Blog – Page 3 – Annabel Joseph

Authors After Dark–Wednesday and Thursday

Well, I decided I could never possibly cram everything that happened at AAD into one huge post. It would explode my computer. So instead, I’m going to make two separate posts and try not to leave anything out. But I might. Because my brain is still kinda tired.

So I drove over on Wednesday from Atlanta with my author friends Renee Regent and Delilah S. Dawson, and I’ll tell you that one of the best parts of being a writer is being able to hang out with other writers, especially for four hours in a minivan. Because you can talk about EVERYTHING, and then have lunch at J. Christopher in the middle of nowhere and all that. Renee updated us on her new WIP and Delilah told us all the things going on in the world of Steampunk and it was just a lot of fun.

Then we arrived in Savannah and I filled up two big pushcarts with all the boxes and boxes of stuff I had brought with me. Well, I should say that the bellhop filled up two whole pushcarts and toted them up to the 7th floor with a smile, for which he got a nice big tip. My roommates Linzy Antoinette and Chhaya Delaine were already there and we hugged and squeed and checked in and got our little conference necklace/pouchy things. I don’t know what they’re called. Then I started wandering around like a little lost lamb who doesn’t know what they’re supposed to be doing, because I had never been to a writers’ conference before. Luckily I ran into my awesome Atlanta friends Jenniloo and Scarlet Wylde. (Psst…if you click Scarlet’s name you can go to her site and take a brief survey for her new business–AND receive a 15% off code for bedroom toys! Just sayin’!)

Then I saw my friend Sarah Frantz, who edits for Riptide, and who gives the best hugs on the planet, so I got one of those hugs and then I was starting to feel like, okay, I can possibly actually do this.

Then I met my other author buds, Lanie Flin, Donjaline Hope, Ny Corson, and Elissa Stark, and we were all like, “It’s time to eat in Savannah, bitches.” We walked down River Street in the drizzle to a place called the Cotton Exchange Tavern and it was really freaking tasty!

Me and Linzy particularly enjoyed the Triple Berry Coladas with little umbrellas. Cause, you know, Linzy is really little.

So…we walked back to the hotel in the rain…there was a lot of rain…did I mention the rain? We slept and woke up in the morning to an awesome waffle party with Torquere Press. There was syrup, fruit, chocolate chips, more syrup, and free books. It was a win. Then it was on to my first panel, a contemporary panel with Cat Grant, Liliana Hart, Dianna Love, Joy Daniels, and me. Let me just say, it was AWESOME to meet these ladies. We talked about what inspires us, why we like writing stories in contemporary settings, where we get our story ideas, and lots of other things. Here’s me and Joy Daniels, courtesy of Chhaya Delaine, who was my wonderful photographer at AAD…

And one of the whole panel, I believe from my Facebook friend Tina.

And me afterward signing someone’s shirt. Can I just say I signed all kinds of stuff and it was so exciting? It was like, wow, they want my autograph. It was cool. Many thanks to Tina for this photo. 🙂

After that we had a lunch with Stella Price, the organizer, and I got to meet more folks. Then it was time for my BDSM panel–YES!–and I got to see Cat Grant again, as well as some new friends–Ann Mayburn and Yvette Hines.

Wow, this panel was fun. First of all, the attendees were all naughty ladies. You know it’s true! It turned into more of a group discussion/sharing session than a panel, but I always love when that happens. I got to learn what my fellow BDSM authors were up to, talk about lifestyle issues, and talk about my own experiences trying to do justice to power exchange relationships. It was a fun time.

Here we all are. This is courtesy of Leagh Christensen.

So…that was already a pretty fun day, but there’s more. Back out to dinner with my author buds, this time to Blue Moon Tavern and then dessert at this crazy-delicious, award-winning “chocolate bar” called Lulu’s. Okay…people…I can’t describe it. Amazing, amazing desserts. I had this delicious mousse layered thing on an edible chocolate base and basically my head just exploded because it was so good. Here we are high on chocolate…

So, as you can see, we all had our “I Like Naughty Books” shirts on (which I hope to sell on the site some day soon) and the waitress was like, “Oh, what’s going on with that?” So my friends explained that this was my first time at AAD, and that the shirts were for our big ghost walk later that night, and a few minutes later, the waitress came back with this special plate she’d made for me! Notice the lips made of cherry sauce, and the handcuffs and flogger drawn in chocolate!

Yes, she got a redonkulous tip too. So…Savannah was turning out to be a really amazing place. Despite the rain, everyone was friendly, helpful, and supportive. When we left Lulu’s, our thoughts turned to the big ghost walk that Linzy and Chhaya co-sponsored and helped organize. It was a LOOONG time in the planning, and a lot of work that Linzy put in, so we were a little anxious. We prayed for clear skies (it was raining non-stop) and we prayed for a good, entertaining guide capable of wrangling twenty drunk, horny ladies.

Well…our prayers were answered…

Please meet our guide, Skippy Spiral of Ghost City Tours. We signed up for the late night, adults-only tour and begged for someone really inappropriate and bawdy. We got Skippy, who was this adorable combination of sexy, funny, geeky, wild, and eminently patient with our whoops and catcalls. We stopped in each square and he told us spooky stories about old Savannah homes and events. The weather was beautiful…no rain, a little humid but not too hot. Perfect.

AND, after each story, Skippy unbuttoned one button on his shirt. That’s a performer for you. Maybe he was scared that if he didn’t take off his shirt, we’d revolt. I don’t know. He also said “fucking” a lot, which we encouraged. By the end, he’d progressed to clipping his badge to his nipple, as you can see in the photo below. That’s just the kind of tour guide he was.

By the end we were exhausted but happy. Here’s the entire Ghost Walk crew in our matching shirts. I like to think we terrorized the ghosts of Savannah for one night, instead of the other way around. I hope to organize another Ghost Tour someday but it would be hard to top this one. Many thanks to everyone who joined us!

