There's no such thing as too many orgasms! @cw1985 #erotica #anthology

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Charity Sunday: More free reading to keep you sane #freebooks #ProjectGutenberg #CharitySunday

As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread, people around the world are adjusting to new constraints on their movements. Many of us are more or less stuck in our homes, with little to do but worry about the future.

Worry is not healthy. Stress undermines your immune system. Instead of worrying, why not curl up with a good book?

Books can be expensive, though. And these days, many of us are facing serious financial concerns.

So, do you know about Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort that digitizes and distributes free ebooks, in English and other languages. You can read about its history here. Founded by author Michael S. Hart in 1971, it is the world’s oldest digital library. The goal of the project is to make public domain works, especially literary classics, available to as wide an audience as possible. Currently the project offers more than 60,000 titles. You can search by author or title, go see the recently added books, or use the categorized listing.

Browsing the catalog can be great fun. You never know what gems you will discover. It’s also a great source for classic books you somehow never read. Recently, for instance, I saw a review on Goodreads for Anne Brontë’s classic The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were among my favorite titles during my youth, but I’d never sampled anything by the third Brontë sister. I have now remedied that omission! (Review coming soon...)

If you’re not in the mood for a classic, you can also find contemporary titles, donated by the authors. I just finished Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, a rather prescient science fiction novel by Cory Doctorow.

You can download books in many formats - not only PDF, EPUB and Kindle formats but in many cases, plain HTML and text versions as well. So you don’t need an ereader to take advantage of its riches.

In short, if you’ve got reading time on your hands these days, but you’re short on cash, you might want to explore their excellent website.

Project Gutenberg is staffed by volunteers, but needs funds for computing resources, professional services and so on. So today I’m running a Charity Sunday for the project. If you love reading, leave me a comment. I’ll donate $2 to the project for each comment I receive.

Meanwhile, I have an excerpt for you from another “bookish” title of mine. This is a bit from Damned If You Do. The main character is an author of erotic romance who’s struggling to make a living through her writing. (Sound familiar, anyone?)

Excerpt

Her four dollar cup of Americano, now cold, tasted like muddy pond water. With a bitter sigh, Wendy Dennison, aka romance stalwart Gwen Diamante, iconized her browser and popped up her work in progress. The word count in the bottom status bar accused her of sloth and incompetence. She should know better than to check her sales stats and reviews before she’d produced at least a couple thousand words. Nothing sapped her motivation for writing a new book as much as surveying the tepid response to her last one.

Maybe another coffee would help. Extravagant, yes, but she needed a kick in the butt to get her out of her slump. She signaled to the cute college guy behind the counter, pointing to her cup. “Can I get another hit, Eric?”

The gangly kid grinned at her. “Coming right up, Wendy.” A mass communications major at the University of Pittsburgh, he treated her like minor royalty. Clearly he thought it was the ultimate in cool to be serving a real live published author. If he only knew the truth.

Wendy typed a four line sentence and scowled at her laptop screen. She highlighted the second clause and swapped it with the first. After staring at the page for a few minutes, she hit “Undo”. She turned the first clause into a participle instead, then tried replacing a pronoun with the character’s name. That didn’t really help either.

Eric removed the stale cup to her left and set down a steaming, fragrant mug in its place. “Two sugars, right?”

Still wrestling with her recalcitrant prose, Wendy gave him a cursory nod. Then she realized how impolite that must seem. “You’re a darling. Thanks so much!” The barista pushed his shaggy brown hair off his forehead and beamed at her. Wendy’s black mood brightened a bit.

With pierced earlobes, Black Sabbath tee shirts, and artfully threadbare denims, Eric had a sort of punk sex appeal. Wendy let herself imagine how he’d look naked—all wiry limbs and pale skin, with a bushy nest around his cock, which would be long and slender, like his tall, lanky, not-quite-mature body. Hard, of course. Young guys always were.

He’d be willing to wait though, to give her pleasure before taking his own. She saw him kneeling between her spread thighs, wearing a worshipful expression. He leaned in to flick at her clit before running his tongue firmly along the cleft between her swollen lower lips. Oh my God! Did he have a stud embedded in his tongue?

“Can I get you anything else?”

Eric’s voice hauled her back to reality.

