HOLDING HANDS WITH PALOMA BECK

I've never hosted a fellow writer on my blog, but I am so impressed with author Paloma Beck and her new offering, Hold my Hand, that I wanted her to tell us all about it--and about herself.

Paloma Beck is a Romance Author living a life of contradiction... she's a happily married carpooling mom writing erotic romance. It's almost naughty! Paloma writes in both the Contemporary and Paranormal realms, journaling the stories her characters tell her, and they are anything but PG. She dabbles in vampires, witches, ménage, spanking and bdsm - all in her books, of course. Paloma believes a daily dose of espresso and a good book make any day better.

I couldn't agree with her more.

She is currently working on a contemporary romance series about three brothers. Finding Home, book two, will be released sometime in 2013 with Secret Cravings Publishing. She also has a paranormal romance series, The Seven Sin Sisters, contracted with Secret Cravings Publishing, which will be released between August 2012 and August 2013.

She is joining me here today to talk about her new self-published work, Hold my Hand. It is my great pleasure to introduce Paloma Beck.

Thanks to Jade for having me today. It’s an honor to be with a talented author I both read and love as I begin promoting Hold My Hand.

Hold My Hand is my very first self-published book. With my first two series contracted through a publisher, I decided to try something different for my NaNoWriMo project. I wrote most of the book in November 2012 but the origins of the book go back even further… to a poem I wrote in my high school Creative Writing class. I had no idea the poem connected with the story when the heroine first came to me in a dream in the spring of 2012. It’s crazy how this project all fell together. I couldn’t help but focus back on the poem -and the message there- to realize these feelings and this story were inside me for such a long time.

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HOLD My HAND

He reaches to Hold My Hand
And I walk into the unknown.
I cling to the possibility
As I escape into the forbidden.
He whispers Hold My Hand
And I lay myself before him.
I hunger for his offering
As I soar to new heights.
He reaches to Hold My Hand
And I am touched by grace.
I am set free through my bonds
As I reach to Hold his Hand.

Hold My Hand is an erotic contemporary BDSM-lite romance about Aubrey, a young woman filled with hurt, and William, a man who can't walk away. They're navigating through a relationship that may have too many hurdles... or perhaps not, as long as she can hold his hand.

Hold My Hand hints at the heroine’s childhood experiences of emotional abuse. Aubrey has been hurt in the past, discouraged and degraded by a heartless father. Still, William sees something in her that won't allow him to walk away. Instantly drawn to her but intuitive enough to take it slowly, he courts her. Then he bargains, persuades and seduces until he ensnares Aubrey with his commanding nature.

Hold My Hand introduces the heroine to domestic discipline. Despite the fight she puts up in accepting William's lifestyle, the bonds he places on Aubrey give her a freedom she desperately needs. In this most unlikely way, together, they heal old wounds and find their perfect love.

Enjoy an EXCERPT ©Paloma Beck, 2013

“Stop right there, little elf, before our fun afternoon turns into a session in obedience. Do not belittle yourself. No more of that,” William held my chin as he spoke. He knew as well as I did that I would’ve ducked my head at the reprimand. He kissed me lightly before whispering, “You’re perfect to me.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t help my response. It was so ingrained in me that I was unworthy that accepting his words as truth was near impossible. William squeezed my jaw enough to be uncomfortable. “Repeat after me,” he said. “I am perfect.”

I pulled back, hoping he’d let me go and knowing at the same time it wasn’t likely. “I can’t.” Tears began to pool in my eyes and I blinked to hold them back.

“I’m going to hold your hand every step of the way until you realize just how perfect you are,” William breathed the words into my ear as one hand remained on my chin while the other stroked my hair. “Now, repeat it. I am perfect.”

The pause was too long and I heard William growl so I whispered, “I am prefect.”

“You are perfect,” he said as he looked into my eyes, “Say it again.”

“I am perfect,” I whispered again, uncomfortable and fidgeting with my hands.

“Louder,” William commanded. His voice wrought with the tone of a man with whom you shouldn’t argue.

“I am perfect,” I said with an indoor voice my kindergarten teacher would approve of.

“You are perfect. Now louder still.”

“Will…” he shook his head and my words immediately stopped.

“Repeat the words, Aubrey, just the words. We’re going to do this until you believe them.”

“I won…” again, he cut my words off with the shake of his head and a stern look.

Tears blurred my sight as I continued to blink them away but succeeded only in pushing them down my cheeks. Once they began to fall, I couldn’t seem to stop them. I wanted so badly to stop them before he became angry with me. I kept my gaze averted. I looked at my feet, afraid of the sight of William mad.

“Look at me,” William used his thumb to pull my chin up again. “Look. At. Me.” His sternly spoken words set me on edge but I followed his command. When my eyes met his, I saw something I couldn’t comprehend. I saw sympathy. I saw understanding. I saw hope. He wasn’t angry but he watched me carefully.

Then he smiled at my surprise.

“I’m not angry with your tears. They’re beautiful to me. But right now, we’re working at you acknowledging that beauty. Repeat after to me. I am perfect.”

I swallowed and when I spoke, my voice was scratchy but audible. “I am perfect.”

William leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. “Again, sweet Aubrey.”

“I am perfect.”

Paloma, that was an amazing excerpt, and I'm looking forward to reading Hold my Hand. Thanks for joining me here, and I hope you'll come back again soon.

Hold My Hand is currently only available through Smashwords but will release at all other major ebook retailers on April 1, 2013. You can check out Aubrey’s Pinterest Board and mark the book as WANT TO READ on Goodreads today!

Connect with Paloma:

WEBSITE http://palomabeck.weebly.com

TUMBLR http://palomabeck.tumblr.com/

BLOG http://RomanceBeckons.blogspot.com

TWITTER https://twitter.com/PalomaBeck

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/PalomaBeckAuthor

PINTEREST http://www.pinterest.com/PalomaBeck

GOODREADS http://www.goodreads.com/PalomaBeck

AMAZON