It's a bouncing baby book! FOR MY MASTER, BDSM romantic suspense by Suz deMello (#BDSM #thriller #free)

Giving birth to a new book, even a new edition of a reverted work, is always exciting. In the case of For My Master, even more so, because I wrote this BDSM-laced short story before I had any real experience with BDSM. Re-releasing it as a freebie on its own gave me the opportunity to correct some of the more egregious errors, though it remains a pretty fantasy-laden view of a BDSM relationship. In my defense: when I write a romance, everything is at the service of the romance. I will unapologetically twist facts, make stuff up and even invent new words if I think it's helpful.

I also enjoy designing my covers, but because I'm offering this as a freebie, I didn't spend much time on it. Hopefully it gets the point across, enticing the reader to download the story.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699930

So what's it about, you ask?

Agent Kathie Belmont has long lusted after her boss, Ross Guerrero, but has never even flirted with him. Could he be the strong but tender Master she craves?

Ross wants Kathie in his life—on her knees. But the constraints of their jobs with an ultra-secret US security agency have come between them. Will their undercover roles as a sex slave and her Master bring them together...forever?

And what did readers think of the previous editions?

Five Stars! Great read. If you like kinky sex or light BDSM then this book is for you.   --Mary Roya, Goodreads I love BDSM books and this one just did it for me.   --Rhonda D, Romance Book Fiend Top Pick! "A definite if you like D/s."  --MizLoveLovesBooks.com Rating: 5 magical wands…not for the faint of heart…explicit…a fun, quick read Tralana, Enchanted Ramblings Rating: 4.5…Suz deMello’s FOR MY MASTER is a hot BDSM story that will captivate readers imaginations… kick-butt characters whom I loved reading about… I anxiously kept reading just to find out what would happen. Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies, Blue Ribbon Reviews Rating: 4...A sinful seduction laced with the sweet sting of pain... a story to pull out again and again. Ophelia, Erotic Escapades Rating: 4…The story is so expressive, hot and steamy that I could almost see smoke coming from the computer on the sex scenes. Lisa, Fallen Angel Reviews Rating: 4…intriguing characters with great personalities. The sex scenes between them are hot enough to fry eggs. Susan White, Coffee Time Romance Rating: 4.5…For My Master is one very hot tale, and will appeal to any reader with an interest in the BDSM lifestyle. The action is fast and furious, the lovemaking is hot… I highly recommend this—with a bucket of ice and a freezing shower at hand! Frost, Two Lips Reviews Suz deMello’s FOR MY MASTER is a peek into the world of bondage and submission that is hot enough to have erotica fans begging for more. Tammy, Love Romances and more And did I mention that it' s FREE? Get it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699930

Today’s Embarrassing Left by Suz deMello (#Milo #politics #protest #FirstAmendment)

On the evening of Friday, January 13 I went to UC Davis with a friend to hear what Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos had to say. I was intrigued by this darling of the alt-right, who seemed to be a mass of walking contradictions: a gay Jewish man aligned with the most regressive, repressive bigots on the planet.

Milo, walking contradiction and
alt-right rising star

I was introduced to Milo by my cousin’s kid Jonah, a slyly charming teenager who always is the best dressed, most intelligent person in any room. When I met him for the first time, it was at Friday night dinner at my uncle’s home in north London. His brother came in wearing a T-shirt and cargo pants. His parents were nicely dressed, but Jonah outshone everyone with his navy pinstriped three-piece suit.

Wow. A teenager whose professed favorite music is heavy metal (the Iron Maiden logo is his FB profile pic) in a navy, pinstriped three-piece. Wow. I was suitably blown away.

A few days later I ate dinner and hung out with his family. Up in Jonah’s room we explored music he liked and talked politics. He’s very conservative, while I am about to fall off the far-left wing feather of the American eagle. Nevertheless, I wanted to give his ideas a fair hearing because he’s a smart, thoughtful person.

He introduced me to Milo by showing me a few youtube vids, and I was again impressed by a right-wing Brit. He seems articulate, intelligent and personable as well as layered and interesting—the kind of person I most enjoy.

So we went out to UCD to see and hear Milo. We arrived at about 6:30 p.m., the time that the event was supposed to start. With the help of our phones’ GPS and by following a stream of other folks, we found the lecture hall where the event was scheduled to take place. As we rounded a corner, we were confronted by a noisy protest that blocked easy access to the building. We asked how to get in and were directed to a line that stretched along the side of the building, curving around stands of pine and, more prosaically, a parking structure.

We waited patiently in the cold for a half-hour, then called it quits when rumors

Embarrassing..."speach"? At a UC?

of cancellation began to circulate; apparently the event had been called off because the university couldn’t guarantee Milo's or anyone else’s safety due to the nastiness of the protest. I can testify that as we left, we noticed that the protest had become much rowdier.

