Guest Malia Mallory

(Try 2)

I do apologise for the confusion earlier. But let's try this once more. I'd like to welcome Malia today! She's here from Hawaii...don't you just love the internet?! Of course I am a wee bit jealous that she's in Hawaii, because I don't care what anyone says about living anywhere. Some places are simply more beautiful and exotic than others.

Why I Write

Given some personal struggles and time blocks over the last week that have stopped up the writing flow, I've decided to give some serious thought to what exactly it is I am trying to do and why am I trying to do it.

I've made a mental list of the reasons why I write and tried to sort through them. This is in no particular order.

Money. Well, we all need to make a living somehow. Maybe I could be the next to strike it rich on the indie highway (doubtful). However, I might be able to match my "day job" salary and that would be acceptable. The problem is I don't personally find money all that motivating. I like the idea of it and wouldn't mind having more of it, but it doesn't get my fingers on the keyboard. I'd have to be pretty financially uncomfortable and then, such discomfort would probably only stress me out making it harder for me to write. It doesn't look like money is going to do it.

Job Freedom. I'm not fond of my profession. I won't go into what it is. It wasn't something I would have chosen and it is a very difficult field to be in at the moment. I've been doing it about five years. I'd rather sit home than go to work. Who wouldn't though? Is the ability to tell my boss "I'm outta here" going to motivate me? Probably not. What about being my own boss? That is certainly attractive, but I have a real procrastination problem. The reality is that I sometimes question my ability to keep myself on track without outside pressure. Freedom is enticing but yet scary at the same time. Losing benefits and regular paycheck is a bit off putting when the future can be a very uncertain place. Do I have what it takes to make that jump?

Personal Flexibility. I'd love to be able to stay home with my child. I like going to the grocery store during the day when it is less crowded. I like not having to take off work for every appointment. This is a convenience issue though except for the childcare. That would save money, but how much writing can I get done caring for an infant?

Looking at these reasons thus far I see a huge problem. They have nothing to do with writing. They have to do with paying my bills and being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it. No wonder none of these things are motivating me to write - personal revelation!

Fame. Do I harbor a deep desire for everyone to know who I am and rave about my work? Not particularly. I've been writing a long time and have shared with personal friends and such and that has been fine. In fact, I don't think I'd care to be famous. I like anonymity. In fact, one of the things I don't like about where I live now is that I cannot go anywhere without running into someone I know. When I lived in New York, I never had to worry about where I went or what I did. The chances of anyone I knew seeing me were so remote I never worried about picking up a porno book or being rude to a sales clerk who deserved it. I can't do that here. I know someone who was fired because she called in sick and it got back to her boss she'd been seen at Wal-Mart. You can't sneeze here without someone telling your mother-in-law. So no, I prefer to go about my business.

However, that doesn't mean I don't want people to read and enjoy my work, which finally brings me to what I have concluded must be my new motivation.

Readers. I must confess I love to read. I mean I really love it. I read for pleasure every day whether it be novels or non-fiction. I plow through news web sites. I used to read for a living as a proofreader and copy editor. I can also read fast so I can get through tons of material. I have favorite authors, many of them. I have dozens of books that I like so well I re-read them over and over maybe once a year. These authors have given me entertainment, pleasure and escape. I'm always on the lookout for their newest releases.

That is why I should be writing - to give something to people, to give readers something entertaining. I don't really plan on writing the next literary masterpiece that will stand the test of decades and become a college literature staple. I suppose it could happen, but it isn't a current goal. However, I think I would enjoy knowing that someone riding the subway is reading my work. It might be gratifying to think of someone whipping out their iPhone at the doctor's office and delving into my story to pass the time. I need to focus on that. If I can bring the enjoyment that I have received from reading to others that would be motivating.

About the Author:

Malia Mallory is the author of The ABCs of Erotica series, which includes so far A is for Anal, B is for Beach, C is for C*ck Ring, D is for Domination, and now, R is for Revenge. The ABCs of Erotica covers the erotic spectrum from BDSM to ménage and everything in between. More releases in the series are on the way. She has also released Mia's Cop Craving and Santa's Backdoor Baby. She has hit the bestselling erotica lists at both Amazon and iTunes. Her books are available in electronic format at major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and AllRomance Books.

For a free copy of B is for Beach from The ABCs of Erotica, head to her website and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.maliamallory.com/Join_My_Mailing_List.php.

