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 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

GHOSTS OF WINTER Cover

 

The official cover for GHOSTS OF WINTER: A Black Dog and Rebel Rose Yule Tale. Coming on November 24th 2011 from Rebel Rose Publishing, LLC.

100 Followers Goal Contest

Okay, folks, I have set a new goal...

In celebration of the release and rising sales of my recent book, Coyote Night, I would love to reach 100 followers for my blog. In order to encourage Dani Smith newbies to flock to The Angel's Gate, I am offering a special 100 FOLLOWERS GOAL CONTEST...

When I reach the magic number, all followers will be entered to win not one...not two...but a FULL SET of all of my ebook titles! That is four books total, including Psyche's Gate, Black Dog and Rebel Rose, In The Neon, and Coyote Night! Two followers will win this full ebook collection.

All you need to do is follow, and make sure that your contact info is available via your own blog or profile through Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, or other blogging site. You may also leave a comment with your email addy if you choose.

This contest will end on August 31st 2011. The book sets will be given away ONLY if I reach at least 100 followers. Only followers of The Angel's Gate will be entered, so make sure your name is properly in the pot!

And if we go OVER 100 followers...a third name will be chosen to receive a full set of ebooks!

Good luck to all...and thanks for all your support!

COYOTE NIGHT TRAILER is up!!!

The official COYOTE NIGHT book trailer is now up! Check it out...I created all of the abstract graphics using specil brush techniques in Photoshop. This is my favorite book trailer yet. Enjoy!

Add COYOTE NIGHT to your Goodreads TBR list HERE!

Black Dog and Rebel Rose Receives the Reviewer's Choice Award

Well, it's been one hell of a week for Skriker and Rose fans...not to mention the sick and twisted little author who pulled these two lovelies outta her butt (ME!).

Yes, kids, TwoLips Reviews, one of the hottest erotica review groups in the biz, has fastened to Black Dog and Rebel Rose not onw, but TWO awards, including their most coveted, the TwoLips Reviews Recommended Read Award, a badge of honor placed on only 3% of the books they review. The other award, coming in at a close second to the Recommended Read, is the fab-u-lous Reviewers Choice Award, given to the book that a reviewer found to be the most fabulous that month.

Below is the 5 Kisses review that earned Black Dog and Rebel Rose these coveted honors:

"A dying demon's tip leads Rose to an abandoned town off the beaten path, a place once called Paradise Hill that's no more than an unfortunate run-down shadow of the nice little place it once was, a place where people worked and kids went to school. Now, it shelters things that go bump in the night: vampires, ghouls...and the worst of the worst. Demons. Just what Rose is looking for. As a hunter, it's her job – and her pleasure – to rid the human world of such deviant abominations.



Skriker does two things well. Fuck and kill demons. Women and his father's kind fell at his feet, though in different ways. Handsome as sin, he was glorious to behold, both in bed and in battle against the same monsters that had killed his mother and little brother and dragged his old man off to Lucifer knew where when he was just eleven. Half human, his demon side provides him with all sorts of useful weapons, from his inner hellfire to the black claws that pop out of his fingertips when he shifts into the hideous beast that lurks beneath his rock star looks.


When Skriker arrives in Paradise Hill to hunt the derelict town's newly reported nest of vampires, he finds that another hunter has arrived before him. And Rose, he quickly discovers, doesn't like to share. Skriker has always been able to love 'em and leave 'em, but Rosie...she's not like any woman he's ever known. She's big, tough, and dangerous. And her inner light intrigues the hell out of him, no pun intended. From where did she draw such pure white power? Who was she? And where does she come from?


As they work their bloody way through the vampires and ghouls residing in the Paradise Hill Elementary School, Skriker finally discovers why Rose has a set of wings tattooed on her back. But it's when Rose discovers what Skriker really is that she must decide where her heart lies. Is she with him? Or against him? Zafira, the demon daughter of Lilith, might have something to say about that, since she wants Rose dead in the very worst of ways.


