What's Your "One of these days I will..."?

Over at GoverningAna, Starla Kaye has a post about her experiences as a spanking story writer. One statement from Starla really stuck out to me:

 It always seems that if you mention to someone that you’re a writer, they respond with “I’ve been thinking about writing a book, too. One of these days…” Well, I went that extra step about twenty-five years ago and actually wrote my first book.

As most of you know, in real life I'm a lawyer. Often when I meet people and they find out I'm a lawyer they say something like "I thought about going to law school" or "I always wanted to be a lawyer". It seems like another of those "one of these days I will..." sort of things.

When I found myself saying the same sort of thing to writers, I realized I didn't want to be one of those "someday..." people so I got serious about writing.

What about you? What's your "One of these days I will...."?

Write a book?
Run or walk a marathon?
Play the piano?
Skydiving?

Is 2013 the year that you go from "One of these days..." to "Today"?

Merry Christmas To All and To All A Good Night

I've been busy trying to think of a clever Christmas post, but decided to go with simple.

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing all of you a joyous holiday.

 

 

 

Kat and Nat Write to Santa---And Mrs. Claus

Anastasia Vitsky has kindly forwarded a copy of the letters that Kat and Nat have sent to the North Pole. I have a feeling that Nat does not take kindly to tampering with the mail, so hide your wooden spoons!

Dear Santa,

I'm sure you're very busy and have many things to do, so if you don't mind could you please not bring me anything this year?  Could you also make sure that Natalie doesn't give me any gifts, either?  Her hints about my present make me worried.

Sorry to cause you trouble.

Kat

Dear Mrs. Claus,

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your unceasing efforts throughout the year.  It is indeed unfortunately true that you do the lion's share of the work while Santa receives almost all of the credit.  Second, I'd like to suggest that instead of setting out milk and cookies this year that we donate them instead for children who are in need.

 

Finally, may I please ask where you get your wooden spoons?  Mine never seem to last longer than a few months.

 

Respectfully,

 

Natalie

 You can read all about Kat and Nat this spring when The Way Home is published.  

Blurb:

The Way Home

 

Natalie always wanted a little sister.  Kat didn’t know she was allowed to want anything…or anyone.

 Kat, a shy farmgirl, arrives at her freshman dorm with a backpack, two suitcases, and her mother’s wish for Kat to attend college “at least until you get married”.  Her roommate Natalie, a confident and fun-loving social butterfly, has decided sight unseen that Kat will become her honorary sister.  Natalie teaches Kat about college life, academics, and friendship by taking Kat under her wing…and over her knee.  

 Then their lives fall apart one fateful night on campus, and for the rest of the decade Kat and Natalie struggle to find their way back to each other.  Their way home. 

 Warning: This book contains scenes of spanking in a domestic discipline relationship. 

 Excerpt:

            “I’ll be doing it, too,” Natalie says with infuriating calm.  “Or you can pay the penalty.”

            “The penalty?” I ask in disbelief.  Mentally I tell myself to stop repeating whatever she says, but with no success.

            A little smile creeps into the corners of Natalie’s mouth, and she gazes at me directly as she says, “A spanking.”

            The words hang in the air for a moment as I struggle for a response.  I wait for her to laugh, or crack a smile, or to tell me that she is joking.  Instead, I feebly repeat her words yet again.

            “A…a…spanking?”

            A firm nod. 

            You’ve got to be kidding, I think.  I stare at her, flabbergasted. 

            Natalie stands up, goes over to her dresser, and takes out a thick wooden spoon.  She holds it out toward me, but I sit frozen on the bed. 

            “Stand up,” she commands.

            Against my will, I find my legs unfolding as I rise to my feet.  There is something about the quiet, calm confidence that prevents me from backing away or protesting. 

            Very gently, almost lovingly, Natalie guides me over to the dresser and puts my hands on the top to brace myself.  She puts her left hand on my back and then rests the spoon against the seat of my jeans.  I feel a sudden tingle and shiver.  She taps the spoon lightly.

            “Yes,” she answers my unspoken question.  “A spanking.”

            Whap!

            Even though she’s given me many cues, the crack of the wooden spoon on my bottom takes me by surprise.  I jump up despite her restraining hand, and my hands fly back to rub the sudden burning sensation in my backside.  I give Natalie a startled, shocked look before dropping my mortified gaze to the floor.  My cheeks burn. 

            Natalie reaches out and lifts my chin with her cupped hand.  “Sit down,” she says in a sweet and gentle voice. 

            I sit immediately, my mind whirling with all kinds of confused thoughts.

            Natalie sits down on the bed next to me, and she puts the wooden spoon in my lap.  I blush and squirm away, but her arm around my shoulder keeps me next to her.  Her voice is soft but firm.

