Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

sapphic romance

It was past time… #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #EroticRomance

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For week three, I’m featuring my first submission and acceptance with Extasy Books, published in 2007. You can read more about the story behind The Diary and the choice to set it in Chicago and the U.K. HERE.

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday,
the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write – and read!
Click on the graphics to travel to the other snippets.

                                        

Set-Up

Set Up: Kate’s younger sister, Luci, has disappeared. When Kate stops by to water Luci’s plants, she discovers Luci’s diary, open on her desk. She reads a snippet, is horrified, and takes it with her, planning to return it later…

EXCERPT

Ten sentences…

Ten minutes later, Luci Parry turned the key in her apartment door and let herself in.  She walked quickly to her desk and smirked.  Kate had taken the bait.  The Diary no longer sat third in the pile of papers on the desk.

Luci sat in her desk chair and drummed her fingers.  What would sister Kate make of The Diary?  Would she think her half sister was debauched by an older man?

Would she try to find her?  Luci chuckled.  Kate had seldom been able to find her if she wanted to stay hidden.

And a little more…

She planned to lay low and see what Kate would do with the new insights into her life.  If she was true to form, she’d try to identify the man in the diary and somehow hold him accountable.

That was what she’d always done whenever her little sister had encountered trouble.  Sister Kate, Luci admitted, had bailed her out of one scrape after another.

Luci entered her bedroom.  This time Kate wouldn’t find it so easy to fight her sister’s battles.  This time Kate could be introduced to a world that might, that just might break her out of her mother-hen shell.

It was past time.  Luci nodded at her reflection in the dresser mirror—way past time.  Good grief, Kate had turned forty only two months ago.  And what kind of life did she have—work, work, work.  And hound her sister.

But Kate’s love life?  Zilch!  That was wrong—dreadfully wrong.  Luci scowled. If it hadn’t been for her parents being killed, Kate would’ve gone on and lived a fairly normal life. Instead, she’d had to take care of a brat who had been too stupid most of the time to show how grateful she’d been.

It was time to make up for the past.  And The Diary might yet be the best birthday gift she’d ever given her sister.  Too bad she had to be so devious about it.  She grinned at her reflection.  Who was she kidding?  This was about as much fun as she’d had in ages, and Kate would thank her for it someday.

BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: The Diary
Author: Adriana Kraft
Cover by Martine Jardin
Publisher: Extasy Books, February, 2007
ISBN: 1-55410-765-2
Novel: 70,000 words
Genre: Erotic Romance
Heat Level: Four Flames. Explicit sex: M/F, F/F, Menage: F/F/M, Toys

BLURB

Lust, revenge, dark sexual escapades and the mysterious disappearance of her younger half-sister, Luci, will take art curator Kate Noble on a whirlwind transcontinental journey. The diary Luci’s left behind paints vivid images of shameless erotic exploits with a rake named only as G.C.

Can Kate learn enough under the delightful hands of her bisexual best friend, Gina, to ensnare the sensual and elusive Professor Grayson Cosgrove into a marriage proposal of her making? Can she find Luci before it’s too late? If only she could read between the lines.

The Diary ~ never have the secrets of another been so electrifying!

BUY LINKS

PUBLISHER: Extasy Books

https://www.extasybooks.com/the-diary

Currently on sale for $2.50 from the publisher.
It’s easy to download Extasy e-books to your Kindle. “Send to Kindle” instructions are at the top of the Extasy home page.

UNIVERSAL LINK for All Major Retail Outlets

https://books2read.com/u/bp6L1J

Was Janet having second thoughts? #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #WeekendWritingWarriors #LGBTQ #ff #EroticRomance #Sale

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The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up.

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday,
the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write – and read!
Click on the graphics to travel to the other snippets.

                                        

This week I’m reaching back to an early sapphic romance, The Lady Wants More, which is on sale this week for 99 cents. You can read the story behind this book HERE.

Set-Up

Janet has agreed to meet Brenda at the ballet and come over for dessert afterwards – will Brenda’s high hopes be realized? She’s tempting Janet with what she knows is her favorite… and you can, too. The recipe follows the excerpt.

EXCERPT

Ten sentences…

Checking the timer, Brenda waited impatiently for the crème brûlée to finish. She seldom used a timer when she cooked, which was a rare event in itself, but she didn’t want to rush the dessert, even though her heart had been beating rapidly ever since she’d returned to her loft earlier in the afternoon.

