EEEK! I've Been Tagged for the #NextBigThing

Well what do you know? I've been tagged to participate in the Next Big Thing blog hop. Thank you, Paloma Beck for the tag! If you don't mind, I'm going to "borrow" the graphic that Paloma used on her post about this hop, so it helps to connect us a bit. ;) Now for the rules of the hop:

1. Give credit to the one(s) who tagged you...Thank you, Paloma! 
2. Answer the following eight questions about your latest work in progress.
3. Tag five other authors and let them know you've tagged them.

Okay, so here we go! Since I have multiple WIPs, I think I'll concentrate on the third book in my Now and Forever series, The Surrender of Julia. It basically takes place at the same time at my new release The Island, but follows another set of characters only briefly mentioned in book two.

What is the title of your book?
The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
From my publisher. When I first submitted The Island for consideration, Siren felt there was too much story and suggested a revision, basically making it into two books. I was thrilled with that since I really wanted to delve into bad girl Julia's story more.  Julia Santos was just mentioned a few times in the first book of the series as part of the hero's past. Several readers wanted to know more about her, and so did I.

What genre does you book fall under?
It's an erotic contemporary romance with fantasy elements. It also is at it's heart F/F romance with some menage moments and I get to explore more of the BDSM world with Julia and her Mistress. Spanking, bondage, toys, nipple clamps, etc, etc. 

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie? 
Julia in my mind is played by Selma Hayek. Jacob Hartley is portrayed by Christian Kane and Quinn Hartley has always been Alyssa Milano. As for Julia's Mistress Carmen Hall...not sure. She sort of changes in my mind with each scene I write for her. Julia's nemesis Mario Carlos is also a jumble at this point. I'll have to get back to you with those answers when I know better myself.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 
It's still a work in progress. Basically I've been working on it off and on for the last few months. I find that I can't stick to one WIP at a time. My mind goes to mush and I have to switch gears to keep things going. Sometimes I just have to put it all away and work on other things like promotion.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I wouldn't know where to start. This story is all my own, but I take a bit here and there from everything I encounter. I may like the way an author portrays a sex scene or a heart-wrenching betrayal scene and throw my characters in that similar situation. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the readers think on this one.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
This entire series was inspired by events going on in my own life. I worked through a lot of pain, depression, heartbreak and betrayal in the writing of these books and in the end found myself along the way. I tried to make sure my characters did the same. Julia started out looking like one evil bitch but once I peeled back the layers, I found a woman lost and looking for her soul mate. Everyone deserves that chance, so I gave it to her too.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? How about a teaser?
This is my first venture into F/F erotic romances. Julia basically loves sex with both men and women, but deep down she's searching for the one person who can make her truly happy. She appears to be the aggressor in many of her encounters but in actuality, she longs to be DOMINATED.  Her's a snippet of one scene where she is getting ready for her arrival of Carmen, her Mistress.

ADULT EXCERPT (Very explicit!)

She stepped out of the tub and reached for one of the large fluffy towels to dry off her now relaxed body. Her hair was piled on top of her head clamped in one of the banana clips she found in the vanity drawer. It was hand crafted using two pieces of jade and made Julia smile. It was the very first gift she had given to Carmen after their trip to Hawaii almost 13 years ago now. The color looked beautiful in her blonde hair and actually made several appearances in Julia’s paintings. She always respected Carmen’s wishes to not put her into any of her artwork, but seeing the jade hair clip always made both of them smile and reminisce. 

Looking back at her reflection in the mirror she saw the shy gray-eyed little girl who first came to LA hoping to make it big and prove everyone in her home town in Missouri wrong. She wasn’t a freak or trailer trash like her parents. She was somebody and it was time to reclaim her true self. Julia left the bathroom and walked naked toward the large walk-in closet. She went directly to the chest of drawers on the far corner and opened the top drawer. Inside she found the boxes of bell clamps Mistress had directed her to wear. After choosing one of the boxes, she then turned to peruse the rest of the closet. She didn’t have far to look for the boots. A shelf of several pairs was to her left. One pair in particular, spoke to her. Without hesitation, she chose the patent leathers with the five inch heels that laced from the top to toe. Of course there was a zipper on the inside of the boot to make it easier to get them on and off, but Julia never felt sexier than when she slowly laced herself up in those boots.