            “What do you think about our cleaning rule?” she asks pleasantly, even conversationally.  I manage to squeak out a small, “Fine” before she gives me a hug.

            “We’re going to be the best roommates and friends ever,” she whispers in my ear, and the faint warmth in my bottom creeps into my heart. 

 

On the Road---Come Visit Me At Ana's Blog

I'm visiting Anastasia Vitsky today for Fika to chat about enjoying ebooks without an ereader or a big budget. 

”Fika” (pronounced FEE-kah) is a Swedish term for enjoying coffee, tea, and sweets over conversation with friends.  It is a sacred tradition in many families, friends, and even workplaces, and it offers a chance to chat informally on a number of topics.  While “Fika” may refer specifically to the coffee, in practice it refers to the moment of community.  In this hectic world, it is nice to take a moment to stop, pause, and savor time getting to know a little more about each other.

I'm going to be making my grandma's sugar cookies to take along so pour yourself a cup of something good and come over and join the conversation.

Letter to Santa from Paloma Beck's Coming Home

I'd like to Welcome Paloma Beck today who is here to share from her new release, Coming Home. Sounds like a great read. I hope you'll all check it out.

Title: Coming Home

Series: Coming Home, Book One

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Elements: Adult Language, Explicit Sex

Author: Paloma Beck

Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing

ISBN: 9781618854254

Page Count: 142

BLURB

Rachel Porter, a romance writer, has told her three sons tales of finding their true love since they were just boys. She believes there is just one match for every person. Now as men, they have yet to discover their soul mates. That is, until they come home…

Ryan Porter, Rachel’s oldest son, needs a change from his busy city lifestyle. After five years of living in New York and establishing his own real estate firm, something is still missing. When a family tragedy brings Ryan back to his family’s rural home, he meets Tyra. She just might be the catalyst for the change he needs, redirecting the course of his life; but first he has to accept his relationship with his parents and embrace Tyra’s secrets.

LETTER TO SANTA

Tyra’s daughter, Layne, writes her annual letter to Santa. I snuck it from their mailbox before the postman took it to deliver to the North Pole. It was just so sweet; I had to share it with you. I hope you enjoy this little girl’s letter as much as I did. - Paloma

Dear Santa,

Thank you for bringing me exactly what I asked for last year. It took a long time after Christmas for my present so I thought maybe you’d forgot. Then he came –a new daddy- home. I know he’s not my actual daddy but now he belongs to me and I know it was you who sent him. Mommy said it’s magic when two people fall in love and you are the most magical personal I know!

So this year, I have an even bigger present to ask for. Well, actually, it’ll start out pretty little and then grow up to be the best little brother or sister I could ever have. Don’t tell daddy what I’m asking for because it makes him all sweaty when mommy mentions it. Let’s just let him be surprised!

Love from one of your elves on the nice list,

Layne

 

SPECIAL EXCERPT

He stood still, afraid that anything he did would give his mother too much information. But he knew it was too late—his heart was an open book, it had been so raw from the funeral, he wasn’t capable of hiding anything. “Yes, mother, you were right,” Ryan rolled his eyes but smiled just the same, shaking his head.

“Oh, my stories that you gave so little credence to, they’ve been realized.” She was teasing him, he knew; and it was good to have this banter with his mother again. He’d missed her.

“Don’t gloat, mother,” Ryan teased her right back, laughing at her pleased expression as he walked over to the closed door. When he opened it up, a blur of red hair came springing into the room. It had to be Layne with those springy red curls framing her little cherub-like face. She ran straight for his mother with her arms spread out on either side of herself, open for a hug before she even reached her destination.

“Grandma Rachel,” the little girl screeched as she hugged his mother. Yep, he had no question in his mind just who that little girl was. She was the spitting image of her mother, just as beautiful and so full of energy. He stood back and watched his mother’s face light up.

Henry walked up behind him and patted his back. Davis moved in next to Ryan in the doorway. “Who’s the little red bomb?” he asked.

“That, I believe, would be Layne, Tyra’s daughter,” Ryan answered. Both brothers looked at Ryan, stunned by his calm. They exchanged looks and grinned.

“Shit, why the hell aren’t you running scared, big bro?” Davis asked.

“It’s crazy, I know, but I don’t want to,” Ryan answered honestly as Tyra slipped in behind him. He watched her watch her daughter. He had never seen that light in her face before—she glowed—and he adored it. Framed by her bright red hair with her blushed cheeks and amazing smile, he had never seen a more beautiful woman. He had to shake himself from his revelry.

