83K Or Bust: Day Twelve/Thirteen
This is short because my brain has decided to throw a weather-triggered migraine at me. Stupid brain.
Day Twelve’s stats:
Started With: 27,100 words
Wrote: 3,122 words
Total word count: 30,222 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: Cat chores, laundry, copyediting, and then Ramón and I went to see a really awesome burlesque show.
Day Thirteen’s stats:
Started With: 30,222 words
Wrote: 897 words
Total word count: 31,119 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: I have no idea. I did something. Head hurts. Can’t remember.
Writing Tips: If you have a migraine, it’s okay to kick the writing in the head and go lie down. You have my permission.
Fabulous Friday Reads: Unprofessional
TGIF! Let’s kick off the weekend with Allyson Young’s new Romance on the Go story Unprofessional, now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance. Take it away, Allyson!
Hannah Evans is personal assistant to the very professional Benjamin Willis, and he keeps her firmly in that role. Her boss is a great man, and if he rewards himself with a large number of blondes, well, even great men can be misguided. Hannah couldn’t ask for anything more in her job—except she’s fallen for her boss. And now Mr. Willis seems to be seeking more than mere pleasure. What if he finds a woman with a beauty and brains? Unable to bear the idea, Hannah submits her resignation. Faced with losing her, Benjamin’s entire being reacts in shock, dismay and outrage, causing him to examine how he actually views Hannah. She has had months to come to terms with her strong emotions while he has had mere hours. But Benjamin is a quick study and discovers his true feelings for the woman who has been right under his nose.
Story Excerpt
“Hannah.” Her name fell harshly from his lips and she blinked several times, appearing to get herself under control. “Tell me why you’re leaving.” Leaving me.
“I appreciate the opportunity,” she nearly whispered. “Seeing as I had no experience.”
“You said that in your letter of resignation,” he agreed. “And I was happy to give it to you. You proved yourself quickly.” He shifted a tad closer and studied the rising color in her cheeks.
“I … I can’t stay on. Big world of opportunity out there and all.”
“You’re not telling me the truth. How bad can it be?”
Giving into an instinctive urge, he grasped her other hand and hauled her close. He locked his gaze with hers when she looked up, startled. “Tell me,” he insisted.
“I can’t.” She nearly whimpered and a good man would have backed off and let her go. He couldn’t find it within himself to do it.
Recognizing he couldn’t force her to confide, he resorted to sneakier tactics. He turned on the charm and cajoled. “Hannah, you’re invaluable to me and I can’t get my head around finding someone to replace you. Is it something I’ve done? Is the salary an issue?”
A shake of her head sent more strands of hair drifting down to her shoulders, these longer than the others, and they rested against the upper swells of her breasts. His stare traced their path before he glanced up to see her eyes wide with surprise. God, she was lovely. Smart, skilled and talented, all woman. Different from—
“Benjamin?” His name wasn’t on Hannah’s lips but spoken at his office door. He recognized that voice. “Benjamin?”
He could only imagine how it looked, his disheveled PA sprawled in a chair, him kneeling at her feet, holding her hands captive and their faces mere inches apart. With an effort, he turned his head and acknowledged his latest fling. Past fling. “Give me a minute, Tiffany.”
Hannah quivered and tried to pull away, but he hung on tightly, willing the tall blonde out of his office.
“I see you’ve already replaced me,” she replied, scorn and anger coloring her voice. At any other time, he might have found her alluring, all flushed with outrage and passion. As usual, Tiffany was dressed to the nines in a body-revealing outfit that displayed her long, slender figure and enhanced breasts to full advantage. But she left him cold, something new, because he rarely tired of his blondes physically, choosing to keep his hookups brief to avoid emotional attachment.
Tiffany sneered at Hannah. “She’s hardly your taste. Pudgy and plain, wouldn’t you say?”
If he hadn’t known to keep hold of Hannah, wrapping his hands around Tiffany’s elegant neck might have been an excellent alternative. “Get out.”
“Gladly. You’re welcome to him, secretary-type. It won’t last, especially as he’s slumming.”
He spared her only enough of a look to ensure she had indeed gone before turning back to Hannah. Who was staring at him with a multitude of emotions washing over her expressive features.
“She’s different than the others.” Well, that was the last thing he expected.
“Excuse me?” He knew he sounded astonished.
“She has a career. So she must use her brain. And she meets all your other criteria.”
Hannah would know, he acknowledged inwardly. Except it appeared she was wrong— his preferences were changing. Had changed. His lower body, and not his now aching knees, was in total agreement. Hannah had been under his nose all this time with her quiet, efficient ways and non-intrusive manner, yet he would bet she knew more about him than he knew about himself. But she was leaving, so obviously didn’t feel the same. No point in opening that door, especially as he lacked the tools. He ground his back teeth against a disappointed growl and clambered to his feet after carefully setting Hannah’s hands on her lap.
“I’m sorry she said those things.”
“Which ones?” She sounded intent, earnest, and peered up at him.
“She insulted you.”
Hannah shrugged and those round breasts lifted higher on her torso. “No comparison. We aren’t even the same species, I don’t think.”
Benjamin laughed. That was the effect Hannah had on him despite all that had just taken place. He felt … happy around her. And there was that shift again. She’d been an enormous part of his life for over a year. He’d spent more time—awake at least—with her than any other person. His laughter faded when he imagined the future without her.
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon US
Amazon CA
All Romance eBooks
BookStrand
About Allyson Young
Allyson Young lives in cottage country in Manitoba, Canada with her husband of many years, and numerous pets. She worked in the human services all across Canada and has seen the best and worst of what people bring to the table. Allyson has written for years, mostly short stories and poetry, published in small newspapers and the like, although her work appeared in her high school yearbooks too! After reading an erotic romance, quite by accident, she decided to try her hand at penning erotica.
Allyson will write until whatever she has inside her is satisfied- when all the heroes man up and all the heroines get what they deserve. Love isn’t always sweet, and Allyson favours the darker side of romance.
Where to find Allyson Young
83K Or Bust: Day Eleven
Didn’t make word count today, mainly because I was busy doing promo for Evernight Publishing’s 5th birthday bash and blog tour (go check it out — I’m giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate as my personal prize), working on another editing project, and copyediting a friend’s novel (it’s a pay job — I’ve got a cruise coming up and I need all the shekels I can earn right now). Not making word quota is annoying but as I said earlier, it happens. I’m currently about 7K behind where I should be, which is still makeupable (is that a word? It is now), especially with a couple of weekends ahead of me. If I can get a good head of steam up this weekend I should be able to whittle that down to 2K or so, the gods willing and the crick don’t rise.
I won’t be working tomorrow night, though, because I have ringside tickets for an awesome burlesque show and I’m bringing Ramón, my buddy Stretch and her husband. I may be behind at the moment but I’m also a hair under 1/3 of the way through the book, and that deserves a reward.
Today’s stats:
Started With: 26,064 words
Wrote: 1,036 words
Total word count: 27,100 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: Cat chores, did knee PT workout, promo for Evernight’s 5th birthday blog tour, started copyediting a friend’s book, more editing on the video project, a touch of food shopping, made a big ol’ batch of tarragon chicken salad so that Ramón can continue to eat as low carb as possible while I’m working, and laundry.
Writing Tips: There’s a reason why the carrot and stick analogy works so well. Don’t be afraid to hold out rewards for various things — making word quota, reaching certain milestones in the book, and most definitely when you finish the book. Want to watch an episode of The Vampire Diaries? Finish a chapter. Want to play Solitaire? Finish a chapter. Etcetera. I always buy myself some jewelry when I finish a book, and I’m already on the lookout for what I want as my carrot on October 18th.
WOOHOO! Happy 5th Birthday, Evernight Publishing!
Thanks to readers like you, Evernight Publishing has grown by leaps and bounds in five years so they’re pulling out all the stops and throwing an extreme BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BLOG HOP in your honor!
That’s right! It’s Evernight’s birthday but YOU get the presents…
Prizes include:
• Apple Watch Sport
• NEW Kindle Paperwhite
• Fitbit Flex
• Evernight, Amazon, and ARe Gift Certificates
Plus, each author on the hop will offer his/her own special prize!
I personally want to wish Evernight Publishing a wonderful and very happy fifth birthday, and a huge thank you for taking a chance on me and publishing what is turning into the fantasy erotic romance equivalent of Harry Potter (I swear, Storm Season was supposed to be short and sweet. Next thing I know, I have a six-book epic series in progress. I ask you).
Speaking of my books with Evernight, here’s a look at my first Evernight title and my latest release in said epic series:
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In addition to all the nifty prizes from Evernight, I’m also offering a personal blog prize of a $25 Amazon gift certificate. To enter, just leave a comment here and tell me about your dream birthday (all-expenses-paid spa day? Cruising in the Bahamas? Dinner and birthday cake with Michael Fassbender? Eating birthday cake off Michael Fassbender? Go wild).
And if that’s not enough, it’s a great time for an Evernight shopping spree because all Evernight titles are 25% off through October 9th at AllRomance eBooks!
Click here and enter to win the Grand Prizes using Rafflecopter! And once you’re done with that, hop on over to the next blog!
83K Or Bust: Day Ten
Goodbye September, hello October (and hopefully cooler temperatures if the local weathermen aren’t making it up as they go again). Today was a day of pulling out words by the roots. Sometimes they flow. Sometimes you have to tease them out, and sometimes you have to go in after those suckers with a pickaxe and C-4 and tell yourself that you’ll clean everything up in the edit. Foo.
Today’s stats:
Started With: 23,021 words
Wrote: 3,043 words
Total word count: 26,064 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: Cat chores, cleaned up all kinds of cat vomit (what the heck is going on with them, I do not know), did knee PT workout, hit every poster on the Mid Week Tease and left comments on their teases, left answers for comments on my own tease, did promo blog posts for Deep Water in various groups on Facebook cooked lunch for Ramón and myself, made a skull necklace and bracelet, mailed out jewelry purchases and a new check for a bill because I’d forgotten to sign the first one, made dinner for Ramón and myself, and took a shower.
Writing Tips: Give yourself permission to write crap. Not every word that you write in the first draft will be gold. In fact, they’re going to be pretty shitty, with little glittering bits here and there that show promise. Think of it as digging clay out of a riverbank and slapping it into the general form of a person — the second/third/yadda yadda drafts are when you start carving everything into shape, adding stuff here and deleting stuff there. Sometimes deleting a lot of stuff there. Right now you’re not concerned with precision, or the perfect turn of phrase (although if you can manage those little glittering bits, please do so), or a gripping scene. You want shitty words that convey the general plotline of the story, and you want enough of them so that you make your word count. Do whatever you have to do to get them there — write a general outline that you’ll fill in later, skip ahead in the story, write something absolutely ridiculous that you know you’ll have to delete later but amuses you now. This is the time to get mud all over everything and build that castle.
Mid Week Tease: Empress of Storms #MidWeekTease #MWTease
Still working on the challenge project (now called Empress of Storms) and the more I write about Matthias and Danäe the more I like this prickly, too smart for their own good couple who are finding out that they have far more in common than they ever thought. Here’s a hot little scene where Matthias learns that well-bred young ladies sometimes like to be on top.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
When widower King Matthias IV of Ypres is called upon to fulfill a treaty with the neighboring country of Hellas and provide a royal consort for young Queen Danäe, the only Ypresian royal available for marriage is himself. Can he overcome his grief for his late wife and risk letting a blue-haired witch queen into his heart? And can Danäe, only half-trained as a water mage, root out a magical threat against Matthias before it kills the man she’s loved since childhood?
At night Danäe could finally put aside the public persona of Queen and revel in her new role as Matthias’s wife. The king had been as good as his promise, and made sure to come to her chambers as soon as they were both ready for bed. Sometimes they would pass the time talking about the day’s events over goblets of crisp white wine provided by Flavia, but more often a laughing Matthias would tumble her onto the wide bed and proceed to drive her mad with his lips and hands, holding off until she was begging for release before he slid deep inside her.
But for all his passion, there were curious gaps in the king’s sensual education. Danäe stumbled across one of these one night when she playfully straddled him, rubbing his erect shaft against her mound and the slick flesh beneath it. He closed his eyes and groaned softly at the sensation.
“Well, you’re certainly eager,” she teased. “I do believe I’m of a mind to ride the royal stallion tonight.”
His eyes popped open. “What? You mean…me? You on top of me?”
His shock was mild but genuine. “Well, yes,” Danäe said, wondering if she’d come up against some odd Ypresian taboo. But they breed horses — it can’t be that unknown among them. “Unless you don’t care for that position.”
“Oh. No, it’s not that. I just didn’t know…”
Danäe paused. “You didn’t know what?”
He let his hands settle on her hips, cupping them. “That well-bred young women knew about things like that.”
She couldn’t help laughing at the absurdly prim tone of his voice. “It’s a very common position, you know. And not just among tavern wenches and women of questionable virtue.”
“Danäe, really.” His mouth twitched. “It’s just…Hanne wasn’t comfortable doing such things.”
“Ah.” She sat back on her haunches, wondering if the late queen hadn’t enjoyed the act of love, or was simply too reserved to ask for variety in her husband’s lovemaking. “I myself happen to enjoy it a great deal. It gives me more leverage and allows me to rub against you in a way that feels wonderful.”
“It does?”
“May I show you?”
The hazel brown of his eyes darkened. “Please do.”
Rising up, she guided the head of his cock between her legs and eased him inside, grateful that his earlier kisses and caresses had left her nicely wet. Her inner muscles stretched from his girth, and the delicious sensation of fullness started a warmth in her belly that would soon build into a raging fire.
Humming happily, she slid down until he was completely inside her. “How does that feel, milord king?”
“Tight,” he said, somewhat breathless. “Warm, slick. Gods, you feel amazing.”
“You as well. Now,” she rose up and sank down on him again, “one of the benefits for you is that you can simply lie there and enjoy me. Feel me tight and hot around you, watch my breasts bounce as I ride you.” She cupped them, stroking and tweaking the aching nipples. Flickers of pleasure arrowed down to the wet flesh between her legs, enhancing the sensation of Matthias’s marvelous cock inside her. “I love feeling you like this, so thick and hard.”
“I can tell.” His breath had shortened, not quite panting but heading there. “Is that why you enjoy this position?”
“Partially, and also because I can also do this.” Her right hand snaked down, one finger landing on her clit and rubbing it in slow circles. Flames of pure pleasure licked up through her belly. She threw her head back, grinning at the ceiling. “Oh, Gods, that’s good.”
His hand crept around from her hip, long fingers splayed across her thigh. “Show me how to do that,” he said, hoarse.
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Wicked Wednesday Reads: Sunshine and Love
Whee, it’s Wednesday! Never fear, for today I’m here with Doris O’Connor and her sweetly hot erotic romance Sunshine and Love, now available from Evernight Publishing and other online purveyors of fine erotic romance. Take it away, Doris!
Thanks so much for having me on your blog with my new release Sunshine and Love. Like all of the MM stories I’ve written so far this one took me by surprise.
I’d found a yummy man candy pic to share with my reader group the RavDor Chicks. This hunk to be precise.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/243757398558965893/
I wondered what hero he might be, and in our ensuing brainstorming session we came up with the following. He was a Dom, struggling with who he was. A single dad in need of a nanny. Oh and wouldn’t it be cool if this was a MM….
That’s all it took for my muse to sit up, rub her hands in glee, and force my fingers to the keyboard.
Sunshine and Love was born, and I had oodles of fun, and also shed a tear or two in the writing of this story. Hopefully, you lovely readers will go through the same emotions.
As an aside, if you’ve read Under his Boss, you will also recognise a few familiar names, as they make an appearance in this story. J
Now, to quote Jordan…Sunshine and Love is all you need….
He needs a nanny not a submissive…
Aaron Gibson is struggling with his many hats—single dad, business owner, Dom. His desperate search for a suitable nanny for his daughter Sunshine grinds to a halt when Jordan Carole walks into his office.
This inked biker is certainly not your ordinary kind of nanny, but the man’s instant rapport with his daughter convinces Aaron that Jordan is perfect for the job. All Aaron has to do is keep his hands off his nanny—simple, right?
