Two Up Close and Personal Gatherings for Readers!

Two Opportunities to Get 

Up Close and Personal with Kally This Year!

You know how much I love to hang out with readers. Yes, I'll be doing some of the big conferences (including Lori Foster's Reader And Author Get-Together in June, which is sold out, but there are two public signings, including one Friday afternoon, June 5, which I'll be at, and one Saturday afternoon with other authors) and RomCon (not to late to register for this one in September!).

But I want MORE! More what? More face time with my readers where we can just hang out and enjoy each other's company without too many distractions and overbooked programs.

So I have two events planned this year where we can do just that!

First Up:

the Rescue Me Saga
Sightseeing Tour of Colorado!

From Sept. 21-24, I'm taking a very small group of readers (limit 25, including Charlotte and me!) on a tour of the places in Colorado that will have you feeling as if you walked into the pages of my books. This tour will take place in the days leading up to RomCon (a reader-author conference in Denver Sept. 25-27). We won't spend a lot of time in Denver, but will take a bus to the Breckenridge, Park County, and Beaver Creek areas so I can show you some of my inspiration sights, talk with you about the books and characters, and just hang out for a few days in an amazing place. Of course, I'll have a few places to show you in Denver, too!

We're still planning the trip's itinerary and, honestly, when we created our Google interest form, we didn't quite know what the plan would be. We'll know more after we find out just how many readers are interested in hopping on the bus and what type of lodging we can book! (We could go with hotels or rent a huge vacation house to accommodate one helluva slumber party!) Soon, we'll be asking for a non-refundable $100 deposit at which point we can gauge who is seriously planning to join us. The cut-off to register will be in the next month or so so that we can book the bus and make lodging arrangements. If you'd like to be in on the planning discussions (no need to pay anything at this point), express your interest level for the Rescue Me Saga 2015 Sightseeing Tour of Colorado here. Most likely we'll set up a Facebook group, but if anyone can't be on Facebook, then we can attempt another way of discussing the trip!

Among some of the places we'll visit on the tour are The Pines resort in Beaver Creek (inspiration for the D'Alessio family's lodge/resort), Hoosier Pass (inspiration for Iron Horse Pass, where Cassie's cabin is located), and Alma and Fairplay in Park County (inspiration for Aspen Corners and Fairchance, respectively, in my saga). We'll also visit Mount Evans AND the house in Denver that inspired me as the location for the Masters at Arms Club. (No, you can't go to the door and ask if you can play with Adam, Marc, or Damian! The owners have NO idea how their house was immortalized in the pages of my books!)

I'm so looking forward to sharing these special places with you and just spending a few days hanging out in gorgeous Colorado! This trip will be one-of-a-kind! Do NOT miss the bus! Here are a couple pics of some of the readers who took the first sightseeing tour (in Southern California back in 2013). I promise we'll explore some exciting places, then relax over dinners and other meals as we talk about the books! Cost is all-inclusive (meals, lodging, transportation) but we're still calculating costs until we know how many days we need the bus, how many nights lodging (we counted on two so far in our $400 estimate with double occupancy, but single occupancy would be more, adding Monday night more, or we could make out better by renting a big vacation home--so until I know who wants to go and what we're going to do, I can't set the final price. Hoping to do that by later this month, tho! Definitely before asking anyone to sign up and put down a deposit!)

(Touring the Thousand Steps Beach, site of two hot beach cave scenes)

(Touring La Valencia in La Jolla, inspiration for where Damian and Savannah met)

But that's not all! 

I've invited six special author friends who all write Military Romance (and sometimes in other subgenres) to the second annual KallypsoCon! Joining me this year are New York Times and/or USA Today bestselling authors Sharon Hamilton, Cristin Harber, Elle James, Kennedy Layne, J.M. Madden, and Teresa Reasor. These award-winning authors and I will be gathering for one very special Halloween weekend in New England at Nashua, N.H. Join us, too! The $200 registration fee includes two buffet dinners with drinks, open bar at the Halloween Party, Saturday breakfast, Sunday champagne brunch, presentation and ad-lib sessions with the authors, plus Top Griz (who has helped a number of us with our military and weapons facts!), a two-hour Q&A session with all 7 authors where you can ask anything (and will be surprised at how honest we'll be in our responses!), fun and games, a chance to have a meal with a different author each time, a bag filled with premium swag goodies from each of the authors, and lots of opportunities to hang out in between programmed events for some awesome Military Romance authors.

Here's what readers from all over the United States, Canada, and the world (we had readers from the UK and Australia there!) said about the first KallypsoCon:

“The  whole  weekend  was so much  fun and meeting  you  all was so great.  Often times  you meet celebrities (please know I am a  dork and authors are  celebrity in my  little  world )  and they aren't  as  great as you  thought they  would  be  but you guys  were all so  lovely and flipping hysterical.” (Deana)

“A HUGE shout out to Kallypso Masters for bringing together some of the loveliest ladies, readers, and like-minded thinkers for a more than memorable weekend at Kallypsocon 2014!! We laughed til we cried, and we have stories to tell! (Boy oh boy...!) And a special thanks to each of the amazing authors who made this weekend ROCK!” (Annalise)

“I loved the whole weekend and it was well worth the long flights thank you, Kallypso and Charlotte, for organising it all!” (Ruth)

“I was lucky to be able to attend. All of you who wished you could have been there missed getting to really know all these great ladies. Keep watching for announcement when the next one will be so you have more time to make your dream come true.” (Sabrina)

Don't miss out on the 2015 KallypsoCon (click this link to learn more)! Register TODAY before we fill up the 100 reader spots! I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at this year's events!

