Win! Win! Win!

I'm away from my desk for a couple of days now. We're off on a city break to Durham, partly to get a break from computers, partly a Christmas shopping trip. So, as I'm already in the Holiday spirit I'm going to give away a copy of NAUGHTY OR NICE? a festive season anthology with 20 erotic stories compiled by erotica goddess Alison Tyler.

For your chance to win, just leave me a message in the comments! Easy as that. Call back next Monday when I will get the man of the house to pick a random winner.

Like men? Like shoes?

You'll LOVE this.

Too cute...

It's cold here today (snow forecast at the weekend, eek!) maybe that's why this looks so very inviting...

Blogs, like rabbits…

Anyone who has called around here from time to time will know that I sometimes struggle with blogging. :o) Hey, I’m not doing too badly right now! I admit I’m far from gifted in the blogging department. I’m not your prolific-on-a-daily-basis sort of a writer, and these books don't write themselves...know what I’m saying. The actual writing has to come first. ;-) And yes, I did throw the towel in on this blog at one point, but when people kept coming here the guilt got to me. Even if they are random hits, I’d like to think I’m a semi decent hostess and can provide at least some pretty book covers for visitors to look at, even if I am all worded-out at the end of the day due to actual plot wrangling.

So, I’ve got this blog, then there’s the Myspace blog (which seems to attract a whole different set of readers, judging from my subscribers, at any rate,) and there’s the Amazon connect blog. I already do three blogs. I also did a group blog with a bunch of Berkley authors at one stage. Too much.

Earlier this year I thought the blogging craze was slowing down a tad, but much to my surprise it stepped up again with great gusto recently – at least here in my own circles it did. Three of my publishers now have group blogs, (two run by the publishers themselves, one by a group of the authors,) and I’ve also been invited to a group blog celebrating an anthology kicking off in the New Year.

Hmmm. I think I'm close to hitting overload again (look out, c’ptain, she’s gonna blow!) but if you’re a blog hopping aficionado and want to check out these latest blogs, here are the links. You might even find a contest or two! ;-)


http://redsagerevealed.blogspot.com/
http://totalebound.blogspot.com/
http://www.fictionbeyondtheordinary.blogspot.com/

Eredsage - check it out

I meant to post about this earlier, the new epublishing arm of Red Sage is officially live and open for business!
Check it out here.

Win books and prizes! Contest reminder.

A quick reminder that The Romance Junkies fun Halloween contest is still running, but you've got just a few days left to play and win.

Click on the image below to go the site. Once there you can visit each location and find chances to enter contests and win books. One of the prizes is a copy of UNVEILING THE SORCERESS.

Stocktaking with Sven

I’ve moved my Sven word counter paraphernalia down in my menu because I figure I’m the only one interested in looking at my little word counters and they were making the place look untidy :) It's going well, but I wish I were working on one big project with a nice neat work count to aim for, like most of the writers taking part in the challenge, but apparently the old story machine hasn’t dealt me that card this time around. Sven is making it fun for me though. I’m enjoying the group because it’s not overly competitive, (which doesn’t work for me at all,) it’s more of a general support group with thoughts on the highs and lows of the writing process.

I’m pretty much where I had wanted to be on my to-do list, which is good news. We're going away for a couple of days in the cathedral city of Durham at the end of next week, partly a Christmas shopping trip and partly a break away from the PCs. I’ve got a whole bunch of stuff I want to wind up before then. It’s a busy time, so I've got to move it and shake it!

Anyway, on a more fun note, here's a recent photo of me! Mark got a new phone with a pretty decent camera, better than any actual camera I’ve ever owned, in fact, so here I am in my new glasses. Do they make me look brainy, or nerdy? LOL. And yes, I am standing outside a pub, hence the big smile, cos I'm about to go in. ;)

NAUGHTY OR NICE? is featured on Playboy's seasonal gift guide!

