The Jaybees: Kay and Steve, the Mysterious Man At Home

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I’m pleased to have Kay Jaybee and her delightfully mysterious husband, Steve as my guest today in the third installment of the Passionate Partners series. Welcome, Kay and Steve!

KD:  Kay, I met you long before I met Steve. But that was because Steve was keeping the home fires burning, since London is quite a little hike for you to make. Keeping the home fires burning is no small task with children, and that is what impressed me most about you two Passionate Partners. While Steve wasn’t there in London with you, you couldn’t have been there without his support back home. That convinced me right on the spot that I was witnessing another one of those passionate partnerships in the promotion and celebration of sexuality through erotica. How did that journey begin, and has it always been a team effort?

K: We met at University a frighteningly long time ago now. Our first meeting was not auspicious! We were both helping a mutual friend get ready for a trip to Italy to study archaeology in Bologna. Said friend was as unorganised as ever, and the five of us who’d been roped in to get him to the train station on time we were all getting a bit tense to say the least!

S: You were as ratty as hell you mean!

K: Guilty as charged! I have a loathing of being late for anything, and the thought of our friend missing his connection and therefore his flight to Italy was making me edgy!

Steve was there with other friends, and I paid very little attention to any of them as I hunted high and low for all the dig equipment needed for the trip. I fear he thought I was a right stuck up cow!

S: I did! Posh southern thing in a bad mood!

K: Says the boy from the backwaters of Birmingham!!

S: What Kay is saying KD, is that she didn’t want anything to do with a bit of rough like me!!

K: Cheek! And you are not that rough Mr PhD!!! I just don’t like blokes with long hair that are mad about Iron Maiden!

S: And yet you married me!

K: Only after the hair got cut and I got you headphones! Lol!! Let’s just say, it took us 18 months from that first meeting to become friends, and then start going out together.

KD: Kay, what does Steve do to help your writing career that you appreciate more than anything else?

K: The most important thing Steve does is give me time to be Kay! It’s not easy reaching all my deadlines with the kids around and my other job to do, so being ‘Dad in charge’ for a few hours every weekend, and while I have my trips to London to do readings and erotica promotions, is vital- I could not do it without him. We have two amazing girls, and they are so much fun.

S: They are great- and both as mad as their mother!

K: And as nuts as their father!

S: Thanks goodness!

K: They also have very big feet- mine are the smallest shoes you can see here

KD: Steve, what, so far (knowing that there are lots more such moments ahead) has been the moment in Kay’s writing career when you’ve been the most proud of her?

S: My proudest moment was when I was looking at the Amazon charts on my iPhone and saw Kay’s novella, A Sticky Situation, in the top ten Kindle charts for the first time.  Or it may have been after her first trip to do a reading at Sh! in London. I knew she was really nervous of speaking in front of other people, but she did it!

K: I think ‘terrified’ is the word- nervous doesn’t even cover it!

S: You did it though!

KD: What has been the craziest experience you’ve shared in your mutual journey through erotica?

K: Steve is known for being serious-minded about his work, so when a few years ago, he took a selection of my books to work to feature as lots in a charity auction and told everyone his wife had written them- well, let’s just say he enjoyed the stunned looks on everyone faces!

S: That doesn’t sound that crazy really does it!

K: True, but one of the main things about my erotica work is that it’s something I do separately – so any craziness we come across as a result of it is experienced alone.

S: I am quite fond of people asking who the woman in the photo on my desk is- most people look stunned that a grizzled old science guy like me has such a hot wife!

K: Blushing here!! Daft man!!

KD: Steve, once Kay begins a new story, how involved are you in the process? What do you consider your most important role when she’s with the Muse?

S: I’m not really involved at all, apart from keeping Kay amused with sentences and ideas that are SO bad she would never ever use them.

K: I keep telling him ‘she grabbed his huge throbbing member’ just isn’t good enough, but he doesn’t believe me!!

S: Makes you laugh when I say it though!

K: It’s more how you say it!!

I’d have to add there though that, although Steve isn’t involved in the creative or ideas process, he is essential to it. If it wasn’t for him taking over the housework, cooking, and amusing the kids so I can scribble down my ideas when they hit me out of nowhere, then there would be no KJB stories at all.

KD: Steve, you’re the behind the scenes support. You stay home with the kids so Kay can come to London to participate in readings and other events. Do you ever feel like you’re missing out by not being able to be there with her?

