Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to my Finding Anna series, and it's characters. I've developed it to be an interactive resource for my readers. Take a look around. Visit the playroom. Get to know each of the characters and even ask them questions. Above all...enjoy!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Reviews for Slave

Another Formspring question from a reader.

I just got the book and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to tell you what they think of it once it's done. Could you post a place in the blog for us readers to do that?

So if you have a review of the novel you would like to share, please post it here in the comment section. I'm going to add a 'Reviews' page to the top and list them there to make it easier for people to find and read.

Slave, Finding Anna Book 1
Released: July 28th 2011
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Slave, Chapter 1


Stephan

Geno’s was a small Italian restaurant about a mile from my office. They had good food and a cozy atmosphere, which made it a great place to have an informal meeting with an old friend.

The hostess greeted me at the door and let me know that my party had already been seated. She escorted me through a maze of tables to a corner booth in the back.

The restaurant was busy, but not packed. Still, getting the back corner booth with no one sitting at any of the immediate tables surrounding it told me either luck was with Daren today or he’d pulled some strings. My bet was on the strings.

Daren, my college roommate for two years, had called out of the blue this morning, asking if we could have lunch. He introduced me to the lifestyle I’ve lived for the last five years. Although he’d graduated a year ahead of me, we’d kept in touch through e-mails and the occasional phone call. Until I ran into him last month at a BDSM party, I hadn’t seen him since his graduation day.

My Mentor was always more social than me, so seeing him at a party wasn’t exactly a shock. I just wasn’t aware that he had moved back to Minneapolis. It had been a pleasant surprise.

Sitting down across from my friend, I took the menu from the hostess.

“Kelly will be around to get your drink orders in a minute.”

Thanking her, I set the menu down without looking at it and faced Daren. He was nearly my exact opposite. Where I had brown hair, he had blond. His eyes were a baby blue, whereas mine were a vivid hazel. I was tall and lanky, even though I’d buffed up some since college. Daren, on the other hand, was four inches shorter and could have easily passed as a body builder.
Today he looked nervous, which was rather unusual for him. Not unheard of, but definitely not common either. Needless to say, it piqued my curiosity.

“So do you want to tell me what’s up?”

“I will in a minute,” he said, looking over my shoulder. His behavior gave me a negative feeling. “Do you know what you want, Stephan?”

“Yes. I come here all the time.”

“Good.” He sounded relieved.

And then Kelly was there asking for our orders.

As soon as she left, I raised my eyebrow in question, but he ignored me. “You’re still running the family business, I see.”

“Yes,” I said, not sure what he was getting at. I doubted it had anything to do with why he’d called me. “I’m still head of The Coleman Foundation, but since it’s a not-for-profit, I’m not sure you could say it’s the family business.”

He waved it away. “Same thing.”

I waited, but he didn’t continue so I decided to play along. “You’re still consulting?”

Daren released a sharp breath. “Yeah.” He leaned toward me. “Are you still looking to collar a sub?”

So that’s what this was about? “If I find the right one, yes.” I noticed his shoulders relax, and he sat back a little. “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked, truly confused.

The subject that I did not currently have a submissive came up during our conversation last month at the party. I hadn’t played with anyone in the last six months. No one had struck my fancy, and most of them reminded me too much of Tami.

Daren had been with his submissive, Gina, since college. They were well matched in likes and dislikes and were much more open in their relationship than I personally preferred. I did not share my submissives, nor did I play with others when in a relationship. Many did, like Daren and Gina, but I’d never found it to be appealing. What was mine was mine.
 
Kelly came back with our drinks, so Daren waited for her to leave again before answering. “Because I found a girl for you.”

“Daren,” I warned, shaking my head. This was another no on my list. I didn’t enjoy being set up. Logan, my best friend, and his girl, Lily, had tried to set me up more times than I could count. I wasn’t interested.

“Hear me out. She needs your help.”

This aroused my curiosity. “What do you mean she needs my help?”

“I know how much you like to help people, Stephan. I mean, look at what you do.”

I was in complete disbelief. “Helping fund medical care for those who can’t afford it is a little different than taking on a submissive. Is she already a trained sub? Is she looking for a Dom?”

