But Will It Turn Me On?

By Rachel Randall (Guest Blogger)

Finding the best words to describe your own writing can as big an adventure as putting the story down on paper in the first place.

And it’s oh-so-important to get right. Readers want to know that a story will push their buttons and turn them on, and one of the most important parts of my job as an author is to show them how it will do just that.

In some ways, it’s pure pleasure. I know my characters intimately. I’ve got my favourite scenes. I want to share everything about the story RIGHTNOW and OOHLETMESHOWYOU and ISITRELEASEDAYYET?

In others, it’s pure challenge (which, fortunately, brings its own piquant pleasures). Many of you will know the agony/ecstasy of struggling with a synopsis or cover copy. It’s quite thrilling when the words come together, but there’s that midnight-moment of desperation when you just want to babble them all out in a big mess and leave it at that.

That’s why I love wordle.net. Wordles are “word clouds” that take the most commonly used words from your text and represent them in beautiful visualisations. It’s free, and you can tweak your creations exactly how you please.

Taking It Off, my next release from Total E-Bound, is due out on Valentine’s Day. I love this story. I think it’s funny, flirtatious and full of really hot sexual tension. I want to share everything about it with you RIGHTNOW and OOHLETMESHOWYOU and ISITRELEASEDAYYET?

But what’s the story really all about? There’s nothing quite like seeing it all there in burgundy, white, grey and pink!

Visit me at rachelrandall.wordpress.com where you can find free stories and Wordles galore. You can also check out my recent interview on Jenika Snow’s blog, where you’ll hear all about my love for my bicycle (when you live in the Netherlands, you love your bike), my dream date (a Britrock threesome), and my recent release His Christmas Present (also featuring Valentine from Taking It Off).

Thanks, Lisabet, for letting me stop by!

Add Taking It Off to your Valentine’s Day wishlist.

Valentine’s got a talent for finding the right fit—whether it’s matching an executive to a job or finding a lover for himself—but he’s never had a first impression like Lucy before.

Commandeered by the intriguing stranger at a luxury London department store, Valentine’s more than happy to provide the masculine opinion Lucy demands. After all, watching her model fabulous cocktail dresses, saucy shoes and mouth-watering lingerie is his pleasure.

He soon realises that he wants more than just one seductive afternoon with the luscious Lucy. Getting under those new clothes will be a challenge since she's gone back to New York, but he's not the only one being driven mad by the heat of their long-distance flirtation. Now Valentine just needs to convince his little tease that the best part of trying things on is taking them off again.

(A Wordle picture may be worth a thousand words, but it’s always fun to have an excerpt too! Read a selection from Taking It Off here )

Using Reviews for Marketing

A few days ago a friend who's an excellent writer but new to promotion asked me a bunch of questions about reviews. How do you go about asking for them? Whom do you ask? Where do you get the books to send? There must be a tutorial on this, he commented.

Well - there may well be, but given the scattered nature of the web, it might be tough to find. Since I wanted to post to my blog today anyway, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and talk about what I've learned regarding reviews and marketing.

Let me start with a caveat: in no way am I claiming to be an expert in this realm. I am just sharing what I've learned so far in my twelve years of publishing. I hope that commenters will add their own insights. I should also say that given the dramatic changes wrought by the Internet, best practices will undoubtedly continue to change. However the principles remain the same:

1. Get your book out and reviewed as many appropriate places as possible.

2. When you receive a favorable review, broadcast that news widely.

I've divided my comments into four sections: finding potential reviewers, requesting reviews, using reviews for marketing, and follow-up.

Finding Potential Reviewers

Where can you send your book for reviews? Clearly this depends on the genre. There are dozens of websites that publish reviews for romance of various flavors. I know a few for erotica (specifically the Erotica Readers and Writers Association, Erotica Revealed and Erotica For All). I strongly suspect that there are similar sites for mystery, suspense, young adult, chick lit, and other genres.

In addition to websites, many individual readers post reviews on their blogs. Some focus on particular genres while others read more widely. Some individual book blogs get as much traffic as the major sites.

Thus, your first step has to be research. Use the sub-genre or topic of your book to narrow the possibilities. For example, if you have an erotic story set in Japan, look blogs or sites devoted to Japanese-related topics. If you write speculative or science fiction erotica or romance, spend some time searching out sci fi reviewers. If you have a book set in Pittsburgh (as I do), maybe you can find some dedicated fan of the city who'd be interesting in reading and reviewing it.

