Part Deux of the Million Dollar Duet Has Arrived

IT'S HERE!!!

I know it's been a while since I've done a blog post - shame on me - but surely you're following my website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts and are aware that the release of A MILLION GUILTY PLEASURES is right around the corner. February 4th, to be exact. Naturally, we have to have a blowout to celebrate the conclusion to the Million Dollar Duet.

Diamonds, pearls, and Kindle Fire HDs, oh my! Just three of the very awesome gifts I will be giving away at the A MILLION GUILTY PLEASURES release day party! 

That Kindle Fire will be loaded down with ALL FIVE of my books and I'll even autograph the casing! And the diamond necklace and pearls will be accompanied by a FLYAS T-shirt. 

Come on, you know you want them! All you have to do is be present on February 4th from 9 AM - 11 PM, EST. 

PLUS . . . Many other VERY generous prizes have been donated from some amazing people, including . . .

A dozen or so of your favorite authors: Darynda Jones, Dakota Cassidy, Shay Savage, Ruth Cardello, J.m. Madden, Robyn Peterman Zahn, Donna Jane McDonald, Gayle Donnelly and Robyn Mackenzie, Jeffe Kennedy, Amanda Baker Usen, Julie Anne Lindsey, Lydia Michaels Author, and Aedan Byrnes.

TWO psychic readings from very well-known experts in their field: Tina Michelle and Kimberly Rackley.

And even a sexy gift to go along with your sexy read from Pure Romance consultant, Andrea Thompson.

Ya gotta be present to win, so make sure you're tuned in all day!!! https://www.facebook.com/events/524802504293577/

Embracing Erotica Without Shame

When I first started writing the Million Dollar Duet, it was actually an outlet for all the juicy erotic goodness that the highly inappropriate part of my brain kept replaying while I was working on my first project, the Supernova Saga. It was the scene at the end of A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS’s chapter 14 and into chapter 15 that started it all. Those highly inappropriate, albeit emotionally charged, scenes simply wouldn’t fit the Saga’s storyline. Plus I could just see my mother shaking her head with that look on her face – the one that says without words how embarrassed she is that her darling baby girl (also the mother of two, not by immaculate conception) has even had sex, and how appalled she would be that I advertised my sexuality to the rest of the world under the “guise” of two fictional characters.

I am not Lanie Talbot nor have I ever had the extreme pleasure of finding myself in precarious positions with Noah Crawford, but I’m keeping hope alive.

I’d like to think there’s a little of Lanie in me, though. Particularly, that quirky inner voice that makes me giggle to myself over something silly. Like Lanie, I also tend to make the best of a serious situation through the magic of laughter. After all, it’s hard to cry when you’re laughing. Not impossible, but hard.

As for Noah, well, there’s none of Noah in me, but I wish there was. Cue wicked grin.

Writing erotica in this day and age really isn’t that big of a deal. Neither is reading it, though some still prefer to keep their interests discreet. People are more open to exploring their sexuality and are always looking for inventive ideas to put the waning spark back into their relationship. Let’s face it; sex is one of the basic needs, ranked right up there with food, water, oxygen, and basic survival. The continuation of the human race requires it even. So why should it be a taboo subject? And why should it have to be a boring one at that? It doesn’t. That’s why I wrote a smoking hot erotica in which two individuals actually have a reason to have tons of sex and just so happen to find an answer to their separate needs through a beautiful love story that blooms in spite of the chaos surrounding them with a twist of humor on the side.

I’ve been told A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS sets the tone for a modern day version of Pretty Woman, which is a huge compliment. I suppose now that we’ve let our hair down and embraced that which makes us feel good, it’s really quite easy to agree with that statement. I, for one, always wanted a front row seat to the real action inside Edward Lewis’s penthouse suite. So here’s to yet another epic love affair. May Lanie and Noah lead the way into an age of unbridled passion minus the morning after shame.

The Mechanics of Super Cooch

Ah, Double Agent Coochie . . . that shameless hussy. While some may find her silly, immature, and unnecessary, she does serve a purpose to the story dynamic. Multiple purposes, in fact.

First, she’s the comic relief, and without a comic relief, the story could get pretty heavy. A virgin auctions her body off to the highest bidder in an effort to save her dying mother’s life. Heavy stuff, right? Personally, I like a little hehe-haha with my lip biting and growlies and teary eyes and sniffles and “ah-come-on!”s.

Second, and probably most important, she makes what Lanie does, how easily she slips into her role, more believable. We all read stories where the formula is that of a reluctant heroin placed in a situation where she must be submissive, but finds she likes it. Right? Well, I never buy into it. Doesn’t matter how hot the sex is. I need the story to be realistic. The dilemma I was then faced with was how to make Lanie’s submission and eagerness seem realistic.

Enter the Cooch.

Cooch is sort of like an alter ego, if you will. Lanie’s scapegoat. A coping mechanism to help her mentally and emotionally deal with the situation she’s found herself in.

