AUTHOR BRITA ADDAMSI apologize for posting this so late. It completely slipped my mind with all that’s going on in my house. BUT, without going into my messy life, please welcome author, Brita Addams, into the moonlight today! Brita is the author of
Serenity’s Dream, published by
Noble Romance Publishing on June 21st. To learn more about Brita, please visit her
here.
Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff…
GRACEN: When you stop to consider trends and traditions, June marks a time of beginnings (marriages, commencements). What about you, any weddings, anniversaries or graduations to attend this month?
BRITA: My son in law and best girlfriend celebrate their birthdays this month but nothing else. All have graduated and none married in June, though early in July our son celebrates his 10th anniversary. Of course, my book comes out on June 21st, so that is pretty memorable!
GRACEN: A book release is a very memorable event, Brita. Congratulations! While April 22nd marks Earth Day, June 5th is World Environment Day. What will you do to celebrate our environment?
BRITA: I read a lot of e-books rather than paper! (smile)
GRACEN: Speaking of the environment, do you strive to be more energy efficient or more environmentally conscious?
BRITA: This is tricky, because the country is trending in this direction more all the time. We keep our air conditioner set at a comfortable level and we have energy efficient appliances. We don't litter and we recycle.
GRACEN: What traits make the men in your life good father figures?
BRITA: I'm blessed with a husband, son, son-in-law and future son-in-law who truly love the women in their lives and aren't afraid to show it. They are all caring, strong, intelligent men who aren't afraid to show their softer side when appropriate. In the case of my husband and my son-in-law, they each have a son, one grown and then our grandson. As fathers, they are loving, tactile men who love to talk and laugh with their sons. They've each taken their responsibility as 'shaper of the man' in their sons. A really quick story: When my children were growing up, they had gotten to the point when the two older kids were arguing between themselves and consequently, giving me a rough time. When my husband got home from work, we had a family meeting. Clint is a fairly quiet man so he made short work of the situation. He pointed to my son and older daughter and told them, "Look if you can't act with respect toward your mother, you WILL respect my wife!" That was the end of the arguments and their "lip" toward me. The idea was teaching them how to treat others with respect.
Years later, my daughter married a man who is quite similar to my husband in many ways. My daughter called me laughing one day and told me that her husband had told our grandson the exact same thing. I love it!
Our son is the father of a daughter and he shows her and her mother respect and love. He is the kind of daddy that my husband was to him and his sisters.
Will you do anything special to celebrate these men? We do so every day by telling how much we love them and appreciate them.
GRACEN: While the summer solstice occurs on June 21st, warmer weather usually arrives earlier than that, encouraging people to get out and enjoy the weather. What activities do you usually start in June?BRITA: The air conditioner usually runs a bit more. We live in southern Louisiana so you don't get a break from the heat and humidity. We are really inside people. This year we will be celebrating on the 21st, as that is my book release day.
GRACEN: While people generally clean in spring, they need to do something with all the stuff the find they do not need. If it isn’t given away or donated, many people have rummage or estate sales. What about you, do you like to hit the rummage sales on a nice warm morning?
BRITA: I used to do garage sales many years ago, but I don't now. We downsized from a 4,600 square foot house to a 1,900 square foot condo two years ago. When we began packing for the move, we donated tons of 'stuff' to a charity that helps former drug addicts. It really helped us manage things. We donated many, many books to the library in our new town, which helped us to feel a part of our new home. I also have a five year rule. If I haven't used it in five years, I don't need it. It works beautifully. Except for keepsakes that is. You never use them but you can't part with them either.
GRACEN: In many areas, private community schools tend to schedule festivals and bazaars as fundraisers throughout the summer. What about your area? What kind of festivals and bazaars can be found and when will they occur?
BRITA: At the end of the summer there is a Frog Festival. We live in "The Frog Capital of the World" and that is celebrated with a festival. But then again so are strawberries, smoked sausage, alligators, rice, music and many other bazaar things. Louisiana finds a reason to celebrate anything. Oops, some crossed the street, let's have a festival!!