After a few minutes, Layne looked over at all the people watching, surveying the brothers and then catching sight of her mother. Not waiting for Tyra to introduce him, Ryan walked over to his mother and Layne, squatted down to their level and introduced himself, “Hi there, little lady. My name is…”

“Ryan!” Layne yelled as she opened her arms and hugged him. Tyra moved near him, trying to pry Layne’s hands apart until Ryan realized what she was doing and stopped her. He toppled backwards and Layne giggled, believing she was the one to make him fall.

“She’s okay, Tyra,” he assured her before teasing, “Unless of course you’re jealous already.”

“I tackled him, Momma,” she giggled, “Uncle Henry said you weren’t as strong as him. He was right.” He eyed Henry but had to laugh along with Layne. Her giggling was infectious.

“Oh, did he? Uncle Henry and I will have to wrestle sometime so you can see for yourself who is stronger,” Ryan suggested to Layne.

She looked over to her mother and then to Henry for affirmation. When he nodded, she said, “You’re on!”

“I’m afraid that will have to wait for another day. Today we have guests to attend to. Shall we, Layne?” Rachel extended her hand and walked out of the room with Layne at her side.

“Be careful with her. Mother just might teach her a few things,” Davis said.

“There could be many worse things to imagine than that,” Tyra shrugged and followed them out.

BUY LINKS

SECRET CRAVINGS 

AMAZON:

BARNES & NOBLE:

All Romance Ebooks:

AUTHOR BIO & LINKS

Paloma Beck is an erotic romance writer in both the contemporary and paranormal realms. Happily married and living a life of total contradiction, Paloma runs carpool service for her three sons, volunteers in PTA and teaches religious education.

Then in the moments when her characters talk to her, she journals their stories - and they are anything but PG. Paloma believes a daily dose of espresso and a good book make any day better.

BLOG:                                   http://RomanceBeckons.blogspot.com

WEBSITE:                             http://palomabeck.weebly.com

TWITTER:                             https://twitter.com/PalomaBeck

FACEBOOK:                        http://www.facebook.com/PalomaBeckAuthor

FACEBOOK PAGE:            http://www.facebook.com/thePorterBrothers

GOODREADS:                    http://goodreads.com/PalomaBeck

AMAZON:                           http://www.amazon.com/Paloma-Beck

TUMBLR:                             http://palomabeck.tumblr.com/

PINTEREST:                         http://pinterest.com/PalomaBeck

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday. You can find links to nearly 200 writers who will be posting six sentences from their work here.

This my six sentences are from Judge Not: Class Reunion which is part of Legal Briefs: Over The Knee Justice.

Jimmy attends a high school reunion with his wife, Eileen. Throughout the night, Eileen exaggerates and pushes the limits of the truth in order to impress her classmates. Eventually, Jimmy has enough.

“You might have more education than me,” Jimmy said as he pulled the short skirt of her red dress up and exposed her rounded bottom. His hand came down in a firm swat on her left cheek. “And you might earn more than me.” His hand cracked down on her right cheek.

“Are you nuts?”

     He ignored her and continued with his corrective measures.

You can read a sample or buy the story on Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed Six Sentence Sunday. I'll see you next week.

Oh So Nice...and Naughty Letter to Santa

It's an exciting day! Starla Kaye is here to give away a prize and share an excerpt from her book Oh So Nice...and Naughty. 

If your letter to Santa this year included a request for a fun Christmas Treat from Starla Kay ( I know mine did) then this is your lucky day. Starla will be giving away this pillow to one lucky commenter who answers either of these two questions: What is your favorite Christmas Song? Or what Christmas song do you find most annoying? 

And now...Oh So Nice...and Naughty. 

Dear Santa,

I have this annoying still-a-virgin problem that I need help with.  Specifically, I need a certain hunky, very stubborn rancher (Sean Masters) to take me to bed…his, mine, or anywhere else. No other man will do. But I don’t need him permanently. I’m not into marriage and he isn’t either.

I realize this probably isn’t the usual kind of request you get, but maybe this is a good change of pace for you. A challenge. And, believe me, this man will be a definite challenge for you.

Sincerely,

Kandee O’Connor (desperate and extremely horny)

P.S. You could even fulfill my heartfelt wish any time before Christmas, since I know you’re so busy on Christmas Eve.

BLURB:

Kandee O’Connor left her home town as soon as she could, heart-bruised, and determined to never return for more than a visit.  But she’s tired of her career that has kept her too busy for any kind of relationship, even for losing her virginity. Now she’s gone home and comes face-to-face with the boy—now a man—who was partly responsible for why she’d left all those years ago. Her feelings are stronger than ever for him…and she wants him to help her with the virginity problem, but that’s all. Right?

