Wednesday 29 July 2015

Alien Manhunt 3

I know you’ve been waiting a long time but I am pleased to say that Alien Manhunt 3 has been finished, submitted and accepted by the publisher to be released probably in October.

This is the last story in the trilogy (or is it…? See below) and it is the turn of the last of our alien heroes to be hunted – this time on Earth. What is Earth of the future going to be like…. You will have to read it to see. As usual there is a twist in the end! (I am so mean!!)
 



As a reminder in AM1 – Greg is hunted on Cinattra or is he?







AM2 – Taran is hunted on Espoornia but can he escape before he is sold?







However, this time there is also an epilogue (with another big twist) – and as I was writing it I was thinking I could easily do a follow up story showing them a few years on. We will see!


Enjoy.

Monday 27 July 2015

Something you never knew about me...

Something you never knew about me:

I am a walking wreck! (You might want to stop reading now……)

I am tone deaf, very short sighted, very little sense of smell (and subsequently my sense of taste is diminished) and have had a problem with sinusitis for a long time.

If that wasn’t enough I disintegrated the cartilage in my big toe as a child jumping off a climbing frame and landing awkwardly – this is caused me problems wearing shoes all my life and in my early 50s I started having wear and tear of the knee – caused because I have been walking awkwardly all my life due to the big toe problem!! This doesn’t stop me walking lots, but I do have issues walking uphill or up stairs.

Then I had an inner ear infection about 20 years ago and subsequently I cannot bear certain loud noises like police/ambulance or fire engine sirens and have to hurriedly clap my hands over my ears.

I suffered badly (as many women do in their mid to late 40s) from heavy flooding during their period and now I am in the menopause I suffer badly from hot flushes.

Next I was in a house fire 14 years ago and got splashed on my hand by burning hot fat. The skin did not grow back properly because I have hypertrophic or keloid scarring (my body produces too much collagen).

And now I am having problems with high blood pressure (actually I probably had this all my life but am only now on medication for it), and with irritable bowel syndrome (my kitchen is being taken over by the pharmacy).


On the good side, I have all my limbs and have never broken a single bone, even if I do bruise them from time to time falling off worktops doing the decorating!

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Raking up the Past - the truth about Harry

The truth about Harry!

Thanks to everyone who took part in this month’s ‘Raking up the Past’ feature. We had some great suggestions about where in the world Harry travelled to including going to South Asia to work for the Dunlop rubber foundation and opening a rubber plantation and going in the opposite direction, travelling to Iceland to become an ice carver and instead opening a day spa at the hot springs! Very inventive.



The real truth was that Harry went to Nigeria (Old Calabar) to work as a contractor, a Foreman of Works – he is said to have worked on the roads, railways and a cathedral. I discovered from the outgoing and incoming ship’s passenger lists that he came back to England every 18months to 2 years until 1915 when he retired with the rank of Chief Inspector. He actually died a few years later aged only 56, from heart problems possibly from illnesses he got whilst in West Africa.

During that time he kept diaries – I have read three of them and these extracts are taken from the very first one.

One of the diary extracts which I adore gives a great indication of his personality (the ‘six’ he refers to are himself and the other passengers in the train). I love how he refers to Jesus as the 'greatest socialist of his or any other age'!



And the other one I love is the very end of the diary where he is talking about a mountain in the far distance – I love his turn of phrase. Maybe I got my writing ability from him (although not my handwriting ability as mine is appalling!)



One of the things that I found quite shocking (and it sounds like he did as well since he remarked on it) was that on arrival he was only allowed to call the natives who were his workforce by the name of ‘boy’. To distinguish them he could call them ‘old boy’, ‘new boy’, ‘big boy’ and so on!

The other thing that was quite sad was that on reading this diary through from his departure just before Christmas, up to the end the following Easter, is that I knew something he didn’t for he left behind a heavily pregnant wife, Lucy. She gave birth in about February to Ethel who died within weeks. There is no mention in his diary that he knows he became a father again, let alone that his youngest child had died before he even saw her.

His obituary tells us he was in Zarid when it was raided and burnt during an uprising by natives, but that he spoke fluent Housa and was held in high esteem by the natives who had a nickname for him which meant ‘Great White Man’.






Monday 20 July 2015

Submission Call!

Submission Call!

The first ‘Men for Hire’ anthology is out in late September. This one is MF and MF-menage.



