See Me is Available Now

I'm thrilled to announce my latest release, an erotic short titled, See Me, is now available from Samhain. Here is the blurb:

Through the eyes of desire…

These days, Lydia is feeling increasingly restless, and tired of being invisible. No one at work notices the nose-to-the-grindstone colleague dressed in business drab. Her neighbors don’t even know her name.

No one knows she burns off her frustration by dancing to her favorite music, alone in her apartment. No one knows her closet is a wardrobe divided: monochrome and flats by day, silk and stilettos by night. No one knows her secret ritual has slowly evolved into private stripping…then dancing naked on her tiny balcony, daring someone—anyone—to notice.

Then, at the apartment across the way, the curtains move.

Wes can’t believe what he’s been missing by working the night shift. He is drawn to the amazing woman whose every sensual move makes his body ache. And when she catches him watching, the evening explodes into an erotic fantasy. Afterward, though, she confesses she’s not all she seems. No way is this fiery siren as boring and unlovable as she claims.

And no way is he going to let her go without convincing her she is brave, beautiful…and the face he wants to see every morning.

And a short excerpt:

I feel more daring than usual tonight. Today’s snub pushed me over the edge. I reach for the red demi-bra I’d ordered online but hadn’t even tried on yet. I slip my arms through the slender straps and snug it up under my breasts. After I hook it behind my back, I step in front of the full-length mirror.

The push-up bra fits perfectly, tight enough around my ribs to notice, but not enough to restrict my movements. I wouldn’t want to do that. My heart beats a little faster as I see the way the cups stop just short of my nipples. They’ve beaded quite nicely as they peek over the top, obviously looking forward to brushing intimately against whatever garment I choose for tonight’s performance.

I don’t know why I bothered with the panties. They’re soaked already.

Some nights I linger here in my safe closet, taking my time while deciding which dress to wear. I love to run my hands over the various textures, the different colors, debating necklines and hemlines. But tonight I’m anxious to get started. Ready to crank up the music and feel the blood pulsing through my veins again.

The silk wrap dress will be perfect. The fabric slides sensuously against my skin as I slip my hands through the armholes and draw it up my back and over my shoulders. The long sleeves are tight, an erotic binding along my arms. When I wrap the bodice over my breasts, my nipples send tingles of delight shooting straight between my legs. I tie the sash tightly at my waist. Quivers of anticipation dance in my stomach.

Now for the shoes.

I love shoes. My mood, my attitude can change completely depending upon the shoes I put on my feet. I stand in front of the rows of pumps and sandals and boots in colors to match every outfit hanging beside them. It’s a toss-up between the red sandals with the half-dozen skinny straps that hug my foot like a lover’s hand or the red pumps with the sparkly bling on the heels and toes. I hold them up to the light and the bling wins. I step into them, and my muscles stretch and tremble in anticipation.

I practiced for hours before I could actually dance in four-inch heels. I could barely toddle around my living room for the first few weeks. But now I don’t even have to think about it and the way they make my legs look, long and lean, is so worth it.

I turn to catch my reflection in the mirror. My dark, heavy hair is still clipped up, but stray ringlets have escaped around my face. I trade out my tiny pearl earrings for some shiny silver ones that dangle almost to my shoulders. I add some dramatic make-up, deep ruby lips and creamy blush, thick mascara and bold eyeliner. My nipples poke at the silk, my skin shimmers beneath the light. Some days I think I must have a split personality. No one at The Information Station would recognize me now. Sometimes I don’t recognize myself.

Or is it the mousy phone rep with the boring wardrobe that I don’t recognize? When did I become her? How did it happen? I run my hands over my body and push the questions away. There’s no time for deep thoughts right now. I’m restless and ready for action.

You can buy a copy through Samhain's My Bookstore and More.
Or through Amazon.

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

SEE ME - Coming Nov 23rd

It's been over a year since I've had a new release from Samhain (not counting the print anthology BINDING TIES, which included my novella, BOUND BY DESIGN, which was released as an e-book in September of 2009.) So I'm thrilled to announce my next release, an erotic short story titled SEE ME.

