Flores De La Muerte

(c) Danielle D. Smith

HELP REBUILD KAT'S BOOKSHELF!

PLEASE HELP EVERYONE! My friend and dear book fan, Katrina Whittaker, was hit a terrible blow on Mother's Day...please observe the image above. Someone who "claims to love her" destroyed her entire collection of beloved author swag, books, collectibles...everything. Naturally, her spirit is feeling battered and despairing, as her books are, indeed, her life.

Her friends and grateful authors (including me) are hoping to get her collection rebuilt...anyone who can help, please do! Spread the word...let's erase this terrible event and make her new collection better than ever!!!

To help rebuild Kat's collection, please visit the link below. There are two addresses to mail packages to--Kat's home in Australia, and her sister's address in Canada for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Donations of books, swag, author collectables...anything having to do with Paanormal Romance, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy...if it has vampires, demons, angels, werewolves, faeries, or the like, she'll love it! Authors are strongly urged to send signed copies of their books, as well as swag such as bookmarks, postcards, character trading cards, themed jewelry, book thongs...you name it. Be creative...and THANK YOU!

DONATE TO KAT'S BOOKSHELF FUND

At Long Last...

A lot of publishers are turning novels, especially Paranormals/Urban Fantasy, into comic books. 

I am pleased to offer an example of my own... the first "officially" completed page of the BLACK DOG AND REBEL ROSE graphic novel. 


More to come...enjoy. :-)

A Few Things You Should Know...

Time to address a few things. Or rather, clear up a few misconceptions.

Please forgive me in advance for the use of ALL CAPS in sections of this entry. I AM NOT YELLING. ;-)

As my most avid fans know, I am a big appreciator of HONEST reviews. Even if the opinion of the reader isn't glowing--make that outright SCARY (and I have certainly had my share)--I still enjoy reading it on some level because it gives me food for thought. Not to say that I don't take pride in my work, or that I don't write stories that are to my own personal taste. Any author who says otherwise is a fucking liar. But the not-so-glowing reviews can help make us better authors, artists, and general PR people, so I am grateful for what I can glean from them.

HOWEVER, I have noticed that bad reviews are frequently given to stories (not only mine, but to that of other authors as well) based on the reviewer's personal tastes and not on the quality of the work itself... and half the time, the reader seems to not have bothered to read the blurb that describes what the story is about before they purchased it. As much as I hate to gripe, this tends to bother me quite a bit.

So...drumroll please...for those who have not yet picked up one of my books but is considering it, let me state a few things upfront that you may want to know about me--and therefore about my work--before you go a-reading. It may help you avoid purchasing a book that you'll hate...or help you snatch up something you'll count among your lifelong faves. ;-) Consider this you guide to "All Things Dani".

1.) I do *technically* write something akin to "paranormal" romance, for the most part. However, do NOT expect your typical "PNR" plot lines and characters. Expect something that colors outside the lines, oftentimes with a very raw edge. Expect not just explicit sex, but a ton of gore, violence, and very foul language. Expect blood, grit, and a rollicking fast ride. I like action and horror elements in my work, so expect both. My fantasy life involves a '68 Chevy Camaro SS, a Harley-Davidson Nightster, full tattoo sleeves up both arms, and a Camel cigarette crammed in my pie hole...so that should tell you a LOT.

2.) I am a tomboy, and I have a very masculine sense of humor. Therefore, don't expect any books from a fluffy, sappy, Lifetime Channel perspective. If you want that, steer clear of my work...I guarantee you won't like what you read. There is a lot of tenderness, emotion, and great character interaction, but I also pack my stories with fast motorcycles and muscle cars, tattoos, spiky hair, and dirty boy humor. One friend of mine described one of my tales as "Duke Nuke'm with fucking", and I guess that hits the nail on the head.

*proceeds to laugh her ass off*

3.) My heroes do not have names like "Deveraux". Just thought I'd mention that. And if I ever create a character with that name--or any name that's in that vein--please promptly put a silver bullet in my brain and toss me in the dumpster behind KFC because THAT'S NOT ME.

