Hi everyone! I’m so excited
today ~ I get to share Helena Harker and a couple of her stories. Isn't that cover something HOT! Whew;) Helena’s an
erotic romance author who writes a number of erotic sub-genres, like Steampunk, BDSM,
historical – to name a few. I’ve been a beta reader to a couple of her WIP and
it only took one for me to become a Helena Harker groupieJ Yes,
she’s that good! Before we get started with a few interview questions – please
give us a bit about you, Helena…
I'm a teacher by day, writer by night, a daydreamer
who loves to escape to other worlds. My fiction is populated by strong men,
passionate women and lots of paranormal creatures. In my free time I enjoy
photography and curling up with a good book.
Well…I enjoy curling up with
your books:) I’m so glad we crossed paths… Okay, Helena, let’s learn about Master’s
Submission…
Please
tell us how the idea came to you for Master’s
Submission.
I had read a lot of stories about submissive women
and they were quite cliché. You know, an assertive woman walks into a BDSM club
and immediately discovers her true submissive nature. Ick! So I decided to
write about a submissive woman—Bethany—who has to get in touch with her
dominant nature. She discovers she’s a switch.
What
drives, motivates, and/or inspires Bethany?
She wants to please
her Master, Dylan. They have a very loving relationship and he’s the one who
gets her to explore her dominant side by telling her she has to be his Domme
for the evening. She doesn’t want to disappoint him, so she puts a lot of
effort into tapping into a part of her personality that usually doesn’t get to
come out.
Which
scene was your favorite to write? Can you share a little of it?
This is a short story, so there are only a few
scenes in the whole thing! I enjoyed showing how clumsy Bethany was sometimes
and adding humor to her play session with Dylan.
Humor
keeps it fresh, fun, and real :0)
What
are you working on now?
Ellora’s Cave has accepted my steampunk erotic
novella Carnal Devices and I will soon be submitting another steampunk
erotic novel called Camellia’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which is set in the same
world. They are both about very strong women who struggle to find themselves
and to find men that complete them.
I
fell in love with so many aspects of these upcoming releases as your beta
reader – the language used is rich with the era and Camellia’s courageous,
strong demeanor makes it a page turner;) Plus, it’s spicy hot *grins*
Where
can we find you? List all of your links.
Twitter: @HelenaHarker
Giveaway: One lucky commenter
will win an ebook copy of Helena Harker’s Master’s Submission, so please leave
a comment (what you like most about
erotic romance) along with a way for us to contact you in case you win;)
Drawing will be on Friday afternoon (12-28-12).
PLUS as an extra for the
Holidays – I would like to add two PDF copies of One Plus One
(contemporary erotic romance novella) and also two PDF copies of Staring
Into the Eyes of Chance (paranormal erotic romance – Book 1 of the
Lycan International Investigation Agency).
First drawn name with win Helena’s Master’s
Submission, my One Plus One and Staring
into the Eyes of Chance.
Second drawn will win my two books;)
GOOD LUCK!!
Master’s Submission
When Bethany reads her Master’s
note, she expects it to contain the usual set of instructions telling her how
to prepare for their Friday evening play session. But her Master asks for the
unexpected—he wants her to be his Domme. Bethany is terrified at the prospect,
but she doesn’t want to disappoint him. She’ll need to tap into her inner
dominatrix if she’s to give her newly submissive lover what he needs.
A Flight of Fantasy
On her way to a romance writers’ conference, Caroline is listening to the latest erotic bestseller on her cell phone. When she drops the phone before walking through the airport metal detector, all the passengers around her get to hear an explicit excerpt from Raw Passions, and they’re shocked. Except for Jack, the stranger who picks up her phone and is eager to start a conversation. They immediately connect, and as they wait for the plane to take off, they text each other, creating a steamy storyline that Caroline plans to weave into her next novel.
Quickie Quiz
Getting to know Helena Harker…
Beverage?
Margarita! I love José Cuervo!
Writing
Tool? My
laptop. If I’m desperate, I’ll pull out a piece of scrap paper and a pen.
Pet?
I have
two cats and would dearly love to have a dog once my kids are responsible enough
to help care for it.
Season?
Spring.
Not too hot, not too cold!
Time
of Day/Night? Night, after the kids are in bed and I can sit at my laptop and write.
Fantasy/Paranormal
Character? (ghost, witch, mermaid, shifter, vampire, etc.) I would love to be a vampire!
Pastime/Hobby?
Photography
and painting.
What
place have you never been and always wanted to go? Hmmm, let’s
see. I’ve been to a lot of places. Probably Scotland and Ireland. Or Australia.
Or Hawaii. I love to travel!
