and fix consistency issues because I started writing a character one way and then switched halfway through.

·         When you have writer’s block how do you break free?

I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in getting it done. I’ve had really piss poor word counts this year, but as I’ve been working two new jobs in addition to my author job, and planning a wedding (which is TWO weeks away), I haven’t had a lot of dedication to my writing this year. It’s been the longest hiatus since I started publishing in 2012, but that will be one of my new focuses as soon as the honeymoon is over.

·         Is there a genre of book you would like to write but haven’t yet?

I want to write an erotic romance that is also a murder mystery. I don’t know as if anyone has ever blended those genres before, but I’d really like to. I’ve never written mystery before, so I think that would be really challenging. Honestly, I want to write everything! If only there were enough hours in the day.

·         What is your favorite movie of all time?  The one where you can watch it and still get affected at the same spots each and every time?

Drop Dead Fred. I love it. I just watched it again the other night for the millionth time. It’s hysterical. And sweet. And just wonderful. “What a pile of shit.” – makes me laugh out loud every time, and it’s in the first two minutes of the movie.

·         Who would you want to be tied to for 24hours?

Vin Diesel – no contest! He’s incredible. I’ve been in love with him for years. Could we go with fuzzy leopard-print handcuffs though?

·         What is your favorite way to relax after a hard day working and writing?

Reading. I love to read, even when I’ve been surrounded by words all day.

·         What is the one era you would love to go visit and why?

The 20’s. I know it’s really idealized by modern culture, and I’m sure it wasn’t really the way we all idolize it, but I would adore experiencing it for myself.

·         Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes. Maybe. Lust at first site, absolutely. Love… maybe a special kind of love. Like the initial oh, my God moment where you can picture yourself in a big white dress staring into their eyes at the end of the aisle. But the deeper friendship connection that I think we need to sustain love… not so much. That has to come later and be built on memories, on experiences, kindness, support, life. I will say that I fell and fell hard and fast for my future husband, but it wasn’t quite love at first site.

·         Have you ever been nervous over reader reaction when a new book comes out?

All the time – but it’s usually before the book comes out. My mom beta reads almost all of my titles before they come out. I’m always nervous about her reaction. Her last beta read of To Sir came back with “Liz isn’t damaged enough… fix her.” And she was right, of course.

·         How much does reader response mean to you over your books?

A ton. I’m a people-pleaser at heart. I love to hear from readers that they enjoyed the book or that they took something away from it, whatever that may be.

·         What is the nicest thing a reviewer has ever said about one of your books?

Not a reviewer – but a fan said that my book kept them up until 4 a.m. even though they had to go to work the following day.

#Diversity in Writing & Publishing

Diversity is a word that is being looked at more and more closely in the writing and publishing world these days. And diversity doesn't always mean what people think it means. Diversity can have everything to do with skin color, and also nothing to do with skin color. Now, you may think that I get to say that, that because my skin is light, I can interpret diversity to mean something other than "non-white." But I would vehemently disagree. This is not me invoking my white privilege, honest. 

I wrote an essay back in college that was published in an introductory text to be read by all incoming freshman for years to come after I graduated, and it was an essay that I was uniquely qualified to write, because of my history. It was an essay on which the premise, there is no such thing as race, was based. Culture exists, culture is a brilliant, amazing diverse thing, but race is a social construct. It's something humanity created to make an "us and them" dichotomy. I know this, because I lived it. I'll give you a bit of a history lesson: my grandmother only dated black men after her third divorce. I had the immense fortune to grow up with six grandparents, three grandmothers, and three grandfathers, though my gram never married Sam, he was my grandfather. At every birthday, at every Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc. It was the most normal, natural thing in the world to me growing up that I had a grandfather who just happened to be a few shades darker than me. 

Now, diversity in writing and publishing does absolutely include voices from other cultures and backgrounds, 100%, but it also means so many other things. I've had the chance through teaching the past few months to do some research into diversity in publishing, both within the romance genre, and from outside of it, and I couldn't be prouder to be in the publishing world than I am right now. 