The clamps were coated with latex to help them grip to her flesh comfortably and yet hold on tight enough to not slip off during play sessions. The weight of the bells caused the clamps to tug on her nipples each time her breasts moved. There was nothing like that sensation for Julia and she felt the immediate rush of warmth between her thighs with each jiggle and jingle of her tits. To attach the last two clamps, she had to sit on the bed and spread her legs wide. Grasping first her right and then her left outer pussy fold between her thumb and forefinger, she fit the clamps into place.  There was a separate ring on each of the clamps where Mistress could attach a fine gold chain leash, tugging on it to keep Julia’s attention focused on the tasks at hand, and reminding her not to cum until given permission.

(all rights reserved. ©Tammy Dennings Maggy 2012)

Thank you for stopping in and allowing me to share one of my works in progress. Now for the authors I've decided to tag. It may take them at bit to get their posts up, so please be patient and check in on them often!

Amber Lea Easton

Morticia Knight

Rose Anderson

Alexandra Anthony

Natasha Blackthorne

Guest author Jan Graham: A Woman Who Loves to Write

About the Author 

I live on the fringe of both Sydney and the Southern Highlands in NSW, Australia. I have enjoyed writing throughout different periods of my life, but it is only now that I have the ability to work on it in a full time capacity. I love the imagery the written word creates in one’s mind and therefore I am an avid reader as well as an author.

At the end of 2010, after many years of working in the “real” world, I finally decided to make writing my career. Finding Angel is my first novel to be published.

I am pleased that I’m finally able to give the characters that swirl around my head on a constant basis the opportunity to put themselves down on paper, and hopefully entertain others as much as they amuse me.

Jan Graham's Blog

I’m really excited about the release of my first novel, Finding Angel. I’m also grateful that Tammy has graciously allowed me to guest blog on the day of its release. For me the Thirtieth of November will now always be remembered as the day of my first book release.

I didn’t know what I’d blog about today. I know, you would think it would be the book, but that didn’t feel like the right thing to do. When I read a blog I want to know about the person blogging, thoughts, ideas and the like. The only problem is I don’t think I’m very interesting. I think the characters I write are spectacular, me…not so much.

When you write a novel and someone says “yes we’ll publish it”, emotional reactions are expected. Dancing, screaming with excitement, jumping for joy are all typical responses I guess. I do those things now.  Well, I did that with my second contract. When my first contract came through, I burst into tears, reached for the phone and rang my best friend. The fact it was before the crack of dawn didn’t sink in, and consequently she thought someone had died. You know, really early morning phone call, someone crying on the other end of the phone. I’m not sure about the rest of the world but in Australia that usually equates to someone being dead, or some kind of bad news. But that’s not what I’m blogging about today, so I better get on with it.

When the time for publication gets closer, authors are asked to write a bio that can be used to accompany promotional material, and also to appear in the book. Simple request really, just tell everyone about you. I read other author’s bios. They all sound really interesting. They talked about where they lived, outside activities, family, children, writing awards and even pets…I contemplated buying a cat.

Finding Angel buy link

I do have family and friends, just none I live with. I enjoy going out, but didn’t see the relevance in telling everyone about it. Ultimately I decided I’m just a woman who loves to write. So that’s basically what my bio says, except I did fluff it out a bit. I think it’s a paragraph long now, some day it may read like a novel and fascinate people, but at the moment it’s just a woman who writes. I write about what interests me, I write the sort of book I like to read. Even though my bio may be one dimensional, my writing isn’t. I’m all for reading about down and dirty sex, erotic tales of decadence but I want more than just the naughtiness. I want a book that will engage me, make me wonder what’s coming next, not just who is. I like to write about characters motivations, what makes them tick and give them personality and life. I write characters that seem real, who have friends, interests outside of the bedroom. Ordinary people finding love despite the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in.

If you decide to buy Finding Angel I hope you enjoy the story, the characters, the humor, the action and of course, the down and dirty sex. Oh and just ignore the bio, unless you’re a woman who loves to read, then you’ll probably understand the life of me…a woman who loves to write.

Book blurb:

Angel Wylde is a woman with a complicated existence, a damaging past, and a desire to be normal. Unfortunately, what’s normal to Angel is unconventional to the rest of us. A crime boss will kill to get an incriminating ledger from her. Detective Steve Jax also wants the ledger from Angel, but the infuriating woman has disappeared.
Christian and Daniel Shore, Steve's two best friends, don’t know about the ledger. They just want Angel. A chance meeting has them taking her home and deciding she is the only woman for them—yes, both of them. Obviously, Angel isn’t the only one with unconventional desires. So who does Angel trust? Two kinky Doms she just met, a cop she doesn’t know anything about, or a nasty crime boss? Trusting all of them may save her life, and falling in love with two Dominant brothers is the icing on the cake.

