Salon regular and newly minted published romance author, Suleikha Snyder reports on the May Lady Jane’s at which she read a snippet from her delicious Bollywood-set erotic romance, SPICE AND SMOKE. Welcome, Suleikha!

The May 7th Lady Jane’s Salon at New York’s Madame X lounge was hardly my first as an attendee…but it was a major milestone as an author, as our beloved hosts with the most, Hope Tarr, Leanna Renee Hieber and Ron Hogan, invited me to be amongst the guest readers! I joined YA authors Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep) and Alethea Kontis (Enchanted), steampunk writer Kate Cross (Heart of Brass), and historical fiction author Sherry Jones (Four Sisters, All Queens). It made for quite the diverse roster, since I read from my male/male (and male/female) Bollywood romance, Spice and Smoke.

I have to confess, I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs…despite Madame X having none of the latter in their decadent, bordello-inspired interior. What it does have, on the nights that feature Lady Jane’s Salon, is warmth and laughter and a host of people to hold your hand, pat you on the shoulder and assure you, “Don’t worry, you’ll be great!” And cocktails. Let’s not forget those delicious $5 drinks. I sipped one as I sat between my pals Mary and Elizabeth (no, they’re not Henry VIII’s daughters!), and listened to Zoraida read aloud a moving, sweet, first encounter from her mermaid tale. Deep, yes. Vicious? For that, you have to buy the book! My Bollywood boys and I went up right after her. Polyamorous bisexual smokers on the prowl go well with teenage mermen, right?

I read an excerpt where our hero and his hero (or his would-be hero) get a little up close and personal…but not too close. Lady Jane’s is such a supportive, fun, loving crowd…they laughed at all the right places and even at some parts I didn’t realize were funny! Afterwards, a few people came up to tell me how hot the excerpt was, too. Funny and sexy? Yay! After me was Sherry Jones, of The Jewel of Medina fame, who read from another gem, regaling us with the forbidden love of Marguerite and “her Lancelot.” Kate Cross shared some steampunk cyborg love (of sorts!) with an MI-5 flair. (Her hero is named Lucas, after Richard Armitage’s character.) Then Alethea Kontis, who held her book release party immediately after the Salon, capped off the evening with a rousing performance from her debut, Enchanted. Her audio book reader, Katherine Kellgren, did the voices of a teenage boy and a gravel-voiced frog with such verve! I think the entire room was in awe!

But, let’s face it: Lady Jane’s Salon is ALL about the awe. All the time. It’s the place to be if you love romance and romance fans. So pop in on the first Monday of any given month, order an Indecent Proposal and bring your own spice. Come to think of it, you can bring your own smoke, too! Just do it outside, as New York bars are smoke-free.

Join us for the next Salon on Monday, June 4th! (Note: There will be NO July Salon).