Newsletter

 

Lani Aames
Bella Andre

Mechele Armstrong

Alice Gaines
Treva Harte
Katherine Kingston
Titania Ladley

Lynn LaFleur

Lynn Lorenz
Judy Mays

Randi Monroe
Ruby Storm
Samantha Winston
 

1. Introduction

4. Featured Siren of the Month!

 ♥ Alice Gaines ♥

New! For your convenience, we are now featuring the Siren of the Month's interview and excerpts  in this Featured Siren of the Month section of the newsletter!

Siren of the Month Interview

Our Siren of the Month for November is author Alice Gaines.  Without further ado, let’s get with the questions...

Titania Ladley:  Hi, Alice! First, tell us a little about yourself.

Alice Gaines:  I’m an old, gray-haired widow woman who came up during the “make love, not war” era.  I took that motto to heart and sowed a few wild oats until I got married.  Now, I have a lot of memories to fuel my stories, and the rest, I make up.

I live alone now, except for the strange cat that lives in the back yard and my darling pet corn snake, Casper.  I love to cook and do some vegetable gardening.  Don’t kick me out of the sorority, but my favorite food isn’t chocolate.  It’s homegrown tomatoes.

Titania:  How long have you been writing erotic romance?

Alice:  Since the very beginning of the sub-genre.  In fact, even when I started writing, I wrote as hot as I possibly could.  So, when a new publisher came on the scene looking for ultra-sensual romance (as they called it at the time), one of my critique partners grabbed a flyer because she knew that was for me.  That publisher was Red Sage – the very first publisher of hot, hot, hot romance.  I was lucky enough to be in Secrets, Volume 1 with a fantasy story titled “The Spinner’s Dream.”  I like to think of myself one of the founding mothers of erotic romance.  <g>

Titania:  Tell us about your latest release.

Alice: I actually have two latest releases and a third that will be out in December.

This week, Changeling Press released “Sexation.”  It’s a ménage story involving a human married couple and a little green man from outer space.  His name is It, and he can shift into many different forms.  All of the forms are green, but they’re not all small.  In fact, they’re quite big where it matters, if you get my drift.  It and his humans explore several permutations, combinations, and positions.  It’s a funny story, I hope.  I had a blast writing it.

Red Sage has also released my story “The Wicked Wife.”  It’s a contemporary based on the concept of Lysistrata.  My hero is constantly getting into feuds with his next door neighbor and best friend.  Finally, the wives get sick of all the drama and announce a sex strike until the guys make up.  My hero spends most of the rest of the story trying to get around his wife’s defenses.

In December, Red Sage will release the companion story, “The Hot-Blooded Husband.”  This tells the same story from the point of view of the other couple.  This was a challenge for me because another author was supposed to write the story and had to bow out.  Before she did, though, she made the characters Latino.  As an Anglo myself, I wasn’t sure I could pull off characters from another culture, but I decided to do my best and rely on my Latino friends to keep me honest.  I hope I managed.

Then, some time next spring, Harlequin will release my second Spice Brief.  It involves a woman, two male strangers, a European luxury train, and a long, dark tunnel.

Titania:  Is there anything you’d like to write that you can’t?

Alice:   “Can’t” is probably too strong a word, but right now, it probably wouldn’t be very productive to write what I most want to – fantasy romance.  There doesn’t seem to be much of a market.  I’d like to create worlds that are bigger and more colorful than the real one and set romance in a landscape of magic and good versus evil.  I can remember when publishers insisted that no one wanted paranormal romance, and boy! has that changed.  I hope the same happens with fantasy romance.

Titania:  What would your perfect day look like?

Alice: Believe it or not, I’d get up early.  Probably with the dawn.  I’d e-mail all my friends and then write my pages for the day.  That would take me into the afternoon.  With any luck, I’d have time to watch a few episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and go shopping for ingredients to try a new recipe.  Then, after playing with my darling snake for a while, I’d make dinner, watch Dancing with the Stars, and take a hot bath while I read a good book.  In reality, I can only get about half of that into a day.

Titania:  What do you think makes a man sexy?