4.) I do not--REPEAT: DO NOT--write YA!!! If the sex, violence, gore, and high-octane fun have to be toned down, I ain't interested in writing it or reading it!!! So, for the love of all that's holy, don't shelve Black Dog and Rebel Rose under YA on your TBR list and then buy it for your 12 year old...I don't want to be held responsible for your kid asking you what a "mastodonic cock" looks like. Buy them a copy of The Hunger Games and call it a day.

5.) My books are for those who want something different in their paranormal reading arsenal. I do not feature vampires that sparkle, or that re-create your favorite Buffy The Vampire Slayer Spike fantasy. If you want either of those, grab yourself a copy of Twilight or something from the Night Huntress series. You'll like those better. My vampires are ugly, evil, and are frequently bullet fodder, like they were back in the old days.

6.) Please, PLEASE read the blurbs of my books before you buy! For example, if the blurb includes a Publisher's Warning that reads something like this: "This delightfully sordid tale contains graphic BDSM sex, including forceful oral and anal sex, bondage, blindfolding, slapping/spanking, nipple clamps, toe-curling dirty talk, hot wax, and crazy hardcore sex in a church..." and you don't like how that sounds, PLEASE don't buy it!!! Blurbs are there to help you decide if a story is suitable for your personal tastes...use them to your advantage. There is nothing worse than seeing a scathing review being given by someone complaining about what the book is about when the blurb states quite clearly what they can expect before they turn the first page.

7.) I write Angel and Demon-themed paranormal fantasy almost exclusively. You will find angels, demons, Nephilim, Halflings, and other supernatural creatures screwing, cussing, etc.This does not mean that I am anti-religious, or that my books are meant to take a cheap shot at Christianity or any other faith. I am not religious, but I do have enormous respect for good honest people who embrace their faith and find peace therein, and my stories are not meant to be a weapon or cheap-shot protest against said beliefs. Please do not take them as such.

8.) If you are teh type who buys a book based on whether or not there is a stock photo of a faceless half-naked guy representing the "hero" on the cover...move on, folks. Why am I mentioning this? Because reviewers have complained from time to time. I am an artist as well as an author, and I do my own covers with the blessing of my publishers. As usual, expect something different from the flock...perhaps even a little comic book-y. :-)

Hopefully, I have not come off as bristly or bitter here...not the case at all. I just feel that honesty is the best policy, and I think my fans would agree with the old saying "To Thyself Be True" makes for the best writing...and the best reading!

:-)

I want to throw up a big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to review my work--good or bad, reviews are what drive sales and awaken new understanding for the author.

Peace to all!

Dani <3

BDSM: Its Power Over My Characters

Power.

A word that can express so many things, and mean something different to each person. Throughout history, power has been synonymous with brutality, genocide, oppression, and sometimes mercy…but always, always, it means CHANGE, whether that be great or small, or somewhere in between.

I’m not going to bore you, the reader, with some essay on the sociological implications of BDSM. There are plenty of good books on the subject written by experts…er, sexperts…who are about a thousand times more educated and eloquent than I, so quit yawning and perk up, kids.

When I shared a private message discussion on Facebook some months ago with a few of my most devoted fans, I was initially unsure as to whether or not I should take Skriker and Rose, my two most popular characters, into the BDSM realm. Sure, readers had been taken on a few really fun adventures where the notorious half-demon bad boy and his Nephil (half-angel) love frequently paused in hunting the Big Baddies to have a good sweaty roll in the sheets. Panties were definitely wetter for their sexcapades, but to trek into the frequently controversial world of BDSM was daring, at the very least. Would Skriker and Rose be looked on the same way ever again? Would I lose part of my readership?

I realized that I needed to use the theme of BDSM sex to explore the dynamic of Skriker and Rose’s unorthodox relationship in order to make such a sordid sexual tale fit in with the other books already available in the series. I could not simply make this a porno—and, as much as I love porn, I’m a piss poor writer of “just sex”. There always has to be more…an exploration of something outside the shagging, an emotional pull that offers the reader more than a simple series of hardcore sex scenes.