Connect with Malia Mallory

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/@MaliaMallory
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MaliaMallory
Blog - http://abcsoferotica.wordpress.com/
Web Page - http://www.maliamallory.com/

Excerpt from Mia's Cop Craving

He brushed her lips with his. "Mmmm, you'd better point me to a flat surface."

Her hand fluttered in the direction of the hallway and she gasped as he swept his arm under her knees and picked her up. His legs covered the distance quickly, and it barely seemed a blink before they were in her bedroom.

Lights from the street bathed the room in a slight glow and Rogan laid her on the coverlet. He smoothed her hair back from her face and climbed onto the mattress beside her.

"Mia," he whispered, “tell me what happens in your fantasy."

Buy Links
Amazon Author Page
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Smashwords
All Romance
Sony

Kobo
Diesel

Friday Recipe: Enchiladas

All Recipes had a bunch of Cinco de Mayo. And while I don't celebrate that per se, the food is always worth making! Because enchiladas...yum.

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Ready In: 50 Min

Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 ounces shredded Colby cheese
2 (19 ounce) cans enchilada sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a heavy saucepan or skillet, brown the ground beef and onions. Season the ground beef mixture with garlic salt and set aside.
In a skillet, fry the tortillas in vegetable oil. Spoon some meat mixture and cheese into the center of each tortilla, roll them up and arrange them in a 9x13 inch baking dish or oblong pan. Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas and top with any remaining meat or cheese.
Bake in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 755 Total Fat: 46g Cholesterol: 150mg

Wednesday Regency: Plagiarism

A lot has been on the various blogs I follow about this YA blogger's plagiarism. I have no idea who this blogger is, but it's the fact of the matter. I try my absolute hardest to cite wherever I take a quote, even if it's only a couple words, and even try to cite the links for pictures I search for. I'm not always successful with that but I try.

In the interest of Regency-fying this post, I searched for Regency Plagiarism. Several interesting links popped up, including this one from Regency Era about a Norwegian university's video on plagiarism. It's pretty amusing once you put on the closed captions!

But what I found that really interested me was on Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland. Apparently, Ms. Cartland not only plagiarised Ms. Heyer but did so...badly. Georgette Heyer writes Regency--Barbara Cartland does not. I've never read a Barbara Cartland book, but I do think I've seen some of the made-for-TV movies. Nope. Not Regency! (I could be wrong about this, am I?)

Weekly Goals #17

Aycliff's Vow, while not finished, finished, (only the read-thru & edits to do) is so close I can taste it. Or well, maybe not taste, but definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. And so long as that end is not a train, plane, or UFO, we're all good.

This week I'm going to really focus on my other name, K. Reed and her website for the launch of my semi-mainstream side. I say semi because a dystopian Regency isn't exactly totally mainstream is it?

Friday Recipe:Asparagus-Stuffed Potatoes

It's spring as anyone with allergies can attest. It also means planting your garden, which I intend to do sooner rather than later. The soil is tilled and raked, I'm only waiting for the nights to be a tad warmer than say, frost. I did plant potatoes, but I figure they're pretty hardy; we'll see just how hardy they are when I dig them up in a few weeks.

Today's recipe is a combination healthy and party. No one would ever accuse a stuffed potatoe of being healthy, no matter how much starch you do or don't need in your diet! Now me, I prefer my potatoes stuffed with cheese and bacon, but in the interest of the healthy portion of this post, I went with this recipe instead. There's still bacon in it, so perhaps it all works!

Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:1 Hr 20 Min
Ready In:1 Hr 35 Min

Ingredients
4 medium baking potatoes
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions
Bake potatoes at 400 degrees F for about 1 hour or until done. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato and discard. Carefully scoop out pulp while leaving shell intact. In a mixing bowl, mash pulp with milk, sour cream, onion salt and pepper until smooth. Fold in asparagus. Stuff shells; place in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon. Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Guest: Leah Petersen

Where Does a Sci-Fi Author Go When She Needs to Get Away?

Your hosts here at Wickedly Wanton proposed an interesting topic for a guest post: my favorite hideaway.

Is it just me, or is this more applicable to the sci-fi/fantasy author than most? Where to hideaway?

Well, anywhere! And airfare’s free, baby, because I can just use my imagination.

It’s why I’m a sci-fi author, I think. I’ve done it my whole life. Things not going well in real life? (Or just boring, or I’m 15 and melodramatic)? Just make up a new one.