Alice: Intelligence and kindness.  I like nice men.  Alphas can go find some other woman to make miserable.  Physically, the single thing that most attracts me to a man is his smile.  If it lights up his face and puts a wicked twinkle in his eyes, I melt inside.  After that, broad shoulders and tight buns.

Titania:  Who do you think is the sexiest man alive?

Alice: Lordy.  (fans self)  I don’t know, but no man under 40 would make my list.  Of course, I’m old.  Patrick Stewart and Timothy Dalton light my fire.  There was only one man I told my husband I’d leave him for – the great operatic baritone, Sherrill Milnes.  When he sang, my bones turned to cooked spaghetti.  Hal knew that if Sherrill Milnes showed up looking for me, I wouldn’t take the time to pack a toothbrush.  I’d be GONE.  Hal used to laugh his butt off at that.  Of course, he knew that would never happen.  Drat.

Titania:  Were you your husband’s favorite author?

Alice:  Nope.  Robin Schone was.  Really.  I used to tell him, “Maybe Robin Schone will come over here and cook your dinner.”  He laughed his butt off at that.  We laughed a lot.

Titania:  Anything else you want to say?

Alice: To paraphrase from my favorite movie of all time, Harvey:  “In this world, you must be oh, so clever or oh, so pleasant.  I tried clever.  I recommend pleasant.”

Titania: Thanks for your time, Alice! It was great learning more about you. Readers, for more from Alice, please visit her website at www.authoralicegaines.com. To read excerpts from TWO of her books, please scroll down.

Siren of the Month Excerpts!

SEXATION

by Alice Gaines

Available at Changeling Press

www.authoralicegaines.com

What were you supposed to do when you found a little, green man in your backyard yelling at the lawn gnome? Carly Osborn did the only logical thing. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and slapped herself a couple of times. That ought to dislodge the cobwebs. Imagination or no, when she opened her eyes again, the small creature hadn’t disappeared. If anything, he’d puffed himself up in what looked like outrage and shouted at the porcelain ornament in a high-pitched language she’d never heard before. Lordy.

She took a few steps toward whatever he was, but not too close, and cleared her throat. “Can I help you?”

The man turned. If indeed she could call him a man. He seemed to have green and silver scales rather than skin and not much more than nostrils where his nose should be. One of his feathered brows rose over close-set eyes with crimson irises.

“Are you the proprietor?” he asked in perfect English. Accented, but easily understood.

“My husband and I own this house.”

“You should discipline this servant.” He pointed toward the gnome. “He’s very rude.”

“It dissed you?”

“I’ve been talking to it for five of your time units,” he said.

“Minutes.”

“Yes, minutes. And he hasn’t given me the courtesy of a reply.”

“It can’t. It’s not alive.”

The creature put its not-nose into the gnome’s face. “It looks human.”

“Really. It’s porcelain. Touch it.”

“I can do better than that.” The man raised a green fist and let it fly into the gnome’s chin. Immediately, he pulled his hand back and yelped in pain. The gnome teetered and then fell over onto the grass where it rolled for a second before settling.

“I told you,” Carly said.

He humphed with human-like disgust and reached under the silver scales. They were clothing, not skin. After a bit, he pulled out some glossy paper and held it out toward her. He tapped the front. “I want to find this address.”

She peered at it and finally recognized the paper as a magazine. “Hey, how did you get my copy of Femme Kink?”

His red eyes got wide with excitement. “This is you?”

“Carly Osborn. Yes.”

He did a little jig, hopping from one foot to the other in what looked like joy. “My navigation was better than I could have dreamed.”

“You didn’t answer my question. How did you get that?”

“The probe sampled the contents of your message receptacle.”

“The mailbox,” she said.

“Mailbox,” he repeated, as if storing the word for future use.

“You stole our mail,” she said. “That’s a federal offense.”

He cocked his head and stared at her as if the words got in but the meaning didn’t register.

Oh, hell, she wasn’t going to call the FBI and report an extraterrestrial mail thief. But she owed the customer service woman at the power company an apology for screaming at her about the missing bill. Not to mention the mail order outfit.

Hey, wait a minute. “You got my bras, you little pervert.”

