Hello Karenna Colcroft here, having just remembered that I’d scheduled myself to blog today and having absolutely nothing planned about which to blog. So I’m just going to wing it…

That’s what I do with my writing quite a bit, actually. Wing it. When I’m working on a first draft, I sometimes have only the vaguest idea of where the story’s going to end up. I get the basic plot idea, character names, and how the hero and heroine meet, and then I start typing.

Sometimes that works better than others. With my novella You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This, the plot went a bit off course. I had the general idea right, but the execution wasn’t that great, and my editor ended up asking me to redo quite a bit before it could be accepted. Fortunately, I got it right the second time!

I’m currently working on a new novella that I plan to submit to PPB (editors, consider yourself warned!), and I’m rebuilding it after scrapping almost 9000 words. I’d gotten almost 20,000 words into the story… and the hero and heroine hadn’t even kissed yet! That wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been trying for a sweet romance, or for a novel, but I’m writing what’s supposed to be an erotic-ish romance novella. So I got rid of a lot of extraneous stuff, and now I’m back on track. I hope. They’ve kissed, and the heroine is interested in more, so I think the story’s going to go the way I want it to this time…

Once in a while, I actually do plot a novel, but even then there’s a good amount of “start typing and see what happens.” With my novel Eternal Love, I did a lot of plotting in advance, along with some brainstorming with a friend of mine who encouraged me to write the story in the first place. But once I started writing, some of the plot ideas I’d come up with went straight out the window, and some new things that I hadn’t anticipated popped into the story.

I don’t mind when my stories go off course from any brainstorms or plot notes I’ve made. For me, part of the fun of writing is seeing where the story decides to go.

Ghosts And Lovers
by Jaime Samms
erotic paranormal M/M novella (12,000 words)
$2.54

Timmy has lost one family member after another, and now he’s losing his eyesight, as well. It’s no wonder he holds tight to the ghostly lover who always seems to meet him in the park in dead of night when he’s tired of being alone.

Lately, though, Tim’s been hearing other, less friendly voices out of the dark, and his long-time friend and neighbor, Mark, is worried. When he tries to intervene and suggest Tim start acting more like the blind man he is, Tim refuses his help only to find he can’t hang onto his ghosts without paying a very personal price.

When his ghost lover finally says good bye, Tim finds he maybe should have listened to Mark after all, only now, it might be too late.

Excerpt:

“Gordie, please. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just–” he threw up his hands and let them fall. The sound of them slapping against his thighs was small in the vast land of blurred shadows and damp, heavy air. The humming grew louder again and he moved on. “Mark’s already gone anyway.”

“He’ll come back.”

“Maybe not.”

“You need more than ghosts, Tim?tim.”

“I don’t.” Tim held out a hand. “Gordie? Stay with me?”

Abruptly, the humming ceased.

“Gordie?”

In the far distance, he heard it again, deep in the park, past their usual meeting place. He hastened his steps toward it, feeling the urgency in the rapid buzzing that reverberated through his chest, rang in his ears, and made his head hurt. Gordon had never made his head hurt before. Whatever he wanted, it must be important.

“I’m coming, Gordie.” He stumbled down the little embankment, falling to one knee and rolling the last few feet to the bottom of the hill. Getting up, he took a moment, lifted his face to the wind, to the sound that vibrated the very air, and moved on. Dew drew out the damp smells of earth and grass and rusted metal as he passed the swing set of his youth. The chains creaked under the slight pressure of his hand. He jumped. Sand shifted out from under him and he fell again. The gritty stuff under his palm smarted. The smell of cigarette smoke blew across his face. He rose and turned into the breeze, searching for the humming. It came again, further away. He started to move. The cigarette smell grew stronger and he smiled. “Gordie, come on. Just let’s go lie down under the tree. Like before.”

“Go home!”

“Gordie?” Tim stopped in his tracks. Gordon had never rejected him before.

A shrieking grate assaulted his senses. He clapped hands over his ears, but it didn’t shut out the sound. It bounced around inside his head, rose in volume and frequency until he was writhing on the ground, desperate for it to stop.

“Leave him alone!”

>“No.” Weight settled on top of him, like a person, much bigger than himself, straddling him. The stench of sweat and staleness slagged over him, the air grew cold and thick around him, and he knew this was something he hadn’t experienced before. This wasn’t a familiar, friendly ghost, but something else completely.

