Rose, Exposed – Sex in the South
Thank you for hosting me today. I’m excited to discuss sex in the south and my recent release, Rose, Exposed, a multicultural historical erotic romance set in the 1930s.
The grand prize for the tour is vintage-style rose earrings for pierced ears (U.S. shipping address only).
To be eligible, COMMENT on this post. Comment should include the historical time period and geographical setting (when and where) you’d most like to see in a romance.
The tour winner will be announced at http://www.aftonlocke.com/RoseExposedTour.html on April 11th.
Sex in the South
I chose southern Maryland as the setting for my latest release, Rose, Exposed, because I wanted a romantic, sexy backdrop with small-town values to showcase my story. Sex in the south is nothing like Sex in the City. For starters, it’s a lot more romantic. As any romance novelist knows, getting in the mood involves the senses, and the south provides a smorgasbord for all five of them:
There’s plenty to see. The warmer it gets, the more nature comes out of hibernation and shows off her splendor. Lush greenery, flowers, and butterflies provide plenty of color. People dress in more colorful clothes too. The hotter it gets the less people wear, so plenty of tempting skin is on display, especially at the beach.
Look closely and you’ll see these people smiling more because they’re not freezing to death. (OK, I probably sound a little biased here. As I write this, it’s the end of March and they’re calling for 6 inches of snow tomorrow. What?) There’s nothing more romantic than the first warm day of spring. Just ask everyone who travels south for Spring Break.
The other touchy-feely southern element is humidity. A soft, sultry night is a caress all its own. Too much can be a turn-off, of course, but good sex is supposed to be a little hot and sticky. It’s like working out at the gym. If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not doing it right.
Nature also creates a lot of sound, from cicadas to melodic birdsong to the splash of water. If you go far enough, you might even hear the snap of an alligator’s jaws. Even the smells are intriguing. They’re sweet and floral or earthy and lush, making lovers part of the landscape in a primal way. For taste, how about some Maryland crab or a mint julep? And you know what they say about oysters.
I’ve also noticed emotional expression and friendliness increase from north to south. The more people emote and connect, the more likely they’ll end up in bed. There are a couple of drawbacks, though. In the southern small town, everyone will know what kind of sex you have, with whom, when, and how often.
Southern waterfront is also a magnet for mosquitoes. Nothing can ruin the mood quicker than several itchy welts appearing all over your body, especially realizing how many diseases they can carry. I had a long driveway in my teens and used to park halfway down on my dates with the engine off so no one would know we were there. Because of the mosquitoes, we had to make out with the windows up. One guy’s clothes became so drenched, his mother took one look at him when he got home and asked, “What the heck happened to you? Did you fall in the creek?” Mosquitoes even came up in the FLEs (final line edits) of my new release.
I plan to write more books set in the south, mosquitoes and all.
Rose, Exposed
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Release Date: 27 March 2013
eBook ISBN #: 978-14199-45205
Buy eBook: http://www.ellorascave.com/rose-exposed.html
Stay tuned for reviews and more: http://www.aftonlocke.com/Rose.html
Video/trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT9x9-Hlhw&feature=youtu.be
(I love creating trailers for all my books!)
Blurb
When Leroy Johnson gets promoted at the new oyster plant on Pearl Point, all he cares about is working hard. When he meets the flirtatious artist Rose Wainwright, however, nothing matters except getting her to the altar and into bed. Healing from a recent loss, he’s not about to let her go too.
Because Rose’s strict, social-climbing father doesn’t approve of dark-skinned Leroy, they court in secret anyplace they can find. Although Leroy’s raw passion can convince her to do almost anything, why can’t he understand she needs freedom, not marriage?
Her father wants her to be white, but Leroy wants her to be black. Playing both sides of the fence leaves this young biracial beauty exposed in more ways than one.
Excerpt (modified)
Rose, Exposed – Copyright © AFTON LOCKE, 2013 – All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
“You’re so…dark,” she exclaimed. Instead of the disdain he expected, he heard fascination.
Come on, lady. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a colored man before.
“Yes, I’m dark,” he agreed as he politely removed her hand, “which is why it’s not a good idea for us to sit alone together in this car. Someone might come along and jump to the wrong conclusion.”
A conclusion that could get him beat up or worse with the Klan close by on Oyster Island.
But before he could stop her, she clasped both sides of his face and pressed her sweet mouth to his. Aw, hell. A man only had so much self-control, and she’d just shattered his. Unable to stop himself, he plundered her delicate mouth. Her lips reminded him of rose petals, and he sucked the sweetness out of them as if he were a bee. The more he tasted, the more he wanted.
She opened, giving him access to her even sweeter tongue. Taking a big breath, he pulled away from her.
“We can’t do this. You’re white.”
She looked down at her upturned palms. “Then I really do look white?”
Leroy frowned. “Aren’t you?”
For the first time, her smile disappeared, making him shiver in his wet clothes. “The truth is, I don’t know what I am. I suppose that’s why I took this foolish drive.”
She must be biracial then, he realized, and not forbidden after all. The thought made him want to dance on the hood of the car. She still looked white, though. If he didn’t have the time to court a girl his own color, he sure didn’t have any for a complicated one like this.
“Kiss me again,” she demanded.
Without waiting for him to answer, she locked her hot, damp mouth on his again and tugged hard on his shoulders. Before he knew it, he was on top of her on the front seat. He wished her dress weren’t so thin when long, slender legs shifted restlessly under his. Dizzy with the scent of rain and her, he froze.
At that moment, nothing mattered except having her. He didn’t care if the entire Klan showed up, knocked on the window and caught him making love to her. It had been too damn long since he’d had a woman. He needed to stop this while he still could.
“Do you know what you’re asking for?” Lust had turned his voice into a husky croak.
She laughed and touched his face again. “I don’t know. What am I asking for?”
This girl was crazier than he’d first thought. What if someone less honorable than himself had stopped instead? She could’ve been raped.
“A whole lot of trouble.” He sat up. “Look, this is not the time or the place. Now let’s get you home.”
The sooner he could be rid of her—before she derailed him from his job, family, and everything else that mattered—the better.
WIPs Coming Soon
Rose, Exposed is the sequel to Plucking the Pearl, an interracial historical erotic romance.
http://www.aftonlocke.com/pearl.html
I have two more books planned for the Oyster Harbor series. Next up for romance are Sadie and Henry.
In addition to interracial/multicultural historicals, I also plan to keep writing erotic contemporaries.
Can an older woman find love with a hot male stripper? My current WIP, Two Hours to Entice, will answer that question.
Where readers can find me
I will be attending EC’s RomantiCon Oct 10-13, 2013 in Canton, Ohio – http://ecromanticon.com/:
Don’t miss the book signing on Oct 13th.
I’m also hosting a Fabulous Fusion workshop with Koko Brown and Eve Vaughn to celebrate interracial erotic romance for EC’s Fusion line.
Web site: http://www.aftonlocke.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afton.locke
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aftonlocke
Newsletter – The Love Chronicle: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thelovechronicle/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3159922.Afton_Locke
Café au Lait Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cafeaulaitbookclub/
