Guest Post | | Page 3

Guest Post: Ashe Barker, author of The Dark Side series

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Delilah Night

Today I’m excited to welcome my fellow Totally Bound author, Ashe Barker to my blog. She has just re-released her Dark Side trilogy. See below for a link to get her first book in the series for free from Totally Bound and enter a Rafflecopter to win a free copy of the complete series!

Hi Delilah, and a huge thank you for inviting me over here today to chat about my newest project which I like to think of as The Dark Side revisited. A few people have asked why I chose to go back and add in extra content, was the story not good the first time around? Here are some thoughts of mine on the revisions and re-editing

I loved the original version. The Dark Side was my very first published novel, and I was proud of it. That said, it’s not often we get a chance to have our time over, but I got exactly that when Totally Bound suggested a re-release with new content and new covers. Re-vamping the series was an opportunity to sharpen up the characters, add a few more scenes – spicy ones, naturally – and to round out the whole thing with a brand new epilogue. There are no fundamental plot twists or alterations, the story worked just as it was and I didn’t want to make major changes. But I seized the chance to turn up the heat more and allow the personalities of both Nathan and Eva to bloom.

Darker The Dark Side has always been one of my favourite stories, and one of the most popular with readers. Eva Byrne is a sassy, bright heroine, who has no idea what she wants out of life but knows it when she sees it and grabs it with both hands. In contrast, Nathan Darke is a brooding alpha hero with a seriously soft centre. He’s quite certain of what he wants – out of life and out of his latest submissive – and he sees loads of potential in Eva. The two find themselves on a sensuous journey of discovery. What’s not to love?

Nathan Darke was the first Dom I created and he embodies all my fondest imaginings and more besides. He’s clever, successful, wealthy but not in the millionaire bracket, and a doting father to his small daughter. I never wanted him to have everything his own way though, so he meets his match in Eva Byrne, the socially inept violinist with an off-the-scale IQ. At first these two seem like a miss-matched pair and Eva might just be out of her depth, drawn to Nathan like a moth to a flame. As the story unfolds though her hidden depths start to emerge, and Nathan has his hands full trying to keep up with her. Eva is both fascinated and appalled by Nathan’s kinky repertoire in the bedroom – and in some other interesting locations too – but it never occurs to her to say no when he invites her into his world. Her artistic soul soars, the scientist in her is intrigued. Nathan makes her feel things even her fertile imagination could not conjure up, and she’s hooked.

Darkest The Dark Side is an erotic romance – gritty, realistic, set in the UK. But I like to think it’s more than that. Each of the main characters is flawed, they have their demons to contend with and their own battles to fight. But against all the odds they are drawn to each other. There are plenty of twists and turns and surprises on the way as they struggle to find their HEA, but it is out there somewhere. The new epilogue offers a peep in to that, so even for readers who read and enjoyed Nathan and Eva’s story the first time around there’s something in the re-vamped version to help put the icing on the cake.

Series Blurb

The Dark Side trilogy charts the sensual journey of academic musician Eva Byrne as she struggles to overcome painful shyness, sexual inhibition and personal tragedy. Lonely, unsophisticated, desperately seeking love and approval, Eva is easy prey for sensual and experienced Nathan Darke.

He wants her submission, and he knows how to go about getting it. Eva is quickly caught up by the whirlwind of his effortless seduction, though she has her own reasons for agreeing to join him in his world of pain and pleasure, on the dark side.

Inexplicably fascinated and at the same time totally frustrated by his new submissive, Nathan is increasingly drawn to her as she opens up in his hands and he realises there is much, much more to his latest playmate than he ever could have imagined.

The Dark Side charts the turbulent relationship between Eva and Nathan as their mutual fascination builds. They both discover what surrender truly means as together they explore the fragile bonds of desire, trust, risk and reward, and the destructive power of betrayal.

Fancy a chance of winning all three books in the revamped series? Then all you need to do is join in my Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter

giveaway

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Oh, and did I mention that the first book in the series, Darkening, is FREE at Totally Bound until 30 April?

Here’s an excerpt from one of the new scenes in the second book in the series, Darker. Nathan and Eva are experimenting with a violet wand

“Comfortable?”

I nod. The length of the rope is sufficient for me to still kneel on the bed.

“Good. A little warm-up to start then. Are you ready?”

Again I nod.

“Miss Byrne, for the avoidance of doubt I’d prefer you to answer me with actual words during a scene. So, are you ready?”

Another rule to remember. I store it away. “Yes, I think so.”

“Remember, say red if you want me to stop, yellow to slow down.”

“Yes. I know. Oh!” I flinch at the sudden whirring as he starts up the wand. He hasn’t even touched me yet and I’m as jumpy as a cat.

“Try to relax, Miss Byrne,” he murmurs as he comes forward to kneel on the bed behind me. I look across the room, my attention caught by our reflection in the mirrored wardrobe door opposite—me naked and suspended ready for whatever he chooses to do. He smiles at me through the mirror, and I manage to smile back. More or less.

