SCARLETT VALENTINE arrives with Awakening and a Giveaway

Scarlett Valentine is the alter ego of award-winning romance author, Kemberlee Shortland. Together they write Erotomance -- Erotic Romance.

Originally from Northern California, Scarlett has spent the last fourteen years living in Ireland. She's traveled extensively through Ireland and Wales. When she's not writing, she can often be found castle hunting.

Scarlett's stories cross subgenres to explore hetero, gay and bisexual relationships in a series of stories that include time periods from historicals and contemporaries, futuristics and science fiction, paranormal and suspense, and more.

Awakening is the first book in The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series and is available Nov 2^nd  through Highland Press.

http://www.scarlett-valentine.com/

http://www.theabcsofsex.com/

www.facebook.com/ScarlettValentine

www.twitter.com/theabcsofsex

 

WELCOME – SCARLETT VALENTINE!!

The challenge of mixing erotica with historical romance

First let me say, thanks for letting me visit today. And thank you so much for hosting the last day of my tour. 11-11-11 is auspicious and I hope it means all good things to come for Awakening AND Seduced by Books.

I don’t know why, but I really enjoy historical erotica stories. I’ve read several subgenres—contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, etc.—but I’m always drawn back to historical. In particular, medieval.

It probably goes back to my love of knights in shining armor, heroic warriors, and strong heroines who can handle all the testosterone in the room.

I also really love castles. As an avid castle huntress, I’m drawn to this period of history so long in our past and can only imagine or read about it in historical texts. Being at an ancient castle, walking around abandoned rooms, and perhaps knowing a little history, my imagination runs wild thinking about all the things that went on in those chambers . . . or could have. Or maybe should have!

The medieval period was the beginning of a thousand years of modern invention and modern thinking. It was a time of European expansion, and in the last medieval period of North American expansion, and with it trade and tourism. And let’s not forget the spice trade, imports of exotic fabrics and jewels, and the age of chivalry.

Adding all of this up, and it lends itself to a very enticing setting—a mysterious keep high in the mountains; firelight and candles flickering over stone walls; the scents of beeswax, turf and possibly sandalwood in the air; mead warming by the fire; thick sheepskins warming the flagstones; and a bed covered in the finest silks and damask. Cue the music—maybe a little Carmina Burana—and it’s the perfect setting for a sexy romp!

I don’t find blending historical with erotica difficult at all. If anything, the romance of the period inspires me all the more. Or maybe it’s just the castles!

* ~ * ~ *

I wanted to say a big thank you to Seduced by Books and all of my other tour stops for making the launch of Awakening such an amazing experience. I hope everyone had as great a time as I!

Please log into my website to find out who is the grand prize winner of the $25 Amazon gift card, and for more information on further releases in The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series, such as book two, Beguiler!

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to drop me a note to let me know your thoughts on Awakening.

~ Scarlett

“What’s a little bondage between friends?”

http://www.scarlett-valentine.com/

Available now – Awakening, book one of The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series

SBB - We are lucky to have you on here – thank you so much for coming – love the post, you’re right, that ‘historical’ setting definitely does lead right up to the ‘romp’ as you put it!  Below find a quick excerpt from Awakening!  So happy to be able to share one with you guys! Comment below to be entered into the giveaway and Scarlett is known to give RANDOM Surprises to commenters :) !  The more comments the more chance - follow the rest of the tour here

He gazed at her slumbering form. Firelight danced over her flawless skin. She was the fairest woman he had ever seen, her skin perfection but for the flush in her cheeks as she thought to defy him, and that of the passion he awoke in her. The fairness of her features only served to accent the deep blush of her lips.

 Her lips.

 She did not kiss him like a novice. Following his lead, she kissed him back with equal alacrity. He felt she was yet unsure of her own power over him, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she could control him with a simple touch.

And her eyes were the palest of green. Or were they blue? He could not tell. He only knew they reminded him of pools of seawater ensnared in the white sands along Cymru’s coast, and just as translucent. He could gaze long into her eyes, searching their depths, letting himself be hypnotized by them.

Her features were gentle, innocent. It was as if she had never witnessed any of the world’s horrors, that her heart and soul were pure. In that she was now married to the likes of the Grave Knower was incredulous. More so incredulous was her fearlessness. She never cowered before him. Not even as she stood naked before him, challenging him with her gaze.

 Indeed, she was the very opposite of himself.

This book is out – GET YOUR HANDS ON IT! as if the cover isn't enough!!

Ysbail of Ellesmere is a pawn in her guardian's war. For decades there has been unrest between the marcher lords and Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd. The most recent war had been the bloodiest she could remember in her eighteen years. Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, and his allies lost untold numbers of men at the hands of Owain's soldiers. When a settlement of truce is presented to Madog, it's at Ysbail's expense. She is to marry Bedwyr ap Owain, one of King Owain’s bastard sons, and his most notorious henchman. If all the rumors and stories she's heard are true, she knows her marriage will be rife with horror and fear.

