The Love Nest

Hello again !  It's been a long time!  And I've just had my latest story published - it was a long time coming, but I've been busy with so many other projects in my other guise (as C.P. Waterman).  And there have been a few unexpected 'external influences' which have helped to slow down my output.

Anyway, the latest is called The Love Nest and here are a few details:

Adults only: some explicit sex scenes render this story unsuitable for people under 18 years of age. 
Kelly and Laurence are lovers.  But her sister Melanie insists that she should split from him immediately - there's a family secret, and only Melanie seems to know what it is.  Something happened in the distant past and its ramifications have surfaced through Kelly's relationship with this gorgeous man.  What must happen before this can be resolved?



And here's a specimen extract:
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“That little house fascinates me.  I don’t know why.”

“If I take you round there now, will I have your attention for the rest of the afternoon?”

I turned back to him and smiled, saying nothing.

He went in the kitchen and opened a cupboard to retrieve a key from a hook on the inside of the door.  “There’s a gap in the hedge into next door’s lawn.  Come on.”

I followed him through the back of his house and saw the break in the boundary between the two gardens.  As soon as I entered the adjacent grounds, I saw the summerhouse; constructed entirely in wood and painted white, its beauty had faded but I could still get a hint of what it had looked like in better times.

Laurence unlocked the door and we walked in.  Yes, I thought, it had been neglected.  But it had lost none of its charm.  The rustic table and chairs stood by a large window, and last year’s leaves had blown in and scattered themselves on the floor.

The windows stretched almost from floor to ceiling on one wall, and when I looked out I could see the neighbours’ house at the other end of the lawn.  That, too, looked dilapidated.  But there was nothing that a little time and affection couldn’t put right.

My footsteps echoed in the room as I walked round.  “I love it here,” I whispered to him.  “But where are the owners?”

“I haven’t seen them for some time.  I knocked on their door a few days ago, but there was no reply.”

“Someone has made this into a real love-nest.  I feel like I’m in another world here.”  I turned to him.  “Hold me, Laurence.”

He put his arms round me, and we stepped slowly across to the table.  Hoisting me up gently so that I sat on the edge, he leaned forward and put one knee on the table to take the weight of my body.  I felt his hand explore up my skirt; I gripped him, ready for anything he might want to do with me.  For, in truth, I wouldn’t have stopped him.

We kissed, and the passion I had anticipated began to flow through me.  I wanted to linger here forever.

Suddenly, he broke away.

I was startled; I opened my eyes and saw him look past me; he had a worried frown.  “There are strangers coming this way.  Quick – there’s a door at the back – go through there and don’t show yourself.  I’ll lock this door, and then I’ll come and join you.  Hide!”
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When I penned this tale, it was much longer than the finished book - when I showed it to my editor he thought it was too long and the plot was getting complicated.  We agreed that I should chop the second half and I should rewrite it as a sequel to The Love Nest.  I have two or three other works waiting in line, but I hope to get the sequel out sometime in the spring of 2015.  I don't have a title for it yet.

Whilst writing, I should mention that the price of ebooks to readers in most of the European Union countries is increasing in January - for instance, the full 20% VAT rate is being applied to readers in UK.  I think that, when the price of printed books in UK is still a flat Zero, this imposition is quite unfair.

Finally... may I wish you all a very happy time during the festive season and I hope you all have a prosperous 2015.

Best,

Rachel

Frustrations !

Yes, I'm feeling seriously frustrated... but not sexually frustrated (in case you were wondering). 

First, I had hoped to have my latest story out by now, but my editor wants me to make some changes to bring a little more credibility into the storyline.  Normally I'd be quite prepared to take a deep breath and have it published anyway - elsewhere if need be - but the arguments presented to me were so convincing that I had to bow to the pressure.  This means it has been ages since I've had anything new to offer on this page.  But please rest assured that I'm still beavering away with the intention of getting this out just as soon as I can.