I understand that liberals on the left are scared and sad about the Electoral College results and Trump’s ensuing presidency. I feel the same. The PEEOTUS is illegitimate, the ideas he espouses are dangerous to our democracy, and the people he has proposed for cabinet positions are either unqualified or corrupted by conflicts of interest and even treasonous behavior.

A very smart person once told me that "it's easier to be mad than sad," so our sorrow and anxiety are manifesting in counter-productive ways. The left’s anger has led to revolting, offensive acts that are self-defeating. For example, at this event, a Breitbart cameraman was sworn at and spat upon. No one who’s lawfully doing his job deserves that.

(http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2017/01/13/watch-uc-davis-protestors-assault-spit-milos-cameraman/).

The next day, Milo reportedly led a protest that centered upon the denial of his right to speak.  

The left's over-the-top protest ceded the moral high ground to the alt-right. Whatever happened to “when they go low, we go high”?

Whatever happened to the peaceful sit-ins I remember from my teenage years? Of course, these events occasionally became violent, but the violence was generally started by the police or National Guard rather than the protesters. 

Remember Kent State?

Four unarmed students were shot and killed at an
anti-war protest at Kent State University in 1970

I sure do.

On top of that, events like the over-the-top protest at UCD contribute to the decline of civility in our society. If we cease to be polite and kind to others, eventually society will become a vicious arena that no one will enjoy. That civilization and civility have the same Latin root isn’t random.

What can be done?

Insist upon courteous discourse when discussing politics. For example, on FB I block users who come onto my page and insult me and others by name-calling.

I hope that others will adopt a zero-tolerance policy regarding rudeness. And please don't use the excuse "the right behaved badly when Obama was elected." So what? Remember: When they go low, we go high. 

This doesn’t mean that the left should roll over and play dead. For example: what if, instead of a protest, folks participated in a sit-in? At least a hundred protesters were there, so the building would have been effectively blocked and the event cancelled—same result without the participants looking like immature, rude jerks.

What if the protesters had made certain by getting tickets in advance that the lecture hall was filled with liberals? That would have provided the opportunity to ask Milo pointed questions that would perhaps puncture the balloon of his alt-right beliefs.

Another great example of a creative, courteous protest is Colin Kaepernick's taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem before football games. It's quiet, respectful and very effective; other football teams all over the nation, both pro and student, copied him. Brilliant.

And if people really want to make a difference, read this document and

Don't get mad. Take action.
 It's easier than you think to make a difference.

implement its recommendations.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5855a354cd0f68bab2089b40/t/5867cd26be65940ffdeeac1e/1483197741124/IndivisibleGuide_2016-12-31_v1.pdf

Change can happen. Resistance isn’t futile, but choosing one’s battles and fighting them with intelligence and creativity leads to better results than what we saw in Davis this weekend.

Thunderclap, Headtalker and other Promo Mysteries by Suz deMello (#marketing #promotions #Thunderclap #headtalker)

I'm running a Thunderclap to support Temptation in Tartan, and one of the purposes of this blog is to ask you to help out. 

Here's the link: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/51812-temptation-in-tartan-sale

http://a.co/a20pe37

And here's the book and its blurb:

She has to marry a monster. 

Rumors have followed the chieftains of Clan Kilborn for centuries. Said to be descended from the Viking berserkers, they are ferocious in battle, known for tearing off the heads of their enemies and drinking their blood.

But English noblewoman Lydia Swann-Williston will marry Kieran, Laird Kilborn, to bring peace to the Kilborn lands after the horror of Culloden and the brutal pacification. A widow, she also brings needed wealth to the clan. For her part, eighteen-year-old Lydia wants children. With her husband killed at Culloden, she will make a new life in the Highlands. 

The old chieftain of Clan Kilborn also died in battle, and Lydia hopes the new young laird will lack his ancestors' ferocity. 

She was wrong.

But I'm not only concerned about getting enough supporters but to compare these two promo devices. Both are "crowdspeaking" platforms. When you enlist supporters, each presses a button that permits their system to tweet or post about your book (or any other product or message) at exactly the same time. The object is to create a "disturbance in the Force," i.e, to get your book or product trending.

So which should you choose?

Both are free. However, Thunderclap will not allow a user to change a date without a steep charge: $55. Plus, 100 participants is the minimum required for a T'Clap to drop, and if a user doesn't garner enough participants, all the effort required to get even 99 is wasted.

Kickstarter suffers from the same issue. If a user doesn't hit the monetary goal, all funds pledged are lost. That's the reason Indiegogo has been so successful.

Headtalker seems the better platform. No minimum number of supporters necessary, and a shorter lead time--one day as opposed to three, though in reality people will need at least a week or two to get enough supporters to make the effort pay off.

Hope this info helps other authors as well as others with products to flog. Good luck!