“She’s a slave.”

A slave. I didn’t have a problem with that, fundamentally.  It was a complete power exchange. Slaves gave up all control of their lives, their bodies, to their Master or Mistress. Some women, and even some men, choose to be slaves. For most slaves it was a comfort to have someone else make the decisions in their lives for them, to give up complete control to someone else. That didn’t sound like the case here if she needed my help.

“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word, still not quite sure where Daren was going with this.

“I was at a party Saturday night. She was there. Her name is Brianna, and she belongs to Ian Pierce.”

I knew of Ian solely by reputation. I’d never met him personally. He was well-known in the community, but from what I heard, he was into pain and humiliation. And he already had a slave. “What happened to his other one?”

“Oh, she’s still there. Alex was at the party as well. Brianna is a new acquisition.”

“And you don’t think she wants to be?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t.”

“Maybe she’s into what Ian does.”

“Trust me, she’s not,” he said, shaking his head. Then he added, “I wouldn’t have come to you otherwise. And if you had seen her Saturday night, you would know it, too.”

I considered this bit of information. There was no doubt in my mind that Daren believed what he was saying. If this girl didn’t wish to be Ian’s slave, I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. How to help her was the problem. My options were limited.

“What do you want from me exactly? It’s not like I can call the police and have them storm the place just on my word. Or yours for that matter.”

He leaned in again, clasping his hands in front of him, but then had to pull back when our food arrived. Daren took a bite, and then looked me straight in the eye. “I have a collared sub, or I’d do it myself. Plus,” he said with a smirk, “you have more money than I do.”

It was then I got it. “You want me to buy her.” It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t deny it. The thought of “buying” a woman turned my stomach, but if what Daren said was true, I couldn’t just leave her there.

I needed more information and ignored my food as it grew cold on my plate. “What makes you think he’d be willing to part with his property?”

Daren gave me a devilish smile. This was the Dom I knew. He could be quite twisted when he wanted to be. “I asked,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “In fact, I told him about you. Said you might be giving him a call.”

“You what?” I nearly shouted. I couldn’t believe he’d told this man I might be interested in anything without talking to me, let alone the purchase of another human being.

Daren looked around us, and I followed his gaze. Everyone in the restaurant was looking at us. That was something we definitely didn’t need, so I lowered my voice to almost a whisper. “Explain.”

“Look, when I saw the girl, I thought of you. She has brown hair and blue eyes. I know how much you like brunettes.”

I scowled, but he ignored me. “She’s really pretty, and scared to death from what I could see,” he said pointedly before continuing. “So I simply asked Ian if he was planning to keep her now that she was fully trained. He asked if I was interested. I told him no, but that I knew of someone who might be.” He shrugged. “I didn’t tell him you’d be looking for a submissive, though, Stephan. If you do this, you’ll have to go in acting like you’re looking for a slave.”

My mind raced. If I did buy her, what would I do with her? What would she be like?

I couldn’t just leave her there that was certain, not if she was there against her will. It just wasn’t in me. If I could help, then I had to.

Could I do what needed to be done? Could I treat a woman like a piece of meat? Buy her?

But how could I not, given the alternative?

“Okay.”

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Books - Finding Anna Series

I can't believe in less than two weeks Slave will finally be released. It feels like it has been a long time coming although it has been less than a year. Everything has now been formatted and signed off on. Slave is now at the printers!

If you haven't already, you can pre-order your copy of Slave direct from my publisher at http://www.thewriterscoffeeshop.blogspot.com/.

Now, here is another question from Formspring. This question was anonymous.

How many books will there be in the series?

This is a great question. Unfortunately, the answer is going to be rather vague.

The way I write is rather nontraditional. I only work with a rough outline in my head, therefore I can't tell you for sure how many books will be in the series. My philosophy with the stories I create is that I write them until I feel they are complete. It is one of the reasons this is a series rather than one book. I didn't feel I could do their story justice in one novel.

Stephan and Brianna have a long journey ahead of them. Healing from any trauma does not happen over night. Neither does a romance when one of the individuals has gone through what Brianna has.

