Happy New Year!

Look at this beaut!

Isn't this cover for the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance gorgeous?

My contribution is FIRE AND ICE, a somewhat wintry story with a warm, naughty centre. Lots of other fabulous authors between the covers too, notably my super writing buddy, Saskia Walker!

Seasons Greetings!

The God of the Hive

The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful! I devoured this at top speed, desperate to know the resolution of the story that began in the previous book.

There were some great new supporting characters in God of the Hive. I'm not usually a fan of child characters, but I found Estelle to be very likable. And I loved Robert Goodman! He was intriguing and playful, tragic and yet somehow triumphant. With his blond puckishness, he somehow reminded me of my own current muse... ;)

I thoroughly enjoyed this fine addition to the Russell/Holmes saga and now I can't wait for The Pirate King next year.

View all my reviews

I'm Christmas visiting today...

with my buddy Madelynne Ellis, who's running a fun Advent calendar at the moment. Behind today's door there's a saucy excerpt from A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT!

Advent Calender Day 19: Portia Da Costa

The *other* Patrick and Miranda

Because I'm a colossal doofus and my memory is a bit dodgy, I've managed to write two pieces of fiction lately where the names of the hero and heroine are Patrick and Miranda. I'm not sure how I've got fixated on the name Miranda, unless it's because this wonderful lady is so funny, but obviously, the name Patrick is derived from my current Muse, the divine Patrick Jane, the clever yet tragic central character in The Mentalist.

A couple of days ago, I linked to an excerpt of TOUCH OF HEAVEN, my late 2011 paranormal erotic romance novella from Samhain - in which Patrick #1 is the mysterious and hunky next door neighbour of Miranda #1.

Today I have a link to the story of Patrick #2 and Miranda #2. This Miranda is a successful and dynamic businesswoman who's a bit of a workaholic and desperately needs a bit of downtime and a change of scene. Luckily, she has a remarkable and rather gorgeous male PA, who also happens to be called Patrick. When the pair go for a drive in the country, their roles are reversed, and Miranda discovers that the super efficient and normally subservient Patrick is actually a thrillingly dominant lover with a taste for kinky fun.

Why not not check them out as they set out on their excursion...

A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Unfortunately, there's a little bit of a wait to read the full story. It'll be published by Harlequin Spice Briefs in March 2012.

THE LANGUAGE OF BEES

The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another wonderful installment of Mary Russell's memoirs. I was a little bit slower to become immersed in this one than some of the others, but once I really got stuck in, I was as captivated as ever.

I think the slight problem for me was that I've never been a fan of Irene Adler, and have been even less fond since I discovered Mary! So it wasn't easy to warm to Adler's son, initially.

Clearly, it wasn't a problem with the writing, just my own prejudices. I've become quite protective of Mary and Sherlock's relationship and don't want echoes of past loves to intrude.

Silly, I know, but it just shows how skilfully the memoirs are written and how deeply I've been drawn into them. :)

Naturally now, I'm dying to read THE GOD OF THE HIVE!

