Thank you to Amber for inviting me here today! I write erotic romance inspired by the
classics and I just released my first book which was inspired by Edgar Allan
Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death.” I’m so excited about my Synn (no that’s
not a typo). He’s my hero in my debut
release MASQUE. My goal was to be published by a certain age and I’m absolutely
thrilled to have achieved that goal (no, I’m not going to tell which age).
My hero, Synn, has a very different goal which is to
free the trapped souls of his ghostly friends.
The difference between myself and him is that it took me six years to
accomplish my goal while at the opening of the story we discover Synn has been
trying for 150 years! Now that’s dedication, or rather a boatload of guilt.
No, Synn is not a vampire. Rather, he is a man, much
like any other. He is tall, dark,
muscular, and handsome with long brown hair and eyes of grey with shards of
blue. The only difference for this
aristocratic, first-generation, Nova Scotian is that his life has been on hold
for a very long time. So you can just imagine what happens when Rena Mills buys
the abandoned abbey Synn is trapped in with the intention of making it a
haunted bed-and-breakfast.
What she doesn’t realize is that the old “abbey” was
actually a Pleasure Palace and her newfound Ghost Keeper is rather experienced
at the seven entertainment rooms, all of which offer a new erotic experience
that must be completed to finish the Masque. But what Rena doesn’t know won’t
hurt her. Right?
I’m celebrating the release of MASQUE by giving away
Venetian masks like the ones Rena and Synn wear in the book. For a chance to
win this beautiful Venetian Mask made in Italy, be sure to leave a comment
below.
Here is a blurb and excerpt from MASQUE. I hope you enjoy.
Lexi
Blurb:
Rena Mills plans to turn an abandoned
abbey into a haunted bed-and-breakfast to prove she can be successful without
her ex-fiancé. What she finds inside is Synn MacAllistair, the distinguished,
self-proclaimed Ghost Keeper. Her dreams soon fill with sexual cravings for
him. But are they dreams?
Synn, born in 1828, is determined to free
the souls of the resident spirits, blaming himself for bringing the Red Death
that killed them. When Rena steps into the old Pleasure Palace, he’s sure he
can take her through the after-midnight Pleasure Rooms and stoke her passion to
complete the Masque so the souls can cross over. Her innocent fire makes him
crave more, but it’s far too late for him.
As Rena begins her erotic journey, her
heart becomes more involved with every sensual caress until she discovers by
completing the Masque she would lose her ghosts. Synn’s betrayal wars with her
compassion for her ghostly friends. Torn, she must make a choice between her
financial security and freeing seventy-three trapped souls. Either way, she
could lose her Synn.
Excerpt:
Chapter
One
Cape
Breton, Nova Scotia
People.
Living, breathing people.
Synn
MacAllistair grasped the embrasure of the parapet, his heart thudding as he
stared at the vehicle crossing the stone bridge over the moat. It came to a
stop at Ashton Abbey’s massive gate.
He
waited. The great iron grille, chained and padlocked against intruders, would
be considered a significant deterrent to entering. Open it. Damn it, open it!
The
vehicle remained stationary. No one exited the large red monstrosity.
Impatiently,
he pushed away his hair as the breeze whipped it across his view. What were
they waiting for? If they needed an axe to break the chain, he’d gladly provide
them with one.
Another
smaller vehicle rolling parallel to the west wall caught his attention. It
crossed the bridge and parked behind the larger one. More people?
A
man stepped from the small conveyance and shuffled to the gate. Synn leaned
farther over the battlement, anxious to see if their time had come. The joyful
sound of clanking chains floated up to him on the breeze.
Finally! About bloody time. He swallowed hard to keep the yell of triumph from escaping
his throat. No need to scare their new guests.
The
man below hurried back to his transport and, without hesitation, backed across
the bridge and left faster than he’d arrived.
Synn
peered down at the red vehicle, still as a brick, its black windows making it
impossible to see inside. A door opened and a woman burst onto the cobblestone
entrance. She bent over and spoke to someone else still inside. Her blonde hair
hid her face, but her ass, covered in men’s trousers, was small, her legs
lanky. A woman? A woman dared enter a haunted abbey? He tried to grasp the
concept.
His plan was to convince a man to
enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, but there had to be a man to convince…unless
a couple entered the Abbey. Couples enjoyed the Pleasure Rooms as well. If he
could persuade a couple to participate in the Masque then his companions could
still be freed.
Peering hard, he watched and waited.
After what seemed another decade, a door on the other side of the red
contraption opened. He held his breath, willing the occupant to have broad
shoulders, a beard, anything to indicate a man.
