Page 69 from Blue Ruin 1: Some Kind of Stranger

It's Wednesday so it's time for another page 69 post! Today I'm sharing page 69 from my M/M yaoi BDSM romance (say that 10x real fast) Blue Ruin 1: Some Kind of Stranger. BR1 saw a departure from the "mostly het" stories I'd previously written but stayed true to my BDSM and dark romance roots. I got my first taste of writing M/M when I penned a private slash fic between my characters Devon and Gareth from Eldritch Legacy 3: Fates Fulfilled. I was reading a lot of yaoi manga around that time, and started wondering how I might offer a Westernized twist on the genre while blending a D/s dynamic with seme/uke tropes.

That's how Derek and Blue's first book was born. When I chose to submit the manuscript to Loose Id, I already had yaoi-friendly PL Nunn cover art in mind. Needless to say I was excited not only to be accepted for publication but to get the cover art I'd hoped for. PL Nunn captured Derek and Blue perfectly, not only in looks but overall vibe:




As for the title, it's homage to a Sisters of Mercy song and inspired me to name each subsequent title in the series after an 80s tune. (Song titles aren't copyrighted, by the way, just lyrics. That's why the Red Hot Chili Peppers recently challenged the creators of TV show Californication over "trademark" infringement rather than copyright. Yes, you better believe I've researched this!) Anyway... BR1 went on to become my top-selling novel with 3 more installments to follow. Currently, I have at least one more Blue Ruin book to write with at least 2 spinoff stories planned. What a ride it's been!

As luck would have it, page 69 is one of the dirty ones. At this point in the book, Derek and Blue are still getting to know each other as they build on their blossoming relationship. They indulge in all flavors of the BDSM alphabet throughout the story, but in this scene I focused mostly on the D/s aspects with a touch of humiliation courtesy of some "controlled masturbation". Enjoy, and check back next week for page 69 from Blue Ruin 2: Close to Me.

** BLURB **

Derek Graves's desire for the perfect sexual "prisoner" has left him with a dark reputation and a string of jilted lovers. He needs a partner who wants the pleasure and the pain he can give. After his search lands him on the wrong end of the fantasy at the hands of a ruthless predator, Derek returns to his accustomed hunting ground of Blue Ruin with one purpose in mind: revenge.

He gets it, but he also ends up rescuing the predator's next intended victim, a homeless blue-haired waif who is just Derek's type. He brings the incoherent young man home, needing to find out what he saw, and ensure he won't tell anyone. The scenario couldn't be more perfect to service Derek's dominant fantasies.

Shane "Blue" McGowan wakes up groggy, blindfolded, and chained to a stranger's bed. Upon finding himself in luxurious surroundings, the cunning Blue realizes two things: he has no desire to return to a life on the streets, and his handsome captor stirs strange and unfulfilled longings in him.

Manipulating the terms of his own "imprisonment," Blue swings a place to stay in exchange for his silence about a second stranger left beaten and unconscious behind Blue Ruin. To sweeten the deal, Blue agrees to become Derek's submissive. But as their relationship progresses, is Blue truly at Derek's mercy, or is Derek at his?


** PAGE 69 EXCERPT **

"No, you can't turn off the lamp," Derek said. It never ceased to amaze him that someone on intimate terms with his partner could still blush with modesty when made to undress in the light, though Blue's red-faced reticence made the striptease all the more fun to watch.

The necktie free, Blue stared down at the floor and began unbuttoning his shirt. His movements proved too rapid for Derek's taste. He snapped at Blue again. "Slow down. And never take your eyes off me."

Once Blue had shimmied off his pants, he stood, waiting. His pale, perfect body shone like alabaster in the soft glow of the lamp, save for his cock, the glans swollen and red where it brushed his smooth navel.

"Kneel on the bed," Derek said. "Good. Now...I want you to pleasure yourself."

Blue's eyes widened, and in them Derek saw his hesitance and, perhaps, a trace of disappointment. So soon, his precious submissive had already come to expect his master to fulfill his needs.

