LETHAL OBSESSION is a month old, and the response has been....

It’s been about a month since I published my first novel, LETHAL OBSESSION.  I had published a few erotica shorts, but this was my first novel-length work (although I realize it’s a little short for a novel). I’ll admit to being really nervous – I had no idea how it would be received, what reviewers would say, if it would sell.

Well, this month has exceeded anything I could have dreamed. First, I’ve met some incredible people who have been so encouraging to me. I hate to get into a list, for I know I’ll leave someone out, but I’m going to tell you about one person named JennieSchroder. She’s a writer (check out her Daughters of Eden series), but more than that, she’s been so kind, so supportive. She liked LETHAL OBSESSION, which is great, but even more she reached out to me and offered some valuable marketing advice and has been a major part of the success the book has already had.

I’ll tell you more about her later, in another blog, but I just wanted to say thanks Jeannie, and to all of her crew at the Thunderous Street Team. You ladies are the absolute best!

Now for the reviews.

I’ve been blown away. Let me give you a few lines from some of the reviews I’ve gotten (and please forgive the funky background on some -- seems blogger doesn't like me to copy and paste from other places):

From Goodreads (5 star): The erotic pieces of the book fit in nicely with what was actually happening in the story and not a single sex scene felt gratuitous, which I personally found refreshing…Miller does a superb job of making the powerful draw of the BDSM lifestyle an understandable one on an emotional level as opposed to merely creating a string of sexual scenarios that lack motivation. There's plenty of deviant steam here, but there is also an interesting, compelling story. And that is shizzle I can appreciate.

From Goodreads (5 stars): This was such a great book. I had a hard time putting it down and even though it is shorter book, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. Angela is thrown into a world she craves and doesn't understand why yet. With her job she is bond to find a killer, but with a killer on the loose, her obsession could kill her. This book will keep you guessing, and has some major twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat and your heart pounding.

From Goodreads (5 stars): I can actually say that I was drawn into the story and not just anticipating the hot sex scenes. Shandra did an incredible job with this book and other than being upset that I have to wait till this summer for the next book...I will definitely be recommending this to everyone!

From Goodreads ( 4 stars): I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Unlike some erotic material I’ve read, Ms. Miller is a stylish writer and her work felt like any other book I may have purchased by a big publishing : house in a brick and mortar bookstore - the quality totally holds up in comparison. Her lead character is nicely developed and even in instances when Angela herself didn’t understand her own motivations, the author allows us to experience that internal battle along with her as she navigates her questionable decisions. We get to invest in her instead of just taking on the roles of disconnected voyeurs. 

From Barnes and Noble (4 stars): Wow, I was so not expecting that! Ms. Miller took an already exciting genre, erotic romance, and gave it a fantastic suspense element that kept me guessing until the very end!

From Barnes and Noble (4 stars): Lethal Obsession is a BDSM book unlike any other I have ever read! Lethal Obsession is a BDSM book unlike any other I have ever read! This book has bondage, kinky sex, mystery, suspense, and shock!! I include shock because that is how the ending of this book left me!! I literally had to pick my jaw off of my lap when I read the concluding chapter!!

From Amazon (5 stars): OH MY GOODNESS. I could not put it down. I love this book from start to finish and I do mean that literally. I did not put it down from the moment I picked it up. I couldn't. I needed to know what was going to happen. It was absolutely amazing. 

*** 

Of course, those are merely excerpts. If you want to read the full reviews check out my book pages at Goodreads, at Amazon, or at Barnes and Noble. 

Better yet, go ahead and get your own copy of LETHAL OBSESSION at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It's must $2.99 and it'll keep you on pins and needles with some hot BDSM and scintillating suspense. 

Check it out! 

And thanks for stopping by. 

xoxo

Bondage, sex, and fresh fruit -- a free quickie

Just a little quickie post today to tell you about a little quickie available to you for FREE today AND Sunday.

My best-selling short, PRIVATE DINING, is available for free from Amazon for download to your Kindle. 

