Dorian vs Derek: Dueling Doms

It’s always interesting to me how people react to our Velvet Ice (i.e.: our BDSM) titles.  Neither Sierra nor I are a part of the lifestyle, but we’ve both sought out people who are as a kind of “reality check” for our characters.  So my most recent “hmmm” moment comes on the heels of the releases of Unmasking Dorian and Velvet Valentines.

Dorian was supposed to be a “hard core” Dom.  In an earlier book (Meredith’s, I think, though he made an appearance in Carrie’s and Daniel’s books, too) we caught a glimpse of him leading a sub around on a leash.  At that point in our writing, the idea of that kind of submission seemed very exotic to both of us.  I wonder now, though, if we didn’t push the envelope enough in Dorian’s story. 

Derek, on the other hand, was so far into denial that when he finally snapped the chain, man he did it in a BIG way.  Writing the scenes between Elise and Derek pushed the boundaries of what I was comfortable with on a lot of levels.  Because the level of intimacy Derek (and Elise – maybe even more from Elise) demanded, I think it made me a little uncomfortable.

Interestingly, readers seem to prefer Derek.

Looking back, I wonder if that’s because of the BDSM elements in the stories, or if it’s got more to do with the emotional intimacy of the relationships.  It’s a riddle.  I also have to wonder how readers will react to our next book, Velvet Submission, which will be out Monday night, 3/1/10.  Submission is our second venture into the mind of a Domme.  The first, Binding Ben, was pretty successful at Phaze. 

Submission brings back two of my favorite secondary characters – Megan from Sinful treats, and Gregori from Unmasking Dorian.  Both characters are wounded, and neither realizes how much they’ve allowed their pasts to shape them.  Megan and Gregori gave me all sorts of trouble – each was so sure that s/he was right, and neither wanted to bend.  Of course, this made it even more luscious when they gave in!

I hope you’ll check out Velvet Submission when it’s available (that’s Monday evening, 3/1), and I hope you’ll check out Dorian and Derek’s stories if you haven’t already.  We’d love to hear what you have to say!

Vj

A thank you to our readers adn an easy contest!

We want to send our heartfelt Thank you to all of our readers. As VJ and I move into our 3rd writing we wanted to celebrate with all of you who have picked up our books.

To thank our readers we are running a contest. We’ll be giving several goodies away. What do you have to do…..it’s easy

1) Write and TELL us your favorite book and why you enjoyed it?

2) WHO is your favorite character and why?

3) What or whose story are you interested in seeing in the future?

So drop us a line at violetsummers@yahoo.com

Sierra and VJ

LIVE THE FANTASY FEEL THE DESIRE

ENTER INTO THE EXOTIC EROTIC WORLDS OF

VIOLET SUMMERS

Violetsummers.com

violetsummers@yahoo.com

You can also find us on MySpace and face book.

Love is in the air...

At Liquid Silver Books!  That's where, after seven tonight, you'll find ouor newest Velvet Ice novella, Velvet Valentines!

Velvet Valentines takes us back to the club, gives a couple mouthwatering glimpses of Brady and Master Sin, and introduces us to an entirely new level of D/s.  This one, I think, pushes the envelope for us - in the very best of ways!  We hope once you've read it, you'll let us know what you think!

Oh, and check out the KILLER cover!!!  April Martinez is a GODDESS!!!

Now, I'm off to pray for MORE snow - I need me a snow day, baby!

Be safe and warm!

VJ

Live the Fantasy?

It's not just the "tagline" for Velvet Ice - "Live the Fantasy", I mean.  We've been living the fantasy - I never really believed that the day would come when people actually paid money for my little stories - and we want our readers to live the fantasy, too.  That is, the urban fantasy, and the epic fantasy.  Like in our paranormal for Liquid Silver, Saving Jenna.  And our urban fantasy last summer for Loose-Id, Longfellow Seduced.  Both are critically acclaimed (ooh, I sound pretentious!), and (in my humble opinion) pretty effing-fantastic, but no where near as popular as the Velvet Ice/BDSM books.  Huh.  Color me confused.

