New Release: Getaway Girl By Lisabet Sarai

banner for Getaway GIRL

Brit Envy

Although I now live in Asia, I was born and raised in the U.S.A. Indeed, I’m a true Yankee, having spent most of my life in New England. When it comes to writing, though, I sometimes wish I were a Brit.

I’ve visited the U.K. a number of times: London, Bath, Reading, Carlisle, Devon, York, Scarborough, Glasgow, Edinburgh. Most of what I know about Britain, however, comes from literature. From my earliest years, I devoured English classics, especially from the nineteenth century: Arthur Conan Doyle, the Brontës, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Bram Stoker and so on. I’ve also been strongly influenced by contemporary British authors like Sarah Waters and William Boyd.

Many of my closest friends in the erotica and romance community hail from the beautiful British Isles. Though the UK is not as relaxed about sex as Sweden or Germany, overall British culture seems less puritanical than American. Indeed, it was a UK company (Black Lace) who published my very first erotic title.

There are expressions in British English that just don’t translate into American, from an emotional perspective. Take, for instance, “shag”, a common term for sex. It’s much less harsh than “fuck”, but more importantly, to me it has a connotation of mutual fun and pleasure that’s missing from a lot of American sexual slang. Shagging is not about “getting some”, or “doing her/him”, or “making it”.  It’s not about power games or dominance, and it’s not gendered. Anyone can initiate shagging; anyone can enjoy it.

Another favorite of mine is “chuffed”. When I heard from Black Lace that they wanted to give me a contract for Raw Silk, I was definitely chuffed – excited, expectant, proud, on the edge of bragging.

Then there’s “what are you on about?” I’m not sure why this expression tickles my funny bone, but it does. It’s simultaneously critical and humorous, with (to me) an edge of affection. It has echoes of Monty Python. You wouldn’t say this to a stranger or to an enemy.

So, I love British English. Between writing for UK publishers and hanging out with UK authors, I’ve published a fair number of books in the dialect, including my new release Getaway Girl. This story is set in a small, picturesque village in northern Yorkshire called Kirkby Malzeard (which actually exists). When I originally penned the story, I’d never been to Yorkshire. I just knew it by reputation. Now I am eager to go back and visit the real village, as well as the ancient Devon market town of Tavistock, which features in my alt-Victorian trilogy The Toymakers Guild.

It’s not easy for me, though, to write correct British English. (I will never forget my first editor from Black Lace, replacing all my references to “panties” with “knickers”!) Somehow I can never get the convention straight for building “storeys”, for instance. Fortunately I belong to a stellar critique group which includes several highly accomplished authors of the British persuasion.

If my British English is at all convincing, they’re at least partially responsible. And yeah, it’s easy for them... so I am a bit jealous!

But mostly, I’m just grateful.

MF Contemporary erotic romance – mild bondage

Five flames

13,500 words, 55 pages

Smashwords and Amazon KDP

BLURB

Be careful what you wish for

All Peg wants is a break, a bit of adventure, a relief from her mundane existence in the bucolic but boring Yorkshire hamlet of Kirkby Malzeard. When dashing, sophisticated journalist Lionel Hayes saunters into the pub where she's tending bar, Peg suspects that he was just the sort of man to fulfill her fantasies of escape.

The seductive Lionel, however, is not what he seems. Before she knows it, Peg is a hostage, roped and gagged, speeding away from the scene of a daring crime. Lionel is armed and dangerous, but somehow Peg still wants him – regardless of the consequences.

Note: This book was originally published in 2015 by Totally Bound. This second edition has been substantially revised and has a new ending.

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1587-getaway-girl-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2WM4BXR

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1557686

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/getaway-girl-lisabet-sarai/1103185498

Kobo  - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/getaway-girl-10

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6499560218

Add on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212364347-getaway-girl

Add on BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/getaway-girl-by-lisabet-sarai-2024-05-03

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wroteher first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials,scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundredpage dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearlyevery sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every oneof her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website(http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blogBeyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots ofother great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

My top three book series.

Today is World Book Day! 

The love of reading has been a part of my life for a long, long time. I immerse myself into the world of whatever I'm reading. Sometimes, the characters are so real for me I love them, laugh with them, and cry with and for them. 

