Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Body of secrets…

As a member of the CIA’s elite, Black Opals, Natalya Trubachev must live a lie, working undercover as the lover of Dmitri, a Russian mob boss. His business is trafficking vulnerable Las Vegas strippers overseas for twisted sex games. Natalya’s business is to blow the ring wide open and bring down Dmitri and his American contacts. But the stakes are raised when she learns that the next target is her own sister Kate, a dancer in the famed club Fantasia. Only now does Natalya realize how personal her mission has become, and how far she’s willing to go to complete it.

Body of lies…

The manager of Fantasia is Brandon Moretti, an undercover detective who keeps a close eye on his girls, and an even closer one on his sinfully sensual hire. For Natalya, working the club could be the break she’s been waiting for. But for Moretti, Natalya is a possible link to a killer. Only he never counted on her being so lethally seductive or so dangerous to get close to. As every forbidden pleasure between them is stripped away, his own secrets threaten their security, but it’s Natalya’s that could destroy them both.

Review:

Black Opal operative Natalya Trubachev goes undercover at a Las Vegas club called Fantasia. She walks a delicate line as she juggles the needs of her crime boss Dmitri, her own safety and her growing fascination with Brandon Moretti. Brandon is actually an undercover detective, but Natalya doesn’t know this and she suspects him of being the contact she needs to neutralize.

I suspect that this is one of these books that readers will either like or dislike intensely because of the subject matter and the heroine’s occupation/past history. While deep undercover Natalya has killed and also lead innocent women into a life of drug addiction and prostitution. She feels deep remorse for the acts she has committed and this both shapes her and snaps at her heels, putting her under deep mental pressure. If she fails in this mission, more women will suffer the same fate, and this time her twin sister is the chosen victim.

While I could understand the heroine’s motivations, I didn’t like or enjoy the plot. That said, STRIPPED packs a real punch. Ms. St. Claire writes fresh, vibrant prose that the writer in me aspires to, and the sexual tension between Natalya and Brandon crackles each time they meet. I swear smoke poured from my iPad each time I opened this book! If you prefer a sweet romance then this isn’t the book for you. Stripped has numerous explicit love scenes, which showcase the hero and heroine’s growing relationship.

Characterization, check! Both main and secondary characters are rounded and real with clear motivations and conflict. One small problem I had was the familial relationship between Brandon and Sergei. While I could buy that Natalya and Kate were sisters it seemed a little too convenient that Brandon and Sergei were long-lost brothers too. I had to stretch my imagination to accept this coincidence.

While the plot didn’t do it for me, this is an interesting story where the characters are racing to beat a ticking clock. It’s full of danger and passion and characters with much at stake. The author’s voice grabbed me, and I’ll definitely be looking for more from Ms. St. Clare. Luckily for me there’s a sequel due out later in the year. Fans of romantic suspense—give this one a try.

Purchase Stripped

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today comes from Stripped, an erotic romantic suspense by Tori St. Claire.

A slow, lazy smile settled into the corners of Brandon’s eyes. Whether it touched his mouth, she couldn’t decipher—she stood too close. But if it had, she was certain it would be amused, definitely cocky.

page 20, Stripped

Blurb:

Body of secrets…

As a member of the CIA’s elite, Black Opals, Natalya Trubachev must live a lie, working undercover as the lover of Dmitri, a Russian mob boss. His business is trafficking vulnerable Las Vegas strippers overseas for twisted sex games. Natalya’s business is to blow the ring wide open and bring down Dmitri and his American contacts. But the stakes are raised when she learns that the next target is her own sister Kate, a dancer in the famed club Fantasia. Only now does Natalya realize how personal her mission has become, and how far she’s willing to go to complete it.

Body of lies…

The manager of Fantasia is Brandon Moretti, an undercover detective who keeps a close eye on his girls, and an even closer one on his sinfully sensual hire. For Natalya, working the club could be the break she’s been waiting for. But for Moretti, Natalya is a possible link to a killer. Only he never counted on her being so lethally seductive or so dangerous to get close to. As every forbidden pleasure between them is stripped away, his own secrets threaten their security, but it’s Natalya’s that could destroy them both.