Here are some photos from last year's event:


Readers playing Cards Against Humanity with Annabel Joseph

 Discussion during the panel session.

Kennedy Layne will be returning for KallypsoCon 2015 and bringing Hubby Griz (Top Griz to me!) with her this time!

Virtual Signing Ends Soon--and a Peek at One of the New Rescue Me Saga Covers

SOMEBODY'S ANGEL (the newest paperback in this saga) looks fabulous! It's 508 pages long and includes some noticeable changes from the original e-book, so it's time for a re-read! (See below for info on ordering updates--don't pay for updated ebooks of the books you have purchased.)

You still have a few more days to place your order for all four paperbacks with THESE covers (the originals) at Romance Novel Promotions's Virtual Signing Page before I switch over to the new covers in mid May! The ones with these kinky/sexy covers will be guaranteed available if you order by April 30 (and they may continue to be ordered until the cut-off in May, but I don't know what date that will be)! Each book will be signed and personalized as you indicate in your order form.

If you can't pay until May, just e-mail Charlotte@kallypsomasters.com and she'll invoice you. The main thing is that we need to be sure to order and hold your copies with these covers while we can.

Books with both the old and the new covers will have new bonus material that was added in April--a playlist for the first three couples in the saga, and a unique cast of characters and glossary of terms for each of the first four books. But the stories haven't changed substantially since they were first released in paperback (December 2012 through Nobody's Hero and January 2013 for Nobody's Perfect). Of course, I'm always tweaking here and there, but mostly minor word choice. Once a book comes out in paperback, there are no more substantial changes. 

Even if you don't want paperbacks, be sure to get your e-books updated. NEVER PAY FOR AN UPDATE! Work with customer service at Amazon, or ask Charlotte (e-mail above) how to get updates where you bought the book originally. If you ask here how to do it, I'm sure people will know. At Amazon, where most of you bought or receive them, just contact Customer Service. DO NOT WAIT for them to tell you there's an update. That can take months (if it ever happens). These books haven't been added to Amazon's update list, so don't wait, especially if you want your copy to have these covers. (And if you don't want to have them automatically update to the new covers when it happens, be sure to turn off automatic updates.)

And if you want to see what the new covers are going to look like, here's a peek at the first of the new ones. (We're still working on fine-tuning the others!) I've decided to go with this more romantic look in part to make the books appeal to a larger reading audience, because many readers do still judge a book by its cover. While I started out thinking I would be writing erotic romance, it seems that my characters have had other ideas in the last couple books (and the one I'm working on), so these covers are much more in keeping with the overall series. While there will always be hot sex scenes and the use of erotic terms, I just don't provide enough of those to label the books as erotic romance (not since Nobody's Hero, anyway). They always have been much more focused on the romance and life issues than the kink. So the new covers will appeal to readers of other Romance genres, and possibly even mainstream fiction. But the stories within will not change! 

Here's what the audiobook cover for book one (Masters at Arms & Nobody's Angel) looks like. I absolutely LOVE the new covers (I've seen drafts of all but Somebody's Angel so far) and hope you will love them, too! 

And sometime this summer, I'll be revealing the latest--NOBODY'S DREAM, which will be only available in the new style (because it's much more a steamy/sweet Romance than a kinky one about halfway through the first draft).

Again, you can order signed, personalized copies directly from me athttp://romancenovelpromotions.blogspot.com/p/authors-virtual-signings.html and I will sign them to you or whomever you ask me to if you want to give gifts! Thanks!

Keep Calm and Support our Troops!

UPDATE May 9, 2013!

Today's the day I go to Camp Pendleton's Warrior Hope and Care Center to deliver all of the gift cards purchased by readers and by donations from readers and me. Last night, I pretty much cleaned out two grocery stores in Solana Beach (and caused some fuss with the fraud alerts on three credit cards before I realized I needed to call and confirm it actually was a legitimate purchase). 

Here's the first $1,875 in cards I purchased at Vons:

Then I headed across town to Albertson's and bought $2,275 more (I maxed the register out several times at $500):

 And when I got back to my vacation rental, I combined them with the cards I had collected in Kansas City and via snailmail leading up to the big day. In the upper-righthand corner are some certificates for free e-book downloads by some of my author friends who donated them at the Romancing the Plaza book signing in Kansas City. 

I'll still need to pick up a few hundred dollars more to reach my grant total of $5205 (rounded up) collected and purchased gift cards. What a blessing this will be to so many who have given SO much for us. And the contributions came from around the United States, plus one from Canada and two from England! 

Here's the original blog where I announced this project. Next collection will be for an Army facility that treats the wounded and I'm still trying to determine which one I'll use. That drive will be in July/August and at the signing at the Authors After Dark conference in Savannah on August 17. Stay tuned!

