Tag Archives: Xcite books

Fulfilling The Contract Blog Tour : What Happens in Vegas

I’m very excited to announce that tomorrow begins the blog tour for Fulfilling the Contract, book Fulfilling the Contracttwo of The Mount Series, and long-time-coming sequel to The Initiation of Ms Holly. Rita Holly and I are especially excited to introduce you to Elsa Crane and Nick Chase and the whole Mount Vegas team. I hope you’ll follow the tour and join in the fun. And to make it easier, here’s the schedule of where and when you can catch the Fulfilling the Contract tour and join the celebration.

Feb. 17 — Erzabet Bishop

Topic – Guest interview with Rita Holly, who talks about what’s going on in Vegas with Nick Chase and Elsa Crane.

Feb. 18 – My Book Addiction and More

Topic — Five Things I Love About Vegas

Feb. 19 — Sharazade

Topic – Las Vegas as Inspiration

Feb. 20 – Gale Stanley

Topic – KD’s Couch, with Nick Chase

Feb. 21 – Liv Honeywell

Topic – KD’s Couch, with Elsa Crane

******

Book two of The Mount trilogy (Click here for Book One)

Limo driver, NICK CHASE’s bad night gets worse when he picks up TANYA POVIC at a bar only to discover the explosive sex they share lands her in breach of her very strange contract. Blaming himself that Tanya will lose the large completion bonus earmarked for her mother’s surgery, Nick negotiates with her boss, the tough and mysterious ELSA CRANE, to allow him to fulfill Tanya’s contract and secure her bonus.

Elsa runs Mount Vegas, which offers voyeuristic pleasures for a price. Nick’s job, with Elsa and her quirky team, is to give clients something worth watching through the plate glass windows of Vegas’s luxury hotels and beyond. The learning curve is steep and kinky. As Nick and Elsa’s relationship sizzles and ignites more than hotel room rendezvouses are exposed. In this sequel to The Initiation of Ms Holly things get positively dangerous as Rita Holly and her team are called in from London to lend a helping hand. Bets are being placed. Will Nick fulfil the contract? Will he and Elsa take the gamble? And will they find a way to win at the high stakes, double or nothing, game of hearts?

*****

“This story just keeps surprising you, the characters are great… intrigue, excitement, a soupçon of romance, and a bad guy. What’s not to like. It was an amazing experience to read, and I think this book is not just five stars, it’s must read as well.” 5 out of 5, Kinky Book KlubSpecial thanks to Lucy Felthouse at Writer Marketing Services for setting up such a great tour.

CJ Payne Tells Us How Lynton Gets Stung!

Firstly, many thanks to K D Grace for allowing me to write this blog. I am quite new to all this so bear with me. My first Fem Dom book, published by Xcite, was called Kiss and concerned a transvestite, called Alex, who forms an unlikely relationship with ambitious lawyer, Kara Richardson. The second, which has just been published by Xcite, is called Sting and is about a 30-something male, called Lynton Field, who takes one step up the career ladder – neatly followed by two back down it! He requests a reference from his ex-manager, Julianne, and gets more than he bargained for! Eventually, he becomes lured into the world of dominant women as Julianne sets about training his girlfriend, Chloe, in the dark art of Fem Dom…. I’ll let Lynton take up the story…

Chapter Four

So that’s how, on a cold February morning, I found myself tied over a wooden vaulting horse while Julianne stood in front of me with a flipchart. I was tethered in such a way that my head dangled over the horse and I could see the chart through my spread-eagled legs – I felt a little like a bat. Chloe sat on a chair to my right side and Lydia on the left. Julianne stood at the front of the room. She had marked the flipchart POSITIVE and NEGATIVE and had drawn a line down the middle with a black marker pen.

‘Right, Chloe, what faults has Lynton got? Give me a couple to start with,’ Julianne said, every inch the businesswoman doing a brainstorming session at some conference or other. She really was matter-of-fact about it.