View all my reviews

TOUCH OF HEAVEN - a first look

Pleasure with a perfect stranger can be divine

When Miranda Clay first sets eyes on her neighbors' temporary house-sitter she gets a delicious, erotic treat that she hadn't bargained for - mysterious Patrick likes to sunbathe without his clothes on! Mesmerizing and golden, her new friend is more than just a handsome face and a perfect male body though, and his healing hands and his uncanny natural empathy quickly dispel Miranda's aches and pains and her fears of growing older. But as the pair are drawn ever closer, and their physical intimacy becomes transcendent, a stunning revelation and an agonizing choice threaten to part them even while a lasting love blossoms.

~~~~~~~~~~

Touch of Heaven is a sexy paranormal novella that's due to be published by Samhain Publishing in the second half of 2011. 

Click here to read an excerpt and meet the divine Patrick! :)

Stories of Married Bliss...

Here's a wonderful anthology that I'm really excited to be a part of - compiled by a legendary editor!

WITH THIS RING, I THEE WED - edited by Alison Tyler

As the title suggests, this is a collection of stories themed around weddings and marriage, from the engagement stage right through to the anniversary celebrations of long-standing couples. My story is called ANNIVERSARY WALTZ and describes the rather perverse anniversary celebrations enjoyed by a loving and long married couple, Amanda and Julian. They're a husband and wife who love to play games...

Read an excerpt here

Published in May 2011 by Harlequin Spice

In the New Year and beyond...

Here's my provisional schedule for 2011 and beyond:

• March 2011 - Far From Perfect - contemporary romance from Samhain
  
• May 2011 - The Anniversary Waltz - BDSM short story in With This Ring, I Thee Bed
  
• July 2011 - Fire & Ice - short story in the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance
  
• Autumn 2011 - Touch of Heaven - paranormal erotic romance novella from Samhain
  
• September 2011 - Another Chance - erotic romance short story from Spice Briefs
  
• January 2012 - In The Flesh - historical erotic romance novel from Harlequin Spice
  
• March 2012 - A Very Personal Assistant - erotic romance short story from Spice Briefs
  
• September 2012 - A Gentlewoman's Rescue - Ladies' Sewing Circle #3 from Spice Briefs
  
• March 2013 - A Gentlewoman's Dalliance - Ladies' Sewing Circle #4 from Spice Briefs
  
• TBA 2012/13 - Historical erotic romance novel #2 from Harlequin Spice
  

There's a possibility that there might be one or two other story items, but nothing definite. I'm very keen on the idea of self publishing something too, perhaps a small anthology of stories to start with.

Look forward to excerpts of a few more items on the list in the near future.

What's happening at the moment...

Gah, sorry for the long silence here. I'm the most hopeless blogger on the face of the earth. Even when I've got news to announce, I tend to blank on ways to convey it and blog about it. Shameful, when writing is my trade...

So what's the latest?

My most recent publication is a short story in the lovely Rachel Kramer Bussel's PASSION anthology.

This is a selection of hot but romantic stories from a variety of authors including Rachel herself, my brilliant critique partner and all round literary life support pal Saskia Walker, and other online buddies like Justine Elyot and Charlene Teglia, plus many more fabulous folk. My effort is THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT and features an unlikely hero, a hated and feared 'management consultant' who comes in to sort out the company where the heroine works. But when Susie meets Noah out of hours, in a bar, she discovers he's not quite the ogre she's made him out to be at work... in fact, he's a sexy hunk with a much more amenable side to his nature.

Here's a mini snippet of THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT, plus some links so you can buy PASSION!

In terms of what I'm writing at the moment... Well, I'm working on the early stages of a proposal for my second Spice novel. I have one or two different notions... I won't grace them with the word ideas as they're still so vague they hardly earn that title... but the strongest contender seems to be something I'm just calling Diamonds for the moment. It involves a Victorian inheritance, and a pair of distant cousins with issues - both between one another, and with other people and situations. Adela and Wilson Ruffington don't really like each other all that much, although they can't deny a mutual attraction. Both are somewhat spiky and difficult characters, and not what you'd classically call "beautiful people". I'm at the very early stages with Diamonds, though, and have only written half of a scene... and have very little plot to speak of, as yet.

Prior to working on Diamonds, I completed A Gentlewoman's Dalliance, which is #4 in my Victorian Ladies' Sewing Circle series for Harlequin Spice Briefs. In this one, naughty prime time lady, Mrs. Mary Brigstock indulges in kinky fun with her hubby... and a handsome young 'specialist'. Oooh, la, la! I'm hoping to post a teaser of that one soon on my web site, along with one from #3, A Gentlewoman's Rescue, in which lady bicyclist Lucy falls off her bike and almost straight into the arms of Ethan, a deliciously earthy hunk with a secluded country cottage.