Since announcing on Facebook last week that I'm doing a collection of gift cards (and donations) for wounded warriors being treated at Camp Pendleton (where I'll hand deliver the donations in the week after the Romantic Times Convention), I've received the first six donations--and two came from readers in the United Kingdom via PayPal! This started out with me announcing I'd be collecting gift cards while in Kansas City next week--during the the Expo signing I'm doing at Romantic Times Booklovers Convention on May 2 (Sheraton Crown Centre from 4-6 p.m.) and at my separate signing event with 30 other authors called Romancing the Plaza (Marriott Country Club Plaza from 2-5 p.m. Central on May 4). Then I thought why not give my online friends a chance to contribute, too. While time is running out for you to get me a physical gift card by mail (see below), I can accept PayPal donations through at least May 5 using my kallypsomasters@gmail.com account, then I will match that dollar amount up to $3,000, round it up, and purchase Amazon, B&N, Walmart, and other gift cards for online places our warriors can shop for books, video games, movies, etc. 

Why am I doing this? 

Aside from the fact these are the heroes and heroines I love to write about, one of my readers is the mother of a Marine who was treated at Camp Pendleton's Warrior Hope and Care Center after injuries he received in Iraq. She said they soon learned how hard it is for the patients over weekends when there isn't as much therapy work to do. While her son could eventually go home on weekends, he often returned for another week of treatment and therapy only to find there had been several more suicides over the weekend. She said that having movies, video games, and books are a great diversion for them, which sparked this idea to collect gift cards and donations so they can purchase more of these items. That sparked the idea of collecting these cards to take to them.

What You Can Do

Send gift cards in ANY denomination ($10, 20, 25, 40, 50, or more--and in any foreign demonimation, too because Pay Pal will convert it to USD) that can be used at online sellers of books, movies, video games (Amazon, B&N, Wal-Mart, etc.). While I'd prefer to work only with gift cards, if you'd prefer to claim it on your taxes, send a money order or cashier's check (no personal checks, please) made payable to THE WOUNDED WARRIOR REGIMENT and I will deliver those, as well, if received on time (see below).

Where and When to Contribute

* If you can have your donation arrive in my PO box no later than Monday, April 29, please send it to: Kallypso Masters, PO Box 206122, Louisville, KY 40250. (However, any cards that arrive late will be added to the collection total after I return from my Missouri/California travels and will be mailed to my contact at Camp Pendleton's WH&C center later.)

* If you or a friend will be at the May 2 Expo signing Romantic Times Booklovers convention in Kansas City, I'll be collecting at my signing table.
* I'll have two 30-minute sessions in the Club RT room on Friday, May 3--you'll find me at 11:15-11:45 a.m. and 3:45-4:15 and happy to talk, sign, and accept donations at that time.

* If you or a friend will be at the May 4 Romancing the Plaza (Kansas City) book signing (Marriott Country Club Plaza from 2-5 p.m. Central), I'll be collecting there, as well.

* Or you can send a PayPal donation to kallypsomasters@gmail.com--clearly labeled FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS—and I'll purchase the gift cards myself when I get to San Diego County on May 5 to take a break (and WRITE!) while I also prepare for the Rescue Me Sightseeing Tour on May 13 (seats still available!)!

My Ongoing Commitment to the Troops

Because I write about wounded warriors and many of my readers are either veterans, active-duty military personnel, and family members of each, I committed publicly last year to donating thousands of dollars every year to organizations that help our awesome heroes. In effect, every time you buy one of my books, you're donating, as well. For this particular gift-card drive, I plan to match whatever my readers donate directly in monetary and gift card donations (up to $3,000, because I'm also in the advanced guard making monthly donations to the Wounded Warrior Project).

So far, we're at $364.36 (half from readers and half my matching donation). My goal (as you can see in the thermometer widget at upper right on my blog) is to collect/donate $6,000 (half from me and half from readers). All of those $10 or $25 cards will add up quickly because I'll immediately double each one in the first $3,000. Cards in higher denominations can be used to purchase eReaders, gaming systems, DVD players, and such for the common areas at the center. I'll tally up donations as quickly as possibly after the above events and update the widget. I wanna see Blue! (And I don't mean basketball, either!)

I'll be hand-carrying these gift cards and donations to Camp Pendleton sometime between May 7-9 (escorted on base by a wounded warrior amputee who is still active duty AND rides a Harley--no, I won't be riding on the back, but he's so awesome I can't wait to meet him!). I will make sure the people I talk with there know who these generous donations came from. I'll also take them any cards/letters/notes you send with your gift card or donation or to my mailbox.

I'm going to do a similar gift-card collection starting in July through early August before attending the Authors After Dark conference in Savannah Aug. 14-18. That drive will benefit a US Army wounded warrior project yet to be determined. (So far, all of the wounded warriors who have come to me to tell their stories have either been Navy, Marine, or Army. Of course, the Navy and Marines are treated in the same facilities, and since those books have been published, I chose to start with the Camp Pendleton care center.)

Thanks for supporting our heroes! God bless the troops--and your giving heart!

Kally is a New Gramma! (And not getting much work done!)