Chloe crossed her legs and placed a hand under her thigh; she rocked back and forth and I could tell she CJ Payne postfelt ill at ease. Even though I was uncomfortable I was getting a hard-on just by looking at her black patent high-heeled boots – my upside-down position gave me an excellent view. She tapped her right toe seductively as if operating a treadle.

‘He’s not really got any,’ Chloe said. ‘Not that I can think of anyway.’

I smiled. My little angel was so loyal.

‘OK,’ Julianne said with the air of a schoolmistress who had been given the wrong answer and felt a tad irked by it. ‘What qualities does he have?’

‘He’s generous.’

Julianne wrote that on the flipchart. ‘OK, anything else?’

‘Good sense of humour.’

Julianne wrote “GSOH” on the chart.

‘Anything else?’

‘He’s quite placid and easy-going.’

Julianne wrote away in a neat, black screed. ‘Right back to the negatives.’

Chloe paused. ‘I suppose the biggest one is he’s commitment phobic. I’d like to settle down and get married – start a family, that sort of thing – but I just don’t feel the relationship’s going anywhere. Lynton is happy to jog along betting and doing his own thing. We don’t even live together …’

‘Excuse me – that’s because you want to help your mother with your brothers!’ I called out.

‘I don’t – you’ve never even asked me!’ Chloe countered.

‘That’s enough, Lynton – this is about Chloe, not you, so be quiet, please,’ Julianne ordered me. ‘I’ve got a bare backside looking at me and either Lydia or I will smack you if you interrupt again.’

‘Yes, shut up, Lynton,’ Chloe said. The fact I was so demonstratively impotent obviously empowered her.

Julianne turned back to the board. ‘All right, how shall I write that up? I know – “a selfish commitment-phobe who likes doing his own thing”.

‘Hey, hang on there,’ I said. ‘You’ve never said any of this before, Chloe.’

‘I didn’t like to, but it’s what I feel inside,’ Chloe argued.

Suddenly I felt a sharp smack on my buttock – not from Julianne but from Lydia who had stood up and struck me with a pitted paddle with great force. It was as though she was swatting a fly and the sound of the slap resounded around the room. Afterwards, all was quiet. My backside tingled hotly and I clenched and unclenched my buttocks.

Julianne carried on regardless. ‘Any more?’

‘He moans about me spending money on clothes and sometimes refuses to buy me stuff,’ Chloe said.

‘When? When?’ I protested.

‘Sometimes you pull a face and make a right fat fuss because I ask you to buy me stuff.’

‘I don’t,’ I said.

Again Lydia gave me a sharp smack on my left buttock with the pitted paddle which was shaped like a table tennis bat – in fact, naively, that was what I had thought it was when I first came into the room. My buttocks trembled and I felt a tingling sensation run through my body. My exposed cheeks stung – I started to feel aroused.

‘Shut up, Lynton,’ Julianne said. ‘I’m talking to Chloe. This is her workshop, not yours. Lydia, get me my duct tape. I’m going to have to place some tape over his mouth if he carries on.’

I fell silent. I was beaten.

‘He treats me like a princess, then punishes me,’ Chloe said.

Julianne scribbled away.

And so it went on. Chloe came out with a great long list of grievances, most of which I’d never heard before. While Julianne listed my bad points, Lydia returned with the thick, black duct tape and a strip was fastened to my mouth. I had to just hang over the horse and watch the list of negatives grow. OK, one or two more positives were added, but in the main it was a long line of black marks which made me sound like the worst boyfriend in the world. When she had finished, Julianne placed the top back on her marker pen, stood back from the flipchart, and started to read aloud each negative in turn.

‘He doesn’t sound great, does he, Chloe?’ Julianne said. ‘When you do a plus and minus balance sheet against most men they tend to err on the negative side but Lynton has a lot of faults. Don’t you think you could do better for yourself?’

Chloe shrugged. ‘I suppose I could.’

‘Well, we’re going to start off with training Lynton and if there is still no improvement you will have to trade him in. So, to start with, what punishment do you think is appropriate, Chloe?’

‘You serious?’

