Decadent Publishing: Cassandra Dean

Amazon: AU | US | UK

Cassandra grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures.

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

So, once upon a time, after making a slight detour into the world of finance, Cassandra tried her hand at writing. After a brief foray into horror, she couldn’t discount her true passion. She started to write Romance and fell head over heels.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Goodreads ~ Tumblr ~ Pinterest ~ Amazon.com

Thursday, February 20, 2014

SILK & SCORN, The Silk Series Book 2 #historicalromance

Hi peeps,

I’m so excited to share with you all my newest release, SILK & SCORN!

SILK & SCORN is the second in The Silk Series, five interconnected tales about a group of law-loving people who studied or lived in Cambridge in Victorian England. SILK & SCORN is Sarah and Arthur’s story, childhood antagonists who find themselves thrown together when Sarah requires Arthur’s legal expertise. Slowly, they discover the prejudices of childhood may have been exaggerated and there are qualities to admire in each other, and perhaps even love...

I had such fun with Sarah and Arthur and I hope you do too!

Cassandra

THE SILK SERIES, BOOK 2

Thrown together by fate, will they discover there is a fine line between scorn and passion?

Available NOW

Amazon: AU | US | UK

Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks

Cassandra Dean grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures.

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

The Diamond Series, Book 2

Monday, January 13, 2014

Happy Book Birthday, FOOL'S GOLD!

Last week was FOOL'S GOLD's first book birthday. Yay! To celebrate, I'm holding a giveaway over at my blog - you could win an ebook copy of FOOL'S GOLD along with a prize of mystery. But hop to it, peeps, the giveaway ends on 23 January. Cassandra xx

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 2

Christmas in Freewill Christmas Eve, the Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion. Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing outside. Ethan Garrett has a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in her company. When a blizzard storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their irritation for each other disguises something more?

Available NOW Decadent Publishing Amazon: AU | US | UK ARe | Smashwords | B&N

~ Excerpt ~

Turning on her heel, Pearl marched off toward the stairs. A weird kind of panic jolted through Ethan, one he’d never felt before in all his days. It was…he didn’t…. She couldn’t leave him.

“Where are you going?” She whirled to face him, her irritation plain. “I was seeking my bed before your arrival, and now I’m seeking it again. Help yourself to whiskey this one time. I got better things to do.”

Shoving to his feet, he strode to her. “Don’t just walk away when we’re discussing things.”

“We ain’t discussing nothing. You’ll be down here, waiting out the blizzard. I’ll be in my bed, doing what I was gonna before you arrived. That’s the end of it.” Taking a step, she made to leave him. Again.

He grabbed her arm. “Don’t leave me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Glaring at him, she stood before the bar, her magnificent hair slipping from its pins, her breasts rising and falling. Abruptly, his mouth went dry.

Clearing his throat some, he said, “You’re supposed to offer succor to those in need.”

“We’re closed, remember?” Paint-less lips pressed tight together, she glared up at him. They were so close he could see the faint marks of freckles on her skin. Pearl La Monte had freckles. A kind of haze came over him, tightening his skin and bringing with it something all-fired powerful and completely unstoppable. All the years he’d known her crashed through him, all the times she’d flirted with him and meant something else, all the times he’d seen her perform on stage and wished he could have held such fire. Grabbing her upper arms, he hauled her against him and, ignoring her shocked gasp, he covered her mouth with his.

Cassandra Dean grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born. So, once upon a time, after making a slight detour into the world of finance, Cassandra tried her hand at writing. After a brief foray into horror, she couldn’t discount her true passion. She started to write Romance and fell head over heels. The love affair exists to this very day. Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Yay! Christmas!

By Cassandra Dean

I’m a huge sucker for Christmas. I love the sparkling lights and the tinsel and the puddings and mince pies and the getting together with family and friends. It’s all such a blast! I also love watching Carols by Candlelight on TV. Every Christmas Eve, there’s a massive concert in Melbourne that’s broadcast live on national TV. Ever since I can remember I’ve watched the carols, holding a candle with sticky-taped with a drip catcher made of cardboard.

Christmas is made up of these little traditions, ably demonstrated by a fantastic performance from comedian Tim Minchin, he of Matilda, the musical fame.

And, just because I love it, here’s a fantastic telling of Neil Gaiman’s subversive and spooky poem about Father Christmas.

Anyhoo, that’s about it from me. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful festive season, however you celebrate.

Cassandra

Christmas in Freewill

Christmas Eve, the Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion. Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing outside.

Ethan Garrett has a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in her company.

When a blizzard storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their irritation for each other disguises something more?

Available NOW

Amazon: AU | US | UK

ARe | Smashwords | B&N

Cassandra grew up daydreaming, inventing fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures. Once she learned to read (First phrase – To the Beach. True story), she was never without a book, reading of other people’s fantastical worlds and marvelous adventures.

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Monday, November 18, 2013

TEACH ME: The Language of the Fan

By Cassandra Dean

It’s so much fun researching bits and pieces for my stories. I really enjoying throwing in the random little tidbit to add flavour and colour to a scene or a situation. Such happened in TEACH ME. The story of a curious widow who turns her curiosity to erotic pleasure and the cold, unemotional earl who teaches her, I thought it would be fun to include other things Malvern teaches Elizabeth, including erotic poetry, burlesque performances and fan language.

