Monday, January 28, 2013

Author Interview - Hazel St James, Erotic Romance

Hazel St. James
Erotic Romance

      This week we're at a riverfront coffee house, a picturesque country town in the Midwest.  Green rolling hills in the background.  Fresh dew on the green grass in the shade. It is a beautiful summer day, and the sun is shining brightly overhead. We've already ordered an iced mocha cappuccino, and are waiting for Hazel on the Spanish gazebo that borders the small restaurant to the east.
     Hazel arrives wearing a black wrap dress with flutter sleeves and a deep plunging neckline. Around her neck is a sterling silver trinity knot Celtic necklace with a large moonstone pendant that dangles from the center of the intricate knots.  Her red peeped, toed heels are the only color she offers on her monochromatic ensemble.  Her shoes beat a tattoo on the cobble stoned enclosure as she makes her way to our table, smiling as a barista hustles over to take her order.

Naughty Reader’s: Hi Hazel - over here! Thank you for inviting us to chat with you this week. It's beautiful here! Come have a seat and tell us a bit about yourself.

Hazel: Oh…Where to start!  I am a down-home girl from the Midwest that grew up out in the country.  I have been married to “my hubs” for 13 years now, and we have two beautiful, young children. I am proud that we are in a Dominant/submissive relationship. For the first part of our marriage, we were not and almost lost each other. After our “awakening,” we have had a rock-solid relationship.

Naughty Reader’s: We love that you call it an 'awakening' because for so many, it truly is. What made you want to become a writer?

Hazel: There are always fictional characters meandering about in my brain, begging to get out and play!  It is a great way to release pent up emotions, and I can say that I feel lighter after a good long writing session!

Naughty Reader’s: Please share a bit about your new release “Let Me Fly” without giving away any spoilers.


Hazel:Let Me Fly” is about Bryn, sister to Sara Lonneman from “Just One Night”. Bryn is trying to overcome a traumatic event from her past that doesn’t want to let go of its dark hold over her. Bryn desperately wants to take control of her life, and that includes becoming an avid motorcycle rider. A freak accident sends Bryn to the hospital, where she meets Dr. Charlie Glynn, a no-nonsense doctor that quickly becomes enamored with the feisty biker brat. The two of them start a steamy romance that takes Bryn down a path she is not sure she can follow. 

Excerpt:

        “This place looks really expensive, Charlie.  I don’t think I could…”  Bryn couldn’t finish her thought; Charlie made her squeak when he grabbed her arms, muffling her words with a passionate kiss.  He didn’t let up until he felt the fight leave her arms, relaxing into his embrace.  He let go of her mouth, but not her arms. 
“I want to take my girl out for the weekend and spoil her.  Just shut up and say yes.”  He kissed her again, moving from her lips to brush lightly across her jaw, down her neck.  He was gently biting her pulse point, then running his tongue up to her earlobe.  Bryn could hardly contain her excitement as a moan escaped her lips. 

“Is that a yes?” Charlie whispered in her ear, causing goose bumps to erupt across her flesh.  Bryn had lost all control of her voice and could just barely nod her answer.

“Good, because my only other persuasion technique would not have been much fun for you,” Charlie said as he bent down, placing his shoulder against her mid-section, lifting her up.  “But it would have been so much fun for me.”  Bryn couldn’t help but squirm and giggle as he carried her to the bedroom.  Charlie slapped her ass as he playful growled, “Be still, wench.” 

“I thought you were going to behave?” Bryn pouted as he threw her down on the bed, “I have laundry to do, remember?”

Charlie started undoing her boots, sliding the zippers down, tugging them off her feet.  “I’ll throw your clothes in the wash after I make you scream my name a couple times.”  He moved on to undo her jeans, hurriedly yanking the denim down over her leg.  The material caught on her ankle, making her wince. 

“Shit, I’m sorry, Bryn.”

He gently pulled on the cuff until the material unbunched, her legs slipping free.  His voice turned accusatory when he saw her burned ankle, “Bryn your burn doesn’t have cream or a bandage on it.”