I watch, fascinated, as he raises the wand then brings it close to my arm. His movements are slow, unhurried, and just before the wand touches my skin the sparks fly.

“Oh! Oh that tickles.” I had steeled myself to expect something more…severe. The sensation is best described as lots of tiny pinpricks flickering across my skin. I am strangely disappointed.

He lifts the wand away. “Not painful then?”

“No, not exactly. More…odd. Is it supposed to hurt?”

“It can be used that way, but I’m not intending that today. We’re playing, this is fun. So you’ll tell me if it starts to feel unpleasant, yes?”

“It’s okay, I think. Could you turn it up a bit?”

He chuckles. “Miss Byrne, you have a reckless streak. How about this?”

He adjusts the dial on the side of the toy then strokes me again, this time drawing the wand down my arm and my ribs. I arch, savoring the slightly more intense champagne-like fizz it creates. The mauve glow and showers of sparks captivate me as I observe his progress in the mirror.

“Like it?” he murmurs.

“Yes. It’s…weird. But good.”

Nathan just smiles and continues with his work. I twist and writhe as he traces the wand across my shoulders, down my other arm, my bottom, then turns his attention to my breasts. The sensation as he caresses my swollen nipples is incredible and I let out a little shriek.

“Still okay?” He pauses, lifts the wand from my skin.

“Yes. Yes, it’s fine. I… Please don’t stop.”

“Let’s make this a little more interesting then.”

As I watch him in the mirror he tucks the still whirring electrode into the waistband of his jeans.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” I ask, perplexed.

He glances up, catching my eye in the mirror. “You know it doesn’t. I need to keep it away from my zip, though. Metal and electricity can be an unpredictable combination. You’ll have noticed there are no buckles on your cuffs.”

I hadn’t but now he mentions it…

He moves in close to me, then leans down to kiss the tip of my shoulder. A sizzle of electricity arcs across even before his lips make contact.

“Oh my God! You’re live!”

“Mmm, so now, every time I touch you, wherever I touch you…”

I let my head drop back between my shoulders, arching my back to thrust my breasts forward. Nathan takes the hint and reaches around me to cup my breasts in his hands. The sparkling ripple across my sensitive skin is exquisite, especially when he feathers his fingertips across my pebbled peaks. I turn my head to watch the stream of purple sparks reflected in the mirror, and marvel, not for the first time, at the wonders of physics.

About Ashe Barker

I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres. I still love reading, the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse for my guilty pleasure – research.

I tend to draw on my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters. An incident here, a chance remark there, a bizarre event or quirky character, any of these can spark a story idea.

I live in the North of England, on the edge of the Brontë moors. When not writing – which is not very often these days – my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, tortoises. And a very grumpy cockatiel.

I have over thirty titles on general release with publishers on both sides of the Atlantic, and I have several more in the pipeline. I write M/f, M/M, and occasionally ring the changes with a little M/M/f. All my books feature BDSM. I write explicit stories, always hot, but they offer far more than just sizzling sex. I like to read about complex characters, and compelling plots, so that’s what I write too.

I have a pile of story ideas still to work through, and keep thinking of new ones at the most unlikely moments, so you can expect to see a lot more from me.

Buy Links

Darkening Amazon US Amazon UK Barnes and Noble All Romance Totally Bound

Darkening is FREE at Totally Bound and All Romance until 30 April 2016

Darker Amazon US Amazon UK All Romance Totally Bound

Darkest Amazon US Amazon UK All Romance Totally Bound

Social Media Links and Newsletter sign-up

Newsletter Sign-Up

www.ashebarker.com

Amazon

google.com/+AsheBarker

Facebook

Twitter

Filed under: Guest Post | Tagged: Ashe Barker, delilah night, Guest Blog | 1 Comment »

Guest Post–O Dear…There’s A Woman in My M/M story

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Delilah Night

I’d like to welcome R.A. Padmos to the blog today. I met R.A. in the Totally Bound author FB group. I’m so intrigued to read The Bookshop and Unspoken. Leave a comment to win a chance to win one of R.A.’s books!

***

Unspoken is the story of a married man who falls in love with another man. It’s not a very usual theme in more recent m/m and gay romance novels, and neither does it seem to be a very popular one. Most readers, at least from what I see and hear, don’t like a woman being part of the one man is hot, two men are hotter picture.

So why did I choose to write exactly such a story? I can perhaps best call it a challenge to myself to write a historical novel with some absolute rules. I wanted to write a story about a Dutch working class man living in times of economic crises followed by five years of German occupation. It had to be an honest story, even if that honesty would cost me a few readers.

