by Mlissa | Feb 2, 2018 | 5 Things, re-releases, Simple Need
Since this is an older series of stories, and the one I’m focusing on re-releasing and writing a new story in, I thought I’d give up a few facts about it … 
One…The idea for these came from the song S. E. X. by Nickelback from their Dark Horse album. During the writing of all the stories, I listened to Nickelback over and over and over and… well, you get the idea. I loved writing these stories. They were sex excessive. Full of lust and tenderness and so much…sex. They weren’t meant to be more than what they were. They were meant to be fantasies. Unbelievable with a touch of real personality.
Two… It was not supposed to be a series at all. Readers and my editor at Ellora’s Cave asked if I would be interested in writing more. Okay, well, the readers didn’t exactly as so much as told me they wanted Dallon’s story. And, after Dallon, they wanted to know about Jaz. And … after Jaz, they really wanted Mac’s story. Unfortunately, Ellora’s Cave and its authors began having issues around this time and continuing a beloved set of books I may never (at the time) have in my possession again made no sense.
Three… Vinter was who put me on whatever map there was a the time (9-10 years ago). Vinter was my first four figure royalty check. Vinter inspired a couple other authors to take the plunge into writing. Vinter made people drool. Literally. I saw it first hand at conferences.
Four… Vinter was based on a real person whose name was…Vinter. He had a heart of gold and was filthy as could be. He had piercings exactly as I described in the story. As well as the tattoos described in the story. The same color hair. And the nails painted black. And his fiance at the time was a buttoned up, older, college professor. Dallon and Jaz are also based, very loosely, on real people. Carrie, the heroine in Dallon, is based on a real girl I knew in college, though she never strayed from the path of righteousness.
Five… The cars that I talk about in Jaz are based on cars my mother and my grandfather had when I was growing up. I remember riding in the white Dodge Charger with its leather seats and white interior. I didn’t know a thing about cars at that age, but I loved that one. Thinking back on it, while I was writing the story, looking at pictures of it… It was a sexy car.
Of all the books I’ve written, a lot of my early ones, like Simple Need, were among my favorites. They were raw, erotic escapism. They didn’t have to be based in reality. They could simply be fantasies. I love that about reading and I love that about writing.
If you’ve never read them, I hope you’ll give them a try. If you have read them, then I’m sure you’re anticipating the release of Mac in March.
Jaz will go up for pre-order on February 12th and release on February 22nd.
Mac will go up for pre-order on March 5th and release on March 15th.
And don’t forget, Dallon is Now Available in the Kindle store and through Kindle Unlimited!
Buy Dallon Now!
What started out as a pretty typical day, quickly spiraled when Dallon saw her. Buttoned up, full of curves, with a voice smooth as honey and eyes so innocent the flames of Hell warned him to keep on moving.
But then she walked into his bar, out of place and full of determination, and asked him to teach her all the things a downy, pure girl like her didn’t need to know.
What’s a guy like him supposed to do when temptation herself exits the Heavenly Highway straight onto Sin Street? He does the only thing he can do …
Warning: What’s done with a beer bottle in this little story may be illegal in forty-eight out of fifty states…and at least two territories. But they won’t tell, if you don’t.
Author’s Note: This novella was previously published by Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc. It has been lightly revised and edited from it’s original version.
~lissa
by Mlissa | Jan 25, 2018 | 5 Things, re-releases
… that you may or may not have already known.
I am re-releasing a lot of older titles this year (following 7 re-releases last year through Entangled Publishing) that I have the publishing rights back to. So, in light of this, I thought I would share a bit of information with you so you’ll know what to expect, especially if you’re a more recent reader or not a reader yet.
1. I started publishing in 2008. I had a lot of books come out with 4 different publishers in a relatively short time frame. mostly 2009 and 2010. The books I’m re-releasing this year and some that I have already re-released were published around that 
same time. (Stick Shift, Arresting Holli, Melting Jane)
2. I wrote about small towns and a few big towns. Blue collar, hard working, tattooed, pierced men. Full figured, small business/boutique business owners, independent, submissive, sometimes shy, sometimes kinky women. I wrote the every day character. They cooked, they slept, they had sex with whomever they wanted to have sex with. They weren’t polished or posh characters. They were real.
