That’s right. Crimson has never been far from my heart and mind. I’ve spent most of my time working on The Last Son of Danu, but other stories have been calling out to me lately. Case in point: Inner Beasts. Yes, it is done and will be released on 7/23/2024. You can preorder it today if that pleases your fancy.
In the heart of Crimson, where the lines between the mundane and the mythical blur, Dr. Kevin Loweman, a shape-shifter, grapples with his primal nature.
After a lavish costume party thrown by Kain Knightstone, Kevin’s control slips, unleashing a monstrous Roc within him. His desperate struggle against this transformation puts him on a collision course with Dr. Oriana Gamal—a sassy and mysterious cat goddess. Their night spirals into a deadly game of predator and prey, with Oriana’s quick thinking and divine powers barely taming the beast inside him.
As the dawn breaks, their encounter ignites an unexpected spark. Oriana offers Kevin a chance to explore a relationship, but no strings attached, just comfort after a harrowing night. Yet, the tension between them hints at deeper connections and untapped passions.
I hope you decide to check out this new piece of the Crimson tale. Of course, don’t forget to catch up on the rest of the series. Want a free sample? Check out Lady Olubayo’s Bordello, which is tied into the Crimson world.
Want even more EricaB? Need some steamy reading suggestions? Well, be sure to join the Celestial Seductions newsletter. Get a list of delicious fantasy/horror/sci-fi erotic romance and erotica stories right to your email once every month.
I have been on fire lately. I’ve managed to write almost every day for the last month or so, and it’s been absolutely amazing. Honestly, I wish I could devote more of my day to writing, but I do have a day job. Hey, maybe someday I’ll hit the lotto and can just spend my days creating new works.
It would help if I actually played the lottery…
Anyway, here are all the new things I’ve been working on.
Cosmic Cons for Love and Profit
Cosmic Cons is up to 6 episodes. Not a lot of reads yet, but I’m not expecting a whole lot from that one except my own enjoyment. Don’t forget to check it out on Amazon Vella. The first 3 episodes are free, you know!
It’s been rough finally finding a routine that works for me. It’s not perfect by any means, but giving my all to my stories has been a very fulfilling experience. That being said, don’t forget to check back every Monday for a new blog. Next week, I’ll probably write a review of The Queen’s Price by Anne Bishop. I’m praying it makes me less mad than The Queen’s Weapons!
Until next time, my friends. Keep Your Mind in the Gutter!
A Preview of the Next Part of The Tales Dripping in Crimson Series
It took a bit, but I’ve finally completed Hell-Bent, the next short story in the Crimson series. I plan to publish it early next month.
….I just realized that’s next week.
Anyway, here is a preview of the story. I hope you enjoy it!
Hell-Bent: Tales Dripping in Crimson 4
I am Mammon, King of the Second Circle of Hell, and as I sit in this godforsaken room, I seethe with anger. How dare Na’ahmeh do this to me? How dare she drain me of my power, nearly killing me in the process? I am the one who should be in control, not her.
I look around the room, taking in the drab green furniture and the smell of old cigarettes and cheap whiskey. This is a far cry from the luxury I’m used to. How could I have let myself be put in this situation? How could I have been such an idiot? I should have known better than to trust that psychotic succubus.
But I did trust her, and now I’m stuck in this hideous place, barely able to move because of the half-transformation she caused in me. My once handsome face is now half twisted into a demonic form, with leathery red skin, jet black hair, and large sharp teeth. My body is too large for this room, and I can feel my foot turning into a hoof.
I am the King of Greed and a leader of a legion of Hell, and I am not used to being in this kind of situation. I am used to being in control, making deals, and getting what I want. But now, I’m trapped in a seedy motel on the edge of town.
A growl of frustration escapes me as I imagine what I would do to Na’ahmeh if could ever get my hands on her again. But for now, I can only try to hold on to what’s left of my power and my sanity.
I’ve been working on a story off and on for the last few years. For the longest time, I called it “Dragon’s Bond,” but at the advice of someone smarter than I am, I have been trying to think up a better name. I can’t say I’m 100% set on this particular title. It is starting to grow on me.
So, what’s it about?
The kingdoms of Ostea and cKustreiland have been at war for 100 years. Now that both kingdoms are on a decline and each has something the other needs for their society, they’ve called a truce. To solidify the peace, the heir of Ostea is set to marry the princess from Kustreiland. As a show of good faith, the countries bring their courts to a central location for the largest festival ever seen.