S: To be honest I don’t. I often go away for conferences and meetings with my work, which often involve socialising (we do a wicked sing along session!), and so it’s only right that Kay has the same chances with her work. We work so well as a team because we have these different parts to our lives.

K: I’d have to agree with that- we need different parts of our lives that just belong to ourselves. Steve’s career is his- he’s worked really really hard for years to get so far. And my career is mine, and has been hard won. At the end of the day we have a lot of fun telling each other about our adventures! You should hear the recordings of those scientists singing!!

KD: Now THAT, I would love to hear, Kay! What’s the hardest part of the Kay/Steve working partnership?

K: I guess the hardest part is that my workload is so huge, and the PR never ever ends, which can lead me to being rather obsessive!

S: Sometimes I feel like wrestling her laptop out of her hands!!

K: Sometimes you do wrestle the laptop out of my hands!

S: I am the cruellest man in the world KD- I actually force my wife to have a glass of wine, chocolate, and watch TV!

K: He does- cruel in the extreme!!

KD: Oh, such torture, Kay! I can’t imagine how you endure it! Steve, you’r my kind of cruel! What’s the best part? (If there can be better than wine and chocolate!

K: Lol- when he wrestles the laptop out of my hands and makes me eat chocolate!! No- the best part is that Steve never stops making me laugh- bottom line is he makes me very happy.

KD: That truly is better than wine and chocolate!

S: I just love to see Kay smile- and when she’s doing well with her writing the smile is even wider! You do not want to be around if the PR mountain has reached crash helmet and crampon levels!!

K: True- I’m like a PMT monster from hell then!

S: And then some!

K: Steve helps me keep perspective- reminds me that blogs really can wait, that a novel isn’t going to be written well when I’m tired, and that I need far more rest than I let myself have!

KD: What’s the best advice the two of you can offer to make that strange and wonderful relationship between erotica writers and their partners run smoother?

K: Respect each other’s need to do their own thing!

S: Always have black coffee on tap

K: Or tea if you’re weird like my husband!!

S: Never forget that writers are weird- they don’t write because it’s their job. They write because they HAVE to write- there is something in them that makes it an unstoppable force.

K: And writers must remember that normal people aren’t often like that!

KD: Absoulutely true on both counts! Tell us something about the Kay and Steve Team that might really surprise us.

K: Perhaps the most surprising thing to people is that we are just an ordinary family, and one of us just happens to be quite good at writing sex scenes!

S: Normal? Us? Yes, we are normal- but probably only in our own sense of reality!!

K: And we make dolls house sometimes?

S: Well I do

K: And I tidy up

S: True!

KD: Kay, what’s the Muse had you up to lately, and what yumminess should we be keeping an eye out for from Kay Jaybee?

K: The muse is as active as ever- although it is having a slight change of direction for a little while!

It’s been quite a year for me, with the release of The Perfect Submissive as a paperback, my second novel The Voyeur, my third novel, Making Him Wait, and a new anthology The Best of Kay Jaybee!!

I am just finishing up a new novella for the Xcite Secret Library range, and then, after such a nonstop year, I have decided to take a couple of months off the erotica and try my hand at something else (my lips are sealed!!). I’ll be back soon though- it is high time novel number five transferred itself from my imagination to my notebook…

S: Thanks for letting us both visit today KD!! Been a bit of a walk on the wild side for me!!

K: Thanks KD!!! xxx

KD: Thanks, both of you, for stopping by. What a pleasure it’s been to have the whole team!

About Kay Jaybee

Kay Jaybee wrote the novels Making Him Wait, (Sweetmeats Press, 2012), The Voyeur (Xcite, 2012), The Perfect Submissive (Xcite 2012), and Not Her Type: Erotic Adventures With A Delivery Man (OCPress, 2011). She has also written the anthologies The Collector (Austin & Macauley, 2012 & 2008), The Best of Kay Jaybee (Xcite, 2012), Tied to the Kitchen Sink, Equipment, (All Romance, 2012), Yes Ma’am (Xcite e-books, 2011), Quick Kink One and Quick Kink Two (Xcite e-books, 2010). Kay has had over 60 short stories published by Cleis Press (inc. Best of Best Women’s Erotica 2, Best Women’s Erotica 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012; Best Bondage 2012, Sweet Love, Smooth, Gotta Have It, Sweet Confessions), Black Lace (Sexy Little Numbers), Mammoth (The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica), Xcite (inc.Ultimate Sin, Boy Fun, Power Play, Threesomes, Finger Music, Tricks For Kicks), Penguin (Oysters and Chocolate; Erotic Stories of Every Flavor), Seal (Oysters and Chocolate; Nice Girls, Naughty Sex),and Sweetmeats Press (Immoral Views)

