Please give a warm welcome to A. M. Hartnett who is on my blog today. I've pinned her down with some questions…
1. Tell
me about your latest release.
Uncover Me came out on June 26 from
Mischief Books. It’s the story of Carrie Thorn, who has disappeared inside of
herself following a hurtful breakup. Her only real thrill is her blog, Dirty
Pictures, where she posts naughty photos of herself and her toys. She’s pretty
careful about keeping her real self and the saucy persona of Maggie separate,
but one of her readers spots a landmark in the background of one of her photos
and realizes she’s mere miles from his grasp. Brendan makes contact and sends
his own dirty picture to tempt her into a meeting.
And just yesterday I kicked off the
release of my Carried Away series with The Deep End. Grace Neely has been
working long hours at the Taureau-Werner building in Toronto for years, and
that’s also where she finds her playmates. She finds out one night that she’s
being watched by Jacques Taureau, the reclusive owner of the company, and is
immediately swept up into an affair conducted through headsets and hidden
cameras. She quickly grows frustrated with this unorthodox affair with a man
whose face she has never completely seen, and so to keep her, Taureau must
invite her into his secretive sanctuary.
2. We both have short stories in Quick and Dirty Erotica and Coming
Together As One. How do you find writing shorter pieces to novels? Any
preference?
Shorts can be a bit of a challenge – in
particular, quickies like in Quick and Dirty Erotica. You have to make the
characters real and believable while at the same time condensing the action to
what really amounts to a snapshot in time. From a technical standpoint, you’ve
got a beginning/middle/end, but for me at least there’s usually so much more to
the story. By the time I finish a short, I usually want to know more about the
characters and sometimes even flesh out their backstories for potential longer
pieces.
That’s what happened with my July 31
release, The Deep End. For years I tried to make this work as more than just a
series of naughty scenes strung together before finally giving up and making
the story of Jacques and Grace a short. I was fairly determined to have them
out of my hair, but when readers started to echo my internal thoughts “OK, so
what next? Who are these people?’ So I went off to explore who Jacques and
Grace were once you got past their voyeuristic introduction.
3. Where
do you get your inspiration? Any funny moments inspired you to build a whole
plot and characters?
This is hard question. Usually by the
time I’ve finished with a story I’ve completely forgotten where it started. Uncover
Me was inspired by the sex blog community on Tumblr. The Deep End’s origins are
so far into the past I can’t even remember where it began, but definitely my
love of old Gothic romances can be seen here in a story about a mysterious man
living alone in a big old house.
Sometimes when I’m stalled, though, I go
for the visual prompt: I’ll grab a picture from the net and write a story
around it. In Uncover Me, I took Carrie and Brendan’s first encounter from a
picture I had plucked off of Tumblr: it was a woman kneeling on the bed, skirt
pushed up and panties around her thighs. I just told myself to put Carrie in
that position and write about how she got that way.
4. How
do you celebrate on release day?
There’s usually food and/or drink
involved. Release day is the one day I refuse to justify buying those red
velvet cupcakes that always call to me when I’m in the grocery store or that
craft beer I love. Release day is my guilt-free day, and I’ll exploit it every
time.
5. What’s
on the horizon?
I’ve got the second and third parts of
Carried Away coming out before the end of the year.
Holding My Breath puts professional
Casanova, Quinn, in the path of front-desk manager Molly. She needs him to
conduct his business other than the St. James as the hotel moves towards a more
family-friendly atmosphere. He wants until New Years Eve – his retirement date
– and he’s willing to offer his services to her for free if she lets him stick
around. Their affair becomes more than just sexual, and Molly is startled to
find herself careening towards a happily ever after with the most unlikely of
men.
Breaking Through brings back Simon
Reeve, a character who first appears in The Deep End and crashes Quinn and
Molly’s tale in Holding My Breath. Breaking Through is his story and the
happily ever after he demanded throughout the entire series.
Excerpt – Uncover Me
Waiting for Brendan to finish cleaning off was hell. She was at her computer and in the middle of checking her email when he strode into the living room, looking delicious with one of her towels barely holding on to those narrow hips.
‘Did you post something while I was in the shower?’
‘Nothing as exciting as that.’
