Review: Taken By A Vampire by Joey W. Hill

Book: Taken By A Vampire

Vampire Queen series, Book #9

Author: Joey W. Hill

Paranormal Erotic Romance, BDSM, Menage

Blurb: 

Groomed from birth to be an Inherited Servant and serve only the most powerful vampire masters, Alanna never resented her destiny. Then she did the unthinkable: she betrayed her Master to the Vampire Council. Now death is her future, but until her Master is captured, she must be protected. The Vampire Council assigns her to Evan, a vampire whose wandering lifestyle makes him the perfect guardian…

Alanna’s training was for a vampire of power and ambition, not for someone like Evan who lives in mountainside shacks and caves. Even his servant, Niall, is rough-mannered. But these two men are about to teach Alanna something her rigorous training never did. How to feel, how to desire…perhaps even how to love.

Then the Council captures her Master, and Alanna has no choice but to accept her destiny. But Evan and Niall are no strangers to defying fate—and they will stop at nothing to make Alanna theirs forever…

"Set me as a seal upon thy heart ... for love is as strong as death; jealousy is as cruel as the grave: the coals of it are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame."

This book was my most anticipated release of 2013 and it lived up to ALL of my expectations. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that is my favorite of all the Joey W. Hill books and my most savored book of 2013. By most savored, I mean, I took my time, I enjoyed, I had some one-handed book holding times (repeatedly). I re-read passages just because they were so well written and made me get all girlie-like laying in the grass, twirling my hair, and daydreaming (no really, I went out on my front lawn and read while laying in the grass, with the nice breeze and my dog running around... and rolling around in deer poop... that's what happens when you let your dog run free). And I swooned and I cried and I held my breath and tried very hard to not skip ahead to find out how things turn out. I didn't, by the way, I read it through and cherished every detail. I so rarely savor books, I just gobble it all up and move on to the next, which doesn't mean that I don't enjoy. I do. But sometimes slowing down to savor enhances the experience. And I felt that Taken By A Vampire needed to be savored.

"...he realized the vampire saw beauty in  full spectrum--not just where every one else saw it, but where it actually existed, the true layers of beauty below the surface." 

This was the story of Alanna, Niall and Evan. Alanna is this perfect (or so she thinks) Inherited Servant, who is thrown into a completely new and uncomfortable situation - she is given to Evan, who is not a high ranking vampire, who is not into politics, and doesn't care for material things and the regular comforts of life that most vampires appreciate. As an Inherited Servant, Alanna has a very limited world-view as she grew up knowing that she would lead a life of service to the vampire who would be her Master. Her skills are very much geared toward satisfying all the material and physical needs a vampire may have (and sadistic and sexual needs). But with Evan - the least pretentious vampire alive (or dead, undead? depends on your perspective) - all these skills get her nowhere. He doesn't want performance by rote. He wants her passion, mind, heart, and soul. So, we get to witness this evolution of thought and understanding and the discovery of a deeper level of service and feeling.

"...stewing about injustices that result in the astonishing conclusion that life isn't fair is pointless." 

Niall is the least subservient servant ever. He's tall and Scottish and hot and Scottish. And seriously, his name is Niall and what more can you want? I, personally, was sold on his name alone. And how do you not love someone who says things like this:

"Oh, well, aye. Your vague and cryptic responses always solve the universe's problems, for certain." 

And this:

"We're here, inside ye, muirnin. Ye canna get free of us. You belong to us. Feel it. Feel me."

Niall is 300 years old, no spring chicken, and that adds this element of history and this deep connection between him and Evan. There's a whole different feel to the story, more complexity to it, because there's the added layer of impending loss for both Evan and Niall. Niall is dealing with his mortality and Evan is anticipating losing his long time servant. They struggle with this while trying to show Alanna a new perspective on the world. And to add another complication, since Alanna is being used as bait to try and catch her former master, Lord Stephen, whom she betrayed to the Vampire Council in The Vampire Trinity for trying to kill Daegan, the Council's assassin, her fate is uncertain. So all three of our protagonists are dealing with some heavy things here.

"'How will you bear it?'
'The same way we bear anything in life. One moment at a time.'"