In my introductory emails, you learned a little about books I grew up with. Those characters were like friends of mine. Here are the Top Three Series I've loved as an adult.

1. The Black Jewels books by Anne Bishop: This series mesmerized me from the Black Jewels Trilogy (the first three books) on. Anne Bishop writes so sensuously, almost lyrically. The brothers Daemon and Lucivar stole a part of my heart. If you've never read her books, you must.

2. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Okay, this may seem to not fit my wheelhouse, this series is SO much fun, with characters that make you laugh out loud. Or in the case of Ranger, swoon. 

3. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. There are 30 books in this series. They started out as largely supernatural crime/thriller stories and slowly began to focus on the growth of the main character, Anita. Although admittedly I enjoyed the early books more, all of her books are fun, sexy, and often murderous. (I know, strange combination but it totally works. In fact, several of my book boyfriends reside here.)

What are your all-time faves? 

Read on!

It Was Always Love-Repost from 4-24-16

I wrote this post for the first time in 2016, shortly after Prince died. It’s still my story. I still feel every word. And I still miss him.

It was always love.

***********

I'm a writer. There has always been something cathartic in telling a story. So in the midst of incredible sadness I am sharing my story with you.

My partner says that she went to the movies with a friend one day to see whatever show happened to be playing and ended up seeing Purple Rain, a movie that changed her forever. From that moment on she was obsessed--still is--and thanks Prince for much of the joy she's had in her life.

My path was not as direct. He had to touch my life three times before I listened.

1979

Thank you for a funky time, call me  up...

On my way to high school driving the first of two cars given to me by my father, the song I Wanna Be Your Lover came on. The music was okay, but the lyrics made my head spin. Chock full of double entendres (I wanna be the only one to make you come...running), I couldn't get it out of my head for days. But trying to balance my perfectionist compulsion with wanting to fit in with my peers had turned high school into a three year long hurricane for me. I had a hard enough time holding on to my shit--I couldn't add one more thing to my burden.

1984

Somebody please tell me what the hell is wrong

The second time I became aware of Prince was when Purple Rain came out. I was newly married and in an unfamiliar place with no friends. I don't have memory of going to or being in the theater (my memory often fails me when it comes to very emotional moments), but I remember  buying a beta max copy of the movie as soon as it came out. I coveted that fat short rectangular box (I still have it), but for reasons I can't explain, I never watched it.

The third time, as they say, was the charm.

1987

In my darkest hour, you can be my bliss

I took a job two hours away from my home and my husband and lived with my mother. I had a great time. I loved my job, had some adventures with my mom (like driving 45 minutes to buy a pizza that boasted cheese UNDER the sauce, not over it), and spent time with my sister and brother and their families. Moreover, every other weekend I honeymooned with my husband. Life moved along pretty smoothly.

Except at night. I started having nightmares. At first they came infrequently, and I barely remembered them. As time went on they grew more frequent and more horrifying. Eventually I had bad dreams every night. There seemed to be two themes--black roses and elevators. Black rose dreams woke me up crying.  Elevator dreams were worse.

I know now that I was reliving sexual abuse I'd experienced as a child. I was in the same room, largely unchanged--the purple walls I'd begged for, music and academic awards (evidence of my hyper-vigilent perfection), and the bed. The bed.

Any time I was alone with my thoughts I thought about dying. What death would feel like. All the years of my nephews and nieces lives that I'd miss. Pieces of my nightmares started to come to me during the day. I searched continually for distractions, trying to save myself. One day I saw an ad in the newspaper about an upcoming Prince concert. I remembered his movie and that song, and how they made me feel. I really wanted to go, but not alone. My sister told me her husband was a big fan (her, not so much) and that he'd probably go with me if I had my heart set. He did.

October 1988

Do you want him, or do you want me?

We had tickets in the Nosebleed Section because we'd gotten them so late, but it didn't matter. The entire arena was filled by the presence of the little, ethereally beautiful man on the stage. I was captivated--couldn't take my eyes off of him. But the music transformed me. He sang of love and sensuality and peace and God and sex. His voice resonated, reverberated throughout my body. I sometimes make a joke, saying if he'd asked me that night for all of my worldly possessions I would have given them to him. But it was the truth.

