Tuesday, September 11, 2018

An Excerpt from A LOVE AFFAIR IN LAS VEGAS

Good day, all.

Today, in honor of 9/11, I wanted to share a scene from one of my recent releases, A Love Affair in Las Vegas. This book is set in Vegas at a hoteliers' conference, but both main characters are from New York.

I lived in New York until my mid-twenties, just outside of Syracuse, and I was pretty young when 9/11 happened, in middle school, and it's something that has impacted my life in tertiary ways ever since then, though I was not directly impacted by it. It's something that I wanted to bring up as backstory for both of these characters, Barnaby and Dawn, because it's still something that touches my life today, and I know it touches the lives of a lot of people, even 17 years later.

This scene takes place about halfway through the book and it's one of the most emotional scenes I've written, and it helps Barnaby and Dawn really talk about real-life things in ways they haven't yet, up to this point in the story. Here it is:


“Hey, a rising tide carries all boats,” he said.
She rolled her eyes.
“What? It does. I’ve always believed there’s too much competition in our industry. Particularly in a tourist mecca like New York. How often do you think hotels go vacant or close down because they can’t get enough business? Not the roach motels, obviously, but the places that provide the same level of service as we do. We’re not in competition for a limited number of guests. Some people travel because they have to, obviously, but a lot of them do so because they like the hotel experience, because they need somewhere they can trust to stay when they’re visiting. If we are all so focused on beating one another out for the same guests, then it’s the guests who suffer, and we all end up losing in the long run.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone speak so passionately about what we do. I mean I like helping people, don’t get me wrong, but for you, it’s more than that. It goes deeper.”
He’d always talked like this about his job. He’d never had someone notice that it was about so much more for him.
“I was homeless for about eighteen months when I was a teenager,” he blurted. He hadn’t meant to say it, but there it was now. Out in the open.
He expected to see pity on her face. Expected her to shame him for something that had never been his fault. Instead, after a quick blink of surprise, she smiled. “That definitely explains it, then.”
He was so surprised by complete acceptance, without any hint of shame or pity, that for a few minutes, he didn’t speak. When he went to open his mouth again, the waiter appeared with their meals. She’d ordered a braised lamb shank with mashed potatoes and squash, and he was almost jealous until he caught the smell of his steak. They thanked the waiter for the food, and he finally got brave enough to ask, “Explains what?”
“Why you love managing the hotel. You get to provide for people what you never had, even if only temporarily. A home. A safe place for them to stay, even if only for one night.”
He nodded. Damn. She really did get it. He wasn’t used to being so transparent. “It’s not something I talk about much. Most people don’t understand. In fact, so many of them wonder what the hell I did wrong to become homeless or why I wasn’t taken away from my parents.” His throat threatened to close up a bit as he talked, and he took a few sips of cold water.
“I’m sure it’s not easy to talk about. What helped you get from there to where you are today?”
He finally started cutting his steak, and she began eating as well. After couple bites, he gave her a little rundown of what it had been like for him. “My mom wasn’t a great woman. She and my dad argued a lot. She wouldn’t stay around, always out finding the next best thing, and when she finally left him for her second husband, and decided to move back to the UK, he kept me and my brother. She hadn’t really ever wanted much to do with us, frankly. I don’t think she ever wanted kids. I think she had us to try to keep my dad around. He was an investment banker when they first married, and we lived pretty large, shall we say.”
She ate quietly as she listened, giving him her full attention, and when he took a break from speaking to eat a bit, she asked, “So she was only really with him for the lifestyle?”
“Yeah. And when the market crashed after the Towers came down, he found himself out of a job. We’re lucky he wasn’t at work that day. He was, by some miraculous fluke, taking me to have my wisdom teeth removed.” It was the easiest thing to sit here and talk to her about some of his deepest, darkest memories. Like they had known each other decades instead of days.
“Wow.” He could see the shared memories in her eyes of that tragedy. “I can’t believe you could have lost your dad like that. How awful.”
“We were lucky. My dad called me his little miracle from that day forward. He actually asked the doc if he could keep the teeth as a souvenir. Gross, I know, but even later, when he lost his job, and mom left, and we were living on the streets for those months or bouncing around shelters, he never lost those teeth.” He drank some water to help his parched throat, and then cleared I, before asking, “You said you’ve lived in New York your whole life, were you in the city at that point?”
“I actually grew up in a small town in Upstate. Well, you would call it Upstate, since anything that isn’t Manhattan is Upstate New York to you people, but it’s really in the Hudson Valley. I was in elementary school, and even though I was young, that morning is one of my earliest memories. I remember exactly what we were learning: counting money, dimes and pennies. Mrs. Morton was going through the lesson when the classroom phone rang. Watching her try so hard not to show us how scared she was will be forever etched in my mind. She had a daughter who worked right down the street on West Broadway who she wasn’t able to get in touch with until days later. She was a wreck that morning, obviously. But she soldiered on, gave us lots of hugs and sang lots of songs that day.” She smiled sadly at the memory.
“I think that was the time I realized I loved the city I’d never seen. I remember sneaking peeks at the news coverage of the aftermath, hiding from my mom because she didn’t want me watching that kind of crap, and just thinking, God, look at these people helping each other. Look at them risking their lives for their neighbors. I grew up in the small town that always treated the city like it was this big dangerous place, but that day, and in the days following, I saw a very different New York than the one I’d been taught. And from that day forward, I knew I’d live there one day.” Her gaze had been far-away in memory, and she blinked, refocusing on him. “Wow, sorry. That was a bit more of an overshare than I needed to have.”
“That’s okay. For me too, ya know? I wasn’t exactly planning on pouring out my darkest secrets to you, though it’s kind of nice to be able to talk about real stuff with a woman. You’d be shocked at how many people look at me differently after I tell them about being homeless when I was younger. Like I’m somehow less of a man.” But she didn’t. Now that her gaze was on his once more, it was the same comfortable no-bullshit expression she’d been giving him all along. It was like he could feel the lines of connection growing stronger between them. The sex had been amazing from go, but the more time he spent with her talking, really talking, about things that mattered, not just work or banter, the more he felt the link between them growing. Could she feel it, too?



