My Writing Process - blog tour

Hello hello! I got tagged by the gorgeous Kd Grace for this fun writing process blog - a bunch of writers playing tig and sharing how they work :D here's Kd's here - fascinating insight into her writing quirks and a sneaky peek into a new genre.
So I did an angsty hop recently so let's see if anything's changed in a coupla weeks!

1)     What am I working on?

Quiet night in

Recently I've taken a little break from writing - even though I am halfway through a story of infidelity set in the 50s - I needed to just stop and take a breath. However, the creatives among you will know that you can't do nothing! You cannot not express yourself in some way at least once a day - so I've been indulging in doodles and sketches. Here's one I did today for my friend Lily Harlem ;) 

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, while I work under the umbrella of erotica, I don't think anything I've ever written or created adheres strictly to a specific genre or type. That can be tricky if someone asks what my stories are about. There's a few books I've written that simply can't be placed with conventional publishers because they just can't be labelled. My trilogy (The Meeting Point) is basically about the impending apocalypse and how transcendental sexual connection will save the day... (I think). 

3)     Why do I write what I do?

I just go with whatever doors are opened in my imagination at the time. Over the past few years the erotic genre has been the key that seems to open that door and the stories have just flowed. This may change - sometimes I shift to poetry, sometimes graphic novels, I could never pin myself down. The reason that writing erotica is so gratifying is that you can explore any sub genre. And if you do it well and get involved completely in the scene you are committing to the page - by god, you can not beat that rush! I am telling you - phew! It sure has its benefits ;)

4)     How does your writing process work?

Usually I will have had the bit of the story I need to write simmering away in my mind for a few days and wait excitedly for those hours when I can sit uninterrupted at my laptop - I'll ache for that moment. Then it will come and I will find anything to avoid putting my bum on that chair. The bathroom suddenly looks shabby and needs repainted, or the flowerbed which has been neglected for years will suddenly need weeding... it's only when my precious few hours have almost drained away that I grab a huge mug of tea and sit down and blast the keys until I'm ready to pass out that it all comes out. I've always worked best under guilt and pressure!
Well there you have it - thanks so much for tagging me Kd!

Here's my taggees! 
I decided to tag the fantastic Oleander Plume again because I loved the answers to her other hop so much. Here's a little bit about the gal:
Oleander Plume writes erotica, shops for shoes and sometimes ponders the bigger picture. She can be found online at oleanderplume.blogspot.com
Oh you must follow her on Twitter - she's great fun! 
I'm also tagging the AWESOME Justine Elyot. A huge favourite of mine and even though she's my buddy I'm still a total fangirl. I've just finished reading Lecture Notes and it's another 5*!

Justine Elyot writes erotic fiction for a number of publishers including Black Lace, Mischief and Totally Bound. Her popular books include On Demand, The Business of Pleasure, Meeting Her Match and Kinky.

Oh - you can follow the progress of this hop and read lots of other writers' contributions by hanging out at Twitter with this tag #mywritingprocess

Thanks for stopping by - and remember to check out those sites x x x 

A Princess in Chains: Justine Elyot

Today I'm delighted to have Justine Elyot here to talk about her new novel and she's going to tease us mercilessly with this extract... naughty thing!

Lovely Tabitha is always so inviting, and today she's invited me to tell you a little bit about my new book, Princess In Chains.

I hope the title gives a little hint of what sort of book it might be. There is a princess in it, and some chains, although most of the time she is out of them. There is also some swashbuckling adventure, some political intrigue, a mysterious alchemist and quite a lot of romance. So I suppose I'd call it fantasy adventure erotic romance.

It probably explains itself better than I can explain it, so here's an excerpt:

"'I do not think I shall care to live here.'

Leonore tried to bounce on the mattress of the four poster bed, but it was all furs with no yield in them and she succeeded in doing no more than bruising her bottom.

'It is so very foreign,' agreed Asta, fingering the drape that hung over the door. 'What is this fabric? I have never seen its like.'