There are fascinating places out there to discover (invent.) Anything’s possible. Want to be able to read someone’s mind? You can. (Watch out for that one, though. Can be messy.) Want to be a queen living in a palace by the sea where mermen come to worship you each year? Been there, done that. Want a dozen princes who would do anything just for the chance to kiss your feet?

Easy.

Just make it happen!

I even like visiting the future I created in FIGHTING GRAVITY, though it’s got its drawbacks and scary places. Well, stay anywhere long enough and you’ll find that. Besides, without them, how would I torture my main characters?

But, when I just want to have fun, my perfect hideaway changes with the seasons, my mood, inspiration from the last book I read, or movie I saw, or just something completely random witnessed as I drove by. The nice thing about it is, it’s always the perfect one. If it isn’t, I change it.

Cheaper than a trip to Europe, too.

How about you? Where would you go?

Everywhere and evreywhen, Leah! I'm a fan of Stargate, Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape, Eureka, and any cheesy scifi movie you can think of. Them? Seen it. The Thing? Only the original. Godzilla? Raised on it as a child with afternoon reruns while cleaning. If it had the slightest element of science fiction, no matter how cheesy, my mom watched it, hence it was on TV and we all watched it.

BLURB:

When Jacob Dawes is Selected for the Imperial Intellectual Complex as a child, he’s catapulted from the poverty-stricken slums of his birth into a world where his status as an unclass is something no one can forget, or forgive. His growing scientific renown draws the attention of the emperor, a young man Jacob’s own age, and they find themselves drawn to each other in an unlikely, and ill-advised relationship. Jacob may have won the emperor’s heart, but it’s no protection when he’s accused of treason. And fighting his own execution would mean betraying the man he loves.


EXCERPT:
After dinner, a servant summoned me to the emperor. This was now twice in as many nights. Was it about something I’d said the night before? That stupid ring?

I was led to where the emperor was talking with the ship’s captain in one of the hallways.

“Good evening, Mr. Dawes. I see you survived the lift-off.” He walked as he spoke, gesturing for me to accompany him.

“It was an incredible experience, Excellence. This is a nice ship you have.”

“Thank you. It’s not a new ship, there was no time for that. But many things were upgraded, the engines included. They’re the best of the best, I’m told. I thought about you during the lift-off. I wondered what you’d make of it.”

“You did?” I asked, stunned.

“Is there something wrong with that?” he asked, his mouth twisted in what looked like amusement but was probably something more dangerous to me.

“No, sir. I guess not…”

“Does it bother you?” He seemed to be teasing me again.

“Some,” I answered.

He stopped. “Why?”

“Because I’m afraid of you.”

He laughed, and started down the hallway again. But after a sideways glance at my face, he quieted. “You really mean that?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” His answer was soft, subdued, even. I got the distinct impression that I’d hurt his feelings.

“You must get that all the time.”

“I do,” he answered, but didn’t look at me. I was more and more sure that I’d offended him somehow.

“So why should it matter, then, Excellence?”

He thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I should be used to it. Of course, no one ever comes out and says it in so many words. It’s a bit of a shock to hear it confirmed like that.”

He stopped again, facing me, a slight furrow between his eyes that I would have called uncertainty, even vulnerability, if I hadn’t known who he was. “Why are you afraid of me?”

“Who wouldn’t be afraid? You can do anything you want with my life and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”

The furrow deepened and he waited, as if I hadn’t explained myself at all.

“You uprooted my life a couple of weeks ago, who knows what you might do tomorrow?”

“You mean, you didn’t want this assignment?” he asked.

Apparently I wasn’t frightened enough to keep my mouth shut. “I want to be here,” I pointed to the ship around us, “but I didn’t want to be reassigned, no.”

“Mr. Dawes...” He hesitated. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged but didn’t look at him.

“Would you like to be assigned back to the IIC?”

“Yes, Excellence.”

“Then you will be.” He started walking again, gesturing to me to accompany him. My stomach was jittery. I couldn’t believe what I’d just said. But he wasn’t reacting like an angry sovereign. He was acting like just another guy whose feelings were hurt.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” I tried.

He turned to me. “Actually, you have no idea how much I appreciate your honesty.”

There was no reason for me to believe he was lying or just being diplomatic—and I couldn’t imagine why he would try to spare my feelings—but that didn’t make me feel much better. I was still on edge, certain I’d said far too much.