Just a minute – We are the Frog Capital of the World because years ago, before the town was built up as it is today, frogs were in abundance. There was a company that exported frogs to restaurants all over the world. Sardi's in New York bought all their frogs from this company and dubbed the frog's legs – The best in the world, from The Frog Capital of the World. It stuck and now when you drive through the town, you see frog murals, yard ornaments, even a large metal frog tipping his hat as you enter the town. Quaint but kind of neat at the same time.
GRACEN: Frog Capital of the World, huh? Interesting... Do you make appearances at them, or do you avoid them?BRITA: When we lived in the New Orleans area, we used to go to the Jazz and Heritage Festival. Then it got to the point where everyone else in the country had the same idea, and we stopped. Mardi Gras in another thing that we avoid like the plague.
GRACEN: Oooo…my favorite city to visit. I have a summer visit scheduled there in July and I cannot wait!!! So, tell me why or why you do or don’t avoid the bazaars or festivals?
BRITA: With the festivals, there are too many people and the cost is outrageous. It takes the enjoyment from the occasion. With Mardi Gras, once you've seen it, there isn't any reason to see it again. Not too much for getting my hands crushed to retrieve a worthless plastic string of beads. Ok, I'm a party pooper??
GRACEN: The weather in June seems to be a great mix in almost every state, and most people tend to plan vacations in June. What about you, are you a June traveler?
BRITA: We are travelers for sure and usually do travel in the summertime. However, we won't be traveling this summer.
GRACEN: If you are a traveler, where will you be going? If not, when do you prefer to travel and why? Where have you gone or will you be going this year?
BRITA: We won't be traveling at all this year but we are expecting family in October for our youngest daughter's wedding.
GRACEN: We’ve had our fun now, so let’s put the focus on your writing…While there are many genres to choose from, what specifically brought you to romance?BRITA: I had always read mostly history and biographies. I've spent many years working on my own genealogy and that of others. There is a lot romance involved in that work, when you uncover the family stories. I received two of Phillipa Gregory's books, "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "The Queen's Fool," which combined romance with history. Then I read her "Earthly Joys" and "Virgin Earth" and was completely sold on the concept of combining history and romance. I then sought out more historical romance and settled on Regency. I'm still there and I love it.
GRACEN: Why this genre over the others?
BRITA: I really enjoy the Regency era in British history, the social strictures and how it molded those who lived at that time. I've read hundreds of historical romances and can't imagine writing anything else. I love creating characters that know they should worry about what society will think and feel about what they might do. Some of the things that happen in Serenity's Dream could have gotten the participants hung but they flaunt the strictures.
GRACEN: Even though the popularity of the romance genre continues to grow, it’s still not always a highly respected genre. What, in your opinion, is the reason for the continued interest in the genre and for the lack of respect it receives?
BRITA: In one word – sex. There seems to be a perception that writing about sex automatically makes the novel easy to write (WRONG!!!) and makes the novel trashy. There are even blogs that allude to that in their names. I think it also has to do with the fact that most men won't read romances. I think if we researched it, we'd find that it was some man who first called them 'trashy.' A man I used to know quite well said to me recently, "Oh, you write those kind of books."
GRACEN: Those of us that write sex scene know writing sex is NOT easy to write and damn difficult compared to the action sequences. Earlier, we asked about what traits make the men in your life good father figures. Now, we want to know, have any of these men, or their traits, been inspiration for characters in your stories?
BRITA: My goodness, yes.
GRACEN: If so, which men, what characters and/or traits and why?
BRITA: I always give my heroes a little bit of my husband by way of his innate ability to nurture and never be afraid to show who he really is, which is quite sensitive and loving. We all know jackasses and I've extracted some of those traits as well.
I like men who are sensitive and in that way, I find them more masculine. My husband isn't afraid to say he loves me many times during every day and he tells my grown children the same all the time. He's taught all of us never to waste a chance to tell those closest to us how much we appreciate them.
GRACEN: For a writer, inspiration can be found everywhere and in almost anyone, but sometimes specific people, places and events can inspire certain characters, personality traits, events or situations that happen in our stories. In your current story that we’re promoting here today, Serenity's Dream, did any one particular person, place or event inspire you?
