Saturday, April 27, 2013

Welcome, Brother: Want it?


I'm joining two announcements under one post.

Welcome, Brother
receive its first blog review from Hearts on Fire Reviews - a site that has reviewed all of the College Fun and Gays books - and it received a smashing 4.25 hearts!

Here's an excerpt of their review:

"The book may have a lighter feel at times, due to Kyler, but it also deals with some very heavy issues and some terrible happenings.  Aaron?  I wanted to cry.  Liu?  I wanted to cry more.  

The story may have bittersweet aspects but it isn’t a sad one.  Yes, there’s homophobia and violence on the parts of some, but there’s also hope and love, both romantic and friend types.  Much more important, yes."


I'd also like to say that I met one of their reviewers at GayRomLit last year. I'd spoken to her in emails and talked about how it feels weird to me to say that I have "fans" (because I'm just me), so I always say "people who like to read my books" instead. 
Well, this reviewer presented me with homemade pin that says: People Who Like to Read Erica Pike Girl in the cutest pink letters. I don't think she knows just how much that flattered me. I think I was too stunned to say anything but "Wow, thank you". I hope I get to meet her in Atlanta this year (seek me out if you'll be there, please!).


Okay, second piece of info: Emily had a birthday this month (congrats!) and it just happened to be my birthday month as well. To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of Welcome, Brother on her blog. Just stop by and leave a comment and your email address (on her site, not here, though you're always welcome to comment here ^.^)


Amazon Excludes Erotica


We're being censored (again). This time by Amazon (again). This article explains it better, but basically what they've done is remove all books marked as erotic from their search engine on the main page. You'll have to type in the exact name of the book to find it, or go into the Kindle section first and then type it in*.

Look, I get that parents don't want their kids to wander off on Amazon and discover erotic content, even though Amazon has already removed the most lewd titles and covers. I'm not even going to go into the whole 'parents are responsible for what their kids see on the internet' thing - we all know that teens will find it if they're looking for it even if the parents are watching (which makes what Amazon is doing pretty pointless). I'm just going to size up a couple of things:

Believe it or not, I used to read outside the m/m scope. I loved YA books - paranormal, mostly. I also read some adults books in the sense that they were non-erotic, but written for adults. One such book was Dexter

I loved Dexter on TV, so I thought I'd try the book. I wasn't disappointed. He was as lovingly psychotic as he is on TV. The only reason I didn't continue with the books was because I discovered m/m shortly thereafter. 

Point one: It's okay for kids to stumble upon books that describe murder as a glorious thing, but it's not okay for them to catch a glimpse of erotic titles.

Earlier this year, a friend convinced me to read a non-m/m YA book. It was a zombie book called Ashes. People who have read my blog know I love post-apoc books, so I was all for it. It was a good book and I was firmly immersed. However, the blood, gore, bone-gnawing, and horror made me shudder more than once. And this is supposed to be for teens!

Point two: It's okay for kids to read splatter books, but heaven forbid they see erotic titles on Amazon!

Come on now, Amazon. You can't just pick and choose!

Now, out of curiosity, I typed in "Grade-A-Sex" (for my story Grade-A-Sex Deal) from the main page and you know what I got? A bunch of sex-education books: What's the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys and How You Are Changing: For Boys Ages 10-12 and Parents (Learning About Sex), for example. Nice.

*Apparently this search engine restriction is only supposed to restrict the search from the main page. I tested this and here's what happened: I went under Kindle Store - Kindle ebooks and typed in "Grade-A-Sex". I got nothing. I then went under Kindle Store - Kindle eBooks - Fiction and typed in my search words and found my book on page 3 while all the titles listed before it didn't have all of those search words in their titles. I had to go all the way under Kindle Store - Kindle eBooks - Fiction - Erotica for Grade-A-Sex Deal to show up on the first page, but even then it's the beneath two other books that don't have "Grade" and "Sex" in their titles. Um, yeah, this censorship doesn't only apply to the main page.

One last thing, check out these covers: 


Oh yeah, those are fine by Amazon. They would've scared the crap out of me as a kid (still kind of do). But apparently it's socially acceptable for kids to stumble upon these covers but not on an artful nude.