Purchase Stripped

In the red corner we have…

…the original Sex Idol cover. Lickable abs with no head.

And in the blue corner we have…

…the sexy new print cover for Sex Idol. We still have lickable abs, but now our hero has a head.

Now I like the first cover, but I love the new updated one. Call me shallow, but I let out a shriek of joy when I saw the print cover last week. I think the cover model really looks like a sex idol. I’d vote for him for sure. Yeah, yeah. I know. Shallow. I did warn you.

Which cover do you prefer and why? What would your ideal cover look like?

The print version of Sex Idol is out today at Ellora’s Cave. If you prefer an e-copy follow this link.

If you’re on Facebook or Twitter I’d really appreciate a shout out to help spread the news of Sex Idol’s release. Here are some tweet-sized snippets to save you time.

Are you Sex Idol material? SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave http://bit.ly/r0idVp

SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave This is a very naughty book http://bit.ly/r0idVp

Lord have mercy on me. SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave is the hottest novel on the planet ~ JERR reviewer http://bit.ly/r0idVp

SEX IDOL by @shelleymunro @ellorascave a futuristic romance about reality shows, dreams & pressure to perform http://bit.ly/r0idVp

Thanks!

My guest today is Rachel Leigh. Rachel lives in the UK and has been married to her own sexy hero for thirteen years. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her reading, running after her two daughters or…playing with her husband.

Rachel is celebrating the release of her erotic romance, Coming Back, which is now available from the Wild Rose Press. Today she’s talking about a subject that I suspect more than a few of us worry about…a horrid sagging middle! Over to Rachel…

I am nearing the halfway mark of my latest work in progress and while for some writers that will be something to celebrate, for me it is the opposite. Why? Because it means the dreaded ‘sagging middle’ is right around the corner. Thus bringing my writing/plotting/creativity to a grinding halt and causing me to bang my head up and down on my desk all day, every day until I see light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Now most of you would have heard of this ‘sagging middle’ phrase and know what it means, others won’t. Let me explain.

It is the part of my story writing that I hate the most and occurs every single time, with every single book. I am a blend of two kinds of writer. I am half plotter and half pantser. I always have a two to three page synopsis written as well as character sketches for my hero and heroine before I start writing. However, from page one to the end I continually write the first draft without stopping or editing. The hard work comes in drafts two and three.

The problem is no matter how much detail I feel I’ve put into the synopsis, no matter how much I have written it with my ‘sagging middle’ weakness in mind, there it always is. Bam, like a grinning little cartoon devil poised to poke me in the behind with his shiny trident as soon as I am about halfway through.

So the question is, how do I deal with it? The only way I know how. Keep writing. I dread going to my desk for these days. Have zero enthusiasm or belief in myself or my work. I sit my backside in the chair anyway. These days writing is like pulling teeth but I force myself to write at least a thousand rubbish words a day. The beauty of it is when I feel the sun reappearing as I climb out of the middle and start heading for the home run, I read back what I wrote through those torturous days and I can be guaranteed to keep at least half of it. Result!

So what about you writers out there? Do you suffer with the same weakness as me? Yes? What’s your trick for beating this particular devil?

Or are you a reader? Have you noticed a ‘sagging middle’ in books? Maybe you see them more often than editors do, lol! I love to hear from you.

Rachel’s latest release is “Coming Back” available now from The Wild Rose Press. Here’s the blurb:

Kelly Hampton loved once…and lost. After two years of looking for Sean MacKenzie in other men–and failing miserably–she takes a vow of celibacy. No sex until she finds love. Then Sean strolls back into her bar, reigniting old flames. No one has come close to understanding or satisfying her like he did. Her body burns for the passion they once shared, but her heart still remembers the pain.

