#Tuesday #Tips with @RachellNichole

Hey y'all 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Sorry I've been a bit quiet the past few weeks (AGAIN), and a big shoutout to our girl Nona who's been holding down the fort for us here in SexyTown! 

So today's tips are all about the reason I've been MIA: Moving! 

Four weeks ago, I finally moved! So the past month has been all about painting, unpacking, buying new nonsense for the new place, getting organized, putting stuff up on the walls. So now, here's 5 Tips from a recent Pro on how to move, and what to avoid! 

5. Be prepared! This was a huge step in getting ready to move. I've moved before, but nothing like this. This time, we got this stuff called mover's wrap. It was amazing! Picture green saran wrap on a wand. I wrapped tables, glass cabinets, dressers, and pretty much anything else I could think of to wrap! This stuff helped protect the furniture, was much easier than trying to tape cardboard around the glass shelves or table legs or anything like that. Plus, it was so much fun! 

4. Get a big truck. Now this might sound self-explanatory, but a lot of people don't get a big enough one. Remember ladies, it doesn't matter what they say, size really does matter! I got the 17-footer 'cause I got a lot of junk. We had a couch and futon and a couple beds, table and chairs, a couple end tables, a glass cabinet, and about a zillion boxes. And we packed the hell out of that big truck. It was just the right size. The junk just reached the end with an inch to spare to close the door. 

3. Have lots of (female) friends, but not too many. Again, maybe this sounds like an easy one to remember, but you have to get the number just right. Now the right number depends a lot on size. Remember number 4? Size matters! So for us, the correct number was five. The old place was relatively large, and the new place was up three mini flights of stairs. If we'd had six or seven or heavens, eight, people, we would have tripped over each other. As it was, with some good communication, we were able to work around one another and coordinate the move with very few issues. And, kick the men out. I know that may seem kind of contradictory because of all those big muscles and such, but, when it's just the ladies, there's a few extra seconds of chatting and planning, but the results are flawless. We got the truck loaded, drove to the place, and had everything off the truck, out of the cars, and up three flights of stairs in four hours. 

2. Paint First. When you can, it's always better to get into the new place before all of your junk is in it to paint. Trying to paint in a sea of boxes while you're unpacking and moving furniture and all that junk is insane. Don't do it. Just, don't. 

And last but not least, the number 1 thing to remember when moving...

1. Don't try to get settled in a week. (Like I did). Trust me, it just aint gonna happen, folks. Even with an army of people, it will take at least a month to get everything unpacked an in its rightful place. And doing that at breakneak speed while also working a job (or three) will make you feel like ripping your hair out. Take your time. This is your new home, and I more than anyone know what kind of hell it is to feel unsettled and not know where anything is or where it goes, but forcing this process makes you long for your old place, where everything was just so, and it's not worth it to make yourself crazy trying to get settled all at once. 


So, that's it. 
It's been a month, and that's my moving wisdom to share with you all. Now that I've rushed to get settled (I know, I know, something I advise you all against) I feel wonderful! And I promise to be around the Divas watering hole much more often in the coming months than I have been recently. 

Thanks everybody, and as soon as I can get some good shots of the new place, I'll share them all with you. Wait until you see the office! It's red. :-) 


~Rach

#TuesdayTips with @RachellNichole

Welcome back lovelies!

It's time for another inspiring rendition of Tuesday Tips!

This week is all about plotting tips, since I will be teaching my adapted Three-Act Structure plotting method at next week's In Your Write Mind workshop.

5. Try a new method. So the first thing a writer should always tell other writers is that there are so many different methods of writing (or plotting) that you shouldn't feel married to one way of doing things. Everyone's process is different and what works for me might not always work for you. And what works for me for one book, might not work for me for the next one. Just like with kids. You have to adapt toeach book the way you do to each child. So when you're out there trying to figure
out your next book, I encourage you to check out a bunch of different plotting methods. There are a bazillion books, blogs, and workshops about plotting. Check them out, and pick one, or pick a few bits and pieces from some different methods and make your own.