About the Author:

Leah Petersen lives in North Carolina. She does the day-job, wife, and mother thing, much like everyone else. She prides herself on being able to hold a book with her feet so she can knit while reading. She’s still working on knitting while writing.

FIGHTING GRAVITY is her first novel.

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PRIZE INFORMATION

The author will be giving away at least one (possibly more) hand-knitted by her replicas of the symbol of the IIC (an important institution in the book) to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour.

Wednesday Regency: Law

With the soon to be released short story, Aycliff's Vow: A Hellfire Club Erotique, I take a quick peek into the British legal system. So what was it like in Regency England anyway?

Adultery, Buggery, Murder, Stolen purses…all in a day’s work at The Old Bailey Courthouse! The Old Bailey is the common name for London’s central criminal court. The legal system in England was far from simple but it is the forefather of our own American system. In fact, the barrister, William Garrow, was the first to utter the phrase, “Innocent until proven guilty.”

However, England’s legal system was not always so altruistic. Influence on the court was a common occurrence in Regency England if kept as quiet as possible. However, even the high born suffered at the court's hand - on rare occasions.

There was always a formality to the court even if just in dress. The jury was often given only a short while to deliberate its decisions, even if that decision involved life or death. Hangings were a public spectacle in the streets of London until 1868.

In Aycliff’s Vow, we open at the Old Bailey as our hero is observing the end of a trial. As an earl, Lord Aycliff could influence the court by his mere presence, not to mention that as a member of the House of Lords, Parliament, he could also sit on the committee drawing up many of the laws used at the Old Bailey.

In a short lived series from England called Garrow's Law; the lead character often says, "Strange in fact but true in Law."

This was very appropriate to the convoluted laws of the day. You can make an argument that it still holds true but we're talking Regency England :). For instance, a man could assault a woman with a weapon and receive a short sentence or a fine but he could also be hanged for damaging the fabric of her gown - which was protected by an importer's law of the day. Strange how law evolves.

Excerpt: The Escape: A Hellfire Club Erotique

From Chapter 2:

Gabrielle couldn’t breathe. His voice, oh, God, Eric’s voice washed over her as smooth and persuasive as she remembered. Eyes closed, she struggled to breathe, to compose herself. Annette’s hand tightened on her arm, but Gabrielle ignored it and slowly turned.

Afraid to see him, afraid he wouldn’t be there, she opened her eyes.

Her chest hurt, her heart skipped a beat only to pound harder. Gabrielle licked her lips and met his light blue gaze.

She struggled for breath as the band around her chest tightened further. No words formed, and all she wanted to do was throw herself into Eric’s arms. Annette’s hand on her stopped her.

“Oh!” Annette said politely. “So you know Gabrielle from be—” she stopped herself, then hurried to cover the awkward pause. “From some time ago.”

Unable to even nod, Gabrielle stood rooted to the spot. Her mind whirled with a dozen thoughts as she tried to come to terms with Eric standing before her. She wanted to reach out and touch him, check he stood there, real and alive. Make sure this wasn’t all an illusion, a trick her mind played on her.

“Yes,” Eric said evenly. “Yes we did. Mademoiselle Bertrand,” he said in a lighter tone, “was always a favorite in my shop. The shop I once had on what was Rue de Prince, across from the park.”

The look in his blue eyes stopped her from showing her surprise. Taking shallow breaths, Gabrielle forced herself to look at him, really see him. He wore simple clothing, modest and just the other side of worn, and his demeanor showed an unpretentious shop owner, not the well-to-do noble he truly was.

“Yes,” Gabrielle managed. She forced a smile and straightened. “Such a pretty little shop. Thank you for remembering me.”

“I could never forget you, mademoiselle,” Eric said softly. He looked back at Annette and offered a small smile as he expounded on her apparent shopping virtues. “A client with such grace and kindness is difficult to forget.”

Where to buy:
Amazon

All Romance

Barnes and Noble

Weekly Goals #16

Goals are hard. Especially with long lists of them. So in the long and glorious tradition of getting things crossed off, shorter lists are in the cards.

1. Finish Aycliff's Vow

That's my only goal this week. I'm more than half way finished (61% to be specific) and would like to have it done by next week so I can leave it sit before I begin the editing process. I know it needs more sensuality and possibility more darkness, but right now I'd like to finish it before adding those layers. It's a multi-step process.


And work on the blurb. Drat. That's TWO goals this week!

2. Aycliff's Vow blurb

But I have the cover, so that's one thing off the list. Which would have worked if I'd put it on a physical list to begin with. Mental lists don't seem to count.

