Thursday, December 26, 2013

Entrance to Ecstasy Available in Print

 
Entrance to Ecstasy, my paranormal erotic anthology is now available in print from Ellora's Cave!
print ISBN #: 978-14199-69492


Cicada (also available as an ebook)

Marian, a science teacher on summer vacation, moves into Jon’s house. He’s been dead for a hundred years but he vows to break the curse on himself and win her heart. He seduces her, entices her and is determined to show her who’s boss with some sexy rope tricks—but he intends to earn her love at the same time.

Candelabra (also available as an ebook)

Tandy travels to Scotland’s Loch Enya castle to attend a BDSM convention she hopes will overcome her control-freak tendencies. When Bryne pulls her into his room of fire, she fears she’s stepped into the lair of a crazy man. But as he mesmerizes her and sears her with his hot passions, she consents to a BDSM session of hot wax play that turns out to be the most intense journey of her life. Entrusting her body and mind to him might heal her, but the elemental fire fairy has an agenda of his own that threatens to consume them both in flames.

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Under Holly's Stockings character interview

Under Holly's Stockings releases today!

Let's get a little deeper inside Michael's head...

How did you get together with Holly in Under Holly's Stockings?
We met on the subway. I hate Christmas, and when the woman sitting next to me tried to drown me in Christmas cheer, I was not pleased. Then I noticed her sexy, red stockings. Would you believe she propositioned me to spend Christmas Day with her in return for hot sex? Of course I said yes!

What about Holly makes you crazy in a good way?
She's plain crazy! For one thing, she can't cook worth a damn. It's a good thing I got a few other appetites satisfied at her place or I would've starved. I never what she's going to do next.

What about her makes me crazy in a bad way?
She brought out my emotions almost as soon as I got to her place. Geez, I didn't even think I had any. She just lost a family member, so that was heavy for her to deal with. I couldn't decide if I wanted to hold her or bed her.

Do you sometimes want to strangle your writer?
Hell, yes! Obviously, my writer is a woman. No man in his right mind would write about decorating a prick with electric Christmas lights. I'm talking plugged-in lights too. I could have been burned or freaking electrocuted.

Intrigued? Read more:
Blog Tour: http://www.aftonlocke.com/HollyTour.html

Hop to the next character interview:
http://samcheever.com/blog/character-interview-blog-hop/

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Monday, December 2, 2013

Under Holly’s Stockings releases 11 December!

Under Holly's Stockings, my holiday quickie erotic romance, releases December 11th.

 


Publisher:  Ellora's Cave Publishing
Release Date:  11 December 2013
eBook ISBN #:  978-14199-49340
Buy eBook:  http://www.ellorascave.com/under-holly-s-stockings.html
Stay tuned for reviews and more: http://www.aftonlocke.com/holly.html

Don't miss the blog tour: http://www.aftonlocke.com/HollyTour.html

Blurb
After being stood up at the altar last Christmas, Michael dreads the holiday. When a woman wearing sexy red stockings on the subway propositions him with a day of sex, seems there’s no time like the present to get back into the spirit of the season!

Having just lost her mother, Holly will do anything to avoid being alone on Christmas. But when Michael arrives, nothing goes as planned. Despite the joy of exploring each other’s bodies with all the holiday trimmings, her emotions get in the way.

When Michael realizes the way to get under Holly’s stockings is through her heart, he’ll have to put the ghosts of his Christmas past to rest.

Excerpt (explicit)
Rose, Exposed - Copyright © AFTON LOCKE, 2013 - All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

When a westbound metro train on the orange line came to a screeching stop in Rosslyn, Virginia, Michael Tyler hurried inside and grabbed a seat near the window. Thank God there’s no music in here, he thought as he placed his briefcase by his feet on the orange carpet. If he heard one more tired Christmas song, he swore he’d be ill.

Everywhere around him people rattled shopping bags. Women chattered about the gifts they’d bought for their kids, or what they planned to cook for Christmas dinner. Year after year, it was the same old thing. Wasn’t anyone else tired of it by now?

Michael loosened his tie with relief when the doors closed and the train glided into motion. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could get this rotten holiday over with.