Be somewhat selective. It won't do you any good to send your book to an inappropriate review site or reader. If a site focuses on gay erotic romance, don't send your heterosexual book. If a site does not review fantasy, or historical, or paranormal, and that's what you write - skip it, for now. Target the review sites in the same way you'd target a publisher. Look for a good fit with your book.

It can be dangerous to send a book to the wrong sort of reviewer. For example, a reviewer who expects romance will be upset by erotica that does not have a happy ending. He or she may still review your book, but express negative opinions because of lack of understanding or failed expectations.

What about print reviews? For most of us, a review in print is an unrealistic dream. If you can get a reviewer from your local newspaper interested, great. I've more or less given up on the New York Times! A digital review has some advantages in any case. Despite the volatility of the web, an electronic review tends to have greater longevity than print. You can link to it. You can tweet or share it.

And what about reader reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other bookseller sites? I know some authors and editors who solicit such reviews from friends and family, to the point that they'll give away a free copy of the book to anyone willing to do a review. Reader reviews do help book sales, from what I've seen. However, I find myself a bit uncomfortable with the notion of actively soliciting them. It's a slippery slope. At what point does it become unethical? At what point are you "paying" someone to give you a favorable review?

Your mileage may vary, as they say. I'm always delighted to get a favorable review on Amazon. I have had situations where a reader contacted me raving about a book he or she had already read and I gently suggested that they might share their opinions on Amazon. That's my limit.

Requesting Reviews

Once you have a list of target reviewers, you need to submit your book to each one. Read the instructions provided by each review site or blog. In some cases, they will have a special email address. In some cases they will provide a web form. Pay attention to the details. Do they want a blurb? A buy link? A cover? If so, what size? Sending a 1200x1600 JPEG to someone who wants 200x320 will not win you friends.

For review targets that don't use a web form, develop a simple, professional query letter that includes:

- Book title

- Author name

- Publisher, publication date and purchase information

- Genre/sub-genre

- Book length in pages or words

- A blurb - 100-300 words briefly summarizing the book (but not revealing the ending!)

- Your contact information (email at least)

- Your links (blog, website, etc.)

Do not talk about how your other books won awards. Do not discuss the other five star reviews this book has received. Really, the only message you need to convey is: I have a book with these characteristics - would you like to review it?

Don't beg or grovel, either. A review site needs books to review. Often they support themselves via ads. The reviews are the content that pulls visitors who will see the ads. The sites are not doing you a huge favor for which you must be eternally grateful.

Do you send a review copy with the query letter? That depends on the site. Some sites will want only print. In this case, definitely wait until you get a confirmation of interest. Mailing print books is expensive. Ebooks are great because they are so easy to distribute. Watch out, though. When you send out free copies of your book, you are definitely increasing your risks of being pirated. Weigh that risk against the benefits of a positive review.

Some publishers regularly send out review copies to a pre-determined list of sites. Find out whether your publisher does. Don't duplicate your publishers' efforts. But at the same time, don't just sit back and assume that they're going to do all the work. My publishers tend to send books to the big, general romance review sites. I try to find smaller or more specialized venues to complement their work.

Some publishers will send out review copies upon your request. Others require you to send some of your author copies. Find out the policy for each of your publishers and make sure that you follow that policy.

When should you request reviews? Ideally, you'd like to have reviews hit the cybersphere around the same time as your book is released. So lining up your reviews ahead of time can be useful. There are some potential problems with this strategy, however. If your release is delayed, the review may come out before readers can actually buy the book. Talk about frustration! Also, if you are soliciting reviews in advance, you will need to send what's known as an Advance Reader's Copy (ARC) or "uncorrected proof". If this pre-release version of your book has too many grammar, spelling or formatting problems, the reviewer may react negatively.

One more thing: keep track of where and when you send out review copies. You can make a spreadsheet or just have a simple list. You don't want to send a book twice to the same place!

Using Reviews for Marketing

So you've received a stellar review of your book from SuperReviews.com. Now what do you do?