The idea started with a title. And not the title that ended up on the cover. There have been so many books lately with titles like THE ALCHEMIST, THE ALIENIST, THE REINCARNATIONIST, etc. that I thought what would a story called THE EXHIBITIONIST be like? What kind of woman would be an exhibitionist and why? The story took on a lot of different twists and turns, points of view and tenses. It ended up as first person, present tense and while my editor said it was a risk, she agreed it was the best way to tell this story.

I hope readers agree.

So as a little preview, this is the blurb:

These days, Lydia is feeling increasingly restless, and tired of being invisible. No one at work notices the nose-to-the-grindstone colleague dressed in business drab. Her neighbors don’t even know her name.

No one knows she burns off her frustration by dancing to her favorite music, alone in her apartment. No one knows her closet is a wardrobe divided: monochrome and flats by day, silk and stilettos by night. No one knows her secret ritual has slowly evolved into private stripping…then dancing naked on her tiny balcony, daring someone—anyone—to notice.

Then, at the apartment across the way, the curtains move.

Wes can’t believe what he’s been missing by working the night shift. He is drawn to the amazing woman whose every sensual move makes his body ache. And when she catches him watching, the evening explodes into an erotic fantasy. Afterward, though, she confesses she’s not all she seems. No way is this fiery siren as boring and unlovable as she claims.

And no way is he going to let her go without convincing her she is brave, beautiful…and the face he wants to see every morning.

SEE ME releases November 23rd from Samhain.

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

Trying Something New

I write stories in all different lengths, short stories, novellas and full-length novels. Each length has its own challenges, and I enjoy writing each length. Sometimes it's my choice, but usually the story itself dictates the length and the way it needs to be told.

And sometimes it can take a while to figure it out.

One reason I love writing short is that I can try different things. A new sub-genre. A new voice. A new POV. Sometimes I do it to get the creative juices going when I seem to be at a standstill. Sometimes I do it for the challenge. Sometimes it's because the story just needs to be told a different way.

My November release from Samhain, SEE ME, is one of those stories that started out with a flash of an idea and a lonely, frustrated woman who's merely trying to cope. It also is more of a straight erotic story, although is does have an uplifting ending and the heroine does change during the story because of the man she lets into her life.

I'm very pleased with the way the story turned out, but it went through several incarnations over the course of a year or so. There were times I wanted to give up on it, and I worked on other stories in between. But I kept coming back to it. I started writing it in first person, past tense and it was a very short story. Then I lengthened it and changed to third person. Finally I expanded it even more and went with the final version, in first person, present tense.

Here's a short exerpt:

I can’t remember when I first started stripping to the music, but I remember clearly the night I first pulled open the curtains before I began to take off my clothes. It was only a couple weeks ago, on my birthday, and I had been yearning, somehow, to connect with other people.

I’d still been timid fourteen days ago. That night, I’d drawn open the heavy curtain, but left the thin sheers closed. My heart had pounded against my ribs as I stripped down to my fancy black satin underwear to the rhythm of a salsa beat. I’d nervously stayed in the shadows that night, but I could have just as well been under a spotlight. It hadn’t mattered. There’d been no sliver of light to betray the movement of a curtain. Nobody saw me.

Day by day, I grew bolder.

Tonight, I step up to the curtains and yank them open without a second thought. Darkness has fallen. The lights are still on behind me. If anyone looks out, will they see more than my silhouette behind the sheers? Can they see the red silk that hugs my body? The heels that make me stand tall and thrust my breasts out?

I can’t see out into the darkness and at this moment, I really don’t care.

The throaty cry of the saxophone sends shivers up my spine and I slowly unknot the sash at my waist. I slide the narrow strip of silk through my fingers as the dress gradually parts. Although I know no one sees me, I imagine someone’s dark eyes staring at me out of the shadows. He’s looking at my cleavage laid bare by the parting red silk. The dress slides open and my nipples prickle as the fabric glides across their sensitive tips.

SEE ME will be released November 23rd from Samhain.

So do you try writing different genres/voices/points of view? And have you ever changed up a story that you're writing until it finally works?

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com