By Isabelle Lauren (Guest Blogger)
I’m really excited that my erotic romance novel, Completely Yours, is out! I’ve worked on this novel for what feels like years, but was more like one year, and I’m excited to share it with the world.
Here is the blurb:
Caroline is on top of her game. Black Goddess, her company, is opening a store in New York, and a week away from the office is just what Caroline needs. In Toronto, she has to play the role of the prim, successful business woman, romantically linked with her business partner Daniel. But in New York she can be sexually free. It doesn’t hurt that this time, her attractive project manager Alisha is coming with them.
Alisha is attracted to both her bosses, but she is determined not to jeopardise her career. This determination is shaken when Caroline proposes a no-strings attached sexual relationship for the duration of the business trip. Unable to deny her feelings Alisha embarks upon a scorching sexual journey with Caroline.
Daniel is in love with Caroline. Knowing that their romantic relationship is nothing more than a facade with no chance of ever becoming a reality, Daniel decides to quit his job as Caroline’s business partner in an effort to protect his heart. All he has to do is survive the week in New York. But can he continue to deny his feelings, especially when Caroline needs him?
When the media makes details of Caroline’s sexual excesses public, Caroline, Alisha and Daniel must work together to save the future of Black Goddess—and their hearts.
The characters in Completely Yours are Black. That was not a conscious choice, but when I brainstormed my new novel, the idea came to me of a successful Black business woman who is not afraid of her sexuality. The novel developed from there and Alisha, Daniel and Caroline came into existence. I hadn’t planned for them to be Black specifically, but it fit the story perfectly, which is why I rolled with it.
During my writing of Completely Yours I was a member of a writing organisation which has a program to help new writers with their work. They had a group chat and during the whole racism scandal at the RWA, our group chat turned to those matters. We debated diversity about how there should be more diverse characters in novels. At the time, I had already written Completely Yours and was awaiting feedback from the “reader” who was supposed to help me in my writing career. Many authors in the group chat mentioned that they would never dare to write Black characters. “They are so different and I’d be worried to write something wrong. I wouldn’t feel comfortable to write from a Black perspective.”
I’m not Black, but that doesn’t prevent me from being able to understand Black people. I’m also not a billionaire, but have written novels which included the billionaire love interest. As writers, we can use our imagination to write from all kinds of perspectives which aren’t our own. Otherwise our books would be very dull. No one likes to read 20 books about a writer sitting at her desk in her pyjamas scrolling Twitter and berating herself for not writing. It would be SO boring.
As with any writing, I did use beta readers to sound out whether my novel was good and didn’t use harmful stereotypes. I also hired a sensitivity reader who could tell me whether or not I had allowed by unconscious bias into my work—both for the race and sexuality aspects of my novel. My novel is so much better because of it.
Excerpt (opening scene)
Alisha stifled a yawn. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten up at five o’clock in the morning on a Saturday, much less for a business trip. Although the flight had only been an hour, she felt frazzled. The car had picked her up at home, but instead of taking her to the regular terminal, it had taken her to a private jet. A private jet! She—Alisha Freeman from Scarborough, Ontario—had flown to New York on business in a private jet! She still couldn’t believe it. It had been so luxurious. And now she was traveling in a limousine with her bosses Daniel Cole and Caroline Linwood to a penthouse apartment where they’d stay the week.
Caroline’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Here are the latest photos from the store. The decorators finished last night.”
As she leaned over to hand Alisha her iPad, their bare knees brushed. Alisha’s breath hitched as heat flushed her. She tried to stop her hands from shaking as she accepted the tablet. She did her best to focus on the pictures, but was suddenly very aware of Caroline’s scent—fresh and citrusy.
She cleared her throat. “That looks beautiful.”
