Kama Sutra Musings

Exotic Lessons in Lovemaking...

Can an ancient Hindu sex manual turn an arranged marriage into a love match?

That’s the story question posed by my latest release, How To Woo... A Reluctant Bride, a sexy historical short story set in Victorian England shortly after the publication of the English translation of the Kama Sutra. (Previously published under the title Love… By the Book)

When I decided to write a story involving The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, I did some research and discovered that the book is almost 2,000 years old. Written in Sanskrit, it wasn't translated and published in English until 1883 by the famous explorer, Sir Richard Burton.

Once I'd decided to set the story in 1885, I found a copy of his translation and started reading. It's a fascinating mix of sexual instruction and advice on courtship, combined with quaint superstitions of the period in which it was written. In addition to listing various sexual positions, some with quaint names such as "splitting of a bamboo" and "fixing of a nail", it also covers biting, scratching and striking, as well as "mouth congress", i.e. oral sex, and threesomes.

Hindu society of the time was patriarchal and some of the advice is ridiculous by today's standards. People also married very young at the time, so I suppose it's no wonder that the advice for how the woman should behave sounds very juvenile by today's standards. In one section, Vatsyayana, who was a monk, actually recommends kidnapping the prospective bride if all else fails. Something my civilized English hero would never do. Still, some of the courtship advice is timeless.

For instance: ". . . the man should do whatever the girl takes most delight in, and he should get for her whatever she may have a desire to possess."

Evan takes that advice to heart when he buys his bride a brand new piano and plans a honeymoon in the country rather than staying in the city.

Even though he was a monk, Vatsyayana had a romantic streak:"If men and women act according to each other's liking, their love for each other will not be lessened even in one hundred years."

Click here to read an excerpt.

This blog is part of my mini-tour. I'll be giving away two ebooks of the winner's choice at all my blog stops from Dec. 20-22. Leave a comment here or at any of my blogs and you will be entered.

Here is the schedule:

Dec. 20, Servants of the Muse blog (Kama Sutra)
http://servantsofthemuse.blogspot.com/

also: also: Sunlight Sucks blog featuring a special giveaway of Deception, Historical M/M Romance
http://sunlightsucks.com/ 

Dec. 21, The Romance Studio blog (Victorian Wedding Customs) http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/

Dec. 22, Love In A Book Reviews (Excerpt from How To Woo... A Reluctant Bride) 

Happy Holidays!

Lyndi Lamont

Website: http://lyndilamont.com/
Blog:  http://lyndilamont.com/blog/
Twitter: Twitter: https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

New Release

How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride
(Romantic Historical Short Story)

by Lyndi Lamont

Available now for 99 cents at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Coming soon to iBooks, Kobo and Sony.

An excerpt follows the blurb:

Blurb:

A marriage contract, nothing more...until darkly handsome Evan Channing and demure Lydia Blatchford meet. Yet the rules are simple for an arrangement such as theirs. There should be no misunderstanding, no illusions of anything more.

But the rules are about to change when Evan is gifted with an intriguing copy of the Kama Sutra.  He sets out to win his high-born bride, blending seductive heat with exotic lessons in love-making. With a little help from Sir Richard Burton's new, provocative translation of ancient wisdom on seduction and arousal, the cold marriage bed of an arranged union is about to combust into a blazing flame of desire

4 Angels...” a scintillating mix of lust and sexual exploration… Ms. Lamont has done a very nice job of bringing a bit of the exotic into her writing.” - Dawnie, Fallen Angel Reviews

Excerpt:

After dinner Evan wandered around his bedroom, clad in his new blue and white striped pajamas, wondering how much longer he should wait before going to his new bride. He’d never felt so unsure yet so filled with anticipation. He pictured her in the red sari Zahra had given her, the cloth draped seductively around her curves. His cock was already partially hard just thinking about what was to come.

At the same time he was more nervous than he’d ever been in his life. It wasn’t as if it were his first time, but every woman he’d been with had been a prostitute, so he was never sure if their cries of pleasure were real or feigned. After all, they were paid to please their clients. But Lydia was a highborn lady, and a virgin. He just hoped he could make this pleasant enough for her she’d let him visit her room again. And again…

He glanced at his copy of the Kama Sutra. The book recommended waiting ten days before consummating the marriage. Bloody hell. He could no more wait ten more days to make her his wife than he could fly to the moon. He wanted her. Now. Badly.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door between their rooms and knocked. He let out his breath when she bade him enter. He found her perched on the edge of the bed in the red sari, but looking pale and apprehensive.

He sat on the side of the bed and took her hands in his. "You wore the red sari. I wasn’t sure if you would."