Story Excerpt from Finding Angel 

Angel felt someone grab her arm and turned around to see the blonde Adonis she had just teased attached to it. As she got to the entrance of the foyer, he was still holding on to her, his arm now hooked through hers.

“Wait,” she heard him say. “Hello, I’m Christian, and I just came down to ask you to our party.”

Angel had no intention of going anywhere with him, even if he was good enough to eat. She walked a little further into the foyer, away from the downstairs crowd, and turning around, glanced up at the private club room window to see the other sexy man-God watching them. She looked back at the blond Adonis standing next to her and gasped. His eyes were the most gorgeous brown, just like milk chocolate, and she wanted to melt into them. Angel fought the urge to reach out and run her fingers through the shoulder length curls of his blonde hair.

“Christian?” she asked, watching him nod before she continued. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m going home.” Angel smiled before gently unlinking her arm from his.

“Come on.” He winked at her. “Come to my brother Daniel’s welcome home party. We’ll have fun, I promise.”

Angel sighed. He was standing so close, and even in her platform boots, she had to look up to see his dreamy eyes and perfectly formed luscious lips that begged to be kissed. Any other time she would have said yes, but not now. Everything was still too complicated to meet someone new at the moment. Angel hoped she didn’t have to get nasty if he kept insisting. He seemed nice, and she’d hate to have to get nasty and deflate his Dom ego. She glanced back up at the window to see that the dark-haired God had disappeared.

“I’m sure we would.” Angel took a step back. “But I didn’t come here to meet anyone. I just came to see friends and have a dance, which I’ve done. I apologize for doing that thing with the straw. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea. I get a little flirty when I drink.” Angel felt her face heat up. “I didn’t think you would come down here.”

Angel turned to walk away and was startled to hear a deep male voice that sent an erotic shiver up her spine.

“What if it’s just a no strings attached come and dance and get to know us invite,” he said.

Angel turned around to see the dark-haired God who had disappeared from the window moments before. He was nearly the same height as the blond Adonis but had short dark hair rather than the alluring curls of the other man. His shoulders were broad and firm, just the sort of thing Angel would imagine sinking her nails into as she orgasmed beneath him. She felt her heart begin to race and moisture pool between her legs. Being in such close proximity to them was intoxicating, but she knew these men were way out of her league. And she couldn’t let herself walk into something that would end up breaking her heart. Even though the sheer dominant male force they presented nearly overwhelmed her, she had the feeling that they were two really nice men. They hadn’t grabbed her boobs or used crude pickup lines on her, even after the now regrettable straw sucking incident. For a moment Angel nearly accepted, but then she suddenly remembered her genetic flaw and told herself that looks could be deceiving.

“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept, and if I don’t leave now, I’ll miss my train,” Angel stated politely. “I got the barman to call me a cab, and it’s probably waiting for me outside.”

“Fair enough. If you have to go, then we accept that.” Angel heard a hint of disappointment in Daniel’s voice and she got the distinct impression that it was far from what he wanted to say. If the look of lust that filled his gaze was anything to go by then letting Angel leave was the last thing he wanted to do.  

“Of course we don’t have to like that you’re leaving without spending time with us.” Angel’s gaze moved back to Christian. “Sure you won’t reconsider?” his smile was more than charming.

They were losing her. Christian wanted to grab hold of her and beg her to stay, or pick her up and kidnap her back to their house. As he looked at her succulent body and felt her sweet voice swamp his senses, he had to fight the urge to get all primal and claim her as his own.

“Thank you.” Her eyes moved from one brother to the other. “It was nice meeting you both. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

Christian saw her smile before turning to walk away. He felt like he was losing something more precious than life as she walked toward the door. She suddenly turned back around, her eyes locking onto Daniel’s.

“Oh, I forgot to say something.” her eyes twinkled as she spoke “Welcome home, Daniel.”

“Wait, what’s your name?” Christian called after her as she turned away again.

“Cinderella,” she yelled back over her shoulder, laughing as she walked out the door. 

How to find Jan Graham

Website: http://www.jangraham.com.au

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jan_graham

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JanGrahamAuthorpage

Blog: http://jangraham.blogspot.com/

Find out more about Jan and her latest release Finding Angel on Behind Closed Doors.  See you there!

From one woman who loves to write to another, thank you so much for sharing your release day with us!  Congratulations!