Details of Kay’s work, past, present and future can be found at www.kayjaybee.me.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Kay-Jaybee-ebook/dp/B009YYRM3Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351690101&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Him-Wait-ebook/dp/B009RT6SM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352055034&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Voyeur-ebook/dp/B008QBZ42Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352055073&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Perfect-Submissive-length-ebook/dp/B008GNDT3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1352055158&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Kay-Jaybee/dp/1849633517/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352055225&sr=1-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Blog: Doris O’Connor

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Hello everyone, and thank you KD Grace for hosting me on my blog tour with my Christmas Story, For The Love Of Mutt.

Yesterday I shared how my heroine popped into my head. If you missed it, click here. Today it’s Mutt’s turn. I had come across a picture of a Tamaskan dog ages ago, and at the time I thought to myself, hmm, now that would make a good premise for a shifter.

Photo Courtesy of Tamaskan Dog Register.

They look very much like wolves, as you can see. So much so that it fitted my vague ideas for this story perfectly. What better way to hide in plain sight than as a dog. And not just any dog either.  No, Ethan (Mutt) is at the shelter for reasons of his own. You will have to read the story to find out what those are, but he is so not what he seems.

Join me on tomorrow’s stop, where I’ll share the visual inspiration for Ethan, and he is all kinds of yummy 😉

For now I leave you with a little excerpt of when we first meet Mutt in the story. He’s not very happy as you will see…

Anja’s soft, small hands curled into his fur, her hot tears scalded his skin, and Ethan growled his annoyance. He’d have liked nothing better than to tear that sorry excuse of a human male limb from limb. As satisfying as that would have been, he’d come to his senses mid-leap and angled himself away from the motherfucking bastard, earning himself a humdinger of a kick to his ribs. Temporarily winded, he was spared from further injury by Anja’s intervention and it meant Declan would live—for now. However, if Anja didn’t stop crying soon, Ethan would not be able to hold his wolf side back for long.

The cover of the Tamaskan dog served him well, but he was and always would be a wolf, and as such, every one of his senses had kicked in to protect the fragile woman whose scent had held him in thrall from the first minute she’d stumbled upon him outside the shelter. Hurt after a run-in with a gang of youths whose burglary attempt he’d interrupted, he’d sought shelter in the bin area. Anja had found him when she’d taken the trash out, and her immediate concern for his well-being had broken through all of his defensive walls in an instant.

Mary’s shelter was one of the few that allowed the homeless and their dogs in, but even Mary had balked at the suggestion that Mutt ought to be allowed in without an owner. He should have been offended at being called Mutt, but from Anja’s lips the usually derogative term sounded like a caress and he’d followed her meekly into the warmth of the shelter. He’d lost himself in the expressive jade pools of her feline eyes as she’d run her hands over his sides. She’d tucked the long tresses of her hair behind her ears in an impatient gesture he would always associate with her.

He curled himself around her now, his injured ribs already healing, and inhaled deeply. He would quite happily have stayed like this, but he needed to make sure she was okay. She clearly cared more for that bastard than she’d let on. He nudged his nose into her neck and exhaled. A shudder went through her slender frame and, encouraged by her response, he did it again until she giggled.

“Stop it, Mutt, that tickles.”

He nudged her again and showed his teeth in a wolf-like impression of a grin and her smile deepened.

“You know, sometimes you seem almost human to me, as though you understand exactly what I’m saying to you.”

He yipped once and nodded, making her laugh again. She brushed the remaining traces of her earlier tears off her cheeks and her expression sobered as she ran her hands along his flanks.

“He didn’t hurt you too much, did he? ‘Cause I swear if he did, I’ll knee him in the balls next time I see him. I knew he was a dick, but fuck it, he took that to new heights.”

“He certainly did, my dear.” Mary interrupted Anja’s quiet rant and she got to her feet. “This is none of my business, but a man with a temper like that…well you’re best off without him. I’d hate to see you get hurt, Anja. I mean, I got the impression he was a bit of a snob from what you let slip, but that was unacceptable and he is not welcome here again. We don’t need his sort around here.”