At the next stop, he blinked with surprise when a tall girl fell into the seat next to him. It was a miracle she didn’t drop all of her bags in the process. Who in their right mind did all their shopping on Christmas Eve? If he had decided to celebrate this holiday, he would have shopped online at least a month early.

“Hi! Merry Christmas!” she announced with sickening cheer.

Disgust rolled through his stomach. Why hadn’t he put his briefcase on the seat? Without looking at her, he returned the greeting in a tone of voice that warned her to mind her own business.

He noticed she had long, black hair and kissable lips coated with shiny, red lipstick. Her short, wool coat fit snugly, hinting at high, perky breasts.

Look away, damn it! But no, he had to torture himself with the reminder he hadn’t been with a woman in over a year. Her plaid skirt was so short he could hardly see it. What he did see were a pair of long, shapely legs encased in bright-red stockings. Lust, long dormant, kindled to life in his groin.

Maybe this was his Christmas gift. He could jack off in his condo tonight while he fantasized about those legs. After all, she was a complete stranger and looked nothing like Marcie…

He stared out the window, counting the lights passing by in the dark tunnel as the train pulled into the next stop, revealing an arched, honeycomb ceiling. The woman fussed with her bags, rattling them until Michael thought his head would explode.

A small, glittery Christmas ball rolled out of one of her bags, making a soft thunking sound on the carpeted floor.

“Whoops!”

The innocence of her voice aroused him more than a hand on his cock. He reminded himself she probably had a husband and five kids waiting at home. Doing his gentlemanly duty, he bent to pick up the ball for her.

At the moment, the train lurched into motion, causing him to fall across those warm, scarlet legs.

His nose filled with subtle feminine musk. Was it the soap she might have rubbed on her long legs this morning while she shaved them? Or was it the sweet aroma of her cunt, tucked inside that short skirt—a gift for him to open?

Hard and throbbing, his cock surged inside his trousers while he scrambled off her. He longed to spread those long legs and unroll the red stockings, inch by inch, down her legs. Instead, he allowed his palm to brush the back of one shapely calf.

With sweat coating his brow, he slumped against his seat. He definitely needed to jack off tonight. Repeatedly.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Uh, did you manage to grab the ball?”

Her brown eyes glinted with mischief at his words and then saddened. “It rolled away.”

Her face, on the verge of crumpling, reminded him of a child who had just learned there was no Santa. Probably the same way his face had looked last year during the worst Christmas ever.

As if the lust weren’t enough to deal with, his chest swelled with something else. Protectiveness. For some reason, he experienced the sudden urge to turn the train car upside down to find her Christmas ball.

His stop wasn’t far away. He’d never see her again. Instead of the relief he expected, he felt regret.

“Looks like you have big holiday plans,” he found himself saying.

A brave smile battled with the sadness on her face as she nodded. “I’m going all out this year. It’s probably silly because I’ll be alone.”

He blinked with surprise. “You? Alone? I mean, that’s not so bad. I’ll be alone too…working.”

It was a half truth. He didn’t have to work tomorrow, but he’d brought home plenty of paperwork to get him through the day.

She glanced out the window as the train stopped again. “Oh! My stop is next. I have a proposition for you.”

Great. She must be a call girl. He might be horny right now but he wasn’t that horny.

With a trembling hand, she brushed back a long, silky lock of hair. “I don’t want to spend Christmas alone. Will you come to my apartment and celebrate the day with me?”

Indecision seized Michael’s throat. “I-I don’t even know you.”

She clasped his forearm. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Whose Spirit Are You Channeling? (Big Cocks and Broomsticks Hop)

Welcome to the Big Cocks and Broomsticks Giveaway Hop!

 


It’s Halloween and time to commune with the spirits. As a writer of paranormal, and every other type of erotic romance known to woman, I find the spirit world fascinating. Especially when everyday reality is not exactly working out.

After an exotic summer vacation, I ended up with a health problem and inspiration to write a book. This all led to a fascination with Bob Marley and reggae. After reading on his Facebook site that he helped a fan through more than a few difficult times, I knew I wasn’t alone.

