Unwrapping Romance: August 2020

Hi everyone! I’m so glad you’re with us today because I’ve got a special guest visiting - Annabel Allan, author of the Goode Pain series from Black Velvet Seductions.

She has a new release coming soon, RIGGED, book 3 of the Goode Pain series, an erotic romance. RIGGED is releasing August 13, 2020.

Available for pre-order at Amazon

You can find other vendors at Books2Read

Blurb for RIGGED:

Ava Goode’s life is getting into a normal groove, entering the spring and over a month after her run in with the mob. She’s ready to throw away the past and embrace the future, which seems to come with the mysterious, albeit sexy, Gideon Shaw, a known rigger and Rope Bunny’s dream man. Little does she know that he has more in store for her than just tying her up and making her submit to him, a blackmailer entering the picture—who is Gideon Shaw, really?

Today also happens to be Annabel’s birthday so feel free to wish her a Happy Birthday. Now, without too much fanfare, please join me in welcoming Annabel Allan, author of RIGGED, to Unwrapping Romance …

Unwrapping Romance: Welcome Annabel, it's an absolute delight to have you here with us today, and I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to join us.

Annabel Allan: Thank you so much! I’m so happy to be here. I appreciate it when blogs take the time to interview me.

Unwrapping Romance: We love having authors visit us. Perhaps you'd like to tell us a little bit about yourself for those who don't know you yet.

Annabel Allan: Sure! I’m a full-time indie author under a few pen names—Annabel Allan, R. M. Draven, and my birth name of Stephanie Douglas. Annabel Allan writes my sexy romances, starting in vanilla with the Smoke Chaser series and branching into BDSM when I got into the lifestyle with Goode Pain and the first book, EDGEPLAY.

Unwrapping Romance: How wonderful! So, my lovely readers, there is a lot to choose from this amazing author. Here at Unwrapping Romance, authors are rock stars, which is why I can get kind of nosy when I get a chance to talk to them. I’m always interested in what lures someone to be a writer. You have been writing for many years, but was there someone or something that inspired you to write and why did you choose romance, especially erotic romance?

Annabel Allan: I would say what lured me into writing was my going to film school. I wanted to get into directing, but I found out by my fourth term that I just wasn’t very good at it. I knew I enjoyed writing and got into writing my first novel on a stormy July day. For some reason, romance came easily to me; I just knew I wanted to write love stories. The erotica came later, when I wanted to try writing something that would appeal to publishers and readers—cause sex sells, you know? I just ended up really enjoying writing it!

Unwrapping Romance: You’re very right, Annabel, sex does sell – in books as well as movies. Directing is creative but nothing beats creating the world for someone else to direct. RIGGED is book 3 of the series, did you have all the books planned out from the start and how many do you see the series having when complete?

Annabel Allan: I knew there would definitely be a series, but I didn’t have them planned out until I finished writing HARD LIMITS. I kind of knew where I wanted to go with it after that and then planned out the remaining installments. Of course, in regards to how many installments there will be, I don’t know. I’m hoping for an Anita Blake (by Laurell K. Hamilton) type of deal; just keep going as long as a good story is there.

Unwrapping Romance: Totally understand that, Annabel. Sometimes we have to do what our characters tell us to do. Speaking of your characters, what was your inspiration for the Goode Pain series, and where do your character inspirations come from?

Annabel Allan: In the beginning, EDGEPLAY was actually titled The Wilder Side & was a male Dominant and female submissive. I submitted it to Black Velvet Seductions, but it really wasn’t very good, and I was rejected. I was going to abandon the project, but a friend of mine wanted me to write short stories for his BDSM business and I had just gotten into the lifestyle. I was asked to write about a Domme. So, I sat down and thought about what I could possibly do as a story. Then the song “Thrills In The Night” by KISS came on. It asks, “Do they really know her?” and it just made my head spin with an idea of a Dominatrix that was working in an office by day. So, all that put together conceived EDGEPLAY to what it is now. A series just seemed to make sense because I wanted to see more of Ava and what trouble she’d get into!

Unwrapping Romance: Love it when inspiration comes out of the blue! What do you have planned next beyond the Goode Pain series?

Annabel Allan: I have several installments that are within the Goode Pain universe, but Ava will not make an appearance. It’s secondary characters that I found too interesting to let go unnoticed and wanted to tell their stories. I’m also writing a standalone D/s story on Wattpad, titled Submissive Tendencies. It's my first that’s exploring a female submissive with a male Dominant.

