I'm pleased to have Helena Stone as my guest today! Welcome, Helena!
~~~
Thank you, Jaycee, for
welcoming me to your blog today and allowing me to share my novel, Little
Rainbows, with your followers. Since you are at least partially responsible for
that book existing, I thought I’d remind you – and tell everybody else – how it
all started.
Many people dream about one
day writing a book and getting it published. I remember having thoughts along
those lines when I was about ten years old and read a (Dutch) book written by a
young girl about her experiences in a sanatorium. That book, combined with Anne
Frank’s diaries, encouraged me to keep a journal. The daily entries served two
purposes. First and foremost they allowed me to start developing my writing
muscles. But they also convinced me that neither my life nor my writing was
interesting or good enough to ever share my words with others.
Flash forward about forty
years. I’m on Twitter, interacting with friends - two of whom are published
authors - and I make the following, in my mind, innocent remark: ‘You know how they say everybody has at
least one book in them? I wonder if that’s true for me too?’
Next thing I knew I’d
signed myself up to NaNoWriMo and was hitting my keyboard every single day just
to make the minimal word count of 1666 words. I think it is safe to say nobody
was more surprised than me when I actually ended up with a story by the end of
November 2013.
A few months and several
rewrites later I discovered a competition for BDSM writers online. I entered my
story, not because I thought I might actually win the publishing deal on offer,
but because my story would be looked at by a professional editor if it was good
enough to make it through the first round.
The fact that I’m writing
this post as part of the promotion for Little
Rainbows indicates that not only did I make it through that first round, I
also ended up with a contract. You would think that a year is more than enough
time to get used to that idea but for me it all still feels like a dream. Not
only did I indeed have a story in me, others deemed that story good enough to
share it with the world; how crazy is that?
Since I started writing
I’ve discovered it is quite seductive. I can’t imagine not writing anymore.
Given that eighteen months ago I couldn’t imagine ever writing anything longer
than an email or review, that’s quite a shock to the system. But maybe it is
like Heather and Jason discover in Little
Rainbows - once you develop a taste for something it is not at all easy to
leave it behind again.
Little
Rainbows
Author: Helena Stone
Pairing: MF
Genre: BDSM,
Contemporary
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
General Release Date: 20th March
Heat Rating:
Burning
Book Length:
Super Novel
Blurb:
When Jason Hudson and Heather Staunton first
meet they are young and sure they are wrong for each other. As a result they
spend a summer admiring each other from a safe distance.
Twenty years later Heather is coming out of
mourning, having lost her husband and Dom eighteen months earlier. Jason, now
the owner of an exclusive sex resort on the west coast of Ireland, struggles
with the loss of his desire to dominate.
Jason’s resort is about to celebrate its
first anniversary and party planner Heather has been hired to create the
perfect celebration. Their reunion comes as a big surprise to both of them.
Old and familiar attraction, battles with
new and conflicting emotions as Jason and Heather work together to organize the
ultimate BDSM event. Overcoming the issues between them isn’t the only obstacle
Jason and Heather face. In the background lurks a threat both to Heather’s
independence and Jason’s livelihood.
Excerpt:
Heather. A smile appeared
on his face as he remembered the sweet and innocent girl she’d been twenty
years ago. The woman who’d just walked into his club couldn’t be mistaken for
anything but the grown-up version of that girl, although he’d be hard pressed
to call her innocent now. She still had those honey coloured curls tumbling
around her head in wild abandon. Her big, almond-shaped eyes had stared into
his, filled with a combination of wonder, depth and sadness. Jason shook his
head, he had to be imagining things. He didn’t know—had never known—her well
enough to recognise those feelings.
She’d certainly grown
into her body since he’d last seen her. And she definitely knew how to fill a
pair of jeans. Just one look at her arse in those trousers…well, the stirring
had been a surprise after all those months without the sensation.
Restless, he got up
and stalked up and down the balcony.
He had to stop these
thoughts. He was supposed to work with Heather, not fantasise about her. He was
a grown man, an experienced Dom, not some drooling teenager getting off on
mentally undressing her. Still, what were the chances of meeting her again like
this? Surely, such coincidences didn’t happen in real life? His past had just
walked into his present and was scheduled to work with him this fortnight. Two
weeks during which he could get to know her again, provided he could convince
her to stay. As it stood, the plan was for her to be here for a few days and
then return before the event started. If he played his hand right though…
No.
He raised his head to
the sun, hoping the warmth would sooth his fevered thoughts. What was wrong
with him? Just because he hadn’t seen the woman in twenty years didn’t mean he
had to lose his mind over her. He might once have said that if he’d ever… He
wasn’t going to pursue that line of thought either. For fuck’s sake, she’d lost her husband and partner, who had
probably been her Dom as well, not too long ago. Even if she didn’t look like
the typical grieving widow, he had no doubt he’d seen pain in her eyes. He had
far more pressing problems to deal with right now than a sudden infatuation
with a memory. Like how he’d get through that weekend without exposing himself
as the fraud he’d turned into. Or how he’d ever find his way back to what had
been such an important part of his life for so long.
Even if Heather hadn’t
been recently widowed, seducing her would have been a bad idea. There were a
few exceptions, but in general, fucking somebody you had to work with only led
to unnecessary complications. He had a party to organise, a business to
sustain. He needed to keep his eyes on the ball and off his balls, and
Heather’s arse, and her beautiful green eyes. He had to stop his mind from
creating these images unless he wanted to set himself up for a one-way journey into
endless amounts of pain.
Author info:
Helena
Stone can’t remember a life before words and reading. After growing up in a
household where no holiday or festivity was complete without at least one new
book, it’s hardly surprising she now owns more books than shelf space while her
Kindle is about to explode.
The
urge to write came as a surprise. The realisation that people might enjoy her
words was a shock to say the least. Now that the writing bug has well and truly
taken hold, Helena can no longer imagine not sharing the characters in her head
and heart with the rest of the world.
Having
left the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam for the peace and quiet of the Irish
Country side she divides her time between reading, writing, long and often wet
walks with the dog, her part-time job in a library, a grown-up daughter and her
ever loving and patient husband.
Helena
Stone can be found in the following places:
Whatever the reason ... so thankful that you sent in that entry!!! Wonderful stories have been shared with all of us. I don't do m/f but because it has your name paired with Jaycee Edward ... I'm buying & reading it! Your names ensure a Great book! Please keep writing ... I want to keep reading! Collecting all of your & Jaycee's books in Alaska
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