The Next Big Thing Blog Hop Continues...

Thanks for joining me on this latest stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, week 28. I’m taking the baton from the groovy Karis Walsh, who was generous enough to tag me at the last minute as I ran around in a tizzy of my own making.

The purpose of this hop is to expose folks to writers and their work that perhaps they haven’t heard of, whether a new release or a Work in Progress (WIP).

According to the rules of the hop, I will be answering some questions (the same ones for every other blog hopper) about my newest release, Broken in Soft Places (May 2013, Bold Strokes Books). At the bottom of the post, I’ve listed authors who will do the same thing in their blogs next Wednesday January 9th.

What is the working title of your book? I just released a long, short story called “Return to Me” (which is only available digitally for now) and will be publishing a collection of erotic lesbian stories this June in both print and ebook formats. But the book I’m focusing on here is called Broken in Soft Places.

Where did the idea come from for the book? The plot for Broken is a combination of dozens of ideas I’ve had over the years, but the seed of the story comes from a conversation I had with some friends while drinking far too much red wine. The question came up: What would you do if you ended up in an unwanted threesome simply for the sake of pleasing your lover?

What genre does your book fall under? The book is classified as “general fiction” although there is an unconventional romance at its core.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? If I could time travel, I’d bring in a fierce and nubile Eartha Kitt to play my seductress, Rille. Gabrielle Union gives good virgin, so she’d so a great job as Sara.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A young woman falls under the spell of a gorgeous, older co-ed and ends up involved in a long-term threesome.

What is the longer synopsis of your book?


Some mornings, Sara Chambers wakes in bed next to her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s lover wondering how she ended up there. Beautiful, successful, and a force to be reckoned with at her Atlanta law firm, Sara is still powerless in her attraction to the rebellious and reckless, Rille Thompson.

As college girlfriends, Sara and Rille’s relationship had been incendiary, burning away Sara’s innocence and self-respect even as it widened her world beyond her wildest imagination. Now, almost twenty years later, Rille still pushes Sara beyond her limits, bringing a third lover into their bed and domestic lives when their monogamy gets stale. The hold Rille has over Sara—and their new lover—becomes as powerful as it is dangerous. Can Sara pull herself free in time, or will her life turn to cinders in the wake of Rille’s powerful flame?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? The novel is being published by Bold Strokes Books.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Years and years. It’s the longest time I’ve ever taken to write a book.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? An ex-girlfriend of mine was always encouraging me to stretch myself with the type of fiction that I write. She supported my lesbian erotica but practically dared me to write something different. I wrote a young adult novel over a year ago and now I’m trying this in hopes that the audience that has supported me since my first book in 2005 will follow me with Broken.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The book is sexy, atmospheric, and has plenty of food porn. Are you piqued yet?

Next Wednesday check out the blogs of Skyy and Brook Blander to find out about their Next Big Thing.

Happy 2013. The Year of Eros.

I read online today that 2013 is the year of Eros (defined by The Free Dictionary as “creative, often sexual yearning, love, or desire.” Personally, I think every year should be devoted to the principles of Eros. Life is simply much better with these forces actively at work within us. Love and yearning push us to create. They inspire us to be better for the beloved who is within our sights and in our hearts – even if that beloved is a long term partner and has already seen us at our worst.

If you've been cheating yourself of love and desire in recent months or years, this is your excuse to treat yourself better. Love well in 2013. Create. Give everything. Explore.

- Fiona

To read and subscribe to my latest newsletter, go HERE.

New Bliss/Hunter Short Story in January. Neruda Love. New Book for 2013

Greetings!

Last month was so hectic that I completely forgot to send out (or write) a newsletter for November. So I'm making sure that - even though I'm still crazy busy - I make time to send my greetings far and wide.

My first fall/winter in Miami has been uneventful so far. Days of work and simple pleasures, nights of deep rest. My new neighbor thinks I work too hard and never leave the house, so he's always trying to get me to go out and "enjoy life." On this quest for enjoyment, I'm heading to an AquaGirl meet and greet this Sunday afternoon at The News. Anyone in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area feel like a little company after church, come on down and join me. I'll be the one drinking the fuzzy navel and looking at everybody else like they're aliens.

If I don't see you this Sunday, enjoy the last month of 2012. Chat at you in 2013!

- Fiona

To read the rest of the newsletter and subscribe, follow the link HERE.

Love and Lust in Miami!

Greetings from Miami!

It's been an interesting and hectic transition from small city to metropolis over the last few weeks but, little by little, things seem to be settling down into a working rhythm. Writing, unpacking, planning my first trip to the beach, and writing some more.

I've been swamped with projects this month - a short story and two novels in progress - that threaten my sanity even as the characters surprise and delight me on their journey to what I hope will be a perfect ending for all three. The short story, "Return to Me," is available now on the Kindle and Nook and the first of the novels, Broken in Soft Places will be in stores May 2013.

With all this writing, I'll be missing out on Atlanta Black Pride this year. For all those who will be there and enjoying the festivities, have at least one hair-whipping, sweat-dripping, hip-gyrating dance for me. I'll be at home imagining the glory of the streets and clubs of Atlanta packed with my beautiful people.

Happy September!

- Fiona

To read the rest of September's newsletter, click HERE.

Queering Film

Another bad lez-ploitation film created by a straight man and starring straight women? We'll get the chance to see soon.

Broken in Soft Places - A New Novel (Coming May 2013)

I know it's way too soon. But I wanted to share the cover of my new book coming out many, many months from now because it's so lovely. Over the next few months, I'll share more and more about the book - what it's about, the characters, where to purchase. For now, with Bold Strokes Books, here's Broken in Soft Places.

Neighborhood Musings

Yesterday, as I sat on my rented front porch watching the neighborhood past by, the woman came twaddling down the street - butt rocking, arms swinging, looking ready for an animated conversation with somebody, dammit! Luckily, a friend came walking from the other direction in that moment and the twaddler jumps right into this animated conversation about how somebody she dealt with thought she was DEAD.

Quickly enough, she leaps from this to cussing somebody out. Calls this woman a storm-load of muthaf's and that kind of bitch and the other, then she says, "I can't stand that bulldagga (haven't heard that since high school). That under-cover bulldagga bitch." She says this in a matter-of-fact way, but very serious.

At first I think, "Bitch! Don't no-body want you!" But that might not be true. There's somebody out there for everybody.

Once I stop reacting to her homophobia, I begin to wonder if the real "sin" of this foe of hers was to be "under-cover" versus "up-front with her shit"? I wonder this, because nearly every day, I see this young butch girl - always rapping ghetto-romance lyrics out loud, sometimes sexually explicit lyrics about women. I'm not sure if these are her lyrics or she's just imitating what she's heard. I'm not current enough to know the difference. My point is, no one seems to give her any shit for being OUT (except for her high voice and titty bumps, my visiting friend thought she could pass for a boy), and she's very visible in the community.

Would the twaddler, and perhaps other members of the community, respect or deal better with this "bulldagga" if she was out?