Second, to add to my frustration, I entertained some of my in-laws a couple months back.  They created such havoc in my mind while they were guests in our house that my Muse upped and fled without any warning.  When I finally persuaded our house-guests they should be thinking about returning home - their cat would be missing them, I said - they finally took the hint.  But it took several days before Muse returned and I started writing again.  THEN - at the instigation of my erstwhile house-guests - another bunch of relations decided to invite themselves round, as they'd heard I'd given the first group such a great time while they were here.  Needless to say, Muse went up to the roof and stayed there.   My husband and I now have the house to ourselves once more, and I am gradually trying to coax Muse back down again with bars of chocolate.

I hope to get back here in two or three weeks' time to announce the final delivery of the next story, which has the working title of The Love Nest.

Best to everyone,
Rachel

email: rc (at) rachelcray (dot) com
Twitter: @RachelCray1

What have I been doing over the last six months?

Where have I been over the last six months?

Oh, dear.  I haven't written anything here for over six months.  Just in case you think I've been sitting around, doing nothing, it's about time I gave you an update....

Like many writers, I'm entirely dependent on the whims of my Muse.  There are times when she'll wake me up at three in the morning.  "Come on.  Great idea for a new story.  Now sit up and write this down..." 

I have the choice of rolling over and getting back to sleep, or scratching around for my pen and notepad and taking dictation in my best shorthand.  I know that if I don't get it down, I'll have forgotten all about it by 6.30 and I might have missed a good plot.

Several of you will know that I write other stories - with fetish content - under the pseudonym C.P. Waterman.  And over the last six months, Muse has been delivering huge parcels of words to me that would be more appropriate for 'Waterman' than for Rachel because the content is so much ruder.  I've written ten titles during that time, none of which have been published under my own name.  'Waterman' is my outlet for all the filthy stuff I've wanted to write for so many years. 

But now it's time to change again.  Rachel wants her Muse back to write more romance.  In literary theory, there's a guy called Heinlein who came up with six rules for writing.  Needless to say, the first rule is If you're a writer, You Must Write.

The second of his rules, which I want to talk about here, is that You Must Finish What You Write.  And I have several stories which I haven't put out yet, for various reasons.  I have a series of romantic thrillers planned (with a heroine called Tee Riverhead - watch out for her), and I'm half-way through the second story with ideas ready for the third, but I want to hold back on publication until the first two are ready.  And I'm half-way through another family mystery (working title The Love-nest); if my editor gives this one a fair wind, I hope to have it out by the end of August.  And I have a sequel planned for that, too.

So you get the picture?  Brain is teeming with ideas, but I can only work with what Muse gives me.  I want to send C.P. Waterman on a long vacation so that I can get back to the genre in which I began.

Watch this space - there's plenty of titles to come here!

Best

Rachel

email: rc (at) rachelcray (dot) com

Twitter: @RachelCray1

My latest title: Intrusions

Hello again!

My latest title, Intrusions, came out on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords yesterday.  This story was inspired by a picture I acquired from Shutterstock, which I use for the cover.  Here's the outline of the plot:

When Sophie catches her boss in a compromising situation with a client, a succession of events change her life bringing some exciting new opportunities.  But a co-worker bursts into her home and threatens to destroy all that she is working for; then a strange thug enters her room with his friends, demanding the use of her body for bestial acts.  Can she escape these awful situations?  Or will her wonderful new world come crashing down?

Two men who feature in this work (both of them are nasty guys) are drawn from people I've known in real life - although I never experienced the kind of rough treatment endured by the heroine here! 

