HIS OBSESSION Available Now

Two and one-half years ago the Sizzlers of Southern Sizzle Romance united to pursue our path to publication together. Tomorrow, with the publication of His Obsession, we will meet our goal.  All seven of us are in print, an achievement to celebrate. Check out our titles on the right. The  blurb and a short excerpt  for His Obsession with buy info is below.

In 1788 when Emeliese Alexander, a student at an elite Parisian finishing school, boarded a yacht bound for England, she never imagined she would be kidnapped and sold into slavery. Devastated by Robert Montclair’s betrayal and doomed to live in a pirate’s harem in the Republic of Bou Regreg, Emmy vows to create a life for herself and her unborn child – whatever the price.

EXCERPT:

Off the coast of France, 1788

     Emmy’s skin crawled. She opened her eyes to find her captor staring at her, his eyes traveling up and down her body, assessing her like the merchants examined the cargoes of her family’s ships when they came into port.

     “You are a beautiful girl, all golden. Small for my taste, perhaps, but perfect. Some men find that very desirable. My son does have good taste in his women.”

     “You are Robbie’s father?” A silly question. He had just said that, but she was still a bit groggy. She must put her fear aside and gather her wits, then discover his intentions. His men had thought nothing of murdering Jacque. Was he toying with her before she met the same fate or worse?

     “I admit my guilt.” He saluted her with his snifter. “Jonathan Montclair, the seventeenth Earl of Ashford, at your service.”

     ”Robbie is from a noble family?” Robbie had introduced himself as Robert Montclair, he had never mentioned that his family was noble. The English nobility were very particular about who their offspring could and could not marry. She would almost certainly fall into the “could nots,” and Robbie knew why.

     The earl cocked a brow. “Baron Montclair. The heir. He did not tell you? I thought you were a fortune hunter looking for a wealthy protector.”

     “No, I am a student at Madame Foret’s Academy for Young Ladies. I am not looking for anyone. I will return home to my family next year.” At least, that had been her intention until she had met Robbie. Her future was neither bright nor secure now. The man was evil or insane or both. And he controlled her fate.

Read more/preorder/buy: http://www.bookstrand.com/his-obsession    

Scheduled for release April 10^th, Preorder available now  (M/F, R)

(eBook $3.99, on sale for $3.59 through April 17)     Until next week, Rita Bay

Moonday’s Heroic Hunk: Adam & the Roses of Prose

     Today’s Heroic Hunk in History is Adam, as in Genesis in the Bible. But first, welcome to the Roses of Prose, a group blog of authors published by Red Rose Publishing, whom we added to our blogroll today. The Sizzlers met Laura Breck & Lisa Lipkind Leibow of the Roses of Prose at the Silken Sands Conference last weekend. They did a great presentation on grogging (group blogging) and are counted among our new Sizzler friends from the Silken Sands Conference. Hope to see them at future Silken Sands Conferences.
     Now, to Adam. Medieval and Renaissance art often used religious themes because (1) the Church, (2) religious laity who used the art for their devotions, and (3) sinners who donated/sponsored the art to religious institutions for indulgences were the most prominent patrons. BTW, God was cropped because God will never be a Heroic Hunk. Not any way, no and no. Hell is full of fools.

     The Creation of Adam is the centerpiece of Michelangelo’s ceiling fresco in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City in Rome. In 1511, when Pope Julius II ordered Michelangelo (already a renowned sculptor) to paint the ceiling, it featured gold stars on a deep blue background. The fresco (a mixture of paint pigment heated with plaster and applied to a surface while wet) illustrates the Biblical story from the Book of Genesis in which God the Father breathes life into Adam, the first man. God’s right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from his own finger into Adam’s (whose arm is an exact duplicate of God’s in reverse).
     Adam’s finger is not Michelangelo’s original but part of a restoration after a portion of the fresco fell off the ceiling. Also, check out the female form in Adam’s left leg which foreshadows the creation of Eve. Adrian VI, one of Julius’ successors, planned to have the offensive frescoes scraped off, but, fortunately, died before he could commission the work.
     Michelangelo and Pope Julius had a difficult relationship. The Pope nagged Michelangelo to work faster but was slow in paying which made things difficult at home for Michelangelo. While Michelangelo’s family was of the nobility and did not support his career which they thought was menial, they did like his income.

     We’ll feature more of Michelangelo’s work later because he does paint/sculpt a good nude and Moondays are mine to choose. HOWEVER, if you have a Heroic Hunk you’d like featured, please make a suggestion. ‘Til next Moonday, Rita VF

Moonday’s Heroic Hunk: The Sleeping Faun & A Visit from Barbara Vey

     The Southern Sizzle Romance blog for Moonday’s Heroic Hunks in History features a sleeping faun, but first, a Silken Sands Writers’ Conference tidbit. Barbara Vey visited the Sizzlers while looking for the Tiki bar at the Silken Sands Conference Friday night. The bar was closed but we had a nice Pinot Grigio to offer. She’s one classy lady that we hope will become a regular face at Silken Sands. 

Barbara Vey at Silken Sands by gothicdweller

 

     The next night she won two (yes, two) door prizes. She’s shipping the baskets—chock full of books and other treats–home to Wisconsin to donate to an American Cancer Society fundraiser. Like I said, classy. 

     Finally, this Moonday’s Heroic Hunk in History is the “Sleeping Faun” by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer (1830-1908) which is displayed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. “Hatty’s” upbringing by her physician father in Watertown, Massachusetts was considered extremely permissive for the time. In 1852 she moved to Rome, a center of cultural richness and diversity, and eventually became a popular-sometimes controversial-artist. Over a long and prolific career she produced numerous sculptures in the neoclassical tradition. 

     In Roman mythology, a faun was a woodland place-spirit usually depicted as a goat below the waist. Hosmer’s “Sleeping Faun,” completed in 1867, obviously omitted the goat features.  The artist also sculpted a “Waking Faun” which we might view on another Moonday.    

      Tomorrow, the Sizzlers will post our first group blog. During the Silken Sands Conference, we pitched to the following: Laura Bradford (Bradford Literary Agency), Elaine Spencer (The Knight Agency), Joyce Holland (The D4EO Agency), Lindsey Faber (Samhain Publishing), Megan Records (Kensington Publishing), and Patience Smith (Harlequin/Silhouette). Visit us to see whether we struck out or hit home runs.       Rita VF