These two stories won't be available until September 2012 and March 2013 respectively, alas. Sob, sob, sob... But in the meantime, you can still whet your appetite for my Victorian writing with my first two Ladies' Sewing Circle outings: A Gentlewoman's Predicament and A Gentlewoman's Ravishment, the risqué adventures of Circle members Sofia and Prudence respectively.

That's all for the moment, but I hope to post again tomorrow [yeah, right...] with news of what's in the pipeline for next year and beyond in terms of writing and book and story releases...

A Worth Successor to Sir Arthur

The Game by Laurie R. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book! I tore through it in about three days, which is lightning speed for me now that I'm a fairly slow reader.

Of all the Mary Russell books I've read so far, I think that it's my second favorite after The Moor, which I love because I love The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The descriptions of the sea voyage and India are breathtakingly vivid and real seeming. You really feel as if you're there! The central relationship between Holmes and Russell is as believable and enchanting as ever, but the new characters all live and breathe too. I especially liked the wily Indian boy Bindra, even though I'm not usually a fan of children in books.

Laurie King's writing is fast moving and dynamic, but never at the expense of richness and moments of telling detail. And after just finishing reading Sir Arthur's entire Sherlock Holmes canon, the transition to Holmes and Russell was smooth as silk. Holmes is still the same person who shared adventures with Watson, and the Holmes/Russell stories are a worthy and satisfying account of The Great Detective's further exploits.

View all my reviews

Elementary, my dear Portia

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've now read the complete Sherlock Holmes canon and I'm even more of a Holmes nut than I was before! Previously my fondness for The Great Detective was founded in the marvelous television performances of the wonderful and sadly missed Jeremy Brett, but now, having read the original literature that he brought to life so vividly, I'm as in love with the source material as I am with its dramatic interpretation.

I love Sir Arthur's writing style, and the way sometimes the stories rattle along at a hectic pace, and at others, there's a breathtaking yet subtle richness of description and characterization, coupled with a delightful sly humor. It's no wonder the stories are so well loved and revered - the personalities of Holmes and Watson, as well as the supporting cast, are like real people who spring from the page and live.

It definitely won't be too long before I'm re-reading these amazing classic tales.

View all my reviews

I love Sherlock...

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What can I say? It's Sherlock Holmes. Having only watched versions on the telly and in movies, I'm now thoroughly enjoying what's on the page. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a master storyteller and even after all these years, the Holmes and Watson yarns stand up and entertain magnificently!

View all my reviews

My buddy's latest release!

My writing buddy Saskia Walker has a tantalizing new book release from Total-E-Bound!

Go here to get the the buzz about Monica's Secret! :)

Quick Saturday Update

Nothing much happening here at Casa Da Costa at the moment, although I'm alarmed at how fast this year is speeding by! October already... I can hardly believe it.

IN THE FLESH has now been sent to my editor. She's a very busy lady, and won't be able to read it immediately, but she has said she's looking forward to it immensely. Here's hoping it lives up to her expectations. :)

I've now finished a first draft of A GENTLEWOMAN'S RESCUE and I'm letting it settle a bit first, before I edit it. I originally intended this to be a slightly frivolous, almost fantasy interlude, but it's turned out to a wee tad deeper, touching on issues of self image and self esteem. Not a message piece, but maybe it's a bit more meaningful and a bit less silly than the original concept. I'm now mulling over ideas for the next Spice Brief, which has a working title of A GENTLEWOMAN'S FOIBLES, and is about a member of the Ladies' Sewing Circle who was initially a little bit prim, but has eventually loosened up, after listening to her friends' frisky talk. Mrs Mary Brigstock quickly becomes as kinky as the rest of the Circle, taking to naughty pervery like the proverbial duck to water! Much to the delight of Mr Brigstock!

Hope it's not too long before I'll be able to post excerpts of both of these stories.

In other news, I've been migrating. From one laptop to another. After serving me magnificently since around 2005, my original lappie has started throwing blue screens. It still works, but it's on borrowed time, and as I'm always reading horror stories of writing buddies and others who lose critical work due to failing hard disks etc, I thought I'd take action sooner rather than later... and end up regretting it. Last year, I bought a 2nd hand but refurbished laptop, similar to my existing one, and over the last couple of days I've been moving over my documents and programs and whatnots to the new one. I've got the majority of the necessary stuff transferred now, and backed up, so I can breathe easy for the time being.

