Oh, That’s Just the Science Geek Talking

By Nina Pierce (Guest Blogger)

I LOVE science. Not the Bill-Nye’s-on-David-Letterman-again kind of interest … nope, mine’s the full blown majored-in-college-got-straight-A’s kind of love!

English? Barely understood the grammar rules and significance of symbolism. (Yeah, given my current profession, I do see the irony of that one). Economics? A language I never did master. History? Napoleon was the guy who watered something—right? Nope, I survived, but didn’t enjoy any of those subjects. But give me three Phyla of invertebrates and I’ll blissfully compare and contrast their characteristics for hours. Offer me an organism to dissect (including a cadaver…how cool!) just to see how they’re put together and I’ll happily wield that scalpel with wonder and awe. Show me an organic chemistry formula and I’ll name that compound and break down its elements before you can yell “STOP! It’s hurting my brain!”

My passion for all things science has carried over to the entertainment realm as well. I fell in love with Star Trek when the original series was airing new episodes on television. (Ooops, I think my age is showing.) I played computer games like Myst and Riven and board games like Dungeons and Dragons because they carried me into new worlds. I’ve read my way through Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and Anne McCaffrey’s Freedom series, completely enthralled by the scope of the writer’s imaginations and the places they created for me.

Now that I’ve admitted to my inner science geek, it probably makes a little more sense that my most recent release, A Touch of Lilly, is a sexy romantic suspense story set in deep space. I loved the freedom of creating a whole new solar system with its own set of physical rules, complete with aliens and futuristic weapons. But don’t misunderstand, the love story—with all its angst, conflicts and hot loving between two, very sexy males and one kick-@$$ female—is something I hope every romance reader can relate to.…even if you’re not a science geek to the core like me.

Which begs the question, do you read in a particular genre or will the story description and type of character intrigue you enough to give different genres a try?

Blurb

Ex-Chicago detective LILLY D’ANGELO has a secret she doesn’t share with anyone. A master of the one night stand, she’s given up ever finding a soul mate and thrown herself head first into her career. That is, until she captures the wrong alien. Kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade, she’s shipped into deep space. Barely escaping with her life, Lilly now travels the galaxy working as a bounty hunter using her secret talents to bring down criminals and seeking revenge on the one male who ruined her life.

Agent DALLAS SAWYER works for deep space’s version of the FBI. After a disastrous mission that left several of his team members murdered, a president executed, and Dallas near death, he’s determined to take down the assassin targeting government officials. When a sexy human female gets between him and his goal, Dallas and his alien partner find themselves on the receiving end of a passionate night they won’t soon forget and a proposition that may very well blow up in their faces. 

 

Because in deep space … true love can happen with just a touch.

Excerpt

Lilly D’Angelo wasn’t expecting a trip down memory lane when she sauntered into the dingy tavern, but the acrid stench and gruff hum of the Friday night crowd carried her back to one of the seedier establishments on Chicago’s south side nonetheless. Except for the clientele, the owner had managed to replicate nearly every detail right down to the blue haze of cigarette smoke and the soft crooning of a jazz band on the corner stage.

Pushing the sour thoughts of home from her mind and focusing on the job at hand, Lilly morphed her features into her sexiest vixen pout and moved gracefully toward the long bar on the other side of the room. Her voluptuous breasts, spilling temptingly from her silk blouse, led the way. The eyes watching her leather-clad ass sashay around the battered tables were clustered on various life forms—none of them human.

Yeah, definitely not Chicago. Hell, this wasn’t even Earth for goodness sake.

“Regent’s ale, straight up, hold the brenic.” Lilly ordered the local brew in English, hoping the two-headed alien behind the bar had a cochlear translator in one of those eight holes that passed for ears. Satisfied when one head nodded, she settled on a stool, making sure her fur jacket and blouse parted just enough to offer a seductive view of her cleavage. She shifted, allowing the black leather skirt to ride up her thigh and expose a little more silky real estate. The reflection she saw in the mirror behind the liquor bottles was every inch a working woman on the prowl. She wasn’t trying to attract anyone in particular, just hoping to mislead the locals into thinking she was some female making a living with her body—which was true—just not as the human streetwalker she impersonated.

Get your copy of A Touch of Lilly now!

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About Nina

USA Today Bestselling author, Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. Nina's discovered the passionate side of romance with her sexy stories. For her, it's all about the sweet scent of seduction mixed with the heartwarming aroma of romance.

Nina resides in New England with her high school sweetheart and soul mate of twenty-eight years and several very spoiled cats who consider her "staff". When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her three grown children, one love-sick son-in-law and a heart-melting grandson.

You can keep up with her new books at her website (http://www.NinaPierce.com) or by following her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nina.pierce) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ninapierce)

This post is part of Nina's virtual tour with GoddessFish Promotions. Nina will be awarding a print copy of HEALER’S GARDEN and author swag (Shipping to US winner only. International winner will receive a $25 Amazon OR BN Gift Card in lieu of print book and swag) to a random commenter during the tour.

