And the winner…

Of Emily Ryan-Davis’s All The Trees In Pearl is…

Kathleen Oxley!!!

Send your email addy to me at allykendall@live.com with your choice of format for the ebook and I’ll gladly hook you up with a copy of Em’s story.

~Ally

You want to lick me where?

I have an ex who, in the breaking-up phase of our relationship, confessed that he’d felt unmanned after seven years of sleeping with a woman who rolled over after sex to masturbate. He didn’t get that I’m just greedy (!)—to him, that was me saying “you’re no good in bed.” This was my first real awareness of insecurity and inadequacy and the effects feelings of less-than could have on a relationship—I didn’t even recognize my own past insecurities until this incident.

Back in my virginal days, the prospect of receiving oral sex did not leave me hot and bothered. At the time, I thought “gross.” Gradually, however, I realized it wasn’t the experience that turned me off so much as the fear. The idea that somebody would be down there with a front row view of that gave me the shivers…and not the good kind.

Thank goodness I got over that and moved on to a, er, varied sex life as an adult. 

My characters haven’t managed to escape the sexual insecurity, even though I’ve worked through (most) of mine. Cora, the main character of my Dragon Queen books, worries about sagging breasts, thighs, tummy—all the places an imperfect woman might find worthy of personal fixation. Sophie’s pregnant belly makes her self-conscious. Amy, of “Unwrapping Amy,” feels less than worthy of her husband of many years and her feelings of unworthiness begin to manifest in bed, to the point she craves the freedom brought on by a power exchange.

A scene in my most recent release, “All the Trees in Pearl,” just would not end as I was writing it. Ethan couldn’t get Margaret to orgasm. She’d come close and start talking. She’d tense up and push his hands away. He couldn’t figure out why and neither could I until recently. I knew she was insecure about something, but couldn’t figure out what—and then it hit me: she was embarrassed by her “O” face. It didn’t matter that he obviously wanted her; her insecurity took over and kept her from enjoying the full experience.

She got over it, though. Ethan continued to want her even after she climaxed. Amy realized that her husband still wanted her despite her feelings of failure. Sophie’s man found her pregnancy indescribably sexy. Cora’s lover kept coming back for her despite her efforts to push him away. Gradually, their insecurities faded under the warm care of men who wouldn’t take any form of “I’m scared” for an answer…

…and who didn’t object to being blindfolded so a girl could keep a few intimate details to herself.

Ever since I realized one of my favorite sexual themes to write about is sexual insecurity, I’ve found myself searching for the sexual weak point in books I read. They’re more interesting to me than the relationship “black moment” because they’re intimate on a raw, stripped-naked level and can’t be covered up for long. They make a story honest for me.

What makes a story honest for you?

 

Emily Ryan-Davis

Visit me at http://www.emilyryandavis.com

*~*~*~*

At the end of the week, one lucky commentor will receive a copy of Emily’s new release, All The Trees In Pearl, so…comment away!  You don’t want to miss a chance at this one!

Gettin’ our freak on with Emily Ryan-Davis next Monday!

The lovely and talented Ms. Emily Ryan-Davis will be joining us here at H & B on Monday to discuss both her new release at Ellora’s Cave, All The Trees In Pearl, and the oftentimes closeted subject of sexual insecurities.  We’re looking very forward to chatting Emily up and we certainly hope you can join us!  

And, of course, what would a guest blog be without a book giveaway!  Check out the blurb and link below to see what you could win for hanging with us and doing what we love best…

Talking about sex.

~*~*~

She believed the man didn’t matter as long as he said yes - until the wrong man vowed to love her beneath….

All the Trees in Pearl
by Emily Ryan-Davis

Available March 21 at Ellora’s Cave

Signed and paid for by one brother.

Ethan Carver didn’t order a wife, but he couldn’t turn away from Margaret Redde’s lush mouth and proper manners. Could he keep up his brother’s deception and make her stay?

Set on fire by the other.

She wanted security and didn’t care where it came from - one brother was as good as the other - until Ethan touched her. One night in his arms changed everything. His hot kisses sent her up in flames and taught her desires she didn’t know she possessed.

Read an excerpt today!

Jennifer Colgan Dishes on The Allure of Fantasies ~

Any discussion about romance, and particularly erotic romance, usually includes talk about fantasies. We all have them [even if we don’t always like to admit it] and reading romance let’s us indulge in those fantasies whenever we need a break from the everyday world. I’ve always believed the allure of fantasy is that it’s safe, even when it feels like it isn’t. In our fantasies, anything can happen, but nothing is permanent. We can erase it all when we’re finished and move on to something else. One of the reasons I chose a tattoo theme for Skin, my latest Ellora’s Cave release, is for exactly the reason that a tattoo is permanent. [Well, okay, they can be removed at great expense and some discomfort] but for general purposes, a tattoo is something indelible. As far as fantasies go it transcends that safety net of ‘erasability.’ When my heroine, Makena Brady, decides to look into getting a tattoo, she steps out of her safe world. She’s finally going to take a much needed walk on the wild side of life. She needs to do something she can’t take back, and when she meets tattoo artist Darq Stone, she discovers that even a temporary tattoo, which will fade in time, can represent a permanent change in her life. Giving herself over to Darq and allowing him to use her body as a canvas for his art form, gives Makena a freedom that only seems attainable by making a permanent and indelible change in her lifestyle. That’s a heady fantasy for most people to consider, but it’s been my experience that those who indulge in that fantasy, without the safety net, if you will, are often all the better for it. What’s your fantasy?   ~*~*~*~*~  Share with us a bit about your fantasies and you could be spending your weekend with a copy of Jennifer/Bernadette’s sexy and sensual Skin!!  At the end of the day, we’ll pick a random commenter from those who spill their secrets–be sure to check back later to see if you’re the lucky winner of the first ever Hot & Bothered contest!  In the meantime, here’s a little inspiration for your imagination… But before we open the floor—or the comment box, as it may be—we’d like to thank Jennifer for guest blogging with us today!  We wanted to do something fun to kick start our new blog and we figured we couldn’t go wrong with a contest!  Especially one involving a book as hot and sensual as Skin!  Jennifer was a trooper and took it one step further by agreeing to blog a little somethin’ somethin’ for us.  Just goes to show once again that…Divas are awesome! ~MJ & Ally  P.S. Visit Jennifer here and her alter ego, Bernadette Gardner, here or at her blog.