4. Leave holes in your plot. I know this may sound counterproductive, but if you get so bogged down on figuring out every single detail in the plot, the minutiae pieces will prevent you from plotting the whole arc of a book in one or two sittings. A plot shouldn't take you three months to write. You want to spend the bulk of your time on the actual writing process, not on figuring out what you're going to write about. Some authors write out a very detailed, step-by-step plot, and that's not a bad thing, but most people will get so bogged down in little pieces that they can't ever reach the end of the plot. So if you aren't sure of a detail or how exactly something is going to work out, leave it blank, put a space holder in that place to know something is missing, and move on to the next piece.

3. Having a plot doesn't always mean you'll get bored with the book. I hear this a lot from pantsers (those writers who write by the seat of their pants) often say that if they know the plot, they feel like they've already told themselves the story, so why would they bother writing it? This goes along with number four - leave yourselves holes. You can't discover everything about a book just from plotting it. Sure, you know the ending, but you can learn so much more about the characters, and their story, in a novel than you can just from a plot. If knowing the ending makes you bored, write out the bulk of the plot, but leave the ending a little open. You can even try plotting out three different endings, having a note card or sticky note for each one and then when you're almost done writing the book, you can discover which ending fits best with the book.

2. Plotting a book should be fun. Now, I know there are some nay-sayers out there that will say I should take my writing, my craft seriously. It's not a hobby, it's a job. And they're right. Really, they are. But, and this is a big but - if I'm not having fun at my job, I'm not doing it anymore. Period. Or else, why keep doing it? The day I stop finding the fun and enjoying the writing process

is the day I will retire from this job. Plotting is just one stage of the writing process, and it should be fun. Maybe it's not as much fun for you as research, or revisions, or writing the book, but you should still find some enjoyment in it. Maybe it's the idea of infinite possibilities when you start plotting a new book. Maybe it's the comfort of having a direction to go in before you sit down before the blank page. Maybe it's the fact that you love figuring out where you're going and exactly how you're going to get there. Doesn't matter. Whatever it is about plotting that you like, make sure you find a way to enjoy it. Because, if you don't, why are you torturing yourself to write a book?


And the number 1 thing to remember - A plot is never set in stone.  Pantsers also say things like "I can't write out a plot, because then I have to write the book that way." But, that's just not true! A plot is like a road map. There's point A (New York City) and point B (San Francisco). When you plot out your route, you pick a direction and highlight the way and then embark on your journey. Say you were *supposed* to stop in Wisconsin for some cheese, then South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore, then Utah for some salt, then Nevada for the Las Vegas Strip and then arrive in San Francisco, on time, and exhilarated, but instead you decide you just have to detour to Wyoming and see Yellowstone, then you're really hankering for some Idaho potatoes, and then you give up slot machines for the Space Needle up in Seattle before you meander your way through Northern California's Yosemite and then Death Valley before arriving in San Francisco... well, that's mighty all right! That's why you have a road map, because when you have to veer off course, when you just have to go down the less trodden path or into the deep dark woods, you have a guide to get you back to where you wanted to go. Let's even say you got to San Francisco and decided you hated it? Well, LA is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, and though it wasn't your intended destination, you've still traveled across the country, still gone from New York to California, and you've finished the damned book! That's the most important part, right? To get from the beginning of the book, through the murky middle, and to the glorious end!

So there you are, folks. Rach's top 5 things to remember when you're plotting a book. Now go forth and plot your pants off!

If you have questions or comments about plotting, plotting methods, or plotting resources, please feel free to share in the comments section! I can't talk about this stuff enough!

~Rach

#RT14 - The Good, The Bad, and The WTF

Welcome back to your local Diva hangout! 

I've been pretty quiet as of late, but I have been ridiculously busy in the best possible way. 

First, it was prepping for the Romantic Times Convention (RT14) - I finished another round of revisions on my romantic suspense in preparation so that I could focus on the paranormal series I would be pitching at the Convention. And then there were the wardrobe decisions which took ages! I needed casual clothes, party clothes, costumes, business attire, and then the basics like
undergarments... just thinking back on it makes me break out in hives! It was horrifying the condition of my bedroom and closet for over a week as I went through every item of clothing I remembered I had, and some I'd completely forgotten! And then there was the horror of trying to fit all of those things into two carry-on bags... it's a damn good thing I'm a seasoned world traveler or I might have been paralyzed in the face of the amount of crap I'd spread out on my bed to pack. "Is that all going to fit in that little suitcase?" my family asked. 