It’s a throwaway bit, less than a page. The first mention is a sentence or two and the second mention is a tiny bit longer. However, I really enjoyed discovering fan language. To begin, here’s the second mention of fan language in TEACH ME:

Deliberately, Elizabeth took the Venetian lace fan he’d purchased for her birthday in her right hand and raised it to obscure her features.

A faint smile touched Malvern's lips as he deciphered the message. Foolish woman. He would have followed her anyway. Had he not proven that by his very presence at this tedious ball?

As she departed, her fan rested lightly on her bare shoulder, and his fingers itched to stroke her ivory skin. […]Perspiration broke on his forehead and his hold on the façade of detachment slipped, his desire for her the only thing that could force such a reaction.

As she passed through the door, she glanced at him one final time. Her look promised all his fevered mind […]imagined and more, the fan’s handle resting lightly on her lips. Burning with the need to kiss her as she had invited, he cursed himself for ever teaching her that damned fan language.

Nifty as, hey? :)

Fan language developed due to the restrictions placed upon women during the Georgian era. Private communication wasn’t allowed between men and women, and so a language developed for furtive lovers. Being as fans were so prevalent, the language took the form of specific actions using the fan. Here are some examples:

Touching right cheek – yes

Touching left cheek – no

Twirling in left hand – we are watched

Twirling in right hand – I love another

Open and shut – you are cruel

Open wide – wait for me

With handle to lip – Kiss me

In right hand in front of face – Follow me

Drawing across the cheek – I love you

Further to the above, the wonderful television show, Horrible Histories, has a delightful video about fan language. If you haven’t watched Horrible Histories before, I highly recommend it. Developed for children, there are some amazing historical facts boiled down into succinct and informative facts, delivered tongue firmly in cheek. Check it out below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY3npLFwCYs]

And that’s it from me. I really enjoyed finding out about fan language, and I hope you have, too!

Cassandra

Ever curious, Elizabeth, Viscountess Rocksley, has turned her curiosity to erotic pleasure. Three years a widow, she boldly employs the madam of a brothel for guidance but never had she expected her education to be conducted by a coldly handsome peer of the realm.

To the Earl of Malvern, the erotic tutelage of a skittish widow is little more than sport, however the woman he teaches is far from the mouse he expects. With her sly humor and insistent joy, Elizabeth obliterates all his expectations and he, unwillingly fascinated, can’t prevent his fall.

Each more intrigued than they are willing to admit, Elizabeth and Malvern embark upon a tutelage that will challenge them, change them, come to mean everything to them…until a heartbreaking betrayal threatens to tear them apart forever.

Available NOW

Amazon: AU | UK | UK

ARe | Smashwords | B&N

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

THE DIAMOND SERIES, BOOK 1

Monday, October 14, 2013

Wild, Wild West

Hi Peeps,

Please join me in wishing ROUGH DIAMOND a happy Book Birthday. Just over one year ago, the first in the Diamond Series was released. Part of Decadent Publishing’s Western Escape, ROUGH DIAMOND features the tale of Alice Reynolds, saloon owner, and Rupert Llewellyn, Englishman...or is he?

I had so much fun with these characters and with the challenge of writing a western. I hadn’t ever thought of writing a story set in America’s Old West, but when my editor on TEACH ME suggested I give it a try, I jumped right in. A picture formed of a lady saloon owner who creates a monthly theater Spectacular and dreams of the stages of Paris and a canny Welshman employed by a coal company who pretends to be English buffon in order to disarm those he engages in business. Phew, that sounds a bit complex but it all makes sense, trust me! Alice, of course, sees right through Rupert’s prattle and knows there’s more to this man that what he wants her to believe. Rupert, for his part, is fascinated that he can’t fool her. The rest is history!

ROUGH DIAMOND is currently on sale at all the Amazons including US ($2.99) and UK (£1.98). Also, if you like the sound of ROUGH DIAMOND, the second in the Diamond Series, FOOL’S GOLD, is available as well.

Thanks for hanging with me, peeps.

Cassandra Dean

Owner of the Diamond Saloon and Theater, Alice Reynolds is astounded when a fancy Englishman offers to buy her saloon. She won’t be selling her saloon to anyone, let alone a man with a pretty, empty-headed grin…but then, she reckons that grin just might be a lie, and a man of intelligence and cunning resides beneath.

Rupert Llewellyn has another purpose for offering to buy the pretty widow’s saloon—the coal buried deep in land she owns. However, he never banked on her knowing eyes making him weak at the knees, or how his deception would burn upon his soul.

Each determined to outwit the other, they tantalize and tease until passion explodes. But can their desire bridge the lies told and trust broken?

Available NOW

Amazon: US | UK | Canada

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Silk & Scandal available HERE

Monday, September 16, 2013

Wills, Estates and The Silk Series

Hi peeps!

