Journeys of the Heart (#guestblog #cambodia #eroticromance @delilah_night)

By Delilah Night (Guest Blogger)
 

Thank you so much to Lisabet Sarai, and thank you for letting me guest post on your blog. I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about my first solo title—Capturing the Moment.

One of the most common questions an author is asked is How much of your real life ends up in your books? For me the answer varies depending on the story. I’ve set stories in my hometown of Boston in the US and in my current home, Singapore. I’ve written a story centered around the strain of reconnecting with your spouse post children. Thus elements of my life or my experiences have made their way into my stories. On the other hand, I’ve also written about shape-shifting reindeers, so there’s that.

The setting for Capturing the Moment was inspired by my 2014 trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ever since I saw a poster of Angkor Wat, one of the oldest temples in the world, at sunrise, I wanted to recreate that photo myself. My bachelor’s degree is in History, so places that are historically significant are endlessly fascinating to me.

I went alone as my husband had no interest in going and my small children would have been bored out of their minds. But I didn’t mind because, like Meg, I am an amateur photographer. I loved having four days to photograph my heart out, not only at Angkor Wat, but at the many nearby temples as well.

Despite Angkor Wat being one of the most amazing temples I’ve seen, my favorite temple was Preah Khan. Preah Khan is a temple that is slowly being reclaimed by the jungle. It is in theory being renovated, although I saw no signs of any activity beyond some empty scaffolding. The only people I saw there were a monk with his young charges and one other group of Western tourists. Most of the time I was on my own, which was magical—almost as if I were the first person to discover a lost temple.

Blurb

Meg and RJ were passionately in love. But that was six years and a broken engagement ago.

Meg has only one day in Siem Reap, Cambodia, before she must leave for her sister’s wedding in Bali. She fulfills her dream of taking a photograph of the sun rising behind Angkor Wat, one of the oldest temples in the world. But her joy is short-lived when she turns around to see RJ standing behind her.

RJ threw himself into work after Meg ended their relationship. He’s built a successful business, but it’s a hollow victory. He’s come to Siem Reap to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving. But first he has to convince her to spend the day with him.

Meg is as physically attracted to RJ as she ever was. Maybe the secret to finally getting over him is a one day only, no strings attached fling.

Can RJ win Meg back, or will she love him and leave him?

(photo of courtyard)

Exclusive Excerpt

May in Cambodia was boiling hot. The temples offered shade and a brief respite. Standing beneath the unforgiving sun, though, caused sweat to bead and make a lazy path down his spine. RJ’s mind once again drifted to the fantasy of rubbing sunscreen all over Meg.

“Babe, I want to ensure I’ve gotten every inch that might burn. It would be easier if you took off your shirt…”

“Sit with your back against the column. Okay, great, now look at me.”

A line of skin appeared between her shirt and skirt.

Do the panties always match the bra like they did this morning? Does Impulsive Tattoo Meg wear a thong, or does Practical Meg still think they’re dental floss for the ass?

“Now stand up. Take off your shorts and boxers.”

Wait, what?

“I thought the new Rule Number One is no nude photos.”

“Of me,” she called back. “No nude photos of me. It’s a good thing you’re not a lawyer—you’re lousy at spotting loopholes. Shorts and boxers, please.”

RJ glanced around. He didn’t see any other obvious entrances to the courtyard. No strangers’ voices interrupted the quiet. What was she up to? “So you’re going to take my advice and sell your photos? Thinking of Playgirl?”

Meg snorted. “Puh-leez. You think highly of yourself. Now strip!”

Buy links

Starting tomorrow (March 29) Capturing the Moment will be on early download sale exclusively at Totally Bound for a month. https://www.totallybound.com/book/capturing-the-moment

The book goes on wide release on April 26, but you can pre-order at the links below

Kindle

Nook

Google Books

iBooks

Kobo

About Delilah

Delilah Night is an American expat living in Singapore. Her short stories have appeared in over a dozen anthologies including Irresistible: Erotic Romance for Couples, Nine-to-Five Fantasies, Rogues, and Prompted. Capturing the Moment is her first solo publication. Discover her world of Deliciously Naughty Bedtime Stories at http://delilahnight.com/

Contest!

