I've been thinking...about non-traditional relationships

I have been watching a bunch of television shows that are new to me as well as some I have followed for some time and have seen something I hope will continue...relationships that are outside the cultural 'norm'. Shows such as Lost Girl, Sense8, True Blood and Torchwood present human connection, relationships, love and family that go well beyond the traditional male/female couple. (Unfortunately three of these shows are cancelled.)

Other shows such as The Night Shift, Torchwood and Glee brought gay and straight actors together to bring stories of couples to life with passion and commitment. More series, think Looking, present authentic stories of gay and/or lesbian life. And these are just the shows that have stuck with me - if you know of others, please share with me!

Actors such as John Barrowman and Anna Silk have brought kick-ass bi- and omni-sexual characters to life, characters that are loved by fans.

Anna Silk as Bo from Lost Girl

John Barrowman as Captain Jack

Harkness in Torchwood.

And I absolutely LOVE it all!

Human emotions such as love and lust are complex and unpredictable. Why can’t we accept the potential we could fall for a person, who they really and truly are, and not just the package they come in? And why are we so afraid to recognize our capacity to fall in love with or care deeply for more than one person at once? More than this, why are we often unwilling to accept the parameters of what consensual adults want: BDSM, open relationships, polyamory and more?

As erotica authors, we have the opportunity to create stories, develop worlds and craft amazing characters where we can explore the breadth of what supportive, caring, consensual relationships can be. We can push our readers to consider what else is possible, bring them with us as we tell stories that showcase lust, desire, attraction, love and commitment.

Writing away...and planning even more!

So, the third installment of the Her Hollywood Hero sexy short stories is with my publisher...hopefully it will be accepted and move Allure and Gavin's storyline along. You can get the first two stories online at Jupiter Gardens or most other online bookstores. Still undecided as to whether a fourth story is in the cards.

I have now an author page on Goodreads. Come visit, leave a review or ask me a question. I would love the chance to interact with readers. I am active on Twitter - @ShaynaYork and on Facebook

This past May I took part in the first Romancing the Capital conference that brought together readers and romance/erotica writers. It was a blast, hosted by the amazing Eve Langlais...check her out and read some of her shifter or alien stories!! I have already signed up (as a reader) to attend in 2016.

I am currently working on three different, longer stories: a ménage book, a BDSM-lite tale and a gritty military romance. With luck one, or more of these will be ready for submission to a publisher this fall. I am also laying out the framework for a Canadian cats shifter series. And thanks to spectacular inspiration from photographers such as Michael Stokes, sometimes the voices in my head welcome a new voice and another plot/story idea spills out onto paper. 

Keep reading!!

Back and kickin'

The last couple of years have thrown so much my way. Personally it has been a rough journey - my mom's two surgeries and an illness, my sister's health challenges and my husband's cancer. I know I neglected this blog but I had to spread myself pretty thin as it was. Some things had to be put aside - my writing in general and this blog in particular.

But it seems we are past the worst so I am making a commitment to pick back up the pen and keep moving forward with my writing, this blog and connecting through social media. To me that includes, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Find me, add me and read my short stories - a full length book, or two are in the final stages!!

Here we go again!

Yesterday, my awesome publisher at Jupiter Gardens Press let me know that my second sexy short story in the Her Hollywood Hero series was officially released!! Yay me!!

You can find Catch a Fallen Star on my publisher's website It's currently on sale...so it is a great steamy read to add something special to an evening.

Been a good week!

So it has been five days since I published my first short story on Smashwords. To get my name out there, I decided to post the story for free.

And it seems to be working. From Sunday evening to Friday evening it has been downloaded over 200 times. I was also pleased to get my first review:

Suzann Rainier on April 17, 2013 :
Hot. Hot. Hot. Every man's dream. Great read.
 

In other good news, I now have a release date for the second installment of my Her Hollywood Hero series. Part two, Catch a Fallen Star is due to be released on May 30th from Jupiter Gardens Press. If you want to read the first story featuring Allure and Gavin, you can read about their meeting in the first story, 12 Steps to Desire. Now on to story three!!

Self-published on Smashwords!

So I finally figured it out, formatted my story and played with a cover...then published Bound and Determined, a sassy, sexy, short story on Smashwords. Within 24 hours, it has been downloaded over 60 times. And to make it more accessible to fans of erotica - I made it free!! Check it out and please, leave me a review...this way I know you enjoyed my writing!

Getting 'Smashed'

I sit here on a Saturday night, formatting my Smashwords profile and account. I am finally going to try and set this up so I can self publish an e-book. Hopefully this will prove to be another step in my road to more readers.

And to help build a fan base, I have decided to use a short sexy story that's lots of sassy fun. And I have made to choice to provide it at no cost. Yes, I said it...free! I want more people to read my writing and get a sense of who I am. I want my readers to want more, so they will buy more stories and maybe, one day, a full length novel.

So, here it goes...