Sean escaped Jessop Hill and his father’s fists in the middle of the night without a word–even to his love, Kelly–to protect his battered mother, but he never forgot the explosively erotic relationship he left behind. Now his father is dead and Sean is back for the only woman he’s ever wanted. Their reunion is full of fire – but can sexual attraction and noble intentions overcome years of heartache or will Kelly walk away to protect her heart this time.

Purchase Coming Back

Rachel can be found here:

www.rachelleigh.co.uk
www.rachelleighromance.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rachelwriter

I’d like to welcome fellow Ellora’s Cave author, Elaine Lowe to my blog today. She’s celebrating her recent paranormal release, Magic Eights. Do you know I had to drag her from her writing cave? She’ll explain…

Hello Shelley, thanks for having me visit here at your blog. It’s a chance for me to pick my head up out of my den of writing and look around for a minute and wave. I’m in one of those places right now where I’m writing non-stop, the muse waking me up at night to point out missed opportunities for irony, comedy or deeper emotional impact. I love it and it happens all too rarely, but I also sometimes forget the need to eat anything but convenient junk food and pay the bills.

I’m completely obsessed with my latest manuscript, which is shaping up to be a fun urban fantasy that is very loosely connected to my latest release, Magic Eights. The characters are fun, the situation is perfect for emotional tension, and I’m having so much fun worldbuilding I have to be very very careful to avoid that greatest of sins, the infodump. But even if it all ends up a riotous mess, I’m having so much fun. I’ll get out everything I can until writer’s block strikes again.

Writing for me is an ebb and flow of the need to push myself to force the words to come, and the need to dial myself back and edit so things make sense and run-on sentences don’t procreate and take over the world for the forces of evil. There are times when I don’t write anything for weeks and am letting stories and characters percolate in my brain, aging like good brandy. I try to find enjoyment in each facet of the writing process, as each is important to the creation of a good story. After seventeen books, I try to relax into the process and don’t fight what my instinct tells me to do.

Right now, my instinct is calling me back to finish my next chapter, and I’d better strike while the iron is hot.

Have fun and keep reading!

Bio:
Elaine Lowe is a work-at-home mom in Silicon Valley California. Of her many part-time jobs, her favorite one by far is writing. She has a background in biotech, but she has branched out into the demanding world of home management, child entertainment, transcription, envelope stuffing, and of course, writing romantic and erotic fiction.

A love of history, magic and romance combines to inspire a lot of her writing. That and her wonderful husband, who is a fantastic sounding board, support system, and research consultant. He really enjoys research. And so does she. You can visit Elaine at her website or find her on Twitter.

Magic Eights Blurb:
A casual wish by a frustratingly horny wife results in a most unexpected bit of magic…
Susanna walks into her kitchen to see two copies of her husband of eight years, William. When they both seduce her, she’s helpless to resist. Who would want to? When another copy walks in and makes love to her, and another, she ceases to ask why, only, how much can she take?

Seven copies, one original, and all of them want to push her to the very brink. Can she handle them all? Sinful satisfaction is the best anniversary present, and eight is Susanna’s lucky number.

Purchase Magic Eights

I thought I’d add a question for everyone: What do you think a writer’s cave looks like? If you’re a writer, what does your writer’s cave look like? Do you have any questions for Elaine?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~ BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

It’s rugby season down here in New Zealand. It’s also netball season. New Zealand is hosting the Rugby World Cup, which starts in September. All of this puts me in a sports mood, so my teaser this week comes from Bella Andre’s Game for Seduction, a football themed romance. I’ve just started reading this romance.

“Honey, I thought you already knew this—no one in the business will ever take a female football agent seriously. Especially not a cream puff like you.”

page 20, Game for Seduction

She’s not a good girl anymore . . . now she’s GAME FOR SEDUCTION.

The daughter of a powerful sports agent, Melissa McKnight has harbored lust-filled fantasies for Dominic DiMarco ever since she was an awkward teenager, when the San Francisco Outlaws’ gorgeous wide receiver became her father’s superstar client. Now Melissa’s a beautiful, tenacious associate in her father’s firm, and being around to-die-for hardbodies is all in a day’s work…until tangling with Dominic at a photo shoot blindsides her with passion.

