Happy Early Earth Day!

Happy Spring! I think it's finally here, and I'm thrilled. It's one of my favorite seasons, the other three being summer, autumn, and winter. :)

I do love all the seasons, each one for its own special contribution to the beauty of our dynamic earth. If I sound like a nature lover, it's because I am, so much so that I wrote an erotic romance, Second Nature, set mostly in the forest in which an environmental activist tries to resist the advances of an arrogant developer who is not what he appears to be. It's one of my first published novellas and was one of my favorites to write because of the nature theme and the abundance of passion Graham and Claret share, even when she despises him and all she thinks he represents.

In honor of spring, and since April 22nd is Earth Day, I thought I'd share the description and an excerpt from Second Nature in case anyone is in a green mood and looking for a red-hot read. :)

Enjoy, and Happy Earth Day!

DESCRIPTION: 

"Mate with me."
This is the insistent demand wealthy tycoon Graham Norton makes on passionate activist Claret McDaniel. Never, "Make love to me." Never, "Let's have sex," or even a crass, "Let's do it, baby."

But whenever he sees her, whenever they meet to argue over his recent land development plans to destroy her beloved forest, the only place she feels at home, Graham urges Claret, "Mate with me."

And all of Claret's attempts to remain professional and pure are slowly melting away under the persuasive gleam in his eyes. She begins to sense under his carefully groomed businessman's exterior beats an untamed heart. There's something primitive about Graham. Something mythical. Something not entirely human. And whatever it is, she is about to find, deep within her unnatural human body...its mate.

EXCERPT FROM  SECOND NATURE

“You know, Claret, you could stop this if you wanted to.”

Graham Norton’s hand reached for Claret’s, and she instinctively pulled it from the table, settling it gently in her lap. His intense gaze shot fire through her, but she straightened in her chair and cleared her throat.

“Mr. Graham, I have told you before that I am not interested in using those types of methods to convince you to change your development plans. If you met with me tonight thinking I would give in this time, you were wrong. Again.” Claret finished her practiced speech, her voice sounding even and polished, although her insides quivered and her throat felt suddenly parched. It was probably all the throat-clearing she had done throughout dinner.     

Claret forgot the danger sitting across from her and reached for her water glass, but with one deft move, Graham clasped her hand in his and offered a sinister smile.

“Why not?” he questioned her, his thumb finding the tender spot on her freckled wrist where her pulse throbbed. “Why not mate with me tonight and let me show you what you are missing, what you have missed for most of your life?”  His thumb rubbed gently across her soft skin in time with her heartbeat, which quickened at an alarming pace.

Claret shook her head and sighed, trying to pull her hand from its warm embrace. She had long given up trying to figure out why Graham’s arrogance allowed him to think that mating with him would be the highlight of any girl’s life. He was oddly handsome, yes, with dark chestnut hair that neatly curled above his ears, and the most sensual amber brown eyes she had ever seen. But really, did he think Claret was so inexperienced that she’d climaxed before?

And mate with him--why did he always say that way? He never said “have sex” or “do it” or “enjoy carnal bliss” or anything different. It was always “mate with me.”  Claret shook her head again. Why did she even come tonight? Did she really think that this time he'd would offer anything but another invitation to his bed?

“Claret, do you want to know a secret?”

Claret rolled her eyes and tried to tug her hand away, but Graham’s grip was strong. Gentle, but very strong. Her heart began to pound.

“Your eyes are like the greenest emeralds—I dreamt about them the other night, you know. And do have any idea how much I envy those black waves that tickle your face and neck? Your pixie cut suits you, Claret. Won’t you be my pixie tonight? I need you.”

Graham intensified his attentions at her wrist, and his steady gaze, infused with an odd hunger that intrigued and challenged her, caused her to shift uncomfortably in her seat to relieve the slight pressure she had begun to feel between her thighs.

“Mr. Norton, tell me one thing,” Claret started, trying to draw his attentions away from her wrist and back to their conversation.

“Anything you wish, Claret.” Graham’s response was filled with mirth. He was humoring her.