Sean Masters left his home town and became a successful pro-football quarterback, but now his football career is over. He’s lost, expected to take over the family ranch, but doubts he can do it.  His life is a mess. Then he runs into Kandee, a girl—now a beautiful woman—who he still feels guilt over for something that happened when she was sixteen. In some twisted way, she wants him to right the wrong he’d done her. She wants him to be her first lover. What she needs is a good spanking and he’s just the man to give her one.

EXCERPT:

Roping and tying up Sean and having her way with him sounded so wicked, so out of character for her. She’d have to dig out those books she’d bought and study up on just what some wicked ways entailed. A brazen idea flashed in her mind, no doubt due to the recent number of naughty books she’d been reading. Books where women challenged their strong, alpha men until the men bent them over their knee for a sound spanking. Or where seductive women enticed their willing men into warming their bottom, leading to some major sex. Spanking foreplay. Now that sounded intriguing.

Her heart pounded at the naughty thoughts and her clit fluttered. Sean had such nice big hands. How would they feel against her bare bottom? And his fingers were big, too, long. She’d read about men putting…

“Are you all right?” Aimee interrupted her heated musings. “You’re looking kind of funny.”

“Just thinking.” Kandee grinned, knowing her cheeks were hot, but not nearly as hot as her visions. “Thinking about some things you don’t need to know about.”

Aimee smiled as Sally Mae set her pancakes down. Then after the older woman walked away, she said pointedly, “I’d bet they have to do with Sean.”

Ain't Too Proud to Beg---Letter to Santa

Today's Letter to Santa is from Vaughn Breland the hero of Chicki Brown's recently released Ain't Too Proud to Beg. Here's a little bit of Vaughn's story.

Hollywood film star Vaughn Breland has wrecked is beloved Lamborghini, lost his latest movie role, the use of his legs and possibly his fabulous good looks. He's depressed and mad at the world and then he meets Trenyce Clarke, his new physical therapist. Trenyce and her beautiful three-year old daughter give him a new outlook on life.

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Dear Santa,

I haven’t written to you since I was a kid, but this isn’t one of my 1983 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Koosh Ball requests.

 

Since you supposedly see when we’re sleeping and know when we’re awake, I don’t have to tell you what my life has been like lately. For the past few years I've been in Hollywood, I haven't had to even think about finding female companionship. It finds me. The amazing thing is most of these women don't even want any kind of commitment. They're quite happy just sharing my bed and my wallet.

Now that I've had this near fatal car wreck, everything has changed. I'm stuck here in Colorado with both legs broken and my face all jacked up from hitting the windshield. Not one of those honeys has even called to see whether I was alive or dead, but that’s not the problem.  

You see, I’ve met this woman. Her name is Trenyce Clark, and she’s my physical therapist. Trenyce is different from any woman I’ve ever met. Of course, she’s beautiful. Too beautiful to be working as a PT, if you ask me. She’s so serious, and isn’t the least bit impressed by my star status. I guess she has to be serious though. Her three-year-old daughter is depending on her. That’s another thing I don’t understand. Normally, kids make me itch. Yet, for some reason, this mini-beauty doesn’t. The other day I even let her hug me. Right now, other than my buddy, Devon and his wife, Zahra and her mom are the only people that seem to care about what happens to me.

 

Well, let me get to the point. I’m not writing to ask you for stuff like I did when I was young. What I need from you is some courage. Dev says I’ve fallen for Trenyce and for Zahra, and I’ve never been in this predicament in my life. Either I need to be transported back to L.A. and get out of this mess or I need face up to the craziness churning inside me.  

If you hand out that kind of gift, I need it ASAP. If not, maybe you could just replace my Lamborghini.

 

Sincerely, 

Vaughn Breland

Oh...this sounds like an intriguing story. I like a man who can write a letter. Here's an excerpt from Ain't Too Proud to Beg.



“Vaughn, it’s Reese.”

“Reese, how are you?” I couldn’t wait to hear her explanation of why it took this long to call.”

“How am I? Why didn’t you call me and let me know you were all right?”

I almost checked out, and she has the nerve to have an attitude? “My phone died.” And I almost did too. “I’m recovering pretty well. Thanks for asking.”

Her tone softened. “I’m sorry, but I just thought all this time I hadn’t heard from you because you were mad at me.”

Insecure women were such a pain in the ass. “Now aren’t you glad you didn’t come along?”

“That’s not funny, Vaughn. I’m so happy you’re okay.”

“Has the media given any details?”

“What kind of details?” she asked, sounding suspicious.

“About my injuries.”

“No, the report I saw just said you were in a serious car crash. Why? Is it worse than they made it sound?”