In the ranks of Elvis, he was one of the few people larger than life. So large it’s as if he’s still with us 30 years later. The local grocery store is even selling Bob Marley tea. I believe he lives on through his music and message. As writers, what we create will last forever. Creativity is one of the most powerful forces there is, and when one creator uses what another created to create something new, it’s unstoppable.

I’m reading his biography now, which is full of research material (including Jamaican patois) I can apply to my latest work in progress. I played a CD of one of his concerts, dancing and becoming his creative energy. I’ve had it checked out so long, it’s a wonder Netflix hasn’t come after it. And while doing karaoke recently at RomantiCon, I did one of his songs, dancing and singing the way he did. It was almost as if he was in the room.

Or maybe I’m just weird because I’m a writer…



my giveaway:

So whose spirit would you channel if you could? Leave a comment with your answer and I will draw one lucky winner to receive a fun Halloween prize with a little beauty (purple wings eyelashes) and a little beastliness (gummy boogers and chocolate candy).

Hop on over to the next blog and thanks for stopping by!


;


Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies…
www.aftonlocke.com

    erotic romances Coming Soon from Ellora’s Cave:
Entrance to Ecstasy - paranormal anthology
Stripper With Spice - contemporary
Under Holly’s Stockings - contemporary holiday

==================================================================

November 12, 2013:
THANK YOU everyone for participating in the blog hop! Stay in touch:
 
Web site: http://www.aftonlocke.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afton.locke
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aftonlocke
Newsletter - The Love Chronicle: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thelovechronicle/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3159922.Afton_Locke
 
Don’t miss my upcoming releases:
 
Stripper With Spice - When a woman struggles to give up a bland old career, a young, hot stripper is exactly the ingredient she needs.

Under Holly’s Stockings - (releases Dec.) When a woman wearing sexy, red stockings propositions a “bah-humbug” guy to spend Christmas in bed, he decides to get into the holiday spirit.

Entrance to Ecstasy - (releases Dec. 24) print anthology of Cicada (a haunted house + an alpha ghost = one hot summer) and Candelabra (feeling cold? Heat up with a fire elemental fairy and a little hot wax.)

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for:
The randomly selected winner of my blog hop page is: Kimmyl

Congratulations! I will email you.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

RomantiCon - a tantalizing tradition

I just attended my third RomantiCon #Rcon13, hosted by Ellora's Cave -- http://ecromanticon.com/. Due to a weighty personal problem, I wasn’t in the mood to go this time, but since I’d signed up months ago and committed to doing a workshop, I decided to follow through. I’m so glad I did. All the fun and excitement distracted me from everything else. After all, who has time to think when wondering: Which shade of lipstick should I wear? Which shoes? Which Caveman do I want to photographed with?

My room was perfect, and since we had just about the entire hotel, there were no noisy tourists running up and down the halls. The food was great. I finally met the authors I’d been wanting to meet, such as Jayne Rylon, Laurann Dohner, and Sabrina York. Am hoping some of their superstardom drifted over to me by osmosis!

And now I can say I’ve got a workshop under my belt. Eve Vaughn and Koko Brown did the Fabulous Fusion workshop with me to celebrate EC’s interracial line of books. By the time everyone left the room, bonds from laughter, fun, learning, and deep sharing had been formed.

RomantiCon has the best book signings too. Like last year, my books were flying off the table. I got to chat with author Alexa Day. She knows all about Jamaica and I happen to be writing a book set there. How lucky is that? Rodney and Diamond were entertaining emcees, making the time pass quickly. Because authors were arranged by first name this year, I got a front-row view of the Cavemen’s dance performance. What a treat. Kudos to Nick Soto for his stellar choreography.

We got to learn some of those moves from Nick and Ace at zumba, which is so much more fun than sitting at a computer all day. This year they did it for two days. I participated on the first day, but on the second I just planned to take pictures. Well, I couldn’t stay in my seat for more than five minutes, so I joined in, jeans and all. (Luckily, they were stretch jeans.) After that, I learned some new yoga moves and how to belly dance.

Last year, the fantasy photo shoot was all new to me. This year, I was prepared, sporting 5-inch heels. It’s a good thing I wore them because I chose two tall guys to pose with, DeAngelo and Axl, the new guys on the block. Hopefully, the picture will inspire me to write another book as last year’s photo with David did.