3. I wrote fun books, sexy books. There wasn’t a lot of drama. There was snark. There was a lot of sassiness. Most of my characters were Southern. They were overcoming an issue, not trying to save anyone else or save the world. They wanted happiness and fulfillment and someone who cared enough to try.
4. I wrote back then, as I do now, primarily novellas. That means between 18,000 words and 40,000 words. Many of these hovering around the 20,000 to 32,000 word range. They’re not long books. They’re short. They’re to the point. They can be read in a weekend, in one night. They’re happy for now and happily ever after.
5. I’m re-releasing the books because I loved them and I was and am still proud of them. They were what got me into this business and they are how I’m going to find my way back. For the time they were originally published, they were hot and 
erotic. I don’t know, given some of what is on the erotic contemporary lists now, if mine would still qualify as such, but they are still sexy and graphic.
****Bonus**** Some of the characters are based on real people I know or have known personally. There’s light bdsm, but in general, it’s kink and hot sex. I touch on issues in the books, but I don’t delve deep. There was a reason for that. I wanted to write so that, for a night, a weekend, a couple of lunch breaks, someone could pick up one of my books and escape. They could just enjoy a light, sexy romance. I wasn’t trying to write the great American novel. I was trying to provide escape and happiness to people who liked to read.
All of the titles being re-released are revised and some are heavily re-edited. Price points have changed on them, as well. They are lower in price than what they were through their respective publishers to be more affordable.
In addition to the re-releases, there are a lot of new titles coming as well, starting March15th.
~lissa
by Mlissa | Jan 11, 2018 | Kindle Select, re-releases, Simple Need, Vinter
Vinter: A Simple Need Story
Available as an ebook:
Vinter is not your typical businessman. Tattoos, piercings and not a suit and tie in sight. One-third owner of a bar and a tattoo parlor along with being the bassist in a garage band, Vinter comes and goes as he pleases. He likes his beer cold, his music hard and his women scorching hot. Until he’s knocked off his game by a suburban doll he can’t stop wanting.
Elise needs a change. In men. The buttoned-up businessmen she’s been dating leave a lot to be desired—in romance, in respect and most definitely in sex. A recent text message from her now ex-lover drives Elise into a bar on the outside of town, where she meets Tattoo Guy. He’s just the kind of man she’s never had and definitely the kind she’s always fantasized about. Big, bad and oh so naughty.
Unexpected tenderness. Unimaginable lust. Being dumped has never felt so damn good.
*Vinter was previously published as Simple Need with Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
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by Mlissa | Jan 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
First of all, I have another of those books coming out soon. Slide Down On Me. Oh yes, the hero is a bad boy and he’s all tattoos and piercings and naughtiness. You’ll adore him!
The release date for Slide Down On Me is February 12th. Mark your calendars. You can see it on the Ellora’s Cave Coming Soon page, here. I’ll be updating my website page for it soon.
Ever since writing Simple Need and the unbelievable response to it and to Vinter, I have loved, hear me, LOVED writing these tattooed, pierced, very dirty heros. They’ve got sex on their minds and curvy women in their arms. They’re the bad boys every woman dreams of, at least once in her life, and they’re looking to corrupt the good girl.
Grease is a good example. Danny and Sandy.
Dirty Dancing is another one. Johnny and Frances ‘Baby’.
Billy Joel sang about it in Only The Good Die Young and Uptown Girls.
There are other, more recent examples, but…why look away from the classics? Elvis swung and gyrated his hips and all the girls
swooned.
The bad boys are who we desire, even as we date the suits. (Though, don’t get me wrong, a man in a suit is delicious all on his own).
I love writing about the bad boys like Vinter, Jaz, Dallon (poor man just gets no love), Brax, and now, Travis. I always have a bad boy in my pocket, ready to come out and play with my readers.
There’s something about their rough-edged ways, their scratchy hands, their wicked smiles, their ink, their language, their Come Play With Me winks… They have stories to tell and soft hearts to give to that special girl. They don’t want the one who’s been around the block, they want the one who needs what only they have to offer. They’ll heal a broken heart, they’ll leave a woman satisfied and wanting more, they’ll fight for what they want but they won’t beg.
