Author of the Week!

 

I’m appearing at novelist John H. Ames’ Blog as his Author of the Week. Check out our interview and an excerpt from Lucy’s Liberation here:

http://jhabooks.webs.com/apps/blog/show/31992170-author-of-the-week-gracie-c-mckeever

mmf, m/m/f, mfm, mm, what the?

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Ever since I received an odd review on one of my books, I have wondered how much readers know about the weird terminology that abounds in the erotica world. "What the bloody hell are all those slashes?" some might have wondered a few years ago. Then the slashes disappeared and all that was left were letters. What's with all those letters? The reader who posted the review probably didn't know what mmf meant. Here is a primer:

The slashes originated with fan fiction, specifically when a cadre of enterprising writers began writing stories about certain characters on a beloved television show *cough* Star Trek *cough*. Seems many of the fans of this show decided that there was a ton of delicious romance going on under the surface and they categorized their stories with a sort of shorthand so that everyone would know what they were getting into when reading them. So, Kirk/Spock attached to a story meant that it detailed a romantic relationship between those characters. Yes, yes, a male/male relationship. M/M. Or as we would say today: mm.

Fast forward to 2012 and voila! Tons of mf  and mmf and mm and mfm and even mmmmmmmf all over the romance novels at Siren-BookStrand as well as other publishers. What  the hell? The slashes are gone and instead we've got a pile of letters. Personally I think everyone just got tired of typing all the slashes, especially when the abundance of mmmmmmmm's began to come out (heh, puny).

Basically, the m stands for male. The f stands for female. 

mf --> male with female

mfm --> male with female and another male, male/female/male. The guys don't touch! Classic menage. Often involves brothers with one woman.

mmf --> male/male/female. The guys often do touch each other, as well as the girl. True menage!

ff --> female/female. Femme slash. Femslash.

mmm --> male/male/male. Guys all touching each other.

mmmmf --> male/male/male/male/female. Could also be mmmf or mmmmmmmmf or whatever. Everyone touches everybody. Most of the time. With trapeze (kidding! or wait, really?)

Crazy, huh? It's code! It's code just for us! Personally I think it's cool to have a type of code that details exactly which body parts touch or do not touch in erotica. It makes buying the books much easier if you know what's going to happen inside. It makes avoiding your squicks much easier. There are other codes too:

BDSM --> bondage discipline sadism masochism but it basically means a novel with any or all of these and included submission as well. There are a whole pile of fun codes that go with this!

BD --> bondage and discipline

Ds or D/s or D&S  --> dominance and submission

S/M or SM or S&M --> sadism and masochism

There's a bit more involving tops and bottoms and switches. These terms aren't really just used in BDSM however, they're also used in mm fiction and sometimes in mf and ff fiction.

top --> the one who gives

bottom --> the one who receives

switch --> someone who is capable of both

A lot of these terms seemed to originate in the fan fiction communities across the internet, at least when applied to writing. There are also a ton of genres and tropes like sex pollen, bonding fic (ahem, like my Dream Marked series), kinks (knife play, fetishes, etc.), angst, fluff, and on and on. If you're curious, check out Fanlore. It's a great resource.

Anyway, maybe this will help when perusing the shelves at your favorite online bookseller. If you know what you like or don't like, remember to check the book description for the erotica code. It might save you some money and quite a bit of angst.

Coming Monday! Wanted: Wicked Missions 5!

I'm pleased to announce that my latest Wicked Missions story -- Wanted -- releases on Monday!

AVAILABLE: Monday, July 11th

This new release is offered at a 10% discount until July 18th.

[Siren Ménage Everlasting: Erotic Futuristic Sci-Fi Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/F, with M/M elements]

Children are dying from the plague, and in her attempt to steal antibiotics from a pair of sexy drug smugglers, nurse Callinda Seebré comes face-to-face with a drug lord who now wants her dead.

To keep her safe, smugglers Hammond Miller and Spencer Prentice kidnap Callie. Once aboard their ship, she becomes a catalyst, stimulating the men to explore not only their attraction to her, but also their attraction to each other.

But Hammond and Spencer aren’t quite what they seem. Determined to bring down the drug lord, they realize that in order to succeed, they must put Callie in danger. Can they risk their hearts and her life in order to catch him?