“You are not unattractive, as I am sure you have noticed every woman in her staring at you throughout our meal.” An amused smile played across Graham’s face and his eyes flickered dangerously. “So I don’t understand why you can’t just bang one of them? Why does it have to be me? What is it? Haven’t you ever had an activist before?”

Graham stopped rubbing her wrist and sat back in his seat, his hand lightly touching her fingers and his gaze as intense as ever. That’s one for me, thought Claret. Graham Norton hated coarse language; she had figured that much out over the last few months, and he especially seemed to not like it coming from her. Finally, after a minute, he spoke.

“That’s common, Claret, and not like you at all. I offer you something beautiful and you try to make it ugly. Was the idea of mating with me beginning to appeal to you that much that you had to make it seem so…so human?”

Spring Has Sprung?: Second Nature

I love the beauty of winter, but not the season itself. Not really. And this winter has been one of the most unlikable winters I can remember. I don't mind the snow, but the dryness and cold are unpleasant. Very unpleasant.

It's been such a cold winter in my part of the world that today it was 22 degrees and it felt like a heatwave. The hardest part was that the sun was so bright it reminded me of spring, and I started thinking spring thoughts.It didn't help that the groundhog predicted an early spring on February 2, because I've been thinking about it ever since.

Thoughts about planning vacations and wearing flirty dresses and having April breezes whip through my hair have infiltrated my brain, and spring fever has set in. Oh, I know that spring is still weeks away, whether a few or several, but I can still feel it in the air.

Maybe you can, too. If so, why not enjoy a read about nature and all its beauty, including the passion between a nature spirit and the woman he decides to claim as his mate? My novella, erotic novella, Second Nature, is available if you like books that take you into the great outdoors and into a magical place where there is nothing more natural than love. Here's a brief description:

"Mate with me."

This is the insistent demand wealthy tycoon Graham Norton makes on passionate activist Claret McDaniel. Never, "Make love to me." Never, "Let's have sex," or even a crass, "Let's do it, baby."

But whenever he sees her, whenever they meet to argue over his recent land development plans to destroy her beloved forest, the only place she feels at home, Graham urges Claret, "Mate with me."

And all of Claret's attempts to remain professional and pure are slowly melting away under the persuasive gleam in his eyes. She begins to sense under his carefully groomed businessman's exterior beats an untamed heart. There's something primitive about Graham. Something mythical. Something not entirely human. And whatever it is, she is about to find, deep within her unnatural human body ... its mate.

Everything Old is New Again...Yippee!

 We had a touch of snow down our way recently, and, although it melted right away, it reminded me that December is almost here, which reminded me that it will be six years ago on 12/6 that my first purely erotica piece was published. It was my first foray into getting published in the genre, and I've continued to write in the area ever since. As the seasons change, though, and the continuation of life comes full circle, so does a writer's career, and mine has done just that recently.

Over the last few months, I've requested and gotten the rights back to most of my books. I have plans for each of them, whether it be placing them with another publisher or trying to produce them myself, and I am really, really excited to get the chance to work with them again. It feels like getting a first contract on each book all over again, which is really sort of cool. I mean, who expects to feel the ecstasy of a first kiss more than once?

It also sort of feels like a rebirth, because I'll be going through each book and editing it, updating it and, in some cases, putting in what I had to take out. For example, one editor I had, who left the company soon after my book was published, raved about my "romantic comedy" and then proceeded to have me remove anything remotely amusing in it. All that's going back in, even though trying to figure how much and what I revised is going to be somewhat of a tough task after all these years.

I also have some new stories I will be combining with some of the older ones in collections, and a couple of never-before-seen pieces that need a chance to leave the literary nest that is my computer hard drive. I still have two books and a story in an anthology available--Second Nature, Seducing Gracie, and Going Somewhere (Firestorm Anthology)--until the others debut all shiny and renewed.

I just wanted to share my endeavor with readers because I've been getting inquiries about my next book, but also because you've have been incredibly supportive and wonderful about my books though the years. I can't thank you enough...or can I? Should I have a special promotion for the anniversary of my writing career in December? Hmmm, that's a thought. What kind of promo do you like the best? Any ideas? Please do share!