I love these men that I’ve created and it makes me grin that you love them too.
I have a plan for a new self-published series about the tattooed bad boys and as soon as it’s more developed, I’ll let you in on it. I’m planning a free read that will go into my Newsletter for those who want to know what happens once Joe gets back to Love and Tattoos and finds Brax and Annie.
And, I know y’all are waiting for more Simple Need books and the plan had been to finish Mac and Jackie’s story and turn it in, however, due to some issues that I am not at liberty to discuss, that plan is on hold, indefinitely. If you wish to email me to express your disgruntlement about this development, I’ll understand. Believe me, I am not happy with it either, but it is the right thing at this time.
The new series that I am planning will hopefully make up for any lack that you feel. Again, when I have more details, they will be given to you, i.e. cover, title, blurb, release date, etc…
These types of books are my favorite to write (especially if I can add some food into them) and I just adore these heros. Not to say I don’t love writing my cowboys and the shifters that I’m working on as well, because well, let’s just say, there’s nothing wrong with any of them… They’re all hot and bothered and delicious. 
Being that Slide Down On Me is coming out later than expected, it will push the release of The Sticky Cowgirl back a couple of weeks to the end of February/early March. I am trying not to group releases too close together for both my sanity and your wallet, but mainly my sanity. And, yeah, your wallet. While I want to flood you with books to read, a little time to breathe between hot men is a good thing. I don’t want y’all needing oxygen tanks. Or…maybe I do…
Small-town mechanic and tattooed bad boy Travis keeps his profile low, his needs satisfied outside the city limits, and his business running smoothly. He doesn’t cause trouble and he certainly doesn’t want any. Trouble finds himone scorching afternoon, however, in the form of the equally scorching Arabella Drake. The former heiress owes Travis for car repairs, money she can’t readily pay.
Their situation requires a creative solution, and while most of the town rejects Bella, Travis wants to ravish her. He offers a proposal, one that will soften the repair costs—and satisfy Travis’ longstanding wish to have Bella Drake naked, writhing and sliding down on every inch of him.
~lissa
by Mlissa | Apr 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Breakups suck. We all know this. They are painful. They are difficult. They are binge-worthy. They are the worst part of a relationship, but they can also be the best part of one, if it was a good move that the breakup occur. And they can definitely open up new opportunities for other loves to come in and sweep the pain away…
I don’t write a lot of breakups. At least not full breakups. Or both sides of a breakup. But we’ll be fun today and pull out everyone’s favorite… Vinter, who, good man that he is, wants to help Elise get over the end of a relationship.
The bartender leaned against the polished, scarred wood of the bar. “Another one?”
Elise looked at the bottom of her glass and debated what the correct answer should be. Would she rather drive home or call a cab?
“Yes, let the lady have another.”
She turned her head at the man who had come to straddle the barstool next to hers. Short auburn hair, ice blue eyes, both arms covered in brightly colored tats, fingernails painted black, and a barely contained sex appeal reached out and enveloped her from her head all the way down to her toes. She wanted him. Right here, right now.
She cleared her throat, found her voice, and was pleased at its steadiness. “I appreciate it, but no. I think it’s time for me to call it a night.” In his bed would be a nice place to do that, but she’d just called a halt to all men for a while. Even gorgeous ones with hard dicks pressing against worn denim, and solid muscles framed to lean perfection beneath faded black tee shirts.
God, she needed to go home. He was way too tempting and her bruised ego was way too vulnerable.
“Why?”
Yes, why indeed. “It’s just time. Been a long day and all that.”
He reached out and stroked the back of her hand that was wrapped around the empty glass. “Going home alone?”
Would you like to come home with me? “Yes, alone.”
“Hmmm. That doesn’t sound like fun at all. Tell ya what. Why don’t you let me buy you another drink and you can fill me in on why it’s been such a long day. I’m a pretty good listener.”
He had a deliciously, well-defined mouth and Elise wanted to let her lips fall down on his. His voice rolled over her like a warm blanket, soft and comfortably deep. “The guy I’d been seeing ended things today. I got the text message at lunch.”
“Text message? You serious? Dumbass man.”
She tried not to smile but couldn’t help it. It was just a small smile, but nonetheless he answered her with one of his own and she swore her pussy melted in her jeans.
