Queen of Clubs: Cora by Katie de Long: Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Katie de Long will offer a signed paperback of Queen of Clubs: Cora and a swag pendant to one randomly selected commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What career would I have if I wasn't an author?

I spend so much time focusing on what-ifs, that this seemed like kind of a fun tangent to go on. For so many authors, authoring is a huge part of their identity--- it's not, and never has been, for me. I stumbled into it as a way of bonding with other writers in my social circle, and don't really define myself as an author.

And especially in romance, it's about the little moments that influence whether those two people could possibly have a nice date together, let alone a nice life together. The strategic coincidence is a rom-com staple. So why not look at the rest of life that way? Any one of a million things happened differently, maybe I'd be answering Christian Grey's office phone, or swimming with dolphins.

If I wasn't an author.... I don't honestly see much being different. Maybe that's my own inflexibility, but I've always lived by my wits, using every talent I could dig up to build a tiny portion of my overall income. I've rarely only had one job, or one task. Even now, I work in several freelance fields. There's been times I've spent weeks without touching my own writing because a rush order on a developmental edit came through. Or where I did my editing work while working on a large custom order for some or other craft.

It's kind of comforting looking at those half developed skills and careers, and realizing that all of those talents are things I have can bring to bear on my stories. “Write what you know” isn't always the best advice-- where would we be if fantasy/scifi authors adhered to that?-- but it can certainly add a level of nuance. I may not be able to knit sweaters full time, but if a character needs to be a knitter, I know what problems that person will encounter. And I live to learn, so nothing is out of bounds for me to try.

In general, I think that people focus entirely too much on the development of skills for careers, rather than on their development. If we weren't so afraid of not being able to make a career out of something, what else would we do? And honestly, most people have multiple careers over their lives anyways. People with genuine callings are very rare. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it speaks to our need to continue learning and advancing ourselves, since we need to know what our options might be at any given moment, outside of that narrow path.

But navel-gazing aside, I think I could be pretty happy as a strip club DJ. I may not like all the music, but there's few jobs that do let you interact with music that way, and set people's moods. Maybe it's just my inner hostess.

The exotic dancers and employees of the Queen of Clubs walk a fine line, with only wits, beauty, and market savvy to keep them from toppling into the shark pit. Ride shotgun through lapdances, romance, and sexual awakenings. Don't worry, these girls won't ask what your hands are doing under the tip rail.

Cora, an adventurous student, finds herself auditioning for a stripping gig...and it comes with more than the asking price, including a very attractive DJ.

Queen of Clubs contains adult content, and is intended for mature readers. Each Queen of Clubs title is a standalone novella length work.

Enjoy an excerpt:

I still felt Kirk's eyes following me, as they had for every set on stage, every lap dance along the wall of the club. It was somewhat unsettling, somewhat flattering, and entirely captivating. A part of me wanted to give in to it, to revel in someone who so plainly appreciated my sensuality, rather than punishing me for it.

About the Author:Katie de Long lives in the Pacific northwest, realizing her dream of being a crazy cat-lady. As a kid, Katie flagged the fade-to-blacks in every adult book she encountered, and when she began writing, she vowed to use cutaways sparingly. After all, that's when the good stuff happens. And on a kindle, no one asks why there's so many bookmarks in her library.

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Queen of Clubs is currently published monthly. Visit www.delongkatie.com for preorder and purchase links, or sign up for the mailing list, to be notified when new titles are available.

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