Sexy Halloween Story

by Becca Simone

If you're looking for a short, sexy Halloween read, try Midnight Treat. This story was an All Romance ebooks bestseller. Here's a blurb:

It's mistaken identity gone erotically awry during a Halloween costume party.

Josh Panetti breaks into an apartment Halloween night, thinking he’s fulfilling the sexual fantasy of a woman he just met at a costume party. Instead, he’s broken into Cassie Snow’s place. Cassie immediately realizes his mistake—she’d seen him at the party with her sexy upstairs neighbor. She should tell him he has the wrong apartment and the wrong girl. But she’s always the wrong girl. Would it be so terrible to be the right girl for just one night?

Excerpt:

Something woke her. Cassie’s eyelids popped open behind her mask. Someone was on the fire escape. Her belly clenched as she turned her head slowly in that direction. The dark figure of a man stood framed in the window. Her stomach churned and her entire body tensed. She opened her mouth to scream, but then she recognized him. Zorro. From the party. Obviously, he was on his way upstairs. Last Halloween, she’d caught a man in a gorilla suit scaling the metal ladder. The other Marie must have a thing for the fire escape.

Zorro hooked his hands under the frame and tugged upward. She gasped. He was coming inside! He swung his leg quietly over the windowsill, his foot touching carpet.

“You told me you were on the fifth floor,” he said as he swung his other leg inside and unfolded to his full height. His voice was deep and raspy. His white teeth flashed in the dim light as he grinned. Oh. My. God. Zorro was in her apartment.

“I, ah—” He must have seen her through the window and thought she was the other Marie. Again. Her insides fluttered with possibilities.

Tell him! He stalked toward the bed like a wild animal hunting its prey. He eased the sword from its sheath and leaned over her, holding it above her face. She, Cassie Snow, was smack dab in the middle of another couple’s naughty fantasy. Her eyes widened and need pulsed between her legs. Tell him he’s in the wrong apartment!

“You said you like to be scared,” he growled, right before he clamped a hand over her mouth and pressed the back of her head into the pillow.

He held the long silver blade in front of her eyes. “Make a sound and you’re dead. Understand?” She nodded and immediately stilled. She knew she should tell him he had the wrong girl. But she was always the wrong girl. Was it so horrible that she wanted to be the right girl for a change? Was it so wrong that she wished, just for one night, to be someone else? Someone who acted out naughty role-playing?

Becca Simone is an erotic romance writer. You know what that means, right? She has lots of hot sex with all sorts of hot men, at all times of the day and night, in all sorts of exotic places, and in all sorts of wild ways. And then she writes about it in her stories.

Did you happen to notice her initials? B.S. Yeah. You figured it out. You can learn more about Becca and her writing on her website. Midnight Treat is available here.

The Perfect Hero

Welcome to the 8th stop in the Bunny Hop Tour for Romance Writers Behaving Badly. To start at the beginning and find out how you can win some great books and prizes, go here.)

The perfect hero.

If I were to create the perfect hero, I’d model him after actor Gerard Butler. I’d need to call him something else, obviously, which is fine by me as I’ve never been a fan of the name “Gerard.” I like the last name though. His first name would be something with hard consonants like Colton or Jake or Mick. I’ll go with JAKE BUTLER.

Jake grew up in Scotland, and has a dual citizenship with the U.S., so he travels back and forth often. He was raised by a single mom with two older siblings. As the youngest child, Jake grew up getting what he wanted when he wanted it. That hasn’t changed. He still gets what he wants when he wants it. Including women.

Jake is a smart guy. In fact, in law school he was president of the school’s law society due to his intelligence, social skills and charm. He used his smarts and charm to work his way up the ladder in his law firm.

Jake’s not only smart, rich and successful, he’s also a nice guy. Once when hiking along the banks of a river, he heard the shouts of a woman nearby whose son was flailing in the water. Without a thought to his own safety, Jake dove in and saved the boy from certain drowning.

