Kinked – edited by Cori Vidae

When she isn’t visiting the worlds of immortals, demons, dragons and goblins, Brantwijn fills her time with artistic endeavors: sketching, painting, customizing My Little Ponies and playing with graphic design. She can’t handle coffee unless there’s enough cream and sugar to make it a milkshake, but try and sweeten her tea and she will never forgive you.

She moonlights as a futon for four lazy cats, loves tabletop role-play games, and can spend hours penciling naughty, sexy illustrations in her secret notebooks.

Brantwijn has two romance series currently in-progress with Champagne Books.  She’s also had short stories published in several small press anthologies. She has author pages on GoodReads and Amazon, and loves to see reader comments on her work.

Her short stories and audio readings occasionally pop up along with her artwork on her website, www.brantwijn.com.

 

What inspired you to write your first book?
The first romance I wrote—Lotus Petals—was in part motivated by the first erotic novel I ever read. I won’t say ‘inspired’, because I already had the characters, plot, and setting in mind… but what spurred me to actually knuckle down and write it was reading an erotic novel with a similar setting, and being blown away by how bad it was. The author claimed to be an expert in geisha culture and the setting of Japan, and yet the plot and characters were just… just awful. I wanted to write something both erotic and beautiful, both salacious and sexually charged but founded in a strong story and compelling conflict. I just wanted to show that erotica and good storytelling were not mutually exclusive.

Was it easy to tell your friends and family that you were writing romance? What was their reaction?
It was awkward at first, and I sort of threw out “scandalous” details to warn them and give them a chance to turn down reading it. You know…fair warning, ahead thar be naughty words and erotic situations. My parents insist on being encouraging and supportive anyway. Even grandma. They brag about me and my lesbian erotic stories to their friends. It’s downright embarrassing.

How did you react to having to edit or make changes to your “baby”?
I actually honestly believed my editor would be struck dumb by the sheer awesomeness and professional polish of my work. I expected glowing praise and stunned awe. It, uh…it didn’t work out quite that way. In fact, the editor assigned to me—Jayne Wolfe—turned out to be pretty ruthless. I was the one who was stunned. But I’ll tell you something. I was Absolutely thrilled! Jayne really made me work for every scene, every chapter. She put me through my paces and she never held back. I honestly feel the book’s true shine comes from working with an editor who wasn’t afraid to be brutal.

What is the hardest part of being published for you?
There is an element of being “always on”, I think. Not like I’m always playing a role, but like I’ve always got to be selling myself. Indie authors and small presses have an uphill battle and the market gets tougher every day. I’ve already gone through the closing of one house I belonged to and feel like as a house author, I let them down. If I go a day or two without having done some sort of self-promotion, suddenly every missed sale, every day without a bump in my numbers, feels like a falling back in a race while all the other runners speed on ahead. It can be daunting. I’ve always held onto the idea that I’m in this to tell stories, to share fantasy and adventure with other lovers of good fiction, and that’s what’s important, but there’s still pressure to make sales numbers for the publisher, keep the lifeblood flowing to the small and indie market.

What is your least favourite part of the whole process of writing, editing, publishing and promoting a book? Why is that and how do you deal with it?
I loathe writing blurbs. Trying to boil down my story into a 100-word sales pitch just…just kills me. I’m not saying it’s useless. I understand the purpose of it, and the necessity, and I understand how it helps readers make a decision. I would never argue that authors shouldn’t write blurbs…I just don’t like doing it!  I turn to my editors for help. Both editors I’ve worked with are exceptionally helpful, taking my raw words and finessing them into something resembling sensible copy. I’d be lost without them.

What advice would you give an aspiring writer?
I always, always advise aspiring writers to take a creative writing course. One where you interact with other students. Share your work with the group. Take critique. Give critique. I’ve heard published authors brag that they’ve never taken a class, but honestly, they should have and their writing reflects it. You can do good work without formal instruction. Having that instruction to help shape and hone your skills, though, can take good work, and make it great.