“Oh—um— ” Blood heated her cheeks, especially when she realized how damp her panties had become. What was she thinking? He was young enough to be her son!

“We’ve got a special on cream cheese brownies. Two for one.” He lowered his voice to a seductive purr, apparently aware he was tempting her.

Wendy recalled both her financial constraints and her depressingly accurate digital bathroom scale. “I really shouldn’t,” she replied, determined to do the right thing.

“C’mon. You need the energy to fuel your creativity! Eat one now, and take one home for later.”

“Well…” Saliva pooled in her mouth as her resolve wavered. She could always skip dinner. “I did have a salad for lunch…”

“Two sinfully rich double fudge cream cheese brownies, coming up.” Her youthful admirer gave her another grin. “Don’t worry. They’re small.”

She turned back to the computer, scrolling back to read the previous few paragraphs. The tension between her heroine and her hero sizzled, but somehow she couldn’t get them out of flirting mode and into bed together. They resisted her every attempt to move them in the directions prescribed by her outline.

Maybe she should switch genres. Try some sweet romance for a change. Or a cozy mystery. Those seem to be selling pretty well these days.

She knew from experience, though, that she’d never succeed in keeping the sex out of her books. Her imagination naturally flowed in carnal directions.

Please don’t forget to leave a comment! Every one is a contribution to the world’s biggest library of free digital books.

And if you want some of my books free, check out my post from yesterday. I’ll be announcing more free Lisabet Sarai titles later this week.

Authors Give Back – Free reading for challenging times #Smashwords #FreeReads #Promotion

Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels

I’m not going to launch into yet another dire message about the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. We’re all being challenged, from one day to the next. Instead, I want to share some good news: lots and lots of free and discounted ebooks are now available for download at Smashwords, as part of the Authors Give Back event.

Fortunately, reading is something you can do almost anywhere. A book can whisk you way for hours at a time, far from your worries.

Hundreds of authors will be participating in this month-long event. I have three books available for free download, none of which has ever been free before.

The Heart of the Deal: Business, Bondage Discipline and Desire

(BDSM erotic romance)

All's fair in lust and business

Ruby Maxwell Chen, the lovely and ruthless CEO of a sprawling British business empire, has no qualms about playing dirty – very dirty. She’s happy to use sex to help her close a deal, especially when she’s the one on top. Ruby loves the game, and she expects to win. When she encounters the inexplicably charismatic American entrepreneur Rick Martell, though, she wonders if she hasn't finally met her match.

From the trendy clubs of London to the Hollywood Hills, Ruby and Rick compete for ownership of a strategic factory in Malaysia. As their struggle for dominance escalates and their mutual lust flares, they draw their employees and associates into their outrageous power games. The stakes could scarcely be higher, as Ruby and Rick play for the ultimate prize: a night of total physical surrender.

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/942426

 The Witches of Gloucester

(lesbian fantasy)

It’s not about power. It’s about love.

The historic port of Gloucester, Massachusetts has a special charm, due at least in part to its resident witches. For decades, raven-maned Marguerite and red-headed Beryl have lived among its hard-working inhabitants, making magic and mischief. Love and sex fuel their supernatural abilities, but duality limits their power. To reach their full potential, they need a third witch to complete their circle.

Rejected as a nymphomaniac by her puritanical boyfriend, Emmeline escapes to Gloucester to work on her PhD thesis. From the moment she arrives, Marguerite and Beryl sense her erotic vitality and unrecognized paranormal talent. The platinum-haired beauty may well be the enchantress they have been awaiting for so long. Now they need to show Em that her prodigious libido is a gift, not a liability, and to persuade her that her destiny lies in the sea-girt town they guard, and in their arms.

SPECIAL BONUS: Also includes "Late Show", a contemporary FF erotic romance tale about second chances.

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/832808

Hearts & Handcuffs: Romantic Kink

(Light-hearted BDSM short stories)

Kink can be life-changing, cathartic, a spiritual experience. Sometimes, though, it’s just plain fun—particularly when your partner is someone special. Hearts & Handcuffs presents the lighter side of BDSM—the naughty joy to be found in exploring your pervy fantasies with someone whose desires complement your own—in six sizzling short stories that showcase Lisabet Sarai’s famously sexy prose.