The second anthology will be MM and MM-menage and you have just over a month to get your submissions in. Deadline is 1 September. Here are the details:

Men for Hire Anthology 2
Setting: Jennifer Archer runs a firm in London offering ‘men for hire’ to do any job from dog walking, house sitting, DIY, chauffeuring, etc…. (Not sexual, since this isn’t about running a brothel! HOWEVER, in the course of doing the job the main characters will be expected to have sexual relations).
Story ideas: We are looking for unique and erotic situations in this anthology. The plot should be strong, even though it is short, the characters notable, the romance powerful, and the sex PASSIONATE!
Only M/M, and all male-ménage combinations accepted.
Stories should be between 8,000-12,000 words and should always have an HEA or HFN ending.
The submission deadline is 1 September 2015 for release in January 2016.
Submit the full story plus synopsis to:
Jennifer Denys – Acquisitions Jennifer.denys@yahoo.com
When submitting, please enter “Men for Hire MM” in the email subject line.



Wednesday 15 July 2015

Cover Reveal for 'Men for Hire' anthology

COVER REVEAL!

Here it is – the cover for the ‘Men for Hire’ anthology due out in late September.



There are stories from:
Tina Donahue, ‘Got Muscle?’
Bella Settarra, ‘Menage at Mealtime’
Michelle Roth, ‘Calculated Risk’

And me, ‘Marital Duties’

Monday 13 July 2015

Raking up the Past

Raking up the Past

My feature this month is an extract from my great-grandfather’s diary from December 1901.



Harry went to work abroad that year…. And worked there for several years, travelling back and forth every 18months or so to visit the family he left behind in England.

The competition this month is not to guess the truth… but instead to see what exciting stories you can come up with where you think he worked and what he did (and maybe who he left behind in England).

So this is taken from the very beginning of the diary. Clearly he is on his way to Liverpool to get a ship.... but where in the world is he going? That is up to you to decide! I have deliberately cut out his destination.

You have until Sunday evening 19 July to leave a few comments with your ideas. I will pick the most inventive. (We had some great suggestions last month). I will write up a post next week telling you what he actually did.






Good luck.

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Erotic Writers' Lunch

Erotic Writers' lunch

I haven’t reported on one of these for ages! I had lunch on Monday with three authors I met at the Smut events: Ashe Barker, Kryssie Fortune and Cat Summerfield – as all of us live or work near Leeds (here's me with Cat and Ashe - thanks to Kryssie for the photo)



We had a great time and agreed we must meet up again.

Usual topics:

  • What we are working on (it was a mixture of sci-fi MM - me, paranormal (Kryssie - see photo), mystery (Ashe) and fantasy story (Cat)

  • There was a discussion about our respective publishers and what’s good or bad about them (this included not doing print books as a negative for some, and positives included publishers who are willing to run with unusual ideas you may have instead of sticking hard and fast to rigid rules).

  • Writing events and conferences (Eroticon is coming up next month but unfortunately I can’t attend this one – also a great Writers Workshop at York Uni. Sadly this is too expensive for me to attend. However, I will be at the next Smut event in Manchester in October).

  • Home life – Kryssie has just become a grandmother again and I had an accident falling off my worktop whilst doing the decorating (I’m okay – just a badly bruised derriere!)
 
  • Working life – Cat is in the enviable position of being able to be a full-time writer due to saving up hard when last working and renting or sharing with friends (see pic). Kryssie also manages to only work part-time.



  • Trips to London - we talked about the great exhibitions at the British Library that every writer should visit and also the experience of watching a production at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.





But Ashe came up with the best story about her adventures getting to the lunch which involved missing keys, garages, traffic, car parks, lack of cash and phones! I think there’s a story there…..


Monday 6 July 2015

Author interview for 'Men for Hire' anthology

This month we have Bella Settarra talking about her entry in the ‘Men for Hire’ anthology due out in September.



Hi Jen. I’m an Erotic Romance author who lives in the English countryside. I love allowing my imagination to take over and am often surprised to read what I have written at the end of the day. I have been writing professionally for eighteen months now and will be releasing my twelfth novel this week. One of my favourite things about being an author is having contact with my readers, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch! J




Your Writing

The ‘Men for Hire’ anthology has a specific theme. That of
a firm in London run by Jennifer Archer offering ‘men for hire’ to do any job from dog walking, house sitting, DIY, chauffeuring, etc…. How did you find this theme easy (or hard) to work with?

At first it was hard as there were so many occupations I could come up with, but the idea of chimney sweeps came to me when a bird got stuck in my chimney. I liked that it was a little more unusual, although the problem of having a bird fluttering around your chimney when you’re a woman on your own is a very real one.


This is Luminosity’s first anthology. Have you had any short stories accepted in an anthology before and tell us the title of your story in the Men for Hire anthology.

My story for the ‘Men for Hire’ anthology is ‘Ménage at Mealtime’ and is the first short story I have ever had published. I will certainly be writing more in the future though – it was great fun!
(Glad to hear I have converted you!)


‘Men for Hire’ is contemporary MF/MFM stories (there will be a follow up anthology with MM stories later on). What other genres do you normally write?





