Thursday, June 20, 2013

Guest blog and Giveaway: Dragonstone by Paula Millhouse



Some readers I know say they can do without the term, sex magic. That it just seems so cheesy, and, I don’t know, Ick. Not that they don’t want to read open door scenes, mind you, they just hate to see those terms together on the page.

Did you know that Abraham Maslow, the psychologist, classed sex as one of humanity’s most fundamental needs, right there along with food, water, and air. Yep. It’s a necessary evil, folks, and when writers have the class and courage to write about sex sometimes things take off – no pun intended. Once a writer gets past whatever puritanical ethics might stand in their way, wonderful things can happen when it comes to erotic magic.

Writing and reading in the romance genre pretty much guarantees you some action is gonna happen on the page. If you’re not among that target audience, you have been warned.

Mechanically speaking, there are only so many pages in the Kama Sutra book. No new writer is ever gonna discover a new way to do things, or a new position. So what exactly makes erotic magic, you ask?

I think I have the answer: It all boils down to Character (well, hopefully there’s at least two, right?) All joking aside the caveat to keep in mind is, does the magic of the scene demand sex? The old rule is, if the story would work without it, leave it out.

But if your story demands it, I say let the sparks fly. Mine did, and I think it works. Kort and Mia have to weave a spell of erotic magic in order to liberate themselves from impending doom. Only by igniting the pages with their first time together can they both get what they need.

Here’s an excerpt from Dragonstone:

A flash-fire ignited low in her belly, and the heat in the room constricted her. Her clothes confined her. A soft flush rose from her midsection up her throat, burning her cheeks with its progress. The ghostfire snapped and crackled in the eaves of the cottage. The windows rattled with its force. Mia winced at the surge in energy.

“What do you want me to do? How can I help?” She hoped he wanted to blend their auras again, but she had no idea what to do.

“Mia, I need you to get naked and…um…help me release the Dragonstone. Here.” He pointed to the keystone of the fireplace, drew several knots with the charcoal into the surrounding stone and placed his index finger in the center.

“Naked?” There was something he wasn’t telling her. Obviously.

She waved at the gem, though she didn’t look away from his eyes. They were so blue, she could get lost in those eyes. “No chisel can break it free, that stone. I’ve tried.” She had once, crazily, thinking she might leave this place forever when her parents died. But that was not to be. “I don’t know what kind of a spell he put on it, but nothing will liberate that thing.”

Kort let out a little laugh then reached out and took her hand. “I think I know a way.”

Sparks of ghostfire reacted to his words. Mia looked up with wonder at the vibrant display.

“I can sense you want to help me save Magnus,” Kort continued. “If we unite our auras and release the Dragonstone, we can open a portal back to Chalvaren with its assistance. When Magnus spots it, he will follow us through like a puppy to the dish. His kind love treasure, this type of amethyst especially. Legend has it the thing was torn from the Drakhos Mountains by dragons themselves. It’s luminescent, and a conduit for energy of all kinds. We use smaller samples to light our castles, but this is the largest ever seen—and it’s the largest natural artifact ever mined by dragons. Plus it has a special attunement to”—he eyed her meaningfully—“the physical.”



“So…?” Mia nodded and held her palm up toward his naked body. She still wasn’t sure what he wanted.

Kort reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Unless you want to talk down that impending mob and their pitchforks, we must blend our auras together, ignite more elven ghostfire and jar that stone loose. To save my dragonlet, to save ourselves.”

The thick rod of his desire rose between them. A pang of lust shot through her belly.

“How exactly do we…?”

 Passion hooded his eyes. Understanding, she trembled, blinked rapidly, and attempted a smile.
With both hands Kort lifted Mia’s hair back from her ears. She recoiled out of habit. Her ears had drawn ire and suspicion from everyone who saw them save her parents, had been an early target of the Vicar’s accusations of witchcraft. But Kort did not look horrified. His tongue darted out and wet his lips.
 Anticipation filled his expression and hunger flared in his eyes.

She smiled, overwhelmed. He likes my ears.

Then, Of course he does. We are the same.

My one true love?

Kort traced a fingertip up one sensitive lobe to the crest of her ear, moved in and placed his lips against it. Her mind whirled, and her body felt ablaze with light. Still, she was overcome with fear.

“I know, um…the idea of all this, Kort, but…” What if she couldn’t do it right? What if the magic required experience? What if she failed or disappointed him? What if—?

His mouth worked her neck, and the sensation was so good she moaned. She shuddered, too.

He froze. Drawing back his head, he stared into her eyes. “‘You know the idea of all this but…’?”

Her eyes flared wide. He cupped his hands around her face, and a smile filled his eyes, touched his lips. Oh. She grasped his arms and dug her fingers in, refusing to let him go. She’d given her position away. Oh, God, he couldn’t refuse her now. There was too much riding on them getting this right.

“Mia, you’ve never…”

She shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest. “I waited for you.”






June 10 Guest blog
Escape Into A Book

June 11 Guest blog

June 12 Spotlight
The Indigo Quill – 

June 13 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

June 14 Interview and review
Beverly @ The Wormhole

June 17  Interview
Fang-tastic Books

June 18 Spotlight
Cover Reveals

June 18 review
Sapphyria's Book Reviews

June 18 Spotlight
Eclipse Reviews

June 19 spotlight and review
Faerie Tale Books

June 20 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm

June 21 Interview 
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews 

June 24 Spotlight
Musings and Ramblings – 
                                            






Dragonstone
Prequel to A Kingdom of Chalvaren Romance
Paula Millhouse

Genre: Fantasy Romance


Date of Publication: May 12, 2013

ISBN: 9781938876288
ASIN: B00CRMRWPK

Number of pages: 39
Word Count: 15,630


Book Description:

Elf prince Kort Elias journeys to a new world in search of a stolen royal dragon egg and discovers a lost elven princess, a prophecy, and danger; and only true love--and an erotic magic he's never experienced--will set them free.



About the Author:

Paula Millhouse grew up in Savannah, Georgia where Spanish moss whispers tales in breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, and the Intracoastal Waterway. As a child Paula soaked in the sunshine and heritage of cobblestones, pirate lore, and stories steeped in savory mysteries of the south. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal chapter, the Mystery/Suspense chapter (Kiss of Death), and a member of Savvy Authors.

In the southern tradition of storytellers, she loves sharing the lives of her characters with readers, and following her muse on the quest for happily-ever-afters in thrilling romantic fiction.

She lives with her husband at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their pack and pride of furry babies.

Website/Blog Address: www.paulamillhouse.com




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5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Roxanne!

Thanks for hosting me today on your awesome sexy site. I hope your readers are enticed to read more of my characters, and see how hot the next scene in Dragonstone gets.

I love writing romance.

Thanks for sharing!

Bonnie said...

Hey Paula,
I love the sex scenes you've written in your books. I think the hardest part about it is to get into the emotion of the scene otherwise it reads mechanical. You do a fabulous job with that. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Samantha MacDouglas said...

I love your post, Paula. I just disagree with one thing. Sex isn't a necessary evil, it's a necessary good. Which, based on how hot and perfect your sex scenes are, I think you agree with!

Unknown said...

Great comments Bonnie, and Samantha - thanks for stopping by today.

Pretty awesome compliments going on here - you guys ROCK, and I appreciate the support.

Brooke Showalter said...

Hi Paula,

Really looking forward to checking out Dragonstone! I've read Three Wishes and loved it. :)