February 13 and 14: Blood Hearts Blog Hop

Stop by the New Sensuality and others for your chance to win several great books!



More to come soon!

Please Welcome Guest Author Jessica E. Subject!

Today, author Jessica E. Subject stops by as part of her Never Gonna Let You Go blog tour.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Jessica will be giving away a $20 gift certificate at the end of the tour, so make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win.

A new and unique perspective in dystopian fiction

My most recent release, Never Gonna Let You Go, is a scifi/dytopian fiction story with F/F and M/F romance. The story began as a writing assignment in my high school Science Fiction English course. I had a man and a woman on a mission to explore a new planet. (And I was adding romance to my science fiction back then, too – LOL) But besides finding a new and unusual creature, there wasn’t much conflict in the story. I had the outline and intro tucked away for years, pulling it out again last year.

I toyed with the plot in my mind, my muse getting free range. When the muse introduced the idea of adding another person in, I thought, okay. But then I was clearly told it would not be a ménage situation. No, the original male (Erik) and female (Calla) were former lovers, and the new female (Melina) planned to seduce Calla.

A F/F dystopian? Not much of that around. But the story developed quickly, and worked. And now there plans for two more stories in this series, the next a lesbian romance, and the third a gay romance, all continuing the story started in Never Gonna Let You Go.

Never Gonna Let You Go Blurb

Caught in a tangle of lies, Calla Jacobs must sort through the truth to discover where she truly belongs. A biologist for Planet Core, she finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit. Sent to Airondelle, she must work with a team to prepare the newly discovered planet for colonists from Earth. But the mission does not go as she expected. Her former lover, Erik Edwards, shuns her, sending Calla into the arms of Melina Holloway, their commander, for the attention she craves and more. A confrontation among the trio leaves her with a broken heart, and fleeing from the two people she trusted most.

Attempting to break free from the lies that bind her, she discovers Planet Core has deceived everyone. And when she returns to Earth, Calla learns just how far Planet Core’s control reaches. 

Available from Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers.




Buy Links here: http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/?page_id=7889


Giveaway!!

As part of the Never Gonna Let You Go blog tour, Jessica is giving away a $20 gift certificate to either Amazon.com or AllRomanceEbooks.com. Simply leave a comment with your email address for your chance to WIN! Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://www.markofthestars.com/wp/?page_id=8999

Bio:

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories. Her debut novella, Celestial Seduction is available from Decadent Publishing.

Website/Blog: http://www.markofthestars.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jsubject

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-E-Subject-author/205759796126370

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4959083.Jessica_E_Subject

Google +: https://plus.google.com/100079570422204018357/posts

Coming Soon!

Tentative release date: Friday, January 13, 2012

This book has an amazing line-up:

Succubusted by Inara LaVey

Le Petit Mort by Kat Sheridan

Never Bargained for You by Loren Rhoads

Incubator by Elizabeth Black

Shipping and Handling by Ray Garton

Insatiable by Lisa Lane

Mad with Desire by Courtney Sheets

Blood and Souls by Angela Cameron

Roadside Assistance by Red Hanner

Demon’s Grace by Elena Derring

The Devil is in the Details by Anastacia Greumach

Original Cyn by Olivia Cunning

Shine for Me by Kilt Kilpatrick

I'm really proud to have my work listed among such talented authors.  You're not going to want to miss this one!

Science Fiction Romance Holiday Feature 2011

Learn what your favorite SFR characters do over the holidays, read some exclusive short stories, and catch excerpts from some awesome books! Oh, and there might be some yummy recipes and fabulous prizes as well.

List of Participants:

• December 1 – D.L. Jackson
• December 2 – Lisa Lane
• December 3 – Jessica E. Subject @ Daily Dose of Decadence
• December 5 – Gini Koch
• December 6 – Heather Massey
• December 7 – Jessica E. Subject @ 30 Days of Decadence Holiday Blog
• December 8 – Rebecca Royce
• December 9 – Bella Street
• December 12 – Sara Brookes
• December 13 – Maureen O. Betita
• December 14 – Jessica E. Subject @ Jennifer Lane’s blog & TRS Book-a-day Giveaway
• December 15 – Ann Mayburn
• December 16 – Jeanette Grey
• December 19 – Melisse Aires
• December 20 – Diane Dooley
• December 21 – Jessica E. Subject on Lisa Fox’s blog
• December 22 – Azura Ice
• December 23 – Eve Langlais
• December 27 – Ella Drake
• December 28 - Cathy Pegau
• December 29 – Marva Dasef
• December 30 – Misa Buckley

What's in a Name?

When I submitted the second book to The Darkness and the Night trilogy, I had the title Blood and Shadow in mind.  However, an editor at Ravenous Romance was taken with a particular scene, one which entailed Karen making love to a galaxy on the Astral plane, and she was intent on naming the book after it.

One wonderful aspect to writing paranormal erotica is the boundless possibilities in which one can create erotic content.  The following scene is one of my more adventurous endeavors.  Is it good enough to merit the naming of a book?  I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Excerpt: THE DARKNESS AND THE NIGHT 2: COSMIC ORGASM

“Don’t cry, dear,” Mona whispered, her free hand weakly brushing Karen’s face clean.

In an instant, Karen and Mona floated in an Astral void. Karen watched as Mona, now a youthful woman with colorful butterfly wings, fluttered around her.