Looking at the awards, and the accolades, finally being doled out to women who write horror, and self-published authors who write romance, and yes, writers from different ethnicities and backgrounds - all I can think is FINALLY! Finally this industry I love, this industry I want to dedicate my life to is finally taking notice that women can write science fiction and horror, that men can write romance, that readers and publishers alike want diverse voices, authors from all walks of life and backgrounds, all ethnicities and cultures. 

4 out of 16 Bram Stoker winners this year were women, and there were several more women in the running to win in multiple categories. Now, you may say that 1/4 is a piss poor statistic for women in the horror genre, and yes, this is true, but 10 years ago, there was nary a woman even on the docket, and yet, one of the most famous horror authors of all time was a woman. One of the most-used texts that has been made into countless movies and inspired millions of authors, Frankenstein, was written by a woman, a hundred plus years before women writers were really allowed to be a thing. 

Now, when you look at this year's RITA award winners, it's true that they are all women, and that most of them are from "white" backgrounds, but some are not. Moreover, several of the books on the list were self-published. This is a form of diversity in publishing that we don't necessarily talk about all that often - the stigma still associated with self-publishing, as if that was the only option left when the book was deemed undesirable by everyone else - that's just not true. 

Now, I am not saying that we do not need more, many many more, other voices in writing, particularly in genre fiction, because we so do. But I am saying that diversity means a lot of different things, and I for one, see that we are finally moving in the right direction. So, readers, get to demanding more diversity in your reading. Writers, get to writing diversely. Write something unique and unusual for a genre, jump into a genre you "have no business writing in" because we need you to! 

As you may know, I work a lot of diverse characters from different backgrounds into my books. I write about people who are light-skinned and dark, some who have Asian or American Indian backgrounds. I write about straight people and lesbians, and gay or bi-sexual men. Because just because I have light skin and a college education doesn't mean that is the only perspective I can, should, or want to write from. I love writing about different characters from all over the place, and I hope you enjoy reading about them too. 

~ Rach

Changing the Slut-Shaming Culture, One Book at a Time

Slut. 

It's a nasty, dirty little word that gets bandied about. Between women and girls, between a woman and herself, her body, the culture around her, and often, her male counterparts in the school or work environment. 

Well, I say ENOUGH is enough. 


What a woman does or doesn't do with her own body is her damned business, and no one else's. Except, perhaps, her partner's. Let's be serious, folks, sex is great. Sex is amazing! If it's not, you might be doing something wrong... I'm just saying... But on the whole, sex is an expression of love and pleasure. Now I'm not saying you can't have sex without being in love, cause that's just silly. But you have to love yourself, love your body, and take pleasure in taking and giving pleasure. That's the way this whole sex thing works. 

Except, somehow, we're all Eve. No matter what you do - if you're a woman in our society - you're the seducer. You're the evil influence. You're to slut. You aren't entitled to enjoyment and pleasure of the flesh. Because you're a woman. 

Again, here, I call BULLSHIT. 

There was this great video circulating about a month back that I loved. This is the opposite of slut-shaming and the walk of shame. This is taking pride in your stride. If you haven't seen the video, here's a link: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b03e988362/walk-of-no-shame-with-amber-rose?_cc=__d___&_ccid=fzjvi5.nvhucw

It's brilliant. 


Now, onto this whole not being a slut thing. We've turned slut into a dirty word. But... what if it's not? What if it's okay to be a slut? What if it's great to be a slut? Not in a negative way. Not in a derogatory kind of way. But in a "yeah, I like sex, and I have a lot of it," kind of way??? Wouldn't that be nice? 

There's this kind of recurring theme in most of my books about a woman embracing her sexuality, about flying in the face of the demure, virginal, construct that implies women only want to have sex to please their man, to keep him happy, and to procreate his children. 

In my first novel, Layla Morgan is plagued by the idea that she's wild, wanton, and it's been a curse her entire life. Until she meets Tyler, and his sexual appetites coincide with her own. There are several other books that revisit this theme of a woman embracing her sexuality, about not being ashamed of her own body, or her needs. Of knowing what she wants and going after it, because she wants it, because she deserves it. She breaks free of this archaic idea that she has to be a proper lady. She realizes that her wild streak and her passion are two of the reasons that she is who she is. They are a part of her, and she embraces them. She even uses that passion and wildness to find her own bold voice and solve a murder case. 