Oh, how little faith they have! 

Of course it fit. With some coaxing, a few choice words, and a shove or two. 


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Now that's how you pack, ladies and gentlemen!






Then there was the preparation for the book signing! Yikes. So I was going to ship my books down, so I didn't have to check luggage, and because I have more faith in the post office than I do in the airlines not to lose my stuff. So I packed up my babies and insured them and sent them on their merry way. Now if I was the nail-biting type, I'd have no fingers left! As it is, I'm more of a bitch and pace and not sleep type... none of which was very helpful or productive as I was trying to get everything in order to leave. Or while I was, you know, working the day job. So anyways, I sent the books and I put in my little tracking number and watched my box travel from NY to New Orleans... and then NOTHING. My babies got to the city where they were supposed to be, and that's it. I couldn't get anyone to tell me if they'd arrived at the hotel for the convention, if they were sitting in the middle of a Post Office warehouse somewhere, or if they'd fallen into the gutters on Bourbon Street. For six days, I didn't know where my babies were! 

I barely kept a leash on my panic. I focused on my to-do list, on the tasks I had to accomplish. I called the post office, the hotel, the shipping department at the hotel, the coordinators for the convention. I pleaded, I demanded, I got downright pissy and hung up on several times! All to no avail. No one could confirm if my books had arrived or not. I packed my suitcase, I printed our boarding passes, and I ushered Kara through her first wonderful airport hopping experience. We arrived at the hotel, dropped our bags, and I went book hunting. 

Some of The Disenchantments! 
I got to the registration table twenty minutes after they closed. When the woman behind the table realized I was about ready to tear her face off or burst into tears, she very nicely, and with a heap of sympathy told me, "I know who we can call. Diane will know!" I prayed for a Hail Mary pass, only to be smacked in the face with a voice mail box. :-( We left a message, and Kara carted my sorry ass back to the room to get ready to go meet the Disenchantments - her wonderful group of author friends, who by the end of the week were like my family. They helped get my mind off my missing books, and we explored New Orleans for the night - Hello O'Briens and your amazing Piano Bar &amp; Hurricanes! They helped assuage my fears and tamp down my panic. 



The next morning, when there was still no call on my books, I again went on a quest. I found Diane, who checked her magical list and confirmed that yes, one box for Rachell Nichole had in fact arrived, in tact, and full of books! My God, I could have kissed her! I gave her a fabulous hug, thanked her profusely, and could finally breathe again! 

I went about my business, joining everyone in the giant ballroom for crepes and an introduction to RT, then I went to lunch with the fabulous Jessica Freely to Antoine's - an amazing, up-scale Creole French restaurant which also doubles as a museum. The meal was incredible. The staff was impeccable, the tour was glorious. If you ever find yourself in New Orleans, I could not recommend this place enough! Our waiter was a third-generation employee who at one point had eleven relatives working in the restaurant with him. The history, the atmosphere, and the story of this place can be felt the minute you leave the front dining room and head into any of the other fourteen, yes fourteen dining rooms! The Japanese Room was by far my favorite (behind the wine cellar) and they even took us out on the balcony through these huge windows that slid upward and were the size of doors. We spent a good two and a half hours here and it was wonderful. The picture on the left is the Rex Dining Room, where all the Kings of Mardi Gras eat before the parade!


After that, I went back to the hotel and found my new favorite person, Diane, to check in my lovely books and take possession of them until the book signing. She was wonderful, and I felt so indebted to her for finding my books that I stayed for a bit to help out when the line behind me grew exponentially.




Here we are dressed as SINNERS :-) 
I didn't go to as many panels as I'd originally planned on attending, but I still had an incredible time. We partied at the Pub Crawl, at the Saints &amp; Sinners party, at the Harlequin Dance Party, at the hotel bar, on Bourbon Street, and pretty much everywhere else. I met some wonderful new authors and friends. I got to see some of my wonderful Seton Hill people, and I got to meet with four agents and an editor to chat with them about my books, which was great. One of them was super excited about my paranormal series about Mayan Demigods and so now I'm working on getting them ready to send her way, which is awesome! 