He dragged a dining chair next to hers and parked himself in it. Carrie experienced a little thrill as she caught a whiff of her soap coming from his damp skin. He was so saucy, this man who had just stumbled into her life and taken over, but as she admired those round shoulders and bare chest she smiled to herself. She got to play with that.
‘Do you look at it often? My blog, I mean.’
‘As often as I can, but I usually enjoy it the most on Sundays. I do my laundry in the morning, and then I settle in and wait for the stream of pictures to come across from you.’ He tugged at the collar of her robe. ‘Care to dress up for me? I’d love to see you in that black and white corset, sitting in front of your computer.’
She wasn’t entirely on board with the idea of him taking her pictures, so she stuck her nose in the air. ‘Maybe I should take a picture of you.’
‘Go ahead. Did you think I would be aghast?’ He pushed the chair back, flipped open his towel and spread his arms out. ‘Come on, then. Snappy-snappy.’
Carrie narrowed her eyes, then reached across the desk to her purse. Keeping his gaze, she pulled out her phone. ‘I have this app that takes pictures like you’re in a photo booth. You could make faces while stroking your dick.’
‘I think we both can do better than that. Come on over here and get on top.’
She raised her brows. ‘Didn’t you just make this huge thing about penetration leading to epic obsessive love?’
‘Did I say I was going to fuck you? Now that we’re both clean, let’s get dirty again.’
With his fingers grasping and tickling at her sides, Carrie squirmed towards him and wriggled onto his lap. He quickly shucked off her robe and ran his hands over her ribs and upwards. Her nipples were stiff and peaked even before he pinched them.
‘What to do to you now,’ he murmured, his head on one side. His eyes darted back and forth, up and down as he studied her face. ‘Any suggestions?’
Carrie giggled, then bit her lip to put an end to it. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this giddy feeling. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be the director?’
‘Oh, is that how we want it?’ Two hands splayed on her bum, and he lifted her.
The sudden sensation of being weightless in his grasp sent a brief panic through her. With a squeal, she threw her arms around his neck and locked her feet above his bottom.
He crashed down with her on the sofa. Flopping back, Carrie beamed up at him. ‘You have me on my back, now what do you plan to do to me?’
‘I’m going to take some very naughty pictures.’
Blurb
There's a heart inside every fantasy.
The photos are becoming a compulsion for Carrie. As soon as she wakes up, she feels the need to engage with the readers of her erotic website, Dirty Pictures. No matter how hard she tries to focus on her real life the need is always there. The high is knowing that men desire her.
One day a comment on her erotic website makes Carrie go cold: one of her readers, Brendan, has recognised a landmark in the window of one of her pictures. Brendan knows where to find her and has sent a tantalising private message. His invitation to play was so tempting in no time at all, in a variety of settings, their sensual adventures become wild. Her sexual and emotional reawakening reaches peaks she never imagined possible.
But Carrie finds it difficult to treat their relationship as casual. Terrified of heartbreak, she breaks off her affair with Brendan. Her previous relationship left her in tatters and she’s too scared to take such a chance again. Brendan endured a broken marriage so she’s not alone in her confusion and reticence. But can Carrie ever hope to be more than his fantasy girl?
On a mission now, she went to the wardrobe, and was thrown back the moment she slid the door open.
It was silly, but she hadn’t been expecting this rainbow of pressed shirts and pants, nor shoes lined up neatly along the bottom, nor ties and suspenders hanging from the door.
Grace leaned in and took a deep breath. She didn’t care if he was watching. She was overcome with the need to know what he smelled like, but all she could detect was laundry soap.
Except …
She drew out one of the shirts. It was a burgundy polo.
She’d seen it before. She was sure of it.
He’d been wearing it that first night.
Turning back to the bed, Grace wrangled the shirt off the hanger, which she tossed to the floor, and bunched it in her hands.
She buried her face in it.
Still, just soap.
And then …
There, between the neck and the armpit. The lingering smell of sweat and deodorant. One of the most common drugstore brands, but it was his smell.
She sank down on the edge of the bed and breathed into the shirt. This was the scent that would surround her when he showed himself. This was what would mingle with her own signature scent of orange and vanilla lotion. This, mingling with the tang of sex, was what would fill her nostrils as he tightened that rope.