As well as MF and MFM stories I have also written MM and hope to be releasing a MFMM shortly. Although my current series, ‘Collar and Cuffs’ is contemporary, set in a BDSM club, I have also written two cowboy romance series, ‘The Men of Moone Mountain’ and ‘Midnight in Montana’, while my first series, ‘Sirens and Sailors’ was mythical/fantasy.







The stories in the anthology are all between 8-12,000 words. What is good (or hard) about writing a short story?

Keeping to a strict word count was quite a challenge for me – my first attempt at a short story of this kind ended up as a novel, ‘Last of the Sirens’, which then went on to be the first in a series of six books, called ‘Sirens and Sailors’, lol!

I think the hardest part about writing a short story is not incorporating strands which would lead to extra storylines or even subsequent books. Sticking to one story and keeping on track takes a lot of discipline, but I’m learning 
(Very true)


Tell us about the characters in your story?

Naomi Powell is a 38-year-old writer who has recently been dumped by her boyfriend, Richard, who went off with her best friend. She is plumpish and regards herself as plain, though not exactly ugly. She has lost her confidence and is nervous and worried as she prepares for the evening ahead.

James is about 36 and is fair-haired with blue eyes which twinkle with mirth. He is a lot of fun and real flirt, although very kind and caring, too. He smells deliciously of spice – oh and, of course, he’s an Adonis!

Aaron is also about 36 and is a veritable hunk that has dark hair with chocolate eyes that smoulder sexily. His lips are moist and full and he has a dazzling smile ‘which would put Donny Osmond to shame’. His husky voice is soft yet slightly commanding and he smells of Georgio Armani


Blurb for Ménage at Mealtime:

Naomi Powell nervously prepares for a dinner party where she hopes to secure her a lucrative deal with a new publisher. Her ex, Richard, is also attending with his new girlfriend, Naomi’s best friend, Paula.

When Naomi hears a bird stuck in her chimney she urgently calls ‘Men for Hire’ for help. Two gorgeous guys, Aaron and James, come to her rescue. Not only do they solve her chimney problem, they woo her guests and give Naomi the time of her life – ménage-style!

However, when Richard announces that he wants Naomi back will she follow convention or follow her heart?


About You

Although Luminosity Publishing is based in the UK, we have authors from several different countries in this anthology. Which country are you from (and name of county/state). Did you grow up there?

I am British, living in the Shropshire countryside. As my father was in the British Army, I grew up all over the world, including Germany and Saudi Arabia as well as various parts of the UK.
(In all this time I’ve known you, I never knew your Dad was in the army!)





When was your first book published and with whom?

My first book, ‘Last of the Sirens’ was published in November 2013 with Siren Bookstrand.









Give one thing about yourself that you would like to change?

Only one? LOL!  OK, I think the main thing is that I’m a bit of ditherer; very indecisive. I spend ages procrastinating about stuff instead of just getting on with it. I would definitely like to change that – life’s too short!


Name three people you would like to be shipwrecked with (and why)?

Great question! OK, putting aside family members and such, I think I would choose Stephen Fry as I find him fascinating and so funny. I don’t think I’d ever run out of things to discuss with him as he’s such a genius and has so many exciting experiences to talk about.

The second person I would choose is EL James. Love her or hate her, the woman is amazing! I would want to know how she really felt about the success of Fifty Shades – had she planned it to be the blockbuster it turned out to be, as there are so many different reports about her being ‘gobsmacked by its runaway success’ but also that she planned it meticulously, having already got 32,000 fans eagerly awaiting it’s release having read her earlier versions as fan fiction for ‘Twilight’.

And, of course, I’ve got to have some eye candy so I would have to choose Jamie Dornan as my third ;)  Apart from loving his Irish accent, being such a great singer means he would be able to keep me entertained when we had exhausted other avenues, if you catch my drift? I find him a total enigma; he manages to not only portray such diverse roles but also to look so different too! I love him with or without the beard but can’t get my head around him being the same guy, and when he is just being himself he has a totally different look and demeanour altogether.


What’s the strangest (bravest, funniest etc) thing you’ve ever done?

I think that the most amazing thing I ever did was survive breast cancer – not that it took much effort on my part, lol! I have always been very positive and my first words after being told my diagnosis were ‘OK, so what do we do about it?’ I was determined not to let it beat me and am pleased to be looking forward to getting to my 5-years’ remission this summer. I know I’m not out of the woods yet, it could come back at any time, but I won’t let that worry me – I’m living my life to the full and making the most of every day! 
(And you amaze me with how you have coped with it all and still remain smiling!)


Please give links of how fans can find you on the internet/buy your books.




Thank you so much, Bella, for taking part. Next month it will be the turn of me(!) as I am the fourth of the anthology authors.