I’ve only just had chance to sit down and write about the fantastic launch which took place last Saturday. Luckily, I’ve had some fabulous guest bloggers to keep you entertained!
So, 27th October brought the Smut and Magic Launch to Sh! Hoxton. And what a night it was! Myself, Victoria Blisse and K D Grace shared the launch, with myself and Victoria launching Smut in the City, and K D launching Lakeland Heatwave Book 2: Riding the Ether. There were readings, there were prizes, there were laughs, and of course, goodies and fizz!
It all started out with a mad dash across London which always happens, no matter how early we set out! We managed to get into the hotel room and back out again in around 20 minutes which is amazing considering I had to get changed and put makeup on. Then we headed up to Hoxton and the Bluu Bar where we all converged, and I lubricated my throat with a couple of vodka and cokes đ
Then it was over the road to Sh! where we had a lovely warm welcome from the Sh! Girlz, as always. Jo quickly took charge, handing out balloons (which I’ll explain later) and helping us give out smutty sentences for the giveaways. Fizz and whoopie pies were consumed and soon it was time to begin.
The lovely Jo introduced the launch and the books in question, and then it was time for the readings to begin! My fellow Northern Bird and partner in crime, Victoria Blisse read some of her story from Smut in the City. It’s set in Manchester and is all about a dull conference and what a couple of attendees do to liven it up. As usual with Victoria’s writing there were funny parts which brought laughs from the audience.
K D Grace then went all spooky on us by reading a passage from Lakeland Heatwave Book 2: Riding the Ether. It was sexy, saucy, ghostly and demonic, and that’s all I’m saying. I’ve read the book so I, of course, knew what happened but it was still fab to hear it read out by the author in her usual engaging way.
Then, a break. Sh! Lady Renee (who sadly couldn’t be there with us that evening, and was sadly missed) had arranged a Sh! giveaway, whereby we all had a balloon each. Each balloon contained a raffle ticket. Jo drew a ticket and the corresponding ticket popped from a balloon was the winner. And would you believe the winner was…. me! I won a gorgeous Sh! pack with love balls, lubes, massage oils and other luscious goodies – thanks Ladiez!
I honestly don’t remember if we also drew the other raffle at the same time, so I’ll tell  you about it now anyway. Victoria, K D and I all contributed prices to two giveaways, as well as sponsorship from our publishers (thank you Xcite Books and House of Erotica!) which enabled us to also giveaway some Sh! vouchers. We’d all selected sentences from our work, which Victoria kindly printed and brought with her. One sentence was given out, and the other popped into the draw bag. Jo again drew sentences and two lucky winners were presented with their prizes; vouchers, sex toys, books, author swag and much more.
Next, it was time for my reading from Smut in the City. My tale is set in Rome, which I visited in May. I told the audience this, and the fact that the story was further proof that I’m getting to the stage where I can turn almost anything into a story. I also emphasised that although the story is based in truth (i.e. the setting), I did not, in fact, have sex in the Colosseum. I don’t think anyone (except for the one person that can verify the truth) believed me, but oh well! Anyway, I started to read my tale and although I definitely had not intended certain parts of it to be funny, the filthy minded audience giggled anyway, which of course started me off. Then almost any word or sentence that could be construed in a naughty way, was! I punished my misbehaving listeners by stopping before I got to the sexy part đ Ha!
Finally, K D gave the audience the choice of two readings. The majority voted for the demony part, which I thought was rather fitting, considering how close it was to Halloween. She wrapped it up and then we had a Q&A session. We had quite a few questions from the crowd, which was great. And also lots more laughs! I also signed several copies of Smut in the City and Smut by the Sea (which Sh! also have in stock, as well as Uniform Behaviour, if you’re in the area and want a copy!) which always makes me smile.
Then it was off for dinner and more drinks in Byrons burger bar, just down the road. The fun didn’t end until the wee hours of the morning, and I think everyone was glad that the clocks changed and gave us an extra hour to sleep!
So, to wrap up, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Victoria and K D for being my partners in crime. Many, many, thanks to the girls at Sh! for being such wonderful hosts. And last but not least, thank you to friends, husbands, partners and new friends for attending and supporting us. I appreciate every one of you.
P.S. More thanks to R, especially since I stole some of your photos to add to this blog post đ
Book 1, Body Temperature and Rising is currently available for FREE on Amazon Kindle! Get yours now â offer ends 31st October.
Book 2, Riding the Ether is available now!
Would you believe that my favourite shop, Sh! is 20 years old? Well, it is, and they released a fab book to commemorate the iconic anniversary. It’s a mixture of erotic stories and poetry, erotic art, sex tips and humorous tales from the Sh! Girlz themselves.