Meet Erik, Kally's Grandson (born Sept. 22)

My first grandchild, Erik, was a very good boy and waited for Gramma to get at least the first version of HER baby out before he made his appearance into the world Saturday morning. (Yes, there will be lots of hugs and kisses as his reward--as if I needed a reason to reward him.)

Here he is looking up at Gramma. I don't know if the communication is as clear in the still photo, but I can assure you he said, "I love you, Gramma," with his expressive eyes. :)

I just got home from visiting him again at the hospital (although Gramma has gotten herself worn down and has a sinus infection, so I couldn't hold him). But here he is with my son holding his son.

Cleaned-Up Version of Nobody's Perfect--Delayed

As you can imagine, I'm not going to get the cleaned-up version of Nobody's Perfect uploaded this weekend. That also means a delay for the All Romance eBooks and Kobo versions and in sending out review copies. The positive side of being banished from holding Erik, though, is that I'll probably get a little more done in the next couple days while I down lots of OJ and echinacea Ricola.

At the EARLIEST, the new version will be available Wednesday, but I'll be sure to post an announcement here and on Facebook and Twitter when the new files go live at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They'll be on Smashwords first, of course, just as soon as I finish making revisions. I'll include directions for getting new versions at each place in that announcement.

At this point in the editing, the Prologue has been improved (more active voice), but the action remains the same. The biggest changed I'm aware of needing is to a scene in Chapter 12 that will be made safer by using a St. Andrew's cross and a posture collar. (I changed something I shouldn't have and led to a safety issue, and some readers noticed a couple of the editing issues with that scene, as well.)

Buy Links for Nobody's Perfect

The buy links won't change. For the currently available original version of Nobody's Perfect,  as well as the revised one later this week, go to Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. 

Thanks for your ongoing patience, everyone! 

Nobody's Perfect Cover Reveal with Unedited Excerpt, and Birthday Contest!

So happy to unveil the cover for NOBODY'S PERFECT, Damian and Savi's story. What an awesome birthday present! (Read on for an excerpt and link to a great birthday giveaway on Facebook.)


But whips AND chains. What's not to love? I don't know about you but I think it is beautiful. (Savi's a little underweight, but Master Damian will work on that with her.)

UNEDITED Excerpt from NOBODY'S  PERFECT © Kallypso Masters, 2012

For my excerpt, I take you to the opening pages of this book (#4 in the Rescue Me series). This is a few days before the scene in the epilogue of Nobody's Hero.

NOBODY'S PERFECT

Prologue

Savi circled another job listing in the classifieds as Christmas music played in the background. Office clerk. All her years of college and clinicals, she had finally achieved her dream of working as a social worker with young abuse victims. That work had ended abruptly three weeks ago. She needed to find a way to support her daughter and herself until her supervisor could fight Savi's recent firing with the higher-ups in the state's department of mental health services. Unraveling bureaucracy took time. She didn't have time.

Savi opened her laptop mini to update her résumé and do a cover letter, hoping to make it through several more letters before Mari got home from practicing for the children's pageant at church.

The doorbell interrupted her work some unknown amount of time later. She looked at the clock on her desk. Too early for Mari to be dropped off—unless something had happened. Heart hammering against her chest, Savi nearly ran to the front door and opened it, expecting to see one of the youth leaders from the church group.

Lyle.

Bile rose in her throat and she moved to slam the door again. Stupid. Why hadn't she looked through the peephole first? He wedged his foot into the doorway, keeping her from closing the door in his face.

"What kind of greeting is that for an old friend, Savannah?"

Not a friend. Enemy. She gasped to fill her lungs with much-needed air. Dangerous. She needed to get rid of him before Mari came home.

"What do you want, Lyle?"

"Invite me inside and we'll talk."

"You're not coming in. Now leave before I call the police."

He narrowed his eyes and Savi felt the familiar ligatures of fear circling her neck. Vile man. Could she fight him off?

"Let me in, Savannah, or you and your little girl will regret your misplaced bravery."

Marisol. Did he know where she was? Oh, God, she prayed. Don't let Mari come home early. She needed to get rid of Lyle. Now.

"Just state your business. I'm not letting you inside my…"

Without warning, Lyle leaned back then his body slammed against the door sending the edge of the wood into Savi's eye and cheekbone, hurtling her backward until she lay sprawled on the floor staring at his navy-blue dress pants and wingtip shoes. She shuddered as a memory enveloped her. Looking up at the angry man in the three-piece suit towering over her, she realized he didn't even muss a hair on his blond head.

"Ah, just where a slut like you needs to be, Savannah. At my feet. Now let's see if we can hear you scream the way you used to for me."

No! Memories of the degrading things he'd subjected her to at her father's orders, including a most shameful mark she could never erase, she turned over and got on all fours as she scrambled away. Just when she'd thought she was far enough away to stand up and set her feet to defend herself, Lyle's wingtip gouged into her side. The air whooshed from her lungs and she gasped to try and recover her breath.

"Your father asked me to bring you and his granddaughter to him. But I thought perhaps we would enjoy a little playtime first. For old time's sake. What your father doesn't know…"

Another blow struck her side near the same place and panic set in as her breathing became labored.

Breathe!

Maman, help me. Give me the strength to fight him off.

