Guest author Deborah Court

Please welcome romance author Deborah Court 

Step into my World

By Deborah Court

Before I started to write myself, I worked as an editor and translator of romance novels. It was the job of my dreams, since I've always enjoyed reading, and this gave me not only the opportunity to enjoy many books from different genres, but also enabled me to get to know how they are structured, what is elemental to a story. More importantly, I learned what readers expect from a book. A plot and interesting characters are elementary, but the real challenge for a good story is that it's supposed to take the reader into another world for the entire length of it, starting from page one.

It's all about escapism. God knows we need it nowadays, especially young people who struggle with getting a decent education and a career, or hard-working mothers who run their families like a tireless, multi-tasking robot each day. They have a job, loads of housework, take care of their children and elderly family members while they often neglect their own wishes and needs. I have learned that those women are my most faithful readers; they give me incredible, heartwarming feedback. "Thank you for helping me escape for a while," is something I often read in my readers' messages, and to me as a writer, it's the biggest compliment imaginable.

But is escapism a good or bad thing? (Naturally, escape can also be experienced through watching movies, TV shows or other forms of entertainment, but being an author, I'd like to talk about books for now.) There are people who'd argue that such avid readers prefer to live in their own worlds - or, in the case of a fiction book, in a world a writer created for them. But this world, whether it's fantastic or very close to reality, lingers on in their minds long after they finish reading; it feeds their own inner world, the childlike part of their soul that's still able to be in utter awe of a breathtaking sight, believing that whatever they are craving for can actually happen. Sometimes astonishing creativity blooms after readers lose themselves in a compelling story - there are myriads of talented fan fiction writers and artists online who got motivated by a book they particularly liked in the first place.

Now this can't possibly be a bad thing, can it? Don't have a bad conscience if you like to escape for a while. We all need to from time to time. You've earned your own private fantasy, and it will give you renewed strength to face life when you need to get out of bed in the morning. Because the world you found in a book will linger inside you, still filling you with joyous wonder and hope long after you turned the last page.

*****

Deborah Court, author of the bestselling epic fantasy romance, "Bound to the Prince", lives in a picturesque European small town. A health professional by day, at night she loves to write romances about elven warriors of deadly beauty, capable of making a woman die from sheer pleasure - or stories to awaken the deepest, most secret fantasies of her readers.

For news, fun & excerpts, visit Deborah's homepage:

http://www.deborahcourt.com

Want to escape even more? Deborah Court's new romance, "Virgin Dancer", is available on Amazon now.

http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Dancer-ebook/dp/B007W5PFFQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334997054&sr=1-1

Jade, a small town girl who has recently moved to New York to become a professional ballet dancer, is wildly determined to lose her virginity. She goes to a Lower East Side club and celebrates her birthday with friends - fully intending to choose the most handsome, charismatic man she'll meet there to introduce her to the art of love that night. Instantly she falls for the tall blond Swedish sex god who owns the club, pretending to be a pole dancer who wants to apply for a job. But Alrik has secrets of his own, and soon Jade gets entangled in a web of danger, mystery and relentless passion ...

Excerpt:

"So beautiful," he said, and his deep, rich voice sent shivers down her spine. "I still wonder if I should take advantage of this situation. After all, you're just a girl who wanted to find herself a lover tonight." He laughed to himself as he bowed down to her, moving his body over hers. Resting his weight on his elbows, his skin was just inches away from Jade's, nearly covering her. She only needed to arch her back, and her breasts would graze his skin.

Holding her captive with his pale, clear eyes, he stared down at her. "You can't even imagine how much I'd like to take you now." When she gasped, he continued. "Look at you. You want it, too, don't you, Jade? This is what you came here for."

Desperate with want, she closed her eyes, unable to speak a word. Suddenly, she felt his breath on the sensitive side of her neck, and she involuntarily tilted her head to the side to give him better access. Then, his lips were on her, leaving a searing mark
on her skin. She moaned when she felt his tongue, barely touching as if he only
wanted to taste her. A soft moan escaped her when he covered her neck with more
of his sinful kisses, alternating with gentle bites that made her finally give
up, yielding to his seduction.

The knowledge of being bound and helpless excited her more than she would have expected, and she turned her head to look into his eyes, ready to beg him if he wanted it. She found that the expression of his eyes wasn't cold anymore, but seemed to burn with a fire that threatened to destroy her.

"Beware, little virgin," he said. "I might be too much for you."

*****