First of all, how do you find out in the first place when the review is posted? The Google Alert service does a pretty good job of informing me of newly published reviews. Set an alert on your name (if it is distinctive), your title, or some other diagnostic phrase. Sometimes the review sites will also send you a note, but in my experience that is pretty rare. Some review sites (like Erotica Revealed) schedule their reviews months in advance, so they'll be able to tell you when to expect yours.

Once you have a review, you want to share it with the world. Post a quote and the link on your website, your blog, your Facebook page, or whatever. Talk about the review in your monthly newsletter. Tweet it to your followers. Announce it (with a quote and a link) on Yahoo groups or email lists that are relevant to the genre.

Oh, and make sure that you send a copy or link to your publisher. They will want to keep track of who reviewed you, and may want to add favorable quotes to your buy page.

What else? Is that it? I've used review quotes to develop advertising banners. "Edgy, dark and smoking hot..." one reviewer said of my vampire ménage Fire in the Blood. I've used that quote in two animated GIF banners so far.

You can use review quotes in a trailer. Include them in your email signature. Order pens or keychains or other promotional material with the quote included. Seriously, when you get a favorable review, flaunt it! Don't be shy. Wallflowers don't sell books.

What if the review is not so favorable? First of all, don't get discouraged. There's no book that every reader will adore. Sometimes a reviewer won't understand what you're trying to do. Sometimes a review will hone in on real flaws. View that as a learning opportunity.

Even reviews that aren't 100% positive can be used for promotional purposes. Focus on the complimentary things the reviewer says. You don't have to post the link to the full review. Does this seem dishonest, taking things out of context? Well, maybe, but as I see it, marketing is the art of accentuating the positive and de-emphasizing the negative. You should always cite the source of review quotes. If a reader is really interested, he or she can find the full review.

Follow Up

Once you've got a review and you're actively using it to promote, you're mostly done. Here are few additional actions that I recommend as follow-up:

1. If possible, write a quick note or leave a blog comment thanking the reviewer. Do not defend yourself, if the review had negative things to say. Don't gush if the review is positive. Just be polite, positive and professional.

2. Update your list or spreadsheet to indicate that the review was published. Add the date and the URL if possible. You might want to make a note of the specific reviewer. I definitely have repeat reviews from people who seem to like my work.

3. Make a local copy of the review web page if possible. I used to simply bookmark reviews, but I've found that over time, every site or blog needs to reorganize and to purge old content. Just choose "Save As" from your browser's File menu. Create a special place on your computer for storing copies of reviews. And be warned - they can take up quite a bit of space because the browser will normally save all the images and other content.

Conclusion

I know, I know. Writing is hard enough work as it is. All this promotion stuff just seems like a distraction from creating new books. It does pay off, though. Personally, I don't spend nearly as much effort as I probably should on promotion (including soliciting reviews) but I have increased my activity over the last year or two. My sales have increased, too.

Destroying Complacency

By Tom Olbert (Guest Blogger)

Currently popular vampire/human romances, like most romances, feature journeys of self-discovery or evolutionary change. In the Twilight series, for instance, the protagonist, Bela, is a lonely teenaged girl trying to figure out where she belongs. A child of divorce, she feels alone and out of place; incomplete. She feels the world she was born into isn’t one she’s suited to at all. Her romance with the vampire Edward fills in the missing piece in her life. There are a few things she has to figure out along the way, of course, and trials she has to overcome, but centrally, hers is a journey to complete herself.

The Vampire Diaries series follows the trials of another troubled teenaged girl, Elena. An orphan surrounded by friends and relatives with their own complicated issues to sort out, Elena has her hands full. Like Bela, she falls in love with a vampire. Unlike Bela, she can’t solve her problem simply by convincing her vampire lover to turn her. Elena’s story is more quest than romance; she wants answers about where she came from and who she is. Her romance with vampire Stefan may or may not work out, but mainly, she has to figure out for herself who she is. Both Bela and Elena seem damaged or incomplete and desperate for change.

But in some romances, love brings change crashing into the protagonist’s life like a bolt from the blue. Instead of filling in an obviously missing piece or providing a long-sought answer, it smashes a long-standing complacency which was preventing the protagonist from growing or questioning. In classic dystopian future fictions like Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Lucas’s THX 1138, the male protagonist’s lifelong innocent acceptance of the established regime is shattered by the intervention of an alluring woman with “dangerous” ideas.