From the outside looking in, Jake seems to have it all. His life appears "egg"ceptional. But inside, something’s missing. He decides to take a leave of absence, sell his high-rise penthouse and travel the world for that elusive missing something.

What kind of woman could be the missing link in this hero’s life?

Thanks for coming on the Bunny Hop Tour with Romance Writers Behaving Badly! You should have just come from http://chloewaits.blogspot.com and next in line is http://jeannestjames.blogspot.com.

Erotic Love in the Springtime blog tour for Romance Writers Behaving Badly

Welcome blog hoppers! This is the kickoff tour for Romance Writers Behaving Badly. You can win BIG if you start at the beginning and comment on every blog. You can win up to 5 books!

You should have just come from Lissa Matthews' blog. The starting blog is Romancing Writers Behaving Badly.

by Becca Simone, TWRP author

The coming of spring always brings to mind spring cleaning. But housework is SO not erotic (unless you’re my great aunt, whose DH insisted she clean house naked, but that’s a whole other post).

Spring is when many of us look ahead to the summer and realize we’d better get our diet and exercise program in gear. I think it’s also a great time to renew our sexual selves, too.

What changes can you make to your body and mind to feel more sexy and fresh? Here are some ideas.

Let’s start with the obvious.

If you’re like some of my girlfriends, you don’t shave your legs much in the winter (I have to, because I wear fitness shorts and capris in my day job). Unless your honey likes your legs as hairy as his, I’d suggest buying a good razor and using it.

How’s your bikini line? A razor works well here, too. My DH and I are fine with me just trimming the edge of the forest a bit, but I know some couples who like the Brazilian wax, otherwise known as The Sphynx, which involves the complete removal of all hair down there. Now, I have two problems with this. 1) It’s named after a smooth-skinned, hairless cat. Ick. 2) I know the position I’d have to be in to get this done, and the only face I want upclose and personal with my naked ass cheeks and naughty bits is Mr. Simone’s. But if you and your man think bald is beautiful, schedule an appointment now.

Since we’re talking hair, how about getting a new haircut? There’s nothing like a hot new hairstyle to make you feel sexy and desirable. And when you feel sexy and desirable, your honey benefits.

Have you been doing your kegels? Strengthening the muscles that form the pelvic floor will lead to more gratifying sex for both you and your partner. Don’t know how? The easiest way to locate these muscles is while you’re peeing. Squeeze the muscles that stop the flow of pee. You just did a kegel. Squeeze and release whenever you think about it, because you can do them anytime, anywhere. No one will know. I do kegels whenever I’m at a stoplight/sign or standing in line. My favorite time to do them, though, is when I’m talking to really uptight people who’d be mortified to know I write erotica. Makes me smile inside because they have no idea that I’m working my sex muscles during our conversation. Aim for 100 a day. Your sex partner will thank you.

Hips a little tight? Looser hips inspire lots of new and exciting sexual positions.

Hip opener #1: The cobbler pose from yoga. Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together and near your groin. Let your knees fall open toward the floor. Relax and breathe into the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

Hip opener #2: From cobbler pose, push your feet forward along the floor until you can barely reach them with your fingertips. Flex your feet, grab your toes and pull yourself forward toward your feet. You’ll feel this in your bum and hips.

Inner thighs a bit weak? Strong thighs are a huge turn-on to men. And you’ll love the power rush.

Inner thigh exercise #1: Lie on your back on the floor or bed with your legs in the air. Put a big exercise ball or fluffy pillow between your ankles. Squeeze and release 20x. Pretend you’re trying to pop the ball or pillow. Repeat 3x.

Inner thigh exercise #2: Wide-legged squats. Stand with feet more than hip distance apart, toes turned out (so knees track over them as you squat). Keeping your back straight, lower your hips slowly toward the floor. Squeeze the bum hard as you straighten your legs. Repeat 20x.