She glanced at the wall clock. She shouldn’t feel so rushed—there was plenty of time before she had to leave to meet Janet. She still had to take a bubble bath, do her nails, and shave relevant body parts.

She wanted everything to be just right for Janet. There were no guarantees, but she certainly hoped Janet wouldn’t back out at the last moment. Their brief conversation the evening before had left her in more doubt about what to expect tonight than their previous chat had. Janet had seemed more aloof, more distant, less sure of herself. Was Janet having second thoughts?

And a little more…

Probably third and fourth, if Brenda knew Janet at all. That woman could analyze anything to death. But she’d sounded ready, almost eager, only a few days earlier.

Brenda set out wine glasses, dessert spoons, and napkins on the kitchen table. She double-checked the timer. Plenty of time. Needing to stay busy, she headed for the bathroom. Soaking in a lavender bubble bath should calm her nerves.

THE RECIPE

White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Preheat oven to 275.

Melt 6 oz White Chocolate into 2 cups heavy whipping cream. Let cool to room temp.

Whisk 6 egg yolks. Whisk in one third cup of sugar.  Whisk in cream/chocolate mixture. Whisk in 3 tbs cognac

Set aside. Sprinkle shavings of bittersweet chocolate into bottoms of 6 ramekins.  Divide custard mixture between the ramekins.  Sprinkle more bittersweet chocolate on top. 

Place ramekins in baking pan. Fill pan with warm water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake 35 min. 

Refrigerate 2 hours – 2 days.

Before serving, sprinkle with sugar and blowtorch (or place under pre-heated broiler) until the sugar is caramelized.

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: The Lady Wants More
Author: Adriana Kraft
Cover Artist: Alessia Brio
Publisher ‏ : ‎ B&B Publishing (October 24, 2014)
Length: Novella, 22,000 words, 83 pages
Genres: Erotic Romance, Sapphic Romance, Later in Life, Second Chance

BLURB

Janet Baxter keeps her post-divorce life neatly compartmentalized: Secure job, spacious Westchester County home, successful adult children, dependable community volunteer activities. Why is she drawn—for the first time ever—to attend her twenty-year college reunion in New York City?

Always a free spirit, Brenda Cassidy is comfortably bisexual and has no plans to ever settle down. But a fling? The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up. Can Brenda seduce Janet into an endless night of the lovemaking they enjoyed too briefly as college roommates? What if the lady wants more?

BUY LINKS

Want to support keeping LGBTQ Romance available for everyone? If you purchase The Lady Wants More (or any of the books in this week’s reading challenge) through the link on the book’s I Heart SapphFic page, a small portion of the price goes to help keep the website running. Definitely a worthy cause.

The Lady Wants More is exclusively on Amazon and is on sale for $0.99. It is also available on KU.

https://iheartsapphfic.com/bookinfo/the-lady-wants-more/

If you live outside the U.S., this universal link will take you to the appropriate Amazon outlet:

https://books2read.com/u/bzn6RL

What if the Lady Wants More? #Sale #99Cents #Giveaway #LGBTQ #EroticRomance #SapphicRomance #FF @IHeartLesFic

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The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up.

For week two of highlighting my 58 published romance novels, I’m jumping out of time order to let you in on a giveaway and a marvelous opportunity to fill your Kindle and win gift cards!

Every Week, I Heart SapphFic sponsors a sapphic fiction reading challenge featuring books in each of two themes/tropes, with most of the books on sale for the week.

One of this week’s tropes is “divorced heroine,” and my novella The Lady Wants More has been selected to participate. Many featured authors (including yours truly) are offering giveaways and prizes this week in the I Heart SapphFic Readers Group on Facebook – here’s your chance to not only fill your kindle but enter for other giveaways. You can read more about the Weekly Reading Challenge HERE – to further entice you, the grand prize drawing at the end of the year features multiple gift cards, topping out at $250!

THE STORY BEHIND THE LADY WANTS MORE

Some of you may remember a marvelous e-publisher that was among the first to publish and promote LGBTQ books – Torquere Press, 2003-2016. I am deeply sorry it is gone. Their editing staff and graphic artists were marvelous to work with.