The man ogled her breasts and gave her a grin full of tiny, sharp teeth. “And your textbook, Professor Osborn.”

“I’m not a professor. What textbook?”

He held up Femme Kink and leered at her.

“I didn’t write that,” she said.

He tapped the front with a scaly finger. “It has your name on the cover.”

“It’s a mailing label.”

“Don’t be modest, professor. I’m here to learn.” The grin got wider and more evil. In a minute, he’d be slobbering.

“Hey, now. Hang on. You don’t think…” She pointed at the magazine. “That I wrote… and that I’m going to… with you.”

“Take me to your vibrator.”

THE WICKED WIFE

by Alice Gaines

Available at  Red Sage Publishing

www.authoralicegaines.com

“Have you and Dan made up?” Lisa asked

“That’s between us guys. It doesn’t affect you and me.”

“Dream on, Brad.”

Oh, well. She hadn’t thrown anything. He stepped into the kitchen and found her rinsing glasses and loading them into the dishwasher. Tension rolled off her. She was really furious.

Five years of married life, and she hadn’t killed him yet. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her, pressing the roses up toward her face. “For you.”

She put the plate she’d been cleaning in the sink and took the bouquet. “Sweet.”

“You know you can’t stay mad at me, baby.”

She opened a cabinet, took down a vase, and turned to him. Looking him straight in the eye, she shoved the flowers and then the vase into his chest. “Don’t count on it.”

He winced with pain. Damn. Dan might have bruised one of his ribs. He was a small guy but tough as nails. At least, Brad had given him a swollen lip to take home to Paz. He set the vase and the flowers on the counter. “Come on, Lisa. Dan had it coming.”

“Do you know how idiotic the two of you looked?” She put her hands on her hips and glowered at him. “For pity’s sake, you were practically naked.”

“I didn’t have time to find my cup from high school wrestling, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay, Brad. The whole neighborhood could hear you.  Some people probably watched, too.”

Well, shit. Who cared what the neighbors thought? There was a principle involved. He pointed toward the heavy, insanely expensive gizmo on the counter. “What if Paz took your mixer?”

“It’s hers. We share.” She stuck her nose up in his face. “Like grown-ups.”

“She’s a grown-up. Her moron husband isn’t.”

She turned back to the sink. “Go away and let me cool down enough so I don’t put anti-freeze in your dinner.”

He slid his arms around her again and pulled her back against him, pressing his lips to her ear. “Come on, baby. Don’t stay mad. I’ll make it up to you.”

She melted, just a little. If he hadn’t made love to her non-stop for the last ten years, he might have missed her reaction. But, he could read her like a book now, and he was making progress.

He covered her breasts with his palms and squeezed gently. Just the pressure she liked. “We never finished this morning, you know.”

“You really don’t want to remind me of that.”

He nibbled along the length of her neck. “Want to ride my stallion some? It didn’t get hurt.”

Dan hadn’t gotten anywhere near his member. It was healthy and hard and throbbing. He pressed it against her butt so that she could feel it, even through the layers of clothing.

“Let me finish what I started,” he said. “You’ll enjoy it. I promise.”

“Brad…” Her voice had a note of uncertainty in it. He’d had the good sense to fall in love with a woman with a strong sex drive. She couldn’t stick to her boycott. In a couple of days, she’d get hot and wet for him, and then…make-up sex. Hell, if he could get his hands into her panties, she’d be ready in a couple of minutes.

5. Decadent Delights

by Samantha Winston
http://www.samanthawinston.com

It’s cold outside, but inside, the stew pot is bubbling with loads of tasty recipes that are healthy and easy to cook!

Curried Lentils and Carrots

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils
2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons butter
1 bouillon cube (your choice)
1 cup dried raisins (golden are good for this recipe)
1 teas. Good quality curry powder
1 teas. Fennel seeds
Water for cooking the lentils 

Procedure:

Cook the lentils until almost done. Add the bouillon cube and carrots and continue cooking. Cook the onions in the butter until translucent. Drain the excess water from the lentils, leaving just enough to make a sort of stew. Add onions to lentils and carrots along with the spices and raisins. Cook until lentils are completely tender. Delicious with lamb or pork.