Dominic has built a flawless career by being in control-on and off the field. And despite his intense desire for Melissa, he’s not about to seduce his agent’s daughter. Until Melissa stages a power play to break free from her domineering father-and winds up at an edgy bar on the wrong side of town. Dominic thinks he’s rescuing the innocent Melissa he met years ago . . . but one night of sizzling passion reveals a woman with no limits-including a penchant for hot sex in public places. If anyone’s breaking all the rules of seduction, it’s sexy, irresistible Melissa.

But Dominic has a secret from years ago-one that could ruin his sterling reputation and take Melissa along with him. Will his bad boy past bind them closer together? Or will they crash and burn?

Purchase Game for Seduction

My special guest today is author Randi Alexander. Randi writes about sexy cowboys–my favorite type of hero. She’s celebrating her recent release, which, luckily for me, has a cowboy hero. Over to Randi.

I want to thank Shelley for having me here today. (You’re welcome!) I’m Randi Alexander and I write cowboy erotic romance. My first book, Chase and Seduction was released May 27 from The Wild Rose Press’ Cowboy Kink line.

I had a moment of clarity last night. Since I’ve been writing spicy romances, the relationship between my husband and me has changed significantly. He used to like to sling an arm around my shoulders and pull me in for a kiss, then whisper something warm and inviting in my ear. He’s always been very romantic.

But when I started writing true-to-life love scenes, I would enlist his help to test the logistics and accuracy of certain…encounters. He’s always been very willing, and it’s made a difference in my writing, as well as keeping our…encounters…fresh and full of variety.

But last night, I slipped into a little black negligee, lit the candles in the bedroom, and dipped some strawberries in chocolate. When he came into the room, he smiled, and said, “Okay, what are we doing tonight?”

He was expecting a script, complete with staging and directorial notes. “No,” I said, “we’re not testing anything tonight.” I fluttered my eyelashes at him, flipped my hair back, and struck a pose.

“Oh.” He sounded disappointed. “All right.” So now he made it sound like it was going to be a chore.

Suddenly, I was second guessing my long-ago decision to use my hubby as a crash-test-dummy (or would that be sex-test-dummy?) Had I turned him into a robot, making him respond only when directed? A Stepford husband? Then I smiled. This might not be all that bad. It had brought a lot of spice to our lives, and the variety keeps us interested and edgy. And the morning after, he’s always commented on how he enjoyed our ‘production’, which is amazing to hear from a guy.

“Put on your cowboy boots and Stetson,” I told him, accepting the inevitable. “Tonight we’re a bull rider and a buckle bunny!”

“Yee-haw!”

Country music superstar/actor Chase Tanner has yet to be denied anything–and he’s never wanted anything or anyone more than gorgeous screenplay writer Reno Linden. So when the film they are working on is finally finished, Chase decides to turn up the volume on seducing Reno.

Reno Linden lived a quiet, rural life until she was thrust into the Hollywood scene when her book was adapted to film. Chase Tanner is larger than life, sinfully sexy and hell-bent on getting her into bed. Skittish after a failed wedding engagement, Reno risks the plunge into Chase’s arms, and is surprised that her good girl self can keep up with bad boy Chase.

Though Chase returns to his cowboy roots often, and Reno cherishes the time spent with him on his ranch, the two find their careers pulling them in different directions. Will their attraction survive the glitz and stress of fame?

EXCERPT: Over 18 only

Chase’s laugh bounded across the patio.

Reno turned. He stood on the other side of the pool with three very famous actors. Her heart paused then stampeded in triple time, and her breath caught. A reaction she hadn’t experienced since high school.

Tracy said, “Chase Tanner is much handsomer than those pretty-boys. He should be in more pictures. He’s so…” She scrunched her face then smiled. “Rugged.”

Unexpected tears burned the backs of Reno’s eyes as she memorized him, filed away this moment to view whenever she felt alone. She’d miss him. Terribly. “What do you know about him?”