Anja’s short laugh spoke volumes, and Ethan licked her tightly curled fist in an effort to reassure her. She unclenched her hand and patted his head, causing his wolf to grin and lean into her. That animal of his was turning into a right sap, over a human no less.

***

For the Love of MuttBlurb:

A homeless shelter at Christmas may seem an odd place to find one’s soul mate, but love knows no boundaries – or does it?

Anja has grown fond of the wolf like dog hanging around the shelter. With her soon to be ex -boyfriend putting pressure on her, her canine friend proves to be more reliable than any human could ever be. If only he were more than just a dog.

Helping others is not always easy to do, unless Ethan can do so undercover. However, hiding your true self brings problems of its own. Finding a mate had not been in Ethan’s plan of action, but Anja’s easy acceptance of Mutt breaks through all of his defenses.

The problem is he is not what he seems and will his deception by proxy prove the end of them before they even have a chance at love?

 

Buy Link: http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=10&products_id=399&zenid=efqamhvml9jepl8g3mdrd6ffk2#.ULCvlodripA

Pinterest board:

http://pinterest.com/dorisoconnor/for-the-love-of-mutt/

Author Bio:

Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris… at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to toddler and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.

There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps.

She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.

Find Doris on the web here:

Website  Blog Twitter Facebook Pinterest

***

Giveaway

I am giving away two copies of For The Love Of Mutt at the end of my blog tour.  Follow me on every stop and every comment will give you another entry into the draw—easy peazy  J

As well as the two main prices, one random commenter on each stop of my tour will receive an e-copy from my back list. Check it out here. Winners Choice!

Tour Stops Below:

10th December: http://adrianakraft.com/blog

11th December: https://kdgrace.co.uk

12th December: http://www.sizzlinghotbooks.net

13th December: http://smutters.co.uk

14th December: http://wowfromthescarfprincess.blogspot.com/

***

Have a blessed festive season all of you!

The Pleasure is all YOURS with the Sh! Christmas Pleasure Hunt!

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It’s totally MY pleasure to participate in the Sh!Christmas Pleasure Hunt!

Sh! Women’s Store is one of my favourite places on the planet because Sh! and I have a history. I did my very first erotica reading at Sh! back when I was a newbie smutter.  Sh! has always been my go-to place for research. I’ve picked the always-helpful Sh! Ladiez’ brains about spanking, corsetry and lube, and for my first novel, The Initiation of Ms Holly, the lovely Renee brought me up to speed on pegging. I don’t mind saying I looked pretty bad-ass in a strap-on (over my trousers, of course) I’ve also been lucky enough to host several informative, sexy and fun posts from Renee at Sh! on my blog. There’s never a shortage of laughter and camaraderie at Sh!. I had my first ever novel launch party at Sh!, and all the others since. I’ve been to all sorts of wonderful readings and events at Sh!. I’ve participated in classes, I’ve asked myriad questions, I’ve stopped in just to say Hi. The Sh! Ladiez are my heroes. They are brave and strong and wonderful, and without a doubt, they are the real treasures in this treasure hunt.

A special thanks to Kristina Lloyd, who orchestrated the cunning plan for the Sh! Christmas Pleasure Hunt.

 

Here’s what you need to do to participate in the fab Sh! Pleasure Hunt.

From today (Friday 7th) until Monday (10th), twelve erotica authors will be secreting pieces of information on their blog posts. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow the trail, collect this info and enter a draw to win all kinds of awesome stuff!

Sh! is a shop much loved by erotica authors in the UK and US. Not only does the store sell an amazing range of top-quality products and sexy books, the Sh! Girlz are hugely supportive of what we do as writers. Many of us have been involved in readings at the London store, and have been lucky enough to sample the Sh! Girlz’ cupcakes! Time Out voted Sh! London’s best sex shop for women. We couldn’t agree more.

Last week, the Sh! website was down, thanks to the curmudgeonly efforts of crackers. Happily, the site is now back, as proudly pink as ever, and so, in the words of the song, December Will be Magic Again!

To celebrate, we’re hosting our Christmas Pleasure Hunt and Sh! are kicking off their Filthy Friday!

