Hosting Katie Salidas: Halloween Fantasies

Today I welcome Katie Salidas, author of the new erotic novella "Halloween Fantasies".

Why I like Halloween.

What’s not to like about Halloween? It’s probably one of the most fun holidays of the year.

As a kid, it was always about the candy. I loved to put on the masks and wander around at night holding out my hands, expecting a treat in return. Mom and Dad would let me stay up late while “spooky” marathons played on TV but I never cared what was on TV. It was all about the candy stash.

As I got older, it became more about the costume and pretending. I fell in love with vampires at a young age and loved to be them for Halloween, (I had a serious gothic thing working during the teen years). There were costume contest and great parties to attend. Being in costume was freeing in a way. I could be something totally different for the night. I could really get into character.

That’s when it hit me. No other holiday lets you step out of your own life like Halloween does. It’s the one night of the year where it is ok… and even expected of you, to be something you aren’t. There is a certain magic in Halloween. It allows you to be silly, serious, or even scary. The point is, it makes you shed your boring skin and be something fun.

That’s kind of what helped to inspire Halloween Fantasies, my Erotic novella.

In Las Vegas, there are many Halloween parties. One in particular is the Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball. It’s definitely a place to let loose.

Sasha, my character in the book, doesn’t get to wear the costume she picked for Halloween, instead she is forced to be something different and because of that her whole evening changes. Being something completely different than what she planned is the catalyst that allows her to explore fantasies she had only ever dreamed about.

About the Author

Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.

And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…

Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.

http://www.katiesalidas.com/

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About Halloween Fantasies:

Touted as the sexiest party of the year, the annual Halloween Fantasy Ball is the one place a girl can let loose and succumb to her wildest fantasies.

Disguised as a sexy vampire huntress, Sasha captures the attention of Dante, a real life creature of the night. For Sasha, meeting bona-fide vampire is enough to fulfill one of her life long fantasies. She’s ready to go home a happy woman.

But Dante has other plans. It is after all, a night of fantasies, and he has a few of his own to share.

Where to buy:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Amazon DE (Germany)

B&N NOOK

Smashwords

Excerpt:

A feeling of accomplishment washed through Dante. Success. He savored the moment, allowing himself to fall deeply into her pale blue eyes. She was his for the taking, and he would enjoy taking his time ravaging her.

His cock throbbed with need at the thought of it. The sensual caress of her body against his while they danced had been such a delightful torture. Her intense pheromones had been teasing his baser instincts, drawing out his need not only for sex, but also for the taste of her essence. Now he would soon be able to slake his burning desires.

Careful not to seem too eager and risk putting her off, he smiled and asked calmly, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Her teeth still bit into her lip as she looked up into his eyes. He could sense she was battling with herself, but the scent of her pheromones assured him of her desire. Sasha’s scent was like sweet honeysuckle, a smell so pure and alluring he was tempted to take her right there on the dance floor. He couldn’t wait to sample just a taste of her essence. He absently licked his lips, awaiting her answer.

A moment passed in silence before she smiled and nodded at him. “You’re right. This is a night for fantasies. Let’s go.”

He bent his head to capture her mouth once more before allowing her to lead him off the dance floor.

They passed by the bar on their way out, and Sasha grabbed a shot and knocked it back quickly. She scrunched up her face as she swallowed. “A little more liquid courage,” she said and then pulled him out of the ballroom.

Excitement —and maybe a little of that liquid courage she’d just downed— seemed to have washed away all worry. Like a switch had been flicked on, she changed from timid to wild. She was on fire as they stepped into the empty elevator. Her hands roamed all over his body, as if she needed to feel every indentation of his rippling muscles and commit them to memory.

He slowly backed her into the corner, thrusting his abdomen into hers, both relieving and intensifying the burning need in his cock as their bodies rubbed together.

She devoured his mouth with hungry kisses, sucking his tongue into her mouth in imitation, suggesting what she would do with his cock later. Her hands cupped his ass, roughly kneading his soft cheeks.

His cock throbbed, aching to be touched. The gentle press against her body was an unbearable tease, and he wanted—needed—to be inside of her. “I’m not sure I can wait to get you into the room.”

She moaned as he uttered the words. Her hands left his ass, finding their way under his tight shirt.