Red Bean Stew ‘à la Sam’

Ingredients:

1/4 lb of diced bacon

1 onion – diced

2 cups dried beans (soak them overnight then rinse in cold water before making this recipe)

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 teaspoon orange peel; grated or slivered

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 bouillon cube

11/2 lb cubed pork (a chicken cut into 8 pieces is great too.)

A little olive oil or butter for frying the meat.

Procedure:

First brown the meat, bacon and onion in a large stew pot or Dutch oven. When lightly browned, add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam at the top, then lower heat to medium low. Let this stew simmer for several hours until the beans are tender and fully cooked.

Take about a cup of the beans out of the pot and put in the blender, then stir this paste back into the stew.

You can use black beans, pinto beans, or red beans. All should be soaked overnight before cooking. Red beans will need a bit more cooking time than the others.

Serve with rice and crusty bread, a green salad, and lots of friends!

Ye Olde Chicken Soup Made with Leftover Chicken

This is such an easy recipe I make it all the time whenever we’ve just had a roasted chicken. I use whatever veggies are lurking in the fridge – potatoes, carrots, leeks, parsnips…whatever I can find. It’s delicious and economical.

Ingredients:

1 leftover chicken. (When you bake a chicken, don’t throw the carcass away! Make it into a soup!)

Carrots

Onions

Leeks

1 bouillon cube

Sprig of fresh parsley

(Optional: potatoes, parsnips, peppers, peas, cabbage, rice, pasta…)

Procedure:

Slice the veggies and cook in sweet butter until golden but not browned. Put in a soup pot and add the chicken carcass and cover with water. Add a bouillon cube and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for a couple hours.

Hints: If adding potatoes, add about 30 minutes before serving. Cook the rice before adding if you want rice in the soup. If adding cabbage, slice thinly and add about 5-10 minutes before serving. Add peas last minute too, to keep their sweetness. If using frozen peas, cook for 10 minutes in soup.

Remove chicken carcass and let cool. Strip all the meat from the bones and return to soup. Sprinkle parsley on the top just before serving.

Note: This soup is lovely when you’ve got a cold. Strain it and serve with lemon juice in a coffee mug.

6. Enticing Excerpts

GARGOYLE'S CHRISTMAS

by Katherine Kingston

ISBN: 1-4199-0481-7
Available at Ellora’s Cave

In Gargoyle’s Christmas, Averic, the gargoyle of the title, has decided to take human form for the limited time he’s allowed at the winter solstice. He’s become fascinated by a young woman he’s seen pass his cathedral every day. After taking a man’s shape, he arranges to meet her by having a friend trip her. He saves her from injury at the cost of a few scrapes and bruises, but she offers to help him repair the damage.

Excerpt:

When she finished with his injuries Tricia sat back, looked up and met his eyes. For several long minutes they stared at each other. In that shared glance was the mutual acknowledgement that, though they barely knew each other, interest and attraction gripped them powerfully.

She caught her breath on something close to a sob, then leaned farther back and said, in a voice that wobbled, “I usually do something fairly simple for supper, like soup and a sandwich. It’s not much, but if you’d like to… I know you can probably get much better at your hotel, but…”

“I’d be honored to share soup and a sandwich with you.”

Conversation flowed easily over a supper that pleased his newborn taste buds. He told her he was new in town, having just transferred from Seattle as part of his job as a financial manager. He was staying in a hotel while looking for an apartment. He questioned her about her background. After dinner they had coffee and dessert in her living room.

As he rose to leave, he couldn’t help it. She’d gotten up to escort him to the door and stood close. He had to have a taste of her, so he leaned down to brush his mouth over hers.

Her lips moved softly at first, a delicate flutter of butterfly wings against his, but warm and promising. He wrapped his arms around her to draw her closer and she came willingly, pressing her body against his. Her lips parted, welcoming his tongue into the hot depths of her mouth. Fire ignited deep in his gut.

“You’re delicious.” He had to draw back to say the words, but only for a moment.

“You taste wonderful yourself.” She stretched to kiss him again.

