I’m thrilled to once again have Anna Zabo on the site to celebrate their newest release, Counterpoint, the second book in the Twisted Wishes series, which came out on September 24! (For more on the first, see here.) They’re here to talk about writing kink, and while I’m sure everyone’s eager to get to that, let’s check out their new release first š
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Twisted Wishes lead guitarist Dominic āDominoā Bradley is an animal onstage. But behind his tight leather pants and skull-crusher boots lies a different man entirely, one who needs his stage persona not only to perform, but to have the anonymity he craves. A self-imposed exile makes it impossible to get close to anyone outside the band, so heās forced to get his sexual fix through a few hot nights with a stranger.
When computer programmer Adrian Doran meets Dominic, heās drawn to the other manās quiet voice and shy smile. But after a few dirty, demanding nights exploring Dominicās need to be dominated, Adrian wants more than a casual distraction. He has no idea heās fallen for Domino Grinderāthe outlandish, larger-than-life rock god.
Dominic is reluctant to trust Adrian with his true identity. But when the truth is revealed prematurely, Dominic is forced to reevaluate both his need for Adrian and everything he believes about himself.
CW: Quirks and Warnings: Contains D/s and bondage. Also discusses anxiety and depicts a panic attack.
I do have to admit that at one point in my career, I worried that I would become labeled as only a BDSM romance author. I have written romance without BDSM, but even in those, there are moments of kinkiness or explorations of power dynamics, so after a while I realized I was just going to have to embrace the kink and the label, to some extent. Not every novel I write is going to have kink, but itās probably safe to assume that many will.
Thereās just something about kink that I find fascinating, especially when paired with romance. Kink doesnāt have to be paired with romance. In real-life settings, it often isnāt. Heck, kink doesnāt have to be paired with sex. Itās a pleasure in its own right and doesnāt have to be anything but that.
However, I think one of the reasons I enjoy exploring kink in novels is that it take a certain amount of trust and understanding between partners. Itās a deep experienceāfor all parties involved. And that trust, that understandingāfor meāties into the kind of trust and understanding I like to see in romantic partners (or platonic partners in the case of aromantic folks). The caution, care, consent, and thoughtfulness that goes into good kink is the same sort of caution, care, consent, and thoughtfulness I want to see ināwell all relationships, really.
Thereās also a vulnerability in kink that feeds well into the vulnerability of opening your heart or soul to another human being. Again, itās that deep trust that the other person (or persons) will not harm you as you pursue this mutual attraction to see where it leads. And then thereās the comfort of finding someone compatible with you, whether itās because they finish your sentences, love rollercoasters, or the beach, are really great, or happen to love tying you up. Itās cherishing those moments of intense connectionāthe ones that take your breath away.
Kink also is its own kind of privacy and intimate connection, even if there are other people watching, because at a certain point, all that exists for the participants is each other and that connection. Could be pain, could be submission, could be bondage. But it exists because of the people involved and is this strong focus between them and to them. Its a little hard to describe in abstract.
And maybe thatās why I enjoy writing kink so much, because it gives me a chance to describe those feelings and emotions and connections to people. And in a romance novel, youāre already describing the intense connection between partners. Kink is just another element of that. And if it provides a little understanding as to why people might choose kink in their life, all the better.
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Anna Zabo writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which isnāt nearly as boring as most people think.
Anna grew up in the wilds of suburban Philadelphia before returning to their ancestral homelands in Western Pennsylvania. As a child they were heartily disappointed to discover that they couldnāt grow up to be what they wanted (a boy, a cat, a dragon), so they settled on being themself whenever possible, which may be a combination of a boy, a cat, and a dragon. Or perhaps a girl, a knight, and a writer. Depends on whom you ask. They do have a penchant for colorful ties and may be hording a small collection of cufflinks.They can be easily plied with coffee.
Anna has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where they fell in with a roving band of romance writers and never looked back. They also have a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.
Anna uses they/them pronouns and prefers Mx. Zabo as an honorific.