A Wonderful Review of my Ladies!

"The Ladies' Sewing Circle"

I just received the most wonderful review for my two Ladies' Sewing Circle stories, from Wendy the Superlibrarian, over at The Good, The Bad and The Unread. Wendy has always written thoughtful and positive reviews of my work, and even though she's used to me writing contemporary set stories, I seem to have hit the mark for her with my first historical offerings too. Wahey!

"I’m a fan of Portia Da Costa’s brand of erotica mostly because of her heroines. She writes really fun, strong heroines. The kind of girls I’d like to be friends with, have a drink at the local pub with, or watch chick flicks with while digging our way through a box of chocolates. I also like that she has a strong contemporary writing voice. So when I heard she was working on some Victorian-set erotic romances for Harlequin, I was immediately intrigued. Will her “voice” work as well in historical as it does in contemporary?" ~ Wendy the Superlibrarian

Why not nip on over and see what she has to say...

DDS Review: The Ladies’ Sewing Circle by Portia Da Costa

Thank you, SuperWendy! :)

Ebook fun!

I think this is so cool from my friends at Diesel Ebooks!

Earl of Diesel's Risque Parlor Bundle

Contains:

Devil's Pearl
A Gentlewoman's Predicament
A Gentlewoman's Ravishment
Her Dark Master

Sewing Circles, Sex Slaves, and Ravishment, all in a typical Regency/Victorian afternoon...

A jolly collection of saucy historical rompage, containing 2 of mine and 2 more hot stories by other authors.

Buy here from Diesel eBooks!

And here's news of another vintage Portia title now in Kindle format...

THE TUTOR

Rosalind Howard takes a job as personal librarian to the enigmatic and handsome Julian Hadey. Employed to catalogue his vast archive of erotica, she soon finds herself presented with a still more intriguing challenge.

The Tutor is one of my older titles, first published around 1995, and I'm thrilled that it's finally available again in a new format. 

Buy from Kindle Store UK

Listed at  Kindle Store US- check back for availability

Read a naughty excerpt - Julian has sexy thoughts and takes action ;)

News, reviews, links

Well, not all that much news, really. The main thing is that I've heard back from my agent about In The Flesh and she thinks it's "excellent"! She's also very pleased that I've completed it in time to submit it to the editor a full two months before my stated deadline.

I've also received a couple of lovely reviews for my Ladies' Sewing Circle titles, A Gentlewoman's Predicament and A Gentlewoman's Ravishment, both from author, editor and reviewer Lucy Felthouse. Lucy has long been a supporter of my work, and I'm delighted that she's enjoyed my latest offerings.

Here's what she has to say about A Gentlewoman's Predicament...

I’ve read lots of Portia Da Costa’s work in the past, but this is the first historical erotica of hers that I’ve read. And I have to say that although it’s a huge departure from her contemporary stuff, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s been so brilliantly written that you forget that you’re actually in modern times, as opposed to Victorian England. The tone, the language and the dialogue are perfectly crafted and it makes for a fab read!

Read the full review here!

And now, her thoughts on A Gentlewoman's Ravishment...

This is a fabulous story in this series from Portia Da Costa. I actually preferred this to the first, and based on these two, can’t wait to see what’s going to happen to the Victorian ladies next. Recommended.

Read the full review here!

I'd also like to point my visitors in the direction of a fantastic new web site set up by Lucy...

EROTICA FOR ALL

This is a fast growing hub of information for authors and readers of erotica and erotic romance, and features author bios, excerpts, and competitions and giveaways. There's also a forum where readers and authors can interact. Why not surf along there now and check it out! 

At last - an update

Sorry for the long delay in updating my blog. I don't really have a valid excuse. I've been busy doing lots of things and the time just got away from me.

Anyway, in book news, I finally finished a draft of my Victorian erotic romance novel IN THE FLESH, and it's now with my agent, and I'm awaiting her verdict. This book has been a huge challenge for me. A new sub-genre with a new publisher. I've already written quite a few Spice Briefs for Harlequin, but a 100K+ word single title novel is a whole new ball game. Working in a historical setting for a longer work has been hard work, because I've only ever done contemporary novels before. Every fact, and it seems like nearly every other word and phrase has to be checked for historical accuracy. You can't just bowl along willy-nilly 'talking' the way we do nowadays. I'm sure IN THE FLESH still has more than its fair share of anachronistic speech etc, but I have tried to at least get a flavour of the times, and be as accurate as I can to the best of my researching ability. But, I'm not a history scholar, just an average writer with a passionate interest in all things Victorian, so it's not going to be 100% perfect on the historical score.

