Cheri Crystal Romance & Erotica
Feel free to check out my latest blog that I hope will give some insight to where I got the idea for Across the Pond.
I’ve been blogged. Here’s the link for those interested: Ylva Blog Hop_Cheri Crystal
Across the Pond is available for purchase in various formats from eBook to print versions. To buy a copy please click here. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Next Big Thing – A Blog Hop Post
As part of ‘The Next Big Thing Blog Hop,’ I was tagged by the talented author and magnanimous spokesperson for gay rights, J. E. Knowles http://jeknowles.blogspot.com/, whose admirable work not only entertains but sends a message. Ms. Knowles is a tough act to follow, but I’ll do my best. The purpose of this hop is to expose you to writers who perhaps you haven’t heard of, and their work whether a new release or a Work in Progress (WIP). This is week 21.
According to the rules of the hop, I will be answering the same questions as every other blog hopper (and I’ll try hard not to bounce around too much 😉 about either my newest releases or my WIP. At the bottom of the post I’ve listed authors who will do the same thing in their blogs next Wednesday.
Okay – let’s get this party started!
What is the working title of your book? Since Attractions of the Heart won the Golden Crown Literary Award for lesbian erotica, I’ve been assembling published stories for the second anthology in the series, tentatively titled, Attractions of Another Kind. Some of my latest work, for instance, “Steam”, can be uploaded at http://www.amazon.com/Cheri-Crystal/e/B002VG3738. I hope you’ll check it out, indulge yourself and come back for more. I find there are two kinds of readers of short erotic stories, those who want to read them on e-readers in single gulps, and those who want a print book they can keep on the bedside table. I offer both options to keep every taste satisfied.
Where did the idea come from for the book? It’s a long story, but I’ll try to be brief. Little did I know way back when I began reading, reviewing, and ultimately, writing LGBT fiction, that my voracious appetite to live vicariously through my characters would someday result in real life changes. Mainly the idea for both books and the inspiration for many of my short stories came from conversations I had with fellow authors and readers, particularly my very best friend who is now my wife. We tied the knot this past August 31, 2012 and I could not have come this far without her love and support. It helps that she often reels me in when I go off on too many tangents. Don’t tell her I told you 😉
I’ve written dozens of short stories and even a couple of (unpublished WIP) novels. Each time an idea pops into my head, I simply have to run with it. For example, I wrote Going Fishing after all the women who attended Women’s Week in Ptown bragged on the literary lists about being there while I was at home reading about their great adventures. Talk about feeling left out! Going Fishing helped dispel the jealousy, especially after it was published in several editions. The idea for “Steam” came from a friend after a workout at the gym. We often meet for cappuccinos and a chat afterwards. He shared a story about a tryst he had with a really hot woman who had her way with him aboard the legendary Southwest Devon Railway. I asked if I could use the idea for my next story and he gave me his blessing. I lesbianized his tale and took quite a few other liberties. My wife shot the cover photo and we plan to take a trip as soon as we can.
What genre does your book fall under? Erotic Lesbian Romance.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Would it be too cliché to say Jodie Foster and Sandra Bullock? Or Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander? How about Lucy Lawless and Renée O’Connor? Okay, I’m getting carried away now. Still, who wouldn’t want to watch Portia de Rossi and say Kristanna Loken? The actress who played Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, is hot. Angelina Jolie and Kate Mulgrew, have done their share, and I love Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel and Helen Hunt. For my story, Help Wanted, Clitoris Missing in Action, I would probably cast Meryl Streep or Bette Midler, yes, Bette since it’s a comic story about a woman who thinks she’s lost her libido but inadvertently finds it, thank GOD! There’s no shortage of talented actresses who could play the parts in my stories. Endless I tell you J
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? “Steam” is the first in a series of daring sexual adventures between Gwen and her lover as they travel through Europe.
What is the longer synopsis of your book?
The main characters have decided to spend their anniversary in the Southwest part of the United Kingdom. The narrator, who remains nameless in this story, suggests that she and her partner Gwen have already had sex in every room of their house and other assorted places, so why not try it aboard a “Steam” engine. Here’s the excerpt:
After we manage to walk away from the enthusiastic volunteer without appearing rude, I whisper, “I’m so freaking horny I could hump a lamppost right now.”
“I hear you,” Gwen sighs. “We have to figure out a way to do it on board despite the crowd. You claimed you wouldn’t chicken out. Am I right?”
“Not on your life.”
A group of rugged women glance in our direction. I nudge Gwen’s shoulder and point my chin in their general direction. “You think they’re—”
“Lesbians?”