Sold: Wicked Missions 4 coming June 20th!!

I'm thrilled to announce that Sold: Wicked Missions 4 is coming on Monday, June 20th!! Please allow me to share a story excerpt with you!
**hugs**
Elizabeth

AVAILABLE: Monday, June 20th

This new release is offered at a 10% discount for one week.

[Siren Ménage Everlasting: Erotic Futuristic Sci-Fi Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/F, with M/M elements]

Blurb:

Lyrianna Seebré steals black market vaccinations from a drug kingpin to aid dying children. Captured in a raid, she’s wrongfully convicted and sentenced to forty years of hard labor. Upon arrival at the penal colony, she’s selected to be auctioned off to the male settlers of the newly colonized ocean planet, Pagonna. What is she willing to sacrifice for her freedom?

Settlers Carter Verdel and Brandon Hunt have created successful water-pod and island farms on Pagonna. The only thing missing from their lives is a woman. Able to afford only one concubine even when they pool their funds, they attend the annual auction, hoping to find someone to share their beds—and perhaps even their lives.

The men purchase Lyrianna, but can they overcome her resentment and win her love? And when the kingpin comes to Pagonna, seeking revenge against Lyrianna, can Carter and Brandon protect her?

A Siren Erotic Romance

STORY EXCERPT

Carter Verdel sucked in air for a good five seconds when he saw her. As she turned to face the crowd, her smoky eyes settling on each of the male faces shouting their approval, he couldn’t breathe at all. One by one, the rowdy men quieted as her gaze settled on them. When those eyes caught his, his heart kicked into a higher gear, slamming against his rib cage.

Did that incredible creature stare at him a little bit longer than any of the other men? Perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

Her ivory skin was clear and clean, her hair the shade of honey and long enough to reach below her slender shoulders. Her back was straight as a lance. She bore herself like a conquered queen—captured but not broken. Dressed in tight black leggings and a black tank top like the rest of the women, she wore them like the latest fashion, each gentle curve of her lithe body there for all to see and admire. Full breasts. Rounded hips. A tight backside. She glided across the auction platform, almost as if her tiny bare feet floated above the wood. Her chin lifted in defiance, she was practically daring the men in the crowd to claim her.

Carter would take that dare. Even if it cost him every single coin and money card he’d brought to the auction. Even if he had to borrow or steal more.

Glancing around, he noticed several of the men were such cowards they couldn’t even hold her gaze before they looked away. A woman like that was not what they came here for. They came for the women who were afraid and willing to do anything to survive on Pagonna. They sure didn’t bargain on a strong and independent creature like this.

He strained to listen for the auctioneer, pushing his way forward in the crowd. While he and Brandon had held quite a few discussions about what they were seeking at the sale, Brandon had left the ultimate choice in Carter’s hands, telling him he trusted his mate to find the woman to complete their perfect lives. Probably because Carter always led with his head rather than his heart.

The moment he saw the blonde, his heart took the reins.

Whether she was a criminal or not, he wasn’t leaving that auction without her.

Breathe. Be patient. See what they drive her price up to.

“Gentlemen,” the auctioneer shouted, “seems we’ve got a tempting one here.” He reached out to cup her ass, and her hand shot out to slap his face before he could even react. The sound was so loud that it echoed through the field, making most of the crowd burst out in guffaws in response. The auctioneer scowled at her as he rubbed his reddened cheek, but he quickly regained his aplomb and gave her a leering smile. “A feisty one, though. More than enough fire to keep you warm at night.”

“It’s plenty warm here already!” one of the men shouted back. “That much heat’ll burn ya!”

That response boded well. Carter had been right. Some of the men were actually afraid of her. Fools, the lot of them.

“I’ll give you a hundred uni-credits!”

“Hundred twenty-five unis!”

And so the bidding began while Carter waited patiently, calculating and ready to pounce as soon as the enthusiasm waned. Since the first woman was passably pretty and sold for the inflated price of five hundred universal-credits, he feared he might have to pay twice that much for this woman. He looked at her face again. Her eyes were now the color of the clouds before a lightning storm. Anger? Fear? Would they turn the same stormy gray when she was in the throes of passion?