Friday Recipe: Healthy Chicken

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken I've made this before, well to be fair, I've marinated the chicken in honey mustard the stir-fried. This adds the element of actual honey, which I'm not really a fan of but it came out really delicious!

Be forewarned--I didn't grill it, it's still too cold for that! But I did bake it.

Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:20 Min
Ready In:35 Min (I think mine was closer to 50 minutes, but again, baking vs grilling)

Ingredients
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (skipped this, I deplore mayonnaise!)
1 teaspoon steak sauce
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions
Preheat the grill for medium heat.
In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning!

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 266 Total Fat: 8.3g Cholesterol: 70mg

If you're in the UK in 2013...

I've agreed to post this press release for a writer friend. I have no plans to be in the UK in 2013, but if you do, and you like erotica, then you might be interseted in this. If not, feel free to skip over.

Scarborough, UK to Host Saucy Seaside Smut Convention

April 2012, The North, United Kingdom.

Convention for erotica readers and writers to be held in the
seaside town of Scarborough on June 22nd, 2013.

Do you like to be beside the seaside? Or more specifically, do you like to be smutty beside the seaside? If so, then the Smut by the Sea Convention and Erotic Marketplace is for you!

The brainchild of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik, with help from their glamorous assistant, Lucy Felthouse, Smut by the Sea promises to be a smut-filled extravaganza in the beautiful seaside setting of Victorian Scarborough. The town's library will be hosting the event.

Forget fish and chips, candy floss and ice cream – visit the dedicated Erotic Marketplace, including exhibitors Xcite Books and House of Erotica, with many more yet to be confirmed. Buy toys and books and all manner of saucy things. And don't forget to get those books signed by the authors in attendance!

You'll be wriggling in your seat when you attend a range of sexy readings from erotic authors including Victoria Blisse, Lucy Felthouse, K D Grace and Lexie Bay.

Or perhaps you'd like to attend informative panels on getting published, marketing your work and other smut related activities? It's all covered, so you can check out whatever tickles your fancy!

It's certainly going to be a fun-filled day – but it doesn't stop there! In the evening will be the official launch of the Smut by the Sea anthology (calls for submissions available at http://smutbythesea.co.uk/call-for-submissions/, closing date 1st June 2012 – edited by Victoria Blisse and Lucy Felthouse), with readings from the authors, and some seriously saucy swag bags with gifts from sponsors Sh! Women's Erotic Emporium, Total-E-Bound and Lovehoney, to name but a few.

Just as you're settling down from hearing all those fabulously naughty stories, your heart rate will be rising once more as the result of an intermission with burlesque dancers!

Finally, there will be a Q&A panel with a range of authors, book signings and some good old fashioned networking and socialising.

It's still early days so there will be lots more authors, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees coming on board as the conference draws closer, but hopefully this has given you an idea of what to expect from Smut by the Sea.

So, what are you waiting for? Mark your diaries for Smut by the Sea, 22nd June 2013. Early Bird tickets have been released, and there are less than 200 available at this bargain price, so make sure to grab yours quick, before it's too late! http://smutbythesea.eventbrite.co.uk/

Keep your eyes on the following links for further information on sponsors, attending authors, exhibitors and more:

Website: http://smutbythesea.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/smutbythesea
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/smutbythesea

Also, just for a bit of fun, you can share your seaside themed photos on the Pinterest page: http://pinterest.com/mitnik/smut-by-the-sea/

The event is still taking on more exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and readers, so if you'd like to get involved, please http://smutbythesea.co.uk/contact-us/


About Smut by the Sea
The brainchild of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik, the Smut by the Sea Erotic Readers & Authors Convention & Erotic Marketplace takes place in Scarborough in June 2013. It will be a smut filled extravaganza with readings, burlesque, panels, Q&As, workshops, erotica and more. See http://smutbythesea.co.uk for more details.

About Blisse UK
Blisse UK is the team of Victoria Blisse and Kevin Mitnik. Specialising in bespoke creations, working together they strive to bring originality and excellence into all that they do. Victoria is an award-winning author & Kevin is a twice Webbie winning web designer. They have over 15 years experience of creating successful websites with a portfolio of recent works available on http://blisseuk.com. Smut by the Sea is a new venture as they combine their love of the seaside with a love of erotica.

Wednesday Regency

Read an interesting article on what makes something a Regency. For instance, Emma can be Clueless. Regency? As if!