Her touch was like fire to his cool skin. Every gentle caress was filled with delectable heat, sending pulses of animalistic need shooting straight down to his engorged cock. Dante groaned in both pleasure and frustration. If it weren’t for the ding that signaled they had reached their floor, he might have pushed her to the ground and taken her right there.

She snaked out from his caging arms like a wildcat escaping a snare as the elevator doors opened. “C’mon. This way, big boy.” Sasha giggled and gave a little seductive wink before sashaying out into the hallway.

He couldn’t have picked a more alluring woman to share the evening with. She was pure feminine beauty. The tight leather pants hugged every curve, leaving nothing to the imagination. Thoughts of bending her over the bed resurfaced again. He saw himself pinning her against the mattress, plunging deeply into her body as he took his fill of her blood. His self-control was at the edge of its limits. He imagined the sweet essence of her blood filling him as her body tightened and clenched, milking him with her climax.

Dante’s eyes swayed with the motion of her luscious, curvy hips, and he fell into an almost hypnotic trance, lumbering behind her as if an invisible leash was pulling him. His pants rubbed roughly against his throbbing erection, making every step a luscious mixture of pleasure and pain.

He knew he shouldn’t have allowed her to tease him so much. He was so close to losing control. She had already proven to be an interesting and difficult conquest, considering he wasn’t allowed his normal supernatural methods, but he did enjoy this challenge: playing the game, using his charms, making her request his presence. Still, the price was high. He’d allowed his inner monster lie in wait for far too long. He wanted her blood… now.

He fought with the need, the persistent nagging in the back of his mind, and the empty feeling in his stomach. He was not uncivilized; she deserved pleasure for the sacrifice she would make to him by giving some of her blood. He needed to hold back, if only just a little longer.

Sasha fumbled with the key card at the hotel room door. Her long black ponytail swayed behind her as she moved, drawing focus to her long, sumptuous neck.

Dante bent his head and kissed the tender flesh. He felt the gentle thrum of her excited pulse. He allowed his teeth to scrape gently over her skin.

She sighed and leaned her head back into his body, arching her neck to give him better access. “Do it,” she whispered.

How can I refuse? “Maybe just a taste.” He lapped at her neck with his tongue before sinking his teeth in to the soft, warm flesh.

Sasha whimpered softly, and her body stiffened for a brief moment before she melted against him.

Her blood flowed hot and sweet into his mouth, tasting far better than he imagined.

He savored each sweet note of its flavor: vanilla, sugar, and honey with a hint of spice. His arm snaked around her perfect torso. He cupped one of her ample breasts in his hands. His other hand caressed down her leg, gently squeezing her inner thigh.

She cooed softly, and her hand fell limp from the door.

Dante gently caressed the bite with his tongue, stemming the flow of her blood while closing the wound. All that would remain were small dots, tiny bruises.

She hummed serenely, still leaning against his body.

Dante kissed at the tender skin, still caressing her breast with his large hands. “You taste so sweet,” he whispered in her ear before pulling away. His bloodlust slaked for the moment, he could now concentrate on the other needs demanding attention.

Sasha shook herself, appearing to regain her strength. She unlocked and opened the door then turned, grabbing his hand to pull him inside. “There is more where that came from.”

Dante stalked in after her and allowed the door to swing shut behind him.

Sasha fixed him with a stare that would rival that of the hungriest lioness. Clearly, his advance had awakened something primal in her. She licked her lips seductively. “Now, about that fantasy you wanted to share with me...”

“Ah yes, my fantasy.” Dante sucked in a breath, drinking in the sight of the sexy woman standing in front of him, ready to please. “Let me just say that I am used to people doing exactly as I say.”

He caught the shiver, the tensing of her muscles in response to his words. He knew he excited her; he’d seen it from the start. The response to his overpowering demeanor from the moment they met told him a strong, alpha male aroused her. It made her wet and ready and sent butterflies buzzing around her stomach.

“If necessary, I can bend someone to my will. However, tonight, I want you, Sasha, to give yourself to me, completely of your own free will. I want you to allow me total control to do with you as I please.”

Excerpt from Wannabe a Writer?

