Roz Lee: I never meant to write kink…

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Good morning, folks. Many thanks to Sidney Bristol inviting me over to play today.

It was never my intention to write erotic romance, much less erotic romance with a kink/BDSM theme. Let me explain.

When I first set out to write romance, I planned to write mainstream contemporary. I loved reading hot, steamy sex, but I had no idea how to write it, not that I knew how to write anything at that point, but I was at least working on learning my craft. Then a few things happened that changed my course.

First, my work in progress was going nowhere. I was stuck on the plot, on the process of writing and in just about every other way a writer can be stuck on a story. My brain needed a break, and one came in the form of a week-long Caribbean cruise with my family. No one on that ship was more in need of fresh air and an escape from reality than me.

On the first night, we all attended the stage performance. Since cruises cater to all age groups, the show reflected that. There were singers, dancers and acrobats—in short, something for everyone. No offense to anyone who knows or has ever been a performer on a cruise ship, but this wasn’t Broadway. I was bored out of my mind.

I focused on the costumes which were cheesy and to be honest, looked as if they’d been taken out of the trunk a few too many times. Then there were the acrobats who performed over the heads of the audience dressed in body suits that were supposed to appear as if they were nude except for some strategically places splashes of sequins.

Right then and there, my brain went off on an entirely different cruise. What if all the performers really wore nothing but sequins covering their naughty bits? From there, as they say, it was all downhill. Everything we did for the next seven days, I looked at from a very different angle. By the time we docked back in Miami, I had a story in my head, and I couldn’t wait to get back to the computer I had so eagerly left behind.

Back home, I closed the file on my going nowhere work in progress and began to write something just for myself. To make a long story short, that became THE LUST BOAT, the first of five books in the Lothario Series I sold to Red Sage Publishing. The second book in that series, SHOW ME THE ROPES, was my first foray into BDSM/kink. The hero of that story had a thing for rope play as well as a few other kinks that made him an interesting and fun character to write.

I had a blast writing about the passengers and crew on my kinky cruise ship, and I was hooked on writing erotic romance. Moving forward, I wrote STILL TAKING CHANCES, a femme domme novella that blossomed from a single name that popped into my head. To this day, Elgin Huddleston is one of my all-time favorite characters. The strong DEA agent meets his match in Mary Beth Winters, a feisty girl next door type who turns out to be a dominatrix with the skills to bring him to his knees.

Currently, I’m writing about kinky athletes in the Mustangs Baseball series. The latest installment, SPRING TRAINING, is the conclusion of a BDSM trilogy within the series. I first introduced Brooke and Todd to readers as secondary characters in the second book, GOING DEEP, where they help initiate one of Todd’s teammates into the BDSM club scene. Several readers wanted to know more about the couple, so I wrote a prequel novella, FREE AGENT, that took readers back to where the couple met. Readers asked for more, so I decided to give the couple their own happy-ever-after.

In SPRING TRAINING, Brooke and Todd have reached a crossroads. Taking their relationship to a twenty-four/seven Master/slave arrangement isn’t working out the way they thought it would. I won’t lie to you, they’re in a bad place at the beginning of this book. Todd is at his wit’s end, trying to be make the relationship work.

Here’s a short excerpt from SPRING TRAINING.

Todd hated to leave her, but what choice did he have? Spring Training wasn’t an “if you feel like attending” event, and the way things had been between the two of them, he couldn’t take Brooke with him. They needed to consider her bakery, too. Baked by Brooke thrived, thanks to her hard work and determination. Leaving the business in the hands of her hired help for six weeks wasn’t an option.

His grip tightened on the handle of his computer bag. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his fingers, setting the chocolate-colored leather case, a Christmas gift from the woman standing across the room, next to his suitcase.

Tears streamed down Brooke’s flushed cheeks. Her usually luminous eyes were flat and rimmed in angry red.

“Brooke.” He took a step toward her, and she took an answering step back.

She’d been his sub long enough to recognize the tone of voice he used when he expected her complete attention and compliance. Though from her defiant stance, he wouldn’t know it. Reining in his anger, he tried once again to reason with her.

“I know you trust me, so I don’t understand why this is so difficult for you. You’ve literally put your life in my hands countless times, babe.” He hoped the use of the endearment would get through to her, but her arms remained knitted over her midsection as if she was trying to hold herself together. Maybe if he stated the obvious one more time.

“I can’t stay, and you can’t go with me.”

“I know that!”

Her insolent reply cut him to the core. How did we get to this point? With only a few minutes left to affect a change in her thinking, he didn’t have time for another pointless argument.

Deliberately dropping his volume so she’d have to concentrate to hear him, he ignored her outburst. “We’ve been over this. You said you wanted a deeper relationship when we left The Dungeon. You said you wanted a twenty-four/seven arrangement, but you’ve defied me at every turn. I don’t know anything else to do but this. Have you forgotten what our contract says?”

She shook her head, indicating she understood the clause he referred to, but there had been too many misunderstandings already, so he spelled it out for her. “You agreed to abide by my judgment on all things regarding your training and discipline. All things, Brooke. If you’ve changed your mind, then say so. We can void the contract right now if that’s what you want.”

Fresh tears followed the tracks left by her seemingly non-stop crying. Each salty drop was like acid, eroding away his conviction. He didn’t want to end their relationship, but they couldn’t continue the way they’d been going. Something needed to change, one way or another.

“Do you want to end this, Brooke?”

Her gaze snapped to his. Finally. “No! God, no.”

“Then you will submit to my will in this.” He stepped closer, close enough to touch her, but his hands remained fisted at his sides. “The way we’ve become… It’s my fault. I promised to see to your needs, and I haven’t. I let you keep things to yourself. I let you defy me, and I withheld punishment when I knew better. I apologize for my shortcomings as your Master. Trust me, Brooke, this time apart will be good for both of us. Frank is well respected as a trainer. He’ll take good care of you while I’m gone. He has my full permission to deal with you as he sees fit. He’ll do whatever it takes to teach you how to live the life you claim you want.”

Follow Brooke and Todd’s story beginning with FREE AGENT which, coincidentally, is free at all major eBook retailers. SPRING TRAINING – Mustangs Baseball #5 is currently available only from Amazon, worldwide, but coming soon to other outlets.

Roz Lee links –

Website – www.RozLee.net

Facebook – www.facebook.com/authorrozlee

Twitter – www.twitter.com/Iwriteromance

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