Sequel to Psyche's Gate (Liquid Silver Books), Black Dog and Rebel Rose by Danielle D. Smith is the best Urban Fantasy love story I've ever read. It's a short but action-packed adventure centered around the most unlikely of couples – one of darkness, the other of light. One rides an All-American Harley, the other a “Eurotrash” Ducati. He carries a shotgun, she carries a Glock, and they can both slice and dice with ninja accuracy. Together, they deal in blood, gore, and bodily fluids. Believe me, their raunchy sex does more than just fill up pages. It's profound and entrancing. And most of all it's love – pure, deep, and intense. Each would give his or her life for the other. And you know that they will stand side-by-side against any adversity, something that both Zafira and Rose's all-powerful father find out rather convincingly.


Skriker is tough, strong, and determined to wipe out every single demon single-handedly if he has to. Yet, there's a depth of heart to him that allows him to cry with and for someone else. I loved that about him, even more than I loved his blonde sex appeal. And HE...IS...HOT, ladies! Black leather-clad HOT! In all respects, Rose is his perfect foil. She's a black-haired bitch on wheels, a hard-core killer in combat boots and a body-hugging’ jerkin. But her soul is the other half of his. Together, they're better than Bonnie and Clyde. Better than Bogart and Bacall. Better even than peanut butter and jelly.


Ms. Smith is now hard at work turning Black Dog and Rebel Rose into a graphic novel and screenplay. I would love to see her write a story about Skriker's father, who – if he's even half as tough as Skriker – just has to be alive somewhere and in need of his own Rosie to rescue him."

HOW FABULOUS IS THAT????!!!!!!!!! *Happy dance*

To peek into Skriker and Rose's award-winning world yourself, pick up a copy of BLACK DOG AND REBEL ROSE on Kindle (for sale now on Amazon for just 99 cents US or 71P UK!), the E-book for @3.99, or, if you prefer the lovely feel and smell of ink and paper, the Print Edition is a teenie tiny sacrifice at $12.99. Grab a cold beverage, kick back, and get your sweet funky ON!!!

Black Dog Hits Top Sales at 99 Cents!!!

Today, Solstice Publishing decided to place the Black Dog and Rebel Rose Kindle Edition on sale at a paltry 99 cents...an experiment of sorts between me and the publisher. What did we expect? Truthfully, we weren't sure.

The result?

INCREDIBLE. While other Solstice authors managed to sell only a few books with their prices at 99 cents, Black Dog and Rebe Rose sales skyrocketed to the highest level that they have EVER been...within only one day's time. In a few hours, the Kindle edition sales rank plunged from 156,000 to under 10,000...and continues to fall steadily toward the Top 100.

Will Skriker and Rose's infamous erotic horror romp explode into one of the top 100 spots? Will it even come close? Who knows...but we can dream. :-)

Snatch up a 99 cent Kindle Edition copy of Black Dog and Rebel Rose while the sale is still on...I guarantee that it will be more enjoyable than that vending machine coffee that you were gonna spend that buck on! ;-)

The Sanctuary: where another dream is being born...

"Honestly, the first thing that drew me to this novel was the cover. Yes, I know the rule “Never judge a book by the cover”. I’m one of those readers where the cover is, usually, what draws me to the book. Ms. Smith’s cover reminded me of a well drawn tattoo—one with silken fingers that enticed the viewer to come closer…look at me…touch me….



The characters in Black Dog and Rebel Rose whispered from that cover, and there isn’t enough praise I can pass out for this novel. Black Dog and Rebel Rose is a tantalizing tale of good vs. evil, and their presence is just as cloying as that seductive cover.


I’ll be honest, all girls have a deep passion for the bad boy, and Skyker is just that. Fiendishly handsome, he’s drawn toward one woman who men would sell their soul for, the half angel Rose. When demons meet angels, the world is certainly fiery! Ms. Smith’s tale is a blazing paranormal romance fill with lust, heartbreak, blood, and fire! As a reader, I was drawn into the tale and couldn’t stop reading. Demons, vampires, lust, and graphic passion blast from the pages with exquisitely written world.