I had to face the fact that in those days, a man who could pass as straight, would likely make the choice to get married and start a family. He might not even recognise his own feelings, until lighting hit him and there was no longer a realistic way of denying the truth. But what to do with his wife and their four children? The most popular choice would be to let her die during the delivery of the youngest baby, which would give us a ready-made two-daddy family long before that concept became popular. Or I could write her as an unpleasant character, standing between our heroes and their love. If she would be nasty enough, who would blame a man for leaving his wife for the man who turned out to be the love of his life?

That, however, would be lazy writing. Above all, I hate portraying a female character as a bitch simply because she stands between two men and their true romance. So I ended up with a story of a man who falls deeply in love with another man and expresses his feelings in as many ways as possible. It’s also the story of a man married to a loyal sweetheart of a woman with whom he shares the responsibility getting a family through hard times.

Often enough that’s how things were back then, whether we, modern readers and writers of m/m and gay romance, want it in our stories or not. I know I had to take a deep breath to write Unspoken.

I’m happy I did.

Now it’s up to the readers…

What’s it about?

When Stefan meets Adri, it is love at first sight. It does, however, take some time before he recognizes his own feelings. He’s a married man—a family man—with a strong sense of responsibility. In Dutch society of 1935, sex between men over the age of twenty-one might be legal, but acceptance is still a long way off.

As a working-class man without a steady job, he doesn’t have the means to ignore society’s rules and create his own little paradise in which both he and his lover can be together, without his family having to suffer poverty and shame. Despite all this, the lovers find a way to carve out moments of intimacy and happiness.

Then the Germans march into Holland and nothing will ever be the same again. The occupation, which will last five long years, offers both danger and chances, but choices have to be made—choices of the head and choices of the heart.

Readers might be interested to know that Stefan, Adri and others also play a role in The Bookshop, the story of bookseller Jakoba.

A small taste?

They ended up on the floor together, with Adri full of impatience undressing Stefan, his eyes wide with delight.

“No one ever looked at me this way.” Stefan wasn’t even nearly ready to accept the other man’s gaze in a matter-of-fact manner. “Maybe it’s something women don’t like to do, only men.”

“What kind of way do you mean?” Adri asked with clearly feigned innocence.

“As if you don’t simply accept that I want you, but want me just as much. Marije—I shouldn’t even talk about this—she’s a sweet woman, but she never does or says anything that even hints that she’s really interested in me as a man. Doesn’t she have the same needs?” Stefan wondered aloud, but hidden there was another, unspoken question. Did I marry her for exactly that reason?

Where can I buy this book?

Pride Publishing

Amazon US

Amazon UK

A few words about me?

In no particular order: woman, writer, in a relationship with my wife since 1981 (though we had to wait until 2001 until we could actually get married), mother of two grown sons, owner of cats (I can pretend, can’t I?), reader and a lot more.

I write in different genres under different names. I’m also S.Dora for my M/M erotica and Ella Laurance for my M/F erotica.

Where can you find me?

My blog

My Facebook

Twitter

Care for a free book?

Anyone giving a reaction to this post between now and Wednesday has a chance of winning one of my books. Winner’s choice. I do need an e-mail address for obvious reasons.

Filed under: Guest Post, LGBT | Tagged: delilah night, Guest Blog, R.A. Padmos | 5 Comments »

Guest Post: Lisabet Sarai–author of The Gazillionaire and the Virgin

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Delilah Night

Today’s guest post is by the lovely Lisabet Sarai, with whom I’ve shared pages in three Coming Together anthologies–For the Holidays, Keeping Warm, and Strange Shifters. She is a delightfully inventive reader (her six foot penguin in Strange Shifters is my favorite of the characters I’ve met in the Coming Together anthologies), who is here to talk about (and run a contest for) her new release: The Gazillionaire and the Virgin.

***

An Interview with Rachel Zelinsky

by Lisabet Sarai

I want to thank Delilah for hosting me today and giving me a chance to talk about my recently released BDSM erotic romance The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. In thinking about my post, I realized it’s pretty boring for an author to go on and on about how great her book is (even if that’s true ;^) ). So as an alternative, I decided to interview my heroine, Rachel Zelinsky. (I interviewed my hero, Theo Moore, over at Desiree Holt’s blog last Wednesday.)

After the interview, I have included the blurb and an exclusive, super-sexy excerpt. Because I do think it’s an amazing romance… and so far reviewers agree!

Lisabet Sarai: Books on the craft of writing emphasize that every character should have a “defining characteristic”—some personality trait or tendency that governs the character’s behavior and choices. So what’s yours?

Rachel Zelinsky: That’s easy. Perseverance. When I set myself a goal, I don’t give up until I’ve achieved it. If I meet obstacles when pursuing one plan, I’ll try a different strategy. But to some extent, I simply won’t accept failure.

LS: Do you think this trait is responsible for your phenomenal success?