“Why should I leave him alone? He can see me too. Why shouldn’t I get to share? You think you have some monopoly on him, punk? You always thought that.”

“Get off!” Tim wrestled with the weight, but an incorporeal ghost didn’t offer much purchase. The squealing now was a fever pitch inside his head, making his eyes water, making him whimper in pain.

“Stop it. You’re hurting me.” He squirmed, to no avail. “Gordie?”

The humming calmed, slightly, but the weight bore down harder.

“He can’t help you, little blind man. All he can do is watch. All he ever did was watch. Then he wouldn’t let me near you. Thought he owned you. Little bastard. But I did him good. He can’t help you now.”

Hands groped him. Phantom hands, rubbing against him, sliding between his legs, squeezing his balls, and he wanted to scream. Fear clogged his thoughts, pushed his heart up through his throat and blocked the sound of his voice. He pounded his fists into the air, against a chest that wasn’t there and he struggled to rise, and Gordon’s warning echoed through his head.

Someday, someone else will find you first.

The words snaked down through him, a frigid glide of terror as the weight crushed his chest.

“Gordie, please. Get it off me.” The words croaked out, squeezed from him under the groaning protest of his ribs. The humming stopped. The shrieking sound of rusty hinges whined down through the night. The weight disappeared. The smell of cigarettes wafted around him. Tim sobbed with relief, reached, but there was nothing to touch.

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Their Home Port

by Karenna Colcroft
Erotic contemporary romance (Novel 50K+ words)
$5.09

When Reesa Boyd goes on a date with yet another Mr. Not-Quite-Right, she doesn’t expect to end the day with a job offer
from the owner of Marine Tow, a marine assistance towing company. On her first day of work, she meets Micah Ward, son of the Marine Tow owner and the company’s best captain. And the man who steals Reesa’s heart. Although the instant attraction between them catches her off-guard, she’s willing to open herself to the possibility
of a relationship with him.

During a tropical storm, Marine Tow’s boats are cut loose and Micah takes off alone to recover them. Will he make it
through the storm, or will Reesa lose the first man she’s truly loved?

Excerpt:

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Micah looked up at her, still licking and lightly nibbling at her. Even more than the physical contact, that smug, satisfied expression on him pushed her further toward the edge. Something about eye contact with a man who truly seemed to enjoy giving oral just did it for her. Not that she’d been fortunate enough to have that experience often.

He licked along her slit and plunged his tongue inside her. She contracted around it and cried out wordlessly. He pulled back, and after a moment replaced his tongue with a finger that quickly found just the right spot inside her. His mouth returned to her clit.

Within her, the explosion built. It had been months since a man had touched her. She’d barely touched herself in that time, in fact. Somehow masturbating after months of having a man to do it for her just hadn’t appealed. She’d built up a backlog, and if Micah kept on with what he was doing to her, she would come harder than she ever had. It hovered there inside her, just waiting for the right touch, the right stroke, to bring the flame to full power.

It took only seconds for Micah to give her that touch. With his finger against her G-spot, rubbing just hard enough to blur the boundary
between pleasure and pain, he sucked her clit between his lips. Screaming, Reesa closed her eyes against the sparks and stars as the orgasm ripped through her. She bucked, and her back bowed, lifting her ass from the bed.

Micah’s strong hands cupped her butt cheeks as he continued fingering and licking her. “Stop, please!” she begged, barely able to catch
enough breath for the request. “No more.” She panted heavily. “No more.”

Micah leaned back on his heels with a self-satisfied smirk. “Damn, I’m good.”

“Wait for me to say that.” She tried to slow her breathing, but kept gasping for air. Aftershocks ran through her pussy, and her legs still
shook. “Damn, you’re good.”

“Are you all right?” he asked seriously. “Never thought I’d hear a woman tell me to stop.”

“I came. You conquered.” She smiled. “Felt amazing. It was just too much.”

“Ooh, good, then.” He caressed her hand, which draped over the edge of the couch cushion. “It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?”

“February.” She didn’t want to even think about Kent, not after what Micah had just done for her, so she changed the subject. “Apparently
you haven’t forgotten as much as you thought.”