‘Absolutely – you’ve listed 21 things wrong with Lynton and just six positive points, which gives us a negative balance of 15. Now, that can be 15 strokes of the cane, 15 smacks with the paddle, or another punishment – it’s your call.’

Chloe bit her lip. I could tell she was tempted. She dragged a hand through her long, black hair. I could tell she wanted to ask my permission but knew it wasn’t what was expected. Finally, she said, ‘I’m not sure. Poor Lynton, tied up helpless like that. I know he deserves it but it’s all new to me. Couldn’t you show me what to do?’

Julianne looked at Lydia who had gone to stand in the dark shadow of the doorframe after she’d placed the tape over my mouth; her hands were clasped in front of her.

‘What do you think, Lydia?’ Julianne asked.

Lydia stepped forward. She wore a long, black skirt and lace-up boots that resembled the footwear ladies wore in Victorian times.

‘I think that’s a very sensible approach. After all, you have so much experience as a disciplinarian, Julianne, it is only right that you should show Chloe what you need to do prior to her taking ownership of Lynton.’

‘I agree,’ Julianne said. ‘Untie him and we’ll take him downstairs to the punishment chamber.’

Lydia walked over to me and untied my hands and removed the duct tape from my mouth. I slid off the horse and stood up. I was desperate to hide my cock which was on full display to the three women.

‘This is a game, right?’ I said, fear spearing every cell of my body.

Julianne gave that thin-lipped smile of hers. Then she barked, ‘It’s not a game; of course it isn’t! It’s punishment time, Lynton. Poor, down-trodden Chloe has listed 21 negative points about you and only six positives; that’s not very good, is it? How can you base a relationship on that level of abject selfishness and immaturity?’

My head dropped. ‘I … I …. don’t know.’

‘I do. You need to change. And quickly. You need to stop acting in a selfish, ignorant, childish manner and treat Chloe with the respect she deserves. You need to understand that she is a goddess and you must worship her and see to her every whim. Understand?’

‘Yes,’ I said meekly. ‘I’m sorry, I never realised I was such a bad boyfriend.’

‘Well, we’ll see how sorry you really are when we punish you,’ Julianne said.

While she had been speaking, Lydia had moved stealthily behind me and in a few minutes she had CJ Payne 2bound my wrists behind my back. I felt like a prisoner but, once again, that damned prick of mine started to come up. It was so frustrating because I could not push it down.

Chloe looked at it and said, ‘You enjoy this, don’t you, Lynton? You like women to be in control.’

‘I … I … I …,’ I stuttered. ‘It’s not so much that, Chloe; it’s just that I get turned on when I’m near you.’

Chloe laughed, light and frolicking. ‘Yeah right, and I’m a monkey’s arse.’

Suddenly Julianne was in front of me. Her hand reached down and she grabbed my cock and balls. Tightly. Her nails dug into my scrotum.

She hissed. ‘I think we know you get turned on by women exerting power over you, Lynton, don’t we? Now, no more lies to Chloe.’

I felt my face go red. Another woman had hold of my cock and Chloe didn’t seem at all concerned. In the normal course of events she would have gone ballistic. Julianne moved her hand and squeezed my cock. It felt like the blood was trying to burst from the top.

‘Repeat after me, “I promise not to lie to Chloe again,”’ Julianne said.

‘I promise not to lie to Chloe again,’ I said.

Louder!’

‘I promise not to lie to Chloe again.’

‘Once more … but this time even louder,’ Julianne demanded.

Somehow I found myself repeating the words as if they were some sort of Boy Scouts vow.

Julianne released my purple pecker. ‘Right, let’s go.’

****

Want to find out what happens to poor old Lynton? Go to https://www.xcitebooks.co.uk.

Happy Reading!

Abou CJ Payne:

CJ Payne has written on and off for a number of years and had quite a few articles and a few short stories published. He has laboured under various nom-de-plume’s and, also under the name “C J Payne”, you will find a collection of ten BDSM e-short stories published by Chimera, nine of which are Male Dom. He’s currently working on a second set of “tales” for Chimera, which will be imaginatively entitled, “The Caneterbury Tales 2”. In between times he works full time (though he would rather write for a living!!!) He’s currently working on a third novel for Xcite, which is provisionally called Swish.