At the start of the evening, Derek had indeed entertained the notion of restraining Blue once they'd returned home and holding him at the plateau phase for another hour or so. Yet the truth was, despite those three intense days they'd spent together, he had not been with Blue long enough to gauge his lover's response so precisely. Blue best knew his body's limits, and Derek intended to watch and learn how to detect those limits.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he chuckled softly. He flipped open the lube and extended his arm. "We all do it."

Blue's cheeks blazed scarlet as he grudgingly stretched out his left arm. Derek squirted a quarter-sized portion of the clear liquid into Blue's cupped palm, then snapped the lid shut and resumed his casual, crossed-arm pose.

With an underhanded hold, Blue curled the fingers of his dominant hand around the base of his shaft. He made a few tentative strokes, slicking his cock with a wet, sucking sound.

"Yes, nice and slow," Derek coaxed, amused by his lefty partner. "Savor the moment. Oh, and one more thing -- you're not allowed to get yourself off."


** Copyright 2006 by Katrina Strauss

Blue Ruin 1: Some Kind of Stranger
Available in e-book from:
Loose Id
Kindle
Nook
Fictionwise
All Romance

Walking the slippery slope with PayPal

As many of you witnessed last week, PayPal has been putting their TOS screws to the thumbs of certain book distributors. The first domino fell with Bookstrand, followed by All Romance and now Smashwords. Whether these distributors honestly caved to pressure due to lack of alternatives or simply used this as an excuse to clean house, the fact is titles are being pulled. Reactions in the blogosphere from authors, readers, and reviewers have ranged between surprise, anger, apathy, or relief.

Yes, that's right, some have expressed relief. Good riddance to bad rubbish, some folks have said, in direct reaction to the Literotica-for-pay, Letters-to-Penthouse-styled-work that had suddenly flooded these sites. Did I find some of these titles distasteful? Yes. Did some of these sites need to do a better job of vetting and then re-categorizing some of these titles? Yes. But instead, it seems it's easier to pull these titles and deny not only the authors or publishers a place to vend their wares but the readers a place to buy them.

Before anyone argues this doesn't affect us "erotic romance" folks because somehow we are above the "pr0n" set and so have nothing to fear, here are two four authors I am friends with and that you may have read who've been affected:

1. Multi-published M/M author Amanda Young reports two of her titles are no longer available on Smashwords or All Romance due to twincest themes.

2. Yaoi-prose author Silapa Jarun reports Katana Duet (which I reviewed here and contains twincest elements) has been pulled from Siren/Bookstrand.

3. M/M and yaoi-prose co-authors Jaye Valentine and Reno MacCleod report their Starcrossed series and other titles have been removed from Smashwords and OmniLit/All Romance due to twincest themes.

"But eeeewww Kitty, that's incest!" I can hear some of you saying. (Even as others are wondering where they can find these books...) Well, let's move on to my next concern: let's talk "barely legal". Yes, I totally understand removing titles featuring underage sex because, hello, it's illegal and wrong! Even with the age of consent being 16 in most of the United States, I understand a line has to be drawn to ensure we keep out the real perverts, pedos, and deviants, otherwise we'd have sick bastards trying to market stories about 5-year-olds. I thought keeping our characters ages 18+ made sense, seeing as 18-yr-olds are, you know, ADULTS, but according to All Romance's new guidelines, 18 is now possibly too young as is age 19. As a result, titles deemed as targeting the "barely legal" market are being pulled from the virtual shelves as well.

"How does this affect me?" you may ask. "I don't read that trash!" you might argue. Folks, that means if the Powers That Be get picky enough about "barely legal", my Blue Ruin series could eventually be removed, as would Sleight of Hand and some of my Eldritch Legacy titles. Why? Because each of those books includes a romantic lead aged 19. Never mind that I hear from readers aged 18 to 20 (who themselves qualify as "barely legal") who say they read my books in part because -- guess what?? -- they don't want to read erotic romance about "old" people like me getting it on! And never mind a good portion of my readers are also middle age women who cite 19-yr-old Blue as their favorite character and want to see more of him and his boyfriend Derek (who is 11 years Blue's senior).

