Friday Fragments with Nona

There's good news on the book front for me recently. I've just been notified that Irresistible Impulse has a release date!  It's coming out on September 14 from The Wild Rose Press and am I excited!  This short story is special to me because it features Tania and Latisha, the lesbian couple who appeared in supporting roles in my first two books, One Good Man and Take This Man. I came to love these two characters and it was a lot of fun to provide them with their own story.

In One Good Man, Latisha and Tania are already an established couple. Irresistible Impulse is something of a prequel to that story and tells how the women first met. It's love at second sight!

Ordinarily, Tania Talcott wouldn't be caught dead at a speed dating event, but she lost a stupid bet. Checking out the slim pickings, she's convinced the evening will be a total bust--until a classy, sensual, African American woman enters the room. A woman Tania met briefly once before and never forgot.

Latisha Hobbs is only attending this event to support her young cousin, who's ready to start dating again. Latisha's heart has been on ice for quite some time. But she finds herself immediately--and strongly--enticed by the friendly overtures of a vivacious redhead. Or are they more than friendly?

Fueled by an irresistible impulse, Tania wastes no time getting to know the beautiful woman. Latisha is drawn to Tania as well, but memories of an unhappy love affair make her reluctant to act. These two opposites definitely attract, but will their differences be too much to overcome?

People often wonder where writers get their ideas. Well, I can't take credit for this story's idea. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly who proposed it, but the suggestion came from one of the members of the Short Story Seductions group (now on hiatus).  The thought was to create a romance based on the theme of speed dating.  Most of the authors were going for m/f, but one thought she'd try an m/m story and that gave me the idea of trying an f/f. And who better to write about than my two lovelies, Tania and Latisha?

It was great fun imagining them getting together, and a bit of a challenge, since neither woman struck me as being interested in speed dating. So they each needed a reason for being there. It's a case of serendipity, because it turns out that this is not the first time they've encountered each other.

For a brief excerpt, please visit:  http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=900

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More fun news! I've been contracted by Loose Id for a new novella, titled His and Hers. It's an FFM ménage romance, which is a new one for me! This is part of the holiday themed books that the publisher has planned (fellow Diva Rachell Nichole's upcoming book is also part of this series). I'm so happy to be working again with Loose Id staff and my wonderful editor Rory Olsen!

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BREAKING NEWS!!!

Guess what, guys? The Divas of Desire are having a contest featuring a THREE WAY! Giveaway, that is (okay, get your minds out of the gutter).

The randomly-selected winner will receive a book from each of our authors: An Affair Across Times Square by Rachell Nichole, Bombshell by Danica St. Como and Uncollared by Nona Raines. That's three free books, folks!

The winner will be selected on September 30.  All you need do to enter the contest is to follow our blog! Simple as a dimple! So what are you waiting for?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

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Friday Fragments by Nona

***Exciting News! Bestselling romance author (and fellow CNYRWer) Cari Quinn has a new release today! It's NO FLOWERS REQUIRED, Book 2 in the Required Love series from Entangled Books. It's sure to be another bestseller, so be sure to get your copy right away!***

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/no-flowers-required/

 I'm at Cari's blog today with a super sexy excerpt from Uncollared and a book and gift certificate giveaway. All you have to do is stop by and tell us your favorite flavor of ice cream! Two random winners will be selected. Please stop by!

http://cariquinn.blogspot.com/2012/08/welcome-erotic-romance-author-nona.html

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Three Great Reference Books for Romance Authors

Ugh. Just the thought of reference books makes one imagine heavy, dusty, boring tomes. Well, today I want to share some books that are fun and funny and of great help to anyone writing romance.

How To Write Hot Sex: Tips From Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors edited by Shoshanna Evers

This book is a great resource for anyone who's writing sexy stories. The above mentioned Cari Quinn has a great little chapter on "Rx for the Sagging Sex Scene".  Delphine Dryden gives advice on how to write BDSM themed stories and Giselle Renard's contribution includes fetish and niche market sex. Male/male romantic erotica is super popular now and Christine D'Abo contributes a chapter on writing for that market. Finally, regardless of what you write, you need to get it published! Editor Shoshanna Evers has been successful with well known publishers as well as self-publishing and has much wisdom to offer. There are a number of other topics addressed in the book as well.  A very well-rounded collection.

Whip Me, Beat Me, Make Me Write Hot Sex by Tymbor Dalton

This book deals specifically with BDSM themed romance and erotica. The author is herself involved the BDSM community and knows whereof she speaks. She gives a breakdown of the terminology used, activities and important safeguards. She also addresses clichés and misunderstandings about BDSM. In other words Dominant does not equal bossy jerk and submissive does not mean doormat. One thing the author makes clear is that BDSM relationships are as individual and unique as vanilla relationships. As long as everything is "safe, sane and consensual", there is no one right way to do it, in spite of what some Judgey McJudgersons might think. A tremendous resource for anyone writing this genre.