Exciting, thrilling, I can’t issue enough praise for this amazing paranormal romance. Black Dog and Rebel Rose was so wickedly HOT I felt my computer screen was ready to explode!


My only complaint—-I wanted more! "

The fantastic above review came courtesy of the lovely Tamela Quijas, a paranormal erotica book reviewer and bestselling author. This wonderful review came to me on the day that my husband set up my new art studio for me...called "The Sanctuary" this little corner of my abode is the very space where I am in the process of creating the graphic novel version of Black Dog and Rebel Rose.

I snapped the above photo before resuming work on the thumbnail sketch phase of the project--essentially the quick sketches of what will eventually be transfered to full 14 x 17 pencil panels once I have these ideas solidified on 8.5 x 11 cheap-as-shit computer paper. As I read Tamela's review of the story that I now slave to commit to visual language, I could not help feeling a warmth for the struggle itself. Since starting work on the graphic novel, I have hit all kinds of speed bumps, including fretting terribly over how to set up these comic-style panels and character poses in convincing, explosive ways that will suck comic book readers in the way...well, the way that Tamela says she was sucked in by the story in novel form. As frustrating as it all has been, it will be a struggle worth going through.

Pregnancy is very much the same, I find. I am now 3.5 months pregnant with my first child, a daughter named Iona, who in December will become the light of my life, as well as her father's. My journey with Iona has been less than easy--indeed, complications in the first trimester were frequent and downright terrifying, and there were times  when we were sure we wouldn't make it. And yet, taped to the wall next to all the sketches of Skriker and Rose above my workspace, there are loads of ultrasound pics showing how "here" Iona is...and it is just so freakin' cool to see these two different creations coming to fruition, side by side.

I am thankful for the journey.

Why I Don't Write Mainstream Paranormal Fiction (and why preggo bedrest eats your brain)

Bedrest can't be good for your brain.

Really.

You lie there and think waaaaay too much.

And everyone knows that thinking never did ANYONE any good.

I was on doctor ordered pelvic rest for the last 2 weeks, and lying there staring at the cieling fan in my bedroom created a lot of opportunity for me to ponder. Ponder, ponder, ponder.

Thinking never did anyone any good.

I have been working on my first anthology, a project that has been interrupted on and off my complications with my pregnancy, and while resting, I found myself in a pensive state (overly so), wondering about a question that has been posed to me on more than one occasion: why don't I take advantage of the trends in the literary market and write a vampire novel? Or werewolf tale? Throw joe public a bone and possibly rake in the big bucks, a la Twilight?

I can't say that I haven't stressed out over the concept--something that's a bit hard for me to admit. All creatives find themselves second-guessing their work from time to time--this is ultimately to be expected. Should I be jumping on the bandwagon? Or should I cherish the mid-sized pubbed cult status that I am earning now and forgo the commercially "right" thing to do?

After rolling this around in my brain for a while, I always find myself coming to the same conclusion: I will never be a "mainstream" fiction writer simply because I CAN'T be! It simply goes against the very grain of who I am. I look at other books in the same genre as my passion--angels and demons--and I see fellow authors falling into the same old mainstream trap. They may have the basis for a killer paranormal tale about a warrior angel, or a freaky badass demon--and then it all goes into the same old recycled pit with a swooning female love interest who is a vampire, or a recent example I stumbled on at Amazon, where the angel is leading a werewolf pack (sorry, but WTF?!)...sure, they may sell a lot more books, but I wouldn't feel right about watering my work down to please the masses. I look at my characters and their extraordinary, outside-the-mainstream adventures, where the only vampires are bullet fodder, and I feel...pleased. Fulfilled in a way that no trendy mainstream plotline under my belt could ever satisfy. Looking back, I have always been that way as a painter, too--Thomas Kincade can kiss my ass, despite all the bazillions of dollars he's raked in.