'That must be Valish silk,' hazarded Leonore. 'We don't import it in Ystra, but it's highly prized across the Eastern lands.'

'It's heavy. It would be too hot for us to wear back at home.'

'Everything here is heavy,' sighed Leonore. 'Heavy and dark. I will go melancholy mad if I have to live here.'

She lay down flat on the bed, wishing she had heeded her father's words about wearing more layers. She pulled a fur blanket over her.

'Perhaps you won't,' said Asta. 'Perhaps Corvin will decide to live in Ystra.'

'With so much unrest in Vala, that is doubtful indeed. I wonder how many legions of guards they had to take off their duties to accompany our journey? I could scarcely see a thing through the carriage window; the horses were five deep on either side.'

'We should start preparing for the feast.' Asta came to sit beside Leonore on the bed. Smiling down at her, she ran a finger along the other woman's hairline. 'How shall I dress your hair tonight?'

'Anyhow. It's all the same to me.'

'Aren't you even slightly concerned with how you will look for your promised bridegroom?' Asta looked shocked and Leonore laughed at the wideness of her eyes.

'You know he was not my choice. He must take me as he finds me.'

'He is said to be quite handsome.'

'He is said to be a great many things.' Leonore sat up in bed and seized her handmaiden's fingers, squeezing them tight. 'Do you think he really murdered his brother?'

'I cannot say. I hope not. I hope it is scurrilous talk.'

'So do I. A man who would kill a brother might not think twice about ridding himself of a wife.'

'He would have to do it over my bleeding corpse,' said Asta fiercely, making Leonore laugh again.

'I do not know what I have done to earn such loyalty, but I am ever thankful for it. Come. A kiss.'

Leonore pulled her handmaiden into a close embrace, enjoying as ever her soft contours and faint scent of lilies. As a younger princess, she had treated Asta with capricious cruelty and sometimes she was tempted to do it again, to test the limits of the girl's incessantly sweet and forgiving nature. More often, though, she regretted her juvenile excesses and tried to remember that, as future Queen, she must be wise and kind. It was difficult, though. Very difficult.

'When you dress me,' whispered Leonore, her lips in Asta's delicious dark hair, 'will you rub that oil on my skin first?'

'The essence of flora? Of course. It's in my haversack.'

'And have hot water brought up for a bath.'

'I have already ordered it. It should be ready very soon.'

'If Valish fire is as effective as Ystrani.' Leonore pulled Asta down beside her. 'Why don't you loosen my bodice? I can scarcely breathe.'

It was the opening of a familiar game for the princess and her handmaiden. Leonore gave the orders and Asta obeyed. At first, Leonore had kept her demands within certain bounds, not wanting to frighten her doe-eyed servant into shock, but as time had passed the boundaries had broadened, touch by touch, kiss by kiss, and now Leonore was able to make Asta do anything she pleased."

Hmm, that Leonore is in for a rude awakening… Here's the blurb:

Leonore, heiress to the Kingdom of Ystra, is promised in marriage to Corvin, unpopular monarch of the neighbouring Kingdom of Vala. When their first meeting ends in disaster, she is tempted to take her handmaiden, Asta, out of the castle to sample an evening of common delights in the city - but forces she hasn't reckoned with are against her, and Leonore finds her destiny taken from her hands. 

She must embark on a quest to undo the wrong she has accidentally done, accompanied only by a handsome cooper's boy and the address of a mysterious alchemist whom, she hopes, will be the key to her success. 

But nothing is as it seems, least of all Leonore's own heart.

If that sounds like it might be your goblet of mead, here's a link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Chains--Erotic-Fantasy-Xcite-ebook/dp/B00GFV1E8K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389087643&sr=8-1&keywords=justine+elyot+princess+in+chains

Thanks for reading – and thank you, Tabitha!

Thanks Justine - don't stop! What a teaser - honestly! Well, well just have to go and buy it ;)

Justine Elyot is at my party!

Unlace that bodice and drop that waist - for the 1920s have arrived in style, courtesy of my most spiffy and rather naughty guest at the Butterfly Party, Lady Justine Elyot...