The Virgin Widow's Heart Stopped When She Saw The Book That Would Change Her Life Forever by Sophie Gunn and Ellen Hartman

Oh God, this book is so funny. I'm not as familiar with Sophie Gunn's work, but anyone who's read Ellen Hartman's books will recognize the humor that makes her stories so much fun. The authors address the clichés that so easily can creep into an author's work. Clichés make your writing boring and generic, and rob it of individuality. The authors warn you away from the worst (I cringe when I think how many have slipped by me) and brave souls that they are, even include some bad examples from their own writing. The clichés don't simply refer to phrases (such as "her heart stopped"), but to clichéd characters (more cringing) and events in a story. Since reading it, I can't say I've eliminated all clichés, but I've become a lot more aware of them.

I've found all these books enormously helpful, and highly recommend them.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

Release Day!!!

Good Morning! 

It's release day!!!!!! My book An Affair Across Times Square is on sale today here: 
http://www.loose-id.com/newest/current-week/an-affair-across-time-square.html

The book is 7.99 and is available in all kinds of formats for any ereader you've got. 

To celebrate the release, I will be in two places at once! Because I'm awesome like that :-) 

I'm guest blogging today at The Long and Short Review blog. They get a great amount of blog traffic and they have a fantastic giveaway going on right now. All comments will be entered to win prizes for the next five days! So stop on by and comment away.   http://wcguest.blogspot.com/2012/08/guest-blog-rachell-nichole.html

I will also be interviewed today at Rachel Leigh's blog. She asked me some great insightful questions and it was a great interview. It also has a great excerpt from chapter one in it. Come on by and show us some love. 
http://rachelleighromance.blogspot.com/2012/08/welcome-loose-id-author-rachell-nichole.html

Thanks! 

~Rach

Friday Fragments

Happy Friday, all! And happy National Thrift Shop Day! I love visiting thrift and consignment shops to check out bargains. Speaking of bargains, what's thriftier than free? I'm giving away one copy of my very first erotic romance, One Good Man at the Full Moon Bites blog.  Please stop by to enter the contest (it's going on for six more days) and to check out my interview there. Thanks so much to Holly Polk for allowing me to do this.

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My newest book, Uncollared, was released earlier this month and will be featured at several blogs next week.  It will be in the spotlight on Monday the 20^th at You Gotta Read. On Wednesday the 22^nd  I'm blogging at Bonnie Bliss's  Sultry Storyteller Blog about Love, BDSM and Meatballs. Meatballs? LOL, you'll have to visit that day to find out what they have to do with anything.

On Friday the 24^th, I'll be at Cari Quinn's blog to offer a FREE copy of Uncollared to a lucky commenter. I'll also be offering a gift certificate to Amazon or B&N (winner's choice). Writer friend and RWA chapter mate Cari Quinn has very generously allowed me to be a guest. Thanks so much, Cari, for this opportunity.

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Since I've titled this post Friday Fragments, let me just close with a brief fragment of my most recent work in progress, a FFM ménage romance I'm tentatively calling "His and Hers".

Jordan stepped to the door of the consignment shop, fastened the lock, and turned the "Open" sign to "Closed". "There you go." He faced her again, grinning.

He was adorable when he smiled. Adorable any time. Cassie could spend an hour just looking at him. His frame was muscular but lithe. His wavy brown hair was a bit too long, brushing his collar in back. He had the most amazing green eyes and a slight cleft in his chin that almost begged to be touched.

And there was his smile. It always hitched up higher in one corner, as though he was in on some joke that the rest of the world missed. Cassie's pulse always sped up a bit when he fixed that smile on her.

Get it together, she told herself. He belongs to Kyla

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Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

http://www.facebook.com/NonaRaines.author

https://twitter.com/nonaraines

Fifty Shades: A New Perspective

Hi everyone, 

I know that the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James has been talked about ad nauseum, but I wanted to offer up something new that I don't think has been discussed before. 

I don't want to talk today about the specifics of the books, or whether they were "good" or "bad" or "well written" or how much money James is making, or the characters in the books or even the plot lines. I want to discuss something I've noticed about the industry since these books have hit the shelves in the states. I had never heard of these books until a few weeks after coming back to the US in May of this year and suddenly, it was all anyone was talking about. The books were in K-Mart and Walmart as well as all major booksellers, nation-wide. 

And here's what I've noticed in the past two months. The ramifications for the industry of erotic romance (my industry) is changing before my eyes. No longer is erotic romance shelved off on its own in the book stores. It's not hidden behind other books, it's not secluded in one corner, it doesn't make up the "naughty" section of an otherwise "upstanding" and "respectable" book store. 

In Barnes & Noble, there are three front-facing racks of "New Romance" one full rack is the standard paperback size ranging from Historicals to Paranormals and everything in between. The second rack is Harlequin and all of this month's titles. Again, ranging from Paranormals, Erotic Romances, and Suspense. Between these two racks is a third I haven't really seen before. The top row of this rack is new romances in hard cover. There are only 7 of these. Below that are trade-paperback sized books. If you've seen a copy of any of the Fifty Shades books, this is the size that they were published in. Of these 24 covers, eight are erotic romance. Many of these books are also modeled after the cover of the Fifty Shades Books - dark covers with the pop of one element to attract the reader's attention. 