BRITA: The story wasn't particularly inspired by any person, place or event. I don't know anyone who owns a sex club or does the things that are involved in the story. However, being a very visual person, I always have a real person in mind to physically model my characters after.
GRACEN: If so who/what was it (were they), how did it/they inspire you and how is this inspiration reflected in your story? BRITA: In the case of the hero, Lucien Damrill, seems to me very much like Clark Gable. Gable was all man and had that "don't give a damn" attitude, very much like Lucien. By the way, Lucien was named from my family history. His first name was that of my husband's great grandfather and Damrill is in my father's family. John Stanhope Damrill was the first fire chief in Boston. He was my father's great-uncle.
I pictured Serenity as Scarlet O'Hara, in that she started out willful and ended up self-assured and quite loving. She isn't as flighty or flirtatious as Scarlet but I love Vivian Leigh and pictured Serenity quite like her.
Other than that, Serenity's Dream is totally a story created by me with no real inspiration, unlike many of my other stories.
GRACEN: Without giving away anything pertinent to the story, tell us about the hero and heroine (s) of your story.
BRITA: Lucien and Serenity married ten years before our story begins. She left him the day after they were married, having not enjoyed the consummation of their union. She was spoiled and willful and saw it as her right to up and leave. He didn't particularly care and so they lived apart for ten years.
When she returns, he doesn't trust her and she would have never returned if it hadn't been for someone threatening her freedom. She must convince Lucien she's back to be a good wife, but he doesn't believe her and so the story goes…
GRACEN: What do they look like?
BRITA: Lucien is tall, slim, with black hair that is liberally dosed with silver. He's forty years old, masterful, sexy and insatiably sexual, no nonsense. He is the younger son of nobility but a man who has made his own fortune and is proud of it. Serenity is tiny, well-built, very sexual. She's got chestnut hair and icy-blue eyes. She was a young girl when she married Lucien and when she returns, she is an experienced woman, who knows exactly what she wants.
GRACEN: How do they meet (or “did” if this is not the first book with these same characters)?
BRITA: Their meeting occurred before the book begins, as they have already been married and separated for ten years. There is the assumption that it was a marriage as was prescribed by society. She was a young miss and he in need of a wife. No real emotion there.
GRACEN: What are their personalities – Are they comical cut-ups, are they serious or are they a mix of the two?
BRITA: Lucien is a no nonsense guy who is always in control. Serenity is desperate at first for his protection. I can't say they are cut-ups, though they have their moments. Here is a brief snippet of a conversation she is having with Serenity about what she's heard about him:
Lucien laughed from his gut. “I am a machine? What in bloody hell does that mean?”
“Well, they said you, ah, you enjoyed bedding the ladies.”
“Well, I don’t mind saying I do, madam and since my wife has given me precious little of her sexual attention, I dare say there have been other ladies who have not felt so repulsed by my attentions.”
GRACEN: The main characters are usually great, but sometimes, secondary and tertiary characters are known to steal the scenes, even if the author did not intend this to happen. Who are the secondary/tertiary characters in your story and what do they look like?
BRITA: The 'main' secondary character is Prentice Hyde, Marquess of Wycroft. Think Tyrone Power with blond hair.
We also have Lady Amelie Foxworth, a bawdy widow and a brief appearance by the Duke of Thornhill.
GRACEN: What’s unique about them?
BRITA: Prentice is actually quite different from Lucien in that Prentice sees more of the fun in life as where Lucien is usually quite serious. Prentice was a fun character to write because he is so self-assured and knows exactly who he is and makes no apologies for it. In many ways he is patterned after my son. Their personalities are similar. Charming, outgoing and a definite presence.
Lady Foxworth is a great foil for Serenity and the duke makes two brief appearances but will hopefully be memorable.
GRACEN: What is their relationship to the hero/heroine?BRITA: He is Lucien's best friend, informal partner in the club and the man who helps Lucien solve some of the more major problems in his life.
Lady Foxworth had a business relationship with Lucien before Serenity returned. The duke is a member of the club with unusual sexual needs.