Tracy’s tone turned conspiratorial. “He’s thirty, but he tells women he’s twenty-seven.”

Reno bit back a smile. He’d told her the truth. That was a good sign.

“And he’s from Kentucky, an only child,” Tracy continued. “He wanted to be a songwriter, but he won a singing contest when he was twenty, and got a contract with an agent.”

Reno knew all this from their private talks during filming, but she wanted to hear the Hollywood gossip. “Where does he live?”

“He’s got a beautiful ranch in Texas, right on the Gulf.”

He’d be heading east to the sunny Gulf, she’d be heading north to the barren cold. So far away from each other. Worlds away.

His laughter echoed across the pool.

Reno closed her eyes. How would she live through this?

To celebrate the release of Chase and Seduction, I’m giving away, to one lucky *commenter, an e-copy of my novella Her Cowboy Stud. Just leave a comment today and we’ll choose a winner tomorrow. *Commenter must be 18 years of age or older to win.

I’m also giving away a cowgirl hat to one subscriber to my newsletter. For more details, and to sign up for this contest, please go to my website, RandiAlexander.com And while you’re there, you can read the first chapter of Chase and Seduction.

Good luck, and thank you!
Randi

RandiAlexander.com
WildAndWickedCowboysBlog
Buy Chase and Seduction at The Wild Rose Press Wilder Roses

My special guest today is Lisa Sanchez who is celebrating the release of her erotic suspense, Obsessed. Over to Lisa…

Hi everyone! Before I start rambling, I’d like to give a big shout of thanks Shelley for allowing me a guest spot on her blog. I’m so happy to be here!

Okay then, let’s jump right in! Broken characters…why do we love them and are they easy to write? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know for me, I like reading about broken/shattered characters because I enjoy seeing their growth and healing. I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and when a broken down, battered character finds healing through love…well, there’s nothing better in my opinion.

Halley Davis, the female protagonist in my erotic suspense, Obsessed, suffers from debilitating anxiety. A victim of a brutal attack, a rape attempt, and a serial stalker (eeck!) she struggles with panic attacks and lives in constant fear. Large crowds give her the heebie jeebies and men, in general, freak her out. These feelings are not exactly conducive to finding the man of your dreams, and therein lay her struggle.

It was definitely a challenge for me to write Halley, but not for the reasons you might think. As someone who has suffered from anxiety, I instantly related to Halley’s emotional rollercoaster and the words literally poured onto the page. I’d experienced everything she had; I knew what she was feeling. My challenge was in making her relatable, making her panic believable to everyone else.

Anyone who has ever suffered from an anxiety attack can attest to the fact that they hit you out of nowhere and take you from normal to freaked out in the span of sixty seconds or less. My first draft of Obsessed featured Halley bouncing around like a rubber ball, on an emotional high one moment, then scraping the bottom of the barrel the next. While this was very true to her character and mental state, it would have been a bit jarring to readers who aren’t used to such up and down feelings. My second pass through the manuscript focused on smoothing Halley’s emotional ride, and softening transitions between her panic episodes and fine tuning her growing attraction for Nick. The fruits of my labor resulted in a tale of love, recovery and a whole lot of suspense I sincerely hope readers will enjoy.

The victim of both a brutal attempted rape and now a serial stalking, Halley Davis is broken, and desperate to glue the shattered pieces of her life back together. Tormented by a psychopath and battling a heavy dose of anxiety, sex and dating are the last things on Halley’s anxiety-ridden mind. That is, until she meets the man who rescued her from the hands of a would-be rapist. With a body made for sin, a wicked, sexy tattoo and an aura that screams “badass,” her rescuer not only calms the storm of terror raging inside her mind, he ignites a passion within her she’s never known before.

Tired of using meaningless sex to drown out the horrors of his past, Nick Ackart has sworn off women. In fact, if women were classified as meat, his ass is Vegan. Despite his determination to remain unattached, Nick is unable to stay away from the emerald-eyed beauty he rescued from a sadistic pervert. Immersed in a tangled web of sexual desire and deep emotion he was certain was long dead, he vows to protect Halley from the monster hounding her, even though he stands to lose his heart in the process.