This means that out of 24 new romances on this set of shelves, 1/3 are erotic romance. This is unprecedented. I don't think I've ever seen it before. 

Is EL James the best writer since Jane Austen? Probably not. But that's okay. I've seen a lot of negativity surrounding this book the past few months, and people will always criticize, that's normal. But for those of you readers and writers in the industry of erom, or romance in general, I just wanted to share what I have seen that I think is a direct result of the Fifty Shades trilogy. So for that, I thank EL James and her publisher for helping to make this genre more widely-read and for helping to bring erotic romance to the forefront of the industry. 

How I Did That Research

I'm proud to announce that my BDSM themed romance, Uncollared, has been released. I'm grateful to all the folks at Loose Id for publishing the book, Rory Olsen for all her hard work editing it, and Ginny Glass for the *mwah* gorgeous cover.

I'm not quite sure how I came up with the idea for the story. I never dreamed I would write a BDSM story, though I certainly have enjoyed reading such books by Cherise Sinclair, Joey W. Hill, Sindra Van Yssel and others. So when I began to imagine Mia's story in Uncollared, I knew I'd have my research cut out for me.

Thanks to Amazon I found a lot of books on the subject. Some of my resources were:

Jay Wiseman's Erotic Bondage Handbook and SM 101 by Jay Wiseman

The New Bottoming Book and The New Topping Book by Dossie Eastman and Janet W. Hardy

Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns by Philip Miller and Molly Devon

Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes by Dan and JD, the Two Knotty Boys

 The Bride Wore Black Leather…And He Looked Fabulous! By Drew Campbell

BDSM for Writers by Charley Ferrer  

I also enrolled in a very informative online class taught by author LD Madison. LD and others recommended Fetlife, an internet site for people involved in or interested in BDSM, fetish and kink.  You have to join the site to read the threads or interact, but there is so much to learn there. I really respected the honesty of those who posted there. What truly surprised me was that even among these open-minded people living what some might deem an "alternative lifestyle" there were some real Judgey McJudgersons! Seems like no matter where you go, there are always some folks who will say "If you don't do it MY way, you're doing it wrong."

I hope to write another story or two featuring some of the characters who appeared in Uncollared and have lots more research to do. I'll keep you posted! And anyone reading who has suggestions of books or other resources, please let me know!

By the way, I'm involved in several blog tours for my books, arranged by Sizzling PR. This coming Monday, August 13, I'm at Krystal Shannan's blog talking more about Uncollared. On Thursday, August 16, I'm being interviewed at Full Moon Bites and sharing a bit about my first erotic romance, One Good Man.  Please stop by if you can!

Have a great weekend, all!

Nona Raines
Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

http://www.facebook.com/NonaRaines.author

https://twitter.com/nonaraines

New! Uncollared, now available from Loose Id and Amazon

Fundraising Anthology

Hello everyone!

I have a very important post to share with you all today. A group of writers has banded together to publish an anthology to raise money for a fellow writer to help her with the financial costs of fighting breast cancer. Donna Munro was diagnosed earlier this year with breast cancer. Donna is an alumnae of Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction program and a friend of mine. We've put together an anthology of so many different pieces, I can't even tell you about them all. 

Hazard Yet Forward is a compilation from seventy plus authors who've submitted pieces in all different genres. Many are current students or alums from Seton Hill. It was compiled by Matt and Natalie Duvall and Deanna Lepsch. The cover art (which is gorgeous and below) was done by a friend of the program, Coelynn McIninch! 

The anthology goes LIVE tonight at midnight on Amazon. I'll post the link later tonight here and on Facebook. The anthology is 9.99 which is about 40 cents per piece that is included in this incredible book. Every cent goes to Donna to help in her fight against breast cancer!!! There are some incredible stories in this book, including one by yours truly called "Midnight" under another pen name Jo Crosier. 

Five Days and Counting…

There are only five more days to until the release of Uncollared, my first BDSM-themed erotic romance. I'm very excited about this book and I'd like to share a little bit about the main characters with you.

Mia Manetti is the heroine.  She has a bit of a "savior complex." In her job as a social worker and in her personal life, she tries to help people. But sometimes she tries to take on too much, to her detriment. No one can save the whole world.

Mia is also a submissive who has been abruptly released from her relationship with her first Master.  She's reeling from that blow when the story opens.

Francesco "Chess" Ryan is the hero. He's handsome, confident, and financially successful.    A sexual dominant, he's been attracted to Mia for a long time but kept his distance because she belonged to his friend. Once the path is clear, he knows he has to have her.

But he's not nearly as together as he seems.  He has a secret that, if revealed, would shatter the image he's so carefully crafted. Worse yet, it would cost him Mia.

I enjoy writing about complicated, flawed characters. I hope readers will enjoy following Mia and Chess as their relationship blossoms.

I'll be sharing snippets daily on my Facebook page until my release date, so please check it out when you can at http://www.facebook.com/#!/NonaRaines.author

Have great weekend, everyone!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance

Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic

www.nonaraines.com