Since proving himself worthy with his sword, Bedwyr fights at his king's side. He's shed oceans of blood and sent untold numbers of men to their graves. He's become what his name foretold—the grave-knower. He's afraid of nothing, least of all death. All men fear him, including those who fight at his side, and sometimes even his own king. Terror of him lives within women's hearts; only the bravest of whores accept him into their beds. And children weave their own tales of the monster they hear him to be, embellishing the details to their own gruesome degrees.

When King Owain informs Bedwyr that he's to marry Ysbail of Ellesmere as part of a peace settlement with Madog, Bedwyr is furious. A man such as Bedwyr can only survive on the battlefield. For without love, hatred will send a man like him to the edge of insanity. Then push him over. But when Bedwyr sees Ysbail for the first time, blood-thirst turns to blood-lust, and he vows to show her that she should have no fear of him.

Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions

Awakening by Scarlett Valentine

Ysbail of Ellesmere is a pawn in her guardian's war. For decades there has been unrest between the marcher lords and Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd. The most recent war had been the bloodiest she could remember in her eighteen years. Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, and his allies lost untold numbers of men at the hands of Owain's soldiers. When a settlement of truce is presented to Madog, it's at Ysbail's expense. She is to marry Bedwyr ap Owain, one of King Owain’s bastard sons, and his most notorious henchman. If all the rumors and stories she's heard are true, she knows her marriage will be rife with horror and fear.


Since proving himself worthy with his sword, Bedwyr fights at his king's side. He's shed oceans of blood and sent untold numbers of men to their graves. He's become what his name foretold—the grave-knower. He's afraid of nothing, least of all death. All men fear him, including those who fight at his side, and sometimes even his own king. Terror of him lives within women's hearts; only the bravest of whores accept him into their beds. And children weave their own tales of the monster they hear him to be, embellishing the details to their own gruesome degrees.

When King Owain informs Bedwyr that he's to marry Ysbail of Ellesmere as part of a peace settlement with Madog, Bedwyr is furious. A man such as Bedwyr can only survive on the battlefield. For without love, hatred will send a man like him to the edge of insanity. Then push him over. But when Bedwyr sees Ysbail for the first time, blood-thirst turns to blood-lust, and he vows to show her that she should have no fear of him. (cover blurb courtesy of the author)


This book definitely does not lack heat! Valentine is kicking off her ABC’s of S-E-X series with a hit. I loved how our leading hottie (Bedwyr) warms up his girl and meets his match. My favorite scene has to be our Ysbail owning it and putting the servant girls in their place and when she learns her man is as good in bed as he is in battle.

Valentine has a big win for me here. The book is quick, fun, and hot. I was immediately wrapped in, Valentine definitely starts the book right where you can't think to put it down.  There was not a break for me at all - It was the right amount of story and interest and definitely over the top with the S-E-X.  You can not go wrong with this series – pick up book 1 and you’ll be ready for the winter nights!



Come back tomorrow as we have our very own visit from Ms Valentine here at the blog.

Envy by J R Ward

As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas "Veck" DelVecchio, Jr., grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father- while fighting his inner demons. Assigned to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in him is both professional and arousingly personal. And Veck and Sophia have another link: Jim Heron, a mysterious stranger with too many answers... to questions that are deadly. When Veck and Sophia are drawn into the ultimate battle between good and evil, their fallen angel savior is the only thing that stands between them and eternal damnation.(courtesy of Amazon)

Here's the deal - I LOVE JR WARD - LOVE Over the top the Brotherhood series, so when I saw she had the Fallen Angels series, and it has ties to some of our favorite characters in the BDB series.  WIN WIN - Ward started it off awesome with Covet (Book 1) but I was a little disappointed in Crave (book 2) - well saddle up, because she brought me right back on tract with ENVY (Book 3). 

The chemistry between Veck and Reilly is intense, I totally love they completely give into it.  I was on the edge of my seat reading it and at 480 pages - I was up late that night, because I just had to finish it.  Maybe I was in a funk when I read Crave - but who cares, because Envy blows it out of the water.  And still the battle of good vs evil rolls on - must read!!!

The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison

In the Hollows, the supernatural Inderlanders rule, and humanity must abide by their conventions, or else.