I also got to meet some readers, which rocked my world. One woman, Deborah, and her good friend who's name I for some awful reason can't recall, were just the sweetest things. The three of us talked about books, and writing, and romance, and I kept running into them at the Convention, so that was really cool. I also had some people stop by my table at the book signing and ooh and ahh over my covers and say "Oh, yeah, I've read that." OH, MY GOD! That was an incredible, humbling feeling. :-) Made all the nonsense from the week totally worth it!

There were so many more little moments that were pure perfection, and others that were a complete mind fuck, but if I sat and wrote about them all, we'd be here all week. 

Overall, the convention was a success for me, but I don't know as if I'll do another one any time soon. The disorganization of many of the events and the craziness of a mismanaged convention of 2,000 people was a lot to handle, but I don't regret going in the least, if only for the amazing people I met and the great experiences I had. 

I think Kara will be sharing some of her RT Experiences with you all soon, so check back for that. 


Thanks, 
Rach

Guest Post Interview with Kara Leigh Miller

Hello again, Bloggerverse! 

Kara and I just spent a wonderful week together in New Orleans, and she and I will both be talking a bit more about that very soon. But for today, I've asked Kara to share with us a bit about herself, so I asked her 10 wonderfully probing questions. And here are her answers... 

1. So, Kara, what do you write? I write a variety of things including romantic suspense, erotica, contemporaries,and new adult. I've even dabbled a bit in the young adult genre but found I didn't connect with it very well, so I'm sticking to the adult market. lol. Writing for adults gives me the freedom to turn up the heat and let things get sexy, which is always so much fun. 
2. Why did you decide to join the Divas of Desire? I adore the Divas! Having the pleasure of knowing these ladies in real life, I think they're a great group, they have a lot of fun, and I'm a fan of all their works. Honestly, who wouldn't want to be a Diva?
3. What do you like about erotic romance? The sex! Okay, so not the actual physical act, but the emotions behind it and the consequences. Sex always changes things, and I love seeing how characters evolve once they've done the deed. And I really like erotic romances when there's some humor before, during, and after the sex. 
4. What are you working on now? Currently I'm working on a few projects. I have a new series of romantic suspense novels, and I'm busy writing book two while my agent sells book one. I've just begun a collaboration with an up and coming author to write a semi-erotic, new adult, dystopian thriller. 
5. Tell us a bit more about you when you're not busy writing. It seems like I'm always busy writing. lol. But when I'm not, I'm spending time with my husband and kids. We can often be found at the park letting our kids play and our dogs run, at the movies (I'm a closet comic book nerd), or playing cards with friends.
6. What will you be bringing to our blog? I'm sure there's lots to look forward to, but would you like to share a little taste of what you'll be blogging about? Right now, I'll be blogging "Man Up Monday" and "Throwback Thursday". Monday will be devoted to all things heroes, including some yummy and probably inappropriate pictures. On Thursdays, I'll be giving a throwback shout out to all the authors, tropes, and covers who've come before us and paved the way for what we do today.
7. How do you write? I'm one of those writers who, when I get an idea, I sit in front of my laptop and just start writing. I rarely do any plotting, and if I get stuck, I'll dig out a notebook and a pen and write the old-fashioned way. 
8. What's your favorite book/favorite author? Wow. Picking a favorite book / author is like picking which of my kids I like the best ;-) I'm not sure I have a favorite book, but my top three favorite authors are: Lora Leigh, Julie Ann Walker, and Ryan Winfield.
9. Boxers or Briefs? Boxers! Preferably silk. 
10. Where can our readers find you outside of the Diva's blog? I'm all over the place. Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaraLeighMille1 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003571898300 My website/blog: www.karaleighmiller.com 

Well there you have it, ladies and gents! Don't worry, I'm thoroughly in the process of turning Kara into a plotter, so there's no need to fret, everyone. 

~ Rach

Tag! I'm it!

Welcome back everyone! 

I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Nicki Greenwood to participate in a blog tag. Here's how it works - Nicki tagged me and two other fabulous authors and gave us the following four questions. So today I post my answers, and tag the next people and next Monday (April 7) you stop by their blogs to check out their answers! :-) It's a fun way to share some info about myself and some fellow authors with you all and you get the chance to get a behind the scenes look at some awesome people. And... go!



