About S.J. Maylee

S.J. Maylee fell in love with storytelling at a young age and with it came a deep-seated desire for everyone to find their happily ever after. She’s finding the happy endings for her characters one steamy story at a time. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her caring for her garden, laughing with her two young sons, or dancing to her husband’s music. She’s a PMP (Project Management Professional), Nia instructor, and coffee addict. As a writer she has a tendency to break hearts, but she always glues them back together

ROW80 Check-in #66 Deep Beautiful Breaths

Posted on July 14, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

Some days I wish there were two of me, but I think I’ll faint if I try to do anything more. There are only 24-hours in a day and this week I’m happy for that, lol.

By midweek I was feeling pretty frustrated. My to-do list was growing and writing wasn’t going well. Since writing is my priority, it’s easy for me to push other tasks aside while I spend more time on writing. But if writing is going no where fast, maybe I’m doing it wrong.

By getting up and out of the chair to knock off other things on the list and then coming back refreshed will help me to accomplish more in the end. Staring at the screen gets me no where and makes me want to pull my hair out. As long as I come back and try again, I will make progress. Deep breath, I will finish this WIP.

Once again I’ve found inspiration from SYTYCD. This week I’ve selected the piece performed by Malece and Marko and choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. They remind me of all the beauty to be found in the simplest of things like breathing. It’s breathtaking. The dancing begins about 40-seconds in. Enjoy.

The Goals – week-2 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters – done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting – done. I worked on my WIP from last summer again this week. I read through several chapters and then began writing one of the last two scenes needed. Writing was hard and frustrating this week. I have a strong sense of how I want this book to feel. It’s been with me for over a year. I’m struggling, but I’ll push through. I read more of Writing Love this week and I’m attending the MFRW Summer Camp this weekend. I’ll share some highlights from camp next week.
Workout a minimum of three times a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep, and my calorie limit – done! Six workouts and all the other goals too. Nice!
Weekly Nia study (i.e. studying the song/movement structure) – not done. Although I did Nia twice this week, I didn’t make any progress on the teaching side. Through my teaching license for this year, I can order three more routines. I’m going to go ahead and order them. Maybe the new routines will lift my spirits and get me motivated to find the time for this goal. WEEK 3 PRIORITY
Stay on top of my co-op preschool Treasurer responsibilities – done. I only had to pick up the mail, answer a couple of emails, and return one phone call. Score!
Organize something in the house each week & clean something in the house every day – not done. WEEK 2 PRIORITY
Spend time in the garden – done. I cut back more rose bushes and the front bushes. I did a bunch of weeding and snacked on more raspberries. Yum. I’ve included a picture of my favorite Lavender rose, it blooms just outside my dinning room where I write, and two of my balloon flowers. It’s pretty obvious how they got their common name, lol.

What you might have missed here this week:

Daily Picspiration – Memory Box

Spotlight: The Wolf’s Moon by Rebecca Brochu

Posted on July 12, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be highlighting author’s from my new Evernight Publishing family. The first up is Rebecca Brochu. Her first full length M/F erotic romance just released. It’s a Naught Fairy Tale. Yum!

The Wolf’s Moon

by Rebecca Brochu

BLURB:

Silke’s life in her village has not been easy since the death of her parents. Things only get worse when the local healer takes her under her wing. Branded a witch and tormented by the other villagers, Silke has resigned herself to living her life alone.

Then a chance encounter in the woods with a dark and handsome stranger named Raoul throws Silke’s carefully ordered life off balance. Now she has to deal with the stormy emotions that Raoul brings to life within her as she works at solving the mystery of who’s leaving gifts on her doorstep.

When the time comes, will Silke be willing to give up everything she’s ever known for a love that’s deeper than she’s ever thought possible? Or will she reject the gift the wolf’s moon has given her?

