Lila Munro (Guest Post)

Good morning! I'd like to welcome spicy contemporary romance author Lila Munro who is joining us today for her release of Three For Keeps, enjoy!

Sub-culture or Sub-genre? That is the Question…

Many times as writers we are asked what our inspiration was for penning a particular piece. When asked this about my current release, Three for Keeps, I had to take pause and think for a minute. For any one that’s not aware, Three for Keeps embodies a poly-relationship between my heroine, Zoey, and her three men. It also encompasses a few BDSM elements. I can tell you, personal experience with a ménage situation wasn’t my inspiration. J So what was? How does one become inspired to write such things?

Here’s a little known fact about me. I have a B.S. in Sociology. Yep, I even have the paper to prove it. Some insight into why I chose to pursue such a degree will also give you some insight into why I was inspired to write Three for Keeps. Come closer, I’ll tell you my secret…I, have an obsession, with…sub-cultures. It’s true. Sub-cultures absolutely fascinate me. And what pray tell defines a sub-culture? Let’s ask Mr. Webster…

1 a: a culture (as of bacteria) derived from another culture 

   b: an act or instance of producing a subculture 

2: an ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society  

— sub•cul•tur•al \-ˈkəlch-rəl, -ˈkəl-chə-\adjective 

— sub•cul•tur•al•lyadverb 

— subculturetransitive verb 

Ahah! I do believe appendix two is the appropriate answer we seek. Sub-cultures are defined by characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others…Now isn’t that odd…so do sub-genres. 

Let’s go back to my obsession for a moment. My husband will tell you I’m the most tolerant human on the planet embracing all peoples and as blind as a bat when it comes to obvious differences in others from myself. Nothing and no one make me uncomfortable. In fact, I’m probably the one that makes everyone else uncomfortable. I’m very likely to approach anyone and within seconds strike up a conversation complete with questions. Here’s a loose translation of a conversation I had with a man at a club one evening while the love of my life was away fetching libation…

Me: “Hi! How are you?”

Burly Dude: “Good, how you doin’?”

Me: “Great…this place is pretty dead tonight.”  (At this point I have noticed all his tattoos, piercings and the completely Dominant look in his eye—don’t ask about the last part.)

BD: “Yeah, you with anyone?”

Me: “Yeah, my husband went to get me a drink. You from Jacksonville?”

BD: “Yeah, you?”

Me: “I’m from everywhere… you know military wife and all… What do you do, are you in the military?” (I already knew he wasn’t.)

BD: “Nope…I…” ( I sort of lost him here as I was formulating my next question because I knew what he was getting ready to ask me…haha.) What do you do?”

Me: “I’m a romance writer. That’s a neat piercing…I’ve been out researching all day today, can you tell me how to get in touch with the local BDSM club?”

BD: (He cocks his head sideways and grins—A silent Dom communication passes…) “There’s not a public one in town, you’ll need to contact….”

See how that works? He was a totally nice guy, but how many other people would have by-passed him because he looked different. Me? I just wanted to know what made him tick and get some answers. I found out and I did get some answers. This same obsession with sub-culture is what drives me to watch Taboo on NatGeo all the time and drive others around me insane. I think I’d have a totally rockin’ sociologist had I actually pursued my degree further. Who knows, today I might have been in some distant land hacking out a path in the jungle looking for a lost civilization, or living in a hovel trying to figure out why those that choose to be homeless do so. The next best thing? Research and work these sub-cultures into sub-genres. 

So, was Three for Keeps borne of a sub-culture or a sub-genre? Sort of like a which came first question isn’t it? J Whichever came first, it was a burning need to figure out what makes poly-relationships work, and I’m telling you, by the time I finished Three for Keeps I totally believed it was entirely possible for someone to love more than one person at a time, have a relationship that reflected that, and could make it work. I hope after reading it you will too…

Zoey Matthews is in love. She’s been in love since the day she was dropped off by a social worker at yet another foster home on a back country road miles from nowhere, Missouri. At age ten, she met the men of her dreams. Over the course of sixteen years, Dane Cardwell, Jack Devereux and Ryan Wilkins fell in love with her, too. They’ve each told her they love her, they’ve shown her and each man has gone so far as to ask her to marry him. But what they don’t know is Zoey loves them all. 
Her game of kiss and not tell all comes crashing down around her the night of her graduation from veterinary school and Zoey runs for the mountains. Of Colorado. Hoping to outrun her obsession with three men and forget them all together, she stays gone for ten years. But the wound has never healed. In fact, it's done nothing but fester. Needing to clear the air, Zoey agrees to spend a few days back home with the boys never imagining it would turn into a week filled with comparison sex as Dane, Jack and Ryan each try to get Zoey to choose between them and their varied tastes. 
When she finally tells the truth, a truth only one of them has known all along, Zoey fears the foursome will never be able to make a sharing relationship work. After all, aren't there just too many personalities and desires to sort through? Add in the kink factor and things get really complicated. Zoey’s not convinced the truth has any merit, but there's one thing she knows for sure…this time she's playing for keeps.

