Wednesday Sunday Snog 251: The Ingredients of Bliss (#charity #bdsm #giveaway)

I know, the title has you confused.

This past Sunday my usual snog was pre-empted by my Halloween-focused newsletter. Then I discovered that Victoria Bliss has organized a huge snogging celebration to commemorate her 250^th Sunday Snog and her 10^th anniversary of publication.

The event is going on all week. She’s giving away a raft of prizes, and so are all the other authors participating. Plus she’s trying to raise money for FPA (http://www.fpa.org.uk/), a non-profit offering authoritative, no-nonsense information about sexual health issues.

I’m joining the fun by throwing in a prize myself (a copy of my M/F/M BDSM novel The Ingredients of Bliss). Plus, I will donate one dollar to FPA for each comment I receive.

How do you enter Victoria’s drawing? Go to her page, read her snog, leave a comment. Then visit the other participating authors, using the links on Victoria’s page, and savor their kiss excerpts, too. Every comment you make, on any post, counts as another entry.

I’ll draw my winner from among the people who comment here on my post. Don’t forget to include your email address in the comment!

And now, on to the snog! Let me know what you think!

“I’m so confused, Harry.”

Harry popped the last bite of his croissant into his mouth and licked black currant jam from his fingers. Of course the sensual gesture made my well-used pussy moisten once more. Did he do that deliberately? Or was it just another example of our chemistry?

“Confused about what?” He drained his espresso and set the cup down on the tray.

He’d untied me and now we were having a late Sunday breakfast in bed. Very late—my alarm clock told me it was close to two pm. We were going to miss the matinee of that new French film at the Lumiere. Again.

As Harry circled my engorged nipple with a still-sticky fingertip, I realized I didn’t mind.

Leaning back among the pillows, I let him play with my body. I could have sworn I was sated but before long, the familiar ache had returned, the sense of emptiness that could only be relieved by Harry’s cock—or one of the outrageous substitutes we’d purchased together. I closed my eyes with a sigh of delight, giving myself up to my extraordinarily talented lover.

He hooked my pubic curls and gave a light pull, adding a sharp edge to my languid pleasure. “You were saying, Mei Lee? Why are you confused?” His attentive gaze made it clear he expected an answer.

I struggled to organize my thoughts—not an easy task when given that he had two fingers inserted between my pussy lips, stroking and burrowing into my folds.

“Well…before we met, I would never have thought I’d enjoy—well, you know—the things we do.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Things? Be specific, please.”

After all this time together, he could still make me blush. And I knew it amused him to see my pale cheeks grow pink with embarrassment.

“Come on. You know what I’m talking about. Spankings. Being tied up. Submission.” I sat up straighter, seeking a bit of dignity. “I’ve always been assertive to the point of being bossy. Nobody would ever believe that I could be a submissive. I can’t believe it.”

“But it seems to be true,” he commented, punctuating his statement with a hard twist to my nipple.

Lightning shot from that tender nub down to my equally swollen clit.

“You love it when I use you. Even the pain.”

I nodded. “So after three months with you, I’m getting used to the idea that I’m sexually submissive. Then I find myself getting turned on when I order Etienne around. What’s going on? I don’t know whether I’m really a top, just pretending to be submissive, or really a bottom who happens to like the idea of dominating her boss.”

Harry leaned in for a fruit-flavored kiss. Meanwhile, he kneaded my breasts like bread dough, further leavening my arousal. I flung my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, grateful for the moment to be unbound so that I could run my palms over his smooth shoulders and down his solid back. His mouth swept me back into a state of dizzying lust. By the time he released me, I’d almost forgotten what we’d been discussing.

“You worry too much, love.” Harry ran his fingers through his tangled locks then stretched out on the bed next to me. “Why not just express your desires, wherever they lead you?”

“You know the way I am, Harry. I need to understand. I like to be in control of myself and the situation.”

With sudden strength, he caught my wrists in one of his big hands and dragged my arms over my head. Would he bind me again? Did I want him to? Did it matter?