Let’s talk travel—What real place have you always dreamed of visiting? I’ll pick a commenter at random on Wednesday, March 30^th, (please leave your email address) and send you an e-copy of Capturing the Moment.

The Naughtiest Thing

What's the naughtiest thing you've ever done?

That's a favorite question people ask in interviews with erotic authors. I guess they figure that, given the steamy stuff we write, we must have had some extremely naughty experiences to serve as inspiration.

In my case, this is to some extent true.

Certainly, I could nominate a number of candidate scenarios. I've been fortunate, and brave (or perhaps foolhardy) enough to have engaged in a variety of outrageous behaviors during my wild years as a single woman (and a few since, too). It's difficult, though, to assign the superlative.

Was it making love on the floor of a church? My boyfriend and I were in a sleeping bag, true, but we were surrounded by a hundred other people. The church had opened its doors to some of the thousands of travelers who arrived in New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras but who didn't have a place to crash. The funny thing was, I don't remember even thinking about the others around us until afterward. So I guess that wasn't really all that naughty - the public nature of the situation didn't add to the spice, I just needed my lover.

How about having sex in the seat of a Greyhound bus? Same guy. We were students, and very much in love. Translate: we couldn't keep our hands off each other. We seized our opportunities where we could.

I've been fingered to orgasm in the parking lot of an airport. How does that rate on the naughtiness scale. I gave my boyfriend head on the battlements of a historic castle. What about that? (Same boyfriend as the church and the bus. I guess maybe we did have a thing about public sex, though he was as wholesome as the midwestern town he hailed from!)

There was the ménage with my husband and one of his oldest male friends. Now that was hot! I lusted after L. from the moment K. introduced us. The reality was at least as good as the fantasy. Not to mention the threesome we had with one of my oldest female friends. And the sex club. Can't forget that. Actually, my husband and I have visited Le Trapeze a number of times. I have to admit that felt pretty naughty, especially with my hands on another woman's breasts and her boyfriend crouched between my legs...

But maybe group sex has lost its shock appeal. With the number of ménage and more books coming out, perhaps it's viewed as old hat. So what about BDSM? I've been tied up, blind-folded, spanked, and whipped. I think the most extreme thing I've done in this realm, though, was to buy my own riding crop and give it to my master to use on me. He didn't instruct me to do this; it was my own notion. I found a store that sold actual equestrian supplies. I'll never forget how embarrassed and aroused I was, going in, surveying the crops available, and finally choosing and purchasing one. It was far more humiliating, and exciting, than going into a sex toy store (which I've certainly done) because only I knew (I hope!) what my plans were for the crop. For me, at least, the act of admitting to my master that I enjoyed kinky behavior, that I actually wanted to feel the leather slashing my flesh, is at least as hot as the actual act.

Like my tag line says, imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

As I reviewed my past exploits (a most enjoyable occupation!), I realized that the most transgressive act in my life was actually writing my first book, Raw Silk. The novel, a tale of one woman's odyssey to discover her sexual self and her true love, was a compendium of all my favorite erotic fantasies. Romance purists might not like it, because it features multiple partners and F/F sex, as well as sex in a variety of public places (a boat; a restaurant; a garden; historic ruins...), bondage, discipline, anal sex, M/M sex, sex with fruit, sex with vegetables, sex with furniture... The book climaxes in a scene where Kate's three lovers all compete to see who can give her the most pleasure. That's pretty naughty, I guess... 

But what's really naughty, in retrospect, is the fact that I exposed all my lascivious dreams for anyone to read. Like most authors, I wrote my first book fueled by personal passion. It shows. I'm a far better writer, now, from a craft perspective, but Raw Silk might well be the hottest book I've written, because it draws so deeply on my own erotic impulses. In writing the book, I unmasked myself.

So now I want to know - if you dare to tell me - what's the naughtiest thing you've ever done?