If you weren’t a writer, what other artistic outlet do you think you’d have?
I’d like to think I could make a living in art. I love all sorts of artistic expression. I’ve recently branched into cover art and graphic design, but I love sketching, painting, crafting, small-scale sculpture… Hopefully I could find some way to make a decent wage at it.

Do you have a secret skill that you can share with us?
I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue. I can also apparently rap. I didn’t even know I could do that.

What has been the strangest place that inspiration has struck and how did you deal with it?
In the middle of a Swedish massage. My first massage, actually. The result—written years later—is actually the massage sequence in Lotus Petals between Rhiannon and Aijyn. I still get inspiration during massages, actually…currently I have ideas stewing for one of my fantasy novels involving the preparation of a queen for coronation.

What is the strangest thing you have ever done while researching your story or characters?
I always enjoy a trip to the Erotic Heritage Museum when I’m in Las Vegas, and while I’m never entirely sure what I’ll find there, it’s always good research for my erotica and romance stories. On my first visit—I only randomly found the place while driving around off the strip, behind the casinos—I spent a couple of minutes watching unique pornographic films in their circular theatre. One of the films was reportedly the first known pornographic film, a black-and-white silent film from 1915. Another was shot in thermal cam. That one was really neat.

 

 

Every tattoo tells a story…

A submissive pain slut receives a tattoo as a reward for years of selfless service. A man’s body is used to deliver a very different kind of message to a domineering masochist. An exotic teahouse on an alien planet where one woman explores her submissiveness with a set of shapeshifting twins.

These and other sizzling stories take you to the places where kink meets ink and leave you indelibly marked.

Word Count: 71,000
Kink Level: D/s, BDSM and voyeurism featuring M/f, F/m, F/f and M/M/f pairings

ISBN 978-1-988233-19-2 (physical)
ISBN 978-1-988233-20-8 (electronic)

Website     Goodreads     Amazon

Begin Again by Tiffany Michelle Brown is a story about a woman whose first tattoo unlocks a whole other life for her, along with a long-lost love. (M/f)

Inkarnate by Mara Malins is about an artist who tries tattooing from a place of desperation and discovers not only a new career but a whole new world and a side of herself she hadn’t known existed. (M/f)

The Courier by Danielle Davis takes place in a world where paper is a precious commodity and so messages are often tattooed onto courier’s bodies. When one courier delivers a message the recipient wants to read over and over things it has a profound impact on his life. (F/m)

Through Glass a Stranger by Renee Dominick is about what happens when the man Liliya has been watching from afar decides to change the rules of their game. (Voyeur)

In For the Occasion by Brantwijn Serrah a lucky pain slut is gifted a brand new nipple tattoo by her mistress. (F/f)

Sae-ri by Nicole Blackwood features not one, but two sexy werewolf — and did I mention that they are twins? They’ve claimed Zoe as their own, but it’ll all be for nought if she doesn’t claim them in return. (M/M/f)

Kayla left her dominant partner, Mark, and got engaged to another man in Ink and Ocean by Meredith Dark. But soon after that engagement falls apart Kayla finds herself back in Mark’s apartment, teased and tempted by the past… (M/f)

Painted Red by Sara Dobie Bauer features a leading man with an interesting fetish — Ben loves tattoos. Like, he really, really loves tattoos. Will Angie’s issues keep her and Ben from being together or will he break down her defenses so they can find happiness together? (m/f)

 

Love Reawakened by Shelli Rosewarne

 

For Emma Strachan, raising zombies is all in a day’s work. A girl has to pay the bills somehow! But when what should be a simple raising goes horribly wrong, Emma is forced to ask for help from the one man she swore never to see again.

Garret is used to being a loner, as a necromancer he works best that way and frankly, with the dangers he faces every day, it’s easier not to have to look out for anyone else. When Emma shows up on his doorstep desperate for help, he vows to ignore the raging attraction between them – after all a pretty, fun-loving witch has no place in his world.

Can Emma and Garret put aside old resentments in order to try and defeat a zombie unlike anything they have seen before? When the dust settles, can they count on any future between them?

