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I love Stacia Kaywood! She is so multi-faceted as a writer and she is an AMAZING one at that. She writes in several genres and is stellar in each one. Stacia is has a new book out right now under another pseudonym, so let’s catch up on Desk-Capades and more with her!

What inspired Desk-Capades?

Desk-Capades was inspired by my own curiosity of what it would be like to date a much younger man, while throwing in the salaciousness of the boss/co-worker experience.

This story is contemporary, but I know you love historical. What are the differences and similarities in writing both genres?

Both genres come down to the human experience. Take any time period and people are fundamentally the same. It is the outside influences that mark the distinction between historical and contemporary. I like historical as an escape from the daily grind of current life. While contemporary is easier to write as first person, it allows me to explore current life in a way historical does not.

You also write paranormal–which is how I found you on Medium! Talk about that process.

Paranormal was a guilty pleasure of mine. While I am no expert in the genre, I have had so many real-life paranormal experiences, I wanted to bring them to life through my stories. Specifically, what would happen if a ghost was plaguing you and he happened to be a sexy ghost. My process for writing Haunting Jasmine has been a lot of what ifs that I found ways to answer. I am looking forward to finishing the series and making it into a novel.

You are the second teacher I have talked to, how does that affect or not affect your writing?

Being a teacher is limiting in some ways. I could not publish under my given name due to the nature of my novels intended for adult audiences and especially because of the extra spicy content under my Erin Stacey pen. Because of the current political environment in my state especially, when politicians are more interested in banning books than reading them, I feel the threat towards my profession more keenly. So there are two sides to me that I keep mostly separate. Though, I am feeling more like a writer these days than an educator.

What is on the horizon for Erin Stacey/Stacia Kaywood?!

There is a lot on the horizon for both pens. Under Erin Stacey, Temp-Tations, a second erotic romance will be released this November. And I am currently drafting the third novella taking place in the same universe called Sin-Tern. I hope to release that in December. Stacia Kaywood has been extra busy. My publisher currently has Stealing Annabelle and will hopefully publish at the beginning of 2025. It is my first Regency Romance, which was incredibly fun to write. I am currently drafting the second book in the Belles and Rogues series called Forgetting Francine. I should also complete Haunting Jasmine this summer, to released in October 2025.

Get your copy of Desk-Capades here!

Let me tell you it is hard to interview yourself! But I have not ONE, but TWO books that were released yesterday and today so here goes!!! The links for the books will be at the end!

How did you get involved with The Cards of Passion series?

The AWESOME Dr. J asked me if I wanted to be involved and I never had a question. I was in another anthology with her and Mischa Eliot and was immediately like sign me up! I wanted the adventure whatever it was going to be. Plus with writing opportunities, I never say no.

Tell us all about Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Lux, my protagonist, works with sex toys but never used them. She got one while on a work trip abroad and it malfunctioned on her. Ironically, she finds the company has a storefront near her. I don’t want to say too much more because it is not a linear plot, but everything that follows is sensual and erotic. My card from the Cards of Passion deck was stunning and as soon as I saw it, the seeds of my story stirred up from nothing in my imagination.

Lux works with sex toys and writes erotica–you write erotica. Do you ever think about it “mechanically” as she said? Ever feel burned out?

Once I felt like everything was so saturated with sex for me as far as writing and it spilled into my life, creating a creative desert for me. I did not want to write anything. But then I came back writing more than ever! I embrace burnout because the other side is usually amazing. I’m a writer after all, I love to do it.

How did you get involved with BIG BAD WOLF II?

Maybe because I was in BBW I? I’m being silly. As soon as my friends, Sunny A. Morgan and Skylar Quinn asked me to write a story for the first volume (of which all of the proceeds go to the NY Wolf Conservation Center), I was in. I love fairy tales and dark ones at that. I wrote about Cherry for both books.

Tell us about Cherry!

Cherry, like her author, loves fairy tales–well waaaay more than me. But she has also had a lot of trauma in her life. She was headed to her grandmother’s house with cake and wine in the first story and let’s just say we all know what Little Red Riding Hood is like…so…it’s a super modern twist and very erotic. Exactly what I like to write!

Both stories have a lot of red, the cover of Satisfaction Guaranteed, your character’s name is Cherry in the BBW books…

I did not even realize how much red there was! But it is a beautiful, passionate color. I look at red and feel something – I am sure most of us FEEL something looking at red things. Red is blood, hearts, spicy food. Just a good color!

What is next for Leonora?

I have a few projects in the works–will announce anything cool I do here. I write on Medium a lot and I am happy to be blogging here more. I started this blog to do an introduction meme for a conference I was going to over ten years ago–it’s special to me.

I am SO excited to host Kaitlin on her release day. I love the enemies to lovers trope and she managed to include so many other details that have me ENTHRALLED!!! I’ll let her tell you all about The Cartomancer’s Curse.

How did you get involved with the Cards of Passion series?

Dr. J invited me to join after we worked together through Rosy Wellness. Unbeknownst to her, I was feeling stuck on what my writing critique group calls my “Swamp Situation”―the swampy queernorm dark fantasy novel that I daydream about and neglect in equal measure—and I was excited to divert my attention to a shorter, cozier project.