“No. I was the dumbass in this one. I really did know better and now, well, hindsight is twenty-twenty.” She shrugged and the bartender chose that moment to set another rum and Coke in front of her. The smell of the alcohol made her feel lightheaded. Whoa. She didn’t need to drink it, she could just inhale it. Instead of calling a cab, she would be sleeping on the floor beneath the stool she sat on.
“What did you know better about?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” She took a small sip of her new drink. The rum burned going down and it felt good. Tattoo man would feel better, but…
“I do.”
“He was married.”
“Oh. Yeah, that’s never good. Are you?”
“Am I what? Good? Yes.”
He grinned at her and heat flooded her cheeks. She had no idea where that teasing, suggestive comment had come from, but she liked it, liked that she made him grin. He was devastating to look at.
“Mmmm. I’ll give you a chance to prove it later. Are you married?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Then why waste your time on a man who is?”
She never would have if she’d known. Where were all the damn warning signs? “I didn’t know he was married. See, that’s me being the dumbass. He gave all his numbers, his address. There were never any restrictions on communication or seeing one another.” And there hadn’t been. She could call him whenever, though she always let him call her. She’d never been one who could chase a man, even one she was dating. She could see him every night, every day. He’d introduced her to people he worked with, friends he hung out with. There had been nothing that she could remember, and she’d been racking her brain all afternoon trying to figure out, trying to jog her memory, trying to find something that would have hinted that there was a Mrs. But there was nothing.
“When did you find out?”
“In his text message. He said he was going back to his wife.” And there it was all over again…the shock, the humiliation at having gotten involved with a married man without having realized it. There hadn’t even been a tan line on his ring finger. She’d looked. Going back obviously meant that he’d been separated from his wife, but still…
She lowered her head and laid her forehead on the bar. That twinge inside her gut, that complete lack of understanding at how her character judgments had become so flawed, gnawed at her. She used to be able to read people, guys especially, mainly because she watched more than she talked. What had happened that she couldn’t choose a guy anymore who was worth anything, who wasn’t a loser? What had happened to her once-upon-a-time, never-let-her-down intuition?
Tattoo Man leaned close, his breath whispered into her ear, fanned across her skin, and she fought not to shiver, fought not to lift her head and turn it just a fraction of an inch to her right. “Let me take care of you.”
And then there was hot and yummy next to her. Her intuition was screaming loud and clear regarding him.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t. You. Dare. Ask. “Take care of me how?” Dammit. She couldn’t help but ask though. No man had ever asked her to let him take care of her, to give herself in such a way as to be cared for. It didn’t matter right then what he wanted to do to her, how he wanted to take care of her. All that mattered was that he did.
He smelled of beer, of smoke, of every sinful thought she’d ever had. He asked why she would waste her time on a married man? Had she known Business Suit was married, separated or not, she wouldn’t have wasted the last few months on him, but more than that, men like Tattoo Man never looked at her twice. Normal, work-in-an-office men were the ones who asked her out, were the ones who called, were the ones she thought were what she needed. They were steady, or at least that’s what she told herself, but they often ended up having more issues than she cared to hear about. They were generally all about themselves and getting ahead. Rarely had anyone cared enough to ask her to just let them take care of her.
And yet, the one man who did ask… Damn. Her blood was like lava flowing through her veins, hot and thick just looking at him, just imagining the kinds of things he could do to her with that voice, those hands, that mouth, that long, lean body, that cock that was still hard behind his zipper. Tattoo Man was the kind of hot-blooded bad boy she’d always fantasized about, always dreamed about, but never the kind of man she ended up attracting.
Until now, that is.
He winked and one corner of his mouth tilted up as he sat back again. “You. Me. A bed. Naked. Fucking all thoughts of that loser right out of your pretty head.”
He couldn’t be serious. Could he? The look in his eyes told her that yes, he was indeed very serious. Oh wow. When? Where? For how long? “I don’t think th—”
“No,” he said, shaking his head sharply and reaching for her drink. With his eyes trained on her, he took a swallow that would have choked her going down, but didn’t faze him at all. When he put the glass back down, half the liquid was gone. “This isn’t one of those thinking moments. This is one of those go-for-it ‘doing’ moments…”
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