Jane Wenham-Jones is a novelist, journalist and presenter and the author of the Wannabe Books - two how-to manuals on getting published and becoming well-known. Below is an extract from Wannabe a Writer?, available on Amazon or through all good bookshops. For more on Jane see http://www.janewenham-jones.com.

Research - Do You or Don’t You?

Frederick Forsyth carries out what he calls “relentless research”, spending an entire year at it. Minette Walters is also extremely thorough and painstaking - consulting forensic scientists and attending post-mortems as well as the usual background reading.

While I’m writing this, Jilly Cooper is working on a new racing book. “I have about a hundred books to read,” she told me. “Biographies of jockeys and autobiographies of trainers and biographies of horses…”

I, on the other hand, err on the idle side when it comes to research and tend to proceed on a need-to-know basis rather than mugging up for months in advance.

Lynne Barrett-Lees works in similar way. “It's all too easy to spend precious writing time jotting down facts, facts, facts, and to put off the hard bit,” she says. Research for her “happens organically as a by-product of writing, definitely not the other way around”. She says: “I don't allow myself to sweat the small stuff until I reach a point where I need to. As long as I've established there's a patient soul or two who'll fill me in on any detail I need, I simply call them, as and when, while I'm writing.”

All of which shows that there is no right or wrong answer to how much research you should do as long as, whether it takes six months holed up in the British Library or six minutes on the phone to a friend, you do enough.

Even if you are writing “what you know” you’re still bound to have to check something, and check it you must for as we’ve said already, your novel will only work if it rings true and you won’t achieve that if your facts are wonky.

It is also worth remembering that what we know, can only ever be just that - what WE know. By talking to others we can gain different insights or whole new angles on what we thought was familiar territory. Hilary Lloyd, the author of A Necessary Killing (UKA Press), is an ex-farmer who drew on her own experiences of living through the foot and mouth crisis for her novel.

Despite her first-hand knowledge, there were still things she needed to investigate. She says: “My experience of the epidemic was traumatic but a novel demands much more than reminiscences and feelings. I needed facts, and details of procedures employed by government and other official departments. I also needed to confirm that my own trauma wasn't unique so I read through dozens of bewildered, distraught or angry messages on internet forums used by rural people at the time, and downloaded enough articles and comment from newspapers to wallpaper the whole of the house! The reading and absorbing of this material gave me a much wider view and helped flesh the bones of my plot.”

I did a similar thing when I was writing my second novel, Perfect Alibis, by talking to lots of different women who’d had affairs - or as many I could find who would admit to it!

Interestingly, for the same book I asked several friends who’d had appendicitis what it felt like, and was surprised by just how different their accounts were, and how entirely varied their symptoms.

It was a lesson on the importance of getting more than one version of anything one’s not been through oneself. Make sure you’ve got the majority experience down rather than a one-off.

For if you are asking a reader to suspend their disbelief and get totally absorbed in the world you’ve created, then you owe it to them to make sure that world is as authentic as possible.

I usually do this in one of two simple ways - go on Google or ask someone who might know.

Google is a wonderful tool. There isn’t much you can’t find out on the internet these days though a word of warning: do always check more than one source.

I have just spent a sobering half hour trying to find out how many grams of carbohydrate are in a large glass of wine (hoping to shed ten pounds on a crash Atkins-type diet while still getting pissed every night). The answers have been variously 3g, 1.8g, 5g and almost 7g (with the only consensus the dispiriting news that to lose weight you have to give up the booze).

Asking an expert on the given subject is usually a safe bet - although again, two is better than one. During the writing of my last book, I checked facts with a GP, a gynecologist, a dog-owner, two wine-writers (who contradicted each other), an ex-policeman, a nurse and a solicitor.

I also pored over the London A-Z, studied different models of answer-machine and, since the novel is entitled One Glass Is Never Enough - suffered several near-terminal hangovers.

And I still missed something. I never want my husband to read anything until after it’s published but this time I wished he had. He instantly spotted an irregularity that I had totally overlooked (a bottle of champagne to the first reader to write and tell me what it is. Clue: it will help to be a gardener) and which I’ve been kicking myself for ever since.