A Love Affair in Las Vegas is only 99 cents if you want to get your copy here: https://www.books2read.com/u/3kre78

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Blog Spotlight: Steel Time by J.L. Gribble


Hello all, 

Welcome back to Romance According to Rach. I'm so excited to share this upcoming release with you. This is the 4th book in a great UF series that I adore! While it isn't romance, readers of all genres are sure to love this latest installment from J.L. Gribble. 


This week, book 4 of the Steel Empires urban fantasy/alternate series is released! 

In a world with vampires, warrior-mages, weredragons, and sarcastic violin players, time travel seems like the obvious next step. Read on for more information about Steel Time, by J.L. Gribble

ABOUT THE BOOK
You’re never too young or too old to experience a paradigm shift.

Toria Connor is 25 when tripping over an artifact in the ruins of Nacostina thrusts her a century into the past, before the city is destroyed during the Last War. Now, she finds herself alone. Adrift in a time where she must hide everything important to her, from her mercenary career to her true magical ability.

Victory is over eight centuries old when she follows her adopted daughter. She has seen empires rise and fall, but never anything like this. She must survive alone in a city inhospitable to vampires, dodging friends and foes from her past alike.
Both of them know the clock is ticking down to the moment when the city is wiped off the map. Now, they’re in a race against time. To find each other. To escape the past. And to save the future.





Currently available from:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Direct from publisher
Carpe Librum (the author’s local indie bookseller)
Or support your own local independent bookstore by requesting a copy today!


ABOUT THE SERIES
It is possible to read Steel Time as a stand-alone book, but don’t miss out on Toria and Victory’s previous adventures!
Book 1: Steel Victory
Book 2: Steel Magic
Book 2: Steel Blood


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she was an editor for the Far Worlds anthology.

Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel Victory was her thesis for the program.
She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats.

Find her online at:

Saturday, July 14, 2018

#BlogTour & #Giveaway!

Hello all,

Please come join me on my blog tour. I'll be talking about the Marietta International Hotels series, giving you behind the scenes info, and giving away a $25 amazon gift card! Come along:



Marietta Hotels Schedule




July 15

July 16

July 17

July 18

July 19

July 20


July 23

July 24

July 25

July 26

July 27

July 30

July 31

Aug 1

Aug 2

Aug 3

Aug 6

Aug 7


Aug 8

Aug 9

Aug 10

Aug 12

Aug 13

Aug 14

Aug 15




Friday, July 13, 2018

#SatSpanks blog Hop: A Love Affair in Las Vegas

Hello all, and welcome to the blog, Romance According to Rach. This week, I want to share a little impromptu spanking scene from my latest release, A Love Affair in Las Vegas.