The third book in The Silk Series continues to kick my behind as I struggle to get Gwen and Edward’s story down, but the second book is done, dusted and in edits so I thought I’d chat a bit about Silk & Scorn, Book 2 of The Silk Series.

Silk & Scorn is the tale of Sarah Wetherall and Arthur Davenport, childhood enemies who find themselves thrown together as adults when Sarah requires Arthur’s legal expertise. The family of Sarah’s late husband is challenging her right to his estate, even though Sarah’s husband died without writing a Will which, due to succession law, means Sarah as his wife inherits everything. However, her husband’s father is furious at this determination and bull-headedly fights for what he perceives to be his rightful inheritance. At her wits’ end, Sarah seeks the help of Arthur, who is a solicitor specializing in matters pertaining to Wills and Estates, and then, the sparks fly…

So…wow. That’s a bit of legalese right there. Luckily, The Day Job actually deals with these matters so I pestered the Estate Planning lawyer in my office with questions about the whole situation. As Australian Law is based upon and aligns closely with English Law, it was a cinch. Also, luckily, not much has changed in 200-odd years and so what is true today was true in Sarah and Arthur’s time (Early Victorian, for those playing at home). It made researching a bit easier to be able to talk to an expert, let me tell you!

As The Silk Series features people involved in lawyerish-type things, it’s going to be invaluable to have a lawyer available for my questions. Yay for Day Jobs!

Thanks for hanging with me, peeps.

Cassandra Dean

THE SILK SERIES, BOOK 1

Eight years ago…
Thomas Cartwright and Lady Nicola Fitzgibbons were friends. Over the wall separating their homes, Thomas and Nicola talked of all things – his studies to become a barrister, her frustrations with a lady’s limitations.

All things end.
When her diplomat father gains a post in Hong Kong, Nicola must follow. Bored and alone, she falls into scandal. Mired in his studies of the law and aware of the need for circumspection, Thomas feels forced to sever their ties.

But now Lady Nicola is back…and she won’t let him ignore her.

Available NOW

Amazon: US | UK | Canada

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Silk & Scandal available HERE

Monday, August 12, 2013

Idle hands

by Cassandra Dean

We live in a fast paced culture, one fueled by coffee and adrenaline. We’re constantly on the move, rushing to get to work, to a meeting, to the kids’ sporting events, to our parents’ place for Sunday lunch. We’re doing housework, paying bills, cooking, gardening, doing a million things and running around and around and around. We never seem to stand still, and when we do, we feel that we should be doing something. Doesn’t the car need to be cleaned? Doesn’t the budget need to be done? Those dishes are looking mighty dirty...We’re our own worst enemies, with this constant need to move.

But, and this is the big question, why? Why is it so bad to sit idle, to take time to just breathe and look about? Why must we feel guilty for taking a moment, a minute, an hour, to ourselves?

It seems strange to me. Our bodies aren’t designed for constant movement. We have to rest, or we’ll soon know about it. Its the same with our brains. We have to switch them off, let them rest and revitalise.

To apply such a thing to writing, sometimes you must step away from your manuscript in order to fix the problem. You could be going round and round in circles, ready to tear your hair out because it just. Won’t. Work!!!

I’m pretty bad at the ‘rest’ thing. As a writer, my brain constantly ticks over, always finding the next story or scene. I find it extremely hard to silence my mind, to just be in a moment. Even worse, I’ll finish a series of task and then be at a loss, convinced I should be doing something.

However, sometimes, it’s okay to do nothing. I find stepping away, doing something else, allowing my brain to tick away in the background while I’m doing other things always does the trick. The answer will come to me, and then I can sit before my computer and get the job done.

This seems more productive than traditional “sit and stare at the machine” doesn’t it? It might seem like I’m piking, or being indolent-like, but in reality, I’ve saved myself time and frustration. By stepping away for an hour or so, I’m giving my subconscious the time it needs to work through the problem, to make the connections my conscious mind is simply too fatigued to make. When I sit before my computer once more, fresh and raring to go, I’m much more productive, and it’s all because I took the time to have a break.

So, is being idle really that bad?

I’d love to know your thoughts, peeps. Do you think stopping to smell the roses is a bad thing? How do you relax? Let me know in the comments below.

Cassandra Dean

THE SILK SERIES, BOOK 1

Eight years ago…
Thomas Cartwright and Lady Nicola Fitzgibbons were friends. Over the wall separating their homes, Thomas and Nicola talked of all things – his studies to become a barrister, her frustrations with a lady’s limitations.

All things end.
When her diplomat father gains a post in Hong Kong, Nicola must follow. Bored and alone, she falls into scandal. Mired in his studies of the law and aware of the need for circumspection, Thomas feels forced to sever their ties.

But now Lady Nicola is back…and she won’t let him ignore her.

Available NOW

Amazon: US | UK | Canada

Fairy tales, Famous Fives, fantasies and fancies; horror stories, gumshoe detectives, science fiction; Cassandra read it all. Then she discovered Romance and a true passion was born.

The love affair exists to this very day.

Cassandra lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

You can find Cassandra at:

CassandraDean.com ~ Cassandra and Lucy ~ Facebook ~ Twitter