(Rose & Skriker - designed by Moi)

The first thing that I decided to address in DEMON’S SLAVE was a complaint that I hear often from my female readers: how Rose, in her angelic perfection, seems to feel so greater-than-thou toward her Halfling lover. Anyone who has read the first installments of the Black Dog and Rebel Rose adventures knows that Skriker, despite his 200+ pound, buff as hell, heavily tattooed, Billy Idol-blond bad boy exterior, is a certified mush muffin when it comes to his angel girl. He worships the ground that Rose walks on, and would fall on his knees and kiss her feet if she would ask it of him. And she has been, in no uncertain terms, a flaming bitch at times, turning her nose up at him, despite his passion, his boyish worship of her beauty, her intellect, her power.

There’s that word again. Power. And that was how I determined I would make my BDSM tale “more” than just a pornographic series of hardcore sex scenes involving bondage, spanking, and nipple clamps. Rose would lay down her power—her angelic need to be in control at all times—to give her beloved the gift of domination over her proud (and infinitely supernaturally more powerful) body. This is how she would profess her love for him, for all time. This is how she would show him that he is worthy of her, body and soul.

Admittedly, since DEMON’S SLAVE was published, there have been those who have hated the rawness of the story. Some have said I went too far: that if Skriker loved Rose, he would not dominate her with the intensity that he did. That at times it bordered on abuse, DESPITE the fact that everything is consensual, that Rose is thrilled and made all the wetter when her beloved spanks her until her ass is red and bruised, or backhands her as punishment for speaking without permission. That she feels all the more bonded to him as she lies bound, rubber-coated nipple clamps pinching her pink pearls, her mouth and cunt and ass brutalized deliciously by her Halfling love, matters little to these usual BDSM readers. There is no rape, no child abuse, and no dubious consent of any kind. But some still viewed it, and will continue to view it, as “too much”. And that is fair enough. I expected there would be naysayers, and people who will never be able to pick up another book by me because of what went down in this one. Who simply didn’t “get” the dynamic between these two lovers who would give each other everything: body, soul, pleasure, pain…and in that giving, that sharing, apologies would be spoken, regret would be expressed, and a forbidden romance would be strengthened all the more by this raw and brutal gift.

Sometimes, power can mean giving in, can mean submitting…can mean the greatest sacrifice for love. And that is what makes DEMON’S SLAVE, in many ways, my most powerful story yet.

--Author & Artist Danielle D. Smith

Originally posted at Darkest Sins

GET TO KNOW SKRIKER AND ROSE... WIN AN E-BOOK DOUBLEPACK INCLUDING: DEMON'S SLAVE & BLACK DOG & REBEL ROSE!

 Simply enter via the Rafflecopter below! Follow me on Twitter, Tweet this Giveaway, and/or "Like" Author Danielle D. Smith on Facebook and earn extra entries! GOOD LUCK!!!

***

I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING OUR FABULOUS AND VERY SMEXY HOP!!! Please leave a comment below...and thanks for stopping by!

ON TO THE NEXT STOP...

BACK TO THE HOME O' THE HOP!!!

DEMON'S SLAVE Blog Tour

 

JUMP ON THE NAUGHTY TRAIN, KIDS!!!

TONS OF GIVEAWAYS, GUEST POSTS, REVIEWS, AND MORE!!! 

JOIN THE TOUR 

DEMON'S SLAVE Character Interview and GIVEAWAY

BREAKING ALL THE RULES: AN INTIMATE INTERVIEW WITH SKRIKER AND ROSE

Well, kids...you asked for it, and now you've got it. The long-awaited release of my first BDSM tale, DEMON'S SLAVE...yes, my balls have grown THAT big. And to celebrate, I have invited the hero and heroine of this shockingly sordid tale back once again to chat...Skriker and Rose, my most popular characters and the protagonists of my most popular books thus far.
It's no secret to my most avid fans that Skrike and Rose are an interesting  pair...star-crossed lovers who should be bitter enemies. Those of you who are new to this pair might ask, why enemies? The answer is simple...ever heard of a Nephil falling for the son of a demon? Yep, things are definitely complicated for these two, and that's just the way the fans seem to like it.
Please welcome Skriker and Rose as they discuss some of their more intimate moments in DEMON'S SLAVE.