And how about those parties! I love the themes. My belly dance outfit was a fun sewing project I worked on over the summer. My favorite night, though, is the Thursday meet and greet. I’m a big karaoke fan and made sure to practice this year ahead of time. When the DJ remembered me from last year, a wonderful feeling of familiarity came over me. RomantiCon isn’t just a one-time fun thing. It’s an annual tradition. I got the same feeling of déjà vu while having breakfast with Lisa Foxx and Sara Brookes.

To me, the Cavemen make it extra special. Each is unique and adds to the experience. I finally introduced myself to Justin and realized what mesmerizing eyes he has. Shy and sweet Ace was my backup dancer for karaoke again. Nick always inspires me to dance. Taylor has such thought provoking Facebook pictures. Axl is basic male, no frills needed. DeAngelo won the Alpha Caveman title, and it was well deserved. Wonderfully charming and polite, he made me feel like the belle of the ball. I think I danced with him every night. (I need to find out the name of that cologne he wears and buy a gallon of it for the hubby.)

I had no idea my convention experience would end on such a high note on bingo night. Because it was my birthday, I’d dropped a few hints earlier. When ten o’clock drew near, however, I was sure it would be forgotten. When Rodney said, “Guys, line up,” to the other birthday girl, I felt even worse. My name never sounded so good when Rodney called me up front. I got to “celebrate” with most of the guys, and we were all wearing our jammies. Sigh. What a dream!

Is RomantiCon YOUR tradition?

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies…
www.aftonlocke.com
Stripper With Spice - coming soon from EC!

Thursday, September 12, 2013


Don't miss this fun Halloween blog hop by Close Encounters With the Night Kind. I'll be there!

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Monday, July 22, 2013

First Cruise

I just got back from my first cruise. Being no stranger to motion sickness, I’d always refused to cruise, putting it into the category of not in this lifetime. Deciding to be fearless, I tried it. Because we had to get up at 2 am for our flight, I was pretty sleep deprived, but that’s OK because sleepiness is a good defense against seasickness. While sitting in the Miami port, we learned our way around the ship. I was glad it was steady as a rock. Hopefully, it would stay that way when we got moving.

The next morning was another story. In foggy pre-consciousness I felt the bed move as if someone was tugging on it. What the--? I assumed it was my husband at first, and when I realized it wasn’t him I groped for another explanation. Ghosts? Then I remembered where I was. The ship was moving, and now that I was fully conscious and rested, I didn’t like it! I couldn’t face another 5 days. The bathroom was the worst. Everything rocked in there.

Finding our way to the stern for breakfast took a lot of trial and error and asking directions. To my dismay, the stern rocked most of all. There were whitecaps on the water. My next surprise was group seating. I’m not a morning person, especially when I’m not feeling so great. Will this nightmare ever end? I promptly ordered some ginger ale and hoped for the best. The person next to me happened to be a writer too. As I talked to her, I forgot all about the motion of the ship and even ate a hearty breakfast. I discovered the best defense again motion yuckies is distraction.

I gained my sea legs as the day went on. Sitting on deck with tropical drink in hand is a cool experience, and I loved the waterfront dining. Enjoyed our ocean balcony too. At night the water lapping the hull sounded like ocean waves washing on the beach. That evening I did karaoke and had the crowd cheering. They didn’t seem to care that my voice cracked in the middle of the chorus. This bar was in the stern too, but I began to notice the ship rocked more than usual.

We went to a gift ship to look around. By now, the excessive rocking was impossible to ignore. I had a hard time navigating the hard, slick floor in heels because it moved as if we were having an earthquake. Inside the store, necklaces danced on the racks with a life of their own. Time to head to the cabin.

As soon as I saw the water and horizon, I felt better. The explanation for the pitching was our reduction in speed. Long swells were manipulating the boat as if it was a cork. Feeling like a wimp, I finally put on my motion wristband. We soon picked up speed again and I was fine.