“You could say that. My face is jacked up. I broke both my legs and dislocated my hip.”

“Oh, my God!” she whispered. “So, how long will you be in the hospital?”

“I’m not in the hospital anymore. Craig Weinstein is letting me stay with him until I can get around on my own.”

“Did they tell you how long it would be?”

“They don’t really know. Physical therapy might take a year.”

“What!” Vaughn held the phone away from his ear at the shrill volume in her voice. “So, what’s going to happen to us with the film?”

Ah, that’s all she wanted to know. She’s worried about her job. Apparently the studio hadn’t yet informed the cast of their decision to replace me, and I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.

“Us? Or you?” Silence. “That’s what I thought. I have to go, Reese.” I clicked off my cell and closed my eyes, meditating on what she had just said, but I had no reason to be disappointed in her. From the first day’s read-throughs in the studio conference room, I’d known a hook-up with Reese was inevitable. She’d seemed thrilled to meet me. That’s why I liked young actresses. So many of them were easily impressed and more than willing to do whatever it took to get to the top. Fortunately for me, they were clueless that I couldn’t do jack to get them there.  From the beginning I’d known she was only sleeping with me because she assumed it could advance her career. Yet, the fact that she hadn’t shown the slightest bit of personal concern for my situation irked me more than it should have.

What had I expected? Over the years, Devon had repeatedly told me, “Those hit and runs might serve your immediate needs, but one of these days, you’re going to need a woman by your side. One that cares about you more than anything or anyone else in the world.”

 

 

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Letters to Santa from The Vengeance of Mrs. Claus

My dear friend, Anastasia Vitsky, has just published her first book, The Vengeance of Mrs. Claus. I'm pleased to be able to share her letters to Santa from Claire and Minelle as well as a blurb and excerpt from the book. HoHoHo!

Dear Santa,

My friend Ana says that you’re real.  She also says that I’m on your naughty list!  It’s not fair.  My parents have told me all my life that you are a fairy tale, so I didn’t know I was supposed to be good.  Plus, you never defined what you meant by “good”. 

Here’s the problem.  I need a new phone for Christmas.  Since I didn’t know about you, I can’t be held responsible for anything on your list.  Right?  How about if you give me the phone and I’ll be good next year?

Claire

Dear Mrs. Claus,

My daughter Claire just turned 21 this week, and she still seems like a child in so many ways.  I don’t think she’s ready for Christmas yet this year.  Could you spare her, just this once? 

About the coal I’ll be getting this year…all I can say is that if you had to raise a teenager you’d have trouble behaving, too.

Minelle 

Blurb for The Vengeance of Mrs. Claus

In some countries, turning 21 means gaining the right to vote and drink alcoholic beverages.  For Claire Labraun, the Christmas after her 21^st birthday would be beyond her wildest imagination.

Minelle and Matthew Labraun believed in a traditional marriage.  Matthew was head of their household, and Minelle was his helpmeet.  When it came to raising their headstrong 21-year-old daughter, however, they found themselves at a loss.  Minelle had always taught Claire to do the right thing for right’s sake.  Claire, however, had different ideas.  She rebelled against their rules, flaunted authority, and connived to get things she wanted.  She had never been spanked in her life; Matthew and Minelle kept that adult privilege strictly between themselves.  But this year, a visit from Santa plus Claire’s newly adult status would change her idea of Christmas forever. 

Excerpt from The Vengeance of Mrs. Claus

            Minelle gave a nervous giggle.  “Matthew,” she whispered as she ran a hand down his arm, “slow down.  I don’t even know what we’re doing.”

            Matthew gave a flick to his wrist that sent the soft, silky strands of the flogger playing across her breasts.  “I am,” he said slowly, “performing my duties as a husband to my wife.”  He unbuttoned her blouse further.

            “No, no, what if the kids come in early?  We can’t…”

            Matthew finished unbuttoning her blouse and tossed it aside.  He let the flogger dance across her newly bare flesh, smiling in open delight and desire as she began responding despite her protests to the contrary.

            “I should work on my lesson plans for tomorrow, get dinner started…the chicken needs to thaw…”

            “Do you honestly think,” Matthew growled, taking her into his arms, “I’m interested in dinner right now?”

            Minelle gave a little shriek, blushed, and nuzzled her cheek against his rough denim shirt.  “We’re sensible adults and parents,” she protested.  “Too old for this foolishness.  Now let me go and…”

            Matthew reached for her pants and tugged at the elastic waist.  “Careful what you say,” he warned.  “Don’t forget I’m older than you are.  Are you calling me old, little girl?”

