Category: Daily Musings

Take It Thursday: A refresh for these two Doms

The Bandit Brothers Series is coming to an end, and I am sure, very, very sure, that this is the last cover refresh these books get.

I mean, never say never, but I am very, very sure,

The plan is to get the paperbacks up to current covers by the summer!

Flame For Two by Raleigh Damson

 

Here’s a teaser from Flame For Two

Her hands immediately went to Logan’s waistband, and her trembling fingers unzipped his jeans. “I can’t wait to see how you suck him,” Xander said, his hand over her shoulder. Her skin grew heated from his words.

“I can’t wait to feel your hot mouth on my cock, kitten,” Logan said, his hands on her cheeks, brushing her arms. Harper glided her hand around his long, thick cock, the skin soft, and her fingers barely able to circle it.

“What are you waiting for angel?” Xander asked, from behind her.

Harper needed no more encouragement. His cock slid right into her mouth. His male musk assaulted her, making her moan low in her throat. Logan played with her hair as she licked and sucked, drawing his length into her mouth as much as she could.

“Take all of him, angel. See how he likes that? You look so beautiful sucking his cock,” Xander said, his hand on her back. God, this made her feel so desirable, somehow. Logan’s fingers danced along her throat, under her jaw.

“That’s it, kitten. Your hot mouth feels like heaven.” Logan’s low tone made her whimper.

“Don’t forget his balls, angel. Reach out and fondle them, give them a lick after you’re done dragging that pretty tongue of yours from his tip to his root.” Xander’s instructions urged her on as if she was a matchstick he had lit. She was wet and needy again, longing for cock to fill her, as she licked and lapped Logan’s full heavy testicles. Her mouth covered the tip of his glistening penis and Logan threw his head back.

“See how his muscles bunch for you as you lick? He wants you. He’s restraining himself.” Xander’s warm hand on the small of her back kept her grounded to him as she floated away, a heady mix of longing, desire and power coursing through her. She hummed around his cock, trying to take him deeper and deeper, so deep he bumped the back of her throat.

Read Flame For Two For Free in Kobo Plus 

At this point my only goal is to move to a warmer climate.

#kidding

#notreally

How is one supposed to do anything under these conditions? But I bundled up and went out with the humans I live with and froze my face off. Before I did that, I got down 3k and feel like this book is out of the “isitdonealready” stage and onto the “it’s getting there stage.”

a meme

The snow. Not done yet.

It smells and looks like snow out there – and I don’t like it.

Here with coffee and too little sleep. Gotta fight through the case of “Why isn’t this book done yet?” and actually get this book done.

If it’s green where you are? I’m so jealous.

happy st paddys day

What is wrong with “light” BD$M?

Nothing.

What you do in your dailys, have at.

I took on the suggestion that I use “light BDSM” in describing Five Days to Be Mine so I made up a graphic to share in Saturday promos but…it has me kind of cringe. Because this doesn’t really describe anything, and if it was out of the book realm, I might wonder if “light” is just a way to cover up “not being safe because Domly one asked nicely.”

But from a marketing POV, I get it. It clearly indicates to readers that this isn’t a dark romance and that it’s not going to push mental edges.

Also, “Light BDSM” implies to my ear, people wanting to do it for a lark. It gives a, “Let’s try out this paddle and these fuzzy handcuffs” vibe – which is fine! Exploration is a win.

But when it comes to Mara and Evan, characters who are in their 30s and seasoned, I don’t think saying “light” describes them. Mara has had enough experience with kink to know what she wants and what her boundaries are.
Evan knows exactly the kind of submissive he’s looking for and has learned that he’s a pleasure D0m that thrives on taking care of his partner.

Part of striving to get better is finding ways to show readers what the book is about, quickly as they scroll, but authenticity is important to me, too and I don’t know. “Light” is a salad dressing choice.
As part of that getting better thing? I’ll try a whole lot of things to see where they land.