Oh wait... Here are a couple of nudes that pop up on the first page on Kindle Store - Kindle eBooks "Nude":


Okay...but these are for some kind of art thing. But hey, what's this then on the same first page?


Amazon, you confuse me. Why does this get to go on the first page but not my Grade-A-Sex Deal?


Now that I'm checking, another one of mine that is marked as "erotic" (why-oh-why don't you have an "erotic romance" category?) called Hot Hands doesn't show up on the Kindle Store - Kindle eBooks first page either.


Oh, right, because those above are marked as "Arts and Photography" and not "Erotic"... 

Edited to add: I typed in "Fifty" on the Amazon main page and Fifty Shades of Grey popped up before I could type in more. I don't know if it was marked as erotica before and now they've changed it, but despite how it's listed now, it is definitely an erotica. Here's how it is on Amazon now:


Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Contemporary Women
Books > Romance > Contemporary

So whoever said that Fifty Shades of Grey couldn't be accessed from Amazon's main page after the changes was wrong (or they were right at the time).

On a side note, I'm seriously thinking about asking my publisher to remove the erotica label if it's okay to label Fifty Shades of Grey as a romance. All my stories are love stories and the sex scenes aren't more erotic than the ones in Fifty Shades (less flowery, perhaps) - you can read small lines and excerpts from Fifty Shades' sex scenes here, but here are a couple of lines:

"“You’re so deliciously wet. God, I want you.” He thrusts his finger inside me, and I cry out as he does it again and again. He palms my clitoris, and I cry out once more."

“I’m going to fuck you now, Miss Steele,” he murmurs as he positions the head of his erection at the entrance of my sex. “Hard,” he whispers, and he slams into me."

"“Aargh!” I cry as I feel a weird pinching sensation deep inside me as he rips through my virginity."

"“Open your mouth,” he commands and thrusts his thumb in my mouth. My eyes fly open, blinking wildly.
“See how you taste,” he breathes against my ear. “Suck me, baby.”"

 Highly erotic, wouldn't you say? ^.^ Even Anastasia thinks so:

"I taste the saltiness on his thumb and the faint metallic tang of blood. Holy fuck. This is wrong, but holy hell is it erotic."

I'm not writing this as an if-they-can-I-can-too. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy and how publishers will start to falsely label books on Amazon now. Also,  if Amazon won't hide 50 Shades from their main page - it being a very popular book that's widely known for its eroticism - they're being even more hypocritical, discriminating against books with lesser profiles.

Edited to add links:
Amazon looks pathetic by excluding porn from its search engine (but still selling it) (The original article from where the excerpt posted in the link I provided at the top is).
Revisiting the Censorship of Erotica (General info throughout the years)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Bottle Extreme?


The people who have read my Boston Boys books will understand why I not only find this video sexy as hell, but also so, soooo cool ^.^ 

Thanks Z. Allora for pointing it out to me.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Welcome, Brother: Excerpt



Excerpt from Welcome, Brother:

It’s a Friday night and the first Brotherhood private party – no outsiders allowed – will be held on the ground floor. I’m nervous as hell, not knowing what to expect. Will they make us do something?
The house is already pumping with a beat from downstairs and I can hear muffled voices and laughter coming from the hallway. I’m ready to go in tight black jeans and green t-shirt, but I’m still delaying my trip to join the others. Instead, I flip through some random book on my bed. It probably won’t be long before Liu comes knocking on the door.
As if on cue, the door is opened, but instead of Liu, Hunter steps in. He casts me a casual smile and closes the door.
“You’re not going?” he asks as he walks to his side of the room and pulls the white t-shirt over his head. Those lovely muscles I’ve been salivating over for the past week stretch and bunch under the beautifully tanned skin. 
“Uh, yeah. I was going in a minute,” I say and avert my eyes when he looks at me. 
Hunter crumbles up the t-shirt and tosses it in a basket, eyes on me as he walks to his dresser. 
“Were you waiting for me?”
Yes.
“No,” I say, with a dangerous stirring in my pants. I casually cover it with the book. “Or maybe. I don’t really know anyone except for you and Liu.”
Hunter stops with a black button-up shirt in his hands. 
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I should’ve introduced you to everyone by now. I’ll fix that tonight.”
Instead of an answer, I just give him a quivering smile. 
Five minutes later, we’re being swallowed by the sea of guys at the foot of the stairs. I recognize a couple of the initiates standing huddled by a wall while others are mingling or being introduced by their masters. Some Brothers seem very hands-on, touching while talking, though it doesn’t seem to be sexual. It still looks weird to me, as I’m not used to being a part of a group of guys and would’ve thought touching was a taboo. At least, the guys back in high school didn’t seem okay with too much touching. A punch in the shoulder, a little bit of roughhousing, and those athlete pats on the butt maybe, but I never saw them hugging, resting a hand on each other’s chests or even holding hands. Here, no one seems to care or even notice. 
A light touch to the small of my back sends swirling heat to my stomach. Hunter smiles at me and steers me through the crowd, introducing me to so many guys that I forget most of their names. They seem pretty cool. Just regular guys who joke around and laugh. Some of them make me fidget under assessing looks, but others just take one glance, offer me beer and try to involve me in whatever they’re doing. Hunter takes his time, not leaving me alone for a moment, and that’s when I realize that this party is probably some sort of vassal-master thing to make the initiates feel welcome. It’s a tad disappointing as Hunter’s spending time with me because he has to, not because he wants to.
“Kyler, Hunter,” Liu calls from the doorway to the lounge. “We’re playing a game.”
Hunter grabs my hand and pulls me through the throng of boys. His skin is dry and soft and makes me so nervous I can hardly feel the touch. When we’re in the lounge, a bunch of guys sit on the couches, chairs, and some on the floor. A space is cleared for Hunter on a three-seater that’s already seating five guys, and I sit squished in a stuffed chair next to a grinning Liu. 
“What are we playing?” asks Hunter from opposite me.
I Never,” says a round boy I think is named Danny or Dale. “Everybody know it?” he asks, looking at me and the other two vassals in the group. I’m the only one who shakes his head.
“I say something like ‘I never got a speeding ticket’”-a bunch of guys snicker and take a sip of their beers-“and those who have got speeding tickets take a swig of beer while the others don’t. Then the next person comes up with something. It’s a neat game to get to know you newbies.”
“Okay,” I say, nursing my still untouched can of beer between my hands. 
“I never went camping,” the guy next to Danny (or Dale) says. I don’t bring the can to my lips, because I’ve never gone camping. Hunter and a whole lot of other guys take a sip. Liu doesn’t.
“I never masturbated,” says the next guy, which causes a round of laughter as everyone takes a swig – me, with a flushed face, included.
“I never kissed a guy,” says the next one.
I freeze up, but glance around when some guys take a drink while some don’t. It surprises the hell out of me that they’d admit it, just like that. Hunter, I notice, doesn’t take a drink and neither do I since I’ve never been kissed. Damn, he’s straight. Well, I didn’t really think he wasn’t. Or maybe he’s never been kissed either.
“I never kissed a girl,” says the next guy, and again there’s a mix of some drinking and some not. Hunter, eyeing me, takes a sip. I look down at my can and trace my finger along the rim. Damn…
“I never saw RoboCop,” says the guy next to Hunter. Most of the guys take a drink while I don’t. I was never into futuristic robot movies.
“I never wore high heels,” says Hunter, earning himself some laughter – mostly from guys who take a drink. 
“Does it count when you’re a toddler?” one of the vassals asks. When Hunter nods, I take a drink. Hey, I was two and mom managed to snap a picture as evidence.
We continue and I learn that Hunter played basketball, ate Captain Crunch, and went skinny dipping while he never went to Sunday school, had a pet, or stole money. Liu was guilty of the last offence.
For the past four I Never’s, I’d been dreading my turn. I never wanted a boyfriend, would be a nice way to see if Hunter’s one of those who likes guys but has only kissed girls. Or maybe likes both girls and boys. I seem to be clinging to some fruitless fantasy. Who’s to say he’d even want me if he was gay?
“I never… went… um, fishing,” I sputter lamely. I don’t even know where it came from. Hunter smiles at me as he takes a drink while Liu and I don’t. Looks like Liu’s family is about as big on the outdoors as mom and I are.
“I never played with dolls,” says Liu and takes a sip.
I grudgingly take a drink along with a few others. Like I said, I’ve really only had female friends. 
Liu and I are well beyond tipsy when the game is over. Hunter seems to hold alcohol better, because he took more drinks than I did. Liu drags us off to the kitchen to get cold beers.
“You never kissed anyone?” asks Hunter from behind me as we walk.
“Does mom count?” I ask, glad he can’t see the blush on my face.
Hunter chuckles. “Just figured that someone like you would’ve been popular with girls.”
“I was,” I say while we push through the doorway. “As a friend.”
I always got to play the dad, or the baby, or the groom as a kid. Then I got to listen to boyfriend troubles and gush about guys with my friends as a teen. I knew there were girls who had crushes on me, but I made myself unavailable by hanging out with my friends all the time. Friends who knew about me, but never told anyone. By the ninth grade, though, most kids probably suspected.
“Boys, then?” he continues as we stop. Liu opens the fridge to dig out some cold beers while I stand with my back to the counter, facing Hunter but not really looking at him.