    Amazon     ARE

I love hanging out with my fellow authors. It’s always so much fun and we often share each other’s ups and downs.  Today, I’m thrilled to be sharing a big UP from my friend Shelli Rosewarne who is re-releasing her amazing book Love Reawakened today!  I sat her down for a chat…

Hi Shelli and welcome to the blog.  Congratulations on your release and I’m so glad that you were able to chat today.  Can you remember if there was a moment when you decided you wanted to be a writer?

I’d always loved writing as a kid but it wasn’t exactly promoted as a ‘valid career choice’ and when I started high school it got dropped by the wayside. Many years later I took some creative writing classes and once I got over the initial fear of ‘letting it all out’ I found I loved it. Something just clicked in my brain and I realised, this is what I want to do.

That is something that I think many writers have in common, a passion for writing, for storytelling. It’s unfortunate that not everyone gets to experience it as wonderfully as you have.  So, having discovered that this was your passion, what was it that inspired you to write your first book?

The first book I ever actually completed came from a publisher callout post. I’d only recently started writing again and had never subbed anything, but the callout just sparked an idea in my head and before I knew it the story was flowing out. The sense of achievement when I actually got to write ‘the end’ on something was amazing.

I think people underestimate how hard it is to write a complete book and just how euphoric that feeling of completion can be *grin*.  Having finished the book, how did it feel to send it off to the publisher and what was the the most terrifying thing about submitting it?

It was both exciting and terrifying. I remember feeling physically sick pressing the send button on it. Getting that acceptance back though was the most amazing feeling in the world, I’d checked my messages at work and was literally dancing around my office like a crazy person – thank God no one else came in at the time lol!

 

The happy dance would’ve been a little hard to explain lol.  I wonder though, was it easy to tell your friends and family that you were writing romance? What was their reaction?

I wouldn’t say it was difficult, they’ve always been really supportive. I used to find it quite awkward telling new people I’d met that I wrote romance, I suppose it made me feel a little self-conscious. There was an image I had in my head of the quintessential ‘romance writer’ and it wasn’t really me. You do get some quite interesting reactions though, plus some slightly cringeworthy ones 🙂 One conversation I seem to get a lot goes along these lines… Them: So what do you write? Me: Paranormal romance mainly. Them: What vampires and stuff? So, like Twilight? Me: Well, not vampires so much, and a bit more adult than Twilight. Them: So, like 50 Shades then? Me: No… just no.

It’s rather funny how people get caught up on only 1 or 2 different examples of what is actually the most incredibly diverse genre in writing! I’ve had similar conversations *chuckle*.  Would you say it gets any easier with more releases?

I don’t know if it gets easier as such. You know what to expect a little more, but putting your work out there in public always has that element of scariness about it. I think as a writer your work is so personal, it’s sharing a piece of yourself with the world, and there’s always that fear that people are going to hate it.

That’s a great point! It’s a very “naked” occupation because we pour so much of ourselves onto the page. Every bad review feels like getting stabbed and it can be demoralising, but the trick is to remember that you write for you first and that everyone has their own opinions. Try not to take it too much to heart. Now tell us, what is your least favourite part of the whole process of writing, editing, publishing and promoting a book? Why is that and how do you deal with it?

I’m not a big fan of promotion, I must admit, though that’s more to do with the fact that I just don’t feel I’m very good at it. I’m not good at pushing myself and my work. It’s something that I’m trying to work on, but I think it can be a fine line sometimes – you’re excited about your books but you don’t want to sound pushy or annoy people with constant ‘buy my stuff’ posts. I know I don’t like things that feel like sales pitches so I would hate to feel readers felt that way about my posts.

That’s a good point. However, authors do need to be part of building their author brand. Fortunately (as I’ve blogged about before) there are ways to build your author brand without resorting to a barrage of “buy me” posts. It’s a juggling act for sure.  Is there advice that you would give an aspiring writer?