Happy birthday to Clockwork Butterfly! I've heard there's a party happening and Tabitha very kindly invited me, so for today's festivities I'm going to lay on a good old English country house shindig.

Why? Because there's plenty of those kinds of goings-on in my new Mischief novel, Secrets And Lords, and it's on my mind. So let's party like it's 1920!

First of all, you need your massive stately pile, with landscaped grounds including (importantly) a lake.

Then you need a fleet of servants: butler, housekeeper, cook, valets, maids-in-waiting, housemaids, chauffeurs…the list goes on and ends with the poor rough-handed scullery maids, spending their lives in hot water.

You'll need to do a lot of preparation – there are menus to be discussed and the provisions bought. Invitations, all hand-written, and sent by post. (Do be careful not to invite Lord Markley if Sir Gryphon Winstanley is to be of the party – they've never got on since that incident at the Fosco-Fortescue grouse shoot.) Beds made up. Entertainment arranged. The list goes on.

All this rigmarole pays off, though, in that perfect moment when your guests are assembled, all spiffingly attired, replete with your marvellous food and lost in admiration of the host and hostess. You stroll in the gardens, listening to the strains of that popular new American band drift overhead, the clarinet vying for supremacy with the trumpet, and enjoy the mellow scents of a summer evening.

Make sure you don't stumble over that couple behind the box hedge, though…

Blurb

The summer of 1920 brings illicit liaisons to stately home Deverell Hall. Lords, ladies, butler and maids all succumb to the spirit of the roaring 1920s as sex and scandal take over.

From the author of bestselling Mischief titles ‘Kinky’ and ‘Game’, Justine Elyot’s ‘Secrets and Lords’ is a historical erotic novel that will seduce anyone who loves period drama Downton Abbey and delight fans of The Great Gatsby.

Lord Deverell's new wife has the house in thrall to her theatrical glamour. His womanising son, Sir Charles, has his eye on anything female that moves while his beautiful daughter, Mary, is feeling more than a little restless. And why does his younger son, Sir Thomas, spend so much time in the company of the second footman?

Into this simmering tension comes new parlour maid, Edie, with a secret of her own – a secret that could blow the Deverell family dynamic to smithereens.

Thanks Justine - sounds rather like my kind of party - what what!

To hear more from this gorgeous lady - here's that all important website http://justineelyot.com/

And click if you'd care to buy a copy of Secrets and Lords which happens to be totally free right now...

As part of my celebrations of my novel A Clockwork Butterfly being one year old - here are some offers and giveaways..

Beachwalk is running a 50% off ebook sale of my erotic fantasy, A Clockwork Butterfly (code ButterflyParty) and don't forget to enter the Goodreads paperback giveaway. 

Thanks for coming along - now go and pop that champagne and get the Charleston on - as I for one, am ready for a dance!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Those of you who have popped by on occasion must know that Ms Justine Elyot is a real favourite of mine :) I'm delighted to have her today sharing news of her latest release and why finishing a book is bitter sweet - it's all yours Justine...

It's lovely to be here with Tabitha, sharing her erotic adventure! Thank you for inviting me.

As both reader and writer, I find it hard to leave people behind. Characters I have spent quality time with, eavesdropping on their good and bad experiences – even following them into the bedroom – can be a wrench to relinquish. This is even truer of people who have accompanied me through three books.

My new Total E-Bound release, Close Harmony, is the final instalment of a trilogy. I have been with these characters for nearly two years – longer than I was with some of my exes – so it seems strange to be waving them a final goodbye.

To ease my pain, I'm going to write a little bit about each of them – I hope you'll find them interesting enough to want to know more.

1. Lydia Foster

Lydia starts the serial as the new kid on the violin block of the Westminster Symphony Orchestra. She's good-hearted, sweet-natured, rather naïve and she likes to wear fleeces. Not exactly the conventional sex kitten and probably the last girl you'd expect to get involved in a hot and heavy menage with two sexy string players. Think again…

2. Milan Kaspar

He's a minor TV celeb and the dashing, volatile, dangerously attractive star of the orchestra. Hailing from Prague, he brims with Bohemian spirit and pursues his pleasures selfishly at times. But he has had a tough start in life and is haunted by his past. Lydia senses a possibility and a need for redemption – but is she the woman to soothe his troubled mind?

