Monday, January 19, 2015

Purely Professional Blog Tour! (+$25 Amazon GC Giveaway!)

Title: Purely Professional
Author: Elia Winters
Series: N/A
Pages: 169
Date Published: January 13th, 2014
Publisher: Carina Press
Format: ebook
Genre: Erotic Fiction
Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours
Buy Me!

Synopsis:
Columnist Bridget Hartwell agrees to write about BDSM to impress her new executive editor at Sultry, the "sex-positive magazine for sex-positive women." Unfortunately, it's a topic she knows absolutely nothing about…but if she ever wants that promotion, she'll need to learn the ropes, fast.

English professor Max Harlow is active in the Dom/sub scene, but only for casual play. He's never found his ideal partner: a woman who is his equal, but sexually submissive. When he's asked to explain the lifestyle to his cute but obviously inexperienced neighbor, Max is certain it's best to approach it academically—to keep things purely professional.

Until Bridget's first article is a huge hit, giving her the perfect excuse to delve deeper into the naturally submissive side of her sexuality. As their encounters intensify and each of her boundaries is skillfully pushed, Bridget must decide what this all means…for her identity, her career and, most importantly, her future with Max.

~Guest Post!~
New Books, Warm Socks, and Bubble Baths: Surviving Winter Elia-Style

Here in New England, January marks the turning point from “Ooh, winter!” to “Holy hell,  it’s COLD outside.” I really love winter, but I know many people don’t share my affection. I’m always amused when people act surprised about the cold, since it happens every year and persists for months, but I guess it’s a good conversation starter. I especially enjoy people’s descriptions of the cold: “like a cast-iron toilet on the shady side of an iceberg” is one of the best I’ve heard, along with the simple but evocative “snotsicle weather,” describing those temperatures where you inhale through your nose and your nostrils stick together on the inside.

Winter is a perfect time for indulgences, though. When the sun sets at four and it’s colder than Hoth outside, it’s time for simple pleasures. Here are some of mine.
  •  Bubble Baths. This is every stereotype of Women Relaxing, right? I don’t care. Bubble baths are awesome. Steaming hot water, good-smelling bubbles, and a chunk of time to just do nothing but make bubble sculptures. Win.
  • Peppermint Tea. I think peppermint is the king of basic grocery store teas when it comes to relaxing. Yes, I want to get into the dangerous world of custom looseleaf tea blends, but since I’m not there yet, I’m in love with straight-up peppermint. Personally, I like it with a touch of milk and sugar.
  • Cheap Pink Moscato Champagne. I love champagne, especially the cheap stuff because it tends to be sweeter and I feel less guilty mixing it with orange juice if I’m in the mood for mimosas. Pink moscato champagne has all the sweetness and fizziness I enjoy, and it usually comes in under $10 a bottle. 
  • Fuzzy socks. I might have a fuzzy sock problem. I have so many pairs of fuzzy socks that they explode out of my pajama drawer, where they have to live because they don’t fit in the sock drawer. Nothing says cozy like fuzzy socks after a long day of work.
  • Flannel sheets. I don’t know how I made it to adulthood without owning flannel sheets, because they are The Best Thing Ever. It’s like being hugged by a friendly lumberjack all night long.
  • Homemade bread. Although I love to bake, I don’t do it often enough because it takes so long. When the weather’s bad, though, there’s nothing like taking time to make some delicious homemade bread. The house smells fantastic during the entire process, and the general routine of “mix - knead - wait - knead - wait - bake” provides a meditative rhythm to the day. Plus, at the end, you have hot homemade bread just waiting for butter and jam. 
  • Books. Of all my indulgences, this is the best. I love curling up in a blanket with a good book and getting lost in another world. Even better is if I’ve got my fuzzy socks and peppermint tea.
What are your indulgences, readers? Do you share any of mine, or do you have your own ways to pass the cold, dark days of winter?
~Try an Excerpt!~
“What about your fantasies?”