 

Launch Day for Holly with SourceBooks

Holly Final Cover ImageMy firstborn, The Initiation of Ms Holly, has had a wild couple of years in her young life. She’s found her way into the national newspapers, she’s made it onto national television and radio, she’s made it to number one on the Amazon UK paid erotica chart and on the free chart, and she’s in her third printing with Xcite books. Holly has even made her way into public libraries all across the UK!

Holly has done the Coast to Coast walk across England with Raymond and me in a zip lock bag. (We couldn’t find any waterproofs in her size). She’s been to Las Vegas where she was read from at the famous Flamingo hotel. She’s been on the bookshelves in WH Smith stores in airports, train stations and along the motorways. That girl is well travelled! And as of today, her adventure gets even bigger!

Today is the official launch day for The Initiation of Ms Holly with US publisher, SourceBooks!  I’ve been waiting for what feels like ages for this day. But some things are just worth the wait, and this is definitely one of them.

SourceBooks fabulous PR folks have already gotten the book some great pre-launch attention, and look what people are saying about Holly!

RT Book Reviews had this to say about Holly:

While the “exclusive BDSM club” trope is certainly not new, the author has found a way to make the story compelling with a variety of erotic characters and a slight hint of mystery. Readers will enjoy having a heroine like Rita who is comfortable with exploring her sexuality and will want to stick around to see if she emerges victorious when going up against the club’s wicked dominatrix. Caution: The sex in this book is both plentiful and scorching hot — oven mitts may be needed when turning the pages!

The Library Journal has included The Initiation of Ms Holly among what they consider the best of current erotic fiction!

Thanks, SourceBooks for spreading the news!

The Initiation of Ms Holly is the novel that nearly didn’t get published, and yet, of all my novels, Holly has been the one that has taken me on the wildest ride – and still is! And I couldn’t be prouder.

I’m especially excited about the adventures of Rita Holly as the intrigues and sexy schemings of The Mount continue. More about that in Thursday’s post.

In the meantime, to help Holly Celebrate her new cover, new release and continued adventure, here is a little teaser.

Blurb:

Journalist, Rita Holly, never dreamed sex with the mysterious Edward in the dark of a malfunctioning train would lead to a blindfolded, champagne-drenched tango, a spanking by a butch waitress, and an offer of initiation into the exclusive mysteries of The Mount. Desperate to save her threatened job, she agrees, scheming secretly to write an inside exposé on the club that will make her career. But as she delves deeper into the intrigue of The Mount and the lives of its members, she soon discovers that her heart may have other plans.

Excerpt from The Initiation of Ms Holly:

He practically fell on top of Rita, his hand grazing her left breast in the complete darkness. She yelped and grabbed him to keep from losing her balance.

“God, I’m sorry!” He gasped. “Bloody nuisance, this, isn’t it?” His voice was warm, melodious, by far the most pleasant thing that had happened to Rita since she left Paris. “Oh dear. You’re trembling. Are you all right?”

Holly_cover_cropped“I’m claustrophobic” her words were thin and shaky, as though she didn’t fully trust herself to let them out. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t know where we are.” For an embarrassing moment, she realized she was still clinging to him, but the embarrassment passed, and suddenly she didn’t care. If they were going to die trapped in a train in the Eurostar tunnel, buried beneath a gazillion gallons of water, she’d just as soon not do it alone.

He either understood, or was too polite to leave her in such distress. He wrapped his arms around her engulfing her in a muscular embrace, the scent of which was maleness barely masked by deodorant and some spicy cologne, both fading at the end of a day much longer than either of them had anticipated. “Don’t worry.” In the darkness, he misjudged the distance between them and his lips brushed her earlobe. “It’s just an electrical malfunction. Anyway we’re better off down here than in the snowstorm up above. Sounds like all of London is shut down. Who’d have expected snow this late in the spring? Never mind that, where else do you get the chance to cuddle strangers in the dark?”