3. Karl-Heinz von Ritter

The orchestra's conductor is a stickler for discipline – in rehearsals and in the bedroom. He seems so controlled and so focused but something is holding him back from being the truly passionate man he is capable of becoming.

4. Vanessa Robertson

Lydia's best friend is twenty years older than her but has never lost her sense of fun. She is a perfectionist and she works as hard on her surroundings and her personal grooming as she does on her percussion playing. She has been disappointed in love and is cautious as a result, but her heart can be captured by a genuine kindred soul.

5. Ben Chancellor

He's young enough to be Vanessa's son (just) but this doesn't stop him from idolising and lusting after the vivacious percussionist. Will his absurd sense of humour and his studious geeky charm win over his battle-scarred beloved? I think it will. He's really pretty irresistible. (I'm biased though!)

If you like the sound of these guys, here's the blurb:

How do you choose between two perfect men? It’s like choosing your favourite music—certain pieces suit certain moods. Which mood is Lydia feeling the most?

The autumn season of the Westminster Symphony Orchestra finds Lydia unable to choose between passionate Milan and dominant Karl-Heinz—so she decides to give them both a chance. She hops from one bed to the other, trying to weigh up her options. Milan has a hold on her heart, but has never been reliable. Karl-Heinz is a good man, but what is the secret behind his strange repression? Old rivalries and new jealousies are kindled while Lydia works hard at having the time of her sex life.

No trio has ever practised quite as hard as this…But there is trouble in paradise for Ben and Vanessa, too, as a face from Vanessa’s past makes an unwelcome appearance and all seems impossible to resolve.

Amid turbulent emotions and orchestra rehearsals, the musicians work hard to negotiate a path to happiness. Will music prove to be the food of love, or a poison, infecting the future?

Reader Advisory: This book contains BDSM, MMF ménage and MM, as well as references to rape and sexual assault.

It's available now from Total E-Bound – check out the first two books in the series while you're there!

Thanks for having me, Tabitha.

You're always welcome here, Justine ;)

I hope that whetted your reading appetite for some saucy orchestral action! - Remember to let us know how much you enjoy the books - if you haven't read anything by Justine yet... wowza, are you in for a treat!

Forever Bound

Yay - it's release day!

Forever Bound is a saucy new release from Mischief Books - a collection of BDSM stories. I'm very excited to have my story, The Billiard Room included in this anthology.

And, it's only 99p! All that smokin hot action for less than a cuppa!

The Billiard room is the story of seamstress Zoe Lake, who has come to a grand house to measure up for The Lady's new curtains. Just when she thinks the meeting is going well and that she is the height of demure respectability, the Sir of the house demands attention in his billiard room. Zoe is swept along on a wave of her own lust and finds herself on more familiar terms with green cloth and curtain tassels than even she is used to... 

Tiny exerpt

“Oh, I... I’m sorry Sir,” she stammered as she came close to him, “I shan’t be long.” His eyes dragged their way from her shoes to her legs, thighs, stomach and lingered lightly at her chest before settling at her lips which she subconsciously licked. It could only have been a footstep but she felt like the exchange had taken forever, what would his wife say, having her husband eye up another woman so lavasciously? What was he thinking? Zoe nipped out under his arm as he held the door open for her, never taking his gaze from her. Crunching her fists and eyes shut for a moment, she composed herself then walked off down the hallway, knowing full well that he was watching her backside and legs. The skin at her throat and décolleté flushed and prickled at being under such scrutiny. But there was something else. She managed to get to the large heavy door and pulled it open just enough to pass through, shutting behind her with a clunk. The flush had simultaneously spread up to her cheeks and down to her breasts. Zoe fought the urge to peek at her chest but lost. As she looked down to the peaking domes in her good blouse, she knew she was in trouble...