In my vampire novelette Unholy Alliance (published by Eternal Press), the 16-year-old protagonist, Chris, is a vampire-hunter, a soldier whose life has been laid out for him since he was an orphaned child. Virtually his entire life, his world view has been pure and simple: a war of good vs. evil that allows no quarter and no choices. That view is shattered by his first love: Sara. A vampire. She shows him things about herself and her kind that he never believed possible. His loss of innocence sends him on a dark and deadly journey of self-discovery. He learns that life is a lot more complicated than he realized and that good and evil aren’t always clearly distinguishable. He loses his faith and then struggles to get it back. It’s a bloody story of exploited minors, revenge, street justice and murder. But, it’s also a coming of age story, and a teen romance. That trembling first kiss comes in an extremely dark place, between two orphans who’ve grown up in hell, but still find their lost innocence in each other.

Here’s an excerpt:

The priest was silent for a few moments. “Are you telling me, son...you’ve killed someone who was living? Someone human?”

Chris lowered his eyes in shame. “Yes, Father.”

“Who?”

“Kenny,” he sighed.

“Kenny. You mean, your...I don’t really know what to call him.”

“He saved my life the night my family...died. He practically raised me after that. I owed him my life, and betrayed him. I didn’t actually kill him, but...I helped. I helped one of them kill him.”

Father Donovan looked up. “One of them? An undead?”

“Yes, father.” He felt strangely numb as he said it. It should make him feel bad; he should hate himself for it. But he didn’t. Not for that part of it. “I didn’t try to help him. I turned on my own crew. I protected the killer, and I let her walk.”

“Why?”

He bowed his head, rubbing his rosary between his fingers. “I don’t know, Father. It just...I couldn’t kill her. There was...this pain in her eyes. It was like...she was somebody. She wasn’t this thing I was supposed to kill. She was somebody. I’ve killed so many like her. It never bothered me. But all of a sudden, everything was wrong, everything was backwards. Am I going to Hell, Father?” He looked up, his eyes clouding. The tears weren’t for Kenny or Pete or Danny, but for his mom and dad. And for Karen. They were the ones he really felt he’d betrayed.

“Only God decides that, son. Do you repent?”

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes dry. “I want to, Father. I really do. But...I can’t. I’ve asked myself a million times if I’d do it again. And all I can see is her eyes.” He cried, hating himself for his weakness. He wasn’t some damn bitch. He was supposed to be strong. What had she done to him?

Buy link:

http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781770650343

*****

This is my first attempt at vampire/human romance. I’m mainly a science fiction writer. But, characters who find their worlds and assumptions disintegrating around them is a recurring theme with me.

Another recently published novelette of mine, Meeting (published by Lilllibridge Press) is a science fiction about one man’s quest for the truth, and his struggle to understand a rapidly fracturing reality, and his own identity, as his own complacency shatters. His pursuit of the truth takes the form of a mysterious and elusive woman.

Buy link:

http://www.lillibridgepress.com/book/Meeting

Another SF novelette of mine, Flags (also from Lillibridge Press) deals with the ultimate race war in the distant future. Two men must question their own established mores, and struggle with loss of faith in a rapidly changing world torn by war and revolution. Not a romance, but a bro-mance, born of an unlikely alliance.

Buy link: http://www.lillibridgepress.com/book/Flags

My full-length SF novel Nexus (coming soon from Phase 5 Publishing) takes place in an all-female future and deals with another forbidden romance which shatters a lifetime of complacency and challenges the lifelong values and beliefs of two women. The first installment of Nexus Book I – Dissent is available in the December Issue of Phase 5 Monthly Review at:

http://www.phase5publishing.com/olb1001p1.htm

Amazon offers: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Tom+Olbert&x=0&y=0

Bio: Tom Olbert lives in Cambridge, MA, comes from a great family, volunteers for progressive causes like clean energy, and has been writing sci-fi and paranormal fiction most of his life.

*****

Thank you, Lisabet, for hosting me!

-Tom (http://tomolbert.blogspot.com)

Snowbound in New England

Just got my first review in for Almost Home, my holiday M/M/F tale. Emily from Sensual Reads says that the book is "a seductive read pulling the reader in with each turn of the page". Thanks, Emily!

To celebrate, I've decided to offer you a new excerpt (rated R). Enjoy!