This news from editor/author extraordinaire, Alison Tyler. The NAUGHTY OR NICE? anthology is featured in the Playboy holiday gift buying guide! Woohoo! I have a story in that one so I'm delighted with the news :)

If you're looking for sexy gifts you can check out the guide HERE. I'll be doing my own little guide here on the blog soon.

A romance writer reveals all..

Check out Deirdre Martin's wonderful video here...

Yowsa! First review for WINNER TAKES ALL

This review made a simple author mucho happy :-)

Winner Takes All is the name of Saskia Walker’s latest erotic short story. This is super sexy read about two people playing a dangerous game of seduction. The characters are intense and the sex is out of this world! Fans of Saskia Walker are going to love this new release and those that are new to her writing are going to discover what a truly talented author of erotic romance she really is.

...Hands down Winner Takes All captured my attention right from the beginning. Tina and Shaun are an explosive couple. Not only is this a very erotic story, therein it lays a tender romance! It is a recommended read and one that I’m sure you’ll enjoy as much as I did. B+ ~ Reviewed by Julie Kornhausl for Simply Romance Reviews.. read full review

You can check it out yourself, here...

Interesting...

Anthology buddy, Sasha White, mailed me last week to let me know that DOUBLE DARE was at number one in the erotica charts at Barnes and Noble online. It's still there as I type, and I’ve seen it as high as number 153 in the overall chart during the last few weeks. Exciting, fun, and motivational stuff for me, but why it’s especially interesting is that it's been high in the charts since it went to bargain price status. These are the remaining copies at reduced price. What strikes me about it is I wonder how many more copies my novels would sell, in general, if the books were printed in cheaper mass market...curious making, yes?

Personally, as reader, I mostly go for a MMP book over a Trade Paperback because it means I can afford more books, and I'm more willing to take a risk if it's a new-to-me author. Alas, I seem fated to have my work in the more expensive TP, at least for the time being. Erotic titles are traditionally printed in TP, and because I was an early author at Juno Books my fantasy work there also came out in TP, although the line went over to MMP afterward. :-( I'd love to see something of mine in mass-market paperback one day. I guess I’ll have to add it to my "to do/dreamer" list ;-)

Anyway, if you're a reader in the US and you haven't yet given DOUBLE DARE a go, now's your chance to get it at a great price! :-)

New publication: WINNER TAKES ALL

WINNER TAKES ALL, a short erotic contemporary, is now available as an ebook from Total-e-Bound.

Tina meets Shaun at a gaming weekend, a monthly meeting of eccentric game players in a British manor house. Shaun is a loner, highly competitive, and devastatingly sexy. When he challenges Tina to a sexual relationship, she can't resist.

The atmosphere of competition extends into their more intimate moments, as they pursue a fiery affair. It starts as a game, but both players soon realise they have to play their way carefully, to win the real prize. In a relationship brimming with challenge and conflict, how will the players get their opponent to reveal their true hand?

It started as a game, but they are both playing to win...

Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to buy.
Click here if you are a Fictionwise customer.

Here’s to the week ahead

Looking forward to a good week? I hope it's full of fun and productive for us all, especially those doing the Sven challenge or Nano.

I'm going into the week with lots of plans and a positive amount of motivation, after a busy weekend full of treats. This was much needed after being buried in MS revisions for two weeks solid. ;-) Number one treat was going to see New Model Army play live. They were just as fabulous as they’ve always been and I’ve been going to their gigs to more years than I care to remember now ;-) As ever, old friends, great music, great night out. It was the perfect way to end a hectic week and celebrate the start of a new one.

I was so relieved to clear my desk on Friday and just kick up my heels of a while. I seem to be keeping a throat infection at bay (just barely) but it’s not putting too much of a kink in my stride at the moment. Just as well, I feel like I’m catching up on the past year here...

I woke up this morning and I thought “I think I have an ebook shortie coming out today.” LOL I’m not sure, but more on that later. (Maybe more coffee is in order ;-)

Have a great week!