Not to say that I wouldn't LOVE to be on that NYC Bestseller list...who wouldn't? And yet I have started to think of myself, and others like me--small and mid-sized published (and good quality self-pubbed) authors whose work doesn't fit into the same old mold--as the equivalent of the "indie" bands of the music industry. Sure, they may not be attending the MTV Music Awards (a select few may eventually, but it will not be an easy road), and the teenage groupie masses may not be flinging themselves at us, but what we offer is valuable...something different. Honestly, I adored vamps and weres when I was a teenager--Anne Rice had a definite fan in me--and I can understand the attraction. But let's admit it--the genre has been done to death, and now that it's dead, publishers and their authors keep beating it with the same...stake. If I see one more teenage (or "sexy") vampire with douchebag hair or another Fabio-esque "Alpha" wolf, I'm gonna puke, and it ain't gonna be morning sickness!

So after lying in bed, brain cells wasting away with pregnancy boredom as I rest the womb in which my first offspring is merrily sprouting, I have come to the conclusion that I would not trade my outside-the-vampire-stable work for all the literary world...and I think that my little cult of fans prefer it that way.

*wink*

Artwork: a prelim digital illustration of Rose, the heroine of my book Black Dog and Rebel Rose, as a "badass mama".

Valentine's Day Guest Author: Taige Crenshaw

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I am pleased to welcome Guest Author Taige Crenshaw, here to discuss her latest release, Power of Attraction.


1. What inspired you to begin writing?




Writing has been in my blood and soul forever. For as long as I can remember I’ve always been an avid reader and a writer. When I was a child I used to make up my own stories and share them with my family and friends. As I got older I continued to write. When I went to college I started getting more information on actually writing professionally. I joined some writing organization and started to learn my craft.

2. What was the inspiration behind the characters in your most recent release?



Power of Attraction features Peyton and Wesley who are two complex characters who have so much to face. Their story was inspired by legacies and what happens when you have to face such things.


3. Which character did you have the most fun writing in this story?



They both were.



Peyton Blackstone is a natural born witch who has to face her family legacy, destiny, and a prophecy that could mean her end. When she meets this man she is taken with him but he has some hidden shadows. He has some things he must face. When they find out what it complicates an already tenuous situation.



Wesley McCarty is a man on edge. He thinks he is losing his mind. With unexplained blackouts and mysterious absences he doesn’t know what is ging on. Meeting Peyton he thinks she is an illusion but when he realizes she is very much real he won’t let anything stand in his way to make her his. No matter what he must face he will. But what happens when his own problems come front and center. He is shaken. His beliefs shattered. Can he look past all he learns before it is too late.



There is so much riding on the outcome of what they do.



4. What originally drew you to the paranormal/ dark fantasy genre?



I’ve always been drawn to the what if. What if’s that can happen in the world. I love taking the normal world and making it more. It is fun bring creating worlds.



5. Do you have any favorite paranormal-themed films or TV shows?



I have too many films and TV shows to list.


6. What literary projects can we expect from you in the future?



Indigo Rain, book 1 in my Phoenix Intelligence Agency will be released on March 14, 2011.



I’ve submitted Power of Instinct book 2 in the Blackstone Haven series. Started working on 3rd book in the Blackstone Haven series. And 2nd book in the Phoenix Intelligence Agency. I’m working on some joint projects. There are a few surprises I have in store for the series. I’m also self editing some books in my series that I have at various publishers. It is going to be a sizzling and busy year. LOL.



Here are some places you can find me on the web.



My Website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/



My Blog - http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog



Chat Group ~ Crenshaw Café - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crenshawcafe



To sign up for my Newsletter ~ http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/newsletterandgroups.shtml



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Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora's Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroines, and sexy heroes. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

About the Book:

Power of Attraction

(http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/books/eseries/powerofattraction.htm) - A woman whose destiny has been ordained from birth meets the man who has been prophesied for her--but there is more to him than meets the eye. With prophecies and legacies to fulfill, which way will she go: to a man who may be possibly her mate, or to a dark legacy that could take her life.

