Author Interview--Stephanie Wytovich

Good Friday,

Welcome to another interview. This week we have Stephanie Wytovich with us. She is most known for her poetry, and I will say no more. Take it away, Stephanie.

-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

Novels in general made me want to become a writer. Even as a child, I couldn’t be found without my head in a book, and now it’s very seldom that you’ll run into me without one in my hand, or at least tucked safely away in my purse. I started with poetry and then moved on to prose, and when I look back on it, it’s always been horror. I’m not sure what drew me to it as a child, but as an adult and in terms of poetic and genre influences, I owe a lot of my background to Edgar Allan Poe.

His style of writing, and his portrayal of the gothic has always mesmerized me, and he pulled me into horror with the subtle squawk of a raven because he showed me that while the genre is gruesome, that there’s still a tragic beauty unto it. Personal favorites of mine include, “Ligeia,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Bells”, and “A Dream within a Dream.” I also tip my hat to Sylvia Plath for poems like “Lady Lazarus,” “Fever 103,” “You’re,” “Daddy,” and “The Rival,” for they swept me into the addiction that is the breakdown of the mind, and ever since I started reading them, my prose has grown to introduce character’s with psychological demons and fears.

As for the erotic content of my prose, I am/was highly influenced by Poppy Z. Brite’s Exquisite Corpse. She was able to write something so horrible, but so appealing that you couldn’t help but be drawn in and disgusted at the same time. Everyone wants a good gross out in horror, but my mindset with it is very strategic. I want to turn you on, get you hot as you read the scene, but then slowly have you question and circle around to what you’re reading. When you realize that it’s sex with a corpse, or oral with a severed tongue, it’s not only shocking, but it literally leaves a sick, sour taste in your mouth. That’s the beauty of a good gross out- not just severed limbs and tubs of blood but a mental mind trick as well.

-What genre(s) do you write?

I write Horror and Dark Fantasy, but at times with heavy helpings of Paranormal Romance, although there’s nothing romantic about what goes on in my stories. Love tends to be a perversion to highlight the horror.

-Publication history?

See blog.

-Upcoming publications?

Horrotica Magazine will be publishing my poems “Hysteria” and “Clean Break” this August.

I’m also in the process of putting the final touches on my poetry chapbook, HYSTERIA. It’s a collection of 100+ poems, one of which I collaborated with Mike Arnzen on, and it details the breakdown of the mind in terms of obsessions, fetishes, social stigmas, oddities, and personality defects. It will soon be looking for a home, despite the fact that HYSTERIA lives within each and every one of us.

-For other aspiring writers, any tips?

Write every day, even if it’s only a sentence. It took me three days to write the first sentence to my novel, but damn, it’s a good one if I do say so myself. Also, never throw away your work. You never know when you’re going to need it, even if you only siphon the idea from it.

-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?

I love Horror, and I devour it constantly, but I also read a lot of what I like to call “Addiction Fiction,” or stories about real life horrors. For instance, Ellen Hopkins has put out a number of novels, written in free-verse poetry, that I’ve consumed several times. The same goes for Augusten Burroughs, and James Frey. Since I write psychological horror, I like to delve into novels that detail the breakdown of the mind on as many levels as possible, and this also steers me in the direction of True Crime with novels like Al Carlisle’s I’m Not Guilty. The Development of the Violent Mind: The Case of Ted Bundy.

-What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

I’m quite fond of a lot of the pieces that are going into my poetry collection, HYSTERIA, however the world hasn’t seen most of them yet because they are laying in wake until the right moment. In terms of what I’ve published, I would have to go with “The Necklace” because while it’s short, it hits pretty hard, particularly in the neck region. Look for it here.

About Stephanie
Stephanie M. Wytovich is an Alumni to Seton Hill University where she was a double major in English Literature and Art History. Amongst having numerous publications, the most recent being her poem “When The Dead Wake Up,” she enjoys painting and playing the piano. She is currently attending graduate school to pursue her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction, and is working on a novel. She plans to continue in academia to get her doctorate in Gothic Literature.