In some of my most recent titles, this theme has come to light again. 


In To Sir, Liz is dealing with the lingering issues of mental and emotional abuse as a child in a household of strict parents. She doesn't understand how her assertive, rebellious streak could coincide with a submissive side. She doesn't understand the difference between being forced to submit, and choosing to submit. Through this journey she goes on, she realizes there is freedom in submission, in letting Chase take care of her needs, in acknowledging what she wants and needs. She comes out of this journey realizing who she is a person, and how she can embrace love and submission and not feel one ounce of guilt about either one. 


My most recent release Belle By Night, goes back to this theme. Only this time, it's a bit on the other end of the spectrum. Anna (aka Annabelle) is a Domme, but she only plays one on the phone sex line. She's been burned in the bedroom before by a past lover who called her a freak for liking a little kink in her sex life. Obviously he wasn't man enough for her, but it leaves her gun-shy of embracing that dominant side of herself, about finding it acceptable, even wonderful, to engage that side of herself. She finds a new man, her special pet, and he not only tolerates her dominance, but revels in it. She spends a long time in the book grappling with this idea that love isn't for her, that she's a freak for wanting to issue orders and dish out a sprinkling of pain in the bedroom,that she's been burned one too many times by men who weren't alpha enough, brave enough, to stick by her side through thick and thin. Until she finds the most alpha of men in her pet submissive. 



I explore this theme in several of my other titles as well. Gingerbread Photography is about two bisexual men, one of whom has a hard time being openly affectionate with his male partner, who decide that their sweet photographer, Lexie, might be the answer to their prayers. This book explores not only a woman's sexuality and coming to terms with the idea of being a slut, but also delves into the idea of acceptable definitions of love and sex, and with Ben coming to terms with not only his relationship with Walker, but their new relationship with Lexie, and what that means for them. 

It is also a theme that crops up in my other titles, Queen of Hearts, An Engagement in Paris, and Spicy with a Side of Cranberry Sauce.

The one title that has the best overt scene about slut-shaming is Break Through The Ice, which was rereleased earlier this year. There's actually an entire scene in this story about slut-shaming that I want to share with you today. In this scene, my hero, Vince, and my heroine, Jaz, have just hooked up for the first time. They barely know each other, but their connection is strong, and they decided to go for it. 

Vince slid his fingers into her hair and kissed her deeply. Then he lifted his head and grinned at the sated expression on her face and the sparkle in her eyes. He loved that he’d put that look there.

 “You probably think I’m a huge slut now, don’t you?”

 He laughed. Every time she opened her mouth, something unexpected came out. Was he surprised that she’d invited him back to her cabin tonight? Delightfully so. But if she believed it made him think less of her, she had this image of him in her head that wasn’t at all like the real him. “Do you?”

 “I know I’m not a slut, so that doesn’t really matter.”

 “I meant do you think I’m a slut. Or a man-ho, or whatever it’s called these days.” It saddened him that she might have built him up as an untouchable hero, the lady’s man movie star who bedded every woman he encountered.

 “Of course not.”

 He tried to hide his sigh of relief, but at her smile he knew he’d failed. “Well, okay then. Same answer here.”

 She appeared pleased by his response. Worried he might be crushing her, he shifted. But she didn’t unwrap herself to let him slide away.

 “I’m not a porcelain doll. You’re fine right where you are.” There was amusement and an edge of something darker in her voice.

 “How did you know what I was thinking?”

 She shrugged one bare shoulder, and he couldn’t help dipping his head to lick a bead of sweat sliding down her skin. She shivered, and he continued to kiss and lick her shoulder, neck, and collarbone. Slowly, she lowered her legs. He slipped free of her warmth.

 Jaz pushed him until he flipped onto his back. “So, we both agree. We’re not sluts,” she said as she pulled off the condom.

 He nodded.

 She wrapped the condom in a tissue then dropped it in the wastebasket beside the bed before returning her adept fingers to his quickly reviving shaft. As she stroked him, he thickened, lengthening in her palm.