GRACEN: Have any of these characters gone on to become scene-stealers? If so, who and how did they do it?
BRITA: Prentice definitely has scene-stealer potential. He truly fills a room when he enters. It was because of that that he did get his own book, Lord Decadent's Obsession. That is the second book in The Sapphire Club series. That book will be out on July 19th.
The Duke of Thornhill, who doesn't have a given name in Serenity Dream, becomes Phillip Allard in Chocolate, Tea and The Duchess. That book is under contract and will be out later this year. It is a ménage story and was great fun to write.
BLURB:
In 1814 London, Serenity, the long-estranged wife of Lucien Damrill, suddenly reappears after she hears of the sex club he owns. Rumors of his insatiable sexual appetites warm her body and her mind. She says craves his spankings, and the ecstasy of his lovemaking. But is this the real reason she's back or is it a well-thought out ruse?
Lucien Damrill, though mistrustful, is willing to take her at her word and institutes a spanking regimen that Serenity simply adores. Lucien’s sexual abilities are beyond her wildest dreams and soon they fall into a frenzied, erotic life with “The Sapphire Club” as their backdrop.
Bliss doesn’t last nearly long enough however. When someone from her past suddenly appears, her deceit is uncovered and soon her husband’s skepticism is accompanied by all-out apathy. Can they overcome the obstacles and create the life of which Serenity dreams?
EXCERPT:
Serenity’s DreamBrita Addams
A somewhat disheveled Lucien Damrill entered the sanctified environs of his library, a well-outfitted cave for the bear he was becoming. It being Thursday, he’d just finished his usual session with Lady Amelie Foxworth, an insatiable beast of a woman, who could be thrashed bloody, fucked insensible and still beg for more. A more jaded woman he’d never met and he’d seen it all. He was tired, aroused and feeling rather beastly himself.
With a compelling need for the burn of his favorite libation, he walked directly to the rosewood sideboard and poured himself a generous measure of his finest French brandy. He turned to make his way to his desk when he was stopped in his tracks.
Before him, on a red and gold striped Hepplewhite chair sat someone whom he thought, nay, prayed never to see again. “How in bloody hell did you get in here?”
“Why, dear, is that any way to speak to your dearly beloved wife?”
Lucien cringed at the thought, feeling his aroused cock wither. “It is simply by an aberration that state exists between us. You are no more my wife than this glass is,” he spat out, holding up his cut-glass snifter with the figure of a nude woman as the stem.
“It may surprise you to learn I have returned and wish to make up for all of the years I have neglected you.”
Lucien affected a laugh, remembering how his beloved wife, the former Serenity Malin, had met him at the altar, stiffly consummated their union and promptly hied herself off to the country, where she’d resided uninterrupted for the last ten years.
“Serenity, dear, I have not felt neglected in the least. You really shouldn’t have troubled yourself with thoughts of my welfare, for I have given yours less thought than I would give a stranger. But wait, we are strangers, are we not?”
Serenity maintained a haughty mien. Lucien saw how her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. Knowing his wife wasn’t given to dramatic displays, he knew he’d struck a chord.
He would also have been blind had he not noticed that in ten years his wife had matured into a rather lovely woman. Her chestnut hair was stylishly coiffed, with curls framing her heart-shaped face and tendrils flowing from the loose knot at the back of her head. Her breasts were nearly overflowing her bodice, making Lucien imagine releasing them from their bonds and burying his face between them. He quickly dismissed his licentious thoughts, remembering who this woman was and why he held not a single pleasant thought concerning her.
“I am serious, Lucien, I wish to be a real wife to you. That’s why I have come back.” He felt her icy blue eyes follow him as he paced the room.
“It would have nothing to do with the fact I am now wealthy and you wish to relieve me of some of my wealth?”
“How can you say such things? You have always provided for my needs and I could ask for no more.”
“Then why are you really here?”
“I have heard things about you and they intrigue me.”
Lucien laughed again. “It seemed nothing about me ever intrigued you before. Why now?”
“Oh, but you are wrong, my dear. You have always fascinated me, but just recently I learned about the club and what you do here.”