Sometime in early 2010, Torquere put out a submissions call for a twelve-book lesbian romance series featuring the signs of the Zodiac. My sun sign is Cancer, and I immediately knew I wanted to write a heroine who shared my sign: nurturing, loyal, reserved, resistant to change, seeks a well-ordered life. And there’s more – the Cancer Zodiac symbol is a crab, well known to scuttle backwards to reach its destination. Like my heroine Janet, I often take a circuitous route to accomplish my goals.

Who to partner her with? Go with what you know. My husband is Aquarius, the opposite of orderly, structured – a sign that can never be put in any box. Voila, Brenda emerged to challenge the reserved and hesitant Janet. They were a lot of fun to write.

The Torquere Press edition was published in June, 2011 – under the sign of Cancer, of course. Our contract was for two years, so when rights reverted to us, we thoroughly edited it, expanded some scenes, and published it under our own imprint in October of 2014.

I’d always loved our cover, and I’d met the original cover artist, Alessia Brio, at a writer’s conference a while earlier. I was thrilled she was willing to adapt her original cover for our new edition.

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: The Lady Wants More
Author: Adriana Kraft
Cover Artist: Alessia Brio
Publisher ‏ : ‎ B&B Publishing (October 24, 2014)
Length: Novella, 22,000 words, 83 pages
Genres: Erotic Romance, Sapphic Romance, Later in Life, Second Chance

BLURB

Janet Baxter keeps her post-divorce life neatly compartmentalized: Secure job, spacious Westchester County home, successful adult children, dependable community volunteer activities. Why is she drawn—for the first time ever—to attend her twenty-year college reunion in New York City?

Always a free spirit, Brenda Cassidy is comfortably bisexual and has no plans to ever settle down. But a fling? The reappearance of svelte, reserved Janet Baxter in Brenda’s life is nothing less than a gift, worthy of every enticement Brenda can conjure up. Can Brenda seduce Janet into an endless night of the lovemaking they enjoyed too briefly as college roommates? What if the lady wants more?

EXCERPT

Set-Up: A few days after their brief connection at the twenty-year high school reunion, Janet is pacing her bedroom, cell phone in hand, with Brenda’s number already entered. She finally hits “send”…

“Hi, Janet,” Brenda chirped, “I hoped you would call soon. So are you joining me for the ballet?”

Janet rolled her eyes. Obviously, caller ID hadn’t allowed her to surprise Brenda. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“Oh,” Brenda replied. “Sorry, should’ve asked first. I’ve had a good week so far. Though thinking about you has been a distraction at times.”

“Oh.” Janet held her breath. It hadn’t occurred to her Brenda might think about her as much as she’d been thinking about Brenda. Distraction? That was a mild way of putting it. Brenda had been an ever-present weight since they’d parted Saturday night.

“So,” Brenda cooed, “have you thought about me much these last few days?”

“Some.”

“Just some.”

“A lot,” Janet confessed.

“That’s better. I’d hate to be the only one losing sleep.”

“Losing sleep?” Janet blurted out. “You, too? I didn’t think you’d lose sleep over me.”

“Two a.m. on the dot. Haven’t missed a night yet.”

“Oh my. I wake at two also.”

Brenda chuckled. “I told you there is some sort of karma at work here. So what do you think?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe there’s karma, or maybe you’ll join me a week from Friday?”

“I have to be in the city that afternoon for a meeting with an author and her publisher.”

“How convenient. So you’ll join me for dinner and the ballet?”

“I don’t know about dinner. It’s a late-afternoon meeting, the only time the publisher could clear her calendar. Maybe we shouldn’t plan on dinner.” Janet swallowed and wet her lips. “Before.”

She could imagine Brenda mulling over the implications of that single word. She wished she was more skilled at veiled repartee, but she never had been.

“Ah,” Brenda said at last. “My loft isn’t far from the theater. Of course, you could drop by after your meeting to freshen up. Though if you do that, we might not make it to the ballet.”

Failing to hold back a giggle, Janet said, “You’re pretty confident, as usual.” She sobered. “I’ll change clothes in a restroom before heading over to meet you at the theater. I often do that when I have plans after work and don’t want to go home first.”

“You do plan ahead. Let’s grab a sandwich on our own before the performance, then, and have drinks and dessert afterward at my place.”

Janet closed her eyes and nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Your enthusiasm overwhelms,” Brenda chided. “Do you still love crème brûlée?”

Janet responded quickly, “Of course I do. But I wouldn’t want you to go to a lot of work.”

