Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Guest Post - 7/21/15 - Grace: The Marriage Market, Book Two by Stevie MacFarlane #HistoricalRomance #CivilWar #Western

Today I have Stevie MacFarlane visiting to share an excerpt from her second book in the Marriage Market series, Grace. I asked what advice she'd give to writers who decided to try their hand at erotica. This is what she said:

 If you want to write erotica, you have to be ready to step outside your comfort zone at times.  I began with baby steps, but I’m getting braver all the time.  Sit down and write.  Anything can be edited and tweaked until you’re comfortable with it.

So true, but I have one other thing to add. Be careful not to write your story simply to make money. Just because other authors are writing scenes that make you uncomfortable, that doesn't mean you need to do the same. This market is large enough to support all different styles. Yes, step out of your comfort zone, but be sure to write about characters and events that personally appeal to you. If you don't like your story and characters, don't expect anyone else to fall in love with them. Now on to Grace. 


Excerpt:

      “While I was aboard the Mystic Maiden, I wrote to Effie and Grace,” Amelia said avoiding his eyes.  “I told them terrible things about you.”
      “What kind of things?” Hugh demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
      “Things I believed true at the time,” she softly replied.  “I said I’d been deceived and you were a scoundrel who proposed to scores of other women.  My intention was to divorce you immediately and possibly take a job until I earned enough to pay my passage home.”
      “Scores?  I see. And did you write to them once you realized it had all been a mistake.  That I was not guilty of these sins?”
      “No,” she whispered, looking at the floor.
      “Why not?”
      “I just forgot.  Everything happened so fast, and then you brought me here and well…”
      “And you had other things to think about, is that it?” he asked.
      “Yes, well Hugh we’ve hardly left the house,” she insisted, blushing wildly.  “I completely forgot I asked Alice to mail those letters.”
      “So, should I expect an irate father at my door, demanding justice?  Or perhaps Miss Lane will arrive to defend your honor with her pistol.”
      “How do you know about Effie and her pistols?” Amelia gasped.
      “She sent me a picture of her holding a rather large firearm, along with a letter of thinly veiled threats.”
      “She didn’t?”
      “Yes, my love, she did.  It arrived while we were in San Francisco and Sam opened it.”
      “Oh no,” Amelia groaned, a hand to her cheek. 
      “Are all of your friends prone to violence?”
      “Effie isn’t prone to violence.  She’s just very protective of those she cares about.  Did Sam write back to her?”
      “Yes he did, and he invited her to come to Seattle to see for herself that you were being well cared for.  He also informed her that should she arrive with a pistol in hand she should be prepared for some old fashioned discipline,” he said, resting his hip on the desk.
      “That may have been a mistake,” Amelia said, rounding the desk and pacing in front of it.
After several trips back and forth Hugh snagged her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
      “Is your friend so fearsome then?” he teased.
      “Not fearsome, but fearless.  Effie doesn’t care for being bossed around.  She may have taken his letter as a challenge.”  Looking up at her husband’s face it was clear to Amelia he wasn’t taking it very seriously and that worried her.  “I need to write the letters immediately,” she said, pulling away from him.  
      “By all means get to work,” Hugh agreed, patting her bottom firmly.  “It seems my life may be at risk.”
      “This isn’t funny,” she insisted primly, pulling her robe closed as his eyes traveled over her naked body. 
      “No it certainly isn’t,” he agreed.  “It will be even less so if Miss Lane shows up and Samuel finds himself at the end of a gun barrel.  If that happens I don’t think Miss Lane will be the only one on the receiving end of a damn good spanking.”
      “You don’t?”
      “I’m certain of it,” he promised with his eyes full of warning.
      “Oh…well I better get busy.”
      “You do that and while you’re at it don’t forget to mention I’m not an ogre,” he suggested as he moved to the doorway. 
      “No, I won’t.  I’ll tell them you’re a wonderful husband…even if you do spank me,” she finished with a whisper as she took up her pen.
      Hugh smiled, watching her dark hair spill onto the desk as she wrote furiously.
      “And Amelia…”
      “Yes.”
      “You might mention that you particularly enjoy the marriage bed,” he offered as he walked away laughing.
      “Hugh!”



Blurb:

Grace Wentworth and Effie Lane were cautiously optimistic when their dear friend Amelia decided to travel west to become the bride of a man she'd never met. Despite their misgivings they were stunned when Amelia wrote informing them she'd made a dreadful mistake in marrying Mr. Jordon.
Determined to rescue her dear friend from the clutches of a scoundrel, Effie made plans to leave for Seattle immediately. Grace would follow when she could get away from the ever watchful eye of her mother. Everything changed when Grace was forced to accept the proposal of a cruel and violent man. Suddenly her mother's wrath could not compare with what she would face as Horace Remington’s wife. Throwing all caution aside, she fled with Effie even knowing her mother would most likely hire a Pinkerton man to find her. However, she never expected to fall for him as they played a game of cat and mouse from Chicago to Seattle.
For Jonah Blackthorn, apprehending a runaway socialite seemed like an easy assignment. Locating two young, inexperienced women would take him no time at all and the five thousand dollar reward offered by the frantic fiancé would go a long way as Jonah had plans to leave the agency to begin a new chapter in his life.
What he didn't plan on was being outwitted by the brats or the fact that Effie Lane wasn't relying on her wits alone to get them safely to Seattle. He also didn't expect to come to care for the redhead traveling with her gun-toting friend. When he finally caught up with them he was going to give Grace the spanking of a life time or kiss her senseless. Maybe both.
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About the Author:

Best-selling author, Stevie MacFarlane, lives in Upstate New York with her husband of many years.  They have a huge, close-knit family and frequently host twenty-five or more guests for dinner on weekends and holidays.  She currently has 16 books out, including two very popular series, Sugar Babies and The O’Malley’s.  To explain her writing preference she used a quote from her Amazon Author’s Page.
“All of my books are romances. I like a lot of conversation, a bit of humor, some fairly hot sex and spanking. If you're into whips and chains, these probably aren't for you. However, if you've ever watched a movie where the leading lady is being a perfect bitch and you feel like yelling at the leading man, "Oh my God, spank her you fool!" these might be right up your alley.”
You can find Stevie on:
Twitter:  @steviemac1175



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