RZ: Partly. I would never have made it through MIT without being persistent, even stubborn. And Silicon Valley isn’t an easy environment for a woman, either. However, basic intelligence and a willingness to work hard are important too. Theo doesn’t have much respect for my wealth, but I can tell you, I earned my billions. I’ve paid my dues, and I think I have the right to enjoy the fruits of my labors.

LS: Speaking of Theo—it seems like you made an exception in his case. When you sought him out, it was for business reasons, but later, you gave up on your plans to use his AI technology in your online environment.

RZ: I didn’t “give up”. I changed my mind. I realized that Theo’s happiness and comfort were more important to me than my business goals.

LS: Also, it seems that you got a bit—um—distracted by your relationship with him.

RZ: Well—okay, I admit Theo’s dominance overwhelmed me. It was so unexpected. And yes, it can be hard to think rationally when Theo Moore is making love to you!

LS: Still, it seems the connection between you is more than just sex.

RZ: Much more! Honestly, I didn’t see how empty my life was, emotionally, until I met Theo. I’ve been so busy working toward external success, I’ve really neglected my heart. I love him so much it’s almost embarrassing.

LS: No reason to be embarrassed. You’re a romance heroine, after all.

RZ: But also the CEO of a multi-billion dollar technology company. We’re not allowed to have feelings. The business is supposed to come first. But now—well, Theo comes first. He’s my lover and my Master.

LS: That sounds like quite a conflict. How are you going to resolve these two opposing forces?

RZ: Don’t your craft treatises tell you that a novel needs conflict? Anyway, if readers want to discover how I handle this, they need to buy the book!

The Gazillionaire and the Virgin Genre-busting BDSM Erotic Romance 240 pages, five flames

Trust can’t be bought—it has to be earned.

When Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rachel Zelinsky meets reclusive genius Theo Moore, she finds him strangely compelling. Theo is both arrogant and socially awkward, but he has an aura of power that speaks to Rachel’s carefully-hidden submissive side. Disturbed and aroused, she tries to focus on her original objective—a deal to incorporate his Artificial Intelligence software into her company’s popular virtual world. Rachel’s not a woman who lets pleasure interfere with business, but for some reason, she can’t resist Theo’s geeky appeal.

Theo Moore can’t be bought. His past battles with poverty make him deeply suspicious of the billionaire CEO. Still, with her voluptuous curves and brilliant mind, Rachel embodies his ultimate sexual fantasy. Too bad his knowledge about sex derives from extensive research and a stash of kinky porn rather than real-world experience.

That doesn’t bother Rachel, however. In his bed—in his arms—in his bonds—she discovers the bliss of total surrender. Rachel may be Theo’s first lover, but Theo is Rachel’s first true Master—and the first man to truly touch her heart. It seems that love may harmonize their differing goals and values, until Rachel’s unwitting violation of Theo’s trust threatens to tear them apart forever.

Exclusive X-Rated Excerpt

“Oh, God—oh—Rachel…That’s….oh!”

Still sucking, I nibble on his frenulum. His hands are fists on either side of his thighs.

“Stop, stop—I can’t hold on.”

I let his cock slide out of my mouth, trailing my tongue along the shaft as it leaves. “You want me to stop sucking you?”

“No—ah, yes—I mean, I think I’m going to come again…”

Swinging my leg over his hips, I let my pubic curls brush his cockhead.

“And that’s bad?”

“Oh…no…” His face looks panicked now, the pleasure smothered by some sort of fear. “But you—you’re supposed to go first.”

I spread my thighs and drop until I paint the tip of his cock with my juices, then snatch my pelvis away as he tries to push inside. I can’t help chuckling at his enthusiasm. I want him more than ever.

“Don’t worry about me, Theo. I fully intend to come. More than once, most likely.” I scan the neat bedroom. “Where do you keep your condoms? In the bedside table drawer?”

“Ah – what? Um—I—I don’t have any condoms.”

“Huh? Don’t you believe in safe sex?”

“I – uh – well…” His face turns scarlet with embarrassment.

“Good thing I’m always prepared.” With a huff of mock exasperation, I roll off the bed and pad into the living room to find my purse. I’m too turned on to really be angry. Besides, I’m already becoming accustomed to Theo’s strangeness. “Meanwhile,” I call over my shoulder, “you get out of that tux. No point in doing any more damage.”

Under the influence of my recent fantasies, I’d slipped a three-pack of Durex extra large into my bag before leaving to pick Theo up for the fund raiser. Not that I’d expected anything to happen between us, of course, but one never knows. Now, given his apparent virility, I wonder whether I’ll run out.

I extract the condoms from my clutch, then take advantage of the break to make a quick trip to the toilet. When I return to the bedroom, I find Theo naked on the bed, his rampant cock aimed at the ceiling. One hand grips that fat rod of flesh, sliding up and down with practiced precision. He has flung the other arm across his face, as if he can’t bear to watch.