To see all the stops on the tour, go to the link below. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/06/virtual-book-tour-touch-of-lilly-by.html

Where Exactly is the Beginning?

By Nina Pierce (Guest Blogger)

I’ve gutted and redone two houses. I love it! Well, not the gutting part, but the point where the sheet rock is newly primed and the floors are bare. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a bedroom or the kitchen, the possibilities are endless on which way to take the mood and color scheme.

The first time I had a room to decorate I panicked. It was only the bathroom, but still, it felt daunting. I had no idea where to start. The floor? The paint on the walls? The shower curtain and towels? UGH! My head was going to explode with possibilities. I really didn’t know what to do. So I started with the shower curtain. Think about it, besides the fixtures (which were neutral), your curtain sets the tone for the whole bathroom. So I poured through the local bathroom retailers trying to decide a color scheme. Once I’d chosen the curtain everything fell into place from the ceramic tiles to the pictures on the wall.

But every room I’ve redecorated since then seems to have started in a different place. Sometimes it was an area rug I just had to have. In another room it was a picture I knew would display perfectly over the mantle of the fireplace that decided the mood of the room. I once did a whole room around an antique chair. Truth be told, I’m sort of all over the place when it comes to decorating.

And what does this have to do with writing? Everything!

One of the first questions people ask me when they find out I’m a writer is, “How did you come up with that idea?” And I wish I had one answer for them. But my writing (much like my decorating) is just kind of this weird conglomeration of stuff that comes together. I really couldn’t tell you if a particular story started with a dream, a cool picture I saw, a setting I just couldn’t resist or the “What If …” question. My brain just sort of plays with all of the elements until it comes together on the page.

I’m what’s called a “pantser”. That is, I don’t know the full extent of my story or my characters until I’m writing. Then slowly after I’ve written a chapter or two, like painting the walls and laying the floor, my story has a foundation. The quirky details my characters develop, like the knick knacks in a room, (hopefully) pull the whole thing together to make a well rounded story for my readers.

My newest release from Ellora’s Cave, “Maid for Master” (buy link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-9001-50-maid-for-master.aspx) is one of those stories that had no real beginning. Jon and Claire just sort of showed up in my head along with the hedonistic resort in Key West. What developed was a sexual journey for two friends who actually found their happy-ever-after.

Blurb:

When lust and deception collide, will her complete submission be enough to bind their hearts?

Treat herself to a carnal weekend at the hedonistic retreat, XTC Resorts? That’s not something Claire Calderwood, a three-time loser in the relationship department would ordinarily do. But at forty-one, having a successful cleaning business is no longer enough. She wants a chance to let go of all responsibility, submit to a stranger’s sexual demands and satisfy her darkest fantasies.

Jonathon Brierton has known his best friend’s sister long enough to recognize her submissive nature. He would like nothing more than to have Claire bound naked and at the mercy of his flogger as he teaches her the sensual art of obeying her Master. At thirty-something, he’s a successful real estate developer, owner of a BDSM resort—and hopelessly in love with the older woman.

When Claire follows him to his resort, Jonathon is certain he can keep his identity secret long enough to convince her that being restrained in his stocks is something that will satisfy them both. But lies, deceit and broken hearts may not be so easy to overcome.

Excerpt:

Throwing her shoulders back, Claire forced away the gloomy thoughts and turned her attention back to the dungeon. A man hung face-up by a series of knotted ropes. His arms and legs were stretched wide, exposing his torso and genitals to tempting possibilities. Clamps had earlier been applied to his nipples and inner thighs, and a plug inserted in his rectum. He had remained suspended and blindfolded, only able share the woman’s pleasure and pain through her cries of ecstasy. Now two Doms maneuvered a pulley system, lowering him to waist level. Strong hands stroked over sensitive flesh. His cock and balls, restrained in a tight leather harness, swelled against its bindings, anticipation putting everyone on the edge of their seats.

“Are you enjoying the show?”

A male voice, thick and rich as honeyed molasses shivered down her spine. When Claire attempted to turn, he pressed into her back. His face nestled against her neck so that only a whisper separated his lips from the shell of her ear.

“Don’t turn. Just answer. Are. You. Enjoying. The. Show?”

He spoke softly, each word enunciated clearly. It was such a simple question and delivered with such intensity, Claire could barely fill her lungs. The hard planes of his chest pressed against her. Muscular thighs ran along the back of her legs and against her ass. Gooseflesh rose where his breath caressed her neck. It was all she could do not to lean into the man.

“I… Well… I…”

“Yes. Or. No?”

Power buffeted her but didn’t smother. Rather than drowning, Claire felt swaddled in the absolute security of this man. Her nipples steepled, pressing hard against zippers running along the soft leather cup of her bra. And when she inhaled to speak, the clean scent of soap and fresh air filled her nose. “Yes.”