It’s the story of Pamela, a waitress at the ritzy Tides Inn on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, and an encounter she has while serving dinner to Brett, a man she’s fantasized about many times over. When he returns to the Inn for his regular monthly visit there, she decides to make her interest known to him – with some surprising results!

PRIVATE DINING has some hot bondage-laced sex scenes involving fresh fruit! Best of all, it’s free today and Sunday. Just click on the title and download. Please download, and tell all your friends.

Enjoy!

xoxox

Release Day: HOUND DOG, breaking up with characters, and working in your PJs

Today we're chatting with Deliza Rafferty, self-proclaimed smut-crack dealer and author of HOUND DOG: Volume 4 of the Savannah Rossi Chronicles, which is being released TODAY -- March 8. In the midst of her busy release schedule, I'm honored she was able to spend a few minutes here.  

SHANDRA: Your latest work, HOUND DOG: Volume 4 of the Savannah Rossi Chronicles is, if I’m correct, part of a larger work that’s really a collection of continuing short stories. Why did you choose to write in this method, rather than a so-called regular novel?

DELIZA: Honestly, it had been years and years since I'd attempted to write anything wordier than a song lyric, so 40,000+ words felt terribly daunting. I thought it would be a wise idea to start with short stories to get back into the swing of things. I didn't originally intend to have an entire series about one particular character, but after writing volume 1 ("Rock & Roll") I had such a girl crush on my heroine that I wasn't ready to give her up so fast. Also I do want to point out that while the Chronicles are Savannah's stories, I've taken great care to make sure each one is a stand alone so they don't necessarily have to be read in order.

SHANDRA: Has this presented any particular challenges unique to your chosen method to tell this story, or has it been easier than a conventional novel?

DELIZA: Well...originally I thought it would be easier, but now it feels like I've broken up with four men in the last six months and it's killing me! I also originally thought I'd be just pumping out meaningless little sex scenes about once or twice a month - easy peasy - but it turns out I'm not as shallow as I thought I was and I actually want to be really good at this. I don't want to be on the "bad erotica" reading list. As a reader myself, I need vivid characters as much as vivid description and story and I detest erotica in which the characters have no motivation for why they're getting it on (in my opinion, that's just porn). So I'm just writing what I would like to read and hopefully it will work for others, too. So to answer your question (finally), it turns out it's not easier than writing a conventional novel!

SHANDRA: Can you tell us a little about what moved you to write initially? How long have you been writing?

DELIZA: Some of my earliest memories in life are writing little stories and songs, so I guess I've always been a writer. I've got a whole mess of songs published and recorded, however this is the first time I've attempted to do anything with prose on a professional level.

SHANDRA: Specifically, what draws you to erotica and romance? 

DELIZA: That is a really good question. I think that being a Scorpio has something to do with it, ha! It's just something that happened...I wrote dirty stories about my boyfriends from the time I had my first kiss, just for my own enjoyment, and I voraciously read romance novels all through college. I think I'm just fascinated by the power sex holds over people and our society. In my home growing up it was implied that sex was sinful, shameful, or at best dutiful, so I am also quite sure this is a very delayed rebellion of sorts. 

SHANDRA: With the advent of 50 Shades of Gray, it seems erotica is more popular than ever. Do you think the genre is finally getting its due, or is it still spoken of in hushed whispers, away from “serious” fiction?

DELIZA: Well, I haven't yet read 50 Shades (I keep trying to make it past the first 20 pages...zzzzz), but I think it's interesting there's suddenly all this attention placed on erotica because of it, when Ann Rice (my personal author goddess) has been infusing erotica in her very mainstream work for years and years (even before her Sleeping Beauty trilogy). From the mixed reviews I've gotten from friends about 50 Shades, I'm not sure it's necessarily done erotica any favors as far as getting it consideration as serious literature, but I suppose you have to start somewhere. Hopefully it leads readers to seek out some of the beautiful, poetic erotic writing that exists out there.

SHANDRA: Okay, let’s try a few non-writing questions. Rapid-fire style, just reply with the first thing that comes to mine. Ready?