****

The mug of tea cupped in her hands chased the last bit of numbness from Suzanne’s fingers. Propped up on a couch in Gino’s spacious kitchen, swaddled in quilts, she watched him toss another log on the roaring fire. He moved with easy grace, a man at home in his own skin.

The heat from the blaze matched the desire simmering in her belly. She felt her body expanding, unfolding. Her tension and fear evaporated. In their place came delicious comfort edged with arousal. Gino poked at the glowing timbers piled on the hearth. She admired the line of his broad back and the curve of his buttocks under the stretched denim.

“Gino,” she called softly. “Come here.”

He gave her a smile that rivalled the blaze he tended. “Suzanne?” He sauntered over to sit beside her half-prone form. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks to you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.” She grasped his hand, entwining their fingers. He laid his other hand on top. It might have just been a gesture of friendship, but it sent sparks swirling through her. Her nipples tightened into hungry knots.

“You know, Suzy, I had this strange feeling. Jack and I had just settled down to our annual game of chess—one of our traditions—when suddenly I knew I had to leave. I told them I had a headache, and actually, it felt a bit that way—some kind of urgent need pounding in my skull. When I saw the car burrowed into the snow bank, I knew right away that it was you.”

“I’m so grateful.” He was close enough now that she could smell him, wood smoke with an undercurrent of wintergreen. “I was pretty scared.”

“You should have let me drive you,” Gino scolded. “But then you always were stubborn.” He leaned back, away from her, and released her hand. Suzanne wanted to pull him closer. Why did he hesitate? Didn’t he know she wanted him?

“I’ve got to be back in California by Monday morning,” she murmured. “Important meeting. But I don’t suppose there’s any possibility of getting to my hotel tonight, is there?”

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell,” Gino replied triggering a laugh that relieved some of the strain. “The governor’s called for a state of emergency. The Mass Pike is closed to all but emergency vehicles. Latest forecasts say we’re going to get two feet.” He caught her eyes as though trying to read her thoughts. “Lady, you’re stuck here for the foreseeable future.”

Suzanne reached for him. “In that case, why don’t you kiss me?”

He allowed her to bring his lips within inches of hers. Then he stopped her. “Are you sure? I got the idea back at the party that I made you nervous. That you still weren’t interested in being more than friends.”

“You do make me nervous—but in a good way. I feel like a teenager when you’re around, hot and bothered, excited and embarrassed. You’ve always made me feel that way.”

“And that’s good?”

“I’m beginning to think so. Why don’t you kiss me and we can find out?”

He didn’t need a second invitation. Sliding his hands under the blankets, he gathered her to his chest and planted his firm lips on hers. Even though she was expecting this kiss, it still shocked her. Sudden heat swept through her like a forest fire. Any last reservations burned to a crisp. He took possession of her mouth, scarcely allowing her to take a breath. Meanwhile his hands roved over her curves, sending waves of electric pleasure shimmering down to her sex.

The velvet transmitted every brush of his fingertips. She might as well have been naked. It hardly mattered that she was wearing a bra or panties. He rolled one brazen nipple between his thumb and forefinger, waking tremors in her clit. She gasped into his mouth. He cupped her damp mound through her clothing, his lips still glued to hers. She spread her legs, begging for more, and he obliged, rubbing the velvet back and forth along the groove of her pussy.

His groping made her increasingly desperate. As though he read her thoughts, he broke the kiss. “I want to see you naked,” he breathed. “I always have.”

Seeds of Magic

By Rachel Smith (Guest Blogger)

Hello, and thanks to Lisabet for hosting me today. I’m Rachel Smith, guest blogging about something that’s recently been on my mind—that’s right, New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps because I’m keenly aware of my personal “growth opportunities” (shortcomings, in other words), the New Year has always been magical to me.

Even as a child I was thrilled by the notion of a clean slate, a chance to start over and try again, or begin something new, for that matter. I created my own little ritual around making resolutions. They were always handwritten, using a unique or unusual pen and pretty paper. They were always fairly comprehensive, and always posted in a prominent position in my room, so that I could refer to them often. Did I always keep them? No. But I still loved having them around.

