Robert Fanshaw’s Shameless Ambition

After a long delay, I was finally able to sit down with Robert Fanshaw’s novel, ‘Shamless Ambition,’ a book that had lingered on my ‘to read’ list for far too long.

High-flying executive Caroline and barrister Robert have been married for three years, and the demands of work have left little time for their relationship. On a management development course in Spain, Caroline is tempted into indiscretions with some of her colleagues and is drawn into a seedy world of private parties for bankers and politicians; realising too late she has damaged her reputation and her marriage.

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I began reading this book with no real idea about where it would lead me.

What seemed like a basic ‘sexual awakening’ story gathered momentum as I turned each (virtual) page until I found myself embroiled in a mild thriller crammed with skullduggery, political manipulation and covert espionage as the various players attempted to use sexual blackmail against each other in order to gain the upper hand.

In the middle of this whirlwind of high jinks and BDSM stands Caroline Fanshaw, an ambitious but naive young woman who has barely begun to realise her potent sexual powers.

Can she escape from the web of blackmail that is being spun all around her? As each new day and her blackmailing superiors leave her no choice but to explore her new-found sexuality, can she hang onto her high-flying career, or will she sink without trace into black-listed anonymity as Europe-wide consequences threaten the continent’s financial stability?

And will her husband ever forgive her?

I awarded Shameless Ambition five stars. I eagerly await the release of the sequel.

Find ‘Shameless Ambition’ on Amazon

Follow his blog or visit Robert’s website:

www.mywifecaroline.com

What IS IT with sex?

Exhausted

I don’t know if it’s just me, or if anyone else can relate to the unfairness of sex. I spent last night in the pleasant company of two bisexual guys and we all had a great deal of fun – three ways.

This experience was partly research for a new short story idea, and partly to ease an ache to be filled (you know what I mean, right ladies?). No-one can say that I’m not committed to my art. 😀

I wanted to get the low-down on how guys fuck (each other) and I was surprised by a couple of things that I thought I knew – but clearly didn’t!

At some point during their demonstration I found that I was so turned on by their fucking that I couldn’t help but gravitate towards the bed – and found myself getting fully involved with both of them.

Anyway, to get to the point, I was appalled to find that an hour or after having had a thoroughly pleasant time with these guys (and reaching the point where I had to wheeze ‘stop – please!’) that I retained no sensation of the evening’s activities at all.

Nothing. Even the warm glow in my tummy had faded.

Sure, this morning my thighs and my butt cheeks ached (I was trying to be uncharacteristically flexible in order to try out ALL the positions), but if last night had been a drunken haze, then this morning I could NOT have been certain that anything other than some light gymnastics or some over-enthusiastic dancing had taken place.

What the hell?  Where’s the lasting afterglow?  Where’s the week-long ‘ahhhh’ that should follow sex? It’s as if my body has just shrugged and said ‘right, now let’s get on with the day.’

What am I doing wrong?  Am I being too vanilla  (Hello…threesome?  Bi-guys in all three…ahem…too much info)?

No, I’m sorry, it’s just not good enough.  Mother Nature, I want a word with you! I want a memento of last night’s undignified hammering where I got nailed…um…damn it, I can’t even remember how many times!

*sigh*

STOP PRESS; I was showering a couple of hours later and realised that my nipples were unusually tender from the rough treatment they’d received.

BIG DEAL! I could’ve gotten the same sensation from jogging round the park in a cheap bra…

Really, really put my foot in it this week!

I wanted to begin today’s blog post by telling you a little more about myself, but then I realised that after having changed my on-line name twice to avoid

A)    Perverts and Spammers and

B)     being noticed (again) by my work colleagues and bosses

that telling you personal stuff would be kind of self-defeating.  I’d love to share a little more about me with my friendly followers – it’s beginning to feel like a family here – but I’m risking being exposed (not THAT kind of exposure!) to those who would mock, ridicule and generally hand me my notice.

So instead I’ll tell you a little more about what I do when I’m not rambling away on my blog.

I’ve been very lucky to be found by Steam eReads, an Australian publisher who specialises in erotic stories.  However, most of my writing income is still generated by ghostwriting – those short stories that are created in a whirl of inspiration, then sent off into the electronic abyss never to be heard from again.  It’s a little sad – rather like fostering children who never write home once they’ve left.  That’s why Steam eReads has become a little like a literary anchor to me.  My name is on the cover of the book that I wrote and they’ve been nice enough to allow me a say in the cover and the final editing.

Ghostwriting is my bread and butter for now, though.  So I continue to trawl for work, fend off those who can’t read what I specialise in (No, I DON’T do web design – where did it say that on my resumee??) and hum and haw over offers of $15 for 10,000 word ‘short’ stories.  Do I really need the work that badly?

But this week I put my foot in it.  I was asked if I could produce a 6k short story with a gay element – featuring two or more participants.  Erotica, I thought.  I can do that.  I can do gay erotica.  After all, my BFF characters Amber and Lucy are always ‘at it.’

I accepted the challenge – and was shocked when the outline arrived.  I’d naturally assumed (as you may have) that I would be writing about two (or more) girlfriends.

Nope.

The contractor wanted guy-guy stuff.

Aw, shoot.

Pun not intended.

I credit myself with a pretty good set of imagination neurons, but this was off the beaten track, even for me.  Yes, I have a gay friend.  I might even have two (I must ask him if he is – just to be sure).  But this will take some ‘getting inside the head’ stuff.

The alternative is turning down dollars that I can really use.

*sighs*.

Time to start following more gay (guy) blogs?

Definitely time to start checking the job descriptions more closely.

Any advice, guys and girls?