What am I working on? 
Hmmm, well currently I'm rewriting (and I do mean rewriting like from page one) a romantic suspense I wrote a couple years ago. It was my second novel, and was in pretty rough shape. A couple weeks ago, I cut 20,000 words from the manuscript in 2 days. It was horrendous. And when I was done, I was left with the tattered remains that didn't even resemble a book. Now I'm at the rewrites stage - rebuilding the book, splicing existing pieces together with the new stuff, and trying to make it seamless start to finish. It's been... um fun. Right, fun. That's the word for it. 
Here's a bit more on Los Diablos - Reporter Eva Ramirez is determined to find her brother’s killer. Undercover cop Diego Lopez is desperate to stop his ex-love from uncovering his involvement in her brother’s murder and getting them both killed.

As fire reignites between them, they soon discover if they don’t work together and trust each other, they’ll both wind up in dumpsters behind Lucky’s Bar.   

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Ooh, this is a fun one. Let's see... with my erotic romances, I really like to focus on a good external plotline, which I think is missing from a lot of other books in this genre. I like to have a lot going on in my books. It's one of the reasons I usually write long novels. 




My first was An Affair Across Times Square (right) and amid this incredibly sexy voyeuristic relationship between Layla and Tyler, there was also an intriguing murder trial and subsequent mystery to solve which helped create conflict and craziness in the book. 

In the sequel, An Engagement in Paris, (left) I have Mandy and Julien pitted on opposite sides of the marriage battle - he wants to get married, she thinks she doesn't, but agrees anyway, and as the day inches closer and her family descends upon them, she panics. 






With my holiday story Spicy with a Side of Cranberry Sauce (left) Amy and Mason are

instantly attracted to each other and then thrown together in this impossible situation - a holiday with their families.... during which his mother and her father begin dating. So it's not just their relationship bubble, but a lot of family dynamics and Turkey Day chaos which help make things a little crazy. 

In Queen of Hearts (right) Erica and Maya have a one night stand. Later, when Erica is in trouble of losing her business, she realizes she ran out on the one woman who might actually be able to help her. It's the pressure of failure that breaks through her barriers and forces her to accept Maya's help. 

My newest one, Break(Through) the Ice is all about Jasmine and Vince battling the elements (and the gossip) to be together. The Adirondack Camp they're in is just as much a character as they are, and that adds a nice element of suspense and danger to the book, which I love. :-)  






Why do I write what I do?

Because sex sells. :-p  No but seriously, I love romance novels. I've loved them since I was sixteen. While my reading in the genre was paranormal and I still enjoy a lot about that genre, erotic romance is so much fun to write. Can't think of a plot point? Write a sex scene. Stuck on why the character hates himself? Sex scene. Want to make the couple's relationship get screwed up in no time flat? Sex scene! Need them to make up? Sex Scene. Can't reveal who the killer is yet? Sex SCENE! Need more time for them to fall in love SEX SCENE! :-) 

I know that sounds really basic, or like I'm filling my book with sex because I can't write the book or don't want to work on the hard (or not so hard) stuff but because the sex, aside from being fun, is an integral part of the storyline. When you write historicals, your characters cannot be having sex on page thirty. You have to slowly build that kind of relationship and there are chaperones and rules of propriety and all kinds of things. When you write erotic romance, you don't have to worry about that, but you do have to worry about keeping things exciting. If your characters are geting busy on page thirty, and then again on page sixty-five, and one-hundred, etc. you better make sure that the scenes escalate, and that they're not random or erroneous. I love making sex an intricate part of the building romance and sometimes it even helps stave off the romance, because sometimes (like with Tyler &amp; Layla) it's just sex in the beginning and then slowly they develop feelings for each other. It's wonderful to watch that unfold. 

How does your writing process work?

