Kings & Queens

     v

Kings & Queens

by Anarie Brady and Jae El Foster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

As I Follow – Blurb by Anarie Brady

Princess Orla must first learn to follow if she is to lead her homeland once her evil step mother is dethroned. Who better to teach her than Prince Darcy, the leader of the rebellion against Queen Ena and a strict but fair Dominant who would love nothing better than to take the beautiful Orla in hand and return the kingdom of Athas to its former glory.

The Man With the Kind Eyes – Blurb: by Jae El Foster

Bridgette Mahoney just wanted a better life for herself and the people suffering under a corrupt president. What she gets is nominated to be Queen of the country whether she wants the position or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

As I Follow, So Shall I Lead excerpt:

“Princess, might I have a word?” a deep voice startled her out of her thoughts.

“Prince Darcy!” she squeaked, jumping to her feet. “Of course.”

“Shall we take a walk? I understand you have only seen this room of the Chateau. I’d like to give you a tour,” he said, holding his hand out to her.

Hesitantly she reached out her own hand and nodded. Ever since Gala shared some of her experiences in the Chateau’s training rooms, Orla had been curious. Actually, she had been dying to know more. While Gala had not gone into details, she had spoken of the feelings evoked by some of her sessions. Orla longed to experience such feelings of freedom, power, and something indescribable. During the past few weeks, she had witnessed the beauty of a woman kneeling before a man, the protective gentleness in the eyes of a dominant, and the glow of pride when a dominant praised his submissive. Orla felt a tingle deep within her body and had to admit that she longed for such feelings as well.

“Do you understand the dual nature of this facility?” Darcy asked as he led her down an ornate hallway.

“I believe so,” she answered. “The Chateau trains people in the arts of dominance and submission. Submission primarily, because, according to Gala, every good dominant understands what it is like to be a submissive.”

“That’s right.”

“People pay handsomely for the privilege of coming here to learn. The tuition then pays for the training of warriors who are in resistance to Queen Ena. They wish to overthrow her and place me back on the throne,” Orla said quietly.

“Indeed. Orla, it was your father’s last wish that you also be trained,” Darcy stated. “I am more than willing to help you learn how to become an effective ruler, but to become an applicant, you must yourself request it. We do not force anyone here. We abide by the dictums of Safe, Sane, and Consensual.”

Orla stopped walking and turned to face Darcy. “I understand and greatly respect you for following those dictums. Over the past few years, I have had no choice in what I wear, what I eat, when I speak, what I do, not even when I sleep. I’m ready for freedom of choice. My father also taught me that freedom is possible only when everyone agrees to follow certain guidelines. I don’t know if I’m ready to consent to this training yet, but let’s finish the tour and then I’ll decide.”

Darcy smiled and Orla breathed a sigh of relief. Despite Gala’s assurances, she hadn’t been sure that Darcy would respect her decision.

“Princess, I see you are wise as well as cautious. Both excellent characteristics in both a ruler and a submissive. Shall we continue?” he asked before tucking her hand into the crook of his arm.

Orla’s eyes widened and her heart began to beat erratically as Darcy showed her every room of the Chateau. First, there was the Medical Room where applicants were given a thorough medical exam to determine their overall fitness. “No one is excluded because of a physical difficulty,” he explained, “but it is essential that a primary be intimately familiar with any limitations. For example, if an applicant has respiratory difficulties, then the primary knows never to engage in breath play and to be very, very cautious about gags.”

“Good to know you take safety seriously,” Orla commented.

“It’s the first S of our motto – Safe, Sane, and Consensual.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Importance of Book Clubs

Jae El Foster – Guest Post Blog

August 2018

I once began a book club in the tiny town that I reside in. There were about a half dozen or so of us, and we would meet once a month at the home or choice location of the person that had chosen that month’s book. It was always a mixture of a dignified tea party for book discussion and then, when available, a viewing of the film that we had read the book on. We would then discuss the film as well, and offer comparisons between it and the book.