            Minelle blushed.  She had been just seventeen when the twenty-four-year-old Matthew started courting her, and he was her first and only boyfriend.  Sometimes she felt too young for him even now in the midst of comfortable middle age, but at other times she felt much older and wiser.  On their first dates, though, when he taught her about kissing he had teased her by calling her his “little girl”.  His friends called him a cradle-snatcher.  Just barely twenty-two when they married and twenty-three and twenty-five when their children were born, she often felt she had grown up right alongside their babies.  It was ridiculous after all these years for him to still call her “little girl,” but something inside of her tingled at the name.

            “Yes,” she whispered, trying to ignore the funny flips in her stomach as he eased her pants and then her silly granny panties first down to her knees and then completely off.  “You’re far too old for this nonsense and I should put my clothes back on and take that chicken out of the freezer…”

            “Put a hand on your clothes and I’ll stop playing nice with the flogger.”

            Matthew’s voice cut her short.  Minelle gave another little giggle and glanced up entreatingly at her husband of just over twenty years.  “Honey…”

            Matthew set the flogger down and fingered the buckle on his belt.  “Or there are other ways to make you listen…”

            Minelle gave a delicious shiver.  She didn’t have time for this, she told herself.  Except her body wouldn’t listen.  Matthew’s work-roughened hands turned her onto her stomach and explored every inch of her, a heavy callused palm landing on her bottom.

            “Ouch!” she exclaimed. 

            Matthew bent over and held her hair away from her neck, kissing the little bone that jutted out at the top of her spine and then working his way down the length of her back.  At each kiss she shivered half with delight and half with anticipation.  “Now let’s talk about this silly diet of yours,” he began.

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#Spanking Reader Survey Results

The poll is still up, but I'm going to write about the results because they seem to be fairly consistent even as more votes come in.

First, thank you to everyone who voted and to those who spread the word so that I got a decent amount of participants. I think 49 people took the poll.

I'm going to talk about each criteria in the order of most votes to least. I listed ten options and asked people to vote for their top three criteria for selecting a book. Some may have voted more than that, some less. This isn't super scientific, but I think the results still have some good information for us.

Book Description--35 votes. To me, this is good and bad. The bad part is that I hate writing book descriptions and I'm not good at it. The good part is that it's something a writer can control and change. I'm going to spend some time reading book descriptions on Amazon and see what catches my attention and what doesn't.

Would anyone care to share what it is about a book description that piques their interest? Does an excerpt help?

Read Other Books By the Same Author--32 votes. This is good news. I have noticed that in the "people who bought this book also bought" list on Amazon most of my books are cross-referenced with each other which tells me that people who like one of my books are likely to buy others. Yay!

Note: These two criteria, Book Description and Other Books by the Same Author, were nearly tied at 35 and 32 votes respectively and were well ahead of the next highest vote getter, which was theme.

I Like The Theme (i.e., cowboy, historical)--- 23 votes.  Now the question is, what themes are most popular? Is "married couples" a theme? I might do another poll on this topic, but feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Intense Spankings--- 19 votes. Interesting. What's considered intense? Probably a topic for another poll.

Cover Image-- 12 votes. This is interesting and I'm surprised it's not higher. You probably need to see the cover image before you click to read the description, but it only got 12 votes. I may test this theory by changing the cover on The Birthday Wish (again) to include a rear end and see if that boosts sales.

Price--- 10 votes. Another interesting stat. Is it fair to conclude that people will pay a bit more to read a book by an author they like that has a description they like and is possibly a theme they like? What do people think about 99 cent books? Do consumers think price is an indicator of quality?

Amazon Reviews ---10 votes. After all the angst and hand-wringing over few reviews or bad reviews, it appears they may not be that big a deal or at least not a big enough deal to warrant the aforementioned angst and hand-wringing.

My thoughts on these last three. Cover Image, Price and Amazon Reviews all got nearly the same number of votes. They are also all items which can be viewed at the same time on Amazon. How much, if at all, do the three things work together?

Romance ---8 votes. Hmm. Intense spankings got twice as many votes. Can we draw any conclusions from that? Is it that people read spanking books for the spanking and not necessarily for the romance?

Recommendation From a Friend-- 5 votes. Not sure what to say about this, though in real life I only have one friend whose book recommendations are similar to my tastes, so I understand this might not be a good indicator for many people.

Lots of Sex--  5 Votes. What? People don't want to read sex? According to the un-scientific results of this survey, they are 5 times more interested in intense spankings and twice as interested in romance. Again, not a scientific poll, but still interesting.

Author Interview on Blog--- 2 votes. Now, nearly all author interviews include a book description, so what I take from this statistic is that a clever author interview isn't necessarily going to lead to sales, but if the book description that is included with the interview catches a reader's eye, then they are likely to buy the book, so please don't cancel author interviews on your blog, just make sure they include a good book description.