Double Agent Coochie makes it possible for Lanie to secretly like the things Noah is doing to her body without carrying so much of the shame along with it. Because let’s face it, Lanie SHOULDN’T like what this total stranger is doing to her. She SHOULD feel shame because proper morals and values dictate as much in our society. It wasn’t enough that she was under contract to satisfy Noah’s every need. She’d voluntarily signed that contract; ergo, not a good excuse. No, she needed something involuntary to excuse her wanton reactions to Noah’s manipulations. It wasn’t Lanie; it was the Cooch. Hence, the Double Agent Coochie and Benedict Arnold references. She has a mind of her own, and Lanie can only barely keep her under control. It’s quite the chore, and thus we should admire Lanie for her persistence and at least try to empathize with her predicament. Can’t be easy to be Lanie Talbot, after all. Where’s the entertainment in that?

*sidenote* I’d like to see any one of you claim to not enjoy what Noah Crawford can do with his various body parts.

Plus, Super Cooch looks damn good in a cape and leotard. And she’s partial to those hooker heels. One more point that I find necessary to make: the love triangle with the Wonder Peen and Ridonkabutt would just seem silly without the Cooch. Pfft . . . a little bit of competition is a healthy thing.

And there you have it . . . The Cooch isn’t really all that silly, after all. She’s quite the complex character, as are most when you stop to look a little deeper. We used to do that a long time ago, we readers. We used to look for the hidden nuances in an author’s tale. That’s where the real magic was found.

Until next time . . .

DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT . . .

Whoa! So it's been a week since the release of A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS and I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world. I know that's a slight exaggeration, but if you've been following my Facebook Page, or if you've gone out to your local store to pick up a copy of the book, then you know they're FLYING off the shelves. Like this Target shelf on day #1 of availability. 

^^^EMPTY SHELF THAT HAD TO BE RE-STOCKED^^^

Shut the front door! I think I'm still in shock. And then there was this . . . ALL OVER the place . . .

So I'm feeling like a rock star, right? Because, come on . . . that's pretty dope! (Do people still say dope?) Not really. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I may have shed a tear or two, but thank goodness, the admin of my street team, Parker's Pimpin' Posse, was there. Alicia Justice and her bohunk, Joshua Young, drove all the way to my humble abode to keep me in line on release day. They run Jitterbug PR, so they're pretty adept at handling this sort of thing. Bless them. They're the real rock stars.

And speaking of rocking, Avenged Sevenfold's (aka A7X, aka BEST ROCK BAND EVER) newest album, Hail to the King, dropped on the same day A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS dropped. Coincidence? Most likely, but I'd like to think the day was just a foretelling of epicness. LOL! Just go with it, please . . .

Anyway, let's look at a couple more pics (and these are but a sampling) that I've received since the book was released. And it might be under the Best Selling Fiction section, but no, it hasn't been "officially" listed as best selling. Doesn't matter. I see it on the shelves and that's good enough for me. However, I did see today that A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS has snagged the #2 spot on the iBookstore Top 50 Best Selling Erotic Romance ebooks list, to which I say . . . PLEASE DON'T LET ANYONE DEMAND A RECOUNT!!! 

What a lovely collage of such beautiful people!

Oh, and I had a signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY the day before the release. My mother insists I post pictures of it because that's how mothers are . . . *I <3 MY MOM!* 

Not sure what this face was about, but it gave me a chuckle, so I thought I'd share.

Okay, enough of that. Readers, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for making the release of A MILLION DIRTY SECRETS a dream come true!!! Please continue to tell all your friends about the book, and don't forget to leave those reviews! They really are that important!

Jack CL's Style Winner!!!

Guess what today is ... That's right, RELEASE DAY!!!!

In honor of today, and because I'm crazy busy, I ran a contest for my street team, Parker's Pimpin' Posse, to be able to Jack CL's Style and blog. The following is the winning post from Nikki Thomson.

Pulling up on my vintage Harley, I kill the engine before approaching the podium, gently pushing CL Parker out of the way.

What is up my crazy ass, sassy beotches?!?  I am here to give our divalicious CL Parker a bit of a break.  What, with her working the streets so hard these days, her sweet cheeks are whipped!!  No!  I don’t mean that way! Sheesh!  I mean working with her Street TEAM!  You know, for the imminent release of her new book?  And there is a porntastic amount of RELEASE to be had!!!  Wait, whaddya mean who am I and what am I talking about??  Whoa..whoa…WHOA!  Lemme back this bus up a few stops then.

My name is Dez and my best friend is Lanie Talbot.  Well, I kinda like her and shit, so I guess that makes her my best babe.

And she’s one of the most selfless people I have ever met.

And then, of course, there is Noah Crawford ...

And that’s all I’m gonna say ‘bout him for now.

And throughout it all, this is what happened to both CL and Lanie, at least as I saw it.

I mean, for reals, this guy danced them both around a bit.  And so CL, who is normally like this

Was suddenly like this

But then a wicked funny thing happened…

And then this…

And this…

And thissss…….

And before you know it, my best babe was hooked, like BIG TIME.

And this was about the time I stopped watching.  Ok, maybe I peeked, through my fingers, once or twice.

I mean, could you really blame me?  He IS a specimen, even if I think he’s an ass.

But, despite my warnings, there was a lot of that.  As in, tons. Often and repeatedly.  So naturally, there was a lot of this…

And if you think that is bad, you should see what CL looks like!

And then there was some of this too….

And I think even Lanie was caught!

So, there you have it.  The natural progression of the creator and her creation in A Million Dirty Secrets.  And oh, don’t worry.  You’ll get some more of me in the next round, A Million Guilty Pleasures.  Cuz I love ya and shit. J