Oi - um, this is a hard one to answer because it's different for every book. The things that are the same for me are the basics: 

• I have to build real three-dimensional characters. That usually means photographs (I use a lot of models or actors for this), their main personality traits (including their astrological sign or exact birth date because that helps me build a full character), a background of their childhood and major events in their lives (death of a parent or sibling, abuse, past lost loves) and basically their damage. Perfect or completely well adjusted characters are boring and also useless in a romance plot because if they're perfect alone, why would they want or need a life partner or romantic attachments. 
• I have to have an external plot line - sometimes it's a paranormal or suspense/mystery plot, sometimes it's a little less involved. I just finished a BDSM book in which the heroine is on a deadline with a book and has to get the research done and write the book before the deadline, and I have a hero who is in danger of losing his business, his house, and basically every he's worked his entire adult life for. So the stakes have to be high - sometimes my emotional stakes are high, sometimes it's the physical stakes like in the WIP where Diego and Eva are in mortal danger. 

As for the process itself, sometimes it starts with a scene in my head with two people and I build everything off that. Sometimes it's a person or character. Sometimes it's an overall concept like "our parents are dating" or "instant enemies" or other kinds of tropes like that. 

I almost always create a plot using the 3-Act Plotting Method that Alexandra Sokoloff talks about on her blog about using screenwriting tricks to plot your book. And I usually have a visual layout of the main setting in a very basic, ugly, disproportionate drawing (because I have no artistic ability whatsoever) which helps me figure out what's where in a scene. 

I like to write a "dirty draft" after I've done the plotting, some of the research, and the character backgrounds. Inevitably somewhere in the draft I realize that something isn't going to work or that a character happens to have done something in their past which I didn't know until I reached the midpoint climax and then I make notes to go back and fix it after I finish the draft. It usually takes me 1-2 weeks to do the research/plotting/character background stuff and 2-6 weeks to write the draft (depending on the length and topic of the book) and then I let it rest for at least a week and get the real life stuff done that I've been ignoring while fully immersed in the book like grocery shopping and seeing my family. And then I re-read the book, start to finish, without making any changes and I use these mini sticky notes and take notes on everything I need to change, the main characters, and important info I need. Then I start making those changes and when I finish doing one, I get to rip the sticky note off the notebook page, crumple it up, and throw it away. It's VERY satisfying. :-) 

And that's it. Me, my books, and my writing in a (very large) nutshell! 

Thanks so much for the Tag, Nicki!

And now it's my turn to tag some people. I have chosen two great authors to tag and I can't wait to see their answers next week! Check em out: 

Stephanie Wytovich: Stephanie M. Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, a book reviewer for Nameless Magazine, and a well-known coffee addict. She is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association and a graduate fom Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Her poetry collection, HYSTERIA, can be found at www.rawdogscreaming.com. Follow Wytovich at stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com and on twitter @JustAfterSunset.

Priscilla Kissinger: Priscilla A Kissinger is a three-time Golden Heart finalist who writes contemporary romance with a Latino flavor. A single mom with three daughters, Priscilla recently earned an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. During the day she works as an administrator at a major university, and she spends her free time writing, reading, playing tennis, training for half marathons, watching sports and singing karaoke with her family.

You can find out more about her at www.prisakiss.com, follow her on Twitter with @prisakiss or catch her blogging on www.peanutbutteronthekeyboard.com 

and www.ghfirebirds.com.

So be sure to stop by and check out Stephanie and Priscilla's answers on Monday April 7 at stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com &amp; www.ghfirebirds.com 

Thanks, 

~ Rach

Guest Post & #Review by Rach: THE SUBMISSION GIFT by Solace Ames

Welcome back readers! Today we have a guest blog and a review of The Submission Gift by Solace Ames

The Submission Gift

LA Doms

Book 2 (stand-alone)

Solace Ames

Genre: Erotic Romance, Ménage

Publisher: Carina Press

Date of Publication: March 24, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4268-9828-0.

ASIN: B00GKBIPLY

Number of pages: 254

Word Count: 100,000

Amazon          BN             ARe

Kobo          Google Play     iTunes

Book Description:

Newlyweds Jay and Adriana had a happy marriage and a spectacular sex life—until tragedy struck. Wounded in a car accident, Jay spent a year recuperating while Adriana worked overtime as a chef to pay their bills. Though he’s made nearly a full recovery, some aspects of their intimate play will never be the same. It’s a small price to pay, all things considered.

