Helena Harker Guest Blog Post and Interview

Helena Harker, a fellow EC author, is here to tell you about her ebook, Art of Desire. For an extra treat she’s answering a few of my nosy questions in an interview. Leave a comment to win one free copy of “Art of Desire.” Don’t forget to leave your email.

“Art of Desire” was a lot of fun to write, and I was thrilled when Ellora’s Cave accepted it. My idea was to have a teacher (Jenna) run into her former student (Justin) one day, a student she had a major crush on, and decide to make her fantasies a reality. To spice things up, I made the student an Art major who asked her to pose nude for a lifecasting assignment.

I wanted Justin to turn the tables on Jenna. She’s been fantasizing about Justin for a year, and now she can finally let her cougar roar and go after him! But Justin has other plans. He wants to teach her about taking it slow, about being patient, and when she’s trapped in the alginate mold, it’s the perfect opportunity to make Jenna hunger for more without giving it to her right away.

To get a better idea of what I’m talking about—from the pros of lifecasting—here’s a link to a few sites. The video will give you a much better idea of how it’s done.

This site explains part of the process: http://www.bodysculpture.uk.com/lifecasting_process.html

Here’s a video that shows you how it’s done (warning: the model is nude!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Y6kjDpeAU&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dc0Y6kjDpeAU&has_verified=1

I hope you understand the process now! I love art myself, but I’m into drawing, painting and photography. Lifecasting isn’t something I’ve ever tried, and I’m sure I never will.

“Art of Desire”

Website: www.helenaharker.com

Twitter: @HelenaHarker

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/helena.harker.9

Buy links:

Amazon 

Ellora’s Cave

ARe

Blurb: When Jenna runs into a former student she used to have a crush on, she decides to make her lusty fantasies a reality. Justin is studying Fine Arts in university, and when he asks Jenna to pose nude for a sculpture, her inner cougar tells her to go for it. But while Jenna can’t wait to teach him how to pleasure an older woman, Justin turns the tables and decides to teach her the art of patience.

Excerpt:

His arctic-blue eyes met mine, and shivers of recognition danced through me.

I hadn’t seen him in a year, but it felt like only days. As gorgeous as ever, Justin arched his brows in surprise, giving me a shy smile before pouring red wine into two long-stemmed glasses.

So he worked as a bartender in a hotel restaurant. Maybe I’d ask him for a Sex on the Beach or better yet, a Screaming Orgasm. I grinned. Still eyeing his dirty-blond hair, neatly trimmed beard and square jaw—God, I’d love to trail my fingers along that jaw—I walked to the bar, swept my short ruffled skirt under me and sat down. Long, black hair fell past my shoulders. I tucked a few strands behind my ear, glad I’d taken extra time this morning to apply Bold Bordeaux, my favorite shade of lipstick, and matching eye shadow.

Hey, scrumptious, I wanted to say, but opted for a more acceptable, “Hi, Justin, how have you been?” My teeth snagged on my lower lip, and butterflies came alive in my stomach. Why the hell was I this nervous?

Because he’s half your age, my conscience snapped. And in case you’ve forgotten, he’s your student.

Former student, my inner cougar growled back. He graduated last June, remember?

“Hi, Mrs. Fall—”

“Jenna!” I corrected him. No need for formalities, especially since they reminded me of my age. “I’m not your teacher anymore.”

“Jenna,” he said slowly, savoring every syllable as it rolled off his tongue. He returned the bottle to its shelf and offered me the wine list. “Great to see you. I’m going to the University of Montreal now. I started a massage therapy program last summer, but I quit. Needed something more intellectually stimulating.”

Oh I could stimulate you in all kinds of ways, the cougar inside me purred.

 *****

Ooh, steamy, Helena. Now onto the interview.

Bio: Helena Harker is a teacher by day, writer by night, a daydreamer who loves to escape to other worlds. Her fiction is populated by strong men, passionate women and lots of paranormal creatures. In her free time she enjoys photography and curling up with a good book. She is multi-published and also writes in other genres.

Stormie:  What do you do when you’re not writing?

Helena: I take care of two little girls all by myself. So when they go to bed at seven, I heave a great big sigh of relief and grab my laptop to do some writing.

Stormie:  How/why did you choose the genre you are in?

Helena: I got really frustrated that it was very difficult to sell and market my young adult books. So I started writing erotic short stories, and they got picked up immediately and by Ellora’s Cave, no less! So bye-bye children’s book! I’m giving up on that genre.

Stormie:  Are you a plotter, pantser or a hybrid?

Helena: When I start a project, I just let it flow. The first few chapters just develop on their own. After that, I need to plan, so I have a 12-point chart based on Chris Vogler’s Hero’s Journey, and that’s what I try to follow until I get to the end.

Stormie:  How do you market your work? What works best for you?

Helena: What works best? I think that’s one of the great mysteries of the universe. I wish I knew. Marketing erotica is different from marketing YA novels, and I am still trying to figure out what works best.

Stormie:  Tell us about your upcoming book or new release.

Helena: I have an erotic steampunk novella coming out on Feb. 8^th. It’s called “Carnal Devices”, about a prostitute in Lower London who is tired of her clients and wants to become a wealthy courtesan by getting clients from the Steam Society, an exclusive men’s club full of aviators and inventors. Her name is India, and she creates a new persona for herself called India of Rajasthan. Here’s a link to the cover. I think it’s breathtaking! http://www.helenaharker.com/novellas.html

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