Of course you do! And I’m happy to say that myself and my good buddies 
Myself and Victoria are launching the anthology we edited together, 
If you saw yesterday’s blog post, you’ll already know that I had a lesbian erotic romance story come out as part of Evernight Publishing’s 
So, there was 
So, dependent on whether you like 
Tuesday – Headed to The Vatican Museum (which was a smart move considering the crap weather). Spent many, many hours exploring, and bemoaning a lack of places to rest. Giggled in the Sistine Chapel at the members of staff going “Shhhhhhhhhhhh!” as loudly as possible – much louder than the noise anyone else was making. Wasn’t the only one leaving the Sistine Chapel and wandering through subsequent rooms saying “Shhhhhhhhh!” Headed out into the rain, then back around the outside of the enormous walls of the city within a city (okay, I technically could have called my blog post a tale of three cities. But it doesn’t sound as good) to St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica. Enjoyed pretending I was in Angels and Demons, checking out the tiles on the floor that Robert Langdon uses to solve one of the puzzles. Fortunately, there were no dead people – prefiriti or otherwise – anywhere. Explored the basilica, wondering how I was getting away with spending so much time in holy places without being struck down, saw my first ever Swiss Guard (yes, they really do dress like that!), and then headed back to our accommodation. The marble floors throughout the Vatican, and the hard pavements are really not kind on feet.
Wednesday – sunny, hurrah! Very fortunate, since the Colosseum was our first stop, and the place doesn’t have a roof. Breezed right through the queue thanks to our Roma Passes (seriously, if you go, and are visiting more than one place, get one. It’s worth it just to skip the queues and includes Metro and bus passes) and stepped into…. awe. The place is huge, as you’d expect, and despite the crowds, it still seems to have an atmosphere about it. We spotted lizards zipping about the place, eavesdropped on a tour guide and gleaned some information, took loads of photos and generally just wondered what it would have been like back in the day. Not such a  nice place to visit, I imagine.
When we were done, we headed across the road to the Roman Forum (skip the queues using your Roma Pass again) and Palatine Hill. Again, the place was just incredible. It’s a mish mash of old homes, churches, political buildings, gardens, and much, much more. We spent a good couple of hours here and didn’t see it all. If you’re really interested in ruins and things, you could probably spend a whole day here. Also paused to take a photo especially for 
No further words are necessary for The Hard Rock Cafe. Okay, maybe a few. Burgers, memorabilia, very full up. Next stop, The Trevi Fountain. Managed to get there despite vagueness of map and some Italian roadsigns which were pointing the wrong way. Risked life and limb crossing the road (try and avoid crossing the road in Rome. Seriously.) and finally emerged into a square packed full of people. Turned around to see what they were all looking at. There it was! Way more impressive than I was expecting, The Trevi Fountain is so much more than a fountain. I was expecting water squirting out of the ground. But no, this thing takes up the entire backend of a huge building and is just a piece of art. You really have to see it to believe it. Or look at my photos on 
Next stop, The Spanish Steps. More guesswork involving my map and sense of direction. And we got there, hurrah! Came out at the top of the steps and looked down. The view itself is not particularly impressive, but the steps are, and I found myself comparing the area with Montmartre in Paris. It seemed very arty and had a very laid back, bohemian feel to it. OH and I walked down the steps to see the view in reverse, lots of photos, then climbed back up the steps. Big mistake! If you head towards the Metro station from the bottom, if you go to the right, there’s a lift that takes you up to the top of the steps. Wish we’d known that before, especially since the Metro station is at the bottom, so we climbed the steps, only to get the lift back down. Rather dull, I know, but you’ll thank me for that piece of information if you’re ever there.
Thursday – sunny again, whoop! Didn’t go into the city, but at the recommendation of 
Visited to take part in some of the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee. Monday night, headed to Hyde Park to watch the concert on the big screens. Pretty good, not all the music was to my taste, but it stayed dry, there was a fun atmosphere and then we ran away before Paul McCartney started making a noise. Tuesday, went to stand on the streets to wave at the Royals as they headed past in their carriages up to Buckingham Palace. Ended up standing pretty much opposite Downing Street. Plenty of men in uniform kept me entertained, while the appearance of one of OHs favourite female newsreaders did the same for him. All the standing around waiting was broken up by an arsehole of a “Cockney Geezer” deciding to pick a fight with me, then getting seriously narky because I stood up for myself. He then pissed off to the pub, leaving me smug, but still with achy feet and knees. So much standing.
But… it was worth it! Saw The Queen and Prince Charles with his horse (also known as Camilla – the American girls standing in front of us did not like Camilla), then the lovely Wills and the gorgeous Kate (she really is gorgeous. Hate her. LOL), along with my future husband, Harry. Hey, Wills was my first choice, but he’s taken now, so Harry will have to do. Think him and his mischievous ways would probably suit me better, anyway. đ As soon as they passed by, we elbowed our way through the crowds. Some genius decided it would be a good idea to close Westminster Tube station (note for next time guys, why not just station police at the entrances and let a few people down at a time?) so we had to fight our way across Westminster Bridge and use Waterloo station. Back at our accommodation, we got in just in time to see the Queen on the balcony. Headed out to our own balcony to see the fly past in the distance, then quickly back inside again to see it on TV. Then time for some chilling out, some delicious food (OHs aunt is an awesome cook) and back up north.
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