If you want to be a writer then the main thing is to actually write. Most people you meet will tell you how they’ve always thought about writing a book. It could be the most amazing book ever, but no one will ever know unless they sit down and make it happen. There’s always a million reasons to put it off, life gets in the way — you have a day job, a family, kids to run round after, a partner to spend time with, your favourite TV show to catch up on. It can be hard to find time to squeeze out those words, but if you seriously want to be a writer then you have to try and find that time somewhere — get up a little earlier, write in your lunch break, skip the TV one night a week, whatever it takes. It’s hard sometimes but it’s worth it 🙂

That is great advice!! After all, plenty of working parents write great books… it’s all about making the time to get it done!  Here’s a great question! What has been the strangest place that inspiration has struck and how did you deal with it?

I get inspiration anywhere and everywhere, the worse bit tends to be the mad scrabble for pen and paper to try and get it down before it vanishes into the ether! I like noticing things, the certain way a place looks, the lighting, an overheard conversation on the bus, it all has the potential to just spark something off – and that’s the fun part.

I’ve even recorded notes on my phone when inspiration strikes and I haven’t got a pen handy… but the worst for me is in the shower! I find myself repeating the idea over and over until I can write it down lol.  Tell me, what is the strangest thing you have ever done while researching your story or characters?

Hmm, I don’t know if I’ve done anything that strange. My google search history would probably be a source of concern, but hey, it’s all for research purposes… honest.

Hee hee. I hear you on that one! If there’s ever a murder in my neighbourhood, I hope they don’t check my browser history!!  Now for a fun question, if you were going to prepare a meal for the man of your dreams, what would it be?

Can we go out? 😉 I’m not a particularly good cook and I don’t know if I’d quite want to scare off the guy of my dreams with my non-existant culinary skills.

Now Shelli, we’ll have to work on that! Remind me to send you some simple recipes that will “wow” him 🙂  So it’s safe to say that if you won’t be a chef any time soon, but if you weren’t a writer, what other artistic outlet do you think you’d have?

I did photography for a good few years and I still love taking photos as a hobby. I also enjoy drawing, and used to paint a bit, though I sadly don’t have much time for it these days. I need more hours in the day sometimes!

There never seem to be enough hours right??  Last one, and this could be my favourite… If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

Teleportation! I would love to just be able to blink to where I wanted to be. Never have to be stuck in traffic, never be late (oops, not that I usually am *looks shifty*), cheap holidays, easy to visit family and friends. It would be awesome.

I LOVE the idea of being able to teleport! Let’s hope they’re working on that somewhere xx

A huge thanks to Shelli for hanging out today!

Until next time,

BM xx

 

Interview: Scott Weiczorek, author of Witness Through Time

I’m so thrilled to have author Scott Weiczorek as a guest on my blog today. Scott is a talented author and I can’t wait to share him with all of you.

Scott is a professional archaeologist working in the American Middle-Atlantic region. He has written numerous short stories and several full-length novels ranging from science fiction to paranormal mystery to horror. In addition, he writes reviews of books by Independent authors. Samples of his work are available on his blog at www.wieczorekfictblog.blogspot.com.

Hi Scott and thanks for joining us today.  Please could you let us know what inspired you to write your first book?

I wrote my first book after an unfortunate turn of luck in my life. After several productive years of employment, my company decided to downsize and laid me off. With a horrible job market, I need some kind of outlet for my energy and I had always written short stories and tales. So I figured, what the hell? I’ll do it. And I did. My first self-published novel Byron: A Zombie Tale came out January 2013. Since then, several of my manuscripts have been picked up by small publishing houses, and I hope to keep growing my writing from there. I’d also like to self-pub a few more works, and we’ll see how that goes, too.

Writing is a fantastic outlet for energy and creativity and always rewarding.  So how did it feel to submit your first book to a publisher? What was the most terrifying thing about submitting your first book?

It felt great, and at the same time, like I wanted to throw up. The anticipation of whether or not a publisher would accept my story at me up inside worse than waiting for Christmas morning.

That’s a great way to describe the feeling and certainly quite accurate!  Tell me, how did you react to having to edit or make changes to your “baby”?