But when a long struggle with the insurance company results in an overdue payout, Jay has a plan. He’ll take some of it and hire a high-end rent boy who specializes in sexual dominance. Not for him, but as a gift for Adriana, for taking care of him for the past twelve months.

Paul is the handsome stranger they choose…and the one who changes everything. What starts out as a onetime session to fulfill a fantasy turns into something bigger than all of them. But when the money runs out and Paul’s dangerous past resurfaces, the sacrifices required to stay together may end up tearing them apart…

And now a bit more from the author...

I won’t name any names, but as a reader, I get frustrated with books that promise loads of BDSM and end up delivering only the same flavor of D/s. So when I wrote The Submission Gift, I wanted to lay out a fuller kinky table setting of imaginative, consensual BDSM.

I especially enjoyed writing the erotic electrostimulation part of the novel. Although this kink sounds futuristic and high-tech, it’s actually been around for hundreds of years. Back in the 19th century, terrifying electric belts were marketed for both men and women, sometimes as general health aids, sometimes as “cures for impotence”.

Today’s e-stim devices are a lot safer and smaller. Follow the manuals and don’t use them it near the heart area! At lower settings, the sensations aren’t painful at all. In fact, similar gadgets are common in physical therapy.

The idea of experiencing alternating waves of pleasure and pain at the flick of a switch sounds appealing, whether in real life or fantasy. It’s also an interesting analogy for the reading experience itself. The story is the little magic box we use to shock ourselves!

So I hope you have a wonderful time turning the pages and flicking the switches.

Rach's Review: 3 out of 5 Divas 

Favorite Line: Does it come with a St. Andrew's Kitchenette? 

I really liked a lot about this book. Jay, Adrianna, and Paul were all damaged characters with some pretty good background. The sex scenes on the whole were pretty good and I enjoyed the way Ames jumped between POV for the three characters. The writing style was great - having some nice lyrical almost literary writing in there which made it lovely. 

Jay and Adrianna were a good couple and I really liked the way they opened their lives to make a relationship with Paul. It was a good book and worth a read. There was humor and some great heart-felt moments between these three characters, but for me it fell just a little bit short of making me really care and feel for the characters. 

About the Author:

Solace Ames has roots in the Southeast US, although her heart lives somewhere along the Pacific coast of Mexico. She's worked in restaurants, strip clubs, academia and the corporate world and studied everything from the philosophy of science to queer theory to medieval Spanish literature. Rejecting neat categories, her writing sprawls across genres and genders and swings from high art to low art, marching with the erotic avant-garde, tongue sometimes in cheek and at other times... well. Along with writing, education and political activism are her passions. Family takes up most of her time, but she loves to keep learning.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solacewrites

FB: http://www.facebook.com/solace.ames

Website and Blog: www.solaceames.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/solaceames

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Review by Rach & Guest Blog: FULL STRENGTH by @KatieKenyhercz

Hey there everyone,

Welcome back to another wonderful round of Review by Rach! Today we have a special treat, not just a review, but also an excerpt and guest blog from the author, Katie Kenyhercz.

Meet Allie and Shane:

After a bum knee ended her soccer days, Alexandra-Allie-Kallen has dedicated her life to helping injured athletes cope and get back in the game. As the new team sports psychologist of the Las Vegas Sinners, she starts out with just one player, but he's a handful. Goalies are stubborn, and she would know. She's determined to figure him out and return him to the net good as new, especially after she sent her last patient back to the ice too soon. The problem is, she sees so much of herself in Shane, and their chemistry is off the charts. Falling for him isn't in the plan. Is love worth losing her career?

Shane Reese's entire identity has been wrapped up in being a goalie since he was five years old. When he gets a high ankle sprain right before playoffs, he doesn't exactly take it well. After putting his fist through the physical therapy room wall and hitting a few joking teammates, he's ordered to see the new shrink. All he has to do is convince her he's seen the light, and he can get back to defending his team as soon as his ankle heals. The problem is, she sees through him like no one he's ever met, and the more time he spends with her, the less hot he is to get back to the ice. Could something mean more than hockey?






And now for the excerpt: 

Shane ambled down the tunnel to the locker room, half-paying attention to his excited teammates bumping his shoulder, patting his mask, and barking, “Fuckin’ awesome!” Their support meant a lot, but right now, something else meant more. He shed his gear in front of his locker. As soon as he got down to athletic shorts and a t-shirt, he slipped into the quiet hallway.