And here's an extract, taken from somewhere in the middle of the book:


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       One evening, after I’d finished my session with Frank and was packing up, ready to go to bed, the doorbell sounded.  I wore only my dressing gown (or housecoat, as some people call it), so I put on the security chain - I wasn’t going to get caught out by someone like Mulford again - and spoke on the intercom. 
       “I have a box of documents for Mr. Spires,” the voice announced.
       I wasn’t expecting any shipment of documents, but assumed Frank had omitted to mention them to me.  I opened the door.
       A guy in a baseball hat stood on the doorstep, his face obscured by the large box he carried.  His peak was drawn down low across his eyes.  I realised I’d have to undo the security chain to take the box; not thinking about the risk, I quickly unhooked it and opened the door.
       “It’s heavy, so I’ll leave it in your hall,” he said.
       “No, it’s O.K.  I’ll take it.”  I reached out and he placed it in my arms; it was very heavy and I nearly dropped it.  My body bent forward as I tried to rescue the box.
       He caught it, and pushed forward into the house.  I moved back to let him in.
       “Just leave it there,” I said, pointing to the floor.  “Do I need to sign for it?”
       “No, Sophie.  It’s all right.”  He took off the baseball hat and revealed himself.  It was Mulford.  He shut the door behind him, and grinned.  We were alone in the house together, and I was vulnerable.
        “What do you want?” I shivered.
       “I told you I’d come back.  I think you know what I want.  Don’t bother opening the box.  It’s only some heavy junk.  It's a clever ruse, though, don’t you think?”
       “I’ll call the police.”
       “But you invited me in, remember?  We work together.  I came round to discuss a business deal we’re working on.”
       “A business deal?”
       “Yeah.  You give me what I want, and I won’t pester you again.”
       “What do you want, exactly?”
       “Oh, thirty minutes with your body should be enough.”
       “No deal.  Forget it.  Now get out of my life before I call the police.”
       “Not so fast.  I’m a paralegal.  What do I do?  I do legal research.  And I’m good at it.  Give me a ton of due diligence projects and I’m as happy as Larry.  And I’ve been doing some research on your friend Frank Spires.  He’s not all that he appears to be.”
       “What do you mean?”  I wanted to keep him talking while I tried hard to think what to do next.  Did I have anything within reach that I could use as a weapon to drive him away?  There was nothing in the hall, and I didn’t want to draw him further into the house.
       “I have enough on him to do him serious professional harm.”
       “But he’s one of our firm’s clients.  That’d be counterproductive, wouldn’t it?”
        “It would look bad for the firm if it became known that we had a criminal for a client.  I’m only looking after the firm’s interests.”
       “So what is he alleged to have done?”
       “Not so fast.  You do as I ask first, then I’ll tell you.”
       “What do you want?”
       “Let’s go through to your living room.  Are you making coffee?  Then we can relax and I’ll explain what I want.”
       Against my better judgement, I led him into the living room and gestured a seat to him while I went to the kitchen to pour him a coffee.
       “Thanks,” he smiled when I passed him a mug.  I braced myself to listen to his demands.
       “This is perfectly simple, really.  I’m a guy with basic urges...."

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I have several other stories in the pipeline - and I'm not sure which one will get finished first.  If I don't write any more here until January, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the very best of happiness during the festive season and for 2014.

Keep smiling!
Rachel

Twitter: @RachelCray1
email: rc@rachelcray.com

"Deception and Denial" has been published

Hello again!

I’m pleased to announce (finally) that my editor has cleared Deception and Denial for publication.  It’s based on an amalgam of three real-life events that have appeared in newspapers over the years - I brought the stories together into a single plot.  I don’t want to give too much away here, but this is the outline and a short extract to whet your appetite:

Adults only: some explicit sex scenes render this story unsuitable for people under 18 years of age.

When Mike and Ruth suddenly find their nest empty, with their sons at college, their life changes. Ruth has a secret that she's keeping from Mike; if he finds out, it could ruin their marriage.  He has a well-paid position in a local firm but, when his boss decides to retire, a string of events lead to Mike having to keep a secret from his wife.  Ruth knows she has to confess her secret to Mike... but how will he react?  Is there a way to save their relationship?  Will the cost be too high if Ruth were to know about his secret?

