He brought us an excerpt from his first book in the Merely Players erotic romance series a while back, and now the second, The King's Captain, is out and available to buy. Ian says: "At the end of the first story, Knights Errant, Paul and Hayley become lovers. The storyline is continued in The King’s Captain, which I tried to make as stand-alone as possible."
Where did the idea for the Merely Players series come from?
It's a messy sort of mix of ideas! I started with a few ideas for flash fiction stories involving two lovers working together on TV shows. I developed these ideas into some "supporting cast" characters in a draft novel, and then used one of the scenes they filmed as a setting for part of the story.
I'm sure I wouldn't know where to start writing this series! - Did it involve much research?
I'd seen a couple of jousting shows and thought I could plausibly use a team in my story. I also had a day's training with a stunt group as a "Red Letter Day", doing jousting and combat. I've been riding for years, which is why I wanted his horse to have a real personality. All the TV stuff is purely from my imagination, at least partly inspired by the filming techniques used in 24 Hours in A&E, Air Ambulance and some of the emergency service TV series. A lot of the TV shows they'll work on are pretty obviously based on hit films and shows, but I thought making them for a family audience (eg 6pm at the weekend) would allow lots of leeway and fun.
What do you have in mind for your next writing project?
My next publication will be a story in an anthology called “Love and Lust in Space”. This is being edited by Jennifer Denys and will be published by Sexy Little Pages.
I’ve finished the first draft of the third novella in the “Merely Players” series, which now needs revision. The next one I send to my publishers will almost certainly be a “spin-off” novel about Paul’s friends Mark and Maggie, currently being tweaked. I’ve got ideas for three more novellas in this series and perhaps another spin-off. And there are three other substantial ideas rattling around in my mind, nagging me to write them. I keep getting ideas, most of which I develop as a piece of flash fiction in the hope they give me a memory jog some other day.
Have you ever had a character just “do their own thing?”
Yes, and it was a weird feeling when it happened! I was working on a draft novel and an incident occured to me, which seemed perfectly logical and plausible, but how to develop from that stumped me for ages. I’ve got some ideas now, and can use this incident as a source of tension in the relationship between the two characters in the second part of the story.
What’s your writer’s routine? Are you a plotter or do you just write and see where it goes?
I write as and when I can find time and the mental energy. It tends to be weekends at the moment, with a couple of hours on the odd weekday evening. I’ve always had a vague idea of the overall storyline, but for some reason I never want to write this out. I’ve almost always had some key scenes in mind, and have written some of these first to provide me with “way-markers”.
Now here's the excerpt:
Paul is Hayley's lover and now her leading man. But acting and portraying a hero on a period TV show takes far more than a suit of armour. He's totally out of his depth, personally and professionally.
Help arrives with dramatic lessons in leadership and courage, when strange events put him and his friends in harm's way.
Hayley's happy when her best friend Becky books hotel rooms with a bed big enough for three, which confuses Paul. Sorting out their relationships is even scarier than acting, jousting, and stunt fighting in front of the camera.
Life doesn't imitate art. Life shoulders art out of the way. Discovering a secret threatens Paul's trust in Hayley and Becky, and forces him to face his doubts and fears. He must decide if it's braver to walk away, or ask for honest answers. Even if they may break his heart.
I slid my hands under her tee shirt and managed to undo her bra fairly slickly. Well, for me. She sat up, wriggled, and somehow removed her bra through one sleeve without lifting her top. She threw the bra aside, took my hands and placed them on her breasts. Through her soft cotton top, they felt lovely in my hands and her nipples were firm little buds. She looked down at me with something approaching open lust as I fondled her breasts. And she shifted her hips around, teasing my constrained erection.
"Can't decide whether I want to take you, or have you take me," she murmured.
"Suppose I get all overenthusiastic? You know, forceful and pushy."
She grinned at me. "You? Mister gentle and thoughtful?"
I pulled her down onto me and rolled us over so I was on top. I straddled her thighs and pinned her hands on either side of her head. "So? Who says I can't be thoughtfully pushy, too?"
She raised her eyebrows. "Prove it, big boy."