Honestly? I'll admit I'd be a bit dismayed to see one of my books featured on the front page next to a story titled something like "Doing It for Daddy". (Unless Pat Califia wrote it, then I'd be stoked!) However, I'd be much more distressed to find my book no longer available for purchase at all because it, too, was deemed in violation of the distributor's updated TOS. When it comes to slippery slopes, one should never assume they're safe from getting caught in the downhill slide.

From a purely legal defintion, is this "censorship"? No, these are private vendors who can do what they want. But does it smack of moral judgment as determined by a small group or entity that then affects a broader group while restricting perfectly legal content? Totally. It may not "technically" be censorship but it sure as hell reeks of it. It also can't technically qualify as "chilling effect", since no laws have been imposed or suits filed to discourage free speech or press, but it sure is feeling drafty in here. Brrrr.

What can we do about it? I don't know just yet. There's a petition you can sign, but I suspect PayPal doesn't give a shit. What I do think we all can do is stay abreast of what, exactly, the situation with PayPal entails. Ericka Pike has posted about it here, as has Emily Veinglory at Erecsite here. Most importantly, I think we should all avoid smugly assuming this only affects "other authors" or "those kind of readers", because you may well wake up one day to find your books or your favorite authors have been displaced, too. Blue's 19-yr-old ass appears to be safe for now, but I'm watching closely in the event that changes.

Interview, book giveaway, plus Kindle and ARe links for A Forfeit Owed

Fellow author Natalie G. Owens has interviewed me over at her blog. I talk in-depth about writing, why I do it, how I do it, as well as what's inspired certain books and characters. One lucky commenter wins a title of their choice from my backlist, so be sure to drop by and say hello!

http://nataliegowens.blogspot.com/2012/02/rev-up-wednesday-weekly-booster-shot_22.html

In other news, Loose Id has started adding new releases to distributor sites much, much sooner. A Forfeit Owed, which came out two days ago, is now also available at the following:

Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Forfeit-Owed-Eldritch-Legacy-ebook/dp/B007BRWSGO

All Romance E-books:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-aforfeitowed-728023-340.html

As more folks switch to e-books, sales are shifting more from direct publisher sites to secondary distributors, so this new approach is fine by me! I personally don't care where readers are buying my books, so long as it's a legitimate vendor where you can purchase and thus read (and hopefully enjoy) my work!

Page 69 from Eldritch Legacy: A Forfeit Owed

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another page 69 excerpt. My new book Eldritch Legacy: A Forfeit Owed came out just yesterday, so what better novel to share from than that one?



If you've read the previous Eldritch Legacy books, you'll know I skip generations between titles, jumping from medieval to Regency to present day. So where does A Forfeit Owed fall and how should it be read? Well, it takes place 25 years after the events of book one, Secrets Revealed, and so revisits the medieval castle with Inga's grown children. It can be read directly following Secrets Revealed, if you so choose, but it can also be read like I wrote it -- a retrospective story after the first three books to fill in the blanks. And for those of you who haven't read the series, I took care to write A Forfeit Owed in a way that it can be read independently of the other books and still make sense. Of course, you'll get more out of certain details if you've read at least book one, and will catch certain canon nuances if you've read books 2 and 3, but no, it's not wholly necessary to have read the entire series to hopefully enjoy this newest installment.

Sooo, what happens in A Forfeit Owed? My BBW heroine, Korinne, finds herself torn between not one but two of Inga's handsome sons. What's a girl to do but indulge in a hot Eldritch sammich? Of course, being the Eldritch universe, the ride isn't so smooth and obstacles must be overcome. This installment is not as dark or hardcore as the other books, with no BDSM elements, but the story remains true to the fairy tale and magickal elements of book one while hopefully providing a hot, romantic escape.