New Year’s resolutions have fallen into disfavor nowadays, which saddens me. As an adult, I’ve used the New Year more than once to jump start new directions in my life, with fair success. Granted, my adult resolutions are less sweeping than my childhood ones. I try to follow the expert advice touted all over the Internet: limit resolutions to specific, manageable, concrete actions. It works pretty well for me, and leaves me shaking my head at folks who won’t make resolutions because “No one keeps them anyway.” Where’s the magic in that?

We all need a new beginning sometimes. We just need to construct it with common sense and compassion for ourselves. New Year’s gives us the perfect platform, and the structure we erect on it is entirely up to us. I’ve heard folks say, “If you need a special day to begin something, you’re really not motivated.” Oh, how not true! Some changes are scary. Anchoring them to a pinpointed day lets us work up courage while developing a plan for success, and provides a strong, reinforcing sense of a fresh start, going forward.

New Year’s Day is a fallow garden. Resolutions are seeds. Plant them, water them, cultivate them…and just like the first flowers of spring, you’ll be amazed by what blossoms. Among other things, in 2011 I resolve to promote my published books and boost my writing productivity. Prosaic resolutions, both are presented here in their less specific forms, but both bear the potential for more sales and new novels. Both results would be magically wonderful, to me.

Although the New Year’s hoopla is over, I challenge you, before packing away your party hat and moving on, briefly examine where you are. What magic do you need in your life? Where would you like to see revitalization or renewal? Or what are you mostly satisfied with, but would like to slightly improve? What is hum-drum, ho-hum, or just plain routine? What have you always wanted but never had? And which small step or steps can you take this year, starting down the road to get there?

Bio

Rachel Smith is a wanna-be farmer, part-time gardener, mostly-retired mother, doting grandmother and persistently procrastinating novelist. Aside from writing and family, she is absorbed by reinventing a neglected West Texas cattle ranch as an olive orchard. Rachel’s books This Train and Texas Hearts have been recognized as 2011 EPIC ebook Award Finalists. Her newest release, “Hidden Hearts”, is available through Awe-Struck Publishing.

Website: romancebyrachelsmith.com

Buy links:

This Train (Whisky Creek Press)

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=58&products_id=798

Hidden Hearts (Awe-Struck Publishing)

http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Rachel+Smith/exact_match=exact

Over Forty

Have you noticed that the majority of romance authors are over forty? In fact, lots of us are in our fifties or beyond. I know a few authors who buck this trend, but I'd be willing to bet that at least three quarters of your favorite romance writers were born in the seventies or earlier.

One might be tempted to attribute this phenomenon to the "empty nest syndrome". Younger women are too busy taking care of their growing children to spend time concocting stories. Not until their children reach the teen or adult years do they have the necessary leisure to pursue a career as an author.

I'm sure that this is one factor, but I think there are other things going on as well. For one thing, I know some prolific forty-plus authors who are still the primary caretakers for children, grandchildren or parents. Then there are authors like me. I never had children (by choice) but nevertheless, I didn't begin writing and publishing until I was in my mid-forties.

My theory is that when you're younger, you don't have enough experience or perspective to write convincingly about love and desire. It's only when you reach the point where your hormones have calmed down a bit, when you've experienced the ups and downs of real world relationships, that you can begin to share some of those insights with readers.

I know that there will be twenty-something authors out there screaming that this isn't true. Yes, I'm generalizing - of course there are exceptions. I still think that women in their twenties are more focused on pursuing love and romance than on writing about it.

There's another factor that may be responsible for the mature demographics of romance authors. For lack of a better word, I'll call it nostalgia. We write about intense love and heart-stopping desire in order to remember and re-experience those emotions.

Certainly this is true for me. I've been married almost thirty years. I love my husband dearly, but not in the same ferocious way I did when we first got together. There's a lot more comfort but somewhat less excitement. So I'll admit that I concoct my erotic tales at least partially for vicarious satisfaction. I had some amazing adventures in my search for Mr. Right. The spirit of those loves, if not the details, come to life in my stories.

I hope that I'll be able to continue writing as I grow older. I want to be able to lose myself in the breathless, world-shaking experience of falling in love even when I'm eighty. Our bodies may age - but love is timeless.