When novelist Manuel Ortigosa learns that his husband, Ćlvaro, has been killed in a car crash, it comes as a devastating shock. It wonāt be the last. Heās now arrived in Galicia. Itās where Ćlvaro died. Itās where the case has already been quickly closed as a tragic accident. Itās also where Ćlvaro hid his secrets.
The man to whom Manuel was married for fifteen years was not the unassuming man he knew.
Ćlvaroās trail leads Manuel deep into one of Spainās most powerful and guarded families. Behind the walls of their forbidding estate, Manuel is nothing but an unwelcome and dangerous intruder. Then he finds two allies: a stubbornly suspicious police lieutenant and Ćlvaroās old friendāand private confessorāfrom seminary school. Together theyāre collecting the pieces of Ćlvaroās past, his double life, and his mysterious death.
But in the shadows of nobility and privilege, Manuel is about to unravel a web of corruption and deception that could be as fatal a trap for him as it was for the man he loved.
Cover to be revealed on the site on September 5th!
June Bana might post nearly daily makeup looks that gain thousands of likes but Real Life June has built a wall behind which she exists with her two cats.
But with messy feelings getting in a way of an early hermit life, June begins to realize that she wants more. She wants model/actress, Sunshine Reincarnated Selena Clarke. It doesnāt hurt that Selena is amazing with cats and quiets down Juneās anxiety to bearable levels.
June is given the choice of facing her anxieties about relationships to gain not only a girlfriend but also a better understanding of how far sheād go for love.
But would she take it? Would she leave her comfort zone for something softer?
Contemporary fluffy piece where one homebody and one extrovert make one hell of a love story.
Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesnāt have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure ofāshe wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.
Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the āboys next doorāāa teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesnāt take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years agoāRumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.
The book is a collection of 25 first-hand accounts by women telling their stories on their own terms. This is a much-needed collection as there is very little work published about lives of LGBTQi communities in Africa.Ā The stories challenge the stereotypes of what we assume is lesbian, bisexual, gay and trans in Nigeria and offers a raw, first-hand look into the lives and realities of those who are queer. The narrators range from those who knew they were gay from an early age to those who discovered same-sex attraction later in life. These engaging and groundbreaking narratives include stories of first time love and curiosity, navigating same-sex feelings and spirituality, growing up gender non-conforming and overcoming family and societyās expectations. What does it mean to be a queer Nigerian? How does one embrace the label of āwomanā? While some tell of self-acceptance, others talk of building a home in the midst of the anti-same sex marriage law.
The book is edited by three women in Nigeria.Ā Azeenarh Mohammed is a trained lawyer and a queer, feminist, holistic security trainer. She is active in the Nigerian queer women’s movement and has written on queerness and technology for publications such as This is Africa and Premium TimesNG.Ā Chitra Nagarajan is an activist, researcher and writer. She has spent the last 15 years working on human rights and peace building and is involved in feminist, anti-racist, anti-fundamentalist and queer movements. She currently lives and works in Maiduguri.Ā Rafeeat Aliyu has a BA in Marketing and works in communication and research. She is particularly interested in sex and sexuality in both modern and historical Nigeria.
Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devilās Forest.
Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early.
Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their townāand their heartsāinside out.
Matchmaking? Check. Surfing? Check. Falling in love? As if.
Sunny, striking, and satisfied with her life in paradise, Theodosia Sullivan sees no need for marriage. She does, however, relish serving as matchmaker for everyone who crosses her path. As the manager of her familyās surf shop in Hanalei Bay, that includes locals and tourists alike.
One person she wonāt be playing Cupid for is the equally happy bachelorette down the street. Baker Kini Ź»ÅpÅ«nui has been the owner of Queenās Sweet Shop since her parents passed away and her younger brother married Theoās older sister and moved to Oahu. Kiniās ready smile, haupia shortbread, and lilikoi malasadas are staples of Hanaleiās main street.
However, Theoās matchmaking machinations and social scheming soon become less charmingāeven hazardousāto everyone involved. And when she fails to heed Kiniās warnings about her meddling, she may be more successful than she ever intended. Theo has to face the prospect of Kini ending up with someone else, just as she realizes sheās loved Kini all along.