Want more from Stephanie?

Check out her blog, which has links to all of her pages and publications. Follow her on Twitter @JustAfterSunset.

Stephanie is the blog editor for Dark River Press. She is also on Facebook and can be found by name on Klout, Goodreads, and Shelfari.

451 Shades of Grey: Fire Doesn't Heal

I need to stop promising content. I’ll get to the rant I said I’d write today at some point. Like last Wednesday, something else came up that took all of my attention. Unlike last Wednesday, however, it’s not something fun.

The new erotic romance trilogy “Fifty Shades of Grey” has taken the book market by storm—selling more paperbacks than you can shake a whole bunch of sticks at. The books chronicle the life of Anastasia Steele (a young twenty-something virgin) who meets the “seductive” Christian Grey (a wealthy older businessman) and proceeds to do all sorts of sexual stuff with him. I am not a fan of these books. Why? I don’t think they are well written, and I don’t dig the plot. Romance isn’t my favorite genre to read, but, if it’s good romance, I’ll make an exception. I’ll never make that exception for Fifty Shades.

My personal feelings about the books aside, the Wearside Women in Need Anti-domestic Abuse Charity is taking their dislike (and I use that term loosely) of the books too far. According to an article from the Huffington Post passed to me through the Seton Hill WPF community, the charity group is planning a bonfire burning of the books this November because they believe its content excuses domestic abuse.

Hello, “Fahrenheit 451.” For those who don’t know, aside from the temperature at which book paper will burn, this is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The book tells the story of Guy Montag, a fireman in a future where firefighters start fires—not stop them. In Bradbury’s world, books are a thing of the past—tossed aside in favor of faster forms of entertainment. In addition, authors in this dystopia are locked away for the heinous crime of writing and, thus, making the common man feel inferior or confusing him with controversial content.

Society degrades, people become apathetic, Montag’s personal life is destroyed. The book ends with Montag joining a band of exiled book-lovers and watching his city get bombed.

The moral of the story is…

NEVER BURN BOOKS!!!

Do I believe that burning copies of Fifty Shades will lead to an apocalypse? No, but I do believe that is a path that should not be strayed down.

This aside, what is burning a FICTION erotic romance trilogy really going to accomplish? It’s not going to stop domestic abuse. It’s not going to keep people from getting hurt.

One last point about Fifty Shades and its supposed condoning of domestic abuse—Anastasia Steele “willingly” enters into the contract with Christian Grey, and she could have broken said contract at any time. If she’s really being “abused” then, she asked for the abuse. That’s a far cry from women who are beaten by their significant others. I hate to tell people this, but bondage and sadomasochism turn some people on. Not me, but, hey, live and let live. It happens in the real world, and people like it.

So, I restate my earlier question.

What will burning a FICTION erotic romance trilogy about a young virgin and a wealthy older businessman in which the sexual acts (many of which involve bondage and sadomasochism) are consensual really going to do?

Answer—spark more interest for the book. Translation—nothing to stop domestic violence. If you want to stop abuse, then educate people. Don’t burn a book that has no fault in causing the abuse.

"Game of Thrones" and the Fantasy Genre

Good Monday,

This Monday, as promised last Monday, is all about George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” the first book in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.

Before I begin, though, I’d like to observe a virtual moment of silence for Jerry Nelson, who recently passed away. He was the voice of many beloved characters from my childhood—“Sesame Street’s” The Count and “Fraggle Rock’s” Gobo Fraggle to name just a few. Please, pause with me.

---…---

Thank you

All right, back to business. “Game of Thrones.” It was my first required book for my contemporary sf and fantasy class this semester at Seton Hill, and I didn’t dislike it as much as I thought I would. One of my classmates who had read the book before told me back at residency “You’ll be lost for the first 50 to 100 pages, but after that it starts to pick up and make more sense.” True, at least I found it to be true. I didn’t really understand what was going on until Bran saw the queen and her brother together, which falls between the 50 and 100 page mark. So, when Eddard Stark confronted Cersei about her bastard children, I had an “ahah” moment. It all made sense, which was probably Martin’s intent, and I no longer felt like I’d read several hundred pages of “wtf’s going on here?”