He pressed a little closer to her, and she was relieved to find other thoughts, thoughts more welcome than those of their predicament, pushing their way into her head. He felt good, broad-shouldered and tall, easy to lean on.

“Why are you huddled here in the corner rather than hunkered down in your seat?”

She concentrated on his warm breath pressing against the top of her ear. “I was on my way back from the loo when the lights went out and…”

“And this is as far as you got.”

She nodded against his chest, homing in on the reassuring sound of his heartbeat.

“Shall I help you back to your seat then?”

Holly cover FINAL9781907761270_FCThe train lurched forward, and she yelped again, tightening her grip around his neck. “No, please. It’s better if I just don’t move.”

There was a long pause. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

She realized the poor man had little choice clenched in her strangle hold, as he was. “I don’t want to be any trouble,” she lied.

He readjusted his stance and tightened his embrace. “No trouble at all. I can’t think of a better way to pass the time than in the arms of a beautiful woman. You are beautiful, aren’t you?”

In spite of the stress she felt, she forced a laugh. “Gorgeous, actually. Too bad you can’t see for yourself.”

He ran a hand down the contour of her spine to rest low on the small of her back. “I don’t have to see you to admire you.”

The thought that the man was rather cheeky barely crossed her mind before he lifted her fingers to his lips and planted a warm kiss across the back of her knuckles. “I’m Edward. I’m from London. Clearly you’re not.”

“Rita,’ she replied. ‘I’m from Seattle, but I live in London now.”

“Well Rita, from Seattle, we’ve established that you’re an exotic beauty. Perhaps you’d like to return the favour.” He lifted her hand to his face and guided it gently over the slight stubble of his cheek. As her hand cupped his well-formed chin, he pulled her middle finger into his mouth and nibbled it, teasing the pad of it with his tongue. Suddenly her struggle to breathe had nothing to do with being claustrophobic.

“Well?” He asked pulling her hand away to massage her fingers. “What do you think? Am I acceptable?”

If he was cheeky, she was downright brazen. She stopped his words with her mouth, amazed at how easily she had found the mark in total darkness. Perhaps it was the darkness that made her so bold, but whatever it was, he didn’t disappoint. His mouth was warm, opening eagerly to the probing of her tongue, responding in kind, caressing her hard pallet, nipping at the fullness of her lower lip before pulling away just enough to speak.

“There, you see? It’s not so bad being in the dark, is it? The other senses are too often overlooked, which is very sad, since they offer such exquisite delights.” His hand moved up to cup her cheek, and he raked a thumb across her still parted lips. “Taste, for example. Few pleasures exceed that of the tongue.”

Sourcebooks-imageShe heard him fumbling in the darkness, then she heard the rattling of foil. ‘Open your mouth,’ he whispered. “I have something that’ll make you feel better, guaranteed. Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal.”

Reluctantly she opened her mouth, which he primed with a wet kiss, then slipped a chocolate truffle between her lips. It was covered liberally in cocoa and warmed exquisitely almost, but not quite to the steamy melting point of his body temperature, which only enhanced the sharp, edgy flavor that separates expensive chocolate from the cheap stuff.

She gasped her surprise, then moaned softly at the intensity of the taste.

“Don’t bite,” he kissed her jaw, then her throat. “Savour it, roll it around in your mouth. There are places on the tongue that taste only sweet and places that taste only bitter or salt, or sour. Chocolate can have all those flavors. Caress it in your mouth like you’re making love to it, and you’ll be amazed at what you taste.”

She cheeked the truffle, slurring her words as she spoke. “I thought I was tasting you.”

He chuckled softly. “Everything tastes better with chocolate.” Without another word, he took her mouth, plunging his tongue deep against the melting truffle, whirling it, lapping at it, sighing with the pleasure of it. The more liquid and heated the truffle became, the more liquid and heated Rita became.

 

 

Stately Pleasures by Lucy Felthouse

Stately PleasuresAlice Brown has just landed her dream job. Property manager at Davenport Manor, a British stately home. It’s only a nine-month contract to cover maternity leave, but it’s the boost up the career ladder she so desperately needs.

