Guest Blog: Dianne Hartsock: My Delightful Plunge into Erotica

I’ve been asked, why m/m erotica? Truthfully, I never gave the genre much thought. Until recently. It was the novel Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite that opened my eyes to the sensual side of male romance.

Ghost’s head had slipped onto Steve’s knee, and he eased out from under it. There was a little dark spot on the knee of Steve’s jeans. Ghost’s spit. Ghost’s drunken sleeping spit. Steve rubbed it into the cloth, then absently put his finger in his mouth. A faint taste of whiskey and molasses… and what was he doing sucking someone else’s spit off his finger?

Those few lines made me sit up and pay attention. Steve’s love for Ghost slowly unfolds throughout the book. But Ghost has always loved Steve, and sometimes his melancholy would break my heart.

He bent, and instead of finding Steve’s eyes, his mouth met Steve’s mouth in a clumsy kiss.

They both grew tense. Ghost thought, No, oh no, that wasn’t what I meant to do, and Steve’s hands came up to push Ghost away.

But somehow his hands were treacherous; instead of shoving Ghost away they slid over Ghost’s shoulders and locked behind his back. Steve was pulling him closer. He nudged Steve’s mouth open just a little at first, then wide, and their tongues met like two beating hearts.

Molasses, he heard from somewhere. You still taste like molasses.

“Mmmm?” said Ghost. “What?” Their mouths untangled briefly, then met again.

Lost Souls was the first book I’d read where two men’s love was handled delicately and sweetly. I was moved by their friendship and the care they took of each other. I decided then that I wanted to write my own love story, using this same feeling of compassion and fondness.

I’ve fallen in love with Shelton and Nevil! Shelton is a gentle, loving man, with a beautiful, sensual nature. In contrast, Nevil is the flamboyant, fun loving playboy Shelton falls in love with. I enjoyed bringing these two very different personalities together, slowly reveling how Nevil comes to love my sweet Shelton.

But why did I make their romance an erotica? How else could I make love with two beautiful, hot men in the afternoon without my husband catching me?  :) It was a challenge and joy to think of ways for my men to please each other. And of course I had to be there to guide them along!

BIO:
Dianne lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play.

Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write her tails. There’s something about being cooped up in the house while it pours rain outside and a fire crackles on the hearth inside that kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which she says is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

BLURB: Shelton in Love

Shelton is falling hard for his best friend and roommate, finding Nevil’s dark good looks and moments of gentleness almost impossible to resist. But Nevil is more interested in affairs of the body than the heart. As Shelton’s desire for the man grows, he wonders if he can change Nevil’s mind. But does he even want to? Nevil might not stay, once he learns Shelton’s secret, and then his loneliness would be complete.

http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/291
Amazon: http://amzn.to/kbL2b4


BLURB: Shelton’s Promise

Shelton has a gift he’s eager to give to Nevil. At a party, Nevil flirts with one man after another, keeping Shelton on his toes. Then Percy, an ex, shows up to complicate things. Despite his best efforts, Shelton can’t find the right moment to give Nevil his gift. Will Nevil ever let Shelton get close to him, or will Shelton have to keep the gift in his pocket all evening?

http://www.breathlesspress.org/Book/345

Amazon: http://amzn.to/nGt0xx


BLURB: Shelton’s Goodbye- coming soon from Breathless Press
After a year of bliss with Nevil, Shelton is offered the promotion at the bank he’s been working towards. Unfortunately, it’s in another state and Nevil doesn’t want to move. As tension mounts between them, Shelton is given another challenge in the form of a besotted co-worker. Torn between desires, Shelton has to choose his future. That is, until Nevil takes the decision out of his hands.

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