“Mmhmm,” he mused. “And what exactly should serve as punishment?” He needed to hear her say it, to ask him for what she wanted. There could be no miscommunication between them. He knew what he wanted. To flip her over so he had access to that voluptuous bare ass and could dole out a spanking for her brazenness.
A bit of uncertainty crossed her face, and she took a deep breath. What was she thinking? Finally, she said, “I’ve been thinking of exploring a few things.”
“Which is true, and probably part of the reason I think perhaps a little spanking is in order.” Her voice was soft, but sure.




The spanking continues from here. To read more, grab your copy of A Love Affair in Las Vegas here: https://www.books2read.com/u/3kre78 


Dawn Jansen only ever wanted one thing: to provide a life for her daughter in New York City, away from the small-town minds of her family and her upbringing. Now that she has finally made it to manager, this goal is in sight. One of her first duties is to attend a conference at the Marietta Las Vegas to learn all she can about running the show. But her plan to learn as much as she can on a professional level, turns into learning far more about herself than her job. She may get a second-chance at this whole love thing after all.

Barnaby Garrison has always had one goal in life: to help people. He’s found his calling as a hotel manager, and since his past failed relationship, has focused all of his energy on work. But as soon as he notices Dawn in the crowd at the conference, his focus instantly splits. When he realizes the attraction is mutual, he doesn’t waste any time seducing her to his bed.



Can what began as a fling in Vegas turn into something more once they’re home in New York? Or does what happen in Vegas truly stay in Vegas?


Be sure to check out the rest of the spankings on the hop here:

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Why Erotic Romance is #Feminist Literature & Why I Write It

In honor of International Women's Day, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on why I write not just romance, but erotic romance, and what it means to be a feminist erotic romance author. 


First let's start with the idea that romance is feminist literature. This may not sound groundbreaking in the news department, but it's a rather new idea on the block. For years romance has been denigrated for being anti-feminist, or bodice-rippers, glorified patriarchal rape fantasies that simply perpetuate stereotypical portrayals of women and romance in a male-dominated world. (Phew, that was a mouthful). In recent times, romance has become a better genre, but it also has become better understood, and the realization that it is actually the opposite of anti-feminist is becoming more and more prevalent. 

Romance is about women, for women, written by women. That's what romance is all about.

Note however that women is not all romance is about, of course. There are lots of different flavors of romance on the market now, with new subgenres and different forms of love and life becoming more popular every day. Romance is also about men, and about love. There are ménage stories and m/m stories and stories about groups of lovers, asexual partners, trans and queer individuals, some who identify as women, and some who do not. 

On the whole, even when the story is not about just women, and not written just for women, or by women, romance at its core is still about feminism, about the idea that a woman is just as good as a man, just as important and worthy, and should have the same ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness as any man.

I was asked (as part of a large group) recently why my books were going to change the world. Why were they important enough that readers needed them? Whose lives were they going to change? 

Those questions got me thinking, and now I have an answer. 

My books are all about being sex-positive, body-positive, empowering and feministic. I write all kinds of flavors of erotic romance: f/f, m/f, m/m/f, BDSM, contemporary, femdomme, multicultural. And every one of my books has one theme in common: empowering my characters to know what they want, physically, sexually, emotionally, and to give them the tools to go after what they want. My characters embrace their sexuality. They embrace the idea that it’s okay to want and need a partner (or partners), to be vulnerable and sexy, and to be bold and strong, all at the same time. This is what makes my romance so feminist in nature.

With every book, I aim to break down the idea that sex is evil, or that women don’t have a sex drive. I work to dispel the myth that sex-positivity and embracing sexual desire is a bad thing. I also work to dispel the myth that feminism = man-eating bitches. Feminism isn’t about hating men. It’s about loving them in a way that doesn’t mean loving yourself less. And that’s what I write about. That is why I write erotic romance. We can break down these barriers. We can change the world.

One book at a time.


Thanks,
Rach

Friday, October 14, 2016

I'm Getting Married Tomorrow!

Good morning,

Just a real quick post to say that I am still around, just very swamped with my very own personal real-life romance. I am marrying the man of my dreams tomorrow. It's been a whirlwind of planning and life the past few months, preparing for the big day. I, of course, got sick last week, and have had a nasty chest cold for 7 days. I'm finally feeling better, so here's hoping I'll be in tip top shape for the wedding day (and night ;-p) That would never happen in a romance novel - the bride getting sick just before her big day! Though I suppose it could be a chance for great conflict in the book! It's certainly been a hell of a thing, trying to work, and get better, and finish up all the million and one little last minute details.

But I am off now to go get ready for my rehearsal and dinner! Wish me luck!

~Rach