Well, it would be if the two men could ignore the combustible, sexual tension between them. Jordan wants nothing more than to be allowed to take care of his new boss and his adorable baby.
If only he could convince the stubborn man that Sunshine and Love is all they need.
Story Excerpt
This close to the man he loved Jordan lost his composure, and before he could lose his bottle, he smashed his lips over Aaron’s. The other man’s surprised grunt granted him access, and Jordan wasted no time in slipping his tongue past the cool lips he’d been fantasizing over for weeks now, and deepened the kiss. The very scent and essence of Aaron Gibson exploded on his taste buds, and when Aaron kissed him back, the last semblance of rational reasoning fled Jordan’s brain. Tongues dueling and teeth clashing, this wasn’t just a kiss. It was punishment and connection all rolled into each other, as Jordan put all of his emotions into the frantic and ever more passionate kiss. When he ground his erection into his boss’s groin, and felt the equally hard ridge of his employer’s own need, he pulled away to study him. Aaron’s azure gaze was almost black, as his pupils dilated in his arousal, and chests heaving, they stared at each other.
“Fuck, we can’t do this.”
Aaron’s strangled groan broke the last of Jordan’s restraint, and he grasped hold of the other man’s stiff cock. Even through the fabric separating him from his prize, the heat of Aaron’s shaft branded him, and his boss groaned when he rubbed the flat of his palm up down Aaron’s dick.
“Dammit, stop.”
“No, I won’t. I want to taste you, Sir.”
Jordan dropped to his knees and closing his eyes, nuzzled into Aaron’s groin. Aaron’s hiss in answer and the way the man’s hands fisted in his hair made him bolder, and pulling away he looked up at his boss, while running his hand slowly up his thighs. The muscles bunched under his fingertips, and Aaron groaned and shook his head when Jordan reached his belt buckle and slowly undid it.
“Fuck, you really don’t have to do this. I … fuuuck.”
Jordan grinned as he pulled down the zipper, and reaching into Aaron’s boxer briefs, pulled out his boss’s cock, and licked across Aaron’s sensitive cock head.
The pressure on his scalp increased, and the slight pain fueled his own arousal, as did the drop of pre-cum that appeared on the slit of his lover’s magnificent dick. Aaron’s cock hardened further in Jordan’s fist, as he slid it slowly up and down Aaron’s thick and heavily veined shaft. The action pulled the other man’s foreskin back, and Jordan licked around the exposed, swollen head. A deep groan and yet more of the other man’s musk was his reward. Bringing his free hand up to fondle his boss’s heavy balls, he grasped the base of Aaron’s peen and hollowing out his cheeks, took as much of him in his mouth as he could.
Jordan closed his eyes and gave himself up to the heady sense of power that being on his knees and going down on another man always gave him, as he drank in Aaron’s unique spicy, salty musk, content in the knowledge that at this moment in time, the man was his and his alone.
When he came up for air, grazing his teeth along the sensitive flesh in his mouth as he let go of Aaron’s cock, he glanced up and grinned at the man who was watching his every move through hooded eyelids.
“Still think we shouldn’t be doing this, Sir?” he asked with a smirk, and gasped when Aaron yanked his head back by his hair.
“Watch the sass, boy, and finish what you fucking started, before I come all over your face, and then tan your damn insolent ass for not taking no for an answer.”
The strain behind those few words spoke of Aaron’s need for him, and Jordan grinned around his mouthful of cock, as he went back down on his boss. Aaron swore when his cock hit the back of Jordan’s throat, and he swallowed around it.
“Fuck yes, just like that.” With those growled words the last of Aaron’s restraint broke, as he took over, and hands buried in Jordan’s hair, fucked his mouth with total abandonment. Relaxing his throat muscles Jordan relished in the feel of being used for this man’s pleasure, and gave himself over to the satisfaction to be found in that. The pain in his dick added to the sensation overload, as did the sound of the door opening, and the soft feminine gasp that barely registered over the roaring in his ears. He was so damn close to coming in his pants like a randy teenager it wasn’t even real and the knowledge that someone—no doubt Nicole—was watching him go down on Aaron made the whole thing ten times hotter.
