Best Book of 2010 (almost)

Well, I just found out that FIT TO BE TIED was nominated for Best Book of 2010 at The Romance Reviews. The contest is over and I have no idea how they chose the winners. I don't even know what category my book was placed in. I'm thinking it must have been Contemporary Erotic Romance.

Anyway, I am truly happy that my book was even nominated.

It's a nifty little logo, isn't it? Heh heh.

Sizzling Hot Books Reviews Fit To Be Tied

This is pretty late to be posting this, but better late than never!

Marissa at Sizzling Hot Books had this to say about Fit To Be Tied:

Fit to be Tied is an entertaining way to spend the evening. This quick read is hot (yes, graphic), at time sweet, and just a touch kinky.

To read the entire review, click here.


Painting by T.F. Simon, "Vilma reading on a Sofa", oil on canvas, ca. 1912.

Three Teacups for Fit to be Tied

I'm happy to announce that Happily Ever After Reviews awarded three teacups to Fit To Be Tied. The reviewer, Dodie, had this to say...

Kate Willoughby did an excellent job initiating Sadie into the BDSM world, and helping Sadie deal with some unpleasant issues in her past. Sadie and Max forge a tight bond, and relationship built on trust, and a shared history. This is a truly lovely love story, with some steamy love scenes, and a great read.

Review for Fit To Be Tied

The Romance Reviews gave Fit To Be Tied five stars and deemed it a Top Pick! Woot! Here's a snippet from the review:

I was engaged from the moment I started reading to the very last word...and I will definitely be looking forward to more stories by the author.

Here's where you can read the entire review by Paige Ray.

It's All About the Sex

Whenever one of my books is released, I like to tally up the sex scenes. Here are how the numbers fell for Fit To Be Tied.

Number of sex scenes: 6

Longest sex scene: 2632 words

Shortest sex scene: 484

Percentage of sex in the book: 25%

Sex sells.

At least, I hope it does. LOL

Don't Bug Me

In Fit To Be Tied, the heroine Sadie, gets a job as a bug wrangler for a movie. I really have no idea where I got the idea for her to do this, but there really are bug wranglers. If it's not a digitized insect, someone was in charge of bringing that bug to the set and making it do it's thing.

By the way, I can usually spot the fake bugs in movies, can't you? Like did you see The American with George Clooney? I think the butterfly at the end was computer generated.

But I digress.

I met a real bug wranger at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History and asked him a ton of questions. I also got to handle a tarantula and he taught me how to make it go and stop. Unfortunately, I can only remember that if you hold your hand over the spider, it will stop walking. I can't remember how to make it go.

Here's a link to a real live bug wrangler whose resume is pretty impressive.

Do you think he has Raid in his house?

Spider Webs...Japanese Rope Bondage

Max, the hero of my novella Fit To Be Tied, is an entomologist who specializes in tarantulas and an aficionado of Japanese rope bondage, otherwise known as shibari. I think tarantulas are fascinating and I liked the subtle tie (pardon the pun) between a spider web and Japanese rope bondage.

In the book I mention one particular species of tarantula, Haplopelma lividum--the Cobalt Blue. Although beautiful, they're particularly quick and vicious. Here's a great quality video showing a Cobalt Blue snatching up a cricket. The action is over fairly quick, but you can really see incredible detail on the spider.

Are you afraid of spiders? Or are you like me, just a little bit morbidly fascinated by them?

Fit To Be Tied Excerpt

You'd think I'd realize by now that readers like to get a taste of the book and the writing before they buy. I'm an avid reader and I never buy a book without reading a little bit of it.

In order to better understand this excerpt, you should know that Max is an entomologist working late at the Natural History Museum. Sadie brought him some fried rice for dinner and is hoping for a little post Chinese food nookie…

____

As Max cleaned up his dinner mess, he noticed Sadie watching him, staring at him. Her eyes wandered all over his body, but they kept returning to his groin. His cock pulsed in his pants and he tried to ignore it, but she wouldn’t quit. In a few more moments, he’d have a full on erection.

“Don’t do that,” he finally said in desperation.

Sadie looked up. “Do what?”

“Stare at my crotch.”