In “Spank-o-gram”, a grumpy birthday boy receives an unexpected gift from his distant lover. “Wired” shows the extremes a woman will go to in order to get the attention of the man she wants. A neglected and frustrated slave turns the tables on her master in “Domestic Goddess”. In “Spank Me Again, Stranger”, a city gal learns how they celebrate birthdays out in ranch country. A case of mistaken identity leads to a dream come true in “Routine Maintenance”. The title tale “Hearts and Handcuffs” is a Valentine’s Day role playing romp, complete with costumes.

Open the cover, dive into Lisabet Sarai’s imagination—the ultimate aphrodisiac—and savor these gems of romantic kink.

Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/635210

To download any (or all!) of these books, just follow the link, then click the gold “Buy with coupon” link in the upper right of the screen. Then enter the coupon code AG100 in the purchase page, and the price will drop to zero.

By the way, Smashwords distributes books in pretty much every ebook format, including mobi for your Kindle.

Don’t wait – get your free books today. You’ll find lots more great free or discounted books on the Smashwords home page, too.

https://www.smashwords.com/

Dive into an ocean of passion - #fantasy #romance #giveaway @brigantigina

Blurb

She lives life below the waves. What will a man sacrifice to discover it’s not a dream?

Mermaid Velvet has always had a special fascination with the World. And studying its two-legged humans has given the aspiring comedian unique skills to make her audiences laugh. But when she saves a human who believes he’s drowning, she’s stunned by the magic that flows between them.

Saunders is trapped between two realities with no memory of his past. Lost in a strange, underwater domain, he comes face-to-face with an alluring goddess of the sea. When he disappears from her realm, he’s desperate to reunite with the entrancing beauty.

As Velvet continues to bring Saunders out of the darkness, her love for him grows along with her fear that his next disappearance might be his last. And as his memories slowly return, Saunders must decide if he’s willing to leave the World permanently for a chance to be with the mermaid he desires.

Can Velvet and Saunders overcome his terrible fate and sink into each other’s perfect arms? Saunders’ Choice is a standalone novella in the enchanting Natural Gifts fantasy romance series. If you like irresistible attraction, mystery, and love against the odds, then you’ll adore Gina Briganti’s tale of the deep.

*An early version of Saunders’ Choice was published in the Changing Worlds anthology. Buy Saunders’ Choice to dive into an ocean of passion today

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3nvKDB

Excerpt

Swimming along, Velvet continued to send a friendly wave to every creature she saw. She rounded the corner of a huge coral reef and saw a murky, shaded part of the coral ahead. If she had a middle name, it would be Curious. Velvet thought nothing of swimming into the darkened water.

A naked man was swimming furiously to the surface, struggling and thrashing in a panic.

He thinks he’s drowning.

If his panic didn’t give him away as a visitor to the Dreaming, his energy did. She didn’t know many visitors, but she had met more than anyone else she knew. Why did she find visitors so compelling? She often wondered about that.

Once, she had shared a romance with a visitor. His name was Joe, and he was sixteen years old at the time. For one whole summer, that was what he called it, they spent all of his time in the Dreaming together. Then Joe admitted to her that he felt weird about having an invisible girlfriend, and they stopped seeing one another in that way. They were friends now. He’d long since grown up and was happily married to a new visitor to the Dreaming. A woman named Dana.

Velvet stopped her reverie and flashed into action, quickly pushing the stranger to what would appear to be a surface to him. She held him while he gulped air, and spurted water from his mouth at the same time.

The stranger turned wild eyes to Velvet. He scanned her from head to tail, and then started racing away from her.

“What?” Velvet called out sarcastically. “Was it something I said? Most people have to know me awhile before they swim away at high speed.” As soon as she said it, she felt terrible and her compassion kicked her butt. She called out, “I’m sorry. I hope you’re okay.” The visitor never looked back.

About the Author

Gina Briganti writes fantasy and sci-fi romance in north Texas. She also writes holistic health non-fiction because real life can be magic, too. Her credentials in holistic health include certification as a Reiki Master Practitioner and teacher, certification as a nutrition consultant, and a degree in holistic nutrition.