DELIZA: Sure! 

SHANDRA: Favorite television show? 

DELIZA: Oh, I suck at this already! I'm a tv junkie, there can't be just one. Top of the list currently have to be Dexter and Supernatural, though. X-Files, 24, Oz, Friends, Six Feet Under, Lost and Cheers are some all time faves.

SHANDRA: Favorite movie? 

DELIZA: Again...impossible! E.T., original Star Wars trilogy, It's A Wonderful Life, In America (a beautiful indie film about Irish immigrants), Sling Blade, All About Eve, several Brat Pack movies, just about any wonderful old Hollywood musical, The Artist, Dirty Dancing...I know there are plenty of "important" movies I'm not thinking of, too... 

SHANDRA: Favorite band (any sort of music)? 

DELIZA: This one's easy: Heart. Hands down, forever. Ann Wilson is God.

SHANDRA: Favorite restaurant (can either be a specific restaurant, or a type of restaurant)? 

DELIZA: I don't have any one favorite place but I love Italian and Greek food the best. But I'm an Italian girl so I don't play...it better be good Italian. There's also a lot to be said for a good mom & pop diner that serves breakfast 24-7.

SHANDRA: If you could vacation anywhere in the world, money is no object, where would it be?

DELIZA: Europe...primarily Italy, France and Ireland.

SHANDRA: If you could have any job in the world, without regard to whether it would be enough to financially support you, what would it be?

DELIZA: Once I'd have said a recording artist. But after lots of time in the biz in many capacities, I'm burnt out and sick to death of the emphasis on appearances, particularly for women. So lately I've been thinking that spending my days in my pajamas, possibly unshowered, drinking coffee and writing stories would be absolutely dreamy.

SHANDRA: Okay, back to writing. I know you recently started a blog. What do you feature there, and what do you hope to accomplish with the blog?

DELIZA: I was told that if I'm gonna call myself a writer then I'd better have a blog, so I'm totally flying by the seat of my pants, admittedly. The address is www.dirtydramas.com (I spent hours on it so please everyone at least go look at it once! lol). 

DELIZA: This week I started "Man Candy Mondays," where I'll feature some half-dressed hottie once a week. Mondays are hard, man...let's look at some hard men and make it better! I'll be hosting blog tours eventually (which I'm very excited about), I'll be reviewing, I'll be booking guest bloggers of all kinds (authors, artists, musicians, etc.) and of course posting my own blogs that will document my process as I'm writing. Above all I want it to be sexy, fun and generally positive and not too terribly serious or heavy. I am very aware that my audience consists primarily of sunshiny soccer moms who have a saucy side behind closed doors and if I had kids I'd probably be that, too. I'm just not all that dark and twisty, despite what I write. So I'm just going to be me and hope it resonates with people.  

Anyone interested in doing a guest post or requesting a review can drop me an email at DelizaRafferty@aol.com. I'll read almost anything, though admittedly scifi isn't my favorite. That's not a hard no, though. If it's a great story with great characters, I'm all in.

SHANDRA: Tell us a little about what’s coming up next, either a work in progress or something you’re kicking around inside your mind?

DELIZA: Well I went and put in writing that I'm doing ten volumes of the Savannah Rossi Chronicles before I actually planned any of them out (dummy), so up next is Volume 5, which has no name or even a plot yet. The only thing I know for sure is that the title will be something musical (as are they all, because Savannah's a musician) and we will meet Savannah's life long best friend/bass player/co-writer Leif, who is discussed quite a bit in "Slow Jam" (Volume 2), but whom we barely meet. I'm very carefully weighing the options of having them become sexually involved, if he pines for her or if it's strictly platonic...their honorary sibling-hood is precious to them and I'm not sure I want to risk messing with it.

SHANDRA: Tell us where we can find HOUND DOG.

DELIZA: As of today it is available exclusively on Smashwords.com! You can go directly to http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/delizarafferty or do a simple search on my name. Either will bring up my author page and all my available books, including HOUND DOG. Smashwords is awesome, as it offers download options for any e-reader you own.

