Category: Daily Musings

Hello March!

What did you do with your extra day?

I hug out with my favourite people and had a a high word count day of 4k. I know there are authors who have higher word count days than that. I’ve managed to go higher than that in a day, too, but I’m pretty chuffed with that…it means I only have about 15k left on this book before sending it off.

When I first came back to writing, it was a struggle to hit 1k each day. I don’t believe that you have to write every day, I think that’s kind of toxic advice, but I do think the more you write, the more it helps with writing.

I’m looking forward to this month! Hopefully, it means the snow is melted and banished for another six months; the sooner, the better.  Mercy’s next release is in 13 days! I am so proud of this book.

We talk so much about the FMC’s triggers and past abuse, but Doms and MC’s can have past triggers too. In Five Days to Be Mine, Mara gently holds and is mindful of one of Evan’s triggers.

Pulling a quote for this Friday’s Friday Kiss made me remember what I love so much about Sasha and Finn. Their book is still on sale for $2.99USD on all retailers.

And Flame For You got another glow-up! New covers are coming, and I’m excited.

So I’m starting off March eager for what is coming and hopeful that it’s good.

Friday Kiss flashed

 

Five Days to be Mine

The lies that get us through

There is something doubly deflating about being sure and feeling like you’re ahead- you sent out ARC’s ahead of schedule! Before release! Way before the ‘Zon’s deadline! – You checked and re-checked your edits! – only to discover that it’s all lies.

Not all.

I’m still ahead of schedule.

My ARC Readers are super awesome, and I can’t thank them enough for their eagle eyes. The ARCs did get sent out before release. BUT.

Oh, it’s a big BUT, those edits? Gone. Like particles of nothingness that never existed.

Using my formatting program for editing probably wasn’t the greatest idea, but you can write in the program, and I hit the save button. But somehow, the edits aren’t there.

That’s okay.

You always kind of adjust something that is next to something else – or at least I have a tendency to do that – so some things are gone that I can’t get back but because of this raging head cold / virus thing I’ve been dealing with I’m way behind word count and that means, I’ve only been in this world and feel like I can get back on the train of what I had adjusted.

I’m wickedly proud of this book and reviews are saying nice things about it, so I’m thrilled for readers to have the next Mercy book.

By the time readers get it, it’ll be even stronger.

Speaking of stronger, I feel like Sasha and Finn need more love and I’ve re-written the blurb for Flame For Chance and I’m thinking a sale is in order, soon.

 

A trance of words

I feel like February has been one long head cold, not as fun as a  Dionysian trance but with the same amount of sticking power. I’ve been busy with Mercy’s next release…and I love this book so much. It’s giving me all kinds of feels. I wanted to write something that was sweet but spicy, with a tender loving Dom and plenty of fun, where the characters were old enough to have been around a time or two. 

I love writing suspense plots but I am glad I took the break from the Bandit Brothers Series because as I’m spending time with Ares and Josie, I feel refreshed to come back to it. We have snow here, the myth of a warmer winter gone.

The next book I write, needs to be somewhere warm and sunny but that new project is going to have to wait. Josie and Ares are in the snowy mountains and I can’t wait to see hwat happens at Ares’s chalet.

Looking for Kobo Plus Romance? Got lots of it here!

I know you’ve heard me go on about how I adore Kobo Plus as both a writer (no exclusion clause) and a reader and during my Kobo Plus subscription, I have found so many authors that I wouldn’t have discovered elsewhere.

I’m part of two Kobo Plus group promotions and I invite you to check them out! Click the banners 🙂

 

kobo plus

 

kobo plus

When it’s too real …

My February started off with a plot twist that has thrown my world into a whirlwind, and like all good plot twists, I can’t reveal it just yet…and maybe not for a long, long time from now, several more books until I do, kind of timeline.

February also caused me to lose access to my Instagram account that I have had ever since I started writing, and I am so sad about this. I had the best mutuals and so much history that I don’t have access to. I keep trying to get it back but it’s not looking likely. I made a new one, and please give me a follow over there: https://www.instagram.com/raleighdamsonwrites/

I had a dream about an angry soccer mom showing up at my door and complaining because they didn’t like the fact that I let my kid do something they disagreed with, and let me tell you? That was entirely too real for my liking. It was so real; I was all confused when I woke up, thinking it was soccer day.

When a reader connects with my book and characters? It’s magical! And I adore this new review on Flame For Two! Have you read Xander, Harper and Logan’s story? It’s here 

If you want to read a steamy bonus scene from my alter ego, grab it here: Later That Night 

Going to keep writing and stay in my writing bubble – it’s much more pleasant than all this realness!

 

Flame For Two Review

The fake-dating bodyguard romance between the daughter of a Hollywood actress and the son of a tech billionaire

I love it when a reader emails me to say they devoured one of my books! It’s like air. Or an extra shot of caffeine that keeps me going.

In honour of that, I’d like to share an excerpt from Flame True.

It’s a slow-slow, really slow-burn romance between Mulberry (yep, the girl they rescued from book one) and Nick Laurent (the son of the tech billionaire).

He’s snobbish and has a rep. for being a playboy.

She’s sassy and has all kinds of secrets.

When Xander comes up with the plan for Nick and Mulberry to fake-date, neither of them is happy about it.

Also? One of my scenes from Club Bandit in the viewing room is in this book. You can buy it here.

 

****

 

Fingering her, working his fingers back and forth in her wetness, he knew this woman had a hold on him.

