BDSM requires people to be really honest about their feelings and what they do, and don’t want - Trillium chats with us on Naughty Reader's Feb 12 - 17

 Congratulations Cynthia Arsuaga!

Cynthia won an eBook copy of Touch of Love from Trillium!

Trillium is visiting with us this week to share her new release "Ali's Choice" in the Touch of Love Anthology by Silver Publishing. 

Our virtual location is a seductive dungeon. Listen while we enter, you can hear the snaps of whips, the cries of pain and the screams of a good orgasm!

About Trillium in her words:

I believe the BDSM, when practiced in a safe, sane and consensual manner is okay.  And I love writing about women and men who discover who they really are and what’s important to them through intricate “play.”

I don’t enjoy wannabes, posers or those people who don’t know enough about themselves to be good in any relationship, much less BDSM.

Whether you’re in a full-blown, hard-core D/s relationship, or limit your experience to occasional play in a local dungeon, I hope you’ll enjoy my stories about people as they experience some aspect of the lifestyle.

Naughty Reader’s: Tell us a bit about yourself  that our readers might not know.

Trillium:  Since I’m a relatively new writer in the erotic arena, my readers probably don’t know much! Hmmm….what to tell…I had a dalliance with a famous actor a long time ago at a New England theater. Several months later I was riding a subway in Brooklyn and he was on the same car as I was. He came on to me again, having totally forgotten who I was.  A blow to my tender ego, but you can’t make this stuff up!

Naughty Reader’s: What made you want to become a writer?

Trillium: I didn’t have a choice.  I’ve been writing stories since I was about five. For a long time my imagination was far better than reality.

Naughty Reader’s: Please share a bit about your new release "Ali's Choice" without giving away any spoilers.

Trillium:  My short story, “Ali’s Choice,” is part of the Touch of Love anthology published by Silver Publishing. In the story’s opening, Ali’s dominant husband has just been killed in war. She bottles all her emotions inside her to get by. But her husband had made arrangements in case the worse happened.  The question is, will his plans work for Ali?

  
Book Excerpt from “Ali’s Choice”

It had been two months since Jake was killed. Two long, fucking... or not-fucking... months.

And she still hadn't cried.

Ali played with her nipple rings, pulling on them hard until they stung.

"Shit!" she yelled.

No tears.

She hadn't cried when the two soldiers had showed up on her doorstep. They'd looked her up and down over their long noses until she felt naked in her silky blouse and short skirt. Even after they'd delivered the news that her husband was gone she'd held her tears back. She wasn't going to let the damn bastards see her break down. She'd cry on her own time--when she was good and ready.

Two months later, she still hadn't shed a tear.

Now Valentine's Day was only a month away and she didn't have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. She glanced at the picture of her husband on her nightstand. Valentine's Day had always been their favorite holiday. Maybe she'd cry then. She had to let her emotions out... the lump in her chest was killing her.

The doorbell rang and she pulled herself out of bed. She glanced at her mirror. A too-thin face magnified her green eyes. She really needed to eat more. Throwing on a silk robe, she walked to the door and peeked through the peephole.

Another damn soldier.

This one was a lot better looking than the last two had been. Younger, too. She opened the door as he was about to knock on the doorjamb. A cold blast of January air made her shiver.

"Oh, I didn't know if your doorbell was working," he said.

Nice voice, too.

"My name is Brian. I was a friend of Jake's. I..."

She thrust the screen door open. "Come in."

Once he entered, she shut the door on the cold Pennsylvania winter, aware that her nipples had turned to hard nubs and her rings were visible under the thin silk robe.

Brian stared at her. "You're thinner than your picture. Do you have enough to eat? If you need anything..." He reached for his back pocket.

She gestured for him to sit down; shamed he thought Jake hadn't taken care of her. "I'm okay. Life insurance. And I have a job I can work from home."

Jake had made sure she had a job she could work from home. He wanted her accessible and dressed the way he wanted. She loved the freedom of living a submissive life without having to explain her attire to anyone, especially her mother, who fortunately lived in Wisconsin.

Brian took an envelope out of his pocket. "Jake wanted me to give this to you if... if anything happened to him. I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I only returned home last week."