 He encircled her wrist with his fingers and stilled her movements. “I’m out of condoms.” He’d only had one just in case condom in his wallet, damn it. He’d have to risk rushing her through the dark camp to his own cabin. Somewhere in his luggage there were more. He never went anywhere without them. It sucked to be unprepared when the unexpected happened.

 She grinned. “I’m not.”

So, there you have it folks. Want to be a slut and have lots of amazing dirty sex?? Go for it. And enjoy every second of it! 

~Rach

#SatSpanks Blog Hop BELLE BY NIGHT

Welcome back everyone! It's time for another round of the Saturday Spankings Blog Hop!

Today, I again want to share a little scene from my most recent release. Last time, I shared a self-spanking scene. Today's is a bit different, and happens during another call between Mistress Belle, and her pet. This time, however, Belle is going to use her whip...

“Let’s see… I think for your impertinence tonight, we shall start with a light whipping. Stay on your knees, but lean forward onto the bed, rest on your forearms, and let your forehead lie between them.” She lifted her short whip, with a dozen foot-long leather strips, and cracked it, letting it land on a bench at the end of her bed. The loud crack through the air made her smile. 

She heard him groan. 

“Such a naughty boy, calling me, already stripped bare. You were so sure I was going to let you come, were you, pet?” She swung the whip again. Snap. Crack.

Anna by day, but Belle by night, Annabelle Stevens trades in her classroom ruler for a telephone and leather bustier when the sun goes down. With her heart set on finishing her Master’s degree and opening her own low-cost preschool, she had to earn extra cash somehow. And as a phone sex operator, she makes more than she could working three day jobs. But when day and night collide, Mistress Belle’s favorite caller jeopardizes her normal life, and she has to choose--the dream she’s always wanted, or the secret identity that lets her be the Domme she truly is.

Widower Dean Wellington has one goal in life: to be the best father he can be to his autistic son, Preston. But when he realizes he’s falling far short, he fears he can’t give Preston everything he needs alone. When his search for a wife leads to one disastrous date after another, he finds solace in the unlikeliest of places: a phone sex operator. He knows Mistress Belle can’t be appropriate mother material, but when she orders him to bend his will to hers, he’s lost to the passionate storm she calls forth.

When Dean realizes he’ll never find a better mother for his son than Preston’s teacher Anna, he has to choose between the Mistress that brings out his darkest desires, and giving his son everything he deserves. Little does Dean know that the choice may not be a choice at all.

Check out the rest of this spanking awesome blog hop!


http://saturdayspankings.blogspot.com/2015/10/saturday-spankings-participants-october.html

#Guest Post & #Review WINNING STREAK by @KatieKenyhercz

Hello Divettes!

I'm back again with a guest post and review of Winning Streak by the wonderful and talented Katie Kenyhercz!

As the new head of public relations for the Las Vegas Sinners hockey team, Saralynn Reese wants to leave behind the frivolity of her popular girl image. Unfortunately, her first big assignment is to clean up the media messes of the team's assistant general manager, Madden Vaughn. He's flirty, impulsive, and self-centered; he also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous. Could there be more to Madden under the Ralph Lauren surface?

Having struggled with a gambling addiction since his early twenties, Madden's finally moved past it and into a secure, corporate job working for his sister, the one person who means the world to him. When rumors fly and the team and his family both doubt his word, an unlikely ally pulls him out of his funk with a manicured hand: Saralynn.

He's tired of chasing the same type of unattainable girl, and this up-and-coming publicity dynamo fits that mold perfectly. But she also challenges him and believes in him like no one else. Can they help each other keep their feet on solid ground . . . or will these twin hearts find themselves skating on thin ice?

Rach's Review: 5 out of 5 Divas

Heat level: 3.5/5 

I've got to say, I really loved this book. Now, I admit I might be a tiny bit biased, as I was one of Katie's critique partners way back when on the first book in this series, On the Fly, and I had a good long while to fall in love with Madden in that book! So when Katie told me he was getting his own book, I was ecstatic! And Winning Streak definitely does not disappoint! I loved this book start to finish. Madden and Saralynn both have some serious issues, and the obstacles to their relationship are many and intense. These were both stellarly believable characters and their time together on the page sizzles. This story really touched my heart and gave me some warm fuzzies, in addition to some serious sexual tension that threatened to burn up the pages! Can't recommend this book highly enough. Or the series for that matter. I've always been a bit of a hockey fan, but not hugely into the sport, so don't let the hockey scare you off. This is a wonderful series, and I can't wait to see what's in store next for the Las Vegas Sinners.