Well, I think that’s it for Wednesday and Thursday at Authors After Dark. There’s still a ton more to say but Friday and Saturday will have to wait until tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed my post, especially those who wanted to be there but couldn’t. We missed you!

Simkin Sunday

Well, y’all, I am back from Authors After Dark in Savannah. I will say that for the moment I am still processing, processing, processing. I am going to write a gargantuan post tomorrow about all the wonderful folks I met, and the crazy, fun experiences I had, but first I need to unpack and SLEEP.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this hilarious video by one of my favorite ballet dancers, ABT Principal Daniil Simkin. Mr. Simkin is not only amazingly talented–he’s also quite funny. The part where he’s on the NYC subway…their expressions. HAHAHAHA!

AND…check out my new website design, courtesy of my husband Ivan! We’re still working out some glitches, but we hope to have it fully de-glitched and operational within a few weeks.

Snippet Sunday: CARESSA’S KNEES

Well, we continue our backwards review of the Comfort series with the second book, Caressa’s Knees! Rather than hunt up an excerpt, I thought it would be fun to revisit this interview of Kyle Winchell that I did in conjunction with Michelle R. at The Romance Reviews. It’s been over two years now since the interview was originally posted, so many of you may have missed it the first time. Enjoy!

Book Interview on February 2011 (Click to read at The Romance Reviews site)

Michelle R: **grinning like the Cheshire Cat**

Welcome dear readers. I am more than a little relieved that you will be joining us via transcript as opposed to in the flesh. Up close and personal, my giddy pre-teen excitement is a frightening thing to behold. I’ll admit, I’ve been stalking Annabel Joseph for a while now hoping to get a little one on one time with a man of mystery and intrigue I met in COMFORT OBJECT, Kyle Winchell. Thank goodness his story is finally being told in her new book, CARESSA’S KNEES, and she is allowing me to drag him out into the limelight so I can have my wicked way with him!!

Hi Kyle, I’m so thrilled to finally have you here. Jeremy was quite the man in Comfort Object, but you were the one I kept craving to learn more about. *pours Kyle a glass of sweet tea* I had this initial plan to get you drunk in hopes of uncovering some of your deep dark secrets. Now, having read your story, I get why Annabel wasn’t very forthcoming with the introductions earlier. Protective much? Would you like to share with every one about what happened in your life after Jeremy and Nell left for the east coast?

Kyle: After Jeremy and Nell went to Boston, I actually kept working for him for another year or so. I logged a lot of air miles, yeah, but that was nothing unusual. It was mainly setting up meetings and managing his L.A. affairs for him so when he came into town every couple weeks, we could get things done quickly and efficiently and get him back on the plane to Boston ASAP.

Michelle: *raises eyebrow to give Kyle the evil eye* Well, from what I hear it wasn’t quite that pretty. I can understand you want to keep the down and dirty private, but admission is the first step, my dear.

Kyle: Oh, you mean…oh. Yeah. You’re talking about the alcohol, cocaine, and loose women. Okay, yeah, that part of it was pretty ugly. I was fighting a lot of demons during that time. Unsuccessfully. I was working through the trauma of watching Nell and Jeremy ride off into the sunset, and then the guilt about shooting Nell’s assailant, and guilt about a lot of other stuff I did as his assistant. It was a lot to deal with at once.

Michelle: *puts hand over his and pats in comfort* Hun, why didn’t you fight for Nell? Why did you just sit back and watch her be swept away?

Kyle: You know, I think even then I knew there was no point in it. It was obvious from the start that she was lovesick for Jeremy, and Jeremy…well…I knew him better than anyone, and I knew how much he loved her even before he did. He would have fought me tooth and nail for her, and he would have won. They belonged together. A lot of the arguing and sniping I did with Nell was just my frustration about that fact.

Michelle: What about your family. I assume you are close to them. You left Nell and Jeremy during the holidays to be with them in Texas. Why not crawl back to Texas instead of a bottle?

Kyle: Guys in my family don’t pine over women. They just don’t. I could never have explained the whole sordid situation to them anyway. And you know, even when I was hitting the bottle for solace, I wasn’t admitting to myself the real reason I was doing it. I convinced myself I was just partying, living the lifestyle, because in a way I was ashamed I couldn’t get over her.

Michelle: What made you leave the great state of Texas and move to Hollywood in the first place? Seriously, I didn’t know there were Texans who willingly left.

Kyle: Heh. I don’t know. I guess it’s the whole small-town-boy syndrome. All you think about your entire childhood is getting away. Anywhere. People told me I could make it as a model and I believed them. I got to L.A. and realized a million other guys there could also make it as a model. If Jeremy Gray hadn’t hired me as his assistant, I would have been back on the bus to Spur within a couple weeks.

Michelle: Ok, I want the real skinny. Why in the world did you put up with that man’s crap, err… I mean narcissism? Sure, now that Nell’s got a hold of him, he’s all sweetness and sugar (well, sometimes) but he had you doing some pretty out there things before they hooked up. I mean, I know assistants to the famous are abused, but come on. *shakes head*

Kyle: At first I put up with his narcissism because it was either do that or give up and go home. Plus I just assumed all stars acted that way. It wasn’t until a few months down the line that I started to recognize the human being under there. And then it was still a few months after that before I realized the narcissism-asshole thing was a total act and that Jeremy was actually hurting. I was slow. Nell realized it right away.

Michelle: So, the whole Dom thing… I know it was an unspoken job requirement to participate in the topping of Jeremy’s subs, but did you…do you… identify yourself as a Dominant?