Evan and Niall were panty-melting hot. They were alpha and brooding, yet loving and nurturing as well. They had an interesting history and a unique dynamic. Their relationship would have kept my attention alone. Combined with what Alanna brought to the mix, it was explosive. I loved their interactions. I especially enjoyed their sex and BDSM interactions. I loved how they each balanced out the relationship in their own way. Each of them had an opportunity to be the intermediary when the other two weren't seeing eye to eye (understatement of the year right there). But the point is, their dynamic worked. There was no third wheel. Nothing was one or even two sided. They were each a unique and irreplaceable part of the trio. Unlike your typical menage where two hetero men are tag-teaming their female partner, this was an already established MM relationship and Alanna fit into their dynamic perfectly. Though, I can't say that she is the glue that keeps them together, like Anwyn was for Daegan and Gideon (at least in the beginning). In this trio, they each bring their own brand of glue. They completed each other. It was lovely. I loved them.

"'Stay still,' he murmured. 'Not even a twitch, my servant. Bear it for me.'"

I loved that we got to visit some old friends - Tyler and Marguerite, Chloe and Brandon, Daegan and Gideaon, Alyssa and Jacob... but really, we all know that it was all about Daegan and Gideon. And speaking of - there's an awesome vignette that just went up on Joey's fan forum about Daegan and Gideon's bet. Two words: Daegan and Gideon (okay, three words, whatever).

"'You're familiar with the saying, 'we don't see the forest for the trees'?' When she nodded, he added, 'It works the opposite way as well. You look at a forest, but do you see the trees? Do you really see them?'"

Five stars (burning hearts, whatever), I'd give more. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! It has menage, vampires (hot, sexy, dominant, beautiful vampires), an interesting plot line (oh my!), HOT sex and BDSM that is seamlessly integrated into the story, a beautiful wedding (who doesn't love weddings?), and it had Daegan. So, you see this story was perfect to me. Well, no book is ever perfect, but this was pretty damn close. I saw this forest and the trees - overall storyline/plot and the beautiful and unique characters. I hope you read it and love it too.

Purchase Link:

amazon

Sierra Cartwright in The Hot Seat!

Let's welcome Sierra Cartwright to The Hot Seat! She writes great kinky erotica and, in my opinion, is one of the best at depicting power exchange in a realistic and authentic way (and HOT, hot way!). The first book I read by Sierra Cartwright was Bound and Determined and I was hooked from then on. Honestly, if you haven't read Bound and Determined, you MUST. It's kind of dubious consent and capture fantasy and has a HOT Scot and ... lots of hotness ensues with an interesting storyline (the BDSM scenes were intense and there's some menage going on). Though, of course, Sierra is most recently best known for her Mastered series (see my review for On His Terms here). The next installment in the Mastered series, Over the Line, is available on Total-e-bound as the pre-release version.

So here is Sierra answering my brilliant questions!

How did you come up with your pen name? Does it have special meaning to you or do you just like the sound?

Sierra - Pen name? What pen name? ;) Seriously, the name has special significance to me. Since I love the mountains, Sierra just sounded like the perfect fit. And Cartwright… Just so “Western,” fitting many of the books I write.

What would you do if you weren't a writer?

Sierra - Wait. I’d have unlimited money, right? If so, I’d like to travel the world, have an adventure a day, well, that is, when I’m not on the beach. Since money is an object, I’d expand my coaching career. I am a certified business coach. (No, that doesn’t mean I’m a busybody!) I generally work with entrepreneurs. And they are visionary, creative people. I’ve done some public speaking, and I also do some editing. I love helping others, no matter their path. 

What is your favorite food and does it go with orange juice?

Sierra - EVERYTHING goes with orange juice.... except tooth paste! Favorite food? That’s tricky. I spent a number of years as a vegetarian and then when I started eating meat again, it was as if a whole new world opened up. I discovered a taste for sushi (haven’t tried it with orange juice), crab cakes (turns out I like anything with the word “cake” in the title!), and a sirloin salad (which does go with orange juice). In Jackson Hole, I had orange cake. And that was one of the most memorable food experiences ever. (Really, who remembers where and when they had their favorite dessert? That’s how good it was.)

What was your favorite book to write? why?

Sierra - I’ve had two that, in retrospect, were really fun to write. The first is Unbound Commitment. I wrote nine books for Harlequin/Silhouette before moving over to erotic romance. It was a real treat to use graphic words for naughty bits rather than euphemisms. I really let loose with that book. I figured the publisher might do heavy edits, but to my surprise and delight, they did not. They did attach quite the warning to the book, but they allowed me complete creative freedom.