Now, we've started a new series for Changeling; The Queens of Merab.  It's in the style of epic fantasy - a good friend compared it to the flavor of Anne Bishop's Dark Jewels novels (I LOVE Anne Bishop, and love even more being even remotely compared to her!).  In these stories our Crown Princess, Temair, must collect her four Consorts (one for each magical element: Fyre, Rayne, Aire and Earth) so that she can ascend and become Queen.  Oh, and she must also foil a plot by the men of Merab to overthrow the Queendom.  Sierra and I have worked incredibly hard on these stories - and I'm so proud of how they're evolving.  Doing a series gave us the opportunity to really create layers, and our writing is showing the growth.

Please, oh please, let our readers enjoy Merab as much as we do!  If you'd like to check our newest adventure out, head to changelingpress.com.  Right now we're still on the homepage (Yay!). Give Temair a read, and PLEASE let us know what you think!  Paranormal is such a love of ours as authors - we truly want your opinions as readers!

Meantime, Happy Saturday!  Hugs!
VJ

New Release From Mina Carter!

We're thrilled to share a new release from a new friend, Mina Carter, and our new, fabulous publisher, Changeling Press!

Tori's trying to find Mr. Right. So far all she's found are Mr. Arrogant, Mr. Self-Obsessed and Mr. Downright Scary. When her latest date ends in her dumping her drink in her date's crotch, a frustrated Tori takes matters into her own hands. One quick spell later and her very own Mr. Right is standing in her bedroom. So what if he's a wraith, a magical construct. She doesn't care. He'll do the job far better than any of her buzzing friends.

However, the ghostly hunk standing by her bed is hiding more than one secret: like the fact he's not a wraith at all, but a sorcerer looking for a way back to the land of the living. Jacob needs an in, a chink in some mortal woman's armour. He needs to hear the words "I love you."


Available now from Changeling Press!

Available NOW from Mina Carter and Changeling Press!

A NEW SERIES

 We have been given the chance to write our first fantasy series. It will take place on the planet Merab and will tell the stories of three Queens. What's even better is each of these Queens will have four...yep you read it correctly four mates.
Each Queen is also the regent of their own continents where everyone are shifters.
One continient the shifters are the elements. On another the shifters are animals and the third the shifters are magical creatures.
We are excited to tackle this new world. The the same time we are also going back to the world of the Longfellows where we learn the story of Eden and Silas and what happened all those years ago to freeze Silas and kept Eden from her family.

An embarressment of Riches

An Embarrassment of Riches

Sometime in my life I must have done something very good, because God’s been shooting the riches back at me pressed down, shaken up and running over for the last week or so.

We started with that scathing (in my mind) rejection of Saving Jenna, which left Sierra and me both scratching our heads and wondering what story the acquiring editor had read. It somewhat soured us on submitting to that particular publisher. They rejected Carrie’s Answer on the grounds that it lacked introspection and emotional depth (huh?), and Jenna for the same reason. So I started the week somewhat sad and confused.

Then we submitted Jenna to Liquid Silver. The acquiring editor’s comment was “with Angela Knight’s comments (she judged us in the SOM contest and used those magic words: New York), I can’t believe y’all are offering this to us and not New York.” How’s that for validation?

Then Wednesday rolled around.

First came the e-mail with the offer for our first submitted paranormal, Hungry Like the Wolf. We were, of course, thrilled.

Then came the e-mail with the contract for our Halloween novella, Sinful Treats. We moved from thrilled to giddy.

Then came the offer for Saving Jenna. We moved from giddy to high as kites.

We spent Thursday in a blissed out daze, which was only increased when OUR editor, our Terri whose opinion we respect so thoroughly, told us that she thought we should really think hard about sending our next “big” project to an agent with the idea of moving on to New York. This took us from “high” to hysterical in a nano-second.

Will we submit to New York? Eventually we probably will. I know that on many levels Sierra and I are both perfectly content to continue on with e-pub’s. We’ve been blessed beyond any expectation working with Liquid Silver, and for myself, the whole point of writing is to share my stories, not to be “rich and famous.” But I gotta admit, the idea of walking into Border’s and seeing my book on the new release kiosk next to an Angela Knight or a J.R. Ward is pretty heady stuff!

Oh, and to round off our amazing week, Phaze offered us a contract on The Dom Next Door, the sequel to Binding Ben (which will be out August 25th). Like I said, I must have done something good, because I’m surly being rewarded! And I’m incredibly grateful.

Cheers!