My Dirty Little Secret

No, I'm not sharing the contents of my adult toy chest.  And I promise not to ramble on about my own particular predilections in the boudoir, shower, bubble filled tub or anywhere else. Nor am I gonna describe how I lost my virginity (it was definitely not best seller worthy).

I am however going to share 2 things about me you might not know.  I am competitive as hell.  While I never played a single sport in my life, perhaps I should have because I hate losing. That is to say I hate coming in second place or in anyway not having people congratulating me for something. Weird? Not really. It's human nature to want that. We just vary in our willingness to do what it takes to get it--the congrats, kudos, admiration, respect and the spotlight.

I like to think that books that draw the attention of the masses are worthy of it. And because I know what it takes to pour creative energy into writing a book I truly do respect and value anyone who has undergone the process.  It's painful sometimes, definitely time consuming, and if you have decent editors it can be even more painful once you get to that stage. Crafting a really good story out of your head, then formulating it into a really good, sellable book is hard bloody work.  We all want our hard work recognized at a level we think is appropriate for the energy spent in creation.

Here is dirty security #2: I thought I could never write a story about a female virgin.  I just did not think I could get into a young woman's head at that level.  It intimidated me truth be told. Sort of like writing a gay love story did at one time. So, since I am that person who is that competitive, I dove right in and did one.

The Diplomat's Daughter, the Turkish Delights prequel from Decadent Publishing is the story of that woman. Vivian Kincaid is one of those girls whose natural tendency is to rebel, to chafe at authoritative bonds, in this case from her father and society. The book is set in 1960s Istanbul. As a young girl, Vivian hated how confined she felt in her parents' diplomatic residence in the historic city. When she found a friend, son of paid staff of the house, she was able to sneak away nearly daily to explore with him.  But one day they get caught, and he is sent away to avoid the suggestion of impropriety.


Later, her parents divorce and she moves home to the States with her mother. The story opens after she has been required to return to her father's home after her mother's death. And she is all kinds of pissed off about her life. Unfortunately her father is the quintessential authoritarian with a new family, and when he isn't ignoring her he is criticizing her. Vivian has already found several underground bars and venues where she can party and is on a dangerous trajectory the day she lays eyes on her old friend.


His reappearance in her life is coincidental--he is taking classes at the local college she attends. But he has come a long way and is a newly successful businessman with a construction company and other concerns.  And he has never forgotten her.  But he is a very proper young man and refuses to take "the most precious gift she can give a husband" despite her earnest efforts to convince him otherwise.


Finally, he makes her promise something: that they will have this one moment together and she will go away and live the diplomatic life her father has planned for her complete with a guy waiting in the wings to whisk her away to Ankara (the Turkish capital) as his wife.  That scene was, in a word, difficult. But I think it reflects both their intense physical need and their emotional connection. The connection she agrees to toss away in order to lose her virginity to a man she loves and not the husband her father has chosen for her.


I really really enjoyed diving into the society and morals of not just the 1960s but the combined frustrations of a 2nd world country (Turkey) and a particular group of privileged society that lives within the culture of a country not their own.  And it is a prequel so if you have enjoyed my trilogy of 1NightStand stories: Turkish Delights, Blue Cruise, Tulip Princess you can get a real sense of how that family began.


Make it a drama free week kids!
Liz