“Shhh, not so loud,” I warn.
“What do you think?”
“Definitely, but I’m afraid they’ll know what we’re up to if we head to the toilet together.”
“So what?”
“So, it’ll be embarrassing.”
“We could invite them to join in,” Gwen says, although I know damn well she’d never share. I swat her just the same and she pulls me in for a hug and a kiss on the forehead. A sandy-haired woman quirks her eyebrow seconds before leaning in to share some secret with her dark-haired partner.
I begin to sweat.
“Please let’s not be in their car, please.”
“Don’t be a spoil sport. If they are it’ll just pump up the “Steam” in our little tryst.”
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Since the rights of all my work have reverted back to me, I’ve been working hard at revising and self-publishing old and new stories on Amazon Kindle Direct. I have plans to re-release Attractions of the Heart and then Attractions of Another Kind as eBooks and print on demand.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I often whiz through the first draft of a story (a short story can take anywhere from a day to a few days not counting the time spent revising). It took about two months to write each of my novels (both WIP), but the revisions often add weeks or months to a project.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? My early stories came from deep within—a place I didn’t know existed where I could envision falling in love with a woman and making love to her. I wrote all the stories of Attractions of the Heart before I even kissed a woman. I was married to a man for 21 years and it hadn’t occurred to me that same-sex attraction was in my cards. In fact, I maintained a happy hetero existence while supporting gay rights and getting our lesbian stories out in the mainstream. The first time I fell in love with a woman, I had no idea what to do with this new phenomenon. It didn’t fit in with the scheme of my family life. I had a husband and children and a life I built here in New York. I wrote, “The Biggest Flirt This Side of the Internet” later changed to “Debut” because I was madly, deeply and completely in love with an author I was about to meet for the first time at the Lambda Literary Awards. Nothing ever became of my infatuation, but I continued to write obsessively. It was a dare on a literary list that introduced my wife and me. I wrote, “Reading In A Public Place” later titled, “Mile High Dare” after she dared me to do an author’s challenge. The rest is history. There has always been some spark or another that prompted me to write a particular story. I am not unlike most other authors. I put a part of myself in each and every sentence even if it is all FICTION. Yes, folks, fiction, but alas, hidden truths often lurk between the sheets. I had a very dear friend, may he rest in peace, who commented that reading Attractions of the Heart sounded like there was an element of my true feelings in every story. I guess he was right.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I write from the heart. I try to tell an engaging story and I hope the reader likes my characters as much as I do. While I am best known for my erotica, I promise that I put plenty of romance in too. I try to avoid Plot, What Plot (PWP) and my greatest desire is to continue to make people smile, blush, think, act, laugh, and just be happy, horny and healthy. Thank you for taking the time to read this. One more suggestion I like to dole out if I may, to cure what ails you, just have two orgasms and call me in the morning, LOL.
Next Wednesday check out the Next Big Thing from the prolific, award-winning author, SX Meagher http://briskpress.blogspot.com/. Once you start reading her work, you’ll never want to stop. Luckily for us she keeps on writing.
If you’re a fellow writer and would like to participate in this Blog Hop, please reach out to SX Meagher and let her know! The more the merrier ♥ Carsen Taite has agreed to play too! Her novels should not be missed either. Go to http://lesbianauthors.wordpress.com and http://www.youtube.com/carsentaite to find out the scoop on Carsen.
Huge thanks to J. E. Knowles for tagging me and to everyone for reading. I hope you enjoy my tales of lesbian lust and love and come back for more.
Cheri Crystal
www.chericrystal.com
Contains adult theme. Must be 18 to purchase.
Charly’s love for Suzette escalates during a sleepover while acting out the ’70s smash hit, Love Story by Erich Segal. When raging hormones and a disheartening rebuff from the object of her desire leaves her hurt, confused, and at odds with her best friend, Charly seeks an outlet for her pent up desire. She develops a competitive edge and Suzette becomes her biggest adversary. Will what starts as an innocent kiss end up becoming so much more?
There’s more to Alex King than meets the eye. What is this arrogant hunk hiding and will Raina find out?
When Raina’s boss hires a consultant named Alex King, a much sought after financial advisor, she finds herself resisting more than professional competition. The last thing Raina needs is a consultant to tell her is how to do her job. What she doesn’t count on is Alex’s persistence. Alex might be as sexy as hell, and Raina is determined to fight temptation, but her pesky salacious thoughts are no match even for a control freak. She longs to crack the consultant’s impeccable facade. Can Raina remain aloof? Or will she acquiesce to the heated advances of Alex King? In what could be the ultimate office hook up Raina discovers what you see isn’t necessarily what you get-it’s actually better.