Bryn growled at his change in temperament, “I put them both on when I got dressed earlier, but the bandage must have slid off and gotten stuck in my jeans, Dr. Glynn,” she said slowly, as if irritated.  “Now bring back Charlie, I like him much better.  Dr. Glynn is too damn serious.”

Scoffing at her, “You’ll be sorry when you have a scar marring your beautiful skin.”

Bryn rolled her eyes as Charlie reached out to take his hands.  Lifting her up, he tried pulling her tank top off her body.  Bryn quickly swatted his hands away.  “Uh uh, Charlie.  Eye for an eye tonight.  You have to lose an article of clothing for each one of mine.  You have had plenty of time to study the human body; I haven’t had such a fine specimen to look at.  Ever.”

Charlie dramatically rolled his eyes now, as he backed away from the bed.  “Fine, kitten.”  He walked over to his nightstand, turning on the lamp, as he continued, “But just so you know, my exposure to the naked female body is limited.  Very limited.” 

Bryn tried to contain her elation from his admission.  She wanted to bask in the knowledge that he had very few lovers, but he quickly took her breath away as he reached behind his head with one hand, pulling up on his t-shirt in between his shoulder blades.  The material slowly started to rise in the front, exposing his midriff.  Licking her lips, Charlie smirked as he finished pulling the material forward over his head.  His eyes never left hers as he balled the shirt up, throwing it in the corner.  Stalking back over to her, he lifted her up again, this time pulling her shirt over her head.  She lay back down on the bed, barely propping herself up on her arms as she watched him undo his belt and then his jeans.  He pulled them off, dropping them right there on the floor. 

Avoiding her ankles, Charlie reached out to grab her calves, pulling her to the edge of the bed.  Grasping her thong in his hands, he yanked the material in opposite directions until the material shredded.  Bryn could see the lust clouding his eyes in the soft light of the room as he stepped out of his boxers, his glorious cock springing free from its confines.  Bryn swallowed tightly as she lifted her head to marvel at his perfectly muscular body, all the way from his thighs, taut stomach, bulging arms and tight shoulders.  She took a staggering breath as he unhooked her bra, peeling back the material from her breasts.  He ran his hands down her body, caressing her skin.  Falling to his knees, he pushed her legs open, hooking them over his shoulders. 



It didn’t take long for his warm breath to flutter across her mound, teasing as he used his fingers to open her slippery folds.  Her patience was waning as she waited for him to attack her sensitive flesh.  She looked down to see what he was waiting for, seeing his blue-green eyes staring back at her. 

Naughty Reader’s:  Whew!! Okay, yep, we loved it. This book is steaming, hon! *Brenda squirms in her chair* Hazel, do you write under a pen name?

Hazel: Yes, I do. Most of my hometown is aware of my budding writing career, but I still feel safer having the anonymity of a pen name for right now.  

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

Hazel: Alpha males are my ultimate heroes!  I love a good, strong, decisive, muscular, opinionated man that takes the lead and saves the day.  I would say that I prefer the more intellectual heroine, however.  I think that a street smart, book smart, passionate woman can bring most men to their knees! ;)

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

Hazel: At current, I have a day job in what I call my “non-imaginary” world! So my writing day usually begins at 7 pm at night, with me answering emails, blog comments, Facebooking, Tweeting and all that good social media stuff.  Then I usually update my story board that hangs next to my desk, and then I write for as long as I have words flowing from my fingers.  I usually unwind for a half an hour or so with a story on my kindle, before crashing for 3 or 4 hours.  Then I get up, and do it all again!

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

Hazel: The series that all my current books belong to is titled, “Learning to Let Go.”  The characters are somewhat interwoven from book to book, but yet there are different themes to each book.  “Just One Night” was a sensual submission/light BDSM novella, “Let Me Fly” is an erotic romance novel that included a journey of self-discovery, and “I Need You” will be the culmination of both genres.  I have plans in the works for a hardcore BDSM novella as well as a ménage MMF story.

