“Ravenous” is days away being being released!

Have you pre-ordered your advanced copy at the special price yet?

As we count down the days until release, some of the contributors wanted to share some further insight into their stories and tempt you with a peek.

Today V. Hummingbird tells us more about “Palladian Excursions.”

 


Palladian Excursions: Polyamory and Planet Hopping

 

When I set out to write an erotic vampire story, I knew I wanted to go non-traditional, in both the vampire-lore sense and the portrayed relationship sense. Writing a story with such a well-known “monster” at its heart is always difficult–how do I, as a writer, make it fresh yet familiar?

When you’re looking to read a vampire story, you’re looking for certain things. One, you’re looking for blood play, whether or not you’d put it in those words. Two, you’re looking for a certain kind of power dynamic. You’re looking for danger. You’re looking for a fantasy (in this case, especially, a sexual fantasy) in which the concept of consensual dominance can be explored.

But this path has been tread a thousand different times with a thousand different vampires. And as much as I love the traditional creature of the night, I wanted to explore vampires not as monsters, but as beings. Not as twisted, hungry versions of humanity, but as creatures outside humanity–beyond it, even. How do we confront the vampire when it is not a reflection of our own dark desires, but simply a different way of being?

That’s why I chose to make my vampire an alien vampire, and to mirror the question of “what if different didn’t mean monstrous?” in the erotic plot line as well.

As a bisexual, I can tell you I’ve run into my fair share of in-person stereotyping. The idea that bisexuals are just confused, or fickle and bound to cheat, is unfortunately alive and well. Often we and pansexuals are not welcome in heterosexual or homosexual spaces in turn. So I wanted to take some of the stereotypes I’ve faced and turn them on their head. I wanted to confront the fear of the bisexual cheater and thwart it with an unconventional solution.

No, not all bisexuals are into polyamory. This is itself another myth. But I wanted to explore the idea that love is often not what you expect it to be, and when you value your social training over what you know to be best for yourself, that is where internal and interpersonal conflict arises.

So, first and foremost, Palladian Excursions is sexy fun. Underneath that, it is a story about supposed monstrosities, and beneath that still it is a confrontation of what is assumed to be the base-line type of healthy relationship. It is a story about sexuality, emotionality, and following your heart when it goes against everything you’ve been taught. I hope you find reading it as erotic and fulfilling as I did writing it.

 


Excerpt From “Palladian Excursions”

 

After visiting the Star Falls, they landed on Isa, a planet famous for its singing air-jellies. The creatures jetted through the sky as surely as any jellyfish through water, creating a ghostly whistle as they went. A flock of them sounded like a pipe organ.

Virgil pointed out interesting land marks and related interesting facts, looking much more at home than he had when they first met. There was a twinkle in his eye, and fascination lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile. Clearly he adored the planet, and seemingly everything on it.

At lunch time they went to a maze-garden. A secluded grove, protected on all sides by tall hedges, provided a lovely picnicking spot. After the humans ate their fill, so did Virgil. Linna watched as he latched onto Kayson’s neck from behind. Both men’s bodies went taut, and Virgil locked his gaze with Linna’s.

 


About the Author

V. Hummingbird was born and raised in Oregon. Though she no longer calls it home, her years in the Pacific Northwest instilled in her a love of the outdoors, an appreciation for natural beauty, and a keen sense of wonder. Passion, temptation, and communication are cornerstones of her marriage as well as her stories. She is thankful every day for her husband, family, and friends.

Find her on Instagram.

 

 


Dark. Brooding. Tortured. Sexy.

Vampires are a mystery, morphing through history from maligned villains to sparkling saviors and back again. They can be the ultimate bad boys, the supreme seductresses, or the evil monsters. They fascinate and repel us at the same time. What other creature can steal into your bedroom in the depths of the night to stalk or protect? What other ancient being is so accessible yet so powerful? What other enigma is desired as much as feared?

Cross the threshold into a world of insatiable heroes and voracious heroines. RAVENOUS explores saucy, sexy, and sweet tales: of forbidden vampire/vampire hunter love, vampire threesomes in space, kink as only a vampire could enjoy it… and so much more.

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