“Porn kept my memory refreshed.” He winked. “That’s where I’ve learned all my techniques. Just haven’t had much chance to use them. The last
time I had anything ongoing with a woman was about three years ago. It’s hard as hell to find someone who wants to date a guy with my work
schedule.” Ruefully, he shook his head. “Sorry. Nothing like spoiling the moment by whining.”

“You haven’t spoiled anything.” His comments had given her time to catch her breath, though small aftershocks still hit her. “I know something else that’s hard as hell, though, so maybe we should do something about it?”

“I like the way you think.” He stood and unzipped his pants, then leaned over the couch so the tip of his thick cock brushed Reesa’s cheek. She licked it, and he moved back. “Please don’t, unless you want the same result I just had from you.”

“I don’t see that as a bad thing.” She ran her finger down his shaft.  “I certainly liked the result.”

“Except that women recover faster than men.” He stepped away from the couch. “Seriously, as good as that feels, and as much as I don’t want
you to stop, if you keep that up I’m going to come all over you and your couch. Which first of all probably isn’t that great of an idea on the first date, and second of all will guarantee I won’t be ready for actual sex for at least an hour or two.”

“And again, I don’t see that as a bad thing.” She sat up. “Playing, exploring, touching, kissing… there are plenty of things for us to do while we wait.” As her brain regained the power of rational thought, though, she realized he had a point about it not being a good idea for him to come on her. Or in her mouth, which had always been her preference when giving oral sex. They didn’t know each other well enough for that yet.

She hadn’t been with anyone since Kent, and she’d been with him exclusively for about a year. Although he hadn’t been exclusive with her, as soon as she’d found about the cheating, she’d been tested.  Completely clean. Of course, if she told Micah that, he’d just have to take her word, just like she’d only have his word if he said he’d been checked.

Better not to take the chance. This was another reason she usually refused sex on the first date. She wanted to know a guy she slept with well enough that she wouldn’t wonder about his honesty when they had the “do we need protection” conversation. Not that she thought Micah
would lie to her. They’d spent enough time together that she knew he was a decent man, and her instincts told her he would be honest.

“Having second thoughts?” he asked quietly.

“No.” She stood and put her arms around his waist. “Just thinking how strange it is to have sex with someone I know so little about. I think
there’s something between us, and I don’t question whether I’ve made the wrong decision tonight. I haven’t. It’s just…”

“Sex with a new partner is like learning a new language.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “It’s strange and awkward and you don’t quite know the right thing to say. When you do think of something to say, you wonder whether it came out the way you meant it. You and I are
learning each other, and even though I’m more comfortable with you than any other woman I’ve known, there’s still some discomfort. Not with you as much as with the situation.”

“So are you having second thoughts?” Maybe it would be better for both of them if one of them managed to be the voice of reason.

To her relief, he shook his head. “No second thoughts whatsoever. I agree with you, there’s something between us. This isn’t going to be a
short-term thing. Maybe it’s too soon to talk about long-term, but to be perfectly honest, that’s where I see this going.” He stepped back
and shoved his pants down to his ankles. “Besides, I’m standing here naked. How can I have second thoughts?”

Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.

A Celtic Lover’s Magic
by Lisa Alexander-Griffin
sensual paranormal romance novella
$2.54
Liam Macauley inherits what he believes to be a mansion in Ireland from an uncle he’s never known. The moment he sets foot on Irish soil, he’s plunged deep into ancient Celtic magic, and the course is set to fulfill a millennia old prophecy.

Caileaan, descendant of the Sidhe, ancient gods of Eire, the Tuatha De Danann, longs to dig her toes into freshly turned earth, toil side by side with a husband, birth his children, know what it is to be loved and alive as one with humans.

In a battle of darkness and light, will the evil Fomhoire destroy the promise made to Caileaan along with her world as she knows it? Or will Liam, using his newfound powers, rein triumphant, winning his heart’s desire in the process?

Note: This book was previously published under this same title.
Excerpt:

In her mind’s eye, Caileaan watched Liam enter the keep through the Gothic front door and sighed. She’d made her presence known the first day. Her wait was almost over, the prophecy nearly fulfilled.

Mortal, but not, Caileaan longed to dig her toes into freshly turned earth, toil side-by-side with a husband, birth his children, know what it was to be loved and alive as one with the humans. For thousands of years, the people of Eire had deemed her people gods.

She wrung her hands. Intellectually superior or no, skilled or no, what difference did it make? The Sidhe were not immortal as legend told. One well-placed blade could send them into the afterworld.

