Black Velvet Seductions Readers Newsletter November 2007 Edition

It's Steamy, It's Funny, and You've Been Waiting for It -- It's Studs for Hire: Woman in Charge by Sherry James

The Studs for Hire series by Sherry James began when Syd-nie Riley got cheated out of a promotion at her advertising job. Tired of men always being the boss, and tired of the male chauvinistic attitude at her advertising firm she decided to join forces with three college friends and start her own company, Studs for Hire. The Studs for Hire construction company is staffed with sexy carpenters, plumbers, and elec-tricians.

In the second book, Studs for Hire: Woman in Charge, Casey Burrows, one of the partners in the construction company lands the task of hiring Alex Roy, a sexy archi-tect, to create the plans to build a shrine to Elvis in an eccentric widow’s mansion.

The problem is, Alex is used to building classy timber frame homes for an elite clientele. He wants nothing to do with the job of immortalizing Elvis in Omaha. He is afraid that taking that job will ruin his reputation with his elite clientele. He can’t afford to have his reputation ruined, but he needs the payday Casey offers.

11 Unclaimed Prizes from the Friday Newsletter Drawing -- Are You a Winner?

There are a number of prizes unclaimed from the Friday newsletter drawings. Check the newsletter or the Winner's Circle to see if you have won a prize.

Black Velvet Seductions Readers Newsletter Spring/Summer 2007 Edition

Original Art -- A Book Cover is Born
By Richard Savage

Due to interest shown in the process of how some of my work comes about a friend suggested that I take a look at a few projects and talk though the various stages of the process, with some examples.

All publishers are different in their approach and my way of communicating with them is different depending on what they are looking for. Some hand the project to me and don’t want to see it until finished. Some like a “hands on” approach working with me to create the art they want.

Black Velvet Seductions, has what I regard as a very democratic view to the covers. They usually form a small group, with the writer or writers, publisher art director and myself.

The cover usually starts with a general discussion about the concept of the book and how best to depict it. We might sample a seminal scene from the book that sums up the spirit of the book. One book that we approached that way was Toy’s Story, Acquisition of a Sex Toy by Robert Cloud, published by Black Velvet Seductions.

Author Question -- What is the Sexiest Scene You've Written and Why?

When Laurie asked the authors of Black Velvet Seductions to write about the sexiest scenes they’ve ever written, I immediately thought of Virginia Marshall, a spirited, sex-loving spectre in Incorrigible a novella that is part of the Crimson Z anthology. She loved, and still loves, life and sex to the fullest. I skimmed the chapters trying to decide on just one scene, but Virginia, who was perched on my shoulder refused to help. After spending so much time with her while writing Incorrigible,” it wasn’t a surprise. I could just see her luminescent form shimmering, a grin on her face. She wasn’t going to make this easy. So, I picked out a scene that can still make me catch my breath when I read it.

Black Velvet Seductions Readers Newsletter Winter 2006 Edition

The Making of The Crimson Z: A Compendium of the Paranormal
by Robert Cloud

The authors of Black Velvet Seductions and the editor gathered together in a Yahoo chat for a brainstorming session to come up with an idea for an anthology for Halloween.

Several ideas were tossed around. The first idea actually centered around a haunted house with two spirits. One trapped within the house and the other trapped within an item inside the house. They were to have been lovers, or husband and wife, or lovers that had never been able to consummate their love. Each author would have followed a new resident of the house. Then one of the authors suggested that perhaps there would be a piece of jewelry involved instead of the original item we had suggested. This got my mind whirling…

Themes Shape Both Writing and Art for Black Velvet Seductions Authors

Writers often develop certain themes that they write about. For example, Diana Palmer’s books often have a hero and heroine who were childhood sweethearts who parted badly. The books are about reuniting. Reunification is a reoccurring theme in her books.

I wondered if the authors at Black Velvet Seductions had themes that were particularly alluring to them so I asked them about the themes in their books.