The end of the tunnel?

I can see light! I think I might be done with the revisions :) Just a final read through to do today, and then the MS is gone and I can get back to writing lovely new things. Yay!

New publication: NAUGHTY OR NICE?

NAUGHTY OR NICE? is a Christmas anthology of erotic stories, edited by Alison Tyler and published by Cleis Press. It would make a great seasonal gift and it's now available!

NAUGHTY OR NICE? includes my short story, "Caught Watching."

Here's an X-rated teaser (see that rating, you've been warned! ;)

I nearly didn't go to the party. The seasonal celebrations had been rocking on for two weeks already, with office parties, family and friends to see. I was ready to sidestep this one. Then I reminded myself that my New Year's resolution was to see and do even more. Besides, Natalie insisted I had to go and meet her latest playmate.

Natalie and I worked for the same London media corporation and her roller-coaster love life never failed to capture the attention of her friends. She loved that attention. I didn't quiz her about the new playmate over the phone. Part of the fun was finding out whether the playmate was a playgirl, or a playboy.

"Okay, I'll be there." I glanced at my wardrobe dubiously. The party season had severely depleted it, but I managed to find my leather mini skirt and a crop top amongst the pile of abandoned party wear.

The event was being held at a music studio in Camden, and the party was in full swing by the time I got there, the lobby a crush of guests high on seasonal goodwill. A Christmas tree blinked lights in one corner, the framed photographs and discs on the walls adorned with decorations. Natalie rushed through the crowd when she spotted me, all tumbling dark hair and luscious curves in a PVC bodice and skirt. Around her neck she wore a froth of silver tinsel, boa-like. She hugged me and led me into the main room, where people were dancing. She grabbed me a glass of wine and then took me over to a lean punk with a crown of bleached hair.

"This is Idol," she announced. "Well, that's the name she goes by and I think it suits her, don't you?"

It did suit her. The woman’s combination of power and wariness made her both distant and desirable. I nodded and smiled, eyeing her body, perfectly outlined in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Heavy work boots completed her look.

"Don't ask her real name," Natalie added. "She won't tell anyone, not even me."

Idol draped herself against Natalie, possessively. She gave me a wicked smile and then drew Natalie away onto the crowded dance floor. Natalie wrapped her tinsel boa around Idol’s neck, shimmying it as they danced. That was cute. And sexy. Natalie waved and winked at me. She was simmering, visibly. I watched Idol's hand moving around Natalie's hips and smiled back, inspired by their flagrant sexuality.

I drank my wine and edged round the party, chatting with people I knew from the office. When I remembered to check my lipstick, I couldn't find any obvious signs to the bathroom. Gloomy corridors and storerooms branched off from the studios in all directions. I investigated cautiously, the noise of the party receding as a door closed behind me. At the end of the corridor an oblong of light drew my attention. As I got closer, I heard laughter.

"No, I want to wear it." It sounded like Natalie.

I paused when I could see into the room. It wasn't the ladies' at all, it was an office, and the two inhabitants obviously weren't expecting company. Idol was sitting on a high-backed chair, entirely naked. Natalie was standing in front of her, holding a strap-on cock in one hand.

I stepped back, hiding in the darkness.

Idol smiled up at Natalie and put down her wine glass. Lifting her legs she hung them over the arms of the chair. In that one swift move, she exposed the thatch of fair hair over her pubic bone and the glistening slit beneath. She ran one finger over her clit.

I glanced back down the passageway. Could I risk going back, or would they hear me? I realized I had inadvertently become a spectator to a private show. And now Natalie had unzipped her skirt and was stepping out of it.

She was wearing high-heeled boots, stockings and garters, no panties. The pale globes of her arse contrasted starkly with the black garters and stockings. The abandoned tinsel boa trailed on the floor, somewhere nearby people were singing Christmas songs in drunken, laughter-filled voices. It was like some debauched Christmas card vision of sex and celebration. I couldn't look away; the scene transfixed me.