Kyle: I do identify myself as a Dominant, but like most Dominants, I have my own style and preferences. I watched Jeremy dom girls many times, and while I admired his intensity, he was much more into sadism and humiliation than I was. Which is another reason Nell wasn’t right for me–she was into that stuff too, and I really didn’t have the steel for it. I’d say my preferences lie more along the lines of control than sadism. I love having a girl shaking and begging under me. I love being able to demand something, and have those demands fulfilled without a lot of lip and emotional games. I just love being in control of a willing, horny female. Nothing better.

Michelle: *nods towards her laptop* I was lucky enough to have a peek at your story, CARESSA’S KNEES. I noticed you signed on to be the famed cello prodigy’s assistant. Sugar, you went from the frying pan into the fire. That girl is more of a mess than Jeremy ever was. What is up with her?

Kyle: Caressa is an oddity in that she’s never had an actual normal life. Even as a child, there were practices and performances. She’d never gone to a regular school or been around regular people her age. The world went on around her unnoticed while she focused completely on her talent and her musical career. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy when I met her, and she wasn’t real easy to get along with.

Michelle: How do you go about helping someone like Caressa? How did you make it work?

Kyle: Well, in a way it was Jeremy all over again—only I realized the syndrome much more quickly this time. You know, that the angst and aggression and rudeness was a front for the turmoil she was experiencing inside. Once I realized that, I was able to come up with strategies to help her. Getting her out into the world, trying to engage her emotionally. It was a process, trial and error. We had some bad moments, like any couple. But it got to a point where I realized I was helping her because I loved her, and not just because it was my job. After that there was no real question of making it work. I was in it for the long run.

Michelle: I had such a great time going to Spur, Texas with the two of you and meeting your family. You all seem pretty close, tell me about them.

Kyle: My family are pretty simple people. Born and bred Texans, who live for country, family, and friends. My dad works as a tree surgeon, and he’s known to be a little reckless. My mom is calmer, kind of the yin to my dad’s yang. She was always a rock, always super dependable. I think all of us kids ended up with the best of both worlds, because we learned my mom’s organization and fortitude, and got a good dose of daring and recklessness too from my dad’s side.

Michelle: Your great-grandmother cracked me up! She is one honest woman and I hope she never starts editing what she says. What did Caressa think of her?

Kyle: It was actually really endearing the way Great-Grandma and Caressa hit it off. I think Caressa was afraid of her at first, just because Great-Grandma can be so random and weird, but in the end I think both of them realized they were kindred spirits. Impulsive, sometimes strange, and often judged. They had that common experience they shared.

Michelle: If the two of you settled down and had kids, would you want to raise them in Spur?

Kyle: It depends on where Caressa goes professionally in the coming years. If she wanted to settle down and raise kids in Spur, that would be fantastic. If she wanted to keep performing and recording, we might need to live closer to New York, but even then, I think Spur would be home base at least a couple months a year.

Michelle: Have you realized you are in a polyamorous / menage relationship with a cello and the cello is getting more time in between Caressa’s legs?

Kyle: I am insanely jealous of the cello.

Michelle: Caressa has been all over the world, but she hasn’t really seen the world. Where would you like to take her? You seem to be quite the romantic. I don’t want to give it away, but the place you took her to in Spur was unforgettable. So with the world to explore, where to now?

Kyle: Honestly, I have a constant compulsion to take Caressa away from civilization and people and pressure and just let her be wild. I picture taking her to a deserted island somewhere and letting her run naked with flowers in her hair, making sandcastles and scaling trees for coconuts. She’d do it, too. Or I picture taking her out to some expansive moor in Scotland or England, and watching her run across the field with her hair streaming behind her and the wind at her back. Or taking her out to some remote mountain cabin somewhere with a wonderful view and just keeping her naked and horny there among the trees. I guess that’s not really allowing her to “see the world” so to speak, but, I mean, she’s seen the world already. What she’s missed is all the little, everyday experiences of being alive and carefree.

Michelle: You really have had quite a journey the last few years. What have you learned? Or maybe I should ask how has it changed you?

Kyle: I’ve learned that people are endlessly complex, and that life is what you make it. I’ve learned to put my foot down about some things, but to let other things go. I’ve learned that love and sanity don’t always go together. But sanity is overrated.

Michelle: As I read CARESSA’S KNEES, I decided you must be one of the most romantic men on the planet. Women all over are going to be swooning for you. Is there any little romantic gesture you’ve done for Caressa that isn’t in the book that you would be willing to share with us? Maybe something that has happened since the story ended or something that might have ended up on the editing floor?

Kyle: I’m that combination of being romantic and a huge planner. I never make little romantic gestures, always larger, intricately planned romantic gestures. That’s one of the things I do when I’m sitting in the wings watching her play, plan stuff to do for her. And to her.

Anyway, every day with Caressa is romantic. Little romantic gestures? Well, I kiss and hug on her constantly, does that count?

Michelle: How about some of those short, fun questions they like to do on talk shows? It will be painless, I promise. Favorite song?

Kyle: Okay, it’s really sappy, but Amazed by Lonestar. I belt it out to Caressa at the top of my lungs every so often. She runs away until I’m done.

Michelle: Favorite food?

Kyle: Salad. Is that not a masculine answer?

Michelle: Greatest weakness?

Kyle: I can be a little bossy. And OCD.

Michelle: You have an afternoon to yourself and one wish, what would it be?

Kyle: Exclusive spa. The whole shebang. Rubdowns, soaks, mani, pedi, facial, grooming, more rubdowns. What can I say? There’s a raging metrosexual inside me.

Michelle: If you could change one thing in your past without changing the rest of the future, what would it be?

Kyle: I would have skipped the year I spent blitzed out on drugs and alcohol. In hindsight I’m lucky things didn’t turn out so much worse for me. I’m lucky I ended up where I am.

Michelle: * extends hand to Kyle* Kyle, thank you so much for sitting down and helping to clarify the man behind all the fame. You were such an enigma in COMFORT OBJECT. It’s been a joy to get to know you better in CARESSA’S KNEES as well as during our time together today. Your life has been quite the journey. I hope you, Caressa, Jeremy and Nell continue to be blessed. And thanks again for letting Annabel share your story with us.

