“Anybody know of any blog hops?”
My friend and fellow author Jen Wright
asked this question on one of my author lists about a week ago.
Actually, I'd just finished participating in a great hop (Nicole
Morgan's Hot Winter Nights), but I hadn't heard about any that
were coming up.
“Nah, sorry.” I wrote back. “But
we could create one. My mother always told me 'If you want something
done, do it yourself.”
“Why not?” she replied. “My dad
says the same thing.”
From these humble beginnings rose our
New Year's blog hop extravaganza, “Something New, Something
Naughty”.
It was Jen who came up with the title.
Meanwhile, I wanted to offer a grand prize that would be a bit
different, something more unusual than a bookstore voucher. “How
about a gift certificate from EdenFantasys?,” I suggested. “That
seems appropriate to the 'new and naughty' theme.”
What's EdenFantasys?
My very favorite adult emporium. EdenFantasys has every sort of
erotic product you can imagine – not just sex toys (though their
variety in this realm is impressive – maybe even a bit scary!) but
also bath,
beauty and massage products, lingerie
and fetish wear (many available in plus sizes), hilarious adult
games and party favors, and erotic
books (including lots of collections that include my stories, I'm
pleased to note!). After Jen and I decided to do the hop, I spent
some time (way too much time, actually) browsing at edenfantasys.com,
drooling over the corsets and the restraints, reading the contributor
profiles, and wondering whether I might incorporate some of the more
exotic devices on offer into the BDSM steampunk novel I'm currently
working on.
The site is more than a on-line store,
though. EF is a community of everyday people who are
interested in all things sexual - sort of a sexual social network. There are forums, videos, and an
online magazine. The product reviews seem to be written by real
customers, not sales folk. You can tell because sometimes the
comments are not 100% positive. (“I can't really figure out how to
use this...”, began one post that I read!)
One feature I just noticed on this
visit is the interview
section (many with authors and editors I know personally). EF has
adopted an unusual format in which different members of the EF
community each ask one question of the interview subject – similar
to a chat or a press conference. Normally I find interviews a bit
boring, but this is a new twist on a well-trod idea.
Anyway...trust me, if you win the grand
prize in our blog hop – a $50 gift voucher - you will not be
disappointed! Fifty bucks goes quite a long way at EF. In addition,
we're giving away two $25 bookstore gift certificates, to your choice
of Amazon, B&N, All Romance Ebooks, or Total-E-Bound (a publisher
Jen and I share). Plus every single author participating in the hop
will be giving away his or her own prize to someone who comments on
that individual post.
So when is all this happening? January
10th through 13th of next year. We wanted to
give you something to look forward to, after all the parties and
celebrations were over.
If you're an author and you want to
participate, click here
to sign up. Registration will close on the 3rd of
January, so you have a bit of time to think about whether you really
want to get involved in this madness. (You do! Believe me, you do!)
Jen has a more detailed instructions over at her blog.
If you're a reader, keep your eyes and
ears open. We'll be posting reminders on our blogs, on readers loops,
and anywhere else we can think of.
Come join in the fun! If being naughty
is new to you – try it. You'll like it!
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