The next day I went to every record store I could find and bought every tape Prince had ever released. I drove around for hours listening to his music. He didn't become "the soundtrack of my life". He became my reason to keep living.

1991

I want to jump for joy and thank him I'm not alone

I'd gotten a bigger and better job and moved back with my husband. While stalking a record store (my new hobby), I came across Prince's official fan magazine, Controversy. Not only was it heaven on the page with big, color, never before seenpictures of him, but it had a pen pal section. Suddenly, I wasn't alone. I'd found my tribe--men and women who experienced Prince the way I did.  Miraculously, the first person I connected with became my partner. I like to say Prince gave her to me.

Present day

Can't begin to understand how I feel about you, everything I want to do I can't do without you

My life is filled with good friends who I connect with over songs and youtube clips, through marriages and divorce, through children and grandchildren, over the mountains that life put in front of our best efforts and under the bridges that we've fallen from. When we're happy, we listen to his music and watch his movies. When we're sad, we do the same. Since his passing, we cling to each other and assure ourselves we'll get through this, and that we'll find joy again.

I've seen Prince in concert over one hundred times. I have every song he's released, and sometimes multiple versions thereof. My partner and I celebrate his milestones--birthdays, awards, performances. Our annual Super Bowl parties celebrate his 2007 award-winning appearance. Many of our milestones are commemorated with concerts that hold special meaning. There is not one room in our home in which he's not evident, either in fact or by influence. (We're still trying to figure out how to put the Shower Poster in the bathroom.)

My friends and I are asking questions of ourselves and each other. Where do we go from  here? Who will we be, if not Prince Fans? How will it feel to not look forward to his next album, the next concert, the next TV appearance?

The only answer is that his music is a part of us. It's in our cells and are the songs in the background of everything. Our experiences with him and because of him live on.

• Getting his autograph in NYC and almost fainting because we thought he'd levitated, a tiny angel dressed in white.

• Nearly being "rear-ended" by him in MPLS because he was driving too fast and we were going too slow.

• Hearing gunshot and fearing for our lives as we left Glam Slam, his former club.

• Flying to England for concerts and spending a sleepless night at the only after show I've attended.

• Going to his store in MPLS so many times the manager told his staff "Play whatever videos they want to see".

• Grieving with him, from a distance, when he lost his child.

• Meeting our pen pals. (LOVE YOU ALL)

• Standing outside at 2am in line for a show, with some of the craziest and friendliest people we've ever met.

Never say the words "They're gone"

The world is off its axis. I already miss him. My heart aches, and in quiet moments it's hard to breathe. I'm not ready to watch all of the tributes. I can't even listen to his songs without overwhelming sadness. But I'm ready, finally, to say a few things to him.

Dearest Prince,

I am ever grateful for the beautiful ways you've touched (saved) my life and for all of the people that are in it because of you. I'm thankful for your music which fuels my soul. 

There was no way you could have known, but it was always love. I've been blessed to have shared the planet with you.

I wish you heaven. 

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

Hi everyone,

Have you ever loved an animal?  Big? Small? Mammal? Reptile? Dog? Cat? Horse? Guinea Pig?

I have. I've had animals all my life. Periodically, I've had several at once. There is nothing like the unconditional love of a pet. Like Toby, for example. When I get home from work, he is so excited. He spins and turns like a Tasmanian Devil. He covers me with puppy kisses (by the way, he's 12 years old). 

The tragedy is that animals generally love you without condition, even if they are being hurt. 

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Month. It's a shame that such a month needs to exist. The statistics are horrible. Animal abuse has reached epidemic proportions. It crosses all demographics: gender, race, age, and more. But I'll spare you the details. Instead, let's look at what we can do to help. 

1. Spay and neuter your animals. This reduces the number of animals that don't have a loving home. It also encourages pet adoptions. (By the way, having shown dogs and owned dogs who won many titles, I can tell you that breeding dogs is far from easy and takes a great deal of time, energy, skill, and money.)

2. Support national and/or local organizations that work for the wellbeing of animals. Of course, remember to check them out first. I highly recommend looking at the percentage of their revenue that goes for overhead/administrative costs. You should know how much of every dollar donated goes directly to programs.

A couple of reputable organizations that I support and that have a proven track record of advocacy or direct help are:

The Human Society of the United States

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The World Wildlife Fund

On a happier note....BOOKS! Spring has sprung!