To learn more about Lisa and her books visit her website or her blog. You’ll also find her on Twitter or Goodreads

CONTEST: Lisa is currently doing a blog tour and will give away a $20 Amazon gift certificate to one commenter. Increase your chances by following her tour!

My special guest today is author, Desiree Holt. Desiree is a writing machine and Downstroke, her recent Ellora’s Cave release is her 100th book. That’s pretty impressive. I asked Desiree how she keeps going, and this is her reply…

The realization that I was about to hit one hundred on my release list actually snuck up on me. My web mistress was revising my printable book list and asked me how many I had in release. Counting up to Romantic Times Booklovers Convention I realized that my first April release would be #100.

And I thought, Holy Cow! One hundred stories? I didn’t realize my brain was packed so full.

But for those people who wonder if my creative juices have stalled or my ideas are laying dormant, I say, nay, nay. I think I’ll be writing until my fingers don’t work anymore.

For one thing, almost every day a new idea comes to me. Maybe it’s in the newspaper, or from something I’ve seen on television. I have a very hunky UPS man and I’m considering making him the hero of one of my stories. Maybe he’s delivering a package with some kinky toys in it. Every single person I see or talk to or just pass on the street lights a bulb in my head.

I think it’s because I have such an insatiable curiosity about everyone and everything. Remember that old program, The Naked City? The opening gambit was a voice saying “There are seven million stories in the naked city.” Well, that’s how I feel. Everything and everyone becomes a nugget of a story to me.

One of my little tricks of the trade is that I work on more than one story at a time. That way if I hit a wall with one I can leave it for a bit and move to another. It also keeps the ideas in my head fresh and active.

I was a daydreamer when I was young and I think I still am. I carry a notebook in my purse so that no matter where I am, if the idea for a story strikes me I can jot it down. I no longer trust my memory for that. I tried that once and when I came back to the two lines I’d written I couldn’t for the life of me remember what I wanted to write.

Also, I’m an avid reader and I usually read genres different from those I write. That way I give my brain a rest and I also don’t let someone else’s thoughts bleed into my head. What do I do when I want to read anything erotic? I shut down my computer for a couple of days except for email and take a reading break.

Then, when I’m back at it, my mind is refreshed and my stories come alive again.

I think another point is that I never get tired of creating and never run out of ideas. And I get input from many sources. I have great writing partners and we bounce ideas off one another. For my action adventure stories I can always count on my son (although we never discuss s-e-x). My younger daughter gave me the idea for my Night Seekers series.

So how do I keep going? I do it with pleasure and a voracious appetite for creating. As long as that adrenaline keeps racing through my body, my fingers will keep pounding the keyboard.

And I hope you all will keep reading.

Here’s the blurb for Desiree’s 100th release, Downstroke

It’s been twenty years since security specialist Charley Roper and country star Dallas Creed had their bitter parting. Now a killer has brought them together again, but neither is ready for a reunion—despite signs that their explosive chemistry hasn’t waned with time. She can’t forget the feel of his hands on her body. He can’t forget the hot touch of her mouth. When they finally tumble into bed, the sex is just as good as they remember, hot enough to singe the sheets. But is it enough?

Thrown together during an exhausting, frenzied concert tour, with a killer nipping at their heels, Dallas and Charley find themselves on a hot, suspenseful, erotic roller coaster ride. Can he convince her to trust her heart to him one more time, to reach out for a richer, deeper, more mature love?

More importantly—can Charley keep Dallas alive long enough for either of them to enjoy a second chance?

Visit Desiree Holt’s website

My special guest today is Ellora’s Cave author, Brandi Evans. So who is Brandi Evans? I’ll let Brandi tell you in her own words.

I’m a stay-at-home mom with a serious addiction. The compulsive need to tell sexy stories to whomever will listen!

As much as I can’t imagine a day without a book (or Kindle) in my hands or a story “under construction” on my computer, I haven’t always been addicted to the written word. Don’t hear many author bios start like that, do ya? But it’s the truth.