Buy Here - (http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1061) at Total-E-Bound.

Mommy, Where Did Skriker Come From?

It's time.
Time to realease the next Danielle D. Smith "power couple" on the masses.
Since the release of Black Dog and Rebel Rose, I have gained many new readers and fans who have developed a strong affinity for my characters. Said affinity has incuded a demand for telling the tale of where everyone's favorite half demon bad boy came from...

Here is a snippet from my upcoming erotic horror story, In The Neon, which my beta readers are practically salivating to get their claws on...


Faust chuckled to himself and soon he had slipped in alone to see Annie.



Once again he waved his hand in front of the token box, like a magician, and the velvet screen had pulled aside, revealing Annie sitting on her stool. This time she was dressed in a purple bustier, flouncy see-through black lace miniskirt and shiny black vinyl stiletto sandals that laced all the way up to her slender thighs. She raised her head and her weary eyes lit up when she saw him.


“Faustie!” she cried merrily, grinning from ear to ear. “You came back!”


Faust sat down on the stained cement floor, cross-legged, and pressed his palm to the Plexiglas that separated them.


“Of course. I couldn’t stay away too long, Annie.”


Annie knelt down across from him and pressed her pale hand to the window; it was as if they could almost touch, and Faust once again felt the most powerful, forbidden emotions rocketing through him like fireworks.


“I missed you,” Annie whispered, her cheeks flushing prettily, like soft pink roses blooming beneath her skin, and he couldn’t agree with her more. “Can I ask you something?”


Faust smiled; she could ask him anything, anything at all. “Of course.”


Annie pushed away from the plexiglass wall and twirled prettily; the sheer lace skirt swirled up around her hips. She paused, her back to him, lifting the skirt to reveal the high ripe slope of her buttocks and tiny floss g-string. Faust sucked his breath in sharply.


By the Master...


“Is my butt looking okay?”


“Looks beautiful,” Faust choked. Annie's green eyes twinkled merrily. She turned to face him; she unhooked the purple bra and suddenly Faust was staring at her gorgeous full breasts. Annie cupped them and gave them an appraising massage, her rose-pink nipples hardening between her fingers.


“Do I need bigger tits?” Her eyes gleamed again. He exhaled raggedly.


Shit...


“No,” he murmured, “why do you ask?”


Annie laughed. She swirled her hips seductively and crouched down before him again.


“The guy who was in here before you said I have a squishy butt and I need a boob job.”


Faust grunted and decided that he had another soul to hunt down later tonight. “A fool. They're all fools, Annie. Your beauty...is paramount. That they would even speak such filth...”


Annie sighed, blushing. “I love the way you talk, Faust.” She ran her fingers through her long blonde tresses and sent his heart pounding in a flurry.


“How have you been outside of here, Annie?” he asked her softly.


She shrugged. “Okay. Nothing out of the ordinary. Same old, same old. I did pick up a copy of Goethe’s story about Faustus and Mephistopheles at a used book store the other day…I think you inspired me to read it a second time.”


Faust found himself grinning hugely. “That is well, Annie. I’m glad I…I inspired something of interest to you. Are you enjoying it again?”


“Quite. Maybe even a little more than I did the first time I read it.”


There was a sweet silence between them, and they gazed at each other, onyx black meeting pale lime green. Annie tapped the glass with a long pink nail and smirked, winking at him.


“You know,” she mused, “we really should make time to meet outside of this place. It might be a little more comfortable to talk without a sheet of plexi between us.”


Faust cocked his head, and his dark eyes gleamed.


“Are you suggesting,” he said softly, “that you would like to meet me elsewhere…perhaps a social calling?”


Annie nodded, grinning; her teeth were straight and white and lovely.


“Yeah, I think I am. Tell me, Faust, are you always a late night man?”


Faust spread his burly arms, his chin raised proudly. “The night is my mistress, and I her eager lover.”


Annie licked her rosy lips then, and something stirred in him, something very much like a whirlwind, one that picked him up and spun him around helplessly like a leaf in a tornado. To Faust, demon-born, this was entirely new. He was not used to feeling so very helpless, so very enamored.


“Very sexy…you have a way with words,” Annie murmured. “What would you say to meeting me here tomorrow night, when my shift is over? I get off early, if you can call midnight early—we could grab a coffee, or something. Talk about books.”


Faust gazed at her, his lips parted; her very words were, on one hand, like a dream come true. She wanted to meet with him, outside of this place, the place where he fished for his victims, where he plucked the Master’s fruit and sent them screaming to Hell in a hand basket. And he wanted to; oh, how he wanted to, if only to be near her in the open air, to smell her perfume and hear the rustle of her clothing up close. Another part of him, the dutiful demon who knew only one thing


(damnation of all)


screaming and pounding at his skull


(we are not of God we do not love we do not do not do not!!!)


and he suddenly found himself pushing away at that voice, that screeching infernal beastie that was him, or what he had thought he was, up until now.


By the Master…is she transforming me?


He pushed the thought away and pressed his hand once again to the glass.


“Annie,” he said, “it would be my pleasure.”


She grinned hugely, her jade eyes sparkling, and he sighed audibly at the joy in her face.


“Great, Faust. I’m so glad. Tomorrow night then. Midnight.”


“As you wish. The witching hour it is. I shall…see you on the morrow.”


There was a rusty clank and the velvet curtain swished closed, separating them once again.


(c) Danielle D. Smith
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!!!
http://www.danielledsmith.com

BD&RR RELEASE WEEK CONTEST!!!

My second novel, the wickedly dark erotic horror tale, Black Dog and Rebel Rose, has been released by Solstice Publishing and is now available to the book-hungry masses!

BUY EBOOK EDITION HERE 
(Paperback coming on September 30th)

To celebrate this release I am hosting a week-long contest for my readers and fans! I am giving away 3 Prize Packs featuring fun and unique items that fit the Black Dog and Rebel Rose theme!

To enter the BD&RR Release Week Contest, please leave a comment on this post including your email address. You do not have to be a follower to enter, however, I am giving extra entries for Angel's Gate blog followers (see below). Giveaway will end on Wednesday September 8th at Midnight (USA Pacific Standard Time). All entries posted after that time will be disregarded and not entered in the contest. Winners will be notified by email.

To Earn Extra entries:

+1 Follow The Angel's Gate

The Prizes:

First Prize: Genny

*Handmade Skull and Blue Rose Tattoo Necklace
(Created by artist The Ring Leader)
*One copy of the BD&RR Mixtape CD
*Prize Pack of Bookmarks, Postcards, and Magnets









Second Prize: E.J. Stevens

*Handmade Hot Pink Rose Post Earrings
(Created by artist The Ring Leader)
*Copy of the BD&RR Mixtape CD
*Prize Pack of Bookmarks, Postcards, & Magnets










Third Prize: 5 Winners:
Michelle
Miranda
Pooks226
Stacey
Miss Lenore

*Copy of the BD&RR Mixtape CD
-- A compilation of music that made up the inspirational "soundtrack" repeatedly listened to as I wrote the story. This compilation includes music by Puscifer, Hank Williams III, 16 Horsepower, Alice in Chains, and much more!
*Prize Pack of Bookmarks, Postcards, and Magnets








CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS!!! :D


(NOTE: Black Dog and Rebel Rose is a work of erotic fiction. This story contains graphic sexual content and is not appropriate for readers under the age of 18.)
(Disclaimer: No book purchase necessary. The songs included on the BD&RR Mixtape are the sole property of their copyright holders. Winners of the BD&RR Mixtape are strongly encouraged to support the included artists by purchasing their music. No profit is being made by Danielle D. Smith, the Author, from the giveaway of this mixtape.)