Onward!

New Release! Fangs, Fur and the Single Girl By Lisabet Sarai

Please join me in welcoming Lisabet Sarai as she tells us about her latest release.

Soul Mates (Plural)

The notion of finding one’s soul mate—the one individual in the universe whom you’re destined to love—is possibly the most fundamental romance trope. I can understand the appeal of this concept. It’s both reassuring and thrilling to imagine a lover perfectly attuned to your needs, your ideal complement and companion, a person who makes you whole and vice versa.

I find it hard to write stories about soul mates, though. I’m always aware that reality is much messier than romantic fantasy. Mostly I create contemporary stories where the relationships are realistically complicated. My heroines are frequently unsure about their own feelings. Sometimes they’re attracted to more than one person, in different ways. That’s one reason my back list contains so many ménage tales, I think, to save my heroines from having to choose whom they should love!

Paranormal romance frees me from the constraints of realism. In a world infused with magic, I can suspend disbelief about forever-after perfect matings. Magic imposes structure and symmetry on the tale. Perfect love may be kindled by enchantment, or may reflect age-old connections. Old souls, old lovers, may meet again in a new life. A quest, a struggle against evil forces, may bind two characters together for eternity.

In paranormal erotic romance, you can recognize your soul mate by the transcendent and irrational lust he inspires. The author doesn’t need to explain the attraction; it’s magic, a given.

What happens, though, when more than one character feels like the One? That’s the situation in my new paranormal erotic romance Fangs, Fur and the Single Girl. My heroine Bianca is a hard-headed businesswoman, supremely self-controlled and immune to flights of fancy. When she succumbs to temptation and offers her blood to an emotionally wounded vampire, though, she finds herself bound to him, both physically and psychically. Meanwhile, she encounters a shy but potent wolf shifter whose scent overwhelms her with desire. Each of them wants to claim her. Each of them feels “right”.

Is it possible to have more than one soul mate? Read Fangs, Fur and the Single Girl and find out!

About the book!

A tragically attractive vampire, a hunky wolf-man and a skeptical but susceptible career gal. What could

possibly go wrong?

Bianca Sorenson understands obsession. Her phenomenally successful Vamp magazine feeds the popular fascination with the undead. The city is full of  fanatics who want to believe vampires are real. Bianca knows that’s a fantasy. Then a blond, blue-eyed blood drinker walks into her office looking for a model’s job and turns her universe upside down. Jim Bush hasn’t been a vampire for long, but his terrible history and seductive hunger undermine Bianca’s single-minded ambition and her cherished self-control.

Trying to escape from Jim’s disturbing influence, she collides with a shaggy giant of a man whose mere presence inspires irresistible lust. When Zack Kane reveals that he’s a wolf shifter and claims Bianca as his mate, she finds herself on the horns of a supernatural dilemma. How can she resolve her feelings for her two mutually hostile lovers while defusing a city-wide conflict between the vampire clique and the werewolf pack?    

Fans of Twilight: get ready for a wilder ride than you ever imagined!

Excerpt

The blond vampire reached over to her dressing table to pick up a leather-bound notebook. “It’s lucky you use a physical day planner instead of a calendar app.” He sighed again, apparently out of habit. “I admit, I came looking for you tonight. I was desperate to see you. I thought we should discuss—well, I’ll be honest, I was weak. I imagined that perhaps we could—I kept remembering your warmth, your scent…” He shook his head as his voice trailed off. “It’s so easy to deceive myself. To let the hunger think for me.”

“Oh, Jim!” She bounced off the bed and enfolded him in her arms. Though his skin was like cool marble, fire sizzled through her at the contact. A steady pulse beat between her legs. An ache grew in her chest, an echo of his pain. She could soothe him, heal him, if only he’d allow it. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, silently urging him to surrender.

For a fraction of a second, she felt his answering passion. Then he turned his head away to break the connection.

“Don’t. Please. Don’t tempt me, Bianca.” Extricating himself from her clutches, he pinned her with his gaze. His normally blue eyes deepened to wells of blackness. “Stay away from vampires, for your own safety. Away from me, and definitely away from that harpy at the club.”

“How did you arrange for the police? Did they really have a warrant?”

