Beauty and the Beast!

My moment of glory in our local W H Smith store. My little book, with its beautiful cover, is their Book of the Week. I felt a little bit tearful... but this is one of the proudest days of my life! :)

New IN TOO DEEP out today!

It's a red letter day today! The new edition of my book IN TOO DEEP hits the shelves, resplendent in its gorgeous black and red glory... not to mention a sensuous matte to touch feel cover. PlushHiggs is convinced IN TOO DEEP is going to be a 'massive' success!

Here's the teasing, tantalising back cover blurb...

"I just want a taste of you. Or a touch. My fantasies about you plague my every waking hour. My only comfort is imagining that similar fantasies might obsess you too.

When young librarian Gwendolynne Price starts finding increasingly erotic love notes to her in the suggestion box at work, she finds them both shocking and liberating.

But who is her mystery admirer and how long will he be content to just admire her from afar...?"

There's a lot more to librarian Gwendolynne's erotic journey than just the naughty blandishments of her mystery admirer though. She's also got a huge crush on Professor Daniel Brewster, the super-hot academic and television celebrity who's working in the local archives. Suddenly a municipal library is the sexiest place on earth, and Gwendolynne is bombarded by sensual excitement at every turn...

You can find a lot more detail about the story here, along with a very, very frisky excerpt, describing what happens when Gwendolynne inadvertently catches "Professor Hottie McHotstuff" in an intimate moment.

IN TOO DEEP - information and excerpt

More August Excitement!

My posts are like London buses. Nothing for weeks then two on the same day! LOL

But there are two blog related events that I really must bring to your attention...

The first is a Grand BDSM Appreciation Event that is being hosted by Nix on her Scorching Book Reviews blog. This is a fab lineup of authors each posting about their take on BDSM fiction, one every day, for a month... along with a blog hop, too.

I haven't actually written my post yet, but I do already have some fun ideas, that I hope will be interesting and entertaining. :)

And to celebrate another event, that I completely forgot about in my other post... I've been interviewed by the Italian romance blog Pinkafe, to mark the occasion of my Victorian erotic historical, IN THE FLESH, being published in Italy!

The Italian title translates as OVERWHELMING PLEASURE... which pretty much sums up the story nicely!

The wonderful Hasmina has translated my answers to some questions about IN THE FLESH aka OVERWHELMING PLEASURE, and if you read Italian, you can find the interview here. 

L'Erotismo di Portia da Costa

Awesome August!

August is an awesome month for me! I hardly know where to start with news, but the above poster is as good a place as anywhere. 

IN TOO DEEP is being reissued by Black Lace with a gorgeous new cover and has been selected by W H Smith for a special 50 Shades of Grey related promotion starting on 2nd August and lasting two weeks. Obviously the fabulous half price opportunity is just for shoppers in the W H Smith stores, but it's also available at a competitive price at all the usual outlets. And still available as an ebook with its pretty in pink original cover. 

You can read a hot excerpt and explore all the buying choices here

A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT is now available for Kindle at Amazon.co.uk as well as other outlets, and I also heard this morning that it's been selected by Harlequin in Italy as part of their 12 PICCOLE SFUMATURE [12 Little Shades... how cute is that?] promotion.

Speaking of Harlequin/Mills and Boon's fantastic Twelve Shades of Surrender promotion, there are two new super bits of news. My 12 Shades title CHANCE OF A LIFETIME will now be appearing in print, as well as an ebook, in two anthologies, on either side of the Atlantic. 

[Does the cover image look familiar? LOL]

The two collections are 12 SHADES OF SURRENDER - UNDONE, published by Mills and Boon.

And the more simply titled 12 SHADES OF SURRENDER, published by Harlequin.

I'm also a contributor to yet another Harlequin anthology too. My stories COME AT SIX and COME AT NINE are in the SIXTY NINE anthology, edited by the wonderful Alison Tyler.

Find out more about SIXTY NINE at eHarlequin

I'm hoping to have more detailed information about all these titles in upcoming blog posts, but for now, I'm wiping my brow after grappling with all these images and links! LOL

It really is a very fabulous month for me... I'm a very lucky old girl! :)  

Like a boss...

Miranda Austin is a boss, a female executive in a high powered job who has to be a demon in the board room and shoulder a heavy load of responsibility. She loves her work, but sometimes the pressure wears her down and she secretly yearns not to have to be 'in charge'.