“Not a problem. I don’t have anything on my calendar from mid-Friday afternoon on—except you.”

BUY LINKS

Want to support keeping LGBTQ Romance available for everyone? If you purchase The Lady Wants More (or any of the books in this week’s reading challenge) through the link on the book’s I Heart SapphFic page, a small portion of the price goes to help keep the website running. Definitely a worthy cause.

The Lady Wants More is exclusively on Amazon and is on sale for $0.99.
It is also available on KU.

https://iheartsapphfic.com/bookinfo/the-lady-wants-more/

If you live outside the U.S., this universal link will take you to the appropriate Amazon outlet:

https://books2read.com/u/bzn6RL

 

 

 

Cover Reveal! New cover for Accidental Contact #CoverReveal #LGBTQ #AgeGap #EroticRomance #99cents #ShortStory #SapphicRomance #FF

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Snowbound in New York City – will Natalie dare to make her move?

I love this new cover by Amber Daulton of Satin Rose Designs – just the right dash of sauciness for our heroine.

What romantic pairings do you love to read? Straight f/m? Bisexual f/f/m? Lesbian f/f? I’m half of the writing duo Adriana Kraft, and we love writing (and reading) all these pairings. Our newest release is a sapphic short story we wrote for an anthology over a decade ago, then revised and updated to release under our indie imprint. Is it really erotic romance? It’s definitely erotic, featuring one of my favorite f/f scenes as Natalie is caught between her fears and her desires in the middle of the night. Since it’s a short story, I’d call it happy-for-now, with a promising future.

And the inspiration? I love New York City, and we love setting stories there. I especially love it in the winter – Rockefeller center, with its giant tree and all the skaters, Central Park, Fifth Avenue with all the shoppers and window displays. Was I ever snowbound there? No, but I was stranded for two steamy August days during the great East Coast blackout of 2003, and that experience definitely helped set the background for this story.

BOOK INFORMATION

Accidental Contact, By Adriana Kraft
Release date: November 3, 2023
ASIN B0CMHLHL52
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Short Story
Pairing: FF
Tropes: Cougar Story, New York City, Snowbound, Just One Bed

BUY LINK

Universal Buy Link

Just $0.99 at all e-book retail outlets

https://books2read.com/u/47djkE

BLURB

Natalie and the much younger Bridgette are real estate agents who’ve often traveled together for business seminars. Now they’re snowbound in New York City in a hotel room with only one bed. Will Natalie dare to make her move?

EXCERPT

For three months, Natalie had eagerly anticipated this trip. She’d bought a pair of pink silk pajamas, wanting to feel a little more presentable and desirable. Pink had always gone well with her dark hair. And she’d come to believe that Bridgette’s choice of silk pajamas was perfect—not too seductive, not too revealing—but classy. Not klutzy like her old sleepwear that resembled sweatpants and gym clothes. On top of that, the feel of silk against flesh was incredibly sensuous.

At least she didn’t have to guess whether Bridgette was into women. She’d never tried to hide that fact. She’d even bemoaned not having found a partner with whom she really wanted to share a lot of time.

Natalie balled her fingers into fists. She’d made the effort to tidy up her pubic hair just in case. She swallowed hard. She couldn’t risk rejection. She’d done all she could. It was up to destiny now. What had Bridgette said? Everything happens for a reason. Maybe the blizzard was heaven sent just for her—just for her and Bridgette.

She blinked back tears. Even a blizzard wouldn’t be enough to fuel her courage. She dozed. Morning couldn’t come too quickly.

Outside their hotel, a winter chill has settled on NYC,
bringing with it a crippling snowstorm –
inside, will Natalie find a satisfying means of turning up the heat?

 

 

Mega Sale Now through November 28 #Sale #LGBGTQ #Sapphic #Romance #99cents @IHeartLesFic

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You won’t want to miss this mega five-day sale!
Now through November 28.
More than 350 books, all on sale, many for only 99 cents.

Page One: 99c contemporary romance, erotica, and ffm books

Page Two: all other books priced at 99c

Page Three: all books priced at $1.99

Page Four: all books priced at $2.99 & $3.99

Five of my FFM romance books are on sale for just 99 cents each, so head on over and grab as many as you like – and don’t forget to check out all the other great sapphic romance bargains.

Outside their hotel, a winter chill has settled on NYC, bringing with it a crippling snowstorm – inside, will Natalie find a satisfying means of turning up the heat?

