Summer Salads ... Summer Reads

The weather is heating up ... finally. I’m definitely a summer person. Or, more precisely, a late spring/early summer person. I love being outside even when the allergies start acting up! I’m also content with leaving a window open for the breeze and reading. I’ve got a few great books on my summer reading list. Here’s the first of many:

Bomb Voyage! by D.L. Jackson

Captain Jayson Rivers, owner of a commercial mining scoop, likes the simple life. He appreciates order, making money, and reaping the rewards of a hard day’s work.
What he doesn’t like is getting dragged into galactic politics, or into the crosshairs of his ex-wife, a ruthless bomber, who has already tried to take him out once. He doesn’t need complications, like the sexy red-headed mechanic who’s walked her sweet ass onto his vessel, bringing with her a shitload of trouble, and turning his world upside down.

From expensive and illegal boiler parts that break the bank, to homicidal in-laws and a shotgun wedding he’d better be able to get an annulment from, his life can’t get much more complicated.

Until he ends up knocked out, bound naked with his bride, on a one-way trip to a hostile world with a bomb hooked to the control panel of his shuttle.

Yeah, the universe is a crazy place, but Jayson’s simple life has gone past complicated. He’s sliced off a bit of that insanity pie, and things might never go back to normal, if he can even remember what that is.

Amazon Buy Link

I’ve also got my absolute favorite summer salad chilling in the fridge.

Avocado Summer Salad (Serves 6-8)

Main Ingredients:

·         6 mini cucumbers

·         3 firm Roma tomatoes

·         1 medium red onion

·         2 ripe avocados

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1 T cilantro OR 1 T parsley (depending on taste)

Dressing: Any creamy dressing works

OR for a lighter version mix:  

¼ C virgin oil and the juice of one lemon and toss

Directions:

·         Quarter mini cucumbers lengthwise and then slice into bite size pieces.

·         Quarter and seed Roma tomatoes and cut into bite size pieces.

·         Finely chop onion

·         Half and pit avocados, score into squares while inside peel and then scoop out with spoon (much easier than trying to slice when already removed from skin).

·         Mix together in bowl, add salt, pepper and either cilantro or parsley if desired.

·         Drizzle with dressing (doesn’t take much) and stir until combined.

·         Serve immediately.

Hint: This salad can also be done as a LARGE individual serving with 2 cucumbers, 1 tomato, quarter of an onion, 1 avocado, salt & pepper & herb to taste. It’s a big salad, but it’s great for a cool summer lunch!

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While my salad chills, I’m going to give one last listen to the first three chapters of my newest book scheduled for audio release, The Vessel. With any luck, it’ll be ready to go in time for a beach premier!

Major Liam McGregor is a career soldier. Chosen by the leader of the United Republic to transport a government protectee to safety, Liam takes on a task that has cost his predecessors their very lives.

Alora of Delawon is an alien princess who holds the key to the survival of mankind. With the women of the United Republic left barren by previous chemical warfare, Alora’s ability to bear humanoid children makes her the government’s most valuable commodity.

Together, they make the trek from the government’s safe house back toward the current capitol, fighting off raiders, survivalists, and an unexpected attraction to one another.

Will their desires put them in danger? Or, will their being together become more important than the mission?

Amazon Buy Link

So, whether you’re writing, reading, or making a great salad, enjoy your holiday weekend and the coming summer!

Nancy

Decade of Decadence ... The Roaring Twenties

'To feed and dance, always to be moving, that is the thing. We daren’t risk more than an hour or two in sleep, in case something happens while we aren’t there.’ ~ Author Unknown

The Twenties were considered the decade of social discovery, a time when women fought for and won their independence and their right to do and say far more than any previous time in history.

Hemlines rose and, even more of a shock, dresses became backless, blatantly risqué. The standard long, coiffed hair of the Victorian era gave way to short bob haircuts. Women who previously touted their voluptuousness now bound their breasts for a waifish look.

‘We were like nuns who had never seen over the convent wall until now. Everything was unexpected, fascinating, thrilling, unusual.’ ~ Romance novelist Barbara Cartland

Women found a new freedom of sexual expression. Young girls no longer felt the constraints of a chaperone; married women freely took part in extra-marital affairs. As the decade progressed, so did the outlandish behavior. Even the somberness of the 1st World War couldn’t dampen the effects of too much, too quickly.

In my award-winning novella, The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker, I wrote an extremely independent heroine, a composite of all that was happening during the Roaring Twenties.

About the Book

In the Roaring Twenties…

A former Hello Girl during WWI, widowed Ariel Pennybaker served her country proudly. She now carries on her late husband’s legacy…a home for the many returning, injured soldiers.

With her year of mourning nearly at an end, she’s had enough of her self-imposed celibacy. It’s time to get back in the game.

A chance meeting with a handsome WWI aviator has her imagining thoroughly naughty thoughts. When a second man walks into her life, her naughty thoughts turn downright decadent. What better way to fulfil her fantasies than by sharing both men’s beds.

As tempting as the idea is, Ariel has a huge secret, one she must protect at all costs. And, it’s possible one or both of her lovers is not what he seems.

A Sneak Peek

“Retired or not, I see you still possess that infamous flyboy charm.”

He shrugged, the lift of his shoulders drawing her attention to their width and the way he held himself.

“Charming beautiful women was part of basic training,” he quipped. “Right up there with learning how to fly an airplane.”

His cheeky answer set her senses on alert. “I would think the flight instruction to be far more important than lessons on charm and seduction.”

“When you get right down to it, they’re very similar. It takes finesse to handle the throttle of a plane. You have to know exactly how much pressure to put on the stick, how to maneuver the knobs, and when to let the plane go on its own.”