Savi pulled herself up using the hallway table and tried to regulate her breathing again. She turned to find Lyle smirking at her. Bastard. Picking up a brass candlestick from the table, she didn't hesitate as she swung it at his head, striking a blow she hoped had left him stunned. Not waiting for him to recover, she followed up by kicking him in the groin. He doubled over and fell to the floor. As he lay moaning, holding his privates as his head bled on her hardwood floor, she remembered the lessons in cutting off the blood flow to the brain that she'd learned from a veteran Marine who had studied with her in college. She cringed as she touched his neck, hating to place her hands anywhere on him, but finally found the point she sought in his neck and pressed—hard. She counted. By thirty seconds, Lyle's body grew even more limp. She didn't wait around to see how long he'd be out.

Running to the bedroom, she pulled out a suitcase to throw a few clothes into it, but when she tried to lift it, her breathing became constricted again, forcing her to leave it on the floor near the closet. After she filled half of it, she wheeled it to Mari's room and threw in some of her daughter's things, then zipped it up and wheeled it to the kitchen. After grabbing her purse and keys, she stumbled out the back door.

A black BMW sat parked behind her little blue Nissan. She glanced back at her bungalow. Home, but no longer her safe place.

No sign of Lyle yet, but she knew he wouldn't be unconscious forever. She fought to control her breathing again, but refused to escape into her head to dull the pain. Taking as deep a breath as she could and holding it, she swung the suitcase into the trunk and slammed the lid down. Oh dear Lord. She couldn't breathe! She pressed her arm against her chest and the place where Lyle had kicked her repeatedly as she opened the door, got behind the steering wheel, and turned the key in the ignition. She couldn't zone out now. She needed to get to San Miguel's…to Mari.

Then what?

Oh, Savi just breaks my heart! I so can't wait for her and Damian to be together and for him to slay her dragons! 

GIFT CARD & SWAG BIRTHDAY CONTEST

It looks like the book will be published May 31, so I continue to write and edit frantically. In the meantime, I'm celebrating my 54th birthday with a contest on at my Facebook author page . Yes, I am 54 today (April 24) so I am giving away some of the Rescue Me swag (bookmark, romance trading cards, pen, Master Adam "eyes on me" hand fan) AND a $54 gift card to the bookseller (winner's choice--Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, or Smashwords). Open internationally! Random drawing will be held April 25.


Head over to the author page to enter. Just "Like" the page and comment on the Birthday Blast Giveaway thread for a chance to win. (Look for the Nobody's Perfect photo and comment on that thread.)


Thanks for all who posted birthday greetings on my Facebook and Twitter walls! It's been an awesome day--and tonight I'll be having dinner with a fan! 


But first, I'd better get back to writing!

Small Press Treasures Giveaway Blog Hop (March 17-24)

I was invited to participate in this Small Press Treasures Blog Hop by the lovely ladies at SER Awesomeness, who were so awesome to list me among their favorite indie or small-press authors. Between March 17-24, be sure to go to their site to sign up for more prizes by clicking on the blog hop image below!

But wait! Before you do that, you won't want to miss the excerpt and prize package *I* have put together for you here! Keep reading! I'm a day early, too, but will be busy all day getting ready for the Kentucky Romance Writers open house tonight (Hyatt Place, Lexington, Ky., exit 108 off I-75 from 6-8 p.m.--be there if you can!) and our annual workshop tomorrow.

First, some hot fun with Master Adam and Karla! Here's a hot excerpt from Nobody's Hero, available now. I go a little further with this excerpt than I have in others from this scene I've posted. This scene is an erotic tribute to my favorite bodice-ripper scenes from the novels I loved as a teenager back in the 1970s. Adam's a bit, well, medicated. But she finally gets what she's been waiting for since she was 16! Enjoy!

At last, the sleep that had eluded her since Adam was injured beckoned. She surrendered...

Adam’s hard body nestled against her backside, and his arm curled around her waist with his firm hand cupping her breast. She’d had erotic dreams of Adam before and gave in to this one, snuggling against him. His erection—larger than she’d dreamed it in the past—pressed against her ass. The hand on her breast stirred and his finger and thumb rolled her nipple, causing her hips to jerk back against his hard penis.

Karla gasped. Too real. Her eyes flew open to find herself in near darkness, but she came fully awake in an instant. This was no dream.

More like a dream come true.

Adam!

He continued to play with her nipple, teasing it to the point of pain, sending jolts of electricity to her girly bits. She held her breath, not wanting to wake him. Not wanting to stop him.

Touch me.

His hand left her breast and roamed across her abdomen. Oh, dear Lord, had he heard her silent plea? Or had she spoken the plaintive words aloud? She raised her leg, tenting the covers, giving him easier access. Usually she slept in the nude, but the thigh-length t-shirt had been her concession to decency while watching over Adam. She wore no panties and knew she was seconds away from having Adam’s fingers on her…

Touch me there, Adam.

His hand continued to glide down her body, over her hips, onto her bare thigh, then he stopped. No! Not yet! He stroked her inner thigh and pulled her legs even more open, and his hand moved upward. Her heart pounded in her ears.

Oh, yes, love. There.