Tell us all about The Cartomancer’s Curse!

I’m really big on writing queernorm fantasy (I just wrote this post explaining what queernorm writing is—and M/F stories can be queernorm, too!). This novella is queernorm, it’s sapphic enemies-to-lovers, it’s cozy, it’s spicy, and it’s magical!! All the major food groups, haha. Meridian is a grumpy psychic who needs to learn that a partner can take true, selfish pleasure in her pleasure. Her defenses are high because she’s been hurt in the past, so she pushes away her sunshine counterpart, Wren. The universe rolls its eyes and curses the two women, and Meridian gets thrown into a reluctant enemies-to-lovers arc with the hot thief who keeps saying she wants to tie Meridian up.

The psychic ability to taste people’s desire? Molasses? Tell me more!

Okay, so my initial drafts of things tend to be overly abstract, so I was trying to turn Meridian’s ability into something concrete. I wrote a draft with her able to taste desires on an absolute whim for an unrelated flash fiction contest called Writing Battle. I believed I was having a fun romp and would then figure out the real story later. But it turns out it was *too* fun, and I had to keep going! So then I started smelling a lot of spices and tea and food―even metal!—to decide what they meant.

Molasses in particular has a special place in my heart. I find it to be a strange-yet-compelling combination of earthy and sweet, and it was introduced to me as a good ingredient for oatmeal by my loving partner in real life, so I associate it with them, too. When Meridian tasted it on Wren, I had a vague feeling about what desire it represented, but couldn’t put my finger on it until I was almost done with the draft. I was writing Meridian having an epiphany about it, and then *I* had an epiphany about it at the same time as her! But to find out what it means, you’ll have to read the book 🙂

This is a particularly adversarial enemies-to-lovers story—what inspired you?

I love to read adversarial enemies-to-lovers arcs, so I knew I had to write one. I think it creates really interesting power dynamics, including opportunities for sexy bondage (my favorite). It brings out the heat between characters! Unfortunately, I mostly see enemies-to-lovers stories that are M/F, and while I love those too, I want to bring that dynamic into F/F more.

What is next for Kaitlin Schmidt—editor and author?

As a writer, now that I’m done with the novella, I’m knee-deep in the Swamp Situation again. (I love it.) I also hope to write a Part 2 to The Cartomancer’s Curse featuring Riley, a character with their own secrets who gets introduced in the current book (and they may or may not be in love with both Wren and Meridian).

As a freelance editor, I absolutely love working with indie authors (now booking for late fall and winter!). I like copyediting and proofreading especially (though I also offer higher-level edits) and am primarily seeking genre fiction, especially fantasy, romance, LGBTQ+, or all three combined.

Cannot wait to read this story and you should not either–here is the link!! 

Vance made Eliza feel like a queen. He had made love to her and made her body feel like she was floating. As new lovers often were, they were insatiable for each other.

Sitting on the hotel bed in his shirt like he had asked her to, she picked up her phone while he took a shower in the lavish shower where they had aleady made love. She peed on him just a little when a sudden shock of hot water hit her spine while they were in there.

Her sister Jeanne sent her pictures of Bibi. Her daughter was getting so big and her sister looked so happy with her. Her sister and Eliza’s ex who were such a happy couple that Eliza was glad she had gotten over that flurry of emotions when she first found out about them.

Eliza felt calm knowing Bibi was okay, but what was happening between her and Rafe was something separate. He had texted her and she bit her lip. She could not imagine what he was texting her about and she was not ready for it. Oscar had texted her as well. 

But it was Vance coming out of the shower that made her put her phone down again. He was hard and she wanted him inside of her. She could not look at him without wanting him. They had been intimate enough in the past hours that they did not feel like strangers anymore. Eliza kissed Vance with longing and vulnerability as he pulled her underneath him. His shirt slipped underneath her ass as he spread her legs and kissed her clit before he licked it. She pulled at the sheets and bit her tongue as he ate her out. Her low growl made him even more fierce in pleasuring her. With his honing in on her ultimate release, she cried out.

”I’m going to come, but I want you inside of me when I do.”

“Whatever the queen wants…” he teased.

Eliza bit her lip. Him saying that almost made her come. But waiting as he got a condom from the seemingly endless supply by the bed, Eliza grunted along with him as he entered her. If his tongue felt good inside of her, his dick felt even better and knowing inside of her. Her hips were wild as they moved together moving as one.

Her orgasm burst like flames and Eliza did not even remember much as she lie beside him after the eruption. She picked up her phone again. Still messages from Rafe and Oscar, but Eliza only looked at the one from Jeanne to see her daughter. 

When she put her phone down, the mounds of her breasts spread sensitively as she slipped her hands between her legs.

Wet and still eager.

She was still the queen for the day–whatever she wanted.

Eliza wanted Vance. His naked torso inches from hers before she licked his shoulder blade not caring if she woke him up. 

If she was queen for the day she was going to take royal advantage.

More Revelations here

Read more from me on Medium and Vocal

featured image via Pexels by Maria Helena Mazuroski