R.E. Hargrave is our next spotlighted author and we'd like to thank her for taking the time to talk with us!
R.E. Hargrave lives on the outskirts of Dallas, TX where she prides herself on being a domestic engineer. Married to her high school sweetheart, together they are raising three children from elementary age to college age. She is an avid reader, a sometimes quilter and now, a writer for Renaissance Romance Publishing.
She has recently released To Serve is Divine, Volume 1 in The Divine Trilogy.
Catherine O’Chancey is a reserved,
demure, and graceful submissive. All traits she trained hard to enhance when
she discovered the world of Dominance and submission in college. In an attempt
to start fresh after the unexpected death of her last Dom, Catherine moves to
Dallas, TX to escape the shroud of darkness he left behind in her life. She has
tried to fight the need that resides deep within her to submit, but finally has
to admit she can’t for it is not a choice, but part of who she truly is. After
months of mental preparation, she ventures back into the lifestyle by attending
a coveted open-night event at Dungeons and Dreams, an exclusive BDSM club.
Is it fate or coincidence that Catherine garners the attention of one of the
club’s board members who happens to be on the hunt for the perfect sub – a
partner who enjoys receiving pain and pleasure as much as he enjoys doling it
out?
Jayden Masterson is many things: a firm Dom, a shrewd businessman, and a
gentleman. What he isn’t, is someone who partakes in relationships outside of
contractual ones with his multiple, un-collared, regular submissives. While he
likes rough sex, he is not an animal, and can find pleasure only if it is
consensual. What his harem is missing is a pain slut; could there be one in his
future?
Upon meeting Catherine, Jayden feels an instantaneous spark inside him that has
him wanting to know not just her body, but her mind. He wants to unravel her
mysteries and discover her secrets. Through pain can they find the pleasure
they seek? Can part-time pain lovers find full-time fulfillment when it’s not
in their contract?
Interested yet? Here's a small excerpt from the book that may help:
It didn’t take long
for Catherine’s sure touch to have Master’s cock stretched tight, the flesh an
almost angry red in a visual display of his need. Gliding her hand up his
length, she licked her lips when the first viscous bead oozed out from the
slit. She waited for Master to give the command; to tell Catherine to take him
into her mouth.
In her mind Catherine prepared, searching out that peaceful space she went to
when participating in sexual submission. It was a quiet place with a blank
slate; no preconceived notions, just opening her mind to accept what her Master
asked of her body. One thing marred her special place – a cane enclosure kept
her confined – other than that, she was open to do Master’s bidding. She needed
to show Micah that she alone was enough for Master, even if she could never say
the words out loud.
For the second time that night, Catherine’s world shifted beneath her feet when
Master gave the command not to her, but to Micah.
“Come forward and take me in your mouth, Micah.” Master’s instructions were
quiet and contained to their box.
When Micah came forward and his tongue flicked out at Master, Catherine’s first
instinct was to ride the feeling of jealousy which was welling up inside of
her. While she watched, his mouth closed over the top and Master’s cock
disappeared behind Micah’s lips. Her breath hitched in a choked sob of
disappointment and anguish.
You asked for this, Erin. You have no right to have your feelings being hurt
like a petty child by this. Look at what is in front of you. How can you not
appreciate that sight?
The urge to smack herself was
strong. She’d pushed for this, and true to Master’s word, he was accommodating
her. Catherine had no recourse to be upset. Questions began forming in her
head; details and information she wanted about Master’s past, but she knew it
wasn’t the time. Sunday would be her time. Looking upon the men before her,
Catherine felt her inner turmoil settling. The two of them together were hot.
Did anything else really matter right now?
Because we want you to enjoy this amazing book, The Hive is hosting an ebook giveaway. Enter now for your chance to win!
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R.E Hargrave is also doing a giveaway of her own. If you'd like to receive an autographed bookmark from the author, all you have to do is take a photo of yourself reading To Serve Is Divine and email it to her. Details can be found here.
To Serve is Divine, Volume 1 in The Divine Trilogy, is available through amazon in paperback or for Kindle. Also available on Amazon (Kindle Edition) is her first novel, Sugar & Spice (Sugarplum Dreams) Links to purchase any available formats can also be found here: http://www.rehargrave.com/p/get-it-here.html
Questions for the Author
1. Where are you from?
Currently
I’m on the outskirts of Dallas, TX. We’ve lived in Texas since 1998. Prior to
that my husband was in the Air Force, which had us in Montgomery, AL for four
years. Prior to that, was a small
town in the Mojave Desert: Ridgecrest, CA. That’s also where I met my husband,
in my Advanced Algebra class at Burroughs high school. My childhood was spent
alternating between Ridgecrest (where my mother lived) and Spartanburg, SC
(where my father lived).