Hot Green

I love this week's topic because the very first erotic novella I wrote, Second Nature, is nothing but "green,"meaning pro-environment. It's about an activist, Claret McDaniel, trying to resist her attraction to the developer who plans to ruin the land that she loves. After a particularly close encounter with the enigmatic Graham, Claret decides to stage a protest to distance herself from him but lands right in his very capable and sexy hands.

This story had been fermenting in my head since a trip through the mountains of Virginia, and when it finally found its way out through the keyboard, I got to enjoy integrating my love of all things geologic and natural with one of the most base desires to ever drive man--passion. In this case, green passion.

Here's a sample...

"Claret, wait," Graham commanded.

She turned to face him, terrified now that they were alone in the parking lot of the restaurant. He must have seen the fear in her eyes, because his face softened and he stepped protectively toward her.

"I won’t hurt you…," he began.

"You’re damn right there, buddy," she spat and stomped on his foot.

A howl of pain and surprise burst out as Graham dropped deftly to his knee and grabbed his foot. Claret knew she should move, but she didn’t. Any other man would have doubled over or hopped around or something—maybe even hit her—but Graham looked like a knight kneeling before a queen, except he was furiously rubbing his foot and breathing profanity.

That howl had sounded as if it came straight from the wild. An odd feeling overtook her. She felt a sudden urge to reach down and take Graham’s head in her arms, to hold him to her breasts, to apologize.

To give in to his desire.

Graham looked up as the last thought passed through her mind, and Claret gulped. Not a very feminine thing to do, but Graham didn’t seem to mind. In one smooth move, he stood and pinned her to her Chevy POS with his hard, muscular body.

He was of a commanding height, and held her gaze as his left hand pressed the small of her back toward him, inching her hips next to his.

Graham’s right hand slid down her leg in a light caress, finding the hem of her simple A-line skirt and then lifting it with ease. His hand explored her thigh, his fingers gently massaging their way toward the heated curls between them.

"We’re… in… the parking lot," Claret managed to rasp as Graham’s fingers slipped into her panties and found her soft curls.

She moaned and tried to think of how to resist him. But her body betrayed her as Graham’s finger slid easily between her swollen lips, his gaze still steady and now heated. His heady scent filled her nostrils, a mix of fresh pine and pure, clean spring water.

"The world is ours, dearest," he whispered.

This is also one of the first books I ever made a trailer for, and although it might be a bit amateurish, it was a great learning experience. If anything, there are some cool nature pics included. :)

Enjoy!

Candy Kisses

I love to kiss, so there’s no better eye candy for me than a picture of two people engaged in this most powerful act. One of the first things I notice about a man is his smile, his lips in particular. How many of us have taken great pains to describe our hero’s lips, his smile…the way he kisses?

Kissing is so incredible, so diverse and unlimited. A kiss can convey a thousand meanings, from a simple greeting to comfort to wild passion. It can signal strength or vulnerability. A lover claiming his woman’s mouth can be as exciting as an alpha hero who softens at the slightest pressure of his lover’s lips. Who doesn’t love that? Sigh…

One of my favorite eye candy shots is this one, because this man has the most beautiful lips, and his expression is so gentle. This picture sort of inspired Graham Norton, the hero in Second Nature, at least in his human form. Handsome, but expressive, and that sexy look, like he’s thinking about smiling but isn’t quite sure if he should. Adorable!I think the way a person kisses tells much about them. The way a man pulls a woman to him or the way he holds her sends a message. Kissing is a way of communicating, and it can happen in all kinds of situations, with the unexpected ones being some of the most memorable.

I remember when my husband, before he became my husband, took the opportunity one Christmas to give me a hug and a holiday kiss. It was quick, but his full lips pressing against mine, even though we were just friends at the time, sent a nice shiver through me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, or him. His kisses, and his smiles, to this day take my breath away. What’s your favorite kiss memory? Or maybe your favorite movie kiss?

Cameo Brown explores Second Nature

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