He straddled my hips and settled his butt on my pelvis. His half-hard penis bobbed against my abdomen. “You’re not in control when you’re with me, and you seem to like that just fine.” Still grasping my wrists, he bent to lick along my neck to the hollow of my throat.

As I relaxed into the sensations, he popped up to snag my earlobe with his teeth.

“Ow! Harry!”

The sting dwindled when he nuzzled the sensitive spot just below my ear. As I’m sure he expected, my clit twitched in response. I arched up, trying to grind my pelvis against his bum. He raised himself to a half-kneel, breaking the contact between our skin, while still holding me more or less immobilized. His cock was now fully engorged. Barely a foot from my hungry mouth, it wept pre-cum onto my chest. I whimpered and struggled against his inexorable grip. I really didn’t want to talk anymore. I just wanted him to fuck me. Again.

My Master had other ideas, though. He smiled down at my writhing frustration.

“Based on my experience, some people are one hundred percent submissive. Others are one hundred percent dominant. In more cases than you’d expect, though, it depends on the dynamics between two individuals—the interplay of personalities and fantasies. One person might make you want to surrender. Another might bring out your toppiness. The technical term is ‘switch’, but personally, I think it’s just human nature.”

“But, Harry—”

He cut off my argument with another kiss, hard and wet. It left me considerably more docile.

“There’s something about Etienne that brings out your dominant side, Em. Nothing wrong with that.”

“But why? I’ll admit I’ve had sexual fantasies about him. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine anything like this.”

“You might be responding to his fantasies. He sees you as a powerful woman—gorgeous, desirable, worthy of his devotion. And that’s what you become in his presence.” Letting go of my arms, he wormed his way down my body until the slick tip of his erection nudged at my pussy lips. “In fact, that’s what you are, Emily—at least partly.

I parted my thighs, hoping to tempt him inside. “And I’m partly your slave as well.”

“Just partly?” He drew his hips back, rescinding the tantalizing promise of his cock.