And he didn’t mind it at all.

She tilted her hips, trying to get his fingers on her clit, but he ignored her encouragement. Instead, he pulled his fingers out of her pussy, bringing them to her mouth.

Her eyes blazed into his. She fitted her lips around his finger and sucked, hollowing her cheeks.

Holy fuck.

“That was hot,” Nick gritted out.

“I said now.”

It was almost a pout; if it had come from any other girl, Nick would have made them wait.

But the need he had for her was a volcano ready to erupt.

“I want you to come apart for me, Mulberry. I want you to orgasm so hard you see stars.”

She licked her lips and spread her legs wide.

Nick settled between her, spreading her thighs as wide as he could to fully access her pussy.

She gasped as his tongue hit her clit, the taste of her blooming through his senses sparking in him a hunger.

He had to have her right now.

His tongue lapped in a slow circle around her clit.

He sucked and swirled, urged on by her pleading from above him.

So damn good.

Why he deprived himself of this woman for a second, he didn’t know.

Those reasons seemed far off and meaningless.

He ate at her pussy, as if he was starving, drowning in her scent. Loving how her body trembled, the way her pussy juices coated his tongue.

He drowned in her for a long while until her thighs trembled.

“Nick, I can’t…wait!” Mulberry’s belly tightened.

“Then don’t. Come for me.”

He flicked his tongue mercilessly over and over her hard clit. Her pussy contracted under his tongue, and he gripped her legs, intent on coaxing more drops of pleasure from her.

Her sounds urged him on, diving into her sweet heat again, wanting that clit to become hard and see her lose control.

“Nick…I can’t! Okay, stop.”

She pushed him away. “Too much. So good, but too much.”

With one more swipe of his tongue, he rested his palms on the top of her knees, smiling as she lay on her side, her head turned away from him.

“Mulberry, look at me,” he commanded.

Her grey-blue eyes flew open, and his thumb pressed hard on her clit. “You are gorgeous, ma belle. I love seeing your body melt into pleasure. If it’s too much, we’ll stop. But I want to see how you come. Show me.”

She swallowed, the desire heavy in her eyes. She gave a slight nod, and without breaking eye contact, her hips rose off the bed as his thumb worked mercilessly on her clit.

He nudged her legs open even further. “Your pussy is so pretty, swollen and pink like that. It matches your lips.”

She bit down hard on her bottom lip, her head thrown back.

He’d never seen anything more gorgeous in his entire life.

“Nick!” She grabbed at him, trembling under his touch as the orgasm crashed through her.

“Yes, Mulberry. That’s a good girl.”

She cried out, a soft, breathy sound, as pleasure rolled through her, her limbs sprawled out, her hands pulling him down beside her.

She nuzzled against his arm.

He stroked her silky hair, loving how she felt against him, all warm and pliable.

“I liked that.”

“Yes, you did.” Nick threw a blanket over her, noticing how she shivered.

“Don’t say we shouldn’t have done that.”

“Okay,” he kissed her forehead.

But he should.

He should find his way to a cold shower and never touch her again.

 

Raleigh Damson, Flame True 

 

 

 

 

 

#YOLO with Kobo!

We are celebrating all the hot and spicy romance that can be found in Kobo Plus with the #YOLO with Kobo event.

If you are already a Kobo Plus subscriber, we’ve collected 600+ romance books available inside Kobo Plus in one place, searchable by tropes & keywords! Here:

https://www.koboplusromancebinge.com

If you like to see the covers before you add to your TBR, Kobo is featuring most of the same books here on a visual/book cover-focused page here:

 https://www.kobo.com/en/p/kobo-plus-romance-binge

Readers ask me all the time for spicy romance with power dynamics recommendations. I thought I would highlight a few reads from today’s event!

Unfriendly relations by sadie haller

A Sadie Haller steamy read never disappoints! You can find this one in the Steamy Contempoary Romance category! 

Oliva's Loving Threesome

Here is the wrap-up

You’d never know I was a former blogger by glancing at this place.

I know, I am horrible at keeping this space updated.

But here is my small recap of 2023.

I wrote some books.

2023 wrap text
But most importantly…. I kept writing.
Kept going.
Hope you did too, friends, even through those sticky bits.
Wishing you all good things in 2024.
Thanks for supporting my work this year – it means the world to me.

When you’re so bad…

So, the whole month of November did not go as planned. I was sick of it for half the month and then some other stuff happened, my mate took his own vacay (okay, it was for a job – technically speaking) and I scrambled to get book stuff done.

But Mercy’s book is out.

Flame For Two and Flame For A Weekend are both on sale for $0.99 till the end of the year and I am writing the next Mercy book, finishing off the auction book…and then…getting back to Ares and Josie.

I know, it might feel like I forgot them.

But I haven’t, I swear. As soon as the calendar flips, a new pre-order will go up and if you’re subscribed to my list, a sneak peek is coming soon.

It’s snowing here and cold and I am very, very much over it. Hope the weather agrees with you, wherever you are, friends.

When you make up a challenge and then not forget …

Yesterday was the first day of NanoWriMo and maybe…maybe nobody read that my own NanoWriMo-inspired challenge was to blog here every day…?

It’s okay.
Other words in other places had to be prioritized.

I’m kind of impressed that I remembered this was a thing I did – or was trying to do?

Anyways, my coffee is getting cold, I have edits waiting for me and the humans I co-exist with did the whole, “Now it’s your turn to have the cold,” thing… which is right on par for the first day of November.