Please enjoy an excerpt:


Zoey turned around slowly so Dane could get a good look at her living canvas before easing onto the bed and lying on her side.
“Are you disappointed, Dane?”
Dane didn’t answer for the longest time just stood with his hands clenching and unclenching and his chest heaving. Zoey let her eyes wander south and discovered that Dane still thought she was sexy, too. The front of his jeans was quite full with his erection. So, they all still wanted her. The question rolled around in her mind again, what was she doing here exactly? Did they want to pass her around for a few days then send her home? That wasn’t what she wanted, but she started questioning whether or not she could live with that if it meant having them for a little while vice never. 
“Hell, no, Zoey. I’m not disappointed. The furthest thing from it actually. The only thing that disappoints me is the time we’ve wasted dancing around the elephant in the room.” Dane closed his eyes and took one last deep breath before sitting on the edge of the bed focusing on everything but her naked body. 
“What elephant?”
“The one that would explain why you left.”
So, Jack was telling the truth. He’d never told Dane or Ryan the reason she’d packed up and vanished literally overnight.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Zoey said pushing up and draping the sheet over her. “And if that’s all you want to talk about I’d rather you leave.”
“Zoey we need to clear the air. Things aren’t right. They haven’t been since then and it’s damn well ridiculous for things to go on the way they are.”
“Do we have to talk about it right this second?” If he and Ryan had to know why, well, Zoey decided she wouldn’t be going down without a fight. She had to show them what she couldn’t tell them and then maybe they’d understand and accept her idea of how things could be.
“No. We don’t,” Dane conceded. “I know you’re tired. Eat your sandwich and drink your milk.” He pointed at the tray on the nightstand and started to get up.
“Dane, wait. Stay with me? Hold me? At least until I fall asleep?” 
Showing had to start immediately. She had less than a week to prove to these three that they could make this work and all live together in some sort of harmony if they were just willing to try.
“Zoey, are you sure about that? We’re not kids anymore. If things get out of hand, I don’t think I can stop it.”
“What if I told you I don’t want you to try?” she asked, twisting the sheet into a tight ball.
“Jack and Ryan are downstairs. What do you think they’d think about this?” Dane looked at her seriously. 
“Isn’t this weekend just as much about clearing the air as it is about the hope you all hold that I’ll finally pick one of you? If that’s what you expect then I expect to get to test drive the goods before I buy. And I want to test drive as many times as I feel like and any way I feel like. Even if it means one on one, side by side, comparison.” Zoey held her breath and waited for Dane to collect her things and cart her happy ass back to Springfield.
“Let me just see if I have this straight. You think we have you here to force you to finally choose…”
“Don’t you? Jack kissed me already and I almost let Ryan bend me over the bathroom counter and fuck me silly.” Zoey let that absorb. “Hasn’t that always been the issue, Dane? You all needed me to decide?”
“Define any way you feel like and one on one comparison.” Dane’s eyes had gone from dark to jet black and his pupils were huge. 
“I mean I have needs. Things I’ve discovered I like. Dark things, Dane. I think you have those needs as well. Tell me you wouldn’t like to lash me to this wrought iron bed spread eagled and make me come until I begged for mercy. Have you ever laid awake at night and thought about bending me over and spanking me until my ass was as pink as the flowers on that chair over there? I have.” Zoey watched as Dane’s breathing sped up and his nostrils flared. “Know what else? In my fantasies Ryan and Jack help. Sometimes they take turns watching while the other one fucks my mouth while you take me from behind. Now are you disappointed, Dane?”
“Hell no, Zoey. Get up,” he rasped out and stood. 
“Why?”
“Because first we’re going downstairs to tell the others what you’ve decided. Then I’m bringing you back up here and fuck you seven ways to Sunday. In my room, not this frilly little princess room we thought you needed. Starting with that filthy little mouth of yours,” Dane explained as he walked to her side of the bed then grabbed her wrist and helped her stand. “Oh, believe me, Zoey Christine Matthews, I’ll give you exactly what you want and more.”


Purchase at All Romance eBooks
If you’d like to keep up with me I can be found at http://lilamunro.weebly.com 
Thanks, for allowing me to take over your blog today!