Becca Dale Shows (and Tells)

Show and Tell Saturday – the name alone conjures memories of standing in front of the grade school classroom, knee sock drooping down one leg, hand-me-down dress a bit too short, and my heart beating with excitement and trepidation. Would my classmates see the value of my favorite toy or enjoy the cactus candy Grandma and Grandpa brought back from Arizona? Would they understand how dear the picture of my new calf was to me, what a milestone it was that I was responsible for feeding all the bottle calves on my own at seven. Or would they laugh at my weird sense of joy?

I feel that same excitement mingled with unease every time I send out a new story to be judged, to be adored or found lacking. So with that in mind, I stand before you carrying a cover made by Dara, a series developed by Kate and Val and another friend late at night, and my 1 Night Stand – Erotic Healing. This story forced me to step outside my comfort zone. I don’t do casual intimacy very well. I do complicated. So guess what? My 1NS is complicated, but I can honestly say I love it. It is a little unexpected, I hope, but it also adheres to the on-the-edge excitement of a time limit—win or lose, connect or remain lonely, everything rests in one night. What a fascinating concept.

I haven’t been with Decadent Publishing all that long, but in the scheme of things, none of us have since the idea for the company took root little over a year ago. Since walking through these metaphorical doors though, I have pushed myself repeatedly. Can’t Stop Me, which is currently available in the print anthology Run Devil Run and will be available individually mid-June, raised havoc with my writing process. It was the first time that I have even written something which mattered to other people. I woke up more than one night in a cold sweat fearing I would let Heather or Lisa or the band or one of the other authors or someone down. The experience was a true nail biter but one I would not give up. The individual cover for Can’t Stop Me was brought to you by Fiona and the anthology idea the brainchild of Heather. So here again I feel the need to share the credit for the cool factor, if there is any associated with my writing, with others from Decadent.

Each thing I have written since joining this group has helped me grow, not because I wrote it so much, but more because I wrote each one with the unfailing support of my fellow Decadent teammates. So what am I really showing off today? My publisher. This is my newest release, Erotic Healing; and here is my contribution to the RDR Anthology, Can’t Stop Me; but this—holds up Decadent Publishing Banner—this is my publisher. I currently have and have had other publishers in the past, and my editors have all been supportive and downright fabulous, I cannot say a single negative thing about any of them. That is not the point. What I am trying to tell comes down to this. I have been blessed to be a part of Decadent’s growth, the fellow authors and editors along with Heather, Lisa, Meredith and Colleen have made this an experience I will not forget but would certainly recommend. So I stand here a bit more put together than I ever was in grade school, but just as eager to show and tell about some of my favorite things.