Page 69 finds Korinne slightly drunk on wine as she blindly navigates her way through a yew maze. If you've read book 2 and are thinking "Deja vu" you would be correct. And for the heck of it, and because it's kind of hot, I've included part of page 70 as well. Enjoy, and check back next Wednesday when I'll start sharing page 69 from each of the Blue Ruin books!



*****
Blurb:

In a monarchy where one marries for love, two brothers vie for a maiden’s affections. Trystan's determined to best Darius, even if it means sharing the prize short-term. But when Trystan truly falls for Korinne, the biggest loss at stake is his heart.

PAGE 69 EXCERPT:

Korinne plunged blindly down the next row of yew. To her relief, no one accosted her. Her pace unfettered, she sailed through the maze. She rounded another corner unmolested, only to collide with a pair of bodies.

"Oh!" she cried out, finding herself enwrapped in a tangle of limbs.

"Hark, who dares interrupt us?" an unfamiliar male voice announced. Hands slid down the curves of Korinne's body and came to rest around her hips. "Though I must say, it is but a welcome interruption."

"Quite!" Wine-tinged breath burst into Korinne's face, carrying with it the unmistakable giggle of Edytha. "Do join us, cousin. I usually invite my sister, but that silly ninny is nowhere to be found."

"Usually?" Korinne asked. At a third hand on her breast, she shrieked. Ye gods, had her cousin just fondled her?

A knee pressed up between her legs, rubbing against her pussy through the fabric of her skirt. A strangled sigh escaped her at the pleasurable friction. Mortified at her own reaction, Korinne tore herself away.

"You're no fun!" Edytha called after her. "I should have expected you to be a prude!"

Korinne ignored her cousin's taunt. Face hot, the space between her legs hotter, she blindly felt her way around the twists and turns of the maze, determined now to escape. It dawned on her, in her drunken, flustered state, that she could simply take off the blindfold, rules of the game be damned. She started to do just that when another person caught her by the wrists.

"That's cheating, love," her captor whispered.

Korinne sensed him holding her back at arm's length, his grip strong and sure. She knew his scent, recognized her physical response to the heat emanating between their bodies.

"Trystan," she murmured.

"Damn it," he cursed. "Wait, how do you know it's me?"

"If I wasn't certain at first, I know now."

"Oh. Right. Have you found Darius yet?"

Korinne nervously licked her lips. "No," she admitted.

"Damn it," he swore again. "I suppose now our goal is to ensure you don't find him at all. Come with me."

"But --" she started to protest. Her breath left her as Trystan grabbed her hand and whisked her through the maze after him. In a frenzied, blind rush, they whipped to the left and then swung to the right. As their mutual gait increased, he suddenly spun her around in a wide arc.

She screamed in part fright, part amusement, the world rushing around her. Her fingers slipped from his, and she fell back on her rump. "Ouch!" she cried, grateful to have some extra padding to cushion her fall.

Dizzily, she stood. "That's it! I've had entirely enough of this nonsense!" She shouted to be heard throughout the maze. "I'm not here for your abuse or entertainment! None of you!" Stomping her foot, she ripped off the blindfold and threw it to the ground.

Her head stopped spinning, her vision coming into focus. She found herself standing in a circular clearing. In the midst grew a single rosebush with golden blooms.

"That's definitely cheating, love."

Korinne whirled around. Trystan stared back at her in stern admonishment.

“I’m not your --” She stopped at the sight of the parsley wreath around his head. “You’re the one who stole my crown. You found me earlier!” She marched over to him and stabbed an accusing finger against his chest. “Who’s the cheater now, love?”

Trystan smiled and grabbed her hands. “You can’t blame a man for having his eye on the prize. Besides, I found you, not once but twice. The forfeit states you must find the prince, not the other way around.”

“True,” she said, concurring with his logic.

“I know something else to be true: you don’t know your way out of here.” Cupping her shoulders, he peered down at her from between wayward locks of hair. His lips curled in a cunning smile, his eyes sparking with mischief, and for a moment she swore they’d gone black.