SHANDRA: Anything else you’d like to say in closing?

DELIZA: Just that "Rock & Roll (Vol. 1 of the Savannah Rossi Chronicles)" is free, so people can get an idea of my writing style. Hopefully after that they'll want to continue on Savannah's journey with me. I'm having the best time bringing her strong, sexy, sassy self to life and I'm happy to share her with others!

SHANDRA: Thanks so much for stopping by, Deliza. It’s been fun getting to know you a bit, and I am hoping HOUND DOG reaches the top of the erotica lists!

DELIZA: This has been a really fun interview, Shandra. Thank you so much for having me! ♥

*****

A little more about Deliza

Deliza Rafferty is a new erotic romance writer (spicier than traditional romance without hardcore BDSM -- always super hot!) located in Hollywood. She's written all sorts of stories and poems for personal enjoyment since she was a little girl, but has spent most of her career in the music business. She is venturing into sharing her musings publicly for the very first time and is excited that modern day technology allows her to do it at her leisure. Currently she is focused on writing her short story series, the "Savannah Rossi Chronicles."

Deliza means "gives pleasure" and Rafferty means "rich and prosperous." With a name like that, what else could she do? Like...legally?

*****

And now. what you've been waiting for -- a little about HOUND DOG

The "Savannah Rossi Chronicles" is a series of erotica/erotic romance short stories that pave the way to an eventual full-length novel. Each story is a stand-alone and follows the steamy adventures of sexy, independent, musically-gifted singer/songwriter Savannah Rossi, who is teetering on the verge of national success. This is no spoiled brat pop princess looking to be saved. Confident, driven, intelligent and unabashed in her sexuality, Savannah has created her own success and enjoys a vibrant sex life on her own terms with men of her choosing. Is it possible that any one man could tame such an independent free spirit? Who says she even needs to be tamed?

In "Hound Dog," Volume 4 of the series, Savannah lands a major studio gig singing for one of the music industry's hottest songwriter/producers. However, she is blindsided when she shows up to the job to find that the only man she ever gave her heart to -- the one who also demolished it several years prior -- is the sound engineer on the recording sessions. As painful memories are revisited, Savannah and Jax struggle to behave professionally in spite of the deep-seated hatred and intense desire they still hold for each other. Time does not necessarily heal all wounds -- and new ones can still be inflicted...

*Contains graphic sexual content, language, and mild violence.*

Lethal Obsession now available, and the blog tour commences!

My novel, LETHAL OBSESSION, is now available for purchase from both Amazon for your Kindle and from Barnes and Noble for your Nook.

What's the novel about?

Here's the dust jacket promo:

Angela Martin is like everyone else. She wants acceptance. Love. Passion.

For five years she’s lived with the pain of knowing her husband cheats on her. She’s dealt with the heart-rending rejection by rebuilding her life around her work, becoming the first woman detective in the history of the Moose Creek, N.C., police department.

Then she stumbles upon him. A man who reawakens desire, who makes her feel more alive than she believed possible by pulling her into a world of bondage and dominance, devotion and trust taken to a new level, fear mingling with desire, a craving stronger than any drug.

Soon women start turning up dead in Moose Creek, bound and tortured, tied in ways that Angela finds startling familiar. Angela’s heart tells her that her newfound love cannot be the killer, her detective instincts tell her otherwise, and her obsession with this new lifestyle draws her back to him, even at the risk of her life.

LETHAL OBSESSION is a tale of sex and bondage, love and fear, desire and suspicion, with an ending that will leave you breathless, craving more.

Download it now. Even better, buy it and then join my Facebook LETHAL OBSESSION Blog Tour for a chance to win a gift card, free fiction, and other prizes!

Time for erotica to grow up?

Erotica.

It’s a genre as old as story-telling, yet in some ways that particular form of writing is in its infancy.

What I mean is that when someone mentions erotica, one of two things often come to mind: creative ways to describe sex, often with no storyline other than sex, all for the sake of describing sex; or more recently – thanks to the popularity of Fifty Shades – some sort of story laced with BDSM, most for the sake of writing about BDSM.