Hope it tickles your fancy!
If so - buy here

And if that's not enough - Justine Elyot is also having a Mischief release today - Confessions of a Kinky Wife is out now! It will be hot, hot, hot!
Thanks for reading T x

I'm back with the 777!

Well, good grief - it's taken me a couple of weeks to get the hang of 2013, but with the help of being tagged for the 777 game by Justine Elyot, Kd Grace and Tamsin Flowers - I'm back - thanks ladies! So here it is - 7 lines (or so...) from page 77 of my work in progress, The Meeting Point...

Deborah woke early having hardly slept at all. She watched Marcus’ eyes flutter under their lids and left the tent, careful not to disturb him. Sun was already streaming through the trees as she made her way down to the river to freshen up. Since her double sexual mind trip yesterday, Deborah had felt strangely calm and peaceful. Thoughts had whirled around her mind all night long as she’d tried to analyse what had happened to her from a scientific point of view, but it was with a lazy curiosity not her usual frantic need to know. It was as if there had been a cellular or molecular breakdown of the physical and mental parts of the body and they’d simply seeped into each other. The more she remembered the sensations, the more amazing they became to her. 

So there you have it - now I tag some more authors to take part - I nominate Aimée Duffy, Ella Jade, Nikki Magennis, Lacey Wolfe, Scarlett Hart, Kaylie Newell and Patricia Bates

Merry Christmas Season!

Well folks,

Today I am breathing out quite far as I typed the best words EVER on my manuscript - 'The End'
Huzzah!
I tell you, it's been tough finding the time to sit down and write and I'm SO glad to have it done before the Christmas jollies start in earnest...
So this is me wishing you all a wonderful, special, gorgeous, delightful, joyful Christmas with hope and love.
Now, as for the manuscript - this is where the hard work really starts... the edits - can I leave them until the new year? Can I?

Do remember to keep checking up on the Blissemass festivities and also Justine Elyot has a wonderful giveaway going on for the 12 days of Christmas.

Lots of love and thanks for stopping by,

Tabitha x x x

The Next big Thing Blog Hop

The wonderful Justine Elyot (if you like erotica, you MUST read her work - I insist!) tagged me for this Next Big Thing blog event. All I have to do is answer some questions and keep you engaged long enough to pop over to the next tagee at the bottom of my blog... Here goes!

1. What is the title of your latest book?

My latest novel is A Clockwork Butterfly. Look right ;)

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Well, my goodness... I'm not sure, it's really about saving the world erotica style - I guess my generation have grown up believing the world to be in great peril and we're constantly living with the guilt that it's all our fault. (well, I do anyway) - On the other hand, I also grew up with comic book and movie super heroes who come along and save everything at the last minute so I think both these ideas are deeply ingrained in my mind.

That and a very saucy love trio!

3. What genre does the book fall under?

Erotic romance.

4. What actors would you choose to play the characters in your movie?

Oh I love Christian Bale - but not sure if he would be quite right for my leading gent - but if my books are to be made into films (!!!) I'll have to write him a role that fits... - maybe River Pheonix - he was always just lovely, I adored him.

5. What is the book blurb for your book?

Lovers torn apart by duty…will Angelo and Lena be reunited?
Mankind is close to extinction. Toxins have all but wiped out the male population. The remaining fertile men are housed in manors where their seed is collected.
Lena Lee is a new collector with a rare pheromone believed to reignite human fertility. She's assigned a male who's predicted to be her perfect match.
Angelo, a clockwork butterfly maker, is held captive, his essence harvested daily by Lena. Over time, the couple begins to fall in love, something which is strictly prohibited. When their forbidden love is discovered, Lena is banished from the manor.
Torn apart by the duty that brought them together, Lena and Angelo must find a way back to each other. But even if Angelo manages to escape, he doesn't know where to find Lena. Will following the path of the clockwork butterfly lead him to his true love?

Content Warning: strong language, BDSM, and graphic sexual content, including m/f, f/f, and f/f/m sexual interaction

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

After toying with the initial idea for a while I was lucky enough to get a stretch of about four or five months of without interruptions.