From the author:

Winning Streak is an anomaly in the Las Vegas Sinners series because I never intended to write it. I'd planned to have a hockey hero in every book. However, when On the Fly came out, I got a lot of reader feedback asking for Madden's book. They fell in love with Jacey's sweet but hapless brother and wanted more for him. I'd already planned Full Strength, the goalie's story, for book 2, but when it came time for book 3, I put a poll out to my readers. Who did they want first, Madden or Dylan Cole, the rookie turned young captain? Madden was the resounding winner.

I started writing Winning Streak and hit wall after wall. I knew I had to deal with Madden's gambling addiction, but beyond that, I wasn't sure what to do with a non-hockey playing hero. Enter young professional and relationship train wreck, Saralynn Reese, the goalie's younger sister from Full Strength. Saralynn is a former mean girl looking to better herself, and that made her both a challenge and a joy to write. I had to keep her sympathetic and show her depth but still hold onto the snark and a bit of the high maintenance that makes her funny. I had the best time writing her because she is almost nothing like me, which was different from writing Jacey and Allie, my two previous heroines. 

The fun of Winning Streak is that you have two people who are broken in the same amusing way. They were beautiful and shallow for most of their lives (at least that's what most people saw) and now both want to improve. Throwing them together is like the blind leading the blind, but they do learn about themselves through each other, and I love that. Madden's struggling to gain his sister's trust and respect after a gambling relapse years back, and Saralynn's trying to get people to take her seriously by taking charge of the Sinners PR department. Her first assignment is to clean up one of Madden's media messes.

I love the way these two play off of each other, and they both go through some rough growing pains but struggle to do their best.

The 4th Sinners book, Home Ice, is already out, and naturally focuses on young NHL phenom, Dylan Cole, who hits his first ever slump and can't seem to deal. He falls for America's figure skating sweetheart, Lorelai Kelly, who broke her ankle in the last Olympic Games and is struggling to get back on her blades and stay in the spotlight while she moonlights as the star of Sin City on Ice.

The 5th and final book in the Sinners series is Fair Trade, and it will release this December. It follows Grayson Gunn, a player in his early 40s who's looking to retire at the end of the season. He'd played his whole career for his home team out of loyalty but they never made the playoffs, and they mercy trade him to the Sinners for one last chance at the Cup before he hangs up his skates. He's intrigued by the new team assistant physician, Olivia Parker, who had worked for an AHL team before getting the Sinners' offer. They're both recovering from painful divorces and trying to get their bearings in Las Vegas when an unexpected chemistry pulls them together even as they try to stay away.

I still plan to write a collection of short stories catching up with each couple from the series and entitle it What Happens in Vegas because I've had several readers say they wanted to know what happened to everybody. Happy to oblige!

I will be very sad to see this series end :-( But I am so excited that Home Ice is Dylan Cole's story and I can't wait to read it!

Grab your copy of Winning Streak here:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1hvuerP 
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1TpgSco 

Thanks for stopping by today, Katie! It was great to have you.

~ Rach

#Guestblog & #Review of STEEL VICTORY by J.L. Gribble (@hannaedits)

Hello Divettes!

It's been a dog's age since I've been around the blog, and I have immense apologies and updates on that coming very soon!

But today, we have a lovely guest post by a new friend and fellow author, J.L. Gribble.

J.L. and I met last month at the In Your Write Mind conference in Greensburg, PA. Her debut novel dropped on June 26, at a fabulous book signing, and sold like hotcakes! There's a lot of reasons for that: number one, because the book is fantastic! (more on that in a moment) First, some of the nitty gritty - the book cover and blurb, and our post from J.L. ;-p Enjoy.

