Win a copy of Bedding Down from contributor Kristina Wright

My friend and frequent contributor to my anthologies Kristina Wright is giving away a copy of Bedding Down on her blog! All you have to do is tell her your favorite winter memory.



Here's an excerpt from her novella "One Night in Winter," which opens Bedding Down:,

He worked the knots loose, but he wasn’t gentle about it. She heard a startling rip and was suddenly able to breathe. The relief at being free of the offending garment was countered with dismay.

“Did you have to be so rough?”

“There was a time,” he said, his fingers running up the length of her spine and making her shiver, “when you liked it rough.”

As if her body was detached from her brain, she found herself leaning into his touch. She knew she should pull away, demand he get out and make sure he didn’t touch her for the rest of the weekend, but… she couldn’t. Part of it was because she hadn’t been touched like this—slowly, sensually—in longer than she cared to remember. The other part was simple: as much as she loathed him, she had never been able to forget Derrick.

“You not only liked it rough, you begged for it,” he murmured in her ear as he caught up her long hair in his hand and gave it a firm tug. “Remember?”

She closed her eyes and gasped at the sensation that ran along her scalp and made her weak in the knees. “There are some things I’d rather forget,” she said, hearing the catch in her own voice.
“Not me,” he said. “I remember pulling your hair like this while I fucked you, so deep inside you I thought I’d died and gone to heaven and I didn’t give a damn.”

She couldn’t help herself, she whimpered and moved back against him. His erection was impossible to ignore through the thin material of her dress. She pressed her ass against him, feeling him hard and hot through the layers of clothing.
He groaned and tugged her hair hard. “A month with you wasn’t damn near enough.”

His words were like a splash of cold water in her face. She took a deep breath, reminded herself of why she was here, and pulled away, ignoring the sting in her scalp when he didn’t release her hair immediately. She met her gaze in the mirror and, galvanized, turned to face him—and her past.

“Things have changed, Derrick.”

He arched one cocky eyebrow. “Really?”

She raised her left hand, hating herself while also feeling relieved. “I’m the married one, this time. I take my vows seriously.”

He laughed in disbelief. “I have a hard time believing that the way you whimpered and rubbed against me just now.”

Despite a flush of embarrassment, she remained firm. “Believe it.”

He was staring past her, at her reflection in the mirror. “You’d be more convincing if your dress wasn’t unlaced down to your very sexy ass.”

She fumbled behind her, attempting to hold the fabric together, which only served to make the bodice of her dress slip. “Would you please get out of here?”

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then shook his head. “Whatever you say, Susannah. Just one thing—“

“What?”

He dipped a finger into her cleavage, setting her skin on fire and causing her to gasp. With a tug of the silky fabric, he pulled her up against him until his erection was pressed at the juncture of her thighs. He stroked the swell of her breasts, rocking his pelvis against her, fucking her through their clothes. He moved his hands lower until his fingers grazed her hard nipples, leaving a trail of heat everywhere he touched her.

She pushed her breasts toward him, nearly out of her mind with desire and oblivious to the fact that her dress had fallen to her waist. Her eyes fluttered closed so she wouldn’t have to gaze at his hungry expression that she knew mirrored her own. Her nipples ached to be pinched and tugged, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction she craved; he touched her gently, teasingly.

Her barely controlled arousal flared again and her pulse raced, despite her good intentions. She moaned, and the sound echoed off the mirrored walls of the dressing room. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and held him to her breast, silently pleading for more.

Read the rest in Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica

My new book Bedding Down is officially out!

Today is/was the pub date for my newest book, Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica. This book is more along the lines of erotic romance, but still very hot. Next time, if there is a next time, though, I plan to kink it up because if you've browsed your local romance shelves, you'll know that threesomes, kink, and all sorts of other wildness are going on between those covers. I actually instructed my authors to tone things down slightly from what we're used to in the erotica world. It's getting good reviews so far, so I'm curious to hear what you think of it.

Click here to read an interview with me at Love Romances & More Reviews, about writing and a tiny bit about Bedding Down.