Real Estate agent Natalie Powers has always been attracted to her much younger colleague Brigette Allen, and they’ve often traveled together. Now that Natalie is divorced, will she find the courage to act? Perhaps a winter snowstorm will help.

 

 

Still a virgin, Bobbi Jo’s convinced that her childhood best friend Jack can teach her what she needs to know – who knew he’d add loving a woman to her list?

Engaged to be married, Bobbi Jo knows her fiancé expects her to be a skilled lover. But how do you find a sex tutor? She approaches the only friend she trusts completely, even though she hasn’t seen him for years. Will he help her? What will he ask in return?

 

What if the lady wants more?

Mix Cancer with Aquarius? Like oil and water – but when levelheaded Janet Baxter re-connects with free spirited Brenda Cassidy, the lady knows she wants more!

 

 

 

Who knew I’d feel this sexy at fifty?

What will be Ginger’s best 50th birthday present in Las Vegas? The High Roller Observation Wheel at sunset with the full moon rising? The Fremont Street Zip line? Or a sexy evening with the woman she meets at a Vegas Swing club?

 

 

 

Two women in love with the same man – what will happen when those women fall in love with each other?

A dark and brooding bad boy, his petite lover, and his unattainable former high school crush ~ a sizzling, combustible threesome.

Just Released! Accidental Contact ~ Sapphic short story by @AdrianaKraft #LGBGTQ#LesbianFiction #SapphicFiction #EroticRomance #NewYorkCity #Snowbound #New Release #AgeGap #99cents #MFRWAuthor

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What romantic pairings do you love to read? Straight f/m? Bisexual f/f/m? Lesbian f/f? I’m half of the writing duo Adriana Kraft, and we love writing (and reading) all these pairings. Our newest release is a sapphic short story we wrote for an anthology over a decade ago, then revised and updated to release under our indie imprint. Is it really erotic romance? It’s definitely erotic, featuring one of my favorite f/f scenes as Natalie is caught between her fears and her desires in the middle of the night. Since it’s a short story, I’d call it happy-for-now, with a promising future.

BOOK INFORMATION

Accidental Contact, By Adriana Kraft
Release date: November 3, 2023
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Short Story
Pairing: FF
Tropes: Cougar Story, New York City, Snowbound, Just One Bed

BLURB

 

Natalie and the much younger Bridgette are real estate agents who’ve often traveled together for business seminars. Now they’re snowbound in New York City in a hotel room with only one bed. Will Natalie dare to make her move?

 

EXCERPT

Chapter One

Sitting in bed with the covers pulled up to her neck, Natalie Powers glanced up at the sound of her roommate’s voice.

“It’s already snowing.” Bridgette Allen ran the brush through her long blonde hair and glanced over at the bed. “Think we’ll make it out of here in the morning?”

Natalie tried to decipher the younger woman’s soft smile. Was Bridgette disappointed at the prospect of being stuck with her in New York City an extra day or two? “Doesn’t look promising.” She muted the TV. “If the weatherman’s right and the City gets ten to fifteen inches—plus wind—there probably won’t be any planes flying. I’ll check in the morning, but I’ll be surprised if we get out of here at all tomorrow. I’m sorry. Did you have a big weekend planned back home?”

“Don’t be sorry. It’ll be fun getting caught here for a day or two.” Bridgette’s voice suddenly sounded brighter. “Maybe we can walk over to Rockefeller Center and watch the skaters. Whatever we do, let’s not mope around worrying about finding a flight.” She set down the hairbrush and puckered her lips at her reflection in the mirror. “I like to believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe we both deserve a mini vacation.”

“You may be right.” Natalie yawned. “Three days listening to lectures has been grueling.”

Bridgette turned to face Natalie, brows slightly raised and a smile threatening the corners of her mouth.

Natalie couldn’t resist a smile in return. “I’ll try to be upbeat about our plight. We won’t get back to Chicago until the airports open.”

“So…” Bridgette checked the buttons on her powder-blue silk pajamas while brushing a piece of fluff off the gentle rise of a breast. “We might as well enjoy ourselves.”

“Maybe we could visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” Natalie said, trying to keep the mood light while Bridgette settled under the covers. “I haven’t been there for a couple years.”

BUY LINK

Universal Buy Link

Just $0.99 at all e-book retail outlets

https://books2read.com/u/47djkE