Armen is the younger of the two Ostean princes. He, like the rest of the court, is excited about this massive meeting. With him is his own betrothed, Demma. Until his brother is wed, he is not able to join in his own union, much to both of their disappointment.
The royal houses go on a hunt during the festival, where they are ambushed by malicious fairies. During tight, Armen finds a woman unconscious in the woods.
She is a dragini, a dragon cursed into human form. He attempts to save her as well as himself from the rogue pixies, however, he is wounded. The dragini woman comes to quickly enough to protect him, but in the process their blood mingles, bonding them in ways they could never imagine.
It’s an intensely intimate connection neither of them can shake off, causing a great deal of friction in relationships around them.
There’s more. A lot more. But this is the gist of how it gets started.
Tidbits of artwork
I was lucky enough to get to play with Dalle 2. I’m not saying how good AI is getting is scary, but…
Here are some images Dalle and I came up with for important characters.
Prince Armen of Ostea
This isn’t totally accurate as to the way I imagine him, but it’s not bad
Differences:
He has steel gray eyes
He only has a goatee, not a beard
His hair is a lighter shade and is in braids
Armen is very close to his brother, Heygan. Since he’s the spare, he never had as many responsibilities as his older brother. This led to Armen spending a fair bit of time with Demma growing up. Eentually the pair fell in love.
He is a sensitive soul with a kind heart. And he is very inexperienced with lifie beyond the castle walls.
Lady Demma
Lady Demma is Armen’s childhood best friends. Since she is the daughter of the high general, Gloin, she spent a great deal of time with the royal family.
She and Armen are deeply in love with each other and can’t wait to get married.
Since she is the daughter of the best general, she’s pretty good in a fight herself.
The picture is pretty accurate, actually. I was really impressed.
Iserri the Dragini
Half transformed between a human and a dragon, Iserri winds up being magically bonded with Prince Armen. It’s against both of their wills and they both hate being bonded together.
I’ll tell you more about the Dragini at a later date. It’s…involved.
Her look isn’t quite right.
Differences:
Her hair is more like strips of scaled skin
Green skin coated in soft, shimmery scales
Golden serpent eyes.
Probably doesn’t have horns, but after looking at this picture, she very well might going forward.
Pividi, the Dragon Queen
She’s not actually a main character for the story, but I loved how this image turned out, so I wanted to include it.
Pividi is an ancient dragon queen who crowned the warrior Ostea as the king to lead her people. As you may guess, he is one of Armen’s ancestors.
This comes into play during the story.
Writing it all down
I started this for NaNo 2017. Yeah…I should have finished it y now, but I haven’t. It’s being worked on. Luckily, I have a couple of chapters ready to go. I’ll be posting Armen and Iserri’s meeting next time. After that, we’ll see!
After working on my story for around a decade now, I’ve finally finished up TLF. It was a total weight off my shoulders to get it finished. It’s been on my goal list FOR YEARS. It’s in need of some TLC. I’m still in the process of revamping the world since I borrowed the original world from a friend of mine and it’s way past time for me to do my own thing.
Also, it’s not exactly long enough to be its own novel (right now it’s sitting at 61,815 words). My current goal is to combine it in a volume with the next tale The Demon in Her Skin. That one is still a wreck, but it’s getting there.
I’m feeling good about myself. TLF was one of my major goals to complete while I was 40, and I DID IT! Man, it felt amazing to finish the last sentence. I cried about it. No shame.
Eventually, after I’m done with The Demon in Her Skin, I’m going to rewrite the story to make it happier. That’s Erica’s Problem for Another Day.
In the Meantime…
There are a few bits of the story I really enjoy rereading. They’re not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But I wanted to share one of the parts I especially like. It’s towards the end of the book. Not a lot of context is needed, I think.
Let me know if you’re interested in more story bits!
First of all, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I’m going to see if I can
get around to writing a frightening delicious quickie this afternoon, but I got
up early to come into the office, so I’m fully zonked. We shall see!
Also, I apparently woke up in a parallel universe where
the Nationals won the World Series. This has to be a different, very peculiar
timeline. Right? Why couldn’t it be the Orioles? MEH.
Anyway, let’s get back to what this post is supposed to
be about.
Yesterday, I started with the skinny on how The Last Fae even came to be a thing. This time, I want to talk about what it is. It’s all about the meat and potatoes, right?
The Setting
The story takes place in a fictional area of Florida
called Knightcrest. Now I think about it, I’m not sure what Knightcrest is
exactly. As I mentioned, my friend Thommy came up with the world originally.
Huh. Anyway, the city itself is called New Selene, a touristy beach town that
serves as one the most supernatural hot spots in the world. I guess that would
make Knightcrest the county? Hmmm….That’s what I’m going with.
New Selene is lousy with vampires and were-people. Those
two groups of supernaturals dominate the city with an uneasy peace between the
two. Honestly, I wouldn’t even say it’s all that peaceful, but at least it’s
not all out war.
There are other beings afoot, though. There are a few demons, old gods, and a singular Fae.
Kay Knightstone, The Last Fae
About 2000 years prior to the story, the Fae disappeared
leaving only on of their princes behind, Prince Cathan. He wandered aimlessly
for a very long time, even briefly losing himself to madness. Luckily, one of the
oldest of vampires, The Persian, helped him back from insanity.
After some years of switching between hiding out as a
hermit and returning to the human society, Prince Cathan decided to take up the
identity of Kain “Kay” Knightstone, a very talented toy-maker. He makes quite
the living off of his creations. Kay gets a certain amount of pleasure out of
his toys. The rich flock to them and he gives the toys life so he can torment
them.
Despite having mostly everything he needs or wants, Kay is a lonely being. While surrounded by fantastical beings, it’s not the same as his own kind. He feels no connection to the world or any of the people in it. It isn’t until fate brings him to Dena that things begin to change.
Dena Johnson, Where Hope Falls
A simple girl from Baltimore.
At least as far as she knows.
Gentle and kind, full of life and mischief, Kay finds
himself immediately drawn to her the moment they meet. He doesn’t know why he
finds himself drawn to a human like this, but he continues to flock to her over
and over again to the point of obsession.
It turns out she is the key to unlocking the realms and
helping bring back the rest of the daemon back into the human world. Also, by
doing so, the door to Avalon could be unlocked, allowing Kay access to the
Elder Fae who fled before the rest of his kind were wiped from the planet.
The process would cost her life.
The Bond
Kay and Dena have various obstacles in their way. First
of all, her being thousands of years younger would be an extreme deterrent on
his part. However, that doesn’t turn him away. The fact she’s in a committed
relationship with David, a young, handsome college jock, doesn’t squash the
attraction between the two. And, of course, there is the glaring fact she is
merely human while he is one of the most powerful beings on the planet.
Nothing can stop the powerful blossoming friendship between
the pair. No matter how much they realize it’s ultimately going to be a
problem.
Joseph Mamm: Puppeteer Behind the Scenes
The real problem is Joseph Mamm, the King of Hell left
behind when the daemon fled the mortal plane. He uses the pair as a pawn in his
plan to bring his people back. He’ll stop at nothing. And he knows the fact if
he brings the Daemon back, he can open the world to the Fae, which would be
enticing to the lonely Prince. Mamm, along with his associate, Dominik, maneuver
the two so they can be used as the beacon in the dark, lighting the others’ way
home.
That’s the gist of what is happening in The Last Fae. It’s fantastical, dark urban fantasy fun, with more than a sprinkling of smut mixed in. I’ll be posting a bit of the story as I go along for Nano, especially the dirty bits. Be on the look out!
My stories come in several different categories and ratings:
Quickies: Just a little blurb of a story at less than 1,000 words. Usually quite dirty and to the point.
Short Stories: Stories that are a little more involved, somewhere between 5,001 and 20,000 words. Most likely dirty, but it may just of a romantic variety without the smut. These are works published elsewhere like Smashwords.
Excerpts: A bit of one of my longer stories I’m working on (with hopes and dreams of completion). Likely to be a long read riddled with appropriate inappropriateness.
In progress: My current BIG project. Character bios, wild ideas and excerpts are all equally possible. Most likely won’t be dirty, but you never know!
Ratings
Innocent: Romantic, but devoid of smuttiness. Nothing wrong with a little romance once in a while!
Dirty: Most of the smuttiness is hinted at, but not super descriptive. Best read with a glass of red wine.
Filthy: D**ks and T**ts flying everywhere and going into all kinds of places. Probably NSFW. This is cigar and whiskey sort of stuff, friend!
WTAF: Woah! What are you doing with that thing?! DID YOU AT LEAST USE LUBE?! SOMEONE BREAK OUT THE BANJO AND POUR THE MOONSHINE!
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