My fantasies didn’t do him justice. He has one of those massive, powerful bodies that make you want to fall to your knees in worship. He doesn’t have the bulging biceps or rippling six-pack of an exercise nut, but his big hands, broad shoulders and lean thighs broadcast strength. As he jerks at his cock, I watch the tightening in his abdomen, the shifting of muscle under the pale skin of his arm. Aside from the black fuzz surrounding his cock, he’s mostly hairless.

Saliva pools in my mouth. I want to swallow that lovely cock once again, to torment him until he can’t help but spill his seed into my mouth. Later. Right now the hungry ache between my thighs takes precedence.

“Starting without me?”

He snatches his hand away from his penis with the startled, guilty look of a kid caught in the act. “Um – no – just thinking.”

I straddle him again, leaning forward to trail my rigid nipples across his smooth chest. On my hands and knees, I smile down on him. His bobbing cock streaks my belly with pre-cum and baby oil. “About me?”

His eyes meet mine, suddenly bold. “You know I am, Rachel. Don’t tease. I can’t stand much more.”

Buy Links (Ebook and Print)

Special! For the next week (7-13 March), The Gazillionaire and the Virgin (ebook) is only 99 cents at most vendors! Don’t miss your chance to snag a copy at an 80% discount!

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
All Romance
Kobo
Smashwords
iTunes
Google Books
Excessica
Goodreads

About Lisabet

LISABET SARAI occasionally tackles other genres, but BDSM will always be her first love. Every one of her nine novels includes some element of power exchange, while her D/s short stories range from mildly kinky to intensely perverse.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website, along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance , she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads and finally, on Twitter.

Contest!

Leave me a comment with a question you’d like to ask Rachel. Please include your email address. I’ll have Rachel come by to answer—and I’ll also randomly choose one commenter to receive a free BDSM romance from my backlist, your choice of The Understudy or Challenge to Him.

Filed under: Guest Post | Tagged: BDSM, contest, delilah night, Erotic Romance, Guest Post, Lisabet Sarai, The Gazillionaire and the Virgin | 9 Comments »

Curvy Girl Lingerie (With a Discount Code and a GIVEAWAY)

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Delilah Night

I met today’s guest poster on Facebook a few years ago when I first heard of Curvy Girl Lingerie. While my size pre- and post-kids (and throughout my health struggles these past few years) has yo-yo’d, I’ve always been a size 16+. Today, despite more than half of all women being above a size 12/14, fewer and fewer stores carry lingerie for us. On my last few trips to the States, I’ve checked out lingerie everywhere from K-mart to Torrid to various sex shops with very uneven, and often poor quality results. Which is why I return time and time again to Curvy Girl.

When I was ready to place an order, I reached out to Chrystal. We talked about my body shape and what parts of my body I’m more sensitive about. I told her which items I was interested in. She actually told me not to buy some items because they wouldn’t make me happy, and what sizes to order other things in. Between the top notch customer service (including replacing a lost order), and the high quality products, I am a Curvy Girl fan who puts my money where my mouth is. They are my first choice when it comes to buying lingerie.

I am lucky to count Chrystal as a friend, not just a contact at a website. She’s going to tell you about Curvy Girl, and then I’ll be back to tell you about today’s discount code and my giveaway.

I opened Curvy Girl Lingerie in San Jose a little over 3 years ago in October, 2012.

I had a dream of having a place to shop for sexy clothes for my fat body since I was around 20 years old, when I had a partner who embraced my size. That was 27 years ago!

I remember going to a local lingerie store here in 1988-1989. I would drool over and pine for all of the dainty baby dolls and stockings that would never fit me. I even tried buying two of one very inexpensive item sand I tried hobbling the two items together to try and get them to fit. (And, I should I mention that I do not sew.) Talk about depressing and demoralizing!

Fast forward to 2016! We are a little bit more than 3 years old and we just had to expand to a new, larger location. I adore our local Curvy Girl community. We get customers traveling to our store from all over the world! We’ve had couples travel to my boutique from Newfoundland, Singapore, London, Vancouver, and Sydney just to name a few. We have several sets of customers that are long-haul truckers and they plan us into their route when they have a California assignment. We have become a “destination.” Talk about amazing!

Picture of my most recent Curvy Girl Order.

On the bottom right is The Boyfriend Shirt (which is a go-to piece of lingerie for me–Delilah)

We do suggest that our customers who are not local give us a call (408-264-4227 add a +1 for international calls) so we can help them to get the exact right fit the first time. At Curvy Girl, we deal in humans and we see the lingerie on actual women and we know a thing or two about sizing and fit. (We do our best to put what we know about an item in the description of our products, too.) If you can’t call us because you’re in a different time zone, you can always email us at CurvyGirlInc@gmail.com

At Curvy Girl, out motto is “Sexy is for Every Body.” There is so much pleasure to be had in all of our bodies. I want us all to experience every ounce of it and to NEVER EVER apologize for our bodies or how much space you take up. We all get to enjoy our bodies exactly as they exist right now and never ever settle for ugly underwear, bad sexy or crappy partners.

