Inside Look with Ela Stein author of Pleasure Android 7.1 and Love’s Labyrinth

click to see the Inside Looks here at SJs

I’m extremely pleased to have Ela Stein here today. She recently made her debut with Evernight Publishing. It’s a great place to make a debut. 🙂 Ela has released not just one, but TWO books and one of them is free. It’s a great opportunity to meet a new author. Plus, one of her excerpts is X-Rated. Wahoo. Take it away, Ela Stein!

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Hello, everyone! I’m here today to talk about my two new releases with Evernight Publishing, but first of all, a very huge thank you to SJ for having me. These are my first publications, so I am excited and a little scared 🙂 Writing has always been a part of my life, and getting published a dream and a goal, so it’s a cool feeling to have two books for my very first release date.

First, a little bit about my Free Read because… well, it’s free. So you can try out my writing at no risk, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a quick and short read, at a little over 5,000 words. “Pleasure Android 7.1” came about as the result of the eternal “what if” question. With all the advances we’re making in artificial intelligence and robots, it seems almost inevitable that this will be our future. I saw a video about the robots they are creating in China… they look like people, they talk, they make eye contact. It’s exhilarating, the progress we’re making, and a little creepy at the same time. Nico, the hero of “Pleasure Android 7.1” is definitely not the least bit creepy. He was created to be every woman’s fantasy and has the database to deliver (wink, wink).

unnamed (13)Blurb:

Zola is dismayed to discover that for her 40th birthday, her friends teamed up to purchase her a hot sex droid. She refuses to let herself get attached to a machine, and tries her best to avoid the temptation. He is programmed to overcome such resistance and knows how to wear down defenses and sell himself like a pro using his perfect charms and impeccable skills. Though she suspects it’s nothing more than a sales pitch, she begins to question whether beneath his perfect manufactured exterior can lie genuine feelings and desires.

Excerpt:

What the fuck.

A seven-foot-tall box occupied the middle of my living room. I stared at the prime male specimen behind the clear front panel. Well over six feet tall, with dusky skin, dark brown wavy hair, broad shoulders, aquiline nose, full lips—basically, he looked like a model, the kind you’d drool over in an ad for high-end products.

With his eyes closed, his long, thick lashes grazed his chiseled cheekbones. He looked as though he slept—an illusion of the most expensive kind.

I sighed, hands on my hips. My best friend, Lexia, had done it. For my fortieth birthday, she got me a sex droid. She’d joked about it, but I never thought she’d actually follow through. It had to be her—she was the only other person who had access to my apartment.

On the box, in large, blocky print, it proclaimed “Domestic Android 7.1” and underneath it, in fancy script, “For Your Pleasure.” Alrighty then. And what if it was my pleasure to get rid of it? I stalked to the box and circled around it. The back and both sides were solid panels of striking red. If it was supposed to be romantic, their marketing department missed the boat. I wasn’t a big fan of Valentine’s Day, and this was even cheesier than a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

Although, I could remember a time when chocolates, roses, and a little stuffed bear made my heart skip a beat. I had grown a bit jaded over the years, which was probably why my friends decided to gang up and torture me with this… thing. It stood there, like the proverbial elephant in the room. There would be no vid watching on my birthday, cuddled up with a bowl of ice cream. No relaxing in the tub with a good romance novel. Now I was too distracted, and I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy myself until I got this thing out.

A plan formulated: get the box outside and message his creator, Atlas Robotics Corporation, to come pick him up. No, not him. It. I studied the box. At five foot five, it had well over a foot on me. I tried to tilt it to the side, planning on then pushing it out the rest of the way. The damn thing was heavy. So heavy, it didn’t even wobble when I gave it my all.

Exhausted, I plopped down on my yellow pleather couch to glare at the box. I refused to build up a sweat today of all days. What a disaster my birthday was turning out to be. There was no getting the box out until Atlas Robotics agreed to stop by. Since they had no incentive to be eager to process a return, it could be days. Maybe even weeks, I thought miserably.

Not fair that here I was, suffering, while he—it!—stood there, all serene and peaceful. I jumped to my feet and approached the box. There was an easier way to do this. Turn him on and order him to take a hike on his own two legs. The more I considered it, the more I liked this plan. Quick, easy, smart.

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Okay, I hope you liked the beginning of my free short story. Now, onto my novella, “Love’s Labyrinth”. I am a huge fan of fantasy, and this novella is very close to my heart. It’s set in the far future, on a colonized planet. Humans weren’t doing too well with surviving on it after a crash landing, but the Gods took mercy and intervened, helping them figure it out. The Goddess of Love left behind her magical Labyrinth, where once a year, those who participate get to meet the ones they’re fated to be with. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the ratio of men to women is skewed, so it’s not uncommon with a woman to find more than one mate. As everyone knows, the Goddess makes no mistakes.

unnamed (14)

Blurb:

Auria enters the magical Labyrinth on New Year’s Eve, and its halls guide her to the two men she is fated to be with. Brener has loved her from afar since they were children, and Jhennen is a Warrior-Guard, commanding in personality and intimidating in physical presence. They share a life-changing, passionate night together, but come morning, they must decide if their one-night menage can be the beginning of something new. When trouble threatens to tear Auria away from her life and the two men she is starting to develop feelings for, their connection just might be her only hope for salvation.