That’s a gross simplification, I understand. But it’s true. Peruse most titles on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Check out the websites with erotica fiction on display. Most of them will have thinly disguised porn or people being tied up and whipped without hint of any larger story arc or plot line.

If there’s a third incarnation of erotica, it would be romance with rather explicit love scenes, sometimes filled with what’s best described as purple prose, in which everyone eventually lives happily ever-after.

Maybe it’s time for erotica to take another step toward maturity. Why can’t a science fiction story be a cross-genre work, with main characters whisking through the universe while engaging in explicit sex scenes that are integral to the story rather than tacked on for a little shock value? What about a coming-of-age novel that includes a healthy dose of bondage?

Or, just maybe, a murder mystery that doubles as an erotica BDSM tale?

My novel, LETHAL OBSESSION, is just that – a dark suspense story that delves into the world of loneliness, the search for love, exploration of bondage, and a serial killer who’s getting closer and closer to the main characters.

The novel will be out March 1, but I’m curious to know what you think – can bondage and erotica successfully cross into other genres? Or is erotica cursed to always be alone in its own little corner of the literary world? If so, is that because the larger readership of the world won’t accept it in any other genre, or is it because writers simply refuse to stretch themselves and change the genre?

Don’t be shy – go ahead and put your comments below!

Thanks for stopping by.

Shandra

xoxo

Ten bucks and free fiction? All can be yours....

Could you use a $10 Amazon card? 

Want a free e-copy of my forthcoming erotic suspense novel, LETHAL OBSESSION? How about e-copies of my erotic/BDSM short stories PRIVATE DINING, ROOM SERVICE, JENNIFER LOST, and JENNIFER BOUND?

How would you like ALL of the above? That’s right, an Erotica Fiction Prize Pack, along with a $10 Amazon gift card, a total value of $17.95?

I’ll be giving away one prize that includes ALL of those items, a second prize including the novel and short stories, and a third prize of the novel by itself on March 16. All you have to do is look on the right side of this blog where it says “subscribe to our newsletter” and then subscribe!

There is one caveat – I need at least 25 new subscribers to qualify one lucky winner for the Grand Prize of a $10 Amazon gift card and an Erotica Fiction Prize Pack. So get the word out and help bring in new subscribers!

On March 16 I’ll hold a drawing for all people who subscribe by midnight, EST, on March 15. First prize is the Amazon gift card and Erotica Fiction Prize Pack; second price is an Erotica Fiction Prize Pack; and third prize is a copy of the novel.

Want to double your chances of winning? Simply join this blog AND subscribe to the newsletter and your name will be entered twice! If you’ve already joined before the start of the contest, your name will still be entered twice if you subscribe to the newsletter.

What are you waiting for?

Xoxo

Shandra

What have I been doing with myself?

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a month since I last blogged. I suppose that makes me a bad little girl…

I have been busy, however. I’ve finished up the semi-final edits of my new novel LETHAL OBSESSION, have sent it to beta readers (some of whom have given me their comments) and I’m about to start the final edits on the work.

I’ve also been organizing a blog tour for the novel’s release, and let me tell you while I’ve met some really nice people who are graciously allowing me to appear on their blogs, this is nearly as time-consuming as writing the novel!

I’ve also added a little widget to my blog. If you’ll peek over there on the right, there is now a link where you can subscribe to my newsletter! I hope you’ll do so. That way I can keep you updated on all my publishing news. I promise I don’t spam, and I never, ever give out or sell your information to anyone. Your contact information will be our little secret.

On Sunday (just four days from now) I plan on announcing the LETHAL OBSESSION Blog Tour (which will begin on March 1). Before then, though, on Feb. 19 I plan on releasing just a little bit of information about the book – but for now, I’ll tell you it’s unlike any erotica novel you’ve ever read. It can best be described as an erotic suspense novel that will keep you off-balance until the final line.

So, sign up for my newsletter, join my blog and check back often – I think I can make it worth your while.

xoxo