But, if detail is not paid to fashion, manners, and décor, it is not a Regency.

All too true. It's really in the details that make it an historical an historical. It's language, rules, etiquette. Without that crucial difference, you can take a story like Emma and turn it into a movie like Clueless.

I like this whole paragraph, but let's face it, the last sentence says it all and is one of the prime reasons (but not the) that I loathe that version.

The Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice are all clad in very simple pastels signaling they are marriageable but not wealthy. Mr. Darcy's aunt is clad in a blend of late Georgian and Regency, expressing her independence and dominance in both character and social position. Persuasion's Anne Elliot, now a spinster with no expectations, fortune, or hope of marriage, wears exactly what she pleases in the way of color. The various members of her family dress according to their age and station in life. In the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, director Joe Wright’s muddled approach to costume is so deplorable, it is the perfect example of what a Regency is not.

Friday Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

This came in my email and as I've never tried hot cross buns, I thought I would. They look delicious (and in fact they were!) But they're rolls. No seriously, they're hot rolls. As much as I'm all about baking it myself, it takes a hell of a lot less time to make the Grands biscuits.

OK, they don't have the icing on them but still. They're hot, they're yummy, and they take 10 minutes. 12 minutes if you have trouble opening the container! None the less, here's the recipe for those non-holiday settings where you can take the time to make these and not worry about all the other things you have to make.

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Ready In:2 Hrs
Original Recipe Yield 12 buns

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup water
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup golden raisins (optional) *skipped*
1/4 cup dried cherries (optional)*skipped*

1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional) *skipped but sounds delicious!*
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract *skipped*

Directions

1.Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place the flour, salt, sugar, cardamom, 1 1/4 cups of milk, butter and egg into the bread machine. Pour the yeast mixture on top. Close the lid and set the machine for the Dough setting. If using raisins, dried cherries or dried cranberries, add them at the beep.

2.When the dough has finished, divide into 12 portions and shape into balls. Place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

3.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the plastic wrap from the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Make frosting by whisking together the confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup of milk and almond extract until smooth. When the buns are cool, drizzle frosting over them in a cross shape.

Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 415
Total Fat: 9.2g
Cholesterol: 40mg

Weekly Goal #14

Just because it's Wednesday does not mean I can't have a goal for the rest of the week. Believe me when I say I'd rather skip it but I like having goals. I like making them better than planning/missing them but I find that small goals push me to at least get those finished.

It's better than complaining about not moving forward!

So despite the mid-week-ness of it all, here are my goals for the first week in April, no foolin':

1. Chapters 1-4 of Aycliff's Vow (Chapter 1 is 98% finished)


2. Fiddle around with concepts for a website


3. Get free PDFs out to contest winners

New Release: Janine Ashbless

Red Grow the Roses by Janine Ashbless

Blurb:

“Maybe you’ll be lucky. Maybe he’s not human. He’ll take you in his arms and you’ll feel his strength – a strength that makes it impossible to fight him. But you’ve already lost the will to resist, that moment he looked into your eyes and showed you all his hunger and his promise. You knew then. You knew that this is what you are for – what we are all for – with our warm beating hearts and our aching sexual needs.

We are for them.”

There are six vampires in the city. Ageless, terrifyingly beautiful and always hungry – not just for blood but for the other pleasures the human body offers. Sadistic chanteuse Estelle; feckless Ben; Roisin, the mirror-ghost; Wakefield, haunted by his own damnation; Naylor, the most feral of them all.

And Reynauld is the Good Shepherd, the one who holds them all in check. But his grip on his own humanity is fading, and when Wakefield accidentally kills a woman and Naylor gets the blame, a power-struggle erupts between the city’s immortal undead.

Red Grow the Roses tells of bloodlust and sexual desire; for vampires the two are indistinguishable. These transgressive, startling stories draw the reader down the darkest and most seductive paths of pleasure – to where the monsters are waiting.

Excerpt
‘I don’t feed from humans,’ Wakefield hissed, trembling.

‘That’s what I heard. I just find it hard to believe.’ Rolling onto her knees, she reached for the discarded rose he’d cut for her. ‘Nasty sharp thorns these things have got,’ she mused, laying the stem across her bare breasts. With a twitch she drew it down, scoring her flesh with half-a-dozen needle-pointed thorns, shuddering as the pain burned through her. Pin-points of blood rose on her pale skin and swelled, a string of rubies decorating the white flesh and the roseate nipples. ‘Ah,’ she groaned.