Natalie bent over, the strap-on hanging loosely in one hand, like a loaded gun. She tongued Idol's clit, and Idol was wired. "Put it on," she demanded, impatiently.

Natalie climbed into the strap-on, pulling the holster tight against her pussy. She knelt down, one hand on the rigid cock, the other cupping one of Idol's pert breasts. She captured the swollen nipple between her thumb and forefinger, her mouth on the other nipple, sucking heavily.

Idol's head began to roll from side to side against the back of the chair. “Hurry," she pleaded. Natalie began to ease the head of the cock into her slippery hole, spreading Idol’s juices over it as she went. "Oh god," Idol moaned. "It's huge."

Natalie chuckled. "I know, but you're going to have to take it, honey." She worked her hips slowly, edging it deeper inside, her hands going to the arms of the chair to brace herself.

Idol began to rock, her eyes wide. "Fuck, it's right there," she whimpered, her hips moving.

My breathing tripped. I’d heard a sound behind me. Before I had time to turn around, an arm grabbed me around the waist and a hand fell over my mouth. My heart missed a beat. I was hauled back against a body that enveloped mine.

"Well, well, what have we here, a naughty little voyeur?" The question was breathed low against my ear, followed by a dark chuckle. I reacted, my fingers pulling at the hand over my mouth. The man seized me tighter still, drawing me back and deeper into the shadows, a warning note in his voice. "Stay quiet. You wouldn't want to interrupt them would you, not when she is so close to coming?"

Even if I could speak, what could I say?

I shook my head. After a moment, the hand slipped away from my mouth. I breathed deeply, glancing back. In the gloom, I saw a flash of high cheekbones and hooded eyes, watchful and sparkling with humor. My face flamed at the idea of being caught watching by this man, this stranger. A rather attractive stranger, I noticed. He put one finger to his lips and then pointed me back toward the scene. I obeyed, my attention torn between the women and the dominating presence of the man standing a hairs' breadth behind me.

"Stay quiet..."

I started, but smiled, when his hands found their way around me. The scent of his musk, like warm nectar, seduced me. While he watched over my shoulder, he ran his fingers against my throat, the other hand drawing my body tight against his. He caressed the outline of my breasts through my top. I fought the urge to moan aloud. His fingers tightening on my nipples wired them into the heat between my thighs, creating a molten loop of tension through my body.

In front of us, Idol began to groan, loudly. Her hips plunged on the glistening cock.

I was on fire with arousal. I thrust my hips back against him. He was rock hard. His hands moved to my skirt, shifting the leather on my hips. A pang of deviance deep in my core roared its approval. Yes, I wanted him to lift my skirt, to touch me. I reached down and shimmied the leather up.

He reacted -- turned me in his arms, backing me to the wall, his fingers pressing my g-string into my damp slit. He bent to kiss me, his mouth opening me up, making me melt. I lifted one leg along his flank, letting him in. His hips ground against my pussy, lifting me bodily. Hot need welled inside me, my clit sparking.

“You’re on fire,” he whispered against my lips.

I was....

OUT NOW!


Available from Amazon.com
Available from Amazon UK

New publication - BEST WOMEN'S EROTICA '08

I'm into the last couple of days of working on my current big project, really entrenched. You'll hear a big sigh of relief when that's out of the way! :) Meanwhile, I have publication news and some excerpts!

BEST WOMEN'S EROTICA '08, edited by Violet Blue, is now available! I'm extremely proud that a story of mine, WINTER HEAT, is featured in this collection. I will be having a contest for my newsletter group for a copy of this one, (and a copy NAUGHTY OR NICE? which I see is also available) in my next newsletter.

Sign up here to receive my newsletter.

