Accidental Elikeh

Image reproduced from elikeh.com

Thursday night I was playing Mommy-the-chauffeur and I took DS to drop him off with Dad at Lake Anne in Reston. As luck would have it, there was a free concert in the plaza. It's part of the Take a Break Concert Series.

The weather was fantastic--not too hot, not too cool. The atmosphere of the Lake Anne Plaza was artsy and convivial as usual. I've always loved Lake Anne. This perfect setting mixed with the amazing Jazz meets traditional African meets Pop meets Reggae sound of Elikeh made for the perfect night. I relaxed by the fountain, got some writing done while DS played with other children (yes, it's a family-friendly event) and enjoyed the serendipitous beauty of the evening.

As for the main event--the band themselves--I have this to say: If you ever have a chance to see Elikeh perform...GO! They are amazing. The vocals, rhythm and melody blend to uplift your spirit. The percussionist is out-of-this-world. I swear it was all I could do to stay in my seat. Truly, I felt like dancing through the whole two hours. Bravo, Elikeh and the Take a Break Concert Series. I know what I'll be doing every Thursday this summer! June 21st is the Chris Vadala Band. Can't wait!

Lovestruck Blog Hop!

I'm so happy to be a part of Under the Covers Lovestruck Blog Hop! And I'm thrilled to introduce you to the character who has me totally lovestruck--Denysé Bridger's Quinn Lockeharte from HIDE AND SEEK. Quinn is not only all alpha male, but he's a tender lover who's incapable of resisting the woman he truly loves--Bella. Since I had the privilege of beta-reading this work, I've had the biggest crush on Quinn. But don't take my word for it. Check him out yourself ;)


Blurb:

Alone with her journal, Bella examines her feelings and passion for Quinn Lockharte, a man who charged into her life in a storming fury and changed it forever. Quinn’s duty to his family has him engaged to his childhood sweetheart, and though the promise is an old one, Quinn feels bound to honor it. 

A surprise knock at her door brings Bella face-to-face with her destiny…but can she trust what her heart so desperately wants—especially when Quinn is determined to keep her naked and screaming his name? Mind-blowing sex has been their relationship’s strongest bond, but Bella’s tired of being his secret—and Quinn’s not willing to let her go.

An Excerpt From: HIDE AND SECRET

Copyright © DENYSÉ BRIDGER, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Your eyes narrow in irritation so I step aside and gesture for you to come into the apartment. I’m startled more than I should be when you slam the door shut and I am suddenly caught between your body’s urgent pressure and the solid wooden door that you push me against. Every part of me wakes, like flame that had been starved for air and is suddenly set free. My response is explosive and desperately hungry. You knot your hands in my soft sweater, already lifting it, your cool touch gliding over my heated skin. I want you, but for the first time this is not enough. Brushing your thumbs indolently over my nipples, you reignite an ache that drags low in my body, threatening to make me forget everything but how much I want you.

“I don’t want you here.” It’s hard to say which one of us is more startled by the words when they spill out of me.

You pull back and look at me intently, your eyes measuring the truth of what I’ve said. Then you shake your head and catch me between your hands as you bend to cover my mouth with yours. Slipping your tongue between my lips, you push your hips against me, telling me precisely what you desire.

I’m drowning in you. When I push at your shoulders you take my hands and pin them to the door, hips thrusting in the same greedy rhythm as your tongue inside my mouth. With a rough twist of my head, I break the lusting kiss and look away.

“I said I don’t want you here!”

Frowning, you step back and run a hand through the thickness of your dark hair, your eyes shrewd and watchful as you calculate your next move. I can see you thinking, working out what you need to do to change my mind. If you only knew how easy it would be…

I see the smile that’s starting to lift the corner of your mouth, the gleam in your eyes tells me you don’t believe my rejection is remotely genuine.

I move away, walk past you, but get only a few steps before you put your arms around me and pull me back against you. Before I can break away, you push your hands under my sweater again, cupping my breasts, stroking and squeezing, fingertips pulling on the hard buds of my nipples, your mouth soft on the curve of my neck.

“You want me, Bella. Why are we playing this game?”

Your voice is equal parts gravel and silk and I feel the question against my skin, pouring into my blood like an injection of heated desire.

I don’t have time to answer before you’re walking into the living room, pulling me behind you. The candles are flickering, the soft recessed lighting adds a warm glow to the room. Outside the glass plates of the windows, the snow is swirling lazily. You sit me on the sofa in front of the crackling fire.

“We have to talk,” I whisper.

You nod and watch me as you take your coat off and toss it onto a nearby chair.

“You talk, I’ll listen.” You come toward me, stop in front of where I am sitting and then drop to your knees and smile.

Buy-it-now link: http://www.jasminejade.com/m-728-denys-bridger.aspx

Want to read more of Ms. Bridger's work? Check her website! http://denysebridger.com/

Want to find more alpha males with which to get lovestruck? Stop by my Ellora's Cave page for some bad-girl fun! http://www.jasminejade.com/m-683-cindy-jacks.aspx

Releasing June 20th RAVISH ME by Cindy Jacks. Take a sneak peek! 

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10176-ravish-me.aspx

For one lucky commenter today, I'm offering a copy of one of my e-books and a $10 Ellora's Cave gift card. Don't forget to leave your email addy as part of your comment!

And now back to the blog hop!

It's been a while...

I'm so excited about my upcoming release, RAVISH ME, that comes out June 20th at Ellora's Cave. But more than excited, I'm nervous. But this being my twenty-first published work, it's been a while since I've been nervous about a release. Why the case of nerves, you ask? It's the subject matter of this book that has me a little anxious.

RAVISH ME deals with the world of noncon role play--not familiar with it? It's a fantasy in which one partner pretends to force or coerce the other partner into sex. When I first learned of this type of role play, I was a bit shocked (and that's hard to do), but a close friend of mine told me about his participation and based in his stories alone, I had to find out more. For the sake of his privacy, we'll call him Matthew, just as I named in the book.

First, let me state for the record that there is nothing I find arousing about sexual assault. It is a despicable crime that robs its victims of their power and self-esteem. But interestingly enough, Matthew--being a victim of assault himself--told me that noncon role play can be used as a tool by sexual assault and sexual abuse survivors as a way of reclaiming their power. I was surprised by that too.

There are many other reasons people engage in noncon role play. For some, it's the adrenaline rush. For others, it's the feeling that they are so attractive their partner couldn't control himself/herself. For many women, it's the loss of control, pretending that they didn't have a choice to engage in sexual activity that frees them from societal constraints and allows them to more fully enjoy a sexual encounter. After all, we live in a society that still says, "Good girls don't." Ravishment fantasy may help a woman who's bought into this mindset  make believe she wasn't responsible for the pleasure being forced upon her.

Whatever the reason, noncon role play seems to me a richer and more complex expression of sexuality and passion than I ever imagined at first which means as a writer, I just had to find out more, more, more. And once Matthew was kind enough to lay bare his deepest, darkest secrets and fantasies for me, I had to share this journey with others.

The Matthew in my book is a fictional character, his personality, occupation, relationship with Jane and other experiences are my creation. However, they would not have been possible were it not for the honesty and trust the real Matthew placed in me. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his strength and I cherish our friendship. I hope these feelings shine through in the book RAVISH ME. It is in this spirit that I offer this tale to the public.

So now I'll go back to chewing my fingernails and awaiting a reaction to my book. But I figure if I'm nervous about the release, I've created something that's really important to me and that taps into a well of emotion. I can't imagine a better place for a work of fiction to come from.

Cheers!
Cindy