A long, slender leg stretched out, a
black high-heel shoe of delicate design at its end, and a feminine hand grasped
the side, but remained stationary.
He
growled with frustration. “Bloody hell. What am I supposed to do with two
women?” He hadn’t expected women. The Abbey overflowed with spirits. Only men
should dare enter. How were blasted women going to help him? He paced away from
the wall, but quickly returned. Could there be more people inside the vehicle?
He
waited, his patience long gone, not that he ever had much, but damn, it’d been
a hundred and fifty years. That would strain the patience of an archangel,
something he definitely was not.
He
glared as the leg moved and within a moment’s breath, the woman unfolded
herself from the conveyance.
Synn
stared, frozen in time for once, drinking in a beauty far surpassing any
painted Aphrodite he’d ever gazed upon. Her long, wavy brown hair captured the
sun, shining like fine brandy. Her figure, as lush as any Greek goddess, swayed
sensuously in her short dress. Her arms were bare and the smallest of noses
held her dark glasses in place. He stepped back, away from the crenellation,
his heart racing, his mind whirling with ideas.
He
paced the length of the wall. A vision was about to enter his stone prison. A
woman fit to be worshiped with every salacious touch he’d ever learned. His
cock hardened beneath his pantaloons. Amazed, he stopped and looked down at it.
After so many years of having no needs—for food, for sleep, for relieving
himself—the last he’d expected to feel was the need for a woman. He shook his
head. It defied logic. But if his body could respond, then he could
participate, guide a woman through the Masque.
The
creaking hinges of the gate brought him back to the wall to see the backs of
the two women entering the Abbey courtyard. Two women. Vivid memories of his
happier days with the prince caught him by surprise and gave him hope. As he
strode across the wall-walk and down the stone staircase, his mind raced with
possibilities. One after another they were discarded as he floated to the
landing on the second floor. But a new plan began to form as the great pine
doors opened.
Masque is available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Masque-ebook/dp/B00BR070MS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363135944&sr=1-1&keywords=Masque+by+Lexi+Post
For more information about Lexi Post:
A sensual feast for the senses! I loved it!
ReplyDeleteJamie Salisbury
TudorRose829@gmail.com
So glad you enjoyed the excerpt, Jamie. Synn is definitely hot :-) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat was he going to do with two women? Hmmm. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know, "duh," right? Don't worry, he figures it out :-)
DeleteVery interesting idea and since I absolutely adore Poe, I'm gonna have to pick this one up! Thanks so much and can't wait.
ReplyDeleteI love Poe too, but was going to use another story. I had forgotten all about this one. So glad one of my students did a paper on it which forced me to re-read it. My next erotic romance story is inspired by Hawthorne :-)
DeleteNice excerpt
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you. I really enjoyed writing this hero :-)
DeleteJust stopped by to tell you how much I enjoyed Masque....I think I'm still blushing.....I know I'm still giggling!
ReplyDeleteMarie
Aw, thanks Marie. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story and that it made you giggle :-) That's quite a compliment!
DeleteHow is it that the masks just keep getting prettier and prettier? They really are beautiful and such a unique item for a giveaway. I love asking this question to my author friends and since you are a classic lover this should be a great answer Lexi. I'm wondering if you could pick only one book to read for the rest of your life and of course it can be your own, what would it be? sbereza22(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteOMG Shannon, that's just not a fair question. The first ones that come to mind are the long ones like Moby Dick or War & Peace, but while they would last a long time, they are just too depressing for re-reading. I have to cheat here and say I would probably pick the Mallory series by Johanna Lindsay or the Mackenzie series by Jennifer Ashley or . . . Nope, I can't do it. But I know wouldn't choose my own books because they are safely tucked inside my head to be pulled out whenever I needed :-)
DeleteJust stopping by to say "thanks" for allowing me to follow you on this wonderful blog tour! I enjoy reading your interviews and getting to know the author behind this fabulous book. You're an amazing woman, Lexi!Curious as to what your next goal is now that you met the 'getting published by a certain age.'
ReplyDeleteIt's so lovely having you follow me, Diane. I'm flattered. My next immediate goal is to get To Be Rappaccini to my editor next week :-} After that, the goal is to get my other author name published. I have a Time Travel romance going to my agent next month that is set-up for a series which will hopefully meet that goal. And of course this summer I plan to finish my next erotic based on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." So I have plenty of goals to keep me busy!
ReplyDeleteWe have a winner! Marie, you have won the mask on this Tour stop. Congratulations!
ReplyDelete