The next day, we stopped at Jamaica. Exhausted from the heat and some pushy salespeople, we ended up at Margaritaville where we had a great time eating lunch outside and enjoying the beach. The island with its tall mountains is enchantingly beautiful. I’m inspired to write! The day after, we visited a beach at Grand Cayman where I got to snorkel and commune with cool looking fish. We had another outdoor lunch, but it was expensive because of the exchange rate. At dinner on the ship, I saw lightning strike the water. I’m glad I wasn’t outside.

We had a mixture of calm and windy, rough seas the next day. With sea legs in place, I just enjoyed more tropical drinks on deck. The evening brought a windy rainstorm that saturated our entire balcony. It’s over already? I didn’t feel like packing, and the next morning we had disembark very early. I guess I was ready to sail around the world.

Now if I could just get my land legs back...

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Loving Day Blog Hop - Interracial Dating What If?

At a high school conference, I met an African-American man at a dance. The connection was so strong I didn’t notice or care what color he was at first. Other students thought it was cool, but the family was not so supportive because they tended to be kind of uptight in my dating years. When the guy invited me to his prom, I wanted to go, but the disapproval was too high a price. I lived with my family so tension would be 24/7. I also had other guys asking me out, so I cut my losses.

I remember the scent of his cologne and can’t help wondering what if I’d been stronger? If that situation happened now, and if I knew he was the love of my life, I would fight to be with him, no question. My heroine in Rose, Exposed struggles with the same issue.

I started writing interracial romance because it adds another dimension of conflict, making the happily ever after an even sweeter reward. I set these books in historical time periods because racial tensions were even stronger then.

Rose, Exposed

http://www.ellorascave.com/rose-exposed.html

When Leroy gets promoted at the new oyster plant on Pearl Point, all he cares about is working hard. Then he meets flirtatious artist Rose, and soon nothing matters except getting her to the altar and into bed. He’s healing from a recent loss, and isn’t about to let her go too.

Because Rose’s strict, social-climbing father doesn’t approve of dark-skinned Leroy, they court in secret. Although Leroy’s raw passion can convince her to do almost anything, why can’t he understand she needs freedom, not marriage? However, in the 1930s, freedom for any woman is hard to come by.

In Leroy’s arms, Rose finds unimaginable sensual pleasures, but she’s torn by desire and duty. Her father wants her to be white; Leroy wants her to embrace her black heritage. Playing both sides of the fence leaves this young biracial beauty exposed in more ways than one.

Also check out the prequel, Plucking the Pearl.

Where to find me:

Facebook
Twitter
Newsletter - The LoveChronicle
recent newsletter

Giveaway:

One winner will receive a copy of Plucking the Pearl, the first interracial erotic romance in the Oyster Harbor series. Leave a comment related to my post to be eligible.

*Next author: Melissa Blue

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Loving Day Blog Hop is only 4 days away!


http://www.swirlawards.com/p/loving-day-blog-hop.html

Loving Blog Hop day is on June 12th. Stop by to read my post.
Commenters will be eligible to win a copy of Plucking the Pearl, the first interracial erotic romance in the Oyster Harbor series.

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Snippet Sunday - Rose, Exposed (adult)


(warning: adult content below)

“Did you feel his cock against you, Rose?”

She shook her head, unable to take her eyes from the enticing length of hard flesh sliding back and forth in his hand. He let go of himself and traced his wet fingertip along her bottom lip.

“You’re a poor liar, sweet girl,” he whispered.

In spite of herself, she extended her tongue and licked the essence he’d left on her mouth.

“Yes, I felt it,” she admitted, “but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to anger him by backing away.”

Her fear of Jonathan seemed silly now because the real danger was right here in the car with her.

These sentences are from Rose, Exposed by Afton Locke, a 1930s multicultural erotic romance.

Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Buy eBook Link: http://www.ellorascave.com/rose-exposed.html
Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT9x9-Hlhw&feature=youtu.be
Blog Tour (3/26 - 4/9): http://www.aftonlocke.com/RoseExposedTour.html

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Snippet Sunday - Rose, Exposed

Happy Easter! Here's a snippet from my latest release, Rose, Exposed.

“You’re so…dark,” she exclaimed. Instead of the disdain he expected, he heard fascination.

Come on, lady. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a colored man before.

“Yes, I’m dark,” he agreed as he politely removed her hand, “which is why it’s not a good idea for us to sit alone together in this car. Someone might come along and jump to the wrong conclusion.”