But despite all the hard work and angsting over the thing, I feel hugely happy to have done it, and eager to do more in the same vein. I also feel proud that I've pushed myself to do something that was out of my usual comfort zone, because I think it's made me grow as a writer. I feel I've achieved something. And I think it's particularly important for someone like me, who's no longer a young writer, to keep on stretching themself, and learning new things and new skills.

So, what's next? Well, no doubt my agent will have some suggestions for IN THE FLESH and that might mean a bit more work on it, but hopefully in the next week or so it'll be off to the editor and then I'll be keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that it makes her grade. But obviously, I won't be just sitting around waiting to hear the verdict. At the moment, I'm still working in the Victorian era, weaving another of my LADIES' SEWING CIRCLE tales. I've got a contract to do two more, and this first one of those is provisionally titled A GENTLEWOMAN'S RESCUE and is about Miss Lucy Dawson, a bespectacled bicycle riding spinster, who sees herself as a bit of an ugly ducking and has philosophically resigned herself to a solitary life... or at least a life without a man. That is, until she tumbles off her bicycle in the rain, on a lonely country road and is rescued by a handsome rustic Adonis who takes her to his cottage to recuperate...

After RESCUE, I'll be writing the next Sewing Circle Lady's story, but I don't have a title for that, and I'm still mulling over a few different ideas. It'll be fun though! And when that's turned in, I'll be seriously applying myself to writing the outline and character biographies for my second Victorian Spice novel. No firm details on that yet, but I'll definitely be setting it in the same 'world' as IN THE FLESH and THE LADIES' SEWING CIRCLE.

Also in the pipe is my sweeter novel for Samhain Publishing, FAR FROM PERFECT. I don't have any publication date for that yet, but I'm hoping to get edits on that soon, and then I'll know more.

That's all for now, but hopefully when I've worked on it to my satisfaction, I'll soon be able to post an excerpt of A GENTLEWOMAN'S RESCUE.

I'm so excited!

Look at this beaut! It's a Kindle! A Kindle for the UK! Finally!

I'm so delighted to hear about this development, and needless to say, as an unashamed gadget freak, I've ordered myself one. :)

Lots of my books are available for this new platform, so check out what's on offer if you're planning to treat yourself to a Kindle:

Portia's UK Kindle Store

Recently Kindled!

Am delighted to report that super British epublisher Total-E-Bound has now released titles of mine for Amazon Kindle! Click a cover or a description for the links :)

The Retreat - sensual British set BDSM short novella featuring a quiet storm of a sexy dominant hero

Wild in the Country - crazy, sexy high jinks in the English countryside, where Flora explores her wild side and the delicious bod of the hot artist living next door

Object of Desire - Sylvia ogles her hunky neighbour while he does Tai Chi in the garden and fantasises about what she'd like to do to him

Bound Brits - anthology of British set BDSM novellas including The Retreat

I've also discovered that my Ellora's Cave title has also been Kindled too. :)

Lessons and Lovers - rather unlikely but decidedly hot and sexy tale of devoted love and sensual exploration

It's official... I'm a Samhain Publishing author!

I know I've been talking about this for a while, but now it's official. I've just signed the contract for my first ever book with the wonderful Samhain Publishing!

Far From Perfect is a category length sensual contemporary romance, and a reunited lovers story, one of my favourite themes. I'm not sure yet when it will be published, but I'm hoping it won't be too long.

I have a bunch of other story ideas that I'm planning to develop for Samhain, and I'm really looking forward to working with my new editor, the wonderful Heidi, and the rest of the Samhain team. I'm also absolutely thrilled to be part of a stable of fabulous authors that includes many of the brightest stars in current romance publishing!

Yeah, right...

I write like
Vladimir Nabokov

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Why not try the quiz and see who you write like? :)

The Lost Boys

Here are my two lost boys: Boy [L] who died in 2006, and Kuffer [R] who passed away yesterday. I won't say they were the closest of cat buddies, but they lived together fairly cordially for many, many years.

And here are the Golden Girls:

Alice [L] and Mulder [R] are both well into their feline 'teens but both going strong and enjoying life.

RIP Kuffer 1992 - 2010

He was a lovely lad, a beautiful cat and a real character.

Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Hamlet, Act V, scene ii, William Shakespeare

Portia talks fairies with Alison Tyler!

Legendary author and editor Alison Tyler has interviewed me here about UNVEILING HIS MUSE, my contribution to the Alison's Wonderland anthology of fairy tales and other magical stories.