There you have it readers, from small town Texas boy to a salad luvin’ dom and assistant to the stars, Kyle Winchell has finally stepped into the limelight to let us get to know him a little better. He and Caressa have the sweetest tale I’ve read in a long, long time. Certainly there were challenges as I am sure you can tell, but isn’t anything of value that way?

Snapshot Sunday–and some big news

Well, there had to be a bondage photo this week. This photo is from my Hall of Hotness and was created by the inimitable artist MaillerPhong (click to see more of Mailler’s work!).

WHY did I have to share a bondage image this week? Because I’m going to be one of the authors in BEST BONDAGE EROTICA 2014!!

I am so ridiculously excited about this. Look at the awesome cover. That guy’s hand coming in from the left like, oooh, you’re gonna get some sexin in a minute, baby, as soon as I have you tied up hard enough. And a foreword by Laura Antoniou, the author of the Marketplace series? Amazing!

Best Bondage Erotica 2014 will be out in January 2014. It’s an anthology of HAWT bondage short stories, including my Victorian bondage roleplay fantasy, The Neckcloth. One of the reasons I’m so excited is that I’ve read Rachel Kramer Bussel’s erotic anthologies for years, since before I started writing my own erotica, so to actually be IN one of them is such a thrill. The paperback is already up for pre-order at Amazon. (Click here for preorder page!) I’m sure it will eventually be available for Kindle and other e-readers too, and with Rachel editing it, you KNOW it’s gonna be tons of hot erotic yumminess. Plus, they’re short stories, ie, perfect masturbation length.

(Trust me on this one. I know.)

Anyway, I hope you will all celebrate with me and help me spread the word in January so everyone can get their Victorian roleplay bondage sexin on. I just signed the contract from Cleis Press on Friday so I’m celebrating.

I do still have one more big piece of news to share…can’t yet. I hope I can soon. I’m also done with preliminary edits on Fever Dream and I have the blurb here on my Fever Dream book page (which you can also access from the Books tab.) I hope to have this Waking Kiss sequel to you by late September. Early October at the latest!

So much going on! And Authors After Dark next week…

Thanks to everyone for stopping by on this special Snapshot Sunday, and if I am scarce the next couple weeks, I apologize. I can’t wait for fall and all the great things coming up.

Snippet Sunday: ODALISQUE

Well, I did Command Performance for the last Snippet Sunday. Now it looks like I’m doing the Comfort series backwards!

I was in an Odalisque mood today. One thing I enjoyed about Odalisque was how laid back Constance and Kai were. They had a few big problems, but they didn’t let them get to them, especially when they were together. Their biggest problem, I suppose, was when their “arranged” relationship started to turn into love.

I picked out this passage near the beginning to share, when Constance first comes to live with Kai as his odalisque. I love how they are both so excited.

Kai, Kai, Kai, Kai… She knew his name in her head, felt it on her tongue, although she was too embarrassed to attempt to say it. She’d practiced it in her room the last month, touching her lips, trying to form the right sounds, which wasn’t easy when you couldn’t hear them. She touched him now, utterly fascinated with the feel of his skin, the hardness of his body. His cock stroked her in the perfect spot, with the perfect rhythm. She was suffused by pleasure and enthralled by his confident possession of her. She had worried a little, that things might be awkward when she arrived here. Or that, God, he might change his mind about wanting her.

But he seemed very pleased to have her. His movements were controlled and yet some thread of wildness snaked and grew between them. He squeezed her breasts, hurting her, making her moan and arch toward him for more of the shocking ache. She ground her clit against the wiry hair at the base of his cock, sparking singing sensation. Ironic, that her independence would come to her through this subjugation. Through being his. His to use, his to possess. More ironic still that she basked in every moment of it.

She gasped for breath and clung to him, thrusting wildly in answer to his own roughness. She tensed her thighs just at the edge of the precipice, and then tumbled into orgasm in a shattering rush. Pleasure washed over her, rendering her helpless. He dug his knees into the bed and bore her down, down, down, impaling her without mercy. She could feel him clutching the fabric of her skirt, not letting her move one centimeter beneath him. He shuddered over her and came to rest, his hands moving up to her shoulders. He pressed his face against hers and laid still, his cock pulsing inside her.

Kai. She almost whispered it, but words had such power. Be on guard. A moment later he pulled away, lounged back to rest on the pillows beside her. From the sudden rise and fall of his chest, she thought perhaps he sighed. He licked his lips and looked over at her with an expression she couldn’t place, and then he kissed her so she couldn’t keep thinking about it. When he pulled away, he ran his long, tapered fingers over the buttons of her blouse.

“So…do the clothes come off now?”

“Whatever you want,” she signed. “Always.”

“Except on your day off. When is your day off?”

She shrugged and signed again. “Whichever day you prefer.”

“So I’m in charge from here on out. Is that what you’re saying?”

Her gaze left his lips to meet his eyes and smile. She knew he didn’t really expect an answer. He dipped his head and kissed her again, undressing her slowly, taking a while to stroke and trace her stockings before he finally drew them off. He gathered her close then, so close. She basked in his warmth, his gentleness, his leashed strength and the comforting breadth of his chest. He tipped her face up to his.

“I can hardly believe you’re finally here.”

If you haven’t read the book, Constance signs because she’s deaf and chooses not to speak. Well, only on very limited occasions. I liked Constance and Kai a lot and while I was writing their story, everything just seemed to fit, because they fit so well together. I hope you’ll read Odalisque if you haven’t yet. Click the cover below to find a blurb and buy links!

People I hugged when I crashed RWA13 last week…

As many of you know, I live in Ye Olde Atlanta, Georgia, which happened to play host to the Romance Writers of America’s National Conference last week. If you saw all the #RWA13 hashtags on Twitter and Facebook, that’s what that was all about.