Helena,
I’m so happy to have you hanging out this whole week…through Christmas! I’m
honored:) I’m thrilled at all of the upcoming releases you have coming up –
congratulations! We’re going to have an excellent time…I found my party hat and
dancing shoes – should be a great week:)
Everyone
– don’t forget to take a moment to comment for your chance to win – also show
Helena some love and follow her on FB and TwitterJ
Until Next Time…Warm Hearts and Hugs,
Kay Dee
15 comments:
Hi Helena, your books look great. Congrats.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Kay Dee!
Hello Kiru;) You beat me here this morning ~ I love Helena's books also...like an addiction:) *grins*
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helena, come on in and make yourself at home - I've got coffee and tea...and a great Scandanavian Gold Cake my writer friend Marian Lanouette shared for the Holiday season:)
I'll have a few more questions for you coming up...like how do you develop your characters - do they simply unfold within the story OR do you have a good idea of who they are before you write the story - and if so, what do you do to allow them to develop?
Happy Holidays everyone - come in and please write a comment to be automatically entered into Friday's drawing:)
Scandinavian Gold Cake? Yum! Thanks to both of you, and I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
Hi Helena - It's beginning to look like Christmas here - it's snowing great big flakes:) Pretty;) Do you have snow where you're located?
Happy holidays! I like the different types of stories.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Absolutely love the premise of the story! I haven't read any of your books but you are going on my wishlist :) And I've sent a friend request on FB, so now I'll get to hear all about your upcoming work!
Eva
evitap67(at)gmail(dot)comm
I love erotica because I admire the women who can commit so much to another. I want but can't, I guess. I also like something that takes me away from the mundane, troubling news in the world.
Merry Christmas and thanks for the chance to win.
Gail
djgandyfan@gmail.com
Good Morning - and hope you all had a lovely and happy Christmas:) The holiday season isn't quite over - so you still have time to hug those loved ones:)
Hello bn100 - I love when you stop in...I always smile when I see you - thank you so much for visiting:)
Hi Eva - let me say - you will not be disappointed with Helena's stories...like I mentioned, they are addictive...seriously! Thanks for stopping by - good luck in the drawing.
Gail, hello, I hear you on reading as a means of escape from the sadness sometimes cloaking the world:) You will love Helena's stories...they definitely take you away from the everyday:) There's nothing boring in anything I've read of hers'. Good Luck in the drawing:)
Helena...can you give some insight on where you come up with these strong women characters? They all have such spunk and courage...I admire them. What inspires or influences you with these women's personalities?
I think the strong women characters are simply the kind of women I want to be. They are sure of themselves and know what they want. In my life, as a single mother, sometimes I feel things are out of control, but in a story, I get to control everything. Maybe that's why there are so many BDSM elements in what I write, because of that need for control.
Good Thursday morning, Helena:) I love your response for your strong, intelligent, and courageous heroines. As a single mother I'm possitive you have all of those attributes:)
I have another question for you ~ about how long does it take you to write up a short novella? On an average (this is always difficult for me to answer as every piece is different and to average them all out, each one would take me like 4 - 6 months).
Also, you have books set in historical times...I'm impressed and amazed at all of the history included in such a subtle creative way...my question is: Are you a history buff OR are you consistently researching? AND if researching - where do you find most of your answers?
Okay...coffee time for me - I brought plenty to share...help yourself everyone.
oh my god... love love the cover....
thanks for the giveaway, hope i'll win it :)
How long does it take to write a novella? It seems to depend on the genre. I recently discovered that writing steampunk, with those long flowing formal sentences, is easy for me! I love everything about Victorian times, the clothing, the strict mores, and the restrictions placed on women give me lots and lots to write about. My most recent novella, which will soon be released by Ellora's Cave (Carnal Devices), took me only a month to write (23,000 words) and for me that was super-fast. "Master's Submission" is a quickie, so that took about 3 weeks, and then Ellora's Cave asked me to heat things up before they accepted it, so it took me several more days of polishing it before it was ready for publication. Considering that I work full-time and take care of 2 kids, I think I've been doing pretty well this year!
Thanks for stopping in, Rosalina - what's beneath the cover is as excellent as the cover:)
Helena - I'm amazed when authors can snap their work out in such pristene wordage as you do:) Thanks for sharing more about your process (responding to my questions, also).
Drawing will be this evening EST - there's still plenty of time to enter:)
Good Saturday morning - My apologies for not following through with the drawing last night, but instead it is happening right now - my handy-dandy hubby has drawn two names -
First name: Rosalina Rusli - Congratulations!!!
Second name: Eva - Congratulations to you also:)
Helena and I will be contacting Rosaline as soon as we find her email and Eva you'll be hearing from me soon :)
Thank you all for stopping in to visit with Helena - we had a lot of page views... and a nice amount of commenters - thank you all for taking the time:)
Helena - I love your books and look forward to you coming back soon for another visit:)
Wishing you all an AMAZING New Year full of warm moments that take your breath away and rich with abundant successes:)
Rosalina - I sent you a message via FB - I searched google, but there isn't an email contact or message option for me.
Please read your message and email me so we can get you the prizes:)
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