Thursday, July 5, 2012

T n' T's Confidential: Scarlett Knight

Welcome to A Dream Beyond's newest section: "T n' T's Confidential". Tuesday and Thursday's Confidential will be a space dedicated to visiting authors. Authors will be interviewed,  hold giveaways or guest post, among other surprises.

Inaugurating this section is the fabulous  author  Scarlett Knight. *applause*

Scarlett is the author of several sizzling hot erotic short stories such as Dirty Poetry, Art and Soul, The Good show gift, and her recently released The Emerald Room. Her stories have also been published in site such as Oysters and Chocolate or Every Night Erotica.

In her latest release, The Emerald Room, Scarlett touches upon an iffy subject: older men dating younger women. The book is a collection of four short stories in which as the blurb reads: "handsome older men connect with young beautiful women."

The first story, titled "The Emerald room" tells the tale of Nate and his lusting over a young seductress with a mysterious name: C.J.

"Conference Connection" revolves around Mia a young exotic beauty bored in a yearly work conference until she meets the object of her desire: handsome and experienced, Travis.

In "Taking Direction", Holly,  a rebellious young actress learns how to improve her acting skills in the arms of her relentless director, Xavier.

The steamy stories come to an end with "Without regret", in which a composed college professor succumbs to his lust with a faithful student.

Welcome back to In a Dream Beyond, Scarlett. 

What drove you to write about younger women and older men?

I've always had a thing for older men. From the time I was a kid, I had crushes on famous actors and singers who were older, some old enough to be my father (or in some cases, my grandfather!) I've heard it said that writers need to write what they feel most passionate about, and I definitely did so with this set of short stories.


What was your inspiration? Any real life similar experiences?

It was a little different for each of the four stories. The man in "Taking Direction" was inspired by Sean Connery. The professor in "Without Regret" was based on an actual college professor of mine. Nothing sexual ever happened in real life between this professor and me, although we did have a somewhat close and easygoing student/teacher relationship. I had a huge crush on him. You could say the story is a secret fantasy of mine that never actually got played out.

What would you rather write, short stories or novels? why?

I really enjoy writing short stories, but I would like to start writing longer stories, like novellas and novels. The shorts get right down to the sex, which is always fun, and they're quick to read. They're a nice challenge for me to tell a story in a limited amount of space. But novels allow you the chance of better character development, plot twists, and even more of an emotional connection with what's going on. I do love writing both shorter and longer tales, though.



Out of the set of stories that comprise the Emerald Room, which one is your favorite and why?

My favorite probably is "The Emerald Room" because it was the most fun to write. I wrote it from a male point of view, and it just felt particularly naughty to get inside Nate's head and feel what he feels as the seductress of the story takes him into the back of the club and...well, you'll see. ;)


Out of the four stories, which women would you like to be? and if you were one of the guys?

Out of the women, I'd like to be C.J. from "The Emerald Room." I think she's hot stuff. And if I were one of the guys, I'd probably be Nate from "The Emerald Room" because I've always wanted to be able to play the piano. I was never good at it when I took lessons. I guess I'm stuck with playing the computer keyboard instead.


Now, tell us honestly, would you ever succumb to the charm of an older man?

Oh, yes... I have before, and I probably will continue to do so. I know the current craze right now for women is to land a younger man and be a cougar, but I've been with guys who were younger, and I've been with men who were older than I am, and I just prefer older. While younger guys have their perks and are definitely a lot of fun and nice to look at, being with an older man, however...someone relaxed and confident with just the right amount of life experience...it truly is like tasting a fine wine that's been aged with the seasons. They know just how to touch a woman, just how to communicate, and they're usually a bit more mellow with their age, and have more perspective to know what's more important in life, like the relationship and the person in addition to the sex. Yes, I'd succumb to their charms. 


Thank you, for visiting us Scarlett!

Want to read some more? Here is a hot excerpt from "The Emerald Room":

The Emerald Room bar was one of the classier joints where Nate got paid to play these days. Every Friday for the past two months, he put on a jacket and bowtie and sat at their shiny baby grand, tickling the keys for his two-hour set. It was a hell of a lot better than some of the trashy spots he was forced to waste his talent in, places whose patrons were so noisy and crude, where his music drowned beneath the sound of shrill laughter and glass breaking.
But not this place.