2. How long have you been writing?
October
2010 was when I posted my first chapter to fanfiction.net, putting something
out in a public forum. I’d dabbled with a few things earlier than that which
have not been shared so far. However, in 2006, I began working on YA mermaid
tale which I hope to get back to and finish now that I’ve learned so much more
about what goes into creating and writing a story from start to finish.
3. What book(s) have you published so far?
Sugar & Spice (volume four of The Candy Collection:
Sugarplum Dreams).
Lacey Harrison has been dealt
an unexpected hand in life: being a single mom. With her father's help and that
of the residents at Royal Hills Nursing Home, she thrives and goes on to become
a successful baker. She is content with her life but knows that she and her
daughter Candy are missing something. Will things change for the better when
Trent Childress moves into town and adds some spice to her sugar? *This is a YA
novella
To Serve is
Divine (book 1 of
The Divine Trilogy) Catherine O’Chancey is reserved, demure, and
graceful. All traits enhanced by the world of Dominance and submission. Dallas,
Texas is her destination for a fresh start from a tragic experience. After much
deliberation, she attends an open-night event at an exclusive BDSM club because
the need to submit which resides deep inside her is not a choice.
Is
it fate or coincidence that she garners the attention of a Dom who is on the
hunt for the perfect sub – a partner who enjoys receiving pain and pleasure as
much as he enjoys doling it out?
Jayden
Masterson is a Dom who doesn’t have an interest in relationships outside of
contractual ones with his submissives. He likes his sex rough as long as it’s
consensual. However, upon meeting Catherine, he finds that he is interested in
more than just her body.
Could
she be the ‘jewel’ he’s been searching for? *This is a BDSM Erotica
4. What are your current projects and can
you tell us a little about them?
Sure! I’d love to. At
this time I have two manuscripts undergoing editing. Haunted Raine will be released July 2, 2013 as part
of the Summer Heat anthology being published by Renaissance Romance Publishing.
When the house put out the open call for “beach reads” I knew I wanted to
participate, but also that I wanted to do something outside of the box, not
your typical white sands, palm trees, and fruity umbrella drinks. What resulted
was a fun piece to write which involved ghosts, history, and Voodoo. The
listing is now up on Goodreads if you want to go ahead and add it to your “Want
to Read” shelves. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17827068-haunted-raine
Here’s the summary: Distracted by the everyday routine of
raising children, being a wife, and keeping a home, Lorraine Morrissey let life
pass her by. Her wakeup call comes when she realizes that with their children
gone, her husband Richard is rarely home, and she’s filling her solitary days
with trivial tasks. A crazy idea to save her marriage leads to a summer beach
vacation unlike any she’s ever taken; one that involves unknowingly buying a
haunted house.
The second manuscript
in editing is A Divine Life which
is the second book of The Divine Trilogy slated for release in early August.
The third book, Surreal, is being written now, and is scheduled for a March
2014 release. For those familiar with To Serve is Divine in the fanfiction
version (yes, I’ve pulled to publish, but trust me, I’ve put my blood, sweat,
and tears into overhauling that bad boy – it’s not just a name change story),
you will find that A Divine Life is
the main reworked body of the fanfiction. TSiD
and Surreal are the expansions
going back to the beginning of Catherine and Jayden’s story, and then carrying
on into their future.
Those are just the
contracted projects. I also have a few stories started in various docs that I
work on whenever the characters talk to me, and of course my fanfiction is
patiently waiting for me to return and finish a couple of posted WIPs (work in
progress), in addition to more unposted WIPs in those infamous docs (time will
tell if the unposted WIPs become more fanfiction or originals).
5. What inspired you to write your first
book?
Since my first book was technically
a fanfiction to start, I’d have to answer that by saying I wanted something
kinkier than what was I finding in the fanfic databases at the time – so I
wrote it. When I began, I’d expected it to be about six or seven chapters, and
that I’d never write anything after that again; I just needed to get it out of
my system. Well guess what, folks? Once you start writing, it doesn’t just ‘get
out of your system’. No, it festers and grows, and multiplies until you find
that you’ve written over thirty stories and decide that maybe it’s time to stop
dabbling in fanfics and make it real.
6. How long did it take you to publish it,
after you started trying?
I was rather
fortunate in that I didn’t have to sell myself to a house; they came to me. I’d
made it known that I was considering entering a contest – in which reworked
fanfics were allowed – following the BDSM theme where the winner would be
offered a contract. Checking with my loyal readers to see if they would feel
like I’d sold out (or any of the other emotions which people feel in regards to
pull to publish) drew the attention of RenRom. They asked me to have a meeting
with them to discuss the possibility, and the rest is history.
7. How much of the book is realistic?
But don’t take my
word for it; perhaps these excerpts from reviews can better answer this
question:
“Can I just say, as a
reader of Fifty Shades of Grey... this story beats it by 100% I am so thrilled
with this story and love the BDSM aspect of it. The author really knows what
she is talking about and her details are incredible. I highly recommend this
book with all that is good and holy in this world.”