A conclusion that could get him beat up or worse with the Klan close by on Oyster Island.
 
But before he could stop her, she clasped both sides of his face and pressed her sweet mouth to his. Aw, hell. A man only had so much self-control, and she’d just shattered his.




Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com
Rose, Exposed - 1930s erotic romance - available now at Ellora's Cave!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Rose Exposed cover and video

 

 
I just got my cover for Rose, Exposed, which releases from Ellora's Cave on March 27th!
I love it. The mood of the book is captured perfectly.

I also put together a book trailer video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT9x9-Hlhw&feature=youtu.be

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Rose Exposed Blog Tour

I'm very excited to announce my most official blog tour ever. It's for my upcoming multicultural 1930s erotic romance release -- Rose, Exposed -- 27 March from Ellora's Cave!

Go here for all the details:
http://www.aftonlocke.com/RoseExposedTour.html


Now I've got to get busy writing articles!

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Two Times in Texas

If you have fun doing something once, you want to do it again, right? Last weekend I went to the the Sassy Seven Author’s Naughty Sleepover Celebration (NSO) in San Antonio and had a blast. It also reminded me of my first trip to Texas.

When I was 17, I won a competition for the state I lived in and got to go to Houston. (I won’t say what the competition was because it sounds antique!) Let’s just say I worked my butt off to win because I was already a huge fan of the west. Let’s compare, shall we?

Weather
I went to Houston in the summer and it was steamy. San Antonio in February is a hell of a lot better than February at home. I chucked off my coat, sat by the pool, and enjoyed spring fever early.

Hotel
In Houston, I got stuck with a chain hotel. I can’t say enough good things about the Menger in San Antonio. Nicest hotel I ever went to for a conference. Beautiful Victorian furnishings and a western ambience. When I checked in, the guy behind the desk was dazzled that I was a writer. He even shook my hand and said writers sometimes demand special things like a certain drink. (I guess I should’ve demanded a Mojito delivered to my room every day.) The hauntings were cool too. I stood next to someone who had a ghost experience and saw some cool lights on one of the hall mirrors.

Chaperones
In Houston, my chaperone did a disappearing act so I was on my own in the big city. In San Antonio, I didn’t need one. I explored the Alamo and the River Walk, and the hostesses (Regina Carlysle, Samantha Cayto, Cerise Deland, Desiree Holt, Allie Standifer, and Brenna Zinn) took care of every detail with finesse. You’d never know this was their first event. We’re hoping they do it again.

They even started the conference with a friendly fireside-type chat where they introduced themselves. At 17, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the big-girl games like ring toss with an inflatable phallic symbol or Pin the Junk on the Hunk. Wouldn’t have been able to watch the live BDSM demo either.

Drinks
As you can see in the picture, I’m holding a bottle of Jack Daniels, but I was too young to drink it. During the decadent chocolate event at NSO, I took advantage of the cash bar and also enjoyed some sangria and margaritas while people watching on the River Walk. Now this is the life writers dream about.

Money
You can also see some dollar bills stuffed into my bodice. At the NSO, I saw LOTS of dollar bills -- mostly being stuffed into the G-strings of the talented male dancers from Hard Bodies. We had cowboy/cop guy, smooth city guy, and Native-American guy who even played with fire.

Romance Novels
At 17, I passed the time reading a romance novel by Rosemary Rogers. I even sat at the desk with pen and paper, demanding myself to write a novel. Even then I knew I wanted to be a romance author. Now I know trips aren’t for writing but for being open to the book ideas that hit without warning. And I’m happy to say I achieved my dream. I am a published romance author.

Friends
Abandoned in Houston, I participated in all the group activities and made some new friends. I spent a day with a girl and her family at a nearby amusement park, and we exchanged letters for many years afterward. I met a lot of new friends at the NSO too, only now I connect with them on Facebook.

Men
Which brings me to the best subject of all. Men! In Houston, I attended the group event to go to a ranch for BBQ and western dancing. On the bus, I sat with a gorgeous male teacher from Kentucky. When I mentioned I was cold from the icy air conditioning, he enfolded my arm in his and rubbed it to warm it up. His wife and kid were sitting only a couple of seats behind us. Needless to say, I wasn’t cold after that. I was downright hot, in fact. On another night, I met a cute guy from Nevada at a group dance. We were lip-locked for hours. Unfortunately, I never heard from him again.