Aside from the nice paycheck, and aside from the sleek marble-topped bar and tall cherry wood seats, and aside from the polite, well-dressed folks who not only listened to him but tipped as well, there was the goddess.

She always showed up when he was about thirty minutes into his set, usually around the time he was playing soundtrack tunes from movies like The Godfather. In she'd stride, wearing one of her killer dresses. Sometimes it was the little black one, her hair cascading like a golden wave down her bare back. Other times she wore the sparkling red number. Tonight she donned a silver gown with a slit all the way up to the top of her right leg, the lacy band of her stocking peeking out whenever she moved just right on the barstool.

God, did Nate have a thing for stockings.

Her black stilettos only made her heavenly legs even more mouthwatering, the way they caused the calf muscles to flex just right. In between songs he took a sip of his bourbon and loosened his tie. To imagine those legs wrapped around him…it was the fuel for many a fantasy after he went home, too chicken shit to talk to her.

Buy your copy at: 
Amazon UK
Amazon US
All Romance eBooks

Upcoming next week: Author M.A. Church!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wednesday Brief: your hump day dose of flash fiction

Happy 4th of July!



Welcome to another Wednesday Brief story! This week's prompts were:


- Use any sort of patriotic reference or
- the alternate prompts: cat, chocolate, mysterious or
- Use a grand old flag or
-"I never told you that..." or
- find a way to crack the whip in your story (take that any way you want to!)

The prompts were great but my muse was being bitchy so it took me forever to come up with something. As my mind overturned possibilities I thought about all the people that would be working on the 4th of July and came up with this sweet little brief.The final result which you will find below, is not exactly to my liking but it's better than nothing. Enjoy! and please, don't forget to visit the other Briefer's great stories! (Links at the bottom)


Celebrating through the night

Megan wiped the tables clean while humming softly to the rock song playing in the background. She couldn’t believe the night was finally over. She stuck the tip of her tongue through her teeth as she scrubbed at a mysterious spot on the grey table.

Independence Day had come and gone and she had worked right through it. It had been a long ruthless night. The place had been packed to the brim and by midnight there were more drunkards than not. Nate, her boss had even had to throw out a couple of brawlers. She glanced up at the Kit-Cat clock and sighed. Five am. Picking up the last chair, she placed it on the tabletop. Throwing the damp cloth over her shoulder, she looked around the small establishment. Everything seemed to be in order. She mentally checked all the items: clean tables, glasses, dishes and bar. The only thing missing was the sticky-icky floor. Rubbing her eyes, she made her way between the furniture to the back of the room and picked up the broom.

Something crashed in the conjoining room and she jumped. Her heart rate accelerated and her palms began to sweat. Who was there? She had closed the door, right? Doubt gnawed at her gut as she heard whoever was on the other side of the door clumsily move around. Maybe she should call the police. Whoever was out there had broken into the locale, because she could swear she had closed the door after the last customer left. Shit. She had closed the door, but Trixie had had to leave early ‘cause her kid had called her with some emergency. It wasn’t like Trixie to leave the door unlocked but…

“Meg?”

The familiar voice, deep and mellow, caused a shiver to run down her spine. She hated when he called her Meg because she always reacted like that. She was like a love struck teenager every time she was around him. Trembling slightly when his fingers brushed her skin, blushing when he spoke to her, ogling from behind the bar like he was the finest work of art that had graced the earth. Now, he was here. At five am in the bar. What the hell was he doing here?

“Nate?”

She stepped out of the cupboard, broom and dustpan in hand, yellow cloth still hanging onto her shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

Nate gave her one of his smiles, the sort that caused the dimple on his right cheek to show up. His eyes regarded her with playful intent as he spread his hands in front of one of the tables.

“Surprise!”

Megan stared at him and then at the table. She looked up at him again. Her cheeks burnt red and her stomach churned nervously.

“What’s this?” she said breathlessly.

“Well,” Nate walked up to her and took the broom and dustpan from her hands, setting them aside. Taking her hand, he led her to a chair. “You’ve been working your pretty ass off tonight and I decided you should celebrate a bit.”

She gaped as Nate pulled back a chair and offered it to her. He took the sloppy washing rag from her shoulder, his fingers skimming her skin and causing her breath to hitch. Throwing the thing at the bar, he took a seat across from her and cut a piece of the delicious chocolate cake set on the table. Smiling, he popped open the cold champagne bottle and poured it into the plastic flutes he had brought.