The second is the novella Bared to Him in the Bound to the Billionaire anthology. The idea for that story came from a real life experience a Dom friend of mine had on an elevator. As he told me about the encounter, I desperately wanted to write about it. So when I had the opportunity to write the novella, I of course, seized it. Yes, I embellished a little. After all, my Dom friend is not a billionaire (yet).

What was the hardest book for you to write and why?

Sierra - Here’s the absolute honest truth: the book I’m writing at the moment (no matter when you ask me this question) is the hardest book to write. I wish I could say that writing is effortless for me, but it’s not. Having a detailed synopsis and understanding each protagonist’s goal, motivation, and conflict help, a lot, but I always struggle to know a character and work on their evolution.

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

Sierra - I’d choose to be able to move around on the space/time continuum. And Iron Man would be my sidekick. Of course, I’d get to have a really cool outfit and the body to go in said outfit. Wouldn’t it be fun to move from 2029 to 1776? I’d love to see how the world changes and the technological and medical advances that are in store for us. But really, I just want a cool outfit. And Iron Man at my beck and call.

Did you read Twilight? If yes, team Edward or team Jacob? 

Sierra - Gack. Both. Neither. It was all Team Jacob until book 4. 

Coffee or tea? and how do you take it?  

Sierra - I feel a betrayal of my British roots coming on here. Coffee... So strong it'll disintegrate your spoon. I drink tea at my mother’s house. She always “brews up” when I come over. And, yes, I pour lots of milk in it.

How would you say On His Terms is different from and similar to your other books?  

Sierra - On His Terms has a strong capable heroine and an unyielding hero demands all she has to

offer, and then some. He’ll find out where her limits are and then push her past them. And his love for her will ultimately bring him to his knees. On His Terms is unique among anything I’ve done in that the heroine starts the story by being determined to capture the interest of Dom and up-and-coming rock star Evan C. Unfortunately, Evan has found her submissive skills to be somewhat lacking.

As part of Project Snag Evan C, she knows she needs some BDSM training. So she approaches a renowned trainer, Alexander Monahan. She’s sure it will be rather straightforward, and it’s anything but. Things become even more complicated when she starts to fall for Master Alexander.

As for Alex, he’s spent years turning trainees into perfect submissives. He’s never formed an emotional attachment, until Chelsea Barton makes him question everything he thought he knew. He has no idea how he will turn her over to another man…

What are you working on now? 

Sierra - There are a total of six books in the Mastered series from Total-E-Bound.

Book three is called Over the Line and it features a delicious, handsome, dominant cowboy. When I wrote for Silhouette, I did a number of rancher stories, so cowboys have a special place in my heart. Next up, and the book I’ve just finished writing, is In His Cuffs. (I love the title of this one, it gets ME excited when I read it!) This was inspired by a situation from my life has a corporate-type of setting with a Secretary sort of twist. What could be hotter than falling for your boss?

After that, I’m really looking forward to a deeper exploration of BDSM in For the Sub, which will star the Den’s submissive, Brandy. Niles will also make a return from an earlier book. He’s a bit of a tortured soul, and he’s very experienced in the lifestyle. If you’re looking for an emotional and physical book, this one will make your toes curl.

The Mastered series will conclude with In the Den. Damien, who owns the spectacular home, will try to tame Catrina, an avowed Domme. That will have tons of sparks and lots of back and forth between two extraordinarily strong characters.

Thanks for having me, Haydee! VERY much appreciated!

Find Sierra online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Blogger

 About the Author:

Born in Manchester, England and raised in the US, Sierra Cartwright is the acclaimed author of more than twenty erotic romances.

She was previously published with Harlequin/Silhouette under a different pseudonym, and won numerous awards as well as a coveted spot on the USA Today bestseller list.

Last year, she was delighted to be among the launch authors for the exciting Clandestine Classics imprint from Total-E-Bound. The project generated international interest, and her contribution, the expanded Jane Eyre, was featured in segments on such shows as Jimmy Kimmell and Anderson Cooper Live. Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and numerous other online sites also wrote features about the provocative new book.

Cartwright has been interviewed by USA Today, and she did a segment for the Orlando Fox affiliate with Chase Cain.

She’s a multiple CAPA nominated author who is delighted by the success of With This Collar, the first book in a six-book series “Mastered” from Total-E-Bound.

With This Collar has reached #1 on the Amazon UK Kindle Erotica chart, and #3 in the US Amazon Kindle bestseller list.