“On the Astral, all is timeless. There is no death, only existence and lack of existence. On the Astral, memories of me will always exist, and beyond that, my soul will move on to a new and different adventure.”

A colorful, oversized jungle slowly formed around them, and Karen flew beside Mona as they fluttered and soared through the enormous overgrowth. They passed flowers the size of their bodies and trees as tall as skyscrapers. Karen realized that she too was now a butterfly, and she and Mona flew together, soaring and darting through the air.

“Everything is timeless,” Mona said, “but everything is also in a constant state of change. Nothing in this universe is constant.”

Karen watched as Mona flew into a tree, and exploded into a hundred smaller butterflies. The butterflies scattered, and Karen looked around as the scenery began to fade.

Suddenly, Karen found herself in a dark void, unable even to sense her own body. She saw nothing, but she could feel that Mona was nearby.

“I can feel my body fading,” Mona said, her voice echoing through the void. “I’ll be dead soon, but I have one last gift for you.”

Karen felt a foreign sensation pulse through her, despite her inability to pinpoint her body. Suddenly, what appeared to be a distant galaxy came into view, and Karen realized that she was a vast cluster of particles in space. Stars shone all around her, and other galaxies soon became visible. Karen looked in all directions, still unable to see any hint of her earthly body.

A cluster of asteroids flew by, inducing a light tickle across one side of her as they left ripples through space. A small portion of them fell into a vortex that seemed to lead to her center, and as they entered its event horizon, suddenly Karen felt the sweet, orgasmic sensation of deep, passionate sex. She heard an elated cry echo through the cosmos, and then realized that somehow the sound was coming from her.

The swarm of tiny butterflies came into view, and then darted away, spiraling off into the distance. There was a small flash of light as the butterflies disappeared, and then suddenly a galaxy appeared in the distance, in their place, rushing toward Karen.

She thought to brace for the impact, but there was no body to brace as the galaxy moved upon her. She felt the rush of countless sensations flowing through her as it hit, the feel of an entire universe fondling and caressing her, entering and filling her. The ripples through space danced and played against one another, vibrating through her. A deep swell of ecstasy exploded within her, and her pleasured cries sailed into eternity.

THE DARKNESS AND THE NIGHT 2: COSMIC ORGASM is available in paperback and all electronic formats and can be found at all major online retailers.  Click on the Amazon link on the right sidebar for more information.

Happy reading!

It’s the Anti-Twilight … Oh, Yes!

With the release of Stephanie Meyer’s newest Twilight film, I thought it might be helpful to remind readers that there is a deliciously dark and dirty alternative.  Originally copyrighted in 1997 as short stories in my 13-Taled Beast collection, then re-written into three full-length novels in 2008 and 2009, The Darkness and the Night trilogy is effectively the anti-Twilight.  For Twilight fans, that might not be a big draw; however, for those who like their vampires scary instead of sparkly, murderous instead of “vegetarian,” and lustful instead of chaste, have I got the series for you….

I haven’t read the Twilight saga, so I’m not going to pass any judgment on Meyer’s writing skills.  Stephen King already covered that, and I’m not one to argue with the King.  I have heard all about the series, however, and it seems to me that one either loves or hates Meyer’s work—with no in-between.  For most die-hard horror fans, reading about vampires with “traditional” family values just doesn’t cut it.  Mind you, I have nothing against anyone’s religious or family values.  I just don’t think they mesh (at all) with stories about monsters spanning from a long history of blood-drinking, village-infesting creatures of the night.  Bram Stoker surely turned in his grave when Meyer’s series got the greenlight.  What’s next, “born again” zombies who moan prayers before eating pig brains?

Conversely, The Darkness and the Night offers readers a contemporary alternative to the coffin-sleeping denizens of lore without attempting to tame the beast.  The storyline is dark and, at times, horrific.  The sex is raw and uncensored.  At times, there is raunchiness and there is gore.  Would Stephen King approve?  He’d likely call it dirty, rotten smut, then qualify that with a unabashed smirk.  I dare not put words into the King’s mouth, however, so instead I leave you with a proposition of my own: While the YA crowd gears up to gawk at vampire sparkles, join the numbers of readers who have turned to the dark side for their vampire fix.  Read The Darkness and the Night and follow the independent heroin Karen on her dark odyssey—from Stockholm victim, to self-realized monster, to suburban vampire mom—and make the comparison yourself.

Happy reading!

Review: B CUBED 1: BORN by Jenna McCormick

Author Jenna McCormick offers a first-person story framed by a narrator’s dream.  The world she describes brings to mind a mesh between Metropolis and Blade Runner, in a time that could be the past or the present, with class struggles between feudal groups.  Borns, or landowners, use Breds, manufactured humans, to work in menial jobs, breaking them down for their parts when they’ve exhausted their usefulness.  Allora, the Overlord’s daughter, is soon to be wed, but that means she will have to give up the job she loves to become her husband’s servant.  After she catches Cormack, a Bred, with an odd journal, she makes a decision that will alter the course of both their lives.

This story is simple but fun.  At less than 120 pages long, it is a short read, feeling much like an extended short story.  I think it could have been developed further, but what the author did develop worked well.  The erotic scenes were all very tasteful, some of them possibly even a little too reserved, and I thought the characters’ chemistry was good.  Those looking for a quick, fun read will enjoy this book.

Learn more about Jenna McCormick's books at her Amazon page.