I'll give an excerpt from my story in NAUGHTY OR NICE? tomorrow.
Meanwhile, here's a teaser from WINTER HEAT:

I look out into the drifting snow, and I think about how it stays with you — the good sex. Like echoes of the orgasm, the physical memory haunts the body. The snow today has brought with it the physical memory of the first time a man touched me, the first time a man made me come. Even now, all these years later, the memory grows tangible inside me, proving that the pleasure lasted so much longer than the moment. I sense myself growing damp as I remember every deviant thrill — every tantalizing moment and breathless discovery — as if it were yesterday.

The snow swirled around my legs as I left work that night. I was eighteen, and the icy air cut through my too-thin coat, freezing my stockings to my legs as I made my way out of the warehouse to the bus stop. My knee-length boots were coated in snow by the time I turned the corner onto the street. When I took a deep breath, the sharp cold air traveled into my lungs, quickening my senses. My heart sank when I realized I’d missed the bus.

I was stamping my feet to keep them warm when I saw a figure emerging from one of the factories further along the road. The man made a stark, dramatic outline against the white snow, smoking a cigarette as he made his way toward the bus stop. I watched him with curiosity. The way he looked attracted me instantly. He wore a leather biker’s jacket — collar up against the elements — his hair pushed back over his head. Under the jacket, a white shirt and a narrow tie looked out of place on him. When he stopped alongside me, I realized I hadn’t seen him around there before. He was built large but lean, his face characterized by prominent cheekbones, and wily, searching eyes.

He flicked his cigarette stub into the snow and smiled when he caught my stare. I couldn’t help myself. His bad-boy looks grabbed my imagination in a flash. At night, alone in my single bed in the dark, images of men like him filled my mind while I touched and stroked myself to climax. I dreamed of being taken roughly, being dirty and passionate with a man who knew how to play my body, and did it with no shame.

Watching him from under lowered eyelids, I fast forgot the cold. Forgot everything, except the lure of his bad-boy looks on that cold night. I smiled over at him. “We missed the bus,” I remember saying, hoping that he would talk.

He nodded, one finger latched over the knot in his tie as he loosened it, the smile lingering on his face as his eyes roved my body. “You’re cold.”

It was a statement more than a question, but I answered him, wanting him to talk to me some more. “Yes, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. The hard man. His hair shone blue black in the streetlight, and I wanted to touch it. I found myself turning toward him, flirting even. “Do you work around here? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I came for an interview at Philpotts.” He nodded back at the building he’d come from. His accent was South London. It made me smile. It made me feel warm inside.

Then he surprised me. He reached over to my face and stroked a clinging snowflake from my cheek. His touch sent a shiver through me, but this one was no cold shiver. He seemed to be aware of it and a sizzle passed between us, as real as a charge of electricity.

“How long until the next bus?”

“About half an hour,” I said, rubbing my gloved hands together.

He lifted my hands in his; tugging off the gloves my mother had knitted, tucking them into my pockets before warming my hands inside his larger ones. The act was so strangely intimate, like something a lover would do. No man had ever touched me that way, especially not a stranger. Inside, something essentially female and desirous blossomed, and then quickly turned to liquid heat.

He put his head on one side, looking at me quizzically. “Do you want to go somewhere, to get warm?”

My heart thudded in response to the suggestion. I knew I probably shouldn’t go anywhere with him, but curiosity and desire had a strong a grip on me.

He nodded again at Philpotts. “I know a place.”

Between my thighs the most intimate part of me clenched. I rubbed my thighs together in response, but then pulled my hands away from his instinctively, unsure.

Conflicting emotion ran in my blood. My fingers moved over the buttons on my coat, the same way that my hand closed over my pussy in my bed at night, dreaming of being taken in a man’s arms, dreaming of having a man’s hand right where mine strayed.

“It’s good,” he added. “You’ll like it.”

I nodded.

He took my hand, leading me. Curiosity, fear and arousal assaulted my nerves as I lurched after him through the snow. His hand was large and solid, uncompromising as it enclosed mine. As we walked, I noticed how the falling snow muted the street lamps, making the place seem hushed. It felt as if we were entirely alone. What was I doing? The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to follow where he lead and have him make me warm.

