Five Tips from Justine Elyot

 Five tips on writing erotic fiction from Justine Elyot: 

1) Start by writing about what turns you on. Don't worry about catering for every taste – you can't.

2) Don't be coy. Don’t fret about what people will think of you, or your writing will feel watered down and lacking in force.

3) A lot of the eroticism of a story will come from the characters, the predicaments, the settings or other details. Don't invest everything in the acts themselves.

4) Hmm, a lot of 'don'ts' here. Don't take any notice of a list full of don'ts.

5) Do enjoy it, or it won't work.
Almost everything wrong with an early draft can be fixed with thorough revisions.

Justine Elyot is the author of many pieces of fiction including The Game and the short story 'The London O' in Orgasmic. More of Justine's work can be found by visiting: http://justineelyot.com/

Secrets and Lords by Justine Elyot

Hello, erotic writers! Ashley has kindly offered me a spot here to talk about my new novel for Mischief Books, Secrets and Lords.

It's a historical story set in 1920 in a stately home, but the behaviour is anything but stately. Here's the blurb to give you more of an idea:

The summer of 1920 brings illicit liaisons to stately home Deverell Hall. Lords, ladies, butler and maids all succumb to the spirit of the roaring 1920s as sex and scandal take over.

From the author of bestselling Mischief titles ‘Kinky’ and ‘Game’, Justine Elyot’s ‘Secrets and Lords’ is a historical erotic novel that will seduce anyone who loves period drama Downton Abbey and delight fans of The Great Gatsby.

Lord Deverell's new wife has the house in thrall to her theatrical glamour. His womanising son, Sir Charles, has his eye on anything female that moves while his beautiful daughter, Mary, is feeling more than a little restless. And why does his younger son, Sir Thomas, spend so much time in the company of the second footman?

Into this simmering tension comes new parlour maid, Edie, with a secret of her own – a secret that could blow the Deverell family dynamic to smithereens.

Would an excerpt be in order?

Edie accepted a rag and a tub of metal polish and made a start on the heavy, ormulu-framed square mirror that stood over an unused fireplace.

They worked silently and diligently until Edie was drawn to the window by the sound of a car drawing up in the drive. She wouldn't have admitted it to herself, but she was hoping for a glimpse of Ted.

The car was not the one she had ridden in earlier, though. It was that same sleek, cream-coloured monster that had twice passed her on the road.

The rain had abated and its driver got out on to wet gravel, looking up at the house windows as he did so. Edie took a swift step back, her heart pounding. Why did she not want to be seen? Because this must be Charles, the rake of the Deverells, and she had no wish to draw his attention to her.

He was pristine in a pin-striped blazer over light-coloured waistcoat, shirt and trousers. His dark hair was immaculately cut and he was clean-shaven. He didn't wear a hat, and Edie approved of this, for she had no taste for the current fashion for straw boaters on men.

His eye was soon drawn away from the house, and he went to the passenger side to open it for a young woman.

'Who is that?' asked Edie, and Jenny came to look over her shoulder.

'Lady Mary. Oh, don't look. Sir Charles will see you.'

'She is fearfully lovely.'

'Yes. Come away.'

 But a creeping fascination had overcome Edie, who noted that Mary was exceptionally fashionable and glamorous in a calf-length beige skirt, a lace-collared blouse and a loose belted jacket. Her hat was low on her brow over dark, shiny bobbed hair and she wore three long strands of pearls.

Jenny tried to tug her away but to no avail. Edie watched Charles take Mary's arm to help her up the steps, then – disaster! He looked directly at her window. Her throat tightened and she tried to move away but she felt held there by the keen penetration of his gaze. It only lasted a moment, before Lady Mary slapped him on the elbow, as if in reproof, and he turned back to her, laughing.

But a moment was enough. Edie had been noticed, and now she felt like a marked woman.

The book is available from all the Amazons, including Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-and-Lords-ebook/dp/B00CKE0FK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369681967&sr=8-1&keywords=justine+elyot+secrets+and+lords

Here it is at Sainsburys: http://www.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/book/Secrets-and-Lords-Justine-Elyot/7507787

Many thanks to Ashley for hosting me – and to you for reading!

The Wonder of Wish-Fulfilment

by Justine Elyot

Thank you, Ashley, for kindly agreeing to give my vague ramblings a platform – I'm delighted to be here.

Why did I choose to set a series of books around an orchestra? There are all sorts of reasons. Orchestras are full of different people, all creative, many eccentric or unusual in their habits. The potential for personality clashes, deadly rivalries and intense attractions is high. They travel to interesting and glamorous locations, playing beautiful music.

Yes, all of those answer the question. But more than that, writing about musicians gives me the chance to wander down one of the paths untaken in my own life. I've been a passionate classical music lover since my dad used to play his crackly record of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto to me at the age of two or three but I never properly took up an instrument – unless you count the recorder or a shockingly bad stab at the piano. I sang all the time - in choirs and bands and operatic societies, but I often wish I'd studied the violin or perhaps the clarinet, because then I could play in an orchestra, and what a life that would be.

So, yes, playing in the Westminster Symphony Orchestra is my fantasy parallel-universe career and how I have enjoyed it. I don't particularly want to retire but, since Close Harmony is my third and final book in the series, I don't have much choice.

I've still got the memories and the music though…

How do you choose between two perfect men? It’s like choosing your favourite music—certain pieces suit certain moods. Which mood is Lydia feeling the most?

The autumn season of the Westminster Symphony Orchestra finds Lydia unable to choose between passionate Milan and dominant Karl-Heinz—so she decides to give them both a chance. She hops from one bed to the other, trying to weigh up her options. Milan has a hold on her heart, but has never been reliable. Karl-Heinz is a good man, but what is the secret behind his strange repression? Old rivalries and new jealousies are kindled while Lydia works hard at having the time of her sex life.

No trio has ever practised quite as hard as this…But there is trouble in paradise for Ben and Vanessa, too, as a face from Vanessa’s past makes an unwelcome appearance and all seems impossible to resolve.

Amid turbulent emotions and orchestra rehearsals, the musicians work hard to negotiate a path to happiness. Will music prove to be the food of love, or a poison, infecting the future?

Reader Advisory: This book contains BDSM, MMF ménage and MM, as well as references to rape and sexual assault.

The book is available now, along with the two previous instalments, from Total E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2099

Justine Elyot

 Five tips on writing erotic fiction from Justine Elyot: 

1) Start by writing about what turns you on. Don't worry about catering for every taste – you can't.

2) Don't be coy. Don’t fret about what people will think of you, or your writing will feel watered down and lacking in force.

3) A lot of the eroticism of a story will come from the characters, the predicaments, the settings or other details. Don't invest everything in the acts themselves.

4) Hmm, a lot of 'don'ts' here. Don't take any notice of a list full of don'ts.

5) Do enjoy it, or it won't work.
Almost everything wrong with an early draft can be fixed with thorough revisions.

Justine Elyot is the author of many pieces of fiction including The Game and the short story 'The London O' in Orgasmic. More of Justine's work can be found by visiting: http://justineelyot.com/