Thoughts and Conclusions.

• For me, the takeaway here is that I should keep writing books and work to expand my fan base. That's good news because that's something I can control and focus my efforts on.
• I'm going to stop fussing about Amazon reviews. Not that I don't appreciate all the nice people who have written reviews of my books, because I do, but because I can't control whether I get reviews or not and what they say and it appears they aren't a huge factor in the buying decision.
• I'm going to work on writing better descriptions for my books and I'm going to read a variety of book descriptions to see what catches my attention.
• I'm curious about themes and which ones are most popular. Cowboys sure seem to be a hot topic.

Thanks everyone. What do you think? Any surprises here?

Six Sentence Sunday---Meet Millie

Good Morning Sunday Sixers!

This excerpt is from my current Work In Progress, tentatively titled Millie Rules the World. I'm sure that will change eventually.

Millie is the president of the homeowners' association at The Wilderness At Cedar Knoll (ThWACK) and takes her duties very seriously. She wants to make sure that all the women in the neighborhood are good wives and good to themselves.

One morning Millie noticed Julia wearing dumpy, baggy clothes instead of her usual smart professional attire. Determined to find out what was going on, Millie baked a batch of Snickerdoodles and went calling. When Millie wondered if maybe Julia's washer wasn't working, Julia jumped on the excuse, but---you can't fool Millie.

“Why don’t you just lean over and look behind the washer to make sure all the hoses are still connected properly so I’m sure it’s still working before I leave?”

Happy to oblige, Julia leaned over and peered behind the appliance. She reached down to feign adjusting the hoses, but before her hand reached the back of the machine, she felt a hard swat on her hind end. Startled, she raised up, but a firm hand on the small of her back held her in place.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“I’m getting to the bottom of this,” Millie said, her voice surprisingly pleasant considering the pain she was inflicting. “First I’m going to give you a few swats for lying to me. How can I help you with your problems if you lie to me? It hurts to know my girls don’t trust me.”

As you can see, this is totally different from anything I've written before, but I just love Millie and I'm looking forward to having her help the ladies in her neighborhood learn a few lessons. I like to think of her as Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for adults.

Please visit the other Sunday Sixers here.

GOOB Report Week 2

I won't beat around the bush.

I failed.

Completely.

My goals were to exercise for 60 minutes 3 days and write 5,000 words this week. I wrote zero words (but lots of emails and blog posts) and did essentially no exercise.

But, tomorrow is another day and the start of a new week. I sure don't want to report failure two weeks in a row.

How about the rest of you?

Mimi's Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I had such a wonderful birthday that there really isn't anything left for my Christmas List. Oh, wait. Paolo says that we need a new flogger since the pink one is nearly worn out. I've heard that you know if I've been bad or good, so I'll assume you understand about the flogger.

I know this is sort of an unusual request but I'm sure that if you put elves Emma Snowsparkle and Renee Mistlekiss in charge of this they will do a much better job than they do with rocking horses.

Gotta run, Paolo is calling me.

Mimi

P.S. Paolo would like the new flogger to be any color but pink. Thanks!


Here's more about the flogger from The Birthday Wish

Paolo picked up a round leather paddle and gave her bottom a couple of playful swats. Mimi squealed and looked over her shoulder at Miss Pretty Sex Shop Lady who quickly looked away and busied herself folding some wisps of fabric on a panty display.

“Hmm.” He turned the paddle over in his hand and slapped his palm a couple times. “This might be a possibility. What do you think?”

“I-uh-I don’t know.” A blush started somewhere near her navel and traveled to her scalp. Paolo slanted his eyes at her and smiled. “We have many options. No need to make a snap decision.”

He picked up a pink flogger with a braided handle and lengths of suede tails. He raised his hand in the air and gave it a good swish. Mimi’s nipples puckered at the sight and sound of it. Paolo stroked the soft tails down her exposed back and goose bumps covered her flesh. He gave a soft slap to her denim covered backside. “Mmmm. Cara mia, your eyes say yes to this one.”

She wanted to protest. Surely she must. Instead she smiled. “Yes, I do.”

“Good girl’” He slapped the back of her thighs with it and a thrill moved through her at the stinging touch.

Her breathing became shallow and she rubbed her hardened nipples against his arm. “What has happened to my shy Mimi?” His hand slid across her ass and gave a squeeze. “Perhaps we should make our other purchases quickly?” 

Check Out My Interview on #Wellred Weekly

I am thrilled and honored to have an interview in the latest edition of Wellred Weekly. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the article and leave a comment.