“There really was no need for this. I mean, it’s no big deal, I’ve gotten some pretty good tips for the night.”

Nate laughed, the deep and throaty sound creating a warm glow through her body.

“You deserve those tips. You’re a great worker, Meg. Dedicated, competent, driven, intelligent, bright, sweet, beautiful, sexy…I,” he paused. “That last bit was not about your professional qualities, this is not about your work, Meg.” He indicated the table, the chocolate, and the golden bubbles.

Meg glanced into his blue eyes before quickly looking away. Instead, she focused on his foot, tapping the floor nervously.

“I’m sorry, this was a bad idea, I just thought--”

“No.” Megan looked up at him and smiled. Butterflies danced at the pit of her stomach and her hands shook so badly she had to clasp them together on her lap to avoid upsetting anything on the table. “It wasn’t a bad idea, Nate. I, well, you. Who told you that's my favorite cake?” Megan bit her lip and Nate laughed.

“Trixie. You didn’t think I was interested?”

She nodded.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’ve been interested ever since you walked through that door. I never told you that because," he shrugged. "I thought that with us working together it’d be awkward but the more I worked with you the more I crushed on you.”

“But, why now? I mean, we’re still working together.”

“Trixie told me that now that you've settled some of your debts you’ve been looking for something more related to your line of work. I had to try before you left.”

“Oh, wow.”

Nate leaned closer to her and Megan’s eyes widened. He reached for her hand and squeezed. “Only if you want—“ Still trembling, Megan closed the distance between them and crushed her lips against his. Nate gasped and pulled her closer. Her hands entwined around his neck, his finger brushed against her arms. He nipped at her lower lip and she gasped. His tongue tentatively brushed against her and she moaned. Stroke against gentle stroke, passion against passion, their kiss burned a flame which had sparked a long time ago. Drawing her onto his lap, Nate nuzzled her neck.

“Let’s get out of here, go down to the beach, eat some cake and drink champagne.”

“What about the bar?”

“Trixie can clean it tomorrow,” he replied with a grin. He kissed her again, and she smiled against him. "By the way--"

“Happy fourth of July,” they said in unison and laughed. Megan stood up and took his hand. Independence Day hadn’t been that bad after all.

This week's Briefer's

MA Church    m/m

Tali     m/m
Sara York    m/m

MC Houle     m/m





Tuesday, July 3, 2012

TRR SIZZLING SUMMER PARTY


Happy 4th of July everyone! 
Half the week is over which means we're a little closer to the weekend which is always a good thing. 
Today, besides it being Wednesday Brief day (the story will be up in a bit), my question for the TRR Sizzling Summer Reads Party has also been posted. So, if you'd like to win a copy of the Mercenary Knight go visit and answer the really easy question on their site. Besides winning a copy of my ebook there are hundreds of other prizes and a good time is definitely guaranteed.



Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Tomorrow is a great day! Three very important things will take place:

1. It's the 4th of July! Independence Day! Go out and celebrate! But before you do, stop by numbers 2 and 3.

2. It's Wednesday Brief Day! Your daily dose of Hump Day flash fiction. Relax before the fireworks and read some fun and erotic stories.




3. Enter the chance to win a copy of "The Mercenary Knight".

 

The Romance Review website is holding the Sizzling Summer Reads party with more than 400 participating authors, publishers and prizes. Just head on over to their site on Wednesday and play the games.

And after Wednesday we've got a new section coming up on the blog...but more of that tomorrow.

See you then! ;-)

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Long Awesome Weekend:Graduation + Gay Pride

Greetings and happy Sunday! (or is it Monday already?)

It has been a crazy weekend for me! On Friday, I finally graduated from University. Technically, I'm not a licensed journalist yet because I'm still missing two very important grades, but the ceremony took place nonetheless. It was long and hot, yet exciting all at the same time (and yes, I'm still talking about the ceremony xD).

Graduates


That night we went partying, danced some, drank some and enjoyed some more! After sleeping four mere hours I rushed home for lunch. After eating, showering and changing I ran down to the city center to watch the Madrid Gay Pride Parade.

I had seen the Parade previously on 2 occasions and had vowed that I would never go again. This time, however, it was different.

The main difference (besides my companions), was that I was going to see it all from the safety of a balcony. No hectic tumult, no drunk citizens screaming, shouting, pushing and shoving, no infernal heat or lack of breathing space.