Release Day! Welcome, Brother, by Erica Pike: Sweet & Sexy Fraternity Story


I was off by four days! I thought this title wasn't supposed to release until the 27th, but it was released today ^.^ Without further ado, I present Welcome, Brother:


When arts student Kyler Morris applies for membership to The Nova Britannia Brotherhood, he's immediately floored by their intimidating leader, Hunter Kingsley. Fellow arts student Hunter, however, isn't the bad-ass he's made out to be and takes Kyler under his wing. 

While Kyler struggles to keep his crush under control and his sexuality hidden from the Brothers, Hunter battles daemons of his own in the form of two Brothers who aren't playing by the rules.

Available at No Boundaries PressAll Romance eBooks and Amazon. Will be available at other outlets soon :)

Excerpt can be found here.

Monday, April 15, 2013

A Life Without You by Erica Pike Up for Grabs


First off, my heart goes out to the people of Boston, the marathon attendees and their families. I'm just devastated. At least I'll always remember the date since today is my birthday. There are several other chilling coincidences: I shipped off my (finally) finished manuscript of Boston Boys 3 to my publisher today, and my cousin's husband (a man I've known almost my whole life) was running that marathon but had already reached the finish line before the bombs went off. I'm so, so glad he's okay, but not everyone was as fortunate. I hope they catch whoever did this and put him/her/them away for life!

That said, and this has nothing to do with my birthday - it's just another coincidence - A Life Without You is up for grabs to one commenter on Elisa's Reviews. This is part of her GayRomLit giveaway and there are two drawings every week (my day is today). So if you want to try to win a copy, please leave a comment on her blog :)

Here's the blurb for A Life Without You:

Jesse's like a bar of soap: the tighter Adam holds on, the faster Jesse slips away. Or that's how it feels to Adam. It doesn't help that Jesse has a girlfriend back home and claims to be straight, but there's no way with all the sparks and physical intimacy flying between the two roommates.

When Adam believes he has reached his ultimate happiness, the bedroom walls come crashing down with a visit from Jesse's girlfriend.

Now Jesse has to decide if he can come to terms with his sexuality, while Adam has to learn to accept that Jesse might never be able to crawl out of the closet.


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Cover Reveal: Welcome, Brother


I'm soooo excited. I got the cover for Welcome Brother and rumor has it that it'll be out toward the end of April (27th, but it could change). 

Here's the blurb:

When arts student Kyler Morris applies for a membership to the Nova Britannia Brotherhood, he's immediately floored by their intimidating leader, Hunter Kingsley. Fellow arts student Hunter, however, isn't the bad-ass he's made out to be and takes Kyler under his wing.

While Kyler struggles to keep his crush under control and his sexuality hidden from the Brothers, Hunter battles daemons of his own in the form of two Brothers who aren't playing by the rules.

Welcome Brother focuses on acceptance in college and gay bashing.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Guest Blog: Ciaran Dwynvil (In Blue Poppy Fields)


Thank you, Erica, for having me as your guest today. I'm very excited to be here to tell you about my newest gay erotic paranormal fantasy, In Blue Poppy Fields. The book will please not only all fans of Belial, the Prince of Trickery, the Lord of Lust and the Antilight... aka Guardian Demon, but all readers who love vampires. 