I didn’t buy a ticket to attend the conference because I’m rather a shrinking violet. I know, it’s hard to believe but I am very socially awkward. I also have a crippling fear of tall hotels, elevators, and crowds. I think it’s called Conferenceaphobia or something like that. Anyway, I HAVE IT.

Therefore, I only crashed the conference for one night, the night of the Passionate Ink party, since it could be purchased as a separate event. And guess who all I got to hug?

Eden Bradley (Amazing!)

Robin L. Rotham (Mega-Mistress!)

Shoshanna Evers (Such a hottie)

Amber Lin (OMGGG! YAY!)

Sarah Frantz (of Alphabet Editing)

Jenna Barton (My local author pal)

Venessa Giunta (who edited Comfort Object, Firebird, AND Owning Wednesday for me at Loose Id!)

People I only hugged with my eyes:

Tiffany Reisz (Her eyes are beautiful! I could barely talk! She gave me bookmarks!)

Damon Suede (hawt)

And I am not forgetting my local author friends. Me, Renee Regent, Linzy Antoinette, Chhaya Delaine, Ny Corson, and Lanie S. Flin headed over to the Georgia RWA chapter’s DJ party after Passionate Ink wrapped up. I think it is safe to say we got the party started. By “got the party started” I mean “took to the dance floor and acted like fools.” That is me on the left.

We had a lot of fun. I may or may not have lip synched into an imaginary microphone to Call Me Maybe while completely stone-cold sober. I know I sang Icona Pop’s “I Love It” at the top of my lungs as some quite old ladies watched me from across the room, thanking their lucky stars that they had more dignity than me. Perhaps they disapproved of the way me and all my friends were whapping each other’s asses with the free riding crops we got at the Passionate Ink party. Who knows? Anyway, we had a blast.

Will I ever attend RWA in earnest? I don’t know. Never say never. If I do, I’m bringing a mask next time to disguise my identity because my dancing is quite awful, if heartfelt.

I will be attending Authors After Dark next month in Savannah, and I hope to have lots of photos and fun stories to tell when that’s over. Then in October, I’ll be traveling to the Indie Romance Convention in Lebanon, Tennessee, and Eroticon USA, right here in Atlanta. This shrinking violet is going to have to come out of her shell, I guess.

As long as music is playing, and there are wonderful people to hug, I think I’ll be okay…

(Many thanks to wonderful Lanie for the pictures!)

Snapshot Sunday: Foot Fetish

Heh, not THAT kind of foot fetish. I mean, this is Annabel we’re talking about, so they’re a certain kind of feet–BALLET FEET!

I would give attribution for this photo but the truth is I found it online years ago and haven’t been able to uncover its origin, even using services like Tin Eye. It’s on my desktop at the moment because in my imagination those black shoes belong to The Great Rubio, and the pointe shoes belong to a ballerina named Petra. If you read Waking Kiss, you’re already acquainted with Rubio, and you’ll meet Petra in the upcoming sequel, Fever Dream.

Rubio and Petra have a…what’s the word for it…complex relationship as dance partners. By complex I mean they are sexing it up and down and sideways while trying to work out a bunch of complicated issues.

Fever Dream is in edits right now, and I hope to release it in late September or early October. Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming weeks.

Snippet Sunday: COMMAND PERFORMANCE

I took a little three-day getaway to Daytona Beach Shores with my kids this past week. (Ivan, my husband, had to work.) It was wonderfully sunny, calm, and uncrowded, even with Tropical Storm Chantal bearing down. Beaches and romance seem to go together, but as far as I can remember, I’ve only had one couple take a trip to the beach so far, and that was Mason and Miri in Command Performance.

One of my favorite things about Command Performance is the tension between Mason and Miri due to her virginity, and Mason’s desire to make her first time really special. Even though he’s a big movie star with glitzy properties all over the planet, he chooses to take her to a small bungalow on a private island when it’s time to do the deed:

Miri dropped his hand and leaned to pick up a shell. She held the battered conch to her ear and gave him one of her silly looks. “I can hear the ocean.”

“Oh, can you?” He grabbed her, slung her over his shoulder and ran toward the water. “You can feel the ocean too. It’s right here.”

She shrieked as he galloped into the waves. When he was chest deep he tumbled her into the water. She came up out of the azure depths sputtering and laughing. “Now my clothes are all wet.”

“Take them off,” he said. “We’re alone here.” He gazed down at her gauzy tank top, now rendered completely see-through. Her nipples were tight beneath the cotton material. Well, it was early spring. The water was a little cool.

Her laughing expression turned shy, then sultry as she pulled the sopping wet top over her head. Jesus, she was beautiful. Slight curve to her waist, rounded hips, and perfect-sized, natural breasts. He strode back to the shore and flung off his shirt, took off his canvas shorts. They walked up the beach to spread their wet clothes on some rocks and faced each other, naked and free in the warmth of the sunny day.

“We’re like savages.” She laughed, looking around.

Savages…she had no idea. He took deep breaths, in, out, in, out. They were comfortable by this point with each other’s nudity, but her beauty still caught him in the gut. The sun, the waves, the breeze in her hair and the glow of her pearlescent skin. She didn’t do tanning. No plastic surgery…he’d know if she’d had plastic surgery. He remembered the location of all Jessamine’s scars, but Miri didn’t have them. She was a natural woman, a savage female staring out at the waves. She turned back, her gaze caught by his burgeoning erection. She gave him a speculative look.

“Now that we’re naked…”

“No, not yet.” No, he wasn’t ready yet. Well, he was ready, but… “Let’s swim for a while. Enjoy the waves and water before it gets dark.”

“Cool. I never swam naked before.” She headed for the water, kicking up sand as she sashayed across the beach. My God, her ass. Assfucking wasn’t on the menu for the weekend but…oh God. He couldn’t wait until he took that virginity too. He realized he was busily making plans for three, four, five months down the line.