Pay twice as much for her? Three times if he had to.

“Holding at four hundred-fifty unis, gentlemen. Hard to believe a specimen like this’ll go that cheap. What happened to your balls, boys?”

“’Fraid she’ll cut ’em off if I let her have a kitchen knife!” one man called back.

“What’d she do to get thrown in jail?” another asked.

“Now, boys,” the auctioneer cautioned, “you know the rules. You can’t ask that. Everyone who comes to Pagonna gets a fresh start.”

“That means she murdered her husband!” a laughing voice shouted, setting more hilarity through the crowd.

The beautiful woman’s chin rose, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her pink lips.

“Five hundred,” Carter said, just loud enough to be heard but with no emotion or enthusiasm at all. A hard task considering that his cock was now standing at attention, wanting him to promise anything and everything to secure this woman in their bed.

Her gray eyes settled on him, capturing him and holding him in her grasp. He wanted to sweep her into his arms, take her back to the farm, and make love to her until neither of them could move. Shit, he’d have a hard time waiting that long. He’d probably fuck her on the boat trip back.

What the hell was wrong with him? When had he been reduced to paying for sex with a woman?

Sharing ~ The Sextet Anthologies, Volume 1 ~ Coming June 3rd!

Coming June 3rd ~ Some of the most unique stories in Siren history!

Sharing, Volume 1 of The Sextet Anthologies:

As children, we were all taught the importance of sharing, but when it comes to love, many are unwilling to compromise. Consider the dilemma of two men in love with the same woman, while that same woman loves both men equally and cannot choose. Pain and sadness are almost guaranteed for one man if she does decide to take one over the other. However, when a spirit of cooperation prevails, none of those involved need walk away hurt or unfulfilled—and the possibilities are endless.

Join us on a unique journey that will take you back into history, allow you to explore the present day, immerse you in the world of fantasy, and then send you forward in time to the distant future. Each story will lure you into a private world where nothing is taboo, no one is left sobbing in despair, and sensuously wicked pleasures abound.

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Immortal Kiss by Elizabeth Raines [M/F/M/M Paranormal] Paralegal Katrina Mason falls for a handsome new client and agrees to join him for a cozy dinner. When she discovers that Adrian Bishop is the leader of a tribe of three male Nightwalkers who want to share her, Kat must decide if she has the courage to join them.

Double Desire by Cheryl Brooks [M/M/F Sci-fi] When exhausted attorney Nalira Morkind orders room service, she gets more than she expected. The handsome clones of a very rich, powerful man, Sar and Lon are the property of the hotel. They can fulfill Nalira’s every need and wildest dreams, but can she free them from unjust slavery?

Two Many Chefs by Mellanie Szereto [M/F/M Contemporary] Wren McCoskey must interview two chefs for her cousin's wedding reception. Spencer Andrews and Dane Fletcher are talented, gorgeous, and old friends. Can she stand the heat when they start cooking?

Southern Comfort by Ginger O'Brien [M/F/M Historical] Returning home from Paris after the Civil War, Southern belle Anna BonDurant knows she must make a difficult decision. But if she can’t decide which O’Donnell twin she wants as her lover, Devon or Connor, maybe she will just have to get a bigger bed.

Double Tap by Annie Morgan [M/F/M Contemporary] Jennifer Delaney has her sights set on an unusual birthday present. But when Special Forces Trey and Wil set their own rules of engagement, can she hold out against a double team mission straight to her heart?

Studs in Stetsons by Niki Hayes [M/F/M Western] Samantha Phillips trades her Louisiana city life for a Texas ranch to write an article about cowboys. Between the hot days, and even hotter nights, she finds two studs in Stetsons more than she can handle. But Greg and Dallas have plans of their own, if they can convince her to stay.

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Yes! Pre-order Appassionato!

I have just found out that my release day is Wednesday, January 5, 2011! This is what I call a great way to start off the new year, and it doesn't even involve a mojito (at least not yet). You can pre-order right now.

This will be my second erotic romance and I've finally been able to let the sci-fi/paranormal voices in my head run loose on the page. My three characters include one rock star, one best friend, and one sweet librarian. What will happen when they start to dream about each other? What will happen when they meet each other for the first time? You'll be able to find out very soon. . .