Authors playing along are: Janine Ashbless, Justine Elyot, Kay Jaybee, KD Grace, Lexie Bay, Lily Harlem, Lucy Felthouse, Remittance Girl, Sommer Marsden, Tabitha Rayne, Tamsin Flowers, Victoria Blisse

That’s quite a line up, no? The aim of the game is to find a word from the following Kate Bush lyric in a post from each of our participating authors:

Come to sparkle the dark up …Come to cover the muck up

That word will link to a sexy Sh! product. Check out the link, note down the price. At the end of the hunt, add up all 12 prices you’ve collected. That total is your answer!

There will be three posts per day, starting today, going across the weekend, and finishing on Monday. Each post will link to the three authors who’ll be posting on the following day.

After Monday, email your answer (the total price of all linked products) to Sh! (renee@sh-womenstore.com). All correct answers will go into a draw. One lucky winner gets a bumper bag of goodies from Sh! Thirteen runners up will receive a book (print or digital) from one of the authors on board (including me). It’s a snowfall of smut!

Have you got the clue? Good! Then head on over to Lexie Bay and Lucy Felthouse’s site for the last two clues.

 

A snippet of The Collection from Sh!’s Sex: the Bible

‘Tell me about your collection,’ Alex says. He nods to the dildos spread across my bed and overflowing onto the nightstand and the dressing table.

I fiddle with the sash of my silk robe like I’m some innocent, all embarrassed by the gaze of a cute boy. I’m not. ‘Aren’t they lovely?’ I say. ‘I have glass ones and curved ones and Lucite ones and heavy metal ones that are sort of like taking the vag to a gym for some serious weight lifting.’

He laughs nervously and shifts on the chair. I know he’s fighting a hard-on. I continue. ‘I have slender ones and thick ones, ones that look like real penises.’ I have one that’s an actual replica of the cock of an ex, but I don’t tell him that. I don’t want to intimidate him. My hand slides absently into my robe to cup my tits and tweak the nipples already stretched in anticipation. I nod to the dildo resting closest to my right thigh. ‘This is the lovely jade one I found in a fetish shop in Soho.

‘Oh, and the stone one… Well it’s actually only a stone I found on a walk. But it looks so much like a cock that it had to join the collection. I call it my cock rock.’

Alex’s eyes get big when I pull the stone from my pocket. It’s not a Neolithic sex toy or anything like that. It’s just a cock-shaped stone, but somehow that makes it even hotter. ‘Nature provides,’ I say. Then I wriggle and shift my bottom until my back is against the headboard. I open my legs and bend my knees and the hem of the robe falls open. I can feel the cool air on my bare pussy, and I hear Alex’s breath hitch. I’m wet, so totally wet. I’m always wet when I spend time with my collection.

I make an expansive gesture with my right hand that causes the front of my robe to gape. ‘They’re not just to look at, my dildos.’ I thumb my clit, then finger myself open, feeling swollen and heavy. ‘I make sure every one of my lovelies gets a good workout.’

‘Every one?’ He says breathlessly.                            

‘All of them,’ I say. ‘I have a schedule, you see.’ I nod to the dressing table where there’s a purple velvet journal lying open with a fountain pen marking the spot. ‘And I take notes. I take notes on each of my experiences with every dildo.’

I watch his face, but he’s not looking at me. His eyes are locked on the stone dildo, like it’s a snake, like it’s alive. Like he can’t believe I’m going to put it up my pussy. I stroke myself, and maybe it’s the smell of me all wet and nasty, or maybe it’s that he’s never seen a naked, gaping pussy about to gorge on dildos of the world, but he just stares and shifts his ass against the chair, back and forth. I can see the outline of his cock. I don’t miss these sorts of details, not being a dildo connoisseur, as I am, not being the type of person who obsesses on the shapes and sizes and textures and finesse of implements that might be introduced into my cunt for the pure tactile pleasure of it.

Between the Sheets in Dudley Libraries

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To date one of the high points of my career as an author of erotica was discovering my novel, The Initiation of Ms Holly, is on the list of top thirty erotic novels chosen to go onto the shelves of libraries in the UK! Holly in public libraries! To me this was a cause for celebration, a serious reason to dance in the streets. It wasn’t just that Holly was on this list, but it was the fact that there was a list at all, it was the fact that at long last erotica would be taking its rightful place in the libraries; the place where people go to read, where people go to expand their world, the true treasure troves of history. Also it was the fabulous depth and variety of the list that excited me. There were modern reads mixed in with classics and best sellers and something for everyone.