Naughty Reader’s: *Tonya's furiously adding to her TBR list* How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

Hazel: I am sticking to the time schedule of releasing a novel every two to three months.  However, that is pretty fast-paced and I would like to slow that down a bit.   I would say that ideally for me, it is about a three to four month process from start to finish.  I have the most amazing team of beta readers, line readers, editors and formatters that know I always finish on time, but it’s usually right under the wire!  They are always willing to forego sleep and sometimes even eating to get things done. 

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

Hazel: Yes…alone in the sense that I have to have my cordless headset on and the music loud enough to drown out the background noise.  My family knows that when mom has her headphones on, you don’t go into the office!  Usually, I write after everyone is in bed anyways.

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

Hazel: Sometimes the characters come out of my brain with a name attached to them.  I do ask for feedback from my family on some names, as well as I carry a notebook in my purse that I write down names that draw my attention in the “non-imaginary” world.

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?

Hazel:  I spend a lot of time on Pinterest before I write a story.  In fact, all of my characters are laid out on a board right now.  I have a faint idea in my head of the main features of a character, and then I search through different pins until I find someone that “speaks” to me.

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

Hazel:  I usually pick locales that I have been to so that I have a general idea of the layout before I go into details.  The town in Wisconsin most of my stories are based out of, is a fictitious town that I named Amulet. The inspiration for that town is a beautiful town in the Midwest that I frequently visit with my family.

Naughty Reader’s: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?

Hazel: Well, my upcoming book, I Need You” will be released on Valentine’s Day!  I also have a special guest interview on my blog the 1st of February from an uber hot fitness model ((drool!)) and I will be releasing a BDSM novella in April of 2013. 

Naughty Reader’s: *Tonya and Brenda both jot down notes and dates* Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

Hazel: Readers can find me and my books on the following sites:


Just One Night on Amazon

Let Me Fly on Amazon


About the Author:
     Hazel St. James is an erotic romance author that is from the Midwest. Her stories involve mostly BDSM relationship, but are more sensual than hardcore. She is a bratty submissive herself and has been in a collared relationship for 13 years. 

 Contest:  A free copy of “Let Me Fly” and “I Need You” when it is released in Feb 2013.
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Monday, January 21, 2013

Interview with Ava Greene - Hollywood Novels



      After a five hour flight, Tonya and Brenda catch up with Author Ava Greene in the restaurant at the Chateau Marmont, located in West Hollywood. Surrounded by beautiful ruins, Ava sits patiently waiting with Pernod in one hand and a pen in the other. She's just gone shopping down the street at Sunset Plaza, and her face looks especially fresh because she had a facial, too. Dressed head-to-toe in tight black leggings, and sheer skin coat from Russia, Ava wears thigh high stiletto boots, the monochromatic outfit broken by a diamond ring and yellow broach.
      We featured her book Pandora's Box two weeks ago. Come join us as we now chat with Ava. BTW, there will be a drawing for a free eBook to one lucky commenter. Details below.


Naughty Reader’s: Hi Ava! We so excited you've invited us to Hollywood this week. Tell us a bit about yourself that our readers might not know.


Ava: I grew up in Hollywood where I started working at a very young age. First, modeling which lead to commercials, and then roles in tv and film. I decided to make a career switch, and now work behind-the-scenes. So writing a New Adult Novel set in Hollywood made perfect sense.


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


Ava: I had seen so much from such an early age, and those stories stayed with me and I needed somewhere to put them down. I love stories about Hollywood that pull back the curtains on the world of beautiful people blessed - or, cursed - with youth and fame?

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


Ava: "Pandora's Box: A Hollywood High Novella": American Icon and Hollywood Superstar, eighteen year old Melani Lamé, and hunky action Star, Rocky Rhodes, are locked in a battle for dominance while partying the night away in the Hollywood Hills above glittering Los Angeles. Blessed with youth, beauty, and fame, these two master manipulators fight to the death to see who ends up on top. Winner takes all.