Patrick Dove is Miranda's PA, and he's the perfect right hand man for an executive woman, efficient, discreet, intuitive... and drop dead gorgeous. What's more, he's always desired his beautiful boss, and behind his facade of quiet discretion, he's passionately in love with her! 

One day, after a successful but particularly gruelling meeting, Patrick decides it's time to take action and relieve Miranda's stress, and he knows exactly what to do to make her feel better. He'll be her boss for a change and show her the deliciously dominant side of him she's never seen before...

A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT is published today by Harlequin Spice Briefs, and you can find a sexy excerpt and links to buy here.

12 Shades of Surrender

Just look at all these nifty themed covers for the exciting 12 SHADES OF SURRENDER promotion! Mills & Boon have hand selected a dozen of their sexy Spice Brief novellas that explore intense BDSM sensuality, and I'm proud to be part of such an illustrious line up. Just look at those names... it's a collection that includes some of the goddesses of erotic writing and I've made the cut. Awesome!

Chance of a Lifetime was first published in 2008, and was my first ever Spice Brief, which means it has a very special place in my heart. I'll always think fondly of my kinky modern day Marquis and his bold English Rose, no matter how many more pairs of pervy, spanky, game playing lovers I write about in future.

TWELVE SHADES OF SURRENDER

More covers!

This beauty is for the mainstream reprint of IN TOO DEEP. Yes, with any luck, Portia Da Costa will hit the supermarket shelves soon, hopefully some time after the 2nd of August!

IN TOO DEEP - excerpt

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME was first published back in 2008, and is now part of Mills & Boon's new 12 Shades of Surrender series, which has its début in July. More details to follow.

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME - excerpt

Fire and Ice - I'm at it again!

NB. FIRE AND ICE BACK AT NORMAL PRICE NOW...

... STILL A GOOD READ THOUGH, I THINK... ;)

As part of my programme to design new, matching covers for all my self published titles, here's my latest effort, the redesigned FIRE AND ICE. Hope you like it...

To celebrate this new look, I'm offering FIRE AND ICE at a new low price for a limited period of time. It's currently 99 cents/77 pence at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk for Kindle format, with epub and pdf formats available at All Romance Ebooks and Smashwords.

FIRE AND ICE is a winter story, but given the pathetic state of the British summer weather this year, I think it's also a timely read for June too. Here's the blurb:

Surrender to sexual healing...

Super efficient P.A. Cally Hobbes is head over heels in love with her handsome boss, the urbane and delicious Innes McKenzie. Day after day, beneath her cool, businesslike exterior, she's simmering hot for him, and she knows he's not entirely immune to her either, despite their perfect, above board working relationship.

Icy weather, a broken central heating system, and a dose of 24 hour flu suddenly change everything. With Innes alone and laid low in his frozen flat, Cally's golden chance to get close finally arrives. Innes is freezing, and she's burning for his touch, so what else can a girl do but climb into her boss's bed to warm up his chilly limbs with a dose of body heat?

An overnight recovery quickly leads to a very different kind of therapy... making all Cally's dreams of passion flame into life. Sex with her beloved Innes is everything she's fantasized about, and more. Much, much more.

But will their mutual desire and tender feelings survive a return to office propriety? Working together as P.A. and boss again, can Cally and Innes share the lasting glow of love?

You can read an excerpt of FIRE AND ICE here.

Latest happenings and bits...

Another in my series of bitty disorganised blog posts. I guess it's better than my usual silence though, isn't it?

First up, THE ACCIDENTAL CALL GIRL. I'm trundling along nicely with this one, the story of Lizzie who starts masquerading as an escort in order to pull a gorgeous man in a bar, and ends up maintaining the charade for far longer than she'd anticipated... because she's fallen head over heels for him!

Here's how I picture "John Smith", pretty much looking how he does when she first spots him, although YMMV, of course, when you eventually read the book.

Actually, it's an evening encounter, and John's drinking gin, but the vibe of this pic is spot on. And to give you a flavour of that first meeting, I've posted a short 'first draft' excerpt of THE ACCIDENTAL CALL girl at my web site. Check it out!

The Accidental Call Girl - opening of Chapter One

In other news...

I've been indulging in one of my favourite vices of the moment again... ie. redesigning the covers of my self published titles! The latest is for FORBIDDEN TREASURES, my "married couple discover their shared love of spanking" story, part of my Delicious Masters series.