Korinne’s heart skipped a beat. She trembled, her legs threatening to buckle as she nearly swooned in his grasp.

She found her voice. “Do you? Know the way?”

“Of course. I’ve known this maze since I first learned to walk. As it happens, few find their way to the center and often by accident. Only my siblings and I know the path.” He advanced a step closer, their torsos drawing an inch apart, his hold tightening. “And here we are, alone again, just the two of us.”

Korinne stepped back, torn between the desire to run before something scandalous occurred between them, and the desire to fall into his arms and allow the handsome prince to do with her body as he fully wished.

She took another step backward, breaking his hold on her, then another, only to slam against a warm, solid barrier. A rich baritone washed over her. “What do we have here, my brother?”

Trystan scowled at Darius’s intrusion, but even as his eyes went darker, his frown faded. “A pretty little vixen who has lost her way.”

Korinne’s breath left her as the slender prince pressed against her, trapping her between his body and that of the sturdier Darius.

“She found me last, Brother,” Darius said.

“Correction, my fellow prince. We found her. I say we let Korinne decide who she wants to kiss.”


*****

Copyright 2011 by Katrina Strauss

Eldritch Legacy: A Forfeit Owed
Available in e-book from at:
Loose Id
Kindle
Nook
Fictionwise
All Romance

More about the Eldritch Legacy series here.

A Forfeit Owed is out today!

Available now from Loose Id!

Revisit the medieval roots of the Eldritch Legacy
with the M/F/M romance of A Forfeit Owed

As the daughter of a disowned noble, Korinne has few options. Forced to wait on her cousins hand and foot, she wishes fairy godmothers were more than the stuff of childhood tales.

When she visits the royal palace, she finds herself wooed by not one but two handsome princes. As the battle for her hand leads to sensual encounters beyond her wildest dreams, Korinne discovers fairy tales can come true -- but at what price?

Born third in line to the throne, Prince Trystan struggles with a heritage he never asked for. Locked in an ongoing game of forfeits with his brother, Crown Prince Darius, Trystan is determined to one up his opponent in their battle of wit versus brawn.

When both brothers set eyes on the curvaceous beauty Korinne, they place a secret wager on her affections. Trystan will do whatever it takes to best Darius, even if it means sharing the prize short-term. But when Trystan truly falls for Korinne, the greatest loss at stake is his heart.


** Read an Excerpt:
http://www.loose-id.com/excerpt.aspx?ID=1546

** Buy the E-book at:
Loose Id
Kindle
Nook
Fictionwise
All Romance

More about the Eldritch Legacy series at:
http://www.loose-id.com/All-Books/By-Theme/Series/Eldritch-Legacy/

Page 69 from Fates Fulfilled

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another page 69 excerpt. The new Eldritch Legacy book, A Forfeit Owed, comes out next week, so for the past few Wednesdays I've been sharing page 69 from the previous books in that series. Today, I'm up to book three, Fates Fulfilled.

If book one is the dark medieval fairy tale and book two the dark Regency, then book three is dark urban fantasy with equal parts Tarantino and manga/anime influence. Fates Fulfilled catches up with the Eldritches in modern times, in an equivalent to the United States. It features not one but two Eldritch-born leads, and this time one of them is a girl. It also features not one but two romances -- separate romances for each respective Eldritch. They're cousins, after all, and even the Eldritches aren't that kinky! That's why there are two couples on the cover, and no they are not in a menage a quatre:



Fates Fulfilled is as dark, if not darker, than book one, what with Devon Eldritch being a "real-life vampire" who dabbles in the occult and such. Meanwhile, cousin and fellow goth Marissa Blackwell (her mom was an Eldritch) explores the BDSM lifestyle as she switches between Dominance and submission. Hey, they're Eldritch kids -- with family roots in a medieval dungeon, they aren't exactly spending their free time at church Bingo night.