If you would like to know more about Curvy Girl, you can shop us, read my blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

Okay, my lovelies–here’s where things get fun. Curvy Girl is offering my readers a discount code, delilahnight, good for 15% off your order.

Items I own and love include the one-shoulder mesh dress (it’s soft and not itchy!), the boyfriend shirt (as pictured above), the fishnet kixies thigh high stockings (they don’t slide), and the black strapless lace dress. The stock is always evolving and items are not on the page if they’re out of stock (I really love my blue nightie in the pic above but the item isn’t on their page anymore.)

If you order using my code between now and Feb 15 (Singapore time-which covers Vday around the world as we’re ahead of most of you), leave a comment. I will pick a winner (two if there are more than ten entries, or a maximum of three if there are more than 25) on Feb 16 in Singapore and reach out privately so I can verify your purchase via screenshot. Do not leave your email or a screenshot in the body of the comment. (I can see the email you entered to leave the comment in my wordpress dashboard) The discount code has no expiration, just the contest.

The prize: either an e-book of Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples (which includes my story, “Renewal”) edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel or Chemical [se]X (wish I only wish I were part of, but is one of my favorite anthologies–see my review here) edited by Oleander Plume. If you need a completely queer friendly anthology, just let me know–I’m all about getting you something you’ll enjoy.

Filed under: Clothes/Lingerie/Shoes/Accessories, Guest Post | Tagged: Chrystal Bougon, Curvy Girl Lingerie, delilah night, giveaway, Plus sized Lingerie | Leave a comment »

Being a Writer in a Heartless World–Guest Post by Jaylan Salah

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Delilah Night

Jaylan is a new friend from Egypt via Twitter. I loved her beautiful prose on her Tumblr, and was so excited when she volunteered to do a guest post here on my blog. I love what she has to say about being a writer.

Being a Writer in a Heartless World

First of all, thank you Delilah Night for having me here. Visiting a blog feels like visiting a friend’s home for the first time. And the first impression, even if it never lasts, always has this tinge of excitement and anti…cipation.

Sorry Dr. Frank-N-Furter. I couldn’t help but quote.

Once upon a time, writers were considered sacred human beings.

They were gods, demi-gods, prophets, creatures everybody got so curious about but knew they were unattainable. Something of the extreme extraordinary, an untouchable, in peculiarly a bad and a good way.

This is not the case nowadays.

Apart from a few people who actually find something that they really want to do, being a writer has become a wish, a desirable profession. Why? I honestly have no fucking clue. But still, as days go by and social media become crazier and more invested in people’s lives, writing becomes even more of an everyday act. How would people fill their Facebook statuses and their Twitter boxes if not with words? Yes, jobs like graphic designers, photographers and actors have also acquired too many admissions to count, but these are all “braggy” professions, ones that could bring their seekers –despite their lack of talent- actual profit.

I mean, even lousy graphic designers could make a living out of designing book covers for amateur writers, or designing logos for startups that have no clue why they started up. Photographers would find it so damn easy to make a living out of taking photos of their friends’ as they get married, get fucked or simply want to celebrate a newborn baby, not to mention how many girls are into modeling and for that they would go through thick and thin to have their sultry, sexy photos taken by an “affordable” professional photographer.

As for actors, well, people have been dying to become actors ever since Hollywood became Hollywood. It’s the easiest way to get girls –and guys- make money and become popular which is –in itself- the epitome of happiness for some.

But why writing?

When did writing become so fucking interesting and alluring? Why is it an object of affection with all the mess that comes along?

And who the Hell am I to speak?

I mean; I am relatively an unknown. In my country I am a struggling film critic and still haven’t published a damn book. Internationally I am a struggling film critic and poet. Who am I to judge or give an intervention?

Let me introduce myself.

Jaylan. Late twenties. Single. Hedonist. Feminist. Wolf (yes I was one in my past life and yes I believe in reincarnation and yes…that shit has also become cool and trendy I have no clue why). Writer.

Other passions include: Cinephile. Dancer. Spiritual. Singer.

That’s it?

Not really, I have a lot to offer the world. For starters, I left a decent –but boring, hellish- government job in November 2014, and ever since then I’ve been a full-time writer.

Do I make money out of this? Yes, I do. Does it offer me social and financial security? Not really, actually not at all, putting in mind I am not as active-proactive as I should be.

Then; why Jaylan? You may ask.

Actually two friends who used to be really close to me warned me against leaving my full-time job. The decent, boring and hellish job where I wasn’t getting paid as much as I wanted but at least I was considered an individual, with a job. It felt more respectful back then. I tried applying to many full-time jobs afterwards but honest to God everytime I set foot in one it felt like death; or even worse.