She leaned back on the bed, draped the shirt over her face and pushed down her shorts. The air was cool on her slippery inner thighs and on her swollen sex, and for just a few moments she sprawled there, head covered, pussy exposed.
I’m ready for you.
A tickle against her thigh alerted her to the phone that was tucked into her shorts pocket and was coming to life.
Grace didn’t answer it. She was done with phones and computers and all that grainy digital sex hissing between them. She was ready for the real thing.
She pushed her shorts further down, then slipped her hand between her legs. She took her time playing with her clit, fingers gliding, delving to the knuckle into her drenched pussy. She performed for him, just as she had before, only this time she wouldn’t allow him to direct her.
As she staved off her orgasm, the phone continued to vibrate. She could have sworn there was a hint of madness to each ring.
When she could stand no more, when her whole body was raging for climax, she dragged the shirt from her face and rolled onto her knees. She bunched the shirt into a ball and stuffed it between her legs. She didn’t need it any more. She’d never be rid of his scent. It was the heat of his body she craved now.
‘Don’t you want this?’ She ground against the shirt in tune with the fingers in her clit. ‘You brought me all this way, and I’m alone in your bed.’
The phone’s vibration stopped abruptly.
Grace turned her face towards the window, to where she could see the corner of the barn where he hid from her.
‘Come out and play, Mr Taureau. Don’t make me do this all alone. Please …’
Blurb
“Mr. Taureau, is there anything I can do for you?”
For years, the Taureau-Werner building has been Grace's playground. Hot men in suits have provided her with one sinful diversion after another without ever having to leave the thirteenth floor.Grace thinks her secret indulgences are safe, until one late night alone in the office, a call comes through from billionaire recluse: Jacques Alain Taureau. And in Taureau's lonely world, Grace meets a prince with no intention of escaping his secretive retreat by the sea.
Excerpt – Uncover Me
Waiting for Brendan to finish cleaning off was hell. She was at her computer and in the middle of checking her email when he strode into the living room, looking delicious with one of her towels barely holding on to those narrow hips.
‘Did you post something while I was in the shower?’
‘Nothing as exciting as that.’
He dragged a dining chair next to hers and parked himself in it. Carrie experienced a little thrill as she caught a whiff of her soap coming from his damp skin. He was so saucy, this man who had just stumbled into her life and taken over, but as she admired those round shoulders and bare chest she smiled to herself. She got to play with that.
‘Do you look at it often? My blog, I mean.’
‘As often as I can, but I usually enjoy it the most on Sundays. I do my laundry in the morning, and then I settle in and wait for the stream of pictures to come across from you.’ He tugged at the collar of her robe. ‘Care to dress up for me? I’d love to see you in that black and white corset, sitting in front of your computer.’
She wasn’t entirely on board with the idea of him taking her pictures, so she stuck her nose in the air. ‘Maybe I should take a picture of you.’
‘Go ahead. Did you think I would be aghast?’ He pushed the chair back, flipped open his towel and spread his arms out. ‘Come on, then. Snappy-snappy.’
Carrie narrowed her eyes, then reached across the desk to her purse. Keeping his gaze, she pulled out her phone. ‘I have this app that takes pictures like you’re in a photo booth. You could make faces while stroking your dick.’
‘I think we both can do better than that. Come on over here and get on top.’
She raised her brows. ‘Didn’t you just make this huge thing about penetration leading to epic obsessive love?’
‘Did I say I was going to fuck you? Now that we’re both clean, let’s get dirty again.’
With his fingers grasping and tickling at her sides, Carrie squirmed towards him and wriggled onto his lap. He quickly shucked off her robe and ran his hands over her ribs and upwards. Her nipples were stiff and peaked even before he pinched them.
‘What to do to you now,’ he murmured, his head on one side. His eyes darted back and forth, up and down as he studied her face. ‘Any suggestions?’
Carrie giggled, then bit her lip to put an end to it. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this giddy feeling. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be the director?’
‘Oh, is that how we want it?’ Two hands splayed on her bum, and he lifted her.
The sudden sensation of being weightless in his grasp sent a brief panic through her. With a squeal, she threw her arms around his neck and locked her feet above his bottom.
He crashed down with her on the sofa. Flopping back, Carrie beamed up at him. ‘You have me on my back, now what do you plan to do to me?’