One hundred years ago, the vampire Victory retired from a centuries-long mercenary career. She settled in Limani, the independent city-state acting as a neutral zone between the British and Roman colonies on the New Continent.

Twenty years ago, Victory adopted a human baby girl, who soon showed signs of magical ability.

Today, Victory is a city councilwoman, balancing the human and supernatural populations within Limani. Her daughter Toria is a warrior-mage, balancing life as an apprentice mercenary with college chemistry courses.

Tomorrow, the Roman Empire invades.

Hello! My name is J.L. Gribble, author of the urban fantasy/alternate history novel STEEL VICTORY, and I’m popping in because I heard this is where all the sexy books were. (I have not been disappointed.)

Our lovely hosts invited me to add to the discussion and introduce you all to my new novel, which features vampires and other paranormal races, along with human magic users. Traditionally, in paranormal romance and much of “standard” urban fantasy, these are the characters getting all of the sexy bits. Unfortunately, I’ve got bad news for you. There’s no sex in my book.

           “Oh geez,” you’re all thinking now. “What the hell is she doing here then?”

Well, hopefully you’ll stick with me while I try to explain my reasoning.

STEEL VICTORY was written as my thesis novel in graduate school, which I attended during the height of the Twilight craze. I’m a bit of a closet hipster, so I was determined to go against the grain. My vampire was not going to have a sex scene in my book. While I definitely appreciate the sex appeal inherent in the vampire state (in fact, the 20-page research paper I wrote on this in college goes into quite a bit of detail on this aspect of the traditional “horror” monster), I didn’t feel that it was a necessary part of the character itself. 

My goal was to write supernatural creatures with just as much depth and complexity as any “human” character, without taking the shortcut of only leaning on their otherness as a substitute for proper character development.

That’s not to say that Victory, Master of the City of Limani, is an asexual creature or without any sort of companionship. In fact, as of the events of the novel, she has been in a committed (romantic and sexual) relationship with her daywalker (my variation on the “human servant” trope) for almost a hundred years. However, I believe that in every good story, regardless of length, every scene and every interaction should have a purpose. And I could not find a place or a purpose for a sex scene in my book. 

One of the methods of conflict that I employ often in my own storytelling is the idea of pushing my characters to the limit. I put them through hell. And part of putting Victory through hell was putting Mikelos, her daywalker, in a position where the two characters having sex was out of the question, while also doing so in a way that has the reader accepting and supporting that narrative decision. (Nope, I won’t tell you how I manage it. Sorry not sorry. Spoilers….)

Take a moment to think critically about the best erotica you’ve ever read. Chances are, every sex scene in the book had a greater purpose than just titillating the book’s audience. I had to do the exact opposite: make every scene between Victory and Mikelos serve a purpose that did not lead them to having sex.

Thanks for hanging out with me while I critically discuss my own work, and hopefully you’re intrigued enough to give STEEL VICTORY a chance.

Despite the lack of sex.

And now for my review! Five out of Five Divas! 
So this story was a bit on the outskirts of what I usually read. But like J.L. said - give it a chance, despite the lack of sex! I did, and boy am I glad for that. This story transports you to the beautiful world of Limani, full of intrigue, paranormals, and wonderful characters. I enjoyed getting transported to this new world and getting inside the heads of Victory and her daughter Toria. These ladies eat danger for breakfast, and I couldn't wait to see what trouble they found around every corner, as they worked to save Limani. The heat level, of course, is 0 Divas, but don't fear, Divettes, this book won't leave you wanting. As soon as I was done reading, I went, "where's the next one????!!!" Well, I know that J.L. is working hard on the next book in this series, and I, for one, can't wait for the next installment. 

And I have it on very good authority that there is hope for readers to get to see behind the curtain of the beginning of the relationship between Mikelos and the lovely Victory. 

Be sure to pick up your copy at these locations: 

Amazon http://amzn.to/1NPyBrB

Direct from publisher: http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/steel-victory/

By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing.

Previously, Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and STEEL VICTORY was her thesis novel for the program. This is her debut novel.

She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter), and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits). She is currently working on more tales set in the world of Limani.

Well that's it for us today, ladies and gents.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!