This doesn’t mean I made a perfectly right decision by becoming a full-time hippie. For starters, I don’t have a permanent source of getting paid. Secondly, I have no clue whatsoever what office politics mean, not that I care but still it kinda seems like a very important quality to acquire, or so I’ve heard. I take side jobs from time to time; content writing, content editing, literary translation, copywriting, etc. They’re all rotating in the same constellation but they’re what I can do to push myself forward without…

Yes, now to we come to the important part.

I cannot not be a full-time writer. Some of my very successful friends have been able to adapt, see what the society wants and BOOM! Go for it. They want me to get married, I could get a husband in a week. They want me to have a respectable job, one where I sign entrance and exit, I could do that in maybe a month or two (even though jobs are only offered to you in times where you are too busy to care, whereas when you are desperate for a job, you rarely find one).

The point is; do I want to?

The answer is no. I don’t want to become anything but a full-time writer. I have taken too many jobs to support myself and always dealt with that writing “thing” like a side dish, but now –as we speak, as I write this long post for my dear friend Delilah- it’s my main fucking course sans aperitif. I have a novel work-in-progress, a short story collection and a poetry collection in English. They are all my babies now. I have to tend for them daily; feed, bathe and change diapers. They changed from being words on blank Word docs into human beings, manifesting in the surrounding space and talking to me, confronting me about words I have or haven’t written about them. Using me as the human vessel that they need to communicate through with the strange ass world.

So writing? Yes, this fire burning within. This muscle that you need to work on and train everyday. This disease that doesn’t leave you. This joke that you make up for yourself with the “writer’s block” myth only to justify laziness or batshit boredom or disappointment from multiple rejections.

Before I go, I leave you with this piece. A short poem where I wrote extensively about writing and how lonely nights greet me as I sit down and try to write:

“Originally published in theProse.com, May 2015”

Spending the Night Trying to Get Inspired

I close the door
Inspiration is an illusion, you know
Troposphere, smelling gas from a canister
Puffing out smoke
Milk glass moon
All you can do is piss on the mountain
Watch the world go brown
I try to write, but nothing comes out
Inspiration is one tricky bastard
A cobra, dancing right and left
I bend down to write
My spine grows out of my skin
My flesh bursts with a thousand loti
Angular vertebrae bask in the moonlight
Trying to taste the tears of the sacral cacti
My skin has a life of its own
and so does my spine
My armpits grow a forest
of unknown Asteraceae
plaits and plaits of blooming petals
Snakes that reach up to the seventh seal
Cobras that dance to the dreams of lonely writers
spending the nights in handcuffs
under covers, working on their lost inspiration
treading softly on lonely hearts, sleepless souls
and glasses of crescent-shaped milk
dipped in oysters of dark-rimmed moon

Feel free to visit my tumblr blog

I swear there’s free booze for everybody and much more craziness than I intend to.

Filed under: Guest Post, process, Writing | Tagged: delilah night, Jaylan Sarah, poem, Spending the Night Trying to Get Inspired, writing | 1 Comment »

Guest Post: Lynn Townsend

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Delilah Night

Lynn Townsend is one of my favorite authors, beta readers, and friends (not in that order). Her new book, Classic is the third installment of the Rainbow Connections series. I can’t wait to read the conclusion of Vin and Beau’s story, and to see one of my favorite #fictionalcrush characters, Ann-Marie.

(My review of book 1, Roll is here)

Hi everyone! Thanks so much to Delilah for hosting me here on her blog. This Delilah, as opposed to yesterday’s Delilah (as opposed to my EDITOR, Deelylah… seriously, I go from having an overabundance of Elizabeth’s in my life to quite a number of Delilahs!) and I met… I think it was when I did Rose Caraway’s Sexy Librarian’s… or it might have been when I sent out a call for Coming Together: Among the Stars… anyway, Delilah and I have become fast internet friends — she lives VERY far away… and is one of my favorite internet peeps. So, thanks to Delilah again, and it’s lovely to be able to chat with her readers and fans. Thanks for having me.

One of my favorite writers is quoted as saying, “When a man writes a romance, the woman dies. When a woman writes one, it ends all tidy and sweet.”

The Rainbow Connection, a series of novels I have been writing for the last four years, is a romance. Admittedly, it is a gay romance, and until very recently, the likelihood of it ending in legal wedding was up for debate. But it was always meant to end happily.

The truth is, I was inspired to write what started as a short story and grew into a series of novels (three have been, or will be soon, published. One that’s being written, and one — maybe two? — that are in preliminary planning…) from an event that took place shortly before another wedding, many years ago. I had a tumultuous affair planned, for characters who took on a life of their own, ripped my control right out of my hands, and took me on a ride that I’ll never forget.