By day, Natalie Marshall is the Thorns Ladiesā Social Clubās perfect concierge: resourceful, observant, immaculate. But she turns her phone off when the night concierge arrives, and then sheās Nat: the raunchy lead singer of Vertical Smileānotorious for lewd lyrics and sexually-charged performances.
Rebecca Horvath isnāt used to asking twiceāfor anything. As the scion of one of Hollywoodās most powerful film dynasties, sheās waited on, pampered, fawned overāspoiled. So when she asks the cute front person of her favorite queer punk band to be her date to a charity auction, she isnāt expecting the whispered āno,ā or for the singer to disappear without even thanking her for the martini.
For Natalie, two worlds colliding spells professional catastropheāher on-stage antics definitely violate the club employeesā standards clause. For it to be Bex Horvathāa perennial gossip-pages featureāwho discovers her secret is terrifying.
When the focus of a criminal investigation at work brings Natās double life to the attention of her employer, everything spins out of control. Bex is there to prove thereās more to this party girl than meets the eye. Nat might have to trust her with her secrets, but her heart? Thatās off limits.
Twisted Wishes lead guitarist Dominic āDominoā Bradley is an animal onstage. But behind his tight leather pants and skull-crusher boots lies a different man entirely, one who needs his stage persona not only to perform, but to have the anonymity he craves. A self-imposed exile makes it impossible to get close to anyone outside the band, so heās forced to get his sexual fix through a few hot nights with a stranger.
When computer programmer Adrian Doran meets Dominic, heās drawn to the other manās quiet voice and shy smile. But after a few dirty, demanding nights exploring Dominicās need to be dominated, Adrian wants more than a casual distraction. He has no idea heās fallen for Domino Grinderāthe outlandish, larger-than-life rock god.
Dominic is reluctant to trust Adrian with his true identity. But when the truth is revealed prematurely, Dominic is forced to reevaluate both his need for Adrian and everything he believes about himself.
The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists.
Brysen strives to be a great
falconer–while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She’s nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe.
Together the twins must journey into the treacherous mountains to trap the Ghost Eagle, the greatest of the Uztari birds and a solitary killer. Brysen goes for the boy he loves and the glory he’s long craved, and Kylee to atone for her past and to protect her brother’s future. But both are hunted by those who seek one thing: power.
Jettaās family is famed as the most talented troupe of shadow players in the land. With Jetta behind the scrim, their puppets seem to move without string or stickāa trade secret, they say. In truth, Jetta can see the souls of the recently departed and bind them to the puppets with her blood. But the old ways are forbidden ever since the colonial army conquered their country, so Jetta must never show, never tell. Her skill and fame are her familyās way to earn a spot aboard the royal ship to Aquitan, where shadow plays are the latest rage, and where rumor has it the Mad King has a spring that cures his ills. Because seeing spirits is not the only thing that plagues Jetta. But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imaginedāand safety will never seem so far away.
Seventeen, fashion-obsessed, and gay, Abby Ives has always been content playing the sidekick in other people’s lives. While her friends and sister have plunged headfirst into the world of dating and romances, Abby has stayed focused on her plus-size style blog and her dreams of taking the fashion industry by storm. When she lands a prized internship at her favorite local boutique, sheās thrilled to take her first step into her dream career. She doesn’t expect to fall for her fellow intern, Jordi Perez. Abby knows it’s a big no-no to fall for a colleague. She also knows that Jordi documents her whole life in photographs, while Abby would prefer to stay behind the scenes.
Then again, nothing is going as expected this summer. She’s competing against the girl she’s kissing to win a paid job at the boutique. She’s somehow managed to befriend Jax, a lacrosse-playing bro type who needs help in a project that involves eating burgers across L.A.’s eastside. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel like a sidekick. Is it possible Abby’s finally in her own story?
But when Jordi’s photography puts Abby in the spotlight, it feels like a betrayal, rather than a starring role. Can Abby find a way to reconcile her positive yet private sense of self with the image that other people have of her?