“As I mentioned
before, I don’t have any personal knowledge of the BDSM lifestyle, but my
impression while reading was that the author did her research and portrayed it
in a realistic way. Reading To Serve is Divine certainly gave me a new sense of
respect for the BDSM community and a better understanding in general.”
“What I loved about
this story from the get-go was how real and true to life it was. You can tell
from the start that this author has put a lot thought into every aspect of the
story, from the setting to the characters.
It was so refreshing
to see that an author has taken the time to research this genre carefully
before putting pen to paper and not just thrown porn into the written form.
The characters are
not perfect, they are flawed, and that makes it such an amazing story to read,
because you can relate to them so much, even if you are not in the lifestyle
yourself.
Everything about this
story pulled me in and I wasn’t left disappointed at the end like other stories
out there. If you are new to the lifestyle or have read a lot of ‘smut’ out
there, I urge you to give this a go and let this author open your eyes to just
a little bit more, you won’t be disappointed.”
“Loved this story!
Catherine and Jayden draw you into their hearts and lives. Her need to serve
and submit and his need to dominate her and help her see what an amazing woman
she is. Well researched BDSM is always a awesome read. R.E. Hargrave did a
great job and you never thought that what was going on was impossible in that
world. The characters evolve slowly and realistically. I recommend this to
anyone that wants a glimpse into the mind of a true submissive and the Dom that
we all wish we had. Just go read it...you won't be disappointed!”
8. Are experiences based on someone you
know, or events in your own life?
While the research
and the lifestyle I’ve portrayed are real, the situations and backstories are
completely fictional. However, I did write a little bit of myself into the main
female character: Catherine O’Chancey.
9. What book(s) have influenced your life
the most? Why?
Oh, this is tough one, given my voracious appetite
for reading all of my life. While it may be slightly cliché, I’d have to give
credit to the Twilight Saga for being the most influential. Without it, I never
would’ve taken that leap into writing fanfiction which led me to where I am
now.
10. If you had to choose, which
author/writer would you consider a mentor?
Laurell K.
Hamilton. Her writing style holds nothing back, and I love everything I’ve read
by her. More than that, I love how interactive she is socially. Ms. Hamilton
isn’t a reclusive writer that hides away and secretly submits manuscripts which
miraculously appear on shelves one day. She Facebooks, she tweets, she blogs .
. . she lets you know she’s a real person.
11. Who or what inspires you to keep
writing?
That’s a loaded question . . . lol. Inspiration
is all around if you’re open to letting it in. Be it a song, a picture, an
argument you overhear coming from a house while on your nightly walk – you just
never know where the prompt for your next project will come from.
12. What do you consider to be your best
accomplishment so far?
Hands down, my kids. My oldest just
turned seventeen and is in his first year of college, and he’s just the tip of
the iceberg. All three of my children are brilliant, beautiful, and amazing
individuals. They have morals, they can hold an intelligent conversation, and
they have hearts the size of Texas. What mom wouldn’t be proud?
13. If you had to do it all over again,
would you change anything in your latest book?
Considering I have already ‘done it
over again’, I can honestly say that, no, I’m very happy with how the first
book in the trilogy came out, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
14. Do you have anything specific that you
want to say to your readers?
Thank you. The
Trilogy is seeing the light of day because of y’all – because of your support
and encouragement over the last two and a half years; because of your
insightful reviews where you challenged me and cried with me. It seems so
plain, but there really aren’t words to express how much this all meant to me
other than simply, thank you.
15. Do you have any advice for aspiring
writers?
Believe in yourself and never give up. If your
story needs to be told, you will find a way. That journey can be made easier if
you remember some basic writing tips that need to be considered when
publishing:
- Remember that a character POV should be at least
600 words long before you shift to a new “voice”.
- The dreaded “LY” words: stealthily, greedily,
slowly, only, early, shockingly, etc. Writers tend to depend too heavily on
adverbs, and the publishing standard is that you’re permitted ONE –ly word per
300 words of text. Take your total document word count and divide by 300. The
answer is how many of the –ly words you’re allowed to have. If you’re over, you
need to edit.
- Details will make or break you, and trust me,
it’s easier to have too much which needs to be edited out, than to try to add
more in, so don’t be afraid to describe that car, the outfit, the meal, but
most importantly make sure the reader can envision your characters. You should
be dropping reminders throughout your manuscript of how they look: height,
style of dress, hair color, eye color, etc.
- Watch your tenses. Nothing throws a reader off
more than jumbling past and present.
- Have fun. Chances are if the story is boring you
while you write, it’s going to bore readers. Don’t be afraid to let your
imagination take flight.
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