Heat rushed along his veins, making his blood turn to steam, tightening every muscle, gathering in his groin where the pressure grew heavy so fast it hurt. She had to feel the bulge of his cock, but it didn’t stop her from moving in even closer. A small groan from her almost sent him over the edge into a blazing madness. He’d never guessed human desire would be like this—a need so pressing he couldn’t figure out how to resist.

Her tongue tangled with his, touching lightly, stroking and twining. Their breath mingled. He tasted coffee and cake, but she smelled like spring roses and rain and woman. She felt like heaven.

Her response made his heart expand along with his cock. She pressed herself against him and wound her arms around his neck, pushing fingers into his hair with a soft moan. He tugged her blouse loose from her skirt and slid his hands up the soft, warm skin of her back until he reached the clasp of her bra. It took a moment of awkward maneuvering to release it. His hands moved around her sides, slipping under the loose fabric until the backs of his palms brushed the sweet curves of her breasts.

She drew a sharp breath and then groaned deep in her throat.

His senses reeled, overloaded. He was moments away from dragging her over to the couch and…

With an effort, he ended the kiss and drew back. His breath heaved in and out in painful pants.

Her expression changed from joyously sultry, drugged with desire, to dismay. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t… I’ve never done anything like this before. What did I do wrong?”

“Don’t look like that.” He brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “It’s nothing you did wrong. In fact, you did everything right. Too right.” He smiled at her, feeling like a bug when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Tricia, we’ve known each other for all of—” He consulted his watch. “About three hours now. You’re not the kind of woman who does casual sex and I’m not the kind of man who wants it.”

Honesty forced him to add, “Well, okay, I do want it, but I know better.” He studied her face, drinking in her guileless bemusement. “Have you had sex before?”

A pink flush stained her cheeks as she shrugged. “A couple of times. But it’s never started out like…like this just felt.”

“And I’ve never felt anything like it, either,” he admitted. “But we’re not going to rush into this in the heat of the moment.”

“Will there be another moment?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. A lot of them, I hope. If you’re willing. But first we’re going to take some time to get to know each other. And there’s something else you need to know about me. It affects our relationship.”

Her gracefully arched, light brown eyebrows rose in question.

“If I were to ask you to do some things that seemed…strange to you, what do you think you’d say?”

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like tomorrow, when you go to work, I want you to dress up in your prettiest dress, put your hair up, put on nice makeup, because I’m taking you out to dinner. But instead of pantyhose, I want you to wear a garter belt and stockings. If you don’t own any, go buy them on your lunch break. And before you leave work in the evening, take off your panties but leave on the garter belt and stockings. If I asked you to do that for me, would you?”

Her frown broke up into a slow, almost reluctant smile. Color rose in her cheeks as she nodded.

“How would it make you feel?” he asked.

“Probably more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life.”

“Good. Then you’ll do it?”

“Yes.”

He took her hand, but didn’t move closer. “Do you have plans for the weekend? No? Good. Will you show me your favorite sights around the city? But when you do, I want you to wear thong panties and no bra under your clothes. It’s cold enough we’ll have to wear coats, so no one will know except the two of us. Maybe on Sunday I’ll even ask you to wear only the panties and bra under your coat.”

She sucked in a harsh breath. The hand he held trembled.

“I swear I won’t do anything to hurt or humiliate you,” he promised. “These things will all be private to us.”

He waited for her nod before he continued, “I need you to know that this is how I am. If it’s too much for you or frightens you too much or just makes you want to run away screaming, then tell me now before we go any further.”

“No, it doesn’t. But…”

“But?”

“How much further does it go?”

He paused. “A good question. Mostly that depends on how far we decide we want it to go. If it gets to that, I’d like to be your Master as well as your lover, but what that means is negotiable. I wouldn’t expect you to live under my thumb or be subservient all the time. I think you’re a natural sexual submissive, however. I hope you’ll play my games for the next few days, and see if that’s true. We’ll take it from there, one step at a time. And if you don’t like those kinds of games or don’t want to play, it doesn’t mean there can’t be anything else between us.”