EXCERPT:

Raoul growls low in his throat and yanks Silke’s body back up against his own as one of his hands forces her head to tilt back. His lips close over hers, and there’s no hesitation this time, no gentle coaxing or playful teasing. He dominates her mouth, tongue sweeping in and going deep as he licks at the back of her teeth like he’s chasing her flavor. Silke gives back as good as she can as she digs her nails into his naked shoulders and returns his passion to the best of her abilities.

Silke almost doesn’t feel it when he begins to move them, but she doesn’t stop him when he begins to pull at her skirt, rucking it up until he can wrap large, hot hands around her thighs. She moans and clutches at his shoulder harder as he lifts her without any effort and presses her back up against a nearby tree as he steps into the space between her thighs. Silke gasps, breaking the kiss and bucking her hips up into the cage of his hands as best she can. She can feel him, can feel his heat as he presses the hard line of his cock against her.

“Raoul!” Silke cries out and Raoul answers her by dipping his head down to mouth at her neck as he presses his hips down against her. He racks the vulnerable, pale line of her throat with surprisingly sharp teeth before he soothes the sting with his tongue.

“Silke.” She hears him murmur against the skin of her throat, but she pays him no mind, too caught up in the pleasure of having him against her. Then one of his hands shifts and he trails it slowly up the soft flesh of her thigh, fingertips tracing lightly over her skin. For the first time, despite how much she wants him, she feels uneasy, hesitant.

Raoul makes a soft noise and brings his face back up so he can capture her mouth again in a surprisingly gentle kiss. When he pulls back his hand has stilled high on her thigh, the ends of his fingers just brushing her curls.

“I won’t take you, Silke, not here, not like this. Just let me. Please.” Raoul sounds almost as if he’s pleading, as if he’s begging her to give him something precious. Silke doesn’t want to deny him, doesn’t want to deny herself, so she looks him in the eyes and nods.

BUY LINK

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-wolfs-moon-by-rebecca-brochu/

Links to find Rebecca:

Evernight Publisher: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/rebecca-brochu/
Blog: http://rbrochu.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorRBrochu
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008DMDK5E
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRebeccaBrochu
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5159900.Rebecca_Brochu

Daily Picspiration – Memory Box

Posted on July 8, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

I’m back at Daily Picspiration today ~~> http://picspiration.blogspot.com <~~ with a brand new flash.

In this flash, I was inspired by a picture of a pair of hot pink Chuck Taylors. I thought it could be an image of a memory long forgotten. The moment she remembers falling in love and losing her best friend at the same time. You’ll need to read the flash to find out if things worked out for Jessica.

Daily Picspiration has new posts everyday. Each member posts once every other week. I post every other Monday. A couple of pictures are chosen and the writer chooses the length, genre, and subject matter, but we have to tie in one or both of the photos into the story.

You’ll have to let me know if you’d like to read more from this story.

Visit Daily Picspiration to read a little about each author. You can go back daily for something new and, of course, go today to read my new flash, Memory Box. Enjoy.

Weekend Writing Warriors – One of the Good Guys

Posted on July 7, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Click here to go to the Weekend Writing Warriors blog

Click the logo to go to the Weekend Writing Warriors blog

Welcome friends old and new. I’m glad you came. In case you missed my big news from a couple weeks ago, my debut is coming to Evernight Publishing. You better believe I’m still celebrating, lol. 😀

Once again, I’m sharing from my just started WIP…Gina’s still healing from divorce. Although she gets along with her ex, it’s his best friend, Marcus, that’s the last person she’d want to see on her night out at the local BDSM club, but that’s exactly who she ran into at the spanking benches. Last Week: After basically calling Gina a liar, Marcus stopped her from leaving and offered to help. This week: I’ve skipped nothing.

Once again, Marcus proved he was the good guy. She’d never liked him because he had a tendency to call her out on her mistakes and her latest was a doozy that ended her marriage.

“That’s nice of you, but it’s okay.” She took a step back.

“I can see that it’s not.” He took a step forward. “We can push past our history and live in this moment.” He grabbed her hand. “Let me help.”

He won’t let her take the easy way out. <~ You can <tweet that> if you want. Hope you’ll come back and find out more about these two. Poor Gina, she’s still looking for release. Maybe next week, maybe. 😉

Thank you so much for visiting me, it means a lot to me that you took the time to visit my little place on the web. Don’t forget to check out the other Weekend Warriors, the Snippet Sunday Facebook Group, and Saturday Spankings too.

ROW80 Check-in #65 Out with the Junk

Posted on July 7, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

The writing challenge that knows you have a life.

How often do you find stuff in your life that you do NOT need? All that junk can slow you down. It’s even been known to slow the creative process. Of course, I’m not just talking about the physical items around you, but let’s not go there.

This week I read through a WIP I wrote last summer. I definitely put enough distance between writing and revising, lol. The end eluded me last summer. This week, I cleared away the junk and found a way to the end I’ve had in mind. Now, I just have to finish writing it.

As I clear away the cob webs in my mind and get rid of the junk in this story, I’m finding it’s fast past and has fascinating characters. Score! By the end of this round I want this WIP to have a finished ending, but I also want it to shine. I want a crisp and clean manuscript that’s ready to be sent.

It’s SYTYCD season. So, I went there looking for some inspiration and I have to share what I found. Makenzie and Paul performed a piece choreographed by Sean Cheesman and it’s the epitome of crisp and clean. If they can do this after just a couple days then I can clean my WIP this summer. The dancing begins 1 minute in. Enjoy.

The Goals – week-1 results

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters – done.
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting – done. I moved my blog feeds over to feedly about a month ago, but this week I categorized things. It’s so much cleaner. I haven’t read Writing Love since May, but I got back to it this week. Nice. I also edited everyday this week.
Workout a minimum of three times a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep, and my calorie limit – done! The last couple rounds I’ve done the minimum here or less and I’ve been slowing gaining weight. Boo! For the last eighteen days I’ve been back in it and I’ve lost weight two weeks in a row. 😀 I got in 5 workouts this week.
Weekly Nia study (i.e. studying the song/movement structure) – 1/2 way done. I did a practice teaching session and it went okay. WEEK 2 PRIORITY
Stay on top of my co-op preschool Treasurer responsibilities – done. The new fiscal year has begun and this year I have a co-Treasurer. 😀 She has a degree in Finance and has experience in QuickBooks. Sweet. Every month I’ll teach her something new and slowly this task will go away. Wahoo!! 😀
Organize something in the house each week & clean something in the house every day – not done. WEEK 2 PRIORITY
Spend time in the garden – done. I cut back my rose bushes, staked my blueberries, snacked on some early raspberries, took Lavender cuttings before they bloomed and hung them to dry. I also took lots of pictures. I’ll continue to share them each Sunday.

ROW80 Round 3 2013 Goals Progress, Persistence, and Balance

Posted on July 1, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Be the best you can be was my goal for Round 2. I added 14k to my WIPs. Typed “The End” twice, finished many rounds of edits, and hit send twice. A couple days after the round ended, I received my first ever accept! Quite simply, this was my best round of 80 days ever. I wasn’t looking for perfection. I was looking for progress. I didn’t achieve perfection, but I certainly obtained progress. Be the best you can be is a great motto, but every motto needs balance and I’m still struggling with balance.

A Round of Words In 80 Days or ROW80 is the writing challenge that knows you have a life. Join in at any time. State your goals and check-in on Wednesdays and or Sundays.

Progress, Persistence, and Balance <~~ what I want for Round 3.

What does that really mean? What am I really looking for this round? I want to read books. I want to study my craft. I want to finish polishing my two almost ready WIPs. I want to type the end on a brand new WIP. I want to find a way to finally fit Nia studies into my week and I want to have some fun. I also don’t want my life to crumble around me as I work at getting my debut ready for its release.

My ROW80 goals are all in addition to my already full schedule of evil day job, mom, and home maker responsibilities. It’s up to me. The power is in my hands. It’s my choice to be here. It’s my choice to show up and push for my dreams.

Good habits have been my friend the last couple of rounds. Although I have no plans to try and cement my day with rules, I’m looking to build on my healthy patterns and take advantage of my day.

My goal is to be the best me I can be in my balanced life. I may not always be perfect, but I’ll keep showing up.

Do you have a strategy for the next 80-days? Kait’s post today to start the round is a great place to start.

The Goals – Round 3 2013

Spend at least 1-hour a day with my characters
Daily progress in writing craft, word count, editing, and/or plotting
Complete tasks as they are sent to me by my publisher
Workout a minimum of three times a week and round it out with plenty of water, sleep, and my calorie limit
Weekly Nia study (i.e. studying the theory or song/movement structure)
Stay on top of my co-op preschool Treasurer responsibilities
Organize something in the house each week & clean something in the house every day

Here’s to a fabulous round of 80-days.

Weekend Writing Warriors – What She Needs

Posted on June 30, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Click the logo to go to the Weekend Writing Warriors blog

Welcome friends old and new. I’m glad you came. In case you missed my big news this week, my debut is coming to Evernight Publishing. Wahoo!! 😀

Once again, I’m sharing from my just started WIP…Gina’s still healing from divorce. Although she gets along with her ex, it’s his best friend, Marcus, that’s the last person she’d want to see on her night out at the local BDSM club, but that’s exactly who she ran into at the spanking benches. Last Eight After basically calling Gina a liar, Marcus stopped Gina from leaving and pulled her around. This week. I’ve skipped nothing.

Her chest pushed into his as he held her against him. From under her lashes, she looked up into his light blue eyes and, for a second, wished she could forget why she hated him.

“I’m sorry.” He stepped back and let his hand fall. “You came to this area because you needed something from the benches. I’m the only one free right now.” He raised his hand and brushed away the hair hanging in front of her eyes. “I can give you what you need.”

I just bet he can, lol. Here’s a tweet, if you want to share. Hope you’ll come back and find out more about these two. Poor Gina, she’s still looking for release. Maybe next week, maybe. 😉

Flash Fiction #44 The Unknown

Posted on June 28, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Thanks for stopping. Another picture…another 100 words.

With the blindfold on, Anya could only hear the brisk footsteps and labored breathing of their captors. Her heart thundered with the thought that tonight could be her last. The thought wasn’t unwelcome. She longed for a break from the sadness holding her tighter than the invisible bonds keeping her imprisoned.

Warm sour breath floated across her cheek and something sharp tore at the skin on her hand.

An explosion shook the room. She stumbled to the floor as her hands struggled with their freedom.

“Captain, here! Is this the one?”

She blinked as the blindfold was pulled away.

“Anya?”

Hope you enjoyed my flash today!! Don’t forget to follow the link to get to the other FFF posts. Flasher Fiction Friday. Or click away on the links below.

Sherri Hayes: http://sherri-hayes.blogspot.com/
Doris O’Connor: http://thetardisscribbles.blogspot.co.uk/
Pablo Michaels: http://www.pmmanmanromance.com
J S Morbius: http://morbiussworld.blogspot.co.uk/

Spotlight: Her Wish, His Command by Malia Mallory

Posted on June 26, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

Thank you so much for having me as a guest today!

Her Wish, His Command is the third book in the Dominating BDSM Billionaires Series. His Need, Her Desire (Book 1) is currently free at most online retailers. His Desire, Her Surrender (Book 2) hit bestseller lists in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Look for His Passion, Her Temptation (Book 4) in July 2013.

Her Wish, His Command

by Malia Mallory

Published: June 3, 2013

Genre: Erotic Romance

Series: Dominating BDSM Billionaires Erotic Romance series

*****

His Need, Her Desire (Book 1) is currently FREE at most retail outlets.