If he stopped now, she’d surely die. She licked her lips, which had gone dry. When had she started panting like a dog in heat? Oh, dear Lord. She should wake him. This wasn’t right. He didn’t even know he was with her. He could be dreaming of Joni.

No. She wouldn’t think about his dead wife now. Joni was gone. Joni couldn’t give Adam what he needed anymore.

But would Karla stop him, even if she wanted to? She needed his hands on her so badly. Had craved this moment for so many years. When his finger slid over her clit, she gasped. So sensitive. The little nubbin went into spasms. She’d touched herself there before with her fingers and her vibrator, but no one else had ever done so. What a difference—not knowing how he would caress her, where, when, how much pressure.

His finger delved between her curly folds and pressed against her pussy’s very wet opening. He entered her, filling her tight hole, but didn’t go far before he pulled out again and returned to touching her clit. She’d dreamed of having Adam touch her like this for so long. Now he was doing just what she wanted. She’d always hoped one day he would make love to her.

But not like this.

She had to wake him. Whether he was in a deep sleep or under the influence of the pain killers, it was wrong to take advantage of him like this. She scooted onto her back to face him and he nuzzled her neck, his whiskers scratching against the tender skin there. Her clit throbbed against his finger.

“Oh, God, Karla. Now you’ve invaded my fucking dreams.”

Karla? He’d said her name! Adam was dreaming about her. Not Joni. A delicious euphoria spread through her that felt like when she hit a particularly high note with perfect pitch. She relaxed and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, then easing away again when she remembered his injuries. His finger continued to stroke her clit, and she rocked against his hand, moaning.

Don’t stop, Adam.

Her heartbeat sent an insistent throbbing to her clit. More. Oh, dear Lord, she wanted so much more of him. As if he heard her, he raised his body, groaning in pain. Marc had said he should avoid strenuous activity. Oh, God. How strenuous was too strenuous?

All lucid thought vanished as his body hovered over hers, his finger inside her. Instead, she thought about whether she should stroke him; how she should move. With tentative fingers, she stroked his bulging, corded biceps, shivering at the raw power there, despite his having been weakened from the cougar attack.

“So wet,” his voice rasped.

His finger entered her again. Then another finger. Oh, God, yes. She bucked her hips up against him.

“I can’t wait, kitten. I promise I’ll go slower next time.”

Kitten. The endearment melted her into a pool of Jell-O.

He pushed his sweatpants off his hips, releasing his penis. His very hot, hard penis which now pressed against her pussy. He rubbed the tip against her cleft, from her vagina to her clit, again and again. Oh, yes. At last, he was pressing against her pussy, pushing himself inside, slowly filling her. Her hips bucked up toward him, taking him deeper.

“So fucking tight.”

His finger stroked her clit and she moaned as waves of sensation spread through her. She felt as if she would fly off the bed.

“Yes, Adam. Don’t stop.” His finger moved faster. “Oh, God!” She moved her hands up to stroke Adam’s chest. His pecs felt like steel. “Oh, please, don’t stop!” Her hips began to buck even harder, against his finger, his penis.

“Come for me, kitten.”

His finger against her clit stroked faster, sending waves of electricity throughout her pelvis. “Yes. Oh, Adam, yesss!” She found herself just on the edge of a precipice, hovering above the unknown. Step off. Fly. Her breathing stopped. “Oh, oh, ohhhh!” So close. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her. With a groan, he rammed his penis fully inside her.

Her scream of pain filled his mouth and brought his body to a halt. The unanticipated pain registered in her mind a half-second later. Tears stung her eyes. She’d read about the breaking of a woman’s hymen and how much it was supposed to hurt, but she’d had no idea. Luckily, just as quickly as the pain had come, it receded.

“No fucking way.”

She opened her eyes to look up at him and found Adam staring down at her in disbelief as realization dawned.

She whimpered. She wanted. She needed.

“Adam, I saved myself for you. I wanted only you. Please don’t pull away from me now.”

The look of torture and remorse on his face hurt exponentially more than the hurt she’d felt a moment ago. “What have I done, Karla?”

 

Kally's Small Press Treasures Giveaways

Free download of Masters at Arms (Rescue Me Intro)

Everyone's a winner on this item!

(Please use coupon code VZ27G at Smashwords

to get your copy, good through March 31, 2012)

Drawing March 25 for one lucky winner!

There will be a drawing the day after the blog hop ends to select a winner from all commenters on this blog post, using random.org. So, be sure to leave a comment. Let me know what you think about the excerpt, the series, the books to come--or say whatever you'd like!

Free Copies of TWO E-books in Rescue Me Series!

Nobody's Angel (Rescue Me #2) 

Nobody's Hero (Rescue Me #3) 

Nobody's Perfect (Rescue Me #4, due out in May)

Nobody's Dream (Rescue Me #5, due out in August)

An Evil Stick with a Purple Heart

(Okay, if you have a Dom or Master in your life, you'll want to hide this one. OUCH!! The evil stick was made by the awesome Toymaker, a Dom who helped me with Master Adam's Shibari scene in Nobody's Hero and is now helping me with Damian's scenes with Savi in Nobody's Perfect. I think a similar stick will be used in a scene with Damian and Savi, I just haven't written it yet.)

