Another Fantastic Review!

Carrie White of the Association of Erotic Artists reviewed One Breath at a Time -- and she gave it the highest possible rating! Thank you, Carrie!

"This novel has been written with so much care and feeling that it literally drips off the page. You can understand the emotional pain and the physical pleasure that Kelley goes through from the first moment she comes face to face with a hunting rifle to its romantic conclusion."

You can read the review at the Association of Erotic Artists, or you can visit Carrie's Blog and read it there, too.

To get your own copy of One Breath at a Time, click here.

"From the Corner of Fourth and Main"

I'm thrilled to see my short story "From the Corner of Fourth and Main" included in Ultimate Gay Erotica 2008. If boys on boys turns you on, this is one anthology that will trip your trigger over and over again.

Here's a snippet of my tale:

He leaned against the brick wall. The sidewalk thudded under our feet. He was my height, which meant I could look right into his eyes while I stood in front of him. Those eyes weren’t interesting at all, placid and brown with short lashes, but his mouth made up for that. He had lips that curled perfectly around a cigarette, the slow upturn that came from a pout. They were soft and supple and kissable, even here in the glow of the neon light. Those lips would have been perfectly at home on a young woman in a glossy magazine.

Those lips were made for sucking on things.

“You got a name?” I asked. The surprise flickered across his face.

“Yes.”

That was the best I was going to get, and it was good enough. More than good enough, actually. He just seemed like a Yes. He seemed like the kind of man who had heard that word more often than he had heard his given name. For a brief moment I toyed with the idea of testing him, of telling him to drop to his knees right there, but I didn’t, not only because I wasn’t brave enough to come out with such demands, but because I knew damn good and well he would do it.

In the moment of silence he pushed off the wall and moved toward me until we were mere inches apart. He was thin and lanky and hot. The heat from his body breached his thin t-shirt and my polo and went straight to the center of my chest, a burning ember that slid all the way down to where he wanted it to be. He smelled like cigarettes and whiskey and the slightest hint of sweat.

He waited until I shifted my weight and looked away. With a sly smile and not a single word he turned away from me and headed into the crowd. Only the merest tilt of his head told me to follow.

I did as I was told. I studied him from behind as we walked down Fourth Street and toward the river. He was thin but solid, his shoulders not all that broad, his hair a little too long in the back. He walked with a swagger, the only thing about him that suggested he was younger than he looked. A tattoo of symbols ran up the side of his neck, ending at that sweet spot right underneath his ear.

He led me down the street, then suddenly cut into a small alley. At the end of the alley the street rose and narrowed into a catwalk. The river rushed below us, and for a moment I was dizzy. I grabbed the railing and the whole catwalk chattered in protest.

“Don’t look down,” he called over his shoulder. “Look straight ahead.”

I focused on his hips, where the tapered curve of his back disappeared into the too-tight jeans. We crossed the grate and went up a fire escape. He took a running start, snatched the ladder with one hand and swung. He climbed it like a monkey up a tree.

I followed, the old paint chipping off against my hand, the metal burning my skin even in the cool of the night. I stumbled twice before finding my rhythm, swing and up three, swing and up four, swing and three, over and over and up and up until we came to a door that wasn’t locked and a room that was lit by a small table lamp.

“My place,” he said.

What happens at his place, you ask? You can get your copy of the book here.

Clean Sheets Reviews "One Breath at a Time"

Gary Meyer of Clean Sheets has just reviewed my latest novel, One Breath at a Time, which he calls "wall-to-wall, explosive, virtuoso sex."

Here's a bit more:

Kelley and Tom's redemptive sex is much rougher than a mere bodice-ripping or two. Here Masters makes a major educational contribution by illustrating that rough sex doesn't have to mean crude or careless sex: forceful doesn't have to be brutal. She observes that negotiation isn't a onetime surrender, but an ongoing process. These lessons, as well as the concept of a safeword, are seamlessly integrated into the action. Tom checks in often to ascertain how Kelley's doing. In addition to a safeword, Kelley and Tom have a goword: "Please."

Go here to read the full review!

New Story, New Q & A...

Alana is one of my favorite writers. Ever. And she has one of my favorite blogs on the web, filled with tons of her exceptional writing. Every now and then she posts a Question-and-Answer with an erotic author, and today it's my turn! At Mars with Mars and Venus, you will find a new Q & A with yours truly.

Also posted is "White," a short-short story about addictions. Sex addiction, drug addiction, addiction to the wrong person at the wrong time, addiction to all those crutches that make a crazy lifestyle seem somewhat sane. It's a hardcore look at the secrets of people who could be your next-door neighbors.

Go. Read. Enjoy.

Thanks to Alana for inviting me!

This Month on For the Girls: Introducing Mr. Right

This month at For the Girls, I'm talking about that tricky moment when you introduce your Mr. Right to everybody else:

When I told them Mr. Right had proposed – bended knee, tears, huge rock for my hand – they were aquiver with excitement. One jumped up and down and screamed. Another stared at the ring and burst into tears. There were hugs and kisses and the round of ‘I told you so.’ Breaking the news of my upcoming marriage was like New Year’s Eve on Times Square. Everybody was happy, and nobody was worrying about what the future might hold, because it had to be perfect – right?