He went as far as the Philpott building and then turned down the side of it. A security light on the corner of the building cast a wedge of light in either direction. Beyond that fall of light, where he was headed, it was gloomy and the snow drifted up against the wall. I paused, drawing him to a halt, too, my hand pulling free of his.

“It’s all right,” he said, eyes twinkling when the light caught them. “There’s a warm place here.”

“I don’t see it,” I replied, still unsure.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?” He gave a wry smile, like he knew what I was thinking, but beckoned anyway.

Cautiously, I followed at a distance, until I saw him point over at the wall of the building. A large chimneystack jutted out from the brick wall, and the snow was melting away around the area, both on the nearby ground, and on the wall itself.

He moved over to the wall and put one hand against it. “You can warm yourself here. The furnace is inside, at the back of this wall.”

Looking up, I saw smoke curling up from the stack, like steam in the sky. Further along the wall, snow still clung. Not there, not where the bricks were warm. He’d been serious, there really was somewhere warm here.

He hadn’t meant…

I gave a soft chuckle when I stepped over and joined him against the wall. “Oh, that's good,” I whispered when I felt the subtle warmth against the back of my frozen calf muscles. “I thought you meant something else,” I added, before I thought through what I was saying.

His mouth lifted and he cocked his head on one side. “Something else?” He put one elbow up against the wall and shuffled closer, until our bodies pressed alongside each other. “You thought I meant come down here for something else?”

His smile was wickedly suggestive, and I gave an embarrassed laugh, realizing what I’d revealed. But then he moved closer, growing serious, his hand stroking along my jaw to lift my face with one finger under my chin. “What something else where you thinking of, Missy?”

My feet shuffled nervously in the snow, my back shifting up against the wall. I glanced away from his stare — then back, compelled to look at him, even though I couldn’t bring myself to reply to his question.

He gave a dark chuckle, eyes on my lips, strong hand still holding my jaw. He bent and brushed his mouth over mine, barely, tantalizingly, making my lips hum with sensation. Breathless, I stared at him.

“I think maybe you meant this kind of getting warm,” he breathed, the back of his hand sliding down the surface of my throat.

A moan escaped me. Raw need roved my body, my nerve endings on high alert. When I didn’t resist, his hand stole inside my coat, until it rested around the curve of my breast within my soft, knitted sweater.

Part of me wanted to run, and yet part of me wanted to clutch at his coat and pull him nearer. My hands went flat against the rough bricks to stop myself snatching at him. My lust was like a caged creature, unsure about the open door being offered, and yet longing to find its freedom. But he was older, braver, and he knew what I wanted — what I needed, what I dreamed of alone in my bed at night.

His thumb stroked over the outline of my nipple through my sweater and bra. “Oh yes, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

In his eyes, an accusing stare.

I nodded, my breast aching for more contact.

“Say it,” he insisted.

I wriggled against the wall, pushing my breast into his hand. “Yes,” I blurted.

His hand explored me, sure and firm, squeezing the whole of my breast in his palm before moving down the outline of my waist and hip, until his fingertips reached the hem of my skirt. “You wanted a quick tumble to get your blood pumping, you bad girl.”

The way he said “bad girl” made my stomach flip. Yes, I was being bad; I was being bad with him. I gasped aloud, inhaling deeply. He smelt of cheap cologne and cigarettes. He likely did this all the time, a quickie with a girl out back, but this time it was me, and I was fiercely glad of it....

Out now!

BEST WOMEN'S EROTICA at Amazon.com
BEST WOMEN'S EROTICA at Amazon.co.uk

In remembrance

It's remembrance day, and I have news of a special project to share with readers -- CAMOUFLAGED HEARTS, a new anthology from my e-publisher, Total-e-Bound.

Total-e-Bound’s profits from this anthology will be going to Forces Benevolent Funds to support and help those families who have lost their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, in the recent conflicts.