Overall I had no major issues with an editor making changes to my manuscript. My day job as an archaeologist made me accustomed to the process. In my position, I write a lot of technical reports. However, I did have to call out and correct some misconceptions one editor made on a manuscript. I had to explain that I worked for a time as an adjunct professor and taught the subjects they refuted me on. I have to say, it felt nice to be able to politely tell your editor, “No, that is not changing and this is why.”

That had to be a fantastic feeling! Great advice for authors is that you shouldn’t be afraid to stand your ground if you feel strongly about something in your manuscript.  I wonder, does it get any easier with more releases?

Not really. The day job cuts into a lot of writing and editing time. But I keep at it.

That’s the secret… don’t give up!  However, is it still just as exciting to have a book accepted?

Absolutely. I still get that Christmas morning feeling with every submission, and I just cannot wait to hear the verdict. When it’s a yes, I feel like I got the greatest shiny new gift! It’s a wonderful feeling!

A bit of an adrenalin rush after all the solitary work… It sounds nerve-racking and fun!  Hmm… What is the hardest part of being published for you?

The hardest part of being published for me is the whole marketing thing. I feel that I am terrible at social media. I am more of a one-on-one kind of guy. I can chat somebody’s ear off and make friends, but when it comes to climbing a soap box several times a day and yelling “Hey everyone, look at me! Buy my book!” Not so much. Marketing yourself and your stories is a tough thing to do. But I persist.

We’ve covered social media on the blog and one of the things to consider is that there are ways to build your brand without specifically talking about buying your book. Persisting is key!  So, if you were given one wish, what would you do with it?

What would I do if I were given a single wish? I’m not the kind of guy to blow something like that on cash or a big house, or anything like that. My wish is much more mundane, and far more personal. I would use it to bring my mom back for one day. She passed away a few months after I married my wife and I feel that she missed out on so many things—two grandchildren, her son getting his Master’s degree and becoming and archaeologist, and of course, my getting published. There are so many things I want to share with her, and things I want to ask her.

That’s a great wish and certainly better than some would wish for.  I’m sure she’s watching over you though. Tell me, what advice would you give an aspiring writer?

The best advice I can give an aspiring writer is to stick with it. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. There is no “Get Rich Quick” kind of scheme to writing. Many of these wild success stories you hear about, are just that—stories. We are writers, we give life to words. Sometimes that life is fact, sometimes fiction.

So true! If you weren’t a writer, what other artistic outlet do you think you’d have?

I used to play the drums when I was much younger. I would spend hours behind the set thrashing away to various metal bands, jazz bands, country, rock, anything I could get my hands on. I listened to it all, and played it all. I had dreams of becoming a rock star. Then again, like I said, I was much younger. Those dreams fell away when it came time to be a responsible adult and do crazy things like pay bills and work full time. I eventually sold my drum set for a few extra bucks and have regretted the decision ever since. One day I would like to get another good drum set. Maybe one of the fancy electronic ones so I can play and not wake up the family. Only time will tell.

You should definitely look into that! I’m sure your neighbours will appreciate a “silent” set too *grin*. Final question… What has been the strangest place that inspiration has struck and how did you deal with it?

On several occasions, I have had inspiration strike me while listening to music on my morning commute. At the time, I drove more than two hours each way for work and could seldom afford to take one, let alone both, hands from the wheel to write it down. So I would keep playing the song over and over and over to keep the idea fresh in my head and to expand upon it. Upon arriving at the office, I would type like mad to sketch out the story, some major plot points, characters, etc…, and then print it out without saving. I happened to work for one of those companies that monitored everything you did on their computers. So when I would get home, I would transcribe it into my archive of story ideas.

I worked for one of those companies too… I love that advice… using the song to keep the idea fresh. It’s such a useful tip!

I really want to thank Scott for joining us today. Please check out his latest release, Witness Through Time.

Until next time,

BM xx

—oOo—

When Glory Parker moves to the bucolic locale of Cragg’s Head Cove, Maine, she uncovers a mystery that has remained unsolved for more than fifteen years—the disappearances of four college students with the perpetrator still on the loose.