There are several interesting articles in this issue so get yourself a snack and enjoy!

A big Thank You to the wonderful people at Wellred Weekly for allowing me to be part of their outstanding publication.

Another Letter To Santa

Today's letter is from Miranda, heroine of Tracey Steinbech's new release, Her Christmas Tree. Here's a little about Miranda.

Miranda works for the arrogant vampire, Matthias. She lives in a wing of his home so she can be at his beck and call whenever the mood strikes him. Matthias knows that Miranda is his mate but he has no desire to bind himself to a human, fall in love and watch her die, so he keeps his distance. When Miranda asks for a Christmas Tree for the house, he reluctantly agrees. Miranda has an accident before she can get the tree, though and he uses their bond to rescue her.

After Matthias is shot, Miranda must let Matthias feed to regain his strength and possibly save his life. This bonds them closer together. He gives up the fight and throws himself into winning her over. The first thing on his list? Her Christmas Tree.

Apparently even Vampires can get the Christmas Spirit! That's good new for some of us more Grinchy people.

Here's Miranda's letter.

 

Dear Santa,

 

I’ve been very good this year. Would you bring me a pointy, wooden stake for my boss? Scratch that. He rescued me when I had an accident in my car. I could really use a new car, instead.

 

It seems my boss won’t be letting me drive myself anywhere anytime soon, so I guess I don’t need a car.

 

Santa, what I’d like more than anything is for my boss to love me like I love him. Is there a chance you could make that happen?

Yours truly,

Miranda

 

PS Nevermind. I got everything I ever wanted!

Tracey has kindly provided two excerpts---PG and Adult.

Excerpt

 

Miranda’s heels clicked loudly across the marble floor as she stomped her way down the

hall. She pressed her lips together to keep from shrieking at the infuriating man. If he didn’t watch himself, she was going to stake him through the heart in his sleep. Would serve the arrogant bastard right if she did.

Did you hear that? One of these days I’m going to stake you in your sleep!

Matthias’s deep chuckle was the only answer she received. That quickened Miranda’s stride, sparking more of her anger. How dare Matthias deny her a few days off? It was Christmas for

heaven’s sake! She knew he didn’t celebrate it, but she did. It was her favorite holiday, and she wanted to spend it doing what she wanted, not catering to his every need. No, she didn’t have

any family to spend it with, and she barely had any friends, it seemed like every time she planned something with Beth and Vicki, Matthias would beep her with some emergency. They never

turned out to be real emergencies, though. Miranda suspected that he was trying to keep her in the house and away from other people. She just couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t like she was going to go blathering on about her boss the vampire. Who would believe her?

Miranda had stomped her way to the other side of the house when her PDA went off. The man was bound and determined to make her crazy today. She activated the touch screen, bringing his message up.

If it will make you happy, you may put up a tree in my living room. Not that I want one. I do not. But if it will keep you from staking me in my sleep, so be it.

Miranda could almost feel his amusement. Fine, he was giving her permission for a tree? It

was going to be the biggest tree that would fit in there. Miranda allowed a small smile to curve

her lips. At least she'd get to do some decorating. When she’d moved from her dinky little

apartment to the wing of Matthias’s house, she had mourned the loss of her own space to

decorate for holidays. Matthias had said she could do whatever she wanted to her rooms, but it

wasn’t the same as having a tree lit in front of a picture window, sharing it with whomever

happened by. That was one of the best parts of the Christmas season, to her mind. The feeling of

giving and sharing, that normally eluded the public, was present. It warmed her heart to do for

others, which was one of the things that made her good at her job. Yeah, sometimes her boss was

a pain in the ass, but she was happy most of the time. He obviously was happy with her, too, or

he’d have fired her long before now.

 

Adult excerpt:

 

“Matthias…Matthias…I need you,” Miranda called to him. Matthias turned toward her

voice. His feet started to move across the room to where Miranda stood beckoning him with her

finger. His cock was lengthening with every step he took. The slumberous, loving look on her

face did that to him every time.

Matthias reached Miranda, gently pulling her into his arms. He lowered his head, taking her

mouth in a hungry kiss. Her arms wound around his neck, her body pressing closer to his. He

growled deep in his chest and felt her shudder. He knew what that sound did to her.

Pulling back, he looked down at her and smiled. “You shall have me, my love,” He

answered her plea.

Bending down, he swept her into his arms and laid her on the bed. His fingers pulled at the

delicate ribbons that held her robe together. Her robe parted with the release of each ribbon,

revealing the treasure beneath.

Miranda’s breathing had already started to quicken at the look in his eyes. He looked as if he was about to devour every inch of her flesh. She shuddered. God, she hoped so.