HELLO!!! If you’re wondering why I’m doing shouty caps, it’s because I’ve been away for so long I felt it was warranted. And now, “Hello,”in a much more sedate voice.

So, what has been happening? All sorts. One of the fun things was that my website curled up and died and my blog temporarily disappeared. It was all about plugins not being compatible with the latest version of WordPress. The plugins had to be deactivated and then reactivated one by one to find which ones were causing problems. Yep. Good times. 

Here are some actual good things that happened.

A COUPLE OF MY BOOKS WON AWARDS! I’m back to shouty caps. Plus bolding. This is a first for me (awards, not shouty caps and heavy, dark font), so I’m still a bit excited about the whole thing. I’ve calmed down considerably since reading the announcements. At that stage, there was shaky-bodied chair wiggling, gasping, and gasping and laughing at the same time. I may have cried. A little. It all probably looked quite strange. Anyway, here are the award details. In The Fifth Annual New Apple Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing, Yearn For You was chosen as the Solo Medalist Winner in the Literary Erotica category.

Master Me was chosen as an Official Selection in the eBook Romance/Literary Erotica category.

Yearn For You and Master Me also received five-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite.

Some snippets from each review:

Yearn For You 

Sayara St. Clair puts a fire in the hearts of her readers as they watch the drama that unfolds in this narrative. There are moments so intimate, so sensual that they make readers forget their surroundings … Written in beautiful prose and rich in plot points and conflict, it is one of those books that keeps readers awake through the night.

Readers’ Favorite

Master Me

I first discovered the concept of submissive and dominant in Fifty Shades of Grey, but Master Me by Sayara St. Clair takes the concept to a new level … There is a beautiful twist in the story, and it is so skillfully crafted that readers will love to discover it as they wonder if Xavier’s dominant character reflects who he truly is, or if it is just a mask that shields his vulnerability and dark secrets … Sayara St. Clair writes boldly and makes readers want to try things they have never thought about. 

Readers’ Favorite

Here’s something interesting regarding the wording of reviews. Author Jim Steele’s original review of Hurt Me, Heal Me, was rejected by Amazon. Here’s part of it: 

My headline says “Beautifully Written Love Story” for a reason. I’ll be the first to admit that, judging by her cover art and excerpts alone, I fully expected (and maybe was looking for) a novel full of BDSM–steamy…sultry…and filthy dirty smut. The idea of a female author only added to my initial excitement. 
But I was wrong—dead wrong. 
Well, maybe not completely wrong. There are PLENTY of red-hot descriptive sex scenes…and if you can sit still while reading, and imagining these parts, you’re a better man/person than I … St. Clair then one-ups every expectation. She goes the extra—and perhaps the most difficult mile—in turning all of the unbridled desire and lust of one-night stands and bondage into a love story, one of enviable proportions. 

Jim Steele

Once these words “BDSM–steamy…sultry…and filthy dirty smut” were replaced by “sultry tales” the review was accepted. (Rolling my eyes at you, Amazon.)

In non-book related news, I went to Japan in April. It was Sakura (Cherry Blossom) season. It was the first time I’d seen Sakura in the flesh, and I took hundreds of photos. Don’t fret, I won’t bombard you with them. Oh, maybe just two…three… Six, max. Promise. 

There are so many varieties of Sakura along the river outside the Osaka Mint. I didn’t know so many types existed. I certainly was unaware they came in green.

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Some photos from the Nishiki Markets, Kyoto. 

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Of the countries I’ve visited in Asia, Japan is my favourite so far. I love everything about it: the culture, the people, its natural beauty, the beauty created by its occupants, and the fact that it’s so clean and organised. I’m so into clean and organised. Japan also has the best restrooms I’ve ever seen. Seriously, their bathrooms are the shit, man. 😁 The only thing I didn’t love on my recent trip was that there were too many meals featuring sashimi/tofu/moji or other squidgy stuff. I’m not a fan of the squidgy stuff. However, I went to a couple of Yakiniku restaurants where you grill meat over a charcoal fire. Mmmm, beef…

I’ll leave Japan with a photo of Byodo-in Temple, Uji City.

Here are some things that happened an age ago that I didn’t get around to posting.

I was interviewed by AllAuthor. Click the link to find out why I said, “When I finally give you the sex…I go deep.” Link to the interview.

This is a podcast interview with Emit Blackwell. I told Emit I’d be popping my podcast cherry with him. He said he’d be popping his erotic romance cherry with me. It was fine; we were gentle with each other. 😉

We talk about what to look out for in publishing contracts; how to protect yourself as a writer; traditional publishing vs self-publishing; advertising pitfalls for the erotica/erotic romance author; and some other stuff.

There are other things that have happened since my last blog post, but I might have to leave them for another day. I’m not sure if you’re still with me. If I was you, I’d be stuck up there, ⬆️ staring at the weird octopussies. NB: When I was at school, I was taught that the plural of octopus was octopi. Apparently, that’s not the way it goes. If people are going to be changing the rules on me, I’ll just make up my own. So…octopussies.

Until next time, take care and happy reading.

I said I’d give you six! I am a woman of my word, after all.

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