Reverse Bullying and Censorship

*UPDATED* 

Normally, on Wednesdays I highlight an author in The Hot Seat. However, something happened to me and I felt that I needed to share it, because it was weird and ... so uncool. I don't want to take away from The Hot Seat, so in order to do the interview feature justice, I rescheduled it for tomorrow. 

So yesterday I got a friend request on Facebook from an author. I thought, "wow, that's odd." Her book, was one of the first I reviewed on my blog. I gave it a low rating.

So, I was thinking to myself that this author has her shit together and was really impressed that despite a negative review, she wanted to be friends.

My reviews are balanced, I have everything on here from five stars to one star. My blog is aptly named - Accolades and Book Burnings.

I don't sugarcoat my opinion, because, quite honestly, I am here to provide my truthful review, not stroke anyone's ego (not unnecessarily). In fact, I blogged about this before - see here. 

So I thought how awesome that this author gets that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and as long as it's expressed in a mature and objective way (cause I'm mature and objective, of course), then it's all good. No personal attacks, no drama.

Okay, then I try to log into my Accolades and Book Burnings page on Facebook and discover that it's been "unpublished" because someone reported it for "bullying." And I had a moment of "huh?" I only use that page to post links to my blog posts (and not all of them, at that) and I rarely post or comment under that name, and never have I ever been mean on Facebook (no really). So I tried to think back to what I could have possibly done to get labeled as a bully... How weird. And hurtful that anyone would accuse me of such an action.

I was talking to a friend on Facebook chat and tried to figure out what was going on and while coming up with potential theories, I sent her a link to my review of said author's book to show that the review was solely focused on the writing, the characters, the genre, the title, and that nowhere did I call this author fat or ugly or say that she has a bad perm. Cause, honestly, I've never seen her and don't know. Nor do I care. I'm in this for the books. So I rate the book, not the author. It's not personal, after all. Ultimately, if my recommendations are respected, you just might listen to my opinion and use your hard earned $$$ to buy the books I rate highly. So I don't rate highly unless it's really good. Then again, even the books that are not my cup of tea, I acknowledge that there might be an audience for that too. And this author's book was no exception. 

Moving right along - I sent the link and got kicked off my Haydee Reviews account. My friend's error message read: "This message is no longer available because it was identified as abusive or marked as spam." Odd, right? That's what I thought too. 

As of this morning, my Haydee Reviews account is blocked from posting anything at all on Facebook for the next twelve hours and the Accolades and Book Burnings page is completely deleted. I can't even see if from my master account. I had no activity on either Facebook account yesterday or last night (as in, I didn't post or try to post anything at all... aside for a Happy Anniversary comment, which I hardly think is mean)... so what am I being penalized for exactly?

*UPDATE* as of Thursday morning, my posting privileges have been restored and my Accolades and Book Burnings page has been restored, however, there are still quirks about what they are accepting as spam from me and what is allowed. So... very odd situation. 

What an odd coincidence that all these things happened in such quick succession. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this author was trying to bully me into not having or being able to express my opinion by taking away the forum in which I network and get the word out about my book reviews. Now, I don't know for fact that this author went to my Facebook page and wrongfully accused me of bullying on Facebook when I didn't even link to this review on that page. However, coincidence... 

Let me just put this out there - when an author publishes their words for public consumption, they relinquish their right to cry bully when someone provides an honest review about their work. There's a caveat here, so wait for it. IF the review is in regards to the work itself and is talked about intelligently in the context of its genre and whether it accomplished what it set out to accomplish - if we're talking erotica then was it hot? if we add BDSM or D/s - did the characters stay true to their advertised dynamic? were there hot BDSM and/or D/s interactions? an interesting storyline? AND not an attack on the author. Personal attacks are never okay. But when discussing the work itself, opinions will vary. Let's not forget what they say about opinions and what they're like and how everyone has them. 

When an author tries to censor public opinion about their work by attacking the reviewer they lose credibility. [And, OMG, deja vu! Didn't we just have an author meltdown about those pesky reviewers who just don't understand their art?] It's unprofessional. It's childish. We all know who they are. And I'm not giving them any more time in the spotlight than they have already taken from us. 

For the love of God, handle it privately. There are these amazing tools available now - it's called email, private messages on Facebook or Twitter or Goodreads. It's pretty easy to find that contact information. Hell, it's all on my blog - easy access, kinda like no panties, but the internet version. Be an adult. Handle your business like one. Trying to censor reviewers never ends well for the author. Trying to do it on the sly makes you look sneaky and immature (and insecure). Try to remember that next time you read a negative review. Step away from your keyboard. Have a margarita, get a massage, soak in a bath. Go have an orgasm. Do something. Anything other than going off half-cocked (oh my, I said cock, but this one isn't sexy). Books are meant to be read and discussed. Sometimes even the negative reviews are ultimately good - just read this. Don't try to censor your readers. Be happy that someone is talking about your work. Period.

Now, if I'm wrong and it's not this author I'll accept responsibility…(and will ponder this mystery of the broken Facebook) but if you've called me out as a bully, have the nerve to stand up and call me out to my face instead of being all sneaky 007 about it…Please stand up!

Review: Confessions Collection Volume 1 by Leila DeSint

Book: Confessions Collection Volume 1

Author: Leila DeSint

Dark Erotica, BDSM, Erotic Suspence

Review copy provided by author in return for honest review

Blurb:

Descend into a world of deception, depravity, decadence, desire and desperation…

In the opulent setting of London's aristocracy, lives a young woman fractured into two distinct individuals, one face with multiple facets.

One façade, a whore, London Brown, who will confess unfathomable truths, the other, a loving daughter, Desniah Williams will pull back the curtain to reveal what lurks in the shadows.

Caden Jacob Carrington V, a politician will do anything to reclaim the woman he lost, including dredging up pains of the past.

Rhys Christos Edward Stowell, a philanthropist will fight to win the woman he loves while baring the darkness of his soul.

"When a predator walks into a room, he immediately recognizes other predators as well as prey."

This was one of the most dark and twisted erotic stories I've ever read. Hands down. That first line in the blurb: "Descend into a world of deception, depravity, decadence, desire and desperation…" it's truth in advertising. That is exactly what you get. I got sucked into this mess right away. And I say mess lovingly, just so you don't misunderstand, cause it is a beautiful mess. Each character has their own dark secret(s) that follows them and torments them in its own way and, in turn, influences their actions and their ability to be happy. They all do some crazy things, it's a big tangle of love triangles or rectangles (pentagon? I don't even know what comes after that, but there's the octagon, which represents the stop sign, so that's not quite appropriate. I don't want this mess to stop), I don't even know, but there's a LOT going on and it's messy and you HAVE to read it all to keep up. There's no skimming, cause if you miss a detail you're in the dark (ooh, bad pun). 

"I was conversing about someone no longer being themselves with a person whom was admitting she didn't intend to be herself. A real mind bender."

In Desniah's case, her secrets are the reason London exists. She can't deal with some of the things from her past and so London comes to the forefront to take up her slack and deal with whatever Desniah can't handle. London is Desniah's alter ego. The portrayal of the Dissociative Personality Disorder was spot on. At first, I was completely creeped out. Like really creeped out. It was written so well and Desniah would just morph into London before your eyes. I even learned her triggers and started to anticipate when the changes would occur. It was surreal. 

"The truth stared me in the face. I'd been the one to crush the spirit from another -- someone I loved. Was there atonement for me?"

Then there's Caden. He was Desniah's first love, but he made some bad decisions that left her feeling betrayed and broken. Now he's seeking redemption (or atonement... should have said atonement, since that's his preferred word, right? Well too bad, I like redemption). He wants that woman back, but he has no idea how to reclaim her. When I first picked up this book, I thought this story was going to be about Caden's redemption and ultimately a healing love story that would star Caden and Desniah. But there is SO much more! There is London and there is Rhys and then there is Desniah and Rhys' relationship. Then there's London's relationship with Caden. And London's relationship with all the men in London. Well, the men in London who could afford her. So yeah, try to untangle that mess. 

"God has doubly cursed me by giving me a conscience others like me seemed to lack."

Rhys is Desniah's best friend. At first, he seems to be the most sane and least complex of all the characters, but don't be fooled. He is full of surprises (read that: he's fucked up like the rest of them). He has secrets and personal demons that he fights. He is also in love with Desniah and he will (as the blurb says) do anything for the woman he loves. He will fight for her - he will fight her personal demons, he will take on London, he will take on Caden, and anyone else that would dare come between them. And he will take on his own personal demons as well. I think there's a joke in there somewhere ... all the taking on or maybe the knight is shining... I don't know. Make your own jokes.

"I brought out the worst in people. Not people. Men. All of them wanted to own a piece of me. There were no pieces of me left to have. Only holes to use and fill."

Some basics - the writing style was unique and engaging, the imagery was very vivid, yet still dark (did I mention that this book is dark and twisted and will blow your mind?). The sex was hot and there was lots of it! A LOT of sex, most of it dirty and delicious. The SM scenes made me pant and had my heart racing, yet there was humor too.

"'Suck.' Ivo tapped my cheek with his penis. Who said men couldn't be romantic?"

A girl's gotta have standards.

I felt that the BDSM was authentic and well written and combined with the complexity of the characters themselves and the way that the author juggled all the different dynamics and personalities. I was extremely impressed. 

"Now for me there were lies and men. Mostly men."

This book gets down to the gritty, dirty sides of human nature. Each character in this story is flawed. They are all human and even their best intentions are colored by darkness and actions that result in hurt, either for themselves or their loved ones. It's suspenseful and it's unpredictable. There are some plot twists in this story that threw me for a loop (read that: blew my mind and even left me feeling betrayed. Yes, I felt betrayed. Weird, huh?) Every time I got comfortable with the way the story was going, something new would be revealed and I'd be like WHAT?!? And I read on, swallowing up whole pages trying to get to the resolution. Alas, I have to wait for the final resolution, as Volume 2 is not out yet, though not very patiently.

Purchase Link:

amazon

Annabel Joseph is in The Hot Seat

Let's give Annabel Joseph a warm (har har) welcome because she's in The Hot Seat today! Annabel writes stories about real, flawed characters who fall in love and have intense relationships with lots of kinky sex. Annabel is one of my favorite authors and if you haven't read her books, I think you're missing out and you're probably sad about this. But don't worry! It's easy to fix, just go forth and buy her books and you will be happy again (just see my review of Firebird, click HERE or her latest release, Disciplining the Duchess HERE)! 

Without further adieu here is Annabel Joseph in The Hot Seat ---

How did you come up with your pen name? Does it have special meaning to you or do you just like the sound?

Annabel - Well, I heard about this thing where you pair your best friend’s name with the name of the street you grew up on, and that’s your pen name. I never had a friend named Annabel—I just liked that name—but I did live on Joseph Street for a while as a child. I also lived on Inchon, Habersham, Sandy Creek, Maas, Oglethorpe, Celebration, and some others I can’t remember, but Annabel Oglethorpe just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

What's your favorite food? Does it go with orange juice?

Annabel - I have sooo many favorite foods but my super fave is the fried zucchini at Carrabbas, and yeah, I could probably eat it with orange juice.

What would you tell your kids if they came across your novels?

Annabel - My kids know I’m a writer, but I’ve told them from the beginning that only grown ups can read my books because of “all the kissing.” They are okay with that and they have zero curiosity because they think kissing is disgusting. I picture them at school on the day the class is talking about careers: “Yes, my mom is a writer but you have to be eighteen or older to read her books.”

What was the last thing you wrote that made you cringe?

Annabel - I cringe the worst when I write something hokey. The sex can be nasty beyond belief and I’m cringe-free, but as soon as I realize I wrote something hokey or florid like “His cock pulsed as he slid it across her velvet heat” then I kinda want to go chop off my fingers. I also cringe a little when I write fantasies that I have, that I don’t think other people probably have. I try not to let it stop me though.

Which one of your characters do you identify with the most? Why?

Annabel - I identify a little bit with all of them, but I think the one that most closely resembles me is Kat in Fortune. I lifted an awful lot from my life to write her. I was definitely that aimless, sad, lonely, confused club girl for a long time, and I was quite slutty too.

What's your favorite pair of undies? Describe or take a picture.

Annabel - Speaking of slutty, if you ever look at my Fetlife profile (Annabel_Joseph) I have posted all these photos of my panty collection, actually modeled on my butt. The perverts love it. I get a lot of guys leaving comments like “I would love to wear those panties.” Fetlife, gotta love it. My favorite is probably my rose-butt panties--the back is basically a big red rose made out of fabric. Definitely not something you could discreetly wear under clothes.

If you had a stalker, what song would he most likely hear you sing in the shower?

Annabel - Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma. If not that, some other Broadway song. I’m a total theater nerd.

What is your favorite book of all time?