Grasping hold of Aaron’s ass cheeks he renewed his efforts to make the other man come, and when the muscular globes clenched under his digits, and Aaron thrust into Jordan’s mouth in one last, un-coordinated move that threatened to cut off Jordan’s air supply, he knew he had him.
With a muffled groan, Aaron shot his cum down the back of Jordan’s throat, and he did his best to swallow the other man’s seed. The pressure on his head let up, enabling Jordan to pull back slightly, and Aaron’s furious curse bounced through the room, even as his cock continued to pulse inside Jordan’s mouth and he continued to milk the last few drops out of his lover’s junk.
“I’m so sorry. I … I’m sorry.” Nicole’s bumbling apology registered as Aaron pulled his cock out of Jordan’s mouth and yanked his trousers back up with another muttered curse.
Jordan couldn’t help it. Looking across at a red-faced Nicole who still peered at them through the slightly open door to Aaron’s office he winked at her and burst out laughing when she turned even redder and shut the door.
“This isn’t fucking funny.”
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
About Doris O’Connor
Doris is a writer of sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, Sci-fi, BDSM, F/F, M/M, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.
Happily married for the last twenty-five years, she lives with her husband and their brood of nine in a far too small house filled with love, laughter, and chaos.
Where to find Doris O’Connor
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Tsu
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance E-books
Bookstrand
83K Or Bust: Day Nine
Yep, not a damned word on the book today. No choice, as I had to work on a video project that is due later this week and sucked up the bulk of my day. Seriously, clones are looking better and better all the time.
Today’s stats:
Started With: 23,021 words
Wrote: 0 words
Total word count: 23,021 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: Cat chores, knee PT workout, recorded a podcast episode, and participated in the world’s longest video editing session. Seriously, I can’t even feel my butt anymore,
Writing Tips: Don’t beat yourself up if Real Life™ gets in the way and stops you from making your word quota, or from writing whatsoever. It happens sometimes. Just chalk it up to a day that need to be spent on other things and get back to work on your WIP tomorrow. I promise, the Muse won’t hold it against you.
83K Or Bust: Day Eight
Okay, that’s a little better. As it stands I’m now a little under one thousand words behind, which I should make up fairly easily this week, in between finishing a short story for a waiting anthology and delivering a video project to some friends who are waiting for it. Oh, and I edited a Sherlock Holmes pastiche I did a while ago and sent it off to an online magazine because members of my writer’s group were prodding me to send off non-erotic romance short stories again. Because it’s not like I’m doing anything else at the moment.
I’m starting to think that Ramón is right and I am making rods for my own backs. Have I mentioned how much I’m looking forward to our cruise in November? Like, I’m dreaming about it? Seven days on a ship out in the Bahamas, where I don’t have to clean up after cats, make dinner, or do anything but relax and let other people entertain me.
And work on my NaNoWriMo book, of course. I mean, it’s not as if writing stops just because I’m on vacay. That’s just silly talk.
Huh. I just realized I started this a week ago today and I already have a tad over 23,000 words done. Not bad, not bad at all.
Today’s stats:
Started With: 19,388 words
Wrote: 3,633 words
Total word count: 23,021 words
What else did you do today, Nicola: Cat chores, knee PT workout, did laundry, ran errands (mainly to pick up necessary meds), and got slammed by this really heinous sinus headache around 10 PM so I went to bed kinda early.
Writing Tips: There are two things you can do if you start getting sleepy while writing (it happens). One is to get up and do something–go for a walk, work out, do some housework, whatever. Research has shown that getting up every hour or so and getting the blood moving is not only good for your health, it helps your productivity. And whatever helps your productivity is something you should be doing. Unless that means eating a pound bag of peanut M&Ms every day. Don’t do that. Although a couple wouldn’t go amiss. Sorry, I’m in the middle of my Special Lady Time and man, I want chocolate.
The other is to take a nap. Sometimes it’s not that you’re getting sleepy because you’ve been sitting in one place for too long, it’s because you’re just generally sleepy. In which case lying down with your eyes closed for 40 minutes can work wonders.