SAMPLE EXTRACT:

Mike cast his mind back to the days when he and Polly were in the first throes of young love.  Although they had lacked the maturity that would come with the passing of time, they had felt truly committed to their relationship and – although they had never discussed getting engaged or considered the enormity of a lifetime together – everyone in their circle of friends had assumed that they were going to get married.  They were so natural together, they had said.

He had felt terrible when he lost Polly.  But, as soon as Ruth’s pregnancy had been confirmed, his family – and Ruth’s parents – had agreed that it was the right thing to do.  Mike had always been brought up ‘to do the right thing’ and he felt that he didn’t have any choice in the matter; fate had cruelly intervened and an alternative future had been decided for him.

Ruth and Mike had seemed quite happy together, once the children had come along.  She had her own projects to occupy her mind, once released from the chores of being a full-time mother, and Mike had steeped himself in his career and had risen by degrees in the firm.  But he had never forgotten Polly.  He couldn’t get her out of his mind; throughout their marriage, when he was making love to Ruth, he had been holding Polly’s body in his imagination.

The next morning, memories of the extraordinary offer made to him the previous evening had jolted him awake.  He felt unnerved; it was impossible for him to lie still next to Ruth.  He sat up on the side of the bed, staring out of the window, while she slept on. 

*     *     *

This is currently available on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.  You'll be able to purchase it through Apple and Barnes & Noble as soon as an ISBN number can be allocated... and this is out of my hands.  Here are the links:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G4CL94O

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370206

Best,

Rachel

email:  rc@rachelcray.com

Twitter:  @RachelCray1

A new story: A Face from the Past

Hello, everyone!

My latest story - A Face from the Past - has just been published.  This is the ninth title I've written in the series "Law Firm Love", and I hope you enjoy it.  Here's an outline of the story:


When Carolann joins a law firm as a secretary, she doesn't realise there's a guy there with whom she used to work in a previous firm... and who is an old flame.  But he has a new girlfriend now - a jealous woman who warns her off when she discovers her past.  Carolann's not interested in rekindling the relationship until she moves to his department... and she changes her mind.  To complicate things, a young lawyer makes a move to win her affections; when it all goes wrong, there are fireworks - in the office and in the bedroom.... someone is going to get hurt.

And here's a specimen to whet your appetite - please note that this work contains adult themes (including non-violent BDSM) which render this book unsuitable for people under 18 years of age.  It is an erotic romance novella, over 24,000 words long.


     He turned round.  His erection was pushing forward.
     I looked up at him and smiled.  I may have licked my lips.
     “Seduce me,” he whispered.  “Please.”
     I knelt before him and pulled down his zip.  It didn’t take me long to fish inside to draw out his dick; the pink head seemed so inviting, and the little pee-hole at the end glistened in hope of some relief for what might follow. 
     Putting it in my mouth, I rolled it around in my tongue; it continued to grow and very soon it became uncomfortably hard.  I pulled away, and began to massage the shaft.  He was sighing softly; I looked up and saw his face screwed up, his eyes squeezed tight.  I was enjoying his ecstasy, and I delighted in giving him this pleasure, for I had never masturbated a virgin man before.
     I heard a loud grunt and felt his cock pulsate with excitement.  He was about to release his seed at me.  I looked down at my clothes.  Shit! I thought.  I was wearing a sweater; I should have worn an open-necked blouse, or something to have revealed my cleavage.  I wanted him to come over my breasts.  But it was too late.
     Steering his cock to one side, so he wouldn’t come over my sweater, I gave him another couple of strokes.
     “No!” he called.  “Let me, please!”  He pushed my hand away and held his dick in his hand as he ejaculated over the carpet in front of him.
     I didn’t get up; I watched intently as his semen continued to drip down.  I was tempted to catch it in my hand, but he had insisted he needed full control himself.
     There was a silence while he composed himself.  He tucked his cock back inside, and looked down at me.  “I’m sorry,” he said.  “It wasn’t meant to be like this.  I wanted it to be... special.  I’ve ruined it.”
     “No, you haven’t,” I replied, trying to reassure him.  I reached my feet.  “These things happen all the time.”
     He looked at me.  “I think you’d better leave, Carolann.  I’ve disgraced myself.  Please don’t tell anyone about this.”
     “Of course I won’t.  But why...?”
     “Go now, please.  We won’t talk of this again.”
--------------