Her hand shook a little as she took the paper from him, laid it in her lap and stroked it. A lump of sorrow filled her chest. Maybe when she read Jake's letter the tears would fall.

"Look," he said, leaning forward. "I know you don't know me, but I feel like I know you. Jake talked about you every chance he got. He really loved you."

She nodded. Jake had been the love of her life, her master, everything to her.

"I don't know how to say this, but you look like you're in a bad way. When's the last time you left the apartment?"

She glared at him, her fists clenched and shoulders pushed back, causing her nipples to push against the thin fabric even more.

"You don't know me," she said. "How dare you talk to me like that? Leave. Now."

He didn't move or say anything.

God, he was just like Jake, not making an argument, he was simply waiting for her to figure out what he wanted her to do. No wonder they'd gotten along.

The envelope crinkled in her hand. "Can you excuse me?"

He nodded.

She went back to the bedroom and took a hard look in the mirror. Not only was her face too thin, it was practically gaunt. She hadn't bothered with make-up in days and there were deep circles under her brown eyes. Her hair was stringy, along with being a mess. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a shower.

She didn't look good.

All right then, if he was going to sit there, uninvited, she'd make him wait.

She placed the letter on her dresser, not ready to deal with it, especially not with Brian in the living room. She wasn't going to cry with Mr Strong-and-Silent around.

She stepped into the shower and turned the hot water on full blast. The strong flow stung her skin, poking her alive, sluicing off a few days' worth of grime.

Naked except for the towel on her head she headed for her closet. No noise came from the living room. What was he doing out there?

Naughty Reader’s: Nice excerpt to whet the reader's curiosity! Do you write under a pen name?

Trillium:  Oh, yeah…

Naughty Reader’s: What types of hero or heroine do you like best?

Trillium:  I like heroes and heroines who have to change over the course of a story. They have enough guts to face the truth about themselves.

Naughty Reader’s: Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.

Trillium:  In addition to writing, I have my own business.  That occupies a lot of my time.  I write first thing in the morning, watching the sun rise over the Rocky Mountains where I live.  If I’m lucky, a bald eagle or heron will drop by to say “hello” as I write.  Then I work my day job as well as do some marketing for my books. Thursdays I meet with one of my two critique groups. Weekends are catch-up times for writing, household chores and time with my husband.

Naughty Reader’s: Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Trillium:  Both my non-erotic books (unpublished) and erotic romances really focus on a woman accepting parts of themselves and getting the love they deserve and want by loving themselves first.

Naughty Reader’s: How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

Trillium:  It depends on the length.  My current work in progress, “The Awakening,” took me about one month to write and I’ve been editing for a month with another month to go in that process. It’s about 30,000 words.

Naughty Reader’s: Do you have to be alone to write?

Trillium:  Generally, yes.  Although sometimes being in a group of strangers works, too.

Naughty Reader’s: How do you go about naming characters?

Trillium:  So far they’ve been naming themselves.  In my non-erotic work, I have some Italian names, so I did research on common names for the part of Italy I was reviewing.  The Internet comes in handy that way.

Naughty Reader’s: Is it easier to write about the characters if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find character pictures?

Trillium:  I imagine the character in my head.  I don’t search for pictures.

Naughty Reader’s: How do you pick locations for your stories?

Trillium:  I’ve lived in a lot of places around the US:  NJ, MA, MI, MT, NYC, PA, CA….lots of locations to choose from!

Naughty Reader’s: Why do you use BDSM in your stories?

Trillium: BDSM requires people to be really honest about their feelings and what they do and don’t want—something that can be sadly lacking in “ordinary” relationships.  It also adds a little spice!

Naughty Reader's: Trillium, thank you for visiting with us this week. We think you have an announcement for the readers?

Trillium: Thank you again and yes I do. I'll give away a copy of Touch of Love, eBook format to one lucky commenter. We'll hold the drawing on February 18.

Readers you can follow Trillium on Twitter. Visit her web site and blog. She has some very interesting posts and other pages to explore! Trillium on Goodreads.

Other books by Trillium:
Toni's Dilemma

Her books on:
Amazon Toni's Dilemma
Amazon Touch of Love Anthology