Is this just Abbyās summer of fashion? Or will it truly beĀ The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles)?
Twisted Wishes front man Ray Van Zeller is in one hell of a tight spot. After a heated confrontation with his bandmate goes viral, Ray is hit with a PR nightmare the fledgling band so doesnāt need. But his problems only multiply when they snag a talented new drummerāinsufferably sexy Zavier Demos, the high school crush Ray barely survived.
Zavierās kept a casual eye on Twisted Wishes for years, and lately, he likes what he sees. What he doesnāt like is how out of control Ray seemsāsomething Zavierās aching to correct after their first pulse-pounding encounter. If Rayās up for the challenge.
Despite the prospect of a glorious sexual encore, Ray is reluctant to trust Zavier with his bandāor his heart. And Zavier has always had big dreams; this gig was supposed to be temporary. But touring together has opened their eyes to new passions and new possibilities, making them rethink their commitments, both to the band and to each other.
Seventeen-year-old Lizzie Borden has never been kissed. Polite but painfully shy, Lizzie prefers to stay in the kitchen, where she can dream of becoming a chef and escape her reality. With tyrannical parents who force her to work at the familyās B&B and her blackout episodesāa medical condition that has plagued her since her first menstrual cycleāLizzie longs for a life of freedom, the time and space to just figure out who she is and what she wants.
Enter the effervescent, unpredictable Bridget Sullivan. Bridget has joined the B&Bās staff as the new maid, and Lizzie is instantly drawn to her artistic style and free spiritāeven her Star Wars obsession is kind of cute. The two of them forge bonds that quickly turn into something thatās maybe more than friendship.
But when her parents try to restrain Lizzie from living the life she wants, it sparks something in her that she canāt quite figure out. Her blackout episodes start getting worse, her instincts less and less reliable. Lizzie is angry, certainly, but she also feels like sheās going madā¦
Julie Nolan is a pretty average girl with prettyĀ average problems. Sheās been in love with her best friend, Lorelei, ever since they met in grade three. Only Lorelei doesnāt know about it ā sheās too busy trying to set Julie up with Henry, her ex, who Julie finds, in a word, vapid.
But life gets more complicated when Julie comes home to find her mother insisting that her heart is gone. Pretty soon it becomes clear: Julieās mom believes that she has died.
How is Julie supposed to navigate her first year of high school now, while sheās making midnight trips to the graveyard to cover her mother with dirt, lay flowers and make up eulogies? And why is Henry the only person Julie feels comfortable turning to? If she wants to get through this, Julieās going to have to find the strength she never knew she had, and to learn how to listen to both her momās heart and her own.
Robert Selby is determined to see his sister make an advantageous match. But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. Sheās enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappearā¦forever.
May not be who you thinkā¦
Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldnāt be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldnāt be thinking of all the disreputable things heād like to do to the impertinent scamp.
But is who you needā¦
When Charityās true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he canāt marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isnāt about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what theyāve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?
In this frank, funny and poignant book, transgender activist Juno Roche discusses sex, desire and dating with leading figures from the trans and non-binary community. Calling out prejudices and inspiring readers to explore their own concepts of intimacy and sexuality, the first-hand accounts celebrate the wonder and potential of trans bodies and push at the boundaries of how society views gender, sexuality and relationships. Empowering and necessary, this collection shows all trans people deserve to feel brave, beautiful and sexy.
Leah Burkeāgirl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spierās best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agendaātakes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.
When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beatābut real life isnāt always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, sheās the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows sheās bisexual, she hasnāt mustered the courage to tell her friendsānot even her openly gay BFF, Simon.
So Leah really doesnāt know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. Itās hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fightingāespecially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.
It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastianāthe guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to ātalk.ā Things couldnāt get much worse, right?
But then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. And then he and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife, beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.
April swears she didnāt kill Foxābut Rufus knows her too well to believe sheās telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet canāt stop loving, Rufus has one night to prove his sisterās innocenceā¦or die trying.