Jim’s embarrassment was obvious. “It seems I have some ability to plant ideas in the minds of suggestible individuals. I didn’t realize I had that kind of power, but when I saw that creature—Elena? —messing with your thoughts, I figured I had to try.”

“Well, I’m very grateful. I probably should have known better than to accept her invitation in the first place.”

Jim rose from his chair and began to pace. “I agree. You took a grave risk.”

Bianca slumped back down on the bed, her eyes following his back-and-forth progress. “But she’s a business associate. Elena Lazarescu’s a major force in the vampire ecosystem. She’s a wizard at branding. Just think about how many potential subscribers she could deliver…”

He whirled to face her. “Bianca! Just listen to yourself! ‘Vampire ecosystem’? ‘Wizard at branding’? After you came close to being Elena’s victim! Didn’t you see what was going on at her club? Pathetic humans being drained to feed her blood hunger and that of her clique. This isn’t about business or marketing, fashion or fads.”

“But—”

“Your readers live in a fantasy world, but vampires are real. And they’re not trendy, romantic or sexy. They’re monsters, driven by an insatiable craving they’ll do anything to satisfy.” The young man glared at her, fists clenched at his sides. “I’m a monster, Bianca—no matter how I try to fool myself.”

She was on her feet again, hand on his arm. “No, Jim—you’re not like her. You’d never hurt me.”

He yanked himself from her grasp. “I already have, don’t you see? This bond between us—”

“So you feel it, too…”

“It’s the blood, Bianca, the blood we’ve shared. Nothing more. And it will destroy us both if we let it.”

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1508-fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl/

Amazon  US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXF755SM

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CXF755SM

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1540924

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl-lisabet-sarai/1145179250?ean=2940167695276

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6480071026

Add on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210320373-fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl

Add on Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl-by-lisabet-sarai

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story atfive years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketingbrochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica anderotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM,GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimateaphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html),along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), sheshares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter.Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

After Midnight-An LGBT Urban Fantasy #MFRWHooks

After Midnight: The Beginning (Living After Midnight Book 2)

#LGBT #UrbanFantasy #polyamory #novella

Book Hooks is a weekly blog hop hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers. Feel free to hop from one book to another. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite!

Overview:

Her taboo relationships give her new life. Now there's a secret worth dying for.

Jewell spent her college years avoiding two threats: sunlight and her sadistic stepfather.

Ria hails from a family of old-world vamps who want her to fall in line. Fat chance, especially since being in that line includes not being gay.

Being in love is easy for Ria and Jewell—they belong together like vodka and tomato juice. Adding a sexy incubus to their union is the hot sauce in their Bloody Mary. The only problem? Jewell's stepfather.

He demands Jewell return home. He's supported her for her entire life, and tuition isn't cheap. She belongs to him. Her debt has come due.

If she refuses, he'll kill her. If she agrees, it could expose a secret that will result in worldwide carnage.

Jewell and Ria have until dawn to decide…

...and it's already After Midnight.

Warning: This book features spicy supernatural creatures, an attempted assault that makes the perp wish he'd just stayed home, and a secret that changes everything.

After Midnight: The Beginning is the 2nd book in the LGBTQ urban fantasy series Living After Midnight. It can be read out of order and as a Happy for Now standalone.

A sneak peek!

A finger tapped her shoulder. "Hey there. Are you all alone?"

Jewell's head snapped towards the intrusion. Interesting. The same guy’s been heading toward Ria when he approached them before.

He grinned. "I kinda hope so. Is that too forward?"

Up close, he looked and smelled even more wholesome and delectable than he had before. Her very own hemoglobin happy meal. How could she turn down special delivery?

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forward? Yes, but I like a man who takes a risk. Take another one and dance with me." She pressed her body against his.

He walked backward into the throng of dancers. "Kyle...I mean, my name is Kyle. What's yours? I'm a grad student at Cal State Fullerton, visiting my family for the summer. I'm a psychologist. I mean, not yet. I'm getting a Ph.D. in psychology, and well, I do work too, but I'm not-”

"Don't you want to kiss me?" She blinked her eyes slowly, in invitation.

"Wow, yes, but-"

She kissed his cheek and slid her mouth to his, teasing his lips with light licks. His tongue thrust into her mouth in an exuberant response.