She gave him a sheepish look. "I almost didn’t. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to put it on again, but I finally figured it out. I think."

"Stand up and let me see."

She rose and turned in a circle, all the while clutching the waist with one hand. "I don’t know how well it will stay on."

"No matter,” he said, kissing one hand. "I am looking forward to removing it."

"Evan,” she exclaimed.

He raised an eyebrow. "What did your mother tell you to expect on your wedding night?"

Lydia flushed and glanced away. "Very little actually. She said to lie back and let you take charge."

He sighed and reached out to touch her face and turn it to him. "I’d really prefer it if you participated in what we’re about to do. It is much more pleasurable that way. Like it was when you kissed me back, like you did at Zahra’s. And in the carriage."

She gave him a tentative smile. "If that’s what you want."

"What I want is you naked and writhing in my arms."

I'll be back here on Thursday with a blog about the Kama Sutra.  And don't miss the Secret Santa Blog Hop, going on now! Details on the blog hop and my mini-tour, with giveaways, are at Lyndi's Love Notes.

Lyndi Lamont
http://www.lyndilamont.com/ReluctantBride.html
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/LyndiLamont

New release: TOVA'S DRAGON by Lyndi Lamont

Tova's Dragon
by Lyndi Lamont

I'm really excited about my new release from Amber Heat. Tova's Dragon is fantasy romance featuring a handsome dragon shifter, sex magic and an epic battle between good and evil. It's part of the Riding The Dragon AmberPax from AmberHeat: five dragon shifter stories sold together.

Blurb:

Tova, an earth mage, rejuvenates through sex magic. She's on a mission to save her homeland, but her magical energy is running low--closing in on empty. How is she to know the handsome half-naked man she encounters is not only a condemned man, but also a dragonshifter? Talk about hot and steamy sex. And nothing is simple after that...

Kane has always loved Velosian women and their sex magic. Tova's warmth stirs his passions and her courage touches his heart, but he dreads telling her of his true nature, certain she will recoil. But Tova is made of sterner stuff.

Together, Kane and Tova have the power to save Velosia. If they survive, can an earth mage find happiness with a dragonshifter? In a land where sex and magic are intertwined, anything may be possible.

Excerpt: (PG-13)

Tova awoke to find herself on a soft bed wrapped in the embrace of a very hot, very aroused man. She opened her eyes and looked around the dimly lit chamber. “Where am I?”

“In my cave. You fell and hit your head.”

She squirmed around to stare at the man, and it all came back to her—the climb up the mountain, the lightning storm, being guided to the cave, and falling in the tunnel. “Your cave,” she repeated. “And you are?”

“I am Kane.”

Why did his name sound so familiar? She studied the face just inches from her own. He was older than she, perhaps in his third decade. Long black hair hung down to his shoulders and his eyes were a warm shade of amber under straight black brows. Her gaze dropped to sensual lips above a cleft chin. He was handsome as sin and naked to the waist. A shiver traveled up her spine and her heartbeat increased.

Around his neck he wore a heavy gold chain with a large, luminous pearl dangling from it. When she reached out to touch the pearl, she sensed power radiating from it, from him. “It was you who guided me to the cave, was it not? I thank you.”

“It was my pleasure, daughter of earth.”

She smiled at the apt nickname. “I am called Tova Svensdottir.”

“How are you feeling, Mistress Tova?”

She assessed the situation. Though she was warmer, her head still hurt and her energy was depleted. Self-healing would take a long time in this state. “Weak, a feeling I can ill afford.”

“Where were you headed in such a hurry?” he asked, his voice casual. “What on earth brought you to my mountain?”

She hesitated, not certain whether or not to trust him. Mutti Zee’s instructions echoed in her head. “I seek the Lord of Drakkenberg.”

Kane raised his brows. “You have come to the right place, though the old lord is dead.”

Suddenly, she realized who he was and scooted away from him.’Twas just her luck to be rescued by the most feared outlaw in the land. “Please do not hurt me, Kane of Drakkenberg.”

With a sigh, he rose from the bed, clad only in his breeches and hose. “I would never hurt you, Lady Tova. I am not the monster legend depicts me. Well, not entirely.”

Genres: Fantasy / Shapeshifter / Fairy Tales / Witchcraft / Magic
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words)
Buy Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TovasDragon.html

Lyndi Lamont
website: http://www.lyndilamont.com/home.html

New Release from Lyndi Lamont

Deception
by Lyndi Lamont

Genres: Gay / Historical / The Arts / Series
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words)
ISBN-13: 978-1-61124-163-1 (Electronic)
Cover art © 2011 by Trace Edward Zaber

Author's website: http://www.lyndilamont.com

Blurb:

London 1895, where men who love other men flaunt convention and risk imprisonment for "the love that dare not speak its name." Until Oscar Wilde goes on trial for gross indecency...

