Title: The Token 9: Chet Sinclair
Author: Marata Eros
Series: The Token #9
Release Date: February 27th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Summary:An Addiction.
Kiki is desperate to stop the twisted relationship she shares with Chet Sinclair, but finds that she can’t. He is too vital, too potent… like a magnet, she cleaves to him. Desperate to break the pattern, she goes into hiding to escape her feelings and a ghost from her past comes back to haunt her.
The Consumption.
Needy and unnerved, Kiki turns to the one person that offered her solace from the past. Can Damon Axton erase what’s begun? Will he be the one to break the cycle of sexual intensity and obsession that Chet uses to imprison her, body and soul?
A Recompense of Love.
When Sinclair discovers where Kiki is hiding, their passion explodes once again. Can either admit their true feelings for each other? Or will sensual enslavement destroy their dark love before it has begun?
“No.” I stare down at Ax from where's he perched on the beat-up futon—my bed. “We're not a team until we get some shit straight.”
Ax's jet black eyebrow hops to his hairline. “Baby—”
“No,” I say, waving a palm in his face like a railroad arm coming down over a track. “Don't you baby me.” My eyes shoot sparks, and he leans back with a grunt.
“You clobbered Chet.” I cross my arms.
“Yeah-huh.” He gives his short hair a rough scrub. “And Chump was deserving, Kik.”
I stomp my high heel. “Maybe!” I stab the air with my finger. “But you nailed him from behind, and now he's, I don't know, dead or broken somewhere.”
Ax shakes his head. “I've looked into Chet-buddy, and his rich ass can take care of its own self.” He wags a finger and leans back again.
I pace as if the energy is pouring off me. I whirl and point at him.
His eyes narrow on my hot pink nail tip.
“You have a closet full of chick’s clothing,” I say.
Ax shrugs, giving my once-pristine outfit an eye rake. “I see you made use of it.”
“Why, Ax?”
His expression is unreadable, not the open face I remember so well. “The Crawl isn't my only business, Kik. I have some others.”
“What do you mean?” I search his face, and a flicker skates across his dark gaze. “Don't bullshit me, Ax. It won't work. I'm a fucking hard-charging broad. You know this.”
He grins, white teeth slashing across his face. “Oh, I know. Damn, girl, do I know.” He chuckles. “This isn't where I normally hang. In fact, this is just a little lily pad I hop on to sleep over once in a while. Sometimes employees from my other businesses need somewhere to crash, and I give them a boost.”
“How much of a boost?” I'm aware my voice has just dipped into suspicion.
“Kik…” His eyes meet mine, and they're not remotely soft, but hard as flint. “Why do I feel you're coming down hard on me when I've been doing nothing but helping you? Let me count the ways of my awesome.” He winks, ticking off his great points on his fingers. “I took you in when Chump was admiring his own dick.” I roll my eyes, and he continues. “I haven't put the moves on your hotness.”
Oh.
This is a love letter of sorts. Anyone who's ever bothered to check out my blog, Facebook or twitter sites knows that I'm positive, assertive and command a great respect for my readers (and all other supporters). Some authors won't make the ballsy move to say anything about reviewers because we're terrified of offending anyone by accident and getting labeled as one of “those” authors. Well, no need to worry about that, guys. I'm not one of “those.” I'm a normal chick whose day job is writing. I'm a wife, a mother of four, and daydream from mind to paper. It's not complicated. I'm not here to spread negativity so rest assured, the words that follow are positive, truthful and from the heart. It's all good.
This month I'd like to touch on reviewers. I love my readers; I am one. I read about 3-4 books per week and understand my taste intimately, select accordingly and won't go past 10% [eReader] on any work unless it engages me. Since I'm a niche writer... well, that typically means I don't like “broad” work. However, there's exceptions, like BEAUTIFUL DISASTER. I loved that work and its wide appeal cannot be denied. The one that took the rug out from underneath me was the wonderfully dark, poignant and clearly controversial CJ Roberts masterpiece, CAPTIVE in the DARK. Wow. Just- wow.
So- I understand your pain. I read, I select, and I... critique.
What? You don't like everything you read? The short answer is: no.
However, as a writer, your constructive criticisms are helpful. I won't lie: I adore the fives stars, the one stars are tough... the three stars are [typically] informative. As an artist I don't “learn” much from that wide pendulum, though I appreciate every review. Appreciate doesn't mean like or dislike, it's a nod to the time it took that reader to voice their thoughts in a tangible way. Stephen King once said: “The worst advice? ‘Don’t listen to the critics.’ I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they’re telling you something is broken that you can fix.”
Okay, King is The Master. Since we write, we need to listen to our readers so we can continue to improve our work: the craft of writing. Everyone's time is valuable and I don't ever dismiss readers who share their thoughts.
I love hearing what resonated in my work; I need to hear what didn't work just as much. Some things compromise the work and I can't alter those, but I can add things that readers need. My break out dark romantic suspense, A TERRIBLE LOVE is a case in point. When I read some reviews where readers wanted to hear more back story, and just more “why,” I fleshed that out in the companion, A BRUTAL TENDERNESS. However, the intrinsic character's personalities must remain true to who they are, a product of what shaped them in the past, and what the present is feeding them. I usually use the rule of “3s.” If I hear the same criticism three times (or the same “love”) I will emphasize the latter and improve the former.
I'll speak for all those who write: if you care about your words, you care about who's reading them. Altering your work to improve it for your reader while remaining true to your style isn't cheating, it's progressing.
Thank you so much for reading our work. Without you, they're just words on a page.
Marata Eros (a pen name for Tamara Rose Blodgett), is the NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of A Terrible Love. Marata has more than thirty-five titles in multiple genres including Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance as well as her highly successful Dark Erotica series.
Marata lives in South Dakota with her husband, children and fur kids. She is an ardent reader of many genres. Tamara enjoys interacting with her readers via Twitter, blog and newsletter as often as possible. Please stop by and say hi :)
Token 9
The Token Series
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