The smooth tenor of his voice ratcheted her heart rate up yet another notch. “Really?” she said, her breath catching in her throat.

“There’s that one moment…when the plane is hanging there in the sky. You’ve given her all the encouragement she can take, urged her as far as she can go without breaking. Then, at just the right moment, she bursts forth with a second wind, lurches forward, and bounds unfettered across the bright blue sky.”

The sudden urge to fan herself had her clenching her hands into fists and pressing them to her sides. “It must be exciting…the flying, I mean.”

“As I said, not that different from seducing a woman. Both take a light touch at first—a gentle stroke until they’re primed. Followed by a more commanding hold, just before they reach the pinnacle of their endurance.”

A low groan escaped her throat, drawing his outright laugh.

“You make flying sound a lot like copulation, Major. Surely, when you were up in the air defeating our enemies, your attention was on something other than carnal activities.”

He leaned forward until his mouth hovered scant millimeters from her ear. His warm breath fanned over her cheek. “It’s all about a successful ending, Mrs. Pennybaker. Nothing prepares you for the climax of a good dogfight or the climax of a purely sexual encounter. They should both take your breath away.”

~ ~ ~

Just 99¢ at Amazon | Kobo | Google | iTunes

Listen to an Audio clip

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Until next month, stay healthy, happy, and well read!

Nancy

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Is There Such a Thing as "Too Hot" in Erotic Romance?

Let me start by saying, I published my first romance over twenty years ago. Back then, you couldn’t use profanity, most love scenes were off camera, or dealt with very carefully and always between married heterosexual couples.

There was no ménage à trois, no same-sex romp between the sheets, no multi-cultural romance, and heaven help you if you tried to sneak in a little S&M. You were promptly branded a writer of pure smut and likely banned from submitting to certain publishers.

Slowly but surely the reins began to loosen. First, it was Silhouette Intimate Moments and a very few Harlequin Presents. With their titillating success, the other big NY publishers brought out their own lines that pushed the boundaries, allowed on-screen love scenes and even the risqué oral sex. Oh my!

Gone were the days of cock teasing, of using euphemisms in place of the real thing. Now, not only did the hero and heroine openly declare their utmost desires, they acted on them. Sure, there were still the purists, those that believed in preserving our chastity. And, bless them, the publishers maintained those sweet lines that still sell very well today.

However, the biggest surge in sales has come in the steamier lines. Even Harlequin, the one last major hold out in publishing erotic romance, has finally seen the light and begun their own line complete with language and all the other aspects once considered strictly off limits.

The sexual revolution began in contemporary romances, presumably where the author felt more comfortable expressing their more lurid instincts. Slowly, though, it moved backward in time finally challenging the historical moors. I actually began my erotic journey in historical, first with The Muse and then with my award-winning novella, The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker. Both are set in the Roaring Twenties...a time when everything we now see as normal was considered risqué but still took place. In abundance.

In The Muse, Nancy Fraser brings her characters to life, weaves a believable ménage, and the sensual eroticism is brilliantly written. When I wanted more, I acknowledged Ms. Fraser wrote a fantastic story! ~ Top 100 Amazon Reviewer

For The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker, two men are always better than one. I loved the descriptions and the feeling of actually being in the Roaring 20's. ~ Cutting Muse Blog Review

I write erotic romance and I love it. The idea of creating something so sensual, so graphic, appeals to me. Not because I’m a dirty old lady or a pervert, but because there is something primal about two (or three) people expressing their utmost desires together. One of my favorite challenges came when I was tasked with turning the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, The Devil’s Sooty Brother, into an erotic romance. The end result, Do You Want Me, not only tackles the fairy tale but also the Irish Mob, a soldier’s code of ethics, some extremely hot sex, and the formerly taboo multiple partners.

Do You Want Me is a great read that kept me going from start to finish. It was a real page turner that I just did not want to put down. ~ Long and Short Reviews

There are still avenues I haven’t tried and may never. Not because I’m a prude (obviously), but because it’s not an area that interests me. My measuring stick for what I’ll attempt to write is based on what I like to read. However, like most measuring devices, the stick can be moved.

If you’d have told me two years ago that I’d write a sci-fi erotic romance, I’d have adamantly shook my head and said “no way”. Yet, this past summer, Decadent Publishing released The Vessel, and wow has it been a fun ride! The book contains a map of war-ravaged North America and features a by-the-book military hero and a wise-cracking, alien princess heroine.

Like my other military-hero book, Do You Want Me, The Vessel is written entirely from the hero's point-of-view. This was something new for me. However, because I personally consider the military man the ultimate alpha hero, I endeavored to tell the stories as I felt they would see it.

The Vessel is a must-read for fans of erotica and science fiction alike. I can’t recommend it highly enough! – Long and Short Reviews

Still the question looms (even for those of us who believe the steamer, the better), is there such a thing as too hot?

As a multi-published author, I have worked with a half dozen different publishers and currently actively write for four. Here’s what I believe is and will always remain taboo:

Parent/Child Incest – Sibling incest has become less of a taboo as long as there’s a non-related third party involved.

Pedophilia – The one taboo that will never, and should never, be lifted.

Bestiality – A gray area with shifter romances, but still nobody should be doing it with the family dog!

Other than the recognized no-nos mentioned above, pretty much anything goes in today’s erotic romance. And that possibility excites me. I’m looking forward to my next erotic historical challenge...a story of sibling rivalry set in ancient Rome. Think of all the possibilities!

What do you still consider to be out of bounds? What is your favorite kinky fix? Inquiring minds want to know!

Until next month, stay healthy, stay happy, stay well read!

Nancy