DANI: Skrike and Rosie, thank you so much for being here. I know that the subject at hand is very...personal. So it is especially thrilling to have you here with us today.

SKRIKER (winking): Great to see you again, baby.

ROSE: Thank you for having us. Nice to see you again and all.

DANI: Every time we do this, there are always new readers who have yet to join the ranks of your fans. Please introduce yourselves in detail.

SKRIKER: Gladly, baby. My name's Skriker, and I'm a hunter of the nasties that dwell in darkness, so to speak. Vamps, weres, shifters...none of 'em are safe from me. I was born to a unique pair--my daddy was a Collector demon, born straight from the flames of the Pit, and my mama was a human and a stripper. They ran into each other in this smarmy peep show where my mom worked called The Neon, and the rest was history. Dad was trying to snatch souls...what he snatched instead was my mom's heart, and losing his own in the process led to the conception of Yours Truly in the back seat of a '68 Chevy Camaro. I was orphaned when I was eleven--my dad, mom, and little brother were killed by demons sent by Hell...the Pit doesn't like to lose its best to a human heart. I lived orphaned on the streets util I was 13, when a werewolf who runs an undergorund fight club and bar took me in. Taught me everything I know. I now cage fight and hunt...and I make loads of cash doing it. Good life for a rascal half-demon.

DANI: Rascal indeed! You are a certified badass. Rose, you are also the offspring of a unique pair, are you not?

ROSE (averting her eyes): Yes...very unique. My father is an angel, one of the biggest and baddest warriors the ranks of Heaven ever saw. He was banished centuries ago and wandered the earth for a long time before he was given a chance to redeem himself--kill my mother, a human artist who took a commission from a demon. Long story short, they fell in love, and my father chose to stay here with her.

DANI: You two met on a hunt, and sparks flew. Not really the sort of thing that is supposed to happen between a half angel and a half demon.

SKRIKER: Nope...we're breaking all the rules, true enough. But Rosie is the love of my life, and I wouldn't give her up for anything. We both know pretty damn well we're not supposed to even breathe the same air, which is why what Rosie gave me for my Dirty 30 was so freakin' special.

(He nudges Rose playfully, and she blushes a deep pink, smiling.)

ROSE: Skrike, you silly dog.

SKRIKER: You know I loved it, baby...oh, did I ever love it.

ROSE: I'm so glad.

DANI: Okay, guys, spill the beans...tell us all about this gift and what it entailed.

SKRIKER: Rosie, you want to take it away?

ROSE: Okay. God knows, no pun intended, that Nephilim and Halflings should never be lovers--angel and demon romances are pretty much unheard of, and rightfully so--but what we have is so special, Dani. Skrike is better to me than any man has ever been, and the more Heaven wants me to hate him, the more deeply and wholly I love him. Sometimes...I don't show him that enough. So I wanted to give him something extra special for his 30th birthday. The answer was my total devotion...my total submission.

DANI: Wow. And by submission you mean...

ROSE (nodding): Yeah, that's right. I became his slave for three days and three nights. Collar, lead, and all. To be blunt, I became his fuck toy, willing to do whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted to do it. He became my Demon Master, and I became his Angel Slave. Oral sex, anal sex, bondage...it was sublime.

DANI: Now, not everyone is into BDSM sex. To be blunt, a lot of people are flat out disturbed by it. Rose, you being a woman and an occasional willing submissive, can best explain what the appeal is to such wild side sex. Will you give us a bit of insight?