Unfortunately, things don’t get off to the best start, when Alice finds her boss, Jeremy Davenport, in a compromising position. Far from being embarrassed by what’s happened, Jeremy turns things around on Alice and makes her out to be the one in the wrong. So when he and his best friend and head of security, Ethan Hayes, then throw an ultimatum at her, she’s so stunned and confused that she goes along with their indecent proposal.

When the dust settles and Alice has time to think about things, though, she realises that perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing. There are worse things she could be doing to advance her career, after all.

Buy links: http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/stately-pleasures/

Add to Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18756618-stately-pleasures

*****

Excerpt:

Alice took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. Repeated the process once more. Then, realising she could sit there all day doing it and not feel any calmer, she forced herself to step out of the car and close and lock the door.

She bent to peer into the wing mirror of the vehicle and checked her hair and make-up. Satisfied, she straightened, then turned on her heel and walked quickly across the driveway to the great house before her nerve failed her.

Davenport Manor was currently open for visitors, so she walked in through the front door and was met by a smiling elderly lady.

‘Can I help you?’ the woman asked kindly.

‘Yes, please.’ Alice twisted her hands together nervously. ‘I’m here to see Mr Davenport. I’m here for an interview for the property manager’s role.’

‘Yes, of course,’ the woman replied, ‘that’s today, isn’t it? Follow me; I’ll take you to Mr Davenport’s office. But just hang on one second.’

She ducked through the doorway into the next room and spoke with her colleague. Alice guessed she was letting her co-worker know she’d be gone for a few minutes. A few seconds later, she was back. ‘OK, follow me, Miss …’

‘Brown,’ Alice said, then fell in behind the other woman as she led her to Mr Davenport’s office, and the interview that could change her life for ever. It was hardly surprising that she was shaking like a leaf.

Alice quickly felt lost as their journey took several twists and turns along dim corridors – their blinds drawn to protect paintings, tapestries, and furniture from the sunlight – and up a flight of stairs. She had a few seconds to worry about finding her way if she was lucky enough to get the job, then, suddenly, her guide stopped outside a door and turned around.

‘Here you go, Miss Brown. Mr Davenport’s office. Good luck with your interview.’

Alice smiled and thanked the elderly woman, then smoothed down her skirt, which also conveniently helped wipe the nervous sweat off her hands. She stood up straight, gave herself a mental pep talk about being more than qualified for the role, and knocked on the door.

‘Enter.’

Alice knew that voice could only belong to Jeremy Davenport. The posh accent, and the fact he’d said “enter” instead of “come in”, screamed money and an upper-class upbringing. Alice was suddenly nervous of her broad Midlands accent and lowly background, despite the fact she’d worked her backside off to get into a decent university in order to gain a Bachelor of Arts degree and then a Master’s degree. No matter what she sounded like, or what her past was, she had all the skills necessary to do the job she was about to be interviewed for.

Suddenly, she realised that she’d left rather a long pause before opening the door, and she turned the handle before the occupants of the room thought they were about to interview some kind of simpleton who couldn’t follow a simple instruction.

Fixing a polite – but hopefully not inane – smile onto her face, Alice stepped into Jeremy Davenport’s office. Her first thought – which certainly did nothing to help her nerves – was good God, he’s hot.

Jeremy sat behind a desk, with a heavily pregnant woman sitting beside it. Alice barely noticed the woman. All she saw was him. A man with cropped dark brown hair, hazel/green eyes, a jawline you could cut bread with, and lips that looked capable of doing incredibly wicked, sexual things to a woman. Or a man. Alice had no idea what his sexuality was, but she found herself hoping he liked women.

She chastised herself. Even if he did like women, he wouldn’t go for someone like her. A Plain Jane, with mousy brown shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, average height and above average weight. Alice had always known she’d never be a supermodel, so she’d worked extra hard academically, and here she was. About to be interviewed for her dream job.

*****

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over eighty publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women’s Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

Justine Elyot Returns to Her Fantasy Roots with Her Latest Novel, Princess in Chains

It’s a pleasure to welcome one of my very favourite writers and a good friend, Justine Elyot, back to my site, and this time writing in one of my very favourite genres! Welcome, Justine!