An anonymous and intriguing invitation leads struggling artist, Leander Frampton, into a private world of sensuality with a stranger in an elaborate black and gold costume. When the masks come off, Leander rediscovers the lover he's dreamed of for the last two months. The man who abruptly left him in the middle of the night. Now Rupert Austin has returned, inspiring Leander's art and filling him with desire. Thinking he has found both muse and patron, Leander gives all he has: his heart, his body, his talent. But Rupert is as elusive and evasive as ever, appearing and disappearing in Leander's life, with little explanation.

Forbidden passions lure Rupert Austin, an outwardly staid art importer, into a secret life where he is free to pursue his love of handsome young men. Past loss makes him shy away from involvement, but he is unable to resist Leander's talent, youthful beauty and enthusiasm. Rupert arranges for a private showing of Leander's work, but that doesn't mean he trusts Leander with all of his secrets, especially after risky public sex that could have landed them in jail.

Two very different men—one, a businessman, with a great deal to lose and a taste for secret liaisons with beautiful men, and the other a young, gifted artist who will give his all to the right man. Will deception destroy any possibility for a once-in-a-lifetime passion for these passionate lovers?

Excerpt:

...“Let’s walk on the pier,” Rupert suggested when Leander had finished his sketch. “At least it’s sheltered.”

“All right. We were lucky to have such fine weather today. It seems like it always rains on Sundays.”

Rupert laughed as Leander closed his sketchbook and slipped his pencil into his pocket. He followed Rupert to the entrance of the pier, where he paid their toll. It was warmer on the pier, thanks to the windscreen. He moved closer and brushed his arm against Rupert’s, just for a second. He envied the men and women who strolled arm-in-arm along the pier, exchanging fond glances, unaware of how it felt to be unable to do so.

“We should run away,” he said.

Rupert chuckled. “Where do you propose we go?”

Leander frowned. “I don’t know. A tropical island far from civilization?”

Rupert’s brows angled upward. “And do what? Live on fish and coconuts?”

“Why not? What’s stopping us?”

Rupert shook his head. “You spin a nice fantasy, but truth is, we’d both be bored out of our minds in a week. No theater, no books, no culture.”

“Of course,” Leander agreed, though he doubted he’d grow bored so fast. Not as long as he had Rupert and his sketchbook. He turned away and fought down his disappointment. He was in danger of falling in love with Rupert, but the feeling didn’t appear to be reciprocated.

* * *

Just before sunset, they wandered along the beach toward the old chain pier. Rupert shivered from the cold wind off the ocean. They had stopped earlier to book a hotel room, and he was ready to return, but Leander seemed reluctant to leave the beach. Still, Rupert was glad they’d come. The excursion had meant a lot to his young companion. He’d filled several pages in his sketchbook and talked of ideas for new paintings. Nature might be uncomfortable at times, but it was beautiful and inspiring.

By the time they reached the old pier, they were the only ones left on this part of the beach. The sunset had turned the sky shades of red and orange, and the timbers of the decrepit structure were silhouetted in black against the brilliant colors. “What a painting that would make.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Leander said. “I’ll get to work on it when we return to London.”

“Too bad you left your sketchbook at the hotel.”

Leander turned to face him. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t forget.”

“How can you be sure?”

Leander smiled. “I have an excellent memory. Once I’ve seen something, I can draw it down to the smallest detail.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

Leander shrugged modestly. “I’ve always been able to do that.”

“No wonder you’re such a talented artist.”

Leander grabbed his arm and steered him into the shadows under the pier. “That’s not all I’m talented at,” he whispered before grabbing Rupert’s head and pressing a kiss on his lips.

Rupert opened his mouth to protest, and Leander slid his tongue inside, tasting and exploring. Rupert groaned and kissed him back. This was madness, dangerous madness, but he was unable to resist. He wrapped his arms around Leander’s waist and pulled him closer.

“We need to stop,” Rupert gasped between kisses.

“Shut up,” Leander said before taking his mouth again.

He let one hand slide down Rupert’s torso to his waist. Before Rupert knew it, Leander was expertly unbuttoning his trousers. He tried to pull back, but Leander tightened his grip on Rupert’s neck.

Rupert’s protests were silenced by Leander’s tongue in his mouth. Rupert knew all he had to do was push the smaller man away, but his mouth and hands felt too good. For the next few minutes, he forgot how to think, how to talk, as Leander’s hand stroked and teased his prick.

“Are you going to come?”

“Yes,” Rupert groaned.

Leander fell to his knees, took Rupert’s cock in his hands and drew the tip into his mouth...