Here's the Table of Contents, official description, and my intro:

Introduction: The Perfect Chill

One Night in Winter by Kristina Wright
Six Weeks at Sunrise Mountain, Colorado by Gwen Masters
It’s Not the Weather by Alison Tyler
Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Marilyn Jaye Lewis
Northern Exposure by Isabelle Gray
Hidden Treasure by Sophie Mouette
Sweet Season by Shanna Germain


Ignore the weather report—there's a heat wave coming!

Author, editor, blogger, and former sex columnist for the Village Voice, Rachel Kramer Bussel presents seven titillating tales guaranteed to steam up your bedroom windows in the midst of Mother Nature's seasonal chill. A lusty collection of scintillating erotic dreams from some of the best writers in the field, here is a sexy and sure cure for the winter blues!

Two uptight Manhattanites discover a hotspot in frigid Minnesota where they can shed their inhibitions and explore their most intimate fantasies . . .

A billionaire recluse and a beautiful paparazzo generate some serious heat in a snowbound cabin in the Colorado Rockies . . .

Combine a blizzard, a romantic old castle, a burglary, and a breathtakingly sexy devil—her perfect recipe for dangerous lust . . .

In the unfamiliar chill of a New York winter, a California sun bunny discovers the secret to igniting her boyfriend's inner erotic fire . . .

Stuck with a man she despises on her sister's wedding day, a distraught beauty resolves to be civilized—until her studly adversary lures her into a forbidden place with no rules or taboos . . .

A husband and wife whose marriage has stalled get their pistons pumping once more when a sudden winter storm strands them in their car . . .

Though she's been taught all her life never to beg, her insatiable desire for him is bringing her to her knees . . .


Introduction: The Perfect Chill

As I write this, the weather in New York has just started to turn chilly, bringing those first crisp breezes, the first hint that winter will soon be here. While summertime is known as the season when flesh is bared, the truth is that winter is probably when we need companionship the most, someone to cuddle up with beneath the sheets, or in front of a roaring fireplace. Someone to keep us so much warmer than any heating device ever could.

The seven novellas presented here offer up stories where passions rise in the winter, where the flurries of snowflakes provide not just something pretty to look at, but an excuse to drop everything and get naked, sometimes actually in the snow. These characters boldly stare down winter, daring it to derail their lusty plansæand sometimes winter rises to the challenge.

In Kristina Wright’s “One Night in Winter,” a woman confronts a man she thought she’d left far in her past, only to have him get under her skin in the exact same way he used to do. As she tries to elude him, she only finds herself more and more attracted to him, the inclement weather conniving to keep them together. Gwen Masters brings us a loner hero who’s deliberately secluded himself in the woods, without phone or television or anything resembling human companionship. But when he finds a woman trapped in the woods, he takes her in for a stay that’s far longer, and more intrusive, than he intended. California girl Alison Tyler puts a spin on the very meaning of winter with her heroine’s resolutely anti-winter boyfriend; no matter how sexy of a snow bunny she makes herself, he just can’t quite warm her up in the right ways. The lengths she goes to to woo him are seductive and surprising. In Marilyn Jaye Lewis’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” a couple almost break up over a breakdown. They’re forced to discover that their passionate memories of lusty outdoor sex spurs not only their arousal, but their love for each other, as they try to rekindle their romance. Another couple trying to revive their former glory is seen in Isabelle Gray’s “Northern Exposure,” as the pressures of marriage weight heavily on a couple poised in that in between state. The “Hidden Treasure” in Sophie Mouette’s story turns out to be much naughtier than the criminals seeking it expect, and provides the residents of a historic museum the chance to repeat the hottest parts of history. Rounding out this collection, Shanna Germain gives us something delicious and delightful to curl up with in “Sweet Season.”

What they all have in common is the search for someone to make these men and women forget about the chill in the air, forget about the potential dangers and discomforts of winter, and simply revel in the thrill of having someone nearby to ward off the cold. Someone whose kiss is enough to ignite a fire deep within, who can make magic happen with a touch of their lips or a sensual caress. Winter here is both a state of mind and a time to bed down, to remember what you loved about a person the first time, and fight to hold onto that sensation. It’s a time when we may bundle ourselves in layers, but are just waiting for the right person to come along and peel them off. It’s as sexy as sprinkling snow over a lover’s naked body, as huddling close into his jacket, of breathing deep and letting go, watching the whiteness you’ve formed before you, and having a special man there to savor it with. I hope Bedding Down will keep you warm this winter.