ROSE: I definitely want to send the message that this is consenting sex...I willingly offered myself up to Skriker, and was open and willing to receive both pain and pleasure from him. I learned very quickly that the two are very close together, and it made things all the more thrilling. Sure, he slapped me, spanked me, gagged me with my collar...and it did get really brutal at times. But it was everything that I had asked for. Too many people assume that BDSM is automatically some sort of abuse, some sort of non-consenting intercourse. In reality, as the slave, I was the one in control in the end. We had a safety word, and all I had to do was break that out to make everything stop. Skriker was the best Master during those three days--so skilled. He was quite a lady's man before we met, and had had experience in dominating some of his past lovers. There was nothing he did that didn't thrill me to my toes. Through being his submissive, I gained true freedom psychologically. I was able to connect with Skrike in a way that freed us both from the awful pressure of being the "forbidden lovers".

(Skriker leans in and kisses her, and she responds fervently.)

SKRIKER (pressing his forehead to hers): Love you, Rosie.

ROSE: You too, honey. So much.

DANI: It is great to see a couple who is so in love. Skriker, Rose speaks of your skills as a BDSM lover...details, please! Give us a few tasty tidbits!

SKRIKER: Oh, the adventure never ends in old Skrike's bedroom, baby. I have a drawer where I tuck away all my toys...and I brought them all out for my Rosie here. I have all the old standbys--silk and velvet scarves, ball gags, leather shackles--but I like it to get a little more exciting than that for my girl here. Rosie seemed to dig the pinch of the old nipple clamps quite a bit, and the riding crop I busted out when it was time for us to play a little game I like to call Pretty Pony was right up her alley. Then there was the Japanese rope bondage, which I learned from a chick I dated who was from Tokyo back in the day...my dining room table got a good workout when I broke the ropes out for my girl here and gave her a good tying down. We had some fun with food when I asked my Rose to serve me--literally--and then there was the jacuzzi in the Beelzebub Club...oh, wait, don't want to give too much away. (He grins devilishly.)

DANI: Pretty Pony? What on earth is that game, Skrike?

SKRIKER (winking nastily): Basically I have my Rosie strip down for me, leaving on nothing more than a nice pair of really stacked heels, her wrist bonds, and her collar and lead. Then I make her prance around, lifting those pretty legs as high as she can until she's worked up a good sweat. And if she doesn't get them high enough, she gets a nice flick of the crop across her tits and ass. I give her collar a nice jerk as needed to make sure she stays in line...

DANI: Holy crap, that's hot. Rose? Thoughts?

ROSE (grinning): I had welts on my butt and tits for days after. But they were marks of pride. I actually felt a little sad when they finally faded away.

SKRIKER (gazing at her, his look smoky): There's always your birthday, Rosie...

ROSE (gazing at him from beneath her lashes): There's always tonight.

DANI: Whoa...holy shit. Okay, let's wrap this up. I think you two need to get home pretty quick. Thanks for joining us, you crazy supernatural kids. Have fun in the bedroom tonight!

SKRIKER: Always a joy and a pleasure, Dani. Now, if you'll excuse us...pleasure is the reason why we need to split.

ROSE: And pain.

SKRIKER: Oh, yes. And pain.


***

OFFICIAL BLURB:

Rose, Nephil daughter of a Warrior of Heaven, has betrayed her celestial heritage by falling for the guy from the wrong side of the tracks: Skriker, tattooed half-demon hunter, and the most irresistible chunk of hard meat that she has ever taken to her bed.

Rose knows that there is no love in all of Creation more forbidden than that between an angel and a demon, and that knowledge has left her terribly fragmented, despite her passionate love for her Halfling bad boy.

As Skriker's "Dirty 30" approaches, she will offer him the ultimate birthday gift: she will be his devoted sexual slave for three days and three nights, laying aside her angelic pride to fully commit to his pleasure (and hers) with every part of her being...and neither Heaven nor Hell will have any power to stop it.

**Publisher's Warning: This delightfully sordid tale contains graphic BDSM sex, including forceful oral and anal sex, bondage, blindfolding, slapping/spanking, nipple clamps, toe-curling dirty talk, hot wax, and crazy hardcore sex in a church.** 


BUY ON KINDLE HERE