Annabel - It’s out of print now, but the book that affected me most as a developing writer was Binding Spell by Elizabeth Arthur. Everything about it touched me: the voice, subject matter, style, imagery, plot, and emotion. In the romance genre I’d choose Flowers from the Storm, The Shadow and the Star, or Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale. Literally, all three of them. I can’t narrow down.

What do you do when you're not writing?

I spend time with my family, I try to exercise (emphasis on try), and I read whenever I can. I lead a very comfortable, boring life but the reality is that I prefer it that way. I’m the opposite of an adrenaline junkie.

What are you working on now? When can we get our hands on the next Annabel Joseph masterpiece??

Annabel - Oh man, I’m always trying to write a masterpiece! I am hard at work editing Waking Kiss at the moment. It’s a BDSM romance set in the world of ballet, and is definitely a very deep emotional study as compared to a raunchy smex-fest. I mean, there’s sex but a lot of emotional plotline too. That’s something I try to provide in every book, so the stories stick around after the arousal wears off.  In Waking Kiss I’m playing around with a lot of themes, like the metaphors of fairy tales, creating mirror events, the things we reveal in relationships versus the things we hide—and everyone hides stuff. It has been a very interesting experience writing it because it turned into much more than I expected. And I already have the sequel half- written too. So I’m on a roll!

Thanks for having me in the hot seat, Haydee. Here are some links for your readers if they’d like to look me up:

Annabel's website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Annabel's info page for Waking Kiss is HERE

Click HERE and scroll down for 25 Fun Facts about Annabel

About the Author:

Annabel Joseph is a novelist who specializes in the romance of dominance and submission. Her stories celebrate the complexity of sensual power exchange in loving and sometimes complicated relationships.

You can email Annabel at annabeljosephnovels@gmail.com. She loves to hear from her readers.

She is always working on something new, so stay tuned!



Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Annabel Joseph your real name?

A: Nope.

Q: Do you write under any other pen names?

A: I write vanilla (non-BDSM) erotic romance novels under the pen name Molly Joseph. You can learn more about Molly Joseph at http://mollyjosephnovels.com.

Q: Why are some of your books only $2.99 while others are more expensive? Are the $2.99 books shorter or worse in quality?

A: No. I would never put out a book at ANY price, even FREE, that I did not believe would live up to my readers’ expectations.

All my books (with the exception of Club Mephisto and Molly’s Lips: Club Mephisto Retold) are around 55-90K words and all of them have the same production values: professional editing, proofreading, and a clean e-copy free of formatting mistakes. The reason some are cheaper is because they are self-published under my indie imprint. I don’t have the same overhead costs as a large publisher and I retain a greater percentage of the royalties, and so I pass those savings on to you.

I also like to price my books inexpensively so people will be more likely to take a chance on my novels. I know they’re not for everyone but I hope at $2.99 people will give them a whirl. Finally, I price them inexpensively to discourage pirating. Pirating isn’t just a money loss for authors…it’s very emotionally debilitating for an author to see her hard work given away for free or for others’ profit. Please do not pirate ebooks and please urge others not to do so.

Q: Is it possible to get paper copies of your books?

A: All my books are available in paperback with the exception of Owning Wednesday and Fortune. They are unlikely to be stocked on your local bookstore shelves. Your best bet is to purchase them at Amazon.com.

Q. Why are there two different versions of Owning Wednesday? Which one should I buy?

A: Owning Wednesday is one of the first books I wrote. It was available through Lulu.com for a while, and then withdrawn from print to be revised and re-edited for release by Loose Id. The original was very emotionally raw (and very poorly edited.) The new version is sleeker and well-edited but lost a lot of the emotional underpinnings of the original (and about 20K words). Certain elements of the story and character details were also changed. I suppose the ideal version of Owning Wednesday would have been somewhere in the middle of the two, but the Loose Id version is as close as I could get the arrow to the mark.

As for which one to buy, Loose Id has sole rights to market their version for now. If you wanted to find the original version you would have to track down a very old bootleg from my Lulu days, and I imagine those are pretty hard to find. If you are not sure which version of Owning Wednesday you have, there is an easy way to tell, without giving too much of a spoiler. In the original version it is Daniel who paints the words on Wednesday’s walls. In the Loose Id version, it is Wednesday who does it. Also, the old version is in first person POV, and the new version is in third.

Q: Why do you only write Maledom/febsub books, and not femdom, m/m, f/f, paranormal, etc?

A: For me to write well, I find I need to have some emotional involvement in my writing. A lot of times my stories are coming from some personal place or some life experience I’ve had, or the experiences of friends. Since I identify as a female sub and have a lot of Maledom and femsub friends, that point of view has always just come most easily to me.

