Let's welcome S.J. Thomas to Pure Jonel for a guest post, then we'll take a look at her new release, Haye Deborah Diddle!
Thank you for having me and for hosting my latest release Haye Deborah Diddle, which is a paranormal erotic romance based on the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, releasing as part of Breathless Press’s Naughty Nursery Rhymes line.
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
The NNR line is a great collection of fun and sizzling stories inspired by both nursery rhymes and fairy tales and having read a few of them I really wanted to write my own but I didn’t want to go for any of the obvious fairy tale inspired stories – I wanted to do something based on a nursery rhyme.
But how do you get 15K plus words out of something that is maybe only a couple of lines and quite often makes absolutely no sense? (Seriously have you ever really looked at the versus in a nursery rhyme? If you haven’t, pick a few and really think about them and you’ll find the most bizarre collection of seeming nonsense that nonetheless is an integral part of most people’s childhood.)
So, how do you find a whole story out of them? Well I’m half plotter/half panster – I get an image or scene or piece of dialogue in my head and from there roughly plan a story, but to a large degree I let the words takes me wherever they want. In this case inspiration came from the second line; I got an image in my mind of a large cat playing a fiddle - rather Alice in Wonderland in style - and the why, what’s, and who’s led me to a rough outline. Then once the heroine Deborah Diddle and the hero Haye said hello (well Haye doesn’t so much say hello as prowl over to you and fix you with a seductive look that leaves you feeling like your bones have turned to jelly!) the story really fell into place, with the other lines of the rhyme inspiring the various characters Deborah meets on her journey. The more steamy bits are straight out of my rather wicked imagination but I hope the less steamy in-between bits have captured the essence of the original rhyme.
I am really pleased how this one turned out - although I have to give credit to my fantastic editor who really pushed me in a couple of key places, particularly the opening, which made it a much stronger story - and I hope you enjoy reading about Deborah’s adventures as much as I did writing about them.
SJ
About the Author:
Writing sweet yet sizzling paranormal romance, scorching paranormal erotica, and dark paranormal horror SJ Thomas has had several short stories and novellas published and she is still building up to her first full-length novel.
SJ lives in the South West of England with her wonderful husband and a very spoilt Springer Spaniel. She has a full time day job so has to fit her writing in whenever she can, although like every author she would love to write full time one day. When not writing or working she loves to read and enjoys walking, geocaching and surfing badly.
More details about SJ's current and future works can be found at the following links and she is always happy to chat via Facebook or email.
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
The NNR line is a great collection of fun and sizzling stories inspired by both nursery rhymes and fairy tales and having read a few of them I really wanted to write my own but I didn’t want to go for any of the obvious fairy tale inspired stories – I wanted to do something based on a nursery rhyme.
But how do you get 15K plus words out of something that is maybe only a couple of lines and quite often makes absolutely no sense? (Seriously have you ever really looked at the versus in a nursery rhyme? If you haven’t, pick a few and really think about them and you’ll find the most bizarre collection of seeming nonsense that nonetheless is an integral part of most people’s childhood.)
So, how do you find a whole story out of them? Well I’m half plotter/half panster – I get an image or scene or piece of dialogue in my head and from there roughly plan a story, but to a large degree I let the words takes me wherever they want. In this case inspiration came from the second line; I got an image in my mind of a large cat playing a fiddle - rather Alice in Wonderland in style - and the why, what’s, and who’s led me to a rough outline. Then once the heroine Deborah Diddle and the hero Haye said hello (well Haye doesn’t so much say hello as prowl over to you and fix you with a seductive look that leaves you feeling like your bones have turned to jelly!) the story really fell into place, with the other lines of the rhyme inspiring the various characters Deborah meets on her journey. The more steamy bits are straight out of my rather wicked imagination but I hope the less steamy in-between bits have captured the essence of the original rhyme.
I am really pleased how this one turned out - although I have to give credit to my fantastic editor who really pushed me in a couple of key places, particularly the opening, which made it a much stronger story - and I hope you enjoy reading about Deborah’s adventures as much as I did writing about them.
SJ
About the Author:
Writing sweet yet sizzling paranormal romance, scorching paranormal erotica, and dark paranormal horror SJ Thomas has had several short stories and novellas published and she is still building up to her first full-length novel.