More Kinky Fairy Tales

Little Red Riding Hood

She was little, barely five feet tall, but her nickname derived from her glorious mane of copper hair, not her costume. No, she wore the regulation fairy-tale uniform, a green dirndl with embroidered bodice. The full skirts complimented her broad hips and tiny waist. The finely woven white blouse offered a tantalizing glimpse of her firm, apple-shaped breasts. Not that she deliberately intended to arouse. Red Riding Hood was an innocent maid of eighteen, scarcely aware of the effect her ripe young body had on the lads of the village. A good and dutiful girl, each Sunday afternoon she'd make her way through the woods to bring some cheer and company to her aged grandmother.

He was a lone werewolf, expelled from his pack for his perverted desires. Hunger drove him to the crone's cottage, though the skinny old woman hardly made for a satisfying meal. He morphed into his human guise and washed the last traces of blood from his handsome face, disgusted by his beast-ways. With a sigh, he opened the trunk where the granny had stored her clothing.

As she did every Sunday, Red knocked on the wooden door before entering the cottage. "Granny, it's me," she called. Normally her grandmother would already have the teapot on the table, ready to share whatever goodies her granddaughter had brought in her wicker basket. Today, the kitchen was empty, though a merry fire burned on the hearth. "Granny?" Red cried again, a quaver in her voice. Doubt shadowed her normally sunny disposition.

"In here, child," a deep voice answered. "I'm resting."

"Grandmother!" Red rushed into the bedroom. A figure huddled on the wood-framed bed, buried under a mound of quilts. "Are you ill?"

"Just a bit under the weather, my dear. Come, sit beside me. You're looking very lovely today." A ghand emerged from under the coverlets, captured her wrist and began to stroke her palm. The old woman's flesh was hot as a furnace.

"You feel feverish, Gran. And your voice sounds so harsh..."

"Yes, well, perhaps I've caught some sort of bug. Come closer, darling. Let me feast my eyes on you."

Grandmother wore a lace-trimmed cap pulled low over her brow. Not a trace of her gray curls were visible. Her dressing gown, a lovely thing of peach-colored satin embroidered with birds and flowers, was buttoned to her chin, the ribbons tied in an elaborate bow. Her cheeks were ruddy and smooth under her wire-framed spectacles. Although she claimed to be ill, she looked better than Red had seen her in years.

"My, grandmother, how bright your eyes are!"

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

The other hand shot out from under the covers, caught her around the waist, and dragged her half onto the bed.

"Grandma! What are you doing? What big, strong hands you have!"

"All the better to touch you, my sweet. Do you like my nightgown, by the way?" The elderly woman threw off the quilts, showing off the gown, which covered her down to the ankles.

"It's lovely - isn't it one from your trousseau?"

"Yes, I believe that it is. I thought, it's crazy to let it rot in my trunk." The figure on the bed tried to pull Red down next to him. "Why not take a bit of a rest with me, darling? Keep me warm..." For the first time, the maiden resisted.

"Yes but - Granny, what big feet you have!"

"All the better to - um - stomp on the grapes during the harvest. Come, Red Riding Hood, don't be selfish. Give a bit of comfort to your old granny..."

"But - OH Granny! What a big....what is it? What is it it for?"

"Lie down with me, little darling and I'll show you."

***

Red pushed her Titian tangles away from her face. She gazed down at the splendid young man she held clasped between her thighs. Her grass-hued skirts were bundled around her waist. Her bodice hung open, exposing her cream-colored breasts and strawberry nipples. He arched his back, driving that mysterious appendage of his deliciously deep into her secret places. She tightened around him and he let out a satisfied groan.

"Ah, Red...You've made me hard again."

"Oh... How lovely! I never imagined..." She surveyed his muscular form, still attired in her grandmother's wedding finery. Something nagged at her, even through her lascivious haze. "Henry...what happened to Granny?"

Her lover answered with faster and more potent thrusts. Pleasure forced the niggling worry from her mind. "Oh, Henry, that's divine! Oh! Oh, I think... yes ... yes, like that ... Oh YES!" Paroxysms of delight shook her. Finally she collapsed on his broad, satin-clad chest. "Oh Henry, darling! I love you so much. I'd do anything for you."

The rugged, jet-haired man gave her a wolfish grin. "Really, Red?"

"Oh yes," she exclaimed. "What would you like? Do you want me to lick you? Do you want to do it doggy style?"

"Well...actually..." Embarrassment made her prince look younger. "I was wondering if I could try on your dirndl."