X-Rated Excerpt:

Brener’s tongue flicked masterfully on my clit. He knew what he did to me. I held my breath, feeling my insides begin to gather, ready for that final moment.

But just before it came, Brener stopped and jerked back, leaving me alone. My pussy protested, my clit throbbing almost painfully. My eyes flew to him in protest, in supplication, but then my whole being froze.

Brener was sitting back on his heels, his lips wet from his ministrations, his body stiff with shock. The same shock I myself felt, as I stared up at the stranger that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

He was gigantic, appearing to loom like a mountain from my prone position. Whereas Brener had an athlete’s body, this stranger had a warrior’s body with a broad back and wider hips and his entire physique encased in bulky muscle. Blond hair, almost white, was pulled back in a long ponytail—I could see its bottom reached to his lower back. My eyes flew to his face, his cold, pale blue eyes. He seemed to regard me with some measure of amusement. A long pale scar saved his face from being almost pretty, as did the rough bump in his aquiline nose. Leaning against the green wall of the Labyrinth with one shoulder, his relaxed stance was at complete odds with the tension that gripped me.

I gasped and used my hands to cover my breasts, while drawing my legs up to cover my splayed pussy.

Seeing this, he chuckled and shook his head. “No need to cover all the loveliness,” he said, and his words held a hint of an accent, the difference in inflection conveying he was not from our village. It sounded like a northern dialect.

“Who are you?” I could think of nothing else to say in that moment. My heart jumped to action, pounding away like crazy with a surge of adrenaline.

“Jhennen,” he replied, as though we were out to tea, having a pleasant chat. As an afterthought, he added, “Jhennen Vayment.”

“What are you doing here?” Brener almost growled, coming to his feet now, bristling. With them standing, it was clear Jhennen was a couple heads taller. All the more sweet that Brener thought to protect me from him, dwarfed as he was by this man, who looked battle-trained and used to combat.

“I suppose the same thing as you are,” Jhennen drawled out almost carelessly. His stance was nonthreatening, but his eyes glinted with definite danger. “The Goddess brought me here, same as you. So stand down, and either watch or participate, your choice.”

Outraged, I sputtered, and would have flown at him to slap that presumptuous smile off his face, but remembering my complete nakedness, I stayed put. “What do you mean, participate?”

“Is it the word or the concept you’re not clear on?” He turned to me now, his tone light.

“You’re not participating in anything here, or with anyone here. Feel free to turn about and go back the way you came,” I shot back, angry now.

“I think not. The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, and to be honest, I hoped we’d cross paths here.”

***

About Ela Stein:

Reading was my entertainment and salvation as a child, and it transferred into a passion for writing. I am still very much a reader, and love many different genres, from erotic romance, to fantasy (and dark fantasy… Game of Thrones, anyone?), to historical fiction, and that love is reflected in my own writing as well (I don’t do contemporary very often). If you’d like to learn more about me, or chat about books and life, you can find me all over the web. I’d love to get to know all of you, and even though my blog is new, I post regularly and update on life and my writing progress. Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading. You can find me here:

Websitehttp://www.elastein.com/
Bloghttp://elastein.blogspot.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ela.stein.735
Twitter https://twitter.com/Stein_Ela
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8142001.Ela_Stein
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/elastein/

Inside Look with Carlene Love Flores author of Touch of Sin

Inside Look logo by SJ
Montage of the earth with a glowing blue atmosphere and the moon in one frame.

Happy Earth Day everyone. Not only do I have the fabulous Carlene Love Flores here sharing her brand new FREE read, but I also bring news of Evernight’s earth day sale ~> 50% off! Wahoo. It’s for today only. So, don’t delay, shop today.

Save a tree. Read an eBook.1926888_252707244915304_8334592605454789277_n

Take it away, Carlene. 🙂

Quick—who’s your favorite Opening Act you’ve ever seen? I’ll give you a few seconds to think about it while I thank SJ for hosting my latest release today. Thank you, SJ! Was that long enough? Did you think of anyone? I have a few I’d love to share with you. Eight years ago there was Ima Robot who opened for She Wants Revenge who opened for Depeche Mode. Another trio-string favorite of mine was seeing The Sounds who opened for Paramore who opened for No Doubt. If I was ever magically blessed to lead my own band, I’d want to do it like The Sound’s Maja Ivarsson. She’s Swedish, sexy and does these amazing kicks. But my most recent faves were this September when I got to see Bat For Lashes open for Depeche Mode. When she sang Laura, you could hear the wind blow at the outdoor venue. It was truly beautiful. And then this February I was treated to Gary Clark, Jr. when he opened for Kings of Leon. As you may have guessed, I have a music problem. I can’t get enough! Which is why I’m very happy to share my latest release with you today. Touch of Sin is the official FREE READ for my rock star romance series, The Sin Pointe Novels, and you guessed it….it’s about the Opening Act. I look forward to hearing about your faves and wish you lots of Happy Reading. Love stories rock! Xoxoxo Carlene

touchsinfree1mTouch of Sin (A Sin Pointe Novel Free Read) Blurb:

Lonerby guitarist Luke Willoughby and his band are under tight scrutiny since a press conference was ruined by a band member’s sudden vomiting attack. They’ve been suspended from the Sin Pointe tour and Luke fears they’ve blown it for good. The last thing he expects is the cute management spy sent to observe him.

No-nonsense Sarrie Walker knows exactly what she’s there to do, and makes no secret of it. Luke is impressed—and powerfully attracted to Sarrie’s strong and sexy innocence. When they end up stuck together in close quarters, Sarrie becomes dangerously irresistible—and very much off-limits. Does she hold Luke’s second chance? And if he gives in to her powerful allure, what happens to his heart?

Excerpt:

Sarrie stepped carefully and mostly on tip toes out of the tiny, grime grouted shower. She’d had to waste one of their two usable towels for a floor mat and made sure to land on it.

The good news was that she no longer teetered on what she’d tell Mr. Keller when they made it to D.C.

Noah was sick and while he’d managed himself at these smaller gigs, he didn’t belong on a massive, nationwide Sin Pointe tour. She tried to picture him night after night and the binge drinking sessions. It hurt her heart to think of it but worse than that was picturing the landslide of sleepless nights Luke would have to suffer through caring for him. Sure, they might all hate her as a consequence, but that’s why it was called tough love. The truth hurt at first. And sometimes for a very long time after. But at least the person would be alive.

She grabbed for the towel she’d left on the toilet seat and found a loosely folded bunch of clothes. Not hers because they were too big and, she pulled the shirt to her nose, they smelled like Luke. “Mmmm.”

Her eyes popped open so wide she felt her lashes touch her brow bone. Yes, she’d just sighed at a man’s smell. It was a first. Maybe it was because her decision no longer hung over her head, but she could get lost in the fact she held the shirt he’d played in. She inhaled and the smell brought back visions of him serving as master of his guitar and the beads of sweat that had dotted his forehead, the one that hung from his nose, and the slick mass that had wet his chest hairs showing through the top of his V neck shirt. He’d been so lost in the music that he hadn’t seen her staring or cared about the sweat. She’d noticed more than she realized and had to stop and breathe through what that meant.

“So that’s it, Sarrie? You’re going there now?” she whispered to herself. “Unbelievable.”

Why shouldn’t she?

Because she’d never had these feelings for a man before? Because the two days she’d known Luke were clearly not long enough and she was here to study him, not fall into a foolish one-sided infatuation? Or was it that his life situation was too close a reminder of the one she’d finally saved herself and her father from? The heaviness of all those truths bowed her shoulders inward and down.

He’s gonna be dealing with Noah’s addiction for a long time to come, especially if he can’t stand to see his baby brother suffer. That’s what enablers did. She knew because she’d watched her mom tiptoe around her dad until the day Mom just didn’t come home.

Plopping down on the toilet seat, she bundled Luke’s jeans together with his shirt and hugged them. A sock fell from the pile. She found its match and could have cried at his selflessness. He was a good guy and he had a ton of hurt coming his way. For a second, she forgot where she was and nearly let her head fall back against the dingy bathroom wall.

Cold air leaking through the thin motel walls made her shiver. So did the thought of wearing Luke’s clothes. But after she made sure to dry off with the one towel, she pulled on her old panties and bra and then his jeans, which nearly fell right back down, and then slipped his V neck shirt over her head. The baggy look reminded her of the girls from TLC, but not one single day in her life had she ever felt crazy, sexy or cool. Well, maybe she could identify with the crazy part. Completely foreign to her was the thought of what Luke would think. And then she had an altogether more shocking thought. If his clothes were in here, what was he wearing?

Hot gusts of air puffed out from her lungs until she managed to calm them down. But all she could really think about were bare, strong shoulders and more than just the tiny glimpses she’d gotten of his chest in the V cut shirt she currently wore. She needed a drink of water. Badly. She wiggled her toes in his giant socks.

A Bit About Carlene:

Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC). Carlene currently lives in the D.C. area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights.  If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.

Find Carlene Here:

Website  http://carlenelove.com/

Publisher  http://www.evernightpublishing.com/carlene-love-flores/

Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887320.Carlene_Love_Flores

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/carlene.l.flores

Twitter  https://twitter.com/cloveflores

Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/clove16/

Find Touch of Sin (A Sin Pointe Free Read) Here:

Evernight Publishing: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/touch-of-sin-by-carlene-love-flores/

All Romance eBooks:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-touchofsin-1478925-149.html

BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/touch-of-sin-mf