Though Fates Fulfilled is set in modern times, I touch on characters and events from the previous installments through flashbacks, psychic revelations, and historical accounts. If you preferred the historical settings of Secrets Revealed or Lessons Learned and are hesitant to take the series's leap to contemporary, you might be interested to know the past very much plays a hand in the present. As it happens, page 69 opens with a flashback which fills in a blank from book one regarding a particular secondary character. Enjoy, and check back next Tuesday for the release of A Forfeit Owed, followed Wednesday by page 69 from that book.

*****
Blurb:

Marissa Blackwell and Devon Eldritch are first cousins, best friends, and heirs to a winery fortune. Before claiming their inheritance, they must survive for two years without their family's money.

Street-smart Marissa is up for the challenge. By day, she works in the corporate world while by night, she explores the BDSM scene. Gorgeous photographer Gareth Neville lures out her Dominant side, but it's a mysterious masked Dom who learns her most secret desires. Torn between two men, undecided between Dominance or submission, Marissa must choose the lover who truly meets her needs.

Meanwhile, rich and spoiled Devon is free to embrace his vampire fantasies and study the path of the Magi. When he meets fetish model Celeste Dupree, he finds a woman willing to explore his darkest dreams. But as he and Celeste ride the razor's edge together, they must control the dangerous power their passion unleashes.

After a set of grisly murders, Devon is tagged the primary suspect. In proving his innocence, Devon and Marissa's unusual legacy unfolds, and the fate of the Eldritches comes full circle.

Surviving it is only the beginning.

Publisher's Note: Contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations and triggers some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM theme and content, knife play, spanking, vampirism, violence.

PAGE 69 EXCERPT:

From the smoke and flames emerged the one she sought -- a masked warrior clad in black leather armor, riding high upon his ebony steed, his cape billowing behind. With sword raised, he pointed toward one of the houses.

"Striju!" he bellowed. The straw-thatched roof erupted in a brilliant orange blaze.

"Bastard," Thelise muttered. "You use your magick to smoke us out like rats."

Yet as he charged down the street and drew nearer, a separate fire raged inside her, for while she feared the dark knight, she also found his strength and his might strangely alluring. It was a power she desired to cultivate within her own self.

Now standing alone, the crowd well behind her, Thelise stepped into the stallion's path. Bracing herself, she met the warrior's black-eyed gaze through the slits of his mask with the full intention of getting caught.

All slowed around her. The roar of the fire dimmed, replaced with the rhythmic crunch of the stallion's hooves, played in time to the throbbing hum of her heart. And then the paired beats gave way to...

Music. The most beautiful she'd ever heard, produced by some unearthly instrument, pulling her away to another time, a different place, another man...

Bewildered, Thelise tore her gaze from the fierce warrior and shifted her head from side to side.

Klauss?



Marissa's eyes fluttered. A hint of charred wood lingered in the air, giving way to the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. To her surprise, however, the classical strains of the great Klauss von Alstyne proved part of the waking world.

"What a weird-ass dream," she muttered.

Languidly, she stretched in a pool of carmine silk. With a yawn, she sat up and found a robe hanging from the iron bedpost.

I shouldn't have stayed the night, Marissa thought. She should have left after she and Gareth were done fucking.

*****

Copyright 2007 by Katrina Strauss

Eldritch Legacy 3: Fates Fulfilled
Available in e-book from:
Loose Id
Kindle
Nook
Fictionwise
All Romance

What Romance Authors Really Do, courtesy of Karin Kallmaker

Fellow author Karin Kallmaker's meme hits so close to home, it's not even funny yet hysterically so:



Bless you, Karin. First seen on Facebook but ganked from her blog post here:
http://blog.kallmaker.com/2012/02/what-romance-writers-actually-do.html

OCD listen du jour

The video is cute, too, with some nice retro influences. (I admit the abominable snowman makes me LOL with his, um, violent tendencies.)