No intricately designed sword or other weaponry had ever been enough. The protection of trustworthy mortals remained essential. Hence, the need for the Macaula family.

Her Sidhe clan had been distraught when, tired of the constant threat of the Fomhoire, Liam’s father moved his family to America.

Although separated by an ocean, her gift of foresight allowed her to watch Liam grow from child to man, and she’d fallen in love with him. Not even the vast distance between continents had kept them apart.

Caileaan sighed as she stroked a midnight black raven’s feather against her cheek. A gray mist swirled, and her body shifted and morphed. Feathers sprouted from her flesh. She flapped her wings and blinked.

High above Macaula’s Keep, she soared. Gliding, she settled into an oak tree near Liam’s bedchamber window. Soon he would sleep, and she’d join him in his dreams.

Liam strode into the room, tugged his shirt over his head, and tossed it aside. Caileaan’s raven heart thumped quickly. Built like a warrior of old, Liam’s broad shoulders rippled. He stripped his jeans from long, muscular thighs. As if sensing her, he moved to the window.

A sensation of longing encompassed her. She dug her talon feet into the branch and concentrated on holding her form. The fullness of his pursed lips and searching amber gaze tugged at her heart. The mortal part of her desired to shift and claim his mouth, but she dared not. The time between dusk and twilight had not yet arrived.

Caileaan flew toward Newgrange, the quartz façade of the cairn a beacon in the moonlight.

She entered through a hidden entrance, opened an ancient, bronzed box, and grasped the charm she sought. With the adder stone secured around her wrist, she shifted, journeyed back, and lit on the mullioned window ledge. Soundless, and in human form, she entered Liam’s bedchamber.

Light of foot, she moved across the room and to the bed where Liam snored softly. He stirred, and her breath hitched, but he did not wake.

Caileaan eased down next to him, his body heat warming her skin. He muttered incoherently, and his lids fluttered open. She stared into his amber eyes, took control of his mind and entered his dream….
Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.

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Spring Into March With Our New Releases
	A Celtic Lover’s Magic by Lisa Alexander-Griffin sensual paranormal (elves/fae) romance $2.54 $2.99   Liam Macauley inherits what he believes to be a mansion in Ireland from an uncle he’s never known. The moment he sets foot on Irish soil, he’s plunged deep into ancient Celtic magic, and the course is set to fulfill a millennia old prophecy. Caileaan, descendant of the Sidhe, ancient gods of Eire, the Tuatha De Danann, longs to dig her toes into freshly turned earth, toil side by side with a husband, birth his children, know what it is to be loved and alive as one with humans. In a battle of darkness and light, will the evil Fomhoire destroy the promise made to Caileaan along with her world as she knows it? Or will Liam, using his newfound powers, rein triumphant, winning his heart’s desire in the process? Note: This book was previously published under this same title. Read an excerpt. Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.
	Their Home Port by Karenna Colcroft erotic contemporary romance novel $5.09 $5.99   When Reesa Boyd goes on a date with yet another Mr. Not-Quite-Right, she doesn’t expect to end the day with a job offer from the owner of Marine Tow, a marine assistance towing company. On her first day of work, she meets Micah Ward, son of the Marine Tow owner and the company’s best captain. And the man who steals Reesa’s heart. Although the instant attraction between them catches her off-guard, she’s willing to open herself to the possibility of a relationship with him. During a tropical storm, Marine Tow’s boats are cut loose and Micah takes off alone to recover them. Will he make it through the storm, or will Reesa lose the first man she’s truly loved? Read an excerpt. Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.
	Ghosts And Lovers by Jaime Samms erotic paranormal (ghost) gay male romance $2.54 $2.99   Timmy has lost one family member after another, and now he’s losing his eyesight, as well. It’s no wonder he holds tight to the ghostly lover who always seems to meet him in the park in dead of night when he’s tired of being alone. Lately, though, Tim’s been hearing other, less friendly voices out of the dark, and his long-time friend and neighbor, Mark, is worried. When he tries to intervene and suggest Tim start acting more like the blind man he is, Tim refuses his help only to find he can’t hang onto his ghosts without paying a very personal price. When his ghost lover finally says good bye, Tim finds he maybe should have listened to Mark after all, only now, it might be too late. Read an excerpt. Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.
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