Though... maybe not all as vampire stories differ greatly. Some have gloomy, horror atmosphere, some are full of blood and violence, still others brim with dark sensuality. How should you know ours would be to your liking? Apart from reading a sample chapter on Amazon or Smashwords to get a feel of the tale, you can learn about various aspects of a vampire's life in our world during In Blue Poppy Fields release tour. Let's first take a look at the book and then we will move on to our topic for today. The bond between Sire and his Scion.

In Blue Poppy Fields blurb: 

A victim to another man's cruelty, talented and beautiful theater actor Adhemar Lebeau learned not to trust and not to love anybody but himself. Falsely accused of his master's murder, he has to accept assistance of mysterious Count Sanyi Arany to later discover his savior is a vampire. Forced both by a fatal illness and aftershocks of torture experienced during his unjust imprisonment, Adhemar agrees to the only possible cure. Rebirth.
Healed in body but not in mind, he guards his independence, free will and heart. He is not able to give love, only the fulfillment of lust. Yet, satiation of sensuous longing is not enough for his Sire and he knows it. When an eerie malady strikes and seems to deplete Sanyi's life energy for unknown reasons, Adhemar understands his fears and agrees to keep a street boy, Reyach, as a pet for both of them in hope it will soothe the unspoken worries.
Out of necessity he finds himself in the role of the only hunter in their company, and out of attachment he accepts the responsibility readily. Indulgence in blood and carnal pleasures fill his nights and vampiric powers give him the feeling of safety. Until the evening when he carelessly falls prey to High Demon Belial's plays that quickly turn into more than either of them has bargained for.
In spite of a hard start, Adhemar feels burning urge deep in his heart and no matter how much he denies it, the cause of the strange sensation is a budding seed of affection brought to life by the insufferable demon. But letting Adhemar learn to love somebody other than him is not what seemingly innocent Reyach plans. 

After reading the blurb you already know that Adhemar stayed with Sanyi after he had been Turned. Is it so for every true vampire of the night in our world? The lore says the bond between Maker and his Child is almost impossible to sever. And... it lies. The bond is in fact a loose connection between the two. Yes, it exists but the influence of Sire on his Scion's doings is exaggerated in the beliefs mortals hold about vampires.

The truth is that Sires differ. Some are very responsible and affectionate with their Scions, some are not. But if love guides a Sire's care, it had been there before he gave his lover new life. The feeling didn't magically come into existence during the act of Rebirth.

And so, when Turning just happens in the middle of a passionate night with a stranger, some Sires don't really care about their creations and leave them behind to stumble through their existence on their own. How can it just happen you ask? Very much like mortal encounters with strangers do. Perhaps the victim was too beautiful to be killed, perhaps something in his eyes awoke the immortal's mercy, perhaps the vampire's whimsical streak spoke at that moment, perhaps he wished to indulge in pain that night... who knows. But if he abandoned his offspring, nothing of the allure of that night was strong enough to make him start a relationship. 

Yet men are not kitten that truly need a cat, and while it is harder for the newborn vampire to handle the first nights of his immortality just on his own, he can survive well as long as he takes care to remain inconspicuous. It's the feeling of guilt, panic or indecision which may cost young vampires their immortal lives before they really start, but a man of a strong, independent personality will usually make it through the first critical nights even without help.

There aren't really too many things his Sire could teach him anyway. Not to swallow the food of mortals, not to expose himself to sunshine, to feed regularly, to hunt in the back streets and never among those who could be missed. Any man with average caution and intelligence would stick to these basics anyway. He may get scared by the fact that slumber strikes still before dawn if he is not well fed, or may avoid strong drinks or wine though they wouldn't really harm him, but in time and through experiments he will learn the nuances of his new existence. 

So why is Sire important anyway? For some vampires, his influence may be the difference between life and death. The act of Rebirth makes all personal traits stronger. So, a careless man becomes a careless vampire. He might not realize the dangers in time, or might underestimate them severely. Similarly, if a man always needed the guidance of others, he will need it as an immortal too and making his own decisions will be extremely hard for him. After his Rebirth he might become literally paralyzed by indecision if left to his own devices. Still other young vampires might be bound by religious beliefs and commandments to the point of not being able to hunt without encouragement, coaxing and guidance. In all such cases and many more it is extremely valuable for a newborn vampire to have his Sire at his side.