SJ lives in the South West of England with her wonderful husband and a very spoilt Springer Spaniel. She has a full time day job so has to fit her writing in whenever she can, although like every author she would love to write full time one day. When not writing or working she loves to read and enjoys walking, geocaching and surfing badly.
More details about SJ's current and future works can be found at the following links and she is always happy to chat via Facebook or email.
And now, a bit more about Haye Deborah Diddle!
Title: Haye Deborah Diddle
Author: S.J. Thomas
Published: July 12th 2013 by Breathless Press
Page Count: 73
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Shelf: Review Copy
Rating: ★★★★
Blurb:
When Deborah Diddle leaves her quiet village to escape a forced marriage, she soon comes across Haye, the most seductive and mysterious male she has ever seen. Haye offers to teach her about the desire she craves, but he is not of the mortal world, and to know his touch Deborah must face the challenges of his forest; a world of bizarre and fantastic creatures, seductive temptations, and dangerous enemies.
Will Deborah succeed and win Haye? Or will she succumb and lose both herself and the male who stirs her body and soul...
Excerpt:
"Mmm, I could teach you about life, little Deborah Diddle, teach you all about the best bits, as you put it. Give you a taste of the desire you seek. But you would have to face my forest first. The apple will allow you to enter, but there will be challenges, things that will test you."
"And if I fail these challenges?" Deborah asked in a breathy voice.
Haye's expression tightened with menace. "If you fail, you would be trapped in there forever."
With a shiver, Deborah closed her eyes. To risk that much? Opening her eyes again, she looked up at him. "What would be my reward if I win?"
His expression softened, his lips twisting into a seductive smile. "If you win, if you defeat everything in your path, then I will be waiting for you as your reward."
Now it was Deborah's turn to tilt her head, appraising him. "And what makes you worth such efforts, sir?"
A surprised look crossed Haye's handsome face and then he stepped even closer, his expression growing dark and heated. Deborah held her ground, though she was unsure whether instinct was telling her to run or stay.
Haye stopped only a hairsbreadth from her, his height forcing her to crane her neck to look up at him. Deep in his eyes a fire burned and Deborah could feel it spreading across the space between them, fanning a flame inside of her.
"I'm the best you could ever have, little girl. I could show you things that you would never dream about in your darkest fantasies. Do things to you that would make you scream in pleasure. I could teach you everything about passion, lust, and desire you could ever hope to know. If you are worthy of me."
A sharp breath left her at his words. This close, he overwhelmed her, his silky voice and male presence wreaking havoc with her senses, and as she looked up into his eyes she felt herself being pulled toward him like a moth to the deadly flame. This male was living temptation, danger and damnation, sex and desire, in one mouthwatering form. In truth, he was everything Deborah had been looking for.
Not even realizing what she was doing, Deborah leaned closer, raising her hand to touch him, but her fingers passed through him as if he were made of air. She snatched her hand back, and looked up at him in confusion.
A mocking smile now played on those masculine lips. "I have no physical form in your world. If you want to touch me, girl, if you want my hands on your body, you will have to come to me fully." He held out the apple. "If you dare."
Oh, how she wanted his touch! With merely a look and a few seductive words, Haye had evoked more desire in her than any of her encounters with Rolf. She could barely imagine what being kissed or touched by him would feel like, but she knew it would be beyond anything her world could ever give her. In that moment Deborah knew she would risk all to experience it.
Raising her chin in a defiant gesture, she grabbed the apple from him. "I believe, sir, that you are an arrogant ass. But as you are also the most desirable man I have ever seen, I will take your challenge." She raised the apple to her lips, pausing before taking a bite. "When I see you next you'd better be as good as you say."
My Review:
The world behind this novel is intricately and brilliantly put together. Thomas uses descriptions instead of single words to illustrate everything, and bring it to life. She melds well known fairy tales and nursery rhymes together to create the backdrop for the fairy tale romance of a lifetime. Thomas’ characters are well put together. She builds them by letting them get to know each other and to get to know themselves. Her readers experience this all right alongside the characters in a phenomenally intricate manner.
As a whole, this was a very enjoyable novella. I was fully immersed from the first word to the last. It was a brilliant way to be introduced to this author’s work and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and complete escape from reality.
Buy your copy online today from Breathless
Press or from Amazon.
Hi. Thank you so much for having me and for the wonderful review. I am so glad you enjoyed it (I did comment the other day but for some reason it didn't save). I really appreciate your support.
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