As the mystery unfolds around her, she becomes aware of her strange new ability to pierce the veil of time.

Can Glory solve the mystery before more people disappear?

Visit Scott Weiczorek on Amazon

Buy Now

—oOo—

The glow of her headlights caught a gleam of metal ahead in the distance. A car was pulled over to the roadside. Could it be Jim? Did he decide not to head in to the station, but to wait for her? As she approached, the car came more clearly into view—definitely not Jim’s.

Parked askew, it appeared the driver had pulled over in haste. The car’s headlights remained on, but its taillights sat dark. She couldn’t understand why someone would drive and abandon a car in such a dangerous way at night.

Against all her instincts and better judgment, she pulled off the road, grabbed her cell phone, and shut off her car. As it sputtered to a stop, it became apparent the other driver hadn’t turned his engine off. Had something terrible happened? Its occupants couldn’t be too far away. She reached into her center console and removed a flashlight before stepping out into the chilly night air.

She dialed Jim’s number, hoping he still had his cell phone handy, but groaned at the dead air against her ear. A glance at the screen told her all she needed to know—no bars. How could that even be? She’d just received a text from Jim mere moments ago. She sighed, debating whether to drive a little further up the road to find better reception, or a phone booth. But something tugged at her; people probably needed help, and she couldn’t just leave them here. With a shiver flitting up her spine, she stuffed the phone in her pocket and closed her car door.

As she stepped toward the embankment, the hackles stood on her neck. Something about the whole scene seemed wrong. Except for the low idle of the car, an eerie solitude settled about the place; not even the tree frogs croaked their mating songs in the night.

A scream pierced the stillness. She knew the sound—it didn’t belong to any kind of animal; it belonged to a woman. She pulled her phone from her pocket. She dialed Jim’s number again—still no reception.

Whipping her flashlight around, she pointed it to where the sound came from. Of course, it needed to be down the embankment. She slipped her phone into her pocket again; she would check for reception again later.

With a deep breath, she made her way down the steep roadside to the leaf-littered forest floor below. A quick examination of the slope as she went revealed another fresh path cut through the leaves, and snapped branches. Someone had crashed through here at high speed. Another scream caught her attention—a female voice, and definitely in trouble. Glory broke into a sprint, following the voice. She ran through the woods, branches whipping her face and brush grabbing her ankles.

“Somebody! Help me!”

The girl’s scream sounded loud and clear. Something crashed in the leaves ahead, followed by a groan and sounds of struggle.

“Let me go, you bastard.” The girl’s voice echoed through the woods.

“Shut up!” The angry voice belonged to a male.

As her feet crashed through the leaves, she heard something like a meaty thud.

Glory stopped dead in her tracks, reached for her phone, and dialed 9-1-1. She pressed send—nothing again. Crap! She must still be in a dead spot. The irony struck her. If she didn’t do something soon, then this would certainly be a dead spot for the girl. She needed to help—one way or another. Glory crept up, extinguishing her flashlight. She followed the sounds of struggle pierced by the girl’s sobs and squeals.

“Yeah,” said the male voice, “you go ahead and cry. Ain’t nobody gonna help you.” Glory could hear from the sound of his voice that he was enjoying himself.

The girl wailed, her voice carrying through the barren trees. The sharp clap of an open-handed slap echoed through the dark. Another wail flew into the night.

Glory could see the pair on the ground. The mousy young brunette girl lay on her back with a young man of average build atop her. He wore a backward baseball cap and Glory couldn’t see his face. They wrestled around as he tried to pin her hands at her sides. She wriggled her hand free and tried to punch him, but he grabbed her wrist, trapping it again.

She scanned the ground for anything she could use as a weapon. Ten feet to her right, lay a long, thick branch, about four-feet in length. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears. Sidling like a crab, she slid her phone in her pocket and picked it up, creeping toward them.

Before she could reach them, though, the male straightened up, bellowing in pain. He clutched a hand to his face. Blood covered one of the girl’s hands.