Excerpt:
Not accustomed to being immobilized in the presence of just anyone, I met this Alex King’s outstretched hand, shocked when his firm grasp electrified me up to my armpits. I hadn’t missed how his narrow waist led to…damn, any hot-blooded woman couldn’t fail to notice his porn star-sized package, if she was in the market for it. Which I wasn’t. It had been years since I had been attracted to a man. Now, masculinity, that’s another thing. It’s true that I liked my women butch, and my pussy came alive when they packed, but I hadn’t considered a cis-gendered man since college. Who was this man? Where had he come from to exude such blatant confidence, thus undermining my own? Instead of sporting a professional hairstyle, his longish, wavy hair, gelled to a lustrous sheen, was reason enough to discount his credibility. How could I take a man seriously when he looked so damn sexy in a suit? Not that I was prone to falling for stereotypes, but his pretty-boy smile, emphasis on pretty, bold swagger and charisma tainted my first impression anyway.
Blurb: Attractions of the Heart, a romantic collection of erotic short stories, begins with a hot date, and ends with a commitment ceremony. Enjoy a lovely meal at “Lobster Box.” Take a Caribbean vacation and plan ground rules that aren’t set in stone in “Best Friends Don’t F*ck.” How about “Going Fishing” for the ultimate hook up? Or “Taking Chances” on love when the stakes are high. Who said “Climbing Rocks,” “Dogging,” or “Trucking” couldn’t lead to sexcapades? Maybe you need an “Exercise Dyke” for the supreme workout or you wonder when designing a cookbook as a fundraiser for your softball team, “Does The Butch Come With The Recipe?” Maybe you’re ready to take a “Mile High Dare.” Whatever your tastes, Cheri Crystal offers an impressive FemErotica selection. So, have fun with “Tina in Toyland,” hire an “Escort,” say, “Me, Too,” for a three-way, win an award in “Debut,” have a “Nightcap,” or try “Keeping Up With Hornelia,” but don’t miss “Seeing It Through.”
For critically acclaimed, “funny, charming stories,” “crisp writing,” “frank sexuality,” and “top of the line female eroticism,” Cheri Crystal’s Attractions of the Heart has something for everyone.
Excerpt from “Seeing It Through.”
Mom bribed, threatened, and begged me to stop chopping off my hair with her fabric shears and ordered me to put on a little rouge-her word, not mine. I was offered everything from a nose job, because I broke the schnozzola twice tackling the football team in the schoolyard just to prove they weren’t so tough, to a trip to Disney. Seriously, Disney! I refused to have my teeth fixed and thought the overbite gave me character. My teeth were crooked, but so what? They worked. If I had to, I could rip through uncooked flesh with my uneven choppers.
Mom said I had such pretty blue eyes, and if only I’d use a bit of mascara to show off my light lashes. Yeah, right Mom. Like I’d be caught dead in make-up. She also threatened that I’d be grounded if I didn’t stay out from under cars, but her words were meaningless, and I knew it. While other girls snuck cigarettes or gave head behind the bleachers, I was sneaking an oil change or doing brake jobs at Fred’s Body Shop. Mom gave up for good when I told her I was joining the Corps.
Up until I left for Parris Island, April and I hung out in my basement getting high and listening to CDs, mostly heavy metal for me or pop rock and shit like that for her. She was the only person on the planet who didn’t try to change me. She was also my number one fantasy, but I never told her that. Heck, I don’t think I admitted it to myself. Until now…now that it was too late.
I had often relived her sixteenth birthday party, and here on her wedding day, I couldn’t help but go there again. Without mercy, my mind played tricks on me and brought me back to that night. She was sweet sixteen and never been kissed. I knew this for a fact. All the kids in our pack played truth or dare. Someone had dared me to kiss April. And she looked, well, aside from being a total babe, she was suddenly bold, and I felt like a heart attack waiting to happen.
The guys punched their fists in the air, and more than a few girls joined in on the chant. “Do it! Do it!” The whistles and catcalls echoed in time with my heart. I walked over to her, took her hands in mine and gazed directly into her sparkling eyes. She glanced at my lips and licked hers in what seemed like a silent movie in slow motion.
A boy had kissed me, once, but April’s kiss was different. Monumentally different. We leaned toward each other as the shouts grew louder. I placed my lips on hers, not fully registering the noise surrounding us, forgetting what and where I was and why I was doing this in front of our friends. I expected a platonic peck, but she had a better idea. Our first kiss was laced with a lingering caramel nougat flavor and had a sweetness all its own. I can still taste it.
