Tag Archives: book signing

Previews of Autumn Heat

Inspiration in Blog-sized Doses

My feet have nearly recovered from the 192 mile walk across England, and I’ve blogged my way through the whole fabulous Coast to Coast. I can’t begin to say how inspiring the experience was for me, nor how much it stretched me and forced me to move beyond my comfort zone – always something I struggle with. The walk has convinced me to add a new Inspiration page to my website. It’s been in the back of my mind for awhile, and will now be a regular part of my blogging. In it you will find my Coast to Coast blog posts all together for easy reading for those of you who may have missed out on it.

I plan to use this new section of my blog to share those experiences that stir my imagination and inspire me to write. My hope is that whether you’re a writer, a reader or a house painter, you’ll maybe find inspiration in those experiences as well. And let’s face it, we all love to share the things that inspire us.

What Happens in Vegas

While what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas most of the time, I plan to tell you every yummy detail when I head to Sin City for the Erotic Authors Association Conference at the fabulous Flamingo Hotel on September 9th and 10th. I’ll be doing some readings, visiting the Erotic Heritage museum and participating in an erotic romance panel. Plus I’ll be taking advantage of all the other great talks and events that are happening throughout the weekend. And best of all, I’ll get the chance to meet some of my fabulous American erotica writing friends who, until now, I’ve only known through social media.

Vincent’s Oregon

From Las Vegas, I’ll fly back to Portland, Oregon to meet my sister, with whom I’ll spend the next ten days tromping around the exquisite Oregon countryside visiting some of Vincent’s favourite haunts from The Pet Shop.  I’m very excited to be photographing and blogging about the Oregon Vincent loves so much because I’ll be getting in the spirit of things for the party to end all parties, The Pet Shop launch in London!

The Pet Shop Launch

Between the walking and the polishing of the first book of the Lakeland Heatwave trilogy, I’ve had plenty to keep me focused as I’ve waited impatiently for the print release of The Pet Shop. Most of you know, The Pet Shop is already out in eBook formats and has been getting fab reviews, but October 14th is the date I’ve been waiting for with bated breath.

And, as you may have guessed, the big launch bash for the print premier of Pets will be at one of my favourite places on the planet, Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium  Hoxton!  There’ll be pink fizz, yummy delectables, readings, book signings and the whole titillating two floors of the Sh! store to explore and shop through. If that’s not enough to make for a hot party, some of the hottest names in erotica are going to be there to help me celebrate. And the celebration will be two-fold because the 14th is also the delicious Mr Grace’s birthday, so we’ll slap a candle in his cupcake and all party together. If you’ll be in the neighbourhood 14th of October, be sure to put it on your calendar and stop in for the fun. I’ll be giving more details as time gets closer. Needless to say, I’m very excited, and looking forward to turning my misbehaving Pets loose on London and the rest of the UK — in print. Once they’ve done their misbehaving best in the UK, they’ll arrive in the States in print in January just in time to celebrate the New Year.

Lakeland Heatwave on the Way

Most of you know I came home from the Coast to Coast walk and went right to work on the final polishing of Lakeland Heatwave: Body Temperature and Rising. I had the chance to pick Brian and Von Spencer’s wonderful brains for more Lakeland and Mountain Rescue information while I was on the Lake District leg of the Coast to Coast walk. As always, their help has been invaluable in making sure I get the details right. Once back home, getting the final draft ready to go out the door was priority one, and inspiration from the walk and from Brian and Vron’s helpful observations made it a pleasure rather than a chore.

Lakeland Heatwave: Body Temperature and Rising is the first novel of my paranormal erotic romance trilogy set in the Lake District, and will be published in February 2012. It’s intense, dark and hotter than hot. I’ll be working on the second novel by the New Year, if not before.

A Hopeful Romantic in Autumn

Besides the new Inspiration page on A Hopeful Romantic, there will be intriguing new additions of The Story Behind the Story and there will be some fabulous guests and interviews and field trips coming up as 2011winds down, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, what happens in Vegas will NOT be staying in Vegas, as my next update on all the latest will be coming to you straight from The Erotica Authors Association Conference in Sin City.

Erotica 2010 and Flying Xcite Books

I’m just back from Erotica 2010 with my book-signing hand well-exercised and my throat still raw from talking writing and books and kink. This was my first Erotica, and I don’t intend to make it my last.

I hooked up with the fabulous Kay Jaybee (who came from faraway places to join the party) at Earl’s Court tube station after we’d both run the gauntlet from flat tyres to delays on trains to tube closures due to weekend engineering works. We dropped our things at our hotel, had lunch then headed over to Olympia and the main event.

We just had time for a quick look around before the book signing. A quick look around was no easy task in such a large venue with such a variety of exhibits. Our recci took in everything from latex to corsets to photography, from art to jewelry to sex toys, from whips to dungeon kit to full body painting. After writing The Initiation of Ms Holly’s hot biker bloke, Morgan, I was especially keen on watching an artist clothing her lovely colleague in a freshly painted coat of leopard spots. There was something for everyone. If the booths and displays weren’t enough, there were on-going live performances headlined by Dita VonTeese.

The Xcite Books Booth was near one of the main corridors between exhibits, the perfect place to view the parade of people in latex and corsets, collars and leather, leashes and shoes! Wow, the shoes! There were stilettos and platforms and bum-high boots and biker boots in every colour and style imaginable.

The Xcite booth was well-personed with its fearless leader, Hazel Cushion at the helm. Miranda Forbes was there, as always, doing the work of two or three people. Two lovely young women handed out flyers for free audio downloads, or as Hazel calls them, eargasms. And the book racks and displays practically writhed with a constant influx of stilletoed, booted, corseted, latexed folk, as well as a good number of people dressed up like average Brits out for a day of fun and entertainment. The atmosphere was laid back and festive.