I almost wept.

~~~

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email! Every comment is an entry in both my giveaway and in Victoria's.
 Plus I'll donate a dollar to FPA for each one!

Review Tuesday: In the Flesh by KD Grace (#paranormal #review #erotica @kd_grace)

In the Flesh by K D Grace

Self-published with Smashwords and Amazon, 2016

No one writes paranormal fiction like KD Grace. In penning her tales of myths and magic, she plumbs psychological and spiritual depths that most authors don’t even realize exist. Ms. Grace ignores tropes and conventions, following the trail of her stories down the rabbit hole of her own fertile imagination. The truths she unearths amaze, arouse, terrify and delight.

In the Flesh shows more of this narrative serendipity than any of her other paranormal titles I’ve read. The novel began as a serial posted on her blog; I suspect that each installment was as much a discovery for her as it was for her fans. Certainly I found myself continually surprised by the story’s twists and turns, though in retrospect none of the plot devices seemed implausible. I just didn’t see them coming.

That’s a compliment. As anyone who reads my reviews will know, predictability in a story can really kill my enjoyment.

The tale begins when author Susan Innes is invited by her close friend Annie to visit Chapel House, the de-consecrated church Annie purchased six months previously. Susan finds Annie much changed. Her formerly plump, boisterous girlfriend has become skinny, pale and distracted, obsessed with a mysterious, invisible lover who she claims is God. As Susan watches Annie bathed in moonlight in front of the old altar, moaning and writhing with pleasure, she tries to rationalize her friend’s strange behavior as some sort of psychological illness.

However, Susan herself senses the presence of the unseen being who haunts the church’s half-ruined halls and overgrown garden. She feels his erotic pull, hears the promises of unspeakable ecstasy he whispers to her. Though she sees that Annie has been literally consumed by her spectral paramour and understands she is in danger of a similar fate, she cannot resist falling under his spell. Only the arrival of a burly workman named Michael saves her from losing herself completely.

Michael rips her out of the Guardian’s sphere of influence and takes her as his lover, but he cannot totally eradicate Susan’s irrational lust for the invisible but overwhelmingly seductive spirit. When the Guardian uses Annie to lure Susan back to his territory, Michael enlists the aid of allies equally powerful, and equally dangerous.

I don’t want to spoil things by saying too much more about the plot. However, the emotional and erotic intensity continue to build throughout the tale. There’s magic and terror and death, plus lots of sex—sex that involves deeper connections than the purely physical. As she did in her Lakeland Witches series, Ms. Grace explores the ways in which sexual experience is a gateway to new capabilities and states of consciousness.

As an author, though, there’s one aspect of the plot that I just have to mention. Susan gradually comes to understand that the act of writing is literally infused with magic. Her writing shapes reality. Even the supernatural creatures who surround her recognize and honor her awesome power as a true scribe—a woman whose imagination can alter the world, a woman whose words are made flesh.

I understand.

This is what it feels like to be a writer, on the best days when the ideas are flowing and the words write themselves. We’re immersed in the sacred act of creation, totally sure of ourselves, molding the universe in subtle but important ways. And this is perhaps what I loved best about In the Flesh: the fact that Susan manages to save herself and her companions not by casting a spell or wielding some enchanted sword, but by writing a story.

I Used to be a Witch (#halloween #freereading #newrelease)

Did you know I was once a witch? No, not like her, alas! I was never that glamorous. However, I did act the part of a witch in a community theater production of Dog’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s MacBeth many years ago. (That's me on the left.)

Indeed, you’ll have to agree I’m far scarier than the bonny lass above—far more appropriate for Halloween.

Speaking of scary... Have you downloaded your free copy of my erotic horror story TheShadow over Des Moines? I’m afraid it’s free only on Smashwords; Amazon doesn’t allow authors to publish free books. You can get a .mobi file from Smashwords, though, which should work just fine with your Kindle.

At the end of Shadow, you’ll find a coupon that will let you buy my last year’s Halloween release, Coming in Costume, for only 99 cents. If you haven’t read that BDSM ménage title yet, well — today’s the ideal time!

As one reviewer commented: “This is a super short read so you could definitely read it easily one night in front of the fire or on a break. However, I wouldn't recommend reading this at work because it's very hot and sexy and I can almost guarantee you'd rather be by yourself so as to be able to fully appreciate the kink of this story.”