“Why? As crotches go, it’s a nice one.” She gave him a slight smile. “And from what I can see, it’s getting even nicer.”

That did it.

“You know what? I’ve had enough,” he said, putting his pencil away and organizing his work. His tolerance had reached critical mass. She’d given off enough signals for him. He still had several bugs to label, and although it bothered him to leave that unfinished, his need for Sadie was more immediate.

Besides, the bugs were dead.

Sadie gathered her purse and keys. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s late and you can finish this on Monday.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He stood up slowly and moved close, into her personal space. She didn’t back away, but looked up when he put a hand on her waist. “I’m tired of the flirting games.” Catching her gaze, he said, “If you have any objections to my kissing you, you’d better get them out now.”

Sadie’s arms crept up around his neck and she murmured, “No objections whatsoever.”

“Good.”

Her breath came out in a sigh as their mouths met. Her lips were soft and full and he couldn’t get enough. She tangled her hands in his hair and pressed herself against him as he deepened the kiss. Sexual energy vibrated from her body. He soaked it up like the desert does rain.

Pulling his mouth away, he tugged her elastic top down. “God, Max, yes,” she gasped, holding onto his shoulders. The sound of his name on her lips sent a wave of lust through him.

Her breasts came free and he wasted no time in capturing one with his mouth. The nipple was cool and sweet between his lips. As he sucked it, splaying his hand across her back to hold her still, she arched up and the peak hardened. He switched to the other breast which seemed to swell in his hand and teased it with his tongue.

The clatter of his pencil cup overturning brought him to his senses. He was at work, for shit’s sake. Yes, it was after hours, but Al could wander in at any minute. Surely Max had enough self-control to hold back until they got back to his house.

Reluctantly, he eased away from her. “We can’t do this here,” he said, pulling her top back up.

Sadie lifted her gaze to his and smiled, catlike. Her eyes were luminous, even in the unflattering fluorescent light. Without breaking eye contact, she started unbuckling his belt.

“Ah…Sadie, didn’t you hear me? We could get caught in flagrante delicto,” he said. “Again.”

Seemingly unperturbed, she shrugged, slipped her hand between them and rubbed his erection. Max gritted his teeth at how incredibly good that felt.

“But I think it’s kind of exciting, don’t you?”

“No.” He took a very difficult step back.

She sauntered over to his recently vacated chair and sat down. One corner of her mouth tilted as she said, “But we’re destined to do this.”

“We are?”

“Of course we are.” She rolled the chair over to him and then worked the hydraulic lever until her face was level with his groin. “That’s why we hooked up again. It’s Fate, and Fate is City Hall on a cosmic scale. It just doesn’t pay to fight it.”

He gave a strangled gasp as she opened his pants.

Tie Me Up!

I'm very excited to announce that my newest novella, Fit To Be Tied, is now available!
_____

Ten years ago, Sadie thought Max was a scrawny, hopeless nerd. She even said so to his face in front of the student body.

Today, Max is still a little nerdy but in a “My, Clark Kent, what broad shoulders you have!” way. And when she ends up as his temporary house guest, she discovers a lot more about the new him. He’s amusingly fastidious, independently wealthy, and most importantly, able to make her wet with little more than a commanding stare.

There’s just one thing she still needs to find out: what the heck is behind that black door—his bedroom door—the one he asked her not to open?
_____


If you liked Losing It, you will probably enjoy Fit To Be Tied. I like to think it's got much of the same humorous banter that readers seemed to like.

One reader, Liia Ann, already bought and read Fit To Be Tied. Here's what she had to say:

Loved it! Well done on another great book. It was an awesome read.

So what are you waiting for? Go buy one now!!! LOL

Shorter Fiction Woots

I sold an 800 word story to Woman's World magazine, and it'll appear in the August 6 issue. :) It's about a guy who has to start eating healthier.

I also sold a 5,500 word story to True Experience magazine. That's coming out in the fall. This is about an older woman who built a cupcake empire and the man who woos her.

It'll be interesting to see if either of my ebooks (Fit To Be Tied and Once Upon A Kiss) will come out before then. I doubt it. But I don't mind. I like it when there's a little time between publications.