Page 69 from Eldritch Legacy 2: Lessons Learned

It's another 69, dudes! As previously explained, I'm posting page 69 from each of my novels every Wednesday. Since I have a new Eldritch Legacy book coming out February 21, I started with that series last week. Today I'm sharing page 69 from the second Eldritch title, Lessons Learned. I love Anne Cain's take on the classic romance cover:



This installment was my ode to Regency romance, yet in paying homage I also twisted the formula until it was all sorts of bent. Yes, my characters sit around sipping tea and engaging in social banter, but in my Regency, the tea is spiked, the rake is the hero, and that drawing room table has more interesting purposes after the servants have gone to bed. It was particularly fun to write my rake, Stefan, as not only a brooding Byronic poet but a descendant of the hero and heroine from book one, Secrets Revealed. There's not as much BDSM in Lessons Learned as the first book, but my main players stay busy with other fun activities like absinthe-fueled four-ways and opium-laced seances.

I also wrote it in a way that it can be read independently from book one and still make sense. In fact, I've heard from readers and reviewers who started the series with Lessons Learned, then read Secrets Revealed as a prequel. So if medieval dungeon fantasies are not your thing but you love Regency and/or dark, gothic romance, you can easily skip book one and go straight to book two. And if you liked book one and wonder how the serpent is treating the Eldritch family in later times, by all means give Master Stefan a chance.

Quite fittingly, page 69 catches Master Stefan and company enjoying a spot of tea, with perhaps a spot of something else. Enjoy, and check back next week for page 69 from book three, urban fantasy installment Fates Fulfilled.

*****
Blurb:

Camille Rocheford isn't the most conventional writer of her time, starting with her insistence on using her real name rather than a masculine nom de plume. Yet she's still shocked to meet the infamous Stefan Eldritch, a poet who titillates the public with provocative verse and scandalizes his family with wild soirees. To Camille's greater shock, she and Stefan soon fall into creative collaboration – and unbridled romance. When the lovers stumble upon the lost path of the Magi, the power they unleash plunges them deeper into a world of reckless abandon. But sinister forces lurk in wait, putting the power of the pen and a pledge of love to the ultimate test.


PAGE 69 EXCERPT:

"And the most innocents rotting in prison because they dared speak their minds," finished Camille. "Do you think it's fair to be condemned alongside thieves and murderers for opposing imperial policy?"

"Stefan," Klauss said, "wasn't the prison originally your family's castle?"

"One of them." Stefan shrugged, seeing nothing unusual in claiming a string of castles as home. "It's been in disrepair since well before our time—a complete shack, really, which is why my family gave it to Pierpont."

Camille shuddered. "I hear conditions there are horrendous."

"Would you prefer Emperor Pierpont bring back the guillotine?" Klauss asked.

"Enough!" Nicolette said. She untangled herself from the musician's embrace. "Unless the paper is reporting juicy gossip about latest fashions and goings-on at court, the public honestly doesn't care. I, for one, do not!" She glided across the room to the storm doors and opened them with a broad sweep of her arms, letting in a burst of fresh air. "Come, Camille, join me outside. It's a marvelous day!"

"After I finish my tea." Camille gave a rueful sigh and a shake of her head. "Never a serious thought or moment here at Eventide." She drained her cup and set it aside, then stood and leaned across the table. "Master Stefan," she said, pushing his newspaper down, affording him a most enticing view of her cleavage.

"Yes, love?" he asked with an unassuming grin.

"Next time you want to spike my tea, just ask." She kissed him, the taste of brandy rich upon her lips, and then turned to follow Nicolette outdoors.

He watched her walk away, the sunlight illuminating her shapely figure through the sheer fabric of her scarlet gown. He could make out the cleft of her buttocks, even. Gods, what a beautiful sight! he thought wistfully, his cock swelling against his breeches.

For once, he attempted to ignore his desire and went back to reading, pausing between stories to sip his tea and mull over Camille's opinions. She had made some valid points regarding the current state of politics.