Adrenaline and emotion carried him to Allie’s office, and when he opened the door, she stumbled forward as if she’d been leaning against it.

“Shane?” A mix of confusion, happiness, and something like regret played on her face. “You were amazing out there. You—”

He scooped her up and swung her around. She gasped and laughed, holding onto his shoulders, and it felt even better than the win. He smiled so hard his cheeks hurt, and when he set her down, he backed her against the door and kissed her. Her lips were soft, warm, and moist. She tasted like cherries, and the citrus-vanilla of her perfume filled his head. Her body stiffened, but she didn’t pull back or push him away. Because his palms rested against her neck, he could feel her pulse trying to outpace a German train. He slid his thumbs lightly along her cheekbones and nudged her nose with his. When their foreheads touched, her lashes fluttered, and her breath rushed warm against his lips. She met his gaze and whispered, “Shane …”

Since peewee hockey, no one had called him anything but Reese at his own request, but God, he couldn’t get enough of the sound of his name from her mouth. In the next second the enormity of what he’d done sunk in, and he took a step back, eyes wide as he tried to get his emotional bearings. “Allie. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—I was so caught up … but I crossed a line. Even though I guess I’m officially not your patient anymore.”

The shock on her face couldn’t hide a trace of pleasure. Her voice came out low and unsteady. “It’s all right. You were just carried away. You’re not my patient now, but you might be in the future, so … we probably shouldn’t make a habit of it.” She smiled the way she did when she wanted to deflect, but the look in her eyes said she wasn’t so sure.

“Yeah.” But neither moved. He couldn’t look away. How were they supposed to pretend this didn’t exist? That it wasn’t important? Apparently, he was pretty good at self-deception, but even with his exceptional skill in denial, he couldn’t wrap his mind around treating Allie like one of the guys.




And now a little more from Kenyhercz on writing and this series: 

Viva Las Vegas

A lot of readers ask how the Sinners' world came to be. It was a long, winding, random road! When I first got the idea for On the Fly about ten years ago, the Sinners started out as a minor league team, the Albany Racers. I set the series in the minors because I had Carter playing and coaching at the same time for the entire book, and that wouldn't fly in the majors. But that version of the book wasn't working, and I knew things had to change.

When in doubt, up the stakes.

I knew I had to put the team in the NHL, and I needed a more exciting backdrop. There have been talks of putting an NHL team in Vegas for years and years, but things never coalesced in real life. It was the perfect choice for me. Las Vegas is its own character and the right place for my guys and gals to get neck-deep in trouble.

Next up, I needed a new coach. I could have made a stock character to blend into the background, but even in the first draft, Nealy was a spunky, intimidating, little lady who would not be ignored. It seemed a shame to waste her hilarity in such a bit role. I gave her the coaching job on a whim one day, and everything fell into place. She was the best fictional accident I've stumbled into. She created controversy for my heroine in the first book, and she is such a gem in Full Strength. Nealy is like an angry, high-pitched Yoda for the guys, and I love her to pieces.

A lot of readers fell in love with Madden in the first book, and he was a happy accident too. Originally, I asked myself how a woman would come to inherit an NHL team, and “only child” was the first explanation that came to mind. If she had a brother, the team probably would have went to him. Light bulb moment. What if she did have a brother but got the team anyway? That added drama and backstory and made things more interesting.

My favorite elements in the Sinners' world weren't originally planned, and that's part of the magic of writing. If you start spinning an idea, it takes on a life of its own and tells you how it's supposed to pan out. Check out Full Strength, and look for Madden's book, Winning Streak next year!

Rach's Review: 5 out of 5 Divas

Well what can I say? Katie did it again! I loved On The Fly the first book in the Las Vegas Sinners series. It was fantastic, and sometimes sequels can disappoint. Totally not the case with Full Strength. Once again, she brought the characters to life, making us feel for them, root for them, and smile when they got their happily ever after. :-) I loved it. These books are sweet, sexy, funny, and endearing. Definitely a great read and one you should pick up! 


Thanks so much for stopping by Katie, it was fun to have you.