Naughty Reader’s: Do you write under a pen name?


Ava: Yes.

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


Ava: Strong, sexually confident women. A man who had hair on his chest, and swagger to his walk because he has a lot of ... confidence.

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

Ava: Grapefruit, & the gym. Then I get to work. Much past five hours, and my brain stops working. I try to eat sensibly (diet tip: sugar, ANY sugar, is stored by the body as water weight) and keep a supply of protein (nuts) nearby for snacks. Night time is when I set out and explore the world, and see what happens. I'm always open to surprise.


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

Ava: Yes, because "Hollywood High" is about Hollywood as high school, a theme that everyone in America can relate to. Also, because I see Hollywood High as a series so also defines the work, thematically. I'm interested in how men and women love, fight, and struggle to find a way to live together. In Hollywood, those battles are fought with money, sex, and power.  But this being Hollywood, no one is who - or, what - they appear.


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

Ava: I am a big fan of rewriting, and believe prose should be beautiful and evocative.

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


Ava: I need to see people so, no, it's not a stay at home process.

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


Ava: I knew who they were from day one.


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?

Ava: I've met so many performers - dancers, actor, singers - through work that I have a gallery of faces in my head to draw upon. 
 

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


Ava: Hollywood picked itself. There is something so seductive about Los Angeles, the city is a character unto itself in "Pandora's Box: A Hollywood High Novella." Also, because I've been to the Oscars / Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other award ceremonies or, on set of television and film, and lived in the Hollywood Hills, I have many locales to draw upon for settings.

Naughty Reader’s: What are you working on now and what should readers be looking forward to from you in the future?



Ava: Another paranormal romance, with some time travel elements. It's longer than "Pandora's Box: A Hollywood High Novella," and I've spent more time on the hard-copy edits. I'm focusing more on New Young Adult - stories for people who are eighteen to twenty-six. It's a really intense time of life, and one that I still very much relate to.

Naughty Reader’s: Where can readers find out more about you and your books? 

AvaBelow are the links to connect with me and find my books online: 
   
Facebook: Facebook profile
Wattpad: AvaGreene
Manic Readers         

      I'd like to give a free book to one lucky commenter. Tell me what movie you would like to play the main actress/actor in and why. I'll pick the most interesting comment on Saturday, January 26. Leave your email address so we can easily contact the winner. Good luck!

Enjoy an excerpt from Pandora's Box:


     Melani picked up the Tiffany lighter (Rock Hudson’s initials were monogrammed on the silver surface.)
      ‘Smoking is bad for my skin,’ she thought. ‘But I really need that cigarette. To calm myself. To think. To scheme. To plot. To plan. To get Rocky’s script. Fuck it.’
      She lit the Kool. Inhaled. Paused.
   “Rocky?” Tiny puffs of white smoke erupted from her mouth.
     “Yeah?”
      “I need to reinvent myself,” she said and exhaled, blasting his face with a steam engine’s worth of smoke. “Ugh, I really hate smoking. You got a joint?”
      “Sure,” Rocky said, expertly rolling, licking and sealing the blunt.
      “Tight,” she said. Her lips closed on the joint, he lit it, and she in-hay-hay-hay-hay-eld, working the Jamaican THC deep down, and into her lower lungs. “Niiiicccceeee.”
      “Yeah,” Rocky said, looking at her and giving her the lewd eye. “But nowhere near as nice or tight as you, babe.”
      Melani laughed, and smiled. She didn’t believe anything Rocky said. Except his last statement which was true.
     “Back to this idea that I need to reinvent myself. Like how Al Gore claimed he invented the intranets?”
      “Naw, more of a Madonna reinvention with a light Lady Gaga gloss. I need that one script Dork Boy wrote in a cafe while dreaming about me playing the lead. But how do I pluck said script from Dork Boy’s hands? Where is Dork Boy hiding? Under which twinkling light of the millions of twinkling lights does Dork Boy reside? To which light do I … fly?”
      Rocky lifted his head, semi-famous green eyes looking at Melani. She’d said The (Truly) Magic Word - S-C-R-E-E-N-P-L-A-Y - during her impromptu reinvention rant.
       Good. This meant she’d moved closer to his goal (read his screenplay, say, ‘Yes, I’ll do it,’ a statement that would single-handedly move him out of AA into the WGA.)
       ‘I’ve misunderstood,’ he thought, suddenly doubting her words, and his conclusion. ‘Melani’s teasing me. Torturing me. Toying with me. She would do that. Because she can.’
      Did she really just say all that? Or, was it his imagination, fantasy run riot? An auditory hallucination brought on by exhaustion and drugs?
        In truth, their goals were on the verge of a merge. A head-on Hollywood collision of, You-see-me, I-use-you. Everybody Wins!
      “You know what else?”
      “No, I don’t.”
      “Those other biatches,” she snarled. “They all get paid twice as much as me! Twice!”
      “Yeah?” Rocky stood, and swayed, unsteady on his feet.
      He stepped forward, headed towards Melani, but tripped, and cut his calf on the glass table’s sharp, metal edge. Blood gushed out the wound, trickled down his leg, pooled around his foot, and seeped into the rug. Red blossomed on white.
      ‘Great,’ Melani thought. ‘There goes the deposit.’
      ‘I’m a Luke Skywalker,’ Rocky coached himself. ‘Bro’s always had to leave home base (in this case the white, shag carpet.) Launch themselves into space. ‘I’ma Save the Princess!’
      “Rocky?”
      “Yes!” Rocky said.
      “I haven’t asked you the question.”
     “Doesn’t matter,” he said, ready with the perfect answer. “I already know exactly what you mean.”
     His eyelids felt heavy. He started to nod off. Then, a voice in his head shouted, ‘Rockster, rouse thyself!’
     Rocky forced his eyes open, and looked at Melani: she pulsed with passion. His natural born hooker fused with his desire for success. The sexual athlete in him refused to give into physical exhaustion: he’d “go the distance.”
      Rocky had been schooled by Hollywood High’s rigid rules. Here, success equaled survival. One was either a “winner” or a “loser.”
      Tonight wasn’t just about Melani reading Rocky’s screenplay but life and death. Rocky had ridden the Hollywood merry-go-round before, and knew what it was to reach out and grab its golden ring. It had required doing, “Whatever is necessary.”
      Hollywood High’s survival / success were three, basic lessons. Sex and money, sex and power, sex and beauty. In Hollywood, whatever was considered worth having was some combination of that basic DNA.
      But knowledge was nothing without connections. Rocky knew that leap frogging himself out the mud of mediocrity meant allowing himself to be used as a human dildo. This would transcend degradation, and qualify as doing ‘Whatever is necessary’ if it lead to Melani saying, “Yes, I’ll do it.”
    Rocky knew he could only accomplish this by screwing her with super-human repetition. Over and over. Tonight was a human endurance test that required forgetting what he was doing while remembering he was doing it for the kids.
      Nobody knew Rocky’s true desire was far from his image as sex on a stick. A necessary part of Rocky forgetting what he was doing in the present tense (sex, servicing Melani, foreswearing sobriety from drugs and alcohol) meant projecting himself into the future. There, in the future, Rocky lived with his nice family (wife and five children) in a modest, San Fernando Valley mansion.
      Fucking Melani tonight was the price he was required to pay to get his. He’d resigned himself to that deal’s dubious ethics. “Shirelle” (real name: Lenora Claire), was a Louisiana based, 976 phone sex operator who served as Rocky’s “therapist” and had given him permission to whore himself out.
      He forced himself back to the white-on-white living room. To Melani’s house Ground Zero of Hollywood High. In this movie, the script required they fucked.
       Everything would be even “better” if they fucked a lot. Predestination, ejaculation, whatever, it didn’t matter neither of them wanted to have sex. They “did it” - again, and again and again - because those sex acts sealed the deal, the one where they agreed to sell every part of themselves to get what they “wanted.”
      Melani might obviously “moan” with fake “pleasure” while Rocky pumped on top of her but that was beside the point. The act was everything. She closed her eyes, and took another drag off the marijuana cigarette, and felt her head spin off her body.
     Rocky felt his blood quicken. After a short commercial break, and message from the program’s sponsors, it would soon be Melani’s time to get fucked again. Rocky had been cast as The Stud, the one scheduled to service Her Need For You Know What.
       Rocky, he would Just Do It! As in, do the deed, slip it in, etc. If only he hadn’t snorted all those drugs because closing in on his target, he felt himself stutter and lose focus.
       “Uh … “ He stalled for time. “I - I - I’ve got that script! The one you’re looking for!”
       “Really?” Melani cooed, and batted her long lashes. Her voice sounded warm and lovely. The ice cold bitch tone was gone, replaced by friendly interest. “You do? I had no idea!”
       “Yes, that one,” he said. Bingo. Open Sesame. C’mon down, Melani Lamé, The Price is Right! “The Screenplay You Are looking for.”
       “You brought a copy?” Melani said, parted her lips (the ones on her face), widened her eyes, and slipped into Every Girl mode. Shocked, Rocky watched her transformation.
       Every Girl wielded secret powers that worked on all the boys. Call it charisma or plain ‘ole p****y power, Melani’s had some Bermuda Triangle quality mojo.
       Watch out world, here she comes, Melani ‘n her Mojo! Wielding some powerful s**t. Like, light saber powerful.
       Zong! Zong! She gon’ slice ‘ya like buttah!
     Melani sat up, spine straight. She felt Kundalini energy surge through her vertebrae. Sex with Rocky had been physically exhausting, but energized her, too, and now it was about to all pay off.