Meanwhile, I’m working on two longer paranormal stories for your reading pleasure. I’ll keep you posted, but I promise I’ll get at least one of the out for next Halloween!

#Free Halloween Book and Other News! (#Lovecraft #horror #halloween)

 
New and Upcoming Releases

Have you gotten your free copy of my erotic horror tale, The Shadow over Des Moines?

Alas, with all the traveling I've been doing this year, neither of my works in progress was ready for a Halloween release, even though either one would have been perfect. (One's a paranormal ménage featuring a werewolf and a vampire, the other a tale of an author selling her soul to the devil!) Anyway, I couldn't let my favorite holiday go by without some sort of celebration, so I've re-edited my tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, created a new cover, and released it for free.

I've also dropped the price of Coming in Costume, last year's Halloween tale, from $2.99 to 99 cents. You'll find a discount coupon at the back of the free ebook.
 


If you're looking for more Halloween reading, get yourself a copy of my sexy BDSM ghost story Rendezvous. It's currently 30% off at Totally Bound.


As for other releases, the summer was pretty quiet, partly because I was on the road about one week out of every four. Since my last newsletter, I've been to the U.S., to Austria and the Czech Republic, to Sri Lanka, to Thailand, and to China –-- twice! It has all been for business, alas. No sooner do I unpack from one trip than I have to pack for the next. Makes it tough to devote any concentrated time to writing.

However, since my last update, I do have two stories out in recent charitable anthologies.

In response to the anti-gay massacre at the Pulse club last June, MLR Press has published an anthology entitled Hope for Pulse: Hate Will Never Win. I was proud to contribute an expanded and re-edited version of my F/F erotic romance "The Late Show". All proceeds from this amazing book will go to Equality Florida, an organization working to support the victims of the Pulse shooting.

Also, you'll find my brand new spicy M/F romance "Test Drive" in Leigh Ellwood's anthology Coming Together: On Wheels. Sales of this collection benefit the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). Given what we see in the news these days, one could hardly find a more relevant charity. You can read a quick excerpt here.

Speaking of charities, editor Ashley Lister has selected several of my poems for the second volume of Coming Together: In Verse, which should be out in November. The In Verse series is dedicated to the animal welfare organization Hope for Paws.

Free Reading and Other News 

This month you'll find two new free stories on my free reading page. My quickie Caritas looks at the dangers of first impressions. Stroke is one of my favorite BDSM stories, which demonstrates my tag line – imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac. As is normal for me, both are pretty hot!

I've been spending quite a bit of time on Twitter these days, trying (like everyone else) to get people to pay attention to me and my work. To be honest, it's pretty frustrating. I'm fairly clueless when it comes to marketing. I'm an author, not a PR guru. If only my books would sell themselves...but that's every author's (hopeless?) dream.

I do love to chat with readers, though. So if you're on Twitter or on Goodreads, please do follow me or send me a friend request. (I'm not on Facebook in my author identity, so don't bother looking.) Let's connect!

Lisabet's Pick of the Month 

My October pick of the month is the very active Princess of the Light blog, run by N.N. Light. N.N. is actually a couple (Mrs. N and Mr. N.) who post great reviews, inspiring articles, and useful publishing advice for authors. Highly recommended!

Coming Home to a Wide Brown Land (#australia #lesfic #giveaway @IamCheyenneBlue)

By Cheyenne Blue (Guest Blogger)

Thank you, Lisabet, for once again hosting me on your site. It’s always a pleasure to be here.

I’ve been lucky enough to live in a few countries over the years: England, Scotland, Ireland, Colorado in the United States, Switzerland. And Australia.

All of those countries are special to me in some way: the community and humour in Ireland; the footpaths, pubs and tiny villages of the U.K.; those bloody beautiful Colorado Rockies and the equally gorgeous Swiss Alps. But if I had to pick one place to live for the rest of my life, it would be Oz. I wasn’t born in Australia, but I was lucky enough to become an Aussie citizen nearly thirty years ago. My accent is now a strange mix of Brit, with a strong overlay of Australian, with a few words that I will forever and always pronounce the American way (I’ll say “ruff” not “rooof" but I will NEVER say “al-oo-min-um”). Most people I meet assume I’m Australian, and if asked where I’m from, I will say I’m an Aussie. If you’re ever unsure of my accent though, ask me to say “the car is in the car park”. Those long vowels give me away.

All this is a long winded way of saying that, to quote the words of a popular song, I still call Australia home. I’ve been back here for seven years now, living in a rural area of Queensland, and spending as many weekends as I can going bush, which is what we Aussies call the back country.