Check it out!

Gratuitous Patrick pic and what's going on here...

Mmm... delicious, eh? Bit of a blowing in the wind, big hair Patrick. :)

Latest news from me is that I've just completed the first draft of my historical erotic romance novel, IN THE FLESH. It's clocked in at a chunky 105K words, and is one of the longest, if not the longest book I've ever written. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to take me all that long to write, once I got going, and even though it was a challenge, it was huge fun to do. I love my characters Beatrice and Mr. Ritchie aka Edmund and I had a smile all over my face while I was writing the final chapter and their happily ever after.

As I've completed this draft well in advance of my delivery date, I'm going to set it aside to 'set' now for a little while, and work on other projects, including outlines and ideas for new books, novellas and stories. Then, after the setting time, I'll be back to work on IN THE FLESH, for a lot of editing, polishing, fine tuning and enhancing, to make it the best it can possibly be before I turn it in to my editor.

I've been Kindled again!

When Sylvia sees her new upstairs neighbour doing Tai Chi in the communal garden of their apartment building, she immediately knows she wants to do far more than borrow a cup of sugar from him. Nathaniel Gowen is everything she wants in a man and more—handsome, sexy, mature and mysterious—and she’s trying desperately to think of a casual way to introduce herself to the man who haunts her erotic dreams and fantasies.


But then one day, he comes knocking at her door…

Object of Desire - available now for Amazon Kindle!

Another sale!

It's been a very good week. First I sold my story THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT to Rachel Kramer Bussel for her PASSION anthology... and now I've sold another story to different anthology! :)

This time it's a tale called FIRE AND ICE and it's going to be in the MAMMOTH BOOK OF HOT ROMANCE, edited by Sonia Florens, which is due to be published in Spring 2011.

FIRE AND ICE is a fun story, and was a hoot to write. It's set at Christmas, and involves a boss and his P.A. So far, so good... but when the heating breaks down in Innes McKenzie's flat, it's adding insult to injury because he's in bed with the flu at the time! Enter the ministering angel of his personal assistant, Cally Hobbes, who has a major crush on her handsome boss and treats everything that ails him with a lot of very hands on TLC!

PASSION - I'm in it!

I'm thrilled to announce that my short story THE EFFICIENCY EXPERT will be included in the forthcoming PASSION anthology, edited by the fabulous Rachel Kramer Bussel!

PASSION will be published in November 2010 and you can find more info and a mini snippet of my story here.

Isn't the cover divine?

A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT - cheeky excerpt

When Prudence is 'kidnapped' by a ruthless masked stranger, she ends up sequestered in a sumptuous Arabian Nights style boudoir to await his further pleasure. However, there are 'distractions' to keep her mind off her plight... and their names are Clarence and Yuri! ;)

Click here to meet the boys who love to serve

Or if you think you're ready for the Full Monty, buy from Harlequin and read the whole story!

Belated release day for A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT

"I'd love to be abducted and ravished by some handsome brigand or pirate..."

When the women of the Ladies' Sewing Circle share their private fantasies, some are shocked by Mrs. Prudence Enderby's secret desire. But Prudence cannot imagine life without such exotic daydreams—especially since they arouse her husband, too!

Yet Prudence never imagined she would actually be whisked off the street by a mysterious masked man who has his wicked way with her in a carriage. Taking her back to a boudoir appointed for pleasure, he continues to bring every one of her fantasies to life. But nothing could be more surprising than when Prudence finally learns who is behind this gentlewoman's ravishment...

A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT was actually published on Tuesday, 1st June, but alas I've been a bit poorly with some kind of horrible stomach flu lurgy and wasn't able to announce it on time. But never mind, here it is, complete with its adorable cover, and I hope you'll all enjoy it! If you enjoyed A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT you'll be pleased to meet an old friend from that story too. 

Here's a naughty excerpt and some links to various ebook stores to buy it.

New sales!

I'm thrilled to announce that Harlequin have accepted another of my short stories for the Spice Briefs line! This one is called A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT and is about what happens when the relationship between a dynamic female executive and her handsome and sexy P.A. takes an unexpected turn down the path towards pervy eroticism. I'm particularly delighted that this story will see the light of publishing day, because it's my first sale inspired by my latest muse, Patrick Jane from the The Mentalist. Of course *my* Patrick isn't a police consultant with almost supernatural powers of observation... but he certainly does bear a startling resemblance to a certain Mr. Jane. In my mind at least. He might appear quite different to someone else reading the story... :)

 