About the Author:
      Ava Greene grew up in Hollywood where she performed in numerous tv shows, commercials and variety acts before retiring to work behind the scenes. "Pandora's Box" is her first novel in a series "The-Hollywood-High-Novellas."




Sunday, January 13, 2013

Need a promo spot for an Author Interview??


      Brenda, Steve and Tonya love to help promote other erotic authors and help them get noticed by readers who want sizzling hot books to heat them up...especially now that cold weather has set in. If you're in need of a little free promo space, let us post your guest post or author interview here on our blog. When our authors do their promo in newsletters, on FB, Twitter and Google+, some authors get 150 hits by readers! They love the authors we have as guests. We want to see that happen for YOU!

      Authors, click our contact button on the left over there and let us know what date would work best for you. We'll get back with you on an approved date. Our interviews stay up Monday - Friday and if you're doing a giveaway, the winners are picked on Saturday to give readers time to get their entries in.

      Readers, if you have a favorite author you'd like to see up here, contact us with their name and we'll do our best to get that author posted for you!







Monday, January 7, 2013

Meet Ava Greene - Erotic Author


Ava Greene
Erotic Romance Author

     Ava Greene grew up in Hollywood where she performed in numerous tv shows, commercials and variety acts before retiring to work behind the scenes. Pandora's Box is her first novel.
 
Pandora's Box: A Hollywood High Novella: Hollywood, 18 y.o. Melani Lamé, and him, Rocky Rhodes, f**k and party the night away in a Hollywood Hills house high above glittering Los Angeles. Armed with youth, beauty, and fame, they fight to the death armed with weapons of money, sex, and power. Winner takes all. 
   Author Ava Greene's ten-part series, "The Hollywood-High-Novellas," taps the sweet spot where E.L. James' erotic novel "Fifty-Shades-of-Grey" meets "Gossip-Girls."
 
       With the "Hollywood-High-Novellas," Ava Greene pulls back the curtains on the world of beautiful people blessed with youth and fame. But this being Hollywood, no one is who - or, what - they appear. Ava Greene's Pandora's Box is the first installment of the "Hollywood High Novellas," a series that dares you to take a walk on the wild side of a world where everything but hope has flown ...