Over the years, my stories have usually been set in the country where I was living or visiting at the time. You can trace my movements over the globe through my stories: the United States, with diversions to Canada, the UK with diversions to mainland Europe, many set in Ireland. And now back to Australia.

I have a new novel out, Not-So-Straight Sue. It’s the story of Sue, an ex-pat Aussie lawyer living in London who, like so many Aussies, answers the siren song to return home. Not to a big city, but to outback Queensland. Not-So-Straight Sue is a tale about coming out, friendship, lawyers, doctors, the Australian outback, dogs, family, small towns, ex-girlfriends, finding your place in life, horses, rural life, wine-drinking, stripteases, camper vans, star gazing, horse riding, “Waltzing Matilda”, and of course love and sex. Lots of love and sex.

Not-So-Straight Sue is the second in my “Girl Meets Girl” series (the first being Never-Tied Nora https://amzn.com/3955334511 ) however each of the series is a standalone book with overlapping characters.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt.

Blurb

“Sorry, I’m straight.” Those words, accompanied by a smile, were the ones Sue Brent used to turn down women. But the truth was buried so deep that even her best friend, Nora, didn’t know that Sue was queer. Sometimes, Sue even managed to convince herself. The only person in London who’d seen through her façade was Moni, an American tourist.

When a date with a friend’s brother goes disastrously wrong, Sue has to confront the truth about herself. Leaving London, she returns to Australia to take up the reins in an outback law practice. Back in the country of her birth, she is finally able to accept who she is, including facing Denise, the woman who burned her so badly years ago and set her on the path of pretence. But it’s not until Moni arrives in Queensland to work for the Flying Doctors that Sue is finally able to see a path to happiness. However, as things start to go her way, Denise arrives in Mungabilly Creek, begging a favour that might destroy Sue’s new relationship.

Image of outback Australia by Rossco, Pixabay.com

Excerpt

And then it was New Year’s Eve, the day Moni was arriving.

I was prowling the house by five in the morning, long before Moni would even have left the Isa. I took Ripper for a walk down to where the creek had now retreated back to its bed and only a few pools of water remained. Ripper had a standoff with a goanna, and the reptile definitely won, as Rip retreated behind my legs. The goanna scrabbled off up a tree. I stared out over the dry landscape and wondered what tonight would bring. Three days with Moni. Three days. Two nights.

I’d drunk a pot of coffee by eight, dashed off emails to Nora and Ger, Jim, and my parents by half past, and by nine I’d given up all pretence of calm and sat on the front veranda staring at the road.

It was nearly ten when Moni’s Holden drove down the street to take a wide looping turn into the driveway. Ripper and I leapt down the back steps. Before she turned the engine off, I pulled open the door, and she was in my arms. When our kiss finally ended, she unwound her arms from around my neck and said, “I don’t need to ask if you missed me.”

My lips tingled from the touch with hers. She grinned at me, moved to the boot of her car, and opened it with a flourish. “Just how much wine did you order?” Six cases were crammed into the boot.

“I only ordered three.”

“Looks like they messed up. There was one delivery of three cases, and the next day the same came again.”

“I’ll email them. This is to replace Ken’s good wine that I may have accidentally swallowed since I’ve been here.”

“It’s good stuff. I know that for a fact, as one of these cases now only has eleven bottles in it.”

“We’ll drink a bottle tonight for New Year’s.”

“Yes. Tonight.” She moved back into my arms. “I hope your plans include more than wine. I know mine do.”

I couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were huge, her lips were curved in a half smile. My girl. That was how I thought of her. And after tonight—my lover. Maybe my future.

“They do. My plans for tonight include you. Just you.”

There was a shout from the street “Sue! Hey, Sue!” It was Billy, his arm still in a sling and strapped to his body. He came down the drive to where Moni and I stood. “Happy New Year. Youse going to the Royal tonight? There’s a band, and I’ll shout you a drink. Been working with Cookie. That was a great idea of yours, Sue. Y’know, I like this cooking lark.” He paused, noticing, apparently for the first time, how close I was holding Moni. “This your girlfriend?”

I nodded.

“Well, I’ll shout the two of youse later.” He turned and went down the street in the direction of the Royal. It could be a long night for Billy.

Moni reached up to stroke a finger across my lips. “I guess we’re going to the pub tonight.”

I caught her finger as it returned for a second pass. “Sounds like it. But when we come home…” I let the sentence hang in the air.

She visibly shook herself. “Let’s get your bottle shop’s worth of wine inside. I’m dying of thirst. I spilt my water bottle into the gearbox about fifty kilometres out of the Isa.”