At NSO, we got to hang out with David Nieves and Cole Reilly, the perfect guys for the job.
And may I say that the state of Texas has the hottest men around? I was even enjoying the male scenery at the airport.

Packing
In Houston, I had a smaller suitcase and didn’t take that much with me. Different story for NSO in San Antonio. I had to bring sexy shoes for the contest, denim and glitz, pink for the breast cancer fundraiser luncheon, and layers for all weather. Not to mention the shopping at the River Walk. At home, I’m too busy writing to shop so I sort of went wild.

I also won wine and a book by A.B. McKinley. Did a lot of strategic arranging to get it all to fit and barely got the suitcase closed. Wouldn’t you know that’s when my suitcase got searched? I must say they did a pretty good job of putting things back in the right place. Not sure what they thought of the swag that said things like -- so many men, so little rope. It’s a good thing I didn’t take home any sex toys from the demo. My poor cowboy hat will never look the same now.

Home Again

I miss Texas even more than I did after the first trip. Brenna Zinn told me I look like a native, which I take as a huge compliment. I will be back a third time…

For some great pictures of the NSO event, check out Dalton Diaz’s blog post:


Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com
Rose, Exposed -- 1930s erotic romance - coming soon from Ellora's Cave!

Monday, January 7, 2013

My Trading Card Adventure

Even though I took a break from writing over the holidays, I kept up with promo.

Before I went to RomantiCon last October, I'd never heard of a trading card. Browsing the promo tables, I spotted the nifty little cards and picked some up. When I got home, I looked up the official web site and said, "I've gotta try this."

I happily designed a card for Plucking the Pearl, my interracial historical erotic romance novel -- putting my blurb on the back and my book cover on the front.

The book cover is very explicit, which I believe helped sales. However, it didn't help when I tried to get my trading cards printed. Vendor A had reasonable prices but declined to fulfill the order due to the cover. Okay... So I contacted the publisher who suggested some other vendors. Turned out those didn't do trading cards but one thought it was a great idea, so that could change.

Next I went to Vendor B, one that had printed bookmarks for my first book. Their price was higher, but something was better than nothing. However, they couldn't handle the cover either.

At that point I was pretty frustrated. Then I got on iStockPhoto and found a bunch of images of the same couple that appeared in my cover. I happened to find a very nice one that is suggestive but not nearly as explicit. I bought it. To make sure it would pass the vendor's censors, I even cloned part of her nightie to remove any hint of shaded nipples showing through! I also put a moustache on my hero because he has one. Vendor A printed it, no questions asked. Hooray!

The result is above. What do you think? I can't wait to distribute them at shows.

Afton Locke
Unlock your fantasies...
www.aftonlocke.com

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

My New Year's Resolutions


The holidays were a whirlwind this year between shopping, cleaning, family, parties, and cooking. That's right, cleaning. Something I usually avoid. Next year I'm hiring a professional. Scouring a dirty kitchen doesn't exactly put me in the holiday spirit. To keep things interesting, the car broke down on Christmas Day away from home. I'm glad to say there are good folks out there and the Christmas spirit is still alive and well.

While 2010 and 2011 were not good years for me, 2012 was. At the end of every year, I like to look back and find things to be thankful for. Here's to 2013 and hoping it's a good one.

So what are my New Year's resolutions?
1) put out more books per year
2) exercise more (Doesn't everyone say that after pigging out during the holidays?)
3) clean more? (Nah, takes too much time from writing.)
4) blog more

So why is #4 so hard for me?
-It's hard to see a direct connection to benefitting my career. Does anyone actually read this?
-It takes time away from writing.
-I can never think of what to say.
-Everyone else's blog pictures always look so much better than mine.

Even though it's hard, I'll try to do it more. I want to be accessible to readers and share my life, boring as it sometimes may be!

So if you're out there and you're reading, give a shout-out.
By the way, what's your New Year's resolution?

Afton Locke
www.aftonlocke.com