When was the last time you bought new undies? Or a new bra? Or some sexy lingerie? Take your honey lingerie shopping with you. Have him pick out his fantasy outfit for you, then you also pick out something that makes you feel and look desirable.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure you have many more ideas. I’d love to hear them (so would Mr. Simone). What can you do this week to refresh your sexual self?

You can learn a bit more about me on my website or on Facebook. My story Midnight Treat is available now at The Wild Rose Press.

Next on the blog tour is: Keta Diablo's blog.

All readers who post on each and every blog for the Romance Writers Behaving Badly tour are eligible for some great prizes: FREE BOOKS!

Becoming a less neurotic writer AKA Creative Recovery

by Becca Simone

A while back, I set out on a journey to become a less neurotic writer in 12 weeks, using The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron as my guide. Well, I’m realizing it’ll probably take way longer than that. I have a lifetime of bad habits and neuroses to overcome. Cameron calls this journey “creative recovery.” Hmm. That has a much more positive ring to it, doesn’t it?

My personal journey involves daily journaling, meditating, yoga and nature walks. I haven’t been doing any of those things as much as I would like, but I am making progress.

I normally have the meanest, bitchiest internal editor to ever walk the face of the earth. Her name is Helga. Ugly name for an ugly being. She is downright cruel. You should hear what she says to me. It’s not even printable.

During the month of November I’ve been involved in NaNo, and I think the frantic, don’t-look-back pace of writing has helped me to avoid, or at least temporarily shut up, Helga a bit. Thank God.

Some things I’ve read in The Artist’s Way have really hit home. In Week 3 Cameron talks about how anger is at the root of much of our creative neuroses. She says that “in the recovery of a blocked artist, anger is a sign of health.” Awesome. I must be a flippin’ health guru, because I’ve been mad a lot. Recently, a couple of writer friends/acquaintances who just started writing achieved greater success (ie: big sales to major publishers) than I have in all my years of struggling. I went through the mature reactions of “It’s not fair!” and “They haven’t paid their dues!” and listened when Helga told me that I’ll never achieve similar success because I suck as a writer.

Yeah, it was a really pleasant time in the Simone household.

Cameron asks us to pinpoint what it is we’re really mad at. She says anger is our friend—it will always tell us when we have betrayed ourselves. This was an “a ha!” moment for me. I’m not really angry at these friends or even the situation. I’m angry at myself—for the opportunities I didn’t explore, the countless hours I’ve wasted not writing, the wrong turns I’ve taken. It’s all about me. Now that I realize it’s me I’m pissed at, now maybe I can redirect that feeling into my work.

Cameron also talks about synchronicity, which is another word for answered prayers. Be careful what you wish for, knock and the door will open, ask and you will receive, however you want to say it. Cameron says once we begin our creative recovery, synchronicity will pop up everywhere. It’s really true. It’s happened to me. I experienced this just recently. I was just telling one of my CPs that I really want to do a blog under my pen name but didn’t have the time to go solo. I wished I knew of a group of erotica writers to blog with. The very next day I get an email from a fellow erotica author asking if I might be interested in joining a new group blog. Can you hear the Twilight Zone theme song here? Weird, eh? Another recent instance was as I worked on a promo plan for my next release. I wrote in my notebook to brainstorm creative places to hold a booksigning. That very day, a friend told me she’s planning a huge naughty toy party in February, right in time for Valentine’s Day, and would I be interested in selling some of my books there?

Try it for yourself. Put your wish or desire “out there” and see what happens. And keep me posted.

12 Weeks to Becoming a Less Neurotic Writer

by Becca Simone

Writers are neurotic. Isn’t that a given?