We carried the wine into the laundry, minus a couple of bottles that went upstairs for later. Moni retrieved her case and carried it up the stairs to the house. She dragged it through the living area, into my bedroom, and dropped it on the floor. “This is where I’m sleeping tonight. Any arguments?”

I had none.

Not-So-Straight Sue is available now from Ylva Publishing and starting from 2 November 2016 on Amazon:

Amazon.com: https://amzn.com/3955335976

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3955335976

Want to win a copy of Not-So-Straight Sue? Leave me a comment with your email address, telling me where you call home... and why. I’ll randomly select a winner from among the people who comment.

About Cheyenne Blue

Cheyenne Blue’s fiction has been included in over ninety erotic anthologies since 2000. She is the editor of Forbidden Fruit: stories of unwise lesbian desire, a 2015 finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award and Golden Crown Literary Award, and of First: Sensual Lesbian Stories of New Beginnings.

Her collected lesbian short fiction is published as Blue Woman Stories, volumes 1-3, with more to come. The first two books in her romantic Girl Meets Girl series, Never-Tied Nora and Not-So-Straight Sue are out now from Ylva Publishing, with the final book Fenced-In Felix due in November 2016.

Cheyenne has lived in the U.K., Ireland, the United States, and Switzerland, but now writes, runs, makes bread and cheese, and drinks wine in rural Queensland, Australia. Check out her blog at www.cheyenneblue.com and follow her on Twitter at @IamCheyenneBlue and on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/CheyenneBlue

Sneak Peek: Escaping Demons Saga by Stacy McWilliams (#pnr #demons @stacemcw)

Luminosity

Jasmine Johnstone's life was relatively normal until she was forced to live with the Stevenson family. As she stayed she found she had no choice but to battle mythical creatures. Strengths she never knew she possessed began to surface, surprising those around her. Her only chance of surviving the rising tide of evil was Nathan Stevenson. Could she really trust him as he fought against his love for her? With the world against them and time running out, would their love be enough to defeat demons? (204 pages)

Ignition

Life has never been easy for Jasmine Johnstone, but failing for Nathan Stevenson brings a whole new level of difficulty. Since she arrived at his home he's blown hot and cold with her, turned against her and revealed a deadly threat. He is sworn to kill her, and fights against his love for her more than ever, but he knows he can't live without her. 

As they run from monsters, and each other, can their love survive? 

Time begins to run out and with new friends and enemies in the strangest places, will they learn who to trust in time? 

With their love stronger than ever, but forces pulling them apart, is love enough to keep them together or will Nathan's parents succeed in pulling them apart? (214 pages)

Candlelight

***This novella is the prequel to Luminosity**** 

Life was full of nothing but darkness for Nathan Stevenson until Jasmine appeared in his life. She brought his innermost desires to the surface. She burned her way through to his heart to become embedded in his soul. He knew she was dangerous but would she break down his wall as he dreamed of her touch and fought against the impulse to protect her? Would their love be enough to defeat his demons? Was he strong enough to resist her or would her light burn irrevocably? (95 pages)

Excerpt from Candlelight

School passed in a blur and that night, I spent my time catching up on all the work I had missed. The following day, an opportunity presented itself to me and I couldn’t resist getting my message across to that fucker.

James walked a little ahead of me during class time. It looked as if he headed to the library. He didn’t notice me as I looped around the corridor and caught him before he entered, pushing him into a disused office. I slammed him full force up against the wall and put my arm over his throat. I allowed my hands to morph into claws, holding them at a vein in his throat as fury pulsed through me.

I froze him with my powers. I could feel his powers trying to find a way around mine. I brushed them aside, as though they were no more than a fly in my face. Demon power raced through me and I stood tall before spitting out, “I know what you did and I know what you are trying to do. You won’t succeed. For every single time you try, I will ruin something you care about. You are not getting away with this; I will make sure of it…”

I broke off and turned my hand back to normal before I punched him full force in the nose. I relished the sound of the bone breaking. He would heal it in seconds, though he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the blood from Demon sight. Strolling towards the door, I called over my shoulder,

“Mop yourself up, you disgusting piece of filth.”

Luminosity

Ignition

Candlelight

About the Author

Stacy McWilliams is the mum of two boys, a wife and a writer. She loves reading a variety of genres and enjoy a diverse range of movies.

She writes paranormal romance and loves to meet new people.

http://www.twitter.com/stacemcw

https://www.facebook.com/authorstacymcwilliams