To survive among vampires, witches, Weres, gargoyles, trolls, fairies, and banshees—to say nothing of demons—humanity needs a guide. And now, written by Kim Harrison herself, here is an insider’s look at the supernatural world of the Hollows, from an overarching new story to character profiles, maps, spell guides, charm recipes, secret correspondence from the elusive Trent Kalamack, and much more.(courtesy of amazon)


This 'insider' guide has to be one of the best I've seen.  It truly recaps the series to give you and insight into the different types of "supernatural" characters Harrison has created in the "Hollows".  I love how she kicks it off with a hand written note.  The pages are so unique.  I especially enjoyed the letters from Trent.  It helps alot if you have read the series, but if nothing else, it will leave you wanting to grab the rest of the books in the series if you have not already.


There was a lot of love that went into making this book.  Thank you so much Ms Harrison

Welcome Patricia Green Guest Post

Please welcome today – Patricia Green – who has written an intriguing guest post of a day in her life.

Having begun her writing career at the tender age of seven by publishing a poem in a children's magazine, Ms. Green has spent many years at typewriter and keyboard.
She's the author of 11 published projects (10 ebooks; and one out-of-print traditional book).
She is a member of EPIC, the Erotic Authors Association, and the Erotica Readers and Writers Association.
Ms. Green resides in the Washington DC area, is married to her best friend, and is the mother of twin daughters.

(LOVE Twins, I (jenn) have a set of my own) :)

A Day in the Life of a Writer
Patricia Green

Some people call me an "author." To me, that sounds a little like I'm having tea and sugar cookies while signing book jackets. While it's true that I "author" books, down at the core, I simply write stuff. Sometimes the stuff is long enough to be a book and sometimes it's a short story. Occasionally, it's an article like the one you're reading now. Before I wrote fiction, I wrote business materials and literary analysis. It's all stringing words together to create something new and, hopefully, interesting for readers.

I can only speak for myself; and since I do this full-time, I don't represent all writers, but my typical work week is made up of six work days and one day off. On my work days, I work about seven hours, and take a half hour lunch break. The hours I work are intense because, in many ways, they entail mandatory creativity. Usually, there's a movie in my head and all I need to do is transcribe it. But some days—oh those days!—there are interruptions, crises, irritations, and the movie just isn't there. I've had days when I felt like a clay brick, dense and heavy and anything but creative, but I wrote. And, you know what? The feeling of dull helplessness went away and, at the end of the day, I'd done a good day's work.

When I wrote, Psyched Out, I had trouble with the ending. I spent an entire day on about 1,000 words. That's a huge outlay of time for very little progress, but it was the hot ending that the story needed, and although I wasn't having a particularly creative day, I managed to come up with the sexy segment in a workmanlike way. Sometimes, a little mental muscle is what it takes.

My last few novellas, Liv's Journey ,Strong, Silent Type, and Kiki's Millionaire all contemporary spanking romances, flowed like wine from a carafe. They were full panoramic landscapes just waiting to be described. Those are the days that a writer lives for. They're the drug of choice, by far.

Research is also part of a writer's day. You can't write about what you don't understand. When I wrote my historical romance, Under Wraps, I had to do extensive research on the historical period, the geography, and the cultures involved. Fortunately, I enjoy history and scholarly pursuits, so the research was a pleasure. Then I had to pick and choose which tidbits to use. I think we've all read books where the writer sort of dumps all that research on the reader. One of the fiction writer's chores is to sort through and use what needs to be used, rather than every "fascinating" detail.

Even contemporary pieces require research. For Strong, Silent Type, I had to investigate police procedure, for example. And for Liv's Journey, I had to study Texas geography, even though I lived there for five years. Research can also lead to creative moments.

Marketing is a big factor in writing. Writers of all levels have lots of marketing to do. I spend an hour or two each day at marketing chores. Would I rather be writing fiction? You bet! But I'd be writing only for my own consumption if I neglected my website, lists, social networking and writing blogs for tours like this one.

There is a business aspect to writing as well. Becoming a professional writer is opening a small business. One has to track royalties, sales and taxes, as well as preparing manuscripts for sale, synopses for proposals and cover letters that entice publishers.

Writers also have to be readers, and for the majority of us, that's where the writing bug bit us. We're inspired by what we read, so much so that we are compelled to do it better, explore new aspects of characterization and plot, and build new worlds. So, a chunk of any writer's day has to be spent reading. That sounds like fun, but remember, this is critical reading and analysis, and entertainment is only one factor.

When I've finished for the day, I close my various documents (character profiles, setting profiles, plot notes, and manuscript) and walk away from the computer. I don't stop thinking about the story, and often I dream about upcoming segments, but I don't write anything more than a scrawled note to myself. Mandatory creativity is tiring.

So that's a day in a writer's life—my life. Creativity, research, analysis, marketing and business are all part of the process. Does it sound like fun or work? For me, it's fun most of the time, and work part of the time. I can't imagine having a better job.

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Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse at a day in your life :) Thanks to Goddess Fish and Name before the Masses for hosting your tour