 

Cringe photo for fivedaystobemine

Wish it was longer…

The best part about being an indie author is connecting to readers & having readers who email ASAP when you send out an incorrect link in your newsletter that makes you feel like you have to quit doing this but you somehow manage to take a breath and send out a correction link and it’s oddly kind of making you feel like the editor you mildly dream about being (in some posh setting. It’s a dream, okay? I don’t have those kind of chops. I hate conflict and I’ll avoid it, no matter what. I will not have personal confrontations, thanks).

I know! That was a run on sentence – you can do that in blogging. 

It was a hard morning.

But so thankful for the readers who took the time to let me know! That’s what happens when I try to work on my phone and do too many things at once.

You know what’s also nice? When readers say REALLY nice things about your books.

I had a recent release that kind of flopped. Mercy’s first book did okay! But it’s a first book under a new pen name.

I was so nervous and still kind of am, about Five Days to Be Mine. Because this book means a lot to me. And I wanted readers to love Mara and Evan because I totally fell in love with them.

Look at this review!

This book was so good. I couldn’t put it down. I loved Evan so so much I wish there was a lot of him in the world. I loved how he took care of her, his passion with her, the way he didn’t care about her weight was wo fantastic. Story was awesome. So worth reading. Fantastic HEA. Wish it was longer. [Goodreads Review]

My book? 

You wish it was longer?

My book? 

I’ve thought that same thing about other books? But my book?

For a moment, I thought of writing another book featuring Mara and Evan but that’d throw me off schedule! But I really want to. Bonus scene coming soon.

Thank you for reading!
It keeps me bringing you stories and lets me keep writing through the really awful lows and the red-face moments.

 

 

The scramble after

The day after Five Days to Be Mine’s launch day, has me all kinds of distracted. It’s chilly here. This morning, there were very large trucks with flashing lights across the street and it kept  me away from my keyboard.

And then after getting half a chapter in, a migraine hit that left me reeling. the weather change of is it spring? is it still winter? has to stop, already.

I don’t know how you’re supposed to feel after you send a book out in the world. I mean, you can feel however you want and I am so proud of this book…but what am I supposed to do again? Oh right, get back to getting words down.

I got a chapter in, realized I needed more backstory in my WIP, and drafted a new outline for those pesky ending chapters.

And it’s pie day. That’s not another distraction or anything…

It’s Release Day! Of course, it didn’t go as planned ….

It’s Release Day for the second Mercy Denton book! 

And of course, I’m greeting this release day being sleep deprived due to being up with one of my cubs three times in the middle of the night, because that’s #momauthorlife and I know there are things that I have forgotten to do.

And of course, my newsletter went out at the wrong time because, #dyscalculia, and I was wondering why I had no interaction from readers…um…that might do things to an author, you know?

And of course, I lost access to Mercy’s TT during the new-phone-era and couldn’t login to post a new release!

AND OF COURSE, it’s all fine! My readers are amazing, my fellow peers are awesome, and I am so proud of this book. I hope all the books connect to readers but this one? I don’t know, it hit me differently while writing it and I can’t wait for readers to read it!

Shout out to Lizzie (@LIZZIEGREENFIELD), who made me feel like a rockstar today! If you are on TikTok, please give her a follow. Her enthusiasm about books and the indie author community is so authentic. When I was setting up Mercy’s TT, I was determined to go slowly and take my time to connect with the BokTok community. Lizzie’s page is one I first found, and I discovered new authors from her reviews.

Readers are saying nice things about Mercy’s book!

reviews for mercy denton

review for mercy
review for mercy

Take it Tuesday: Two different teasers ….

I might trying to distract myself from tomorrow’s release and it might not be working at all.

For this Tuesday’s Teaser I’m sharing a tease from Five Days to Be Mine (writing as Mercy Denton) that is out in KU tomorrow! This is from a scene where Mara is aware she brushed up against one of Evan’s triggers.
I think having more books with a MC who has a trigger due to their past and how they are working through it with their FMC partner is a good thing and I’m tempted to write more in my books.
You can grab Five Days to Be Mine here 

“Evan…I would never hurt you.” Mara places her hand on my chest.

I take it and bring it to my mouth, kissing the back of her hand. “I know, princess. Now lay back for me and spread those legs.”

She scurries against the headboard and obeys.

“I need to put my face in this needy pussy.” Before she can react, I drop the vibe and the lube on the bed, settle between her thighs and lick her folds.

Her salty taste is bliss and I lick her mercilessly until she’s grabbing at my hair.

 – Five Days to be Mine, Mercy Denton 

And love her or hate her, but Kayleigh Walsh certainly stirs up a reaction and that’s what you want as an author! Okay, I might wish the reaction was a little more favourable at times, but she still remains one of my favourite characters I have written. In this scene, it’s the first time Erik is teaching her about D/s. Flame for Foe is in Kobo Plus and you can grab it here

 

Teaser from flame for foe

Monday Musings: Is there enough coffee?

Ugh.
The Daylight Savings thing, ugh.

I’m not sure if there is enough coffee to get through the confusion and the feeling that everything is happening at the wrong time! We got a dusting of snow over the weekend, but fortunately, it has melted.
Trying to dust off the cobwebs to get to work and thinking of a question I saw on the clock app. “Of all the *spicy* activities that exist, the really popular ones, which ones aren’t for you?” and I wondered if I could put this to the books.
There is a lot of what I write that I find interesting and a lot that I would say “hello no” to, but that’s the fun of reading kink. It’s a way to explore it without actually doing everything.

And as a new review reminded me this morning, once “kinky” to one reader, might just be boring to another.

So using Mercy’s books an example here, it got me thinking that I love that moment of ownership, of when a character says what they want.

In my books, I’m after the intimacy, the feeling of excitement that exploration can bring and how this changes the characters after they experience something new.

In Five Days of Christmas Spice, Holly was hesitant to tell Noel about one of the things on her bucket list, but as she grew to trust him and worked up the gumption, she spat it out and found that’s what she needed.

In Five Days to Be Mine, Mara has one thing that’s a “no” on her list, but as she grows to know Noel, she re-negotiates that limit.

What about the Bandit Brothers books?

You know they’re Doms and expect to be in control in the bedroom. One of the elements I love about all of these driven alpha protectors is that there is a certain moment they have where they understand how strong the FMC they are set on protecting is – so I love that submission is cherished that way.

Did I go off base of the question I started with? Yes, absolutely. Like I said, not enough coffee.

What wouldn’t I write? I don’t know. Because some things wouldn’t occur to me to do in real life but make perfect sense for my characters. So maybe this isn’t a good question to put to the books but it’s fun to realize and talk about the motivation behind the kink.

 

When he treats the plus sized submissive like a goddess…

In my defense, there was sun behind the curtain. So you can understand why my morning plan included thinking of getting my small humans out the door to go to the park to ride their scooters, because this was before I got myself out of bed and opened the curtain.

We got snow out there.
So not the day to zoom around the park.

Mercy’s next book, Five Days to Be Mine is out on Wednesday. I am so thrilled with this book. I love how tender Evan is, how hard he falls and how he keeps showing Mara that wants her. Here’s a teaser.
You can grab Five Days to Be Mine here or it’s in KU on Wednesday! 

 

“Tell me what you see.”

“I see my huge body flopped on a bed. My legs are tied,” her voice trembles, she glances away.

“You mean, you see your gorgeous body placed on the bed.”

She swallows. “Evan…I know what I look like.”

“Yes. I love your curves.”

“Seeing myself in the mirror…”

“What, princess?’

She shakes her head. “‘Huge’ is the first word that came to my mind.”

“Let me give you others,” I cup her breast and squeeze it. “Spectacular. Stunning. Goddess.”

Mara laughs. “You do make me feel like a goddess.”

“And I’m going to worship you like one…”

Five Days to Be Mine cringe