I’ve been in this industry for years, have dealt with my share of ups and downs, roadblocks, writer’s block, every type of block you can imagine. I’ve seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

I’ve seen success come easily to some, while for others—like me—every step is a well-fought battle. The longer I write, the more I understand why many writers before me have turned to alcohol, drugs or other addictions. Luckily, my only addictions are chocolate and Cheetos—good for the soul, bad for the waistline. My body’s saving grace is that my “other” job is fitness trainer and instructor (ie: I get paid to work out). Otherwise my fanny would be the size of Europe. As it is, it’s merely the size of a small country, not a continent.

Usually, I can handle the craziness. Sometimes, however, this business just makes me want to dig a deep hole and hibernate in it. I think anyone who writes can probably relate.

I hate feeling this way, so I’ve decided to do something about it. Looking back on my personal life, the time I felt most grounded and centered was when I had a regular yoga and meditation practice. Looking back on my writing life, the time I felt the least neurotic was early in my career when I didn’t know any better. It wasn’t long after I’d started writing that I read the fantastic book The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. It’s a 12-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks.

So…for the next 12 weeks I plan to combine the above efforts and share them with you on this blog. I’d love it if some of you wanted to travel this path with me, but feel free to just live vicariously through my craziness.

Here are some of the tasks “required” in The Artist’s Way:

A daily 20-minute walk outside. This will (hopefully) clear the head, work the body, bring oxygen to all the cells, and help me work through any creativity issues I might have. I plan to kill two birds with one stone and bring my energetic German Shepherd puppy with me. He’s 95 pounds of pure Tasmanian Devil.

Daily “morning pages.” This is stream-of-consciousness writing, like keeping a journal. Do this first thing upon waking up, every single day. I started doing Morning Pages about 10 years ago and have been pretty good about keeping this up. My day just doesn’t feel right unless I’ve written my 3 pages. I never go back and read them. And when my notebook is full, I shred it.

A weekly “artist date.” For at least one hour weekly, I’m to do something or go somewhere that feeds my soul. By myself. This could be browsing at a local antique store or flea market. Taking a hike along the river. Browsing a used bookstore. Driving some back roads and exploring the countryside. Whatever.

As mentioned above, I feel best when I practice yoga and meditate. So, I’m adding those to my daily and weekly To Do list.

Yoga – 2-3x a week. I teach one yoga class, so I’ll need to add one or two more practices on my own.

Meditation – this is the hardest for me. It’s really difficult to sit with my stillness and not have thoughts racing through my head at a million miles an hour. So, I’ll start slowly. Just 3 minutes of stillness, focusing on my breath. Every day.

Week One
Artist’s Way—“Recovering a Sense of Safety”
Basically, Ms. Cameron is saying that many of our blocks are due to fear, and only we can determine what we’re afraid of. My favorite quote from this chapter is, “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”—Joseph Chilton Pearce. I take this to mean that as I’m writing and working on my WIPs, I shouldn’t be so worried about it being “good” or “sellable”, but instead focus on getting the words down on the page. And to enjoy the process.

She says if we’re blocked in any area of our life, it’s probably because we feel safer this way. Hmm. She suggests writing down all our negative beliefs about our creativity (in this case, our writing) and then turn those around and make a positive affirmation out of each one. “Negative beliefs are exactly that: beliefs, not facts,” she says. “The world was never flat, although everyone believed it was. You are not dumb, crazy, egomaniacal, grandiose, or silly just because you falsely believe yourself to be.” Whew! That’s good to know.

I’ll check back here in a week to let you know how it’s going. Unlike with personal training, where I can measure my clients' before and after stats like body weight, body fat, and inches, there are no measurements with this plan to tell me if I’m less neurotic. I guess I’ll just have to go by how I feel. Is my internal editor a bit quieter? Am I being more productive, with less time just staring at my blinking cursor? Do I still feel like crawling into a hole and hibernating? Am I enjoying this process again?

Think about joining me. We can be crazy together.

Becca Simone's first erotica release, MIDNIGHT TREAT, is available now at The Wild Rose Press. Her characters aren't nearly as neurotic as she is.