The Madrid Gay Pride Parade was great! I watched, ate, drank, threw water at the sweaty citizens below, laughed and talked... For the first time ever, I lived it as a celebration full of positive energy and cheer. All those people down below, women and men, gay, lesbian, heterosexual, transsexual, or transgender, were not only there for the party, they were there as a community, fighting for their liberties and rights, together.

 Head of the Parade
 Someone threw water at the people from an apartment with a hose
Hundreds of people making their way into the city center to enjoy the Parade

I had more pictures but I'm afraid my phone is being evil and not letting me transfer them into the computer.

After the Parade I briefly stopped by a birthday party and then headed home to sleep Sunday away. (Thus, my forgetting to sign up for Six Sentence Sunday *ugh*).

Hope everyone had a great day!

ps: By the way, before I forget, If you'd like to win a copy of The Mercenary Knight, on Wednesday the 4th of July, head on over to TRR's Sizzling Summer Party and enter the contest!


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wednesday Brief: You're hump day dose of flash fiction


Dear readers, welcome once more to a Wednesday Brief blogpost! After almost two months I return. Please excuse me for any mistakes or weirdness as I've barely written anything creative in these past weeks. The most creative thing I did was design a magazine for a class project (I have to admit, that was kind of fun). Anyhow, this week's prompts were:

"She/he works harad for her/his money..."
use: disco, banana, turtle
or: macho man
or: "if I can't have you..."
or: use an inferno

Considering the horrible heat wave we're having in Spain I started the story with the inferno and then threw in a little disco, banana and turtles. Enjoy! and don't forget to visit the other great flasher's! (links at the bottom)


Heat n' Heat

 
It was an inferno. At 40 degrees Celsius, the heat was unbearable. The hum of the fan kept her in a dozed off state as she watched the two o’clock documentary on turtles. Belinda passed a frustrated hand across her face smearing some of the sweat that rolled down her temple. She took a swig out of her banana smoothie and swore half-heartedly. The cup was already empty. She sighed and reached for the remote. Soap operas, disco music advertisements, world news, unemployment, earthquakes, elections, game shows…she zapped through the channels and finally turned off the TV. Was it her or was the media getting worse every day?

“Okay Belinda, it’s time to move,” she told herself. Swinging her feet, she got the necessary impulse to stand up. The room swan for a moment and then steadied itself. She drowsily made her way across the clutter in the house and into the bathroom. Taking off what little garments she had been wearing, she stepped into the cool shower.

She let out a satisfied moan as the cool water sprayed over her sweaty body, alleviating the dreadful heat. She closed her eyes, relaxing against the cool tiles. Boy, did she hate the summer. Her eyes popped open when she heard the door open and close with a slam. She smiled when she heard Roger’s familiar voice, calling out to her.

“I’m in the shower, I’ll be right out,” she shouted.

She quickly closed the faucets and stepped out of the bath with a towel wrapped around her. Opening the bathroom door, she walked right into a solid wall of muscle. Roger chuckled and steadied her, by placing his hand on her bare shoulder. Her heart hammered hard against her chest and a current swept from her shoulder down to her core, heating her up quicker than the weather.

“You gotta watch where you’re going, bat girl,” he kidded.

“If you didn’t stand in the way, Hulk,” she retorted.

“Especially if you’re going out with a barely there towel.”

She looked away, feeling the flush in her cheeks creep down her neck. “I’m going to my room to change; the question was where you were going.”

Roger laughed good-naturedly. Why hadn’t he removed his hand from her shoulder? “I was looking for you. You have to come see what I bought!” He brushed his fingers down her arm and took her hand, tugging on her to follow.

“Can’t I get dressed first?” she asked, acutely aware of his strong hand on her naked skin and her nudity underneath the purple towel.

“Ta-da!”

Belinda stared at the box, blankly.

“Don’t you know what it is?” Roger asked her with a grin. His blond hair fell over his dark eyes as he walked over to the large box and leaned on it. “It’s a portable air conditioner.”

“You dragged me here without allowing me to dress to show me a portable air conditioner?” she asked dumfounded.

Roger chuckled. “Yeah,” he paused as if measuring his next words, “and to seduce you.”

Belinda stared. Her heart beat so hard she thought it would jump out of her chest. Sweat coupled with the cool water dripping from her hair trickled down her back and across her chest. While her mouth dried up other parts of her body became humid with excitement.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Roger approached her. His six foot seven frame dwarfed her even though she was almost six feet tall.