I intend (when I have tons and tons of free time) to read the rest of the series. I want to know what happens.

Moving on to the meat and potatoes of this post. One of the instructor’s prompts was to compare Martin’s fantasy to Tolkien’s. Basically, the following is my post for class on that topic. Here goes.

What genre is this again? All of Martin’s characters are human, and their problems all center on politics. If not for the dyer wolves, the dangers beyond the wall, and Daenerys, the events of “Game of Thrones” could have happened in our world. To compare to Tolkien, try saying the same about “Lord of the Rings.” You can’t do it. “Well, if not for the elves, dwarves, Lady of the Lake, hobbits, wizards, orcs, oh—and by the way—the giant eye that is the ultimate evil—” See what I mean? There are no magical artifacts of power in “Game of Thrones,” and it’s not about the destruction of the dark power that threatens the world.

This brings me to ask what makes “Game of Thrones” fantasy? It’s certainly not the majority of the conflict. There’s Daenerys and the dangers beyond the Wall, but those are minor compared to all of the political conflict. The Starks are good people. The Lannisters are, with the possible exception of Tyrion, bad people. The story is about the people who want to do the right thing against the power-hungry people and how the power-hungry people win. It’s something you could find in many parts of our own history.

So, what does this say for fantasy? Fantasy is one of the “escape genres.” I made that term up just now, and I’m going to define it as “a genre where the reader can escape the real world.” Unless classified in the paranormal section (and sometimes not even then) mystery, romance, young adult, and any other “non-speculative fiction” genre keeps the reader on Earth. “Game of Thrones” takes us off of Earth and dumps us in a world that could have been Earth. Pardon my directness, but what’s the point?

Tolkien introduced the reader to an exotic landscape filled with fantastical species. That, to me, is what fantasy is about. I expect some kind of fantasy in my fantasy. Heck, Maester Luwin says to Bran “But, Bran, no man can teach you magic” (580). And, why can no man teach him magic? Because it doesn’t exist. What kind of fantasy is that? No magic? In reality, there is magic—Bran just doesn’t know it—but its presence, at least in this book, is so small it’s like it’s not even there.

It seems, too, that I’m not the only one that noticed this. Many other epic fantasy authors (David Eddings and Terry Goodkind to name just a couple) stuck with the idea of mythical species and exotic landscapes. Their worlds had political strife and war, but it wasn’t what the stories were about. They were about people with supernatural powers fighting supernatural odds. So, if Martin is so influential, does that mean that readers want political strife as their fantasy? While a good read with wonderful characters and intense conflict, “Game of Thrones” doesn’t give me the imagery of the flaming swords, magical blasts, or even reading of minds that I want from the genre.

If I sound harsh, that is not my intent. I really did enjoy the book, and it is clear to me, as a writer, why Martin is given such high praise for what he has constructed. I praise him too. To keep seven main POV characters straight and to not have them overlap is amazing. My complaints are really opinion based. It’s nothing to do with the telling of the story or the writing. It’s to do with what I want from fantasy and what “Game of Thrones” doesn’t give me.

See you out of the box,
Caboodle

P.S. A few weeks ago, I talked about ”Hazard Yet Forward”, an anthology to help a fellow WPFer battle cancer. I have another one. This time it’s to help the wife of one of my instructors with her own cancer battle. Have a look here. Many thanks!

Author Interview--Natalie Duvall

Hello all,

Another week over and, what does that mean?

It means I’m interviewing another author. This week it’s Natalie Duvall. She’s a romance writer and two-time graduate of Seton Hill University. The first time in 2002, she got her MA in Writing Popular Fiction. Nine years later in 2011, she went back, as they say in the higher education world, to get her “F” for “Fine.” She was in the first class of Seton Hill’s program to receive an MFA rather than just an MA. She did both of these with her husband, Matt Duvall, and now, she’s here to talk about her writing. Floor’s yours, Natalie.

-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

I’ve always enjoyed reading. Everyone in my family did. It must be genetic – like the penchant we all share for pizza and funnel cake.

I think wanting to write grows naturally from being a voracious reader with an imagination. I have faded and crinkled scraps of paper from when I was super-young and wrote down my story ideas on notebook pages. I never had the fortitude to finish a story, though, so those papers are all beginnings and no ends! When I was looking for a grad school and saw Seton Hill, which said it would make me write an entire romance novel, I just had to jump in and try. The rest, as they say, is history.

-What genre(s) do you write?

I write Regency-set historical romances. For those who don’t know, those are romances set during Jane Austen’s time period. I love it because who wouldn’t want to fall in love with a duke, have servants perform their bidding, and dance through the night at balls? Plus, the wealthy got to stay up late and sleep in equally late. I’d travel back in time to live there if they had better dental care.

-What project are you working on now?

Right now I’m revising a book called His Mistress. It combines two of my favorite Regency tropes – the marriage of convenience and the unrequited childhood love. This is probably my fifth revision of the piece. *Sigh* I have high hopes for it, which will surely be dashed upon submission!

-Spoilers?

One of the things I’m working on in His Mistress is fixing how my heroine, Helena’s, father is portrayed. I want him to be a sympathetic character, but he’s forcing his daughter to marry a man she doesn’t love. Back then that wouldn’t have been seen as bad parenting. Today, however, it would/ 

-For other aspiring writers, any tips?

Write every day. Every. Single. Day. Oh, and honestly, it helps to do an outline first (I hear the shrieks of seat-of-your-pants writers right now!).

-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?

I love Regencies! I’m reading a great one now. It’s called Along Came a Duke, by Elizabeth Boyle. If you’ve never read a Regency, I highly recommend Julia Quinn. She’s funny and does a great job of creating characters with believable flaws.

-What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written?

I’m going to cheat a bit here. I’m not going to tell you about my favorite thing I’ve ever written, I’m going to tell you about my favorite project. It’s a book called Hazard Yet Forward. It’s a multi-genre book featuring over 700 pages of short fiction. My husband, best writing friend and I put this book together to benefit our friend Donna Munro, who’s fighting breast cancer. I’m not being biased when I say it contains some amazingly awesome stories. At 14 cents a story, it’s a great buy for a great cause. You can find it here.

Want more from Natalie? Says she…

I have a low-functioning website that can be found here. My slightly-higher-functioning Facebook page is here. Last, and probably least, my Twitter name is natt444. For as much as I love putzing around on the internet, you’d think I could keep up with my website, wouldn’t you?

Read my novel, maybe? Pop for Writers

“’I just met you/and this is crazy/but here’s my number/so call me maybe’ worst rhyme in the history of pop.” – Eric Whitacre

Good Wednesday,

I believe I promised you a rant on Monday. I take it back. Something better came to my attention.

While perusing Twitter this morning, I saw a tweet, followed by a link, that read as follows:

I just met you
And, this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

I thought this was wonderful, so, rather than the supposed rant I promised (I’ll put that up next week), this Wednesday I give you…

“Read it Maybe”

This is a parody/to the tune of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” I’m not a huge fan of the song, but I have a feeling that’s a generation thing. If the song had come out when I was in high school (six or so years ago), I probably would have loved it. As it is, I’m only familiar with the tune because I heard a bunch of middle school kids singing it in a hotel. If you’d like music to put my lyrics to, play this YouTube video along while you read.

---

I threw a wish in the well
Went out and learned how to spell
The plot’s as clear as a bell
And so I write away

I’d trade my soul for a bless
To fix the work that’s a mess
Now all I want’s some success
And so I write away

My dreams were holdin
First draft, it was showin
Edits, through words blowin
To submit I’m gowin, baby!

Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

Tough to find the right
Agent, baby
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

Hey I just met you
And, this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

All the other agents
They debase me
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

You took your time with the call
I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all
Now I revise away

I fix the format and font
Still, I don’t get what I want
My mind the rejections haunt
And I revise away

My dreams are holdin
Fourth draft, work is showin
More work, this is blowin
Submit more I’m gowin, baby!

Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

Can’t get it all right
First time, baby
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

Hey, I just met you
And, this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

All the other agents
Away chased me
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

*Before writing was my life
I messed up so bad
I messed up so bad
I messed up so, so bad

Now, every day I just write
And mess up so bad
Other writers know
I mess up so, so bad

It’s hard to just write
Perfect, baby
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

Hey, I just met you
And, this is crazy
But, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

One other agent
Is gonna pay me
And, here’s my novel
So, read it maybe

*(Repeat through “Other writer’s know”)

So, read it maybe

But his Eyes were Blue: Character Genetic Alterations

Good Monday,

Welcome to another Media Monday and another week at the Lockbox.

Today is going to be a bit different. I’m going to rant a little. It’s nothing major, but it’s something that’s media related and been bugging me for years. Why a rant? I’ll be honest. I haven’t seen any new or new to me movies in the last week, and I’ve been feverishly reading George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” for class. That will most likely be next Monday’s topic. So, if you have any interest in the book or know someone who does, remember to stop by and/or spread the word.

Right, my rant. As you may have gathered from the title, this is about the appearance of our characters and what media does to them. I first noticed this with the acclaimed video game Mortal Kombat.

Children of the 90s, step back in time with me for a moment. The year is 1992. Sega and Nintendo are primary gaming systems. The first Mortal Kombat game is on shelves boasting 7 playable characters and a fighting game worth your time. Three of said characters—Scorpion, Sub Zero, and Reptile—are identical except for their color—yellow, blue, and green respectably. The game is in 2D—awesome graphics. There is a limited amount of button combinations—many of which overlap between characters. To top it all off, the arenas are simple backgrounds, and the characters look like little more than cardboard cut-outs of people. Oh, also, the letter C is practically non-existent.

Fast forward to 1993—MK2 is on shelves. Now, there are 12 characters to choose from. The graphics are a bit better, the arenas are slightly more detailed, and the characters look a bit more like people.

Okay, now fast forward to 1995. Mortal Kombat the movie has been made. Actors have been put to the test of portraying the cardboard cut-outs that we’ve enjoyed beating one another’s characters to a bloody pulp with.

The next game to come out—MK4 (or MK Gold on Sega Dreamcast)—did so in 1997. Up until this point, the characters have been portrayed by actors—the basis for their looks. MK4/Gold, however, is computer generated. What does this mean? It means that, if you look at the 1995 movie and the characters of the 1997 video game, they look remarkably similar. The movie had a profound impact on the appearance of the MK characters. Now, in this case, it wasn’t so bad. I’m confident that the movie actors were picked and made to look enough like the game characters to keep players happy. Also, it’s a video game. The characters don’t have to look exactly the same as they did in the movie. That doesn’t negate the fact that the character’s appearances changed with the making of the movie, though.

I’m willing to overlook this because I love the games, and the character’s looks really aren’t that important. It’s just something I’ve noticed.

There are situations, however, where the change of a character’s appearance is, in my opinion, more important.

I got my DVD of “The Hunger Games” this weekend. I saw it in theatres—see my post about it—but I was focused on the deviations from the book’s storyline. Thus, many things went over my head. Looking at the DVD cover, though, I don’t see how I missed this. It’s more likely that I didn’t overlook it but just forgot.

Either way, Katniss Everdeen looks very different from book to movie.

In the book, Katniss describes Gale as having black hair and olive skin. She then says that she and Gale looked enough alike to be siblings. Katniss of the movie has light brown hair and skin more reminiscent of the shade her mother and Prim are described as having in the book.

I’ve seen this happen so many times. The character is described one way in the book and looks totally different in the movie adaptation. A part of this is—I’m sure—due to acting skill. No one can argue that Jennifer Lawrence’s portrayal wasn’t stunning. The sad part—and the part that bugs me about people who won’t read the book and will only watch the movie—is that Katniss will be remembered as having the movie, rather than the book, look. Not for nothing, but the similarity between Katniss and Gale’s looks becomes a bit of a plot point in “Catching Fire,” when they are depicted as cousins because they look enough alike for the lie to be believable.

It also hits home for me as a writer. We create our characters. Many times, we give our characters a certain appearance for a reason. Whether we want them to stand out, blend in, match the normal look for their region—we invest time into appearance. And, for many of us, it’s something we want to see kept true.

All righty, that’s my rant. And, to be fair, it’s not just “The Hunger Games.” I know I already said that, but I want to repeat it. I bought the movie despite Katniss’s changed appearance after all.

See you out of the box,
Caboodle

P.S. If you haven’t, stop by last Friday’s interview of romance author Rachell Nichole. Have a read of a bit of her new contemporary erotic romance novel “An Affair Across Times Square.” If you like what you read, leave a comment and be entered into a drawing to win a copy. The book comes out tomorrow, and a winner will be chosen on Wednesday. Don’t miss out!

Author Interview--Rachell Nichole

Hey folks,

Welcome back to another Fiction Friday interview. This Friday, I’m very excited to present my first interview of a published author. We have with us Rachell Nichole—romance author—and she’s going to talk about her soon-to-be-on-shelves contemporary erotic romance. As always, the interviewee will do the talking. Take it away, Rach.

Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for letting me stop by today to talk to you a little bit about me and my new book, An Affair Across Times Square.

-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

I’ve been storytelling since I could type. I’m not sure if it was because I was such an avid reader as a kid, or if it was the insomnia and ease of access to a computer during the summer, or some combination thereof, but I do know that when I was ten or eleven and showing my parents my stories, they sat me down to talk about plagiarism, because I was crafting stories well beyond my age, which of course made me pleased as punch. As for why I write romance, that’s a little easier to place. When I was 16, my mom handed me my first paranormal romance. I’d read adult literature and YA (though it wasn’t nearly as popular then) and all kinds of other genres. But never an adult romance. It was Dark Desire by Christine Feehan, one of her Carpathian novels. And I was hooked. I started writing a paranormal romance novel two years later.

-What genre(s) do you write?

I write flash fiction in a lot of different genres, I’ve written poetry and experimental pieces that use multimedia and pictures, and quite a bit of creative non-fiction in the past three or four years. As for noveling, I write paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary erotic romance.

-Upcoming publication?

My first book, An Affair Across Times Square is due out from Loose Id on August 21, 2012. This was the third novel I finished and it was written specifically for an editor who was a classmate and friend. She heard me do a reading at Seton Hill of my second novel and asked me if I wrote erom (erotic romance) and if I would send her some. I told her I hadn’t written any, but I was certainly not opposed to doing so. The next week I had an idea, and four months later I wrote 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo and Serena (my editor) gave me a deadline for the book. The rest happened so fast, I think I still have whiplash. She loved it, management did, too. And then it was off to contracts and edits, and more edits, and the book’s coming out next month, just over a year after the idea for the book was born.

-Spoilers?

An Affair Across Times Square is a contemporary erotic romance set in New York City.

Here’s the blurb and a little teaser:

Layla Morgan is tired of getting into trouble, and getting hurt. And she fears her wild nature is going to strike yet again. But maybe this time, she’s finally met the guy that can stand close enough to touch her inner flames, and not get burned. The man across Times Square seems enthralled by her wildness instead of scared in the face of it. He can’t seem to look away as she shows him just how much fun she can have… with herself.
After one glance of silky skin and talented fingers, Tyler Lachlan doesn’t stand a chance of resisting the delicious distraction of the mystery woman from the Marietta Hotel. He’s sure there’s more to her than her sultry voice and mahogany thighs, but he doesn’t know if he’s willing to risk his career to find out.
Could what began as a voyeuristic affair across Times Square develop into something more?