Q. Are you saying that the stuff in your books is all stuff that you’ve actually done?

A. Hell no!

Q. What type of BDSM can I expect to find in your books?

A. I have heard my work described as “emotionally intense power exchange.” I try not to write BDSM just for the sake of BDSM, with no underlying emotional resonance, because I find that pretty boring. You can have a Dom spout all the “lifestyle” terminology and use all the possible fetish hardware in the world, but without any emotional stakes, the scene can fall flat. Conversely, if the emotional groundwork is there, something so simple as a masterful look or a wrist grabbed with just the right amount of pressure can make you catch fire.

That’s not to say my books don’t have traditional BDSM elements. They have rope, cuffs, dildos, plugs, clamps, collars, leashes, blindfolds, gags, garter belts, leather, spanking implements, and all those things BDSM’ers use to play. But I like my books to read like romances, not BDSM how-to manuals, and that’s something I always keep in mind. As far as sado-masochism, I suppose my books skew to the middle. Every punishment is not for the sub’s pleasure, yet the Dom does not intentionally savage her either. There is a balance there. I do occasionally include mild elements of degradation/humiliation (name calling, sexual humiliation and such) but only because the heroine enjoys that type of play. You won’t find heavy sadism, edgeplay, non-consensual brutality, or mean-spirited humiliation in my books, because, of course, none of those lend themselves very well to romance.

The BDSM in my books is also closer to Dominance/submission than Master/slave. The distinction may not mean much to you unless you are heavily into the lifestyle, but my heroines are generally not completely surrendered in the way of a slave. Usually my heros and heroines practice BDSM as part of a larger, real-world relationship. I have written one series about a 24/7 Master/slave dynamic. I call these my Mephisto books. They are Club Mephisto, Molly’s Lips: Club Mephisto Retold, and Burn For You. I hope you’ll check them out!

Q. Do you practice BDSM in real life? How deeply?

A. Me and my husband are not exactly hardcore, but he is the Dom and I am the sub in our relationship. We are heavily into Domestic Discipline and 1950′s, only without me being good at cooking and housework (cause I’m NOT!) But I love a good lecture and a spanking, and you will sometimes notice my lecture fetish making its way into my books. We get out into the local scene occasionally but we don’t play in public or play outside our marriage.

Q. Who are your favorite authors? What kind of books do you like to read?

A: My favorite BDSM authors are definitely Molly Weatherfield and Anneke Jacob. As far as mainstream romance, Laura Kinsale is my absolute favorite. I have also been influenced by Flannery O’Connor, Elizabeth Arthur, Judith McNaught, and Alice Hoffman. I don’t read a lot in my own genre, but I am an avid reader of historical romance.

Q. Will you read my novel/manuscript/proposal and give me feedback/critique/advice?

A. Unfortunately I have very little time to do beta-reading or critique, so the answer to this will almost always be no. I am, however, always happy to chat generally about the publishers I’ve worked for, the publishing business in general, and/or the art of writing and networking. You can also check my Links page and sidebar for some of the blogs and writer’s boards I like to frequent.

Q. How did you get your work published? How can I?

A. In my case, I got published because a friend was an editor for a romance house and encouraged me to submit my work. If you are just starting out, the best thing to do is keep your ear to the ground and really become familiar with the houses that publish the stuff you’re writing. Check their submission requirements, lurk on author boards and figure out what they really want (and what they don’t want). When your work is ready and you know which publishers are interested in it, be brave and submit it! It’s free!

Q. You are self-published and e-published. Which is better?

A. Self-publishing is great if you’ve written something that doesn’t fit into those nice, neat guidelines publishers are looking for, or if you are one of those people who is very controlling about how your work is presented. I began publishing some of my books under the independent imprint “Scarlet Rose Press” for this reason. Self-publishing gives you maximum artistic control and freedom, but it comes with a lot of responsibility too. You have to be your own editor-in-chief and you have to do all the marketing yourself. Of course, you also keep all the royalties for yourself.

E-publishing is nice because you have a group of editors behind you catching story weaknesses and mistakes you might miss, and a website with built-in traffic. You definitely get a lot more publicity and respect, but you get a smaller cut. Even though the royalties are lower, I have found my e-publishing experiences quite rewarding. I have actually enjoyed both types of publishing and found success at both.