When Alice Porter finds a chest full of vintage curiosa at an antique market, she little realizes how her discovery of the forgotten treasures of an Edwardian disciplinarian will change her life. The sexy hoard includes a punishment ledger and a well used rattan cane, and the bygone items intrigue her husband Julian too. Sharing and experimenting with the writings and the wicked implement, the lovers begin a voyage of forbidden sensuality that shocks and thrills them both, revealing dark secrets from Julian's past and bringing the two of them closer together than they've ever been before.

FORBIDDEN TREASURES is available with this sexier new cover from Amazon Kindle US and Amazon Kindle UK, and you can find links to other outlets and read an excerpt here.

I'm working through all my self published titles, given them this new 'treatment', complete with the little black lacy trim that's a celebration of the return of my beloved Black Lace to publication in September!

Tempted by Two winners

And the winners of my TEMPTED BY TWO draw are...

EVERYBODY!

As I'm feeling in frivolous mood, and I hate leaving anybody out of a good time, I've decided to give everybody who commented a copy of TEMPTED BY TWO!

I have email addies for most commenters, but I do need addresses for:

Jen
Sleepytiggerboo

Drop me a line at portiadacosta [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know what format you prefer from mobi, epub or pdf

And anybody who reads TEMPTED BY TWO and feels moved to write a review... well, your time would be very much appreciated! :)

A new release from Saskia!

My buddy Saskia Walker has a new release today! It's FORBIDDEN RITUAL, a Spice Brief and it's now available direct from Harlequin for $2.39.

High-powered executive Imogen prides herself on being an independent woman who doesn't need a man. She only yields when she's with Giles, a younger colleague who shares her taste for domination and submission. He revels in watching her lose control, while she enjoys his powerful nature and an edge of pain to heighten her pleasure. 

Imogen is satisfied with their secret arrangement until Giles asks her try shibari, a form of rope bondage--the ultimate ritual in submission and display of trust. His request pushes Imogen beyond her comfort zone, forcing her to explore her boundaries and her relationship with Giles. He's already her master in the bedroom, when she allows it. But can she let herself take their bond to the next level?

Go here to find out more and download the story


Why not race over there and check out this delicious goodie? Doesn't it sound absolutely divine? 

TEMPTED BY TWO and a giveaway!

Here's my latest self published title TEMPTED BY TWO, a steamy hot menage erotic romance set a sleepy, old world English village. On holiday, heroine Katie meets Marcus Dane, a handsome artist who she's admired for a long time, and quickly becomes involved in an intense three way affair with him, and with his equally gorgeous lover, Owen. 

This is a brand new, never before published novella and it's been huge fun to write. I had such a great time writing my first menage novella, POWER OF THREE, and I was keen to do another threesome story. I also wanted to write something set in the sort of  traditional village setting that I love from watching my favourite Miss Marple stories on the telly. It's a nod to the  famous and very clever detecting old lady that the village Katie visits is called Little Marplethorpe... I also indulged myself hugely with the 'hero templates' I used. My two big crushes at the moment are Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, and Simon Baker as The Mentalist, Patrick Jane, so these two yummy actors 'play' Marcus Dane and Owen Foster respectively.

Anyway here's the official blurb:

When executive woman Katie Warren arrives in the picturesque village of Little Marplethorpe for a country holiday, to reassess her life and her future, she doesn't bargain on ending up in a hot three way love affair with a man she's admired from afar... and his gorgeously handsome male partner.

Marcus Dane and Owen Foster are lovers, committed for a lifetime, but they both enjoy the company of women as friends and bedmates too. Encountering Katie at an exhibition of his work, Marcus knows she's just the kind of bold, daring, imaginative woman who'll relish sharing erotic games with Owen and himself.

But what none of the trio expect is that their intense, steamy threesome will quickly deepen into a bond that's a lot more than just simply fabulous sex.

TEMPTED BY TWO is a fairly chunky novella of 33,600 words, and if you haven't yet tried POWER OF THREE, you'll find a 600 word taster of that included too. 

There's a hot excerpt of TEMPTED BY TWO here, and you can buy it from All Romance eBooks, Smashwords, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk with more outlets to follow.

Finally, to celebrate the publication of TEMPTED BY TWO, I'm offering a free copy of the book to each of three randomly chosen commenters on this post. I'll draw the three lucky names a week from today on Sunday, 3rd June at 12 noon GMT.