He kissed her lightly again. “It’s got to be some kind of strange Christmas magic. We met just a few hours ago, but already I feel like there’s a connection between us. Something deep inside me already belongs to you. I don’t know how that could be. I’ve certainly never reacted that way to any other woman before.”

He turned, but before he left, he bent down and touched her forehead, her nose and her lips. “I’ll meet you in front of the cathedral tomorrow at five-thirty.” Before temptation overwhelmed him again, he scooted out the door and closed it behind him.

A WISH GRANTED

From the anthology

HOLIDAY HEAT

by Lynn LaFleur

Available from Ellora’s Cave

www.lynnlafleur.com

Crista didn’t want to awaken. She felt too comfortable to move. A delicious heat warmed her back, buttocks, and thighs. Crista snuggled closer to it and sighed contentedly. Sleep tugged at her mind, luring her back into that place of no pain, no worries.

Something hard nudged her buttocks. Crista frowned and shifted to get away from it. That’s when she felt a hand on her stomach, beneath her shirt.

Her eyes popped open. Jeff. That meant the hard thing against her buttocks…

Crista lay still, trying to breathe normally so she wouldn’t disturb him. It had been eight months since she’d awakened with a man in her bed. That warmth, that feeling of closeness…she wanted to savor it for a few more minutes.

Groaning softly, Jeff thrust his erection against her buttocks. Crista had to bite her lip to keep from groaning too. So many times she’d awakened with Joe pressed up against her just like this. He’d lift her top leg and slide his cock inside her, or pull her over on top of him. He’d loved for her to be on top so he could play with her breasts and buttocks.

I want that again.

Crista slowly rolled her head toward Jeff. He still slept soundly. His tousled hair drew her attention. Lifting one hand, she touched a tendril that curled over his forehead. Soft, as she suspected.

He shifted again. His hand moved, dipping beneath the waistband of her sweats. Crista quickly pulled her hand back. She didn’t want him to wake up yet. It felt too good being in his arms.

Jeff’s hand flattened on her abdomen, then slowly inched upward underneath her shirt. Her breath hitched when he cupped her breast.

He plucked at her nipple with his thumb and forefinger. Closing her eyes again, Crista tilted back her head. Warm, moist lips touched her neck, the sensitive skin below her ear. A gentle tug on her earlobe with his teeth made goose bumps erupt over her skin.

“Crista,” he whispered.

In the next instant, Jeff froze. His entire body tensed. “Crista?”

Before she could say anything, Jeff jerked his hand away from her and scooted back, putting several inches between them. “Damn it, Crista, I’m sorry. I wasn’t… I didn’t mean to…” He ran his hand over his face. “Shit.”

Crista rolled over to face him. “You were asleep.”

“That’s no excuse for touching you.”

The covers bunched around his waist. She’d been too upset last night to notice the way he looked. She wasn’t upset now. Crista’s gaze traveled over his broad shoulders, wide chest, and strong arms. A generous sprinkling of blond hair spread across his chest and down his stomach. Warmth flowed through her body and settled between her thighs. The man was gorgeous.

“Jeff, I’m not angry with you. In fact, I…”

She stopped, unsure if she should admit her feelings. She didn’t want to sound like a desperate, sex-starved widow.

“You what?”

“I enjoyed it. It’s been a long time since a man has held me, touched me.”

Jeff propped up on one elbow. “You’re a beautiful woman, Crista. I can’t imagine there’s a man alive who wouldn’t want to touch you.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice husky. “I won’t lie to you. I very much want to make love to you. I’ve wanted that since I opened my door and saw you on my porch.”

He reached over and drew one finger down her cheek. “We hardly know each other. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to.”

The dim light from the fire barely lit up the room, but she could clearly see the desire in Jeff’s eyes. It had been so long since a man had looked at her the way Jeff did now. Yes, they hardly knew each other, but something definitely existed between them. Talking to him, being comfortable with him, had been easy right away.

That had never happened to her with any other man but Joe.

Crista touched his cheek and ran her thumb over his lips. “I want you, Jeff. Make love to me.”

JINGLE BALLS

by Judy Mays

Writing as Sara Powell

Available at Changeling Press

http://www.judymays.com