“Come on.” She turned in the eddies and beckoned him. “Come swim with me.” He walked down the beach, entranced by her smile. She ran ahead of him, barging into the water, diving under and then coming up for air. He grabbed her and embraced her there in the surf, burying his face in her neck.

“You smell like a savage,” he murmured. He grasped her ass, pulling her forward against his cock. Again, he felt the wild impulse to simply drive into her. They were here. They were ready. What was he waiting for?

Well, if you’ve read the book, you know what he was waiting for, and you also know this beach getaway takes a chilling, miserable turn before it’s all over, but don’t worry, there’s a happy-ever-after for Mason and Miri by the end of the novel.

Command Performance was the fourth and final book in my Comfort series, after Comfort Object, Caressa’s Knees, and Odalisque. I suppose in that way, Mason had the longest journey to happiness, but what a hot and sexy journey it was. If you haven’t read Command Performance, click the link below to read a blurb and find buy links.

Ghost Walk Signup and other AAD news

Authors After Dark 2013 is getting close! If you’re attending I really, really, REALLY want to meet you, so please don’t be shy. You can find out more about my schedule at Authors After Dark AT THIS LINK (CLICK!!)

Also, right NOW we’re signing folks up for the special Annabel Joseph Ghost Tour on Thursday night! This is a late night Ghost Tour through the streets of Old Savannah and it’s going to rock! (However, it conflicts with the Riverboat event so if you signed up for the Riverboat you will have to miss this.) There will be swag, tee shirts, libations–and the tour and tip is included in the $30 price! For all the details, and to reserve a spot, go here:

CLICK TO JOIN THE GHOST TOUR CREW!!

If you’re going to be at AAD, you won’t want to miss this! I think our group will probably traumatize the tour host but that’s okay. 🙂

If you’re still on the fence about attending AAD in Savannah, don’t forget that registration ends on July 10. If you want to be a last-minute registrant, you can sign up here: http://www.authorsafterdark.org/pages/registration.html

Snapshot Sunday: Dom-Style Lovin’

Hi everyone! Yes, it’s “snapshot” Sunday, rather than Snippet Sunday. Finding good snippets is fun and I love sharing about my books, but I also love sharing pictures that bemuse or inspire me.

To that end, this is the inaugural Snapshot Sunday (**FANFARE!!!!**) and perhaps, going forward, I can alternate between snippets and snapshots. I thought we’d start things off with a lovely photo of Daniel Craig (as James Bond) giving some lovin’ to the beautiful Eva Green in Casino Royale. Mmm…note the biceps, the dominant position…the mind wanders…

Enjoy the yumminess!

Snippet Sunday: MERCY

I’ve had Mercy on my mind since receiving this really enthusiastic and wonderful review at LipSmackin GoodBooks. There is something about very hardcore sex and very hardcore submission that just does it for me. A lot of readers don’t enjoy it (see Mercy’s Amazon and Goodreads reviews for examples) but I think extreme power exchange can pack a big emotional punch because there’s so much invested. I have many readers who LOVE Mercy above all my other books and I can understand the intensity of their feelings.

I started a new Cirque book (not titled yet) featuring Le Maitre, who you may remember from Cirque de Minuit. So far it’s turning in a deep/hardcore submission book, which is nice because so many readers have asked for a book similar in tone to Mercy. And I have wanted to write a book similar in tone to Mercy, but the characters have to be just right to make it work. We’ll see.

In the meantime I’ll share this little snippet when Matthew tries to convince a wary Lucy about power exchange and pain, and how pleasurable it can be.

“If you’re so rich, why don’t you just buy a hooker?”

“Because I don’t want a hooker. I want you.”

“How do you know? You don’t even really know me.”

“I know enough. I know that your body turns me on. I know you’d get off on submitting to me.”

“That’s all you need in a girlfriend?”

“A girlfriend?” He laughed. “Sorry, I don’t want another girlfriend. I just want a submissive to put through her paces. I’m giving you truth here, Lucy. I’m not saying that to hurt you.”

So it showed then, the hurt and humiliation I felt at his words. My face burned with it. I felt like I’d just been kicked.

“I want to use your body because I find it beautiful and perfect. I just want to play with you, but I think you’ll enjoy it all the same. And if you want,” he added as an afterthought, “I’ll pay you for your time.”

I made a nauseated face.

“Yes, I thought that’s how you’d feel. Anyway, the pleasure will be payment enough.”

My God. My God. My God. My God.

“Okay,” I said. “Here’s some truth for you. I’ve never fucked someone I’m not in a relationship with.”

“Oh, we’d be in a relationship. Just a non-traditional one. Do you really want another boyfriend? So soon?”

I thought for a minute. God, no. I didn’t.

“And it wouldn’t just be fucking, Lucy. Exchanging power is erotically charged, yes, and it can be deeply sexual, but it’s about much more than just getting off. It will meet needs you didn’t even realize you had. It will meet needs for you and me both. And it would be safe, of course. Everything we did together would be absolutely safe and consensual.”

“Consensual?”

“Yes, it would have to be. You know what I mean by consensual? You would be there because you want to be. And we would use safe words.”

“Safe words?” No explanation was forthcoming. “What are safe words?” I was a little afraid to find out.

“Safe words are words that keep people like you safe.”

“Safe from what?”

“Safe from people like me.”

He leaned back then, stretching casually, as if we discussed nothing more unusual than the weather. I sat across from him and wrestled with my feelings. Anger, indignation, shame, curiosity, lust. Then his eyes returned to mine and he spoke to me with intensity in his voice.

“You know, I want to own you and I want to use you. I want your obedience and beauty. But what I really want is for you to find joy in it too.”

“Joy?”

