October 31, 2019
GoodReads
A Shimmering Dream
(Limited Edition Nocturne Annual 2018)
will be out-of-print 10.31.19
Fall asleep with a pirate on your mind tonight.
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Ms. Samuels Notes
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.
If you enjoy my work, please consider leaving a review and telling your friends.
There is so much to say about TAT Books and where we have come from. Many of you know I started book one, Salt Kissed Love, the very day I finished Juliet back in 2014. I knew Iris & Sal had a lot of backstory–both sides–and to do that justice, I had to break away from my beloved BDSM school.
This book has been 22 books in the making. I hope you loved it as much as I did writing it. I’ve been with some of these characters for over a decade of my real time and watching them mature has been one of the greatest joys of my life. It is undeniable how interwoven I am with the main characters. I can pull them up on a dime; I understand their thought processes and motivations.
That said, something surprised me greatly about the four SONS in this book. More so than any other book.
I felt all four of them—Dom, Nico, Deacon, and Sal—brought the absolute best of themselves to the table. They were raw and honest, pure and real. That isn’t to say that they weren’t in previous books, but say, for instance, in Famous Last Words, I knew Dom kept a rather shadowed position for the sake of the story. I didn’t feel the cloistered stance from any of the SONS.
From Dom being so forthright about the abuse, to Nico admitting his hunger pangs, the boys brought their authentic selves to my laboratory and I cannot thank them enough.
Deacon Cruz showed a side of himself that even I didn’t know existed. Wow! What a surprise. Where the hell did that come from? Truth is Chapter 68 is not here in it’s original state; it endured a harsh rewrite which in the end I think made the story. It summed up so many questions with one strand thrower.
We not only got to experience the depth of trust between Sal and Iris, but between Iris and each of the boys. The triangle was the most balanced it has ever been. And there was a certain beauty in that because we knew it couldn’t stay permanently.
But we also experienced the heart-shattering revelation that Master Raniero doesn’t truly know who he is as a Dominant. How has he had time to fully flourish? He hasn’t and he needs to.
The flip side to his Dominance is his submissive, Iris Nakamura, and what a breathtaking presence she has become over the years. I have made no excuses for admitting when I started Juliet that I didn’t care for Iris. I found her a difficult and challenging character to “tap” into. I had an immediate fluidity with Kaci Hope, Deacon Cruz, and Sal Raniero. I needed that kind of flow with Iris and I never truly started to see what Sal had been seeing all these years until Famous Last Words.
My expectations for Iris in EMILY were beyond high. I wanted her to perform at a stunning level for which I don’t think we had ever truly been given. I am extraordinarily happy with the result. By the end, I understand she is fully counterbalanced to Sal’s mischievous ways. She is smart, quick witted, and still fights for what she believes. Iris has never imparted a weak tone, but there is an available softness to her in the arms of her man.
I always knew Sal and Iris would come together by either TAT3 or TAT4, but I had no idea how wildly passionate and almost romantically blissful they would end up becoming. They were this really nice piece of sweet chocolate in amongst what was for the most part a bitter biscuit to digest.
Sal is confronted with so many choices, none of which he truly wants to make, and when Iris disappears I think he triggers—realizing the only one that matters is her. Whatever it takes and whoever needs to be run over and whichever outcome he ends up with.
He cannot continue to play both roles equally—this, too, I think many anticipated was coming. And the decision to take on the role with The Commission and the Dark Prince is not one he takes lightly.
From a writing perspective, there will still be the occasional Sal Raniero Thriller book because I enjoy them, but they have to be cases which genuinely appeal to Sal and me. I have to believe they further the bigger picture of Sal and are integral to his development as a character.
So, what can you expect going forward?
A lot. There are many unresolved issues not only within their world but also within each other as a couple and for the trinity. Much like Sal said:
So, we’re together—Yay!
But we’re both so infinitely melancholy, it’s hard to rejoice.
As long as the constant challenge to grow their dynamic is there and as long as it remains, I will continue to explore the relationship, whether that is as a mafioso or a family man or just a man in love. And man—that man in love looks good on Sal.
I rarely end books in a happy for now/happy ever after way, but this time, I felt compelled for you, Dear Reader, to know they were together. The very thing I promised you from day one with Juliet—Sal and Iris will be together.
Because of how this story unfolded, it has affected the release schedule and plans for subsequent books. They are coming, perhaps not in the order I’ve mentioned previously, but they are all still coming. I never felt totally right about composing Juliet II without Sal and Iris together, the idea felt misshapen and almost forced which is why it has been delayed for awhile. Juliet is ultimately their story of lust in BDSM, and if they aren’t there on centerstage, then I fail. Not to say the other boys won’t be there because they will, but Sal and Iris must be.
I’m not going to talk much about Emily because Sal is still in some sort of grief-stricken state, but I will say this—the original name for this book was White Picket Fences (now Part VII) and we came up with the really twisted acronym EMILY—Every Minute I Love You—not because he was in love with Emily, but because he was in love with Iris.
Every minute of every day, Sal loves Iris.
And I hope you love them.
I have so many favorite scenes in this book. From the love motel scene in Japan to Deacon’s Swollen Stream to Sal feeding Iris in front of her grandfather and making love to her against the building.
I loved writing this book, probably more so than any other book I’ve written. It was an amazing experience, cathartic and healing, and I really took my time to let it unfold at their pace and I think that shows.
I loved the sweeping set changes which were so very dramatic from Famous Last Words being two-thirds in a prison. It felt good to be out of prison and alive and breathing and able to explore—for Sal and me. I cannot promise we will have such dramatic set shifts in TAT4, but I don’t know—the tea is steeping and it will be out in early 2020.
Thank you all for going on this journey with me. Sal and I are very reflective over where we’ve been and what we’ve done and we’re having very real conversations about where we’re going next.
Sugargrove is my home.
Juliet is my home.
Sal is my home.
And so is his butterfly.
Until next time…
Walking in grace, forever yours…
k xx
Peace. Love. & Sal.
Thank you!
Have a beautiful day!
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KaileeReeseSamuels.com
Kailee Books
A printable reading list is available:
Sal’s Reading List
22
A&E
Bad Girl
Juliet
Kinky Sex Magic
Madness
Poppy
She/He
a Tomb of Ashen Tears
Salt Kissed Love
Famous Last Words
Every Minute I Love You
SONS
Son of Saint
Son of Angel
Son of Cirque
Son of Master<
br />
Sal Raniero Thrillers
Unspoken (Prequel to Hey Pretty)
Hey Pretty
The Story of Salvatore
The Initiation
Tea for Two
Grunt
Hopechest
RIDE
Fluff
Bounce
Raw
Nocturne
A Shimmering Dream
The Red Shoes
Hop onboard the Kailee Train:
KaileeReeseSamuels.com
Every Minute I Love You (a Tomb of Ashen Tears Book 3) Page 73