7. What other books would you compare this to within your genre?

Oh I don't know! It's a futuristic erotic fantasy with elements of steampunk, BDSM, all sorts of sexy action... I wouldn't like to compare it in case I get it totally wrong...

8. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I think the themes running through it are a constant source of inspiration to me - how precious this world is how amazing love is and how fantastically awesome exploring it through erotica is - that and my beau...

9. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

The leading man, Angelo, is a master craftsman - he makes beautiful tiny clockwork butterflies that play a starring role in the story. I think there's something super sexy about a man who can make delicate works of art with his big strong manly hands... *swoon*

And there ends my questions - here are some authors I've tagged - they may not have answers up but their sites and work are well worth a wee looksee...
Thanks for reading! Tabitha x xx

Ella Jade
Scarlett Hart
Lacey Wolfe
Jaye Shields

The Call of the Sea with Justine Elyot

It's another insight into the authors behind Smut By The Sea - and today Justine Elyot is with me to talk about the lure of the ocean...

The sea calls to me. I can live away from it, but I'm always relieved when I'm back by the shore. I like all forms of seaside settlement, and there are so many different ones to choose from. Even the industrial landscapes you find at the mouths of great rivers fascinate and inspire me – the belching chimneys, the looming cranes, the chemical colours in the sky behind. There's a grandeur to it all.

Then there are fishing villages with multi-coloured cottages winding down the cobbled hill to the harbour. Genteel retirement resorts full of neat parks and gardens and Victorian shelters on the prom. Loud, blaring strips of roller-coasters and flashing lights. I love 'em all.

Seaside towns are not like other places. They lure a transient population and their microcosm of society is accordingly skewed. I played on this idea in my 2011 Carina Press novel, Erotic Amusements, and it's just as relevant to my story in Smut By The Sea. People pass through seaside towns – and not just the tourists. Sometimes they settle, but often they drift on to the next place. Mark, the faded crooner who plays the Winter Gardens in Love In The Low Season, is a case in point. Like so many people who come to the shore, he's looking for a reason to stay.

Does he find it in my story? I'd like to think so.

Find out if he really does! Here's those special magic links to lead you to the truth...

Amazon UK
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks
iBooks
Barnes & Noble
To find out more about Justine's writing (and if you like great erotica, I absolutely recommend that you do!) why not visit her site - http://justineelyot.com/

Meeting Her Match with Justine

Hi There,

Well, I've been a very lucky girl to get hold of my very own copy of Meeting Her Match by Justine Elyot - she sent it to me herself - me, a prize winner!

Now, I am already a fan of Justine's work and am always hopping about to read anything new by the lovely lady.

With that in mind - it's another belter ladies and gents.
By day, Cherry is a music teacher at a posh school, by night she is tentatively embarking on a trip to explore her kinkier side.
A chance encounter with a gentleman sailor all too willing to oblige at a speed dating night, shows Cherry how much fun a bit of spanking can be. Sadly, he has to go back to sea, leaving Cherry with the need to delve further into the BDSM scene. She chooses a website and the world is opened up.

This is one pacy book - I tell you, if I can read a book within a week, it must be smokin' hot. One of my favourite scenes is when Cherry takes the sailor, Stuart back to her flat and they indulge in one of her inner fantasies for the first time. I really felt like I was on a journey with Cherry and I loved her as a character. She is intelligent, witty, sexy, and full of turmoil about her fetishes which added to the realism and empathy I felt for her.

My other favourite bit is when she joins a website to find a dom. The way Cherry filters the emails offers from willing partners is just brilliant, and the naughtiness when she finds the perfect match - boy-o-boy.

Justine combines humour, worry, shame, desire and excitement with lashings and lashings of lust in the perfect balance.

I have to say I have only one gripe with this book - and that is it finished too soon! ;) - I wanted more of the relationship she finally ends up with... I'm not saying who though, but, yum! Justine always has me falling in love with her leading men... I'm always sorry to say goodbye.