Bridget hesitated.

“What? What is it?” Catching her hesitation, Max looked up from the Scrabble board.

“It’s just...” She paused and took a swig of beer. “I’ve had a lot of crushes on men in positions of power. My volleyball coach back in high school, my internship coordinator in college, a few professors...” Realizing he was grinning, she blushed, remembering he was a professor. “Right. Anyway, I never acted on any of them.”

“And yet you complain that you date weak men.” He swirled the beer around in his bottle and held it up to the light, his gaze thoughtful and distant.

“Well, I don’t want some guy to boss me around.” To hide the discomfort she suddenly felt, Bridget looked down at the board. She played reach off the H in hinder and fumbled as she chose four new tiles.

“I think we both know that’s a lie.“ Max said smoothly, and he drank his beer. “I’ll bet you’re just afraid of what kind of woman you would be if you gave in to those urges.” He rubbed a tile between a thumb and forefinger, then set it back on his shelf. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Bridget. You responded today like a natural submissive. You liked more than just the sex. You liked all of it.”

She set down her beer and looked at him. “All right.” She tried not to sound defensive. “So what does that mean?”


“It doesn’t have to mean anything.” Max shrugged. “Maybe this afternoon, I just want to play some Scrabble with you and order a pizza. But when we’re done with all this experimenting, you’re going to have a lot to write about.”
~Meet Elia!~ 
Elia Winters has always been a New England girl, despite having spent much of her childhood in Florida. She holds a degree in English Literature and teaches at a small rural high school where she runs too many extracurricular activities. She balances her love of the outdoors with a  bottomless well of geekiness.

Elia dabbles in many genres, but erotic romance has been one of her favorites since she first began sneaking her mother’s romance novels. In high school, she kept her friends entertained with a steady stream of naughty stories and somehow never got caught passing them around. Her erotic fiction and poetry have been published online at Clean Sheets and Scarlet Letters under a different name. Elia currently lives in New England with her loving husband and their odd assortment of pets.


Elia’s virtual life is as busy as her real life. In addition to her website, http://eliawinters.com/, you can also find her on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Elia will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

16 comments:

  1. I'm happy to be here, folks! I'll swing by throughout the day to answer questions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for coming by and checking it out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really enjoyed the guest post - Elia and I have a lot in common as far as "indulgences" though I am not a fan of winter - don't have a tub now but used to love bubble baths or just long hot baths, love to read (of course), love fuzzy socks and flannel sheets, peppermint tea is a staple in our house and I cheat on the homemade bread (Rhodes has frozen bread dough that thaws out nicely and bakes up perfect!). I also enjoyed the excerpt - this book sounds good! Thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Maria! Our tub is too small for tall-people soaking, so generally I feel like I'm poaching myself rather than actually soaking. It's still worth it.

      Anyway, it sounds like you're a woman after my own heart. :)

      Delete
  4. Wonderful excerpt! Thanks for the intro to a new to me author!

    As far a winter goes -- I am so not a fan of cold weather and ice and snow. I honestly don't even like to visit places when it is snowy. ( I admit, I'm a wuss.) :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words, Glenda! I hope you enjoy my books.

      You're not a wuss for disliking travel in the snow. It's much better to curl up with a good book and some tea and watch the snow out the window, rather than be out in it. :)

      Delete
  5. Love the excerpt =) Can´t wait for my chance to read more!
    THanks for the giveaway & Happy Tuesday!
    //Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for participating, Linda! Good luck in the giveaway, and I hope you enjoy the book. :)

      Delete
  6. The cover suggests some hard core action! I'm in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'll be happy with the hard core action, Mai. I love this cover so much. I think the girl is beautiful, and I love the expression on her face: a little vulnerable, a little mischievous, just like Bridget herself.

      Delete
  7. My cold, dark days are best spent in bed with my husband. 'Nuf said....

    ReplyDelete