This time next week, I hope to announce the completion of my next title, Deception and Denial.
I've been struggling with my conscience in the writing of this story - for reasons which I shall explain in my next blog.  Watch this space!

Best wishes,Rachel

email : rachel (at) rc (dot) com
Twitter: @RachelCray1

Dan's Party

Back in 2011, I wrote a trio of books (not a trilogy, exactly) around a fictitious olde worlde village in England called Maybourne. They were erotic romances, entitled A Close Match, Village Accounts and Kate's Return. I had an idea to write a longer string on stories in this series, but my Muse - bless her! - decided that I should produce other stuff.

I'd like to return to write more about the kinky goings-on in Maybourne one day soon; I wrote a couple of chapters for a fourth in the series, but it opened with a fight at Paula's wedding reception - and there were so many characters involved that I was worried that any reader who was new to the series would get hopelessly confused. Maybe I'll revisit the story and see if we can improve it.  Anyway, I decided instead to turn my attention to Dan's stag party (bachelor party in the U.S.).  I wrote a short story which was offered as a freebie... but it had a mixed reception, and I withdrew it after a few months. Here's why.

One major part of the plot involved an amateur stripper entertaining a bunch of young guys who were hopelessly drunk. I wasn't happy with my initial draft - for those of you who don't know, I've been on this planet quite a long time and seen a lot of things, but I'd never been in a roomful of men watching a stripper.  So I was out of my depth when describing everything and it all came out too "girlie". I asked a male friend (not a relation, I hasten to add!) to have a look at it and suggest some revisions. When it was finally published, some people reacted very positively to it and I had some good reviews.

But one influential reviewer, noted for her incisive perception, wrote something on the lines of "If I didn't know better, I'd say this was written by a guy, and not by Rachel Cray". I didn't want my readers to start thinking that I was routinely getting a ghost writer in to write all my work and then claim the credit entirely for myself, so I pulled it. As a result of this, I shall never ask anyone to rewrite my stuff for me. Certainly my editor can suggest changes to me, but I'll rewrite them all myself.

I'm offering this story - Dan's Party - to you on this site today. Here's the outline, short and simple : Tony is to be best man at Dan's wedding to Paula, and hires Samantha as a stripper at Dan's drinks party. There's a surprise waiting for Samantha....

And whilst I have your attention, I am just putting the finishing touches to my next story, A Face from the Past, which I hope to have published next week.

Thank you all for your continued support,
Best wishes,
Rachel

Stuck! (....another short story)

Hello again!

There's another short story - click on the link in the left margin.

Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?  Or, if you speak British English, have you ever been stuck in a lift?  It's happened to me a couple of times, but we were freed within an hour.  And there wasn't time for anyone to attempt relationship-building like the characters in the short story I've put up today.  If it looks a little familiar, it's because I offered it as a freebie a couple years back when I first started publishing on Amazon.  In those days it was called Lift Stop, but I guess a lot of my American readers might not have understood the title.

Whilst writing, I have a quick progress report.  I'm a quarter of the way through my next title - it looks like it's going to be a little longer than originally planned, and there's less erotic content in it than normal - I'd say, at a rough guess, there may only be two or three erotic scenes in it.  Don't blame me, blame my characters!   (How about that for a disclaimer?)  So I'm going to call it an adult romance, not an erotic romance... but I'm still aiming to have a 'happy ever after' ending.