Guesting at K D’s blog always feel like an event and I’m delighted to be here under her glamorous spotlight. Thanks, K D!

Justine Elyot Princess in ChainsmedI’ve been writing and publishing erotica for five years now and I’ve tried my hand at a number of different styles and sub-genres. If I’m known for anything, it’s probably for contemporary erotica with a substantial dose of kink. But I enjoy reading and writing a diverse range of stories and all those kinky city women with their deliciously dominant lovers aren’t the only string to my bow.

I’ve written a speculative fiction novel (Under His Influence for Carina Press), a paranormal novel (Saxonhurst Secrets for Xcite) and an historical novel (Secrets And Lords for Mischief). And now I’m going back to my roots and experimenting with fantasy with Princess In Chains, the first in a trilogy for Xcite.

I say ‘going back to my roots’ because fantasy books were my absolute favourite as a child. We start with fairy tales, and I stuck with them, having a passion for the Narnia books that led to me borrowing them all from the library six times in a row. Quests, adventures, desperate escapes and rescues – these were rocket fuel to my developing imagination. And you will find all of that kind of thing in Princess In Chains.

You won’t find the controversial allegories of world faiths that you find in C S Lewis’s work though – my kingdoms have religions of their own, or they have no religions. Some of them are up to their ears in strange superstitions and some of them are solidly practical. Some are afraid of sex and some embrace sexuality in all its glorious forms and fluidity. None of them are exactly like a real place – at least, I hope not.

It’s a tiny little bit like Narnia, a little (but not much because everyone is human) like Middle Earth, a little more like Westeros. If that sounds like a place you could visit, perhaps you’d like an excerpt:

Asta was being borne away, aloft, by a trio of rough-looking men. They were some yardlings distant, but if she ran…

She put down her head and cannoned through the press, Taran hot at her heels, shouting imprecations behind her.

‘They have her,’ she explained, turning her head for a moment. ‘My…they have her.’

But the crowd was too thick and too unpredictable in its patterns of movement and she could not get close, no matter how she flailed and kicked. One man turned and grasped her arm, yelling at her for knocking down his small son. That was all the time Taran needed to catch up with her.

‘Mind your woman,’ growled the man, over Taran’s apologies. ‘If I were you I’d get her home and let her work out her passions on the washtub.’

‘Perhaps I will,’ said Taran. ‘Asta. Calm yourself. Are you saying that your mistress has been assaulted?’

‘They are taking her,’ said Leonore, waving in the direction of her last sighting.

‘What did you see?’

‘Three men, wild-looking fellows…oh, what do they mean by taking her?’

‘Let’s follow their direction. Perhaps we can find them.’

They crossed the square, past the swinging corpse in the gibbet, through more crazed dancing, which had started up again regardless of the pother.

Their wanderings led them to a side alley, but it was quiet. If the abductors had passed that way, they had moved quickly. Or perhaps they were inside one of these shuttered buildings.

Leonore stopped abruptly before one of them, seeing again the strange conglomeration of triangles on the doors and walls.

‘One of the men – his arm was tattooed with this sign. At least, I think it was.’ She turned to Taran. ‘What does it mean?’

‘Valish Liberation,’ said Taran. ‘An organisation that seeks to overthrow Corvin from the throne.’

She tugged at the voluminous material of his sleeve.

‘Then that is a clue as to her whereabouts. He must be one of these freedom fighters. They have perhaps kidnapped her – for a ransom? Or…she is a political prisoner of some kind.’

‘Or they are just ruffians who wanted a woman.’

‘There were whores a-plenty out in that square. Why take a noblewoman, except for the purposes I have named?’

***

What’s happened to her?

You can find out by reading the book!

It’s available from all good retailers, including Sainsbury’s Online: http://www.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/book/Princess-In-Chains-Justine-Elyot/7710174

Amazon UK:

eBook

Print

Amazon.com:

eBook

Print

Find Justine Here:

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