So, when I offer forth this little short story, I say to you, this is not a true spoiler. You always knew we were going this way. The road has been long, it has been winding, and it has had a great many bumps in it. But you knew the destination when you got in the car with me…

These books were always meant to be a romance, and a romance often needs a good wedding…

The Rainbow Connections Series (with links to purchase)

Book 1-Roll (Torquere, Amazon)

Book 2-Blues (Tourquere, Amazon)

Buy Classic (Book 3) from Torquere (New in print!)

A short story, in parts….

Wedding March, Part Four

by Lynn Townsend

Part One, Wedding March is hosted at VL Locey’s blog, Thoughts from a Yodeling Goatherder.

Part Two, Wedding March is hosted on EM Lynley’s blog

Part Three, Wedding March is hosted on Delilah Devlin’s blog

Vin was quite convinced that he gained fifteen pounds just walking in the door at Ty & Knots’s Cake and Bakery. The air was absolutely pungent with sugar and chocolate, cream frosting and fondant. And then — oh, dear God in Heaven — Aglaia led them over to the tasting station. The owners, Tyler Shaw and Sonya Knots, were on top of their game. Two full tables were loaded with tiny cake squares, each labeled, and then dozens of tiny dishes of frosting samples with itty bitty spatulas to spread each kind of icing on whichever sort of cake.

Find your perfect flavor, a banner read, hanging over the samples. As Vin understood it, the wait for a Ty & Knots cake, off the street, was over nine months, but Aglaia held special commissions open for her clients. Because of course she did.

Mexican themed round wedding cake with modeling chocolate carnations and piped buttercream frosting cascading dot design in many colors by Wicked Goodies

After they tried every possible combination — and a few of them more than once, and oh, sweet lord, was Vin going to have to work out, later. His knee ached just thinking about it. But worth it, oh, so worth it — they came to the mutual conclusion that neither of them was going to speak to the other ever again in their entire lives.

Because they couldn’t decide between salted caramel and chocolate or pumpkin walnut with cream cheese.

“It’s astonishin’ to me,” Beau said in Vin’s ear, “how we’ve managed t’ live together for near on six years an’ I never realized what an ornery cuss you was.”

“Careful, babe,” Vin said, “your dixie’s showing.”

“You know,” Sonya suggested, “you don’t have to have just one cake. It’s very popular these days, especially when we’re talking about a reception of your size, to have several smaller cakes. You can have one largish cake, for the cutting ceremony, and then smaller, themed cakes scattered around at set-ups all around the room. And we’ll put one of each of your favorites on the sides of your main display cake, so neither of you feels the lack?”

“So what do we put as the main cake?” Beau asked. He had a smut of raspberry white chocolate filling on the side of his mouth and Vin was resisting the urge to lick it off. Not that Sonya probably hadn’t seen that behavior before. Vin was just trying to adult. Look at him, adulting all over the place today. Responsible, respectable business owner. That was him. He was reminded suddenly of the couple he’d spotted boning up against the back of one of his art displays, the late end of a show that hadn’t done particularly well, and smirked. He hadn’t interrupted them because he was just nice like that. But he had watched them, because he wasn’t that nice.

“Second favorite?” Sonya suggested.

Vin eyed the plates of cake cubes and groaned. He wasn’t sure he could go through another round of tasting.

“Don’t worry,” Aglaia said, pulling up her tablet. “I wrote them all down while you were tasting the first time. I think I got your general preferences.”

“You’re a genius and I love you,” Vin said, expressively.

“No, no, you love him,” Aglaia said. “You merely worship me.”

“And we should get one that’s red velvet and cream cheese,” Beau added, loftily ignoring this display of adoration and life-long devotion between his fiancee and his wedding planner.

“Why?” Vin made a face. “Red velvet is old-lady cake.”

Beau snorted. “Because it’s Ann-Marie’s favorite, and she has put up with God knows how much shit from both of us for the last several years and we owe her. Also, because I love you, I won’t tell her you said that.”

Vin made a face and decided not to argue, because if he did argue, and lord knows he was tempted to, it might become general knowledge that he had no freaking clue what Mila’s favorite kind of cake was. He wasn’t as good with the people thing as Beau was; he probably never would be. Note to self, he thought, ask Mila what kind of cake she likes. Because it was Aglaia, and it was Ty & Knots’s Cake, and he could always call one or the other on the sly, later, and have an extra ordered for his sister. Because, of course he could.

This story will end on my own blog, Paid by the Weird and the story in its entirety will be hosted there on Monday…

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Lynn Townsend is a geek, a dreamer and an inveterate punster. When not reading, writing, or editing, she can usually be found drinking coffee or killing video game villains. Lynn’s interests include geek comedy music, romance novels, octopuses, and movies with more FX than plot.

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Find Lynn on Social Media

Filed under: books (non-review posts), Guest Post, LGBT | Tagged: Blog Tour, Classic, delilah night, Lynn Townsend, Wedding March by Lynn Townsend | Leave a comment »

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