As of this moment, I can say that there will be at least four books, however, I will not rule out more.

Do you have a question about the series you'd like for me to answer? Something you'd like to ask Stephan or Brianna? Click on the Formspring link to the left and ask!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Playroom - Leather Collar

My apologies for this post being late. I had it scheduled to post on Sunday, but blogger is obviously not with the program.


July is finally here. Slave will be released in just a couple of weeks. I can't wait. Hopefully, neither can you. :)

So I mentioned that starting this month I would be adding a new piece of equipment to The Playroom. For the month of July, I selected a leather collar.


 
Collars are important in BDSM relationships for several reasons. There are many different types and some are cuffs or bracelets rather than a traditional collar. I'll be exploring some of those in later posts, but no matter what it physically is, the meaning is the same.

For Dominants, collars are a symbol of possession, ownership, and commitment. Giving a collar to a submissive is not something they take lightly. By presenting a collar to a submissive, by marking them as theirs, they are taking a vow to be that persons Dominant, to look after their needs. There are good Dominants and bad ones. The good ones take this commitment very seriously and do not enter into it flippantly.

For submissives, collars are also symbols of ownership, possession, of safety. A collared submissive always has someone they can go to, they are never truly alone. Their Dominant has committed to always be there for them whenever they need them. Submissives take comfort in knowing that someone accepts them for who they truly are and will help them to achieve their maximum potential.

There are so many different types of collars, even leather collars. The one I choose this month is an inch and a half wide. It happens to be a fairly simple design with a d-ring at the front. There is also a place for attachment at the back according to the retailer. 

I like the simplicity of this collar. It isn't flashy or overly cumbersome, but you know it's there. 

This is what I have in mind that Brianna is wearing the first time Stephan meets her in chapter 2.   

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Freedom

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

For those in the US, this weekend is full of BBQ's, fireworks, and a whole lot of red, white, and blue as we celebrate the birth of our nation and our freedom.

Freedom is such an interesting concept when it comes to BDSM. Most outside the lifestyle see submissives as having no, or very little, freedom whatsoever. It is ironic that most submissives, however, find submitting to their Dom/Domme to be a freeing experience.

I asked a submissive friend of mine to share her feelings.

"You are free to let go of every burden that society throws on you. You are free to let go of every mask you usually wear for many reasons. And you are finally free to be only yourself. No fear that someone will bother you or attack you because of who you are. You can let go everything and just to be yourself."

I mentioned a website in a previous post where I have done research for my story. It gives information on so many varying subjects including male submission. I thought I'd share a section with you that I feel is relevant to the topic at hand.
"Submitting to a dominant female allows me to drop my "maleness" at the door and become a sometimes fragile human being.

The daily stress of my professional life can become overwhelming at times. I have to make decisions that affect others; some positive, often times, negatively . As a heterosexual male, I am expected to wear a persona of "masculinity".

Submission, by and large is considered by many a weakness. In my opinion, submission is not a symbol of weakness, but rather one of strength. It takes almost inhuman strength to let go of the pain and the humiliation and anger and all the other emotions that we face every single day of our lives. My release oftentimes comes in the form of tears. Remember, we are raised as children to believe that tears were for "sissies" and were not allowed to shed tears. One of the reasons that I submit is to surrender to my need to cry. To shed tears that would otherwise be considered "unmanly". My Mistress calls them her "gift".

Submission does not mean I have a low opinion of myself. It does not mean I crave humiliation or embarrassment at the hands of every person, or dominant female I cross paths with. What it does mean though, is that I am free to "let go" of the daily stresses where I am in charge. Where I am in control. I can safely let another guide me while soaring within"subspace"."                                                                                  http://www.seekers.org.uk/mistress.htm





Whether male or female, submissives feel a sense of freedom when they are submitting to their Doms/Dommes. It is a release, a way for them to be who they are without judgement from society.






Friday, July 1, 2011

Pre-Order your copy of Slave

You can now pre-order your copy of Slave direct from my publisher's website www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/publishinghouse/. The book is set to be released July 28th.

Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?