Does it mean that Sire, provided that he and his Scion stay together initially, always leads? Not at all. If a vampire with a strong personality Turns a dominant man, they will soon become equal and it won't be easy to distinguish who guides and who follows. If they are both hot-headed, they may spend many a night in heated arguments and perhaps after a time they will part ways anyway if they find themselves unable to come to a compromise.

It may also happen that a vampire possesses submissive traits and Turns his dominant lover. In such a case, their respective roles won't change. The newborn vampire will still be the guiding force in their relationship even though he will probably seek insight of his Sire when confronted with realities of his new existence for the first time. 

As you can see, the dynamics of the relationship between Sire and his Scion differ case by case and nothing is really carved in stone. Now you can knowingly raise your brow when you hear the lore :) 

Would you like to learn more about vampires in our world? You can find a list of topics and the schedule of the whole tour here.

For now take a peek into the book and catch a glimpse of relationship between Sanyi and Adhemar:

~*~*~

But they couldn't end every talk like this. Leaving him stumbling in the darkness, unsure of himself or their connection. If there ever had been any... Without thinking any further, Sanyi leaped off the statue too and quickly caught up with his desire. Grabbing his arm, stopping him in mid-step, he gave a bitter: “So, you are...”

Adhemar turned toward him and didn't shake his hand off. He just made a step back to lean against the chimney. The darned thing seemed to be always there. And had it not been there, they wouldn't have been having this painful conversation now. Sanyi frowned, wishing to throttle the mocking piece of architecture if he at all could. “I don't wish to speak about it,” Adhemar whispered, suddenly pulling him closer.

“But...,” he resisted and didn't even know why. He craved to be close to his favorite. It was just that he needed...

“What did I say?” A soft murmur but the touch of Adhemar's cold hand was insistent. It wouldn't allow him not to obey its call. Sanyi's knees buckled but somehow he managed not to let it be seen. Yet felt it all the same. The roof quaked. It did. And he was trapped and shaking too. “You...,” he gave and wasn't able to finish his line. His mouth wanted...

“Come here.” An order as silent as the soft mist undulating around them. And as loud as heavenly choirs.

“You...” His mouth wanted...

A pull. So powerful that he landed in Adhemar's arms with a yelp of surprise. “Will you ever stop talking, Maker mine?” the words caressed his pouts and he couldn't, couldn't, couldn't breathe. Leaning against his companion, he tried to retort: “May-,” but their lips crushed together before he finished the word. 

And then the world melted in red fog of lust, lust, lust. It quivered, shuddered, quaked and Sanyi didn't mind. Feeling the hardness of Adhemar's body against his own, he threw the gates to his soul open and let his assaulter claim his mouth in a hungry, glorious dance. Being kissed and kissing back, he finally felt... truly alive. Life raced through him in inexorable waves, starting in his tongue and rolling, rolling, rolling through all his nerves. Never to be stopped. Drowning in its magnificence, with his eyes closed to keep everything about this unseen moment in his heart, he moaned and buried his hands in silken, damp strands of Adhemar's hair. And wished to stay like this, stay like this, stay... like this. Forever.

~*~*~

Did the little peek into our world capture your attention? In Blue Poppy Fields is currently available at Amazon and Smashwords

It can be read without being familiar with other books in the Guardian Demon Series but you now have an opportunity to win one of the twelve copies of Trails of Love I Crawl Part 1 that opens the beguiling world of this series. Participation is easy enough for anybody over the age of eighteen. The more you help others find me and Guardian Demon Series books, the more chances to win you will have.
What can you do?

* Recommend my books in reader discussions on Goodreads, Shelfari or other platforms you are active at
* Follow my blog, like my FB page, follow me on Twitter
* Rate my books on Goodreads
* Review my books on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N or Goodreads
* Feature my books and your reviews of them on your blog if you have one
* Tell your friends about Guardian Demon Series
* Tweet about In Blue Poppy Fields, FB links to release tour articles, reblog them, Pinterest them, Stumble upon them… whichever platform you fancy is welcome

My giveaway form will give you more suggestions. Winners will be announced on my blog on the 11th of April: http://ciarandwynvil.wordpress.com/

I hope to see your entry in the giveaway and thank you for your help in spreading the word of mouth about Guardian Demon Series.

With this I hand over Erica's blog back to her. It has been my pleasure to be your guest, Erica. Thank you for having me over today.