Rachel Kramer Bussel
New York City

Review-o-rama

I'm in San Francisco, supposedly on vacation but running all over madly. I'm patting myself on the back for making my flight, which has not been my strong suit this year. It's nice to be away from New York, even though I have a lot to do, like make a PowerPoint presentation for a speaking gig at the Princeton Club (!!) in November about pitching to food bloggers, and a little writing.



But I wanted to share some reviews, plus Kristina Wright told me Bedding Down got a 4-star review in Romantic Times! Can't wait to see it, especially because this book has the potential to be truly big, in part because Harpercollins/Avon Red can get the books into places like RT, and also because from what I sense, the erotic romance market is slightly different, and I would assume larger, than the market for general erotica. It's also available as an e-book, and it comes out December 2nd, and we'll be shooting a book trailer next month. Anyone interested in covering it (review, interview, etc.) for a publication, write to me at rachelravenous at gmail.com with your mailing address and publication details. Perfect for any Valentine's Day coverage.

Apparently, Harriet Klausner got her hands on a copy and concluded:

“One Night in Winter” by Kristina Wright. Susannah returns home to Minerva where her former lover Derrick reignites their heat

“Six Weeks at Sunrise Mountain, Colorado” by Gwen Masters. Stressed to the max, burned-out millionaire Fletcher flees for Sunrise Mountain to escape; there he rescues a frozen bruised Janine who in turn rescues his libido and heart.

“It’s Not the Weather” by Alison Tyler. Shelly assumes it is her fault that her boyfriend Roger is cold regardless of what she tries; so she gives up on him only to find warmth and passion with Jeremiah.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Marilyn Jaye Lewis. Married couple Kaylie and Connor becomes snowbound, which gives them time to reenact some of their hottest moments.

“Northern Exposure” by Isabelle Gray. Their marriage is over yet neither Alana nor Gideon can move on as each wonders if they should give it one more try.

“Hidden Treasure” by Sophie Mouette. Brenda and Sean discover a treasure, but will they understand what the real treasure is.

“Sweet Season,” by Shanna Germain. After being away for awhile, Dulcie returns to her family’s maple syrup business only to find Travis is the real sweetener.

Although the plots are paper thin, the lead couples are developed enough to emit plenty of heat for fans to appreciate this wintry erotic septet.




Tasting Him: Oral Sex Stories got reviewed not once but twice over at the Erotica Readers & Writers Association!

Review 1

Review 2

Tasting Her review

Over 20,000 hits for the Spanked trailer!

The book trailer for (NSFW blog) Spanked: Red-Cheeked Erotica just hit the 20,000 view mark on YouTube! Yay - I consider that a success (you can also watch it on Blip). I won't see sales numbers for probably six months, but I think Spanked is poised to be my bestselling book; at least, I'm counting on it!

I'm planning a fun/sweet/sexy trailer for my Avon Red (Harpercollins) debut, an anthology of novellas, Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica, out December 1st. More on that when it gets closer to pub date; there should also be a NYC book party (something I don't do much anymore, wisely, but in this case I have such fabulous support, I want to go all out).

Sneak peek: Bedding Down

I'm really excited about this upcoming book that I edited for Avon Red, Bedding Down: A Collection of Winter Erotica. While we swelter in the heat, it's a good time to look forward to cooling off. It features seven erotic novellas that are dirty, but a little more romantic than my usual fare.



Here's the table of contents, and I'll keep you posted on the book's release and events when I know more.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Perfect Chill

One Night in Winter by Kristina Wright
Six Weeks at Sunrise Mountain, Colorado by Gwen Masters
It's Not the Weather by Alison Tyler
Baby, It's Cold Outside by Marilyn Jaye Lewis
Northern Exposure by Isabelle Gray
Hidden Treasure by Sophie Mouette
Sweet Season by Shanna Germain