Six Sunday: Giddy-up, Master Adam (Nobody's Hero)

I can't remember if I officially signed up for Six Sunday this week. (I was on vacation in Savannah most of the week and trying not to do much work.) But here's a fun scene from Nobody's Hero for my faithful followers. 

Setup: Master Adam and Karla are in bed and guess who's on top this time? We're in Adam's head and he's the first to speak.

“I need to move inside you, kitten. Are you ready to ride?”

Her pupils dilated and she grinned. “Giddyup, Sir.” She lifted herself up, raised her hand in the air, and shouted, "Yee-hah!"

Damn, woman.

Excerpt from NOBODY'S HERO © Kallypso Masters, 2011, 2012

Thanks for stopping by to read my Six this week! Each week, the new listing of Six Sentence Sunday (SSS) blogs go live at 9 a.m. EDT Sunday. This is a great way to find new authors to follow or read or to get exposure for your own writing! For a list of this week's participants in the SSS blog tour, go to http://www.sixsunday.com/. Search #sixsunday on Twitter, as well!

Three e-books have been published to date in the RESCUE ME series. 

For a list of all of the books and links to purchase sites, 

go to the book listing tab in this blog.  

 

Kally loves to find new friends 
on Facebook and Goodreads. 

Or follow her on Twitter.

 

Censorship Must Stop--How You Can Help (including Mark Coker's suggestions)

In recent weeks, there has been a wave of censorship against erotica and erotic romance authors to remove ALL books with incest, rape, and bestiality from the book shelves. It's complicated. There are nuances. My books were taken down temporarily at one vendor as they self-policed their titles to comply with their own Terms of Services (which have their roots with the PayPal and credit-card companies, of course, as well as what is accepted by traditional publishers). I'm lucky and all my books were reinstated because the incest was a backstory issue, not for titillation. Then there's the whole bestiality thing. According to PayPal, only sex in human form is allowed in a shapeshifter book. Well, the only one I've ever read (Cherise Sinclair's Hour of the Lion) includes at least one scene that I remember where the cougars have sex in animal form. Is that bestiality--or biology?

As an incest survivor, I detest the whole "daddy/daughter" incest and pseudo-incest realm of books. They aren't for me and I don't read or promote them. But other people do want to read them and/or write them. Who am I to say they shouldn't? I'm an adult and I can simply choose NOT to read them. Right?

But as a feminist, a woman, a writer of BDSM romances (which may be the next target), and an independently published author, I find this trend toward censorship and the limiting of choices very disturbing. I have writer friends like Bianca Sommerland who write erotic FANTASY novels that include dubious consent, captivity, rape--something permitted in horror, true crime, mystery, or mainstream novels, but not in erotica, apparently. I won't go into the psychology of it all, but lots of women have rape FANTASIES. Do we want to be raped? Hell to the no. But these FANTASY stories are enjoyable reads for many of us for whatever reason--myself included. (Bianca keeps warning me about my triggers in her books with scene where they play with needles and such, though, so I haven't been able to read the Deadly Captive books--yet.

But under these "credit card" restriction guidelines, the books I read first in the Romance genre and love to this day--Kathleen Woodiwiss's "The Flame and the Flower" and "The Wolf and the Dove," anything by Johanna Lindsey or Rosemary Rogers written back in the 70s or 80s, etc.) would have been censored and banned because they usually had scenes where the hero overpowered the heroine physically (and in every other way--because he was so alpha *melt*) and had sex with her, often without consent (even though readers knew they would end up together with a happy ending because that was all part of the ROMANCE and the FANTASY)!

One of the reasons I began writing again and decided to publish my books for the first time ever was because I didn't have to be "politically correct" anymore. Erotic Romance made that possible. I didn't need flowery purple prose to describe sex and sex organs. Amen to that. And I could write whatever I wanted. And as an independently published author. I didn't have to go through a publisher as a gatekeeper and could write the stories of my heart without being censored, especially as the New York traditional publishers are wont to do. I want all writers to be able to experience that freedom of expression and creativity--and to find an audience that wants to read their books.

Today I received an e-mail from the founder and CEO of Smashwords (the site that was started as a means of allowing authors to publish their own works and taking control of their livelihood). I think he has been incredibly rational throughout this attack (targeting primarily independent authors, as he states). He is fighting back rather than rolling over like many of the publishers and distribution channels seem to be doing who long ago agreed to these rules, just didn't enforce them until now. And he offers some very insightful interpretations--and hand-on actions YOU can do to help stop this before "they" take YOUR favorite books off the shelves.  (That's near the bottom, if you want to skip ahead.)

Please do what you can--and I welcome a serious discussion about the issue on my blog. Please feel free to share and Tweet, as well. While it's hard for me to defend some books that are under the ax--I will defend to the death the author's right to write those stories.  

Kally

________________________________________

PAYPAL CENSORSHIP UPDATE (e-mailed 3/3/12)
(by Mark Coker at Smashwords)
________________________________________

In case you haven't heard, about two weeks ago, PayPal contacted Smashwords and gave us a surprise ultimatum:  Remove all titles containing bestiality, rape or incest, otherwise they threatened to deactivate our PayPal account.  We engaged them in discussions and on Monday they gave us a temporary reprieve as we continue to work in good faith to find a suitable solution.