*****

Copyright 2006 by Katrina Strauss

Eldritch Legacy 2: Lessons Learned
Available in e-book from:
Loose Id
Kindle
Nook
Fictionwise
All Romance

Page 69 from Eldritch Legacy 1: Secrets Revealed

As I explained in Monday's post, I'll be sharing page 69 from one of my novels every Wednesday for the next several weeks. Since I have a new Eldritch Legacy title coming out in three weeks, I thought I'd start with book one in that series, captor/prisoner dungeon fantasy Secrets Revealed.



And boy, is page 69 a doozy! It's the opening to an intense D/s scene in which the Dom hero, Lord Eldritch, instructs submissive heroine Inga in dominating another woman. This isn't a "play" session, either -- this scene takes place in an actual medieval dungeon with actual prisoners. (Might I add that Secrets Revealed is probably the darkest book I've written? Inga and Eldritch make Blue Ruin read like a trip to Disneyland.)

So let's kick off my first page 69 excerpt with some M/F/F BDSM, shall we? I'll include the blurb to put things into perspective. Enjoy, and if this one doesn't scare you off, check back next week for an excerpt from the slightly tamer Regency installment Eldritch Legacy 2: Lessons Learned.

*****

Blurb:

Lord Eldritch hides his face behind an iron mask, and his tortured past beneath a hardened soul. When the dark knight investigates rumors of a medicine woman practicing the forbidden art of magick, he finds Inga, a strong-willed maiden who ignites his passion and stirs memories of a love long lost. Sensing her mutual desire, he imprisons Inga in the castle dungeon where he may possess and keep her forever. In time, his seemingly hapless prisoner learns that, even in submission, she wields power over her captor. Can Inga break past the hard shell of Eldritch's heart while she, herself, resists the seductive lure of dark magick?

PAGE 69 EXCERPT:

Inga decided to humor her. Guided by instinct, she brushed her lips lightly across Thelise's and teased the girl with her breath. She darted her tongue and tasted the other girl's mouth. Thelise responded in kind.

Thrilling in the warm, wet glide of their tongues snaking together, Inga fought her growing lust and instead focused on Thelise's innermost thoughts. The other girl succumbed fully to Inga's kiss, letting her guard down. In that moment, she offered the briefest glimpse behind the veil, enough for Inga to find what she sought — the key to breaking Thelise.

Inga pulled a hairbreadth away, ending the kiss. The other girl sighed in what Inga sensed to be genuine disappointment.

Inga addressed Eldritch but maintained eye contact with Thelise. "Milord," she asked, "when the guards searched her, did they find poison?"

"No," he replied.

"And what will happen if I cannot make her answer you?"

"Her head will roll on the chopping block at the break of dawn."

"Neither of you frighten me," Thelise declared all too quickly. Again the girl's confidence faltered, and in her eyes, Inga saw what she had already detected during their kiss.

"You fear death," Inga said.

Tears welled in the corner of Thelise's eyes, but she blinked them away.

Her guess confirmed, Inga stood and gloated down at the girl. "I was prepared to die the day Lord Eldritch sent me here. I only live by his mercy and grace. Yet you would dare judge me for—" Inga stopped herself short. She had nearly said for loving him. Unnerved, she took a breath and continued. "You would condemn me for filling the role of mistress, when you, yourself, have offered your body to him?"

Inga avoided looking at Eldritch. Her gaze strayed across the floor and landed upon the whip where she had dropped it. She opened her hand and felt a strange current coursing through her, similar to the one experienced when she performed healing. The whip lifted from the floor and flew into her waiting palm.

Had Eldritch done that, Inga wondered, or had she called upon the power herself?

Eldritch strode past Inga, brushing her shoulder. He walked around the stocks and leaned against the wall. Arms folded across his chest, he nodded at Inga and gestured toward Thelise's backside.

"Well?" he asked. The single-worded question hung heavy in the air. "Begin."


*****

Copyright 2006 by Katrina Strauss

Eldritch Legacy 1: Secrets Revealed
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