Slow down, Kyle. It's just a kiss. Jewell chanted the phrase in her mind, willing him to own it like it was his idea. She hated mind-fucking anyone, especially someone as naive as this guy, but she couldn't take the chance he'd overreact to a public nibble.

Just a kiss.

He inhaled deeply. After the tension eased out of his body, she pierced the pulsating artery that ran down the side of his neck.

Just a kiss.

Kyle's low moan vibrated against her lips. "Just a kiss," he repeated.

"Sweet thang, he can't handle you." Cheyenne slipped his arm around Jewell's waist and tugged her away from Kyle's arms. "But I can."

She daintily wiped the corners of her mouth with her fingers, belying the anxiety she felt at being caught with her teeth in the cookie jar. "I was just, you know..."

She glanced back at Kyle as a young girl danced up to him. He was dazed, but he started to dance with her as she chatted away at him. He was going to be okay.

Cheyenne spun her around, moving with feline grace to the music's hard backbeat. There was no anger, no disappointment. There was only mischief in his eyes. "Yeah, I know. It's all good." He took her hand from her ear and kissed it.

Cheyenne embraced her. Her breasts pressed lightly against his chest. "He didn't deserve you anyway. Why settle for regular when you could have high octane?" He rubbed his cheek against hers. "Go ahead. Take a sip."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right. I don't need to feed right now. And Ria is waiting. "

"It's fine. Look around. Everyone's dancing, doing their own thing. You weren't thinking about Ria a few minutes ago." He gently pushed her foot with his, moving her legs apart. "Besides, I'm hungry, too." Lifting the hem of her skirt, he slowly bunched it in his fist and moved his hand under the fabric to caress her bare legs. "Say yes." He slid his finger along the small strip of cotton between her thighs. They swayed as other couples danced around them, unaware.

The lust in his voice moved through her. Jewell kissed the side of his neck, the scent of his skin causing her teeth to descend. "Yes."

Available at major retailers.

https://books.trevannrogers.com/AfterMidnight

---

Micro-Snowpocalypse

Lots of snow here in New England. So far, about a foot has fallen.

Usually, I’d be quite upset. Snow is fun and beautiful to look at but driving in it is awful. Shoveling is hazardous to your health.

Today, however, I’m celebrating the return of winter. I’m grateful it’s no longer eerily warm. Fifty degrees in January was crazy.

I know it won’t last. Meteorologists are saying it will be near fifty again by the end of the month. But for today, it’s really cold. And I’m happy about that.

Homeownership: The lies they tell you

The guys that put in my furnace a few years ago just pulled out of my driveway. It was time for a tune up. I trust the company, which I need to since I do whatever they tell me to do. One of the things I learned all on my own is if you let things get bad, they will only get worse. So I try not to let tings get bad. I remember when I bought my first house. “Congratulations!” they said. “It will feel good to not pay rent on someone else’s property.” Not one person told me signing on the dotted line was only the beginning.

So many things I did not know. Like you really should check the grading of your yard. My first house may as well have been a boat with as much water flowed from my backyard to my basement. If I had checked for watermarks in the basement BEFORE I bought the house. I also didn’t know th at the second the house is yours, things start to break. Deck stairs wobbling? Check. Water heater dies? Check. Aging pipes? Check. Squirrels in the attic? Double check.

After a while, I sold that house and lived in an apartment for a few years. Then like a lunatic, I moved to Connecticut and did it again. But this time, homeownership is NOT going to get the best of me. I check the drainage and walls. I found out when the roof was last replaced. Only the furnace cost me money right from the start.And truly, the benefits outway the problems. It’s MINE. My sanctuary. I can play my music as loud as I want to. I can decorate my walls, my lawn and any other thing I want to decorate. No regrets.

At least, not until I get the furnace bill.

New Year, New Books

I hope everyone’s new year is starting off great! I’m curious about what goals you’ve set for yourself. If you feel like sharing, post a comment or send me an email and let me know.

One goal many of my friends are setting is “read more books”. If you share that goal, try to be more specific. The more specific your goal, the more likely you’ll be to achieve them.

I can help you get started! Take a look!

New Release! Wild About That Thing By Lisabet Sarai

Please join me in welcoming author LIsabet Sarai to Living After Midnight.