Award winning author Nina Pierce is finished gutting houses, but will no doubt continue to find interesting situations, pictures and “what if” scenarios to entertain her muse for years to come. You can find all her books on her website (http://www.NinaPierce.com) or follow her happenings on her blog (http://www.NinaPierce.com/blog), twitter (http://www.twitter.com/NinaPierce), or facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Nina.Pierce) .

Mindless Romance? Pssshaw!

By Nina Pierce (Guest Blogger)

What is it about reading romance that attracts so many readers? Well, the fantasy of course! Who doesn’t want to fall in love with a hero who is strong and protective when the going gets tough, but soft and gentle when the lights turn down and the music goes up?

I think I was probably twelve when I read my first romance. And we’re not talking any Harlequin romance pilfered from my mother’s nightstand or Judy Blume romance here (though I love both of those right to death), I’m talking the hardcore romance in the “Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough. Oh, you know it. The forbidden love between a priest and a young woman who wants to follow her heart and not the rules was my introduction into the romance genre.

I was completely hooked. From that moment on I devoured anything romance. What young girl doesn’t want to find the man of her dreams that all the heroines of these books seemed to discover? Pick me! Pick me!

So it was no surprise, when I had to retire from teaching for medical reasons and allowed my muse to run free, that I decided my writing would involve the very love stories I had come to adore. Being a teacher, I wanted to learn the “right” way to write fiction. I took a fiction writing course at the local college. The first day when I proudly announced I was beginning a career in writing romance, the instructor gagged. Literally. I’m not kidding. I have enough confidence (and business sense) not to be deterred. It’s what I loved to read so I knew it would be what I would want to write. (And the highest grossing of the book markets.)

As the semester progressed and I had to read my short love stories, the professor refused to comment on my writing. In his opinion, if it wasn’t literature, then it was not true writing. As a former teacher I was appalled. The man was there to teach writing techniques not be judgmental about a genre. Whatever. It’s been five years since I took that class and two and a half years since my first romance was published. I realize now that that professor didn’t really teach me a darn thing. I learned from contest entries, other writers and even some rejections from publishers.

I’m not really sure why the romance genre gets slammed so hard, And now that I’ve found my niche in erotic romance, I find sometimes this genre really gets stuck at the bottom of the barrel. Seriously? My story and plots are no less complicated because the main characters find themselves in bed and often times walking down the aisle by the end of the book. The mystery and twists and turns of a suspense plot are still woven in there. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Not all romances are boy meets girl. Girl hates boy. Boy saves her life and voila!—marriage. The romances I enjoy reading most usually have some kind of thriller or suspense plot in them.

Yep, as a scientist, I love the idea of solving puzzles. So that’s what I write and read. Romantic suspense. When you open the bedroom door it becomes erotic romantic suspense. And if I add a werewolf or vampire it becomes paranormal erotic romantic suspense. Then if I push it further and put it in a future that doesn’t exist where I can stretch my imagination it becomes, futuristic paranormal erotic romantic suspense. Whew, now that’s a mouthful and it is just so not worth trying to explain that to people.

So if someone asks what I write, I simplify it by saying erotic suspense. All of my books, save for one, are erotic suspense novels. Some are contemporary, others futuristic and still others have a paranormal twist. But at the heart, they’re all romances and that’s what makes me just sigh with satisfaction.

My newest release “Healer’s Garden”, from Ellora’s Cave is a futuristic. I fell in love with the hero, Brenimyn, long before I knew him. He is the conglomeration of all those heroes who entertained a teenager’s fantasies.

BLURB:

He understood she was his destiny. She never knew a man was her future.

In the female dominated society of the 23^rd century, mating with a male, even if it is to save the human race, is a distasteful task and one Healer Jahara Hriznek has successfully avoided—until now.

Brenimyn is a gifted breeding instructor at the Garden of Serenity. Forced to copulate with all females requesting his services, he yearns to find the one woman who responds to his touch. When Jahara arrives with the new class of breeders, Brenimyn’s body immediately aches for her, but convincing the stubborn healer that sex between a man and a woman is more than just an act for procreation proves to be a challenge he refuses to fail.

Jahara doesn’t want to enjoy the sinful rapture only Brenimyn brings to her body. Brenimyn has no intention of dousing the flames of desire licking at them until Jahara is completely his—body, mind, and heart. But when the government finds their loving relationship a threat to the natural order, there may be more than their stubborn wills at stake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank Lisabet for letting me take over her blog today. I love talking about anything writing, romance and most especially, my books. I’d love to hear what you think about romance, either as a reader or a writer. Do you think it gets a bad rap?

And here’s where I hang out on the web:

website: http://www.ninapierce.com

blog: http://www.karadunn.com/romanceblog

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ninapierce

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ninapierce

my book trailers: http://www.youtube.com/romanceauthor62