Navigating those waters is not all smooth sailing, and this month, I'm talking about what to expect when the "Congratulations" turns into "But..are you sure?"

And next month, look for a brand-new column on For the Girls, when I move from talking about the dating game to discussing the even bigger game: The Committed Relationship.

Enjoy the column, and as always, let me know what you think!

Worth Reading: "Sin in the Second City"

I'm a huge history buff -- I spent four years in college studying little else! -- and I love my mother's native Chicago, so it was a real treat to read Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott. It's the tale of a time in Chicago history that is often lost in the footnotes, but one that is vitally important: The moral battle between the brothel keepers of the Levee District and the Progressive Era Reformers, who did their best to stamp out not only the "sporting trade," but sexual freedom itself.

It's a book worth reading, and one that has earned permanent space on my shelf. Click here to visit Clean Sheets and read my review of this richly-detailed, gorgeous book.

"One Breath at a Time" is Available NOW!

My latest novel, One Breath at a Time, is available TODAY all over the UK! You can get it at your favorite bookstore, or you can save yourself all that trouble and just get it online by clicking here.

Here's the blurb:

Kelley is a woman with a broken heart. She doesn't need another complication in her life, and certainly not another man. But when she stumbles across Tom, the things she thought she didn't want are exactly what she needs. As they fall for each other and embark on a compelling journey through dominance and submission, both lovers strive to shake away their dark pasts. But is blinding passion enough to keep them from being ripped apart?

And here's a preview:

Tom opened the gate and I drove through. I watched him in the rearview mirror. His jeans were slightly tighter than they should have been, perfect to show off that toned rear and thick thighs. His shirt was button-down, an expensive designer number that fit across his shoulders as if it had been tailored especially for him. I had been very surprised to see the tag, and silently calculated what that shirt must have cost.

‘Considering I only have three shirts that are suitable for going out like this, I think the expense was worth it,’ he teased. And he wasn’t kidding. The dressy clothes in his closet were few and far between. This was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, with his own style, and no need to answer to anyone but himself.

‘You are gorgeous in that,’ I said to him now as he climbed into the truck.

‘Maybe I should buy designer clothes more often.’

‘You’re gorgeous in anything. And out of anything.’

‘Somebody’s horny.’

I smiled and turned the truck toward my house on the other side of town. The sun was going down; streetlights were flickering to life. Tom rode quietly, his hand on my thigh, watching every move I made. At the first red light, he unbuckled my seat belt.

‘Hey,’ I breathed in mock protest.

His hand slipped between my legs.

Tom’s fingers pressed hard against my crotch, pushing the cotton of my leggings against my pussy. I was already wet. I relaxed my thighs and leaned back in the seat. Tom took the opportunity to push harder between my open legs.

The light changed to green and I drove on. Tom moved his hand away, leaving me aching for more. He gently flipped the compass hanging from the rearview mirror. He opened my glove compartment and leisurely explored the papers and CDs he found in there. He studied my registration. He turned on the radio to see what station I had been listening to, then turned it off again.

We came to another light.

This time Tom wasted no time. His hand slipped down the front of my pants. I opened my legs and he slid a finger deep into my pussy. Slowly he began to slide it in and out, fucking me with it while I bit my lip and tried to look as though nothing was wrong. The man on my left wasn’t paying any attention, but the woman in the turn lane was looking our way. Tom gave her a wicked smile and slid two fingers into me, pushing up hard on that magic spot that made me horny as hell. I leaned my head back against the seat.

A car honked from behind me. My eyes snapped open, and Tom’s hand disappeared. The light was green.

‘Fuck,’ I murmured, and hit the gas.

Tom busied himself with picking my purse up from the floorboard. He unzipped it and started looking through it, completely ignoring me. He pulled out the lipstick and twirled it up and down. A notepad, a tube of lip balm, a few pens – all seemed to be of interest. He pulled out a wrapped tampon and grinned before pushing it back down to the bottom. He studiously ignored my wallet but pulled out photographs that he found in a side pocket. He flipped through them slowly but didn’t say a single word.

When I came to a stop at the next light, he was on me.

His tongue slipped into my mouth, hungry and punishing. He bit hard on my bottom lip. One hand went under my shirt while the other went between my legs. He pinched one nipple while two fingers slammed into my cunt, lifting my hips off the seat. I let out a squeal of delight. His lips trailed back to my ear, where he bit down again before he whispered.

‘I’m going to fuck you in public. You know that, don’t you? This is just a warm up. One day I’m going to strip you down and spread your legs and give complete strangers a damn good show. You would do that for me, wouldn’t you?’

‘Fuck, yes,’ I growled.

His hands disappeared, and I was left dazed.

‘Drive,’ he ordered.

*
If you want more, you've got to get the book!

The book can also be preordered here. Though it's out in the UK right now, it will be released everywhere in March.

Favorite Things of 2007

Over at Clean Sheets, we're welcoming the New Year by talking about our favorite things of 2007! There's pole dancing and must-see movies, good music and fantastic places, and even a crystal bondage sash.

Visit Clean Sheets to read the favorite things from our favorite contributors and editors, including yours truly! Then, go to the comments and tell us what lit your fire in 2007.