I settled in at a signing table decked in an Xcite table cloth and stacked artfully with gorgeous golden copies of The Initiation of Ms Holly. Once I’d made myself comfy, I retrieved my special blue book signing pen from the depths of my bag and did a few warm-up stretches to prepare my fingers for my first ever official book signing event.

And sign I did! I lost count fairly early on, enjoying the banter about costumes and sexy Christmas gifts, about what inspired me to write Holly and what people were enjoying most at Erotica. In the midst of it all, Kay, who had gone exploring, brought back periodic reports of her adventures and inspiration amid the exhibits.

Back from a short break, Hazel brought me an icy beer to quench my raging thirst from all that hard signing and talk, and one of the lovely Eargasm Chix thoughtfully brought both Kay and me a gourmet cookies to sustain us.

Once the signing was done and my energy was restored by alcohol and sugar, there was more exploring to do. Then it was time to watch Dita Von Teese. We watched the show from the mezzanine of the food court ensconced next to a lovely lady with a huge raven tattoo peeking up over the back of her silver corset.

After a day full of obstacles, eye-candy, book-signing, and sensory overload, we ended up back at the hotel talking writing and erotica over a bottle of Chilean red. The perfect end to the perfect day.

As I sit here in the quiet of my lounge, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep and still trying to take in the fullness of the day, I’m thinking about Hazel, who spent another long day today working the Xcite Booth at Erotica. Of course the way the books were flying off the racks, she may have run out of stock and had to close up shop early. Thanks, Hazel and Mirandas and Eargasm Chix for doing such a fabulous job! You all rock!

On a final note, as I was waiting to catch my train back home, I decided to check out the WH Smiths, and to my delight, I found Holly has arrived at Waterloo Station too, and she’s all ready to travel!
It was a really good weekend!

Book Signing at Erotica 2010!

This Saturday, at Erotica 2010 I’ll be checking out the goodies and fondling leather and corsets all in the name of research for more hot stories. But at 3:00 pm, I’ll be having even more fun signing copies of The Initiation of Ms Holly at the Xcite Books booth. If you’re in the London area, be sure to stop by, do a little fondling of your own and get your copy of The Initiation of Ms Holly signed by moi. Erotica and the Xcite booth are very hot places to be on a crisp autumn day.
Book signing
Saturday 20 November 2010
3:00 pm

Another Rude Reading from The Initiation of Ms Holly 26th November at Sh! Portobello!

Mark your calendars Friday 26th November — Reading at Sh! Portobello by yours truly from my novel, The Initiation of Ms Holly.

If you missed the fun at the launch party for The Initiation of Ms Holly at Sh! Hoxton store, not to worry. Here is another chance to enjoy some of the best and the rudest bits from Holly. And it’s my chance to read to you from the legendary Pink Throne at the Sh! Portobello Store. Plus we all get to party with the fabulous Sh! Ladiez. A hot evening to take the autumn chill off.
More juicy details to follow shortly!

Best Launch Party EVER!

Friday night we celebrated the launch of The Initiation of Ms Holly in style at Sh! Women’s Erotic Emporium, Hoxton. The traditional Sh! pink fizz and cupcakes were the grazing fare of the evening, along with a lovely, and appropriately pink and scrummy banana cake that my dear friend, Helen Calaghan, made just for the occasion.

We started the evening early with a pre-launch drink at the Bluu Bar right next door to Sh! It was the perfect place to meet up with old friends and new ones too before the bash began. I headed over a little early to get into the Killer Shoes, touch up the lippy and generally get in raunchy reading mood.
It was an all-star cast. The lovely Triona Adams, of Nun the Wiser fame was there for Holly’s maiden voyage. And I felt expecially honoured to be able to celebrate with some of my very favourite erotica writers, Kay Jaybee, Jacqueline Applebee, Scarlett French, Kate Marley, and
Lucy Felthouse. Lucy is the founder of the exciting new website, Erotica For All, one of the best things to happen to erotic readers and writers in ages! If you haven’t checked it out, do so.
The totally amazing Hazel Cushion, managing director and founder of Accent Press , of which Xcite books is apart, was also there. I can’t thank her enough for all she’s done to make The Initiation of Ms Holly a reality. Hazel, you rock!
Speaking of people who rock, the fabulous Sarah Berry, editor and all-around fearless leader of Foreplay Magazine was there. Her enthusiasm and passion for erotica and writing are inspirational.
For two and a half wonderful hours Holly had a fizz-flushed captive audience. I read some of my favourite raunchy passages, answered questions, signed books and in general had a fantastic time. When people weren’t listening to me read the sexy bits they were wandering about, browsing the pink, toy-filled, fun-filled shelves of Sh! women’s store, while the lovely Sh! Ladiez kept the fizz and cupcakes and pink banana cake circulating.

Afterwards, the party overflowed to a nearby Pizza Express where we ravenous partiers discuss writing and sex and networking and fun-stuff in general. The party ended up being only slightly less than a slumber party as Kay, Sarah and Raymond and I migrated back to the hotel room still talking writing, raunch and censorship.

Back home now, having had twelve much-needed hours of sleep, I’m still smiling all over myself. I can hardly wait for the next launch party. That means, back to work on the next novel, and lots more fun!

Special thanks to Lucy Felthouse for some of
the fantastic photos. Lucy, you’re the best!

A TASTE OF HOLLY

Excerpts of The Initiation of Ms Holly are now available for your reading pleasure at Erotica for All and at Xcite Books.

WIN HOLLY

For a chance to win your free copy of The Initiation of Ms Holly, check out Eriotica For All and the Goodreads Xcite group.