Authors who have inspired me as a writer -- @queenieblackwr1 #eroticromance #amreading #BDSM #giveaway

By Queenie Black (Guest Blogger)

First let me take you back to the beginning of time!

Well almost.

I was a confident reader when I was four and I have never stopped reading since. One notable year (2010) I read 322 books/novellas.

No, I wasn’t doing a challenge and yes, I was working full time and looking after a family and no, I haven’t managed to break that record since. Now I’m more discriminating and I probably average about 200 books a year.

As a kid I read voraciously, and at birthday parties I could always be found near the host’s bookcase reading whatever I could get my hands on. I read my first romance, a Mills and Boon, when I was nine and from then on, I’ve been an avid romance fan. Living in Greece throughout my teenage years meant my usual reading material was hard to come by. What books were available were in Greek and usually classical, improving literature and reading Les Miserables in formal Greek was just too much of a strain to get any pleasure out of it.

Thankfully I had an aunty who used to be sent a tea chest of books every year and she used to share them with me. They were full of Mills and Boon, and historical novels by authors like Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer and I pretty much spent every summer from the age of fourteen reading through these treasure chests.

I wasn’t picky. I read everything and I read everywhere. On the balcony, on the bus, on the beach, it didn’t matter. I always had my nose in a book.

Looking back I was reading in a time when it was quite OK for heroes in romances to put heroines over their knees and wallop them or even slap their faces (and we’re not talking consenting BDSM, we’re talking icky paternalistic chauvinism) and I realise now that my favourite authors from that time were authors who wrote strong heroines. Mary Stewart for instance, who wrote romantic suspense set in Greece and France and whose work is rich in classical and literary references. I loved her books because her heroines were strong women, often widowed and certainly not shrinking violets. They weren’t kick ass, and they didn’t argue for the sake of it. They were quietly confident and capable of getting on with things. I could believe in the partnerships flowering between the hero and heroine in these books. Her novel Madame Will You Talk has a wonderful section where the hero chases the heroine across France. I loved that sequence- it made my juvenile romantic heart race.

More recently I’ve been devouring Julie Anne Long’s back list. Oh my. Sexy scenes, emotionally packed stories, hilarious dialogue and such awesome characters. My favourite of her books is What I Did for a Duke. A lovely September-May romance that is utterly believable because of the intelligence and sharpness of the heroine.

Erotica and erotic romance broadened my horizons to romances where sex and the sexual relationship are central to the story in a way in which they aren’t in conventional romance.

I have guzzled these stories like a chocaholic coming off a six month diet, working my way through Lora Leigh, Annmarie McKenna and many others. The queen of all of them in my opinion, and the person who inspired me to write erotic romance, is Cherise Sinclair. I picked up Edge of the Enforcer, part of her Dark Haven series in which she explores ménage and BDSM, and I was hooked. Wow, just, wow! Her heroines are strong even though they are submissive and I particularly like the emotional journeys of the main characters and the way she builds the sexual tension and develops the plot and the romance through the sexual relationships. I love her understanding of the unique sexual preferences of the characters as well.

Overall these three authors have taught me about creating worlds, about strong female characters, and about sexual tension all combining to create believable and human journeys to the essential Happy Ever After.

What about you? Who are your favourite authors/ genres and why?

Blurb

Master Lucien has one night at Club Hard.

One night…to show bodyguard Rose Dainty that he can be the Dom she needs,

One night…to show her that submitting to him doesn’t make her weak, that true submission requires strength and trust.

Will pushing Rose to her limits prove to her she can trust him with her body and heart, and can she let go of her deepest fears long enough to enjoy her surrender? `

They both have everything to prove and everything to lose.

Excerpt

I mounted the six shallow steps and faced the double front doors. Twin carriage lights cast a soft gleam over the brass plaque with its discrete lettering:

Club Hard

Private Members Only

I desperately wanted to run back down the steps, leap into my car, and drive home, but if I did, nothing would change, and I’d go back to dividing my time between working out, Candy Crush Saga, and the occasional night out with my friends. I might miss out on learning something about myself, something that could make a difference in my sex life. Worse, I might miss a chance at love.

I stayed, my feet rooted to the floor, but the insides of my hands were so damp, my finger slipped on the brass bell, setting off a short, discordant jangling. I winced as I rang it again properly this time. That certainly wouldn’t endear me to anyone.