‘I’m going to take some very naughty pictures.’
Blurb
There's a heart inside every fantasy.
The photos are becoming a compulsion for Carrie. As soon as she wakes up, she feels the need to engage with the readers of her erotic website, Dirty Pictures. No matter how hard she tries to focus on her real life the need is always there. The high is knowing that men desire her.
One day a comment on her erotic website makes Carrie go cold: one of her readers, Brendan, has recognised a landmark in the window of one of her pictures. Brendan knows where to find her and has sent a tantalising private message. His invitation to play was so tempting in no time at all, in a variety of settings, their sensual adventures become wild. Her sexual and emotional reawakening reaches peaks she never imagined possible.
But Carrie finds it difficult to treat their relationship as casual. Terrified of heartbreak, she breaks off her affair with Brendan. Her previous relationship left her in tatters and she’s too scared to take such a chance again. Brendan endured a broken marriage so she’s not alone in her confusion and reticence. But can Carrie ever hope to be more than his fantasy girl?
Excerpt – The Deep End
On a mission now, she went to the wardrobe, and was thrown back the moment she slid the door open.
It was silly, but she hadn’t been expecting this rainbow of pressed shirts and pants, nor shoes lined up neatly along the bottom, nor ties and suspenders hanging from the door.
Grace leaned in and took a deep breath. She didn’t care if he was watching. She was overcome with the need to know what he smelled like, but all she could detect was laundry soap.
Except …
She drew out one of the shirts. It was a burgundy polo.
She’d seen it before. She was sure of it.
He’d been wearing it that first night.
Turning back to the bed, Grace wrangled the shirt off the hanger, which she tossed to the floor, and bunched it in her hands.
She buried her face in it.
Still, just soap.
And then …
There, between the neck and the armpit. The lingering smell of sweat and deodorant. One of the most common drugstore brands, but it was his smell.
She sank down on the edge of the bed and breathed into the shirt. This was the scent that would surround her when he showed himself. This was what would mingle with her own signature scent of orange and vanilla lotion. This, mingling with the tang of sex, was what would fill her nostrils as he tightened that rope.
She leaned back on the bed, draped the shirt over her face and pushed down her shorts. The air was cool on her slippery inner thighs and on her swollen sex, and for just a few moments she sprawled there, head covered, pussy exposed.
I’m ready for you.
A tickle against her thigh alerted her to the phone that was tucked into her shorts pocket and was coming to life.
Grace didn’t answer it. She was done with phones and computers and all that grainy digital sex hissing between them. She was ready for the real thing.
She pushed her shorts further down, then slipped her hand between her legs. She took her time playing with her clit, fingers gliding, delving to the knuckle into her drenched pussy. She performed for him, just as she had before, only this time she wouldn’t allow him to direct her.
As she staved off her orgasm, the phone continued to vibrate. She could have sworn there was a hint of madness to each ring.
When she could stand no more, when her whole body was raging for climax, she dragged the shirt from her face and rolled onto her knees. She bunched the shirt into a ball and stuffed it between her legs. She didn’t need it any more. She’d never be rid of his scent. It was the heat of his body she craved now.
‘Don’t you want this?’ She ground against the shirt in tune with the fingers in her clit. ‘You brought me all this way, and I’m alone in your bed.’
The phone’s vibration stopped abruptly.
Grace turned her face towards the window, to where she could see the corner of the barn where he hid from her.
‘Come out and play, Mr Taureau. Don’t make me do this all alone. Please …’
Blurb
“Mr. Taureau, is there anything I can do for you?”
For years, the Taureau-Werner building has been Grace's playground. Hot men in suits have provided her with one sinful diversion after another without ever having to leave the thirteenth floor.Grace thinks her secret indulgences are safe, until one late night alone in the office, a call comes through from billionaire recluse: Jacques Alain Taureau. And in Taureau's lonely world, Grace meets a prince with no intention of escaping his secretive retreat by the sea.
Links
Bio
A.M. Hartnett began writing erotica upon receiving
what, at the time, she considered very bad advice from a career counselor.
Since 2006, her short stories have appeared on the web and in various
anthologies, including Kristina Wright's Best Erotic Romance series and Rachel
Kramer Bussel's Curvy Girls.
Lily x
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