Kay Jaybee and me setting up for the talk in the library at Kingswinford

In conjunction with the libraries welcoming erotic titles onto their shelves, Stellar Libraries launched the wonderful Between the Sheets project, which is a month-long celebration of erotica, with blog posts on the BTS site and with erotica authors visiting libraries around England to talk about erotica. That was what I had the honour of doing earlier this week with Dudley Libraries up near Birmingham, up in the Black Country.

There are parts of the UK I’m familiar with. As most people know I can write about London or Surrey, and I can write about the mysteries of the Lake District, but the rich industrial heritage of the Black Country was a totally new experience for me, and one I intend to explore in more detail first chance I get. I don’t mind saying I found some serious inspiration for future stories on this trip.

The lovely Jills, Jill Wood and Jill Bright, along with the fab Hilary Riley liaised with Kay Jaybee and me to arrange the three library visit. I took

The lovely set-up at Stourbridge Library

the train up to Wolverhampton, and then a taxi to Kingswinford to find myself overnighting in a Travelodge that was a refurbished Georgian manner house. (My knowledge of architecture is non-existent, but the building was old, square-ish and lovely, and my room was not the usual Travelodge bed, shower and kettle. My room was huge with high ceilings and two windows looking out onto the countryside. I later learned that most of the people who had grown up in the area had memories of the building being a place for weddings and celebrations before it was a Travelodge. They had memories of it being a place where there were dances that all the young people attended.

Our first talk was at the Kingswinford Library, and because it was an afternoon talk, we were warned that the attendance might be small. Small, but lively, would have been a good description for this group of ten people ranging in age from early twenties to a lovely gentleman in his eighties. Kay and I kicked off the event with a very short, very soft pedalled reading each, and then talked about our journey to writing erotica. The first question when we opened up the floor for a lively discussion was; How do you define erotica? And it was a wild and exciting ride from there including a discussion of men writing and reading erotica and the usual highly charged discussion of Fifty Shades.

The Cradley Between the Sheets display

Kay and I were riding high by the time the hour was over and the discussion continued around the book display for another thirty minutes before Jill and Hillary whisked us away to the Stourbridge Library, which was a delightful warren of an old building that I wouldn’t want to have been turned loose in without a guide. There, ensconced in the lounge, we were treated to sandwiches and drinks to tide us over until after the evening event.

The librarians at Stourbridge had the place where the talk was to happen decorated with black feather boas, red velvet and roses. They served wine and nibbles to the twenty-some people who attended. Talk about a warm welcome! A good number of the people who came were members of various reading groups. The highlight for me was a lovely 89-year-old woman – a retired hairdresser, sharing tales of how she and the other young hairdressers at the salon where she worked used to sneak off to the book store next door to thumb through the copy of the Kama Sutra, then return to the salon to whisper about what they’d discovered for the rest of their shift. Sex and adventure, sex and coming of age, sex and celebration. Within that same group was a lovely mother and her 19-year-old daughter – a first year uni student studying sociology. Kay and I left the event, which ended up an hour longer than intended because of the enthusiastic response of the group, excited and encouraged to see such enthusiasm for erotica and for having it in the public libraries.

I was amazed to find that all of the libraries now check out eBooks and a lot of the people who attended our talks showed up with eReaders or tablets in hand. It seems to me that in libraries it’s was all about new and easier ways to make books and information available to everyone.

The next morning, after talking excitedly long into the night about the events of the day, Kay caught a cab back to the train station and Jill drove me to the final destination on the Dudley Library tour, Cradely.

Me with several of the lovely ladies at Cradley Library

Cradley Library was the smallest of the three libraries I went to, but also the most traditional with high wooden shelves full of books and an area separated off for talks and meetings from the main library by a wooden and wrought-iron panel. The talk was scheduled for ten-thirty in the morning, and I was pleased to be greeted by fifteen or so enthusiastic women from several reading groups, as well as some who were just library regulars. Because I was on my own, I was a bit concerned I’d not be able to keep the conversation going. I needn’t have worried. This lovely group was the most enthusiastic, most naughty-minded group of the three, and they were delightful. For me, the very best part about the visit with the Cradely readers was that a majority of them had already read at least Holly! Some had read Pets and Body Temperature as well, and though Kay wasn’t able to attend, a good few had also read Kay’s Perfect Submissive and some of her short stories from The Collector. It was wonderful to engage in conversation with people who had read or were reading seriously beyond 50SoG and were so anxious to know more. Another hour-long talk extended to two hours with suggestions of who should play Anderson and Tino and Edward in the movie versions of my novels, and with questions of what to read next and what they could expect in certain books.