“Yes, joy. And perhaps, at times, a little pain,” he said with a faint smile. “I’m not going to lie to you. There’s a good bit of the sadist in me. There will be times that I’ll purposely hurt you, times that I’ll try to make you cry. There will be ups and downs, and, well, a considerable amount of pain. But somehow I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Another thing I really loved about Mercy is how Matthew talked so much about joy and beauty, because I do believe these intense kinds of relationships provide a kind of transcendent joy and beauty, for all their occasional ugliness.

Thanks for joining me today and if you haven’t checked out my other ballet-themed book, Waking Kiss, be sure to put it on your summer reading list. It’s also very emotionally intense and beautiful in its own way.

Waking Kiss–TOMORROW!

Well, I start uploading Waking Kiss tomorrow and I hope it will show up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble within twenty-four hours or so. It should be on Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks.com too, and the paperback (via Amazon) will be available within the week. If you know any Annabel Joseph fans, help me spread the word in the book universe over the next week. I will be eternally grateful!

Thank you to everyone for your patience as I worked to make this book as perfect as possible. Up next–the sequel, Fever Dream! And the first draft is already written so I can promise it within three months or so. Yeah!

Authors After Dark Ghost Walk News

So, it looks like the AAD organizers have arranged a few ghost walks to take place on Wednesday night, but me and my peeps are still full speed ahead for our more intimate ghost walk on THURSDAY night.

We’ll leave the hotel from the Bounce House Carnival and walk over to a nearby square for this late-late-night walk around 11, at which time you’ll receive some awesome goodies from me and my gal Linzy Antoinette, to include an Annabel Joseph tee shirt, a Linzy Antoinette coozie, and free alcoholic drink! (No open container laws in Savannah!)

The $30 tour cost also includes all fees, tee shirt, coozie and drink, and the tour guide tip.

We’ll open a sign-up site in July where you’ll be able to pay and select your tee shirt size. Links are coming! My only caution is for those already signed up for the Riverboat cruise. I can’t say for sure if you’ll be back in time for the ghost walk, so in that case you might have to choose one or the other.

I am also planning a meet-and-greet in my Junior Suite on Friday from 1-3 pm. We’ll have snacks, mimosas, free bookplates, bags, and swag. I’ll make sure everyone knows where it is. 🙂

I hope to see you there!

A week and a day: WAKING KISS!

All this time I have been vaguely promising, mid-June, mid-June…you are all so wonderful to put up with me. I can now say with certainty that it will be ready to start uploading on Monday of next week. Yay!

The truth is, Waking Kiss is probably the most difficult work I’ve ever fought through and I wanted it to fulfill my vision before I put it out. Also, it has a follow-up book about Rubio, Fever Dream, and I wanted them to go together just right. I created this little world and these people, and they ended up being very complex, with intricate stories. I HOPE YOU LIKE THEM!

I’ll share one last snippet before next week’s release. Waking Kiss has many dark moments but many light-hearted moments too. (It’s an Annabel Joseph book, lol.) This is one of the lighter moments, when Liam drags Ashleigh off for a private tete-a-tete during a New Years Eve Gala party.

I looked around but no one was paying attention to us. He hustled me to the side of the auditorium and into the shadows near the stage door. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“I don’t know. To a closet somewhere.”

I tugged against him, gripping my basket. “I can’t leave. I’m supposed to sell shoes.”

“I’ll buy the whole fucking basket of shoes, okay? Just…quit selling those. It’s creepy. Put that down.” We fought for a minute over the basket but he managed to strip it from me. He put it down next to the wall. “You can come back for it later. I need a minute with you. Alone.”

Just a minute? He seemed really keyed up, and I was adrenalized just to be close to him. From the beginning, I’d felt that way. He pulled me into the first room we came to, a cramped, obsolete sound room.

“Speaking of creepy,” I whispered, “I think someone died in here.”

“No one died in here. Someone probably got groped in here a few times.” His hands opened on my throat and he kissed me, pressing me against the wall. “I’ve missed you, Ash,” he said in between ravishing my mouth. “How are you?”

I struggled for breath. “I’m— I’m— I don’t—”

He kissed me again, his black tie standing out against the white of his shirt in the dim room. I touched his neck, his cheek. There were no other bare spots to touch. His fingers roved over my pale pink leotard with its short, diaphanous skirt. “I could see the outline of your ass in this leotard,” he whispered with ferocious craving. “I’ve wanted to grab it all night.” He did then, firm and hard, and kneaded it in his palm. “Your body is ridiculous.”

I probably should have said “Thank you” or something similar but I was losing my ability to speak. His hands were all over me but they didn’t feel smothering or scary. They felt wonderful. I was turning all liquid inside, growing hot and wet. He cupped my breasts and then he yanked down the bodice of my leotard and ran his thumbs across both my nipples.

My breath stuttered in my throat. “You’re—you’re t—touching my boundaries.”

“Yes, I am. They feel beautiful.” He nuzzled his face against my neck. “You’re coming tomorrow?”

I gasped as his fingernail flicked one of my nipples. “Yes, Sir.”

“What time?” he asked, moving his hands back down to circle my waist.

“Noon.”

“What happens if you’re late?”

I could feel the heat of his lips against mine. “Punishment,” I whispered.

He brushed my hair back and feathered kisses across my brow. “Don’t be late. We have so many fun things to do.”

“N-No. I won’t be late.”

He gave me one last, mesmerizing kiss. “Happy New Year, Ashleigh.”

I could hear everyone out in the auditorium exclaim as the clock struck twelve. It was the very last thing on my mind.

Here’s a blurb for you, in case you haven’t read it yet. You can read the same blurb on the Goodreads page here (click) and add my book to your TBR list if you like.

A stranger in the wings, a traitorous pair of toe shoes, and a traumatic turn dancing with The Great Rubio… For ballerina Ashleigh Keaton, it’s been one hell of a night.