More soon!
Best,
Rachel

Banana Twist - the first short story

If you click on the link in the left margin, you'll be able to read a short story that I wrote a couple years back.  I'm hoping to put another one up again soon - depending on how quickly the Muse delivers it to me!  I have to tell you that this story - Banana Twist - was inspired by this rude picture:

Now on to other things.  I was hoping to get a serial started but there have been a few setbacks with my main writing schedule and that project is going to take some time before it's ready.  If you're desolated to hear this terrible news, I can console you with some more material which I'll be putting up here in the next few days - it won't happen all at once, and will take several weeks to complete, but I hope there will be enough to kee you interested for a while.

I was always told that all the time we write, our style should be improving.  I have four or five unfinished stories that I want to revisit before the end of the year and revise them; more news later.  And I'm just starting the final chapter of my latest law firm romance, A Face from the Past.  I have my editor standing by, ready to work on it as soon as I've finished it, and will announce its publication here.

Keep watching this space for more developments!

Best,
Rachel

The Girl in the Glade - Author's Note

The first section of this story is intensely personal to me, and one which I was never sure I'd write about. When I was seventeen years old, I had a bad accident which resulted in my having a near-death experience - although people didn't talk much about such things in those days (it was in 1967) and I kept the episode pretty much to myself, thinking I was unique. Yes, I went along the tunnel, saw the light and met people - some who were already dead, and others who later became my children and grandchildren - and, most important to this story, met the soul I have called The Gatekeeper.
When I started the first chapter, I wrote - as in all my stories - from a woman's point of view. Then I thought that I could make the rest of the story far more interesting if I had a hero, rather than a heroine. So I had to backtrack and rewrite everything from a man's point of view - something that's not always so easy to do.

Although I haven't mentioned it here yet, I can assure you that there are plenty of erotic scenes in the story. I couldn't live without them!

Here's the outline:

As a result of a near-death experience during a car crash which kills his wife, Andrew becomes sexually involved with a young woman whom he meets in an idyllic woodland glade. Initially believing her to be his soul-mate, he becomes infatuated with her. His son - endowed with strange abilities - warns him and Andrew soon realises that things are not what they seem. The truth arrives too late: he puts his second marriage at risk and, just when everything seems resolved and he's back in control, he is propelled into a situation where his life - and all those whom he loves - are in imminent danger.

SPECIMEN EXTRACT:

I rang Susie, my sister, first thing the next morning to let her know that I’d be coming alone because Caroline was too busy with her work.
Then I telephoned Caroline to apologise for my behaviour the previous evening – although I considered she was equally at fault.
“I had an awful day at the office, and I took it out on you. You’re a free agent, Caroline. You can go out with any man you like. I was being silly, and I’m very sorry.”
Instead of responding directly to what I had said, she changed track. “I’ve never met your friend Aurelia. But I had another dream about the glade... and it’s occupied my mind ever since. Aurelia came to me in the dream; she said she’d watched us making love against the tree on Sunday afternoon. And she told me not to see you again, otherwise something terrible would happen.”
“You’re not superstitious, are you, Caroline?”
“This isn’t superstition. This was real. It was as if she appeared in my bedroom, looking over me. It was frightening.”
“We all have nightmares.”
“Not like this one. She described what I was wearing, what you were wearing, and how you couldn’t... how you couldn’t reach a climax. She must have been there, watching us.”
“I never saw her,” I lied. “I can’t think of a rational explanation. It’s obviously upset you, so let’s talk about it next week, when I get back. Things should have settled down by then.”
“You’re not seeing her this weekend, are you?”
I lied again. “No. I’m never going to see her again. You know that. I’ve told you so.”
I put the phone down, and felt a stirring between my legs. I was excited; I’d be seeing Aurelia again, on the way back from Susie’s on Sunday afternoon. Aurelia had entranced me; I was in thrall to her, and I didn’t know how to get her out of my head.

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More again soon - keep reading!
Best,

Rachel

email: rc (at) rachelcray (dot) com

Twitter: @RachelCray1