We always dressed in costumed attire reflecting our book of choice. Once, a member chose Alice through the Looking Glass, and so we all dressed the part. This meeting was just down the road from my house, and so most of the members met here and we walked to the place of the meeting. In our fanciful Hatter, Rabbit, Queen and Alice costumes, we were stopped by the police, inquiring as to what we were doing and where we were going. I answered, “Why, to a tea party, of course!” and invited him to join us. I am certain that my invitation only confused him further, and he decided it best to let us continue along our merry way.

After a few years, our small book club broke apart. Whereas most of the former members are still close friends, we no longer meet for our gatherings. Without the book club, I realize the importance of revitalizing this dying art once again.

It is not just me who sees the beauty in book clubs. Hollywood and Indie filmmakers have been presenting the subject to us for years. One of my favorite cases of this is The Jane Austin Book Club, which is a fantastic, romantic story. Most recently, we had movie night at my home and watched The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society on Netflix. This amazingly beautiful romance for the ages tells the tale of an unlikely and accidental book club, formed during the Nazi occupation of Guernsey.

The best part about both The Jane Austin Book Club and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is that both of these films were books before they were turned into movies. I have not read the Guernsey book yet, but I am looking forward to it. Perhaps, if I play my cards right, I can get together a new book club to enjoy the book with me.

I have never written about a book club, or even a character that might have been a part of a book club, but inspiration is everywhere. Perhaps one day, I will settle down at my desk and craft a novel loosely based on my old book club. I guarantee it would be humorous and lively.

Book club or not, I do enjoy utilizing my readers when I write. Currently, I am hosting a contest on my website. People may sign up for a chance to become a character in one of my upcoming books. I am also preparing for my biggest contest ever – a huge giveaway that will be awarded to the first person that completes the highly thought-out and challenging contest. I am tight-lipped on this one, as details will not be released until September. Those details will be available on my blog and in my newsletter. Of course, to keep up with all of this and a whole lot more, I encourage readers to follow me on Twitter @jaeelbooks and to visit my website at www.jaeelbooks.com – visitors can view my blog, sign up for my newsletter, find my current releases, and enjoy some goodies that are specific and specialized to my website. Free stories are often shared on my blog, and there are tabs on the website that will lead you to my Free Flash Fiction – with new stories added monthly – and Stories behind the Stories, a collection of essays that go behind the scenes and into the story-writing process of some of my most popular titles.

There is also a submissions page on the website, where I post open calls for submissions from small publishers across the web. I encourage publishers to visit the page and submit their open calls for placement. I have helped a few publishers find fresh writing talent this way.

Still, the thing I hope everyone takes away from this the most is the importance of the book club. Whether you host one online, at a restaurant, or at your home, I encourage you to embrace this great way to share books with friends you are fond of. In a time when everyone is hooked on their phones, on their Facebook accounts, or even on Twitter, reading is more important than ever. We cannot lose this art and become an illiterate society. If we do, we shall surely return to the dark ages.

Bring peace where you go, smile at strangers, and remember to always pay it forward.

Jae El Foster

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Anarie Brady writes hot, happily ever after love stories filled with strong men and strong women who choose to submit to their own desires. She also loves scratching her chinchilla in all his itchy spots, sipping tea, and savoring whiskey. She absolutely adores hearing from fans, so don’t be shy!

https://anariebrady.blog/

https://www.facebook.com/Anarie-Brady-1419912908242821/

Tweets by AnarieBrady

Jae El Foster is an author with whom you question going to bed with at night, but you dare to venture beneath the sheets with him anyway. As the venture concludes, you are perhaps romanced by it, or perhaps you are frightened by it. Don’t worry, because you are always satisfied by it. Despite the title or genre of the book, Jae El sets out to please you with climatic and unexpected conclusions that will make you tremble with emotion. Hop aboard the Jae El train and give it a good ride.

https://www.jaeelbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorjaeelfoster/

https://twitter.com/jaeelbooks

 

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Queens-Anthology-Castle-Lords-ebook/dp/B07D6CR1HW/ref=sr_1_1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kings-and-queens-anarie-brady/1128740431

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The authors will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway