Update on Claire and Owen. These two are a blast to write:
- Owen Reid, 27, single, lonely and starved for touch. Basically waiting to be cracked open (emotionally and physically).
- Claire Stirling, 30-something, highly professional, and training her clients in what she calls ‘therapeutic surrender’.
What could go wrong?
This is a BDSM erotica novel (working title: Scream For Me), but I hasten to add: it’s safe, it’s consensual, it’s hot and people (well, mostly Owen) get hurt, but not harmed – there’s a difference!
Quick update:
- I’m about 72,000 words into the first draft.
- I’m hoping to finish it by the end of January 2026.
- That will give me February and March for revision.
- Hoping to release in April or May. We’ll see!
Not a fan of dark romance, honestly.
As part of my research, I’ve stumbled over so much dark romance – including, as I’ve now learnt (new terms for me!), “non-con” and “dub-con”. Ugh. Not a fan, honestly. To each their own, but after centuries of women being suppressed, I don’t need to read about women being suppressed. Unless it’s in an utterly safe and negotiated space, which – sadly – doesn’t seem to be the norm.
I get it. Fantasies, intensity, and the market doesn’t lie. I’m here to claim you can have all the intensity without the abuse, and that’s why I’m writing Claire and Owen. Plus, they’re just funny:
“You can safeword,” Claire said.
Owen shifted again. His heart, already beating faster than usual, had slipped from its normal position and appeared to be located in his stomach right now. “I don’t want to safeword. I think. Is that even a verb?”
Now there was laughter – soft and close. Owen pressed the phone closer to his ear.
“I didn’t know you were into grammar,” Claire said. “That’s giving me ideas for our next session.”
“My mum’s a teacher. You’re not beating me at parts on speech.”
“But I can beat you?”
Owen coughed. “Claire, what the hell!”
If you want to meet these two, download the teaser here for free:
Want more? I’m still building my ARC team for the full novel. So if you’d like to read and review early, please join! You can sign up here:
https://www.thalanien.com/scream-for-me-arc-team/
I’d love to have you!