Robert Wakefield seemed to grow taller; his hard-on bulged. She could taste the coppery tang of her victory.

‘Tell me; have you ever whipped a girl with your roses, Mr Wakefield?’ Lilla began to crawl backwards from him on hands and knees, arse swaying, breasts wobbling. ‘Maybe one of your servants? The parlour maid perhaps? You ever taken a bunch of roses and whipped their tits?’

She put on a country accent for her next words, her voice suddenly breathlessly innocent but at the same time teasing: ‘Oh Mr Wakefield, you wouldn’t be thinking of doing that to a poor innocent girl? I couldn’t bear that sir – it’ll hurt something cruel. You wouldn’t want to ruin a helpless maid, would you, sir? You wouldn’t want that on your conscience?’

Inhumanly swift, he lunged and grabbed the front of her bodice and yanked her up to slam her against one of the wrought-iron pillars. Eagerly Lilla extended her hands over her head, thrusting her breasts out so that he might feed. But he didn’t, not right away. He looked down at her with a face hollow with hunger, and then he took hold of her long drawers at the waist and snapped the drawstring with one tug of his wrists. He tore the damp, clinging cotton from her thighs to bare her sex, and then he tied her wrists with the twisted strips and secured her to a ornamental bracket high on the pillar, hauling her up onto her toes. She said nothing, words robbed from her by anticipation, lips parted about her shallow breaths.

His face mask-like, his eyes burning, he plunged his cold fingers between her thighs and up inside her, breaching the gates of her sex to take the measure of her heat, the slick of juices, the yielding sucking flex of her tight hole. Lilla writhed on his hand, twisting helplessly with each thrust of his wrist, and he watched her breasts jiggle and bounce, their pink points dewed in red. His teeth were so extended now that his upper lip did not hide them.

‘Oh please,’ she gasped. ‘Please – bite me!’

Buy Links:

Amazon
Amazon UK
Mischief Books
All Romance eBooks

Author Bio:
Janine Ashbless is a multi-published author of erotica and erotic romance. Her first collection of erotic fairy, fantasy and paranormal stories, Cruel Enchantment, was published in 2000 by Black Lace. Red Grow the Roses is her sixth novel. Her stories have been published by Spice, Black Lace, Nexus, Xcite, Racy Pages, Cleis, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain, among others. She was Jade Magazine’s Erotic Fiction Writer of the Year 2009. Janine loves goatee beards, ancient ruins, minotaurs, trees, mummies, having her cake and eating it, holidaying in countries with really bad public sewerage, and any movie or TV series featuring men in very few clothes beating hell out of each other. She lives in England.

Author site and blog

Game of Thrones

Did you watch it? Have you anticipated it as much as I have? (Do you even know what I'm talking about?)

Game of Thrones...by far the best miniseries/TV show of the year. And it's only episode one. Last season I sat glued to my couch every Sunday at 9 to watch it and was never disappointed. Hell, I bought HBO for those however-many-weeks just to watch it! This season I plan to do the same. So on Sunday nights...you'll know where I'm at!

Winter is Coming

In case you missed it last year (my how the time flies!) I'm seriously addicted to Game of Thrones. Not just because of my love for Sean Bean but also because I adore any fantasy movie/series like this. LOTR? So there...own it on DVD in the 4 disc extended version.

Such is my level of geekdom.

But is it romantic? There's romance. There's even love, deep abiding love. And there's loads of sex. But it could never be mistaken for a romance. Never. It's well suited for the fantasy category! But what draws so may of us into it? I read the hash tags on Twitter, and since those I follow are pretty much romance readers & writers, I know it's not only my science fiction love.

Great writing? Check
Great characters? Check
Great costumes? Check
Great casting? Check

But it's so much more than that. I root for even the characters I don't love. Because they're all so well-rounded and real that it's hard not to.

So in honor of tonight's premier of season 2 of Game of Thrones, here's the contest. Tell me why you love epic fantasies like this. Or why you don't. Or why you gave it a try and would rather hear nails on a chalkboard than watch another episode. Or why the books are better than the adaptation (aren't they always?)...Or even why you love Sean Bean! I'm pretty much open to anything.

Now, what do you get for this? Free copy of The Masque: A Hellfire Club Erotique, free copy of Covet: A Regency Ménage Tale, one $10 Amazon gift card.

Ready? Go!