I always think that if you have a scene that is heavily dependent on some specialist knowledge - let’s say a scene in the operating theatre in a hospital - then it is a good idea to let someone with first-hand experience - say a surgeon or a nurse - to have a quick read through and check for any dodgy bits.

Even if you have that sort of experience yourself make sure your knowledge is up-to-date. Police procedures, for example, have changed a lot over the years, as have the job-descriptions of teachers. Find someone who is doing the job right now rather than speaking to the old duffer next door who retired in 1976.

If you are lucky enough to get a publishing deal the copy editor will pick up things that need checking too but be professional and make sure everything in your manuscript is as accurate as you can make it before you submit it. There’s an old adage about keeping going through a first draft, that says: “Don’t get it right, get it written.” It’s excellent advice. As long as once you have got it written, you make sure you’ve also got it right.

***

Practical, personal and honest advice on how to get published with contributions from over a hundred authors, agents, publishers and journalists. Hear from the professionals on how to sell your articles, write a synopsis, find an agent, get your novel accepted and much, much more. With insights, anecdotes and hot tips from Frederick Forsyth, Jilly Cooper, Ian Rankin, Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell, Adele Parks, Lesley Pearse, Michael Buerk, Carole Matthews, Erica James, Mil Millington, Miles Kington, Michael Bywater, Rosie Millard, Robert Crampton, Richard Morrison, Simon Trewin, Jonathan Lloyd, Teresa Chris and Jane Judd as well as publishers Harper Collins, Hodder Headline, Transworld, Orion and Simon & Schuster. A must-have handbook for anyone who's ever wanted to write or just wants to hear how others to do it... Where do you start? How do you finish? And will anyone ever publish it when you have? Drawing on her own experiences as a novelist and journalist, Writing Magazine's agony aunt Jane Wenham-Jones takes you through the minefield of the writing process, giving advice on everything from how to avoid Writers' Bottom to what to wear to your launch party. Wannabe a Writer? tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the book world - and a few things you didn't...

Wannabe a Writer Site:

http://www.wannabeawriter.co.uk

Buy links:

Amazon UK (paperback)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905170815/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelthouse-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1905170815

Amazon UK (Kindle)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00486U804/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelthouse-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00486U804

Amazon US (paperback)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1905170815/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelt-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1905170815

Amazon US (Kindle)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00486U804/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelt-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00486U804

The Book Depository

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Wannabe-Writer-Jane-Wenham-Jones/9781905170814/?a_aid=creativewriter1985

Review: Jane Wenham-Jones - "Wannabe a Writer?" and "Wannabe a Writer We've Heard Of?"

Today I'm reviewing two non-fiction books by the remarkable Jane Wenham-Jones and will also be hosting an excerpt, which will be up shortly.

As a new writer I spent a lot of time reading help guides, many of which were distinctly unhelpful, so my expectations for Wannabe a Writer? and Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of? were not high. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. Jane Wenham-Jones has managed to find a funny, entertaining way to present all the do’s and don’ts of getting published, staying published, and building an author platform in an age where writers can no longer get away with hiding out at home – more’s the pity.

Ms Wenham-Jones covers all the bases in her guide for the aspiring writer, such as selecting a genre, doing research, honing writing style for different media such as novels, magazines and plays, and achieves this while maintaining a fresh, warm voice I could imagine coming from a knowledgeable friend in a bar. Indeed, her frequently-mentioned enjoyment of a drink was one of the many points I could identify with, others being the dreaded Writer’s Bottom, the over-full handbag and that heart-stopping moment when your husband notices an error in your book (hopefully before it hits the shelves!)

Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of? moves on to cover the necessities of self-promotion, including how to get a decent promotional photograph (a section that was especially useful for me, speaking as someone who photographers run to avoid), how to do your own publicity, and building readership by way of websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter. The chapter on publicity in magazines and bookshops was probably the least applicable to me as an erotica writer, but its point was still valid – in order to promote your book, you need to do your own breaking down of doors, because very few first-time writers will have anyone breaking down theirs.

In short, I found both books entertaining, understanding and helpful in its advice for every aspiring writer, social butterfly and nervous debut author whose secret wish is to avoid media parties and become a hermit. I’ll be keeping these around for those times when I need the guidance of a successful friend who won’t make me feel guilty about writing with a glass of wine.