Shifting from foot to foot, trying to keep the blood circulating in my toes, I looked around. Behind me, the gravel drive snaked away to a discreet carpark, and trees and shrubs created shadows within shadows. Autumn had finally reached London and in this exclusive part of it, crisp, clean air and earthy leaf mulch replaced the smell of fast food and exhaust.

I shifted again, starting to get irritated. If you were going to demand a woman wear nothing but a skirt that barely covered her butt, and a top that was little more than a bit of elastic bandage—on me it was ridiculous, if I sneezed, I’d pop out over the top—then you should damn well open the door promptly. Now, despite wearing my warmest coat over the absurd ensemble, there was a distinct draught zipping under my hem and freezing my exposed butt cheeks.

I lifted my finger to stab the bell again, and the door swung open.

Bloody hell. A real butler. I was no stranger to mansions with staff. Working as a bodyguard meant I saw the inside of a lot of wealthy homes, but so far, a liveried butler was a new one to me.

“Can I help you?”

I cleared my throat, wondering if there was any etiquette for addressing a butler, aware that my finger was still lurking in the vicinity of his eye. “Umm, I’m, ah, it’s Ms. Dainty. To see Mr. Dufort. I’m expected.”

He waved me through into a large marble-floored hall with a fire burning at one side. A wide, elegant staircase at the back curved away to the upper floors.

“I’ll inform Mr. Dufort that you’re here, if you’d like to take a seat.” He indicated a collection of sofas and easy chairs huddled as if for warmth around the fireplace. I made a beeline for the heat.

“May I take your coat?”

I crossed my arms tightly. No way was I exposing my scantily clad self. “Ah, thanks, but I’m a bit cold.”

“I see my guest has arrived, Henry.”

I turned away from the fire to see Lucien Dufort crossing the hall toward me. The floor seemed to drop a few inches and I had to grab the back of a chair to steady myself as his delicious, rich chocolate voice with its faint French accent wound around me, setting my heart hammering.

A tall, elegant man, he moved toward me with predatory intent, covering the floor in loose, confident strides, but it was his eyes that held my gaze, dark eyes, sharp with intelligence and power. He wasn’t a handsome man. His narrow-bladed Gallic nose, inherited from his mother, was slightly overlarge for that, but his lips were sensual, and the mix of tenderness and lust in his expression as he looked at me sent electric tingles charging down my spine.

“Rose, welcome to Club Hard.” He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, his tongue flickering into the little hollow between my two smallest fingers, mimicking the act of sex. Normally, that would be an instant turn-off, but when Lucien did it, everything inside me melted. I tugged my hand free and shoved it into my coat pocket. This was bad. We hadn’t even started yet and my hormones were doing a happy dance.

“Your coat, ma petite.”

I undid the buttons reluctantly and he stripped it off my shoulders, giving it to Henry before indicating my feet. “Barefoot, please.”

I obeyed, steadying myself with one hand on Lucien’s forearm. I could have rested it there all day, enjoying the feel of thick bone and the flex of hard muscles, but I quickly unzipped my boots and gave them to Henry, who took them as solemnly as if I was handing him the crown jewels for safekeeping. He disappeared, taking my things with him, and I stood shivering, waiting for Lucien to say or do something. I shouldn’t have felt vulnerable. I fought with this amount of flesh on display, so it shouldn’t have bothered me, yet insecurity and apprehension crept hand-in-hand up my spine. “Lucien?”

He cupped my chin, his palm warm and sure, his thumb stroking my cheekbone in a gesture I found calming. “Tonight, you will address me as Monsieur, or Sir.” His words sank deep inside me, reaching a place I wasn’t aware existed. A place I didn’t want to believe existed. I stepped back, dislodging his hand.

Lucien’s cheek creased in amusement. “So, ma belle perle, the challenge begins. Are you ready?”

Buy Links

Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/2lXpCSP

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2kswibm

Evernight: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/hard-pressed-by-queenie-black/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/958783

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/hard-pressed-18

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/hard-pressed/id1480423303

About the Author

I’ve always loved writing and I won my first prize for a short story when I was still at primary school. I’m an avid reader of romance and erotic romance and can usually be found with my nose in a book. The dynamics and sheer variety of human relationships fascinate me, and this is what I like to explore in my writing. I live in North Yorkshire with my husband and cat where I enjoy running and Tai Chi.

Social Media Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/queenieblackwr1

Website: http://www.queenieblackauthor.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/queenieblackauthor/

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