I love meeting new writers. I only met Jane Henry a few weeks ago and I enjoyed talking to her. I'm excited for her because her first book just came out. I bought it on the first day and I'm anxious to share it with you. I enjoyed this book very much. It presented some true dilemmas and I read anxiously to see how they were going to be resolved - I kept putting myself in the heroine's place and spent some time wondering what I would have done. I hope you enjoy...
Begin Again by Jane Henry
J
Publisher: Blushing Books
Released: February 16, 2016
Genre: Contemporary D/s romance
Blurb:
Life is good for
Meredith and her husband Paolo, when a terrible car accident leaves Paolo
disabled. As he distances himself emotionally,
Meredith seeks consolation in her fantasy world. Escaping into her erotic
romance books not only helps keep the loneliness at bay, but also awakens in
her a curiosity about the Dominant/submissive lifestyle.
The day she
stumbles upon a website forum of actual submissives and dominants, her life is
forever changed. These are not characters created by authors. They are real
people who engage in real life dominance and submission. As her knowledge
grows, she learns there is one question only she can answer—is she truly submissive, or is the fantasy better left on
the pages of a book?
In a last ditch
effort to discover who she really is, Meredith agrees to pledge her obedience
to an anonymous on-line Dom. She convinces herself it can't be considered
cheating if her Dom is just a faceless entity in cyberspace. But the first time
she's given an order, it all becomes too real. Will her devotion to please her
on-line Dom take precedence over her flesh and blood husband? Will Meredith's
journey of self-discovery destroy their marriage or will they somehow find a
way to begin again?
EXCERPT:
Your
disobedience is forgiven now, Bonita. I'm proud of you for fulfilling your
punishment. I have no way to ensure your obedience, so this is entirely on your
honor. You've done well. Tell me how you felt being punished, and how you feel
now.
She felt the
warmth of his praise, as she explained everything to him, how at first she'd
been embarrassed, then she'd welcomed the quiet. But her conscience pricked
her. How she felt now? She felt like shit. Now she'd lied not only to Paolo,
but Mr. Brookstone as well.
Meredith pushed all thoughts of guilt
aside, as Mr. Brookstone continued.
Very nice,
Bonita. It pleases me to hear this. You know I require your obedience because
it's for your own good, don't you? I did not enjoy having to punish you.
Yes, sir.
And I won't
have to punish you again?
No, sir.
Very good. A
dom's job is to make sure he leads well. In the future, if you have an excuse
for not doing as I ask you, I need a plausible explanation. Mean what you say,
Bonita. If you tell me you'll do something, I want every effort from you.
Yes, sir.
She felt
guilty. She had never before lied, not ever. But she had no idea how she would
make things right, not now.
Good. Now
let's discuss the next set of rules I'd like to propose. I want your full
transparency. Tell me how you feel about each rule.
Her brows
furrowed. Each rule? How many did he expect to enforce?
Ok.
Excuse me?
Hands shaking,
she quickly remedied her error.
Yes, sir.
Do I need to
have you kneel again?
Her cheeks
flushed pink. Oh, no, sir. I was just lost in my thoughts and forgot my
place.
It's
unfortunate we have this distance between us. I feel firmly as if a good
session over my lap would help you remember your place.
Her heart pounded. It would, no doubt. God, she wished she could feel
what it would be like to be really spanked...
Social links:
Jane was kind enough to answer a few questions for me as well.
You’re fairly new here, could you tell my readers a little
about yourself?
I've been writing as
long as I can remember. I've been married to my first love for fourteen years
this spring. We were one of those “love at first sight” and decided only a few
short months after dating that we wanted to be married. We were married within
the year and have been crazy in love ever since. We began raising a family, so
for many years I didn't write. My husband has always encouraged me to, though,
and several years ago I began writing again. It was only about three years ago
I discovered my love for writing D/s fiction, and that's where I've found my
passion. Last fall, I finally got up the courage to submit some of my work, and
I'm excited to be publishing a few of my books this year.
If a friend ask you about this book what would you say
about it?
This book is a pretty intense read from the opening line,
and without exception beta readers have told me it was “gripping,”
“compelling,” and they “couldn't put it down.” Meredith's husband was injured
in a car accident, and their marriage is strained. She is lonely and hurting,
and tries to fill the void she feels by reading, and exploring this new world
online. It's an exploration of one woman's introduction and fascination with
the world of dominance and submission, as she experiments with the lifestyle
choice in an effort to determine whether or not she is truly a submissive.
Every one of the readers told me they took a little something away from this
novel, and I hope my other readers find the same.
Describe your perfect writing day.
I like to write in peace and quiet (who doesn't?). The
large majority of my writing time is spent very early in the morning, before my
house wakes, and I write in my living room which has nothing but a sofa, my
grandmother's rocking chair, shelves filled with books, and a piano. I focus
best when I'm alone in a peaceful setting. So for my perfect writing day, I
would be in a secluded but peaceful area, like a cabin retreat or a quiet spot
on the beach. I would have my trusty thermos of coffee and something yummy to
eat to fuel my energy, and a lovely place where I could stretch my legs and
walk in between writing spurts. Then at the end of the day I would meet my
husband and family for dinner – I love my family and hate cooking, so that
would be ideal!