But that's not the end of the good news. The editors at Harlequin not only accepted this particular story, but they asked if I would write two additional ones for the line too. These stories aren't specified or written yet, but this is the ideal opportunity to pen a couple more tales in the LADIES' SEWING CIRCLE series, and I already have several ideas that I'd like to flesh out for these commissions. So hopefully in the future, you'll be able to read about new heroines who are the friends of Sofia [A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT] and Prudence [A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT] and discover what naughty escapades they get up to!

I know my Holmes!

The Game's Afoot!

Score: 100% (8 out of 8)

Just took this quiz and scored a clean sweep! Sherlock would be proud...

Isn't this luscious?

Here's the sumptuous cover for my June Spice Brief, A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT.

Isn't it divine?

If you want to learn more about this naughty story from the Ladies' Sewing Circle, there's a blurb and excerpt here.

And you can also pre-order if you so wish here at eHarlequin.

For maximum enjoyment, remember to read A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT first!

Ooh, look, featured ebook at eHarlequin today!

Ooh, look whose Spice Brief is the featured ebook at eHarlequin today! Check it out!

Fun with ebooks!

I think ebooks are brilliant, and I'm starting to build up quite a collection of them on my Sony Reader, but the problem for a writer is that with an ebook, you don't get the thrill of holding the individual volume in your hands when the crisp, immaculate author copies arrive... or do you? ;)

LOL! Yes, I've been playing with Photoshop again instead of getting on with my writing! Nifty, though, eh?

A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT has been out four days now, and it's received its first four star review on Goodreads from Tracyene, who loved it and can't wait for the next in the series. Wonderfully heartening to hear her good opinion! :)

"Predicament" is also starting to appear at a variety of different digital outlets and can now be purchased from eHarlequin, Kindle, Sony eBook Store, Mills and Boon, Books on Board, Fictionwise and Diesel eBook Store. So if you haven't yet indulged, why not give "Madame" Chamfleur and "her" naughty stable of hot Victorian studs a whirl, eh?

Yay, I'm a historical author now!

I'm thrilled to announce that A Gentlewoman's Predicament is published today! Although most people who visit here will know that because I've been battering on about my first historical Spice Brief and it's imminent arrival for long enough... :)

Have got to admit that I'm a bit nervous about this one. Though I experimented with some historical scenes in Gothic Blue, this is the first entirely historical work I've released and it's a definite challenge to create a period 'voice' when all I've ever really done until now is work with modern characters and settings. I hope it works. I think it works. My editor certainly seems to like it. But now it's up to the readers to judge whether I've pulled it off. Eek!

Still, writing stories set in the Victorian era is a gamble I'm totally committed to now, given that my first ever full length Harlequin novel is set in that time period too. I'm loving the research, and I was fascinated by everything Victorian long before it ever occurred to me to write about those times... so I'm hoping for the best and trying my utmost to get In The Flesh right so that it'll be a worthy contribution to the Spice erotic list.

Anyway, back to A Gentlewoman's Predicament. It's already available from eHarlequin and Kindle, and by the time you read this it might also be live at Diesel Ebooks. It's also listed at the Mills & Boon ebook store, but I'm not sure whether you can buy it there yet, as it's listed as a June title. I'm sure it'll pop up at other outlets soon too, so check at your favourites.

Here's the official Harlequin blurb for 'Predicament'. I must admit, it contains a little bit of a spoiler, but it's not really a problem as Mme. Chamfleur's naughty secret is very quickly revealed in the story. ;)

"Sofia Harewood's problem: finding a partner who can please her in the bedroom better than her disappointing first husband! She senses there should be so much more to lovemaking—and she's determined to discover what she's been missing.

Sofia's mission takes her to A. Chamfleur, purveyor of "Intimate Advice to the Gentlewoman"...but the encounter is not at all what she had imagined. For A. Chamfleur turns out to be Monsieur Chamfleur—and he and his associates are more than willing to introduce Sofia to a new world of sensual delights....

And look for Portia Da Costa's next story of Victorian sensuality, A Gentlewoman's Ravishment, the second installment of the Ladies' Sewing Circle series."

CONTINUUM on Kindle

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather... it's a Portia book release day today and I didn't even know!