I pulled her arms up and held both her wrists with one hand, then tugged her tee shirt up. She wriggled to help me pull it over her head, but I left her arms in it, not quite trapped, but restricted. While she giggled and struggled with that, I unfastened her jeans and tugged them down to the top of her panties, then I rolled to one side and pulled her clothing down as far as I could.
"You're cheating," she grumbled, throwing her tee shirt to the floor.
"How am I cheating?"
"I can't put up a decent fight, but I want you be all forceful and overpower me. And I'm half-naked but you're still fully dressed."
"Well, let's sort that out." I jumped up and stripped quickly.
Hayley got into her bed and grabbed the duvet to stop me getting in with her. But she didn't try all that hard, and squealed when I won and threw the duvet back. We cuddled and giggled, then she stroked my face tenderly.
"Paul, I know you're very conscious of being a lot bigger and stronger than me, and I love it that you try to be gentle. And you're probably trying to avoid me feeling too dominated. But sometimes I want you to be a bit rougher. Like we were in that feed room last night. I know you won't hurt me and if I want to give in to you, that's not you dominating me." She kissed me gently and ran her fingers through my hair, all the way from my forehead to where it was spread across my shoulders. "Sometimes, I just want to feel that you're completely hugging me, every little bit of me."
I took both her hands in one of mine, stretched her arms up above her head and kissed her slowly and deeply. "Yellow and red, okay?"
She nodded and smiled shyly.
I rolled her onto her tummy, eased her legs apart and knelt between them. Once I'd got myself balanced, I slid a fingertip along the cleft of her pussy, which immediately opened for me. She was deliciously hot, slick, and very tempting. I teased her entrance and spread her wetness over her lips until I thought she was really ready. Then I moved and stroked her pussy with the tip of my cock. She gasped quietly and raised her hips. I took the hint and slid into her. She was so wet and open that I filled her after a couple of gentle thrusts. I screwed her slowly, pulling as far back as I could each time, then sliding as deep into her as I could.
She twisted her head and kissed me roughly. Her eyes were bright with desire and mischief. "Go on, have me."
I went faster, but still pulled almost out before sliding back deep into her. Hayley closed her eyes and relaxed completely. She made a sound like a cross between a gasp and a moan each time I slid into her.
I remembered her comment about being hugged completely and had an idea. I stopped for a few seconds and put my legs outside hers. She got the idea and moved her legs together. My cock still slid in and out easily, with my balls touching her thighs each time I thrust into her. She arched her hips up off the bed, making it easier for me to pump in and out of her. Her gasping got louder and we soon had a film of sweat over us. She climaxed loudly and suddenly, almost pulling me over the edge with her.
"You okay?" I murmured.
"Green, go for it." She gasped. "Don't stop now."
I let my self-control go. My world was entirely centred around my cock sliding into the wet, soft core of the lithe, firm body beneath mine. Her gasps grew louder and she slipped her hands out of my grasp, pressing them on the bed. She pushed back against my thrusts. "Green, green, green," she whispered, then her whole body tensed as she found another climax. That one was too much for me, and I released inside her, pulse after pulse of hot need washed through my cock to fill her.
We rolled onto one side and snuggled together; hot, sweaty, breathless and bathed in the unmistakable aroma of vigorous sex.
Hayley stroked the arm I had around her tummy. "That was rather fun," she murmured.
"Bloody amazing," I said. "Remind me to let go and be rough more often."
She chuckled. "Only when it's the right moment. Your tender, gentle approach is pretty bloody mind-blowing, too."
She rolled onto her back and turned her face towards mine. Our noses were only millimetres apart. "And I know exactly where my g-spot is now."
"Oh?"
She nodded. "I felt it every single time you slid into me. And it was heavenly." She grinned and kissed me. "Thank you."
"Thank you," I said.
"No, thank you." She giggled, then put her fingers over my mouth. "Let me have the last word. You know it's less painful that way."
I rolled onto my back and stretched my legs, which meant my feet dangled over the end of the mattress. But at least the room was warm.
She snuggled up against me, enveloped by my arms. My woman. It's so good to know that feeling again.
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