But it’s not over yet. When Rubio drags her to a private BDSM party at his friend’s house in the ritzy part of London, she meets Liam Wilder, a lifestyle dominant and frighteningly seductive man. Liam pursues Ashleigh, attracted by her strength and talent, but she has secrets—an abusive past and a crippling fear of intimacy that prevents her from connecting to anyone, especially a kinky playboy reputed to be legendary in bed.

Eventually he wins her trust and sets out to heal the troubled dancer, awakening her to a world of erotic obedience and sensual abandon in a series of “sessions” at his home. But how pure are his motives? Is he helping her or endangering her fragile soul? Liam hides his own destructive secrets, and so does Fernando Rubio, their temperamental friend. Over time the three become embroiled in a tangle of artifice, fears, and lies that threaten to undo everything they’ve worked for.

Will Ashleigh and Liam find the strength to defeat their demons? Or are they cursed to sleepwalk through life forever, afraid to experience the passion and intimacy of love?

I hope you’ll be watching for Waking Kiss early next week. I’ll be sure to tweet and Facebook about the release, and of course, post links here. Thanks for all your encouragement through this process. And your patience!

Snippet Sunday: COMFORT OBJECT

At some point I’m going to have to get organized and keep track of how often I feature a certain book for Snippet Sunday. Looking back, I’ve only featured Comfort Object once, and it’s one of my favorite books. It’s also one of my earliest books and my first “traditionally” published book. I love going back to read Comfort Object because while I was writing it, I just didn’t care! And I mean that in the best way. I was writing without a fear of scrutiny or reader reaction, because I was just writing it for some friends and I never thought it would be published. Once it was published there was certainly reader reaction…some good, some bad. It certainly seemed to spawn a lot of conversation. 🙂

A huge part of Comfort Object is the “contract” between Nell and Jeremy. It takes on so much weight it’s almost another character in the novel. I haven’t read 50 Shades of Grey in its entirety but I heard there was a contract in that book as well. There’s something about engaging someone contractually for sexual purposes that so twisted and hot! In fact, there are entire groups on Fetlife dedicated to “Contract Play” and the creation of sexual and/or BDSM focused contracts. The focus is normally on slave contracts but you can write up a sexy contract for just about anything.

Just ask Jeremy Gray, who was coming up with contracts long before that other Grey guy:

Jeremy slid the papers across the table.

“Why don’t you just read them? Let me know if you have any questions.”

There were five or six full pages of job description. I smiled, resting my head on my hand. Okay, the high salary made sense now. I began to scan the first page, also written in something akin to legalese.

“I guess you keep your lawyers busy with all these papers and contracts,” I said.

“Yes, I do. But I think it’s important to have everything perfectly clear and written down in black and white. It’s easier for everyone involved.”

“Yes, of course.”

The document began with more verbiage about privacy, discretion, the outward appearance of normalcy. Outward appearance of normalcy. Okay, that was a little weird.

Near the bottom, it got even weirder. The applicant will tender public displays of affection as needed…

The applicant agrees to cooperate with photo opportunities and/or candid interviews regarding the love relationship of Jeremy Gray and the applicant with a positive, convincingly affectionate tone…

I stopped reading, my pulse suddenly beating in my ears. “I don’t… I’m not… Okay. I’m a little confused.”

“About what?”

“So…this sounds like I’m supposed to pretend to be your girlfriend.”

“Yes, that is part of the job. A big part of the job actually. The public part.”

The public part. I wondered what the private part amounted to. I flipped over to page three, page four.

The applicant agrees to provide sexual relations on demand, to include vaginal, oral, and anal sex. The applicant agrees to comply with regular blood testing and remain monogamous while in the employ of Jeremy Gray, excepting group sexual encounters at the discretion of Jeremy Gray, to include but not limited to m/m/f, f/f/m, f/f/m/m, m/m/m/f encounters.

The applicant understands that she will act as submissive and/or sexual slave to give comfort and relaxation in private, and function as a loving and affectionate girlfriend in public, and under no circumstances will behave in any way that exhibits or suggests her submissive status in public.

The applicant understands the protocols and expectations of the dominant and submissive relationship and agrees to comply with all requested protocols in private, to include obedience, sexual subservience, and constant availability.

Sexual subservience and use may include but is not limited to sexual intercourse, the use of erotic toys and aids, the use of multiple partners and multiple penetration, the withholding and control of orgasms, sexual objectification, and diverse sexual practices, which the applicant may or may not find repugnant.

The papers fluttered from my fingertips. There was more, much more, but I had seen enough. The knot in my throat made it impossible to speak, and I couldn’t look at him, so I simply stood and started to walk. Walk away, walk outside, walk home. I didn’t care. I didn’t care as long as I was walking away from him.

But of course he followed. He took my elbow, and we waited for his car. He helped me in like nothing in the world was wrong, tipped the valet, started driving. I fumed beside him on the seat. How dare he? Just because he was some big-time movie star, that gave him the right to try to hire me as his personal slave? To spring his contract on me, to humiliate me?

“Nell, listen…”

“Please, just take me home.”

“Talk to me.”

I turned on him. “What do you want me to say? You said you wanted an assistant. Someone to help you, keep you organized–“

“It does help! It does keep me organized!”

Oh, God help me, I love me some Jeremy Gray. He is certainly a man who knows what he needs. And here’s a funny story… When I submitted the original manuscript to Loose Id, the contract in this snippet was about five times longer. Literally, it went on and on in explicit detail. My editor wrote this big red bubble: THIS IS TOO LONG!! CUT IT TO HALF A PAGE. Yes, I have always been into erotic contracts. I went back and tried to find the original contract in my old drafts but I couldn’t. If I ever uncover it, I’ll be sure to post it for you all. It was a scream.

If you haven’t read Comfort Object, you’re missing out. It’s so dirty, so crazy, so emotional, and so fun. Click the cover below to find a blurb and buy links.