Copyright 2011 by Lyndi Lamont

buy link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Deception.html

Recipe: Brown Sugar Berry Cobbler

Also known as what I made for desert tonight. =)

Unlike most cobbler recipes I've made before, this one is diverse in using different berries -- whatever you like -- and it uses brown sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 to 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar, divided (depends on how sweet berries are)
2 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 3/4 pounds mixed berries (strawberries should be trimmed and halved if used)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (3-quart).

Stir together 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add berries and toss to coat. Transfer mixture to baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps of butter. Add milk and stir until the dough just comes together.

Remove baking dish from oven and drop 12 mounds of dough onto hot berries, spacing them evenly apart. Mix together remaining teaspoon brown sugar and granulated sugar and sprinkle all over dough. Bake the cobbler until topping is golden and feather-light, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool until warm, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6. Enjoy!

Thank you!

Isabella Jordan
http://theromancestudio.com

Conference decompression & contest

I’m back after a great experience at the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get Together in Cincinnati this weekend. It was wonderful to connect with readers and other authors as well as network with industry professionals such as editors and agents.

For me, a conference like this provides a rare opportunity. So many times, I feel like I’m working in a vacuum. I attend conferences a couple of times a year but the rest of the time, I work in almost solitary confinement within the walls of my home office. It’s a dream life but it can make you wonder if anyone out there is aware of your stories or cares.

That feeling also goes with the items chosen for giveaways and in promotional pursuits. I’ve tried them all over the years - magnets (nicknamed “those cheesy magnets” by me) which caused a distressing black powder to litter everything that came within 100 feet of them, sample booklets and CDs, flyers, postcards, bookmarks and pens. Most of the time, I wonder if people even look at any of these things, much less keep them.

All this stuff that can cost hundreds even thousands of dollars comes under the label of “swag.” Is the “swag” I’ve chosen clogging up the landfills? In people’s closets gathering dust-bunnies? I didn’t have an answer and mostly tried not to think about it to keep the depression at bay, especially when I come home from a conference.

Imagine my surprise then when I learned late last night of a video up on uTube that addresses and embraces the good and the bad of conference freebies. Double that surprise to learn that my unheralded pens are mentioned as well.

So, maybe I’m not laboring in obscurity after all. Watch it and then come back and post what your favorite freebie item is. Out of the posters, I will pick a winner to receive the full, untouched goody bag given to every attendee at the Lori Foster event. Let’s talk!

Conference Prep - Trixie style

I’m getting ready to go to a conference this weekend (the Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together in Cincinnati, Ohio) where I'll be signing copies of Trixie's Treats, IV and The Martian Affair (read about them here). As is usual though, I’ve left things to the last minute.

There are two parts to conference prep. Part A is the business side: bookmarks, pens and other goodies to hand out, which I always have on hand.

It’s the personal side that is my Waterloo. I can’t speak for other authors, but the fact is my glamorous writing life consists of ragged shorts, holey t-shirts and generally scruffy disinterest in my personal appearance. So, here I am a mere two days before the conference (one if you consider I’m driving up to Cincinnati on Thursday) and it has just occurred to me that I need to check my “author outfits” for dust-bunnies and pet hair.

As I sit here blowing the too-long bangs out of my face, I also realize that it will now be impossible to get an appointment with my normal beauty consultant, who is booked well in advance and probably vacationing at the beach this week.

Then there’s the underwear or lack thereof. Now, before you say, “TMI, TMI”. I don’t mean I don’t have underwear. Of course I have underwear but not UNDERWEAR. You know, the kind that makes us feel powerful, successful and confident. (Does such a thing exist? If so, have I ever had it? No, I think I’m superimposing life as a Victoria Secret commercial over my reality, which is the kind of underwear that comes in bulk packages, lasts about 126 washings and has elastic bands that have to be pinned in place with industrial safety pins.)

But it isn’t just about clothes. What about that rarest of items – makeup? The last time I bought any of that stuff, Bill Clinton was turning things over to George W. Bush. When was the last time I wore that stuff? Normally, I take it with me, then because I oversleep or just plain forget, never remember to wear it. Has it ever been unpacked from the suitcase? Wait a minute, while I go check. Tick, tick, tick…

Okay, so, we have to schedule a stop somewhere that sells underwear, makeup and has a hair stylist on demand. Talk about impossible tasks!

Oh well, hope all of those that live in or near Cincinnati, stop by and say hello. There’s a link to the conference here.

Also, I’ll be making updates on Facebook and Twitter this weekend for those who can’t check it out in person! If you come to the Saturday book-signing, just mention you read this blog for free gift from my bag of goodies!