She’d only been with Black Goddess for a month. It was her dream job—project manager at the successful beauty company focused on Black women. Caroline had commandeered her attention from day one and not just because she was the boss. She was gorgeous, oozing sex appeal. She wore her natural hair in a frizzy afro which made her look even taller than her five foot nine. Her skin was a deep dark brown, glowing no doubt from the expensive Black Goddess treatments she used.
Alisha focused her attention on the photos. They were opening a store in New York, which was the reason for the business trip. The color scheme of the new shop was the same as all other Black Goddess locations—gold, cream and blue. The new shop looked even more glamorous, though. It would fit right in with the other high end stores in the area.
“Wow, that looks amazing.” She forgot her attraction to Caroline and leaned closer to her. “Look at that chandelier! And those floor-to-ceiling windows leave in so much light.”
“Let me see.” Daniel, who sat across from them in the limousine, stretched out his hand for the tablet.
Alisha handed it to him. His eyes flashed to hers, warm with a smile. The heat in her body intensified and she dropped her gaze.
“That turned out really well.” His voice was deep and smooth, like honey.
She shifted in her seat. She knew it was ridiculous to be attracted to both her bosses, but she couldn’t help it. Daniel was incredibly hot. He was easily six foot three. He looked like he worked out constantly—muscles rippling underneath his perfectly tailored suits—even though he worked long hours. She wondered when he’d ever had time to go to the gym. His hair was closely cropped and his eyes the deepest brown she’d ever seen. She could drown in them.
Buy Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Completely-Yours-Isabelle-Lauren-ebook/dp/B08L17BMQY/
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/completely-yours-isabelle-lauren/1138272680
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/completely-yours-8
Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/completely-yours/id1541531014?
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About the Author
Isabelle has been writing ever since she can remember. She's tried her hand at pretty much any genre, but being an incurable romantic with a filthy mind, she made erotic romance her genre. Her books combine searing sex scenes with deep emotional connections. She loves making her readers hot with her words and is always happy to hear how her books have affected them.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RomanticIsa
Website: https://isabellelauren.com
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21 comments:
Hello, Isabelle!
Welcome to Beyond Romance, and congratulations on your new release.
I definitely agree with you about writing characters different from ourselves. It's a risk, but it's necessary to avoid boring our readers. I have also written Black characters, as well as Chinese, Thai, Guatemalan, Indian, etc. Actually, as a American, I find it hardest to write characters who are British - similar, yet with subtle differences!
It's very engaging! reneela2000(at)gmail.com
I enjoyed reading the excerpt. I found it easy to read and engaging.
I enjoyed the blog post and would love to read more.
debby236 at gmail dot com
This sounds so good. I am very intrigued.
Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I really enjoyed talking about my writing process. It's certainly challenging to write from a totally different perspective than my own, but I think it has enabled me to learn more. I believe writing (and reading) about people different than yourself gives your greater empathy for other people.
Isabelle xx
erotics books are my favorites the more sex the better they are thank you for the chance
I find it promising how diverse literature has become.
Sounds amazing!
Liking what I see... thanks for sharing a bit about your book.
nice excerpt
I agree with you about perspective. Hey, if I can write from the perspective of a man, I'm already having to extrapolate from my female-ness. If I can write as a vampire, or a werewolf, neither of which I believe even exist, why can't I write from the perspective of a person of another nationality or color? I don't pretend that I know everything, but we are all human beings. Our similarities outweigh our differences. I just get pissed when the assigned cover artist complains about the lack of inter-racial couples that fit my descriptions, in their stock photos. Tough! We all fall in love--the stock photos should reflect the panoply of human experience.
I really enjoyed the excerpt and look forward to reading more.
I loved the excerpt. Makes you want to keep reading.
Jennifer Rote
Sounds awesome! Definitely has my interest!
The characters in this book sound amazing! The excerpt really grabbed my attention!
that model is so pretty! thanks for sharing
This sounds really good
The book sounds really good!
Sounds enticing. Good luck with the story.
This sounds like an amazing story. I'm looking forward to reading it!
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