As I rode the crowded train back home playing the exciting events of my two days visiting the Dudley libraries over and over in my mind, one thought came through loud and clear. Though not all of the people we spoke to had read even 50 Shades, and some weren’t sure how they felt about erotica, there was an open interest, an enthusiasm and a hunger to understand what all the post 50SoG excitement was all about, and IF there was really any substance behind the hype. That was what people wanted to know. That’s what libraries are about, to me. That’s what libraries have ALWAYS been about. Libraries offer a place to approach the world of knowledge and the unknown with an open mind. Libraries offer a safe place to understand, to learn, to experience vicariously – even things that frighten us a bit, things of which we’re unsure. And libraries offer this wonderful gift to everyone! That’s a real treasure, a treasure on which we can’t put a price.

 

Defining a Little Sweet Heat by Becca Dale

Guest Blogger, , , , ,

Hi, K D. Thanks for letting me drop by to visit with you and your readers today. This tour has been both interesting and fun since the stops have almost all been in the UK. It has been an interesting experience indeed.

I thought I’d take a moment to tell readers about feel of my writing. Although The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door is the mildest heat level I have written in a long while, my work runs the gamut from heated to steamy. However, the underlying sweetness never goes away. No matter how Alpha the male or how explicit the sex, passionate tenderness remains beneath it all. In the case of the Millionaire and the Girl Next Door, Jake must face Christa’s family, an emotionally wounded ghost, and the heroine’s own fears. It is those fears that slow him down again and again. He wants but he won’t take until he has her trust.

This heroic attitude drives my heroes and can be a pain in the backside when I want them to get down to it and they give me the lecture in my head about good things coming to those who wait. They don’t care what I want. Their goal, no matter how worked up they might get, is always to satisfy their woman’s needs. I, as the author and supposedly the woman in charge, seem to have no choice in this. Maybe because my own husband offers this type of consistent consideration, my heroes cannot be anything but exactly what my heroines need. Now sometimes, as in the case of Erotic Healing, what the heroine needs is to break down her barriers and get well and thoroughly screwed. Other times, as in my latest release from Decadent Publishing, The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door, the heroine needs time, patience, and a generous dose of understanding before she can let her hair down and say let’s have some fun.

So tenderness and deep emotion run through all my stories. Even in the ones with true Alphas, or the ones with a little kink, the sweetness never goes away. Most of my writing is labeled erotic or sensual romance because I walk the fine line between the two, but no matter how hot the sex, readers consistently label my work as sweet because love and consideration remains at the core of every hero.

Be sure to check at the bottom for a chance to win books from Decadent Publishing. Have fun, and thanks again for letting me hang, K D.

The Millionaire and the Girl Next DoorThe Millionaire and the Girl Next Door Blurb

Tired of chasing his family’s need for money and power, millionaire Jake Wescott heads to Freewill,Wyoming and the beautiful piece of heaven that calls to him.

The girl next door, Christa Dunham puts family first, and she’s determined to protect them from the city boy before he ruins their hunting grounds or steals her heart and then walks away when the lonely nights get too long.

Neither of them expects the attraction that pulls them together nor the lost spirit who wants to drive them apart. Confronting the past leaves them both anxious to find a love beyond a lifetime.

Read an Excerpt: http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=652&osCsid=34ipt9g1f8e41i1lqa1qrdac84

Buy Links : http://www.authorbeccadale.com/#!books/cnec 

About the Author

Becca Dale writes erotic romance with a passionate soul. Her work skirts the very edge of sensual versus erotic romance, which is why fans often use the term sweet-heat, and she tells her editors she is naughty enough. She also strives to make her characters true to life, the type of people readers might know or could meet in the grocery store who just happen to have great sex lives.

Website: http://www.authorbeccadale.com/

Blogger: http://beccadale.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/becca.dale.71

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeccaDaleAuthor

Contest:

This is stop four on a five day blog tour. Every comment you leave, takes you one step closer to winning anything from my Decadent Publishing backlist and your choice of any Western Escape title. In addition, drop by my website to link to Decadent Publishing’s Give a Reader a Reader. You could win 45 eBooks for you and a loaded Nook eReader for a friend. Join the fun!

Tomorrow’s stop: http://www.snifferwalk.org/

Yesterday’s stop: http://zarastoneley.blogspot.co.uk/