Saturday, May 18, 2013

Dungeon Time With Kate Richards


Hi Everyone!

Please welcome Kate Richards who is here today to answer my probing questions about her recent release, Dungeon Time.  I'd also like to apologize for not getting this post up sooner, so in order to make it up to Kate, let's all go out and buy a copy of her new book. I mean it. Go. 

Dungeon Time is the second in a series called Play At Work. I loved the first book in the series, Spanking Ms. Whitman so I was excited to read Dungeon Time as well and chat with Kate about the two books and other stuff that I feel like talking about.

Celeste Jones: Spanking Ms. Whitman, as the title implies, was a spanking book whereas, Dungeon Time (again as the title implies) is more of a BDSM story. Do you see a difference between the two or are they variations on the same theme?

Kate Richards: I see them as variations. Despite the fact that the spanking in the first story was for punishment, it was more erotic than DD, and in both books, I see the characters (particularly the heroines) as learning what reaches them in a deeply sensual way. Every one of us is different, but the exploration of our needs and desires is there to be experienced.

Celeste Jones: Your series is called Play at Work. With so many disgruntled employees out there, are you on a mission to change the workplace? Have you ever had a relationship with a boss or co-worker?

Kate Richards: Yes, actually…when I was in college I worked at a swimming pool with a lot of others my own age. Those summers were a lot of fun and many of us dated one another. It was a more innocent dating than these stories, but nonetheless did make for interesting times! But I believe dating at work is very common, whether allowed or not.

     Very true. 

Celeste Jones: The heroine of Dungeon Time is Anna who is a receptionist at Marks and Company, which was the setting for Spanking Ms. Whitman. However, in Spanking Ms. Whitman the character was named Angie and you explained at the beginning of Dungeon Time that the name was changed in honor of a friend. Would you care to elaborate on why the change and why that name?

Kate Richards: My friend has always teased that she wanted a heroine named after her, and when I named Angie in Spanking Ms. Whitman, I wasn’t thinking that it was her mother’s name. I learned while writing Dungeon Time that my friend’s mother is very ill. I thought it might be the time to honor her request and change the name so the book would cheer her up when she read it, rather than feel sad.

     That's very sweet. 

Celeste Jones: To say that you have a lot going on would be a bit of an understatement. You’ve also told me that you are very organized. Any tips you’d like to share for how you get so much done?

Kate Richards: Well, I hope I am organized. I certainly try. I am a managing/senior editor at Decadent Publishing, a co-owner of Wizards in Publishing, and an author…and I have the usual life outside of that, family and friends and another small business for which I am responsible. Without spreadsheets, I’d be doomed. And when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I write To Do lists each day. Checking them off allows me to see what I accomplish and keeps me focused.

Celeste Jones: What’s next for the Play At Work series?

Kate Richards: In Play at Work 3, we enter the world of the big beautiful woman. My heroine is an office manager of a construction company in Malibu, the land of the thin and gorgeous. With a Samoan mother and German father, Jody is an Amazon, tall and statuesque. It takes the right man, with the right mindset, to help her appreciate her beauty.  And yes…the hero is a member of the same dungeon as Edward and Randolph.

   Oh good. We chubby girls need good lovin' too. I think this is a great idea. 

Celeste Jones: Do the people in your life know about your writing? If so, what were their reactions? And if not, what are some of the challenges of keeping your secret life a secret?

Kate Richards: Everyone knows. I am a fulltime writer and editor, so I don’t have an employer to answer to. But my mother does have the tendency to tell her friends I will be switching genres eventually. In fact, she tells my friends that, too. But she’s proud of me even if she wishes I’d write mysteries—because that is what she likes to read best. 

Celeste Jones: Anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you so much for having me. I hope the readers will check out Dungeon Time and let me know what they think. I had it partly written when I had the opportunity to visit a real dungeon and speak with the Doms, Dommes, and subs who were there that night. They were so open and friendly, happy to speak with someone who was interested in what they are passionate about. I believe in research whenever possible and this was invaluable.

Oh, I want more details about that for sure. 

My blog: http//katerichards.wordpress.com

 Dungeon Time Blurb and Excerpt

Short Blurb:
Anna Palladino dreams of independence from her over-protective but loving family. Her fantasies, gained from erotic novels, show her possibilities she doesn’t believe extend to real life.  Her limited experience in the bedroom has confirmed her low expectations.
Edward Masters is ready to give up his own fantasy life if that’s what it takes to have the home and family of his dreams. He has set his sights on a sweet, innocent woman who works for his friend and client Randolph Marks. Marks has found the perfect combination of vixen and warm companion in his Mona, but is it too much to hope that Edward and Anna will be the next office romance at Marks and Company? Is the cute, curly haired receptionist ready to take on the desires of a Dom, or has Edward seen his last night of play in the dungeon?

Excerpt: 
Edward closed the door with a soft click and approached, Nikes squeaking on the wide oak boards. “I like my comforts.” He stood just behind her, his breath soft on her cheek. “Did you want to take a swim in the pool? The water is warm.”
She shivered, something about the way he said “warm,” implying so much more. “I don’t have a suit with me.”
“Perhaps another time.” He rested his hands on the sill, on either side of her, smooth muscled forearms with a light sprinkling of dark hairs drawing her complete attention, but then he pushed away and left her there, alone with the moonlight glinting off the dark ocean and the swimming pool. “I’ll call for pizza. Pepperoni okay?”
“Yes, fine.” What if he had suggested she swim without a suit? Would she have done it? Not usually, but on the day of her independence, with so many other extraordinary things happening, maybe.
While he ordered their dinner, she focused on the pool, imagining him in there, stroking back and forth with the moon shining on his skin, lighting his hair. Muscles low in her belly tightened and her panties dampened.
“Wine?” He reappeared at her side and handed her a heavy goblet. “I hope you like cabernet.”
Her cheeks heated “I’m surprised you trust me with it, after my behavior earlier.”
Edward rested a hand on her waist and turned her away from the window. “Oh, yes. Not a good policy, getting tipsy during the work day.” He took her arm and led her to one of the deep sofas, against the side wall. “You were a bad girl.”
Reckless with freedom, she giggled. “Yes, I was. Someone should take me in hand before I run completely amok.”
“I think I’d like to see what you’re like, running amok.” Drawing her down at his side in the deep cushions, Edward took the glass from her hand and set it on a side table.
“Wait, I didn’t have any yet.”
“Before you do, I want to taste you. Then you may have your wine back.”
She tipped her head back and licked her lips. Taste me? Edward smoothed her hair from her face and cupped her chin. He held her gaze, his eyes alight with a gleam that sent a thrill of fright and arousal right to her core. I am so out of my depth with this man. Coherence fled when his lips descended on hers. No softness, no giving, only taking. His tongue parted her lips and plundered her mouth, circling, dancing, and retreating, stroking against her own; rough velvet that left no part of her sane.






4 comments:

  1. Great book and great interview!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kate, I really enjoyed the excerpt, and I loved Spanking Ms. Whitman. Good job on the interview, Celeste.

    ReplyDelete

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