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stacy-McWilliams/e/B012YJ53Q0

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-mcwilliams-2b724a126

When I Grow Up (#amwriting #future #dirtyoldlady)

You never know how things will turn out. When I was in grade school, in the early days of the U.S. space program, I wanted to be an astronaut. I liked science and math and I loved reading Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. What other qualifications did I need? I was devastated to learn that I would disqualified by my extreme myopia and the total absence of arches in my feet. (It never dawned on me that my gender might be an obstacle as well.)

In high school, Watson, Crick and Franklin had just deciphered the genetic code and I was determined to become a molecular biologist. My role models were Marie Curie and Jonas Salk. I imagined myself in the lab, making world-shaking discoveries to benefit mankind. Then I had the chance to do a summer internship in a food chemistry lab and discovered how incredibly boring laboratory research could be.

As I entered undergraduate school, my goal was to be a doctor. I took all the required pre-med courses, but the more I got to know my fellow aspirants to medical school, the less sure I was that I was on the right path. Meanwhile, I took some experimental psychology courses that suggested we were on the verge of understanding perception, planning and memory. I switched majors and got my next three degrees in cognitive experimental psych. At the same time, I started to study computers and programming, since computer modeling had become a popular tool for testing psychological theories about human cognition.

Two years out of graduate school, I was burned out on psychology research. All I seemed to be accomplishing was producing publications. I yearned for a more practical, useful career. My computer courses came in handy when I applied for a job as a programmer. It was love at first coding. I discovered that I had an aptitude for developing software. The disciplined, step-by-step approach I had cultivated during my years as a researcher was a huge advantage in the software arena. Meanwhile, I loved the fact that I could take my ideas and turn them, almost magically,  into an artifact that could have concrete, beneficial effects in the real world.

Then my husband (whom I had acquired along the way) and I got offered a two year contract teaching computer-related topics in Thailand. All of a sudden I was back in an academic setting, where I'd spent so many of my earlier years. Skills that I had expected never to use again—reading, writing and editing technical papers, planning research, doing statistical analyses—suddenly became relevant once more.

Back in the U.S., I returned to software engineering, this time at a higher level, as an expert consultant.  But at the same time, my husband and I developed a software product of our own and established a company to market it. Now in addition to producing code, I was writing user manuals, advertisements, brochures and demos. I was attending trade shows and talking to potential customers. As the treasurer of our small corporation, I was also paying bills, filling out government forms, and dealing with tax issues. 

In 1999 I published my first novel. I don't think that my career exploits up to that point had much to do with my aptitude for writing smut (though the heroine of Raw Silk happens to be a software engineer). However, many of the other skills I had acquired in my professional life turned out to be amazingly useful.

My computer knowledge obviously helps in today's world of on-line promotion. I developed the first version of my website using WSIWYG software but got terribly frustrated by the bugs and the lack of control. These days, I maintain my website manually, writing the HTML code by hand using templates developed by a graphic designer. It may sounds like a lot of work but making changes is fast, easy and most important, reliable. When I edited Cream, I was able to create a script that generated customized contracts for each of the forty odd contributors, based on a few items of information they entered in a web form. I've also considered doing some scripting to automate announcements for my blog and other news, based on my calendar.

My experience as a small business owner has made me moderately comfortable with the monetary aspects of my writing career.  I have no problem keeping financial records or dealing with taxes.

Probably the most vital characteristic derived from my professional life is my relatively disciplined approach to time management. I set aside specific times for idea generation, research, writing, and promotion. Both my software and research careers helped me to develop a capacity for managing detail, which gets more and more critical daily as the world of publishing and promotion becomes more complicated.   

So what happens next?  I have an image of myself in fifteen years, gray-haired and frail, sitting in front of my computer and writing hot sex scenes. Given the various twists and turns my professional life has taken to get to this point, I suspect this picture may be far from accurate. But then, you never know. Maybe I've finally discovered what I'm going to be when I grow up.