Not Me

Most authors put some of themselves into their characters. We can’t help it, really. We’re all shaped by our experience, in ways we can’t fully or consciously appreciate. Our characters are likely to share our assumptions, our biases and our values, whether this is our intention or not.

For instance, my female characters tend to be independent, well-educated and unapologetic about their sexuality. Anyone who knows me at all will recognize these traits also describe me. I don’t think I’ve ever written a helpless, timid virgin or a self-obsessed beauty queen. I don’t create violent characters, either, or at least not violent protagonists. You won’t find any mafia capos or special forces agents in my books. (The one exception is Cecily Harrowsmith in Rajasthani Moon, who is Queen Victoria’s spy, and she’s a slightly comic figure.)

Sometimes I deliberately try to create characters who are different from me, but that can be a struggle. The thing is, how can you imagine the inner life of someone whose background, priorities and goals deviate significantly from your own?

So my success varies. In that regard, I’m pretty proud of Wild About That Thing.

My heroine Ruby Jones is definitely not me. She’s a black woman, for one thing. As much as I try to empathize, I doubt I can really understand what it’s like to grow up black in America. She’s also a mother – a single mother, having divorced her cheating ex-husband. I’ve never had children, so it’s a stretch to imagine what it would be like to have total responsibility for someone else’s safety and well-being. Scary. My experience with marriage has been ninety nine percent positive. Ruby in contrast has been badly burned, and is naturally wary of new commitments.

Despite our differences, however, I feel that I know Ruby well. Early in the writing process, I learned about Ruby’s parents and came to see how her relationships with both her mother and her father shaped her personality and her behavior. Somehow these insights were not intellectual. Instead, I found myself in Ruby’s head, listening to her inner critic who often speaks with her mother’s voice.

Ruby is constantly torn between her analytical tendencies and her passionate nature. I suppose this is somewhat true of me, but in Ruby’s case the conflict is  particularly painful. One minute she’s a hard-headed businesswoman. The next, she’s a puddle of lust.

Anyway, I do hope my readers enjoy Ruby Jones. I feel that she’s one of the most realistic heroines I’ve created, as well as one of the most likable.

Note, though, that she still shares some attributes with me. She is independent and, as you might guess from the tag line, unapologetic about her sexuality..

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Wild about that Thing

 Ruby Jones has clear priorities. Her teenage son comes first, then her struggling blues club. Her love life ranks as a distant third. Deserted by her cheating ex-husband, Ruby's determined she's going to make it on her own. She's not about to let any man into her heart. Now her hot blood seems to have landed her in an impossible situation. Two lovers…and she wants them both.

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1342-wild-about-that-thing-/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPDD3JR9

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485627

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-about-that-thing-lisabet-sarai/1110738210?ean=2940167659858

Kobo  - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wild-about-that-thing-4

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6474285642

Add on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203152943-wild-about-that-thing

Add on BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/wild-about-that-thing-by-lisabet-sarai-2023-12-10

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wroteher first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials,scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundredpage dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearlyevery sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, LGBTQ, and more. Regardless of the genre, every oneof her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website(http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blogBeyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots ofother great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

Holidays

This year, I’m trying to slow down and savor the holidays. Time with people I love, reflection, and time to play.

This weekend we made ornaments. It was so much fun. I think we laughed and smiled the whole time.

I wonder what we’ll do next.

Enjoy the season, my friends.

Holiday Magic

One of the thing that’s magical about the holidays to me is how quickly time flies. I think the days go by so fast is because, well, as you get older, each year is a smaller percentage of your life. Think about it. When you are five years old, a year is a whole fifth of your life. When you’re 20, it’s 1/20th. When you’re 40, it’s 1/40th…and so on.

Specifically, I think the time goes by quickly because we are also busy. No matter what job I’ve held, it has gotten crazier starting in November. That maybe because I’ve always provided services to people in one capacity or another and holidays are hard for many of us—even more so when you’re vulnerable or disenfranchised in some way.

I’ve always found that reading helps me to slow down. Catch my breath and relax. Does it work that way for you, too?

Here are some books that I hope help you to slow down time and take care of yourself so you can enjoy the season. Just click on the pictures.

N.N.Light’s Book Heaven Holiday Gift Guide

Love is love.

Fantasy Romance