My naughty BDSM themed women's erotica romp CONTINUUM is now available as an ebook for the Amazon Kindle. It'd be a bit of a stretch to say this one is a romance, but it does have a romantic element in that the heroine Joanna finds her hero during the story and at the end they live happily ever after in a kinky but loving relationship.

Here's the blurb...

When Joanna Darrell agrees to take a break from an office job that has begun to bore her, she takes her first step into a new continuum of strange experiences. She is introduced to people whose way of life revolves around the giving and receiving of enjoyable punishment, and she becomes intrigued enough to experiment. Drawn in by a chain of coincidences, like Alice in a decadent Wonderland, she enters a parallel world of perversity and unusual pleasure.

Get Continuum for your Kindle!

Pervy excerpts here and here

A fond farewell to Numb3rs

I'm just in the middle of watching the final episode of one of my favourite TV shows, the quirky cop drama, Numb3rs. I loved the show from the first time I saw episode one, and particularly fell for the brilliant, dorky and adorable Professor Charlie Eppes. But it was one of those shows with a great ensemble cast too, so I loved following the storylines about Charlie's dad, his friend Larry, and his brother Don, and the other FBI agents on Don's team. With six series, Numb3rs is one of those programmes that so wormed its way into my heart that the characters seemed to become part of an extended family... and now, I'll sorely miss them. 

Of course Numb3rs isn't the only show to become 'family'. I think millions of people all over the world will consider the characters of the various different Star Trek shows to be family. I certainly do, with Next Generation having made the most impact. Just as I've been sobbing over Charlie and Amita's wedding, I sobbed at the final episode of TNG, where the main cast assembled for a poker game with Picard one of the players at last. 

Of course, prior to Numb3rs, and concurrent with it, Law & Order Criminal Intent has been a major, major extended family show for me too. Detective Robert Goren was/is an astonishing character and profoundly inspiring in terms of hero templates, for me. Goren might be gone from our screens, alas, but a version of him still lives on for me as Robert Stone, the hero of ENTERTAINING MR STONE.

The characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel were also part of my life for a long time, especially the wonderful bad boy Spike, who eventually endured a long, painful climb towards goodness. Something I very much liked. Spike too, inspired a book hero. He 'became' Lukas, the gorgeous blond super model in DESIGNED FOR SIN, one of my X Libris titles under the pseudonym Dorothy Starr.  

Now, of course, I have another show that's captured my heart and imagination, and is also proving inspirational in terms of hot male totty. I refer of course to THE MENTALIST, and it's glorious central character Patrick Jane, who's already provoking a new spate of yummy blond heroes, including a certain Mr. Edmund Ellsworth Ritchie. It's too soon to know whether The Mentalist will become 'family', but it's shaping up that way, because it's another show where the supporting characters are all appealing and entertaining too, and I'm very fond of Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt as well as their gorgeous 'consultant'. The man who hides a tortured heart behind his sunny smile.

And so, back to Numb3rs. And to paraphrase Rick, from Casablanca, Charlie and I will always have IN TOO DEEP. In which Professor Hottie McHotstuff aka Daniel will always bear a startling resemblance to a certain Professor Eppes. 

Oooh, A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT goes live!

Am very excited today, as A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT has just gone live at eHarlequin for pre-order!

This is a big thrill for me, as I'm sort of officially a historical romance author now, and this is a first peek into the overall 'world' of IN THE FLESH, too, although the characters from the novel don't actually appear in this short. Sofia Harewood, the heroine of Gentlewoman, does however go on to appear not only in the sequel, A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT, but also as a supporting character - under her new married name - in IN THE FLESH.

Something fun, on the Harlequin page, that I hadn't expected, is that the two Gentlewoman books also have a series title - THE LADIES' SEWING CIRCLE! At the moment, there are only the two Briefs, and a reference to the Circle in the novel, but now I'm fancying writing some more short stories about the Ladies who gather, not so much to embroider but to sew seeds of mischief amongst one another. Maybe they could even feature in longer works, such as another novel, or novellas?

Writing more Victorians would be lots of fun for me to do, and also, more stories set in that era would justify my extravagance on books and magazines about those times! Only this morning, I received a copy of The Times from 1889... fascinating stuff!

A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT - available at eHarlequin

ps. as the Brief becomes available at other outlets, I'll post info here and on its page at my site.