Unwrapping Romance: Wonderful. I agree that secondary characters sometimes endear themselves to both the author and the readers so much that they just need to have their stories told too.
Readers, if you’d like to check out Annabel’s story at Wattpad, SUBMISSIVE TENDENCIES, you can find it by clicking HERE.

Annabel, if you're like every other writer (myself included), I have no doubt you're also a prolific reader. Who are your favorite authors and have any inspired your writing?

Annabel Allan: I’m a BIG Anne Rice fan—anything she writes, I read. I actually started out in paranormal romance and that’s what R. M. Draven writes. But I do love reading the steamier stuff too! Shayla Black is a favourite, her Wicked Lovers series. I cannot put those books down! I’m also becoming a huge fan of fellow BVS author, Patricia Elliot! Her writing is so relatable and makes me actually laugh out loud. I’m starting on Her Lovers Face this weekend.

Unwrapping Romance: Love paranormal! I will definitely have to check out your books under R.M. Draven as I’m sure my paranormal readers will do too. My last question for you, and my personal favorite – if you could be ANY character in ANY book, not necessarily your own - who would it be and why?

Annabel Allan: I think if I could be any character, I would probably choose Sookie Stackhouse from Charlene Harris’ Southern Vampires. I relate to her so much and she has those sexy men! And vampires, of course, vampires are kinda my thing!

Unwrapping Romance: Love it! Just think of the adventures to be had. Wink! Wink!

Thank you again for joining us today, Annabel, and I hope your new release brings you much success. You’re always welcome back at Unwrapping Romance.

Reminder, readers, RIGGED is releasing on August 13^th but is available for pre-order now at Amazon and also today is Annabel’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Excerpt from RIGGED:

I strutted over to the spot where the demo was held, all the submissives and their Dominants, as well as a few solos, started to scatter. I walked up, seeing Gideon’s girl for the evening, Ruby, packing up his stuff.

I was confused, a gruff sexy voice coming from behind me. “You missed it tonight.”

I turned, seeing Gideon, who was clean shaven, like usual. The grey spots in his short-clipped hair was a little more obvious in the lighting, but it was a sexy grey. I knew he was forty, but that seemed a little young for grey hair. It didn’t matter. It made me think of him as an animal, a wolf; he was definitely wild and unknown to me.

“Oh,” I said, trying to keep my cool, though I could feel the warmth spreading in my thighs as I thought of being his willing submissive. “I guess there’s always next week.”

“I could do a private show for you,” he said with a shrug.

“Oh, that would be nice, but I don’t think I could afford you,” I said with a laugh. It wasn’t true, I could afford it. I just didn’t want that private show…well, not true, I wanted it pretty bad.

“Free of charge,” he said.

“Oh…”

He eyed me with his smoky blue eyes. “Can’t think of a way out of that one, huh?”

I frowned. “Gideon—”

“Why not give me a chance to show you your submissive side, Ava?” he asked.

“Because I don’t have one,” I said.

“Bullshit,” he said. “You know it as well as I do. It’s there, under the surface. Let me awaken you.”

He walked closer to me, his cologne circling around me. I could feel my heart pick up speed, my breathing intensifying, the smell of his cologne making me feel dizzy. It was woodsy, strong, and pure male. He was so close, but he hadn’t touched me, though my body craved him. It was intense, the heat from the closeness of his body making my knees weak.

“I’ll admit I’m curious, but I don’t think I can handle it,” I said, pushing him back gently.

“Let me try,” he said, taking my hand, our first real touch. It was electric, making me almost swoon. “You’ll have a safe word. I honor your safe word.”

“I have a boyfriend though,” I said, pulling my hand away as I realized the affect he had on me.

“But also a secondary slave,” he said. “Your boyfriend obviously has no problem with him. You’re making excuses. What are you afraid of?”

I thought about it, getting angry, but it melted away when I looked into his soft blue eyes. “I guess losing myself,” I said, finding myself being incredibly honest.

“Or maybe you’re more frightened of what you’ll find,” he said.

“Maybe,” I said with a nod. I took a deep breath. “I can’t. It’s not me.”

“You don’t know that,” he said passionately. “You could be so much more. Don’t you want to experience subspace? I know you haven’t experienced the euphoria of Dominating someone.”

My brow furrowed. “How would you know?”

“Because you do your job well, Ava, but you’re missing a piece of yourself. I promise that if you let me train you, let me be your Dom, I can bring you both to subspace and top space.”

I pursed my lips together, unsure of what to say or do. I shook my head. “I’ll…I’ll think about it.”

He nodded. “That’s all I can ask.”