And from chapter two, here’s a little teaser filled with just a touch of explicit content
---
Layla sank to her knees on the plush beige carpet, resting her head against the curtained window.
“What are you doing?” She hissed the words through clenched teeth, still shaking from her second orgasm. What, indeed? God, her mother would kill her if she found out. Layla had to call down to the concierge, get her room changed right away. She’d never be able to look out her window again without heat infusing her body. Who came in to the office at six a.m.? She’d never seen anyone there until well past eight.
But her heart pounded, refusing to let her move. She had never felt such a rush as she had holding that intense, dark gaze and bringing herself quivering to the edge. She wanted more of it. Craved his hot, fixated look. She felt his eyes on her every step of the way. And she’d no longer pictured Brian. Her full attention had been on the man across Times Square and his ebony skin. His face was chiseled with a square jaw. A light suit perfectly set off his shaved head and wide shoulders. Within a moment or two, staring at him and touching herself, she’d come.
She knew better than to let herself get out of control. It only got people hurt, and she was always one of them. Not to mention proper ladies didn’t seduce voyeurs across the street. Which was almost enough to make her want to do it anyway, just because she knew it was “wrong.” She reined in her impulses, desperate to control them and think this through before she did anything else.
What if she could let this be her one outlet? It would help her decompress and keep her thoughts off Brian. This idea held possibilities. Terrifying possibilities. Mr. Times Square probably had a wife, and she shouldn’t be fooling around with him, even from a distance. If he was married, he had no business looking into her personal window. She shook her head at her foolishness. Why hadn’t she bothered to check if someone was in one of those rooms in the building across the street?
Her legs felt like they were filled with custard instead of bones, her muscles still quivering inside and out. She raised a shaky hand to the curtain and slid one panel to the left half an inch. Just enough to see out, to look into Mr. TS’s window and see that he was gone. She tried to squash the disappointment blooming in her chest. He’d run away. She had no right being disappointed, no right parading herself in front of him like some Amsterdam prostitute in the window. What if someone else had been in that office and seen her?
Layla looked at the rest of the windows, searching, making sure no one else had witnessed her personal peep show. She couldn’t see anyone, but she hadn’t seen her voyeur until it was too late. She returned her gaze to his small office. Not even a plant in there. Nothing that told her about him. No paintings on the wall. Nothing but the desk, two chairs in front of it and one behind, and the door out of the office, which opened. She froze as he came back into view.
Gorgeous. A trim goatee covered his square jaw, making him look distinguished. She’d never thought Times Square was so big and small at the same time.
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-For other aspiring writers, any tips?

This one’s easy – write!!! Never give up and never stop writing (or reading). If I had stopped the first time my parents thought I was taking other people’s stuff and putting my name on it, or the first time I got a rejection, or the first time I got a C on a writing assignment, or every time I was torn to shreds by professors and peers who knew I had better in me, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t be loving what I do and crafting stories to share with you all.

-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?

I adore romance novels of most subgenres. I will always have a special place for paranormal, since it was my first introduction to romance. But I also love historical, steam punk, erotic romance, and romantic suspense. I will say that my least favorite is straight contemporary romance. There’s usually not enough going on in those to keep me on the edge of my seat. The other subgenres have so much else going on around the romance plot and in the amazing ones, this external action is driving the romance and vice versa. It’s incredible to read.

-What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever written? (Book, short story, scene, etc.)

That’s such a good question, and a really hard one to answer. I’ve taken creative writing classes since fifth grade, so I have amassed an incredible amount of writing. This is going to sound strange, but I think my favorite thing wasn’t even a creative piece. I wrote an essay in high school called “Black and Red” about The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, which was an amazing book. One of my favorites I’ve ever read.

Thanks again for stopping by today, and if you’d like to be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of An Affair Across Times Square, leave a comment. One winner will be chosen on August 22.

There she is—Rachell Nichole. Like what you see? Look for “An Affair Across Times Square” starting this coming Tuesday, August 21! Also, check out the book’s YouTube promo video here!

Want more from Rachell?

Check out her website and her blog, a group blog Rach shares with two other erotic romance authors—Danica St. Como and Nona Raines. Also, like Rach’s Facebook author page.

The book is out! Get it here!