Every cell in my body was on alert from that electrified embrace. She grabbed my head and pulled me close, so that I could feel her breasts, hipbones, and torso. I got carried away, and so did she. The cheering sounded distant and muffled. I felt every lick and suck as if it was happening to my crotch. I couldn’t help the way my entire body responded. I didn’t stop her. I had to have it like morphine after a self-inflicted wound. There was no turning back. And then I let go. I came hard. In my pants. Involuntarily, I shuddered, and although the visual tremor was subtle, I died right then and there. I was more mortified than I had ever been in my mere sixteen years of life. How was I going to face anyone ever again?
April pulled away first, looked at me for a second, and then turned to our gang. She curtseyed. It was all a show to her. She gloated like we’d just pulled off the greatest prank. I fled without looking back. We never talked about what happened that night.
Latest Review:
Cheri Crystal’s first anthology is written and produced with great spirit. A collection of 18 stories each one with its own picture page introduction making this edition a must for collectors of erotic fiction. Well-formed characters tell of their intent as they lead us to their goal with a fun yet determined tone.
Crystal’s flair is consistent throughout the book. Her tales are varied and slip easily into each sex scene. No shadows in here. It is all good open sex and there is something for everyone including: love stories like “Lobster Box,” fun with toys in “Tina in Toyland,” group sex in “Me Too,” voyeurism in “Dogging,” desire in “Gone Fishing” and much more. I found Attractions of the Heart to be a great value. ~Willis, amazon.com
Available direct from amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Attractions-Heart-Cheri-Crystal/dp/1600542980
Check out Cheri Crystal’s loveyoudivine alterotica author shelf: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_45
Visit her website: www.chericrystal.com
About the author: Cheri Crystal reviews lesbian fiction when she’s not busy spending time with her family, working in healthcare, and writing her own lesbian adventures and erotic romances. She enjoys all types of intellectual and physical activities and considers herself lucky that she can immerse herself in the literary community at every spare opportunity. Cheri has many published stories in anthologies and online with www.loveyoudivine.com. She’s written two novels and is working on a third. Her first solo anthology, Attractions of the Heart, came out in October 2009 and was launched in Provincetown during the 25th Annual Celebration of Women’s Week. It was an exciting and rewarding experience she’ll never forget. Visit Cheri’s Website: http://www.chericrystal.com or Contact her at cheri@chericrystal.com She’d love to hear from you.
More Cheri Crystal links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chericrystal?v=feed&story_fbid=96253148665#/chericrystal?ref=profile
Ebook stories also available from: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_45
AllRomanceEbooks.com: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html
Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b96382/Me-Too/Cheri-Crystal/?si=0
Amazon Author’s Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cheri-Crystal/e/B002VG3738/ref=sr_tc_2_0
Dear Mommy,
You are the best and for that I will write you a letter stating why you are so. You have taught me things about life that a regular teacher couldn’t. You have the skill to make me laugh even at my worst moments. You always have a story that can relate to my problems and make them sound a hundred times worse then mine just to cheer me up. You are the only person I know that I could have a “soap opera moment” with (if you know what I mean). You make me feel special by saying I’m the best daughter in the world … even though I’m your one and only. You may not know this but you are the best mommy in the world. I am convinced that no one’s better.
No one else can make greasy grilled cheeses or french toast like you can. No one can play cards and at first be loosing and then completely end up beating me like you can. No one can blow on food to make it cooler like you can (the super blow). No one can sing better to Shania Twain’s music while driving. No one can chase after their dream with out giving up better than you. No one can dance as well as you can. No one can walk as much as you can. No one can change their mind as fast as you can. No one can complain as much as you can … I’m convinced that it’s a skill.
You are unique and always can make an impression on someone. You are full of life and laughter. You are loud and crazy. That’s why I love you. You are open and understanding. That’s why I love you. You are the best mommy ever… even though you don’t think so. But I do, and my opinion probably matters more since I’m the daughter! Anyways, you’re amazing so don’t ever change.
Thank you for always being there for me even when I’m a huge brat. I love you a lot. Happy Mothers day!!
Yours truly,
Sara
Yesterday I had the best birthday ever thanks to my family, friends, and fans, on-line and off, who stopped by, mailed, or called to wish me a Happy Birthday. You all made my day special beyond words. The number of years is irrelevant when learning and experiencing along the way. I truly want to thank everyone who has touched my life in one way or another. I consider myself fortunate to have you all in my life. May you all be blessed with peace, health, happiness, prosperity, hope, and lots of love today and always.
Love and Hugs,
Cheri