PayPal tells us that their crackdown is necessary so that they can remain in compliance with the requirements of the banks and credit card associations (likely Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, though they didn't mention them by name).

Last Friday, I sent the following email to our erotica authors and publishers:
 https://www.smashwords.com/press/release/27   Then on Monday, I issued an update, and announced we would delay enforcement of PayPal's guidelines so we and PayPal could continue our discussions:  https://www.smashwords.com/press/release/28

THE PROBLEM:

PayPal is asking us to censor legal fiction.  Regardless of how one views topics of rape, bestiality and incest, these topics are pervasive in mainstream fiction.  We believe this crackdown is really targeting erotica writers.  This is unfair, and it marks a slippery slope.  We don't want credit card companies or financial institutions telling our authors what they can write and what readers can read.  Fiction is fantasy.  It's not real.  It's legal.


THE SOLUTION:

There's no easy solution.  Legally, PayPal and the credit card companies probably have the right to decide how their services are used. Unfortunately, since they're the moneyrunners, they control the oxygen that feeds digital commerce.

Many Smashwords authors have suggested we find a different payment processor.  That's not a good long term solution, because if credit card companies are behind this, they'll eventually force crackdowns elsewhere.  PayPal works well for us. In addition to running all credit card processing at the Smashwords.com store, PayPal is how we pay all our authors outside the U.S.  My conversations with PayPal are ongoing and have been productive, yet I have no illusion that the road ahead will be simple, or that the outcome will be favorable.


BUILDING A COALITION OF SUPPORT:

Independent advocacy groups are considering taking on the PayPal censorship case.  I'm supporting the development of this loose-knit coalition of like-minded groups who believe that censorship of legal fiction should not be allowed. We will grow the coalition. Each group will have its own voice and tactics  I'm working with them because we share a common cause to protect books from censorship.  Earlier today I had conversations with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC).  I briefed them on the Smashwords/PayPal
situation, explained the adverse affect this crackdown will have on some of our authors and customers, and shared my intention to continue working with PayPal in a positive manner to move the discussion forward.

The EFF blogged about the issue a few days ago:  https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/legal-censorship-paypal-makes-habit-deciding-what-users-can-read

Today, ABFFE and NCAC issued a press release:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/83549049/NCAC-ABFFE-Letter-To-PayPal-eBay-re-Ebook-Refusal-2012

I will not be on the streets with torch in hand calling for PayPal's head, but I will encourage interested parties to get involved and speak their piece.  This is where you come in...


HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Although erotica authors are being targeted, this is an issue that should concern all indie authors. It affects indies disproportionately because indies are the ones pushing the boundaries of fiction. Indies are the ones out there publishing without the (fading) protective patina of a "traditional publisher" to lend them legitimacy. We indies only have each other.

Several Smashwords authors have contacted me to stress that this censorship affects women disproportionately.  Women write a lot of the erotica, and they're also the primary consumers of erotica.  They're also the primary consumers of mainstream romance, which could also come under threat if PayPal and the credit card companies were to overly enforce their too-broad and too-nebulous obsenity clauses (I think this is unlikely, but at the same time, why would dubious consent be okay in mainstream romance but not okay in erotica? If your write paranormal, can your were-creatures not get it on with one another, or is that bestiality?  The insanity needs to stop here. These are not questions an author, publisher or distributor of legal fiction should have to answer.).

All writers and their readers should stand up and voice their opposition to financial services companies censoring books.  Authors should have the freedom to publish legal fiction, and readers should have the freedom to read what they want.

These corporations need to hear from you.  Pick up the phone and call them. Email them.  Start petitions.  Sign petitions.  Blog your opposition to censorship.  Encourage your readers to do the same.  Pass the word among your social networks.  Contact your favorite bloggers and encourage them to follow this story.  Contact your local newspaper and offer to let them interview you so they can hear a local author's perspective on this story of international significance. If you have connections to mainstream media, encourage them to pick up on the story.  Encourage them to call the credit card companies and pose this simple question, "PayPal says they're trying to enforce the policies of credit card companies.  Why are you censoring legal fiction?"

Below are links to the companies waiting to hear from you. Click the link and you'll find their phone numbers, executive names and postal mailing addresses.  Be polite, respectful and professional, and encourage your friends and followers to do the same.  Let them know you want them out of the business of censoring legal fiction.

Tell the credit card companies you want them to give PayPal permission to sell your ebooks without censorship or discrimination.  Let them know that PayPal's policies are out of step with the major online ebook retailers who already accept your books as they are.  Address your calls, emails (if you can find the email) and paper letters (yes paper!) to the executives.  Post open letters to them on your blog, then tweet and Facebook hyperlinks to your letters.  Force the credit card companies to join the discussion about censorship.  And yes, express your feelings and opinions to PayPal as well.  Don't scream at them.  Ask them to work on your behalf to protect you and your readers from censorship.  Tell them how their proposed censorship will harm you and your fellow writers.

Visa:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=V+Profile

American Express:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=AXP+Profile

MasterCard:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=MA+Profile

Discover:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=DFS+Profile

Ebay (owns PayPal):
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=ebay+Profile

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