*****

Her Wish, His Command Blurb

Doctor Anna Foster may just get what she wants: sexy fellow researcher Jonah Granger. She’s been in love with him for years, but Jonah has always been more interested in work at his family’s business, Granger Pharma, than romance. Now that they’ve admitted their attraction, Anna may even be able to tell him what she really wants: to submit to him.

But Granger Pharma faces a hostile takeover. Sensitive data and samples are missing from Anna and Jonah’s lab; it may be corporate espionage. Everyone is under suspicion and, and they’re even beginning to question each other. Anna must discover the truth if she’s going to save both her job and her relationship with the man she dreams of serving.

*****

Her Wish, His Command Excerpt

Jonah sipped from his cup. “This coffee is better than usual. What did you do?”

“I washed out the pot and filter?” Anna laughed and threw her braid back over her shoulder. Wasn’t playing with hair supposed to be a flirty thing to do? She glanced into Jonah’s eyes and saw his pupils dilate ever so slightly.

Jonah placed his cup on the counter. “I usually just dump the old coffee.”

Anna reached to top him off, making sure she grazed him again. She turned and put the coffee pot back in its place. Her hip bumped him.

“Anna?” he asked in a deep, questioning tone.

“Yes?” She paused. “Jonah?” She drew his name out on her tongue.

His eyes locked with hers. “What’s this about?”

Anna broke eye contact as his scrutiny became too intense. “What’s what about?”

“This.” He gestured toward her. “Is this about yesterday?”

Anna wasn’t sure where to go with her plan. “Yesterday?” She feared her manner gave the impression of stupid instead of coy.

“Yes, yesterday. We had a moment, for lack of a better term. Is this some game?”

Anna straightened. “Game? What is that supposed to mean?” Her voice lost its teasing edge.

“It means that either you are trying to needle me or maybe … maybe you want something?”

Anna frowned. “Those are the only two explanations?”

Jonah considered for an instant. “Anna, you’re not interested in me, are you?”

Anna thumped her mug on the counter. “Of course not.” Color rose in her face.

“Anna, about yesterday. I didn’t mean to be unprofessional.” His apologetic manner unnerved her.

“You were not unprofessional,” Anna bit out. What a disaster. Was he going to say something kind? Anna didn’t think she could bear the embarrassment.

Jonah took her hand lightly in his. Her hand trembled, and Anna was sure he felt it. “Are you afraid?” He looked into her eyes. “Or aroused?”

Anna swayed as his calloused thumb stroked her palm. The lab seemed to shrink, the walls gathering close around them.

He tugged on her hand, bringing to his lips. He nipped her fingertip.

Anna struggled to remain impassive as her blood surged. She sensed she hadn’t fooled Jonah with her imperfect façade of calm.

A predatory masculine smile crossed his face. “I see.” He sucked her fingertip into his mouth.

*****

Her Wish, His Command is available for preview and purchase at the following online retailers.

*****

Malia Mallory Biography

Malia Mallory lives in Hawaii with her husband and daughter. She’s been working with words since alphabet blocks rolled into her crib, not only writing her own work but copy editing and proofreading the work of others. She has loved to read about relationships since she first sneaked off with her mother’s Harlequin.

Malia Mallory is the best-selling author of The ABCs of Erotica series, which covers the erotic spectrum from BDSM to ménage and everything in between. More releases in the series are on the way. She has also released the Mia’s Cop Craving series and Santa’s Backdoor Baby. Malia’s books have hit the bestselling erotica lists at both Amazon and iTunes. Her books are available in electronic format at major retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, Smashwords and AllRomance Books.

For a free copy of B is for Beach from The ABCs of Erotica, head to her website and sign up for the newsletter.

*****

Connect with Malia Mallory

@MaliaMallory

My Debut is coming to…

Posted on June 25, 2013 by S.J. Maylee

The first book I’ve sent out on submission has found a home at Evernight Publishing. 😀

In the twenty months since starting this blog, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and many of them are a part of Evernight Publishing. I’m thrilled beyond words to be joining the family.

Soon, I will share more information including my first cover. You can expect my book to release by the end of summer. 😀