When she's not writing, eating delicious healthy food, reading, or making videos, she is spending time with family and friends. Her constant companion is a special soul who masquerades as a lab and chow mix.

There are exclusives and announcements that she shares only in her newsletter, which you can sign up for right here: 

http://ginabriganti.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe

Links

Website: www.ginabriganti.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.brigantiauthor

Instagram: @ginabriganti

Newsletter: https://ginabriganti.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCddcTr_wNeqiqRWHiGaujQ

Twitter: @brigantigina

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gina-briganti

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4236998.Gina_Briganti

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Gina-Briganti/e/B008QZ2ZVI/

Gina Briganti will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One last time... #MFRWHooks #Paranormal #Shapeshifters

Welcome to this week’s Marketing for Romance Writers Book Hooks blog hop. Today I’m sharing a snippet from my paranormal erotic romance The Eyes of Bast. Anyone who’s followed me for a while will know I’m a huge ailurophile (that is, a cat lover). Hence I had great fun writing this feline shape-shifter tale.

Blurb

Trust your heart. Follow your dreams.

Shaina Williams’ grandmother bequeathed her that wisdom, along with an old pendant from the Islands, carved from an ocelot’s tooth. When instinct tells Shaina to visit the feral cat trap she’s set in Central Park, she listens to that inner voice. She discovers she’s caged a magnificent black tom, but the cat inexplicably vanishes after she tends to his wounds. Seeking the errant feline, Shaina encounters instead a handsome stranger whose slightest touch sets her body on fire. As the day dawns after a night of ferocious passion, her mysterious lover is forced back into his true shape—the tomcat she rescued.

Born a cat, Tom was transformed into an unwilling shape shifter by a sorceress who craved a human plaything to satisfy her perverse lusts. Centuries old and irresistibly powerful, Delphine Montserrat will stop at nothing to find her runaway familiar. Shaina vows to do whatever is necessary to defeat the vicious but seductive witch and save the man she believes is her soul mate—even though it might mean losing him forever. 

 

The Hook

I drew him against my breasts and, naturally, his lips sought mine. Tabasco and brown sugar flavors mingled with his usual wild and earthy taste. My sex felt sore and inflamed after his most recent ravishment, but that didn’t stop me from craving the sensation of his relentless cock pummeling me again. However, with something like resignation, he pushed me away. Residual arousal rippled along my skin.

“Tom?”

“I’ve got to go. Every minute we are together increases your danger. She’s somewhere in this city, seeking me. She’ll find me, before long. She’ll find us and when she does, she’ll punish you as viciously as she will me.” With a grace that almost made me sob, he rose to his feet and headed for the bathroom. “If you’ll lend me some money, I can be on an outbound bus in a couple of hours.”

I followed him, standing in the doorway as he splashed water on his face and under his arms, then patted himself dry with my towel. Despite his washing, his musky odor filled the tiny cubicle. I ached to hold him tight, to never release him. Still, I knew that he wouldn’t lie to me. He wanted to stay with me. I had no doubt of that, could feel it in my very bones. But he didn’t dare.

I watched, feeling totally helpless, as he dressed himself in the jeans and jersey he’d worn that evening we’d met in the park. Had he left them here? I couldn’t recall. All that I remembered was that incredible sense of connection—physical, emotional, spiritual. How could I let him go?

I slipped into my robe, somehow not wanting to be naked when he was clothed. My mind whirled as I sought some way to keep him with me.

“You can’t run forever, Tom. We’ve got to find her, before she finds us, so we can break the spell.”

“Find one woman in this hive of eight million souls?” His laugh was bitter. “You’re dreaming, Shaina.”

“Gram always told me that dreams point the way to truth.” I clasped the pendant I never took off, the one she’d given me as a girl, an abstract feminine shape she’d told me was carved from an ocelot’s tooth. The relic from her home island felt warm under my fingers. “You’re my dream, Tom—my heart’s desire. I won’t let you go.” I squared my shoulders and stepped closer, blocking his route to the door.

“Ah, woman—I don’t want to go.” He clasped me to his chest and once again, the world cartwheeled around us. Reeling with desire, I sought his lips and felt him surrender to me. One last time. I could almost hear his thoughts.

 

Be sure to visit the other great authors joining today’s Book Hooks Hop!