Even despite my late start, I’ve never been accused of having a dull imagination. Yowza! If only people knew just how dirty my mind is! For years, I was actually ashamed at how nasty the characters in my head acted. Now, I celebrate their boldness and wish some of their kick-ass-and-take-no-prisoners attitude would rub off on me.

Brandi’s new release is called Lust, Lace & Lingerie, and today she’s sharing some of the research she needed to do to write her book.

When I set out to write my newest release, Lust, Lace & Lingerie, I didn’t know the difference between a nightie and a negligée. Heck, I didn’t even know there was a difference, LOL. Did you? Let me clarify…
A nightie is a type of lingerie, which encompasses any sexy undergarment from bras to garters. A negligée is simply a term for fancy nightgowns. Who knew?! If you’re like you, you probably lumped them all into one category: sexy clothes to turn on your partner.

Learn something new with every book, LOL.

But my research didn’t stop there. For a scene later in LLL, my heroine is helping a customer pick out some lingerie so I thought it would be a good idea to do some research on buying lingerie for each body type. Anyway, I thought I’d share that research with you today. If you’re like me, buying lingerie is intimidating enough, LOL. Hopefully, this will help you lessen your anxiety.

Buying Lingerie to Fit Body Type

1. For women with small busts: Ruffles or other “decoration” at the bust area can help give the illusion of volume. In addition, tops with underwire can lift the breasts, giving beautiful cleavage. Also, try a halter-style top to really display all that beautiful cleavage you’ve just created.

2. For women with big busts: Plunging necklines are a great way to accentuate your positives. Corsets can give you good support and create sexy cleavage. And what guy doesn’t want that!

3. For women with slender, athletic frames: Skimpy boy shorts (booty shorts) can give the illusion of curves. Look for something with a sexy bra or corset and you’ll have your guy/gal eating out of your hand.

4. For women with large hips, thighs or backsides: A babydoll teddy or other pieces that hit around mid-thigh work great a concealing these problem areas. Get a nice sheer material that’ll tease the eyes and get his/her mind—and libido—revving.

5. For women with those dreaded “muffin tops”: A corset or the like can cinch 2 to 3 inches off your waist. If that’s not comfortable, try longer or tunic-style pieces to give the illusion of a slimmer waistline. A babydoll teddy will work great here too as it can hide big tummies. Lastly, remember, dark colors are slimming! I’m not just talking black here, ladies. Dark blue and dark reds are great too.

A final thought…

There’s nothing worse than wearing lingerie that isn’t your size. If you’re a size 18-in-denial, you’ll never find something that truly fits. The last thing you want is to have things squishing out! Measure yourself before going shopping or have one of the sales persons do it for you. Most stores will have sizing charts to help you find your perfect fit.

~Brandi Evans

p.s. In honor of Lust, Lace & Lingerie’s release, anyone who comments on this post will be entered in a drawing for these Truth or Dare coupons!

Here’s the blurb for Lust, Lace & Lingerie:

I love managing the sexy Dallas boutique Red Light Lingerie—talking to people about sex, toys and bedroom wear. One of my favorite erotic benefits? My boss, Maxwell Penn, is a Matthew McConaughey lookalike—but with a hot British accent. Okay, he can be domineering and I spend most of my time on the clock fluctuating between “I want to bed him” and “I want to strangle him.” But still…yum.

Tonight, however, everything will change.

An old friend of Max’s from Britain, a lingerie designer, has flown in to show Max a couple of possible pieces for our new Risqué line of bedroom wear—but their model canceled. Can you see where this is going? Yep. I go from manager to model, and before I can say G-string, this spur-of-the-moment modeling gig ignites in passion and little ol’ me finds herself sandwiched between Max and his dark-n-sexy best friend.

I’d be in heaven if it wasn’t for the guilt swirling in Max’s blue eyes. But guilt for what?

Purchase at Ellora’s Cave

To learn more about Brandi and her books, visit Brandi’s website or blog.