CAMOUFLAGED HEARTS will be available tommorrow, click HERE to read excerpts and to find out more, and remember to wear your poppy with pride.

Get RECKLESS..!

RECKLESS, my July 2008 contemporary erotic romance novel, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. If you're interested in reading this one, placing a pre order will guarantee you 5% off the price as well as the lowest list price between now and the publication date.

Click HERE for an excerpt!

Preorder at Amazon

Busy busy

Ooh, I haven't posted in a while. I'm firmly entrenched in revisions, but normal services will be resumed shortly. Meanwhile, check out the Barbara Cartland of the kittie world. :)

Contest reminder - WIN SIGNED COVER ART FROM UNVEILING THE SORCERESS

A reminder for readers...this contest gives readers the chance to win a print of the artwork from UNVEILING THE SORCERESS. This gorgeous image was created by fantasy artist, Timothy Lantz. To enter, send me an email to the following address: saskiawalker @ gmail. com (no gaps) with the answer to this question:

What are the desert dirt demons in the novel called?

Please put the following in the subject line to help me stay organised ;-) "Unveiling the Sorceress cover art contest entry"

I've got three 8 by 10 inch prints of the artwork (not coverflats) up for grabs, each signed by the artist. This contest will stay open until the end of November to give everyone a chance to read and enter.

Good luck!

Interesting new review for UNVEILING THE SORCERESS

This new review for UNVEILING THE SORCERESS comes from Breeni Books/Front Street Reviews, and had a lovely, hopeful message for me:

Unveiling the Sorceress is Saskia Walker's second fantasy romance for Juno Books. It follows a similar pattern as The Strangeling, her first fantasy romance, narrating a young woman's discovery of unrecognized power through love. Once again, a strong female lead takes control of her destiny while a wise male counterpart nudges her along. While The Strangeling followed the self actualization of a peasant, Unveiling the Sorceress chronicles the trials of the privileged.

The only complaint I had for The Strangeling was the romance overshadowed the fantasy storyline, which was not surprising since Walker was first an author of erotic fiction. However, Unveiling the Sorceress takes advantage of Walker's talent for imagery and allows the romance to complement the storyline rather than commandeering it. The novel is a shining example of Walker's creativity and talent, and draws on the reader to participate emotionally during periods of loss and melancholy. It is evident that Saskia Walker has the ability to branch out and master many facets of literature. READ FULL REVIEW...

Encouraging! Made me smile, and urged me along this writer's path of mine :-)

A good week!

It’s been a good and mostly productive week here. I lost nearly a whole day sorting a punctured tyre, but when I got back to work I sent my completed novella, SWEET-TALKING THE OPPOSITION, off to the editor who requested it. Fingers crossed she enjoys! Then I moved straight into revisions. I’m taking them nice and slow, and along the way I had a couple of ideas for short stories, so I made some notes and hope to work on those next.

Friday was the high point of the week, meeting up with my local buddy Wendy (THE Portia Da Costa ;) I always feel humbled to be pals with such a prolific and widely known author, and when we get together we have such a giggle together that I feel doubly blessed to be able to have a local author pal who I get on with so easily. It really levels my head about some of the stresses we face. We pretty much set the publishing worlds to rights :) and we even chatted about being at an RWA conference and how we’d cope -- which resulted in much wild speculation and manic laughter.

The weather here in Yorkshire has been autumn-like, with bright sunny days and blue skies even though it’s been cold. I’ve been watching the vine outside my kitchen window change from green to gold. I love this time of year. The week before was much more wintery so I thought we’d missed out on autumn, but we’ve had a wonderful reprieve. The only downside is people are talking about Christmas already. Argh!

Anyway, this is a short post because I must squeeze in some work before this evening, when we’re off partying. If you’re a writer and you’re doing the Sweating with Sven challenge (or Nano) I hope that you're steaming ahead and meeting your goals. The busy typist piccie is for inspiration! :)

Have a great weekend!