“Are you serious?” she whispered. Roger nodded, tipping his head so that his lips were scant inches away from hers. She searched his eyes searching for some kind of hidden meaning, some sign that demonstrated he was joking. They had been roomies for over a year and Roger had never shown the slightest interest. Of course, they’d gone out together and shared some good moments but always as friends.

“I’m serious, Belinda, but only if you want to, I mean, I want to, I really do—“ his voice broke, “not only seduce you, but date you and—“ He passed a hand through his hair, disarraying it. “I’m not only interested in seeing you naked, Linda,” he whispered.

Belinda’s eyes widened. Thoughts raced through her mind. Heck, did she want to. She wanted to ever since Roger moved into her apartment as a roommate. Sunlight streamed through an open window and she felt the oppressing heat again but she no longer minded it. Trembling, she brought her hand to his face. Roger engulfed her hand in his larger one. He kissed the back of her knuckles and softly squeezed her hand. “Is that a yes?”

Smiling Belinda closed the distance left between them. Their lips crashed and heat rushed into every pore in her body. Roger pressed her closer and she felt his sizzling warmth. Passion consumed them. Her towel fell to the floor; Roger’s carelessly tossed his on the floor. She straddled him, crying out when he licked her nipple. He groaned as she rocked her hips. Sweat made them slick and slippery, their hands glided across their naked skins. She couldn’t get enough of him and he couldn’t get enough of her. It was hot, quick, scorching. She cried out her release and moments later, he came after her. She collapsed onto his chest, panting and hearing his heartbeat slowly steady into a rhythmic pattern. His hand lazily caressed her back and twirled her wet locks, as he dropped kisses at the top of her head. She smiled. It was 40 degrees out and probably 60 in here, yet she no longer felt the uncomfortable temperature. There was heat and then there was heat.

The rest of the Briefer's:

MA Church    m/m
Nephylim    m/m
Sara York     m/m
Elyzabeth VaLey     m/f
Tali     m/m
MC Houle     m/m





Monday, June 25, 2012

Monday Hottie! Soccer Players!

Welcome back to Monday Hottie!


I wasn't sure whom to pick for today's eye candy... and then I  heard someone shout "Gooooooooool" from a neighboring house and I thought: Oh my, the European Soccer League is on... hotties? A plenty! o for those of you who enjoy Spanish men, here are a few of the cutest Spanish players.

Team Captain: Iker Casillas

Pique (who is by the way, dating Colombian singer Shakira)



Jesús Navas


Fernando Torres

and my favorite Xabi Alonso





Sunday, June 24, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday

It's that day of the week again: lovely Sunday! I've missed Six Sentence Sunday and those teasing words... This weeks sentences belong to the story Little Bethany from the Bigger Briefs Reluctant Romance: Guys and Girls Anthology released this past Thursday.


Enjoy!


His voice caught in his throat as her nimble fingers traced a path over his chest and down toward the waistline of his trousers. “Please, Miss O’Neal, don’t stand so close.”
 

“Why, Malcolm? Do I scare you?”
 

“No, it’s just - ”
 

“Do I turn you on, Malcolm?” she whispered seductively.

Craving for more Sentences? Check out the Six Sentence Sunday lis tof participating authors

Saturday, June 23, 2012

I'm back!

Dear readers,

I'm back! After my long absence of more than a month I finally return to you! I wish I could say I've finally obtained my journalism degree but I'm still waiting for three grades (fingers-crossed).  However, the pain of exams is now over!

Besides my dreaded exams and several group projects I have some writing news to share! First of all, this past Thursday the Bigger Briefs Anthology: Reluctant Romance Guys and Girls  was released! You can buy your copy at ARE, Amazon.com or Amazon Uk.



And second, last week I signed a contract with Evernight Publishing for The Mercenary Slave, part II of The Mercenary Tales, which tells the story of Wybert, Conrad's friend in The Mercenary Knight.

That is all for now friends. Stay tuned for upcoming novelties in the blog, contests, giveaways, and more!

Elyzabeth

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Wednesday Brief

Good afternoon lovely people! I haven't been able to participate in this week's Wednesday Brief, but here are the links to the lovely authors who Briefed. Enjoy!

Nephylim    m/m
Tali      m/m
Sara York    m/m
MA Church    m/m