“The club? You have come back because of the club? Serenity, I have owned The Sapphire Club for five years and you have just heard of it? I must see to it my man of business does a better job of spreading the word.” He was more suspect than ever since the club wasn’t news, unless of course, one had been living under a rock for five years.
“I was attending a house party in Yorkshire and overheard some gentlemen talking. They said some very provocative things, and I was fascinated to say the least.”
“Provocative, you say. Such as?”
“Well, it would seem they were under the impression you ‘blister arses and fuck ‘em insensible.’ That’s an exact quote.”
Lucien chuckled at hearing his once prim and proper wife cursing like a gob in a sleazy tavern. “Yes, that’s what I do, among other things and I have a very satisfying life doing so. I fail to see how that would be impetus for you to return to hearth and home.”
“Well, when I learned of such things, I found I was curious. If you would perform such services for others, would you offer the same to me?”
If incredulity had a face, it would have been that of Lucien Damrill, for he was undoubtedly the very definition at that moment. “You wish to have your lily-white derriere paddled? My dear, pardon my foray down the path of skepticism, but as I recall, you had no interest in getting naked with me for any reason, a slight omission on your part when you accepted my marriage proposal, as I recall.”
“I will admit I was willful.” That earned her a loud snort. “I was wrong and I am willing to admit it. Many years have passed between then and now. I have changed. Then to hear you were so, ah, adventuresome, I simply couldn’t believe what I had heard.”
Feeling his deuced body betraying him as he spoke, he continued to pace, albeit somewhat less comfortably. “I have created a place where people can come to fulfill their sexual fantasies. As you can see, I have done well, by myself, I will add. Why would I want to have you around my neck, when I worked so hard to forget I even had a wife?”
“I wish to be treated like one of your clients, Lucien. I wish to submit to you completely. I yearn for your discipline and I wish to your satisfy your sexual needs. I am desirous of being all you would wish in a wife. I have much to make up for.”
“What has brought about this change of heart? You must admit it is suspect.”
“I have been lonely all of these years. When I heard you owned a club where people could go to see their sexual fantasies become reality, I realized I have needs and wish to have them fulfilled. Who better to do that than my own husband?”
“You have sexual needs, Serenity? I find that extremely difficult to believe. You had no use for my cock in the time, albeit one night, we lived together in the holy state of matrimony. I have suspected you found your own fulfillment elsewhere in the time we have been apart.”
“Have you, Lucien?”
“I’m a man, what would you think?” He waved his arm and sloshed some of his precious brandy onto the red, cream and blue Aubusson carpet.
“I have never begrudged you. I know I’ve not been a true wife to you, but I wish to change, if you will let me.”
“So what you are telling me is you wish to be a wife to me in exchange for having your fantasies become realities?”
“Yes, dear. I believe you would find I am willing to do anything you ask. I have thought long and hard about this and I find the more I think of it the more I wish I’d never left you.”
“This would have nothing to do with wanting children would it, because I have no interest in such things.”
“No, Lucien, I am past my childbearing years; I was thirty on my last birthday. I gave up that dream about the same time I walked away from you and our marriage. I wish to come back and be a part of the life you have established for yourself.”
Lucien’s head was pounding from the long hours he’d put in at the club and most particularly from the conversation he was having with his wife. Traitorously, his cock had heard every word, too, damn it.
It was most unexpected she should suddenly appear, here, at The Sapphire Club. Somehow he’d never imagined that would happen.
“Yes, I would imagine my wealth would appeal to you. The country estate wasn’t enough to entice you to remain there?”
“Lucien, don’t be cruel. I understand you don’t trust me, but I swear to you, I am telling you the truth. I only wish to be your wife in every sense and I ask you allow me to demonstrate my sincerity.”
“Fine, if that’s what you wish, bend over the sofa and show me how sincere you really are.”
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Dreamshield (Alysa Braceau) studied social work and is a freelance journalist who writes for newspapers and magazines. She has a Healing Practice and gives workshops about the Art of Mastering Conscious Dreaming and Dream Healing.
