Wicked Wanton Wednesday 2015 Starts Off Right With Dinah McLeod

It’s Wednesday and time to get Wicked and Wanton in 2015.  We start off the year with a bang as frequent guest Dinah McLeod drops by with The Forbidden Castle.  An erotic fantasy, what better way to warm us up on a bitter cold Wednesday in January.  She gets our blood circulating with a hot excerpt, too. 

Dinah hangs around to sit in the corner for a few intimate questions.  A phone sex operator did you say?!?  Holy dial tones, Dinah!  We’ll get to that and more in a bit.  Right now, it’s time for our featured novel…

The Forbidden Castle

By Dinah McLeod

Blurb

Aimée has hoped for Geoffrey to make her his wife for as long as she can remember, and though he treats her with contempt, she remains determined to win his heart. When Geoffrey sends her on a journey to bring back a woman he wants for himself, Aimée sets out to do his bidding. But the trip does not go as planned, and after losing her way—and her horse—Aimée takes refuge in a stable for the night. The next morning, she finds to her shock that she has stumbled upon a dark, forbidden fortress rumored to be inhabited by a terrible beast.


Upon being discovered by Aldéric, the castle’s stable master, Aimée does her best to explain her presence. But after catching her in a lie, Aldéric scolds Aimée and, to her great shame, chastises her firmly. Yet Aldéric’s gentleness after her punishment surprises Aimée, and she cannot help enjoying his attention and wondering why it is that this stable master treats her with a kindness Geoffrey has never shown.

But the fortress is a dangerous place, and soon Aimée falls into the hands of a man who knows nothing of gentleness. Can Aldéric save Aimée from torment in the dungeons, and if he does come to her rescue, will he be able to forgive her when he discovers the truth about her presence at the castle?

 “You lied to me,” he accused without preamble.

       “What?” I asked, stretching my arms over my head, not managing to hide my yawn.

       “You lied to me, Mademoiselle.”

       This time, the hardness in his voice got my attention and I raised my eyes to his face. When I saw the anger lurking in his dark depths, my mouth went dry even as a flush stole up my neck. I wasn’t certain why he was looking at me like that, but I was certain that it boded nothing but ill for me. “What are you talking about?”

       He scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. “You told me you were seeking a doctor. But I now have cause to doubt that story.”

       I blanched and immediately regretted the action, knowing I’d given myself away.

       “I thought so. Do you even have a sister, or was that another lie?”

       “I have two sisters,” I mumbled, bowing my head to stare at my hands. I understood his anger with me; I longed to escape his penetrating gaze and hardened jaw, but my feet refused to flee even as my mind screamed at me to do so. I knew all too well how perilous facing a man’s anger could be.

       “Neither of them ill,” he prompted.

       “No,” I confessed in a timid whisper.

       “I thought not. I told you that we do things differently here, Aimée. Now I’m afraid you’ll find out first-hand.”

       My eyes leapt to his face even as my heart plummeted down to my stomach. What could he mean by that? As I stared at him with parted, trembling lips, I caught sight of the black tawse he held casually. He couldn’t mean to…

       His eyes followed mine and he gave me a sharp, stiff nod. “Yes, this is intended for your punishment.”

       My heart began to pound so hard that I feared it might break free of my chest. I had no doubt that the fear showed on my face, yet Aldéric faced me with calm resolve. “Is that what you use on the horses?”

       He arched a sandy brow. “Of course not, Mademoiselle. I’d never mistreat such a noble creature.”

       The implication made a shiver run through me. Run! My mind screamed at me. Run and don’t look back! I could certainly try, but if he was inclined to give chase, I wouldn’t last very long. I was hungry, tired and bone-weary.

       “How shall I position you?” he mused, tapping the tawse against his leg as he scanned the stable. Just the muted thwack was enough to make my stomach churn. “Bent over a stool perhaps?”

  

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Maddie’s Intimate 

Authors Corner: 

MT:  The Forbidden Castle is categorized as an erotic fantasy.  Which is a new twist for you.   What gave you the inspiration?

DM:  I’ve always enjoyed fairy tales, and of course, everyone has read Anne Rice’s sleeping beauty series. I’ve always been fascinated with the Beauty and the Beast story, because the “real” one is so far from the Disney version we watched as kids. I was watching said movie with my girls one day and got to wondering about those three blonds who spend the entire movie swooning after Gaston. Then one, who I’ve named Aimee, sort of came alive in my head and started talking to me. The rest is history.

MT:  Ah, those lovely little voices.  Good thing we authors have an outlet, or the men in white coats might be called.  J  This new book has ‘extensive BDSM content’, which is a departure from your DD stories in the past. 

What made you get your kink on this time?  Could it be those raging hormones??  I remember those days J  Was it more challenging to write?

DM:  No, LOL, not hormones. I think we all have deeper wells of eroticism, and it’s true, my stories and characters typically don’t use it! It wasn’t more challenging to write, but very, very different.

MT:  What is you writing process?  Plotter or pantser?  (Plotter:  methodical process including an outline, notes and highlighters, or pantser:  fly by the seat of your pants, write frenetically and go back and clean up the mess.)

DM:  I think I’m somewhat of a mix. I usually only depend on outlines when my “pantsing” has stopped flowing, or I need to get back on track.

MT:  Social media is a wonderful thing, but it also takes a lot of time away from writing.  How do you balance the two?

DM:  That isn’t something I’m very good at, I’ll admit. I’d rather write than tell people to go buy my book, but it seems to be a necessary evil. I try to do my social media right when I wake up so then I’m done for the day.

 MT:  You sound more disciplined than I.  FB calls to me often, but mostly when I’m editing.  I think that’s why it takes me sooooo long. 

There has been a lot of discussion in social media and the blogs of late about changes in the ebook industry, including difficulties with self-publishing and also the recent crackdown on erotic content including titles, cover art, and the scary Amazon dungeon.  How have you been affected and what do you see as the future impact on authors?

DM:  I, like many other authors, have seen a decline in sales. I think that this market showcases so many amazing authors, though, that it’s just hard competition. I, as you pointed out earlier, am not usually erotic enough to cross the dungeon master’s list. J I think that authors will either tone down their books or go to a different genre altogether, though I certainly hope not!

MT:  I think you’re right Dinah, about going to a different genre.  I have heard of several who have gone to the general romance category because of the crackdown.  That means they are swimming in a much bigger pond.  I’m curious to see how they do.

How about some fun stuff before we go.  Tell me five fun facts about yourself that would surprise us if we knew, sexy or mundane is up to you…

DM:  I don’t know if I have one, much less five! I guess nothing about me surprises me. ;)

Oh, OK, here’s one: growing up, my mother had me so ashamed about sex that even after I was married I had to “do it” with the lights off and NEVER in the daytime. Life is cruel, because now daytime is my favorite time for a little lovin’, but my husband is always at work!

I was once a phone sex operator, so I’ve pretty much heard it all!

I’m a born-and-raised Southerner, but you’d never know it to talk to me on the phone! I learned a long time ago that things went smoother without the accent, so I ditched it.

I home school my kiddos.

And though you already know this, I guess the thing that would surprise people about me at home is learning I wrote erotic, spanking fiction!! 

MT:  Now I have to talk to you on the phone to hear you phone sex voice.  Wowza!  That was a big surprise.  J  Good luck with your new release, Dinah.  Come back when you have more to share.